Five Cup Salad

This is a really easy side dish to make for a party in a jiff. At my house we traditionally serve Five Cup Salad on Thanksgiving, because you can prepare this the night before. Five Cup Salad has a sweet and tangy flavor with tropical notes from the pineapple and coconut. Eating this makes me feel like I'm in Hawaii. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!
Ingredients:
1 rounded Cup of sour cream, regular or light
1 Cup sweetened coconut
1 can (11-once)  mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained
1 can (20-once) pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
1 heaping Cup of mini marshmallows

1. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, and carefully stir everything until combined.
   

The Best Mac and Cheese

Homemade mac and cheese is really tasty, if you have the right recipe. This is a creamy, rich, and cheesy mac and cheese, that will knock your block off. Sharp cheddar cheese makes this mac and cheese wonderful. My favorite part is the smoked paprika, so don't omit! If you like the smoked paprika feel free to add a pinch more on the top of the mac and cheese before baking. Serves about 6  1/2 cup sizes.
Ingredients:
8 oz (1/2 lb or about 1 3/4 cups) macaroni or other medium sized tubular pasta
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 1/2 Cups of either 2% milk, 1%, or whole milk.
3 Cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and stir in either some butter or oil to avoid the pasta from sticking. Save that pot to make your sauce.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Faranheight. 
3. Over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir constantly over medium heat for three minutes. Stir in the milk. Keeping on medium heat, whisk constantly until thicken, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Cups of the cheese, until melted. Add the noodles to the sauce and stir, until covered. Add half the noddles to a 2 quart casserole dish, sprinkle half of the cheese, add the rest of the noddles, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (30-40 if from refrigerator), or until it gets a light brown color on top.

Who could resist this?

Coconut Cake

I found this recipe off of Food Network's website. I did alter original recipe so that it would taste better. The cake was tender, somewhat on the heavy side, but still perfectly moist. I also find that toasting the sweetened coconut in the oven at 350 for a few minutes on a baking sheet enhances its flavor. The frosting is light and fluffy. It reminded me of marshmallow fluff and meringue. Serves 12-14
Ingredients:
2 Cups granulated sugar

1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

5 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon coconut flavor, or if you don't want too much coconut replace with vanilla extract.

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup ground pecans (you can omit this if you want. I did and it turned out just fine.)

1 Cup buttermilk, or sour milk. You can use low-fat buttermilk.

1 Cup freshly grated coconut, or unsweetened shredded coconut

For frosting:

1 Cup granulated sugar
1/3 Cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
2 egg whites. Save the yolks for my chocolate chip cookie recipe.
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Toppings: 1 1/2-2 Cups of sweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans, or two 9-inch pans. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. It will look somewhat like moist sand, so don't be alarmed if it doesn't appear normal. With the mixer running, add the oil and incorporate thoroughly.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each yolk. In a separate bowl, sift  the flour, salt, and baking soda together; stir in ground pecans if using.
2. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the egg mixture, ending with the flour. Beat until incorporated. Fold in the coconut. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Make sure your bowl is oil free. Wipe your bowl and beaters with some vinegar. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10-12 minutes on a wire rake, then remove from pans. Let cool completely before frosting the cakes.
4.  In a sauce pan combine sugar, water, and cream of tarter. Cook till bubbly and sugar dissolves. Make sure it is a hard boil. In a bowl combine eggs and vanilla extract. Add sugar mixture very slowly to egg whites, beating constantly with an electric mixer on high for seven minutes. If you add the sugar mixture too fast, it will take longer for your frosting to form. Then frost your cake and put the coconut on the top, in the middle of the layers, and sides of the cake.

Cake recipe from Emeril Lagasse
Frosting from The Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach artichoke dip can be really good if it is made well. I haven't found a better recipe than this one. I love how creamy and garlicky this dip is. There is just a hint of spiciness from the cheese that adds a nice element. This is a savory dip that I love to make for parties. You can even make this dip a few hours ahead of time (without baking it) and refrigerate. Also using really spicy pepper jack cheese can easily overpower the garlic flavor, and also ruin it. (I've done this before.)  Serves 10-16 people, depending on how much people eat.

Ingredients:
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained. To drain the spinach, take a small amount and squeeze out the liquid.
8 ounces ( 1 Cup) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 ounces or one regular sized block of pepper jack cheese, such as Kraft's brand.
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Cup mayonnaise. Light is fine but never fat-free.
1 Cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl, and stir well. Place mixture in a shallow glass casserole dish. (Ceramic works too.)
2. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes (increase time 20-25 minutes if from refrigerator), or until it is bubbling and the top turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for few minutes. Serve with crackers, crusty bread, and anything else you like.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are one of the best cookies in the world. These cookies are soft and chewy. There is a slight caramel flavor from the brown sugar that I really like. Through experimenting, I learned that doing everything by hand works best for this recipe. Also, I prefer using dark chocolate chips, because it adds a nice depth to these cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are one of America's classics that you can't go wrong with. Makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients:
2 Cups plus 2 Tablespoons (10 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour. Make sure you don't spoon your flour into the measuring cup; use the dip and sweep method.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt

12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 Cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Large egg, room temperature
1  Large egg yolk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips

1. Adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 large cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugars together really fast until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Add all the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Then stirs with a wooden spoon until combined, about 1-3 minutes. Mix in chocolate chips until incorporated.
4. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet. Bake until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.
5. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove and enjoy!

These cookies need a cold glass of milk.
From The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
I did alter the original recipe, so you are seeing my version.

Cream Biscuits

These biscuits are simple to make and taste good too. They have a fluffy texture, and they seem to melt in your mouth. They have a slightly sweet flavor from the heavy cream. The secret for all biscuit recipes is to not over mix or handle the dough. Otherwise, your biscuits will be tough and dense. You can even freeze these for up to one month. Just place the biscuits on a cookie sheet, freeze for a few hours, and then put them in a freezer safe zip lock bag. Everyone in my family adores these biscuits, and I hope yours will too!

Ingredients:
2 Cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table-salt
1 1/2 Cups heavy cream

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Knead the dough briefly until smooth, about 30 seconds.
3. Pat the dough into a 8-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. Using a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter stamp out 8 biscuits, gently patting the dough scraps back into a uniform for 3/4-inch-thick piece as needed. Arrange the biscuits, upside down, on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake biscuit until lightly browned, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. (increase time if from frozen to 20-25 minutes.) Let cool for a 5 minutes, then serve.

   

   I love a good homemade biscuit. Don't you?

From The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Triple Fudgy Brownies

These brownies are the best I've ever eaten. They are the densest, chocolaty-est, and richest homemade brownies you'll ever eat. It's almost like eating chocolate fudge to me. These brownies seem to slowly melt in your mouth. They have a velvety texture and are somewhat chewy. Every chocolate lover will go insane for these brownies. You do have to commit some into making these brownies, but you won't be disappointed. I did alter the original recipe to make it easier to follow. Serves about 12-16

Ingredients:
5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
3 Large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Pure tastes better. I buy mine at Costco in a 16 once bottle for a little over $8.
1/2 teaspoon of table salt. Don't omit or your brownies will be too sweet.
1 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position, and heat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line your pan with either foil or nonstick parchment paper.(this makes clean-up easier). It's okay if the parchment paper doesn't fit super flat, just try your best.
2. In a medium heavy-duty sized sauce pan melt the chocolates and butter on low heat together, stirring occasionally. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool a little.  
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl, until combined, about 15-20 seconds. Whisk in warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then stir in the flour with a plastic or wooden spoon until just combined. Poor mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top. Bake until slightly puffed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, clinging to it, 35-40 minutes.
4. Allow the brownies to cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours before cutting. I think they are moister the day after. A sharp knife makes cutting these brownies easier for me.
   
   
   From the Baking Illustrated