Wheat Thins

I found this recipe in the Deseret Cookbook, and it always intrigued me. You can actually make homemade Wheat Thins? How cool is that?! I made them for a New Years Eve party back in 2006, but then I lost the cookbook. I got a new one early in 2009 and finally made these crackers again a couple weeks ago. They are super easy to make and yummy, too. The recipe says to flavor them with a light sprinkling of salt before baking, you can be creative with the flavor. I've made them with onion and garlic powders and salt. They were a hit!

Click here for Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Directions:

Mix flours together in large bowl.

Blend oil, salt and water together.

Add liquid mixture to dry, mixing well but as little as possible.

Roll as thin as possible on unoiled cookie sheet (or the back of a jellyroll pan) -- not more than 1/8" thick.

Mark with knife for size crackers desired, but do not cut through.

Prick each cracker a few times with a fork.

Sprinkle lightly with salt or onion salt, if desired.

Bake at 350°F until crisp and light brown, about 30 minutes.

Break apart at scored marks.

The ghost sister returns with a new recipe!!!

Yes, ghost sister has returned and with her a new recipe! I was at a loss for supper last night. I had a pair of very tasty looking boneless pork chops just WAITING for me to make something splendid out of them. I peeked in my pantry, and voila my muse, my inspiration, peeked over a can of kidney beans. How could a girl resist that sweet golden goodness that is just MADE to be paired up with pork. It is like peanut butter to chocolate....cornbread to honey....orange yogurt to saltine crackers (this MAY or may not be to everyone's liking). Inspiration hit and I started to busily clang around pots and pans. I was feeling like my old self again, my "dinner block" had been tossed to the curb. I am BACK and raring to dust off my hot pads and don my apron again. This is what became of the beautiful pork chops and the lowly can of crushed pineapple. My son really liked the rice especially.

One Skillet Jamaican Baked Pork Chops with Sticky Pineapple Rice

Click here for Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Lean Boneless Pork Chops marinated in Lawrys Jamaican Jerk Marinade Sauce
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 1 small can crushed pineapple
• 1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp
• 1 tbsp Jamaican Jerk seasoning (I used Spice Islands brand)
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper to your tastes

Directions:

Heat olive oil in oven proof skillet. Sear Pork Chops on both sides for a minute or so. Remove pork chops and set aside. To skillet add onion, rice and garlic. Stir frequently until rice is toasted. Add broth or water, crushed pineapple, brown sugar, Jamaican seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Place pork chops on top of rice mixture and cover tightly. Place in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the skillet. Serve with your choice of vegetable but broccoli is AWESOME! You can easily add 2 more pork chops to this and not alter anything else!

Hope that you enjoy this like my family did!!!

Jennifer The OTHER sister :)

White Chocolate-Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a Cookie Countdown through My Recipes.com. Each day I receive an email with a link to a delicious new cookie recipe to try. The countdown began on November 1st, and you can easily click on their interactive calendar to see what recipes were sent out previously. Each recipe was originally published in a magazine, and today's recipe was orginially from Christmas with Southern Living, Oxmoor House, DECEMBER 2006. These cookies turned out to be quite delicious; although, it did take eating a few for them to really grow on me. Now that I've eaten nearly the entire batch on my own, I can confidently say that they are yummy and slightly addicting. They have a unique flavor and are relatively light and crispy. Warning: It is hard not to have a few crumbs fall while eating these.

Click here for a Printable Recipe.

Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (I used 1/2 c shortening + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon fiori di sicilia or orange extract (see note) (I used orange extract)
• 1 cup uncooked regular oats
• 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped, divided (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Beat in egg and orange flavoring just until combined. Add flour mixture and oats; stir until blended. Stir in 1 cup white chocolate and raisins. Cover and chill dough 1 hour, if desired.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. I did not line my cookie sheets with parchment paper; I just used regular ungreased cookie sheets. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls, 3" apart, onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

After cookies have completely cooled, melt remaining 1 cup white chocolate. Spread melted chocolate over approximately half of each cookie.

Note: Order fiori di sicilia from bakerscatalogue.com or call 800-827-6836. It's very affordable, and a small vial will perfume your kitchen for a long time.