COFFEE CAKE COOKIES from OhBiteIt.com

Ingredients

COOKIE:

1 Tube of Sugar Cookie Dough or Your Own Recipe!

CRUMBLE:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

BROWN SUGAR GLAZE:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. water

In a medium sized bowl, combine the 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup of Flour, 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon and 4 tbsp. soft Butter  mix well with a fork until it’s a sand-like texture, set aside.

Bake the Cookies according to the package directions, taking them out of the oven 5 minutes before they’re done.  Gently press the back of a spoon into the cookie, creating a small dent.

Top the cookies with some of the Crumble and finish baking them until they’re golden brown.

While they’re finishing up in the oven, prepare the Glaze by mixing 1/2 cup light brown sugar with 1/2 tsp. Vanilla and 2 tbsp. water. 

Top the warm cookies with some Glaze…

Let them cool before you touch them!

Drizzle those cookies with the glaze, and don’t be shy… and ENJOY!!

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

This easy to make, not-too-sweet cookie is the perfect accompaniment with coffee or tea after a holiday meal. The dough even freezes well! Try it, soon!

Topping:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for topping. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well with wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add the butter, and mix to form a grainy paste. Scrape sidesof bowl, then add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed just until combined. Do not over mix. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in cinnamon-sugar topping.

Place onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.

Yield: 3 dozen

Lemon-y Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

This quick, and I do mean QUICK, recipe is sure to please all the seafood lovers in your family! Plus, the leftovers (if there are any left) are great cold, for lunch!

Ingredients

• 1 pounds (17 to 21 count) shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound angel hair pasta
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Zest and juice of 1 large OR 2 small lemons
• handful of roughly chopped flat leafed parsley
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the shrimp on a sheet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well, spread them in one layer and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they're pink and cooked through.

Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the angel hair and cook until al dente, about 3-5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.

Quickly toss the angel hair with the melted butter, 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper (adjust to taste from there...) and about 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Add the shrimp, toss and serve!

Paula Deen's Baked French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

dash salt
2 tblsp butter
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk
7 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
Butter, for pan
1 8-pack of hamburger buns (no seeds!!)
8 slices of cinnamon swirl bread

Directions

Arrange bun bottoms, cinnamon bread and bun tops (in that order) in a generously buttered 9X13 casserole dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Dot with butter, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

IKEA's Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2/3 lb lean ground beef
• 1/3 lb ground lean pork
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Gravy:
4 tablespoons butter
4- 5 tablespoons flour
3-4 cups beef stock

Directions:

1. Saute onions in oil until translucent. Set aside and let cool.
2. Combine breadcrumbs and milk, let soak for 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine onions, breadcrumbs, milk egg, meat and seasonings. Mix thoroughly. Form tablespoon of the meat mixture into balls.
4. Line meatballs on baking sheet at least an inch apart and bake for 35- 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
5. To make gravy, melt butter and add flour and let brown slightly. Add stock about 1 cup at a time while whisking constantly until it's gravy!
   
6. Serve meatballs with gravy, boiled or mashed potatoes and maybe even some lingonberry jam!

Real Housewives of NJ's Caroline Manzo's Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup – QUICKIE VERSION!!!!

Usually the base for the soup is home made chicken soup, but this is quick and easy.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 ½ lbs ground beef, pork, veal

5 good sized garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

Handful of grated cheese Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Salt & pepper to taste

3 slices white bread, crust cut off, broken up

Combine all ingredients and then shape mixture into small balls, about 1” in diameter. Place on cookie sheet or plate and put in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Mixture should make about 50 meatballs.

Soup:

11 Cups Chicken Broth

1 sweet basil leaf

½ cup carrots chopped

½ cup celery chopped

1 medium sized onion chopped

1 pound escarole (you can also use spinach)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large soup pot sauté the onion, carrots, and celery in oil about 2 to 3 minutes

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium to high heat.

Add meatballs and escarole and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and escarole is tender.

Now you have to options here, you can add egg and cheese or pasta. Don’t do both because it’s too much.

If you’re going to add egg and cheese get two large eggs and wisk them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.

Stir the soup in a slow circular motion, gradually drizzle egg and cheese mixture into broth gently allowing it to blend.

If you’re going with the pasta option use a small grade pasta like Acini de Pepe or Orzo.

I usally use about ½ lb of pasta and throw it right into the broth and let it cook out, usually about 10 minutes.

Whatever your choice add grated cheese to garnish, and a little garlic bread on the side doesn’t hurt either!

Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies

The following recipe is from Tate's Bake Shop cookbook and they will come out tasting exactly the same as the ones you can buy in Southampton or in gourmet markets. Perfect every time!!

• 2 cups all-purpose pour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
  

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon water

• 1 teaspoon vanila

• 2 large eggs

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (usually, one bag)
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
   

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In another large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars with a mixer. Add the water and vanilla. Mix the ingredients until they are just combined. Add the eggs and beat lightly to thoroughly combine.

4. Add the flour mixture to the sugar/butter mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips. Don’t overmix the dough.

5. Drop the cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets using two tablespoons or a small ice cream scoop.

6. Bake them for 12 - 15 minutes or until the edges and centers are brown. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Also, once the chips are mixed in, you can roll it in parchment and freeze the dough for up to 3 months. I am testing this myself now, but Kathleen King, Tate's owner and Cookie Queen herself has told me she has had success freezing the dough. So, we'll see!!