Yucky--Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts

This was a quick fix out of a cookbook and though it seems like a no-brainer for simplicity, it was blah and again not worth the time or the cost of the ingredients especially the croissants.

Moving on....

Yucky--Grandma Henrietta's Cinnamon Sticks

This was a recipe from a suburban newspaper feature on Christmas cookie favorites solicited by the staff. You can tell it's an old recipe because it's not that detailed so you have to have some experience and sense of baking technique. It's a basic no egg cookie but no real oomph to it in terms of taste. Not good, not bad--just not worth the time trouble ingredients.

Next, please.....

Yummy--Beer Cheese Soup

So in the last post I mentioned getting a new Crockpot and the fact I was hoping to try it out and declare the recipe a success! Ta-da, here is the first winner.

The recipe is from the Akron Beacon Journal's former feature, "Recipe Roundup" that featured people helping others find a recipe that fits their needs or tastes. In this case, someone wanted to be able to make a Beer Cheese soup at home.

I love that soup from several local restaurants including the Great Lakes Brewing Company and The Brew Garden.

Beer Cheese Soup
2-3 slices pumpernickel or rye bread
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
1 c. beer
6 oz. diced American Cheese
6 oz. diced Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 c. milk

Cut bread into half-inch cubes and bake in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes or until crisp.

Combine onion, garlic, thyme, broth and beer in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 4 hours. Turn to high and stir in cheeses, paprika and milk. Cook 1 more hour or until soup is hot and cheeses have melted.  Stir well.

Serve in bowls with croutons as garnish.

Makes 4 1-cup servings.


Notes: This is one I would make while at home because it smells so good and you can keep a close eye on how quickly the cheese melts. I used skim milk but would probably bump it up to at least 2% for a little creamier texture. I used canned broth because I didn't have the right amount of homemade stock thawed out. I'm not crazy about onions so I use shallots in most of my recipes.

Yucky--Pork Ribs Hunter Style

I have a new crock pot. The old one was a hand me down, worked fine but you couldn't pull out the crockery part of the pot. The new one is a larger size and has that removable insert. How exciting is that? I'm psyched.

Sadly, first up was a miss not a hit.  Found the recipe in slow cooker cookbook and it's fairly simple. I think I'll have to cut the cooking time down on the super-charged slow cooker. The ribs were supposed to be tender and the picture showed some bones still attached. Mine all fell away and the dish ended up being more the texture of a barbecue pulled pork.

Yucky--Heavenly Haystack Ice Cream Pie

Let me confess that I don't have a great track record with pies. I struggle with pie crust and yes, often use the Pillsbury ones from the dairy case. Apparently, my lack of luck extends to ice cream pies. This one called for a Chocolate Crumb Crust and it stuck to the bottom of the spring form pan when I tried to serve it. I also am trying to perfect the art of softening ice cream. I'll try again because who doesn't love an ice cream pie.

Yummy--Toffee Shortbread

We have our first winner: Toffee Shortbread. It's a recipe from The Plain Dealer, circa 2006.

Toffee Shortbread
Cookies:
1/2 c. confectioners sugar, sifted
3/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c. toffee baking bits or English toffee, coarsely crushed

Glaze:
1/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3 T. whipping cream

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Stir in flour and toffee bits; mix well.  Divide dough into 4 parts, shape each into a ball.

On an ungreased cookie sheet, press or roll each ball into a 5 1/2 inch circle. With a knife, cut each circle into 8 wedges. Do NOT separate, prick each wedge with a fork several times.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet; follow scored lines to cut into wedges and remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Glaze: In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and cream. Heat on low until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place in a small resealable bag. With scissors snip off a small hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe glaze over cooled cookies. Allow glaze to set before storing.

Makes 32 cookies.

NOTES: The secret to intact shortbread apparently is to cut it while warm, hence the five minutes on the cookie sheet. Instead of a sharp knife, I used a pizza cutter and it works just fine. I baked each wedge separately and that was the most time consuming part of this.

Yucky--Steak and Chimichurri Toasts

I'd really hoped to start us out with a Yummy and even a picture but alas, it's not to be. My current plan is not to post the recipe if it doesn't make one of my recipe boxes. Yes, boxes--currently there are 5 with a binder for long form recipes.

So this didn't make the grade because I'm not crazy about parsley so the Chimichurri Sauce wasn't a selling point. A lot of work and pricey to buy a flank steak, not worth all the effort.