Soft Chocochip Cookies

 In search of a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I could throw together quickly for my boyfriend and some of his friends, I found this recipe on the blog A Chick Who Can Cook.

The corn starch is the secret ingredient that makes these so soft. This recipe yielded about 2 dozen medium-sized cookies.  Really quick and easy recipe, and didn't leave me with a ton of extra cookies!

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 t. cornstarch

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

2 t. vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.  Slowly mix in flour mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Drop by the spoonful on a cookie tray.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are barely just turning golden brown.

Grilled Honey Lime Chicken

Lots of people use ground beef as a kitchen staple, but I prefer to use chicken.  I'm always looking for flavorful main dishes that incorporate chicken because it is inexpensive, tasty, and better-for-you.  I pinned this recipe from Cooking Classy a while back.  The weather was great, so I decided to fire up the grill.

This Honey Lime Chicken turned out yummy, and I only marinated my tenderloins for 45 minutes.  Next time I make it, however, I will be planning ahead of time and marinating my chicken overnight.  I used chicken breast tenderloins which are about the size of a chicken strip, but this recipe would also work well with breasts or cutlets. 

To complete this meal, I roasted some green beans and fried up some potatoes.

Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Marinade

1/4 c. fresh lime juice + 1 T.
1/4 c. honey
2 T lime zest
2 T EVOO
1 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Whisk all ingredient together.  Reserve about 1/3 c. in a separate container to brush on in the last minutes of grilling.  Pour remaining marinade over 1.5-2 lbs chicken.  (I think I made about 12 tenderloins)  Marinate overnight.

Summer Vegetable Ricotta Pasta

I made this for dinner a couple of nights ago because it seemed simple and delicious. I pinned it from this website--http://rantingchef.com/2012/07/01/no-chipmunk-cheeks-here/

& only made a few adjustments. 

First and foremost, I just added chicken because I felt like it needed some sort of "meat."  I also didn't really measure out anything exactly, as it's really a hassle to measure out 74 different seasonings and I'm not much of a "by-the-recipe" person.  As with almost all hearty pasta dishes, the leftovers were awesome and reheated well.  Lastly, if I make this again, I will probably up the quantity of vegetables I use.  If you are a veggie lover, then I would advise you to also add more than the quantities mentioned below.  

Anyway, here is the general procedure I followed:

Summer Vegetable Ricotta Pasta

• Preheat oven to 400 
• Cook about 3/4 of a 1-lb. box of your preferred pasta in a large pot with salted water--really, any pasta will work (rigatoni, ziti, macaroni, penne, etc)
• In a large saute pan over medium heat:
• Drizzle with EVOO
• Toss in the first round of bite-size veggies, in this order:
• Onion ( I used 1/4 yellow onion)
• Zucchini (I used two medium zucchini)
• Yellow Squash (I used one medium squash)
• Add in diced chicken breast (I used about 5-6 chicken breast tenderloins)
• Season with: 
• salt
• pepper
• Italian seasonings
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• whatever your heart desires!
• After a few minutes, add in a second round of veggies:
• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
• tomatoes (I used 4-5 Campari tomatoes from Costco)
• In a medium bowl, prepare the sauce by combining:
• 1 egg
• 8 oz. whole milk Ricotta cheese (I used 1/2 of a 15 oz. container)
• 1/3 c. parmesan cheese
• splash of half & half
• fresh, chopped basil (I used ~3T)
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• Assemble dish:
• Place cooked pasta on bottom of baking dish 
• Cover pasta with cooked vegetables and chicken 
• Pour in prepared sauce
• Toss a few times to incorporate everything
• Sprinkle with a generous helping of cheese (I used pre-shredded 6 Italian Cheeses Blend)
• Bake for about 15-20 until cheese is melted and starting to crisp up

Delectable Cheesecake Brownies

I'm a firm believer that the more sweets you eat, the more sweets you want.

Being around people who have dessert after dinner and cookies lying around, is giving me a real sweet tooth.  As much as I try to resist, I often cave into my desires.  Chocolate is becoming a real weakness for me!  Anyway,  I made these brownies last night, just to be sweet to my boyfriend and his brother :)

Hahaha, who am I kidding?!? I made these brownies because they are soooo yummy and I was craving some chocolatey goodness.   This is a super simple recipe--don't be setback because it includes boxed brownie mix!  Enjoy :D

Cheesecake Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix (make sure the back specifies that it can fit into a 9x13")

Prepare brownie mix according to box directions.

1-8oz. package Cream Cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

Handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13" pan.  Pour prepared brownie mix into pan.  Mix cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla together.  Spoon over brownie mix.  Using a butter knife, swirl cheesecake and brownie layers as desired.  Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips over the top.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until cooked through. 

Try not to eat these for every meal--they are really high in sugar and really low in beneficial nutrients!!!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake to bring to an Easter Dinner. 

Unfortunately, I made it at about midnight the night before Easter....so, of course, the stores were all sold out of crushed pineapple and coconut flakes.

I had to use the real deal, which was a hassle.  Well, the pineapple wasn't bad, but the coconut was a disaster.  I finally gave up and triple bagged the sucker, then whacked it against the concrete....maybe a tad too hard....bags all shredded instantly and coconut water went EVERYwhere.  Then, I got to struggle with getting the "meat" to come off of the bark. 

I just put everything through my juicer.

The recipe called for really dry carrots and pineapple, so my juicer worked perfect--I just used the pulp.  And it gave me pineapple juice for the icing.

Glad I could use my expensive investment for something other than juicing!

One last thing, I couldn't taste the pineapple in the frosting AT ALL.  In fact, I'm convinced that the only point of the frosting is to make the cake look prettier.

Anyway, here's the recipe I used.

I found it on the blog, Sifting Focus.

http://www.siftingfocus.com/2012/03/carrot-cake-cheese-cake-cheesecake-factory/

My photography isn't nearly as stunning as the original poster's.

Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Cheesecake:

16 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Carrot Cake:

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 generous pinch of salt
1 (8 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained with juice reserved (I used a little over 1 C fresh)
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup flaked coconut (I used about 1/4 of a fresh coconut)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecan bits)

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
Dash of salt

Directions:

Grease a 9 or 9 1/2 inch springform pan.  Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together 2 packages cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth.  Beat in 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs and 1 teaspoons vanilla until smooth.  Set aside.

For the carrot cake:  in a large bowl, combine oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending thoroughly.  Stir in 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon and pinch of salt, mixing well.  Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.

Spread 1 1/2 cups carrot cake batter over bottom of prepared pan.  Drop large spoonfuls of cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter.  Top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter.  Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife.  (Do not marble with the knife.)

Bake in preheated 350˚F oven 60 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through.  Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.

When cake is cold, prepare the frosting.  In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine 2 ounce cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice and a dash of salt.  Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.  Frost top of cheesecake.

Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Awesome Lunch!

Lately, I've eaten so lousy. 

Because it's just me--the boyfriend is home in Virginia--I have no motivation to cook any delicious meals.

However, this afternoon, after making a nice jar of juice AKA pond water  that tasted reminiscent of moss, I got the urge to eat something decent and satisfying--something buttery.   

And, so, I quickly whipped up two of my favorites--salmon & a baked potato.

This is a fabulous meal for one.  Normally, I would have had some asparagus or green beans or at least a salad with this, but I was pressed for time and had a jar full of fresh juice. Sorry for my less than stunning photography skills. 

Foil Pack Salmon

Drizzle Salmon Fillet with EVOO

Sprinkle both sides with:

Lemon Pepper

Cracked Rosemary

Kosher/sea salt

Fresh pepper

Dried, minced garlic (or garlic powder)

Place onto a large sheet of foil.  

Top with a small pat of butter.  

Fold foil up around salmon into a foil pack.  

Bake @ 400F 12-15 minutes.

Then, open foil, and broil for about 2 minutes.

***if you don't overcook the salmon, it will be tender and juicy and delicious!

Perfect FAST Baked Potato

Rinse a russet/Idaho potato thoroughly.

Dry off and stab repeatedly with a fork or knife.

Place in microwave for ~4 minutes until almost done.

Remove from microwave--drizzle with EVOO & sprinkle with kosher salt.

Place in 400F oven with salmon.

Cook 15-20 minutes, turning over halfway through.

Skin should be crisp and salty, and inside should be fluffy and tender.

Top with lots of butter and fresh pepper. 

Guilty Pleasure

Cafe Rio

Sweet Pork Barbacoa

Cilantro Lime Rice

Pinto Beans

Medium Salsa Verde

Cheese

All wrapped up into a burrito

Topped with Mild Enchilada Sauce & Cheese

Then baked to perfection 

Seriously, this is delicious.  And it makes two generous meals.  I feel bad for eating this unhealthy, though, so I try to eat berries and crudites and clementines for the rest of the day to compensate.