Peanut Butter Cookies

Made these things over the weekend, basic peanut butter cookies. I topped them with a bit of chocolate powder for color and to be different. They turned out really well, but be warned.... you could feed an army (of kindergartners) with this recipe. It makes a ton!

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c butter

1 c peanut butter

1 c sugar

1 c packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2.5 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions: 

Cream together the butters and sugars plus the eggs until light and fluffy: 

Then add the flour and rest of the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly, then refridgerate for 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Form the chilled dough into 1" balls. Flatten in 2 directions with a fork to create a crisscross pattern. 

Bake for 10 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool for a minute or two.

To add the chocolate powder, take a fork and dip it into the powder, shake off most of it. Then over the cookie, turn the fork over and tap off the excess! You can do this with cinnamon as well. 

If you don't want to do the chocolate dust, sprinkle the cookies with white sugar. 

Cheese and Garlic Bread/Green Bean Caserole

d we dicided to make Green Bean Caserole to go along with that. Donald took the time to french cut the green beans, and I made the rest. Since I've never used fresh green beans for this, I'll throw that recipe in here too. 

The cheese and garlic bread was a stroke of genius on my part.  I've had things like this before, but really just made this recipe up on my own. It is so good!  Enjoy. 

Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c shredded mozzerella

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp minced garlic (that's right! but you can use less if you don't like it)

2 tbsp sour cream 

6 pieces of italian bread

Directions:

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the cheeses and garlic and mix thoroughly. Then add the sour cream. The mix should smooth out a bit. Spread onto bread. 

Note: I buttered my bread first, but I don't think you need to. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the bread begins to brown on the bottom. 

Note 2: I'd add chives to this, for some color.

Green Bean Caserole - Fresh Green Beans!

Ingredients: 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups french fried onions

3 cups french cut fresh green beans

Pepper

Directions:

Cut the green beans in half, the long way. This takes forever. And ever. Totally worth it. 

Boil the beans in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes or until they are soft. Drain completely in a strainer, then mix with 2/3 cup french onions, the soup, and the milk. top with the rest of the french onions. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

The main dish here is the raviolo, gorgonzola ravioli from Trader Joe's. 

Spinach Lasagna Rollups

I love lasagna, but I really hate making a whole one for the 2 of us. I eventually get tired of the leftovers, and it takes up SO MUCH ROOM in the fridge!  I've been seeing these rollups on a few blogs, so I decided to try them. They were really very good and despite being labor intensive, totally and completely worth it. Enjoy!

Spinach Lasagna Rollups

Ingredients:

Sauce - This is honestly up to you, but here's my basic sauce recipe: 

1/2 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained

1 tbsp italian seasoning

2 tsp garlick

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 jar sauce

1 small can tomato paste

Cheese and Spinach Mix - This will make enough for 3 rollups

1 c ricotta

1/2 c shredded mozzerella

1/4 c parmersean/romano (mix, or one of the 2)

1 tbsp parsley - mostly for color 

1 c rinsed baby spinach

1 tsp garlic

1 egg (honestly, if you can use 1/8 c egg substitute, its better because you don't need a whole egg)

Other - 

Lasagna noodles (2 per rollup you want to make), boiled and cooled

Mozerella cheese

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375.

Make your sauce and mix together all the ingredients in the cheese mix. I honestly recommend sticking this in the microwave for a few minutes, stirring often, so its slightly melted and easier to work with. Plus, you're not actually going to bake this thing through, everything is cooked ahead of time. 

In a baking dish, lay a noodle down and put a heaping spoonful of the cheese mix onto it:

Fold the noodle back over the cheese and put another spoonful of cheese mixture. Fold the noodle back over a third time, and then trim off the remainder of the noodle. Place a spoonful of cheese on the top and then spoon sauce over top of this mixture. 

 Now, take a second noodle and lay it over the sauce, place a layer of cheese, and then double back. Trim off the remainder of the noodle and then cover the noodle and cheese tower in sauce. 

Once you've made all your rollups, top with mozzerella cheese and serve!  Bake about 20 minutes. 

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm on a cooking baking frenzy this weekend, I have a few friends I need to provide thank you gifts to and what is better than homebaked cookies! My husband requested these, he loves white chocolate (and he gets to be my "are you sure these are good? no really, are they ok?" guy). As a note, these are very chocolate and less sweet. If you want to make them more sweet, experiment with things like agave sweetner and such, but I wouldn't add much more sugar. 

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter

3/4 c sugar

1 egg (used egg substitute)

1 tsp vanilla

1c flour

1/3 c dark chocolate cocoa

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 c white chocolate chips

1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Put the first 4 ingredients (eggs, sugar, vanilla, butter) into mixer and whisk until fluffy, 3-4 min on medium speed. Don't be me, use the whisk. 

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together and then slowly add it to the fluffy moist mixture using a low mixer speed. Allow to mix thoroughly, then add the chips and allow to mix in:

Measure out heaping teaspoon fulls of the batter and put onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, remove from oven and place onto cooling rack allowing to cool. 

Butter Pecan Ice Cream - Molly Approved

As a wedding gift, Donald and I got an ice cream maker! We have made raspberry, mocha chip, cookies and cream, and butter pecan. This is my first blog entry about them, I didn't really think to blog them until my friend Molly came over for the season premier of America's Next Top Model, during which we decided to eat ice cream. Why not?  

Molly is picky about her ice cream, and I was happy that she approved of mine. 

This recipe is from Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

Butter Pecan

Ingredients:

This makes 1 quart - 

1/2 cupt butter

1 cup pecan halves

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

Directions:

First, freeze your ice cream maker bowl overnight. The next day...

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over low heat, then add the salt and pecans. Saute, while stirring until the pecans begin to brown. Be careful to not cook the pecans too long or they will get soggy!  Drain the butter into a small bowl and transfer the pecans into another bowl, letting it cool. 

Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, then add the sugar a little at a time and continue whisking until completely blended. Pour in the milk and cream. Blend well, then add the butter. 

Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and follow its instructions. About 2 minutes until the ice cream is "ready" add the pecans and make sure it is mixed well. Freeze and serve!

Chicken Parmersean

I love this dish and it is one of our staple dinners. I don't know how this never made it onto the blog before, but it didn't!  This is a modified recipe from cooking light magazine and its really good. Feel free to tweak the sauce, that part is really up to you. 

Chicken Parmersean

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 egg
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp parmersean cheese
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• Pasta sauce, made to your specifications
• Spaghetti
• Mozzerella cheese

Directions

Cut the chicken breast into filets, really as thin as you can get them. 1 chicken breast should make 4 full sized filets, which easily serves 2 people. Scramble the egg in a bowl, and in a second bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, pamersean cheese, and italian seasoning. 

Dip the filet into the egg so it is coated, then transfer immediately to the breadcrumbs. Shake in the breadcrumbs and turn over a few times until it is fully coated. In a frying pan, heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil. Once heated, transfer the breaded chicken into the frying pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side (you may need to add more oil). Pull out of the frying pan and set it on a paper towel. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked completely. 

In a 11x7 baking pan, put pasta sauce along the bottom so it is coated thinly. Layer the cooked chicken breasts on top of the sauce.  Then scoop additional sauce onto each filet. Sprinkle mozzerella cheese on the top, as much as you'd like!

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is fully melted and beginning to bubble a little which is about 15-20 minutes. (I forgot to take a picture after taking out my dinner pieces! Oops)

While this bakes, boil the water and cook your pasta. Serve the chicken on top of the pasta with a little excess sauce and a veggie side.

White Chicken Chili

• I was talking to a coworker a few weeks ago about chili, and he told me his wife makes an excellent white chili. I love white chili, but I have never attempted it, so I decided to try this one.
  

It. Is. Amazing. 

Seriously. 

I'm not even going to talk anymore. Go make this. Now. 

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb chicken breast, raw, cut into small pieces
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped small
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 1 can (7oz) green chilis
• 1 to 2 T diced jalapeno, or more if you're brave
• 1 1/2 c chicken broth (canned, boulion, whichever you prefer)
• 1 T cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more if you like it
• 2 cans great northern beans, white kidney beans (cannelini beans) or another white bean, drained
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 1/2 c shredded colby/jack cheese (you can use just one or both, but I recommend the mix)

Directions: 

I highly recommend gathering the ingredients together before you even turn the stove on. Cut everything up, measure the spices. The cooking itself moves fast, so it is nice to prepare everything.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat a small amount of olive oil. Once heated, add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are softer, transparent. Add the chicken and diced red pepper to the mix and cook until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through. 

Add the can of chilis, jalapenos, spices, and chicken broth to the pan. Bring to a hard boil and keep it boiling for 10 minutes. Then add the beans, heating for another 5 minutes. Most of the liquid will be boiled off by this point. You don't want it to be dry, but it should not be like soup. 

Turn off the burner and add the sour cream, mix until blended. Then, add the cheese and mix until the entire thing is smooth.

I served mine with cresent rolls and a dallop of sour cream on the top. It was amazing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you to my coworker's wife!

Homemade pizza

Donald's family has been making pizza for years. In fact, it wasn't until his early teens that Donald knew that you could call a store and order a pizza and have it delivered in a box. I am not kiding. To this day, every single time we see Donald's parents, pizza is one of our dinners. Its a long process, especially if you are cooking for a lot of people. We like to make it for guests that don't mind hanging out in the kitchen/dining room while we cook at chat. 

This pizza specifically is veggies, but I'll post a few tips for some fun toppings you can use and how to best use them on homemade pizza.

A note on dough. The best dough comes from the Bronx, NYC. Too far away? Fortunately for you, most grocery stores have a dough sold in a ball shape in a bag that will do just fine (freezer bins section, usually). I do not recommend the ones in the cans that you peal and then pop open with a spoon and then roll out onto a baking pan. That stuff is gross. Be a real woman/man and get a dough ball and learn to spread it yourself. 

Homemade pizza

Ingredients (for 1 pizza):

• Ball of pizza dough
• handfull of flour
• spoonful of polenta/corn meal 
• 1/2 - 3/4 c pizza sauce (I recommend Dom Pepino's sauce, you can find it in small cans at fancy pants grocery stores like Hillers, but otherwise, any will do really)
• 3/4 c mozzerella cheese
• Toppings (see notes Re: toppings)

Other things you need:

• Pizza stone
• Pizza pan
• Pizza cutter
• Beer, coat the bottle in flour for ease of use while cooking

Directions:

Unlike my normal directions, these will be more in paragraph form. 

First, about 30 minutes before you will start, put the pizza stone in the oven and turn it on to 375. You need the stone to heat through. Place the dough on the counter during this time to let it warm up a little, but do not leave it too long or it will start to rise again. 

Spreading the dough: Flour your counter really well, flour your hands, and pull the dough out. You will probably need to reform the dough into a good ball shape. To do this, toss it between your two hands for a few minutes. It will become more spherical over time. Once this is done, put it on the counter and with the heal of your hand, start to press the dough out into a flat circle. Yes, using a rolling pin is cheating.  Pressing out the dough will take a while, so be patient. If you're feeling confident, you can spread the dough with your fists in the air. To do this, make a fist with your hand, and with your other hand, pick up the dough and lay it over your fist. Make the second hand into a fist and slowly pass the dough around in a circle between your two hands. This will make it thin out very fast, so make sure you're pulling evenly. 

Spead the dough to the desired thickness. We tend to make it very thing, somewhere between your typical hand-tossed and thin crust pizza. Be careful to make your dough only as big as your pizza stone!

Once the dough is spread, take your spoonful of corn meal and put it on your pizza pan. Shake the pan so the corn meal spreads out. This is basically acting as a lubricant for the dough, you will soon see why. Pick up the dough and place it onto the pizza pan. Then, using a spoon, scoop sauce onto the dough. You will want to use the bottom of the spoon to spread it out. Spread it all the way to the edge of the pizza. You want to be able to see dough through the sauce, but have a good even layer across the pizza.

Now, don't put the cheese on.  You're going to bake the dough with only the sauce for 15 minutes on the pizza stone.  Very carefully, pull out the rack in the oven the stone is on. Shake the pizza pan back and forth to make sure the dough can move and is not stuck. Then, transfer the pizza to the stone. I recomend starting at the back of the stone, letting the dough slide off, then pulling the pizza pan out from underneith the dough so it lays onto the pizza stone. I won't lie, this is hard. But you'll get the hang of it!

After 15 minutes, check the dough. The dough itself should be cooked so that it will not bend if you pick up a corner of it. To take the pizza out of the oven, slide the pizza pan underneith it. 

Now you add cheese. And toppings. You will want to sprinkle the cheese cross the entire crust, evenly. Remember that the cheese will spread out as it melts, so you don't need to cover the entire thing. Cheese goes further than you think! Then put the toppings on. For this pizza, we did onions and mushrooms. The peppers shown below also went on other pizzas that night. 

Put the pizza back in the oven, it will be so much easier to transfer to the stone this time!  Let it cook until the cheese is melted into an orange color, see in the picture below!  This will take about 10-15 minutes. 

Now, BE CAREFUL! The pizza at this point is 375 degrees. The cheese is 375 degrees. When you order a pizza, it is cooler than that. If you take a bite too quick, your mouth will hate you forever. Give the pizza 5 min or so to cool down a little. 

Toppings notes:

- If you want sausage or ground beef, you do not need to cook it first. In the first baking cycle, place bits of raw sausage or beef onto the sauce layer and allow to cook. Through both cooking cycles, it will cook through thoroughly. 

- Pineapples are excellent on pizza, but you don't want them to cook more than 10 minutes. I usually put the cheese on, bake for 5 min, then pull it out, toss on pineapple really fast, then close the oven again. 

- Minced garlic is amazing on pizza

Now I want pizza.

Chicken Sausage Pasta

Another quick dinner for those nights you don't have time to make something extensive. I was craving green beans (weird, I know), and we had some of the Trader Joe's roasted garlic chicken sausage.  This stuff is a lifesaver, seriously.  I threw it into a quick dinner and voila, food!

Easy Chicken Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 package chicken sausage, fully cooked (any flavor will do here, I used roasted garlic, but I think next time I'll try the spinach and apple chardonnay flavor!)
• Angel hair pasta
• Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp basil
• Side of your choice (veggies!)

Directions:

1. Boil water for the pasta. 
2. In a non-stick frying pan, heat a small amout of olive oil. Cut sausage into 1/4 in thick "coins". Heat in the olive oil until they turn slightly brown.  They are pre-cooked, really all you are doing here is heating them up and giving them a good texture.
3. Cook the pasta and strain, then add immediately to the pot where you were cooking the sausage. Add 2 tsp olive oil and stir together. Add basil. Serve immediately!

Chicken Tacos

Molly requested I blog this recipe, and I have no picture because my camera was dead and I was too lazy to bother to charge it. I'm about 3 months behind in entries, perhaps I will work on that this weekend. 

So without further ado, Chicken Tacos!

Chicken Tacos (picture from Smitten Kitchen, my absolute favorite food blog)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 white onion, chopped small
• 2-3 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder (no, I am not kiding)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• Shredded lettuce
• Diced tomato
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Soft taco shells or hard taco shells
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions: 

1. Boil the chicken with a little salt and olive oil. Once it is cooked through, pull out and shred. Then set it aside to cool. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE WATER YET. You need some of it. 
2. In a fying pan, heat a little olive oil and cook the onions until they are soft, but not mushy. Add the garlic. 
3. Add the chicken and cumin, chili powder, red pepper, salt, and pepper to the frying pan. Stir to mix together, then add 1c of the water you boiled the chicken in. 
4. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes and then taste. Adjust the spices at this time, if you want more spice, add it now!
5. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. I highly recommend a spoonful or 2 of spicy salsa on top of these with a drop of sour cream. So good. 

Enjoy!