Cookie Hits of the Holidays at the Ranch

Hi Everyone,  I wanted to share with you the cookie hits if the Holidays!!  These are some of them:

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Source: Taste and Tell

Ingredients:
1 stick melted butter
1 c white sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c cocoa
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 small jar maraschino cherries
1 c chocolate chips
1/4 c sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter and mix in the sugar. Let it cool for a bit then mix in the egg. Beat in baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cocoa, mixing after each addition. Slowly add the flour and mix well.

Shape the dough into small balls and line up on a prepared baking sheet. Make a small indentation in the top of each ball, flattening the dough into a cookie shape in the process.

Place one cherry in the indentation of each cookie. Save the juice from the cherries if you drain them. I didn’t, just pulled them straight from the jar.

Mix the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a double-boiler. Heat over a pot of simmering water on medium heat until melted. The mixture will be very, very thick. Add cherry juice a teaspoon at a time until the mixture becomes malleable and easy to shape. It took about 5 tsps of cherry juice for my mixture to reach the desired state.

Shape a bit of the icing over the top of each cherry, making sure it doesn’t run down the sides of the cookie. Bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Mini Tacos

Mini Tacos: Use scoop chips and fill with meat (seasoned with taco seasoning if you have it) and cheese. Bake till cheese is melted. Top w sour cream, lettuce & tomatoes. SO SIMPLE & SO DELICIOUS! Our family rated this a 4 on a 0-4 star scale. Yummy!!  Great Friday Night or anytime snack!!!

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Chile Rellenos Casserole 2-4 servings
◦1/2 lb. beef
◦1/4 onion (chopped)
◦1 10 oz. can whole green chilies
◦1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
◦2 eggs
◦3/4 cups milk
◦1/8 cup flour
◦1 tsp cumin
◦1/2 tsp salt
◦1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Cook hamburger meat and onion. Drain, then add cumin, salt, and pepper. Line the bottom of your pan with whole green chiles (chop extra green chiles for later).

Layer meat over green chiles. Top with cheese and chopped green chiles. Whisk together eggs and milk, then add flour and mix well. Pour this mixture over dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve right away while everything is hot and cheese is melted. Yum!

This recipe is SO GOOD!!

Try it!!

 

Apple Pie Enchiladas

Apple Pie Enchiladas

These are incredibly easy to make and are Out Of This World Good!

Ingredients:

1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling or use recipe for apple pie following this recipe

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas - {Pre Cooked - Store bought is great for this, Just be sure to buy Flour Tortillas}

Spoon about one heaping quarter cup of pie filling evenly down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon (I have my cinnamon in a shaker bottle, so I just sprinkle some on each as I am rolling them) roll up, tucking in edges; and place seam side down in prepared dish.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour sauce over enchiladas and let stand 45 minutes ..

Don't rush the 45 minute resting time for the sauce on the enchiladas before baking, this step helps to magically transforms the flour tortillas into a faux pastry dough

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until golden

Enjoy!!

Each sauce recipe is enough for 6 Apple Pie Enchiladas

*I usually make a double batch of sauce ..

Its That Good!

Pie Filling

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 cups of pie filling

Easy homemade apple pie filling

Ingredients

5 cups peeled,chopped apples (I used a large bag of Crunch Pak apples)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

Instructions

1. Toss the apples with lemon juice and set aside. Combine the sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in water. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil 2 minutes stirring constantly.
2. Add the apples and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. It will set up as it cools. Makes 4 cups of apple pie filling. Keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 4-5 days.

Read more at http://insidebrucrewlife.com/2013/06/homemade-apple-pie-filling/#s5f5uLVtUYvpu3HJ.99

PUMPKIN CRUNCH

PUMPKIN CRUNCH

1 15oz. can pumpkin

1 12oz. can evaporated milk

1 1/2 C. sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Combine above ingredients and pour into greased 9×13 pan.

1 Yellow Cake Mix

1 C. melted butter

Sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture and pour melted butter over top.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

This is what it will look like fresh out of the oven.

I used "Jiffy Corn Muffin" mix to decrease the sugar content and it was great!!

Pies: Easy Wild Blueberry and Apple Pie

With some of the government on a break, some of you have a bit of extra time to bake.  This is still pie season and freeze well for the holidays.

Apple tree at the ranch

Wild ranch blackberries - easy pie fixings

Easy Wild Blueberry and Apple Pie

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup unrefined sugar, reserve 2 teaspoons for sprinkling,

1/3 cup olive oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup low fat organic milk plus 1 tablespoon, soy milk also works

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, almonds would work really good, I just did not have any on hand

1 tablespoon almond extract

2 - 3 cups wild blueberries, any other type of berries will be fine, I buy the wild berries frozen in bulk

2 apples, chopped, I had two apples so I figured I through them in the mix

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9 inch round cake pan. Add berries, apples and corn starch, mix through. Sprinkle walnuts and 1/4 cup sugar over the top of the fruit. In a bowl, with a whisk, combine flour, remaining sugar, oil, milk, eggs, and almond extract.

Pour batter over the fruit mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle the two remaining teaspoons of sugar over the top. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes.

TIP: Can be served with whipped cream, ice cream, caramel sauce.....or just plain like I did :-)  We liked it so much I will be making it again for thanksgiving

Read more at http://www.eatgood4life.com/2010/11/easy-peasy-wild-blueberry-and-apple-pie.html#Lv0s8JimuE2x6DOu.99

Easy Peasy Wild Blueberry and Apple Pie

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unrefined sugar, reserve 2 teaspoons for sprinkling,
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup low fat organic milk plus 1 tablespoon, soy milk also works
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, almonds would work really good, I just did not have any on hand
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 - 3 cups wild blueberries, any other type of berries will be fine, I buy the wild berries frozen in bulk
2 apples, chopped, I had two apples so I figured I through them in the mix
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9 inch round cake pan. Add berries, apples and corn starch, mix through. Sprinkle walnuts and 1/4 cup sugar over the top of the fruit. In a bowl, with a whisk, combine flour, remaining sugar, oil, milk, eggs, and almond extract.
Pour batter over the fruit mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle the two remaining teaspoons of sugar over the top. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes.
TIP: Can be served with whipped cream, ice cream, caramel sauce.....or just plain like I did :-)  We liked it so much I will be making it again for thanksgiving

Read more at http://www.eatgood4life.com/2010/11/easy-peasy-wild-blueberry-and-apple-pie.html#Lv0s8JimuE2x6DOu.99

Easy Peasy Wild Blueberry and Apple Pie

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unrefined sugar, reserve 2 teaspoons for sprinkling,
1/3 cup olive oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup low fat organic milk plus 1 tablespoon, soy milk also works
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, almonds would work really good, I just did not have any on hand
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 - 3 cups wild blueberries, any other type of berries will be fine, I buy the wild berries frozen in bulk
2 apples, chopped, I had two apples so I figured I through them in the mix
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9 inch round cake pan. Add berries, apples and corn starch, mix through. Sprinkle walnuts and 1/4 cup sugar over the top of the fruit. In a bowl, with a whisk, combine flour, remaining sugar, oil, milk, eggs, and almond extract.
Pour batter over the fruit mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle the two remaining teaspoons of sugar over the top. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes.
TIP: Can be served with whipped cream, ice cream, caramel sauce.....or just plain like I did :-)  We liked it so much I will be making it again for thanksgiving

Read more at http://www.eatgood4life.com/2010/11/easy-peasy-wild-blueberry-and-apple-pie.html#Lv0s8JimuE2x6DOu.99