Triple Chip Cookies

These cookies went really fast at the first communion party. So fast that they had to be put away so there would be some left for dessert!

My favorite thing about this recipe: coarse sea salt.  What a revelation! Pair the chocolate-toffee classic cookie flavor with a surprise burst of saltiness and you have found heaven!

Triple Chip Cookies
2 sticks softened salted butter
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon medium coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 ¼ cups assorted baking chips (I used white chips, milk and dark chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 360˚ F. Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy- about 3 minutes in the KitchenAid. Add both eggs and vanilla and beat an additional 2 minutes.

2. Add baking powder, soda, salt and flour until batter is fully incorporated. Finally, add the chips until well distributed. (At this point I was extremely grateful for the KitchenAid, this is a thick dough!)

3. Drop 2 tablespoons of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Leave cookies on the sheet for 2 minutes after taking them out of the oven. Cool an additional 3 minutes on baking racks, just long enough to make sure they don't burn the roof of your mouth when you dig in!

Snickerdoodles

Or the blog post in which I finally use the KitchenAid, profess my undying love for it, and make some pretty darn good cookies in the process.

You know how some guys are about taking a million different photos of their "tricked out" cars? And you look at those photos and think "what the heck, it's just a car, it doesn't look any different at this angle, or that one, or that one...."

I totally had a moment today where I had to tell myself to stop taking photos of the KitchenAid and focus on the food. Hence the paucity of prep photos with this recipe. It really is ridiculous.

Now that I'm working again, I have really missed my kitchen time. I'm missing my cuddle time with the fiance too, to be entirely honest. I can just hear him now "I can't believe you wrote that in your blog!" (he is far too shy about any sort of public acknowledgement of our coupleness- I have no idea how he is going to react at the wedding when we will be forced to kiss. multiple times. in front of an audience.) And again, after that parenthetical statement I can hear him... echoing his earlier statement. Poor guy.

For whatever reason, my second job has decided in the last few weeks that they really love me, and I've been closing at the store at least two nights a week (after a full day in the classroom), and working at the store all weekend. Kitchen time has been close to nil. I think the most cooking I've done is browning some beef for tacos. Cuddle time has faired a little better, but not much.

Somehow, I managed to get tomorrow off work. Which is a darn good thing, because we have a family gathering for one of Dave's cousin's first communion. Dave's aunt asked me to bring cookies to the party and I jumped at the chance. Making food for other people is probably my favorite thing in the world, after cuddling. (Yes, I'm being ridiculous on purpose. Again, I have to say, Poor Dave) The interesting aspect of this food assignment is that two of the young children in the family cannot have food dyes. So the awesome looking Monster Cookies my darling matron of honor made were out. Then I had two genius thoughts: Snickerdoodles! Some variation on classic chocolate chip cookies- look for that recipe to follow soon! So the cinnamon-sweet adventure in the kitchen for this weekend began.

Snickerdoodles (from the ever awe-inspiring SmittenKitchen)

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs

1. Sift together four, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your KitchenAid, yay!) combine butter and 1 ½ cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine.  Add dry ingredients and beat to combine. Chill dough to desired scooping consistency (about an hour worked for me).

My favorite thing in the kitchen!

2. Preheat oven to 400 ° F with one rack in the top third and one rack in the bottom thrd of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

3. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a medium cookie scoop to form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

4. Bake until the cookies are set in the center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. *the cookies will NOT brown. So seriously, just about 10 minutes. Or you'll burn the bottoms of the cookies. Not that I did that with the first set in the oven or anything*

5. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool, about 5 minutes, before transferring cookies to the rack to finish cooling.

6. Eat these bad boys. It seems silly that something so simple is so good. But there it is.

Pop-tarts

On one of our new (salad size) plates, thanks Aunt Vicki!

Pop-tarts are one of those things that I used to eat as a kid that, for whatever reason, my mother didn't let my younger brothers eat because they "aren't good for you". I am not about to argue with that statement, I stopped eating them myself after reading the nutritional info on a package once. I suspect she didn't let them eat poptarts because they always chose the chocolatey- s'more flavored ones, or anything that didn't even hint at fruit fillings. When I saw a recipe for homemade pop-tarts I got really excited, these have to be at least healthier due to the lack of preservatives and the fact that I get to choose what gets put inside, right? 

Making these was fairly easy, it is a nice cool day (read: rainy and chilly, ugh April in Wisconsin) so the dough was really easy to work with. The biggest issue I had was moving the tarts from the counter, where I had rolled them out, filled and topped them, to the baking sheet. If you push down on those edges hard, you end up sticking the tart to the counter even more. I was also a little surprised at the small size of these. I am not a pro at cutting things perfectly evenly, so I had some that came out fairly regularly sized, and some that were tiny. But none of them were comparable in size to the pop-tarts you buy in the store. Not a problem, just not what I was expecting. 

This was also one of my biggest forays into the kitchen since I've started working full (and then some) time again. It was good to start with something so simple and easy, I didn't have to re-check the recipe a million times, and once I got started it was nice to just let my instincts take over. Additionally, I got to break out a bunch of new cooking tools. Dave's mom threw me a bridal shower last weekend and we got so many nice things! It was nice to use a substantial mixing bowl (rather than the plastic ones I've been using up to now.) We are also loving our new dishes! We are so lucky to have such wonderful and loving people in our lives.

Homemade Pop-tarts (from King Arthur Flour/Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients (pastry)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pats

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

Fillings: you can use anything for a filling, we did the cinnamon-sugar filling

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (or less if you wish)

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Jam filling 

3/4 cup jam

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with tablespoon cold water

Other good ideas (that my mother most definitely would NOT APPROVE of) include Nutella and chocolate chips

Using my new mixing bowls. Thanks Aunt Lisa!

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it.

2. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly if needed.

3. Divide the dough in half, shape into a smooth rectangle, about 3/5 inches. If you'd like to wait to finish the recipe, these dough rectangles can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days.

4. Place one piece of the dough onto a lightly floured workspace and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9x12. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside.

5. Cut each piece of dough into thirds horizontally and vertically (forming 9 rectangles).

6. Beat the additional egg and brush it over the surface of the first dough. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping the edges clear (so you can seal them). Place a second rectangle over the first, pressing firmly along the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with the rest of the dough/filling. Press the tines of a fork along the edges of the rectangles. 

You can't tell, but these are on my brand new HUGE baking sheet, again, thanks go to Aunt Lisa!

7. Place the tarts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each pop-tart with a fork or toothpick so steam can escape while baking. 

8. Refrigerate the baking pan of tarts for 30 minutes while the oven is preheating to 350 F. 

9. Bake the pop tarts for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

 Remember those trimmings you saved? You can sprinkle those with some more of the cinnamon-sugar filling and bake them for 13-15 minutes and have a nice little bite sized snack!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

After teaching all week (I know, I know, everyone else in the world with a full time job is sick of hearing me complain about ACTUALLY working) I was exhausted. Too exhausted to document my cooking experience with these delicious carrot cake cupcakes.

I was a little anxious about having planned to make these for a benefit we are going to on Saturday, mostly because when I decided to make them I thought I was going to have plenty of time to play in the kitchen on Friday. Thank goodness the recipe was so ridiculously simple that I kept having to re-read it to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

My only issue with the recipe was that my carrots must have had a lot of moisture, because the cooking time listed in the original recipe didn't turn out to be enough. The first dozen, which I was planning on keeping at home anyway, turned out a little soggy at first and one cup that I overfilled didn't really cook all the way through even after additional time in the oven. The second dozen turned out fine after a few more uninterrupted minutes in the oven.

I snuck tastes of enough of the frosting and batter before washing the bowls that I haven't eaten one yet, but Dave had one and said it was delicious. That's always a good sign.

For the actual recipe, you'll have to go over to Smitten Kitchen and check out her beautiful rendition of these cupcakes. Pretend mine look like that too. Because I totally did all that piping rather than just spread the frosting on with a knife. Yeah.

on second thought...

Almost the second I posted the previous entry I got a phone call. Remember how I said I was going to spend the whole of Friday in the kitchen? Yeah, about that. Apparently the teacher I am replacing while she is on maternity leave was on her way into the hospital at that moment. So instead, I'll spend Friday at a school teaching 6th graders music. Hmm. Almost as good as a day in the kitchen. Guess these will have to wait...

Beef Lombardi (ala Southern Living)

• 
  
• Stress levels around my house are starting to rise. Well, I don't know about Dave, because while he ALWAYS works so much, lately he's had a couple days off without other obligations. I also feel a little funny saying I'm feeling stressed, because compared to when I was working full time, this last year has been like a vacation. I've read so many books, it's unbelievable. I'm really grateful that Dave does work so hard and doesn't begrudge me all the times he's off to work and I'm at home reading on the couch. I just know I better get a job for next year or else that dynamic may change (and understandably so!)
• But recently the countdown on the wedding clock somehow switched from a three digit number to a two digit number and I've begun to feel overwhelmed with the entire planning process. I suppose part of that is because we're no longer making decisions on big picture things like the venue or my dress, but now my attention is on the little things. Like what shoes to wear and how I'm going to have my hair done and where we're going to get photos done and so on and so on. Those little things really add up. Somehow all these things seem like a much bigger deal to me than choosing the venue or the flowers, potentially because I already had an idea about what I wanted in those cases, and with these little things I just don't know! I have to take a little time and remind myself every time my heart rate starts to go up when I'm thinking about silly shoes that the day is about Dave and I starting our lives together. If I do it right, the things I'm going to remember about that day aren't whether my shoes weren't "just perfect" or whatever mishap occurs, but that June 24th was the day that I made the commitment in front of our friends and family to spend the rest of my life with Dave.

I also haven't spent all that much time in the kitchen either. I'm quite convinced that the increased stress levels correlate to the fact that my kitchen time has been decreased. I'm planning on spending all day Friday in the kitchen. That should totally do the trick! 

This was a good, simple casserole we had over the weekend. I accidentally bought a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes and green chilies AND a 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, so ours had quite a kick. 

• Beef Lombardi (Southern Living)
• 1  pound  lean ground beef
• 1  (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1  (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  (6-ounce) package medium egg noodles
• 6  green onions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1  cup  sour cream
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1  cup  shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in chopped tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; cook 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and bay leaf, and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain. Stir together cooked egg noodles, chopped green onions, and sour cream until blended.

3. Place noodle mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle evenly with cheeses.

4. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover casserole, and bake 5 more minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed.

To lighten: Substitute low-fat or fat-free sour cream and 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese. Reduce amount of cheeses on top to 1/2 cup each

An ode to Penzey's

It has been a bit since I updated here, but I've been cooking... just fallen into that trap of forgetting to take photos. A couple weeks ago, we made Calzones at home. It worked out pretty well, but since I had to work that day we used store bought pizza dough. While I'm glad I didn't have to mix and knead the dough on a day when I was tired from work and life in general (although that can be quite therapeutic) the store bought dough just didn't do it for me. I think next time we'll make our own dough.

The calzones themselves are so easy. Just a quarter cup of ricotta cheese, any fillings you like (we used red pepper and hot italian sausage slices), fold 'em over,  and bake as the dough directions say. Serve with marinara or pizza sauce on the side (or as Dave did, pour it on top).

This weekend, we did pork chops and mashed sweet potatoes. I didn't have a specific pork chop recipe in mind, just knew I was going to do a breaded, seasoned pork chop in the oven. So I pulled out the "Mural of Flavor" jar from Penzey's, some basil, garlic, pepper, and oregano. But I honestly think they would have been great with just the "Mural of Flavor" on its own. This stuff is amazing!

Earlier in the fall when I wanted to do a Viennese Chocolate cake that called for Dutch processed cocoa, we went to Penzey's. We had a coupon for a free "gift box" of four different spices. You had to spend $5 to get the free gift box, but in a spice shop that isn't hard to do. We got a bag of the Dutch processed cocoa, a bag of Penzey's taco seasoning to try, and walked out with the gift box as well. The cocoa was to die for, the taco seasoning flavorful without the high sodium you find in grocery store taco seasoning packages, and the gift box a real treasure. The four spices I received were the Mural of Flavor,  Garlic Powder, Ground Black Pepper and a jar of Cinnamon. I've been really quite pleased with all of them.

If you've got a Penzey's near you, you should go check it out! The variety of spices they have is just astounding. Walking around the store, I find myself wanting to try all the new things I haven't heard of and salivating over the things I have.