Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oh. Em. Gee. You better have a serious sweet tooth to attempt these cookie gut-bombs. I love Oreos and I loved home made chocolate chip cookies, but these are more than just the sum of it's parts. Fresh out of the oven, the Oreo's center is warm and gooey. Be sure to have plenty of milk on hand when you serve these up.

Ingredients

• 24 Double Stuf Oreo cookies
• 1 batch of your favorite cookie dough (I just follow the Nestle's Toll House recipe, leaving out the nuts for this recipe)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Wrap each Oreo in a small layer of cookie dough. Make the layer as thin as you can. If it's too thick, it will spread out too much. 
3. Bake for 12 minutes or until slightly golden. 

Not Just for Thanksgiving Turkey and Stuffing

Both my family and my husband's family live 300+ miles away and this year we were unable to make the long drive to see them. We still wanted traditional Thanksgiving turkey feast, but without all the big fuss of a whole bird. First, start with your favorite stuffing and spread it across a baking dish. Top it with some turkey cutlets, brushed with sage and butter, and bake. Downside to not cooking a whole turkey is not having the drippings to make a delicious gravy. Just buy some turkey stock, add to a roux with some sage, and, voila, you've got gravy - problem solved. This dish is so easy, I make it all year round.

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of your favorite stuffing - or use my recipe below
• 5-6 turkey cutlets
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon dried, ground sage
• Gravy - recipe below

1. Spread stuffing into a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Melt butter. Add in the vegetable oil, salt, and sage, and whisk together. Brush onto both sides of the chicken cutlets. 
3. Place chicken cutlets over the top of the stuffing. 
4. Cover and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Remove cover, and bake 10 minutes. Flip over turkey cutlets and bake another 10 minutes. Turkey and stuffing should both reach a temp of 165F. 

Stuffing Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled/cored and chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried, ground sage
• 6 cups croutons - dice any kind of bread and toast in oven until dried out
• 1/2 cup almond slivers
• 2 cups + turkey stock

1. Saute the onion and apple in the butter with some salt and pepper, and the sage. 
2. Add croutons and almond slivers, and mix together.
3. Slowly add in turkey stock and mix well. I like my stuffing moist like it came out of the bird, so I use extra stock. Use more or less, depending on your preference. 

Easy Turkey Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon dried, ground sage
• 2 cups turkey stock
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat, melt butter. 
2. Add sage and flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring with a whisk. 
3. Slowly add in turkey stock, whisking continuously. Increase heat and bring to a simmer. Gravy should be thickened by now.
4. Reduce heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie is, hands down, my most favorite food. I just love that it's tangy, but sweet, fresh, and creamy. 'Nuff said. 

Key limes, originally from Malaysia, were brought to Florida by the Spanish in the 1500s. They are smaller than a golf ball, pale yellow-green in color, and are more acidic than regular limes. The first known key lime pie was made in the late 1800s, by Aunt Sally, a cook for William Curry, who was Florida's first self-made millionaire. However, many people say that Aunt Sally just perfected the popular delicacy of the area.

Aficionados will argue over the proper way to make a key lime pie. Graham-cracker or pastry crust? Meringue on top or whipped cream, or neither? Cooked or uncooked filling? Personally, I like a graham-cracker crust and whipped cream. A chemical reaction occurs between the lime juice and the condensed milk so there is no need to cook it, but most people chose to because of the raw egg and because it helps the filling set more firmly. The one thing that everyone does agrees on, is that under no circumstances should you ever add green food coloring. The filling of authentic key lime pie is a light yellow.

My key lime pie consists of 3 parts: graham-cracker crust, filling, and whipped cream.

• Graham-cracker crust: In a food processor, blend together 1 package of crushed graham-crackers, 5 tablespoons of melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar. Press the mixture into a pie tin and bake at 350 for 8 minutes.
• Filling: Using electric mixer on high-speed, whip 3 egg yolks and the zest of 3 key limes for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (the vanilla is my secret ingredient). Turn speed to low and slowly add in 1/2 of key lime juice, but don't over mix at this point. Taste and if it's too tart, add some sugar, or if it's too sweet, add more key lime juice (I like it tart so I added more lime).
• Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 10 minutes at 350. Let cool and then place in fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
• Garnish with fresh whipped cream (made from 1 cup whipping cream and 1/3 cup powdered sugar) and some lime zest.

Baked Pear Pancakes

This oven-baked pear pancake transports me back to Amsterdam. I had gone for bicycle ride out to the countryside and stopped at a cute little restaurant where I enjoyed a pancake similar to this one on their garden patio. Although I love American pancakes (especially with blueberries!), these European style pancakes are a special treat. Make this for your significant other on a weekend morning for a romantic breakfast in bed!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pear, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• non-stick spray

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray 2 9-inch round pans with non-stick coating.
2. Whisk all ingredients (except the pear) together. Mix in the pear.
3.  Pour evenly into the 2 pans, spreading out the pears. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and cook for another 10 minutes. 

Copy Cat: The Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I sometimes get a crazy craving for the endless soup, salad, and bread sticks at The Olive Garden. We used to drive 45 minutes one way just for the Zuppa Toscana, but then I discovered how easy it is to duplicate at home. Neither Jimmy or I could tell the difference between the home-made version and the real thing, and it was delicious on this cold, wintry Friday night at home!

Despite it's name, this soup is not really Tuscan at all except for the kale, but it tastes great anyway. Who wouldn't love a soup with Italian sausage, potatoes, and kale in a lightly creamed onion and garlic broth? 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 white onion, small dices
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 5 cups water
• 2 russet potatoes, skin intact, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced 1/8 inch thin
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Remove sausage from casing and crumble. Cook through and set aside. 
2. In large pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
3. Add chicken broth and water, and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer and add potatoes cooking until done. 
5. Add sausage and kale, and let simmer for 5 more minutes. 
6. Stir in cream and season well.