Sue’s monster cookies

My mother in law Sue makes monster cookies that my husband Rich loves. I’m not a peanut butter cookie fan but I can see the appeal of these cookies with a little bit of everything in them ! This recipe is for a very large batch of cookies ! Sue made these for Christmas and sent it out to a lot of people ! Please scale down the recipe for a smaller batch . This made about 18-25 dozen cookies !!!!!!!

Ingredients 

Eggs - 12

Brown sugar - 2 lbs

White sugar - 4 cups 

White Karo syrup - 1 tbsp

Baking soda - 8 tsp

Butter - 1 lb

Peanut butter - 3 lbs ( 40 oz jar plus 1 cup)

Instant oatmeal - 18 cups ( 42 oz can plus 18 oz can)

Chocolate chips - 1 lb 

M&Ms- 1 lb

Instructions

You need a very large bowl to mix these 

1. Use a electric hand mixer to cream eggs, brown sugar , white sugar, syrup, baking soda and butter ( in that order add one thing at a time )

 2. Slow down the speed and add peanut butter and mix 

3. Turn off the mixer 

4 . Add oatmeal and chocolate chips and mix by hand

5. Dust hands with flour ( to prevent sticking)  and roll the dough into small walnut sized balls

6. Take a ball and place on a flat surface and press down to make a flat cookie 

7. Press with a fork and then press down 3 to 4 M&Ms on top 

8. Bake at 350 F for 12 minutes 

Monster Cookies are now ready !!!

Chocolate chip brownies ( Mary Anne’s recipe)

This is a recipe my mother in law Sue sent me. I like that it has both chocolate and vanilla chips ! 

Ingredients 

All purpose flour - 1 cup 

Sugar- 3 cups 

Eggs- 6

Vanilla- 1 tbsp

1.Cream flour, sugar and eggs. 

2. Add vanilla and mix 

All purpose flour - 2.25 cups

Baking cocoa - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1/2 cup 

Salt- 1 tsp

3. Blend all of the dry ingredients in with the creamed mixture above- do not over mix

4. Now add the following to the mixture 

Chocolate chips - 1 cup

Vanilla chips - 1 cup 

Chopped walnuts - 1 cup 

5. Pour into greased 10x15 deep jelly roll pan 

6. Sprinkle chips and nuts on top Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes 

7. Stick a toothpick in the center to test 

If it comes out clean the brownies are done 

8. Cut into squares abs serve 

9. This makes 3-4 dozen brownies 

Chipotle bowl in a crunchy tortilla shell

Rich loves the veggie Chipotle bowl. I found a recipe on Facebook on an Indian air fryer group. It was made by this kid chef and it was really good . Rich thought it tasted exactly like chipotle ! I made some changes , I did roasted fajita veggies instead of pickled ones and I did not use any chilies or hot sauce since I do not like spicy food!  I also used store bought tortilla and didn’t make it from scratch to make the bowls 

Ingredients 

Flour Tortilla - large - 1 

Shredded Mexican cheese - 1 cup 

Sour cream - 2 tbsp 

Black beans - 1 can drained 

Guacamole 

Avocado - 1 

Onion ( medium ) - 1/2 chopped finely 

Garlic - 1 clove minced 

Cilantro - a handful of leaves chopped 

Tomato - 1 chopped 

Lime juice - to taste 

Salt 

Pepper 

I made  guacamole per my recipe and set aside ( covered with plastic wrap not prevent browning )

Basically you mash all the ingredients together as shown below ! 

Pico de Gallo 

Onion - 1 

Tomato - 2

Cilantro - handful chopped 

Salt 

Pepper

Rice vinegar - 1/4 tsp ( surprising ingredient but adds to taste )

Lemon juice - splash 

1. Use a chopper ( device) to finely chop the onions and then the add in the  tomatoes to chop them finely as well 

2. Add chopped cilantro , lime juice , rice vinegar and mix well

3. Add salt and pepper to taste 

Pico de Gallo is ready - set aside 

Chipotle cilantro lime rice 

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Oil - 1  tablespoon 

Salt - to taste 

Cilantro - chopped -1 cup ( packed )

Lime- 1 small juiced 

1.Wash the rice well until water is clear 

2. Then add the rice to the instant pot 

3. Add a tablespoon of oil and mix the rice so every kernel is coated ( to prevent sticky rice ) 

4. Then add two cups of water 

5. Add 1.5 tsp of salt 

6. Close the instant pot and make sure the pressure valve is sealed ( not venting) 

7. This is the cool part ! Before I used to cook the rice for 30 Minutes.  This kid chef taught me differently and his rice turned out amazingly fluffy !!! 

8. Place on pressure setting and place timer for 3 minutes !!!!!! ( not a typo )

9. Once the instant pot has warmed and cooked for 3 minutes on pressure setting, Turn it off.

10. Let the rice sit in the instant pot under pressure and  let cook for 10 minutes ( turned off)

11. Now vent the instant pot

12. Amazingly fluff rice is ready 

13. Add the cilantro , lime juice and salt to taste and mix / fluff with a fork so that it doesn’t get gooey 

Cilantro lime rice is ready !!!! 

Fajita veggies 

Bell peppers - any and all colors - julienned 

Onion - 1- thinly sliced 

Taco seasoning - 2 to 3 tbsp ( depending upon the amount of vegetables)

Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp 

Salt - to taste 

1. Place a saucepan on medium heat 

2. Add 1-2 tbsp oil and let it heat up for about 30s ( but not smoking)

3. Add the onions first and sauté wel for a few Minutes 

4. Now add in thee peppers and the taco seasoning and another tbsp oil and sauté for a few minutes until roasted 

5. Add salt to taste and mix well on the pan

Fajita veggies are now ready ! 

Finally to the air fryer part 

Air fryer tortilla bowl 

1. Use a tortilla bowl mold ( or any air fryer safe bowl)

2. Place the tortilla in the mold

3. Add some cilantro lime rice 

4. Add some black beans 

5. Add some of the fajita veggies 

6. Add the Pico de Gallo 

7. Add the shredded cheese on top 

8. Air fry the tortilla bowl at 350 F for 4 minutes 

9. Take out the tortilla bowl and let cool for a few minutes and then take the tortilla bowl out of the mold  and place on plate making sure not to break the bowl! 

10. Top with a dollop of guacamole and sour cream and shredded lettuce 

11. Chipotle rice bowl in a crunchy tortilla shell is ready to serve 

Asoka ( Indian sweet)

Asoka halwa is a type of South Indian sweet made with moong dal ( split and dehusked green gram ). It is usually served at weddings . It is typically easier to make than traditional South Indian halwa which is made with wheat milk! 

Ingredients 

Moong dal ( dehusked split green gram) - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup 

Wheat flour - 3/4 tbsp 

Saffron - a few sprigs soaked in water ( 1 tbsp  water)

Cashews - 10

Raisins- 10

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee- 1/2 cup 

Oil- 1/4 cup

Noted here are the moong dal paste - the paste is darker brown since we used whole moong dal ( non dehusked and green hence it is darker in color) 

Instructions 

1. Dry roast the moong dal in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes taking care not to brown it 

2. Place the moong dal and 2.5 cups of water to it in a instant pot and pressure cook it for 30 minutes 

3. Once you vent the pressure cooker then take the cooked moong dal and grind into a fine paste ( typically the paste is light yellow)

4. Place a sauce pan on medium heat and add 2 tbsp of ghee to it and let it melt 

5. Roast cashews until golden brown and then roast raisins for a few seconds and set aside 

6. Add 1/4 cup ghee and 1/4 cup oil and let it melt. Keep the pan on medium low heat and add the wheat flour to this ghee and roast it until it turns light brown.

7. Then add the moong dal paste to it and continue to cook and the mixture will start sticking to the pan ( takes about 5-7 min)

. 

8. Now add the sugar and cook for a few more minutes on medium heat.When sugar is added, the mixture becomes watery. Cook until the mixture is thick again- takes about 10 to 15 min. It turns into a thick consistency like halwa ( for people not aware of this, it is an almost gelatinous consistency and starts coming off the pan and doesn’t stick)

9. Now reduce to low flame , add the saffron water and the remaining ghee ( a little at a time ) and cook the mixture ,until the mixture gives off the ghee on top and starts coming off the side.

10. Add cardamom powder and  then the roasted cashews and raisins 

11. Asoka halwa is ready to serve 

 

Okra Indian style

Rich said he hated Okra when I first met him . He said he used to eat boiled okra with salt and it was quite slimy and disgusting . I said my Indian okra would change his perception of this vegetable . I have loved okra ever since I was young. It is one of my favourite vegetables . My mom used to sauté the okra with just a few spices and I ate it with rice as a side dish. Once I made this version of okra, Rich was an okra convert! He now asks for this dish all the time.

Ingredients 

Okra - 30 ( or whatever you have - fresh is better than frozen but you can use frozen if that’s all you have )

Tip : to ensure the okra is not too ripe ( which makes it fibrous and unedible - try to break the tip off the okra with your hands and if it doesn’t break then do not pick that one !!) 

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp 

Sambar powder - 1.5 tbsp ( you can get this powder at an Indian store or online) - this can be spicy so use a little bit at first and then based on taste you can add more 

Salt - to taste 

Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp 

Instructions 

1. First wash the okra and dry it on a paper towel. This reduces the sliminess of the okra 

2. Then cut both ends off ( the tapered tip and hard stem)

3. Then cut okra into thin ( but not too thin slices). I’m linking a video here on how to cut  okra 

You can follow the instructions but cut the okra a little thinner than in the video as shown below 

4. Take a sauce pan and place on the stove on medium heat 

5. Add a tablespoon of oil and let it heat up for about a minute ( don’t let it heat up too long and get smoky - this means it is overheated and you can burn your vegetable )

6. Now add the okra to the oil and sauté it

7. After initially sautéing it move the okra to the sides and make a little open area on the middle 

8. Put about 1/2 tbsp of oil in the middle . This is to roast the spices in since in IT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO ROAST THE SPICES TO ENSURE IT DOESN’T TASTE RAW !! ( I only emphasise this because in American restaurants and cooking shows people just add raw spices to the dish , like adding curry powder at the end of cooking a dish as they take it off the stove - this gives an awful bitter raw taste !!!!). Add the sambar powder , turmeric powder and salt to this oil and mix it in.

9. Now once the spices are roasted ( 30 sec) then mix it in with the okra well and sauté it 
10. Keep sautéing it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. You can add a little water ( just sprinkle some) so as to prevent the spices and okra from sticking to the pan. 

11. Periodically sauté and turn over the okra to prevent it from burning 

12. It takes about 10-12 minutes to cook through and also get roasted . The green color is still maintained but there is a little char on it. 

13. Taste it and add salt to taste. If you want to add more spice repeat step 8 . Do not just sprinkle spices on top ! 

14. Okra poriyal ( Tamil fried okra ) is ready to serve 

Paneer Cheese balls

When I was growing up, we used to go to "British Bakery" in Madurai and get all kinds of sweet and savory snacks. I can still remember all the wonderful food we got there including cakes ( so many varieties like strawberry, pistachio, pineapple, orange etc.), those shrewsbury cookies ( which we called chooseberry !), the first ever Indian pizza on a bun, vegetable puffs and of course cheese balls. These cheese balls were unlike the cheese nuggets here. These were made with paneer and spices and had a little kick to them. I scoured the internet and found a few recipes (recipe 1, recipe 2) and combined the two to make my cheese balls.

Ingredients:

Paneer- 1 block- grated/ crumbled into small pieces

onion- 1/2 onion- finely chopped

green chilly ( de-seeed)- 1 small chopped

cilantro leaves- chopped finely 

salt-1/2 tsp ( to taste)

chaat masala- 1/2 tsp

Besan flour- 2 tbsp

corn flour - 1 tbsp

rice flour- 1 tbsp

Stuffing: 

cutmozzarella cheese into small cubes and set aside.

This will be used for the filling of the cheese ball.

To coat:

corn flour-4 tbsp

water

panko bread crumbs

Oil for deep frying- 2 cups at least 

Instructions:

1.  Mix all the ingredients listed together and it will have a bread dough consistency.

2. Now prepare the dipping station. mix corn flour with water to make a paste. set aside bread crumbs in a  bowl.

3. Take a small piece of the dough ( about golf ball sized) and roll it into a round ball.

4. Now flatten it and place a small cube of the mozzarella cheese in the center and then fold the dough around and make a ball once again

5. Dip the ball in the cornflour paste and then the bread crumbs and set aside. ( during this time heat up the oil in a deep pot and once it is hot turn down the heat to a low heat)

6. Make all the balls and then these are ready to fry

7. Place the balls in the hot oil  ( gently slide them into the pit, do not drop them since this could cause the oil to splash and cause injury) and fry them until the outside becomes golden brown .

The reason we fry on the low heat setting is to prevent the outside from browning quickly and the insides not being cooked. In this setting the cheese balls will cook slowly and throughly on the inside and then the outside will slowly get golden brown.

8. Cheese balls are now ready to serve.

9. Serve with Ketchup, tamarind sauce or mint chutney.

Penne pasta with roasted red pepper sauce

I had a lot of red, yellow and orange bell peppers at the house and wanted to use them up . I talked to my sister who suggested either a stuffed pepper or a roasted red pepper sauce with pasta . I chose the latter since it had been a while since I last had pasta. For the pasta I used a brown rice and quinoa pasta but any kind of pasta can be used. I looked around and found this recipe for roasted red pepper pasta by Pioneer woman and adapted it for my recipe.

Sauce :

Ingredients :

Bell peppers - 3 or 4 

Onion - 1/2 chopped into cubes 

Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves 

Cream/ whole milk / milk - 1/2 cup 

Vegetable stock - 2 cups 

Salt to taste 

Pepper 

Basil / parsley - fresh or dried 

Butter/ olive oil for sautéing the vegetables 

Instructions: 

1. Turn on the broil setting of the oven to high 

2. Cut the bell peppers in half remove the seeds

3. Place them cut side  down on a foil lined baking sheet

4.Broil for about 8-10 minutes until the skin is blackened and blistered 

5. Now place the peppers in a container and place a lid on it for about 10 minutes 

6. This allows the peppers to cook in the steam and soften further 

7. Now remove the peel of the peppers and chop them in to cubes 

NOW we have roasted red peppers. IF I had planned ahead I could have gotten a jar of roasted red peppers in a jar ready to go!!

8. Place a sauce pan on medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of butter to it and let it melt

9. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent 

10. Add the garlic cloves and sauté for 30 sec- 1 min

11. Now add the cubed roasted red peppers and sauté well for a few minutes 

12. Add salt and pepper and sauté 

13. Now add the mixture along with 1/2 cup of broth to the blender and blend into a smooth paste  ( Keep the sauce pan aside to use soon)

14.  Now add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pan and let it melt. Turn the heat down to medium.

15. Add the roasted pepper puree and add another cup of vegetable broth and mix and let it het up for a couple of minutes.

16. Add salt and pepper to taste, add your herbs ( I added basil and parsley flakes). Add the cream in and mix it in.

17. Sauce is now ready!

Pasta

I used a penne pasta ( you can use any kind of pasta . We chose a brown rice and quinoa pasta)

Take a deep pot and fill it with half to 2/3 with water 

Add a couple of teaspoons of salt to the water

Let the water come to a boil

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Drain the pasta using a colander and run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process

Set aside

To serve:

Place the pasta on a plate or bowl.

Spoon over the desired amount of sauce on the pasta.

Shave some fresh parmesan or sprinkle grated Parmesan 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Penne pasta with roasted red pepper sauce is ready to eat.

Angel Cookies ( Norma Hoag's Recipe)

My mother-in-law made a lot of baked goods for Christmas this year and sent it to us in the mail. It was a nice surprise and a break from the pandemic gloominess. These are her recipes and pictures.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Ingredients

Sugar- 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup ( packed)

Unsalted Butter ( softened) - 1 cup

Egg- 1

Baking soda- 1 tsp

Salt- 1/2 tsp

All purpose flour- 2 cups

Vanilla- 2 tsp

Almond extract - 2 tsp

Cream of tartar - 1 tsp

(finely chopped almonds- optional)

Instructions

• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl
• Add slightly beaten egg and vanilla to the bowl.
• Add sifted flour and all the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Now form the batter into balls
• Place the balls on a greased cookie sheet with enough space between them for the cookies to expand
• Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
• makes about 48 cookies
  
  
  

Grandma Hazel's almond bark bars

This is Richard's grandma Hazel's recipe for almond bark bars. 

Ingredients

Almond bark ( can be vanilla or white chocolate )- 2 lbs ( FYI this is just white chococalte and doesn't have almonds)

Cheerios - 2 cups

Rice crispies- 2 cups

Miniature marshmallows- 2 cups

Peanuts  ( The recipe calls for salted nuts, I would rather use unsalted nuts and probably use almonds)- 2 cups

Instructions

• Separate the squares of the bark and put in a large microwave safe bowl
  
  
  
• Follow instructions on the package to melt
  
  
  
• Usually start with one minute on full power, stir and then melt 15 seconds on full power, stir and repeat until the bark is fully melted  
• Line a cookie sheet with wax paper
• Mix all the other dry ingredients in a separate large bowl
• When bark is fully melted add the melted bark to the other bowl with dry ingredients and mix well
• Take the mixture and spread on the cookie sheet
  
  
  
• The bark bars set up extremely quickly, so cut them into medium sized squares before they set.