Chocolate Pixies are old-fashioned, classic cookies. They are a lot like a brownie, but shaped like a cookie. They have slightly crisp edges, soft and chewy in the middle, with plenty of sweet, chocolate flavor. And they are rolled in confectioners’ sugar to boot.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies, so it will take a few minutes to roll all these cookies. They are a bit messy to make, so kids will love to help! And they look very cute. They’ll stay soft several days if stored in an airtight container, if your family doesn’t eat them all first.

This recipe is almost identical to the other chocolate pixie recipes I have seen, of course the all purpose flour has been replaced with gluten free flours, but the remainder of the recipe is unchanged. You’ll have a very traditional tasting chocolate pixie that the whole family will enjoy. And they make a great rainy day or weekend project with the kids. Happy gluten free baking.

The dough rolled into balls and then coated in powdered sugar.

Chocolate Pixies after baking, aren't they cute?

Gluten Free Chocolate Pixies

I have made these without the sweet rice flour, just add 2 more TB of white rice flour. And although they taste wonderful as written, chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips would be great additions.

• 1 1/2 cups white rice flour (I like to use superfine rice flour)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 TB sweet rice flour
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) or shortening
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate and butter or shortening, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.
2. Using a stand mixer or wooden spoon to stir by hand, add sugar and blend until smooth. Add eggs and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. The dough should look like thick brownie batter.
3. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or overnight (I speed up this process by throwing it into the freezer for a few minutes)
4. Preheat oven to 350.
5. Roll dough into tablespoon size balls, roll each ball into the confectioners’ sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch and cookies have a crackled appearance.
6. Allow cookies to cool 3-5 minutes before removing from sheet; allow to cool on wire rack.  Store in airtight container.

So when I was flipping through the channels a few weeks ago and noticed a rerun of America’s Test Kitchen was featuring a flank steak filled with prosciutto and provolone rolled, sliced, skewered, and then grilled, I knew I had to watch.

The idea is so yummy sounding and I have made something quite similar in the past. You might have noticed a version of this in the butcher block. They do look and sound delicious, but in reality, the meat is difficult to cook evenly and the filling is usually dry and overcooked, if it didn’t all drip out into a gooey mess all over your oven or grill.

I really like how the people at America’s Test Kitchen tackle these big cooking dilemmas, they attempt the recipe hundreds of times so we don’t have to. Saves the rest of us a lot of money, time, and headaches.

So they had a couple great ideas. The first is to butterfly the flank steak, I actually used a flat iron because I like the flavor better and I happened to have one in my freezer. Okay, so this sounds scarier than it really is. I can assure you I have sharp knives, but not the best knife skills. And I was still able to pull this dish off. I would guess that nearly every butcher would butterfly this for you though when you make the meat purchase. I made a couple mistakes in mine (holes), but I just proceeded with the recipe and no one was the wiser.

I used a meat tenderized to pound the meat even, you then slather it with an herb/shallot blend and top with prosciutto and provolone. You roll it, tie and here is the great part or the recipe, you skewer it and then cut the into individual portions; think meat lollipops. This really helps the filling stay intact during cooking.

These looked good, smelled great and tasted even better. My husband took one bites and said “holy cannoli these are good.” My three year old was the only one that was not in agreement, I think the taste is a bit grown up for a preschooler.

Although these aren’t difficult, there are quite a few steps so I am including more photos than usual so you can see what is going on.

I think this would be a great choice for entertaining, not only is flank steak or flat iron steak inexpensive, but this feeds quite a few people. The meat could easily be prepared before hand and refrigerated until ready to skewer/slice. I would save that step because the skewers need soaked before grilling to prevent burning. It is fabulous to start with an inexpensive cut of beef and end up with something worthy of company.

I only had a one pound steak in the freezer, so I adjusted the meat and cheese accordingly and we still got 8 slices of meat. And both provolone and prosciutto can be purchased by the slice in the meat/deli section of nearly every grocery store, so you can simply buy a few slices for the recipe.

Also, prosciutto is thinly sliced, dry-cured pork. Of course read the label, but I have never seen any ingredients resembling gluten, just pork and salt.

A flat iron steak

After I attempted to butterfly it.

Slathered in the herb/shallot/garlic paste.

Add some proscuitto and provolone.

Rolled, tied and skewered through the twine.

Sliced and ready for the grill.

Ready to eat. As you can see most of the filling stayed intact.

Grilled Stuffed Steak

I actually used a much smaller cut of meat and just reduced the cheese and meat amounts accordingly.

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 TB fresh minced parsley leaves
• 1 tsp fresh minced sage leaves
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 flank steak or flat iron steak 2-2 1/2 lbs (it is easiest to butterfly if it’s slightly frozen)
• 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 8-12 skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 8-12 pieces of butchers twine
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine garlic, shallot, parsley, sage and olive oil.
2. Lay steak on a cutting board, with grain running parallel to the edge of the counter, butterfly the steak and pound to an even thickness.
3. Spread herb mixture evenly over surface of steak, leaving a 1-2 inch border along top edge. Cover with prosciutto and cheese, leaving the same size border along top edge.
4. Starting from the bottom edge, roll the meat away from you, placing the seam side down on the cutting board.
5. Starting on the outside edges, tie 8-12 pieces of butcher’s twine at 1-inch intervals around steak. Work from outermost ends first, so the filling doesn’t get pushed out the ends.
6. Skewer the beef through the string, and using a sharp knife cut into 1-inch thick pinwheels. Season with salt and pepper.,
7. Cook on preheated med-high grill for about 6 minutes per side of until desired doneness. I actually had difficulty using a meat thermometer on these, due to the filling, so I just sliced into one of them to check for doneness (not real scientific, but it worked).
8. Remove from grill and allow to rest five minutes before discarding skewers and twine. Serve.

I know a lot of people would question whether or not making fries from scratch is really worth the effort. After all, you can get a bag of frozen fries for a couple of bucks in every grocery store. Not only are home fries way better tasting, but they are also a lot healthier and cheaper.

Well, sometimes I like to make my oven fries over-the-top good. Leave it to Emeril to “kick them up a notch” in his children’s cookbook, There’s a Chef in my Kitchen. He turned the classic oven fries into Oven Crispy Cheese Fries. And they are so good.

I don’t bother to follow the recipe exactly, the idea is brilliant and although they certainly aren’t low-fat, they aren’t deep fried so they are a tad healthier. And they are cheesy, but not greasy. Gotta love that.

Emeril coats his oven fries in egg whites before baking, something most recipes don’t do. And it does produce really crispy fries. If you prefer a less crispy fry you might want to make a more traditional recipe like this one I posted few months ago. Whatever you choose, oven fries coated in cheese and green onions are unbelievably good. We have even topped them with chili for a nice dish of chili-cheese fries. Yummy.

We prefer our potatoes peeled before slicing into fries, but you could just scrub the potatoes really well.

Cheese Fries sizzling hot on the baking sheet.

Cheese fries with some slow cooker ribs!

Cheese Fries

If you add chili, this can be a main dish!

• 2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
• about 1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (that’s about 2 really large potatoes or 4 smaller ones) peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp of seasoning salt like Emeril’s Baby Bam
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese
• 2 scallions thinly sliced

1. Position oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 425 or 400 on convection.
2. Grease a nonstick baking sheet with the oil
3. Pat the potatoes dry.
4. In a medium bowl lightly whisk the egg whites with a fork. Add potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove potatoes from oven and sprinkle with half of the seasoning. With a spatula flip potatoes and sprinkle with remaining seasoning.
6. Return to oven and continue baking for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese and scallions. Return to oven for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Serve immediately.

If you have kids, you should really look into his kid’s cookbooks. They are really fun, family-friendly foods. And, to be quite honest, I cook out of them all the time. They are not just recipes easy for kids, but rather, recipes the entire family will enjoy eating together.

Emeril has his famous all purpose seasoning, and a kid friendly version is provided in his kids’ cookbooks called Baby Bam.

I think it is really flavorful, without being too spicy for the little ones, or folks like me that like flavor but not a lot of heat in their food

This makes about 3/4 cup, which I think is a nice amount to keep on hand to season fries, burgers, soups and all the other usual places that you would use a seasoning salt.

Baby Bam

• 3 TB paprika
• 2 TB Kosher Salt
• 2 TB dried parsley
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper (you might want to reduce this if you use a spicy pepper)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp celery salt

1. Place all ingredients in a small container or jar with a tight fitting lid. Seal and shake to combine. Store at room temperature for up to 3 months.

A bacon, tomato, and lettuce salad is great for a lunch or a light dinner. And since we aren’t eating a lot of sandwiches these days, it’s a fun way to get the flavors of a BLT without actually eating a sandwich.

Although the idea of a BLT salad isn’t really that innovative, I got the idea from my Stonewall Kitchen Favorites cookbook. It is one of the cookbooks from the gourmet food company, Stonewall Kitchen. Their cookbooks are beautifully designed, with gorgeous photographs, clear font and feature updated versions of classic recipes.

The dressing is very simple and flavorful. It has a mild dijon flavor. The scallions and parsley might be too flavorful for some kids, but mine don’t mind at all. I think it really compliments the flavors of the salad, but it is a rather versatile dressing and could be used on a typical garden-style salad.

Everything is better with bacon, even a salad!

BLT Salad

• 1 pound bacon (I have to admit, I use about half this amount), cooked and crumbled
• 1 large head Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
• about 2 cups of chopped tomatoes, I use cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size

1. In a large bowl, place lettuce. Top with tomatoes and bacon. Toss with the dressing just before serving.

Dijon Vinaigrette

If you are going to let a child help make the dressing, it works really well to give them a small jar with a lid so they can simply shake the ingredients. It is fun and not as messy as letting them whisk oil

• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TB chopped fresh parsley
• 2 scallions (white and green parts) thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 TB red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

1. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, salt and pepper, parsley and scallions. Add the vinegar and then the oil, whisking until smooth. This can be made a day or so before serving, just stir to combine before using.

Okay, so maybe my family is behind the times. We just recently made the Chex Muddy Buddies recipe that can be found on the side of so many Rice Chex boxes. I am thinking that whoever has the gig to create new and exciting recipes for General Mills, especially the Chex recipes, has a perfect job.

Much like the Original Chex Pary mix, Muddy Buddies are really simple and quick to make and the whole family loves them. Too much. They are really sweet, crunchy and have that peanut butter and chocolate combination that we all love.

I like how quick and easy they are to make. Start to finish probably takes 10-15 minutes total. And unlike so many other treats, they don’t need baked, you can eat these immediately.

This recipe would be great for the older child eager to “cook.” But just be aware that melted chocolate + kids = mess. I let my three year old “help” and let’s just say the kitchen needed a little more cleaning than usual. But, what else did I have to do today? And it was priceless when she said, “I need washed, I got all muddy.”

So, next time you need a quick sweet, chocolate fix, I vote for Chex Muddy Buddies. Here is my version of the recipe; you can find the original on the box of most Rice Chex.

Muddy Buddies, a new favorite treat.

Muddy Buddies

• 9 cups rice chex cereal
• 1 cup chocolate chips, we like dark chocolate, but semi sweet or milk chocolate would work too
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in 30 second intervals, stirring as needed, until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
2. Place cereal in large bowl and add the melted chocolate mixture; stirring until evenly coated.
3. If the bowl has a lid, simply add sugar, seal with lid and shake to coat. Alternative method: place cereal in 2-gallon size resealable bag and add sugar. Seal bag and shake to evenly coat. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

As much as a like the idea of making my own salad dressings, in reality it hasn’t worked out so well. It’s hard enough to get dinner and a salad on the table at a reasonable time most weeknights, let alone whipping together a nice salad dressing the entire family will eat.

So, I am sure you can imagine my excitement when I recently came across a recipe for an Italian Salad dressing mix recipe on allrecipes.com, you just mix together the spices and store in an air tight container. When you need some Italian dressing you take out a couple tablespoons and mix it with some vinegar and oil. Sounded easy enough, so I gave it a try.

Of course, like most recipes I try, I made some modifications, particularly omitting 2 tablespoons of salt; seriously, it is plenty salty from the garlic salt and celery salt. I was quite pleased with the results and plan on keeping this dressing mix on hand. Not only is it great for a green salad or pasta salad, but I think it would make a nice rub or marinade for meat. And it would be a nice addition to a gift basket.

And one of the benefits of making food from scratch, you can seriously adjust the recipe to suit your dietary restrictions or tastes. Although it tastes great as is, I think red pepper flakes or canned Parmesan would be great additions.

Italian Drssing on a pasta salad.

Italian Dressing Mix

• 1/2 TB garlic powder
• 1/2 TB garlic salt
• 1 TB onion powder
• 1 TB sugar
• 2 TB dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground black pepper (you might want to reduce this if you use a spicy, freshly ground pepper. I use about 1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1TB dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp celery salt

1. In a small jar or bowl, mix together all ingredients and store tightly sealed.
2. To prepare dressing, whisk together 2 TB of the dry mix with 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup oil (you could use up to 2/3 cups oil, but I don’t care for really oily dressing). Shake or stir to combine. * I think almost any vinegar could be used here and canola or vegetable oil in place of the olive oil if desired.

I have tried several different recipes, and our favorites are the refrigerator dill pickles. I have found that the recipes that just require refrigeration, as opposed to processing, stay crisp and fresh tasting.

This particular version is our family’s absolute favorite, we think it has just the right amount of dill, garlic and spice, but feel free to add or reduce the garlic, red pepper flakes or dill to suit your tastes.

Although I am sure you’ll enjoy these, maybe even too much to share, they make great gifts for friends and family.

Making pickles is rather easy and a fun summertime activity to do with the kids or grandkids, even my three year old likes to help. But of course, there are few tips that will help you create the best pickles possible.

Hints for the perfect pickles:

• Always use the freshest cucumbers possible. If you don’t have a garden, use the farmer’s market, local produce stand, etc to get the freshest pickling cucumbers possible.
• Use pickling salt. It’s cheap, has a long shelf life, and is available at regular grocery stores.
• Most stores with bulk foods have dill seed, pickling spice and red pepper flakes at bargain prices. You’ll only need a very small amount of each, probably less than $1 altogether.
• Cut thin slices off both ends of the cucumbers before pickling. Technically, it is the blossom end that has an enzyme that may cause the pickles to soften, but it can be difficult to tell which end had the blossom, so I just make a small slice off both ends.
• Refrigerator pickles need refrigerated These aren’t the processed variety, so they have to be stored in the refrigerator.
• Wait 10 days before eating. I know, this is the hardest tip to follow.

Refrigerator Pickles in the jar.

Ten days later....Can you see the spices? So yummy.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I prefer to slice mine into spears and I tightly pack them into jars; if I find that this recipe makes the perfect amount of brine if I do it this way. When I sliced them into rounds I needed to double the brine in order to adequately cover the pickles.

• 12 3-4 inch long pickling cucumbers whole, speared, or sliced into rounds
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 1 /2 cups roughly chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 8 cloves garlic, chopping is optional
• 1 1 /2 TB pickling salt
• 1 TB pickling spice
• 1 1/2 tsp dill seed
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• approximately 4 clean jars and lids, I find that wide mouth pint size jars work the best

1. In a large non-reactive bowl, combine water and salt; stir until salt is dissolved. add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Allow to stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. Remove the cucumbers from the bowl and place, tightly packed, into clean jars. Make sure each jar has at least a sprig of dill and a clove of garlic. Ladle the liquid over the pickles, making sure to cover them entirely. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 10 days before eating.

Well, this all changed when I tried a recipe for risotto that bakes in the oven. So simple, so easy and still, so delicious. It has the same creamy texture and wonderful flavor of a traditional risotto, but is so much less labor intensive. And unlike so many shortcut recipes, this one really works.

This particular version is my adaptation of Oven-Baked Risotto published in Everyday Foods years ago. It really is a basic, great tasting risotto, but if you wanted it to add a bit more excitement mushrooms or peas would be a great addition.

Warm Oven Risotto with Chicken Under Bricks

Oven Risotto

• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, optional (I typically leave it out)
• 2-2 1/4 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 TB butter
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 TB freshly chopped parsley, optional (I usually just add a dash or dried parsley unless I happen to have fresh on hand)

1. Preheat oven to 425. In an ovenproof saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; add onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly tender and translucent.
2. Add rice and stir to coat completely in oil. Cook for about 1 minute or until rice is slightly browned.
3. Stir in wine if using and cook until is evaporate entirely. Sir in 1 1/2 cups of the water, the broth, pepper (I add the salt just before serving). Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and transfer to preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until water has been absorbed.
5. Remove from oven and stir in 1/2-3/4 cups water to create a creamy consistency; add Parmesan cheese, butter, parsley and salt if needed. Serve immediately.

Martha Stewart has a Lemon and Thyme Potato Gratin in her Comfort Foods cookbook. It isn’t nearly as rich and heavy as tradition potato gratin dishes, but it is still very good and very flavorful.

I am especially impressed that this cooks up nicely in under an hour; if you are familiar with these types of dishes you probably are aware that many require 1.5 hours or more in the oven, making them quite impractical for the busy home cook.

I use my slicing attachment on the food processor to make the potato slices even, not to mention it gets the job done very quickly. If you don’t own a food processor of mandolin, use a sharp knife, and do cut the potatoes into very thin slices or it will be in the oven a very long time.

You are supposed to arrange the top layer of potatoes neatly. I am guessing that is Martha speak for beautiful and worthy or company. I, however, just threw the potatoes in the dish. I believe cooking is an art, but your food doesn’t need to look like it. Feel free to be more elaborate with your potato designs, I am sure Martha would be proud. And although you are supposed to use Yukon gold potatoes, I just used regular old Russet potatoes. Again, not sure Martha would really approve, but it works.

Hot Lemon and Thyme Potato Gratin

Lemon and Thyme Potato Gratin

• 2 Tb butter, plus more to butter pan
• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced very thinly
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• zest of one lemon (about 2 tsp)
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup milk

1. Heat oven to 400 with oven rack in center position. Place a baking sheet below to catch any drips.
2. Brush a casserole dish with butter and add 1/3 of the potato slices. Sprinkle with thyme and lemon and season with salt and pepper. Dot with butter.
3. Add a second layer of potatoes and season. Dot with butter.
4. Add remaining potatoes. Pour milk over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining lemon and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Dot with remaining butter. Cover with foil or oven-proof lid and bake for 40 minutes.
5. Remove cover and bake 10-20 minutes more, or until the top is golden and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. If potatoes do not have the desired browness, you can place under broiler for several minutes.
6. Serve gratin hot.