Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Cookies

*I have revised this cookie recipe slightly. I am tired of making the chocolate cookies that fall to bits and pieces after they are cooked. Trying to find the right consistency for the batter so that the cookies hold together has not been simple. I think, though, that I have finally solved the problem. I added another egg- making a total of 3 eggs, and took away the milk. I did not put the batter in the refrigerator, but I think chilling the batter would help it firm up and make getting the dough onto the sheet much easier. I ended up with sticky dough all over my fingers after shaping the dough the best I could, though what I really need is a cookie scoop. That item has made its way onto my essential kitchen equipment list- someday.

My husband bought me some mint and chocolate chips that were on sale once the Christmas season had ended. Unfortunately, this bag is, seasonal- as I have not seen them any other time of the year, because they were delicious! I simply made the cookie recipe on the bag and the resulting cookie was chocolate, almost cake-like in texture, with the soft bite of the mint and chocolate morsel. I made this same recipe my own way with a bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate morsels and it is a chocolatey delight! I am thinking I should add Health toffee pieces, pretzels, nuts, white chocolate pieces, peanut butter chips, and all sorts of other goodies to this delicious cookie recipe.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 C. All purpose flour

2/3 C. Hershey’s cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. softened butter

2/3 C. granulated sugar

2/3 C. packed dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla

3 large eggs

1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips, or Andes Mint Chocolate chips

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
• Cream together butter and lard.
• Meanwhile, sift together dry ingredients. I like to get my cocoa powder into the measuring cup with a spoon over wax paper, so what falls on the counter I can add back into the container easily. Otherwise I end up with a cocoa counter mess.
• Add both sugars to the butter in the Kitchen Aid, followed by the vanilla and eggs.
• Add milk until the dough is the correct consistency: slightly wet and sticky. The cocoa powder makes the dough a tad dry ad the cookies crumble when they are done. I am trying to modify the recipe to be less crumbly, though the humidity in the East does contribute to the crumbly-ness of the cookies.
• Mix in the chocolate chips, spoon them onto the parchment paper.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes. Pat down the puffed cookies with the back of the spatula once they come out of the oven. Use a knife, or other utensil, to help get the cookie onto the cooling rack without it falling apart.

Adapted from the Very Best Baking recipe online for Mint Chocolate Delights. 

Upside Down Apple Cake

I know it is a little early in the season for apple desserts, but I just could not wait to make this cake again. We went to the local market for the agricultural college in our town and got a whole bunch of freshly picked apples- Macintosh, Ginger Gold, and Sunrise. The Macintosh I plan to use in making applesauce, so I tried the other two in the cake. Even though they were softer apples they held up very nicely in the cake and did not turn overly mushy. The Pioneer Woman recommends using Granny Smith, and in other circumstance that would be my preference- for eating and for baking, however I used what I had and it was real tasty. My mother had hers with a little drizzle of heavy whipping cream, while I ate mine plain. Ala mode or caramel sauce would also be delicious additions to have with this cake. 

Upside Down Apple Cake

4-5 Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 6 pieces

3/4 C. butter

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Cake:

1/2 C. butter

1/2 C. brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 C. sour cream

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces

• Preheat the oven to 375°.
• In a cast-iron pan or stainless steel skillet melt the butter. Once the butter is melted stir in the next 3 ingredients until well mixed. Place the apples in the pan, wedge side down. Cook over medium-low/medium heat for about 15 minutes, until they are soft, making sure the sugar does not burn. 
• While the apples are cooking on the stovetop mix the cake batter. Beat the butter and sugar together, adding in the next 3 ingredients. Sift together the dry ingredients, then slowly mix in the flour mixture. Finish it off by adding in the chopped apple. 
• Remove the apples from the stovetop and spread the cake batter evenly over the top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick coms out of the cake clean. Either flip it out onto a cake plate, or scoop out of the pan to serve. Drizzle with cold whipping cream if desired. 

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet.

Easy Hash Browns

I have some great recipes on the way, but I’ll start off with this basic recipe for delicious homemade hash browns. In the past my husband and I have had no clue how to make hash browns. We would boil the potatoes part of the way and then try to grate them, but the outside of the potato was always too cooked and the inside was raw. Practice makes perfect, and I am glad we are really perfecting the basics. Next I want to try to make smothered hash browns, just like I used to have late night at the Waffle House in Virginia during my college days. 

Easy Homemade Hash Browns

4 Russet potatoes

salt

pepper

garlic powder

cayenne pepper (optional)

butter

• Peel the potatoes. After rinsing them off, finely grate them. A box grater would work fine, though give your muscles more of a workout, while we have been using the food processor with the grater attachment. It’s wonderful!
• Put all the grated potato into ice cold water and let them sit for a short time. I usually stir them around with my finger a few times, and let them sit for around 15 minutes.
• Dry them thoroughly while the pan is getting hot on the stovetop.
• Put plenty, I mean a few tablespoons, of butter into the pan to melt. Add in the potatoes, probably not all at once, making sure they are a nice, even layer, not too thick. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other seasonings.
• Press them down onto the hot pan, and let them cook without touching them for at least a few minutes, until a golden brown crust is formed. Do the same with the other side, and cook until they are completely cooked.

Cornmeal Double Pie Crust

As I was perusing the Farm Journal pie recipe book I came across a recipe for a cornmeal pie crust. I thought it was a great idea, and based this recipe off of that idea. I think any more than what I have listed for cornmeal will make the crust too gritty. I enjoyed the small amount of grit to the texture when I used this in my peach pie. This is an instance of the principle of less is more.

Cornmeal Double Pie Crust

2 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 C. + 2 Tbs. finely ground cornmeal, divided

1 tsp. salt

Just about 2/3 C. lard

3 Tbs. ice water

• Sift together the dry ingredients, leaving out the 2 Tbs. of cornmeal.
• Using your hands or a pastry blender cut in the lard until the mixture resembled peas. When squeezing a handful in your hands the top end should crumble off, while the rest stays together. This will assure that your crust does not come out like a cracker, which it will if there is too much flour. I would use slightly less than 2/3 C. of lard. If it is too sticky add the 2 Tbs. of cornmeal or more flour.
• Mix in the ice water until the dough comes together. Separate into 2 balls and finished adding water by hand to seal any cracks. 
• Roll them out in-between 2 pieces of well floured wax paper until they are the right size for your pie dish. I have been using a 10″ deep dish plate in order to hold all of the yummy pie filling, so I have to roll the dough out a little bit more than with other dishes. 
• Chill the discs of rolled out dough for at least 30 minutes, removing them before needing to use them in order to bring them back up to room temperature. 

Based on 2 pie dough recipes from the Farm Journal Pie recipe book. 

Linguine with Basil, Tomato and Cream Cheese Sauce

We have already made this recipe twice since discovering it last week. It’s a hit with the whole family. 🙂

Linguine with Basil, Tomato and Cream Cheese Sauce

1 box of linguine

1 pint grape tomatoes

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

8 oz. cream cheese

4 tsp. minced garlic (4-5 cloves)

1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth

1 C. chopped fresh basil*

juice of 1 lemon

*I only had a small amount of fresh basil, so I also added a couple tsp. of dried basil

• Get the pot of water heating on the stovetop. Make sure to salt the water before the pasta goes in. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, though for best results you should try to time the pasta to be done at the same time the sauce is finished so that you can drain the pasta, butter it thoroughly and put it right into the sauce in the pan.
• Over Medium heat get the a few teaspoons of olive oil hot and add in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring regularly, until the tomatoes start to cook and burst slightly. Once they are finished put them into a bowl and set aside.
• Add the garlic into the pan and cook briefly before adding in the chicken broth. Turn down to low and scrape all the bit off the bottom.
• Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir a little of the hot broth into the cream cheese and stir. Then incorporate all the cream cheese into the broth. Once it is all whisked in add in the lemon juice and fresh basil, as well as the cooked tomatoes. (If adding dried basil add in with the chicken broth).
• Finish by putting all the pasta into the sauce and stir to combine.

We really enjoy this pasta with a grilled chicken breast and focaccia, which recipe I will post soon.

Slightly adapted from Our Best Bites. I do plan on trying this recipe with the zucchini, however ours have not ripened yet, so I will have to try it soon. 

Blueberry-White Peach Cobbler with Cornmeal Cake topping

The cakey topping to this cobbler is fantastic, and I am glad that I went with the cornmeal along with the flour. I am not going to wax poetic over this cobbler. I’m just going to go eat a piece. Make it and enjoy!

Blueberry-White Peach Cobbler with Cornmeal Cake topping

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1 1/2 C. sugar, divided

4 ripe white peaches

2 C. blueberries

2 capfuls of bottled lemon juice (or the juice of half of a lemon)

1/2 C. butter

2 large eggs

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 C. finely ground cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 C. sour cream

1/2 tsp. baking soda

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Peel peaches, and slice small. I like to put the raw peaches into boiling water and let them sit for about a minute, until the skin easily peels off. Wash the blueberries and pick off any tiny stems that might be on them.
• Mix the fruits in a large bowl with 1/2 C. of sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.
• Pour into a buttered 11 by 7 pan. 
• Cream the butter and 1 C. sugar in electric mixer. 
• Mix the sour cream and baking soda. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.
• Add the flour mix and sour cream to the mixer, alternating them, adding the flour mix at the beginning and end. Do not over beat. 
• Spoon over the top of the fruit mixture and spread evenly over the top.
• Bake for an hour, covered during the last half to prevent browning the top too much, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Lemon-Blueberry Pie

Practically any recipe with lemon in it I am crazy for. I love lemons! So obviously this pie is a no-brainer. It’s the only blueberry pie recipe that I have come across that did not call for cornstarch and the berries to be cooked before putting into the pie shell. My father even said that this was the best blueberry pie he has ever had because it was not too sweet. I did cut back on the sugar a little bit. I found this pie had the perfect amount of sweetness, though it could have possibly used a little more lemon. 🙂 Someday I’ll get fancy and try making a lattice top out of the crust. 

Lemon-Blueberry Pie

Double crust for 9″ pie shell

4 C. fresh blueberries

3/4 C. granulated sugar

1/3 C. all-purpose flour

3-4 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. butter

• Pre-heat the oven to 425°.
• Mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt. Pour into pastry-lined 9″ pie shell.
• Dot the butter across the top of the blueberry mixture.
• Roll out the top pie crust and place on top. Crimp the edges down, and make air vents in the dough.
• Cook in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the blueberry mix is bubbly. My edge crust got very dark before the middle cooked, so I would suggest covering the edges to prevent over browning. 

Recipe adapted from the Farm Journal pie cookbook. 

Breaded Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Sauce

The first time we made this dish it became an instant classic, added to the list of will-make-regularly, if not once a week. It takes a pretty exceptional recipe to go on this list. Especially with my husband being so particular about dishes that he truly loves (and is able to eat). If he loves it, it is worth making again. In all reality he has been the chef of this dish, too, though I look forward to making it for him myself. Many of the ingredient amounts in this recipe are approximate because my husband is a cook-by-feel man (unless it is a baking oriented recipe, i.e. cookies, pretzels, cakes), so this dish ends up being much more saucy than the recipe we are modeling it off of.

We like to pound the chicken thin. Not only does it help with cooking more evenly, not to mention quicker, but it makes it very tender, and still serves 4 adults (+ some leftovers). Most of the time we cut the amount of boneless, skinless chicken breast in half, if not more than half. Almost always we find ways to stretch 1-2 (at most) chicken breasts. Pounding out the meat we are old school and still pounding with a rolling pin. One of these days we will have a meat mallet; for the time being we are just going to have to be creative. Note: this is not a normal breaded meat. Because the outside layer is a lot of egg and cheese it ends up having a very eggy texture and flavor. We love eggs in our house, so this is not a problem, however if you are not a fan you might not like this recipe.

Breaded Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Sauce

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded thin (approx. 1/2″)

Flour, salt and pepper

4 eggs, beaten

1 C. fresh grated parmesan

1 Tbs. olive oil + 1 Tbs. butter

1 stick butter

2 heaping Tbs. minced garlic

1/4-1/2 C. lemon juice (bottled)

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
• Pound 2 chicken breast thin. We always put the chicken in-between plastic wrap and then pound it out. Combine about 1/2 C. flour, with salt and pepper to taste, and dredge the chicken breast, one at a time. My husband uses a quart sized zip-loc bag for this step.
• Combine the beaten eggs and parmesan cheese. Take the chicken out of the flour mixture and completely cover with the egg mixture. You can start with 3 eggs in the pan and after coating the first piece add the 4th egg. The original recipe calls for 3 eggs, but we find a 4th is always necessary after the first coating. 
• The oil and butter should have been getting nice and hot over medium heat on the stovetop. Once it is ready and the butter is melted place 1 chicken breast in the pan. (Our pans are only big enough to hold one breast at a time after it is pounded out.) Cook for 2 minutes per side, just to get the outside a beautiful golden brown. Place chicken in a 13 by 9 pan and cook 2nd piece of chicken. You may need to add a little bit more butter to the hot pan for that 2nd piece. 
• After adding that 2nd piece of golden brown chicken to the waiting 13 by 9 pan, make the sauce. Into the hot pan put the stick of butter. (This makes a lot of sauce, which we love, though you could cut it in half.) When that has melted add the garlic and lemon juice (as much or as little as desired). Cook over Medium- Med. Low heat for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan, and allowing the flavors to marry. 
• When the sauce is done pour over the chicken. 
• Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked. 
• Serve over thin spaghetti, or potatoes, or rice, or anything you like. 

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. 

Cumin Spiced Beans

This is an easy and delicious side dish to make with beans. We loves beans, especially pinto beans, and this recipe is my husband’s invention from last night. We ate this as a side dish to our leg quarters with grilled chicken sauce, and my personal cornbread (to which I added 2 Tbs. melted bacon grease I had saved in the refrigerator).  

Cumin Spiced Beans

2 15 oz. cans pinto beans

1 medium onion, minced

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/4 C. butter

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. 
• Saute the onion in the melted butter until translucent. Add salt.
• Pour in the pinto beans. Stir until combined, then add in the cumin.
• Stir until ingredients are well incorporated, and everything is nice and hot.