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

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

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!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Wow, it has been awhile since I've posted a recipe!

Time seems to be getting away from me these days but I am still cooking up a storm.

One thing that has changed though: we are using our crockpot all the time! 

Since I'm not getting home from work these days until after 8 o'clock at night we have been relying on our crockpot so we don't end up eating at 10.

We have had some amazing chilis, soups and stews this fall and I am definitely going to be sharing them with all of you. What makes them so great is (for the most part) you just throw everything in the pot and let her cook!

First up, this amazing and super easy Beef Stew recipe I found on allrecipes.com

(apologies for the lack of photos I threw this together before work and had no time)

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (I totally used garlic powder out of sheer laziness)

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3 potatoes, diced (I used red)

4 carrots, sliced (threw in a handful of baby carrots)

1 stalk celery, chopped (used 2)

Directions

1.Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.

2.Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours. (we opted for the longer cooking time)

I was pleasantly surprised with how this came out  because I honestly thought it wasn't going to be very good. It was flavorful and cooked to perfection. Definitely something I will make again!

Bon Appetit!

Recipe: Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Since we went apple picking I have been in search of new ways to use the apples we got. I made an apple pie first which is a staple but I wanted to make something different. A friend introduced me to Smitten Kitchen and ohmygosh does she have some amazing recipes and not only are the recipes awesome but the photos she takes of her food just make you want to reach through the screen and eat it up!

I found the perfect recipe for my tasty apples - Whole Wheat Apple Muffins. Yum. That links to the original post on Smitten Kitchen but I also have the recipe here for you, along with photos of how my muffins turned out.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour

1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

<3



Recipe: Skillet Pasta Florentine

This delicious recipe comes from Cooking Light's diet Comfort Food issue. I'm a huge fan of spinach so any recipe that incorporates spinach in a yummy way is definitely something I would try and this did not disappoint! It's also incredibly easy to make with minimal prep and not too many steps.

Skillet Pasta Florentine

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (16 ounces) 2% cottage cheese (I used fat free)
1.5 cups reduced fat ricotta cheese (I omitted this)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (I used 2 cups)
1 teaspoon each, dried parsley, oregano and basil
1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine egg, cottage cheese, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 the mozzarella and herbs.

Drain pasta. Place half the sauce in a large skillet, layer with pasta and remaining sauce. Top with cheese mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining mozzarella; cover and cook 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

<3



Recipe Of The Week: Lemon Pepper Chicken

I made this recipe last Sunday when my Boyfriend's family came over for Christmas. Everyone really liked it and it's super easy to make so I thought I would make it my Recipe Of The Week! His Sister even took some home!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup italian salad dressing
1 lemon, juiced & zested
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
8 chicken tenderloins
Lemon Pepper
Garlic Salt
Onion Powder

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter in a 9x9 baking dish and melt (either in the oven or in the microwave), mix in italian dressing, worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.

Arrange the chicken tenderloins in the baking dish, coat the chicken with the butter mixture. Season both sides of the chicken with the lemon pepper, onion powder and garlic salt. Top with zest.

Bake 25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

And voila yummy chicken! Serve with rice or pasta & veggies!

Recipe Of The Week: Sugar Cookies

I'm sticking with my recipe of the week posts because I really do love these recipes and I think others will too. Obviously I missed a couple since I was away but I'm picking them back up.

I figured since it's that time of year a fab cookie recipe could be greatly appreciated among those who need an easy dessert to bring along to the Christmas festivities. I will start by saying that I cook all the time, I rarely bake. So this recipe was super stressful for me but now that I have made it I think it will be a cinch to duplicate. For all you avid bakers out there I'm sure it will be quite easy. Less yelling and butter flying all over than my experience, I have my fingers crossed for you.

I made these cookies last Friday for our Girl's Night Gift Exchange and they were a big hit!! The recipe made a million cookies so I sent my Boyfriend to work with them the next day and all the Guys loved them. I stopped by to bring him breakfast and they all thanked me for sending them their way.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups butter or margarine; softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended.

Roll into walnut sized balls. Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets and flatten slightly.

Bake in the preheated overn for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.

My Two Cents:
This recipe says to roll the cookies in powdered sugar, since it's the Holidays I rolled mine in red and green sprinkles. I left a few plain and iced them and then put sprinkles on top.

I find that because my oven in electric, not gas I have to cook things longer. I cooked these for about 12 - 13 minutes. I also greased my baking sheets - didn't seem to make a difference.

Here are some photos of my cookie experience:

Ta Da!!!

Enjoy!

<3

Recipe Of The Week: Taco Party Dip

I am sure everyone has lots of fun Holiday parties coming up so I thought I would share my party dip recipe that is sure to please all your guests!

Now, it is not a festive Christmas themed dish but it's delicious and easy to make. This taco dip is a staple at my Family's parties and would also be a fab addition to any Super Bowl party! I made this 2 years ago for a New Year's Eve party and my friends went crazy for it. Now I make it for as many parties as I can!

Taco Party Dip

Ingedients:
1 packet taco seasoning
1 lb ground beef (can sub ground turkey if you want)
1 small tub Philly Whipped Cream Cheese
1 can refried beans
1 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 jar salsa

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray. You can use a larger pan if you want to dip to be shallow.

Brown the meat adding the taco seasoning as directed, set aside.

Using a spatula, evenly spread the whipped cream cheese over the bottom of the pan then spread the refried beans evenly over the cream cheese.
Pour the meat mixed with taco seasoning over the bean & cream cheese layers and pour the jar of salsa on top.
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the whole thing.

Bake, covered, until the cheese is bubbly.

And there you have it, easy, delicious Taco Party Dip!! You'll thank me later, I promise :)

Sadly I seem to not have any photos of this delicious creation. So here are some tortilla chips instead!

Recipe Of The Week: Honey Mustard Chicken

I'm not sure if I would really consider this a recipe just because there are only 2 ingredients and it's SO easy to make. I wanted to share it because of how simple it is, it's the perfect meal when you don't have a lot of time or don't feel like putting in too much effort.

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless, as many as you need)
Newman's Own Lighten Up Honey Mustard Dressing

Directions:
In the morning or 1 hour before dinner, place chicken in a large ziplock bag, add dressing. About 1/2 the bottle will do for 2 or 3 chicken breasts.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken on a baking sheet, pour some extra sauce over them if you desire. Cook in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes.

And voila! Moist and delicious chicken. You can serve this with rice, pasta, or potatoes, veggies or salad. You could even use it in a salad! I made this for the first time after I didn't love the dressing on salads, once you cook it, it has a totally different taste and it's so delicious. And pretty healthy!

Get Your Recipe Cards Ready, Here's the Recipe of the Week!

I'm taking a little break from my fashion obsession to share one of my other passions, cooking! I plan to share at least one recipe each week, this week I'm sharing TWO. Cooking is one of the things my BF and I enjoy doing together. We usually plan our menu out at the beginning of the week, make a grocery list and do our shopping. Some nights we make recipes we came across in books, magazines or online and other days we just completely make them up! So here are 2 recipes that we recently tried and loved! When available I will include nutritional info.

Cinnamon Chicken with Homemade Raita

Raita is an Indian condiment based on yogurt and used as a sauce. There are a few variations of Raita but we loved this one. The Raita is the star of this dish, I could see us using the sauce in other dishes, on other meats or types of seasoned chicken. We served this dish with yellow rice. The Raita was very refreshing and flavorful.

Ingredients
Salt and Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 Chicken, cut up (we used Chicken breasts instead, BF hates skin lol)

1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/4 Cup whole-milk plain yogurt

1/4 Cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 Teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Preheat the boiler. In a small bowl, mix 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cinnamon. Sprinkle on the chicken. Put the chicken, skin side down, on a broiler pan and broil about 6 inches from the heat for 15 minutes. Turn chicken, and broil until skin is crisp and brown, about 15 minutes more.

In a small bowl, stir together cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, cilantro, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve chicken hot with Raita on the side.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 362

Carbs: 1g

Fat: 16g

Protein: 48g

Steaks with Balsamic Mustard Sauce

We love balsamic vinegar and any excuse to use it in a recipe is good enough for me! I also happen to love mustard, actually I think it's more an obsession. Naturally this recipe really appealed to me. We served this steak with sweet potato fries and green beans.

Ingredients

1 Teaspoon olive oil

4 (7 ounce about 3/4 inch thick) strip steaks (we used only 2 because we can't eat 4 steaks!)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 Cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup dijon mustard

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper, place in skillet. Cook, turning once until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil.

Add vinegar to skillet, boil until syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in mustard and any accumulated juices from the steaks. Serve sauce over steaks.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 311

Carbs: 6g

Fat: 15g

Protein: 34g

Sugars: 4g

These photos are actual photos of these dishes after we prepared them. As with all recipes they are open to interpretation. For example we added more cumin to the Raita and use chicken breats in the Chicken recipe. In the Steak recipe the balsamic vinegar didn't get syrupy but the mustard thickened the sauce well. I hope you enjoy these recipes, I know we did! They are definitely on our 'keeper' list!!