Toffee Squares

Ingredients

• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Chocolate Chips (milk Or Semi-sweet)
• ¾ cups Finely Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and flour and mix until combined. Spread on cookie sheet with an offset spatula until thin. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle on chocolate chips. Return to oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven and spread chocolate thinly over the cookie layer.

Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cut into squares.

Made these for Jeffrey's artists reception in Utah. They were fantastic. Got the recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Black Bean Soup

1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 larch green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
1 can diced green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 can chicken broth
4 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

Saute onion, peppers, and garlic with the oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cilantro.

Pecan Tassies

1/2 c. butter
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 c. flour
Pinch of salt

Mix well butter and cheese. Add flour and salt. Makes 24 balls. Then press in Tassie pans with fingertips.

FILLING:

1 egg
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. coarse pecans
Pinch of salt

Beat egg, sugar, butter, vanilla until smooth. Stir in pecans. Put 1 teaspoon filling in each cup. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until filling sets. Remove from pan and place on rack to cool.

Chicken Yakisoba Noodles

1/2 C soy sauce

1/2 C water

1/2 C sugar

6 Tbsp sesame oil, divided

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

4 (7 oz.9 pkg. yakisoba noodles, uncooked

1 carrot, peeled and finely julienned or chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

sesame seeds, chopped nuts or sliced green onions for garnish

In a medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, water, sugar, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, garlic and ginger.

Place the chicken in a pastic bag and add 6 Tbsp of the soy sauce mixture; close bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Reserve remaining soy sauce mixture for cooking noodles.

Remove the noodles from the package and gently separate. Reserve seasoning packets for another use.

In large skillet or wok over high heat, heat 2 Tbsp sesame oil. Add carrot and onion; saute until almost brown. Reduce heat to medium and add noodles. Stir fry 5-6 minutes or until they begin to stick to the pan. Add the reserved soy sauce mixture and stir fry for 3-5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp sesame oil. Saute the chicken until cooked through.

Dad and I had this on Monday night. It is straight from yourhomebasedmom. Great!!

Mimi's Cafe Carrot Bread

1 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup oil
1 Cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 Cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 Cup diced canned pineapple
1/2 Cup raisins
1 Cup shredded carrots

Grease bottom of a loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Grease parchment paper.
Sift flour and other spices into a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugar and eggs. Mix into flour mixture.
Add walnuts, carrots, pineapple and raisins. Mix well.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

Aebleskiver

2 Cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 Cups buttermilk
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
3 TBS melted butter
Sift dry ingredients. Mix all ingredients except the egg whites. Beat these separately and fold in at the last with the 3 TBS melted butter. Fry in Aebleskiver pan with oil in each rounded cavity.
Serve with powdered sugar, jam or syrup.
After visiting Solvang I looked for my Aebleskiver pan and found it. Now we can have them anytime we want.

Simply Delicious Pesto Pasta

Cook 8 ounces pasta.
1 Small onion diced
1 medium zucchini sliced
1 pound chicken tenders, grilled and sliced
Pesto - homemade or store bought
Saute onion and zucchini in a little olive oil til slightly brown. Add chicken and pasta, stir in pesto to taste. I just added a spoon full at a time. I also added a couple of tablespoons of liquid from the cooked pasta. Heat and top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
This recipe would be great with mushrooms, yellow summer squash, red peppers etc. Anything from your garden.