Chocolate Chip Cookies - Alton Brown's #10

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Everyone has their favorite recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. Me, I have recipes I like for certain reasons. Yes, I have a couple that I go-to most often, but I can't say that I have the *one*.  My friend Julie says her chocolate chip cookie recipe is the best.   Now, I have not seen the recipe or tried a cookie (let me give the caveat right now that Julie is an excellent cookie baker. Every cookie I have had of hers, is excellent), but I know if it is cakey, I won't think it is the best. I like a chewy, chocolate chip cookie. I like it soft, not crunchy when I bite into it.  
Most often, I go back and forth between this cookie, Alton Brown's #10 and Alton Brown's The Chewy.  While the cookies are similar, they are a little different too. In the directions for this cookie, there is no chilling time. I always add chilling time.  Then again, I usually chill the cookie dough before baking regardless.  I have friends who chill the dough 48-72 hours before baking, after making these cookies from Jacques Torres that was published in the New York Times. I have made them, and they were very good, but when I get a craving for chocolate chip cookies, I don't want to wait 2 or 3 days. 
Back to the cookies at hand. These are rich, chewy, chocolatey. Alton Brown's #10 uses ingredients everyone has in their pantry. This recipe is from his  book I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking. This recipe uses the muffin method, so you combine the dry, add them to the mixed wet, then stir in your add-ins. The cookies come together quickly. 
I also take my cookies out on the earlier side so I can ensure they are chewy.



Chocolate Chip Cookie #10 from I'm Just Here for More Food - Alton BrownMix and set aside:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt
Now mix together the wet ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar3/4 cup brown sugar1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 2 large egg yolks1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Now add the dry to the wet and mix gently with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix!!  While there is still some flour showing, add 2 cups chocolate chips and mix the rest of the way.Bake 10-11 minutes or until golden at 375º. 

Stroganoff-Style Spaghetti 'n' Meatballs

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This is a true 30-Minute Meal. I had to work late, yada, yada, yada, you know the story. I needed to get something on the table, and fast. Luckily, I remembered this recipe that I saw in a Taste of Home magazine while at my parents. I pulled it up on the computer and had dinner in about 20 minutes. We keep meatballs, turkey and/or beef, in the freezer for times like this. Since the meatballs are pre-cooked, this dish takes as long as it takes for water to boil and spaghetti to cook.
This recipe is great just because we keep these ingredients in the pantry/freezer and it was seriously quick.
The boys really liked this. C requested it be on the "Make Forever" list. It was also a nice change from red sauce spaghetti.
This dish isn't the most photogenic. I will add, there was a nice green veggie on the plate but that got eaten before I remembered to take a picture of the plate.



Stroganoff-Style Spaghetti 'n' Meatballs Recipe
Adapted from Taste of Home


1/2 pound uncooked spaghetti
1 package (12 ounces) frozen fully cooked Italian meatballs
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used less)
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup 2% milk
1teaspoon beef base
1/8 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream



Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the meatballs, onion and garlic in oil for 4-5 minutes or until meatballs are browned. Stir in the soup, milk, beef base and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.


Gradually stir in sour cream; heat through (do not boil). Drain spaghetti. Serve immediately with meatballs and sauce over spaghetti.

Sweet Soda Bread

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This is my other recipe for quick Irish Soda Bread.It's a slightly sweet version that's especiallynice with coffee or tea. Butter, an egg, baking powder and sugar are
added to my classic Irish Soda Bread.
You can also add 1C of raisins. Then it's called Spotted Dog.If you don't have buttermilk combine 1C milkwith 1t apple cider vinegar and let sit for 5 mins.Whisk in the egg and the melted butter. Combine with the dry ingredients and lightly mix.
Dough will be sticky
(see my classic recipe.)Put into a greased pan and cut a cross on top.Spread with 1T reserved liquid ingredients.Bake @375 for about 45 minutes, oruntil golden. Eat warm with lots of butter.Good with soups, chili, or just with butter and jam.It's nice toasted too.A very easy quick bread for any
time of the year!

Sweet Soda Bread4C flour
4T sugar
1T baking powder
1t soda
1/2t salt
1-1/2C buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
In a measuring cup whisk the
buttermilk or soured milk
with the egg and melted butter.
Add all but about 1T to the dry ingredients,
(reserving  1T in the cup)
Mix gently until the dough comes together.
Turn onto floured board and knead a few
times and form into a disk. Put into
a greased pan and cut a cross on top.
Spread the reserved buttermilk
mixture on top with your fingers.
Bake @375 until golden, about
45 minutes.
Serve warm with butter.
tip: add the  buttermilk gradually
stirring just until the dough comes
 together. Work quickly and
gently. Don't overwork.
Enjoy!

#2670 - Brown Sugar Italian Cookies

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(by Cousin Cathy [Minier] Ulrich)
4 1/2 cups flour
3 cups Domino's dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup Brer Rabbit green label baking molasses
1/2 lb. raisins
1 cup Crisco shortening
1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon

In a saucepan add the raisins--cover them with water, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, then drain the raisins. In a mixer add brown sugar and Crisco--beat. Add eggs--beat. Add molasses--beat. Add water/baking soda mixture--beat. Add allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon--beat. Slowly add flour--beat (continue mixing with a wooden spoon if too thick for the mixer). Add drained raisins--stir until mixed. Drop by teaspoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

#2671 - Soft Ginger Cookies

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(by Aunt Faye [Herman] Minier)
1 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup Brer Rabbit green label baking molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda dissolved in the buttermilk
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
4 1/2 cups flour
1 beaten egg

In a mixer add Crisco and brown sugar--beat. Add 2 eggs--beat. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt--beat. Add molasses and buttermilk/baking soda mixture--beat. Slowly add flour--beat. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Use a teaspoon to dip into the beaten egg, then use the back of the spoon to flatten each cookie and coat the top of eacg cookie with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Breakfast Cookies

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This month is kind of bittersweet for me. I have decided that this is going to be my last Secret Recipe Club post. My life has just seemed so busy and hectic lately (which I don't even fully understand myself), next year is turning out to be even crazier (more on that later) and I'm trying to find ways to simplify. I have been a part of Secret Recipe Club for 16 months now, and I have truly enjoyed all the great new recipes I have tried and friends I have made. But the last few months I've have found the SRC to be on my back-burner, and each month I complete the challenge closer and closer to the deadline. And honestly, I made these cookies at 8:30 this morning. I have been debating it for a few months now, but I think the time has come to say Good-bye.



This month I was assigned to the wonderful blog Loving Life, written by Kristin, a stay at home-homeschooling mom of two daughters. Kristin's blog is a great "life" blog - she posts about every aspect of her life, from lots of delicious recipes to stories, pictures, and everything they do. Head on over and check out everything she has to offer!

It was rather hard to choose what I wanted to make this month, there are so many good choices on Kristin's blog! Eventually I landed on breakfast cookies. Joel has been asking me to make him some for months - he gets up at 3:30 every morning to go to work, doesn't want to get up even earlier to take the time to make and eat breakfast. The cafeteria at the hospital does serve breakfast, but there isn't a lot to choose from at 4 in the morning, and most of what they have anyway are things like biscuits and gravy and eggs with bacon. Delicious, yes, but not exactly what you should eat for breakfast every morning. I've been trying to find a good breakfast that he can grab and eat in the car on his way to work, and we both thought that breakfast cookies would be the way to go!



The hard part about breakfast cookies is that so many people throw some peanut butter and oats into a cookie and call it "breakfast". We wanted something that was mostly healthy and packed full of protein!  I've been looking at recipes for a while now, but just haven't been too thrilled with what I have found. This recipe looked to be a good place to start, though, so we decided to dive right in. They were super simple to throw together, and packed with delicious things like dried fruit, oats, peanut butter, and  pumpkin seeds. They turned out to be pretty tasty, too! I really liked the pumpkin seeds in them, and they pretty much tasted like a peanut butter cookie with lots of fun extras thrown in! Joel said they were good, and easy to eat on his way to work, but didn't last too long before he was hungry again. Cookies just don't make a good meal. :) Ladybug, however, thought cookies for breakfast was the best thing ever.


Breakfast Cookies (Loving Life)

1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 TBSP ground flax seeds
6 TBSP water
1 1/4 cup flour or multi-grain cereal mix
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 cups oats
1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries

* Note: I only had salted pumpkin seeds, so I used those and omitted the additional salt in the recipe. I also used a dried fruit mix, because that is what I had in my cabinets. You may use whatever combination of dried fruit you have/like.

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix together the flax seed and water and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
In the big mixing bowl (with the wet ingredients) add the flax seed mixture, the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and flour. Mix until just combined.
Stir in the oats, dried fruit, and seeds.
Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper and drop the dough onto the cookie sheet in either 2 Tablespoonfuls (for small cookies) or in 1/3 cup scoops (for large cookies).
Bake for 10 minutes (small cookies) or 17 minutes (large cookies).
Let stand for 3 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing.
Enjoy!


See all the other delicious goodies made for this month's Secret Recipe Club!

I'm Back with a Schnitzel Recipe

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I'm back---FINALLY!  Sorry about the really long silence, just a lot going on and I was having a hard time keeping up.

We are in the middle of birthday month (four birthdays in our house in a month) and one of our traditions is the birthday person gets their favorite dinner.  Our youngest just turned 15 and he asked for schnitzel and mashed potatoes.  This is more of a how to than a recipe as there are no exact measurements.



For the schnitzel you will need:

Thinly sliced eye of round or similar meat (you can also use pork or veal)*
Flour
Eggs whisked with a little water
Italian style bread crumbs (we use homemade from the Shortcut Cooking Cookbook)
Lemon Wedges

Dredge the meat in flour to coat.
Dip meat in eggs and then in the bread crumbs, coating completely.
Fry in a pan with about a 1/2" of oil. Turn after 1-2 minutes. 
To keep warm, place on a rack in a warm oven while you finish cooking all the meat.

Serve with lemon wedges.

*You can have the butcher thinly slice your meat, or to do it yourself: place roast in freezer for about one hour, then slice thinly with a knife or meat slicer.  Freezing the meat for a bit makes it much easier to slice.

Tomorrow I will share the recipe for our dairy free roasted garlic mashed potatoes.