Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers young and old out there! Mothers are such an important part of our lives, whether they've been there for us or not. They are the very first people that we are introduced to when we come out of the womb, and they might be the most influential part of how we turn out as people. I am saying "Happy Mother's Day" to my own amazing mom as well as my new mother-in-law today. It's amazing when you join your life with another person's and you're able to see just how much you are like your own mother and how much your partner's mother has made them who they are.

In honor of a holiday, I am going to take the chance to introduce you to a wonderful book that I have fallen in love with called "Holiday Treats." This book is a compilation created by several different authors who have joined forces to bring us a rounded perspective that covers the holidays that most homes in America celebrate.

The book starts out with Halloween and ends with summer holidays and birthdays, covering in between a variety of holidays including Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and a variety of Jewish holidays in a format that is informative and fun. Each section is filled with creative recipes, crafting, games, and helpful tips that are sure to make it easy to create traditions in your family that your children will remember for years to come. It's a valuable resource for moms and grandmoms to look to, if only for a reference or to spark ideas for other crafts and creative recipes.

These pages are filled with colorful pictures and step-by-step instructions that often include tips for when children can help out and when adult supervision is recommended. The instructions are easy to read and often the authors use anecdotes from their own experiences to guide you as you attempt to start your own traditions.

The crafts presented in the book range in difficulty from easy-peasy to mildly advanced *(these are my personal ratings and are not contained in the book), but most of the time the crafts are kid-friendly and just as fun to make as they are pretty to look at. The recipes are generally simple and elegant, with most of the focus being on presentation.

I highly recommend this book, but if I had any complaints about it, it would be that it seems to focus only on Judeo-Christian and Jewish holidays and I would have appreciated a few holidays from other culturally significant backgrounds such as Chinese New Year or Cinco De Mayo. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to Jewish holidays, which is wonderful, but it might have been nice to see a little more cultural balance in the book.

Cheesecake Thumbprints

Several bloggers have blogged about the cheesecake thumprint cookie lately and it made me curious. I wanted to try it. So, I searched around on the internet and finally found a recipe.

I am happy to say that these are delicious. They are so easy, but do require a little bit of "babysitting," as my future mother-in-law put it. My dad says that he isn't crazy about cheesecake, but that he could pop these babies all day long. I made them for our Christmas Cookie Swap tomorrow with the girls from work. Yay! Two thirds of them are plain, but I used red plum jam to make the other third "fancy" and marbled the cheesecake. They are BEAUTIFUL!

I highly recommend using a quality cream cheese. Cheaper cream cheeses tend to have too many fillers (and set harder). I doubled this batch and it made it easier to measure. (1 block of cream cheese is 8 oz.) :-D

Cheesecake Thumbprints

Makes about 30

These cookies are best eaten after they have been refrigerated overnight. Allow them to sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before serving.

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
2 large egg yolks
1-1/2 teaspoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1/4 cup sugar and pinch of salt, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add 1 egg yolk, sour cream, and 1/8 tsp vanilla; beat until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F, with racks in the upper & lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with Silpat or parchment; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar on medium speed until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla and egg yolk; beat to combine. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour, mixing until just combined.

Shape level tablespoons of dough into balls, and place on prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Using the lightly floured end of a thick wooden spoon handle (or your thumb), make an indentation in the center of each ball.Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven and make indentations again. Rotate sheets, return to oven, and bake until edges of cookies begin to turn golden, 7 to 9 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Using a small teaspoon, fill the center of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon cream cheese filling, mounding it slightly (if you’re adept with a pastry bag it’s much neater using that method... otherwise, stick with the teaspoons or a self-release truffle scoop). Return cookies to the oven, and bake until the filling is firm, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container, layered between waxed or parchment paper, at least 4 hours before serving (cookies can be refrigerated overnight).

Chocolate variation: In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water (or using a microwave and 10 second increments, stirring between), melt 2 oz semisweet chocolate; let cool. Follow instructions for above recipe, adding melted chocolate (not hot, cooled slightly too room temp) to butter mixture along with the egg yolk and salt. Replace 3 tablespoons of the flour called for with cocoa powder, whisk flour and cocoa powder well to combine evenly before proceeding with recipe. The edges of these cookies will be firm to the touch when baked.

Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

While we're on the topic of easy recipes, I wanted to add this new one to my blog and share it with you all. I found a while back when I was looking for a recipe that was cheap and easy with broccoli. I think I'm gonna make it for Thanksgiving, because it's been a big hit everywhere I've made it and I like it much more than green bean casserole. I've varied the recipe a little each time I've made it, so feel free to experiment with it a little yourself!

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

2 10 oz. bags frozen broccoli florets
1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 can Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
1 pkg. Stovetop chicken stuffing mix
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 cups of water

1. Thaw broccoli and place in 9x13 baking dish.
2. Evenly spread cream of mushroom soup over the broccoli, followed by the can of cheddar cheese soup.
3. Prepare the package of stuffing mix according the to package instructions with the water and butter. (I use one tablespoon less butter than the mix calls for.)
4. Evenly spread the stuffing mix over the casserole so that it covers the broccoli completely.
5. Bake the casserole at 350 degrees farenheit for 30 minutes, or until the stuffing is a little browned on top.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Optional: I have added cooked chicken cubes to this recipe to make it a full meal. Simply put the chicken in after the broccoli and then cover with soup (try cream of chicken instead of mushroom!) and stuffing.

My Favorite Chicken Teriyaki

Recently, Cha! Cha! Gigi asked that her readers post their favorite easy chicken recipes. Sorry this is a few days late, Coleen, but here ya go. I hope it helps and I guarantee it's delicious! My fiance loves it and he's the pickiest guy I know! I'll make it and try to get a good picture this weekend.

Chicken Teriyaki

8 chicken thighs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar -- (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon Sherry
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix together all ingredients except chicken in bowl. Add chicken and coat with sauce. Marinate 30 minutes to overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain off most of the sauce. Transfer to 9x11x13 microwave dish. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high for 11 minutes. Turn with a fork, brush with drippings, and cover with wax paper. Microwave on high for another 11 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

My Favorite Lasagna

I am currently enjoying my favorite lasagna, a recipe that my mom always followed and has become the standard by which I measure all other lasagnas. I never enjoyed the Stouffer's lasagnas that are in the frozen food aisle because of this. Any lasagna that is not homemade or has anice seeds in it just grosses me out.

If you are interested in the recipe, I am posting it below:

Mama Gish's Lasagna
1 lb. ground chuck
1 medium onion, minced
1 head chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 long pieces lasagna noodles
2 large eggs
12 oz. creamed cottage cheese
16 slices mozzerella cheese
grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large pan, brown ground beef in oil with onion, garlic and parsley.
2. Add tomato paste, water, salt and pepper and simmer 45 min. to an hour.
3. Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package.
4. Mix together eggs and cottage cheese.
5. In 13 x 9 x 2" baking pan, spread about 1/2 cup sauce, then alternate layers of lasagna noodles, sauce, egg and cottage cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese, until baking pan is filled. Top with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake @ 350 F about 30 minutes until bubbly all through.
7. Let rest 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!