Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made the most incredible cookies in my whole life yesterday! They are so delicious! We made them into ice cream sandwiches with chocolate-chunk mint ice cream and they were to die for.

Here is the recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

· 2 1/4 cups flour

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 2 sticks butter, softened

· 1 cup granulated sugar

· 1 cup packed brown sugar

· 2 large eggs, beaten

· 1 tablespoon vanilla

· 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

· 2 cups chocolate chips, 2 Hershey's chocolate bars, chopped or M&M'S

· 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, salt, andbaking soda. In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and stir to distribute evenly.

For cookies: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack.

For bars: Pat dough into a greased 9 inch square baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled

ENJOY!!!!

Easy Yeasty Bread

My brother called me about a book recommendation. I gave him a couple on my to-read list, and he gave me this recipe. He ended up reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. He finished last night, and then called to tell me he liked it. And since Heidi's the one who recommended it to me in the first place, I thought I'd pass along Brandon's recipe to all of you.

Pictures coming soon. I'm on my second batch now, so they're not ready yet.

It really is an easy recipe. It's a loose dough, so be prepared. No kneading or anything like that required. Put it in a bowl with a lid and you don't have to wash anything except the measuring cups! In fact, my brother suggests designating this bowl as the bread bowl and never washing it again ;D. (He really likes this recipe.) I asked him about just adding flour and water when you take some out like you would with a starter, but he said that that wasn't part of the recipe. . . hmmmm. . . I think I'll try it with this next one I'm making anyway.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Warm Water
• 1.5 tablespoons Yeast
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Sugar (optional--the original recipe doesn't call for this at all)

mix together

• 6.5 cups Flour

mix together

Put on the lid and keep out on the counter to rise for 2 hours or so. Then keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

When you want some bread, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough so your hands don't stick, and take out approximately a grapefruit sized portion.

Shape it into a ball by folding the sides under, and cut 1/4 inch slits into the top.

Place the ball onto a cutting board or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. And allow to rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven with a baking stone to 450 degrees F after the 20 minutes, and allow dough to rise 20 more minutes.

Slide loaf onto baking stone (and if you figure out how to do this, let me know! my dough usually sticks and I have to grab it off the cutting board!).

Cook for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven and allow the bread to cool to the point where steam doesn't escape when you cut it.

Fun Salad Ideas--Make a Face!

Best-Ever Peach Pie

This is the pie Granny B invented and used to always make for us! I never got an official recipe though and it changes every time I make it, so I'm sorry instructions are kinda vague. If you have a question or it doesn't make sense, just ask me :)

What you need:

1 graham cracker or vanilla wafer pie crust
4 oz Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese, softened
Fresh peaches, sliced (amount=????....enough to generously fill the pie crust)
1/2 tub of peach glaze*
1 cup whipping cream
vanilla
sugar

What you do:

Beat Neufchatel cheese with hand mixer to increase spreadability. (Sometimes I like to add vanilla and sugar to it to make it even more delicious. Also, if using cream cheese I usually add some whipping/whipped cream so that it isn't as rich).

Spread cheese 1/4" thick to cover bottom of pie crust.

Coat peaches with glaze and dish into pie crust.

Whip whipping cream. Add vanilla and sugar to taste. Spread over the top of pie.

Chill. Serve cold and enjoy! :)


*the peach glaze can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores. It comes in a little round tub.

Raspberry Gratin

I know this sounds really weird, but we made it in my cooking lab and it is SOOO delicious and pretty easy!
Makes 4 (large) servings

12 oz Raspberries (or other fruit)
Angel Food Cake (enough to cover bottom of pan)
8 oz Pastry cream (we used vanilla pudding, already made)
4 oz Whipped cream
1 oz sliced almonds
1 oz melted butter
Confectioner’s sugar (as needed)

1. Select a shallow gratin dish or other heatproof dish large enough to hold the fruit in a shallow layer (and 8x8 pan would probably be good)
2. Cover the bottom of dish about 3/8" thick with angel food cake.
3. Arrange the fruit on top of the cake layer
4. Combine the pastry cream (pudding) and whipped cream. Spread the mixture over the fruit to cover completely.
5. Mix the almonds and butter and sprinkle over the pastry cream. Dredge the top heavily with confectioner’s sugar.
6. Place under a broiler or in the top of a hot oven for a few minutes to brown the top. Serve hot.

Easiest Cheesecake Ever

Don't these look yummy? My mom always made these. I remember them on Valentine's Day the most--but she used canned cherry pie filling for the topping, and I wanted to try something different this time. I did a mini-version using mini wafers and mini liners for a RS get together. I didn't have time to let them all cool properly, so the toppings melted on some and they looked horrible--but everyone STILL ate them! They were just too delicious.

Appx 12 normal-sized Nilla Wafer Cookies (a little more than double for the minis)
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
3/4 C Sugar
2 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Soften cream cheese. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add flour and baking pwd, then add lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs. Beat to combine.

Fill muffin pan with liners and add a wafer to the bottom of each. Fill each cup just under the top. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. They are way puffy when they're hot, but they settle into a little well during cooling.

Once the've deflated, chill in the fridge (or only a little while in the freezer if you get impatient like me ;D) for 4-6 hours. Then top them with anything that goes great with cheesecake!

STOVE TOP Sweet Citrus Chicken

 Here is one of our family Fav's. Hope you all enjoy!!

What you Need

1-2/3 cups hot water

1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

6 small Boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

2/3 cup  Orange juice

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp.  Butter or margarine, melted

Make It

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
ADD hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.
PLACE chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix juice, sugar and butter until blended; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing.
BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).