Snow Day Recipes

The snow started falling early this Saturday, and I am thrilled to be stuck inside with the family, enjoying a lovely fire, playing games, doing crafts... and ready to start my baking.

We started our day with George's pancake breakfast. I will be making a nice big pot of Mom's clam chowder later. In between, we will be baking Christmas cookies and making Irish cream. What a great way to spend the weekend! I am really looking forward to these Chocolate Mint-filled cookies from recipegirl.com:

http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/07/31/chocolate-mint-filled-cookies/#ixzz0a92OhZDE

CHOCOLATE-MINT-FILLED COOKIES
www.RecipeGirl.com

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups flour
2/3 cup butter, softened
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
sugar for rolling
48 Andes Mints

1. In saucepan, heat chips on low heat until melted and smooth.

2. In a large bowl with mixer, beat melted chocolate, flour, butter, corn syrup, baking soda, salt, egg and ½ cup sugar until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat until well-mixed, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until easy to handle (2 hours).

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place some sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into balls. Roll balls in sugar and bake on cookie sheet 12-15 minutes.

4. Immediately remove ½ of cookies from cookie sheet onto work surface. Top each cookie with 2 mints and place the other half of the cookies on top. If your freezer is big enough, place in freezer until set, or leave at room temperature until set.

Servings: 24
Yield: 2 dozen

Cooking Tips
*These taste divine while still warm, and they are a great frozen treat as well.
**Andes brand mints can be found in the candy section of most stores.

Hope anyone else stuck inside this weekend takes the time to enjoy the forced break from the holiday chaos.

Snow Day Recipes

It's a snow day here in PA, and in many other places around the country. Anyone have some great, warm & cozy meals they make on these chilly days?

I have taken out chicken thighs and am not heading out to the store in the snow, so I'll have to see what I have to go with them. I'm looking for something I can put in the crockpot this morning and forget about.

I think I am going to do something like this, but with thighs and in the crockpot. It was from the BHG chicken dinners link that Kate posted awhile ago. I think I'll serve with some kind of pasta, maybe orzo, and a salad.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb. total)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 5.75oz. jar sliced pitted green olives, drained

1 2.25-oz. can sliced pitted ripe olives, drained

2 Tbsp. capers, drained

2 Tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel

1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

3 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

1. In large skillet brown chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. Add onion to skillet. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally and adding garlic the last 1 minute of cooking.

2. Stir tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon peel, and oregano into onion mixture. Place chicken on tomato mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 13 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F).

3. To serve, place chicken on platter. Season tomato mixture to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.