Peppermint Truffle Pie

Peppermint Truffle Pie
No matter how busy the season becomes, there’s always time to whip up this ridiculously simple pie. On top of being easy, easy, easy to make, it’s also dang fancy tasting, like forking into pure indulgence. The rich, chocolate truffle pie is kissed ever so lightly with peppermint, then topped with fresh whipped cream and candy cane sprinkles. Good heck, it's Christmas. How can we not rejoice!

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For the Pie:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup crushed candy canes
1 deep dish pie crust
7 eggs
1 cup high-quality cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
Use a basting brush to spread a thin layer of butter around the edge of the pie crust. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on the buttered edge. Set aside.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat in the cocoa powder, sugar, and peppermint extract until well mixed. Pour into pie crust. Bake in an oven preheated to375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set. Cool before serving with easy ganache drizzle, fresh whipped cream, and crushed peppermint candy.
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For the Ganache Drizzle:
1 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Pour cream and chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 60-90 seconds, then whisk together the mixture until smooth.
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For the Fresh Whipped Cream & Garnish
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup crushed candy canes
In a large bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat just until incorporated. Serve atop cooled pie, sprinkle with crushed candy canes before serving.

favorite choc chip cookies

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) good semi-sweet chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli)


Preheat your oven to 375.


Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (Please do this step. The consistency is effected by whether you beat after each egg or not.)
Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

pumpkin pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

Directions

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Pumpkin Cookies

Great Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp.salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Cream butter in a large bowl and gradually add sugars, beating till light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and mix. Add pumpkin to mix, mix well. Add flour mix. Add in chocolate chips. Drop dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm. Makes 40 cookies.

Fruit dip or sopapillas

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Serve with chopped fruit.

Or put in crescent rolls and top with butter cinnamon and sugar and bake.

MexiCali Breakfast Burrito with Chipotle Sour Cream

MexiCali Breakfast Burrito with Chipotle Sour Cream
There are a lot of steps to this recipe, and it is rather time-consuming to make. However, the recipe yields more than enough for seconds, and you're going to want them. Double the recipe? Yep. You might even want to do that. These are, hands down, the best breakfast burritoes you'll ever eat.

Garlic Grilled Chicken
1 chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise
2 T. melted butter
1 T. worchestschire sauce
1 T. minced garlic (the bottled sort)
½ tsp. cumin
Salt
Pepper
Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over the top of the chicken. Allow to marinate for 10 minutes (or up to overnight). Grill marinated chicken on a hot grill until cooked through. Allow to cool. Dice into bite-size pieces.
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Fluffy Cheddar Scrambled Eggs
6 scrambled eggs
1 T. pancake mix
2 T. milk
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. garlic salt
½ c. sharp grated cheddar
Beat eggs, milk, onion powder, and garlic salt together until well mixed. Pour into a non-stick cooking pan. Cook, scrambled-egg style over medium heat. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, turn off heat, allowing cheese to melt over eggs.
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Green Chili Rice
1 c. prepared brown basmati rice, warmed
¼ c. green chili’s
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch salt

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl.
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Fresh Pico de Gallo
1/3 c. tomatoes, diced
¼ c. purple onions, diced
¼ c. cilantro, diced
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste.

*Chipotle Sour Cream

2-4 Tbsp. chopped chipotles in adobo sauce

1 c. sour cream

Mix together in a small bowl.
Spoon ample amounts of each ingredient onto a large, good-quality tortilla. Roll tortilla up. Serve immediately.

Grandma W's Goulash

- 2/3 box or bag Shell pasta (medium or large- not small)

- 28 oz can diced tomatoes

- smallest can of tomato paste (even just a couple of scoops)

-1 small white onion chopped

- 1lb of ground meat ( I use 1/2 lb)

-2-3 medium carrots grated

- italian seasoning

-chili powder

- chopped fresh garlic

- salt and sugar to taste

Sautee onion and garlic in oil or butter till soft, throw in grated carrots and stir till slightly softened. Add ground beef to the same pan and brown. Pour in tomatoes and tomato paste. Add seasonings, salt and sugar to taste. Add sauce to cooked pasta and let simmer for any desired amount of time. Simmering not necessary but grandma does it so I do too.

Serve with buttered sourdough and carrots and grated cheddar cheese.