Cocoa Pecan Cookies

This recipe is a spin-off of my Reduced Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies. It is very similar in the area of ingredients and preparation. I was out of vanilla extract, so I used some sugar-free caramel syrup to kick up the flavor a bit. I do recommend to mix the wet ingredients with the mixer but to fold in the flour and other dry ingredients by hand to get the best results.

Thes are good when cold, but for the best taste, warm them up briefly in a toaster oven to make 'em crunchy and warm!

I apologize for the lack of photos, but the cookies disappeared too fast. I should have done it while I was baking - oops!


Utensils:
2 bowls, 4 - 6 cup capacity
1 spatula
1 large spoon for mixing
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
aluminum foil, silicone sheet or parchment paper
1 or 2 cookie sheets
Mixer
small spoon


Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt (iodized sea salt is awesome!)
2 squares semisweet baking chocolate squares, finely grated
1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
2 tablespoons sugar-free caramel syrup
3 tablespoons molasses
3 cups Splenda sweetener (or another sucralose product)
2 cups I can't believe it's not butter sticks (slightly softened)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup pecans



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. In one bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt, grated chocolate and cocoa powder.
3. Put I can't believe it's not butter and Splenda in the other bowl and cream them together.
4. Add the Molasses and mix well to incorporate into mixture.
5. Add the caramel syrup and mix well.
6. Add the eggs and mix well.
7. Set the mixer aside and add the flour mixture in a little at a time, then mix with a large spoon. Only mix enough to incorporate - DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Fold in the pecans with the spatula.
9. Place dough on cookie sheet. Each cookie should be about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons in size. I use a tablespoon rounded over to keep size even. Do not press them or flatten out - this makes them a lot "heavier." A regular cookie sheet should hold 12 cookies easily.
10. Bake for 17 minutes until golden brown.
11. Enjoy!

What can you do with leftover turkey?

Leftover turkey is a common item around the holidays, so I decided to give a few suggestions on what to do with all that leftover bird.

The best thing to do with leftover turkey is to mix it into something. This meat is versatile and can be used in many dishes instead of beef, chicken or pork. I put together the following list to give you some ideas on what to make. Most of these items in the list are links to recipes that I thought would be good ones to try out. You may find that some of these recipes come back to your table after you have made them once - if it tastes good, it will be eaten!

Other items in the list have my suggestions or a brief recipe summary, just to keep this post reasonably short.

• Turkey Salad



Chop up turkey into 1/4" to 3/8" pieces, mix with Miracle Whip or Salad Dressing, some chopped pickles, onions and celery. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may want to add other spices such as tarragon, lemon pepper, curry, sage, rosemary, thyme, or garlic to the mix. Experiment by taking some of the "base" and mixing a test batch up to see what really tastes best, THEN adjust the spices on the entire batch of salad. Serve on lettuce leaves or in a sandwich of your favorite bread.



• Turkey Noodle Soup



This is fairly easy and it can use up other leftovers you have from your holiday meal. Cut turkey into 3/8" pieces. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a pan, then add 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/4 of a medium onion, diced, 2 diced carrots, 1 rib of diced celery. Saute until the vegetables are translucent, then put in your turkey, some chicken or turkey stock. If you like, You can use up leftover giblet gravy here instead of stock or broth. Add water to bring the soup to the desired volume. Bring to a boil and add your noodles. Homemade egg noodles are the best, but just about any noodle will work for this one.



• Turkey Enchiladas



Use my Enchilada Casserole recipe, substituting turkey for the chicken or beef. If you want to you can fry your corn tortillas in the microwave.



• Turkey Rice Casserole


• Turkey Pot Pie


• Turkey Crockpot Surprise



Put bite-sized pieces of turkey into a crockpot or large pan. Put in other leftover vegetable items such as carrots, green beans or broccoli. Add some celery, onion, and garlic and anything else you think might be good. Put in some canned tomatoes, stock, broth or water to bring to the desired volume, then cook on low heat until any raw vegetables you have added are tender.



• Turkey Chili


• Turkey Loaf

Reduced Carb Cornbread

I am always trying to control my carbs. This recipe is one that I developed through lots of trial and error. You can cook it in a glass 9 x 9 pan, a standard cake tin, or even a cast-iron dutch oven. In the dutch oven method, I heat the pan and put the shortening in, then just pour the batter in the center of the oil. It works really well this way and you get a crunchy bottom crust.

Reduced Carb Cornbread


Ingredients:
¾ cup cornmeal
1 cup soy flour
½ cup wheat flour
¼ cup splenda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 beaten eggs
1 cup water
4 tsp wheat gluten
butter or shortening to grease pan

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Grease 9 x 9 glass or metal pan.
3. Mix all ingredients until combined
a. DO NOT OVERMIX – just bring ingredients together (unless you want leather – like cornbread)
4. Pour mixture into pan and bake on middle oven rack for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.


No pictures - cooking for the Holiday. Enjoy and comment if you like the recipe. Feedback is appreciated.

Have an awesome Thanksgiving, and May God Bless You and Yours.

Egg Omelette

Everybody seems to love eggs. I am no exception to this rule. I find that an egg omelette along with a slice of buttered toast and a cup of hot coffee is hard to beat for starting your day right. There are a lot of ways to serve up eggs, but the omelette is one of those dishes that just seem to work for me most of the time.

Utensils:
nonstick frying pan
cup for holding cracked eggs
fork
spatula

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp I can't believe its not butter
2 slices of Turkey Ham, chopped
1 slice American Cheese
salt and pepper to taste
ground red oriental pepper (optional)


Instructions:
1. Crack eggs and place them in a cup. Make sure that the cup has a wide enough top and is deep enough to whisk the eggs in.
2. Set stove on medium low to medium - 3 on an electric stove is ideal.
3. Place butter in the pan. Move the pan around to distribute the butter evenly.
4. Once butter is spread out, whisk eggs and pour them into the pan, spreading them across the entire surface. Add salt and pepper.
5. To expedite cooking, use your spatula to work the egg in, pushing from the outside edges to the center of the pan.
6. Let eggs cook until they appear to be almost done on the top. Do not overcook as they will be like rubber if you do...
7. Place the turkey ham in a row in the center of the omelette. Tear the american cheese into strips and place in the center of the omelette as well.
8. Fold over the omelette.
9. Wait for 30 seconds to a minute to make sure the eggs are set.
10. Remove from pan to a plate. Add some oriental chili or hot sauce if you like.
11. Enjoy!

I have made a brief video of me cooking up this omelette - its fast, its easy and its delicious!

Have a Great Day and God Bless!







Thanks for the music in the video goes to Dan O'Connor at http://DanoSongs.com Really free, really good music.

Kids in the Kitchen

Kids in the Kitchen
There is a breakdown in the American Family. It appears that we are all too often too busy to do anything with one another. Family members share a unique bond that can never be broken - you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.

It is for this reason that I regularly involve my kids in my cooking. Many times I will have my son or daughter helping me to mix batter, crack eggs, season something, or help get another bowl or pan for cooking. Lots of kids that I talked to when I was teaching said that they didn't know how to cook. Others stated that they did not want to try because it seemed too complicated. This brings me to a question: How are young people going to get a chance to eat a decent meal when they are on their own, UNLESS they are taught how to cook by their parents?

The advantage for the young person is big - he or she might be able to try to save some money or do something with the money that would have been spent on eating out every night. Another important note here - the time spent teaching them while they are still at home is special. It is a chance for the parent and the child to bond and get to know more about each other. I am glad that there were times that my parents involved me in cooking and other everyday activities - I am a better person for it, and I really enjoyed learning from them.

So the next time that you are wanting to make that "special" dish, or do something where you need your kids help, get it. You might hear complaints at first, but it always works out that they have fun, and you will too!

Have a Great Day and God Bless!

Reduced Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have had Type 2 diabetes for several years. For this reason, I am always cutting out refined sugar, or substituting other sweeteners for it. This IS NOT an extreme cut on sugar, just a refinement with things that make a good cookie that isn't loaded with white sugar. I do use molasses in these - I have not found an acceptable substitute for it, and you gotta live a little.

OK, enough of the description, on to the cooking.

I usually try to put in a lot of photos, but this was a brand new recipe, and I had no idea if it would come out good enough to post. My apologies for the lack of pictures or video - the "mad scientist" in me was busy! This is a double-size batch, so it makes several dozen cookies.

Please also note - I NEVER use aspartame in a recipe. I, like 30% of this nation, am allergic to this product. If you want an eye opener, do some research on it. Chances are that you may want to change sweeteners afterward.

Utensils:
2 bowls, 4 - 6 cup capacity
1 spatula
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
aluminum foil, silicone sheet or parchment paper
1 or 2 cookie sheets
Mixer
small spoon


Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt (iodized sea salt is awesome!)
3 teaspoons double-strength vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons molasses
3 cups Splenda sweetener (or another sucralose product)
2 cups I can't believe it's not butter sticks (slightly softened)
4 large eggs
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips (yes, only one package)
1 cup pecans (2 is ALWAYS better, but I only had 1 in the house!)



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. In one bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Put I can't believe it's not butter and Splenda in the other bowl and cream them together.
4. Add the Molasses, then the honey, mix well to incorporate into mixture.
5. Add the vanilla and mix well.
6. Add the eggs and mix well.
7. Add flour mixture in a little at a time. Only mix enough to incorporate - DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Add in the chocolate chips, mix until they are covered with the dough.
9. Fold in the pecans with the spatula.
10. Place dough on cookie sheet. Each cookie should be about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons in size. I use a tablespoon rounded over to keep size even. Use a cup with a piece of plastic wrap on it to press down dough to 3/8 inch thickness. A regular cookie sheet should hold 12 cookies easily.
11. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
12. Enjoy!

Winter Squash with Corn

Winter squash is really great stuff. The downside to it is that it does require a little more work than summer squash. The particular variety that I am cooking today has a very tough outer skin that doesn't become very good for eating until it has been cooked for a very long time, which makes the squash inside the skin like mush. For this reason, the best solution is to clean the squash out of the skin after cooking and to discard the skin - my dog seems to love this, so I give it to her. (She thinks she is human!)


Utensils:
masher
1 bowl, 4 - 6 cup capacity
1 large spoon for stirring
1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon (optional)
small spoon for digging squash out of skins
SHARP knife for cutting up squash
cutting board
plastic wrap for steaming in the microwave



Ingredients:
several small to medium-sized squash
1 can unsalted corn, excess liquid removed
3 Tbsp I can't believe its not butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon of ground red oriental chili flakes (optional)



1. Wash squash well and dry them.
2. Fold a paper towel in half and place it on the counter.
3. Pour 1-2 Tbsp of water on the center of the towel to moisten it.
4. Place your cutting board on top of the paper towel.
5. Place a piece of squash on the board and cut the ends off. Discard them.
6. Cut each piece of squash into 1 1/2 to 2 inch lengths. Split these down the middle.
7. Place pieces of cut squash into a microwave-safe bowl and put plastic wrap over them. Wrap DOES NOT have to be very tight around bowl - it allows the excess steam to get out.
8. Put in microwave and cook on high for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Check halfway through cooking to determine ending time.
9. CAREFULLY remove the plastic wrap from the squash. Use a fork to keep your hands clear of steam rising from the bowl. It is best if you let the squash cool before the next step.
10. Using the small spoon, dig the squash out of the skin, discarding the skin.
11. Mash the squash up, add the I can't believe its not butter, stir well.
12. Add the corn, then stir well.
13. Check for saltiness, add salt if necessary, then black pepper to taste.
14. Finally, add the oriental chili flakes to the top of the squash to add extra color and flavor!
15. The best step - enjoy!

I have included a video with all the instructions - hope it helps.

If you have need of computer help, hints or tips, go to my website at http://crabbymac.com

Have a Great Day and God Bless!!