Book Snails Book Group discussion

Would love to collect and share some great recipes from members! Post your favorites here...

Ooh... I like this!
I love to cook and can't wait to see everyone's favorite recipes! These are a few of mine:

Love, love, love this jambalaya!
I suggest taking it easy on the Cajun seasoning and cayenne early on. You can always add more, but you can't remove it!
Also, do not sauté until the chicken is "mostly cooked." Stop when it's just starting to cook or it will ultimately end up overcooked and chewy.
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/jambalay...

Shrimp Scampi Flatbread ~ Delish!
http://www.sugardishme.com/shrimp-sca...

Pork Chops with Lemon Basil Cream Sauce ~ Yum!!! I use boneless thick cut chops cuz I can never find bone in chops and they come out amazing.
http://damndelicious.net/2015/12/02/p...

Cajun Chicken Pasta... The chicken is only average, but the cream sauce for the pasta is incredible!
http://damndelicious.net/2015/11/30/c...

Stuffed Pepper Casserole
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/s...

Chicken Meatball and Orzo Soup
*This one is heavy on the dill
I made this once and it was really good... but hubby wouldn't eat it and I did get sick of it after eating it 3 times over the course of a week.
http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2013...

Erin, the cajun chicken pasta looks amazing! I'll have to try that some time :)

For holidays, I'm always the baker, and for this Thanksgiving, I've decided to make this Dark Chocolate Brownie Pecan Pie! I wanted to do a classic, but add something else to it, and this recipe looks too delicious to pass up: http://melaniemakes.com/blog/2013/11/...

All those recipes above sound really good. I volunteer to sample any that y'all cook for me!

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Here is the EASY PECAN PIE recipe I posted in some other thread. You menfolk take note: even you can make this one.

Note that the "pudding" is vanilla, unless you wanna get radical with chocolate or something.

You can use any kind of syrup you want (I use 1/2 corn syrup, 1/2 cane syrup).

And I arrange whole pecans on top to make it fancier, like most people do.





free upload pictures



You could also get fancy with a non-traditional crust, such as Oreo cookie crust instead of graham cracker. There are all sorts of pre-made pie crusts out there.

Shrimp Scampi Flatbread: I want it :)

Saw these 2 on the Betty Crocker site while looking at Erin's post. Both look really good:

Baked Spinach Artichoke:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/b...




Homemade Turkey Soup (for those Thanksgiving leftovers?)
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/h...

Sweet Dreams cookies.

I received this cookie in a cookie/recipe exchange some years ago. I don't know why it hasn't made the rounds of Christmas cookies. These are AMAZING.

http://www.food.com/recipe/sweet-drea...

Thanks for posting, Kay. Those Sweet Dream (gingerbread) cookies sound delicious, and the recipe doesn't look difficult.

Katy wrote: "Sweet Dreams cookies.

I received this cookie in a cookie/recipe exchange some years ago. I don't know why it hasn't made the rounds of Christmas cookies. These are AMAZING.

http://www.food.com/re..."

Those Sweet Dreams Cookies do sound good! Unfortunately, my husband hates baked goods with walnuts (brownies, chocolate chip cookies, etc.) so I'll be the only one eating these if I make them. And I feel pretty crummy eating an entire batch of cookies by myself :-/

Y'all have me wanting teacakes and cookies now!

Here are 2 recipes for teacakes:

Grandma's old-fashioned teacakes:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/25766/gr...

Russian teacakes:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/r...


and also
Classic Sugar Cookies:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/c...

Russian Teacakes and sugar cookies are my two absolute favorite kinds of cookies. They're long-standing tradition in my family, and it's the Betty Crocker recipes we use for both. Great call, StarMan! I vouch for and recommend them to everyone. :)

Erin, for most recipes, you can either omit the nuts completely or substitute something else (e.g. chocolate chips). The Sweet Dreams cookies would probably be fine without any nuts (add a bit more flour if the dough is too gooey) or substitute pecans, if those are husband-safe. But you can keep the walnuts as your excuse to have your very own cookies, of course. ;)

Just Elise wrote: "Russian Teacakes and sugar cookies are my two absolute favorite kinds of cookies. They're long-standing tradition in my family, and it's the Betty Crocker recipes we use for both. Great call, StarM..."

Elise, do you put icing on the Betty Crocker sugar cookies you make? And if so, do they get soft or do they stay pretty crisp after the icing dries?

The sugar cookies I made this year got so soft after I iced them that they practically crumbled trying to move them to the tin. And then they all broke after I got them into the tin. Fortunately, I was the only one eating them so I didn't have to share my sad looking (yet still delicious) cookies with others. Nevertheless, I'll be looking for a new cookie recipe to use in the future.

And, because my husband and I basically have no self control, my Christmas cookies (all 14 dozen) are almost gone. So I'll probably be making those Sweet Dreams cookies in the next day or so. Which is good for me... though not so much for hubby :-P

Erin wrote: "Just Elise wrote: "Russian Teacakes and sugar cookies are my two absolute favorite kinds of cookies. They're long-standing tradition in my family, and it's the Betty Crocker recipes we use for both..."

Did you let your cookies dry, and did you use royal icing? Sugar cookies can get really soft if the environment is humid, so that could have been the culprit. Sugar cookies tend to take a few hours to dry, as does royal icing. If you decorate them too fast, the icing can hold in moisture, leading them to going soft. I don't know if you live in a humid climate, but unfortunately, I don't know any tips to help there. I'm from upstate New York where it's only humid two months out of the year! I'm sure you can Google it, though :)

My family sounds just like yours, too. Whenever there are desserts around, they're gone within a few days. My mom gets so mad and refuses to buy any other desserts, but then, of course, she does.

My family has an annual O'Brien family Christmas party, and this year, I made Chocolate Holiday Truffles. They're so easy to make, and they taste delicious! Here's the recipe: http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/food/w...

Erin, I don't usually use icing. I just sprinkle them with sugar.

If you want sugar cookies that are more crisp, that particular recipe is probably not the one you want. Those are softer cookies.

This other Betty Crocker recipe is for a firmer cookie, though I'm not sure it's as crisp as you're looking for.
http://www.food.com/recipe/betty-croc...

It might also depend on the kind of icing you use. Royal icing gets really firm, and shouldn't soak into the cookie. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/al...

Also, make sure the cookies have cooled before you put the icing on.

But broken cookies taste just as good. ;)

I haven't made any yet this year. I always procrastinate. But starting early, then making more later could be a good excuse to try different recipes. I should try that. :D

Let us know what you try and how you like them. :)

Whoops, sorry, Kelsey! We were posting at the same time.

Those truffles sound good!

Just Elise wrote: "Whoops, sorry, Kelsey! We were posting at the same time.

Those truffles sound good!"

Oh, that's fine! We were probably typing at the same time!

I baked them a couple days before I iced them, but I do live in Florida where it's humid about 365 days a year :-P
And I didn't use royal icing this year. I find it too chalky and the colors look drab once the icing dries. So this year I tried a cookie icing that contained corn syrup. I liked it SOOO much better, except that my cookies themselves turned to mush.

http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/...

I'll keep looking for another cookie recipe... I did read that butter cookies tend to hold up better to icing than sugar cookies, so perhaps I'll go that route.

Thanks!

Elise, I just made the Sweet Dreams cookies and, yeah, they are really good! They were a bit of a pain (that dough is firm, even without refrigeration) but they were worth it. I'm not sure they will make it to Christmas either :-P

Okay, you all have amazing recipes!!! I am going to think of a few and post them today. Hubby and I share the cooking so we should have a few for you between the two of us.

Seriously, Elise, I just had Sweet Dreams cookies for breakfast...

Erin wrote: "Seriously, Elise, I just had Sweet Dreams cookies for breakfast..."

That's awesome, Erin... cookies for breakfast! I have been known to have pecan pie (and Coca Cola, or course) for breakfast during the holidays.

That's awesome, Erin! I'm usually cookie girl, but my mom is making our must-haves (sugar cookies and Russian teacakes, of course) this year, because she has more time off. I just might have to make some Sweet Dreams to add to our stash. :)

And cookies for breakfast, yum! Perfect with coffee. :) Although pecan pie wouldn't be bad either. :)