Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies Recipe

These are so yummy. I borrowed them from another website and have attached the link below so I can't take credit for the recipe but I had to share. I love peppermint and chocolate mixed together. I made a few small changes so that I didn't have to actually make the peppermint bark as the recipe suggests.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup candy cane pieces
  

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 Cream the butter and sugars together for about two minutes at medium speed or until well incorporated and light in color.

3 Add the egg and the vanilla extract until well incorporated, about a minute. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl halfway through.

4 Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture slowly, and beating at medium speed, stopping once all of it is incorporated (do not over mix).

5 Take candy canes and put in a plastic bag. Hit the bag with a spoon until you have little pieces. Fold in the peppermint.

6 Take small spoonfuls of the dough and roll into one inch sized balls and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for -12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/peppermint_bark_chocolate_cookies/

Orange Julius

I wanted to post this just because it's been a staple lately and I enjoy it so much I thought I'd share. It's not really a meal but it goes great with breakfast!

• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• crushed ice cubes

Put all in a blender and mix. You can start with about 5 ice cubes and then add more if you like it extra icy.

Liz H.

Chicken Cacciatore

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
mushrooms
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
garlic
oregano
thyme
parmesan cheese
rice

Defrost chicken, cut up into strips. Chop up veggies the way you like them. Put some olive oil in a saucepan and cook chicken and veggies. Put on low and add the sauce, stewed tomatoes, and spices. Let it simmer on the stove while cooking the rice, a good 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

Jessica L.

World's Best Bird

1.5 lbs. chicken tenders ¼ tsp. garlic salt (or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder) ¼ c. flour 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. water

¾ c. brown sugar ¼ c. chicken broth 1 tsp. soy sauce ½ tsp. salt ¼ c. ketchup Prepared rice

Mix beaten egg with water in one bowl. Mix garlic salt, flour, and cornstarch in another bowl. Heat brown sugar, chicken broth, soy sauce, ketchup, and salt in a saucepan on stove. Dip chicken in eggs, then flour/cornstarch mixture. Place in frying pan with 1 Tbsp. oil and fry for 5 minutes on each side. Put chicken in shallow baking dish and pour sauce over the top. Cover and bake chicken at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then turn chicken over and bake for another 25 minutes. Serve over rice and ENJOY!

Rachel M.

Minestrone Soup

1 can kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can stewed tomatoes (I puree mine)
1 can chicken broth or 1 quart chicken broth from better than bouillon mix
1/2 cup pasta shells
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. tomato paste
carrots
celery (these are my faves, but really you can add any veggies you like)
Italian seasoning, garlic, oregano, thyme..
shredded Parmesan cheese


Chop up the veggies and saute them in a saucepan with butter and onion, or I use onion salt. Saute for about 7 minutes. Add all other ingredients except pasta. Cook on med-low on the stove for 1 hour. Cook pasta according to box directions in a separate pan. Add to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.

Liz H.