Chocolate/Vanilla Chip Cookies!

I have been told these cookies are amazing - and I agree - I really enjoy them too.  Maybe I haven't had enough home-made cookies but I can't imagine a goo-y chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven could be bad!  But I have been told a number of times that these are the best chocolate chip cookies.  Since I've never made a different recipe - I wouldn't know if they really are the "best" - they are just the ones that we make around here.

This is a quick recipe - my six year old can pretty much make them herself.  It is an easy recipe that doesn't take a lot of time - so if you know me - don't be surprised if I show up with them next time I visit or drop them by your door as a surprise...remember, this recipe makes two dozen...and I'm only giving away half.  The other half is for me and a glass of milk ;-)

Chip Cookies Recipe

• 2 1/4 cups flour (I use unbleached flour, sometimes sold as bread flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt (I just use a sprinkle - I never measure salt so I always put in less than what a recipe calls for)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups or 1 package of chocolate or vanilla chips

How to

• Cream/mix both sugars with the butter. 
• Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until blended. 
• Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.  You can mix these in a separate bowl and then add to the wet ingredients or if you are trying to take a short cut - you can add the flour on top of the wet ingredients and then stir the baking soda into the flour with a spoon before using the mixer.  Sometimes my cookies don't turn out as fluffy without mixing the dry ingredients together thoroughly, but they still taste good even if they are a little flat!
• Bake for 10 minutes at 350.  Bake until the edges start to brown.

Enjoy!
 

Cupcakes!

Who doesn't love a yummy creamy cupcake?  My daughter just adores cupcakes and I'm all for eating them as a "junk food" snack - so long as they are homemade and filled with some yogurt to balance out the sugar and butter!

Here is our family's go-to favorite cupcake recipe.  You can eat them frosted or not (I will just leave them on the counter as a sweet treat without the frosting and the kids will eat them just as quickly!)

Cupcake Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I use unbleached flour, sometimes marked as bread flour)
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• salt
• 1 stick butter (softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

How to:

• In one bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder a a pinch of salt.
• In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs (one at a time).
• Beat in the yogurt and the flour mixture alternating between the two until its all added.
• Beat in the vanilla.
• Pour the mix into lined muffin tin filling each about half-way.
• Cook in 350 degree oven for about 14 minutes or when a knife inserted into the middles comes out clean.

Icing

• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar
• 2 tablespoons yogurt (plain or vanilla) and this ingredient can be left off if you don't have it.

How to:

• Melt the butter.
• Mix in the sugar and yogurt.  It may be a little lumpy or smooth - it tastes just as good both ways.
• Frost your cupcakes by dipping them into the bowl face-down.  Give it a little twist on the way up and the cupcake is perfectly frosted.  Plus the kids love to do this step!

Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies!

I am always on the hunt for a good sugar cookie recipe - one where the dough rolls out easy and the cookies don't stick to the table...ahhh...doesn't that sounds great!  If you happen to have one - let me know!  In the mean-time - this is the recipe that we have made countless times.  The dough can be tough to roll (you can put it in the fridge for a bit before to help but be careful not to leave it in too long), but it's manageable.  The dough will stick to the table without enough flour under it - you can roll it between parchment paper or wax paper to help.  But it's not too bad and it's all part of making cookies :-)

Sugar Cookie Recipe

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I use just regular unbleached, sometimes called bread flour, for everything)
• salt

How to:

• Use a beater to mix the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla in a large bowl until mixed.
• Add the flour, sprinkle the salt on top of the added flour.  Mix again with the beater.
• You can refrigerate for 30 minutes or not at all - your call ;-)
• Cut with cookies cutters and bake for about 14 minutes at 350.  You can add sprinkles before to decorate if you want.

Enjoy!

Pizza Pizza!

A Friday favorite for sure is PIZZA night!  The kids love eating it and I love that it cooks in 15 minutes and that my girls always help throw it together!  They snack on all the ingredients too, adding to the fun!

Pizza dough (easier than you would think)

This is one of the most forgiving doughs I know - you can let it rise all day or not at all.  You can add too much flour and it still comes out yummy.  It's a hard one to mess up.  The only thing messy about this recipe is that the quantities are difficult.  It takes 1 package of yeast to make a pizza and a half.  It can be stretched to two pizzas but halving the recipe seems to leave me a little short for a nice size pizza. This recipe I feel comfortably makes a pizza and a half.

• 1 package of yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water for about 5 minutes (until a little foamy).
• Add the oil.
• Then add the flour and the salt (I just add the flour then shake the salt right on top.  I don't measure the salt and probably never put close to a teaspoon in).
• Mix and knead.  Knead until it looks elastic and all the same color (you can't see the flour).  It's probably a few minutes.  It's a very forgiving recipe so you can kneed for 2 minutes or 5 and it will still work out.
• Let rise (or not)
• Oil the pizza stone (a little bit of oil prevents sticking)
• Roll out.  Pizza dough is a bit tough to roll.  To save time I will sometimes roll it right on the pizza stone.  If you flip it while rolling it - it will stop snapping back into its ball shape. 
• Add the sauce (we use jarred spaghetti sauce - the same that we add to our spaghetti) and spread with the back of a spoon.
• Add toppings (bacon, pepperoni, tomato, pineapple  - whatever you like!)
• Add the cheese.  I recommend grating your own mozzarella instead of buying the pre-grated.  The taste difference is worth it!
• Cook for 10-15 minutes at 500 degrees.  It's ready when the crust is browning and the cheese is melted and browning a bit too.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Recipe

This is a favorite around here - lots of gooey cheese, homemade sauce; what can be bad about that!

Enchilada Sauce

This is easier than you would think.  For all my recipes, I use homemade chicken broth which makes it economical.  You can also make it ahead and freeze it.

This is taken from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/easy-enchilada-sauce-recipe/index.html and altered a little.  The original recipe makes a very thick sauce and I prefer a more liquidy sauce.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup chili powder

3 cups chicken broth

1 small can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt (I just shake a little in - I never use much salt!)

 

How To:

• Heat the oil and cook the flour for about a minute
• Add the chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds
• Add the chicken broth, tomato paste (it will mix in as it warms up), cumin, salt, and oregano and bring to a boil
• Keep it at a strong simmer for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors mix

 

Chicken Enchiladas

• approx 10-12 corn tortillas (Trader Joes has a great one for just 99cents and very few ingredients!)
• about a pound of chicken, diced (for my family, this is a leg, thigh and a breast but you could probably use 2 breasts)
• chili powder
• vegetable or canola oil
• onion, diced

 

To make the chicken, cook the onion and chicken with a little bit of oil (I prefer olive oil) in a frying pan until the chicken is cooked through.  Sprinkle with chili powder during cooking.

 

To make the tortillas, heat the oil in a frying pan until hot.  Fry each tortilla shell for about 10 seconds.

 

To make the enchiladas, dip the shells into the sauce.  Then add some chicken and cheese and roll it up.  Place in a baking dish.  When all the chicken and tortillas are used up, dump the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle any leftover cheese on top of that. 

 

Cook at 375 for about 30 minutes until warm and cheese in melted.

 

Enjoy!