Recipes – Page 49 – Rants Raves and Recipes

December 20, 2013December 12, 2015

Peanut Butter Cookies

In our family traditional Christmas cookies are nontraditional. We have for years made our Scottish Shortbread Cookies: http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/worlds-best-shortbread-cookie-recipe, and Peanut Butter Cookies. Both are fairly easy to make and both are absolutely delicious.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups all purpose flour

Directions for Peanut Butter Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°

In the bowl of the mixer cream the butters. Once creamed beat in the sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine completely, then add the dry ingredients. You should end with a stiff dough like for drop cookies.

Using a tablespoon or a # 60 scoop place batter onto a ungreased baking pan or one lined with a silpat. Press to flatten with the floured back of a fork in a criss cross pattern.

**flatten with fork tines in a criss cross pattern**

Since this is Christmas, I add a few red, white and green Christmas sprinkles to make them a little more festive.

Bake for 12- 15 minutes and remove from oven allowing them to cool and firm up for a minute or two on the pan, before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks, but don’t store with other cookies or the peanut flavor will be absorbed by the others.

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, 11 5/8 x 16 1/2-inches, Half Sheet Size
Nordic Ware Naturals Bakers Half Sheet
Wilton Snowflake Sprinkle Mix

A peanut butter flavored cookie! They ought to give a Nobel prize for this recipe. It’s a 5 paw effort for sure!

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Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2013-12-20 18:18:31

Yields 48

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

30 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

30 min

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups all purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
In the bowl of the mixer cream the butters. Once creamed beat in the sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine completely, then add the dry ingredients. You should end with a stiff dough like for drop cookies.
Using a tablespoon or a # 60 scoop place batter onto a ungreased baking pan or one lined with a silpat. Press to flatten with the floured back of a fork in a criss cross pattern.
Since this is Christmas, I add a few red, white and green Christmas sprinkles to make them a little more festive.
Bake for 12- 15 minutes and remove from oven allowing them to cool and firm up for a minute or two on the pan, before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks, but don't store with other cookies or the peanut flavor will be absorbed by the others.

Rants Raves and Recipes https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/

December 15, 2013November 14, 2014

Broccoli and Penne Rigati

Such a simple dish, yet it is a wonderful, delicious meal. Easy to prepare just a few ingredients and like magic a gourmet meal appears.

First step is to prepare “Perfect Broccoli”, the second is to season it and add it pasta, and that’s it.

Perfect Broccoli

I like to use smaller heads with thinner stalks The stems are easier to peel and cook. The first step is to cut the head off and trim it into small florets. I have a belgique pot with a steamer and a lid that works great for this recipe. Place the florets into the steamer set it over the pot with a few inches of water in it and bring to a boil. As soon as the water begins to steam let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes then take it off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You now have perfectly cooked broccoli, if your not going to use it right away place it in a ice bath to set the color and stop the cooking.

I take the stems and using a paring knife cut the dried bottoms off each stem then pull the tough outer layer off. You should end up with a thin stick of creamy colored broccoli stem, which I cut into small pieces and hard boil in a small pan until fork tender. Once cooked I add to the florets.

Broccoli and Penne Rigati Ingredients

2-4 small heads of broccoli
3 cloves of garlic sliced
1 Tbs pepper flakes
Olive oil
1 pound penne rigati
1 cup reserved pasta water

Directions for Broccoli with Penne Rigati

I do this recipe all in the same pot it makes clean up easy.

First prepare perfect broccoli and set aside.

Next take the pot with enough salted water and cook the penne until it’s done to your preference , before draining take about 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.

Place the pot back onto a medium hot burner allow the heat to dry any water in the pot. Add about 5 Tbs of Olive oil and once hot add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for about two minutes (don’t brown the garlic), and once the garlic is lightly cooked add the broccoli to the pan and stir to combine and cover the broccoli with the oil.

Now add in the pasta another 3-4 Tbs of Olive oil and stir to combine. If the pasta appears to dry and not coated with sauce add some of the pasta water and stir until you all the ingredients are coated.

Serve with Parmesan on the side.

That’s it simple and delicious.

Here are a few items to help with this recipe:
Cuisinart MCP-12 MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

No meat “Borrring”, and just like G. Bush senior I’m not that fond of broccoli either! 3 paws for the effort.

If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .

Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.

Broccoli and Penne Rigati

2013-12-15 17:27:18

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Save Recipe

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

55 min

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

55 min

Ingredients

2-4 small heads of broccoli
3 cloves of garlic sliced
1 Tbs pepper flakes
Olive oil
1 pound penne rigati
1 cup reserved pasta water

Instructions

Perfect Broccoli
I like to use smaller heads with thinner stalks The stems are easier to peel and cook. The first step is to cut the head off and trim it into small florets. I have a belgique pot with a steamer and a lid that works great for this recipe. Place the florets into the steamer set it over the pot with a few inches of water in it and bring to a boil. As soon as the water begins to steam let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes then take it off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You now have perfectly cooked broccoli, if your not going to use it right away place it in a ice bath to set the color and stop the cooking.
I take the stems and using a paring knife cut the dried bottoms off each stem then pull the tough outer layer off. You should end up with a thin stick of creamy colored broccoli stem, which I cut into small pieces and hard boil in a small pan until fork tender. Once cooked I add to the florets.
First prepare perfect broccoli and set aside.
Next take the pot with enough salted water and cook the penne to your desired doneness. before draining take about 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
Place the pot back onto a medium hot burner allow the heat to dry any water in the pot. Add about 5 Tbs of Olive oil and once hot add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for about two minutes (don't brown the garlic), and once the garlic is lightly cooked add the broccoli to the pan and stir to combine and cover the broccoli with the oil.
Now add in the pasta another 3-4 Tbs of Olive oil and stir to combine. If the pasta appears to dry and not coated with sauce add some of the pasta water and stir until you all the ingredients are coated.
Serve with Parmesan on the side.

Rants Raves and Recipes https://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/

December 10, 2013November 14, 2014

Rutabagas

Rutabaga

Rutabaga, yellow turnip, swede, neeps, tumshie whatever the name, it’s one of those vegetables that’s a love it or leave it choice. There really isn’t a middle ground with turnips, while some start watering at the mouth with the smell of them cooking, others run from the room.

The general consensus is the best way to serve is to mash. The secret is to cut the rutabaga up into equal size pieces. Not an easy task as it is a fairly dense root, but a good large sharp knife will do the trick.

The easiest way to peel is to cut into quarters and use the knife to slice the waxy skin off, there is a pithy layer that is slightly bitter just under the skin so don’t be afraid to take a good slice off. Cutting into quarters gives you 2 flat surfaces to place onto the cutting board, slice around the bottom of the quarter then turn over and do the same to the other edge. You now have only to slice the center of the quarters to peel all the waxy layer off. Then cut into 1/2 cubes, being careful to watch your fingers as you slice.

Take a large pot with salted water and bring the water up to a boil, add the rutabaga and boil until fork tender. Drain, add butter and a little salt and pepper and mash. It’s that simple.

If you have a good stand mixer with a paddle blade it will do a great job of the mashing. They do get better if they sit overnight and are rewarmed the next day, simply put into a baking pan and heat with a few pats of butter on the top, serve hot.

There are of course other ways to serve. In Finland there is a casserole starring the rutabaga made for Christmas it adds milk breadcrumbs, molasses, egg, ginger,pepper, nutmeg and salt. Another way to serve is to combine with a few carrots in the mash or add sour cream, in fact the choices are endless. You can add with other winter root vegetables and roast or just oven roast by itself. Slice into very thin julienne to serve on a salad. Cut into small cubes it can be added to stews or pureed to thicken soups .

So the next time your in the grocery store, pick a couple up and give it a try. Add it to your repertoire.

Here are a few items to help with this recipe:
Wusthof Classic 12-Inch Cook’s Knife
KitchenAid KP26M1XNP5 Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer, Nickel Pearl

While I do find the aroma interesting, they will certainly never replace a nice slice of roast beef or turkey and I’m not that crazy about vegetables by themselves so 3 paws for the effort.