Uglies

Submitted by Jessica Guinan, Keirsten Stewart & Tara Malouf

Uglies on Allrecipes

• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce
• 1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 8 muffin cups.
2. In a large skillet or frying pan, cook ground chuck with onion and garlic powder until evenly brown; drain off the grease. Stir in the barbeque sauce and simmer for another 3 minutes.
3. Roll out each biscuit on a floured surface so that each biscuit is 6 inches across. Put the biscuit in the muffin tin and fold up sides to create a cup shape. Fill each biscuit fill almost to the top with the meat mixture; top with cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are baked, cheese is melted and tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. 

Photos courtesy of Keirsten Stewart & Tara Malouf

Brats in Sauce Over Noodles

Submitted by Jenny Ritter Sykes

Open 1 pack of brats. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a skillet and brown the brats on all sides. Then cover just above halfway with water and let them boil down, turning occasionally. Start another pot of water to boil.
Move the brats to a cutting board. Mix 24 oz of sour cream and 3 teaspoons of flour and add to the cooked down grease/water mix. Start a bag of egg noodles in the other pot and stir until boiling and add salt and pepper.
Slice the brats into fairly thin penny slices and add back to the sauce. Once it boils and cooks together for a few minutes, drain and rinse noodles. Add a bag of frozen or fresh veggies and serve with noodles on bottom and meat/veggie sauce on top.

Shortbread Cookies

Submitted by Erin Lucia

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter or any cookie cutter shape you want. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature

Vanilla Almond Sugar Cookies

Submitted by Lisa Mariani Hackney

3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar (I use sugar that I've stored vanilla beans in)
2 sticks salted butter, cold
1 egg
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling (video on University of Cookie).

Roll onto a floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (I recommend freezing the cut out shape on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

Submitted by Erin Lucia

1lb linguine
1lb shrimp, peeled and cleaned
2 tbsp butter, not margarine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup green onions
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp creole or Cajun seasoning, Tony Chachere's
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
2/3 cup parsley
2 plum tomatoes, chopped

Cook linguine (you can use regular spaghetti instead of linguine) according to package, keep warm.

Peel shrimp, and devein, if desired; set aside

Melt butter in a large skillet; add olive oil, green onions and garlic. Saute until tender. Stir in Cajun seasoning; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Stir in shrimp and whipping cream; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in wine; simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in linguine, Parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper; cook mixture, stirring gently, until thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley; serve immediately.

Peppermint Bark

Submitted by Erin Lucia

Candy canes (6 ounce box of 12)
16 ounces semisweet chocolate
8 drops peppermint oil, divided
16 ounces white chocolate

Directions:

1. Prepare one 11x17x1 inch jelly roll pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on all sides. Tip: rub a bit of vegetable shortening or butter in the bottom of the pan corners and well as the pan sides to help the parchment paper to stay in place.
   
2. Place candy canes in a large Ziploc plastic bag (I've heard of people using their food processors as well) and use a rolling pin to crush into pieces, about ¼ inch. Separate the larger pieces from the powdery crumbs by shaking the candy through a sieve. Set the larger pieces and the powdery crumbs aside.
   
   Semisweet Chocolate Layer:
3. In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt the semisweet chocolate. Or, melt chocolate in a medium heavy saucepan over low heat; stir constantly until melted so chocolate does not burn. Remove pan from heat. Or, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, use 50% power and stir frequently just until the chocolate is melted; do not overheat as chocolate will burn easily. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowl on top of the hot water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
   
4. When the semisweet chocolate is melted, add 4 drops of peppermint oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan.
   
5. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill the chocolate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
   
6. Remove the pan from the refrigerator while melting the white chocolate to allow the chilled chocolate to warm a bit to help the layers adhere.
   
   White Chocolate Layer:
7. In a clean bowl, melt the white chocolate, preferably in top of a double boiler over hot water. Tip: Melting white chocolate in top of a double boiler is preferable as it burns easily when melted in a saucepan directly over heat or melted in the microwave.
   
8. When the white chocolate is melted, add 4 drops of peppermint oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in the candy cane powdery crumbs.
   
9. Pour the white chocolate directly over the semisweet chocolate layer. Use a small offset spatula to quickly spread the white chocolate evenly. Tip: work quickly so the semisweet chocolate doesn’t start melting and blending into the white chocolate. But don’t worry if the chocolates start blending together it will still taste delicious.
   
10. While the white chocolate layer is still soft sprinkle the larger candy cane pieces evenly over the top. Use the back of a large spoon or serving spatula to lightly press the candies into the chocolate.
    
11. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill the chocolate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes, or leave on the counter top and let set until firm.
    
12. When chocolate is firm, remove from the pan by grabbing the edge of the parchment paper and lifting out of the pan. Break into irregular pieces or use a sharp kitchen knife or dough scraper to cut into rectangular pieces about 2 by 4 inches.
    

Ice Cream Cake

Submitted by Lisa Mariani Hackney 

1 stick of butter
1 package of Oreos
Ice cream of your choice, 2 half gallons
1 tub of cool whip
Chocolate syrup

In a 9x13 pan, melt butter. In the mean time, crush your Oreos. Mix the whole package of Oreo crumbs into the butter and smooth onto bottom of pan to make crust. Squirt some chocolate syrup over the crust. Stick back in freezer for a bit to freeze this layer.

Next, I have found the best way to do the ice cream is to just scoop the ice cream into pan and then just work it around in a thick layer. I usually buy 2 half gallons and use all of one and most of the second.  At this point I usually put it back in the freezer.

Last, spread container of Cool Whip evenly over top.

Special Reward Dog Biscuits

Submitted by Jessica Guinan

From The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg

These look pretty good because they're made with regular stuff you'd find in a supermarket!

12 oz whole wheat flour
12 oz bread flour
2 oz wheat germ
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
3 oz powdered dry milk
1 c. water

Combine the flours, wheat germ, salt & brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs and oil. Dissolve the milk powder in the water, then incorporate the mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix to form a very firm dough that is smooth and workable. Adjust by adding a little extra flour or water as required. Cover the dough and set it aside to relax for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the dough out to 1/2" thick. Cut out biscuits and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Bake at 375 for approximately 40 minutes or until they are brown and rock hard.

Quick Method for Dog Biscuits
Prepare biscuits following steps 1-3. In step 4, knead & shape the dough into a uniform square. Cover and place in refrigerator to relax. In step 5, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out 1 piece to make a rectangle measuring 15x6 inches. Set the piece aside to relax & do the same for the other half. Cut the first piece in half lengthwise, then cut each half across into 12 equal pieces. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Pan, bake and store.

Lasagna Rolls

Submitted by Courtnay Miller Mansi

10 pieces of curly-edged lasagna noodles
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 cup parm cheese
2 6 oz packages mozzerella cheese slices
2 cups tomato sauce
1 package Cracker Barrel white cheddar (if your store doesn't have it, go to another store, only that one has the right consistency)
1 small carton heavy cream
1 egg
1 package hot italian sausage

Crust:
1 stick of butter
2 cups panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese shavings
Basil
Sundried Tomatoes
Garlic

Directions:
Cook noodles as directed on package. Drain and rinse in cold water. Lay flat on paper towels. Drain spinach and squeeze out liquid. Mix spinach with ricotta, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, egg, and 2 tbsp parm cheese. Brown sausage and add to mix. Cut mozzerella slices lengthwise and lay on noodles (I can usually fit 2 per noodle). Put spinach mixture on 1 side of the noodle and roll them up (helps if you put the spinach mixture in the fridge for a while to firm it up a little). Make them about 3-4" across. Stand each one up on one end (so that an open end is touching the pan and an open end is facing the ceiling). Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a springform pan in the oven. Put 1 cup of the bread crumbs in it. Stir all around and make a crust on the bottom. Put the the lasagna rolls in the springform pan. Squeeze as many of these in the pan as you possibly can so they are really tight in there. Pour the sauce over the top Bake at 350 for 35 mins. After it cools a little, put a plate over the top of the rolls, then flip them so that the top is now the bottom. Carefully release the springform and the rolls will stand up on their own. Mix up the other 1/2 stick of butter and cup of bread crumbs and put on the top. On top of that, put parmesan cheese, sliced tomatoes, diced garlic, basil, and sundried tomatoes. Drizzle some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes over the top. Put it under the broiler until the tomatoes wilt a little.

Mix the cream and cheddar in a little pot on the stove on low. Stir until they are all melted together and gooey. Pour over the top of the rolls after you pop the spring form off. Put more of this (I usually double the cream and cheese so I have enough to put at several places around the table) in bowls around the table. That way people can put as much as they want on theirs.

Saucepan Oatmeal Cookies

Submitted by Jessica Guinan

1/2 c. butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 well beaten eggs
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. coconut, chopped or 1 c. semisweet chocolate pieces (all optional)

Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment & set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and stir in granulated sugar and brown sugar. Cool 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating by hand after each just until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add oats & stir until combined. (Batter will be thick.) If desired, add coconut or chocolate. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 3" apart on the prepared cookie sheet. (Batter may stiffen a little as it stands.) Bake in a 375 oven for 7-9 minutes or until edges are firm and golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

From The Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book - the sidebar for this recipe says, "Dress up these super-simple cookies; Heat 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate pieces with 1 tbsp shortening over low heat just until melted, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over cooled cookies."