This Wife Cooks

by  The Ultimate Ice Cream Book  by Bruce Weinstein 1 cup sugar 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 egg 1/2 t. vanilla 3/4 c. milk 1 1/2 c. heavy cream crumbled Oreo cookies Beat the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Set aside. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the egg will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cheese custard  through  a strainer into a large bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the the cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in your ice cream machine according the manufacturers instructions (my machine took 30 minutes), adding the crumbled Ore...

It's the time of year for a loved dessert in our house: Baklava! Ingredients 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough 1 pound chopped walnuts 1 cup butter 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup water 1 cup + 2 tablespoon white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup corn syrup Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon and 2 tablespoon sugar. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for ...

Place 4 thin chicken breasts (or tenders) into 2 cups buttermilk. (If you don't have buttermilk on hand, put 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a bowl (not a metal one!) and add enough milk to make 2 cups.) To the buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic. Let the chicken soak in the buttermilk for a few hours. Overnight is best. Next, we'll prepare the breading. For a quick and easy breading ingredient, you can use half a loaf of french bread, 2 - 3 cups of Panko Bread Crumbs, both of which will be more crisp, OR you can use basic Progresso Bread Crumbs, which are finer. So, the breading is: 8 - 12 pieces of bread (regular, french, homemade, whatever you have on hand is fine, broken into crumbs - not pulverized into practically nothing (I use my food processor for this.) 1/2 to 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1/2 to 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teasp...

6 Servings  Prep time: 15 min. + chilling Cook time: 1 hour  Ingredients 1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-1/2 to 4 pounds), cut up 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Oil for frying Gravy: 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 1-1/2 to 2 cups water Salt and pepper to taste Directions Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour buttermilk over; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Drain chicken pieces; add to flour mixture, one at a time, and shake to coat. Shake off excess; let stand on waxed paper for 15 minutes before frying. Heat 1/8 to 1/4 in. of oil in a large skillet; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, for 40-45 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is tender. Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove chicken; drain on paper towels and keep warm. Drain all but 1/4 cup drippings fr...

1 Cup of butter 2 Cups of sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. of vanilla 1 tsp. of baking soda 1 tsp. of baking powder 1 1/2 Cups of sour cream 5-6 Cups of sifted flour (Start with 5 cups, and add until you like the consistency of the batter. Save the rest for flouring the rolling pin and rolling surface.) Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and sour cream (I think it is the sour cream that makes the difference. I used Knudsen sour cream; not low fat, but regular sour cream). Then mix in the dry ingredients. I started with 5 cups of flour and used the rest when I actually rolled them out. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle your smooth countertop (or rolling surface) liberally with flour. I rolled out half the batter at a time. It was easier for me to work with. With a well-floured rolling pin, roll out the cookie batter to about 3/8 inch thickness and use floured cookie cutters to cut your shapes. I put them on parchm...

Just came across this awesome way to pop traditional on-the-stove kernels in your microwave: Place ½ cup popcorn kernels in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil. Cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high (power level 10) until the majority of the kernels have popped, 3 to 5 minutes.

This family favorite--chicken and gravy--can be prepared in less than 30 minutes using just a skillet.          {Photo from Taste of Home} 4 Servings Prep/Total Time: 25 min. Ingredients 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces  each ) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth,  divided 1/2 cup white wine  or  additional chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour Directions Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken and garlic in butter over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Add 1/2 cup broth, wine or additional broth, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In a small b...

This simple six ingredient recipe makes the most decadent, delicious bar cookies. Prep Time:  15 minutes Cook Time:  20 minutes Total Time:  35 minutes Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 pkg. two layer chocolate cake mix 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup white chocolate chips 2 cups chopped pecans OR coconut 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and cake mix in large bowl. Mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over bottom of 15x10" jelly roll pan and press to form crust. Sprinkle with semisweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips and pecans or coconut. In microwave on medium power, melt milk chocolate chips for 1-2 minutes or until melted. Stir sweetened condensed milk into the melted chips. Spread milk mixture evenly over nuts in jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. ...

This is thanks to { All Things Thrifty } Ingredients: 3 sticks of salted butter softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons baking powder 5 cups of all purpose flour Tip #1:   Don't use margarine. Use the good 'ol fattening BUTTER. I like to use salted butter. Tip #2:   Don't use the microwave to soften the butter. Let it sit out on the counter at room temperature until it is softened. If you use the microwave, you may melt it too much, which will impact the texture of your dough and make it too sticky. Directions: *Cream the softened butter and sugar together until it is nice, smooth, and fluffy. *Next, add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture. I use a hand mixer on low for this. *Add the vanilla.   *Gradually add the flour and baking powder. I use my hand mixer for this also. Make sure that all the flour is mixed into the dough. *Chill dough for 1-2 hours to stiffen up the dough. (very important step) *Wh...

Rosauers Shortbread Cookies { Courtesy of Melissa K @ A Time For Everything } 1 lb. butter 1 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla 3 1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. cornstarch Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat at medium speed until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed to slow and add the flour and then the cornstarch. Mix until incorporated. Divide the dough into 4 balls, flatten them into disks, and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 300. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4" thick. Keep lifting the dough, sprinkling with a little more flour if it sticks to the surface. Cut shapes of dough and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Place back in refrigerator to chill, about 15 minutes. Place cookie sheet in middle of oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until only slightly colored. Cool completely, glaze,...

Lofthouse Cookies: 2 eggs 2 C. sugar 2 C. cream 2/3 tsp. Salt 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder 2 C. shortening (Lard) Vanilla to taste Enough flour to form a soft ball (She told me that the key to making soft, fluffy cookies is to add a lot of flour. But she didn't tell me how much. ) I assume that you just mix all of the ingredients together because there are no special directions listed. Bake at 350º (again no specified time) and the cookies  need  to stay white. Icing: 1 pkg. powdered sugar 1 egg 1 can condensed milk (for spreading) 1 tsp shortening 1 tsp butter 

Click image for image credit INGREDIENTS: 1 cup water 2 1/2 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon water DIRECTIONS: 1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough cycle, and press Start. 2. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched. 3. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one ...

Click Here For Image Credit Put chicken into the crock pot, with -chicken broth -2 whole carrots -a few stalks of celery -a whole onion, chopped -2 tbs parsley -a bay leaf -about 4 tablespoons minced garlic {or two to four whole cloves of garlic} -salt and fresh ground pepper Let it cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Then when it's done, strain the broth into a stock pot, shred the chicken into the stock pot, and discard everything else. Add salt and pepper as needed to make it taste better, you can also add more garlic if needed, parsley if needed {since it's been strained out} and any other spices you like, then, bring it to a boil, and add about 4 chopped carrots, 2 or 3 chopped celery stalks, and homemade egg noodles {recipe found below}. Voila! You have the best batch of homemade chicken noodle soup you'll ever eat! :) Egg Noodles 6 eggs 3 cups flour itty bitty pinch of salt splash of milk {not always needed} Mix the eggs into the flour and...

Image courtesy of sanzoe Ingredients 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 4 pork chops Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, flour, Parmesan cheese, & seasonings. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Dip each pork chop into the egg/milk mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet, and brown abut 5 minutes on each side. Place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, and cook 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).