Running Mama Cooks

Last bit of baking before Christmas. I can't believe its 2 days away!! I decided to make Peanut Butter Blossoms because, well, they are awesome! And they are Zach's favorite.

I used the recipe from Hershey's. They came out great.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
Recipe from Hershey's

Ingredients:

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Directions:

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2 Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Zach and I made this meal years ago and loved it, I am not sure what took us so long to do it again. So easy, really healthy, and delicious. Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta and has about 35 calories per cup!!! Now I don't feel so bad about eating those Gingerbread cookies!

I can't even call this a recipe, so I'll just tell you what I did. I pierced the squash with a knife all over and baked for an hour on 375. Took it out and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Cut in half and scooped out the seeds and then removed the "spaghetti" with a fork. Seasoned with salt and pepper, some extra virgin olive oil, and topped with homemade sauce (I defrosted some last night) and Parmesan cheese.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

I am definitely not a natural baker and these are a bit on the complicated side (for me anyway!!) but Cecily and I had a blast making them today. They actually turned out great! Time consuming but not too hard and really fun to decorate!

Cecily and I have been baking some Christmas cookies this week. Of course that means I have been eating a lot of cookies!! New years and a new diet isn't far away, might as well enjoy the season, right?!

This recipe comes from Cecily's preschool teacher. Last year for Mothers Day they put together an adorable recipe box filled with recipes from the whole class. These are Mrs. Johnson's Snickerdoodles.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter soft
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix Sugar, butter, and eggs. Stir in flour cream of tartar, salt and baking soda. Chill dough. Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll cookie in the mixture and bake at 375 for 10-12 mins.

I never thought I would be making Salisbury Steak. Bad school lunch is what I always associated with it , but when I came across this recipe in the Food Network Magazine last night, I was surprised at how good it looked!

I enjoyed this meal, it was easy to prepare and pretty tasty. I would definitely make it again, but I would use beef broth instead of water in the sauce to make it the flavor a bit richer.

Salisbury Steak
Recipe from The Food Network

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
7 saltine crackers, finely crushed (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces sliced mixed mushrooms
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Buttered egg noodles, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Gently mix the beef, egg, onion, cracker crumbs, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl using your hands. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into oval patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the patties, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and cook the mushrooms until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, scraping up any browned bits. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, then stir in 2 1/2 cups hot water and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, swirling to combine.

Return the patties and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Simmer until the sauce thickens and the patties are cooked through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with noodles, if desired.

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

Rainy, cold day and a sick little girl = perfect day for homemade chicken soup just like Mommy used to make. Delicious and healthy. Sending a container to my poor sister stuck at home with the flu.

Homemade Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 pkg split chicken breasts
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 bay leaves
4 bouillon cubes
1 6 oz bag baby spinach
1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
1/2 lb Ditalini or other small pasta
dried basil
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large soup pot, add carrots, celery and onion. Wash breasts and remove skin. Add to pot. Cover with water and set heat to high. Add bay leaves, bouillon, basil, thyme and salt and pepper. When soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 1 hour.

In a separate pot, cook pasta al dente. Remove chicken from soup and let sit until cool enough to handle. Remove meat and add back into the soup. Drain pasta and add to soup as well. Right before serving, add in whole bag of spinach and stir until wilted. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Monday afternoon Cecily, Finn and I went to my cousin Ali's for a playdate. Our boys are only 10 days apart, it is so cute to see them together!!

For dinner Ali made Lentils Curry. It was something different than anything I make and I really loved it. I've avoided Indian spices in the past because I wasn't sure if I'd like it. Boy was I wrong!

One of the best things about this dish is how versatile it is. Tonight I made it with chicken. Really really delicious and super healthy. We ate it plain like a stew, but it would have been great over rice as well.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast, cubed
3 carrots chopped
yellow bell pepper chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
red onion small dice
1 large potato med dice
veg oil
1 sm can diced tomatoes
2 cups veg/ck broth
tumeric
cumin
corriander
garahm masala
grated ginger
(or a premixed curry powder & masala powder)

Directions:

Any of the ingredients and portions can be changed to whatever you want

heat oil
add onion and sweat it before adding garlic, ginger and dry spices
cook til very fragrant (abt 30-60 sec)
add tomatoes cook for 60 sec
add broth
add chicken at this point and simmer partially before adding veggies and potatoes
bring to a boil then simmer and cover til cooked through about 45 mins

serve with rice, quinoa, cous cous, pita bread, etc

Phoenix and Finn. Two cutest boys I know!