TheKitchenCookie

Aahhh, the Taste of Spring Because Spring seems to be somewhat elusive this year, and because there were some over ripe bananas laying around, and because making more banana bread sounded way to boring, I went in search of Spring elsewhere and found it here  among the other treats. They were originally meant to be cupcakes but I wasn't in a cupcake mood either, so I decided to bake them in bar form and change the icing up a bit by adding lemon juice for something different. What a delicious surprise!! One that has Spring written all over it! So give them a try and you'll find Spring in a bite of  sweet confection. this pic is minus the oil, yes it was one of  THOSE days ☺ Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 15½ x 10½ inch pan with non stick spray. Ingredient List: 3 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 3 eggs ¾ cup canola oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract grated zest of 1 lemon 2 bananas, mashed 1 cup chopp...

I've fallen in love with SPINACH I'm not sure when I became hooked on Spinach but I've come to really enjoy this stuff  and these are a few ways I have been enjoying it. On my personal pizza along with fresh button mushrooms, onions, hot peppers, with a little bit of meat and cheese. Sometime I'd love to have it with sundried tomato pesto and fresh mozzerella cheese with a little fresh basil on top of everything. And I absolutely LOVE it in a stir fry I make sometimes with broccoli, onions, red bell peppers over the best brown and wild rice mixture I've ever been lucky enough to eat. Perfect combination of goodness right there. And it's always better when I eat it with my red handled fork . Presently I have one fork, one spoon, and one knife like this in the house. My daughter and I both like to eat with them. I think I shall purchase more of them on my next visit to Ohio. That's where I bought these. Maybe we're quirky about this but I don't thi...

Tender, Juicy Chicken with an interesting twist! I found this recipe in a Cooking Light Magazine some time ago and last week when I went for groceries I noticed the roasting chickens were on sale so I picked up a few and gave this a whirl. The lemon keeps it from drying out and gives it a good flavor along with the thyme. Thyme is always a good thing! 1 (6 lb) roasting chicken 2 teaspoons paprika 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided 1 teaspoon salt, divided 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided Cooking Spray 1 teaspoon olive oil Lemon slices Thyme sprigs Preheat oven to 425°. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine paprika, 1 tablespoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper; rub under skin. Thinly slice 1 lemon; arrange slices under loosened skin. Cut remaining lemon into quarters. Place lemon q...

TENDER, JUICY, and DELICIOUS!! Marinating center cut pork chops in Italian Dressing is a super easy way to get some great flavor into them and grilling them adds more deliciousness to the flavor. I like to have them in the marinade for at least several hours and grilling them on a HOT grill to ensure juiciness. Simple is the way to go! JUICY GOODNESS!! We had these today with salad and some grilled mushrooms that we wrapped in bacon. Those are totally awesome too! but they didn't survive the grill in a picture worthy fashion so I will try them some other time. You see, my hubby is a much better (more patient) griller than I but he had a killer headache for some reason and couldn't even eat with us sooo... but I'm happy to say he is better now after a loonngg nap. ☺☺☺ Linking to: Debbies Newbie Party Brambleberry Cottage The Tattered Tag Wicked Wednesday

MORE.YUMMY.CHOCOLATE.  I used to work at a popular restaurant in Holmes County, Ohio and this was one of my favorite pies they served there. Creamy, Smooth, and a perfect fit with soft ice cream and coffee. I have been trying to perfect this recipe for a while and while it's still not quite the way I want it, maybe I'm too picky, it is still worth making and sharing. I think my problem is that I'm too impatient and get it out of the oven too soon. So... moral of the story - leave it in there till it's done and tent the top with foil to protect it if it looks too dark. 4 ounces german chocolate squares 1/3 cup butter 2¾ cups milk, 1 can evaporated and the rest 2% 2¼ cups sugar 6 Tablespoons (serving spoon size) cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt 3 eggs 1½ teaspoons vanilla 1 10 inch unbaked pie shell coconut flakes and chopped pecans, enough for a generous sprinkle over the top Melt chocolate with butter over low heat, stirring until blended. Remove from heat, gr...

Nothing new, nothing complicated Just Creamy and Delicious! Those two words usually also mean it's gonna be good and I'm gonna love it! My Mom shared a little trick with me that also adds the word fluffy to this combo yet. She uses half cornstarch and half clear-jel (the cook type, not the instant stuff). Perfect! You will need: 1 baked pie shell 9" For the Basic Vanilla Pudding: 4 cups 2% milk, divided 4 Tablespoons butter ½ cup white sugar 4 egg yolks 3 Tablespoons (serving spoon size) Cornstarch 3 Tablespoons (serving spoon size) Clear-jel 1 teaspoon clear vanilla ½ teaspoon salt Melt butter in a saucepan. Add 3 cups milk and sprinkle sugar evenly over milk. Place remaining cup of milk and the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into milk mixture and stir constantly over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. When ready to fill the pie crust whip the pudding with a hand ...

This day in my Life... This morning when I woke up and saw a bit of snow on the ground it made me feel a little crazy. Seriously! I mean we keep saying Spring is around the corner, okay maybe it is, but how many corners do I have to turn to get to it!  Yesterday I made a German chocolate pie and sadly it needs more cornstarch because it did not set up right when it was cooled, (I will share the yumminess with you all once I've tweaked and perfected it) :) but I couldn't help myself this morning, I knew I needed a morning brightener so I had runny chocolate pie and ice cream for breakfast. Bad Girl! Because I am actually on a diet to get smaller, not larger. But I will tell you, it was that bit of snow that put me over the edge! I had this with gourmet coffee. Something else I haven't had for a while. And I thought it was interesting that I randomly chose one of my favorite cups which reads:            ...