Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have one go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I will post it later. I just tried this recipe by Alton Brown on the food network. Mike really liked them and It got rave reviews from several people (one who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies).

I didn't have bread flour but they still turned out great. I will have to try it with bread flour next time.

Ingredients

* 2 sticks unsalted butter
* 2 1/4 cups bread flour
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from here

Chicken Piccata and Garlic Cheese Bread

I love chicken parm but Mike doesn't really like breaded chicken. A while ago I was looking for some ways too cook chicken but not in a casserole. We like chicken piccata at Italian restaurants so I looked up some recipes. This one was pretty easy and tasted yummy. I save some of the sauce and add it to pasta.

We made this last week with the Pioneer Woman's Garlic Bread (which is my favorite)


Chicken Piccata Recipe

* 2 Boneless chicken breasts sliced in half or 3 slices
* 2 TBS Butter
* 1 TBS Olive oil
* 1/4 cup flour
* 3/4 tsp paprika
* 3/4 - 1 cup dry white wine
* 3 TBS lemon juice
* Salt
* Freshly ground pepper (white or black) to taste
* 1 TBS Butter (for sauce at finish)
* 3 TBS capers
RINSE chicken breasts under cold running water, drain, put on paper towel. Pat dry.

SLICE the chicken breasts to desired thickness 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Unlike veal, chicken is better cut than pounded thin.

MIX flour, paprika, salt and pepper

DREDGE chicken in flour.

HEAT butter and olive oil in sautée pan over medium heat; be careful not to burn the butter, if using it. Add chicken breasts - do not crowd the pan. Sautée for about two minutes per side. REMOVE to a warm platter; you can place platter in warm oven.

ADD lemon and wine to pan; DEGLAZE (Dissolve the remaining bits of food) the pan using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape. This is the basis for your sauce.

BRING to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, let sauce thicken.

WHEN sauce is thickened, swirl in butter. Add capers.

POUR pan juices over chicken. Serve.

chicken piccata recipe


Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients

* 3-½ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
* ¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
* ½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
* ½ cups (real) Mayonnaise
* 4 whole Green Onions, White And Light Green Parts Minced
* 1 dash Salt
* 1 loaf Crusty French Bread
* 1 stick Butter
* 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

Preparation Instructions

Mix cheeses with the mayonnaise and the green onions. Add dash of salt to taste and set aside or keep in fridge until you need it.

Cut loaf of bread in half, then each half into half again.
Working 1/4 loaf at a time, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet and add 1/4 of the minced garlic. Place 1 of the 1/4 loaves face down in the skillet, swirling it to soak up the butter and garlic. Allow bread to toast in the skillet, removing garlic if it starts to get too brown.

Repeat with remaining butter, garlic, and bread.

Spread cheese mixture on warm loaves and bake in a 425 degree oven until cheese is hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Slice and serve.


garlic bread recipe

Copykat Recipe -- Max and Erma's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love Max and Erma's Tortilla Soup. This copy cat recipe is pretty good, although not good for you! This makes a ton of soup so sometimes I cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's condensed cream of celery soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
* 2 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
* 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 cup picante salsa (Pace brand medium hot)
* 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can green chilies (Ortega brand)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red new mexico chile powder
* salt and pepper, to your taste
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* 4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
* 10 flour tortillas
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 1/2 lb colby cheese or cheddar

Directions

1.In a large (8-10 quart) stockpot combine and whisk together until smooth all eight cans of soup.
2.Add chicken broth. Add tomatoes, salsa, green chiles, onion, garlic, chile powder, salt and pepper. Bring all ingredients to a full boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Add cilantro and chicken breast chunks. Simmer another hour.
4.While soup is simmering, make your soup toppings: Cut flour tortillas into small thin strips. Heat oil and deep fry tortilla strips until lightly browned. Shred cheese.
5. To serve: Ladle soup into bowls, top with shredded cheese and fried tortilla strips.

Recipe is from here

Chicken and Stuffing

This was one of the first meals I made for Mike when we were first married. To this day it is still a favorite with him. It is great to eat as left overs too. Hayden loves this meal! He picks it up by the handful and shoves it in his mouth. This made me happy today. He hasn't really eaten dinner all week.

Recipe:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of white wine (you can substitute chicken broth)
1 box of stuffing mix
2-3 tbsp melted butter
a few slices of swiss cheese.

Layer chicken in a baking dish.
place a slice of cheese (or more if you are like me!)on each piece of chicken

Mix cream of chicken soup and white wine in a bowl. Pour over chicken.

Pour stuffing mix on top. Drizzle melted butter on top of stuffing.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.