Crazy Cookin' Fool

Today I woke up late - yuck - I feel so unproductive when I do that.

I did get to visit with Dad for a few minutes before he headed back to Atlanta. I love to see him if even for just a few minutes. I went running afterward and then took a really long grocery trip in which I went up and down every single aisle and looked at everything they had. And well. . . they have everything, except for the canned whole cranberries that I needed for one of my recipes. I hurried home - emptied the dishwasher and loaded up the stranded dishes from the sink. Then the cookin' began.
Here's what I made: Kay's Chip Dip, Roasted Sweet Potatoes on the Grill, Cranberry Chicken (my best variation yet), and Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Kay's Chip Dip is a brand new recipe to me. Pete and Emily's friend Kay made it this past weekend for Alaina's party and I couldn't get enough. You can substitute out the full fat items for the lowfat!

8 ounces cream cheese
16 ounces sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 dashes red cayenne pepper -- to taste
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 large red bell pepper -- diced

Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, garlic salt, cumin. Make sure that the cream cheese is thoroughly incorporated.

Mix in 4 ounces of the shredded cheese.

Mix in diced red bell pepper.

Pour mixture into a serving dish. Top with remaining 4 ounces of cheese

Serve with Multigrain chips.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes is a standard favorite in my heart. Peel the sweet potato. Sharpen your knife and then cube the sweet potato into 1-2 inch pieces. Mix in a bowl with a small amount of olive oil. Place 1 layer thick on a sheet pan (or foil if you are going to grill)


Cranberry Chicken is a recipe that I have been trying to perfect for a LONG time. Tonight – I may have gotten it! I made it on the grill this evening. One of the key factors is that my ground ginger is especially good from Penzey’s Spices. There is a shop not too far from my house – but you can mail order too!

1 pound chicken
1 can cranberries -- whole
2 tablespoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar -- heaping
2 tablespoons flour -- heaping
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing


Mix cranberries, onion flakes, cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, flour, and Italian salad dressing.

Prepare chicken for baking. I prefer to pound the chicken flat.

Place the chicken in a baking dish (or in a foil bowl if you are going to use the grill) and cover with the cranberry sauce.

Cook at 350 degrees (or low on the grill) until the chicken is cooked through.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have been trying to make this recipe for several weeks now but it’s been simply too hot to turn on the oven. This is my neighbor Lois’ favorite cookie recipe. I lost the recipe and had to go to her house to ask for it even though I had given her the recipe in the first place. The recipe was on the back of a bag of dried cranberries. It is now the recipe that I make to say thank you to my neighbors. The lucky recipient will be: Lois & Chuck for always being great neighbors, for Bob for letting me borrow his wheelbarrow and the cutting knives for the sod, and Gene & Vicki for turning of the main valve to my water when it was spurting ALL OVER my basement when the washer hose busted! Thanks neighbors. I feel like I should make a batch next week too for the garbage men; especially the guys who loaded up my 90+ leaf bags after the sodding extravaganza.

2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

In a large bowl stir together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; add to butter mixture and mix until well combined.

Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Place dough 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet until edges are slightly browned and centers are still soft (around 12 - 15 minutes) Do not over bake.

Cool completely and Enjoy!

And one last thing I did in the "cookin'" world was to make Southern Sweet Tea for the girls doing the Esther Study with me this summer. I brewed 3 quarts of tea, added true lemon, and a cup of simple syrup that I made on the stove. Needless to say - It was a big hit!

Now get out there family - and get cookin'. Let us know how it all works out!

Love, Tracy