Vanilla Ice Cream Waffles

This waffle recipe is a fantastic dessert that can be made using little ingredients and in less than 30 minutes. It's just like making pancakes, but with an addition of mixed berries and vanilla ice cream on top to make a scrumptious dessert the whole family will enjoy! You can enjoy this as breakfast/brunch meal without the ice cream and just the berries or make the whole recipe for dessert. This waffle recipe was taken from the book, Cooking In Style The Costco Way & under "Desserts."

*If you do not have a waffle iron you can substitute the waffles with regular pancakes, like I did*
Recipe:

2 1/2 cups Kirkland Signature vanilla ice cream, plus more for topping

2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
Cooking oil spray
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries

Steps:

1. Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place 2 1/2 cups of ice cream in a bowl.
* It is important to remember to have your ice cream somewhat melted while your cooking your waffles because if not, you will for them to defrost for a while after everything else is finished* (Casey 197)
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until they are pale yellow. And eggs to the melted ice cream and whisk to blend.
4. Whisk in salt and flour until just combined.
5. To ensure your waffles will be crisp and not over/under cooked, "lightly coat the waffle iron with cooking oil using a pastry brush or with cooking spray" (197).
6. For each waffle, measure about 1/2 cup of batter and pour over the waffle-iron grid to cover. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Transfer waffles to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
8. Top waffles with ice cream and berries. Makes 4 servings (8 waffles).

If you choose to make this recipe, will you use a different kind of ice cream(chocolate, cookies and cream, rocky road, etc..) or perhaps different kinds of fruits?

Chunky Banana Nut Cookie

If you're thinking about baking typical chocolate chip cookies, but want to add a twist to the recipe and try something new, this recipe is perfect. It's simply a cookie sand which with Nutella, marshmallow fluff, nuts, and bananas in the middle, all ingredients which result in a heavenly dessert worth making an effort to create!  This cookie recipe was taken from the book, Cooking In Style The Costco Way & under "Desserts."

Recipe:
The recipe suggest using "2 Kirkland Signature Oatmeal Cookies" (Casey 187), but you can use any kind of cookies you want; I used double chocolate chunk cookies.
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff and/or chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella)
1/2 banana, diced in 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup of your favorite chopped nuts








Steps:
1. Place 1 cookies flat up on a dessert plate
2. Spread half of the marshmallow fluff and/or chocolate-hazelnut spread on the cookie.
*Remember to place banana dices between marshmallow fluff and hazelnut spread, like a sandwich* (Casey 187).
3. Top with diced banana and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
4. Spread remaining marshmallow fluff and/or chocolate-hazelnut spread on the second cookie and place on top. Makes 1 serving.

If you were to remake this recipe, what kinds of cookies would use (ex. chocolate chip, snicker doodle, oatmeal raisin, etc.) and would you substitute any of the ingredients?

Portabella and Spinach Quesadillas

This recipe is a fantastic dinner idea to make for your family or friends any day of the week. Using the ingredients you have in your home, you can make this recipe in under 45 minutes, changing the simple cheese quesadilla to a tasty mushroom and spinach goodness wrapped inside a golden brown quesadilla. This quesadilla recipe was taken from the book, Cooking In Style The Costco Way & under "Appetizers."

Recipe:

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach

4 10inch flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (or any cheese you prefer)

2 tablespoons butter

6 ounces Monterey Portabella Mushrooms, cut in 1/2-inch slices

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Guacamole (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Prepare spinach according to package directions. Squeeze out liquid.
3. Place tortillas on a baking sheet, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until cheese has melted, approximately 4 minutes.
4. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook.
*Cook mushrooms for 7 minutes until tender then add in spinach, cooking for 3 minutes* (Casey 30).
5. Divide the mixture among the tortillas and then fold tortillas in half.
6. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. To ensure you're quesadillas are crispy and fully cooked, "fry the quesadillas until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side" (30).
7. Cut into wedges and serve with guacamole and sour cream if desired. Make 4-6 servings.

Have you ever made or seen something similar to this mushroom and spinach quesadilla before, perhaps with different ingredients? If so, what ingredients were used and if you were to recreate this version what ingredients would you add? 

Famous Fudge

Need to bake a quick and easy holiday treat for your family and friends? No need to worry, fudge is always a delicious and fun holiday treat to make that'll leave you're guests wanting more! Although it is a simple recipe that you can do by yourself, it can also be a family activity. Let's get started with this scrumptious fudge recipe from the book, Cooking In Style The Costco Way & under "Desserts."

Recipe:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup (5 ounce can) Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows (optional)
1 1/2 cup (9 ounces) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract




Steps:
1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.
2. Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in a medium heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil stirring constantly, for 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. "Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute, or until marshmallows are melted." (Casey 184).
4. Pour into prepared baking pan and refrigerate.
*Remember to leave it in the fridge for two hours or longer, even overnight, until it is firm* (184).
5. Lift fudge from the pan and remove foil. Cut into pieces. Makes 49 pieces.


I left my fudge in the fridge overnight and it turned out perfectly and very delicious.

If you were to remake this recipe, would you choose to add pecans, walnuts, marshmallows? What other ingredients will you substitute or include that make this recipe better?

Mini-Pizza Bruschetta

Too lazy to go out and buy a pizza and feeling a little creative? Using ingredients you already have in you're home, you can make mini pizzas that are healthier and contain delicious ingredients that you are making yourself! So instead of going out and buying a pizza, spend some time and prepare something delicious that everyone will like! I found this recipe from the book, Cooking In Style The Costco Way & under "Appetizers".

Recipe:

1 loaf Grace Baking* Pugliese artisan bread

2/3 cup of olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups Italian tomato or pasta sauce

4 cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Steps:

1. Preheat broiler or grill

2. Cut bread into 1/2-inch slices

3. Brush each slice lightly with olive oil. Toast slices under a broiler or on a grill.

*Something to remember is leave them for about 10 minutes until they're golden brown* (Casey 30)

4. After taking the bread out of the grill/boiler rub the warm bread with garlic cloves. Always "Drizzle with olive oil" (30) - this will make it a little messier, but is a better strategy than just spreading the olive oil. With a spoon, use about 2 tablespoons of pasta on each slice of bread. Sprinkle with cheese.

5. Put the bread back into the boiler or grill for 4-5 minutes while cheese melts and bread is golden.

6. Finish it off with some basil and serve immediately.

Have you ever transformed an overpriced and unhealthy food into something both healthy and delicious, made in your own home?

Cooking in Style- The Costco Way

For my IRP 2 book, Cooking In Style The Costco Way, I will be cooking different recipes to improve my cooking skills. I've never really been a fan of cooking so it's important I find new recipes that interest me and that I can make. I hope this book will expand my knowledge on different cooking techniques and make me a cooking expert!









Casey, Kathy. Ed. Tim Talevich. First ed. Issaquah: Costco Wholesale, 2006. Print.