Cinnamon-Peach Cottage Cheese Pancakes

from Allrecipes

We always make the same kind of pancakes, this was fun for a change, but not a replacement.

Ingredients

•    4 eggs
•    1 cup cottage cheese
•    1/2 cup milk
•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    2 tablespoons butter, melted
•    1 peach, shredded
•    1 cup all-purpose flour
•    2 tablespoons white sugar
•    1 pinch salt
•    3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Mix eggs, cottage cheese, milk, vanilla, butter, and peach in a large bowl. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir flour mixture into the cottage cheese mixture until just combined.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Chantilly Potatoes

Taken from My Kitchen Cafe

Serves 4 to 6

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Place the potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave the potatoes on high for 8 to 12 minutes, giving the bowl a shake halfway through, and cooking until the potatoes are tender. Mash the potatoes well with a potato masher (or you can use a potato ricer set over a second large bowl). Cover the potatoes again with plastic wrap and microwave the mashed potatoes until they are heated through, 3 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and stir well.

In a large bowl, beat the chilled cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the potatoes with a rubber spatula until the cream is mostly absorbed. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. Carefully spoon the potatoes into the baking dish. They don't have to be evenly flat on top - you want to take care not to deflate this potato layer. They will look slightly uneven. With a rubber spatula, fold all but 1/4 cup cheese into the remaining cream. Spread the cheese/cream mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

At this point you can either cover the potatoes and refrigerate until baking. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are hot and the top is golden brown. If you are making the potatoes to eat immediately, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes until the top is golden, 2 to 3 minutes (don't let them burn!). Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

*These are perfectly delightful--a classy, delectable substitute for Funeral Potatoes.

White Chocolate and Brownie Torte

Serves 10
From Four Ingredient Cookbook

Ingredients
11 oz white chocolate, broken into pieces
1 pint (2 1/3 cups) heavy cream
9 oz rich chocolate brownies
(unsweetened) cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions
1.  Dampen the sides of a 8 inch springform tin and line with a strip of parchment paper.  Put the chocolate in a small pan.  Add 2/3 cup of the cream and heat very gently until the chocolate has melted.  Stir until smooth, then pour into a bowl and leave to cool.

2.  Break the chocolate brownies into chunky pieces and sprinkle these over teh base of the tin.  Pack them down lightly to make a fairly dense base.

3.  Whip the remaining cream until it forms peaks, then fold in the white chocolate mixture.  Spoon into the tin to cover the layer of brownies, then tap the tin gently on the work surface to level the chocolate mixture.  Cover and freeze overnight.

4.  Transfer the torte to the refrigerator about 45 min before serving to soften slightly.  Decorate with a light dusting of cocoa powder just before serving.

*Creamy, soft, and very rich!

Hawaiian Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken pieces
1/2 package dry onion soup mix
2/3 cup pineapple apricot jam
2/3 cup Russian salad dressing

Arrange Chicken in greased baking dish.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Place in freezer bag.  Label and freeze.

To serve:  Thaw.  Heat until hot and bubbly.  Serve with rice.

*Another recipe from the Relief Society freezer meals.  This was so simple to put together, Ellen ate quite a bit.  I would make this again in a crunch, but I wouldn't give it to anyone else.

Heavenly Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie

Taken from This Week for Dinner

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter


Directions
1.  In small bowl blend flour, cocoa and baking soda. Mix until well blended.
2.  In large bowl beat sugar, butter or margarine and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beat. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Set aside.
3.  To make Filling: Combine confectioner’s sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Blend well.
4.  Roll filling into 30 – 1 inch balls. (I used my dough scraper to divide the dough and peanut butter, this made it easier to gage).

5.  For each cookie, with lightly floured hands if needed, shape about 1 Tablespoon of dough around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely.  (A hint:  flatten dough, then shape around peanut butter ball.  Piece as needed.)

6.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with glass.  Dip tops in sugar. 
7.  Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7-9 minutes. When cookies are done, they should be set and slightly cracked.


*Yummy and fun to make.  Do not overcook.  These didn't last long at our house!

Empanadas

Taken from allrecipes

Makes 12

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup fruit preserves

1/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1.  DAY BEFORE: Cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended. Beat in the flour. Shape dough into a smooth ball, wrap in foil or cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to a week.

2.  AT BAKING TIME: Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using. Start heating oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

3.  Roll chilled dough thin. Cut with 3 or 4 inch round cookie cutter. Place small spoonful of jam in center of each round, moisten edges with water.

4.  Fold round over and press edges together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately roll in sugar mixed with cinnamon (traditional) OR in confectioners' sugar if preferred.

*I've always wanted a tortilla press, so that was what I chose as my souvenir on a recent trip south of the border.  We tried it out making empanadas--next time I'll have to double this recipe.  Jeff and Jacob didn't want to share!  I did have a bit of trouble with the dough sticking to the press.  Cooking spray helps, but the best thing I found to do was place a piece of plastic wrap on either side of the dough.  Then the dough was easy to peel off the wrap.  Of course, you can also just roll out the dough as directed above.

We made 2 kinds; six using cherry pie filling and six more using one fresh sliced apple, a dab of butter, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Both were delicious, but the apples were our favorite.  It was a little difficult to get all the fruit pressed inside the dough, but it didn't seem to hurt to have it spill out a little bit (especially with the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper).  The 1/3 cup sugar and 1 t cinnamon to roll the empanadas in would have been enough for double the recipe.

Teriyaki Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
¾ cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
3 T red wine vinegar
2 t oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ t ground ginger
4 T cornstarch

Cut chicken into bite size pieces.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, cook and stir until thick and glossy.  Pour over Chicken in baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Place in freezer bag.  Label and freeze.

To serve:  Thaw.  Heat until hot and bubbly.  Serve with rice.

*Our Relief Society gave a set of "freezer" recipes.  Their hope is for us to make them and have them frozen for when someone needs a meal.  I thought I better try some of them out before I made them to give to other people.  We all liked this one--even better than the slow-cooker Teriyaki Chicken I usually make.  I really liked how the sauce was thicken up by the cornstarch.  This had wonderful flavor, sweet and not too soy sauce like.