Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Spicy Carne Asada Tacos

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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?


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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.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

(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.


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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.




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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.




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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.



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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.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

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.