May 15

Oh Boy!!! Ice Cream!!!!

Try a FREE Scoop of their new flavors, Cinnamon Dulce De Leche or Sticky Toffee Pudding. This offer is for One day only!!! May 15, 4 - 8 PM. Use the store locater to find the closest Haagen Daz shop near you!!

Get Your FREE Ice Cream Here!!!

May 15 is...

• National Chocolate Chip Day
• Straw Hat Day

Absolutely the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

SUBMITTED BY: Nicole Faust Hunt

"This is a secret family recipe for chocolate chip cookies! Everyone who tries them begs for more. Enjoy!!"

Original recipe yield:
2 dozen

PREP TIME	10 Min
COOK TIME	10 Min
READY IN	20 Min

PHOTO BY: gweilo8888

US

METRIC

SERVINGS About scaling and conversions

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter flavored shortening
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla .Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note

Mexican vanilla extract can be found in Mexican grocery stores. If you can't find it, feel free to substitute regular vanilla extract.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Absolutely-the-Best-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

May 14 is...

• National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
• Anniversary of Lewis and Clark Expedition

Best Buttermilk Biscuits

These are truly the best biscuits I have ever made. They epitomize what I look for in a good Southern-style biscuit. They are buttery, fluffy, golden in color and definitely not wimpy — equally able to pair with fried chicken for dinner or form the foundation of a scrambled egg sandwich for breakfast. I tell you, they are dangerous to have around the house. After my husband and I ate three each, I had to foist the rest off on co-workers in deference to our waistlines.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Yields: 12 biscuits
Time to make: ~45 minutes

What you need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. double-acting baking powder
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 4 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• food processor
• 1 cup flour, distributed in rimmed baking sheet
• 9-inch round cake pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
• ¼ cup dry measure, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees
2. In the food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda just to combine
3. Scatter the butter cubes over the dry ingredients
4. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal
5. Transfer to a bowl, add the buttermilk and stir until just incorporated
6. Using the dry measure, scoop out a level amount of dough and drop it onto the baking sheet to form 12 evenly sized mounds
7. Dust the tops of the dough pieces with some flour
8. With floured hands, pick up each piece of dough and coat with flour
9. Gently shape into a ball
10. Shake off the excess flour and place the dough in the prepared cake pan
11. Repeat with the remaining pieces; arrange 9 balls around the outside of the cake pan and the 3 remaining balls in the center
12. Brush the tops with the melted butter
13. Bake 5 minutes
14. Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake until the biscuits are a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more
15. Cool in the pan a couple of minutes, then invert onto a dish towel and break apart
16. Cool a few minutes more before serving, if you can wait

Note: This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, July-Aug. 2004.
http://simplycooking.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/best-buttermilk-biscuits/

May 13 is...

• Happy Mother's Day
• Casey at the Bat Published
• National Apple Pie Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! I love you!

The Culinary Institute of America chose this recipe -- from hundreds submitted by RD readers for our May 2005 "America's 100 Best" issue -- as the best apple pie. Winner Jack Nordick of Ortonville, Minnesota, says he doesn't measure much. "I just mix until it looks right."




You Will Need
Crust
2 2/3 cups flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup ice water
1 teaspoon salt

Filling
Butter to taste
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste
1 cup sugar (approximately)
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
10 peeled apples (Wolf River; or a mix of Granny Smith, McIntosh and Rome)
3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

What to Do
1. Make crust, following directions in any standard cookbook. 2. Roll chilled crust into plate; trim. Dot with butter; add cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/8 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon minute tapioca.

3. Slice in 5 peeled apples. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon tapioca.

4. Add 5 more sliced apples; press firmly. Add more cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon tapioca; drizzle 3 tablespoons OJ concentrate on top. Dot with butter; cover with top crust.

5. Trim, fold and crimp crust; cut in vents; sprinkle sugar on top. Bake 60 minutes at 375°F.