Chocolate Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

For the cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened good quality cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk (use whole - don't try to be healthy and use something less than whole!)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (splurge a little for GOOD vanilla - trust me it makes a difference)
For the filling
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup canned solid pumpkin

DirectionsPreheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl with an electric mixer, combine the butter, shortening, and both sugars. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk and vanilla, and add the remaining flour mixture.

Drop by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes or until cookies spring back when lightly touched. Place baking sheet on wire rack and let cool 5-10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Filling...
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin and mix until smooth, scraping down bowl as necessary.

Assemble whoopie pie...
Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling on the flat sides of half the cookies then sandwich with remaining cookies.

Texas Minestrone

There's nothing like a big bowl of homemade soup when you're feeling under the weather.  I'm a little spoiled when it comes to soup - my Mommy used to make me homemade soup when I was sick, so now that I'm a  "big kid" I refuse to eat canned soup when I'm sick....in fact the thought of it makes me gag.  Homemade soup is so comforting and perhaps it's just a mind thing - but I think it really does help take away the "ickiness".

3 tbsp. butter
1-1.5 lbs of Ground Chuck or Course Ground Beef for Chili
1 tbsp. Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning
1 small onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can of Chipotle Tomatoes, diced
1 can of Corn, drained
1 can of Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. Worcestershire Sauce
1 box of Beef Stock
2 c. of cooked macaroni noodles

Melt the butter in a heavy pot and add the ground beef and Tony Chachere's seasoning; stirring and breaking up the meat.  Cook the meat until it is lightly browned.  Next add the onion and bell pepper and cook until the onion is transparent.  If there is an excess amount of grease in the pot, you can drain it at this point -otherwise add the tomatoes, corn, and red beans and stir the mixture until everything is well mixed.  Add the Worcestershire and beef stock - I use anywhere between 2/3 of a box to a full box of stock.  Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the temperature to medium-low/low, cover and simmer.

In the meantime, in a seperate pot - cook the macaroni noodles according to the package.  I like to cook my pasta al dente so when I add it to my soup it doesn't get too soggy.

When you're ready to eat the soup, put about 1/4c. of the cooked macaroni noodles in a bowl and add the soup mixture to the bowl.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese or some shredded cheddar cheese.

Korean BBQ Short Ribs (Gal-Bi)

The first time I had Korean food was in Austin at Korea House off of Anderson Lane.  I was so in awe of all of the little side dishes (Banchan) that came with the meal.  I've found a few places since my first Korean food experience, but Korea House will always hold a special in my heart.  Over the next few weeks - I will share some of my favorite Korean recipes with yall...hope yall enjoy!!!

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. of Korean Style Short Ribs (Beef Chuck Flanken cut 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick - see pic)
3/4 c. Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Pineapple Juice
1 tbsp. White Vinegar
1/4 c. Dark Brown Sugar
2 tbsp. White Sugar
1 tbsp. Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1/4 c. Garlic, Finely Minced
1/2 Large Onion, Finely Minced

Rinse the short ribs under cool water in a collander; pat dry and set aside.

In a glass bowl, combine the remaining ingrediants and mix thoroughly. If you don't want to mince the garlic and onion by hand, you can place them in a food processor and pulse until it is finely minced - almost in a puree form.

Place the ribs in a large Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the ribs and seal the bag.  Massage the marinade and meat together until the marinade is thoroughly distributed over the ribs.  Place the Ziploc bag in a baking dish (just in case the marinade leaks out of the bag) and place in the refrigerator.  I like to let my ribs marinade over-night, but if you don't want to wait that long - at least let them marinade for 6-8 hours...you don't want to short change yourself on flavor by cutting the time short.  I try to turn the bag once in the middle of it marinading to make sure all of the ribs get evenly marinaded.

When you're ready to cook the ribs, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.  Place the ribs on the foil lined baking sheet in a single layer - careful to not crowd them.  If you need to use (2) baking sheet  I would recommend it so you don't end up "steaming" your ribs.  Bake the ribs for 14-15 minutes; flipping them halfway through.

You can also grill the ribs, cooking the for the same amount of time.  I prefer to bake them because I like to pour the drippings over my rice....oh yeah -serve with steamed rice :)

The EX-Files...Part One

It's no secret amongst my friends that I have THE worst luck when it comes to romance and relationships.  I've only had a handful of serious relationships and none of them have ever panned out to more than 4 years tops.  I call it the Air Force curse because I'm an Air Force Brat and we never stayed in one place for very long....I'm used to life changing every couple of years and starting over.

I was married in 2003 and for 4 years I lived in hell.  To be honest with you - I knew it wasn't going to work after 6 months...I could not stand his family, to be specific - I couldn't stand his Mother.  There was other stuff going on too, but for the sake of not reliving some of these things I'll spare you and me the details.  His mother and I had a Love/Hate Relationship - we loved to hate each other!  By the time I walked away from my marriage, I left with all of my belongings crammed into my Expedition, $1000.00, and 2 recipes that I tweeked - 1 of them turned out to be an award winning recipe...that was my happily ever after ;)

Armadillo Eggs!

Armadillo Eggs - My Award Winning Recipe!
10 - 12 medium jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise and semi-seeded
6 oz. cream cheese, softened and room temperature
1 garlic cloved, finely minced or pushed through a press
2 c. sharp shredded cheddar
2 tubes of HOT breakfast sausage
1 pkg Oven Fry Pork Seasoning
1 1/2 c. Bisquick or similar product.

In a large bowl, combine the breakfast sausage, Bisquick, Oven Fry mix, and 1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese.  The mixture will seem dry, but keep working it - it's very similar to the sausage ball recipe.  Once everything is thoroughly mixed - set it aside.

In a small bowl, place the cream cheese and minced/pressed garlic in a bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds.  Stir the mixture and add the remaining 1/2 c. shredded cheese - stirring until everything is mixed.  The shredded cheddar doesn't need to be melted into the cream cheese mixture - set this mixture to the side.

Rinse the jalapenos under warm water and drain.  Be sure the jalapenos are dry - if needed, pat them dry.  Cut the stems off of the jalapenos, but don't cut too far into the pepper - just enough to remove the stem.  Next cut the jalapenos lengthwise and remove the seedes and ribs - you can use a pairing knife or your fingers (just remember to not rub your eyes afterwards).

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  I find it easiest to prep everything first, preheat the oven, then assemble the Armadillo eggs in stages.

Take the halved jalapeno and fill it with the cream cheese mixture using either a small cheese knife or a small teaspoon.  I usually start out using the cheese knife, but switch to my fingers because you want to make sure to pack the mixture in - BUT don't overfill it.  The mixture should be even to or little less than the edges of the jalapeno.  Repeat this step until all of the jalapenos are filled.

Next, wet your hands with water and take a golf ball size amount of the sausage mixture and pat it flat in the palm of your hand.  It's easiest to do this near the sink because you will want to keep your hands wet so the mixture doesn't stick to you when your patting the mixture flat.  Place the jalapeno, open side down onto the meat patty in your hand and begin shaping the sausage mixture around the jalapeno.  You may have to continue to wet your hands throughout this process to be able to shape it into an "egg" shape.  Place the Armadillo Egg on to the baking sheet and repeat the process.

Bake in the oven for 30-45 mns or until golden brown and the cheese starts to ooze out (just a little bit).  I personally like the Armadillo Eggs at room temperature or the day after - it gives it time to allow the flavors to mesh together.

Salami Bread - Two Ways (with peppers and without)
2 cans of canned pizza dough
2 pkgs of Beef Cotto Salami
2 c. Low Moisture Mozzarella
1 Roasted Red Bell Pepper, diced
3/4 c. Hot Peppercini Rings, diced
1 stick of Butter, melted
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Garlic Salt
Crushed Red Pepper
Onion Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet or baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Salami Bread Supreme (With Peppers)
Open 1 can of the pizza dough and place on to a floured surface.  Gently kneed out or roll out the dough until it is even.

Place 8 slices of the salami on 1/2 of the dough - you will need to leave the other half free so you can fold it over on to the salami.  Sprinkle 1 c. of the mozzarella over the salami.  Next dice the roasted red bell pepper and the hot peppercini slices and sprinkle evely over the salami cheese mixture.  Fold the other half of the pizza dough over the salami, cheese, pepper mixture and crimp the edges to seal it.

Brush the top of the dough with melted butter, liberally and grind the black pepper over the dough.  Place the salami bread in the oven and bake until golden brown.  Remove the salami bread from the oven and liberally brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and set it aside to cool.

Traditional Salami Bread (Without Peppers)
Next, open the 2nd can of pizza dough and place on to a floured surface. Gently kneed out or roll out the dough until it is even.

Place 8 slices of the salami on 1/2 of the dough - you will need to leave the other half free so you can fold it over on to the salami. Sprinkle 1 c. of the mozzarella over the salami.

Fold the other half of the pizza dough over the salami and cheese and crimp the edges to seal it.

Brush the top of the dough with melted butter, liberally and grind the black pepper over the dough. Place the salami bread in the oven and bake until golden brown. Remove the salami bread from the oven and liberally brush with the melted butter, sprinkle with onion salt and crushed red pepper, and set it aside to cool.

Cut both salami breads into 2"wide strips.  I personally like to cut the Salami Bread Supreme into smaller squares since it's a little more robust in flavor and leave the Traditional Salami Bread in longer strips....enjoy!!!

Cajun Spiced Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Creole Cream Sauce

Cajun Spiced Pecan Crusted Tilapia

2 - Tilapia Filets, rinsed and patted dry
1/3 c. AP Flour
2 tbsp. Blackening Season
2 oz. Pecan Pieces, super finely chopped
5 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. veg oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. water
2 tbsp. Franks Hot Sauce

Combine in a pie plate or something similar in shape/size: Flour, Blackening Seasoning and the Super Finely Chopped Pecan Pieces.  In a seperate bowl combine the eggs, water, and Franks Red Hot (use more or less depending on your taste preferrence.  Dip the tilapia filet in the pecan mixture and pat the mixture onto the fish, making sure you coat as much of the fish as possible.  Next dip the fish into the egg wash - making sure to coat the fish in the wet mixture.  Now dip it back into the pecan mixture, thoroughly coating the fish and set aside onto a plate.  Repeat the the steps for the next filet and let the fish set for 15 minutes to allow the coating to adhere to the fish and dry out a bit.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium/medium high heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the oil and heat the butter/oil mixture till it's just about to smoke and is ripply in the pan.  Add the fish filets carefully - I place the thicker side of the fish towards the center of the pan.  Cook until it's golden brown on one side and flip (gently so you don't splash yourself) - cook for another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.  Once the filets are cooked remove them from the pan with a spatula and place on a plate.

Creole Cream Sauce

2 -3 tbsp. of the pan drippings from the fish
1-2 tbsp. of flour
2 tbsp. Creole Mustard (I prefer Zatarrains)
3/4c - 1c. Chardonnay
1/2c. Heavy Whipping Cream (more or less based on your preferrence.)

Drain the butter/oil mixture from the pan - leaving 2-3 tbsp. in the pan (it's ok if there's residue/brown bits on the bottom of the pan - it adds flavor).  Add the flour - if you leave about 3 tbsp of butter/oil, use 2 tbsp. of flour; if you leave 2 tbsp of butter/oil, use 1 tbsp. of flour.  Cook the flour for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste.  Add the creole mustard into the mixuture and combine with the roux - I use a fork at this point to help mix everything together.  Remove the pan from the burner and add the wine.  Place the pan back on the burner and use your fork to break up the roux and combine it into the wine mixture - smash it and whisk it with the fork.  Once this mixture has been combined, add the the cream and stir until everything is mixed together.  I forgot to mention - while making the sauce, be sure to set the temperature on the stove to medium-low to medium.  Spoon over the tilapia and ENJOY!!!