Month: December 2020

LC Pecan Chocolate Treats

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Splenda
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups pecan pieces

Mix Splenda, cocoa, butter, cream and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 1/2 minutes (do not overcook). Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. When peanut butter is evenly spread throughout mixture, add pecan pieces. Stir to coat evenly.

Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator. (Once chilled and “set,” you can lift these from the waxed paper and place the entire batch in Tupperware and keep in fridge.)

Makes 15-20 treats. 3-4 carbs per treat.

LC Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup Splenda
1 oz. unsweetened baker’s chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons peanut butter

Melt cream cheese and peanut butter in microwave for approx 2 minutes, stopping and stirring at 1 minute intervals. Melt chocolate in separate bowl until creamy. Combine chocolate with cream cheese mixture and whisk in Splenda and cream. Pour into buttered glass pan and chill at least 4 hours.

Cut in squares and enjoy. (This recipe yields a more “gooey” fudge than traditional fudge, but if you want more uniform squares, place pan in freezer for 30 minutes before cutting.)

Cut into 16 pieces — 3.8 grams net carbohydrate per piece.

LC Snickerdoodles

Makes about 26

1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup granulated Splenda
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons granulated Splenda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add half the ground almonds, 1 cup Splenda, egg, vanilla, baking soda and cream of tartar. Beat until well combined. Beat in remaining ground almonds. Cover and chill in bowl for 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons Splenda and the cinnamon; mix well. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Gently roll each ball in the cinnamon-Splenda mixture to coat and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned at the edges. Carefully remove from pan to cooling rack to cool completely.

Note: 1.5 net carbs per cookie

LC Forgotten Cookies

2 egg whites, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar substitute (Splenda or Diabetisweet)
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped chocolate chips (sugar-free)


Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar substitute and continue beating until they hold stiff peaks. Add salt and vanilla. Stir well. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Cover cookie sheet with foil and grease with butter or margarine. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the foil. Put in oven then turn the oven off. Leave overnight in oven with door closed.

LC Almond Sugar Cookies

1-1/4 cup almond flour
1 cup Splenda
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
additional Splenda, for decorating


Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Stir together flour and Splenda. Blend in butter, egg and vanilla until well mixed. Form into 1-inch balls on a cookie sheet and flatten each with a fork. Sprinkle with additional Splenda. Bake for 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet then remove to wire racks to cool.

LC Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups almond flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 cups Splenda granulated sweetener
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. pure almond extract
2 cups sugar-free chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Sift almond flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Set aside. (*sifting can be difficult due to almond meal)
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, eggs, Splenda granulated sweetener, vanilla extract and almond extract. Beat on high with an electric mixer until well-combined. Can also be done by hand too.
  4. Continue to beat the mixture while gradually adding dry ingredients.
  5. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped almonds. Mix well to evenly distribute.
  6. Place cookie dough approximately one inch apart on greased cookie sheets.
  7. Bake for seven to ten minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
  8. Remove from oven and cool completely before storage.
  9. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. May be frozen.

518 Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

  • Artichoke hearts- 14oz can (drain well)
  • 1 clove of fresh Garlic
  • Fresh Dill – pinch
  • Basil Pesto – 2-3 tsp
  • Mayo – 1/2 cup
  • Black Pepper – pinch
  • Romano Cheese – to taste, abt 1/4 cup

Drain well and pat with paper towel artichokes until almost dry. Place artichokes in food processor blender until paste. Add crushed garlic, dill, pesto, mayo and pepper until well blended. Put into container and fold in grated cheese. Best when served after a few hours chilled in refrigerator.

Oatmeal Cookies w/Cherries and Toffee (Vickie’s recipe)

Sift: 1 1/2 C flour and 1 t soda

In a mixer:
Cream 1 C softened butter, then
add- 3/4 C white sugar and 3/4 C light brown sugar (scraping bowl)

Add – flour mixture to mixing bowl; then 1 egg and 1 tsp. Vanilla

mix in:
1 C dried cherries
1 C chocolate chips or chopped
1 C skor toffee bits
1 1/2 C Oatmeal

Divide dough into 3 logs wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator

Slice into cookies, Bake 350 for 8-10 mins.
Makes 2 dozen 3″ cookies

Caramel Walnut Bars

Combine: 

2 C unsifted flour

3/4 C firmly packed light brown sugar

1 beaten egg

Cut in 1/2 C cold butter, until crumbly mix

stir in 3/4 C chopped walnuts

Take 2 C of crumble mix- set aside

Take the remainder of crumble mix- press firmly on bottom of 13×9 pan

Bake at 350 for 15mins

In saucepan, melt 24 Kraft Caramels (find them at Target, 1/2 the bag is used for this recipe)

Add to melted caramels, 1 can (14oz) of sweet condensed milk and 1/4 C butter

Pour Caramel mix over baked crumble and top with reserved crumble mix.

Bake 350 for 20 mins.  Cool and cut into bars.

Pecan-Orange Macaroons

Makes 30 servings

Ingredients:

1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

¼ cup pecans, finely chopped

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon orange extract

2 egg whites, room temperature

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup granular sugar substitute

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Toast pecans on baking sheet for 7-8 minutes, cool and then chop. Set aside. 

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper; set aside. 

3. Combine coconut and pecans in a bowl. Add heavy cream and orange extract; toss to combine. 

4. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on high until thick and frothy. While mixer is running, gradually add cream of tartar and sugar substitute, beating until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in coconut mixture just until evenly combined. 

5. Drop slightly rounded teaspoonfuls, 1-inch apart, onto prepared sheets. Bake until lightly browned on top and golden on bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. 

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

  • Yield 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons melted chicken fat
2 quarts roasted chicken stock (see homemade recipe)
4 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles
2 cooked boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in carrot, onion, celery, salt, and fresh thyme. Stir in chicken fat; cook and stir until the onions turn soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in roasted chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Season to taste with salt, if necessary; stir in egg noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in cooked chicken breast meat and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to taste

Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

1 (3 1/2) pound chicken, giblets removed
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 rib celery, cut in chunks
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
1 tablespoon ketchup (sugar free option)
2 quarts cold water, or more as needed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place chicken, onion, and celery in a Dutch oven. Sprinkle salt over the top of the chicken. Roast chicken, uncovered, in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink inside, the skin is browned, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Cook Chicken- 20 mins for each lb plus 15 mins.)
Transfer chicken to a plate until cool enough to handle. Once cool, pick the meat from the bones; set aside chicken breast meat in a bowl for another purpose. Cover bowl of breast meat with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Discard chicken skin.
Remove chicken fat from Dutch oven, leaving the brown flavor bits in the bottom of the Dutch oven. (See note for reserving drippings if desired.)
Place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Return chicken bones and dark meat from drumsticks and thighs to the pot. Add garlic cloves, ketchup and cold water. Bring to a boil, and use a spoon to scrape up and dissolve the brown flavor bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, adding more water if needed to retain same level.
As broth simmers, occasionally skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface.
Remove and discard bones, meat and vegetables. Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve to serve or use in recipes.

Layered Salad of Bulgur, Fennel, Pine Nuts, Dill and Mint

From The Best American Recipes 2002-2003 (Holly McKinney recipe) Serves 6-8

  • 1 cup medium-fine bulgur or cracked wheat (note on the recipe warns that a larger grain will be overly chewy. I get what’s in the Whole Foods bulk bin, which seems to work fine)
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt
  • 8 scallions (white and green parts thinly sliced)
  • 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • ½ cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ inch dice
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large fennel bulb
  • 1/3 cup roasted pine nuts

Directions:

Place bulgur in large salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and 1 tsp salt; drizzle this dressing over bulgur. Layer the scallions, parsley, dill, mint and cucumbers. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.

Bring the salad to room temperature. Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom. Cut the halves into paper-thin slices crosswise. Add the fennel and pine nuts to the salad and toss. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste and serve. (I did not add any additional lemon juice, salt or pepper.)

Great summer salad; no cook and can sit for hours with no ill effects!

“York Sensational Brownie Recipe”

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, melted
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 Tbs vanilla extract
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 24 small (1.5 inch) York peppermint patties

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. (325F if using glass pan.)  Grease 13x9x2″ baking pan. Mix together butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Add eggs, stir until well blended.

Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside 2 cups of batter.

Spread remaining batter in prepared pan.  Arrange peppermints in single layer over batter, about 1/2″ apart.  Spread reserved 2 cups over patties.

Bake 50-55 mins or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

Cool completely in pan.  Makes about 36 brownies

Nutella stuffed cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.
Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll into a ball — it doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled! Make sure that the nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand VERY gently. (Really only the tops need to be flattened a bit!)
Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
NOTES
If dough is hard once chilled, place out to thaw for 20-30 minutes or until you can work with it.

http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2012/09/nutella-stuffed-brown-butter-sea-salt-chocolate-chip-cookies-my-favorite-cookie-ever/

Pancetta Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz pancetta minced
  • 2 lb brussels sprouts (weight after outer leaves and stems removed)
  • 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or sliced thin
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

In a deep heavy sauté pan, sauté pancetta on medium-low heat until fat melts and pancetta becomes golden, about 8 minutes. Add olive oil and garlic and sauté until golden. Add shredded brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to taste and sauté on medium-low heat for about 4-5 minutes until tender crisp.