Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is ALL OVER Pinterest. Seriously. So I decided to make it, even though I already have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. And you know what, this recipe is really good. Would I say they are the best chocolate chip cookies ever? I wouldn't go that far (that belongs title belongs to Mrs. Field's), but they are really good and chewy and I will make them again - I just don't know if they are better than my other favorite recipe. I'll have to do a side by side taste test sometime. Anywho, they're great and the recipe is from Apple a Day. Thanks Pinterest pinners!


Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour (plus 2 tablespoons for high altitude)
2 teaspoons cornstarch (said to be the secret ingredient)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture in the mixer. Mix until dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Using a standard size cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until just barely golden brown on the edges - you don't want the tops to be golden at all. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 3 dozen.

Malibu Chicken

I got this recipe from One Crazy Cookie and it's easy and family pleasing. It reminds me of going to Sizzler with my family when I was young. You could make this with grilled chicken for a healthier version, but this time I made it with Tyson frozen crispy chicken breasts because it was a particularly busy night. I served with wild rice pilaf (made in my rice cooker - yay) and steamed mixed veggies.

Malibu Chicken

Tyson frozen fully cooked chicken breasts (or grilled chicken breasts)
sliced deli ham
sliced Swiss cheese

Cook the chicken breasts according to the package instructions or grill up some chicken breasts. Place 2-3 slices of ham on each breast and cover with a piece of Swiss cheese. Put chicken back in oven just until cheese melts. Serve with mustard sauce (below) if desired (3 out of the 5 in my family like the mustard sauce).

Mustard Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo or Miracle Whip
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with the chicken.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is a great breakfast casserole! I got the recipe from Pinterest (love!) and it is wonderful, easy, and sure to become a breakfast/brunch favorite. It's made in a 9x13 so it's also great to take to a potluck brunch. I served it with a fruit salad and English muffin bread. It was delicious!

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

12 oz Jimmy Dean reduced fat bulk sausage (you can cut this in half if desired)
1 tube crescent roll dough
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook sausage in a skillet, breaking up as it cooks. Brown sausage completely. Unroll crescent roll dough and spread into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, pressing seams toether to make one large sheet of dough. Spread sausage evenly over the crescent roll dough. Sprinkle cheese on top of sausage. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, rosemary (I rub the rosemary in my hands before adding to break it up and release the oils), salt, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture as evenly as possible over the casserole. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden on the edges and the eggs are set.

English Muffin Bread

This is a super fast breakfast bread. And it is so tasty toasted - lots of nooks and crannies for butter. Yum! The only thing is that you have to let it cool completely before you cut it into slices or it will crumble, so you need to make it a few hours in advance or the night before if you want it for breakfast. I made it to go with a breakfast-for-dinner meal (breakfast casserole and fruit salad).I got the recipe from My Baking Addiction.

English Muffin Bread
-makes 1 loaf

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast. Mix with paddle attachment just to stir ingredients together.

In a microwave safe measuring cup combine milk, water, and oil. Heat in microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds. Pour hot liquid over dry ingredients in mixer and beat on high speed for 1 minute. The dough should be moist and sticky. Spread dough into a greased loaf pan. Cover pan with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise until dough just barely rises over the rim of the pan - this will take anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from risen bread and bake fro 22-27 minutes. Cover top with foil if it starts to brown to much. Remove bread from oven and after 5 minutes turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely (this will take at least 1 hour). Serve slices toasted for an English muffiny taste.

Flour Tortillas (made with oil instead of shortening)

These are my new favorite tortillas. The dough comes together easily just with a wooden spoon and then some kneading. And the recipe uses canola oil instead of shortening so that's great. Of course this is a bit more work than buying a package of tortillas, but homemade tortillas are SO much better. I made these tortillas for tacos tonight and they were a big hit.

Flour Tortillas (made with oil instead of shortening)

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup hot tap water
1/3 cup canola oil (olive or vegetable oil work as well)

In a large bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in hot water and oil. Stir until dough comes together. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth - about 10-12 times - adding a little flour or water as needed. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll these pieces into balls. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Roll out each portion into a 8 inch circle. Heat a large non-stick skillet and cook tortillas over medium heat until browned, flip and brown the other side. Serve warm.

Cranberry Chicken

This is a great chicken recipe that my whole family liked. It's from Fav Family Recipes. I love how easy it was to throw together and put in the oven. It does take an hour to bake, but with very little prep. I served it with a salad with blue cheese and dried cherries. Yum! I wish I would have also made some French bread or rolls, cause that would have made a great complete meal. Next time. I think this would be a great meal to take to a family with a new baby, etc.

Cranberry Chicken

5-6 chicken breasts
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1, 16 oz bottle Catalina salad dressing
1 pkt. dry onion soup mix

Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl mix together cranberry sauce, pecans, Catalina dressing, and soup mix. Pour over the top of the chicken. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce spooned over individual servings.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

My kids loved these. I made them for their lunch on a no-school day and they gobbled them down. I seemed to go over even better than pizza. I think that's because of the dipping aspect. You can use string cheese, shredded or sliced mozzarella - any which way these little pockets are tasty.

Pepperoni Roll Ups

1, 8 oz tube Pillsbury crescent rolls
pepperoni
sliced, shredded or string cheese mozzarella (string cheeses cut in half)
grated Parmesan, optional
marinara sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into 8 triangles. Place pepperoni (3 or 4 pepperoni) and mozzarella on the large end of the triangle and roll up. Place rolls at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Serve with heated marinara for dipping.