Chocolate Chip Cookies

Simply delicious. I never liked the store bought cookies. Way too hard and fake tasting. And today I had the motivation to make them. And they are... simply delicious.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. on convection setting if you have it. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.

Put the butter in a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave on medium power until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk the sugars, eggs, butter and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon; take care not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart on the pans. Bake, until golden, but still soft in the center, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve.

Help Brooke, Joe and their Triplets!

Chicken Parmesan

I saw a recipe for eggplant parm the other day and I immediately knew I had to make it. Problem is I didn't have eggplant. So I went with the next best thing: chicken parmesan. It was awesome. Double dipping the egg and bread crumbs really gives it a good coating. And cooking it in so little olive oil makes you feel less guilty too!

3 TBSP olive oil
2 eggs and 2 egg whites, whisked
4 chicken breasts, 3-4 oz. each
1 cup of italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup of 2% mozzarella cheese
Tomato sauce, whatever kind that floats your boat

Heat the oil in a large pan. Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture letting the excess drip off. Then press into the bread crumbs. Repeat this process once and place in the hot pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 7 minutes. Top with the cheese at the end. Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce.

Cheesy Mac with Vegetables

Okay, I think I need to stop posting pasta recipes for a while. It's getting a little out of control. Anyway, this one deserves a post because it is good and easy for a weeknight meal. I took Emma to the pool after we got home from work/camp today and still sat down to dinner before 6:30. Not too shabby. The recipe serves 5-6 generous portions and it is filling and yummy.

10 oz. whole wheat macaroni
1 bag of frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, defrosted and drained
1 can 98% fat free broccoli cheese soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1 cup of milk
2 tsp. mustard

Cook the macaroni according to directions. In the last minute, add the vegetables to the water, then drain it all together. In the same pot, add in the soups, milk, mustard and cheese and stir well. Heat under a low flame until the cheese melts. Mix in a large bowl or in the same pot the pasta and veggies back into the cheese mixture.

BLT Pasta Salad

I saw this recipe for a BLT Pasta Salad on Elizabeth's edibles and I had to try it. What a great idea! It made a very large batch so tons of leftovers and it definitely satisfies the pasta craving and is ideal for the summer 'cause it serves cold.

12 ounces corkscrew-shaped whole wheat pasta
12 ounces lean bacon
3 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 cups of lettuce, chopped

Cook the pasta according to directions. At the same time cook the bacon until crispy. Set aside to drain and cool. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and saute for a minute. Crumble the bacon and toss in a large bowl with the pasta and tomato mixture. Blend together the mayo and sour cream and add to the bowl along with the scallions. Mix with the pasta until well combined and serve chilled.

Fancy Beefaroni

Have I ever said I love pasta? Or can you just tell? Well I do. So again the other night, pasta was on the menu. I jazzed it up this time with some of my defrosted vodka sauce. I cooked up some ground beef (about 8 oz.) and combined it with some whole wheat elbows and the vodka sauce and voila. Delicious! I can't say enough about making a big batch of homemade sauce and freezing it. You'll thank yourself.

BBQ Indonesian Chicken

I saw the marinade recipe at the blog Dinners for a Year and Beyond and since I knew we'd be BBQing chicken tonight I thought it would be perfect for us tonight. I used 5 drumstick and 4 chicken thighs skin on, bone in and we loved it. I left the chicken in the marinade for 6.5 hours and it seemed to be a good amount of time. I did make a few small changes to the original marinade to give it a more BBQ sauce flavor so here are my edits.

Marinade:

Combine the following ingredients in a bowls and whisk them together. Pour over the chicken into a large resealable plastic bag and marinate for 6 hours to overnight.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tsp powdered ginger
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoons cumin
2 TSBP lime juice

Grill the legs for 20-30 minutes and the thighs for 45 minutes turning occasionally until the juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. At the end brush on a small amount of BBQ sauce onto both sides of the chicken.