Simplified Recipes by Issa :)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas holiday! Us? We did but it was a tad busy, shuttling back and forth between 3 nearby cities. The perils of having a huge families on both sides, lol! As such I don't have a new recipe to share with you from the holidays, BUT I have two very easy recipes from our new homeschooling blog that you'll love because of its simplicity! Below are the links to the recipes which I now branded as "Simplified Recipes by Issa", haha! Feeling Martha Stewart much! ;-)

2-ingredient healthy cookies - Yes, there's only 2 basic ingredients for this healthy treat! You can add more of course, but why complicate life? When you're a busy mom, every second counts. The faster the chore (cooking) gets done, the better it is for our sanity! Haha!

Chicken Cacciatore ala Issa - Instead of pan-frying the chicken like in the original cacciatore recipe, this one has no frying involved but just as yummy! No frying = less cooking time which means (not-so busy) happy mommy!

Give the recipes a try and tell me how it went okay? I love feedback! :) And to wrap up, once again, a happy new year to all of you! May you achieve all your goals this 2014, and may you be a good force here on Earth!

tips for soft, chewy cookies

Last time, I shared Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Cookies recipe and it seems that a lot of you were wondering how to make it softer and more melt in your mouth. Well, here are the tips to help you make chewy cookies (and maintain it that way) that we all love!

- VERY IMPORTANT: Do not over mix the dough or use too much flour.

- Bake cookies the minimum amount of time, even though the center may look slightly underbaked. Let cookies stand on baking sheet for one to three minutes to continue to bake, then remove to cooling rack.

- Store soft cookies in an airtight container.

- Do not store soft chewy cookies with crisp type cookies.

- Use shiny aluminum cookie sheets, not dark colored ones.

Source: RecipeSecrets.net ^_^

Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Cookies!! =)

I'm so happy to have finally found the recipe to Mrs. Fields' oatmeal cookies!! ^_^ I can't get enough of these stuff and I can't wait to bake these cookies when I have the chance! This recipe will make 48 cookies. Enjoy and happy cooking!






Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 cup Quick oats (not instant)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Cloves
2 teaspoons Grated lemon zest
1 cup Dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup Butter
1 large Egg
1/2 cup Honey
1 cup Raisins

Topping:
1/2 cup Quick oats

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
-In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, salt, soda, cinnamon, cloves and lemon zest. Mix well and set aside.
-Cream the sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer.
-Add the egg and honey and beat at medium speed until smooth.
-Add the flour mixture and raisins, and blend at low speed until just combined. The dough will be quite soft.
-Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. If you wish, sprinkle the cookies with oats.
-Bake the cookies for 23-25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. ENJOY eating!! ^_^

Baguio Country Club cookies!

My parents had a company affair in Baguio City, our country's summer capital (coolest city), the other week. They stayed at the Baguio Country Club where gourmet cookies and other baked goodies are exclusively sold to club members and checked-in patrons. Yes, the country club is THAT snooty! LOL! But with a reason -- their cookies are to-die for and does not have that commercial taste. Super delish! =) Their cookies as gifts will surely will surely be a hit to the recipient.

Mama bought 3 types of cookies -- my forever favorite oatmeal and nuts cookies, yummy chocolate chips cookies, and double chocolate cookies. All are large (about 3 inches wide) and a pack of four costs P56. Way cheaper than Mrs. Fields cookies and just as delicious! The downside is, as I mentioned, you only get to buy it in Baguio Country Club. Yup, you really have to go to Baguio as they don't do cookie delivery. Unfortunately I have no photos of the famed goodies coz I demolished them all the moment Mama gave them to me. Yup, I'm a cookie monster!!! =)

HAPPY VALENTINES! =)

want FREE recipes??

I got one! And it's another cookie recipe, hehe! This time you need to BAKE, so for those averse to cooking, you can scroll down to the bottom where there's more FREE stuff. Promise, it's not a recipe! LOL! =) Anyway, I got this recipe from the Recipe Secrets e-book where they compiled copycat recipes from famous restaurants and food products. The one I'm gonna share today is "Copycat Mrs. Fields Black and White Cookies" ... I love Mrs. Fields' cookies!!! And I miss it already! Ever since Subway closed about 5 years ago, the only place I can eat her cookies is in Manila. Sniff! Anyway, that's gonna change now coz I can bake her cookies with this copycat recipe. Muhahaha! Here goes:

COPYCAT MRS. FIELDS BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Dark brown sugar
packed 3/4 cup White sugar
1 cup Salted butter
soft 3 large Eggs
2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
5 1/4 oz Semisweet chocolate bar - chopped coarsely
5 1/4 oz White chocolate bar - chopped coarsely

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.
Blend sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed.
Add butter and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and chocolates, and mix at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.
Bake about 25 minutes.
Transfer cookies immediately to a cooling rack.

Yield: 3 dozen (36) cookies.

For those who scrolled down to this part, i.e. those who don't like to cook, here's my freebie tip to you: FREE CHAT if you follow the link! Yes dears, you can yak on the phone for hours with your relatives and girlfriends you won't be seeing this Christmas =) The site that offers this service was made for teen chat and chat lines, but who cares?? You can chat for free so would you pass that up?? Me? I couldn't resist a freebie to save my life! Lol! Enjoy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It’s Christmas time again! And in our home, it means it’s time for baking gourmet cookies and making fruitcakes! Mmm good! My mother is the queen of our kitchen, and I expect to eat her yummy baked goodies anytime soon. Actually, I’ve been pestering her many days now to start baking already. Hehe! For those who love to cook, here’s a simple and delicious recipe for Christmas cookies that you can whip up anytime. This is NO BAKE! Enjoy and have fun cooking!

CORNFLAKE WREATH COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp green food color
4 cups corn flakes
red hot candies
silver dragées

Melt butter, add marshmallows, stirring until all marshmallows are melted. Add extracts and food coloring; stir until it is a uniform green color. When mixture is smooth, add corn flakes; mix well but gently so as not to crush the cornflakes. Form into wreath shapes on sheets of waxed paper, decorate with red cinnamon candies and silver dragées. Let cool.

For those who don’t have the time to cook (or don’t have the inclination to do so), you can buy baked goodies online. One of my favorite “bakeshops” is the San Francisco Cookie Company. I love browsing their site, and the moment they’ll ship internationally, I would surely buy their award-winning all natural cookies. They use whole grains, heart healthy oats, and organic dairy in their cookies. The result? This is what they claim: “A cookie beyond the ordinary -- the traditional taste that you've been looking for but haven't found in all of those "other" cookies.” Now, that sounds GOOD! =)