Asian Ramen Salad

We can't end 2014 without a post in December! Yes, I'm sitting at home alone on New Year's Eve, but this is by choice. I swear! I am writing one of the last food blogs of the year! But, have no fear there's plenty more to come!

I found this yummy recipe on Table for Two's blog! She called it "Ridiculously Amazing Asian Ramen Salad." Now, I do think it was a good recipe, but "ridiculously amazing?" Eh. I don't think so. Honestly, it was a little weird using raw ramen noodles, but I did add the dressing in the morning and by lunch time the ramen noodles had softened. Everyone at my potluck did enjoy the recipe, so I'd definitely make it again! It's really simple to throw together, and I wonder what it would taste like if you eat it right away. Probably crunchy! Anyway, give it a whirl and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) bag of Cole Slaw Mix
1 cup Sunflower Seeds (seeds only and not the shells)
2 (3 oz) bags of Ramen, crushed (throw out the seasoning)
5 stalks of Scallions, sliced
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

In order to crush the Ramen noodles; place in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin by rolling over the noodles. Now, take out a large bowl and add the cole slaw, sunflower seeds, crushed ramen, and scallions. Take out a medium bowl, and combine the vegetable oil through the sugar. Whisk well. No worries if the sugar doesn't completely dissolve. Pour the oil mixture over the noodle mixture and stir well making sure all the noodles are coated well with the dressing. Now, you can either serve it immediately or place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple hours. Serve cold or at room temperature! Enjoy!

Iron Chef Potato Recap

We had a smaller than normal group for this competition: just five of us were able to make it. At first, we were a little disappointed since potato is such a fantastic ingredient. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because by the end of the night we were all incredibly full and starched out. I think the turkey has been getting a bad rap as the cause of post-Thanksgiving lethargy, because after this competition, I'm pretty sure potatoes play a devious role in that. The good news is that basically everything was delicious. We had a really hard time judging and I'm sure the scores were all really close.

I had the first dish of the night and the only appetizer. I made a "potaffle" which is essentially a potato pancake but made on a waffle iron. And I topped it with a Dill Jalapeno Sour Cream. My relationship with the waffle iron was sorely tested while making this dish, but it must have turned out all right because everyone wanted seconds and it earned me the runner's up prize!

Next we went right into the mains, starting with Emily's Baked Potato Soup. Potato soup is probably my favorite soup of all time, and Emily's recipe was very, very good. Nice and creamy, seasoned perfectly, with crumbled bacon and cheese. You can't go wrong there. It would be perfect for filling and warming your belly on a cool fall night.

Chelyen had the other main and her entry was extremely creative as well as yummy: Loaded Baked Potato Empanadas with an Sour Cream & Onion dip. It had a great crispy crust on the outside, then inside you could see plenty of delicious bacon, cheese and potato. I loved the dip as well, which she made with carmelized onions. She definitely got major points for inventiveness and also for having the guts to tackle something as complicated as empanadas.

So, then we had Kim's side. Poor Kim. She made Scalloped Potatoes with Spinach that looked beautiful as it came out of the oven. It also had a ton of great flavor-- I particularly enjoyed the spinach with the creamy sauce. The problem was that her potatoes didn't get cooked all the way. Even after she put them back in the oven for round two, they were just too darn stubborn. But we all agreed the flavor was there, so it's a shame that it didn't quite turn out.

Finally, the Iron Chef Potato winner! Doan decided to do a dessert when no one else had signed up for one, and it's a good thing she did. Her Sweet Potato S'Mores Cheesecake was to die for. In fact, by this point we were all so full, and the dessert was still so amazing, that we almost died eating it. Ok, not quite. If you don't have a Thanksgiving dessert planned yet, you should make this. It was seriously good and extremely impressive! Congrats on another win, Doan. Someone's got to stop her winning streak. We'll give it a shot at our next competition in 2015!

Sausage and Apple Risotto

Last weekend was the first truly cold couple of days that we've had since last winter, which on one hand is really nice because I hate the cold. But on the other, I do miss those crisp fall days. In Richmond, autumn seems to last a week or two before we descend into winter, so we definitely like to take advantage. Which leads me to this dish: Sausage and Apple Risotto, which I found on a blog called Buttercup and Bourbon. I'm not sure if you could have a more "fall" dish. It's hearty and warm, and the addition of apple just takes me straight to autumn back home in Indiana. It could not be a more comforting meal. So get out a blanket, build a fire, and curl up in a chair with this dish.

I will say that if we made this again there are a few things we might change and I'm incorporating those changes into the recipe below. There didn't seem to be enough broth, and therefore the rice was still a little too al dente by the time we finished, so I've increased the amount. We also would prefer a little heat (shocker!) so next time I would use hot sausage instead of regular.

Ingredients
5 cups chicken broth

8 ounces mild pork sausage (or hot!)

1 small onion, diced

2 medium crisp apples, diced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 to 1 cup apple cider

Shaved Parmesan cheese, for serving

Start by heating your chicken broth and keeping it at a simmer. In another small saucepan, simmer the apple cider as well. In a large skillet, start cooking the sausage, breaking it apart as you go. Once it's just begun to brown, add in the onions and apples and cook for about 7 minutes, until the onions soften. Add in the rice and thyme, and toast for just a minute before adding in your first cup of broth. Stir until the liquid is absorbed before adding another half cup of broth. Keep adding the broth a half cup at a time, letting the rice absorb the liquid between additions. It should go quickly at first, and more slowly as you go on. Make sure to keep the heat medium so you aren't boiling away the liquid.

Once the broth has been incorporated, add in a half cup of the cider and let that soak in. Taste and if the rice is not yet where you like it (too al dente) add the rest of the cider and stir until it's absorbed. Season with salt and pepper (we didn't really need it since the sausage is salty). Serve and enjoy this little taste of fall! 

Jägerspätzle (German Noodles with Mushroom Sauce)

The Hubs and I recently took a trip to Germany. To celebrate his upcoming 40th birthday, he really wanted to go to Oktoberfest (the real one), so we headed off to Munich! Now, I expected this leg of our trip to be more focused on the beer (or bier!) than on the food. And there was plenty, PLENTY, of beer. But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the food, particularly one night when we ate at a biergarten called Augustiner-Keller. If you are ever in Munich, I highly recommend it. Anyway, since we've been back I've thought about German food in a new way, and that's what led me to try this recipe for Jägerspätzle. Well, that and how delicious the photo looked on this Savory Nothings blog where I found the recipe. Even though we have a pretty solid spätzle recipe (here's the link), we decided to give this new one a try. It made a lot more spätzle, but it didn't have the flavor that our other recipe had, and it was a bit chewy for me. But the mushroom sauce was really good. As always, I could have reduced it a little more to get the sauce a little thicker, but the flavor was nice and warming. Perfect for the cooler weather we've been having, and it definitely reminded me of our trip to Germany.

Spätzle Ingredients

2½ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup water

⅓ cup milk

3 eggs

Butter for finishing

Sauce Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter, divided

1 shallot, finely chopped

1½ pounds mushrooms, sliced

1 ounce white wine

2 cups broth (I used chicken, but you can use beef or vegetable)
1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup cream

We started with the spätzle dough so that it could rest a bit while we started the sauce. Whisk together the water, milk and eggs first, then put the flour, then salt on top of the wet ingredients and use a spoon to gently mix the dry ingredients together a bit before mixing everything together. I personally added a little white pepper and a little nutmeg to the dough, and I felt they could use probably a half teaspoon more of salt. Use a wooden spoon to rapidly stir the dough until there are no more lumps and bubbles start to form. You'll also feel like your arm's about to fall off. Cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes. 

Next you can start on your sauce. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, then add the shallot and cook until it begins to brown. Then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 7-9 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften and get a little color, then deglaze with the white wine and reduce. Next pour in the broth and tomato paste and let it simmer until it becomes a thick sauce. I could have been a little more patient with this part, I believe. Finally, add in the last two tablespoons of butter and let them melt, then pour in the cream. Let the sauce warm back up, and it's ready to go.  
To make the spätzle, get a large pot of salted water on to boil. We have a $7 spätzle maker that works awesomely and is so worth the money, but if you don't, just use a coarse grater. Gently use a spoon to help the dough fall through the grater into the water. It will fairly quickly float to the surface and it's done. Use a slotted spoon or a small mesh scoop to get them out. Melt a little butter in a skillet and lightly fry the spätzle for a few minutes until it gets a little bit of color, and then move to the plate. Top with the mushroom sauce, and enjoy a little taste of Germany. 

Iron Chef Carrot Recap

Iron Chef Carrot was more than a competition this time. We also used it as an excuse to throw a small baby shower for Cara and her future little Carit! But it turns out that carrot is actually a pretty fun (and tasty) ingredient. It's so versatile that we had a ton of variety in the types of dishes and flavors, which made the night exciting. We also had a lot of fun decorating diapers for Cara with fun sayings on them to make her laugh when she's up changing diapers in the middle of the night. Oh, I guess I shouldn't mention changing diapers in a food blog... sorry about that. Ok, let's get to the best part--the food! 

First up were our appetizers, starting with Chelyen's Carrot Tots and Curry dip. I never thought anything could make a better tot than a tater, but carrots definitely came close in this dish. And the curry yogurt dip was a great pairing to the flavors of the tot. This would be a great way to serve kids something that they would enjoy eating, but also sneak in something a little healthy as well. Heck, forget the kids-- someone make it for me! 

Next we enjoyed the night's winner (and I swear, it wasn't rigged!). Cara made a Moroccan Carrot Hummus with pita chips. She topped it with feta cheese and olives which not only made it look really professional, but also added great flavor to the hummus. I love me some feta cheese. It was a big hit and everyone kept going back for more. Congrats on another win, Cara! 

For the main course, Jen seared up some great looking scallops and served them over a carrot puree with an herbed oil drizzled on top. It looked like something you could order in a restaurant, and tasted great as well. Plus, you know I'm a sucker for scallops. They are really hard to cook well and Jen nailed it. This one was a really well-composed dish!

I had the other main and since I've been dying for an excuse to buy a spiralizer, I decided to make carrot noodles. I improvised using a sesame-peanut dressing for the noodles, combined with my own recipe for peanut butter chicken. I definitely enjoyed it, but I noticed my jaw was tired after eating a few bites. The raw carrots really stood out, and maybe not in the best way. It's not something I would make again, but I was happy with the result.

Emily served her side, a Spicy Thai Carrot and Kale Salad, with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds which were a cool visual addition. The peanutty dressing was my favorite part of her salad, and I definitely think it should go in the dressing recipe box. I think the group just wasn't a big fan of raw kale. But kudos to Emily for going healthy! We've also teased her about doing a whole Iron Chef competition with kale, so I think she was preempting us on that one.

I've made carrot fries at home before and while they aren't always as good as the real thing, they are a great, healthy alternative. But Laura's Carrot Fries with Cilantro Dip were better than any of the recipes I've tried. They have a sweet but also a bit sharp, tangy flavor, and I love the way the dip worked to cool down the tang. She also oven baked them which makes them even healthier than typical fried fries.

And finally, the desserts! Of course, you know we had to do a carrot cake! No carrot competition would be complete without one. But I like how Doan elevated the traditional dish with her Rum Carrot Cake recipe. You only got a hint of the rum but it was just the right amount. It was perfectly moist and delicious with wonderfully creamy frosting.

And lastly, our runner-up for the night, Kim's Chocolate Carrot Cake. It's a really nice twist on the classic, and yet still had that carrot cake flavor, even through the delicious chocolate. Plus it looked really beautiful (I have a soft spot for layer cakes). It made for the perfect finish for the night, and it's no wonder she got our second place prize.

Next time I promise to be more timely in my recap (but don't hold me to it). Up next is Iron Chef Potato, which should be a fantastically starchy evening. Until then!

Cider-Beer Braised Chicken Tacos

I bet you thought I couldn't possibly find another taco recipe to post on this blog. Well, you were wrong! There are MILLIONS! I can go on for years! Tacos forever!!

Ok, sorry about that. I just love tacos, you guys. This recipe looked sufficiently different from the other recipes I've posted, and it is. And it looked sufficiently delicious, and it is. So here we go. It's a pretty simple recipe that I found on a blog called Half-Baked Harvest. But don't let the simplicity fool you. These pack a ton of flavor (and a good amount of heat). I also made a little psuedo-salsa to top it with, mixing some apple into some pretty normal ingredients, which brought some really nice crunch and flavor to the taco. I recommend you try it!

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

2 chipotle chilies in adobo, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

salt and pepper

1 cup beer 

1/2 cup apple cider
3/4 cup enchilada sauce 

1 jalapeno or serrano, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup diced apple
Handful of cilantro, chopped

In a small dish, mix together the spices: chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cut your chicken into big chunks and put them in another small bowl. Pour the olive oil over and then add the garlic and chipotle chiles. Stir a little to spread the chiles and garlic around and then pour in your spice mix and mix well until the chicken is evenly covered.

Now, heat your dutch oven on high until hot, then sear the chicken about 2-4 minutes a side. It will cook more later so don't over cook it now. Also, be careful of breathing in the spices while they cook. It will definitely make you cough! Once the chicken is seared, turn down the heat and pour in the beer and apple cider, scraping the bottom of the dutch oven to deglaze it. Simmer on low for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is simmering, you can make the salsa. Just mix together the jalapeno, onion, apple and cilantro with the lime juice, and stir. Leave it in the fridge while you finish the chicken.

Once the chicken is done, shred it with two forks. Turn up the heat on the sauce in the pot and reduce it down to about 3/4 of a cup and then add the chicken back to the pot along with the enchilada sauce. Let that warm up for a few minutes and once it's hot, it's ready to serve! We used sour cream and a little cheese on our tortillas, as well as the chicken and apple salsa and the mixture was really tasty. I know the apple seems a little weird, but go ahead, be daring and give it a chance! You will be happy to find yet another taco to love. 

Bacon Cheddar Cheese Puffs

Today we had a fun event at work. We all got together to have a potluck and play games. These types of events don't happen very often, so it's always nice to get out of the office for a bit. Well, we had a sign up sheet to determine who would bring what for today. I decided to sign up for an appetizer. Normally, I would make a dessert since that's my favorite thing to make, but I decided to sign up for an appetizer. Everyone and their brother signed up for desserts. It took me quite a while to decide what I wanted to make. Eventually, I settled on this cheese puff recipe from With Love and Cupcakes. Instead of Chipotle Cheese I used Bacon Cheddar Cheese since TJ's didn't have that option. And, I must not know how to make things smalls because my cheese puffs were quite large. What really matters is how it tasted, and these were great! I would definitely make these cheese puffs again, but smaller! And, my co-worker's must have liked them, because only 2 were left! Leftovers for the win! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 eggs
1 cup grated chipotle-flavored cheddar cheese, like the one here (Or Bacon Cheddar Cheese from Trader Joe's)
 

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Take out a small saucepan and combine the water through mustard. Set the stove to medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to boil. Add in the flour and lower the heat to low. Stir until the mixture comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue to cook the dough and stirring for about five minutes. The mixture should start to steam. Transfer the dough to your standing mixture. Go ahead and beat for a couple minutes to help release some of the heat from the dough. Next, add in an egg one at a time. I beat the egg prior to adding to the mixture. Stir well after each addition. Fold in the cheese and combine well. Put some of the mixture into a piping bag and pie out the mixture in small amounts...1 1/2 inches side and 3/4 inches tall. Bake the puffs for about 15-20 minutes or until nice and golden in color. Remove from oven and cool completely. Enjoy.

Apple Streusel Egg Muffins

It's been a long time since we've posted a new recipe. Sorry about that. No good excuse really other than being busy with life. This particular recipe that I'm posting today is from the 21 Day Sugar Detox Book . I did this detox back in June, and it was pretty difficult. But, I really think it helped with sugar cravings, and I lost about 8 pounds! Fortunately, the author provides plenty of wonderful recipes to choose from during the detox. This Apple Streusel Muffin was something I ate for breakfast everyday. There's absolutely no sugar in it save for the diced apples. However, it's still very good. I'm still eating this for breakfast along with a Chocolate Avocado Smoothie! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter, coconut oil, or ghee (I use butter)
1 1/2 cups peeled & chopped green apple
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
3 tbsp warm water
6 eggs (I use 5)
2 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp  vanilla
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized skillet, sautee the diced apples in the melted butter over medium heat. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the cinnamon and stir. Add in the water. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes until the apples are the consistency of chunky applesauce or apple pie filling. Set aside to cool completely.

In a medium size bowl, add the eggs and whisk. Then, add the coconut milk and vinegar. Whisk until incorporated. Sift in the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add in the remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Whisk until well combined. Next, stir in the cooled apples. Prepare 6 cups of a muffin tin with parchment paper muffin cup liners. Pour the mixture into the cups. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the muffins have risen and golden in color. Enjoy.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

Sometimes when you make a recipe you immediately want to post it. This is one of those recipes. I've never made a recipe by Tyler Florence, but maybe I should start making more. This Shrimp Scampi was EXCELLENT! Seriously, it tasted like a restaurant quality entree. I did make it a couple weeks ago, but it was too late to take pictures. So, I made it again tonight and it was just as good as the first time I made it. It has a ton of flavor thanks to the butter, olive oil, lemon juice, and wine. Plus, the addition of red pepper flakes gives it a nice kick. I highly, highly recommend this recipe for your next dinner. It's that good! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pound linguini
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c finely chopped parsley leaves (or basil)

Boil the linguini (or spaghetti) in a large pot of water with a bit of salt and olive oil. When the pasta is al dente drain into a colander and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil at medium-high heat. Add in the shallots and garlic and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the shrimp and add to the skillet. Once the shrimp has turned pink (after 3 minutes or so) remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the lemon juice and wine and bring to a boil. Then, add in the remaining 2 tbsp butter and olive oil. Add back the shrimp and pasta to the skillet. Sprinkle the parsley or basil into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper if needed and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Asian Fried Chicken Salad

Oh, Applebee’s. I remember in my hometown for awhile, Applebee’s was actually a decent choice for a restaurant (it was the Midwest). When my friend turned 21, it was the logical place to take her and we spent the night testing the limits of a newbie bartender (I had the the worst, and strongest, Long Island Ice Tea of my life.) But today, Applebee’s is not a place I would visit under normal circumstances. Especially since Richmond has so many great non-chain restaurant options. Still, I wanted to try this copycat salad, which I found on a blog named “Tastes Better From Scratch.” It looked good whether it came from “the neighborhood” or not.

It turned out great, surprisingly. Nice crispy chicken that could have maybe used a touch more salt. The slaw and salad mix was different, but a nice way to add crunch without going full slaw. And the dressing was really good. Sweet with an Asian flair. I liked that it was a meal salad so that was a good way to get us to eat relatively healthy (fried part aside). It was a lot of steps though, so I don’t think this would go into my “easy dinner” pile.

Ingredients

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornflake crumbs (I used Parmesan Herb crumbs)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 chicken breast

3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Bag of rainbow or broccoli slaw

            -OR-

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage

1 carrot, shredded

1 green onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cucumber (optional)

1 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)

Dressing

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/8 tsp sesame oil

Start by whisking your dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure they mix completely. Refrigerate this until you’re ready to use it. Get out two more small bowls (lots of dishes, sorry) and in one beat the egg and milk together. In the second mix the flour, crumbs, salt and pepper. Cut your chicken into long thin strips, as evenly as you can.

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, preheat your oil. I don’t think you need the full 3 cups of oil, just enough to make about a half inch in the pan. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees. One by one, dip your chicken strips in the egg mixture, and then the flour mixture, making sure they get completely coated, then CAREFULLY put them into the oil. Don’t just plop them in or you’ll have hot oil going everywhere and that’s a danger to everyone. I did about 4 chicken strips in each batch so I could watch them. You want to fry for about four minutes, turning over halfway through to get a good golden brown on the crust. Then set them aside on a paper towel.

Ok, that’s most of the work. Now you just have to mix together the salad ingredients, add the chicken on top and pour some of the dressing over the whole thing. It’s a great meal, and you don’t have to deal with the strange folks eating at Applebee’s to enjoy it.

Pizzette with Fontina, Tomato, Basil, and Proscuitto

One of our Iron Chef alum is moving to Wisconsin...boo...so we had a going away party in her honor. The theme was cheese and wine. Yum. But, I decided to bring a little appetizer to the party. After all, cheese isn't the most filling food in the world. I perused a couple of my cookbooks before settling on this recipe from Bon Appetit. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to put the prosciutto on the pizza but they still came out pretty tasty. I also used Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough which definitely saved me some time. I also used a biscuit cutter to make little round pizza bites. Overall, I thought this was quite a tasty little appetizer. I will definitely make the next time I need to bring an appetizer to a party! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 13.8 oz refridgerated pizza dough
3/4 c grated Fontina cheese (about 3 oz)
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 c thinly sliced fresh basil
1 1/2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely torn into strips

Preheat your oven to 475. Lightly sprinkle rimmed baking sheet (or pizza stone) with flour. Next, roll out the dough on a floured surface and use a 2 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the dough rounds. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the Fontina cheese on the rounds. Divide equally. Next, place 2 tomato quarters on each round, pressing gently into dough. Sprinkle tomatoes with grated Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until the cheese is a golden color. Remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil and then top with the basil. Then, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Drape prosciutto strips over. Serve immediately.

Pancakes

I've been craving pancakes for a while now, and the other night I decided to satisfy that craving. I've made homemade pancakes before, and they turned out okay. But, I wanted to try a different recipe in hopes that I could find a way to make a light and fluffy yet tasty pancake. I decided to peruse the web in hopes of finding a recipe that would accomplish this. After reviewing a couple recipes I ultimately decided on this recipe by Bill Hilbrich. It received 5 stars, and people seemed to love this recipe. I decided to give it a try but tweak it a bit. I added the juice of one lemon to the milk and about 1/4 tsp of vanilla to the batter. Man, these pancakes turned out friggin awesome. I'm not even joking. They tasted like pancakes you would get at your favorite Pancake House. The pancakes were indeed light and fluffy and tasted great. I had plenty of batter left over, so I decided to freeze it. I had them again about a week later, and they still tasted great. I highly, highly recommend this recipe the next time you want pancakes. They're easy to make and sooo much better than a pancake mix. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 eggs, beat them separately before adding to mixture

1/4 cup butter, melted (1/8 of a pound)

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla optional
• Juice of one lemon added to the milk (optional)

Take out a medium bowl and combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Set aside. Take out a small bowl and add the milk and juice of one lemon (if using). Set aside for one minute. Add the eggs to a large bowl and beat well. Then add the melted butter, vanilla (if using), and the milk. Stir well. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Set aside for ten minutes. I use an ice cream scooper and scoop out the batter onto your griddle. Make sure it's set at medium-high heat. Once the pancake batter starts to have bubbles forming and has a golden color flip over to the other side. Serve warm with butter and syrup.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love a chocolate chip cookie? I mean really. I don't think I could ever date a man who doesn't love a good ol' fashioned chocolate chip cookie. Basically, I don't want to have to eat the entire batch of cookies by myself. Anyway, I found this particular recipe in my handy dandy Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Seriously, you guys, if you don't have this cookbook you're big time missing out. It's probably my favorite cookbook out of all the cookbooks that I have. And, trust me, I own a ton. Anyway, back to these scrumptious cookies. So, what I think really makes this recipe is the brown butter. Mmm. Brown. Butter. It gives the cookie a more robust flavor, and the chocolate packs a punch. I'm definitely making these cookies again, and I think they might be my new favorite recipe. Definitely an ultimate cookie!

Ingredients:
1 3/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 tbsp Unsalted Butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Next, whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Melt 10 tablespoon butter in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer browned butter to a heat proofed large bowl. Add 4 remaining tablespoons butter and stir until completely melted. Add brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and granulated sugar to the melted butter. Whisk well. Add egg and egg yolk; whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.
Using rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture until just combined. Next, stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed. Roll the dough into balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, about 10 to 14 minutes, and rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack, and let cookies cool to room temperature.