Cooking with Chip

Ok so this week I am 2 days late, but better late than never! Time is definitely a fleeting thing these days unfortunately there is never enough of it and at the same time way too much of it... and before I get all philosophical I better get on with the cooking.   I finally found time to make these cookies yesterday and they were amazing... a lot of my recipes on my site are mine but I have to confess this on is courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens because I love butterscotch and when I saw this recipe I couldn't resist! These cookies turn out so moist and cake like and the frosting is well rather like frosting on the cake! Frosted Butterscotch Cookies 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream 2/3 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes) 3-1/2 cups sifted powdered suga

Wow another week has went by and I am a day late and a dollar short...  Well ok I am a lot more than a day late and a lot more than a dollar short... As many of you have noticed no new postings in two weeks.... in blogging world that is an eternity... hopefully I didn't lose any readers over it!  To make this quick and dirty... I changed jobs about a month ago, just bought a new car last weekend, and have been shopping for a new house (think I found one, find out tomorrow) so to say that I have been busy would be the understatement of the world...  So all of that said... lets get to the cooking! Spicy Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats One of my favorite things to do is to take childhood treats and put a grown up spin on it... so I thought I have rice krispies and I have chocolate and I have marshmallows, what can I make with these things...  well add my favorite spices and you have a grown up version of a favorite treat with some holiday notes sung by the cinnamon and nutmeg! 1

For the 6th week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies I decided to think a little outside the box and went Greek!  These little baklava bites are wonderful and a great two bite treat just to cure that sweet tooth!  They are convenient, portable, bite size, and make the perfect cookie tray treat! Baklava Cups 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped 1/2 cup pecans, chopped 1/2 cup almonds, chopped 1 lemon, zested 1 orange, zested 1/2 cup, plus 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 boxes mini phyllo shells, 15 shells each 1 cup water 1/2 cup honey Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the pistachios, pecans, and almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Let nuts cool slightly and add to a food processor along with the lemon zest, orange zest, 3 tablespoons of sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and pulse to combine. Place mini  phyll

I decided on my 5th week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies to make a bar cookie.  I made these a few weeks back and took them to a party and they got rave reviews... my friends like to tease me when I make them desserts asking if I could figure out how to pack more calories into each serving than I already do!  Well these certainly live up to the calorie overload they have learned to expect! In all honesty I did find them to be tasty and a lot like a traditional 7 Layer Bar except with a brownie base instead of the traditional grahm crackers.  I made the recipe as written but I figured in a time pinch you could easily use a box brownie mix made per the instructions on the box and topped with all the yummy toppings.  I have a mixed feeling about them because I personally found there to be too many toppings so I would have probably scaled them back (but take that for what its worth because I am not really into desserts I just like making them) but my friends loved them as is! Br

I love making these for a quick weeknight meal and they can be very versatile.  If making them as a main course for dinner I make them just like full size burgers but they can also be made into mini burgers to use as an appetizer or to serve at a party.  I also buy the Hawiian rolls in the super market to serve them on and lukcy for me those now come in mini and full size buns!  I typically use canned pineapple rings to make these but if you have the time and want to put in the effort obviously fresh pineapple would be great as well! Hawaiian Burgers For the Mini Burgers: 1 pound lean ground beef 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 canned pineapple slices (cut these into quarters if you serve as mini burgers) 4 Hawaiian sweet or 12 small dinner rolls, split Lettuce For the Sauce: 1/4 cup barbecue sauce 1/4 cup pineapple preserves 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar Combine ground beef and Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four

I have been craving shrimp for weeks now... so I decided it was time to do something about that! I have been racking my brain for something that was going to satisfy my craving and then this morning it came to me from the strangest place. My friends were going to Black Hawk, Colorado to meet their family for brunch and a light went off in my head... The Timberline restaurant in the Ameristar Casino makes some amazing food and you guessed it, one of my favorite shrimp dishes in the world. They served bacon wrapped bbq shrimp on a bed of mashed potatoes with some fried onion strings as an appetizer and it is to die for! This is my attempt at recreating their amazing dish, my  Traditional BBQ Sauce recipe is a bit different but its still amazing. These great little bites are excellent for an appetizer or even a main dish... and they make great party finger food.  (If your going to use them as a main dish you can grill them on skwers rather than individual bites.)  They are best when g