SOMETHING SWEET FOR YOUR VALENTINE
I haven't made Peanut Butter Temptations for years but my sister, Ann, says her family likes them so much that she makes a double batch at Christmastime. If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Temptations will become one of your favorite cookies, too.
PEANUT BUTTER TEMPTATIONS
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (no imitation, please)
- 1 1/4 cup unsifted, all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 48 miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, papers removed
Cream butter and peanut butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Combine flour, soda and salt; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill dough one hour. Shape dough into 48 (1-inch) balls; place in Baker's Joy (in the cooking spray aisle)-coated miniature muffin pans, making a thumb indentation in the center of each. Bake in preheated 350oF oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cup into the center of each cookie. Cool completely before removing from pans. Recipe makes 4 dozen cookies.
Source: Southern Living magazine.
FROM THE COOKBOOK SHELF
What can be more appealing for chocoholics than chocolate for breakfast and that's the name of a new cookbook by Barbara Passino, a chocolate connoisseur and chef, renowned for her sinfully decadent breakfasts served daily at the luxurious Oak Knoll Inn situated in the heart of Napa Valley, California. Chocolate for Breakfast (The Gerald & Marc Hoberman Collection, February 2009, hardcover/$35.00) includes recipes from around the world, creating unique meals for that special someone on Valentine's Day or any day you want to be special. For dieters there's Chocolate Madeleine Spoons because you eat just one bite!
CHOCOLATE MADELEINE SPOONS
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the egg and sugar. Mix in the melted butter. Put flour, baking powder and cocoa powder through a sieve and fold into egg mixture. Fill buttered teaspoons or tablespoon 2/3
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full and place on a cookie sheet, propping the spoon handles on the edge so that the batter doesn't fall out. Bake 5 minutes or two longer if using a tablespoon. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Recipe makes 12 to 15 spoonfuls.
Source: Recipe from Chocolate for Breakfast by Barbara Passino (The Gerald & Marc Hoberman Collection, February 2009, hardcover/$35.00).
HEALTH RATINGS
Logos such as the American Heart Association's heart check mark are supposed to help consumers quickly identify healthful choices. While in theory those marks make it easier to find products that meet certain nutritional standards, the different labeling used by manufacturers and grocery chains make it harder to comparison shop. Things might get simpler this spring when many companies begin to adopt Smart Choices, a program developed by a coalition of scientists, public health officials and food industry representatives. The program's symbol will include a check mark to indicate that a product meets specific nutritional criteria for foods in that category and will list the calories per serving and the number of servings in a package.
COMFORT FOOD ANYONE?
During the winter months the current weather forecast determines whether I brave the elements or not and this winter there are days when the car doesn't leave the garage. Comfort food sounds so good when I'm confined to the house. For a definition of comfort food, I turned to the 4th edition of The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. The term is intensely personal and can mean ten different things to ten different people. Typically, comfort foods are homemade, hearty and rib-sticking such as macaroni and cheese or maybe this week's Baked Beans & Kielbasa Stew from Land O'Lakes.
BAKED BEANS & KIELBASA STEW
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 14-ounce package turkey kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch
- 1 28-ounce can baked beans (I used Bush Original)
- 1 15.5-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 14.5-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add onion, bell pepper and carrots. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisply tender (4 to 6 minutes). Reduce heat to medium; add kielbasa. Cook, stirring occasionally, until kielbasa begins to brown (4 to 6 minutes). Stir in remaining ingredients. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil (8 to 10 minutes). Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes to blend flavors. Recipe makes 8 1-cup servings.
Source: Recipe from landolakes.com. |
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