Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I love peanut butter. I love chocolate. And I love cookies. So it's no surprise that I made a batch of these chewy chocolate peanut butter cookies over the weekend. (Sshh...don't tell anybody that they're already gone!)


Follow my general Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe and tweak it as follows:


Add 3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa powder (to the flour mixture)
Substitute Reese's peanut butter morsels for the chocolate chips.

...and enjoy! They certainly did!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Disclaimer: This recipe is in no way especially unique, fancy or healthy...but it's pretty darn tasty!


Another cold day, another round of comfort food. I was trying to find a recipe that would be relatively easy to throw together and would leave me with leftovers through the weekend. After searching and comparing many chicken casserole recipes, I pulled bits and pieces from several and came up with my own. And a bit to my surprise, it turned out pretty good! 


Thought I'd share a recipe that's easy to make, easy to serve and good if you have to feed a group of people or want leftovers for a few days.


Ingredients
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 white onion
3 cloves garlic
8 oz. egg noodles
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed Cream of Chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
7 0z. freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers (or any other butter cracker)
Olive oil
Garlic & onion powder
Salt & pepper


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add egg noodles. Boil for 4-6 minutes (they cook really quickly!) Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside in a medium bowl.

3. Season uncooked chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. (Once the chicken is in the skillet, I add a little garlic and onion powder to jazz up the flavor of the chicken itself).
4. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from heat and set aside on a cutting board for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute (this will help the chicken to stay moist and the juices won't run out all over when you cut it).

5. Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove skillet from heat and add the three cans of soup to the skillet (this will prevent lumps from forming in the soup, as the skillet will still be hot). Thoroughly incorporate the onion, garlic and soup.

7. Add the soup mixture to the bowl with the egg noodles. Add the sour cream and grated cheese and mix together.
8. Dice the chicken breasts into small-medium pieces and mix into the noodle mixture.
9. Pour into a 9"x13" casserole dish.
10. Crush one sleeve of Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top of the casserole.
11. Bake for 30 minutes or until cracker topping has browned and cheese is bubbling.
12. Let sit for 10 minutes and serve.

Chicken (Noodle) Soup

It's officially cold in Chicago. November has arrived, the time change is around the corner and I can feel winter coming. Nothing satisfies me more on a cold "fall-but-feels-like-winter" day than a bowl of warm, hearty soup. This one is a classic and so easy to make. In fact, I've had it twice just this week.

Ingredients
1 white onion
4 large carrots
4 stalks celery
1 small bag frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole rotisserie chicken (or two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
10-12 cups chicken broth
Seasonings (oregano, parsley, thyme, garlic and onion powder)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
4 oz pasta noodles (optional)


1. Chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat a couple tbsp. olive oil. Once heated, saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. While it softens, peel the carrots and dice both the carrots and celery into small-medium pieces. 
3. Add the carrots and celery, cover, and saute for another 10 minutes (take the cover off and stir every few minutes).
4. While the vegetables are softening, prepare the chicken:


If you are using a rotisserie chicken:
5. Pull apart the rotisserie chicken. Place the dark and light meat in medium bowl and discard the bones and skin. (The rotisserie chicken is a great option if you are able to buy the chicken the day of because it is already seasoned. If the chicken is warm, it is easy to pull apart.)


If you are using chicken breasts:
6. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Heat a couple tbsp. of olive oil in a medium skillet; once heated, add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, as well as a little garlic and onion powder, for flavor.
(If you are grocery shopping days before you make the soup, I suggest using chicken breasts, as the rotisserie chicken is hard to separate after it has been refrigerated. If you keep chicken breasts in the freezer, be sure to thaw beforehand.)


7. Add 10-12 cups of chicken broth to the pot and stir the vegetables, making sure to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan (there is a lot of flavor there!). Bring the broth to a boil.
8. When the broth reaches a rolling boil, add the chicken and an entire bag of peas. Reduce heat to simmer.
9. Add a a tbsp. each of dried thyme, parsley and oregano. (I also add a few sprinkles of garlic and onion powder to the broth, especially if I am using the rotisserie chicken and have not already added it to the chicken as I would if using chicken breasts).
10. Let the soup simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. If you want to add noodles, add 4 oz. of uncooked pasta when there is about 15 minutes left in your simmer time. 
12. Ladle into bowls and serve. If you don't add noodles to the soup (and I rarely do, because it's hearty enough with all the chicken and vegetables), serve with a fresh slice of toasted, buttered bread.


Note: this soup can be modified in many ways. You can add leeks, corn, parsnips...the possibilities are pretty endless. Just add any onion-like vegetables (such as leeks) in with the onion and garlic at the beginning; add hard vegetables (such as parsnips) when you add the carrots and celery; and add any soft vegetables (such as corn) when you add the peas.

Happy Halloween!

This weekend, I had the privilege of tagging along with Jen to watch her niece and nephew for a couple days. I had high hopes of baking some awesome cake or decorating some creative Halloween cookies for them, but time got away from me. Before I knew it, we were on the road to see the kids without any desserts in tow. And if you know me, you know this is not me.


However, one thing my hurried pre-trip schedule afforded me was the chance to focus more on the moment than on a recipe. Sometimes, all you need is a box of cupcake mix, a tub of store-bought frosting and some sprinkles...and two the greatest kids I know.


No recipe to share today, but I thought I'd share some cute photos from our cupcake-decorating session.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies. The possibilities are endless. But I'm a fickle girl when it comes to this delicious treat. Give me a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie (and a cold glass of milk) and I can eat a dozen. But give me a cookie that's hard, crunchy and flat, and I won't eat two bites.

As a frequent cookie-baker, I have a good-sized assortment of recipes at my disposal, but let me introduce you to my favorite cookie recipe. These chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy, and they plump up perfectly every time. But every batch turns out a little differently because it's so easy to vary the add-ins. In the above photo, I added blanched, roasted almonds (chopped) that I had previously used in almond biscotti's. But get creative with this one - chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, mint chips, white chocolate, Reese's, macadamia nuts, walnuts, almonds...the list is endless. And the secret to this recipe? Jell-O pudding mix. Yes, that's right. Pudding mix. It's that "extra-special-something" that gives these cookies their plump. And if you vary the flavors, you have yet another way to play around with this recipe every time. 

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (3.5 oz) package Jell-O instant pudding mix (I like Vanilla or Butterscotch)

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) bag semisweet chocolate chips (I like the Mini's from Nestle Tollhouse)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, vanilla and pudding mix. Beat until the mixture is creamy, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add the eggs and cream again, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Mix in the chocolate chips (or whatever else you decide to use).

6. Mix in the flour mixture, adding one third of the mixture and fully combining for adding the next third.

7. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (trust me - this is a great investment if you like to bake). Take one teaspoon-worth of dough, roll it in your palm to form a ball and place on the baking sheet. Repeat and place about one inch apart.
8. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Five-Herb Chicken & Vegetable Strudel Pockets

Last night, I had friends over for dinner after church and knew that we wouldn't be getting back until late. To make it easier on myself, I decided to find some recipes I could prepare ahead of time and throw in the oven when I got home.

For the main dish, I made Five-Herb Marinated Chicken (courtesy of Bobby Flay) that I began marinating the night before:

Ingredients

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. each coarsely chopped fresh sage, parsley, tarragon, rosemary and thyme.

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper

Directions for Make-Ahead Prep

1. Chop the herbs and garlic and place in a gallon-size Ziploc freezer bag.

2. Add the olive oil, close the bag (letting out all the air) and combine the ingredients in the bag.

3. Salt and pepper the chicken. Reopen the bag and add the chicken.

4. Close the bag, again letting out all the air. This ensures that each part of the chicken will be covered with marinade. 

5. Massage the marinade over the chicken and put in the refrigerator overnight.

I found the Vegetable Strudel Pocket recipe in the Good Housekeeping's Step-by-Step cookbook. It was the first cookbook I ever owned, and I have to say it's really great for finding a variety of recipes with easy-to-follow directions. I tweaked it a little by adding onion and garlic to the filling, but everything  else I followed to the letter.

Ingredients

1 bundle asparagus, cut to 6" spears

1 lb. baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

2 tbsp. plain dried bread crumbs

12 sheets phyllo dough (if you buy it frozen, be sure it is thawed before you begin the recipe)

8 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

Olive oil

Salt

1. Fill a large skillet with water and heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and boil for 4-8 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Wipe the skillet clean and add a couple tbsp. of olive oil. Heat and add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Saute for approximately 5 minutes until vegetables are softened and mushrooms are browned.

3. Add lemon juice to the skillet and stir for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

4. On the stovetop, toast whole walnuts in a dry pan until just browning. Remove and place in food processor. Finely chop the walnuts until they are the same size as the bread crumbs.

5. Mix bread crumbs and finely chopped walnuts in a bowl and set aside.

6. On a clean, dry work surface (this is important or the phyllo dough may stick and tear), take one sheet of phyllo dough and place it short side facing you.

7. Brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle all over with 1/6 of bread crumb/walnut mixture.

8. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough and lightly press together. (If you find that, at this point, your sheets of dough are tearing, simply layer them a bit. Some small tears are okay.)

9. Brush the second sheet with melted butter. Spoon 1/6 of grated cheese onto the dough 2" from the edge and 1 1/2" from each side so you have a border.

10. Top with 6-8 spears of asparagus, followed by the mushroom/onion/garlic mixture.

11. Fold the bottom of the phyllo dough over the mixture, then fold in the sides.

12. Finally, roll in jelly-roll fashion to form the pocket. (It kind of ends up looking like a burrito!)

13. Place the pocket seam-side down in a baking dish. Brush with melted butter and repeat to make five more pockets.

14. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Directions for Baking

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Heat a grill- or saute pan over medium heat. Once heated, sear the chicken breasts on both sides to lock in juices.

3. Once seared, remove chicken breasts to a baking dish and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until center is cooked and juices run clear.

4. In the same 400 degree oven, uncover the strudel pockets and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is a golden brown.

(For dessert, I served Pumpkin Spice Bread)

Pumpkin Spice Bread & Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

In the spirit of my favorite season, Fall, and a need to use the can of pureed pumpkin in the pantry, I went on a search for a new pumpkin recipe. I somehow ended up on Martha Stewart's site (I don't usually attempt Martha's recipes, as I find them too time-intensive and requiring a lot of obscure ingredients and complicated techniques), but I instantly wanted to try her recipe for Ginger Pumpkin Bread. I ended up tweaking the recipe a bit, and it became much more like a pumpkin pie bread than Martha's ginger-heavy original.

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 (15 oz. can) pumpkin puree

3 large eggs

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Grease one loaf pan (I have found the Pam Baking spray to work very well) and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside.

4. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, butter and eggs.

5. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until just combined (do not overmix).

6. Bake approximately 1 hour, 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

8. Once loaf is removed from pan and further cooled, drizzle with Martha's sugar glaze (see below)

Sugar Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp. water

1. Slowly add water to powdered sugar and mix quickly. Stop adding water when glaze reaches desired consistency.

The pumpkin spice bread is a new favorite, for sure, but the following recipe is a go-to favorite that I've now made a couple of years in a row. It uses pumpkin, so it's perfect for Fall, and it's a delicious cake-like cookie that always gets good reviews.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. each nutmeg, ginger and allspice

1/2 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 (3 oz) package Jell-O butterscotch pudding mix

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (15 oz) bag butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, salt and pudding mix.

3. Add pumpkin, vegetable oil, eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix until well-combined. (If using a stand mixer, beat on medium speed).

4. Stir in butterscotch chips.

5. Drop by full tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack or parchment paper to cool.