Jul
2016

Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

categories: Chicken, Italian, Main Dishes
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Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!
Today I am happy to share and recommend a unique and delicious recipe I found on Pinterest for stuffed chicken breasts. YUM.

How can you go wrong with Italian seasoned, pan-seared (then baked) chicken breasts, stuffed full of fresh baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, AND ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese? I mean, really… how could this NOT taste good? Here’s how to make them.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts

The first thing you will need to do is mix up the Italian “dressing” in a small bowl. This will only take a minute or less.

An Italian seasoned "dressing" is mixed together before applying to chicken.
This is what it will look like once combined… it’s a bit thicker than a normal dressing or sauce.

The seasoning sauce is fairly thick before it is brushed onto chicken.

Prepare The Chicken Breasts For Stuffing

Carefully cut a “pocket” into each of the chicken breasts. Slice deep into each chicken breast (horizontally), but DO NOT cut all the way through the chicken breast! After cutting, they should be able to open almost all the way (like this, shown below).

Boneless chicken breasts are cut almost all the way through, forming a pocket.
Cover the chicken breasts inside and out with the Italian “dressing”. A pastry brush works well for this.

Sauce is brushed onto all sides of the chicken breasts.

Creating The Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuff one half of each chicken breast with thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed). I was lucky to be able to use the sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil that I grew in our garden, dehydrated, then packed in oil last Fall! You can find jars of sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed) in most grocery stores nowadays.

Sun dried tomatoes are placed on one side of the chicken breast.
Place the slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Mozzarella cheese slices are placed on top of sun dried tomatoes.
Top the mozzarella slices with a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves. Whoo Hoo… they’re almost done now!

Baby spinach leaves are added to the stuffed chicken breasts.

Seal Up Then Brown The Chicken

Now close the chicken breasts up, stuffing as much as you can into each piece. Secure the chicken breast, top to bottom, with several toothpicks to hold it all together. I used 3 toothpicks for each one, putting them in at a diagonal.

Heat olive oil in an OVENPROOF skillet until really hot. Carefully add the stuffed chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until each side is seared golden brown in color.

Secured with toothpicks, the stuffed chicken breasts are pan seared in hot oil.

Oven Time!

After browning both sides of the stuffed chicken breasts, place the skillet (and chicken) into a preheated 350 degree oven. Cook the chicken for 15-18 minutes for small and medium breasts.

Larger chicken breasts will need to cook a few minutes longer). This is what they will look like when you remove the skillet from the oven.  Lots of gooey cheese and juices!

After baking the stuffed chicken breasts are browned, and oozing with melted cheese.

Serve The Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Place the chicken onto individual serving plates, and for goodness sake… REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS!!! (Just sayin’ – no one wants to bite into a toothpick now, do they?) Spoon a bit of the sauce and/or melted cheese over the top of each chicken breast, and SERVE!  Doesn’t that look GOOD?

A serving of the stuffed chicken breast, on a plate.

I cut this one in half so you can see what the inside looks like! Pretty sure that you’re gonna like this chicken dish. It is really good!

Once cut, you can see the layers of stuffing in each piece of chicken.

I hope you will consider trying this wonderful chicken recipe… we really enjoyed it!  Have a blessed day, and thank you for stopping by. I hope you will come back again soon.

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find all of my chicken recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of them you will enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://www.recipetineats.com/sun-dried-tomato-spinach-cheese-stuffed-chicken-breast/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
33 mins
 

Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!

Category: Dinner, Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: stuffed chicken breasts
Servings: 2 servings
Calories Per Serving: 439 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For The Italian "Dressing":
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar (may substitute lemon juice, if desired)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For Chicken:
  • 2 small or medium boneless , skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed), drained and cut into thin strips
  • 4 slices mozzarella cheese (2 per chicken breast to cover)
  • Handful of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (for pan-searing)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180C).

  2. Mix Italian "dressing" ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

  3. Slice a pocket in each chicken breast. Cut far into each breast (horizontally), but do not slice all the way through. Cover the chicken breasts inside and out with the Italian "dressing". I used a pastry brush.

  4. Stuff one half of each piece of chicken with a layer of sun-dried (and drained) tomatoes. Cover tomatoes with mozzarella cheese slices, then cover cheese with baby spinach leaves. Try to get as much of the filling stuffed inside of the chicken as you can. Use toothpicks to hold each piece together. I used 3 toothpicks for each breast, and inserted them through at an angle.
  5. Heat oil on medium-high in an ovenproof skillet until very hot. Carefully place the chicken breasts into hot skillet. Sear them (without moving them) for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over and repeat with other side, until golden brown on both sides.
  6. Place skillet with chicken into preheated oven. Continue cooking for 15-18 minutes. Larger breasts may take a couple minutes longer (it may also take a bit longer if you are cooking more than 4 breasts at a time).
  7. Remove from oven. Place chicken onto individual serving plates. REMOVE TOOTHPICKS. Spoon up some of the juices, and melted mozzarella cheese; place on top of chicken. Serve & enjoy!
Recipe Notes

If you are using really large chicken breasts, you can cut them in half once done, and you will end up with 4 decent sized portions (budget stretcher 101)

Nutrition Facts
Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 439 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 117mg39%
Sodium 660mg29%
Potassium 1487mg42%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 41g82%
Vitamin A 2210IU44%
Vitamin C 16.3mg20%
Calcium 345mg35%
Iron 3.9mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!

 

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Jul
2016

Giant Sugar Cookies

categories: Cookies, Desserts
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Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!
Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!

Some days are like that, right? You just need a cookie as big as your head to make it all right again. Something like a Giant Sugar Cookie, perhaps?  I made these jumbo cookies recently as my husband and I were still reeling from the loss of our furry family member, Bailey (our beloved dog), who we lost to cancer two weeks ago. Getting in the kitchen and baking is therapy for me, to be honest! My heart was sad, and I really just wanted to bake something yummy! So I did.

This recipe for giant sugar cookies only makes 6 cookies, but they each come out about 6 inches wide, so trust me when I say, you will only need one.  My husband and I each ate one, then I gave the others away to our 2 sons, one of their girlfriends and one of our friends.

I like to bake, but I LOVE to give goodies to my friends and family even more (I hope you LOVE the giant size… every now and then someone you know might just need a GIANT cookie to help make it all better)!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Giant Sugar Cookies Are Easy To Make:

While your oven is preheating, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Once smooth, add egg and mix well, then add other dry ingredients until a soft dough is formed.

Making batter for giant sugar cookies is EASY.

Measure out 1/3 cup of the dough for each cookie (6 total), then roll each one in between your clean hands to form a ball.

Each giant sugar cookie uses 1/3 cup of dough, rolled into ball.

Place the dough balls on two separate cookie sheets (on parchment paper), leaving plenty of space between each one (remember these will end up about 6 inches in diameter, so trust me… leave lots of room in between the cookie dough balls).

Giant Sugar Cookie dough is placed onto parchment paper before baking.

Lightly press down each cookie to flatten them out a bit. Lightly sprinkle tops of cookies with coarse sugar.

Giant sugar cookies are pressed down, then sprinkled with sugar before baking.

Time To Bake!

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for about 14-15 minutes. They should be just lightly brown around the edges when done. The cookies will firm up more as they cool.

Sugar cookies are baked into giant sized treats.

See? Each cookie is about 6 inches in diameter. THAT is one GIANT sugar cookie!

Each giant sugar cookie measures about 6 inches across!

Sure hope you enjoy these jumbo-sized cookies! They are fun to give to others when they least expect a surprise gift from your kitchen! Enjoy these big ol’ bites of deliciousness!

Looking For More COOKIE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of yummy cookie recipes you might enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source:  http://www.centercutcook.com/jumbo-sugar-cookies/

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Giant Sugar Cookies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: giant sugar cookies, sugar cookies
Servings: 6 huge cookies
Calories Per Serving: 399 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Coarse sugar , for sprinkling on top of cookies (optional, but recommended)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Before beginning, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth; add egg and mix well.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch to the batter. Mix dough until it is thoroughly combined.
  4. Measure out 1/3 cup dough for each of the 6 cookies. Roll dough between your clean hands to form a ball. Place on cookie sheet (3 per sheet). Repeat with remaining dough. Remember to leave enough space between each dough ball as they will be approximately 6 inches in diameter when done. Lightly press down on each dough ball with your hands, to slightly flatten. Sprinkle tops of cookies with coarse sugar.
  5. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven. Let cookies cool on the parchment paper. They will firm up slightly as they cool. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Giant Sugar Cookies
Amount Per Serving (1 huge cookie)
Calories 399 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 67mg22%
Sodium 614mg27%
Potassium 43mg1%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Sugar 33g37%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 510IU10%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Giant Sugar Cookies are fun to eat when you just NEED a cookie as big as your head! Six inches in diameter, these are delicious, classic, BIG yummy treats!

 

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Jul
2016

Grilled “Elvis Special” Sandwich

categories: Lunch - Quick and Easy, Sandwiches
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A Grilled “Elvis Special” Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin’ love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!A Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!
Fact:  Elvis Presley loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I decided to morph that combo and make a Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich – a grilled banana, peanut butter AND chocolate sandwich.

If Elvis were still around he would probably say “Thank You…Thank You Very Much“.  Then he’d take a big bite, and swivel his hips (to work off the calories, no doubt).

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Experimenting With This Sandwich!

I wasn’t sure just HOW this sandwich would taste, but I was in an experimenting mood one day. Creamy peanut butter and “smashed” banana is something my grandma used to eat all the time. Trust me, she ate this all the time (especially when she took out her false teeth, ha ha).

I was thinking about that when it hit me (an idea, NOT the sandwich). My thought was “what if I GRILLED the sandwich AND added a few chocolate chips to really take it to the next level”?  I mean… chocolate goes good with bananas and chocolate goes good with peanut butter, so how could this NOT work?

Well, thankfully… it DID WORK. It actually was VERY GOOD! Who knew?  In the words of Elvis… “I’m All Shook Up”!  So that’s how this goofy good, Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich came to be. Truth. Amen. And now… you can make this sandwich, too!

How To Make A Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich

Start with a large ripe banana (this recipe makes TWO sandwiches). Cut the banana into chunks and put it into a bowl with the peanut butter. Use a fork to smash the banana and mix the two ingredients together.  The banana should be smashed until it is almost creamy, with little pieces.

Ripe banana and peanut butter are mashed together for this "Elvis Special" Sandwich.

Butter the slices of bread just like you’re going to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Butter one side of each piece of bread.

Bread is buttered on one side before grilling the "Elvis Special" sandwich.

Spread half of the peanut butter/banana mixture onto the UNBUTTERED side of a piece of bread.  Sprinkle with a small amount of chocolate chips (15-20).

Peanut butter banana mixture with chocolate chips on this "Elvis Special" sandwich before grilling.

Time For The Grill

Place the sandwich buttered side down into a hot skillet on medium low heat. Cover the sandwich with the other piece of bread (buttered side facing UP).

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is cooked in a small skillet.

Grill until the bottom side of the sandwich is golden brown. Carefully turn the sandwich over with a spatula. Cook the other side until it is golden brown, also.

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is cooked until golden brown on both sides.

Time to Eat The Grilled “Elvis Special” Sandwich!

Remove the grilled sandwich from skillet. Cut it in half diagonally… and serve! Grab a cup of milk to drink, and a paper napkin! This Elvis Special Sandwich might get messy – but it’s a GOOD messy! Enjoy!

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is sliced in half, and topped with sliced bananas to serve.

Looking For More SANDWICH Recipes?

I sincerely hope you enjoy this Grilled Elvis Special Sandwich! If you are interested in other sandwich recipes, I hope you will check out Grilled Patty Melts, BBQ Shredded Pork, and Mediterranean Chicken Sandwiches. You might also enjoy my Grilled Thai PB & J Sandwich, or a Fried Chicken Spicy Mayo & Slaw Sandwich.

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. Hope you have a wonderful day. I sincerely hope you find moments of peace and encouragement in your day. May you also seek to be a peacemaker, and encourager of others, as well.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

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Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
A Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!
Category: Sandwich
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Elvis special sandwich
Servings: 2 sandwiches
Calories Per Serving: 511 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 large banana (or two small)
  • 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter (generous Tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup Chocolate chips ( approx 15-20 per sandwich)
  • 4 slices good quality bread
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter , softened (to spread on one side of each piece of bread)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mash banana and peanut butter together, using a fork, until mixture is creamy with small pieces of banana.

  2. Spread one side of each of piece of bread with soft (room temp) butter. Place two pieces of bread, butter side down in a skillet (on medium heat).

  3. Spread the peanut butter/banana mixture onto bread in skillet. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of peanut butter/banana mixture. Place remaining piece of bread on top of each sandwich, butter side UP.
  4. Grill sandwich on medium heat until bottom of sandwich is golden brown. Carefully turn each sandwich over using a spatula, and continue cooking until other side is golden brown.

  5. Remove sandwich to serving plate. Cut diagonally, and serve! Can garnish sandwich with sliced bananas, if desired.

Nutrition Facts
Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich
Amount Per Serving (1 sandwich)
Calories 511 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 33mg11%
Sodium 479mg21%
Potassium 416mg12%
Carbohydrates 59g20%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 440IU9%
Vitamin C 5.1mg6%
Calcium 110mg11%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!A Grilled "Elvis Special" Sandwich is a hunk, a hunk of burnin' love! Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate cooked on buttered bread would even make Elvis proud!

 

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Jul
2016

JB’s Best Brownies

categories: Bar Cookies, Desserts
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JB’s Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic – with or without frosting!JB's Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic - with or without frosting!

About 25 years ago, I started making this recipe for brownies. I truthfully have no recollection of how or where I stumbled upon this recipe. But two things I DO know… my nickname is JB… and these are my very best brownies!  There you have it… JB’s Best Brownies!

Truly these are amazingly good brownies! I’ve published the recipe before in a couple of school cookbooks and have received several notes from people telling me that JB’s Best Brownies are their favorite brownies! They are so very easy to make. **NOTE: I WAS MAKING A DOUBLE BATCH WHEN I TOOK THESE PHOTOS). Recipe as written below, is for single batch.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make JB’s Best Brownies

Blend the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (no need for a mixer, just use a wooden spoon). Add eggs. Mix well by hand until all ingredients are fully combined.

Eggs, sugar, vanilla in bowl to begin making batter for brownies.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the batter.

Flour, cocoa, and other dry ingredients are added to the batter.

Add the chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), if using. Stir the batter well, to combine.

Chopped pecans (or walnuts) are added, and stirred into the batter.

 

A Helpful Tip For Making JB’s Best Brownies

Spread the batter for JB’s best brownies into a greased 9″ square pan (or if doubling recipe – use a 9×13 pan). It’s very helpful to line the baking pan with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper is extended over the edges of pan, and sprayed with non-stick spray. You can see this in the photo below.

Once brownies have cooled, you can lift out the entire tray of JB’s best brownies by using the parchment paper and lifting them out. They will be much easier to frost, cut and serve this way, but is not necessary. If you are NOT using parchment paper, you only need to spray your baking pan with non-stick spray, fill with batter, and bake.

The batter for JB's best brownies is added to a parchment paper lined baking pan.Time To Bake!

Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Start checking them around the 20 minute mark (times will vary depending on size of pan you are using). A toothpick inserted into middle of pan should come out clean when done. Once brownies are done, remove the pan from oven, to a wire rack, to cool.

Brownies are removed from oven after baking, to cool.

Make The Frosting

While JB’s best brownies are baking, you can make the creamy chocolate frosting. Cream together softened butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla. You can mix this easily with a spoon, because no mixer is needed.

Frosting ingredients for JB's best brownies in a small blue bowl.

A thick chocolate frosting for the brownies is mixed together easily.
Add the powdered sugar to the frosting mixture. Mix the frosting very well, to combine. Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk (and a little more, if needed), to make a thick, spreadable frosting for the brownies.

Powdered sugar is added to frosting for JB's best brownies, until smooth and creamy.

Frost The Brownies

Once JB’s best brownies have completely cooled, they are ready to frost. If you used parchment paper in the baking pan, gently and carefully lift the entire pan of brownies out of the pan by holding the edges of parchment paper and lifting.

Evenly spread the frosting over the cooled brownies, then let them rest for 10-15 minutes (if you can wait!). Cut JB’s best brownies into desired serving sizes, and serve!

JB's best brownies are frosted, sliced, and ready to eat!

Make Them Frosted Or Unfrosted!

I love frosted brownies, but my husband doesn’t like frosting on his. Soooo… I make a double batch, then only frost HALF the brownies, so we are BOTH happy! Here’s an “up close and personal” view of an un-frosted brownie. This is my husband’s preferred way of eating them.

JB's Best Brownies can also be made and eaten, WITHOUT frosting.

Shown below is an “up close and personal” view of one of the brownies with frosting.  YAY! I’m being serious about the frosted kind, because they are my absolute favorite! These delicious bar cookies are chewy, very chocolatey, and have bits of nuts in them.. Oh my goodness. They are so good!

Enjoy JB’s best brownies with a good cold glass of milk. Yum.  Good thing I don’t make them too often, because I could eat the whole pan! No… really!

JB's Best Brownies, with frosting, on a clear platter.

I am thankful you chose to visit my website today.  Hope you enjoy JB’s Best Brownies, and have a great day! If you enjoy brownies, you might also want to try Irish Cream Layered Brownies-they’re yummy, too! Thanks for stopping by, and please come back again soon.

Looking For Additional Bar Cookie Recipes?

You can find ALL of my bar cookie recipes in the Recipe Index at the top of the page. A few of my favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

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JB's Best Brownies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
JB's Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic - with or without frosting!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: JB's best brownies
Servings: 12 small brownies
Calories Per Serving: 273 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For brownies:
  • 1/2 cup butter , melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
For Frosting:
  • 3 Tablespoons room temperature butter (do not melt)
  • 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 Tablespoons light corn syrup (or honey)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
To prepare brownies:
  1. Blend butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (no need for a mixer, just use a wooden spoon). Add eggs. Mix well by hand until all ingredients are fully combined.
  2. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the batter. Add chopped nuts, if using. Stir well, to combine.
  3. It's EASY to lift pan of brownies out of pan to frost and cut if you line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving edges of paper hanging over the side of pan. Spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray. If not using parchment paper, just spray baking pan. Spread batter into prepared 9" square pan (or if doubling recipe - use a 9x13 pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into middle of pan should come out clean when done.
Make frosting while brownies are cooking:
  1. Cream together softened butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla (Just use a spoon-no mixer needed).
  2. Add powdered sugar. Mix well to combine. Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk (and a little more, if needed), to make a thick, spreadable frosting.
To frost brownies:
  1. When finished baking, remove cooked brownies from oven to a wire rack. Once brownies have cooled completely, you can lift out the entire tray of brownies by holding the parchment paper and carefully lifting them out. They will be much easier to frost, cut and serve this way, but is not necessary.
  2. Once brownies have COMPLETELY cooled, you can frost them, let them sit for a bit, then slice and serve!
Recipe Notes

9x9 pan yields 12 small brownies or 9 medium sized brownies.
If recipe is doubled, a 13x9 pan yields 24 small or 12 large brownies (large ones are in my photos). I double the recipe a lot (we love brownies!). If you double recipe, it will fill a 9x13 pan with no trouble. Continue to check for "done-ness" beginning around the 20 minute mark.

Nutrition Facts
JB's Best Brownies
Amount Per Serving (1 brownie w/ frosting)
Calories 273 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 55mg18%
Sodium 154mg7%
Potassium 101mg3%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 365IU7%
Calcium 22mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!JB's Best Brownies are amazing! These classic bar cookies are easy to make, chewy, moist, and fudgey, and taste fantastic - with or without frosting!

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Jul
2016

Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Dressing

categories: Salads
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Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.

Our family really enjoyed this Southwestern flavored Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing at our Father’s Day BBQ this past weekend.  I served it as a side dish with grilled hamburgers, fresh fruit, and potato salad.

Recently I made a Southwest Steak Salad with Avocado & Cilantro Dressing, and still had some of the dressing left in our refrigerator. I decided to make a quick, healthy salad with some canned black beans and corn (and a few other ingredients).

The leftover avocado and cilantro dressing helps to bind it all together with great flavor! Boy, was it ever GOOD!  Surprisingly GOOD! Here’s how to make this delicious black bean corn tomato salad:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Avocado Cilantro Salad Dressing

The dressing is very quick and easy to prepare. Mix or process the ingredients together until creamy in a blender or food processor, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ingredients used to make avocado dressing for this salad.

The yummy avocado dressing looks like this once it is fully blended. NOTE: This is more than you will need for this recipe! If you double the salad ingredients (if making this for a LARGE group), it will be perfect!  If not, just use it on another great salad… or as a delicious topping for tacos or nachos!

Avocado cilantro salad dressing is ready to use.

Make The Black Bean Corn Tomato Salad

Place black beans, corn, tomato, red onion, and cilantro in a serving bowl. Add the avocado dressing, and stir well, to fully combine salad and the dressing.

Cover and refrigerate the salad until ready to serve… and that’s it! This black bean corn tomato salad is so easy to make! It only takes about 10 minutes to make, and it is incredibly flavorful and delicious!  This would be a great salad to take to a family gathering or potluck!

The black bean corn tomato salad is served in a colorful bowl, with a lime wedge on top.

Hope you will give this black bean corn tomato salad a try. You will be thrilled with its great taste, and how easy it is to make in hardly no time at all!  Have a great day.

Looking For More SALAD Recipes?

You can find all of my salad recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. These include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureSalad Dressing Source: http://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/southwestern-steak-salad-with-cilantro-avocado-dressing/

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Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Dressing
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.

Category: Salad
Cuisine: Southwestern
Keyword: black bean corn tomato salad
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 214 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Salad:
  • 1 can black beans , rinsed and drained
  • 1 can whole kernel corn , rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1 medium tomato , seeded and chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
For Avocado Cilantro Dressing:
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • Salt and Pepper , to taste
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place black beans, corn, chopped red onion, tomato and 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro into serving bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
  2. Prepare salad dressing by placing all dressing ingredients (except salt and pepper) into a blender. Blend very well, until dressing is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (If it is too thick, you can thin it a bit by adding a tiny bit more olive oil and red wine vinegar).
  3. Gently mix about 3 Tablespoons of the dressing into the beans/corn mixture. Stir until combined. (Add additional dressing if desired. You will not use all the dressing, but it keeps well in refrigerator and can be used on other salads).

  4. Cover salad and refrigerate until ready to serve! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If you want to double the salad recipe to serve more people, go for it! There is no need to double the avocado & cilantro dressing ingredients. There will be plenty (as written).

Nutrition Facts
Black Bean, Corn & Tomato Salad with Avocado Dressing
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 214 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 279mg12%
Potassium 609mg17%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 610IU12%
Vitamin C 15.8mg19%
Calcium 35mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Healthy black bean corn tomato salad, topped with a creamy avocado cilantro dressing is a perfect Southwestern-style side dish for any get together.

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Jul
2016

Happy 4th of July!

categories: Holidays!
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I really like this quote from celebrated author Erma Bombeck, which is really quite fitting for our July 4th celebration today…Happy 4th of July

May you enjoy this special day celebrating our FREEDOM!  I am truly GRATEFUL for the freedoms that are mine as a citizen of this great country, and for those who have made it possible throughout our history because of their hard fought determination and sacrifice.

May God continue to bless America.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

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Jul
2016

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (copycat)

categories: Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Treats
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A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream – with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream - with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!
Happy Fourth of July week! One of the ways we celebrate this holiday each year is by making homemade ice cream. One of our favorites is this copycat recipe for Chunky Monkey Ice Cream.

I am fortunate to have an indoor Cuisinart ice cream maker I was given for a birthday several years ago, and have loved trying LOTS of different recipes with my family. The first time I made this recipe (I was experimenting with flavors), we all crowded around the ol’ ice cream maker taking spoonfuls out when it was done.  Our reactions were priceless.

We were ALL amazed how delicious this chunky monkey ice cream was. This ice cream is ridiculously GOOD, and I’ve continued making it to this very day!

Scroll Down for A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Pge

How Do You Make Chunky Monkey Ice Cream?

The ice cream is frozen, then during the last few minutes the banana puree, toasted pecans and chocolate chunks are added to mixture.

Pecans and chocolate chips will be added to the ice cream during the last 5 minutes of freezing.

Here is what it looked like, right when the chunky monkey ice cream was done. All I needed was for someone to hand me a BIG spoon at this point, and I was in my happy place!

The ice cream is semi-soft when it is first done freezing.

Ice Cream Is Best When “Ripened” In The Freezer

I placed the rest of the ice cream into a covered container (you know… what we didn’t devour), and put it into our kitchen freezer for a couple hours.

This extra time in the freezer is recommended, because it helps to  “ripen” or firm up the chunky monkey ice cream even further. That will result is some good scoops later.

A carton of this ice cream has frozen firm, and is now ready to scoop!

Time For A Scoop Of Chunky Monkey Ice Cream!

So there you have it… a perfectly scoopable and an incredibly delicious “copycat” version of chunky monkey ice cream! Now… where’s my spoon and a bib? (I’m drooling!)

Two scoops of chunky monkey ice cream in a glass dish.

Have a wonderful 4th of July celebration, friends. Hope you enjoy this yummy chunky monkey ice cream! I am truly grateful and blessed to be a proud citizen of this great country.

Looking For More Homemade ICE CREAM Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few of my ice cream recipes include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From:  Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker Instruction And Recipe Booklet, published 2002 by Cuisinart.

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Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (copycat)
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream - with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!
Category: Ice Cream
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chunky monkey ice cream
Servings: 10 ½ cup servings
Calories Per Serving: 372 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup milk (NOT skim!)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional, but it does add a bit of color!)
  • 2 really ripe bananas
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (may substitute dark chocolate, if preferred), refrigerated
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans (or walnuts), chopped
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the whipping cream, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and yellow food coloring. Whisk this mixture for about a minute, until fully blended, and sugar has dissolved.
  2. Place this mixture into your cold ice cream maker canister; freeze ice cream according to manufacturer's directions.
  3. Refrigerate the chocolate chips while ice cream is freezing (this will help them from softening).
  4. Mash the bananas with lemon juice in a small bowl, until smooth. (I use a fork to mash).
  5. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is finished freezing, add the banana mixture, toasted pecans and chocolate chips to the ice cream. Continue freezing until done.
  6. Ice cream can be eaten right away (soft style), OR place it in a covered container in your freezer for a couple hours to let it "ripen" and firm up more. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Chunky Monkey Ice Cream (copycat)
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/2 cup serving))
Calories 372 Calories from Fat 243
% Daily Value*
Fat 27g42%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 30mg1%
Potassium 249mg7%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 24g27%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 760IU15%
Vitamin C 2.6mg3%
Calcium 72mg7%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!A copycat recipe for yummy chunky monkey ice cream - with bananas, chocolate chunks and toasted pecans helping to make this frozen treat amazing!

 

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Jun
2016

Potato Salad

categories: Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
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You’re gonna love this simple, old-fashioned potato salad! It is easy to make, and will be a big hit at your next family BBQ or picnic! You're gonna love this simple, old-fashioned potato salad! It's easy to make, and will be a big hit at your next family BBQ or picnic!

I’ve been making this classic recipe for yummy, old-fashioned Potato Salad for over 30 years now! We have it for BBQ’s, potlucks and picnics, and my family and friends always end up wanting more (including “to go” containers for our grown sons)!

When I was growing up, I didn’t like potato salad. My Mom (who is a fantastic cook) made hers with LOTS of sweet pickle relish, red onions and mustard, and I just didn’t enjoy it (sorry, Mom)!

How I Got This Recipe

Well, many years ago, a friend of mine named Judy made potato salad for a baby shower I was the guest of honor at, and I LOVED it!

I asked her what her “secret” was. She told me she used Claussen Dill Pickles, because they are refrigerated and have the “best” crunch factor! Who knew?

Well, trust me… I don’t owe my allegiance to any particular pickle company, BUT… I gotta tell ya, she was on to something.  I went home and began experimenting with my own version of potato salad (including those DILL pickles).

Eventually I came up with a winner recipe, and have been making potato salad this way ever since! After making this salad hundreds of times over the past 30 years, I finally decided to post it on my blog. Here’s how to make it.

How To Make Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Boil the Russet potatoes (with the skin on), until they are fork-tender. You will need to do this in a LARGE saucepan.

Hint: See my note section in the printable recipe for a time-saver to cook hard-boiled eggs for the recipe in the same pan with the potatoes.

Drain the cooked potatoes, slightly cool, then peel and cube. Place potato cubes in a large enough bowl to mix up the potato salad.

Potatoes cut into cube shapes for potato salad.

Slice the green onions, chop Claussen pickles, and chop up 2 of the 3 hard-boiled eggs. Add these ingredients to the potato chunks in the bowl.

Potatoes, pickles, boiled egg, green onions in bowl for potato salad.

In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, a small bit of prepared yellow mustard, several Tablespoons of the pickle juice (straight from the jar!), and a bit of salt and pepper.

This will be the dressing for the potato salad. Pretty easy to make, right?

Potato salad dressing is mixed together in metal bowl.
Mix The Potato Salad

Pour “dressing” mixture over potatoes. Stir gently to fully combine all ingredients. If necessary, add additional mayonnaise.

The amount of mayonnaise needed will vary, depending on the quantity and size of the potatoes used for this potato salad. You can always add more after stirring, if necessary.

You don’t want the potato salad dry.  You definitely do not want it swimming in mayo, either!

Salad dressing poured over potato salad, then mixed together.

Once the potato salad is completely combined, taste it to see if you need a bit more salt and/or pepper, and season to taste.

When you have it seasoned just the way you like it, transfer the potato salad into a large serving bowl.

Potato salad in white serving bowl.

Garnish The Potato Salad 

I use this contraption to thinly slice a hard-boiled egg for garnishing the salad (optional). This device sure makes it easy to cut a hard boiled egg into beautiful, even slices!

Hard boiled egg in slicer for potato salad garnish.
It thinly slices the egg for me, without making a mess!  If you do not have something like this, carefully cut thin slices with a very sharp knife!

Hand holding a sliced hard boiled egg for topping the potato salad.

Garnish, Refrigerate, Then Serve!

Place the egg slices on top of potato salad. Garnish with a few more green onion slices (the green part) OR chopped parsley. Sprinkle the top with paprika, and that’s it!

Cover the potato salad with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours before serving, for best flavor (and chill factor!).

Potato Salad in white bowl, with sliced egg garnish.

That’s how I make this classic homemade potato salad. It really is quite inexpensive to prepare, and is always enjoyed at family get togethers.

For me, it’s always a hoot to see just how much of this potato salad our two grown sons can pile on their plates! Ha Ha. I say “Have a little hamburger with that potato salad!”

Hope you will find time this summer to give this great potato salad recipe a try! We absolutely LOVE it!

Looking for Other Salad Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a great variety of salad recipes to choose from, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Author's signature

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

5 from 1 vote
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Potato Salad
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
You're gonna love this simple, old-fashioned potato salad! It is easy to make, and will be a big hit at your next family BBQ or picnic!
Category: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: potato salad
Servings: 10 servings
Calories Per Serving: 120 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Potato Salad:
  • 5 large "baker" sized russet potatoes (or 8-9 small potatoes)
  • 2 green onions , sliced (green and white parts)
  • 4 Claussen dill pickle spears (or 1 LARGE Claussen whole dill), chopped
  • 3 hard boiled eggs (chop 2 of them, reserve 1 for garnish, if desired)
For Potato Salad "Dressing":
  • 5 HEAPING Tablespoons mayonnaise (really big heapings-start with this-add more if necessary)
  • 1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
  • 3 Tablespoons pickle juice (straight from the jar!)
  • Salt and black pepper , to taste
For Garnish:
  • Use 1 reserved hard-boiled egg , thinly sliced
  • Additional sliced green onions (green part) OR chopped fresh parsley
  • Paprika (to lightly sprinkle on top of salad)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Boil potatoes (with skin on) until fork tender (time will vary depending on size of potatoes). It will typically take between 35 and 50 minutes. If done, you should be able to insert a knife blade into the potato with no problem. When done, drain, and peel potatoes. Once cool, cut potatoes into chunks and place into large bowl.
  2. Slice green onions and chop dill pickle spears. Add to potatoes. Chop 2 of the 3 hard boiled eggs, and add to potatoes.
  3. Mix up "dressing" for salad in a separate bowl, by mixing mayonnaise, mustard, pickle juice, and salt and pepper (start with 1/2 teaspoon salt/pepper).
  4. Pour the "dressing" over the potato mixture. Stir gently to fully combine ingredients. If more "moisture" is needed, add more mayonnaise and continue stirring until fully coated. (amount of "dressing" and additional mayo will vary, due to amount and size of potatoes used).
  5. Taste test. Add more salt/pepper, if needed. (I usually end up adding a bit more salt).
  6. Place potato salad into serving bowl. Garnish top with thin slices of hard-boiled egg, then add additional sliced green onion (the green part) OR chopped fresh parsley. Lightly sprinkle with paprika.
  7. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours (for BEST flavor and "chill" factor); Serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

To save time, I boil the eggs in the same saucepan while I cook the potatoes! Usually takes them about 23 minutes when added to boiling water with all the potatoes. I take eggs out when done, and finish cooking potatoes! (one less pan!)

Nutrition Facts
Potato Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Cholesterol 74mg25%
Sodium 339mg15%
Potassium 475mg14%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 1g4%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 130IU3%
Vitamin C 6.5mg8%
Calcium 26mg3%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You're gonna love this simple, old-fashioned potato salad! It is easy to make, and will be a big hit at your next family BBQ or picnic!

 

 

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Jun
2016

Peach Shortbread Tart

categories: Desserts, Pies/Tarts
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Peach Shortbread Tart with fresh peach filling on a shortbread crust, and crumb topping, is a simple, delicious dessert that will be a favorite!Peach Shortbread Tart with fresh peach filling on a shortbread crust, and a crumb topping, is a simple delicious dessert tart that will be an absolute favorite!A couple years ago I decided to make my own birthday “cake” (really…who does that?).  But I really didn’t want a cake, so I made this delicious Peach Shortbread Tart for myself and my family.  And let me tell you I enjoyed every single bite of it! Happy Birthday to ME!

I had recently been out to a local orchard and had picked about 40 pounds of fresh, juicy peaches (my birthday is in July, the time for the ripest Northwest peaches!). The decision was made to use some of the peaches and “tweak” one of my favorite tart recipes that I received from a friend of mine years ago.

The original recipe is for an Apple Shortbread Tart, and I’ve also used the same basic recipe to make a Boysenberry Shortbread Tart. This time I made it a PEACH Shortbread Tart, and it tastes wonderful! Here’s how to make a peach shortbread tart:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Making the Peach Shortbread Tart Crust

The basic recipe is simple. First, you make a shortbread crust, and then you make the filling. Top the filling with some of the reserved shortbread crust crumbs. Bake it, then eat it. You will totally LOVE it! End of story! The shortbread crust is extremely simple to make. It’s ready in a jiff.

Ingredients are processed for the tart crust.

Here’s the crust before putting all the goodies in it! The crust is firmly packed down into the tart pan before baking.

Shortbread crust is packed into a tart pan.

See these gorgeous peaches? Yep. I picked about 40 pounds of ’em at a local You-Pick farm. Fresh peaches are what I use to make this tart, because they are lip smacking good.

Fresh peaches to be picked and used for shortbread tart.

Can’t Wait To Eat The Peach Shortbread Tart

Here’s my finished birthday dessert, a peach shortbread tart, which will be served with vanilla ice cream. You can also see one of our family fixtures. We call him the “Boring Birthday Guy”. He makes an appearance at all of our family birthday celebrations. He’s really quite the party animal.

Peach Shortbread Tart ready to eat for my birthday dessert!

And this is me- the birthday girl, totally ready to dig into a scrumptious birthday dessert I made for myself. Go figure! I polished off that piece or peach shortbread tart and the mandatory scoop of ice cream in no time flat! HA HA! Some birthdays are like that!

Birthday girl with peach shortbread tart for dessert!
Anyways… if you like fresh peach pie, then you will LOVE this Peach Shortbread Tart, even if it’s NOT your birthday. It’s absolutely delicious! Here’s another photo of another time I made this dessert for a “Peach-themed” dinner party!  I made a Peach Coulis (sauce) to drizzle on top! YUM.

Peach Shortbread Tart served with peach coulis drizzle and ice cream.

Sure hope you will consider making this delicious peach shortbread tart.  Have a fantastic, “peachy” kind of day!

Looking For More Recipes For PEACH DESSERTS?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few desserts featuring peaches, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted from my friend, Shari Altree’s recipe for Apple Shortbread Tart

5 from 1 vote
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Peach Shortbread Tart
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
Peach Shortbread Tart with fresh peach filling on a shortbread crust, and a crumb topping, is a simple delicious dessert tart that will be an absolute favorite!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: peach shortbread tart
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 387 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For the crust:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 2 egg yolks
For the filling:
  • 1 1/4 pounds fresh peaches (about 6-7 large peaches), peeled, and sliced thin
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Blend all crust ingredients (except for egg yolks) until they are the texture of coarse meal. (You can use a fork, a pastry blender or a food processor). Add the 2 egg yolks and mix well to blend. **Set aside 1/4 of this mixture and save for later**. Using the remaining 3/4 of the crumbs, pat them down over the bottom and up the sides of a tart pan with removable bottom disk (this is what I use) or a pie pan. Make sure crust is firmly pressed down into the pan and the sides to form a solid crust.

  3. Peel and slice the peaches into thin slices. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and mix with lemon juice. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 TBSP flour and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well to coat the peaches.
  4. Once peach slices and dry ingredients are mixed together, gently "pour" or spoon the peaches onto the crust. I use my (clean) fingers to place the slices and fill in the holes; position the slices so they mound in the center and fill in the crust.
  5. Sprinkle the reserved 1/4 of the crust mixture over the top. I find it helpful to hold one hand up around the edge of the pan to try and catch the crumbles before they fall off the tart. Just scoop up any crumbles that fall onto your work surface and put them back on that tart! Cover the entire top of the tart.
  6. Bake the tart at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until the top begins to turn a golden brown (approx. 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven). Just keep an eye on it and remove tart when top is golden brown. Let cool just a bit. If using a tart pan, hold your hand on the bottom of the tart and gently press upward on the metal disk to release the tart from the pan. Place the tart (keeping disk on the bottom of tart) on serving dish, slice and serve.
  7. Serve warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...and ENJOY!
Nutrition Facts
Peach Shortbread Tart
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 387 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 94mg31%
Sodium 229mg10%
Potassium 187mg5%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 25g28%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 830IU17%
Vitamin C 5.4mg7%
Calcium 26mg3%
Iron 1.8mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Peach Shortbread Tart with fresh peach filling on a shortbread crust, and a crumb topping, is a simple delicious dessert tart that will be an absolute favorite!

 

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Jun
2016

Balsamic Brown Sugar & Rosemary Pork Chops

categories: Main Dishes, Pork
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Pork chops are marinated in a balsamic, brown sugar and rosemary sauce, then cooked to perfection on the stove top in this delicious one pan dinner you’ll love!Pork chops are marinated in a balsamic, brown sugar and rosemary sauce, then cooked to perfection on the stove top in this delicious one pan dinner you'll love!

I recently found a recipe for Balsamic Brown Sugar Rosemary Pork Chops on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. The recipe was incredibly easy, and the pork chops had a nice flavor, due to it’s completely “simple to prepare” marinade.

I’m pretty sure you will love this easy pork chop recipe… all cooked in one pan on the stove top!  Meat is marinated, then cooked until done. BOOM. That’s it! Super simple, and we loved it.  Here’s how to make this dish:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Marinade

The marinade is very simple to prepare, and includes balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, fresh rosemary leaves, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a freezer bag or covered container. Drop the pork chops into the container, then pour the marinade over it.

Seal the bag and marinate the chops for at least an hour in the refrigerator (I made mine up in the morning, and let the chops swim in the marinade all day).

Ingredients for marinade plus fresh rosemary sprig

Marinade for pork chops in small metal bowl

Marinade being poured into plastic bag over pork

Cooking The Pork Chops

When ready to cook the pork chops, heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet on medium-high. When skillet and oil are very hot, add the pork chops, then pour the remaining marinade over the chops in skillet.  Cook pork chops on both sides, occasionally spooning the sauce over the top of the chops.

Cook until sauce has slightly thickened, darkened, and caramelized on each piece. Cooking time will vary slightly due to different thicknesses (these were about an inch thick). I cooked mine for about 4-5 minutes per side (until they reached the current recommended internal temperature of 145 degrees).

Four boneless pork chops cooking in a black cast iron skillet

Time To Eat The Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Chops!

Let them sit in the skillet for a couple minutes once done, then transferred them to plates. Spoon a little bit of the thickened sauce over the tops of the meat. We enjoyed the pork chops, served along with a baked potato and home grown green beans. YUM!

The added benefit is that you only have ONE pan to clean up after you are done cooking! I really like that part!

Cooked pork with rosemary sprig in skillet

Hope you will consider trying this recipe. It’s so simple, and the meat really does have a nice flavor… slightly sweet, with lots of flavor!

Looking For More PORK CHOP Recipes?

You can find all of my pork recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few pork chop recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

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Recipe Source:  www.tablerpartyoftwo.com/balsamic-brown-sugar-rosemary-pork-chops/

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Balsamic Brown Sugar & Rosemary Pork Chops
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Pork chops are marinated in a balsamic, brown sugar and rosemary sauce, then cooked to perfection on the stove top in this delicious one pan dinner you'll love!
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pork chops
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 321 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 pork chops (bone in or boneless- about 1 inch thick))
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 sprigs rosemary leaves (removed from stem)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 dash of salt and black pepper
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Combine brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, rosemary leaves, garlic and salt and pepper. Mix ingredients until well combined. Pour into a plastic freezer bag or a covered container.
  2. Add pork chops. Seal bag Let chops marinade in the refrigerator for AT LEAST one hour (I made this up early in the day and let it marinade all day).
  3. When ready to cook, heat a cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet on medium-high. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to skillet and let it get hot. Add pork chops to hot skillet, then pour remaining marinade over the top.
  4. Cook pork chops on both sides until sauce has become dark brown and has slightly caramelized on the pork chops. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of the pork chops used. It averages about 4 minutes per side, but might take longer to reach internal temperature of 145 degrees. (New cooking guidelines from the nation's food-safety agency confirm Pork Checkoff research that shows pork can be consumed safely when cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a three-minute rest time.)
  5. Place pork chops onto serving plate and spoon some of the sauce over the chops before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Balsamic Brown Sugar & Rosemary Pork Chops
Amount Per Serving (1 pork chop)
Calories 321 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 89mg30%
Sodium 83mg4%
Potassium 545mg16%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Sugar 27g30%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 15IU0%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Pork chops are marinated in a balsamic, brown sugar and rosemary sauce, then cooked to perfection on the stove top in this delicious one pan dinner you'll love!

Save

Save

Save