Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies!

Well, hopefully some of you will read this! After my enormous absence I can't blame any of you for not reading again, but I thought this recipe would be great to start up again because:

1. It is super easy!
2. These cookies are darn tasty and moist!

So everyone knows how to make chocolate chip cookies, right? I just discovered a little trick to make them even better! The original recipe is here, but they use vanilla pudding. I said, why the heck not chocolate?!?  So the difference is that I substituted chocolate pudding for the vanilla pudding. No brainer, right? AND think of all the possibilities! These are amazingly moist, especially if you use half shortening and half butter like I do, instead of the entire 2 c. of butter. Just saying. They also puff up and stay fluffier.

So, try these puppies out! You know you want to. :)

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz. package chocolate instant pudding mix (or whichever flava you want!)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
2. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Spicy Chicken for Nachos (or tacos, or burritos, or enchilladas...)

I was really hesitant to write this post for two reasons:
a) The picture I got is AWFUL because I waited until the nachos were demolished to even think of snapping it
b) It's super simple.....

But I have gotten a lot of requests for the recipe when I make it for people, so I thought I'd share. Aren't I sweet..... don't answer that.

Right, so your going to need 2-4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts depending on how many people you are feeding. The 2 breasts work fine for a heaping pile of nachos for three. If your working with more peeps to feed, use 4 breasts and double the recipe. Heck, make six, triple the recipe, and freeze some for later. :)

See? Cruddy picture, I told you! You can't even see the chicken that well, but believe me it's in there!

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (or dried, I reconstitute with the next ingredient....)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of salt (optional)

Nacho Fixings
STURDY chips
Black beans
lots and lots of cheese
Queso
More cheese
Tomatoes
Ranch (trust me)
Salsa (if you want)
Really... just go nuts, do what you feel on this one

Instructions

Heat a skillet on medium to medium high heat
Add tomato sauce and chicken, be sure to coat the chicken and spread the love
If you are using dried garlic reconstitute it for a few minutes with the vinegar before adding
Add them spices!!!
AND cook.... until chicken is cooked through
Take chicken out of the sauce and shred with a fork
Add back into sauce and mix that goodness around.


Nacho assembly
Put everything on a cookie sheet or baking pan in the order listed above, stop at cheese, unless you want your tomatoes cooked but I like them still kicking.
Broil in the oven for around 5 minutes, you gotta watch them to make sure they don't burn!
Add the rest of the toppings... even the ranch... do it

Now pull up a seat and chow down. The best way to eat these puppies is straight from the pan but I'll leave it up to you if you want to make a mess that's perfectly fine with me :) AND like I said, the chicken can be used for darn near everything, so experiment!

Need a warm meal? Try this gumbo!

I haven't felt like cooking much lately, but I did make a big pot of this gumbo the other day. Let me tell you, this recipe lasts, especially if you serve it with rice. Yum! Perfect for my finals week(s). Good news? I'm almost done! YAY! Greater news? That means more time to try out everyone's recipes!! So keep them coming.

Any-who, this recipe was sent to me by Claire after I had smelled the yummy concoction in the break room one day. The recipe is from this site. It is originally a vegan recipe, but I added some shrimp to it in mine. It would have been delicious without but I had a bag of frozen shrimp on hand and it worked out for me.

I also didn't have tomato paste so I made a roux with some flour to thicken it up just a tad, worked out but I'm going to make it with the tomato paste next time for the flavor. I also used frozen black-eyed peas and okra, worked like a charm and no hassle. Enjoy!

Black-eyed Pea Gumbo

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 4 cups vegetable broth, water, or a combination
• 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1 pound okra, tops removed and sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1-2 tsp. chopped chipotle peppers (canned in adobo)
• 1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, plus cooking liquid (1 cup dried black-eyed peas cooked in 3 cups water)*
• salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat a large, non-stick stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until they begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until okra is done and mixture has thickened, about 45-55 minutes. Add more water as needed–this will be thicker than a soup but still have a good amount of broth. Serve over freshly cooked brown rice and add hot sauce at the table.

Salad Dressing - Easy Peasy

Hey everyone! Julie J was kind enough to share this recipe she found here. Although I haven't had time to try it out, I felt neglectful of this poor little blog so I wanted to get a recipe up here for you! She assured it was yummy and quite easy when you just throw everything in a mason jar, so give it a try! AND you don't have to deal with High Fructose Corn Syrup!! yay!!!

Since I didn't make it I don't have a picture. :( but just imagine a jar full of liquidy goodness!

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Dash or 2 of paprika
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole

Salad:

• Green lettuce leaves
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup red grape tomatoes, halved

Directions

Place the olive oil, Parmesan, salt, pepper to taste, sugar, paprika, lemon juice and garlic into a jar. Shake it up and store in the fridge at least 24 hours before serving.

Serve the dressing with green lettuce leaves, sliced red onions and halved grape tomatoes. Also works well on pasta salad.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, folks. This recipe was the one I've been ever so patiently waiting for it to come into my grasp! Ever since Kandy brought these suckers in to the break room, and I alone demolished 4 (yes, 4!), I've been awaiting this day. So here it is folks, the recipe for the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip wonder cookies.

(I almost wanted to make this picture super-sized so you can all bask in the glory of the pumpkin-y, chocolate-y goodness, but I spared you.)

·         PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

14.5 ounce can pumpkin
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups all-purpose flour
12 ounce package chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, I add a few mini chips also)

Oven at 375 degrees

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, blend flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.
Stir until nicely combined but don’t over mix.  Then fold in the chocolate chips.
On ungreased cookie sheets, make small dollops of mixture (about a tablespoons’ worth).  Cookies  do not bake larger—they bake to the size you make them.
Sprinkle a sugar/nutmeg mixture over the unbaked cookie.
Bake about 10 minutes.
This recipe makes a LOT!!!  About 70 cookies (I don't think I have a problem with this one, Kandy. The more the merrier.)

P.S. Sorry for the delay, I've got more recipes coming I swear! Just a matter of fitting in the graduation requirements first. I'll get there! Thanks for the patience. :) Oh, and keep the recipes coming!!

Avocado, White Corn & Black Bean Salad

I'm super excited to share this next recipe with you all! This one is coming at you from Julie J. When she sent me the recipe I was looking forward to making it so I could:
1.  Have pictures to show you of the awesome salad.
2.  Eat it! And oh-boy is this one tasty!

I made this Friday night for my parents, and it went so well my mom made sure she had the recipe before she left! We ate it with fajita style chicken on tortillas as our salsa garnish, but since making it I've had the leftovers on salad and as a dip with blue corn chips. Really, you can't go wrong with this; super simple, fast, and easy.

  

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, diced into cubes
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 c. each of colored bell peppers, cut in 1/2 pieces
1/3 c. red onion, sliced
1/2 c. fresh white  or bicolor corn, cut off the cob (can use shoe peg white frozen corn)
Juice from 1 lime, strained
1/2 t, kosher salt
4T olive oil
1/2 t chili powder, cumin
1 T fresh cilantro, minced

Mix avocado, beans & onion.  Put 2 T. Olive oil in a large skillet over med high heat.  Add corn, bell peppers.  Next add chili powder & cumin to the skillet.  Sauté until corn and peppers are soft, 3-5 minutes.  Add warm corn mixture to bean mixture & cilantro. Finally, combine juice from 1 lime plus 2T olive oil. Add kosher salt.  Whisk juice, olive oil and salt.
Pour over bean,corn mixture.  Combine all ingredients .  Serve with blue chips or toasted pita.

Orange Cream Cheese Pie!

Now I don't know about you, but when I read this recipe I got all sorts of excited for summer and picnics. This recipe is coming at you from Jim, all the way out there in Washington D.C. He suggests enjoying it with an Oliver Momi! Sounds delish to me.

ORANGE CREAM CHEESE PIE

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

4 to 6 navel oranges (2 – 2 1/2 lbs. total weight)

8 oz. (one brick) FULL-FAT cream cheese, at room temperature

1 can (14 fl. oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained

Directions:

1.            Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2.            In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar and stir until the crumbs are well moistened.  Pat the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and all the way up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan or dish.

3.            Bake until the crust is firm, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

4.            Using a Microplane (rasp) grater, zest one of the oranges to measure 1 teaspoon finely grated zest.

5.            In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the condensed milk, orange zest, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

6.            Now stir in (or beat in with a mixer on low speed) the fresh, strained lemon juice.  Continue stirring/beating just until the lemon juice is blended in and the filling has thickened slightly.

7.            Pour the pie filling into the prepared graham cracker crust and smooth the top.  Place the pie in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the orange topping.

8.            Using a sharp knife, peel the rinds off of all of the oranges the following way: slice the top and the bottom off of each orange, exposing the flesh underneath; now trim away the sides in strips, following the contour of the fruit with the knife so that the rind and all of the white pith underneath are removed; finally, slice the orange crosswise into thin rounds.  Set the orange rounds on paper towels to drain.

9.            Remove the pie from the fridge and arrange the orange slices on top of it, overlapping them in a decorative spiral pattern from the center until the filling is covered completely.

10.          Refrigerate the finished pie until chilled, about one hour, but let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off.  If desired, the top of the pie may be further garnished with thin strips of orange and lemon zest.  For best results, cut into slices with a sharp serrated knife.  Enjoy!

(adapted from a recipe in Carolyn Beth Weil's "Williams-Sonoma Collection: Pie & Tart" cookbook [2003])