Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chicken Veggie Pasta

I love looking through other food blogs and found Lovin' From the Oven , a new fav!! Scrolling through I found her Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies and had to make them... what was even more awesome than the cookie was that my BF wanted to make them too! So I let him! With some supervision of course!!

INGREDIENTS

1 Stick softened butter

6 Tablespoons sugar

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 Cup flour

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 Cup chocolate chips

12 Crushed up Oreos (we used Double Stuf)

Crush Oreos with whatever method you choose. BF chose to "punch them into submission".

1. Cream together butter and sugars. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Add in egg and vanilla until combined.

3. Add in dry ingredients until well combined.

4. Slowly fold in the chocolate chips and Oreo pieces.

5. Bake for about 10 minutes or until you start to see a golden brown color on the edges.
6. Eat!!
These were really good and a recipe I plan to keep. They are very chocolately and because we had double stuf Oreos it had a sweet cream taste to the cookie too!

EDIT: So while I was posting this, my BF took unsupervised control of the kitchen!! He didn't lose a finger either! He was so proud of this dish he wanted it blogged too!

Whole wheat pasta

2 Organic Chicken Tomato Basil sausages

1/2 pound whole wheat pasta

Varying amounts (he doesn't measure!) of:

diced red, yellow and orange peppers

halved grape tomatos

sliced mushrooms

And "some pinches" of parsley, basil and chopped garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. In a sauce pan, heat water and boil pasta until almost done

2. Saute sliced sausage with a few tablespoons of olive oil until cooked

3. Add diced veggies and seasoning

4. Add in the pasta. Toss and serve!!

Yum!! So proud of my lil chef!

Tostada!!

Ole!! I was craving these after I saw them on the Food Network. I was clicking through the channels just in time to see these being plated on some show I can't seem to remember. Regardless, I had to make them and quickly!!

INGREDIENTS (for two people)

4 corn tortillas (6")

Oil

Shredded or sliced cheese (I had both pepper jack and cheddar)

1 can of black beans

2 Roma tomoatos

2 cups chopped lettuce

1/2 packet taco seasoning

Any other mexican toppings such as: sour cream, guacamole, black olives, taco sauce, onion, jalapeno slices etc.

1. First, bring a pot of oil (I used about 1/2 quart of veg) to about 375 degrees F. Use a thermometer or test oil with a small piece of the tortilla. It should bubble gently when put in the oil.

2. Cut tortillas in half. Fry in oil, about two minutes on each side or until the tortilla is firm to the touch with the spoon. Place on a baking sheet. Meanwhile, preheat your broiler!!

3. Drain and rinse black beans. Heat in a sauce pan with taco seasoning. (Here is where I wish I would have planned this out... I would have loved to fry up a diced onion, some diced green peppers and garlic with the beans. So much for a sudden mad craving! Next time!!)

4. Spoon black beans onto the fried tortillas and place cheese on top.

5. Put under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

6. Serve and add any toppings you can think of!!
I ate my two and was ready to fight my BF for the rest. Next time I'm making three per person and adding onion, peppers, and black olives!!!

Enjoy!!

Cheddar Fondue with Pretzel Bites

So ever since I went to the Fondue Room for my BF's birthday dinner I have wanted to make a homemade fondue. Who doesn't love cheese anyway??? But what to dip in the cheese? I had a pretzel recipe sitting around that was very similar to the bagel dog dough recipe so I figured... pretzel bites in cheddar fondue! How delicious! A perfect snack for a hockey game!

So here goes...

Pretzel Bites

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1 package active dry yeast

3 ounces melted unsalted butter

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Roughly 5 cups flour

3/4 cup baking soda

1 egg

1/2 Tablespoon water

1. In a stand mixer add warm water, brown sugar, yeast and melted butter. Let sit for five minutes.

2. Add in salt and use the dough hook to mix in flour, a half cup at a time until the dough forms a ball.

3. Remove dough and knead on a lightly floured surface.

4. In a bowl, add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil. Roll the dough ball in the oil, cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.

5. Knead risen dough. Roll out and using a pizza cutter or knife, cut 1 inch squares and place on parchment paper lined baking tray.

6. Boil 3 quarts of water and add in baking soda. Drop dough squares in water and boil for about 30 seconds. Remove and place back on tray.

7. Whisk egg with water and brush over the boiled squares. Sprinkle with salt if desired.

8. Bake in 425 degree F oven for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheddar Fondue

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

3 shakes of worcestershire sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste
I had no idea how this tasted. It was in my fridge because I'm told it goes well on burgers... hmm :)

1. Heat broth, worcestershire, and garlic in a pan.

2. Slowly whisk in the cheddar cheese a little at a time.
Once it is all melted serve immediately!! YUM!

Apple Cranberry Crisp... with Walnuts!

Who doesn't love an apple crisp? Over ice cream? Over yogurt? All by itself!?

So I had a few apples left in my fridge that I just couldn't bring myself to eat. So naturally I thought dessert!

Adapted from this recipe. And if you have time... check out Recipe Zaar. Love it.

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Topping:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick cold butter cut into cubes

1/2 cup oats

Chopped walnuts (optional)

1: Mix all the filling ingredients and put them in a greased baking dish.

2: Mix the topping ingredients with your hands until crumbly. Really work through the chunks of butter. Cover the apples and cranberries.

3: Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. You'll know when it's done because the house will smell delish and the top will be golden brown!!

Serve however you wish! I had some whipped cream so that's what I used... tomorrow I'm going to put it over some vanilla yogurt for breakfast!! Yum!

Edit: I forgot... I only put walnuts on half the crisp... as you probably already saw. The BF won't eat walnuts so he gets a half and I get a half! Aren't I nice!

Homemade Crab cakes... for the first time

Now I am a huge fan of crab cakes. I've had them from several restaurants and bought them frozen from the store before. I had some canned crab left over from a delish Crab Spinach and Swiss Quiche and figured... why not? Are they the best I've ever had... not quite but I'll definitely use this base recipe again... So here goes!

INGREDIENTS

10 oz crab meat (cause that's what I had on hand)

2 oz cream cheese (if you like a firmer crab cake cut this down)

1 egg

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup italian bread crumbs

1: First, mix crab, cream cheese, egg, parm, salt and pepper in a bowl.

2: Shape into patties (I used the palm of my hand as a guide)

3: Coat patties in the bread crumbs and set aside.

4: Using a large frying pan and some oil (I used vegetable oil) fry the patties on a medium heat about 6 min a side or until golden brown.

5: Serve!

Some recommendations to myself for next time... less cream cheese because I would have liked a slightly firmer texture. More Seasoning! While the italian bread crumbs were great, it needed... lemon.... onion.... green peppers... Old Bay Seasoning... If only I had a grocery store in my pantry!!!

Let me know what you add to yours! Or if you like em just the way they are!!

Bagel Dogs!

I've made these before and they were great! This dinner was a special request from the BF and I was happy to oblige!

This is a super easy recipe... if you have a few hours around the house. I say this because the dough needs to rise... twice. You can find the original recipe HERE. I have made a few adjustments and changed the quantity since two people can't possibly eat 12 hot dogs. So here goes...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup water (110° F)
1 package, active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablesppn table salt
2 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flower (approximately)
8 hot dogs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten
Course salt for garnish

1: Add the water (110° F) and yeast to your stand mixing bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

2: Add in the sugar and salt.

3: Put your mixer on medium and slowly add in the flour (using the paddle) until you create ball that is no longer sticky.

4: Switch out the paddle for the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic.

5: Put ball of dough in a greased bowl (using vegetable oil), cover with a towel and let sit in a warm place for about an hour.

6: Roll out dough into a 12 x 9 sheet. Using your pizza cutter, cut 1 inch strips of dough and wrap around a hotdog, tucking in the ends. (This is where I differ from the original recipe, I didn't cook the hotdogs last time and they were great. I cooked them this time and they were still great. The original also uses beef hot dogs which I can't bring myself to eat!)

7: Let sit on a baking sheet with parchment paper for about 30 minutes, covered with towel.

8: In a large pot of water, add the baking soda and bring to a boil. Slowly drop in 2 hot dogs at a time and gently turn in the water for about 1 minute. Place back on baking sheet.

9: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Once the bagel dogs are all boiled, brush with egg yolk and water mixture then sprinkle with salt (or not), then pop in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown!

A trip to the new Just Baked!

So for my first official post I wanted to do something that was... me. And nothing screams me more than cupcakes!! I recently moved and what happened to pop up down the street (and around the corner and down a lil further) but a Just Baked!!! I had to resist getting the full dozen and stop at the half dozen! Delish!! The six flavors I got were Lemon, Samoa, Strawberry Cheesecake, German Chocolate, Grasshopper and Orange Creamsicle!

I cannot wait to go back and try a few more! I really wanted the Key Lime but they were out... must mean they're good!

Did I seriously just start a blog??

Test... TEST...

:) This is going to be fun!!

Later Days!