Recipe: Peanut Butter - Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made this recipe for a family ski weekend. I thought it would be nice to have something sweet to munch on in between hitting the slopes. I am happy to say that these cookies were a big hit!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp light corn syrup

2 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by 1/4 cup cupfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden. Allow to cool 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

The recipe says it makes 2 dozen but I ended up with way more cookies than that! Good thing my coworkers also love baked goods.

Enjoy

<3

Burlington by Food

Aside from the monumental amount of sightseeing we did on our little weekend jaunt to Burlington, Vermont we also ate some really tasty food! With so many places to choose from Burlington is a hidden gem among the restaurant world.

Our first stop was Sweetwaters for local brews and a bison burger. Right in the heart of the Church Street Marketplace, Sweetwaters was also the perfect location for people watching.

For dinner we once again headed to Church Street but this time we ate at the more refined, Church & Main.

Dinner was phenomenal, all of the plates were beautifully crafted and tasted even better than they looked. I started with the pear salad, followed by the 8 hour braised beef short ribs served over cheesy grits with a syrah jus.



For breakfast the following day my Dad was intent on crepes at the Skinny Pancake. We got there super early, 8 AM! in order to beat the crowd! I had an Early Riser with egg, cheese & bacon while the future hubs had the Crepadilla, a massive crepe version of the mexican fav. I wish I'd snapped a pic of his!

Our final foodie stop was lunch at American Flatbread which aside from one salad on the menu serves only pizza. We dug into the Medicine Wheel (a classic cheese pie) and the New Vemont Sausage pie. Both were delicious but since I just can't wrap my head around sauce-less pizza I preferred the classic cheese version.

Making Burlington even more charming is the fact that many of Burlington's restaurants use local ingredients. Most of the

Restaurateurs get their produce, meats and cheeses from local farms & dairy companies, a fact proudly displayed in almost every place we dined. They also carry quite the selection of local brews keeping every inch of the menu close to home.

On the dessert front since Vermont is known for their maple syrup we indulged in a soft serve raspberry & maple swirl at the train stop for the Champlain Valley Flyer part of Vermont's scenic Green Mountain Railroad.

If you're ever heading to the Burlington, VT area I highly recommend having a bite to eart at some of these places!

Scenes from the Weekend

{sushi}

{salted caramel ice cream}

{cat in a bag}

{beermaster tour}

{criss-cross ballet flats}

{hot hot hot sauce}



Recipe: Dijon Green Beans

I used to be really intimidated by side dishes because of the timing. I was afraid that the side would be done before the main dish or vice versa. Lately though I am all about the sides.

One of the best parts about grilling season; while the Future Hubs is outside working his magic on some chicken or steak I can stay in the kitchen and whip up some snazzy sides.

Dijon Green Beans

I found this recipe in a Cooking Light special edition magazine: 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes. Of course I made some changes so here is my adaptation of this delish side dish.

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

dash of salt

Directions

In a serving bowl combine EVOO, mustard, parsley, lemon pepper & salt.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add green beans and cook for approximately 3 minutes or until beans are cooked through but still firm. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Toss the green beans with the Dijon mixture and serve.

We served our green beans with grilled marinated steak tips & a little pasta salad that I threw together. The green beans are full of flavor and have the perfect amount of bite.

Enjoy!

<3

Stripes, Shamrocks & Green Beer

Since I'm Irish I like to go all out for St. Patrick's day.

Wear green, drink green and of course, eat some corned beef and cabbage!

For a night out on the town I donned my new Libertine for Target dress. The emerald green & navy stripes were a perfect match for the green holiday.

I accessorized my dress with some gray socks, a navy sweater from Express, Target boots, a double wrapped brown belt and a cute little shamrock necklace.

For dinner I indulged in some corned beef & cabbage with Irish soda bread.

Sipped on a green cocktail

and later, tried my very first green beer!

It was a perfect holiday evening spent listening to live Irish music, enjoying green spirits and spending quality time with the people I love.

How did you spend your St. Patty's Day?

<3

Taste of the South End

I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend Boston's Taste of the South End this year, an event that benefits the Aids Action Committee. Over 35 local restaurants and vendors participated in the event bringing samples of their delicious food, wine or other libations.

the red signs each depict a different station

Held at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts this year's TOSE was jam-packed with yummy things to discover. Being a food lover myself I was in heaven walking around sampling cuisines from many of Boston's top restaurants.

This fried chicken sandwich from Flash's Cocktails was one of the best I've ever had, the fact that I was super hungry and it was the first thing I ate probably helped too. The cocktail they were serving up was equally delish.

From Stephi's on Tremont; chilled seared duck breast with Okinawan sweet potato "vichyssoise" and cherry compote on a sour dough crouton. There was so much flavor packed into one small bite that this was one of my top picks of the evening.

The Upper Crust Pizzaria brought a selection of Italian favorites including their famous gourmet pizza. While I skipped the pizza I did try one of Santina's Spinach Squares.

Decidedly my favorite of the night, a selection of Indian specialties from Mela. The samosas, paneer, chicken tikka masala, and basmati rice were all tasty and cooked to perfection.

In addition to the amazing food and drink there were live demonstrations from some of the South End's top chefs. Pictured above, the executive chef from Stephi's on Tremont.

Some of my favorites not pictured include a habanero watermelon margarita from Masa, mini cupcakes from the Boston Center for Adult Education, tasty sangria from the Upper Crust, braised berkshire pork belly from Union Bar & Grill and an Asian braised soft taco from Myers & Chang.

One of my last samplings of the evening, an "adult" ice cream soda featuring raspberry Belgium Lambic poured over vanilla ice cream from Picco. Yum.

a view of the hustle & bustle

The Taste of the South End was an amazing experience that introduced me to some amazing restaurants while at the same time benefitting a wonderful charity. I now have a very long list of restaurants I'll be going back to!

Recipe: Crockpot Smashed Potato Soup

I'd like to thank everyone for your sweet comments on Friday's post and for keeping my family & cousin in your prayers. She's making a little progress each day.

I wish I had discovered this hearty potato soup recipe at the beginning of the fall/winter season. I guarantee I would have made it on an almost weekly basis. It's so simple but so full of flavor and seriously fills your tummy! It almost makes me excited for the fall so I can make it all the time...almost.

Smashed Potato Soup

adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Slow Cooker Family Dinners cookbook

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1/2 chopped yellow pepper

1/2 chopped red pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

4 strips low sodium bacon, diced

additional sliced green onion

Directions:

In crockpot, combine potatoes, peppers, garlic and black pepper. Pour chicken broth all over.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours (we did 10). Meanwhile cook chopped bacon until crispy, set aside.

After 8 to 10 hours mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Stir in cream, cheddar cheese and the 1/2 cup green onions.

Top individual servings with additional sliced green onion, bacon and cheddar cheese.

This recipe makes 8 servings; 243 calories per serving (without toppings).

Enjoy!

Portland Pie Company

The Future Hubs and I recently dined out at Portland Pie Company's newest location in Manchester, NH.

As a New Yorker, I'm quite picky about my pizza but of course I'm always willing to try the new pizza joint in town.

The Portland Pie Co. serves up crafty pizzas with funky local names on their own specialty dough.

You can choose from wheat, garlic, basil, beer or gluten free and either make your own pie or choose from their extensive list of signature pies.

 

We chose the Nor'easter with the garlic dough, a buffalo chicken pizza that's generous on the Frank's Red Hot. We asked for the blue cheese on the side since FH isn't a moldy cheese fan and added traditional red sauce to ours (it's just not pizza without it!). It was every bit as delicious as we imagined and it's served with chopped celery for some buffalo wing nostalgia. It wasn't quite New York style, but they don't claim to be and I didn't mind.

 

 

The Portland Pie Co. also boasts a selection of locally brewed beers but I decided to go with an old favorite, Stella Artois which they served in a Stella glass!

 

 

I was a little bummed that we didn't get more adventurous and try the beer dough so imagine my delight when I found it in our local grocery store! Of course I snatched it up and went to work creating my own signature pie: a spicy hawaiin pie.

 

 

beer flavored dough, sauce, mozzarella, bacon, fresh pineapple chunks & jalapenos.

 

Yum.

I should so get a spot on their menu, right?!

 

 

Portland Pie Co. has several locations throughout Maine and New Hampshire. It's definitely worth a visit!