Chocolate Mint Cookies

I have to apologize to Sadie because she sent me this recipe at the beginning of December, and my computer crashed. I just got my laptop back, so here is one of the virtual cookie exchange recipes. I will be posting mine hopefully later today or tomorrow.


Chocolate Mint Cookies
These taste a lot like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, but softer and chewier. They are delicious.
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups Mint Chocolate Chips or Andes Mint Baking chips

In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.
At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes.
When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 5 to 6 mint chips on top of each cookie. Let the mint chips sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie. Eat and enjoy!

Banana Bread

Recipe makes 2 loaves (24 slices each).

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan 9x5x3 inches, with shortening. Stir in eggs until well-blended.
2. Mix sugar and margarine/butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well-blended. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt just until moistened. Stir in the nuts. Pour into pans.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1-hour; 9-inch pans about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pans on wire rack.
Cool completely before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Pineapple Dr. Pepper Beans

Pineapple Dr. Pepper Beans

1/2 lb. smoked bacon; sliced
1 large yellow onion; diced
2 bell peppers; diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
4 cloves garlic; minced
(2) 28 oz. cans Pork & Beans
2 tomatoes; diced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 lb. summer sausage; sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup medium Pace Picante Sauce
1 can Dr. Pepper
(1) 16 oz. can pineapple tidbits; drain the juice.

Heat a 12" Dutch oven using 18-20 briquettes bottom until oven is hot. Slice bacon into 1/2" strips then fry in preheated oven until crisp. Add onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce briquettes on bottom to 12-14. Cover and simmer 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.

Recipe by Byron Bills

Posted by: Randy Patten

Tropical Carrot Cake

You can cook this in a dutch oven in the kitchen or outside using coals, or in a cake pan in the kitchen. It is very tasty.

Tropical Carrot Cake
12" dutch oven
Bake at 350 degrees
45 minutes

Grease and flour inside of oven, set aside

Blend in large bowl:
2 cups sugar, 4 eggs

Add: 1-1/4 cup cooking oil
1 8-oz can mandarin oranges plus juice
1/2 cup crushed pineapple (save juice for frosting)

Mix well, then add:
3 cups flour
2 teasp cinnamon
2 teasp soda
2 teasp vanilla
1 teasp salt
1/2 teasp nutmeg

Fold in:
1 cup shredded coconut
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots

Beat for two minutes. Pour into oven. Bake, using 2/3's timing. Remove from pan. Let stand until cool. Frost with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting
2 3oz packages pineapple-flavored cream cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
3-1/2 to 4 cups powder sugar


Posted by: Randy Patten

Bill’s White Chili

1 lb small white navy beans, rinsed and soaked overnight

3 tbs onion powder

1 can (48-oz) chicken broth

4 cups chicken, cooked, shredded and diced

1 can (7-oz) diced green chilies

2 tsps oregano

4 tsps cumin

1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ tsp minced garlic

2 cups sour cream

4 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

 

In a large pot, combine beans, onion powder, and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours or until beans are tender. Add chicken, chilies, oregano, cumin, cayenne, and garlic and continue simmering until sauce is thickened, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat, add sour cream and cheese, and stir until cheese is melted.