Molasses Ginger Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon coriander
3/4 cup turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1 - In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg & ginger.
2 - Combine all dry ingredients (except turbinado sugar) and gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
3 - Cover and refrigerate for at least 1.5 hours until the dough is easy to handle.
4 - Roll into 1/2 inch balls and roll in turbinado sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
5 - Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 2 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks.

THOUGHTS:
The first time I made these they were the greatest cookies I have ever made. The second time, the texture was a bit off and I can't figure out what I did wrong. Oh well, they still tasted delicious. Thanks to Taste of Home magazine.

Chocolate Toffee Delights

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted & cooled
1 jar (12 1/4 oz) caramel ice cream topping
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1 - In a small bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts.
2 - Combine the flour, salt & baking powder. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
3 - Press into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Prick crust with a fork or toothpick and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake 15 minutes longer or until set.
4 - Place coconut and almonds in a food processor and finely chop. Transfer to a small bowl and mix with caramel topping. Spread over crust and bake another 5-10 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.
5 - Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the caramel mixture. Let stand until chocolate is set.

THOUGHTS:
This recipe came from Taste of Home magazine in a special section on holiday cookies. The idea was that they tasted like Samoa Girl Scout cookies - I'm not quite convinced. They aren't bad though. Not bad at all.

Chicken Piccata

INGREDIENTS:
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded & cut into thirds
1 egg
2 Tablespoons and 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons capers
2 Tablespoons cold water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch whisked together (slurry)

DIRECTIONS:
1 - In a small bowl, beat the egg together with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 - In a shallow bowl, mix together flour, garlic powder & paprika. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture then in the seasoned flour. Put chicken in fridge for 30 minutes.
3 - In a large skillet, brown the coated chicken pieces in olive oil and butter. When browned, put in the oven at 250 degrees to keep warm.
4 - In a pot, boil together the broth and wine. Add the sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, capers and garlic. Stir in the slurry, lower the temp and let simmer.
5 - Get skillet with chicken out of the oven and add enough sauce from the pot to cover the bottom of pan, but not fully cover the chicken. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, turning chicken pieces after 10 minutes (while remaining sauce also simmers in the pot for 20 minutes).

THOUGHTS:
My challenge was to make a piccata that wasn't sour and I succeeded. This was just that perfect amount of lemon. Delish.

Chicken and Caper Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
3 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup half & half
2 Tablespoons capers, drained & rinsed

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Season chicken with lemon pepper, salt, dill weed, & garlic powder.
2 - Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown, turning frequently for about 5 minutes.
3 - Reduce heat to medium and cook 5-7 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken to a baking sheet and place in oven at 250 degrees to keep warm.
4 - Deglaze skillet with 1/4 cup white wine and increase heat to high. Add garlic and half and half to skillet whisking consistently until it reaches the consistency of sauce. Add capers and mix in well.
5 - Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

THOUGHTS:
I have a weakness for caper dishes and this was just wonderful. I served the chicken over buttered penne with some fresh Parmesan.

Filet Mignon and Goat Cheese

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tablespoon butter
2 (5-6 oz) filet mignon steaks (about 1" thick)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 oz soft fresh goat cheese
balsamic glaze

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Preheat the broiler. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.
2 - In a heavy large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter.
3 - Add the steaks to the skillet, cooking to desired doneness (about 3 minutes per side for medium rare).
4 - Transfer steaks to a baking sheet and crumble the cheese over the steaks. Broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.
5 - If desired, drizzle balsamic glaze over the steaks.

THOUGHTS:
This is recipe from www.foodnetwork.com (Giada De Laurentiis). In her recipe, she has the cook make the balsamic glaze, but I will never do that again. The fumes burned my eyes and it was practically unbearable to be in my kitchen while it was cooking. So, if I can find a place to purchase balsamic glaze, then that will be included. If not, it's just not worth it. Other than that, this was a great way to make filet mignon when you do not have convenient access to a grill.