Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are some of my favorite. I am on the hunt for the best recipe, any suggestions? Earlier this week I made the traditional recipe on the back of the chip bag, they were good right out of the oven, but got crispy after they cooled. I prefer a chewy cookie so I was a bit disappointed.






2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts


COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.


BAKE in preheated 375-degrees oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Sunday Brunch with the Ladies

Yesterday some of my girlfriends and I had brunch at Traci's house. It was a great way to start the morning. We all brought something to share and I made a Steusel Topped Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake from ATK Family Cookbook (pg. 489).

An interesting tip given for this recipe. Have you ever noticed that when you add frozen berries to a cake they dye the entire cake their color. The recipe suggests that you run the frozen berries under cold water until the water runs clear to prevent this. Nice tip, worked like a charm.

The cake was delicious (as was everything else). Very moist and quick to put together. I am a sucker for steusel toppings and this did not disappoint.

Traci and Presley set a beautiful table complete with a full menu!

Waffle House Lattes made by Barrister Traci.

Vanilla Banana Shots & Fresh Squeezed Citrus Juice

Poppyseed Fruity Salad

Sausage Pinwheels

PMS Potato Casserole (the crowd favorite made by my sister in law Lindsey)

Drunken Ham Casserole

We all had such a great morning. It was fun to catch up with everyone and to see our friend Amber, it had been far too long!

New take on Lemon Spaghetti

Last night I put together a quick and delicious pasta for dinner. Again, using things I had one hand I added to the Lemon Spaghetti recipe I posted about I think last spring.

This one had:

Chicken

Parsley

Chives

Peas

Garlic

Parmesan

White wine

Lemon

Butter (just a touch for richness)

I loved all the green in the pasta, it tasted light and fresh. Really good after having a had a big brunch (see next post) earlier in the day.

I have a real problem.....

I love cookbooks! I really, really LOVE cookbooks! And honestly, I have way too many and I really don't use them all. There is just something about them, I can't get enough. My favorite are those that have lots of photos, they help inspire me to make my meals look just a beautiful!

Here are the books I currently have in rotation (I am too embarrassed to post the instead of the cookbook cupboard). I leave them on the shelf over the kitchen sink to remind myself to actually look through them and use them rather than only using my latest one which I have been known to do.

Yesterday, I feel off the wagon so to speak and picked up yet another one! Tyler Florence's, Dinner at My Place. There I was killing time at Barnes & Noble before an appointment and it called to me. I just had to have it. Not only because I really enjoy Tyler's shows on Food Network and have made (and really enjoyed) several of his recipes, but also because this man it sexy as all get out! I just love him! :-)

Does anyone else have this addiction or is it only me? I wonder if there is a Cookbook Buyers Anonymous group in the Atlanta area.....

The Clean Out Continues

I am getting bored and am really wanting to do some serious cooking. However, I have set a goal and I will not allow myself to fail! My freezer and pantry are almost empty, I think by Monday I will be ready to hit the stores to restock!

This week the cupboards did allow me to make two meals that we both enjoyed. The first came from Cook's Country Magazine which I recently received a free trial issue from. Here is the recipe exactly how it is printed in the magazine, I made several adjustments which I will detail, but in case you wanted to make the real deal, here it is.

Cheesy Broccoli & Rice Casserole

Serves 8 to 10

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 tbls. unsalted butter, melted; plus 2 tablespoons, chilled

1 garlic clove, minced

2 pounds broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems peeled & chopped

1 onion, chopped fine

1 1/4 cup long grain white rice

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/4 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Prepare Topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 13x9 baking dish. Pulse bread, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and melted butter in food processor until coarsely ground. Add garlic.

2. Make Filling: Microwave broccoli florets, covered, in large bowl until bright green and tender, set aside. Melt remaining butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion and broccoli stems until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent, about 1 minutes. Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Off heat, stir in cheddar, cayenne, remaining Parmesan, and broccoli florets.

3. Top and Bake: Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

So, what did I change? I added chicken. I think I have mentioned this before, but Peter does not believe you are having a meal unless there is some kind of meat. I disagree, however I was trying to make us both happy with this meal. I just cooked up 2 chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper. Nothing fancy.

Second, I cut down on a lot of the fat and dairy! I sprayed the dutch oven with PAM cooking spray and only used 1 tbls. of butter to cook the onion. I also left out the bread topping. Not only because I didn't have any bread in the house, but also because it really didn't appeal to me. So I threw the garlic in with the onions. I didn't have the cheddar cheese but I had about a half bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese so I used that and about 1/2 cup of fresh Parmesan. And I used frozen broccoli florets because that is what I had on hand.

We both really loved this dish! It was very comforting and gave the "feeling" of being really bad for you, but was only mildly as the creaminess of the dish came from the starch in the rice and not too much actual cream or dairy. YUM! I am sure I will make this again before winter is over.

The second meal that we like this week was a version of my slow cooker chili.....have I ever blogged about the real version.....I don't think I have....I will do that soon, it is YUM.

Anyhoo, I didn't have everything I needed so I just whipped up what I did have. I had some chunky stew meat, onion, carrots (not in the original recipe), diced tomatoes, Carroll Shelby Chili Seasoning (great stuff, I have been using it for years and always have it on hand), kidney beans, black beans and tomato sauce. I put it all on to cook and headed out to the office for the day.

When I came home we topped it with just a bit of shredded cheese and low-fat (really not as good as full fat) sour cream and enjoyed. We are just about done eating when Peter turns to me and says "Babe, this taste awesome." Me, "Thanks, I am happy you liked it I just threw it together." Peter, "But I have to say, don't get mad, that it kind of looks like Alpo". I about died!!! He was so right, hilarious! So although it wasn't very pleasing to the eye it really was delicious and helped to clean out a large amount of food in the kitchen!

Cleaning out the cabinets

A goal that I set for 2009 that I didn't list in my previous post is to use up what food we have in the house before going to buy more. I find that my freezer and pantry end up full of things that basically become out of site out of mind. So this week I made two recipes using ingredients that I already had in the house (with the exception of fresh produce). Both recipes came from my cookbook of the moment, The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

The first dish I made was Skillet Ziti with Chicken and broccoli. Basically the recipe gave me more of an idea of what I wanted to make, but I made several adjustment to the recipe to make it a bit lighter and healthier.

The two major changes I made were instead of using the 3 tablespoons of butter that the recipe called for I only used one and instead of heavy cream, I used skim milk. I also used whole wheat ziti and added cauliflower and carrots. I am a sucker for pasta and this one was really good, I will make it again for sure.

The second recipe I made was Slow Cooker Chicken with Sausage and Corn. Again, I made just a couple of adjustments to boost the health factor. Instead of bone in skin-on chicken breasts I used boneless skinless breast and thighs. Also, instead of pork of beef kielbasa I used turkey kielbasa.

I love the convenience of my slow cooker(s) and this recipe was easy and sounded comforting. The addition of fresh corn was appealing as well. The dish was good served over rice, but it didn't knock my socks off. I found it to be a little bit bland. Peter added hot sauce which he said helped.

I still have plenty of things to use up in this house, I am looking forward to finding creative uses for all of it!

Too Much Chocolate Cake

I know, there's no such thing! :-)

I was looking for a decedent, but easy chocolate cake recipe to make for Christmas dinner at my father in laws and ran in this one, which I loved because it allowed me to cheat a little bit and use a boxed cake mix! Shh....that's a secret!

Everything about the recipe made me think it would be rich, moist and decedent which is exactly what I wanted in a Christmas dessert so I also decided to make miniature cakes for some of my co-workers. There was one left over that Peter and I tried, which was good but not as moist as I had hoped it would be. I figured that making the larger version would make for a moister cake and I was right. This cake is fantastic and will become one of my go to cakes when I am in a hurry! The other great thing, you don't have to make frosting!!

Out with the Old & In with the New- Welcoming 2009

I find myself feeling very reflective this dreary Friday afternoon. As the new year begins and the old one moves out I am excited for new adventures.

2008 was my best year yet. Not because any major event took place, although many did, but because I think I got to know myself better, worried less and generally had more fun. Because of this I am welcoming 2009 with open and excited arms!

This year I resolve to do the following.

1. Become more healthy. Eat cleaner, exercise more, and spend more time outdoors.

2. Find a culinary challenge that really inspires me (suggestions welcome)!

3. To be more green! In 2008 we started composting and grew some of the best tomatoes ever! I also started using canvas grocery bags religiously! In 2009 we will recycle more, cut down on our electricity and water use and walk more!

4. Slow down enough to enjoy the things that I really like to do, even if others don't.

5. Travel

I hope that you all are as excited about the coming year as I am! I think it will only prove to be better and more delicious than the last!