*Oooey* Gooey* Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

These cookies date back to my childhood (or maybe even further back), and they take me back to family reunions, staying at my cousins house, Christmas time treats, and visiting my Aunt Leona.
These cookies are sooooo good!

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

1/2 c. Baking Cocoa

1 3/4 c. Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 c. Shortening (of course I use butter flavored)

1 c. Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 c. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 c. Walnuts, chopped (optional)

14-16 large Marshmallows, sliced in half

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the shortening, sugar and egg. 

Add milk. 

Combine the first 4 ingredients together, then stir into the shortening mixture. 

Add vanilla and nuts.

 (Don't panic if the shortening/milk    mix looks curdled, it's ok!)

 

Drop by teaspoon onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper (or grease the sheets if you don't have the paper on hand).

Bake for 9 minutes. 

Remove from the oven, top each cookie with one of the marshmallow halves, 

and return to the oven for 3 minutes.

 Cool on the cookie sheet for approx. 5 minutes.

 Remove to a cooling rack.  Frost the cookies while still warm.

(At this point in the cookie baking process my Aunt Leona would always prepare her own delicious chocolate frosting, but I have to admit that I take a quick short cut...)

FROSTING

1 container prepared Chocolate Frosting

1/4 c. Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

In a medium bowl combine the frosting, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

Mix well and spread onto the cookies.

~This was a great tip I got from the Food Networks Sandra Lee.  It saves time, and tastes homemade.

  I love those kinds of tips!~

 DON'T THESE PICTURES MAKE YOU DROOL JUST A LITTLE?

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did while making them...I think I have 3 left!

(We have linked this post to:)

~GARLICKY BAKED SHRIMP~

I found this recipe on the Taste & Tell Blog.

I gave it a try and it is fantastic!!! 

This recipe is definitely a keeper!!

Garlicky Baked Shrimp
adapted from Real Simple April 2010

serves 4
total time: 25 minutes

1 pound raw, peeled and deveined medium to large shrimp
4 cloves sliced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken, seafood or vegetable broth
salt and pepper
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a baking dish, combine the shrimp, garlic and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the butter, bread crumbs and parsley and sprinkle over shrimp.

Bake in the preheated oven until the shrimp are opaque, 15 to 18 minutes.

The entire recipe is soooo simple and quick to prepare and cook.  Yummy!  I am going to keep this recipe in mind for party appetizers as well. How simple to prepare, bake, and then place a toothpick in each shrimp as a quick finger food-love it!
I am going to make this again and maybe add a couple of tablespoons white wine...
I love this blog, be sure to check it out!

www.tasteandtellblog.com

Chewy Cookie Bar's

Here is a recipe that dates back at least 35 years!

Aunt Peg, my mom Sally, Aunt Leona and Grandma Hall made these for all our family gatherings.
I remember eating them at our summer reunions, and after swimming for hours nothing tasted better than these bar cookies!

*~*CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEWIES*~*

2 c. brown sugar

2/3 c. shortening

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

(semi-sweet or milk chocolate both work beautifully)

2 c. flour

1 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 9x13 baking pan with spray.

(you can use a 10x15 pan for thinner bars if desired)

Cream together the brown sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour.

Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

 Spread onto baking sheet, making the mix as level as possible.

Bake for 20 min. or until light golden in color.

Cool completely, then cut into 2x2 bars.

We hope you love these bar cookies as much as we do!

~~CHICKEN BROCCOLI DIVAN~~

This delish dish was published in our family cookbook, and it has since become MY family favorite.
In fact I think my family have this at least once a month!
Kudos to my cousins, CarolLee and Holly, who both submitted this recipe for publication.
(I use shortcuts in this recipe, and it makes the prep unbelievably quick)

Chicken Broccoli Divan

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

2-3 c. broccoli, steamed and chopped

2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 c. milk

1 c. mayonnaise

2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 c. cornflake crumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degree's.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a medium sauce pan combine the soup, milk, mayo, 

and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.

Heat on medium until bubbly, add shredded cheese and stir until cheese is melted and well combined.

 

Place prepared broccoli in bottom of baking dish, spreading out.

Place cubed chicken over broccoli.

Pour sauce evenly over the top, then sprinkle with crumbs.

Cover loosely with foil.

Bake 35-40 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve and enjoy!!

Now for the short cuts I love to use:

Purchase a rotisserie chicken, remove the skin, and shred the meat.  Use 1/2 of the chicken for this recipe, and freeze the remaining chicken for use another time.

 

Use a 12-16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli, no need to thaw! 

(if using the frozen broccoli you may want to increase the baking time by 5 minutes)

I use healthy request soup and Olive Oil Mayo to help cut back on the fat.

We sprinkle the top of the casserole with more shredded cheese instead of the crumbs...

We also love to have this over steamed rice or curly egg noodles.

Add some fresh fruit and it's a complete meal!