Towanda's Treats

Hello ladies!

So I am guessing that I probably have the most time on my hands at the moment...so I am writing this blog post.

BUT! I was reading Real Simple magazine the other week (I highly recommend this magazine, it is so. cool.) and discovered an article about things you wouldn't normally think to put in the dishwasher. So I've been trying these things out lately, and it really does work!

http://browse.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/kitchen/index.html

So, check it out! I never would have thought to put any of those things in my dishwasher. I can't find the actual article in my magazine, but some of the other items I have been putting in the dishwasher include my sink drain thingies and cleaning sponges. My sponge wreaked and I put in in the dishwasher and now it smells new. CRAZY.

Sidenote...I got a holiday help job at Williams-Sonoma :) So excited!!!

Love to all the 301.

CH

This is my first official post from Baltimore as the new Mrs. Kyle Horst :) This recipe is the first real meal I made for Kyle in our new home in Remington. I had been laboring over what to make, decided on Salmon, only to find that the salmon we purchased was pre-made Santa Fe seasoned salmon that steamed in the microwave. Really?? Can people not season their OWN salmon??! After being seriously disappointed and at a loss of what to make, I searched recipes for pork chops on All-Recipes.com and settled on this one to try. With my brand new Calphalon grill pan at hand (thanks Lovetts!!), I dove into this recipe and it was a huge success! Hope you enjoy it, too :)

I cut the recipe in half and it was the perfect amount for 2 pork chops.

Chesapeake Bay Grilled Pork Chops

1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 Tbls seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbls chopped fresh basil (I used McCormick dried basil)
1 lime, juiced (approx equivalent to 2 Tbls lime juice)
cracked black pepper to taste
8 boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

1. Whisk together vegetable oil, vinegar, Old Bay, garlic, basil, lime juice, and black pepper in a bowl. Pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the chops, coat with marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal. Marinate in fridge for 4-6 hours, flipping periodically. **Note: I marinated for 1 1/2 hours, being sure to massage the meat every so often, and it still tasted great.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, lightly oil the grate. Remove chops from bag & discard excess marinade.

3. Grill until pork is no longer pink in the center, 5-7 minutes per side (160F on a meat thermometer). **Note: I used a non-stick grill pan at medium heat, 5 minutes on each side.

Prep Time: 10 minutes. Cook Time: 15 min. Total Time: ~4hrs or less Serves: 8

I served this with roasted potatoes and salad. Here is the recipe for the potatoes (I changed it to suit my own tastes & ingredients).

Roasted Potato Wedges with Shallots & Rosemary

2 lb 4 0z potatoes (I used about four or five old potatoes Kyle had for like a month, haha)
6 Tbls olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
5 1/2 oz baby shallots
2 garlic cloves, sliced
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel and cut each potatoes into 8 thick wedges. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan of lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a large roasting pan in the oven(I used Pyrex 8x8 glass baking dish). Drain the potatoes well and add to the roasting pan. Strip the leaves from the rosemary springs, chop finely, and sprinkle over the potatoes.

**Note: I pretty much nixed these seasoning and just used freshly ground pepper, sea salt, parsley, and garlic for the potatoes once they were in the roasting pan. Stirred them once, ground more seasoning on top, and then once again.

Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, turning twice during cooking. Add the shallots and garlic and roast for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a warm serving dish and serve.

These potatoes came out perfectly! Soft inside, and the outside had a crispy skin. Mmm!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Girls, y'all gotta get postin! I'm a blog hog! Haha!

xoxo from Baltimore,

Casey...Horst :)

Ok, so I've been told that I should post all of the cookie recipes that we made for our wedding cookies here...so here it is! They all turned out really well in my opinion, but I had never really made any of these kinds before, so maybe they didn't turn out how they were supposed to and I just didn't know it?? Oh well! Taste good to me! Haha. Most of the recipes came from our local civic club cookbooks.

Vanilla Pizzelles (I substituted vanilla extract for almond extract, so mine were almond flavored.)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla (or other flavoring of your choice)
Cooking oil
Powdered sugar (optional)

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl whisk eggs until frothy. Gradually add sugar, whisking constantly. Stir in melted butter and vanilla. Fold in flour mixture. Set batter aside.
2. Lightly coat an electric pizzelle iron with cooking oil; heat according to the manufacturer's directions.
3. For each pizzelle: Place a slightly rounded tablespoon of batter on pizzelle grid, slightly off-center toward the back. Close lid. Bake according to the manufacturer's directions. (If using a non-electric iron [or a broken iron like I was!], bake about 2 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once.)
4. Transfer warm pizzelle to a wire rack; let cool. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

::to store:: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Special: ultimate Cookies

Russian Teacakes (also called Mexican Wedding Cakes)

1 c butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1 t vanilla (I used almond extract here, too)
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 c finely chopped nuts (I used almonds)

Heat oven to 400. Mix thoroughly butter, sugar, and vanilla. Work in flour, salt and nuts until dough holds together. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until set but not brown. While warm, roll in confectioners' sugar. Cool. Roll in sugar again.

Yields about 4 doz cookies.

*Do not use self-rising flour in this recipe.

Pecan or Walnut Cups

2 sticks margarine
2 (3 oz.) cream cheese
2 c. flour, sifted
Walnuts or pecans, chopped

Mix margarine, cheese, and flour. Shape into small one inch balls. Line in a small (ungreased) muffin tin. Press into tin to form mini crusts. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of shaped crust. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling over nuts. Add a few more nuts. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Filling:
2 eggs
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 T margarine, melted
1/4 t salt
1/2 t vanilla

Sunday Cups

Crust:
9 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 c margarine
3 c flour

Filling:
9 oz. cream cheese
3/4 lb. powdered sugar
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip

Crust: Combine cream cheese, margarine, and flour; mixture will be stiff. Roll dough into small balls. Press into mini-muffin pan cups to form shells. Makes approximately 5 doz. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth (no lumps). Add Cool Whip (fold this into cream cheese mixture); place in baked shells after they cool. (I piped the filling onto the crusts and that seemed to look nicer.)

Split Seconds

Sift: 2 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1/2 t baking powder
Blend in: 3/4 c soft butter
1 egg
2 t vanilla

Mix well. Knead lightly. Divide dough into 4 parts. Shape each part into a roll 13x3/4 in thick. Make a 1/4 in deep depression down the middle of each and fill with jelly (about 1/3 c). Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. While warm, cut diagonally. Yields 3 doz.

Orange Frosted Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients
# Cookies
# 1 cup granulated sugar
# 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
# 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
# 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
# 2 tablespoons orange juice
# 1 egg
# 2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
# 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
# 1/2 teaspoon salt
# 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
# 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
# Frosting
# 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
# 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
# 2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice
Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, 1 teaspoon orange peel, 2 tablespoons orange juice and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.

3. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges and bottoms of cookies are light golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4. In small bowl, stir all frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Frost cookies.

Wedding Cookies

Cream together:
1 c sugar
1 egg yolk
1 c shortening
8 oz cream cheese

Add:
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 c flour

Roll in balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes until bottoms of cookies are slightly brown. Cool.

Icing:
Combine:
2 c powdered sugar
2 T milk
1/2 t vanilla or almond extract
Use several drops of food coloring to tint mixture. Use wedding party colors.


Enjoy!