Since I have concluded my baking marathon, I’ve decided to return my focus to regularly cooking filling, flavorful, wholesome meals.

I found this Black Bean Chili recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. My husband was initially skeptical about trying a chili recipe with no meat. His fears were allayed when he found that this chili is hearty and tasty. The combination of beans and other vegetable result in a rich, flavorful chili. Pureeing some of the chili lends thickness to the finished product.

The only modification I have made to the chili recipe is to substitute 28 oz. of canned diced tomatoes for the fresh diced tomatoes. I’m not a fan of the consistency of fresh tomatoes, so I usually substitute some sort of canned tomato product or sauce.

Using some canned or frozen products and employing a food processor to chop the vegetables greatly reduces prep time. It was only recently that my husband and I realized how much time we could save by using our food processor (took awhile, I know). What started off as my husband prepping the ingredients for me, turned into a full-on cooking session. He was pleased at how easily the chili came together. It’s worth noting that this black bean chili does not need to simmer for a long time, making it suitable for weeknight meals.

As with most chilis and soups, this chili tastes even better the next day. It also freezes well.

Colorful, tasty sauteed vegetables

Black Bean Chili Recipe

Yields 6 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
10 fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt.

1) Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, red bell peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms and corn for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2) Season with black pepper, cumin and chili powder.
3) Stir in diced tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth and salt.
4) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5) Place 1 1/2 cups of chili in food processor and process until smooth. Stir the pureed bean mixture back into the stock pot.

Peppermint bark is tasty, festive addition to your holiday treats. Pre-made peppermint bark can be purchased at many retailers, but it’s typically pretty pricey. With two bags of chips, 8 candy canes and less than an hour of your time, you can make this fun holiday treat at home.

Even though Christmas Day has come and gone, I’m still reveling in the Christmas season and will be preparing peppermint bark for a party this week. It’s not too late to give it a try!

If you melt the chocolate in the microwave, go low and slow so it doesn’t seize or scorch. White chocolate is particularly fussy. It’s always good to have an extra bag on hand, just in case. I usually start heating for 1 minute at 50% power and then heat at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until it’s sufficiently melted.

Peppermint Bark

1 12 oz. bag white chocolate chips
1 12 oz. bag of milk or dark chocolate chips
8 candy canes
1/4 tsp peppermint extract (optional)

1) Line cookie sheet with wax paper.
2) Unwrap candy canes, place in zip-top bag and crush. Smaller pieces mix more easily and are less likely to fall off of the bark.
3) Melt milk chocolate in double-boiler or microwave.
4) If desired, mix 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract into melted milk chocolate.
5 Spread milk chocolate evenly over entire cookie sheet.
6) Place cookie sheet in freezer for approx. 20 minutes.
7) Once the milk chocolate has hardened, melt white chocolate.
Mix 1/2 of the crushed candy cane into the white chocolate.
9) Quickly spread melted white chocolate over the hardened milk chocolate.
10) Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes on white chocolate, pressing lightly.
11) Return cookie sheet to freezer for at least 30 minutes. When chocolate has hardened, break up peppermint bark.

These cookies are a fun alternative to your standard chocolate cookie recipe. The chocolate crinkles are soft with a somewhat cake-like consistency. They have a nice cocoa flavor without being too rich or too heavy, while the confectioners sugar gives the cookies a pretty, snow-dusted appearance.

Chocolate Crinkles
from Family Fun Magazine

Yields 40 cookies

3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 6-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, cocoa powder and sugar; beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix in the wet ingredients, then stir in the chips. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in confectioners’ sugar. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 12 minutes.

I’ve received the Kraft Food and Family magazine for a few years. It’s a free, seasonal publication that contains easy recipes for everyday meals, appetizers and desserts. I have a number of Kraft recipes in my “Recipes to Try” binder, including this simple one for Spinach and Artichoke dip.

This spinach and artichoke dip recipe is delicious and easy to prepare. It’s funny how two vegetables that don’t look or smell too good on their own can taste so wonderful when combined with a few other ingredients.

I followed the recipe pretty closely. I used Cain’s Fat Free Mayonnaise, as I have found this to be the most flavorful of the reduced fat/fat free mayos I’ve tried. Because I wasn’t paying close attention, I added 1/4 cup more mozzarella cheese than the original recipe called for. Since I liked the creaminess of the recipe, I’ll keep adding 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. In the future, I’ll probably add more garlic powder because I would prefer a little more garlic flavoring.

I served the spinach and artichoke dip with multi-grain Tostitos, but I also saw guests dipping assorted crackers. The dip was a hit!

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

From KraftFoods.com

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Mix all ingredients until well blended.
3) Spoon into 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish.
4) Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until heated through

This dip can be assembled in advance. Cover and refridgerate for up to 24 hours. Bake, uncovered, as directed, but add 5-10 minutes more to ensure that the dip is heated through.

Stuffed mushrooms are a favorite appetizer of mine, and I was thrilled to receive this easy recipe from a friend of mine. I’m not a fan of seafood, so I was happy to find a recipe that did not require it.

As written, this recipe seems to produce more stuffing than is needed. I’ve tried scaling it differently, but always end up with a little extra. I typically use a little less olive oil than the recipe calls for and frequently add a few shakes of dried oregano.

The resulting stuffed mushrooms are soft and tender with a moist, flavorful filling.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lb mushrooms
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs

1) Preheat to 350
2) Clean mushrooms and remove stems.
3) Pour 2 tbsp olive oil in the bottom of an 8X8 glass plan
4) In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic powder and two tbsp oil.
5) Fill mushroom caps and place in pan.
6) Bake, covered with foil, for 20-30 minutes. Mushrooms are done when water appears in the bottom of the pan.
7) Serve immediately.
5) Pour remaining oil over tops of mushrooms.

It’s not Christmas without decorated sugar cookies. I’ve made these cookies with my Mom for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, we’d make seasonally themed sugar cookies: hearts, strawberries, ice cream cones, fall leaves, mushrooms, snowmen, stars and Christmas trees – Mom had a cookie cutter for every occasion.

Whenever we’d make the sugar cookies, she’d pull out her Betty Crocker cookbook and get to work. A few months after I got married, I excitedly pulled out my new Betty Crocker cookbook as I set out to make a fall batch of cookies in my new home. I discovered with dismay that the recipe had been altered over the years, and I didn’t have access to the recipe that I had grown up with. A phone call to my Mom and some hastily scribbled notes solved that problem!

It’s crucial to chill the dough thoroughly. Otherwise, the dough will stick horribly to everything. I usually work with the dough in batches, leaving it in the refrigerator until I need it. It’s also important to use a light hand when rolling out the dough and to handle it as little as possible. Rough rolling and excessive handling compresses to dough and results in dense cookies.

These sugar cookies are airy, crisp, crumbly and have a light, buttery sweet flavor.

Betty Crocker’s Classic Sugar Cookies

Yields 48 3″ cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1) Thouroughly mix the shortening, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
2) Blend in flour, baking powder and salt.
3) Cover dough and chill for at least 1 hour.
4) Heat oven to 400.
5) On a lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/8″ thick.
6) Cut out cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate as desired.
7) Bake for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are very lighly browned along the edges

I love bread.

Despite my love of bread, I did not try making it until I found this recipe. There was something intimidating about working with yeast (silly, I know) and I didn’t want to deal with hand-kneading bread for several minutes. Last winter, I stumbled upon a review for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff