Author: Scott Torborg

Categories
Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Graham Cracker Snack

Another recipe our friend Erin Carlson unveiled at our 2008 New Year’s Eve Olympics. These were tasty little buggers.  Impossible to each just one.  Good thing my New Year’s resolutions started the next day.  Enjoy! Note: Picture taken before baking.

1 pkg. graham crackers
2 sticks butter
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

  1. Break graham crackers apart and lay on foil lined jelly roll pan.
  2. Melt butter with sugar.  Bring to boil, stirring often.
  3. Remove from heat.  Add pecans and vanilla
  4. Pour over crackers.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Categories
Chicken Main Dishes Recipes with Pictures

Southwestern Chicken Pizza

This recipe comes to you from Erin Carlson.  Erin and her husband Erik (Chuckie) hosted our annual New Year’s Eve Olympics this past year.  It’s a weekend where we play a bunch of boardgames and eat lots of food.  This particular recipe came out of that weekend.  It was delicious and appeared to be an easy dish to make, but that’s easy for me to say as I was only the taster.  Good stuff, thanks Erin!

1 medium onion
1 medium green pepper
1/4 C. water
2 (10 oz. ) tubes of pizza crust
1 1/4 C. salsa
2 pkg. (6 oz) southwestern chicken strips
2 C. shredded Mexican cheese
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder

In microwave, combine onion, pepper and water. Cover and cook 2-4 minutes on high until crisp-tender.  Drain well.

Unroll pizza crust onto greased 14 x 10″ pan.  Spread with salsa.  Top with chicken, onions, peppers and cheese.  Sprinkle with garlic.

Bake 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Categories
Bars Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Rice Krispie Bars (Treats)

Every recipe book, website or blog has to have the staple rice krispie treats recipe.  I was surprised to learn this site did not have one, that is until now.  A simple and delicious treat. I think I’ll go make (and eat) a pan right now.

3 T.  butter or margarine
1 pkg. (10 oz., about 40)  regular marshmallows or 4 C miniature marshmallows
6 C. Rice Krispies

  1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
  2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
  3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

Microwave Directions:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.

Categories
Bars Cookies Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Got this recipe from Carol Robson, a co-worker of mine.  She brought these in one morning and they were gone in no time. Some of Carol’s comments about the recipe are below . . .

Watkins vanilla is mandatory (my Mom always insisted on that).  Guess you could call it “an old family recipe”. 

3 eggs
2 1/4 C. brown sugar
Mix until frothy – at least 4 or 5 minutes (stand mixer works best)

Add and mix well:
3/4 C. melted margarine

Sift together and add:
2 1/4 C. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Add:
1 T. Watkins real vanilla (no substitutes)

Stir in by hand:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Spread in greased 10 x 15 jelly roll pan.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 min.
Do not over bake!

Categories
Bars Cakes Desserts Miscellaneous Recipes with Pictures

Brownie Edges

Brownies with edges

This here post is for all you folks who LOVE brownie edges.  If you’re at all like me – you tend not to venture too far away from the edge of the brownie pan.  In fact, you eat all around a pan of warm brownies, enjoying every morsel of chewy-edge bliss before leaving the comfort and safety of the brownie pan.

I was fortunate to receive a modern baking miracle called the “Baker’s Edge” baking pan for Christmas.  The designer of this pan is an absolute genius, I wish I had thought of this first.  See the pictures below and purchase one of these bad boys for yourself.  It surely won’t disappoint.

Categories
Cookies Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Chocolate Molasses Cookies

I got this recipe for chocolate molasses cookies from my co-worker Val Lochner.  She submitted the following comments about this recipe:

“The recipe came from my aunt, Leola Velo, who with husband Eddie raised 9 children, and tens upon thousands of turkeys on their farm in western Minnesota.  She was a volunteer extraordinaire in her church and community and any recipe from her was guaranteed to be good.”

1 C. sugar
3/4 C. shortening (Crisco)
1 egg
2 1/3 C. flour
1/4 C. molasses
1/4 C. chocolate syrup
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

  1. Cream sugar and shortening, add egg.
  2. Add molasses and chocolate syrup.
  3. Sift dry ingredients together and add to mixture.
  4. Roll into balls the size of a walnut and place on cookie sheet.
  5. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press down on each cookie.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees.
Categories
Cookies Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/3 C. butter (2 2/3 sticks), cold
1 1/3 C. brown sugar, packed
1 C. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 C. graham flour or whole wheat flour
3 C. white flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
24 oz. Nestle’s Semi-Sweet Morsels

Cut cold butter into 1/4 tsp. cubes.

By hand or with mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt and vanilla.

When the mixture is uniform, mix (low speed) the eggs, graham flour, flour, and baking soda.  Beat (medium speed) until well mixed.  Expect the dough to be stiff.

By hand, stir in the chips.  You may need to work the dough with your fingers to distribute the chocolate chips evenly.

Pinch off dough in pieces the size of large eggs and form into 24 balls.  (If you prefer, divide dough in half, half again, and half once more.  Divide each of the eight portions into three large balls.) Pat the balls to flatten them to about 3/4 in. thick.  Straighten the sides to make disks 2 1/2 in. in diameter. Chill a minimum of 2 1/2 hours.  You may leave the dough covered in the refrigerator for several days.

Preheat oven to 400º F.  As the oven heats, place 6 disks in the wells of an ungreased muffin-top pan. Let them warm up outside the refrigerator for ten minutes or so before baking.

On the second-to-top oven rack, bake one tray at a time for 10-12 minutes. The edges should be golden and the center 2″ of each cookie should still be light.

Cool 15 minutes in pan. Twist each cookie in place to loosen it, and slide it onto a wire cooling rack.

Make 24 jumbo cookies.

Categories
Candy Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Pretzel Rolos Pecan Turtles

I got this pretzel turtles recipe from a co-worker’s wife.  These turtle pretzels are simple to make and fun for the kids.  My kids were able to do everything, I just slid the parchment off the hot pan to a cold pan so I didn’t have to worry about them burning themselves.  They enjoyed making and eating them, of course 🙂

Pretzel Turtles Recipe

– Small mini pretzels
– Chocolate covered caramel candies (Rolos)
– Pecan halves

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  2. Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate covered caramel candy on each pretzel.
  3. Bake for 4 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

MORE PICTURES:

Chocolate covered caramel candies

Pretzels

Pecan Halves

Pretzel turtles recipe before they are placed in the oven

Categories
Cakes Desserts Recipes with Pictures

Cherry or Blueberry Coffee Cake

Betty, a co-worker of mine, brought this coffee cake into work one day when her church told her they had enough desserts for a funeral that day. Boy did they make a mistake, it was still warm when she brought it in. Don’t tell anybody at work, but I think I ate a whole row of this stuff. It was delicious!

Cherry or Blueberry Coffee Cake

Cherry or Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 C. sugar
4 eggs
1 C. cooking oil (Betty uses Smart Balance)
2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla or almond flavoring (Betty uses almond)
1 can pie filling (21 oz.)

  1. Beat eggs, add sugar, oil and flour which have been sifted together with baking powder and salt.
  2. Spread 1/2 of batter into 9 x 13″ pan.
  3. Spread 1 can of pie filling (or other pie filling).
  4. Drop remaining batter over pie filling. (Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if desired, Betty does not)
  5. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.
  6. Drizzle powdered sugar frosting on top (Betty flavors with almond)
Categories
Recipes with Pictures Salads Side Dishes

Potato Salad

This recipe comes from Carol, a friend of mine at work. Carol doesn’t share just any old thing when it comes to work-lunch potlucks. Last time around she brought this stellar potato salad. Everyone loved it! Which is why I am posting on the site. Thanks Carol!

CAROL’S NOTES:
My mother made the best potato salad. However, when I tried to make it her way, it never tasted the same so…
I decided I would experiment with my own recipe until it tasted like hers. My father-in-law wanted me to package and market my potato salad… that isn’t going to happen 🙂

Potato Salad

5 lbs. of (white) Idaho potatoes cooked with skins on
1 dozen large (white) eggs – hard boiled
1 jar of “Spin Blend” salad dressing (add more salad dressing for a moist salad)
2 C. chopped onions (white)
1/2 C. chopped chive greens (for color)

  1. Cook white potatoes with the jackets on until you can inset a fork in them, but they do not fall apart
  2. Cool, peel and dice in a large bowl
  3. Boil eggs (in the shell) until done. Cool in cold water (or ice water). Remove shells and dice, add to potatoes
  4. Add onions and chopped chives
  5. Mix in one jar of Spin Blend salad dressing depending on the amount of potatoes and eggs (Spin Blend can be found at the grocery store in the same isle as Mayo)
  6. Mix well
  7. Salt and Pepper to taste