Tate’s Bake Shop Linzer Heart Cookies and a Valentine Giveaway For You

I’m sweet on Tate’s Bake Shop! 

They’re best known for their mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies.  But they also have many other delicious goodies, such as:  brownies, pies and breakfast treats.  And, unless you’re new here, you know of their great giveaways I’ve hosted in the past.

Kathleen King is the owner/operator of Tate’s Bake Shop ~ who began when she was just 11 years old ~ by baking and selling her crisp, buttery chocolate chip cookies at her father’s farm stand.   She was hoping for enough money to buy her school clothes, and then it turned into a success story with her owning her own business.   
 

Kathleen King

When Kathleen’s not baking, she’s writing a cookbook, and she has a plethora of fantastic recipes in her latest one, Baking for Friends. 

And, since Valentine’s Day is closing in, I am sharing with you her recipe for Linzer Heart Cookies.  Just make a batch of these for your loved ones and see how happy you will all be!  And, by the way, they make tasty gifts too!

Tate’s Bake Shop Linzer Heart Cookies

An important tip: be sure to chop the nuts and chocolate very fine in a food processor (pulse to chop so the friction doesn’t warm them), or the dough will be too rough-textured to roll out smoothly. You need a graduated set of heart-shaped cookie cutters to make these Cookies.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 cup cornstarch 
¼ teaspoon salt 
¾ pound (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
2 cups toasted, skinned and very finely chopped hazelnuts
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped 
-plus-
½ cup seedless raspberry jam 
½ cup confectioners’ sugar for sifting 

1. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer set on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Mix in the hazelnuts and chocolate.

2. Gather up the dough and shape it into a flat disk.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly before rolling.) 

3. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a round about ¼-inch thick. Use a 3 ½-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies as close as possible to avoid excess scraps. Arrange the hearts about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gather up the dough scraps and gently knead together, and cut out more cookies. If the dough becomes too soft to roll out, refrigerate until chilled. You should have 40 cookies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

4. Position the oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. 

5. Use a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the centers of 20 cookies. These will be the cookie tops. (You can bake the mini hearts to nibble on later! Don’t throw away or re-roll.) Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Sift some of the ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar over the hot cut-out cookies Let cool completely on the baking sheets. 

6. Spread the jam on the cookie bottoms, leaving an 1/8-inch border around the edges. Add the tops, sugared sides up, and press together gently. Just before serving, sift the remaining confectioners’ sugar over the cookies.
Yield: 20 sandwich cookies

Tate’s Bake Shop is celebrating the holiday by offering 50% off a Valentine's Cookie Cube & Cookbook combo -- now just $21.50 -- along with 20% off any web store purchase! To redeem the 20% offer, just use the code BLOG213 at checkout. When you click here, you will see the details on the combo.  Believe me, there’s something there for every one of your Valentine’s!

And now, my dear readers, I have a Tate’s treat just for you!

Thanks to the generous folks at Tate’s Bake Shop, I am giving away one Valentine’s Cookie Cube and Cookbook Combo!  Check it out here, to view all you will enjoy after winning. 

All you have to do is:

   *** Leave a comment below on this post and tell me what your favorite Tate’s Valentine’s treat is.

And:

   *** Tell me how you are following Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner, using one or more methods from this blogs right sidebar:  Google Friend Connect, or Become a Fan on Facebook, or Facebook Networked Blogs.

How easy is that…

The contest is open until midnight, Central Standard Time, on Monday, February 4, 2013.  The winner will be chosen by a random number generator on February 5, 2013.

This giveaway is open only to U.S. resident.

Good luck and I hope you win!

Now ~ tell me!  What’s your favorite Tate’s treat for your Valentine?

Cabbage and Noodles

  We like cabbage ~ we like noodles ~~~ so this dish was a hit for us!

I came across this recipe while reading Guideposts magazine.  As the writer states, “It doesn’t seem like a recipe…  Just seems like cabbage cooked with a few noodles.”

That’s exactly what it is ~ tastes good and it’s simple!

Cabbage and Noodles 
Adapted   

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 scallions, sliced, plus more for garnish
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
½ to 1cup water
8 ounces noodles

1 teaspoon fresh herbs
Salt and seasoned pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat oil in large skillet.

Add scallions and sauté for 1 minute.
Add cabbage and ½ cup water, cook until translucent, stirring frequently.
Add more water if cabbage sticks to skillet.
In the meantime, cook noodles according to package directions, until al dente.
Drain and add to cabbage.

Add herbs, if desired and season with salt and seasoned pepper.
Continue to cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring to blend well.
Garnish with scallions, if desired.
Serve 5-6

ENJOY!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Frankfurter Goulash a la Walter Slezak and Soaps

I hear you ~ “Who in the world is Walter Slezak?”

Were you a fan of Victoria Lord’s on One Life to Live?  Not that I ever watched it.  Way back, when the boys were young, I was into General Hospital (the days of Luke and Laura) and Days of our Lives ~ like the sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives... 

Luke & Laura-1981

Luke & Laura-2006

Days of Our Lives cast-1982

Anyway, Victoria Lord was portrayed by Erika Slezak, the daughter of Walter Slezak.  Walter appeared in many Hollywood movies, usually as a villain or thug, but occasionally in a lighter role, as in “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.  I’m guessing you’d have to be about my age to barely remember him…

Walter circa 1946

Erika as Victoria Lord 

One Life to Live---finale cast photo-Jan. 13, 2012

And exactly what he has to do with frankfurter goulash, I have no idea.  I just stumbled across this recipe on the Internet and since it’s different, thought I’d give it a whirl.  

Frankfurter Goulash ala Walter Slezak

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (14½-ounces) can Del Monte Diced Tomatoes, drained

1 (10-ounce) cans Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chiles

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Seasoned pepper to taste

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon mustard

8 frankfurters, sliced ½-inch thick

2-3 cups white rice, cooked

Method:

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add onions and garlic.

Cook over medium heat until onions are tender.

Add bell pepper and cook until tender.

Add remaining ingredients through mustard and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in frankfurters and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Serve over rice.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

I don’t think I’ve ever met a potato I didn’t like ~ nor a person who doesn’t like potatoes.

Stuffed baked potatoes are a great delicious side dish ~ creamy and smooth, packed with flavor and easy to make.  For extra flavor, occasionally I add a little cream cheese, chopped garlic, sour cream, or even crumbled bacon.  Be imaginative, and add what you like  ~ mushrooms, steamed broccoli, tomatoes, peas, ham, pepperoni, or bell peppers, and on and on.   Then it might become a meal…

Now I’m thinking about making them ahead of time, and heating them up with some scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast. Sounds scrumptious to me!

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large Idaho baking potatoes

¼ to ½ cup milk

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2 green onions, sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Paprika, for garnish

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake potatoes 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.

Let potatoes cool enough to handle, cut lengthwise in half and scoop out inside, leaving a thin shell.

In medium bowl, mash potatoes until smooth, with no lumps.

Add milk in small amounts and continue mashing until fluffy, however desired.

Add butter, salt and pepper and season to taste.

Stir in green onions.

Fill potato shells with mixture.

Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until hot.

During last 5 minutes top with cheese.

Remove from oven and sprinkle chives and paprika over top.

8 servings

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Cheesy Shrimp and Rice Casserole

This dish is flat-out delicious!

Did you know ~

·      Shrimp ranks number one in volume among seafood’s consumed in the United States.

·      According to the National Fisheries Institute, each American eats 4.1 pounds of shrimp apiece per year. 

·      The word casserole comes from a French term meaning, “served from the dish used for cooking.”  

Which brings me to this flavorful shrimp casserole.  The simple ingredients in this recipe make this dish an easy dinner on a busy night.  While it’s in the oven, there’s plenty of time to make the salad, and maybe some garlic bread.

The snowy whiteness of the rice, the golden colored cheese and the pinkish shrimp, turns into a colorful appetizing dish.

And ~ it’s even great the next day!

Cheesy Shrimp and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

5 green onions sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons pimento

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups cooked long grain rice

1 can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large skillet, sauté green onions and green pepper in butter until tender.

Stir in pimento.

Add shrimp, salt, seasoned pepper and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the rice, soup and ½ cup of the cheese.

Pour shrimp mixture into a greased casserole dish.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining 1½ cups cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 5 more minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Serve

Bon Appetit!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes!