Lasagna Rolls

There are several things that I love love love about this meal...

1. Its easy to pare down for a small group. You can easily make this for 1-2 people. Great for when you want lasagna but don't want to make a huge pan. Think of these like individual lasagnas.

2. They are easy to make

3. They taste great

4. You can just as easily make this vegetarian and you can mix and match toppings and fillings- whatever you want to dress it up. Leave out the spinach, leave out the meat.. it all works and comes out great.



Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lb ground turkey or beef (browned) (leave out for a vegetarian meal)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Stir the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended

Add oil to boiling salted water and cook the noodles until al dente.

Lay out on a baking sheet so they don't stick

Combine the meat and the marinara sauce and pour some in the bottom of the pan

Spread the ricotta mixture on top the the noodle and then roll

Place into pan. Continue until all of them are done and in the pan

Cover with the rest of the sauce and put cheese on top

Cover with foil

Bake in oven about 25 to 30 minutes.


Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

I have to say out of all the recipes I've tried recently this is the only one I've made twice in two weeks. This picture is from my second attempt where I forgot to put parsley in. Either way it was still good. Lick my plate good.

This is definetly something that is going to be a regular around our house.



Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

1 pound linguine
6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts
Flour
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup dry white wine
Chicken broth (optional)
1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream (can use half & half)
1 heaping tablespoon capers
chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Flatten chicken breasts to uniform thickness. Salt and pepper both sides, then dredge in flour.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Throw mushrooms into the pan and stir. Immediately pour in wine, then squeeze juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon. Stir to deglaze the pan, then cook vigorously for 1 minute, until sauce reduces.
Pour in cream and stir, then add capers and parsley and stir. Turn off heat. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t undersalt!
Place pasta and chicken on a platter and top with every last drop of sauce. Generously sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the top.

Quick Way to Spice up your morning oatmeal

Add a spoonful or two of pureed pumpkin or pumpkin pie mix (whichever you prefer) to your morning oatmeal and stir. Pumpkin is very high in fiber and potassium.

Some of my other favorite oatmeal mix ins: dried cranberries, cinnamon, brown sugar, almond, walnuts, berries, apples, bananas and peanut butter.

Did I miss anything else?

Veggie Stirfry

Veggie Stir-Fry
sliced veggies whatever you want
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce
sprinkle of sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
1 tablespoon of pineapple juice (or more depending on how sweet you want it)
cooked rice

* Combine all ingredients in pan except for rice and sesame seeds and stir fry until cooked
* About 1 minute to go add seeds to pan
* Pour mixture over rice and enjoy

Baked Turkey Ziti

Baked Ziti
1 lb. ground turkey
1 package penne pasta
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (your choice)
1 tsp italian seasoning
3 cups of shredded cheese - mozzarella and asiago cheese

* preheat oven to 375
* boil pasta and set aside
* brown turkey and add tomatoes, sauce and seasoning
* mix pasta and sauce together
* Layer in pan with cheese
* Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Spicy Bean Dip

Spicy Bean Dip
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Old El Paso Taco Sauce (I used hot, you can use whatever you want)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cumin

* In a saucepan combine all ingredients except cheese
* Stir until mixture is smooth (about 5 minutes)
* Remove from pan and immediately put cheese on top so it will melt.

Chipotle Marinaded Steaks

• 
  Chipotle Marinade
  1 small can of chipotle chiles in adobo
  2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
  5 garlic cloves, minced
  1 small orange zested
  3/4 cup orange juice
  1/4 cup lime juice
  2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  1 tablespoon of tomato puree
  1 teaspoon dried oregano
  1 teaspoon ground cumin
  1 teaspoon ground pepper
  
  
  Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor until smooth
  Pour over steak and marinade for 1 to 2 hours.
  
  We served this with pico de gallo on top,pinto beans and hot tortillas on the side.
  You can use more or less peppers to adjust the heat. A full can of chiles is really spicy.
• 
  

Cheesy Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole from Pillsbury

Look at the cheesy goodness. This dish is so good and a great way to stretch out a family meal. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day plus it was rather inexpensive to make.

Ingredients
1 package refridgerated biscuits
olives sliced
cheddar and mozzerella cheese grated
1 lb hamburger meat
whatever veggies you want - mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
1 cup hot sauce or salsa

*Preheat oven to 350
*Cut biscuits into smaller pieces to fit into dish and coat with hot sauce or salsa
* Sprinkle half the cheeses over top with the olives
*Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes
* While baking - saute the onions and veggies in a pan until cooked
* Add the hamburger and brown until done
* Add the seasoning
* Pour over the top of the cheesy biscuits
* Add another layer of cheese
*Bake another 8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly

Serve immediately



Yum

Pioneer Woman's Stovetop Macraroni and Cheese

I keep seeing this over and over on different blogs. The pictures make me want to drool. Seriously. I usually eat mac and cheese out of a little box and the one time I made homemade macaroni and cheese it was not so creamy - but still good. This looked so creamy, that I knew the next one I'd try would be this one.

Ingredients
4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated (I used half cheddar and half monterey jack)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook macaroni in a pot until done
Drain and set aside
In a large pot, melt butter and add flour in gradually
Stir together for five minutes
Pour in milk and mustard and stir until smooth
Cook until the sauce thickens
Reduce heat and stir in the egg until smooth
Add cheese and stir until melted
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the macaroni into the sauce and stir to combine

Serve immediately

or you could top it with cheese and bake it, but really serve immediately.

Italian Pepper Pasta with homemade sauce

Macaroni Grill used to have a sausage and pepper pasta. I would order it all the time. It came with peppers, onions, chicken, feta cheese in a spicy tomato sauce or Arrabbiata Sauce.

The sauce is very easy to make on your own. It takes very few ingredients and what you are left with is a delicious dish.

Ingredients
Red bell pepper - chopped
Onion - chopped
Spaghetti - cooked

Sauce from Epicurious.com
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 14 1/2-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Saute onion and garlic with red pepper flakes. Add the bell pepper
Add the tomatoes with juice and the wine bring to a boil
Turn down the heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until it thickens
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Add to pasta and toss with feta cheese.

Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles

I have wanted to make this since I saw it because it seems like an easy clean up version of oven fries. I love oven fries. So when we were getting ready to make tri-tip again, I made these. It seems like half a potato works well portion wise and it seems like so much more than just a potato sitting on your plate. We had bought two big potatoes and it seemed like we really only needed to use one for the two of us. What a great way to stretch the groceries out.

Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles

Russet potatoes - cut into chunks
Yellow or white onion - cut into chunks
Butter
Heavy cream
Salt
Paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Place a peace of foil down and add a handful of potatoes and onions
Top with a slice of butter
Pour some heavy cream on top
Add the spices - salt, pepper, paprika and parsley
Fold into pouches and place on a baking sheet
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes

This is a really great recipe because it is so interchangeable - you could add some peppers, tomatoes, cheese, any spices you want really and it would turn out fabulous.

Mario Batali Spaghetti Sauce

I saw this on the shelf at the store and I had no idea that he made spaghetti sauce. However it looked good. There were three kinds, we chose Tomato Basil. Its made with san marzano tomatoes and fresh basil. It looked really chunky and good. So I decided to give it a try.

I made it with a package of Trader Joe's linguine, grilled chicken breasts and mushrooms. I sprinkled some shaved parmesan on top. I think it came together really good.

I also made some cheesy garlic bread to go with it. Except this time instead of slicing the bread, I just cut the loaf in half and baked it that way. It came out really good. I think it was less maintence that way.

Two new things to try

I love food blogs and I've been seeing a lot of posts about these two things:



Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams
(basically chocolate and peanut butter in a jar! yum!)

and

Barney Butter (or Almond Butter)

I grabbed both to try out and definetly worth it. Both were really good.

I think the chocolate peanut butter was really really really good. Like a peanut butter cup in a jar. Peanut butter cups are my favorite candy ever. I think having this in the house is dangerous.
The almond butter - well tasted like peanut butter - but apparently its better for you with more vitamins and minerals.

Moist Yellow Cake

I made these for Aaron's birthday. I've been wanting to make yellow cake for awhile because its my favorite cake. Aaron likes really any cake thats not chocolate. He doesn't mind chocolate frosting though as long as there isn't a lot of it. The cake was soft and moist. I would definetly make it again.

Ingredients
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line two cupcake pans with liners

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. With a mixer cream the butter and suger. Add the eggs one at a time.

4. Reduce the mixer speed. Stir vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Mix just until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.

6. Center the pans onto the lower third of the oven and let bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I used this frosting and some store bought sprinkles.

I think they came out great.
The recipe was from epicurious.com

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

I had some fresh blueberries sitting in my fridge that I didn't know what to do with. I've been wanting to make a coffee cake for awhile since my husband loves coffee cake. So I decided to find a recipe for a coffee cake to make. So I went to my favorite recipe hunting ground - recipezaar and found one that looked good.

Ingredients

Cake
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Streusel
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine the blueberries and 2 T flour;
toss gently and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups flour,
2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup sugar
and 3/4 cup milk in a large bowl.

Beat 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer.

Add egg; beat one minute.

Fold in blueberries.

Spread batter evenly in a greased and floured 9-inch square pan.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a bowl;

cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Spread this mixture over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Slow Cooker Frijoles a la Charra

I made these for Aaron's birthday to go with some chicken enchiladas I was making. These were really easy and the flavor was really complex. There was a lot going on. It was kind of smoky and spicy. They were good. A lot of prep work, but really not a lot to do once it was all in the pot.

Ingredients
1 pound dry pinto beans
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 (3.5 ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers
1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Place pinto beans in a slow cooker, and completely cover with water.

Mix in garlic and salt. Cover, and cook 1 hour on High.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown, but still tender.

Drain about half the fat. Place onion in the skillet, and cook until tender.

Mix in tomatoes and jalapenos, and cook until heated through.

Transfer to the slow cooker, stirring into the beans.

Cover slow cooker, and continue cooking 4 hours on Low.

Mix in the beer and cilantro about 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

Tasty Trader Joe's Lunch

We went to Trader Joe's yesterday and I was excited that we were actually on our way home, so we could get some things from the refridgerated section and freezer section. I picked up some Thai Shrimp Gyoza and edamame. I made some up for a quick lunch and it was really good. Especially since it was ready in only 8 minutes.

I love fruit stands

Local fruit stands are all over around where I live. There is one not too far from where I live, but we hardly ever go by it because its more towards the country. Its called the Fruit Bowl. They have gelato and a restaurant. However the fruit is really good there. You can buy it by the flat or the bucket.
We were driving by on the way back from lunch at one of our favorite country restaurants and decided to stop.

We picked up the best cataloupe for only $1.50. Yum!

Do you shop local farmers markets/fruit stands? You should definetly give it a try.

Simple Tangy Steak Marinade

Let me show you one of my favorite marinades for steak

Lets start with two juicy steaks

Add the juice of 1 lemon



Lots of crushed peppercorns



and lots of garlic put through a garlic press.. lots of garlic



It doesn't need long to marinade because of the lemon juice maybe 30 - 45 minutes

Grill and serve

Yummy!

Slow Cooker Barbeque Shredded Beef

Sometimes you need something you can just throw in the slow cooker and know it will be good. I was a little worried about making this because of the root beer. I've never really cooked with soda before so I was a little uneasy about the outcome.

It was good. It gave the meat a little sweetness. It definetly made it easy to shred. The only thing was as it cooked down, I didnt have more to add, so I just added water. Which was fine. It might have been sweeter if I had more - but i actually thought this came out just fine.

My husband actually ate his whole sandwich and half of mine. Then took the rest to work the next day for lunch. I guess he liked it.

Ingredients
1 pot roast (whatever size you want)
1 can of root beer (we used a 20 ounce bottle)
salt and pepper
1 bottle of barbeque sauce (whatever kind you like - we like sweet baby rays)

1. Turn the crockpot on low and put the pot roast in
2. salt and pepper the meat
3. add the bottle of root beer
4. cover and let cook for 7.5 hours on low
5. drain the pot roast
6. put back in slow cooker
7. Add bottle of barbeque sauce and let simmer for 30 minutes
8. dish up and serve. We ate ours on buns - but however you like it is fine

Trader Joe's Product Rave: Trader Ming's Soyaki Marinade

I've been eyeing this for weeks at the store. It looks so good with the sesame seeds floating in it. You can see the ginger too. It has to be good...

and it is. Its not that sweet. For sweetness, I guess you would have to go for Island Soyaki which has the additional of Pineapple Juice. I almost got that one instead but I thought it might be too sweet. I think the soy sauce cuts the sweetness that traditional teriyaki sauces have. The addition of the ginger was really good.

I marinaded chicken in it for about an hour, grilled it up and served it with white rice and voila a quick and easy meal.

Corn Quesadillas

If you read my blog you know that we love mexican food. So when I saw this on a menu at a restaurant I knew it was something I wanted to try to duplicate at home.

It really couldn't be simplier and its really tasty. Its nice to have a veggie option that my husband will eat. I think the sweetness of the corn and the creaminess of the cheese really made this something I would make again.

I love new twists on old favorites.

Ingredients
1 large flour tortilla

kernel corn off the cob
1 handful of cilantro

diced tomatoes

black beans

diced red peppers

diced jalepenos

diced onions

monterey jack cheese

butter

1. butter one side of a tortilla and place in a non stick pan over medium heat

2. add cheese and allow to melt a bit
3. Add corn, cilantro, red peppers, jalepenos, and onions.

4. fold over and serve with black bean salsa

Sugar Cookies

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

I got this recipe from the Crisco container. I was really surprised how soft and moist they turned out. I don't really cook with Crisco a lot. Some of my cookies have came out a little flat, so I decided to give crisco a try. I think they came out perfect.

Definetly something I would make again.

Crisco Recipe

1/2 c. Butter flavored Crisco
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk

Cream Crisco, sugar, egg and extract.
Add combined dry ingredients alternately with milk.
Chill 1 hour.

Roll into balls and flatten onto a cookie sheet

Bake at 400 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes

Pioneer Woman's Pasta ala Marlboro Man

or aka Meatloaf Pasta because thats what the sauce tasted like.. it was delicious. Very meaty, I think next time I'll make it with a smaller pasta like penne. It was good though.

I love meatloaf, My husband does not. I think this is the sneaky way of getting the flavor I love in something he will eat. mwahaha.

Pasta alla Marlboro Man
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 generous teaspoon ground thyme
2 14-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 to 2 pounds rigatoni

Heat olive oil in large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook a couple of minutes, until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.
Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of excess fat.
Add salt, pepper, and ground thyme. Stir to combine.
Dump in canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese before serving

Cook rigatoni according to package directions—don’t overcook! Drain and place individual portions into bowls.
Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with more Parmesan, and serve.

Bobby Flay's Homemade Texas Toast

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cloves garlic, pureed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 loaf good white bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese
italian seasoning

Directions
Mix together the butter and garlic in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush both sides of the bread with the butter and place in the oven. Bake the bread for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese and italian seasoning and broil until melted.

Chicken Romano

Awhile back my friend Jennifer and I went to the cheesecake factory because she had never been. I had Chicken Romano because the people next to me were having it and it looked good. They subbed the tomato sauce on the spaghetti for white sauce .. so I did too. Why not.

It was very good. I vowed to make it again at home and Jenn and I sat there and tried to figure out how. panko bread crumbs - she said and I agreed. Until I found a recipe online - and it said nothing about panko. So I did threw some panko in with the flour to give it some crunch..like we remembered and I thought it turned out perfect. I could be wrong. Maybe I should go again to make sure :)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons water

Directions
1. Whisk together the egg, and the water.

2. Pound out chicken breasts to, at most, 1/2 inch thick.

3. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and coat the chicken lightly. Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs

4. Then dip in egg, and cover with shredded Romano.

5. Place in frying pan on medium high, with a little bit of oil.

6. Cook until golden brown.

As for the pasta, its regular spaghetti with a white sauce.

Basic white sauce:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Melt butter in a sauce pan and whisk in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually stir in cold milk, cooking over direct heat and stirring constantly until sauce boils; reduce heat slightly and continue to stir until sauce becomes smooth and thick. When sauce thickens, simmer for an additional 10 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally.
Stir carefully to avoid lumps. If sauce becomes lumpy, use a stick blender or rotary beater to blend out lumps or else press through a sieve. Wondra flour may be used to great advantage since this flour does not have a tendency to lump.

garnished it all with some more sprinkled cheese and served it. It was really good!

Spicy Carne Asada Tacos

Aaron's Spicy Carne Asada Tacos

My husband loves tacos from the taco trucks.. so much that he actually made this recipe up for quick at home taco truck tacos...

Ingredients

1 lb carne asada cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup tarasco
2 tbs chili powder
1 tbs red chili flakes
1 red chili - diced
1 cup cilantro - chopped
1/2 cup onions -chopped
1 cup pico de gallo
1/2 lb monterey jack

directions
1. Saute carne asada in a pan season with the spices and the tarasco and let cook until done
2. throw peppers in at the last minute and saute a bit
3. Garnish with pico de gallo, monterey jack, onions and cilantro and serve.

Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to make these all the time when I was a kid. My sister and I used to make these. I think I remember this recipe as one of my earliest baking memories. I love these cookies. They are childhood ...

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies - well except for my husband?

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chips

Directions
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in morsels.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

(not so) Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I thought these sounded perfect. I followed every step and I'm not sure if they are meant to be flat, or if they are supposed to have puffed up a bit at one point? The cookies taste good, but the chocolate chips look like they are little mountains in the pool of flattened cookie dough. Definetly not something I will make again.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cook’s Illustrated May/June 2009)

1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whish for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Greek Pasta Salad

I made this for a potluck and I must say it was a hit. Everyone liked it. I thought it really came out great.

Greek Pasta Salad

1 box rotini or any pasta you like
1 can of olives

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 cucumber

1 tomato

1 large package of feta cheese

Red Wine Vinagrette
1 cup of sugar

3 cups of vinager

2.5 cups of oil

1/4 cup of italian seasoning

1. Cook pasta to al dente and drain

2. Dice olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes

3. Mix vinagrette ingredients well

4. Combine all veggies, pasta and dressing and stir well.

5. Refridgerate for at least a few hours or overnight

6. Sprinkle with feta before serving

Costco Rave: Morton's Chipotle Tri Tip

Morton's Chipotle Marinated Tri Tip

Who doesn't love pre-marinated tri tip. Its almost always juicy and flavorful. The question is will you actually like the flavor? I thought this was spot on and delicious. The chipotle flavoring made it smoky, spicy and really really good. There wasn't a lot left. Its definetly something we are going to try again. Its definetly worth the $15 investment.

Crockpot Corned Beef and Vegetables

I make this every St. Patricks Day. I love Corned Beef and I should make it more often, but I don't. Its relatively easy.



Ingredients
3 lb. Corned Beef Brisket
4 potatoes
4 carrots
1/2 cabbage
fresh cracked pepper
2 cups of water


1. Wash and quarter the carrots and potatoes
2. Cut the cabbage into bite sized bits
3. Put the water in the slow cooker
4. Put half the potatoes on the bottom
5. Put the corned beef brisket on top, cover with the seasoning packet
6. Put the rest of the potatoes and carrots in
7. Sprinkle some pepper on top
8. Cover and turn on low for 4-5 hours
9. Make sure to watch the water level, it should at least cover 1/2 the brisket.
10. About 30 minutes to go, add the cabbage
11. When the brisket is fork tender and just falls apart with a slight nudge of a spoon, its ready.
12. Take out and place on a platter, serve while hot.

Garlic Knots

These were really easy and we will definetly be making them again.



Ingredients
1 tube refridgerated pizza dough
3 cloves garlic (minced)
3 tbs softened butter
1 tbs melted butter
1 teaspoon italian seasoning


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Unroll pizza dough and cut into 1 inch strips with a pizza cutter
3. Press a little bit of garlic into the dough before you tie it
4. Tie the strips into knots, take the ends and tuck under into the center. It doesn't have to be perfect - just knot it up however you want.
5. Sprinkle with the rest of the garlic and brush the softened butter on top
6. Grease a cookie sheet and place the knots on it.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned (mine didn't brown, but they tasted fine).
8. Brush with the melted butter when they come out.
9. Serve while hot.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

I've been seeing a BBQ quesadillas all over the place. I thought since I was making quesadillas, I'd try it with half the chicken. It turned out really good. However, my husband said it wasn't very Mexican but it was still good. Whatever, I thought it was good. lol.



Ingredients
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup bbq sauce
2 cups monterey jack or cheddar cheese
4 tortillas
1 pat of butter

1. Season the chicken breast with half the bbq sauce
2. Grill chicken until cooked
3. Cut into pieces and add the rest of the bbq sauce
4. In a skillet over medium heat, add a little bit of butter until melted.
5. Add tortilla and sprinkle with cheese
6. Layer the chicken on top
7. When the chicken melts fold over and remove from heat.
8. Repeat until ingredients are gone
9. Cut into triangles and serve.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

I love quesadillas. They are so easy to make at home. They are really quick and easy very painless to make.


Ingredients
1 chicken breast (per 2 people)
1 sprinkle mexican oregano
1 sprinkle chili pepper
1 light sprinkle cayenne pepper
1 sprinkle garlic powder"
1 sprinkle black pepper
2 cups monterey jack or queso quesadilla
4 soft taco sized flour tortillas
1 pat of butter


1. Season the chicken breast with all the seasoning.
2. Grill chicken until cooked.

3. In a skillet over medium heat, add a little bit of butter until melted.
4. Add tortilla and sprinkle with cheese
5. Layer the chicken on top
6. When the chicken melts fold over and remove from heat.
7. Repeat until ingredients are gone
8. Cut into triangles and serve.