Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Angie

Raisin & Milk Chocolate Chip cookies

I may have lost you at raisins, I’m well aware. My family felt like I pulled a fast one on them, and I quote: “It’s like mixing M&M’s and Skittles together. You’re just not supposed to do that.” Well, of course! M&M’s and Skittles most certainly do not go together. I contest; however, that raisins and chocolate complement one another. Raisinets, anyone? Decide for yourself. As an aside, it’s interesting how despite their grumblings, the cookies have steadily disappeared and not by my hand alone.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture until just blended. Stir in the raisins and chocolate chips. Do not over mix. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Allow to sit for a minute on the baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

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Iced Mocha

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Angie

Iced Mocha

Over the years, since my undergrad days, coffee and I have developed quite the relationship. As a child, my favorite ice cream flavor was coffee. I loved the smell of coffee. I remember going into the refrigerator or freezer where mom kept her coffee, cracking the lid, and inhaling deep. Such a glorious smell. But when mom would give me a taste, yuck! It was so bitter, so bold. So not what I liked, but I couldn’t get enough of the smell. It wasn’t until I was a freshman in college when my friend Mike introduced me to coffee made the right way: with cream and sugar. Game changer! Now, I will say, as my tastes have developed, I do enjoy an occasional black cup of coffee to complement a dessert. And, with the heat of summer, iced coffee or mochas are my go to at home. I first tried making these with espresso powder and I was sorely disappointed until I learned how to improvise.

To make faux espresso at home without a fancy schmancy espresso maker, do the following:

Buy a pound of ground coffee. I opted for Starbucks Pike Place. Using a gallon size pitcher, dump the entire bag of coffee in it and fill with hot water. Cover and allow to sit overnight, 10-12 hours. In the morning, over a large bowl, using a sifter or something larger with a tiny strain, strain the coffee/ espresso. Repeat if necessary. Rinse out the pitcher and return the espresso to the pitcher. It will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Preparation:

Using a tall glass, add some ice cubes, drizzle a little chocolate syrup over them, use a packet or two of Stevia, fill halfway with the espresso, top with milk and stir. Voila. Iced mocha at home.

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Peanut Butter & Mini Chocolate Chip Granola

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Angie

Peanut Butter & Mini Chocolate Chip granola

While she may not always like what I make for dinner, Leah is all about this granola for breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup raw honey
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a large baking sheet parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, add in the oats and stir in the cinnamon and salt. Lightly spray a 2 cup liquid measuring cup with non-stick spray and melt the peanut butter in the microwave at 30 second intervals until liquefied. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract. Add the peanut butter mixture to the oats and coat thoroughly. Sprinkle in the miniature chocolate chips. Spread the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit to harden. Once completely cooled, transfer to an airtight container to store.

Adapted from: http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2014/07/pb-chocolate-chip-granola-recipe.html

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Chicken Lazone

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Angie

Chicken Lozane

Trying something new for dinner is always a gamble. We fall into our routines and patterns, cycling through the standard dinner rotation. The hierarchy of openness to new recipes goes as follows: Chris, Bri, and Leah. In general, Chris is pleased that I’ve simply made dinner, Bri is typically game, and Leah is always the one who is suspect of anything new or remotely modified. She’s been on a kick as of late: “I’ll try a bite, but I won’t like it.” Ugh. Child. Sometimes…just sometimes you end up eating your words, or in this case, eating dinner that you’d committed to not liking ahead of time and wound up liking. Haha! Take that, stubborn child of mine.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. onion powder
  • 3 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. white pepper
  • 2 1/2 lbs. B/S chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1/3 cup butter, divided
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 2 cups half & half
  • linguine, prepared per package directions for al dente

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and white pepper. Cover both sides of the chicken strips.

Bring to boil a large pot of water for the linguine. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt half of the butter in the skillet. Cook the chicken, about 4 minutes on each side, or until you cut into the middle and there is no pink. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Meanwhile, boil the linguine. Reduce heat of the skillet to low-medium heat. Add the remaining butter, cream, and half & half to the skillet and stir often until sauce has thickened. As sauce thickens, the linguine will be about done. Drain the linguine, return to the pot, and stir in the thickened sauce to coat the linguine. Dish onto plates and top with a few of the chicken strips.

I served this with baked seasoned zucchini rounds.

Adapted from: http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/05/chicken-lazone.html

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No Bake Chocolate & Nutter Butter Ice Box Cake

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Angie

No Bake Choc & PB Ice Box CakeNo Bake

I won major brownie points with the husband on this one and I knew I would the moment I saw the recipe. This is right up his alley of preferred cool, creamy desserts. It’s the perfect trifecta: very good, very easy, and very filling. I knew I hit the nail on the head when he said, “I have to take this to work to share with the guys because if I don’t, I’ll eat the whole thing.”

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. Nutter Butter Cookies
  • 2 small (3.4oz) boxes of Chocolate/ Chocolate Fudge cook & serve pudding
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 8oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, melted

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine the boxes of chocolate pudding, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt and stir constantly over medium heat until mixture softly boils. Remove from heat and set aside. In a 9×9 dish, spoon a 1/3 of the pudding onto the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of Nutter Butter cookies, top with another 1/3 of the pudding, top with cookies and add the final 1/3 of the pudding. Let sit on counter for 30 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight. Just prior to serving, cover with the Cool Whip and drizzle with melted peanut butter.

Source: http://www.southyourmouth.com/2015/08/chocolate-nutter-butter-icebox-cake.html#more

Posted in Desserts, No-bake | 1 Comment

Amaretto Pound Cake

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Angie

Amaretto pound cake

I have a flash drive and one of the folders in it contains endless recipes that I think sound good, that someone in my family would like, that I want to try, and so on and so forth. Some of the recipes have been in there for years; always with the intention that someday I will make it. I finally got around to making one of them. I was especially ambitious because I thought what a fantastic idea it would be to buy a mini bundt pan and turn what would be one big cake into lots of minis except then I filled the mini pans too full so they were more like great big cupcakes because there was no hole in the middle. Also, despite greasing the pan with what I thought was well enough, turned out not to be so great, either. Translation: I struggle sometimes. Aside from aesthetics, these were still pretty tasty and the mistakes were somewhat hid by strategically placed strawberries. Had I had some fresh whipped cream, these would have made for some super cute shortcakes.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup butter at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 eggs at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Amarretto
  • 1 cup milk at room temperature

Preparation:

Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in Amaretto. Add milk and flour, alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a full size pan bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, but begin to check at 1 hour and 10 minutes. In a mini bundt pan, bake for 20-25 min. Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes before inverting on a platter.

 

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Freezable Breakfast Sandwiches

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Angie

Breakfast Sandwiches

Effective today, I have a high school freshman. I remember being a freshman in high school! I also distinctly remember sitting with friends in the upstairs part of the cafeteria just before Christmas break and discussing how the approaching New Year of 1990 would be a decade filled with probable major life events: high school graduation, college, careers, marriage, and maybe even kids. And, it was all of these things and so many more. And, now, my oldest is right where I so clearly remember being: my whole life before me. Nostalgia, at its finest.

This year, Bri has to be up before the crack of dawn. She catches the bus shortly after 6 and is in class by 7am. Mornings are no longer for easing into: it’s up by 5:30, dressed and ready to go and at the bus stop by 6:20. Breakfast will not be on her mind, nor will she have time to prep, so this weekend, with her by my side, I instructed her on how to make freezable breakfast sandwiches. We had a good time and laughed together. And maybe, just maybe, I made a breakfast sandwich talk so we laughed some more.

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages of English muffins, toasted (12 total)
  • a dozen eggs
  • splash of milk
  • freshly ground, S&P
  • cheddar cheese slices
  • black forest ham slices

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray with non-stick spray; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add a splash of milk and season with S&P. Distributing evenly amongst the muffin tins, pour the eggs into each liner. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until set. While the eggs were baking, Bri was toasting the English Muffins. We set up an assembly line of sorts: muffins, cheese slices, ham slices, and when the eggs were done and removed from the liners, we put it all together. We wrapped each individually, before placing them in a gallon size bag, and putting the bag in the freezer. This morning, she took one out and microwaved it for a minute and 30 seconds. Hot breakfast sandwich done!

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Cherry Tomato Salad

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Angie

Cherry Tomato Salad

Remember the days when the only way to obtain a recipe was to get it from a friend or family member, buy a cookbook, or subscribe to some sort of cooking magazine? This, my friends, was one of those recipes. It’s been 13 years since I made this recipe one time, loved it, then got pregnant with Leah and promptly hated it or couldn’t tolerate it & instead craved a hot dog which I hadn’t had in years (gross, I know!), and subsequently tossed out the Taste of Home magazine I’d originally found it in.  To say I was excited when I stumbled across it online is an understatement. I’ve thought about this recipe for years. It’s so simple and refreshing. Reunited and it feels (tastes) so good!

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsps. vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
  • 1-2 tsps. minced fresh basil
  • 1-2 tsps. minced fresh oregano

Preparation:

Place tomatoes in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, and sugar until emulsified. Stir in fresh herbs. Pour over tomatoes; gently stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Posted in Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Cheesey Poppy Seed Bread

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Angie

Cheesy poppy seed bread

I’ve had this bread on my mind for a while. It’s something I’ve only made a handful of times and it makes for a dense, albeit very flavorful side. When I committed to making it, I knew I would pair it with something light.  As a result, for dinner last night we had Fattoush Salad with Chicken and a slice, or two, of this ooey-gooey bread.

Ingredients:

  • 1 loaf of bread (Italian, French, or Sourdough)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 1/2 tsps. poppy seeds
  • 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
  • 1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the bread, without cutting all the way through. Between the slices, insert the cheese. Mix the butter, onion, and poppy seeds together and pour all over the bread. Wrap the bread with aluminum foil, cover the top of the bread lightly. Bake for 15 minutes. Uncover the top and sides of the bread and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly and finish cutting all the way through.

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Greek Yogurt Chicken Enchiladas

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Angie

Pan o' chicken enchiladasplate o' chicken enchiladas

A number of years ago, the title of this recipe would have been Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, and that’s the beauty of Greek yogurt, it’s completely interchangeable with sour cream. So, if Greek yogurt is just not your thing, that’s okay you can sub it with sour cream. This is one of those easy breezy meals. Quick, tasty, flavorful, and not very specific: a scoop of this, a bit of this, and a dash of that.

Ingredients:

  • flour tortillas
  • cooked and shredded chicken (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
  • Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 small jar of salsa
  • cumin
  • S&P
  • Colby jack cheese
  • cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray; set aside. In a large bowl, add the chicken, and a few large spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, enough that when you mix it into the chicken, it’s moist, but not swimming in it, unless of course, that’s your thing. Add 1/2 or a 1/3 of the jar of salsa, or even the whole jar. Season with a teaspoon or so of cumin, and add in the S&P. Mix in some chopped cilantro. Stir thoroughly.

Distribute chicken mix amongst the tortillas. Roll and place seam side down. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle additional cilantro as a garnish.

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