Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

November is Peanut Butter Lover's Month, so I could not let the month end without doing a peanut butter recipe.  I have been wanting to give these peanut butter and jelly cookies a try for a while now and they did not disappoint.  They were so fun to make with my daughter and a total hit with the everyone who tried them.  I asked my husband if they tasted like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and he said yes, but so much better.  Yay!  I made two versions, strawberry jam and grape jelly.   I used my favorite cake/cookie method and these cookies came together quickly and easily.  All I can say is these cookies are fun to make and eat.  I will definitely be doing them again and again.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1 cup creamy peanut butter
 jam or jelly of your choice as needed

  Directions:

Mix the eggs, water, oil and peanut butter well. Then add your cake mix and beat until it forms a cookie dough texture.




Roll cookie dough into desired size balls and place on a greased/sprayed cookie sheet.  I made mine a little smaller than a golf ball size.  You can also make smaller walnut size balls.  Then use your thumbs and make an indent in the middle of the cookie so you can place your jam/jelly inside it. 

Place about 1/2 a tsp of jam/jelly inside each indent.

 
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes for smaller cookies, 15-17 for larger cookies.  When the edges start to brown, your cookies are done.  Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool on the cookie sheet.  Once cool, transfer them to a plate.  Enjoy.

Makes about 1  1/2 dozen. 


Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Mango Mousse

I made this dessert for Thanksgiving so we would have something light and different from the normal Thanksgiving desserts.  It was a lovely change of flavor and very welcome after a heavy meal.  My kids loved this dessert because it was creamy and full of that mango flavor they enjoy.  What I loved best was it only took me five minutes to put together. 

Ingredients:
1 package (8oz) cream cheese (low fat version is fine)
2 packages of vanilla pudding (3oz box) (instant)
1 tub of cool whip
1 32 oz can of mango puree (available in Indian Grocery Stores)
fresh sliced mango for garnish (optional)








Directions: 

Use a electric mixer and blend the cream cheese (that has been brought up to room temp) until well whipped. Then add the vanilla pudding powder (do not add milk to the pudding) and can of mango puree.  Once these ingredients are well blended, gently fold in the cool whip by hand. Then refrigerate overnight to set. 

** If you taste the dessert and it is not sweet enough with the sugar from the pudding, puree and cool whip you may want to add some more sugar during the initial blending process. I find the sugar from the pudding and cool whip to be sweet enough for the over all dish.




Decorate with fresh mango and whipped cream if you desire. 

PS... as you can see I have two pictures from two different occasions that I made this dessert because it's a family favorite.


Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup

After a little indulging over Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted a simple, healthy and satisfying soup to eat.  I saw some kale at my grocery store and knew it would be the star of my dish.  The words "beans and greens" came to mind and I decided to a make a soup.   I rounded out the soup with some sausage to satisfy my husband. The soup came together in less than 30 minutes and I ate two bowls.  Okay, so I indulged with the soup too... but I felt less guilty this time with all the kale and beans.

Ingredients:
1lb of lean Italian Sausage (crumbled)
3 large handfuls of fresh kale coarsely chopped
2 (15oz) cans of cannellini beans
8-10 cups of chicken stock (or bullion/water equivalent)
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion chopped
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/2 tsp of dried oregano
1/8 tsp of grated fresh nutmeg
seasoning salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Remove the casing if the sausage is in links and crumble it.  Brown it in a large soup pot. My sausage was very lean and very little oil came out of it.  If you have a lot of oil drain it all except for 1 Tbs worth.  I actually had to add a little canola oil to cook my onions.






Next add your onions and garlic.  Saute for a few minutes stirring well.








Then add your seasoning, herbs and stir well.









Add your liquid and deglaze the bottom of the pan.  You can add fresh chicken stock, can, carton, water and bullion or any combination of the above.  I used 1 carton that had 4 cups of stock and then used water and bullion powder for the rest.  Bring soup to a boil.






Next add your coarsely chopped kale and 2 cans of drained beans.  Allow the soup to boil or simmer until the kale is at the right texture of your.  I don't like it overly wilted. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with some grated parmesan cheese on top and bread.  Enjoy.

 Serves 6

 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Brussel Sprouts and Carrots with Bacon

 I think brussel sprouts are totally underrated when it comes to the vegetable department.  They are on a lot of people's list of the vegetable they most dislike.  I personally love them.  I always say my mother never cooked a vegetable that I didn't like because she always gave vegetables flavor and spice.  So that's just what I did with these brussel sprouts.  I made this as a side dish for our Thanksgiving table, but it's so good you can eat it any time of the year.

Ingredients:
1lb of fresh brussel sprouts quartered (cut the root off too)
1lb of carrots cut into chunks then halved
1 medium onion chopped
8-10 slices of bacon diced
2 green chilies sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 tsp of dried basil
red chili flakes to taste
1/2 cup of chicken broth (or water/bullion equivalent)
pepper and seasoning salt to taste






Directions:

In a large pan, render out your bacon until crispy.  Use a slotted spoon and remove bacon onto a plate to drain.  Reserve 1 Tbs of the bacon fat to cook your vegetables and discard the rest.

Add your onions and saute for 2-3 minutes until they start to soften.

Next add your garlic and seasoning.  Saute for another minute.

 Now add your brussel sprouts, carrots and chicken broth. Use the chicken broth to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan... they are very tasty.   Saute for 4-5 minutes.   

 Add half the bacon back into the pan and toss with the vegetables.  Taste for seasoning here.  Then put everything into a oven safe dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are at your desired tenderness.  I like my carrots to still have a little bite so they are not soggy.   Then top with the remaining bacon bits and serve.   Enjoy.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Spicy Sweet Potato Mash

Did you know the sweet potato was one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat? I mentioned in an earlier post that I went a little sweet potato crazy when my store had them on sale for 3lbs for a $1 and I bought 24lbs worth.  So for those of you keeping track,  I used up 2lbs on my sweet potato mac and cheese.  I went big with this next dish and used up 8lbs worth when I made this spicy sweet potato mash for Thanksgiving.  I wanted to make a very healthy and light side dish and this is one of my favorites.  What I love about this dish is it's sweet and savory at the same time.  I also love the heat level.  I like to make it extra spicy so it really gives you a kick and makes your taste buds dance, of course you can tailor it to your palate.  I guarantee, my version will be much more healthy and fun than that traditional sweet potato with marshmallows that sits at on most Thanksgiving Tables.   Of course as everyone knows Thanksgiving is well over, but there is still Christmas ahead.  If you are not celebrating either of these holidays, this dish is more versatile than only being eaten at large holiday meals.  I have made this dish as a side for rice and curry. Oh yes, it's terrific as apart of a curry meal too.   So get those sweet potatoes boiling... you don't have to make 8lbs worth like I did here, but 2-3lbs will do nicely to start. :)  Now I have 14lbs of sweet potatoes to go...

 Ingredients:  (Since I made such a large quantity, I will do my best to give you what you may need for 3-4lbs of sweet potatoes.  As cooking most dishes, use the ingredients and  tailor it to your taste).

3-4lbs of boiled sweet potatoes (these should be extremely fork tender so they can mash easily)
2 cloves of of garlic grated
1-2 jalapeno or serrano chilies diced.  You can seed them to lower the heat level. 
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 tsp of ground cumin
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
red chili flakes (to taste)
seasoning salt and chicken bullion powder for salt flavor
1Tbs of canola oil

Directions:

Heat 1Tbs of canola oil in a pan you can mash your sweet potatoes in.  Then saute your onions and green chilies for a few minutes.  Once onions soften, add your garlic and saute for another minute.  Next add your spices, cumin, chili flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg and seasoning salt.

Next add your peeled, boiled sweet potatoes.  I find boiling the sweet potatoes with the skin on and then draining, cooling and peeling the skin to be the fastest way to do this.  Of course you can peel with a vegetable peeler first and then boil them if you prefer. 

Use a potato masher to mash well. Stir all the ingredients together and taste for seasoning.  Add salt or chicken bullion as necessary.  Your dish is done here, but I decided to put it into a baking dish and add a little dusting of cinnamon and bake it for a few minutes in the oven since it was going out on a Thanksgiving table.

I hope you try this dish and enjoy.  Serves 4-6 people.


Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Lemon Iced Cookies

 

Scratch baking is a fairly new concept to me. My entire baking repertoire prior to starting my blog has been with the help of a cake mix.  So, I was ecstatic when the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program sent me a very generous amount of coupons for Ducan Hines products. If you been to this blog before, you know I love to take a cake mix and give it a twist, spin or reinvent it to something else.  That's what I did with this box of lemon cake mix.  I made some lemon cookies and used a fairly new product to me the Ducan Hines Glazes to ice them.  I have to say I maybe a magician because these cookies literally disappeared at my house.  My husband ate almost half of them by himself.  He could not believe that I used a cake mix to make these lemony cookies.  Everyone loved the glaze. This Ducan Hines Glaze is a wonderful product because you can glaze any dessert and take it from simple to exceptional in seconds.  I can't wait to use more of my coupons and come up with more "tricked" out cake recipes.

Ingredients:

1 box of Ducan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
1 Egg
4 oz of plain cream cheese
1/3 cup of canola oil
Ducan Hines Glazes for drizzling









Directions:

Add your ingredients into a bowl and then use an electric mixer to mix in the cake mix. 

Drop cookie dough onto a sprayed baking sheet. I used two spoons coated with some canola oil so I could do this easily. Then bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-17 minutes.  Allow the cookies to cool off on the baking sheet for another 5 minutes.

When the cookies are mostly cool, follow the instructions on the glaze bottle  and pour the glaze over the cookies.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies.  Enjoy. Store in an airtight container.

 
Disclosure: I received coupons from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program courtesy of Duncan Hines.  I was not compensated in any way for writing this post.  The opinions stated in this post are my own. Thank you.

Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.