Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend we celebrated Chris' birthday.  One request that he had was that I make cookies.  Ok, ok.. I wanted to make cookies so I said to him:  "Chris, would you like me to make cookies for you?"  Of course, Chris looks at me and says, "well yea, that would be nice, but you don't have to".  But see, what he didn't understand was that I really HAD to.  You know how it is... the urge to cook or bake hits you and you must go into the kitchen and create or you will never be able to sit still?  Ok, that's what I was feeling, so I did what I had to do to make sure I didn't freak out or anything! That would be so unfair to Chris :)

Once I got him to agree to my cookie plan, I had to figure out what kind he wanted....er, I mean I had to figure out what ingredients I had so I could decide what kind of cookie to make.  I had chocolate chips...ok, chocolate chip cookies.  Ok, do you want them to be peanuty and crisp or soft and chewy?  And, in his wonderful Chris way he said "Can't you make something peanuty AND soft and chewy?"

(Did he just ask me to do it both ways?  Good gravy, what does he think I am, some kind of baking goddess or something?  Geez...)

Of course my answer to the birthday boy was "well of course I can... you just wait here"  and off I went to the kitchen to try and figure out how I was going to make that work!!  And what do you know... it came to me just as I was grabbing the ingredients for the basic chocolate chip cookie - Why not add peanut butter to them and then he can have his peanuty soft and chewy cookies!!!  GOOD GRAVY I AM A BAKING GODDESS!!!  Oh, wait..... maybe that's going just a tad bit too far, but still... I had an idea...it came together, what more can I ask for?  These cookies have just a subtle peanut butter flavor to them, so if you are looking for something more, please feel free to add more peanut butter to the batter.

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I probably actually used about 5 tablespoons)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt (I used coarse kosher salt)
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (about 12oz) milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.  In the bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with paddle attachment) add the peanut butter, butter and both sugars.  Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy; about 2 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix until well blended (remember to scrape down the sides as you go), about 1 minute.  Slowly add the flour mixture a little at a time until well combined.  Turn mixer off and remove bowl.  Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Shape dough into balls about the size of walnuts and place on baking sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies, rotating the sheets halfway through, until edges turn golden but centers are still soft; about 10-12 minutes.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes.  Move to a wire rack; let cool completely.  Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Lemon Pepper Tilapia with Creamy Dijon Sauce

Pecan Lime Chicken

This chicken is not what it was stared out being.  The original idea for dinner was Grilled Chicken with Garlic Walnut Lime Sauce.  Uhmmm...yea, a tad bit different then Pecan Lime Chicken.  Here's what happened:

When making my grocery list the other day, I just KNEW that I had walnuts in the freezer from something I just made recently.  So I peaked into the freezer and sure enough, there was a small bag of some form of nut.  I immediately "assumed" that they were walnuts and I went on my merry way.  Flash forward a few days - As I start to get the ingredients together for the sauce, I reached into the freezer to pull out the bag of "walnuts" and lo and behold.....they were pecans!! CRAP!!!  Well...walnuts and pecans, they can be intermixed right???  Wrong!  At least not in this sauce.  The sauce had this taste... this odd taste to it.  I can't really explain it.. it was just odd and I don't think it would have had that had I used actual walnuts.  I tasted the sauce again and again and just couldn't convince myself that it was good enough to serve as a sauce....but I didn't want to throw it all away.... so I thought.. Ok, let's improvise, let's just pour it over the chicken...I'm going to grill it anyway, it can't hurt it at least, right???  And what do you know.... it actually turned out much better than expected!! YAY!!

So even though I did not get the sauce I was hoping for, we did get a great piece of chicken that was surprisingly simple to throw together.  You can't beat that!

Pecan Lime Chicken
Strangely adapted from Steven Raichlen's Planet Barbecue!
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts cut off (I actually used honey wheat bread because we had it on hand)
2 Tablespoons pecans, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoon lime juice
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Place the slices of bread in a bowl and add enough warm water to cover.  Let the bread soak for 5 minutes, then drain it well in a strainer.  Using your hands, squeeze the bread well to wring out any excess liquid. (it's a gross job, I know, but it must be done!!)

Place the bread, pecans, and garlic in a food processor and puree to a smooth paste.  Withe the processor running, gradually work in the lime juice, vegetable oil, and olive oil in a thin stream to obtain a smooth sauce.  Add the salt and pepper and pulse just to combine.  Pour over chicken and allow to marinate for 1-4 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat grill to medium-high.  Oil grill grates.  Remove chicken from marinade and place directly over the fire.  Grill for 8-10 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from grill and allow to sit for 3 minutes before cutting into it.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Baked Asian Style Pork Chops

Peanut Satay Pork Chops with Spicy Dipping Sauce

 

I love satay.  The first time I tried it, I was living out here in AZ and went to a restaurant called Malee's Thai Bistro with a friend.  We ordered the chicken satay as the appetizer and I had the crispy basil chicken for the main course.... I was an immediate fan of both!  I have tried numerous versions of satay since then and most of them have been pretty darn good.  This is one that I came up with on my own.  The pictures may not have turned out as well as I would have hoped, but the flavors were fantastic.  Spot on if you ask me.  It was peanuty and scrumptious.  And the Spicy Dipping Sauce... well, that just added to the enjoyment of this dish, let me tell you.  I loved the sauce so much (I know, you're shocked, right?) I had some leftover rice and I poured it over that the next day for lunch.  DELICIOUS!!!

Peanut Satay Pork Chops with Spicy Dipping Sauce
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 boneless pork loin chops
For the dipping sauce -
4 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon Hoisin
1 Tablespoon Sriracha

Directions:
In a food processor, blend together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, vegetable oil, garlic, coriander, chili powder, and cumin until smooth.  Rub/pour over the pork, cover, and let marinate for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Place pork directly over the fire (rub grates with oil first) and cook for 4-6 minutes per side or until the pork has reached 155-160 degrees.

While pork is cooking, mix together all ingredients for the sauce.  Stir until well combined.  Serve with pork and enjoy!

 

One Year Ago:  Oven Roasted Potatoes with Peppers 

Mustard Roasted Potatoes

As I promised you yesterday, here is the recipe for the fantastic Mustard Roasted Potatoes that accompanied our Surf & Turf for Two on Saturday night.  As you might know by now, we eat a lot of potatoes... it's just the starch of choice in our house.  Not always the best thing, but we love them, so we eat them.... a lot!!  This recipe was fantastic and was a nice change to regular roasted potatoes.  The tangy flavor the Dijon gave them, just put them over the top in my book.  This will definitely be a side dish that shows it's face again on our dinner table!

Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
1 lbs ruby gold or baby red potatoes (I used 0.90lbs), cut into 1/2-3/4 inch wide wedges

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet or metal baking dish with nonstick spray.  Whisk together the mustard, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend.  Add the potatoes and toss to coat.  Pour the potatoes in the baking sheet/dish, leaving any excess mustard mixture behind in the bowl.  Spread the potatoes into a single layer.  Roast potatoes for 20 minutes.  Rotate pan and continue to roast until the potatoes are crusty and browned on the outside and tender on the inside, turning occasionally, about 30-40 minutes longer.  Carefully remove from oven.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Honey Mustard Chicken

Surf & Turf for Two

 

Chris and I celebrated Valentine's day (I use celebrated loosely, as Chris is not a fan of Valentine's day, which is perfectly fine with me, as I believe everyday should be the day you remind the one you love just how much you love them!!) on Saturday night with a meal of Surf & Turf.  And what a meal it was!  Accompanied with Roasted Mustard Potatoes (check back tomorrow for that yummy recipe) and Grilled Green Beans.  It was the perfect dinner.  Something that was a little different from our norm, yet simple and quiet easy to throw together.

Even though we did not have a romantic setting for this dinner, it was still the perfect Valentine's gift for the two of us.  I got to grill a fine piece of steak and some tasty (and let's not forget fresh) shrimp.  I enjoyed the final product with the love of the my life.  I even cleaned the kitchen after we were done eating!  I mean it was the least I could do to show my love and appreciation to Chris.  Ok, I'll admit, there were like 4 dishes to wash and that had a lot to do with my wanting to "do such a nice thing for Chris", but I did it and that is what counts, right?

I kept the ingredients to this dish very simple.  I wanted the true flavors of the beef to come out so I did not marinate it.  I know, you are surprised, but it was the best decision I made.  The steak was still perfectly seasoned and you almost didn't need a knife to cut it... it was that tender!  My measurements are approximates....go ahead and up them or cut them back depending on your preference....remember, if you are making this for you and your loved ones, you want to make it for your tastes not mine :)

Surf & Turf for Two
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 Ribeye steaks (mine totaled about 3/4 pound)
6 fresh wild shrimp 16/20ct shell and tail removed, deveined if necessary
olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
bamboo skewers

Directions:
About an hour before you are ready to start grilling, rub a little olive oil on both sides of the steaks and season each side with 1/4 teaspoon each Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper.  Let rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before putting on the grill.

30 minutes before you are ready to grill:  In a small bowl, toss together the shrimp, 1 teaspoon olive oil, the lemon juice, oregano, and red pepper flakes.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Allow to sit in fridge until you are ready to grill them.  Have 1 or 2 bamboo skewers soaking in water for about 30 minutes - you'll put the shrimp on them just before you're ready to grill.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Oil the grill grates.  Place the steaks directly over the fire and grill for 4-10 minutes per side depending on your preferred doneness.  Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  While the steak is resting, place the shrimp skewers over the fire and allow to grill about 3-4 minutes per side.  Serve with steak and enjoy!!

One Year Ago:  Easy Baked Fish Fillets

Friday Fun!

I think you all know by now that when I don't start off a post with the actual picture of the food that I'm probably not going to be posting a recipe.  Don't you worry though...you might not be able to see a tasty recipe here, but you will be able to find, not one, but TWO, yes that's right, two new recipes on two other blogs.  Yes, yes, that's right.. I'm forcing you to leave my beloved blog and find me at not just one guest blog post, but TWO!!  (Excited is the word I would use!!!)

So, today, as I do every other Friday, I am hosting Fire Day Friday over at Our Krazy Kitchen.  I decided to go with a very simple recipe today:  Grilled Steak Fajitas

  

As always, stop on by and say hello...you know I love your company!

My second guest post is on Date Night Doins BBQ for Two.  Ken and Patti were gracious enough to ask me if I would like to be a "guest chef" (though I'm really just a guest cook, but still.. it's a cool title!!) and I immediately said yes!  Ken and Patti, along with Dave at Barbequelovers.com, hosted the Women of the Grill Contest.  I must say that I was really honored that they not only picked one of my recipes for the contest, but that they looked around on my blog and was impressed by what they saw!  The recipe I'm showcasing there is:  Grilled Sirloin Steaks with Coffee Sauce (another recipe I adapted from One Perfect Bite...I swear, I'm not stalking you Mary!!)

Sorry, I'm making you hop all over the blog world to find my posts today, but I promise it will be well worth it.  As always, while you are on those sites, if you have time, feel free to browse around...you never know what you might find!!

Oh...and before I let you go... if nothing else...check out my one year ago today recipe below, it was the BOMB!!!

One Year Ago:  Mongolian Beef...My Way

Chicken Capellini Capricciosi

 

I found this extraordinary little gem one day while browsing through the archives of One Perfect Bite.  What I learned: sometimes it's good to spend a little time browsing through past recipes of your favorite blogs....you'll never know what you might find!

Let's be honest - I could be easily bought with bacon.  Toss it with some pasta and.. well.. I dare not say the things I would do as my boyfriend and my mother read my blog.  Let's just say: Bacon + Pasta = HAP*HAP*HAPPY Jenn!!  And who knew that adding peperoncini to that mix would elevate it even further in my book??

I would fight you for this dish.  Sorry, but if it were you and me and big bowl/plate of this.... you would witness a force more powerful then Zeus himself!

I'm just sayin'   ......   it's THAT good.

Ok, so this is a bit like our favorite Bacon & Tomato Pasta, but honestly, the addition of the peperoncini really gave it that "something" special to set it apart.  I wish I was a little more articulate tonight so that I could explain it better .... but believe me... it's AMAZING!

Chicken Capellini Capricciosi
Adapted from One Perfect Bite
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon, diced
1 large clove or two small cloves of garlic, minced
12 peperoncini, drained, seeded and chopped
1 14.5oz can whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large chicken breast, cooked and cut into small chunks
10oz angel hair pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Directions:
In a large deep skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 8 minutes.  Add the peperoncini and saute for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and saute 1 more minute.  Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook for 8 minutes.  (I added just a splash of red wine to the sauce too)  Add the chicken in the final 5 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.  Add the pasta and the olive oil to the sauce and toss to combine.  If the pasta is too dry, add the reserved pasta water (a little at a time).  Add the parmesan cheese, tossing to combine. Top with parsley and.... Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Birthday Weekend Part Three - Spicy Mac & Cheese with Chorizo

Parmesan Garlic Tilapia

 

I must say that this is one of my favorite tilapia recipes I've made in a long time!  I think it has worked its way up to a top spot already and this is the first time I made it!  There was just something about the perfect crunchy texture...and the delicious garlic and parmesan flavors.  So much like others before it, yet so very, very different!

You will notice that I have listed 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese...this is not a mistake.  I had the grated Kraft in a container kind of parmesan that I wanted to use up.. so I used both types, you could just stick with the shredded parmesan if you want and leave the grated stuff out all together, it's not going to hurt dish either way.

Parmesan Garlic Tilapia
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic, skin removed and cut in half
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 tilapia fillets

Directions:
In a food processor, finely mince the garlic.  Add the panko and process for 3 seconds.  Add the grated parmesan if using and pulse 3 times.  Pour into a small bowl and add the shredded parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a backing dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Rinse fillets and pat dry.  Season both sides of each fillet and place in prepared baking dish.  Spread the parmesan/panko mixture evenly over each fillet.  Place in oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the top is golden brown.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Birthday Weekend Part Two - Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Spicy Caramel Chicken

There's a lot of things I would do differently when making this dish - and it's definitely one I will make again - but no matter...it tasted really good.  It had a nice spicy and sweet flavor to it.  And it was way simple to throw together.

So what would I have done differently?  First, I would have used the velveting technique I swore I would use from here on out for any stir fry recipe I made.  Second, I would have made more sauce and gotten it thicker just a tad bit thicker.  I think it would have looked so much more appealing had the sauce stuck a little and given the chicken more of a caramel look.

I have adjusted the recipe to reflect the said changes.... because, as I stated in the beginning of the post... the flavors were still really wonderful.

Spicy Caramel Chicken
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
Velveting marinade -
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon chicken stock
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon oil (I used vegetable oil)
For the sauce -
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
For the stir fry -
2 bell peppers (I used yellow and orange), thinly sliced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced or cut into bite size pieces

Directions:
Placed the cut up chicken in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and add chicken stock, stirring to combine.  Add the egg white and gently mix to coat each piece of chicken making sure not to froth the egg.  Sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss to coat.  Add the oil and stir one last time.  Let the meat marinate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce.  You want to have everything ready, once the stuff goes in the skillet/wok, things are going to move fast.  In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

When chicken is done marinating; bring a pot of water with one tablespoon of oil to a boil.  Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer.  Scatter in the marinated chicken, stir to separate and keep stirring gently until the coating turns white.  Remove the chicken pieces quickly with a slotted spoon or strainer.  Set chicken aside.

Heat a skillet or wok over medium high heat.  Once it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the red pepper and stir fry 2-3 minutes.  Add the chicken and stir fry 1-2 minutes, or until chicken is heated through.  Add the sauce and let simmer about 1 minute or until the sauce thickens.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

 

One Year Ago:  Birthday Weekend Part One: Snickers Pie

Almond Chicken with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce

This is a recipe that my mom recommend I try.  She's pretty good at sending me recipes she's tried and liked.  I don't always end up making them...  It has nothing to do with the recipes she chooses, it's just that...well...there are SO many recipes out there and I think I put them away and completely forget about them.  But this one...this one I KNEW I was going to have to try.  I love the flavors of strawberry and balsamic vinegar together!  It's such a wonderful combination.  I changed the sauce just a tiny bit from the original recipe.  I just knew it could be simplified, yet still be amazingly good.  I also baked this instead of pan frying it like the recipe called for.  I figured it couldn't hurt to make it a little more on the healthier side!

I guess what you can take away from this is:  My mother has fantastic taste... at least in food!!

Almond Chicken with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce
Adapted from Taste of Home
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup unblanched almonds, coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup strawberry preserves
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed rosemary
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place a wire rack in a baking sheet with a lip and spray the rack with non-stick spray; set aside.

Add the panko, almonds, salt, and pepper into a resealable bag.  Rinse the chicken, shaking off any excess water, and place in the bag; shaking to coat.  Repeat with additional pieces of chicken.  Place on wire rack and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees) and the coating is golden brown.

While the chicken bakes, make the sauce.  In a bowl, mix together the preserves, vinegar, rosemary, and adobo if using. Stir until combined and smooth.  Serve with chicken and enjoy!!

One Year Ago:  Balsamic Chicken Tenders with Caramelized Onion & Pepper

A Birthday Wish! (And a few other things)

I could not let the day go by without wishing the love of my life a happy birthday...

So, Chris, my love......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

May your year be filled with lots of love, food, and much happiness!  You mean the world to me!  Thank you for all that you do and for all the love and support you give to me.  You are truly amazing!

To celebrate this wonderful day, I have a few special little things for the two of us to do.  Nothing too fancy or outrageous, just quality time together.  Tonight I'll be taking him out to eat - Chris is my dish washer, so I can't cook because I can't force him to do dishes on his birthday, and I really don't want to do dishes on his birthday... so it just makes sense!!  Don't worry, though, tomorrow I'll be making him his special request birthday dinner:  Chicken Fried Steak.  All in all, I will fill his birthday weekend with love and food....what more could a man ask for???

Now the few other things:

First, I want to send a huge thank you to Desi from Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl,  she graciously passed the Stylish Blogger Award on to me the other day.  I actually found Desi thanks to her finding my site :)  I'm glad she did find me, as I really like her blog.  As you are making your way through the blog world today, take a second to stop by and say hello her, I know she'll appreciate it!

Of course, as always, there are rules and of course, as always, you know I'm going to break them...and I'm sorry for that Desi...but that's how I roll sometimes.  The rule was to tell you all 7 things about myself that you might not know.  Well, I'm running out of secrets to share with you all so instead I'm going to share one thing with you and one thing only.  Here it is:  One of my absolute favorite songs to spin fire too:  Faster Kill Pussycat by Brittany Murphy (RIP).  I actually enjoy the version that Paul Oakenfold spins, but whatever, I still love it.  The video isn't the greatest, but the song ROCKS!!


So, there, you know a deep dark dirty secret about me...lol... ok, ok, it wasn't that deep nor that dark nor that much of a secret, but whatever.....that should hold you over for a while at least!!  I am also supposed to give this to like 14 other bloggers.  I always have such a hard time with that, so here's the deal...if you have a blog ....this award is for you!  Enjoy it, brag about it, whatever you want to do, just accept it and have a fantastic day!

Second on my list - If you are a woman and you like to grill, you MUST enter the 2nd Annual Women of the Grill Contest hosted by Date Night Doins and Barbequelovers.com.  You can check out all the info on it here.  Don't get fooled by the heading where it still says 1st annual... just keep reading and you'll see where it talks about the 2011 contest.  Go now...enter something yummy and grilled.... I dare you :)

Third - Earlier this week I was contacted by the Wholly Guacamole company.  They asked that I look at their new site Get Off The Ranch.com.  If you are interested, please take time to check it out it.  It's just a fun, informative, interactive site. Here's some really good news for some of you out there too... their products are all natural, gluten-free (Judy I know you are gonna like that!!), kosher, and vegan-friendly.  YAY!!

Well, I think that's it.. hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend. I had planning on putting together a Supper Bowl idea post, but it was quite the crazy week and most of the posts for this week were ready before I even went to bed on Sunday.  :)  If you are still interested though...for those of you that are late planners....here are some of my favorite appetizer recipes that will be sure to make a big impression at any party:

 

Chorizo Chipotle Chili

Sriracha Chicken Wings

Leek Rings

Crab Delights

 Grilled Nachos

Creamy Pesto Dip

Basil Parmesan Dip (there's also a recipe for stuffed jalapenos too)

Well, we are off to enjoy Chris' birthday weekend....see you on Monday!!  Ciao!

Midnight Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

You know what I love about the weekends?  I can be sitting at my computer and all of a sudden the feeling of wanting to bake something comes over me.  The nice part is, I can pull away from my computer and go to the kitchen and bake or cook whatever I want.  I, unfortunately, don't have that luxury while at work :)

So last weekend I was working on some posts and got a craving for something cakey and chocolatey.  I did a bit of searching for just a few different ideas and I stumbled across this midnight chocolate cake recipe.  I thought....oh yum, chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!!    CRAP! I don't have any cream cheese.  Ok, scratch the cream cheese frosting, how about just a plan butter cream frosting.......and so the Midnight Chocolate Cupcake with Strawberry Frosting was born.

Midnight Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
For the Strawberry Frosting -
1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened
1-2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
strawberry preserves (I used about 2 Tablespoons, you might want more or less strawberry flavor)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin (or you could use your silicone muffin pans) with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a bowl, add the cocoa powder, flour, soda, and salt; whisk until combined.

In a bowl of a stand mixer (or you could use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer, or you can mix it all together by hand) fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, oil, egg whites, vanilla, and water.  Mix on low until well combined.  Slowly add the flour mixture, taking time to scrape down the sides as you go.  Beat on medium until smooth.  Pour into prepared cupcake liners and place in oven.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, making sure to rotate your pan half way through the baking time.  The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:  In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment, add the butter.  Turn the machine on and let it beat the butter, on low, for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches the rich consistency for spreading.  Add the vanilla and the strawberry preserves and beat until just combined.  (If the frosting is too dry, add a little milk or cream...if it's too wet, add more powdered sugar)  Frosted cupcakes can be covered and stored for up to 3 days.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Snickers Cookies

Honey Hot Tilapia

I couldn't help myself. The first thing I used my newly acquired sauces on was a tilapia dish.  Like I said, I couldn't help myself.

Now most of you will not have any of Country Bob's sauces on hand...that's ok.  You can always experiment and substitute.  I suggest in the recipe to use some honey barbecue sauce and red pepper flakes, but you could use a steak sauce like A-1.  I could not guarantee it what the outcome would be...but that's why I say experiment ...it's what I did to come up with this. :)

I will claim that this recipe was fantastic!!  I mean really really really fantastic!  It was sweet and hot and savory and delicious.  DE-LICI-OUS to be exact!

By the way... I have only opened the one bottle of sauce so far from my winnings, but I can safely say...COUNTRY BOB'S ROCKS!  I highly recommend getting your hands on some of the sauce.....especially the Honey Habanero!!   (**The opinion stated here is just that - my opinion.  I was not compensated at all for my review...er...opinion**)

Honey Hot Tilapia
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Hoisin
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Country Bob's Honey Habanero All Purpose Sauce (you could use a honey barbecue sauce with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes as a substitute)
1 garlic clover, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
4 Tilapia fillets

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the Tilapia.  Stir until combined and smooth.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the sauce and set aside.  Place the fish in a shallow dish and pour the remaining sauce over the tilapia, covering all sides.  Cover and place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Remove the fish from the dish and place in prepared baking dish.  Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon of sauce over the fish.  Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Bonus: Super Bowl Count Down Extra!!

Spicy Potato Soup

This is a soup recipe that I found, oh, probably about 12 years ago!!  That was back in a time when the simpler the dish, the better, as I was not that great of a cook nor did I have the passion for it that I have now.  Now, the simpler the dish the better due to time...and this is a great soup to throw together even on a week night. It can be ready, from start to finish in just over an hour...now, who doesn't have time for that...especially when an hour of that time is spent letting the soup simmer??

The soup gets it's spiciness from the hot sauce.  You can always leave it out all together or cut back on the amount used.  If you are looking for more spice....add some diced up jalapenos...or heck, throw in a chipotle (or two)....it couldn't hurt :)

Spicy Potato Soup
Adapted from Taste of Home
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (I used 90% lean)
2-3 cups cubed and peeled potatoes (1/2-inch cubes) (I used 2 large Russet potatoes)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce
3 cups water
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce (I used Frank's Hot Sauce)
2 teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Country Bob's - you could use 1 tsp of kosher salt)
1Tablespoon fresh, chopped parsley

Directions:
In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook about 5-8 minutes or until tender.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add the ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon.  Cook about 5-8 minutes or until the meat is almost cooked through.  Add the tomato sauce, water, pepper, hot sauce, and seasoning salt; stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened.  Top with parsley.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Leek Potato Soup

Jamaican-Spiced Chicken

I'd like to be able to say "Wow, this was fantastic!!" BUT, unfortunately, I cannot.  All I can say was the chicken was grilled perfectly and it tasted good.  Was it good from the grilling or good from the marinating?  I'm gonna go with the first one.  Ok, ok... so had I marinated the chicken longer, I think it would have helped and the flavors that were so lacking on this would have SHINED!!  Funny thing is, though, the original recipe didn't call for any marinating at all!  I figured an hour or so would be good for it....I was wrong...I needed more time.  Don't make the same mistake I made....plan ahead:  If you plan on trying this, plan on allowing at least 8 hours of marinating time......believe me, it can't hurt!

Though it lacked in flavor and spice, it was still good...just not what I was expecting or even hoping for.

Jamaican-Spiced Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 jalapeno, chopped (I left the seeds in, you can take them out of if you want to cut the heat)
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, except the chicken.  Stir to combine.  Place the chicken in a resealable bag and pour the marinade over it.  Let marinate for at least 8 hours, but over night would be preferred.

Preheat your gill to 400 degrees.  Remove chicken from the bag and discard the marinade.  Place the chicken on oiled grill grates and allow to cook for 8-10 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F).  Remove from grill and allow to sit for 3 minutes.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Super Bowl Count Down...Take Three: Chili