 I was getting ready to post my newest chocolate chip cookie recipe to my blog when I decided to google National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. (Don't ask me why.) Did you know that National Chocolate Chip Cookie day is May 15th? That may seem insignificant until you realize that May 15th is my BIRTHDAY! I was so excited about this new discovery that I actually did a little happy dance at my computer. To think that I was born on National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! (I knew that had to be a reason that I love these cookies so much.)
Master Chocolate Chip Cookies 3 ½ cups flour 1 ¼ tsp baking soda 1 ½ tsp baking powder ¾ tsp salt 1 ¼ cups real unsalted butter 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar 2 large eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 bag Ghiradelli chocolate chips, or other quality chocolate
Cream butter and sugars together just until blended.
Add eggs, one a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in chocolate chips by hand gently.
It’s best to make bigger cookies for the right texture – so I would recommend using 4 Tablespoon size scoop to form your cookies.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes. I like mine to look a little undercooked in the middle, then let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes while they cool. Then move them to a cookie rack or plate to keep cooling.  At the very moment that I was pulling my first pan of cookies out of the oven, Ryan walked in the door, along with 2 of his friends. The boys didn't mind at all that the cookies were still about 350 degrees - They ate all all 6 of them - Immediately! (Which of course I took as a compliment.) After that first batch they did slow down to the point that I could actually let the cookies finish baking and cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before they got eaten.   The only modification that I would make to this recipe would be to add a few more chocolate chips. I like my cookies really LOADED with chocolate so I think I'll add just a little bit more chocolate the next time I bake these.
Have a great day and don't forget to mark your calendars for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. (May 15th) Ciao!
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I love to watch HGTV and I'm particularly addicted to the shows where the "experts" go in and remodel a home. I find myself imagining what I updates I would have them do to my house - more specifically, my kitchen. I suffer from an extreme case of pantry envy so an expanded pantry would be at the top of my wish list.
Those of you who also have small pantries - don't worry - I'm here to help you learn to love your pantry. (I'm learning to love my pantry too.)  Small pantries need to be more organized than larger ones. I use stackable plastic bins to make the most of the top of my pantry. I'm only 5 feet tall so it's especially hard to make use of high spaces but I can pull these bins down without even using a chair. (remarkable, I know) I also don't use a lot of processed foods which helps keep my pantry staples to a minimum. I have an exorbitant number of vinegar bottles, several different kinds of oils, a large number of tuna packets and at least three different kids of trail mixes to store in my pantry though. I also have a bread basket where I store all of our tortillas, sandwich bread, buns, etc. What I don't keep stocked in my pantry are excess canned vegetables and soups. Most of my sauces and soups get stored in Tupperware containers in the freezer instead of taking up valuable pantry space. When I do have a recipe that calls for canned vegetables, I usually use them up within a week. And whenever possible, I use fresh produce over canned.  This recipe for Gazpacho came from my Cooking Light magazine. It is wonderful combination of fresh ingredients (and can of tomatoes). I had a gazpacho appetizer at Chez Francois back in May and ever since then, I've been anxious to make it at home. Gazpacho with Lemon Garlic Shrimp 10 ounce container grape tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes) 1 1/2 cups sliced English cucumber 1 cup red bell pepper, diced 3/4 cup Vadalia onion, diced (I used a red onion instead) 3 Tablespoons olive oil 2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar (I used white wine vinegar) 5/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 cloves garlic 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon garlic 20 medium shrimp (I used 2 pounds of colossal shrimp.) (I also added a dash of Worcestershire sauce.)
Heat a large skillet. Add shrimp mixture and cook 3 minutes.
Now for the my family's unscientific opinion of the gazpacho:
I loved it. Ben liked it. Courtney was very hesitant to even taste it. Not a fan. Ryan wasn't had a hard time grasping the concept of cold soup. I finally convinced him to think of it as salsa, and I gave him some chips to eat with it. Surprisingly, at the end of the meal, his gazpacho bowl was empty and the chips were gone. From now on, I am calling it salsa in this house. (Shhh) Ciao!  I have been ready for Fall since the kids went back to school at the end of July. I put my Fall decorations up in the house during an unusually cool and "Fall-like" weekend in the middle of August. (I took some heat for that because my family thought August was too early to display pumpkins.) This weeks it's finally starting to FEEL like Fall outside. I love the cooler weather and the changing leaves. I love that we can watch soccer games without having to sit under an umbrella to shield ourselves from the sun. But I mostly love that I can turn off the air conditioner, open the windows and open up the door to the porch.
The screened in porch off of our kitchen has to be one of my favorite places in the whole house. It's a great place to hangout and read my Bible while sipping hot tea in the morning and it's a great place to relax and listen to the stillness of the evening. (And all the neighborhood kids playing outside.) For much of the summer, I have to keep the door closed just to keep the house to a tolerable air conditioned level. I feel like I lose a whole room off of the house then because I use that space so often. My Big Green Egg is housed just outside of the screened in porch and it is a whole lot easier to access when I can walk right through the screened in porch to the back deck without trying to turn doorknobs with platters of food (and my camera) in my hand. I made this sweet and tangy barbecued chicken on the Big Green Egg a few weeks ago. Ben and the kids really enjoyed it. I was a little on the fence about the sauce but I'll let you be the judge.  Sweet and Tangy Barbecued Chicken Chicken 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 6 pounds split chicken breasts Sauce 1 cup ketchup 5 Tablespoons molasses 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup grated onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Whisk in ketchup mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Reserve 2/3 cup for basting and refrigerate the remaining sauce for serving.
Grill chicken to 165 degrees. Brush both sides with sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Cover and let rest 5 minutes.
So there you go, sweet and tangy barbecued chicken. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Ciao!  There are some day's when I get completely frustrated that there isn't decent grocery store in the town where I live. Don't get me wrong, our house isn't totally in the middle of nowhere - we do have a Wal Mart I go there for emergencies and some staples but I have to travel quite a bit further for specialty foods. Ben and I made a trip to Athens a few weekends ago and I took full advantage and did some grocery shopping at Fresh Market while we were there. (I have mad love for Fresh Market.) Ben wasn't quite as excited as I was about the grocery shopping trip as I was, but he came along anyway. While I was there, I browsed past the seafood counter and I spotted fresh rainbow trout! Fresh fish in this land locked city is a rare find so I snatched up 3 filets. I brought my fish home and hit the internet for some much needed inspiration on how to best cook my prized fish. I settled on a Rachel Ray recipe called cracker and parmesan crusted fish.  Cracker and Parmesan Crusted Trout 1 cup oyster crackers 1/3 cup Ritz crackers (a generous handful) 3/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic (optional) Flour, for coating 2 large eggs, beaten Splash heavy cream or half-and-half Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for frying 4 sole or tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry Salt and pepper Lemon wedges, for serving Using a food processor, grind the oyster crackers, Ritz crackers, cheese, parsley, chives, thyme, Old Bay seasoning and garlic powder.
Drain on paper towels. Transfer each batch to the oven to keep warm.
Did you happen to notice the macaroni and cheese on the plate next to my fabulously golden brown fish? Just a heads up - the recipe is going to be featured on tomorrow's blog. Don't miss it. By the way, every time that I get frustrated by the long commute to the grocery store, I take in the scenery that surrounds our house and I'm reminded of why we live here.
Ciao!
It's Saturday! The question is ... what will you choose to do with this wonderful day? I spent last Saturday afternoon around the house - cooking, cleaning and - organizing. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. I felt very accomplished as I crossed things off of my "to do" list. Saturday afternoon, Ryan casually mentioned that he was going to go for a bike ride. I think it was the cleaning solutions blurring my brain because I immediately said "I'll go too." What??? A bike ride with Ryan? Was I crazy? What in the would even made me think that I could keep up with my ultra athletic 17 year old son on a mountain bike?
I was so excited about getting to spend a couple of hours hanging out with him that all reasoning left my brain. I was purely focused on the one on one time with Ryan and I really had no idea how in the world I was ever going to stay with him on a bike. It didn't matter, we were going to be together - at least in the truck ride to and from the park anyway. We loaded up the bikes and headed to a mountain bike course that I had never ridden before - the Horsepark. (How hard could it be?) Ryan warned me that it was a challenging trail but he thought I could handle it. Ryan had confidence in me - how could I let him down?
Within a half mile of riding on solid granite - I realized that I was in WAY over my head. I was absolutely terrified. All I could picture as I was careening down the giant rock was how long it was going to take me to recover when I flipped over the handle bars of my bike and broke my collar bone. Had I really agreed to a death defying bike ride just to spend a couple of hours with my son? I am happy to report that Ryan took mercy on me and went really slow while I squeezed my brakes so hard that I couldn't feel my fingers while I made my way down the steep hills. He stopped and waited for me at the top of each hill while I huffed and puffed my way to the top. In spite of the difficult terrain, the terrifying hills, the steep climbs and solid rock surrface, I managed to come out of the course without any major injuries. I had conquered the hill - the 1996 Olympic mountain bike course! I was feeling very accomplished AND Olympic. For the rest of the day, I referred to myself as an Olympian. (he he he) I don't plan to take any death defying mountain bike rides today but I'm sure that my day will still be filled with excitement and fun. Most importantly, no matter what I do, I'll get to do it with my family - what could be better? Need a great, quick lunch to make for your family this weekend? Try this crab salad - it's really good.  Peach and Crab Salad 1 pound fresh lump crab meat 2 Tablespoons lemon zest 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup celery, diced 2 green onions, sliced 5-6 medium peaches, chopped or sliced 1 Tablespoon honey 3 medium avocados, diced Whisk together lemon zest, mayonnaise, mustard and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
Spoon pureed peach mixture onto plates. Top with diced avocado, sliced peaches and then crab mixture.
Today's your day - what will you do with it?
Ciao! |
