Big, Flat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have decided I am on a quest for my favorite chocolate chip cookies. These were pretty good, but not my favorite. Nick liked them a lot more than me though because he liked the texture of them- he said they were a little crispy around the edges but still chewy. This recipe is from Good Things Catered. Mine don't really look like the ones on this blog so maybe I did something wrong and will try this recipe again at some point- but for now, I will be trying out new recipes!




Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
-Adjust oven racks to upper & lower -middle positions & heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
-Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.
-With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined.
-Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.
-Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.
-Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.
-Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy (about 17 minutes in my oven).
-Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

Welcome Readers!

Woo Hoo! I now have 3 blog readers! A special shout out to Nick, Meg-o, and Marcus :)
(And yes, I did mess up the positioning of the pictures- my bad)

Easy Beef Stew

I don't quite know who to give credit to for this recipe because I got it from my mom and I don't know where she got it, but this is a really easy and delicious beef stew- perfect for a cold, icy Kansas day :) The recipe below is as I made it (slightly adapted from the original):



Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
12 baby carrots, diced
l small onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 stalks diced celery
4-5 diced new potatoes
1 can roast beef (I had to use Hormel but Costco's Kirklands brand is best)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
12 oz V8 vegetable juice

Directions:
1. Microwave carrots, onion, celery, and potatoes for about 2 minutes so they will slightly soften.
2. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven (or other soup pot) over medium heat.
3. Add vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes. (Salt and pepper veggies when you put them in)
4. Add can of diced tomatoes and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Add roast beef, garlic powder, V8 juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Stir and break up beef so it shreds into smaller pieces.
7. Continue simmering until vegetables are cooked to desired "doneness".

This is also good as leftovers :)

Julie's Chicken Salad

Julie told me about a chicken salad that she makes. It sounded so good that we had to try it! It was great! Nick ate it on bread as a sandwich, and I had mine on a bed of lettuce (which is what I recommend :) ) I didn't measure anything so everything is approximate.

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted chicken, chopped
• poppy seed dressing (approx 3 Tbsp)
• light mayo (approx 2 Tbsp)
• 1/4 cup grapes, cut in half
• 1/2 can of light mandarin oranges (canned in juice), cut in half
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 Tbsp toasted sliced almonds
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, and you are done! (You could also add green onions, but I forgot to buy them)

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

To continue using the bananas in the freezer....We made banana pancakes! I always try to make a healthy version of pancakes, and this was the first real success! Even Nick was surprised because he liked them. My previous attempts at healthy pancakes always tasted a little too healthy :) I found the recipe at Epicurious and added bananas to it. (I also reduced the butter- shocking!) The recipe with my small changes is below:


Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
* 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk, divided
* 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
* 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
* 1 cup mashed banana

Directions:
Soak oats in 3/4 cup buttermilk 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.

Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.

Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more.

FYI: Recipe said it makes 8 pancakes- I got 15 :)

Skinny Scalloped Potatoes

I saw this recipe in my Clean Eating magazine (which is one of my favorites!) and wanted to make it so I could use my new mandolin that Mr. Ron and Ms. Janice gave me for Christmas. The recipe turned out well despite the fact that I forgot to buy chives. To make up for this, I put a thin layer of sliced onion in the middle. The recipe was good as is, but I think you could also make a lot of variations. I want to try it adding turnips and sweet potatoes- not sure how that would turn out though! I did add a sprinkle of low fat cheese on top and used an extra carrot. The recipe below is the original with my changes in parentheses so you can make it however you want! Also, you can halve the recipe and bake it in an 8x8 pan.




Ingredients:
- 2 tsp whole wheat flour
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/8" slices
- 2 carrots thinly sliced (I used 3)
- 1/2 cup chives chopped (I used a few thin slices of onion)
- (1/4 cup reduced fat cheese)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Place flour in medium saucepan over low heat.
3. Gradually add milk stirring with a whisk until blended.
4. Stir in broth and pepper, bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until mixture
thickens- about 5 minutes- and remove from heat.
5. Layer 1/3 of potato mixture in bottom of 11x7 baking dish.
6. Top with half of carrots and sprinkle of chives (or thinly sliced onion).
7. Repeat layers and end with potatoes.
8. Pour milk mixture over potatoes, and top with remaining chives.
9. Cover dish, and bake for 45 min.
(10. Sprinkle with cheese, and broil for 2-3 minutes.)

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I saw some banana chocolate chip cookies on this blog and thought I should make some since I had oodles of bananas in the freezer. The cookies were so soft and delicious! I will definitely be making these again in the future. I wanted to make a healthy cookie so I changed a lot of ingredients. My recipe is below. (And they kept well for 4 days- I think they would probably last longer though if they don't get eaten by then!)



Ingredients:
3/4 cup mashed or pureed banana
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 oz chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1.5 tsps vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups oats

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, combine sugars and butter and mix on medium speed until pale.
4. Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture. Mix until combined.
5. Mix in applesauce and bananas until thoroughly blended.
6. Add flour mixture and stir until combined, but be careful not to over-mix.
7. Stir in chocolate chunks and oats.
8. Bake just until set and slightly golden. Time will vary based on size of cookies, but I would guess around 12 minutes???

FYI: I got about 38 cookies from this recipe.

Approximate Nutrition:
Per cookie:
85-90 calories, 3 g fat, 1.2 g fiber

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These cookies are a great basic cookie with the PB and chocolate combo. After the first day when the chocolate has fully re-hardened, they are great microwaved for 10-15 seconds to soften it back up. I just used a classic recipe from the JIF website.



Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup Shortening
• 1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 36 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 375°F.
2. CREAM together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.
3. STIR together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until stiff dough forms.
4. SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
6. TOP each cookie immediately with an unwrapped chocolate piece, pressing down firmly so that cookie cracks around edge. Remove from cookie sheets to cool.