Chocolate-Marshmallow Pillows

These are cookies, not pillows but I probably could rest my head on a few of them if my regular pillows went missing. I made these for the first time the other day. The 2009 prize-winning recipe for Betty Crocker. Go here for the recipe. It's easy, fast and and oh my chocolately goodness!

*Note: The only change I made to this recipe is to replace the semi sweet chocolate chips for milk chocolate chips in the frosting. Personal preference.

Cream Cheese Meltaway Cookies

These are similar to Mexican wedding cookies or Danish wedding cookies, but have the mild tang of cream cheese. Easy to make; they are small so you can pop one in your mouth right after the other. Little sweet snowy confections that melt in your mouth!

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Dash salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Confectioners' sugar

In a small bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans (dough will be crumbly).

Shape tablespoonfuls into balls. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each cookie ball slightly. Bake at 375° for 9-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 dozen.

Favorites: Beef Rouladen

Pronounced "roo law dun". This is one of my favorite hearty winter dinners. The inexpensive cut of beef turns into a deliciously tender dish perfectly accompanied with the gravy and mashed potatoes. Ask the person in the meat department to thinly slice your top round steak to make this recipe come together even easier. They'll do it at no cost.

As a side note: The Huz detests onions more than any other food. So when I make this dish for him, I skip the onions and replace them with 8 oz of sliced button mushrooms sauteed before rolling up in the beef.

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

8 slices top round steak (1/4" thick - about 2 lbs)

Salt and pepper

8 bacon strips

1 large onion, cut in thin wedges

2 Tbsp canola oil

6 cups beef broth

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

Chopped fresh parsley

Lightly spread mustard on one side of each slice of beef. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. In the center, place one bacon strip and a few onion wedges. Roll up tightly and secure with 1-2 wooden toothpicks.

Heat oil in a large saute pan (or a skillet that has a lid) over medium-high heat. When oil is heated and bubbly, add prepared beef rolls and sear on each side. Slowly pour in beef broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.

Remove beef and keep warm. Whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Slowly stir into beef broth and juices. Continue stirring until thick and bubbly. Remove toothpicks and serve beef rouladen on a serving tray with gravy and garnished with fresh chopped parsley.