Triple Peanut-Peanut Butter Cookies

Roasted peanuts and peanut butter chips add extra crunch and creaminess to these favorites. Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips seem to be far superior to other products available. They’re creamy (not waxy) and packed with peanut flavor. Push a Hershey's chocolate kiss in the center, if desired, before baking. Recipe from my board-buddy, April.

1-1/4  cups  all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt

8  tablespoons  unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature

3/4  cup  dark brown sugar, packed

1/4  cup  granulated sugar

2  large eggs, at room temperature

1/2  cup  smooth peanut butter (not unsweetened)

1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

1  cup  roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1  cup  peanut butter chips (Reese’s brand preferred)

1  tablespoon  sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350° and arrange a rack in the middle.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat on medium until thoroughly combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and add peanuts and peanut butter chips and mix on low just until incorporated.

Scoop dough into heaping tablespoon-sized balls and drop, about 1 inch apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until brown on the edges, but soft in the middle. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Never Fail Prime Rib Roast

I made this for Christmas, 2011. Great!

Standing Rib Roast

(1 Rib - Serves 2 People)

(2 Ribs - Serves 4 People)

(3 Ribs - Serves 6 People)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Salt

The timetable for roasting by this method is approximately 15 minutes per rib, or 5 minutes per pound of trimmed, ready-to-cook meat. For example, a 3-rib roast, weighing 8-9 pounds, will roast for 40-45 minutes.

Bring the roast to room temperature. This takes about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the roast in a shallow roasting pan. Season the meat generously with black pepper and salt.

To protect your oven from spattering fat, place a tent of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the meat. Roast according to the above timetable, following the minutes exactly. If you have a timer, set it to remind you. When the cooking time ends, turn off the oven heat, BUT DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.

Allow the roast to remain in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until the oven is lukewarm, which is about 2 hours. The roast will be beautifully rare inside and retain a crunchy outside and an internal temperature suitable for serving for as long as 2 hours.

Amish Breakfast Casserole

1  lb  bacon, diced

1  sweet onion, chopped

1  green pepper, diced

10  eggs, beaten

1-1/2  cup  cream-style cottage cheese

4  cups  frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed

2  cups  shredded Cheddar cheese

1-1/2  cups  shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

           

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, onion and green pepper until bacon is crisp; drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Stir bacon mixture into egg mixture. Transfer to a greased 13"x9" baking pan; sprinkle with reserved cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, until set and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 8 to 10 servings

Scalloped Apples

4  medium  tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2  cup  sugar

1/4  tsp  cinnamon

1/4  tsp  ground cloves

1/2  cup  butter (no substitutes)

2  cups  fresh white bread cubes (4 slices bread)

Toss apples with sugar and spices. In skillet, melt butter; add bread pieces, stirring until crispy and slightly brown. In a greased 8-in. pan, layer half the apples, then half the crumbs. Repeat.

Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until tender. (Loosely cover with foil for the first 20 minutes of baking.)

Also, rather than layering, I usually end up putting all the bread crumbs on top for extra crunchiness. For Thanksgiving and large gatherings, triple the apples and spices, and double the butter and crumb topping, using a 13X9 casserole dish. 

Jumbo Raisin Cookies

I think this is probably the one cookie that tastes best after it cools down.

2  cups  raisins

1  cup  apple juice

1  cup  shortening

2  cups  sugar

3  eggs

1  tsp  vanilla

4  cups  flour

1  tsp  baking powder

1  tsp  soda

1-1/2  tsp  salt

1 1/2 tsp  cinnamon

1/4  tsp  nutmeg

1/4  tsp  allspice

1/2  tsp  cloves

1  cup  chopped nuts, optional

Boil raisins in water or juice for 5 minutes. Cool. 

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add raisins, liquid and all. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix well.

Drop by medium sized ice cream scoop onto greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly and sprinkle with turbinado (raw) sugar.

Bake for 10-12 minutes @350 degrees.

Broken Glass Jell-O

I think Jell-O is a Midwestern thing, so if you're from the Midwest you'll probably enjoy this.

4  small  boxes  (3 oz. each)  Jell-O, in different colors
1  (14 oz.)  can  sweetened condensed milk

2  envelopes  Knox unflavored gelatin

For each flavor, dissolve one box of Jell-O in one cup of boiling water. Pour each into a small pan and chill overnight. I had four of these containers of Jell-O.

After chilling the four flavors, cut them into small cubes. 
Carefully mix the cubes up in a 9 x 13 pan.

In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water. After the gelatin blooms, add 1 1/2 cup boiling water and dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and cool completely. Pour cooled milk mixture over Jell-O. It does help to take the time to skim off any small bubbles that are created when you pour the condensed milk on the Jell-O pieces. Chill overnight.

Cut into blocks or shapes and serve.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

 

I served these at my Christmas Bar Food Party.

24  good white dinner rolls (small Hawaiian Buns)

24  pieces  good honey ham

24  small  slices  Swiss cheese

1/4  cup  mayonnaise

1/4  cup  Miracle Whip

Poppy Seed Sauce

1  Tbs  poppy seeds

1-1/2  Tbs  yellow mustard

1  stick  butter, melted

1  Tbs  minced onion

1/2  tsp  Worcestershire Sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto one side of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

NOTE: I just saw a post on TOH for these, and they added some brown sugar (2 Tbs) to the poppy seed sauce. I'm going to try it. They also said they use different mustard sometimes, like brown mustard.  My friend, Star, made them this way and they were wonderful.