SILPAT vs. Lightly Greased Cookie Sheet

Thanks to my Mother-in-Law, I'm now the proud owner of my first, but certainly not my last, SILPAT! I hadn't yet had the opportunity to use it until today. I wanted one so bad because they seem to be the new 'fad' in the kitchen! I wanted to see how I liked it compared to my normal baking method, a lightly-greased cookie sheet.

For those of you who are looking at me like "what the heck is a SILPAT?"-- Well, here ya go... It is a non-stick baking mat that is safe in temperatures ranging from -40 to 482 degrees. A very versatile little piece of heaven! :-) For more information, go here.

When a recipe calls to line the pan with parchment, this is the answer! And there's no waste of parchment! It's a win-win situation! :-)


So, I started by whipping up a batch of these Chocolate Chip Cookies, preheated the oven, and got out two cookie sheets. I placed my SILPAT on the one and I lightly greased the other one with PAM. I used my large cookie scoop and placed a dozen cookies on each cookie sheet.

I baked them for precisely 12 minutes.

These are my findings:

*SILPAT*

~cookies baked up light and fluffy and were a perfect golden brown on the bottom...

~the outside of the cookie stayed slightly crispy while the inside was so chewy and cooked all the way through.

~I also found that the SILPAT cools quicker, making it nicer to put another batch of cookies on the pan to go in the oven... because it was cooler, they did not begin to "melt" before they were going back in the oven.

~Easy Clean-up!!! (Love this one!)

*LIGHTLY-GREASED COOKIE SHEET*

~cookies baked up light and fluffy, however not quite as fluffy as with the SILPAT.

~the outside of the cookies were darker than the ones baked on the SILPAT, but were cooked thoroughly and were still chewy inside.

All in all, I was extremely happy with my SILPAT! However, this will not stop me from using the traditional method of a LIGHTLY-GREASED COOKIE SHEET. I would like a SILPAT for every one of my cookie sheets, though this could get a little pricey :-). I can't wait use the SILPAT for candy-making and all the many other projects I see in the future!

So, now I'm wondering.....

What do you think? Have you used a SILPAT? Would you prefer it over the LIGHTLY-GREASED COOKIE SHEET? Please weigh in and let me know what you think!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

AMAZING SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

In the words of my husband, "You're a fool if you don't want to try this stuff, it's AMAZING!", hence it's name... 'Amazing Sweet and Sour Chicken'. I found this recipe months ago and have had it sitting in my kitchen just screaming my name since. The problem is, I have been on a diet, and this isn't exactly 'diet food'. Well, I decided to cheat today, so this was the recipe I wanted to make and try! Woo Hoo!!!! So glad that I did! It reminds me of the chicken you get at the Chinese Restaurants where the chicken is so tender and the sauce has just the perfect combination of sweet and sour... Mmmmmm... I just can't say it enough. Try it for yourself! Because "you're a fool if you don't want to try this stuff! It's AMAZING!"

Printable Version of this recipe here.

For Chicken:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, slightly beaten

vegetable oil for frying

For Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season chicken with salt & pepper. Heat oil to 350-360 degrees. (I like to use my deep fat fryer since it keeps a perfect temperature). Toss chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat in eggs. Drop pieces into hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Place in single layer in 9x13 pan. Whisk together ingredients for sauce in a small bowl and pour evenly over chicken. Bake for 1 hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Serve with your favorite rice recipe! This serves 3-4 people... (2 at my house:-) )

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

Recipe adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker .

THE BEST ANGEL FOOD CAKE!

One of my absolute favorite cakes is ANGEL FOOD! I love the soft, airy, almond flavor of this cake... oh and do I need to mention that it is fat free? It does help, right!?! For each serving, this cake has approximately 124 calories, 4 g protein, 27 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 mg chol, and 79 mg sod.... so in other words, it's a healthy kinda cake! Just gives me one more reason to enjoy it even more :-) I have been making this cake since I was first married in 1997. I have tried other recipes, but always go back to this one! And it's always much requested!! Try it and let me know what you think.....

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 12-15 egg whites)

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon almond extract

Mix flour and 1/2 cups sugar in small bowl. (I use a whisk to mix it well) Set aside.

Place egg whites in a stand mixer bowl. Turn on medium-high setting and whip 30-60 seconds, or until egg whites are frothy.

Add cream of tartar, salt and almond extract. Turn to high and whip 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until whites are almost stiff but not dry. Turn back to a low setting. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar and mix about 1 minutes. Stop and scrape bowl.

Remove bowl from mixer. Spoon flour-sugar mixture, one-fourth at a time, over egg whites. Fold in gently with spatula, just until blended.

Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. With knife, gently cut through batter to remove large air bubbles. Bake 375 for 35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cracks are very dry. Immediately invert cake onto funnel or soft drink bottle. (a vinegar bottle with a small top works great) Cool completely. Remove from pan....

Yields: 16 servings

**always cut an angel food cake with a long serrated (bread) knife so you don't smash it!

**this recipe is adapted from the KITCHENAID instructions and recipes manual:-)

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

Click here for your printable recipe!

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

I love muffins..... I love blueberries (and all their health benefits too).... I love oatmeal.....but, I don't particularly care for all the calories associated with a good muffin. So, I have been searching and searching for a good low-fat recipe for muffins that I could play with to have the taste and texture I was looking for... Well, after blog-surfing and going through every single cookbook I own (that's a really lot :) ) I finally found THE recipe, and after baking these muffins, I decided that I don't even need to change anything about the recipe! They are just the right texture, and the applesauce makes them really moist. I used my silicone muffin liners because they are just so non-stick and nice. And they wash up so so nicely too!

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cup quick oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp oil (I used vegetable oil)

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 12 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl combine the applesauce, buttermilk, brown sugar, oil, and the egg.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add wet mixture. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Bake 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack....

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**This recipe adapted from "Annie's Eats" @ http://www.annies-eats.com/**

Turkey Chili with Black Beans & Corn

I have to admit that my family is a bunch of "Not-Chili-Lovers"... I like chili every now and again, but rarely make it because it seems to go to waste after I have the one bowl that calms my chili craving. Because my hubby leaves on the weekends, I try to save the "me" meals for then to try... Chili was this weeks selection! I've been trying to eat more healthy so I decided I was going to try turkey chili! And I'm glad I did! I had a great big bowl and it was really good! I'm hoping my friends enjoyed it as well! They took the rest of the pot home! This recipe is really versatile, meaning you can alter it to your liking... spicey, not so spicey, more tomatoes, less tomatoes, you get the idea, right?? This is what I did and I liked it, but feel free to change it up and leave your comments with your suggestions!

1 lb ground turkey (I used 85/15 ground turkey and it was about 19 oz)
1 lg onion, chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups chunky salsa ( I used medium, but would use mild next time... I'm a wimp!)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (could use 2 cans)
1 16 oz can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes

Place the first seven ingredients in a large 4-5 qt. pot. Cook until turkey is well-browned. {Beware, your house is about to smell so amazing! } Add remaining ingredients and heat to a boil... reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

This is a quick-meal that I will certainly be making again!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**Homemade THIN MINT cookies**

I LoVe lOvE LoVe any combination of chocolate and mint! Yummy! Grasshopper cookies, Mint-chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate cookies with mint chocolate chips, mint frosted brownies... well you get the picture! So did I mention that I love any chocolate/mint combination???
A month or so ago, I found the recipe for Homemade 'Samoas' and they turned out great, so when I came across a recipe for THIN MINTS, I just HAD to make them!

Thin Mint Cookies::
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup flour

Cream the butter in your stand mixer until light and fluffy! Add sugar and cream some more until well blended. Stir in the vanilla, salt, and cocoa. Mix until smooth. This will resemble a thick cake batter. Now add the flour and mix until just combined to prevent tough cookies. This mixture is very crumbly so do not be alarmed! Turn out onto a countertop (I did not use any extra flour on my counter) and gather dough into a ball and knead just once or twice until its a big smooth mass. Then place in a large plastic bag and flatten into a 3/4" disk. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Take out the dough and roll it to about 1/8" thick... I know this seems really thin, but they are THIN mints...:-) Use whatever cookie cutter you may want to cut your cookies, just try to keep them to about 1 1/2" in diameter. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheets or a silpat on your cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack....

Now melt:
1 lb chocolate chips (your choice: dark, milk, semi-sweet, etc.)
1 dash peppermint oil (don't use just mint oil because it is spearmint)

Melt the chocolate how you feel comfortable doing it, whether it be in a double boiler or the microwave! I like using the microwave! I've had good luck with that method... Use the method that works best for you! After melting the chocolate, add a dash of peppermint oil. You can use a little bit extra but just be careful not to overpower it....

Now I'm going to share with you my secret! Hersheys carries a MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP! LoVe lOvE LoVe them!!!! And I just melted a pound of them and used them! They are already a perfect combination of chocolate and mint! So this means I didn't have to make any of those difficult decisions on the type of chocolate and how much peppermint oil to make it perfect, Hershey did it for me! :-)

When the cookies are cooled, dip the cookies in the melted mint flavored chocolate! Place them on parchment-lined cookie sheets to let them set up...

I covered some totally, but found that I liked the ones that I simply "frosted" with chocolate. Of course, I had to add some sprinkles because let's face it, they're just cute :-)

Now... prepare yourself for the stampede when everyone realizes what you've just created! Because they are so so so good!!!! This recipe is a keeper!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**I need to mention that I found this recipe and adapted it from acozykitchen.com! Love her stuff!**

** Peanut Butter Cookies**

My kids LOVE Peanut Butter Cookies! I like making them because they are simple and I love the look of a cookie with sugar on it! So, the other day as all the kids were playing I decided to try a recipe I hadn't tried before! This recipe comes from the Lion House Cookbook. The recipe says to drop by Tablespoonfuls, but I used my small cookie scoop because they're a much better size for the daycare kids!!! I ended up with TONS of cookies! I didn't count them because I was sending plates of them out with daycare kids and families but I'm thinking I got between 10-12 dozen! So, if you need to make some cookies to send to the school with your kids or take to a pot-luck... this is your recipe!

5 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper; set aside. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter. Add flour mixture and stir until well blended. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Using fork dipped in flour, flatten each cookie slightly in a criss-cross pattern. (I used sugar instead of flour.) Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Do not overbake! Makes 5 dozen 3-inch cookies....

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking

Teauna