Chocolate Thumbprints from Martha Stewart

Last year I received "Martha Stewart's Cookies" as a Christmas gift. I really love the book. There are SO many good recipes inside. So I came across this recipe for chocolate thumbprints.

Personally, this is the BEST cookie I have EVER eaten. But everyone has their favorite kind of cookie, right? My kids love them too. Not only are they delicious, but they are really really easy to make.

I definately think you should try them.

Chocolate Thumbprints

1 cup (2 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 teaspoons corn syrup

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

2. Beat in flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high.

3. Roll dough by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

4. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press thumb into tops of cookies to make indentations. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

5. Combine chocolate, 6 tablespoons butter, and corn syrup in a small heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.

My Girl Paula, Barbecue Meatloaf

It's been so long since I participated with My Girl Paula. This week we were supposed to make any beef recipe of Paula's. Great idea, Michelle!!! I know my picture isn't the greatest. Sorry about that!

I chose the Barbecue Meatloaf. This is definately one of my favorite recipes. The kids and I love it. My husband doesn't like meatloaf at all, so when I make this he always has something else. He sure does not know what he's missing!

If you would like to try this recipe, you can find it here.

Recipe Card Apron for Aunt Connie

Oh ever since I saw this apron I wanted to make it. So I finally bought the book. It's called "Stitched in Time" by Alicia Paulson. You can find it here.


I really wanted to make one for my Aunt Connie. My cousin said she thought she would like an apron. So I bought some Aunt Connie-ish fabric with flowers and little bunnies, etc. The recipe I chose to apply to the apron was my Almond Brown Sugar Biscotti Recipe. You can also find the full recipe here on my blog with step-by-step directions.

My Uncle Eddie loves my biscotti and I make it for him whenever I know I'm going to see the two of them and I have a chance. So this is sort of for Uncle Eddie, too. ;)

Paula's Baked Ham and Cheese Chicken

This week's My Girl Paula was "anything goes". I didn't want to make a dessert because I've been making a lot lately, so I decided on dinner. I picked the Baked Ham and Cheese Chicken.

This recipe was okay for me. I think it was because the chicken breasts were so thick, that I had a hard time cooking them through. The recipe says to brown the chicken on both sides and then cook in the oven with the ham and cheese for 8 minutes. Well, I had to cook the chicken in the oven a little longer than that in order to make it fully cooked. I think next time I make this I will use thinner chicken breasts.

All that aside, it was a pretty good dish. We all liked it. If you would like to give it a try, I found it here at Food Network.

Guava Cheese Empanadas

I think I mentioned this before. I work part-time at a dentist office two days a week. One day, my friend Zuly, who is one of the hygenists there brought in homeade guava cheese empanadas. Guava, I thought? Hmmm. Why not try them. I had never eaten Guava fruit before. Mistake! These were the best things I had ever eaten!

But, alas, I decided to make them at home. So last week I asked Zuly to tell me exactly how she makes these little pastry heavens.

They came out wonderful as I suspected they would. They didn't seem that hard to make. We all loved them!!!!!! I will make these forever! Thank you Zuly!!!!

Ingredients you will need:

One can of Goya guava paste (Zuly says do not buy the one that says it has jelly. You can find this by the canned fruit, or by the Goya items)

One bag of frozen Goya empanada discs (They come in 10 in the frozen section. Only the ones made with flour, not corn)

One block of cream cheese (I use Philadelphia)

Canola or vegetable oil

1. Let the discs defrost in the fridge overnight. I took mine out of the fridge for a little bit in the morning to make sure they were defrosted.

2. Cut thin slices of the guava paste and place on one side of the disc. I folded mine then opened it so I could see the fold and where I wanted to put the guava and cream cheese. Then place slices of the cream cheese on top of the guava.

3. Fold your disc and all around the edges use a fork to press together. I also turned the disc over and pressed on the other side to make sure it was closed all the way.

4. Let your oil get nice and hot and then place about three empanadas in the pan depending on how big your pan is. Fry until golden.

5. Drain empanadas on paper towels and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Let cool and enjoy! YOU...WILL...NOT...BE...DISAPPOINTED!

Oh, and by the way, you will have left over guava paste. Zuly says to store it in the refrigerator and that it lasts forever. I guess I will have to make more of these.

B.L.T. Pasta

This week I made B.L.T. Pasta for my family. I get requests for this one all the time. I actually found this recipe years ago in Parents Magazine. Everyone loves it.

The only thing I change about it is that I make about 1/4 more of the dressing because it's not really enough.

B.L.T. Pasta

1 package (1 lb.) wagon-wheel pasta

1 package (1 lb.) thick-cut bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (I used the microwave

4 ripe plum tomatoes

3 cups sliced romaine lettuce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbs. cider vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water, drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Add bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss mayonnaise mixture with pasta and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Boston Cream Pie Cake

We always have two cakes for birthdays around here. Family rule. If we have a party with family and friends on the weekend, I make a cake. If the birthday falls during the week, we have another cake for that day.

So my son Jake turned 14 this past Tuesday on October 20th.

We needed another cake. Hmmmm. What to make....I decided on Boston Cream Pie. I've been looking for a good recipe for Boston Cream Pie, and haven't really found one I loved.

So I turned to the Cake Mix Doctor. Perfection! We all loved it and I will definately make it again.

Give it a try. You will love it too.

Filling:

2 cups milk

1 pkg (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 T butter, melted

1 t vanilla

Cake:

1 18.25 oz plain butter recipe cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

2/3 cup water

1 stick (8 T) butter, room temp

3 large eggs

Chocolate Glaze:

2 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate chips)

1 T butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

3 T milk

Prepare the filling:

Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl. Add the pudding mix. Blend with an electric mixer on medium low speed for 2 minutes, or until combined. Stir in the melted butter and the vanilla until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hr.

Place a rack in the center of a 350º oven. Lightly mist a 12 cup bundt pan with Pam, then dust with flour. Shake out excess.

Place the cake mix, water, butter and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 3-4 minutes more, scraping down the sides as needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour into pan and smooth out.

Bake until lightly browned and springs back when pressed with your finger, 33-35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.

Prepare the chocolate glaze. (I used the microwave) Place the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and cook until melted and smooth,3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.

Slice the cooled cake into 3 horizontal layers. Place the bottom layer on a serving platter and spread 1/2 of the pudding over it. Place the middle layer on top and spread with the remaining pudding. Place the top layer on top. Spoon glaze over the cake so that it falls down the sides and the middle of the cake.

Place the cake in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before serving. Store this cake in a cake server in the fridge for up to 1 week. Serves 16