Irish Crinkle Cookies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Irish Crinkle Cookies. My first tip for a successful crinkle cookie is….do not skip the chilling step mentioned in the recipe. The secret is to make the dough firm enough to solidify the buttery consistency that makes shaping a breeze. If you need an extra ten minutes for things to firm up, take it. It’s even helpful to place the bowl back in the refrigerator between sessions. Stick to the baking times; over baking will get you dry crumbly results. 

IRISH CRINKLE COOKIES 

Ingredients: 

15.25-ounce box white cake mix 

1/3 cup butter, softened 

2 large eggs, room temperature 

1/4 teaspoon green food coloring 

1/4 teaspoon mint extract 

3 tablespoons sugar 

6 tablespoons powdered sugar 

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine white cake mix, softened butter, and large eggs. Stir together until it becomes a sticky dough. Add green food coloring and mint extract. Mix until evenly distributed. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until chilled. Place the granulated sugar in one bowl and the powdered sugar in another bowl. Shape cookie dough into 1” balls. Roll each one in regular sugar and then powdered sugar. Place 2” apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes until center is just barely set. Remove the pan from the oven. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Hash Brown Casserole

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Hash Brown Casserole. Restaurants got the hint that customers crave cheesy hash brown casseroles. Logically when dialing back meal portions, it makes sense to offer a form of potato other than the traditional baked potato. Have you seen the size of them? They’re ginormous. Oftentimes, my husband and I can split one baked potato between the two of us. At the risk of dating myself, hash brown casseroles have been around since that first fond memory of “funeral potatoes” appeared. After all, it’s comfort food that can magically “calm the chaos” in a sad situation. Now you can make cheesy hash brown casserole at home. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you already have the recipe in one of those local fundraiser cookbooks. 

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE 

Ingredients: 

32-ounce shredded hash browns, thawed 

16- ounces sour cream 

10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup 

1/2 cup butter, melted 

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided 

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, melted butter, diced onions, sea salt, black pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Mix well. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading the potato mixture evenly throughout. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and golden. Serve immediately. 

Granny Smith Apple Crumble

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Granny Smith Apple Crumble. It’s called a crumble because when you combine brown sugar, flour, and butter the end result should look bumpy and crunchy. Streusel comes to mind, in case you wonder why you’re suddenly drooling all over your apron. I like to add another sprinkling of cinnamon over the topping, but my husband reminds me not everyone likes the taste of cinnamon. (Who are these people, I wonder with a shrug and a smile.) 

GRANNY SMITH APPLE CRUMBLE

Ingredients for Crumble:

4-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices 

1 tablespoon apple cider bourbon 

1 cup light cream, minus one tablespoon 

3/4 cup sugar 

1/3 cup butter, room temperature 

1 1/4 cup flour 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

I egg

Star anise, for garnish

Fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Ingredients for Crunchy Topping: 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

2 tablespoons flour 

2 tablespoons butter, softened 

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour a 10” round baking dish or iron skillet. Set aside. Pour the apple cider bourbon into a one-cup measuring cup; fill remaining space with light cream. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add flour, sea salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. While mixing, gradually add light cream mixture and egg. Blend well. Gently fold in sliced apples. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. To make the crunchy topping, combine brown sugar and flour. Cut butter into mixture until it resembles pea-size crumbs. Spread over apple batter. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Garnish with star anise and fresh sage leaves. Serve warm. 

Flamingo Flock Fruit Bites

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Flamingo Flock Fruit Bites! Picnic ideas are always welcome for al fresco dining. If they happen to be finger food, even better. Living in Florida, I’m always “tickled pink” to come across a flamingo novelty. They simply bring a smile to my face. These party picks not only add color and character to a dish, they practically quack “Pick me up and Eat me!” You heard the bird, come and get it. 

FLAMINGO FLOCK FRUIT BITES 

Ingredients: 

20 decorative skewers

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 medium green apple, core removed, cut into wedges

5 mini mozzarella balls, halved and quartered 

20 large blackberries 

Micro Greens, for garnish 

Instructions: 

In a shallow bowl, add fresh lemon juice. Dip each apple wedge into the lemon juice, coating both sides. Transfer to a plate; repeat until all the apple wedges have been dipped. To each skewer, pierce one green apple wedge, one mozzarella section, and one ripe blackberry. Transfer skewer to a serving platter. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Chill until ready to serve. Before serving, garnish with micro greens. 

Easter Coconut Macaroons

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Easter Coconut Macaroons! In my childhood I had two choices of candy bars featuring chewy coconut centers: one with chocolate or one with chocolate and almonds. (I’m sure you can recall the names.) I was drawn to the slightly caramelized taste around the edges as well as the sugary sweet dense centers. Years later I realized this was an Easter springtime favorite, highlighting Passover, because it fell into the kosher restrictions of omitting flour. No gluten! Some people dip the macaroons into chocolate. I like the candy-coated chocolate eggs and thought you might, too. 

EASTER COCONUT MACAROONS 

Ingredients: 

14-ounces sweetened flaked coconut 

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, whites only

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

4 ounces candy coated chocolate eggs, roughly chopped 

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine flaked coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well. In another bowl, place the egg whites and sea salt. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture until combined. Using two spoons, form heaping tablespoons of the cookie mixture into mounds on the prepared baking sheet; spacing about one inch apart. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges are a deep golden brown. The tops should be lightly browned. Allow the macaroons to cool for a minute. Press chopped chocolate eggs into the center of each cookie. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

Dried Beef Cheeseball

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Dried Beef Cheeseball! This is one of those all-time favorite appetizers that are crowd-pleasers. Some refer to it as “chipped” beef; others call it “dried” beef. I guess it depends on where you lived the first time you sampled it at a family friendly gathering. Either way, the umami salty savory concoction tickled your taste buds while tempting you for more. Just one more. In my experience, the firm texture of the spreadable cheeseball will last long after all the crackers and pretzels have vanished. Then there’s no other option but to “sigh” and reach for the celery sticks to finish it up. 

DRIED BEEF CHEESEBALL 

Ingredients: 

16 ounces cream cheese, softened 

4.5 ounces dried beef, chopped and divided 

5 green onions, chopped and divided 

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

Instructions: 

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and chopped dried beef (reserving about 1/4 cup chopped beef), 3 green chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Mix well. Roll into a ball and place in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour, or until firm. Unroll the cheese ball from the plastic wrap. Roll in the reserved chopped beef and remaining chopped onions. Serve with crackers. 

Caramel Apple Rice Cake

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Caramel Apple Rice Cake! Whether you are looking for a light breakfast, midday snack, or energy-booster…..think rice cakes. They offer a satisfying crunch and are easily digestible. Fruit, nuts, seeds, and protein contain vitamins that are justifiable as well. I like the taste. Be forewarned. You may find yourself at the grocery store standing in front of the packaged display highly impressed with all the varieties. Sure, you can eat them plain, but why would you? 

CARAMEL APPLE RICE CAKE 

Instructions: 

1 apple cinnamon rice cake

2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese 

1/2 Gala apple, cored and sliced 

1-2 tablespoons sea salt caramel sauce

2 tablespoons redskin Spanish peanuts 

Instructions: 

Place one rice cake on a plate. Spread whipped cream cheese evenly on the cinnamon rice cake. Arrange apple slices over the top. Drizzle with sea salt caramel sauce. Sprinkle Spanish peanuts over all.