Granola Bars

These are so yummy. I love making granola and granola bars at home because I can control the quality of the ingredients and the balance of sweetness.

This is totally a customizable recipe. My personal favorite mix-ins are dried cranberries, finely chopped almonds and white chocolate-semi sweet swirled chips. But you can use whatever you like- raisins, dark chocolate, pecans, macadamia nuts, white chocolate....

Preheat oven to 275

2 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup mix ins

Combine eggs, oil, honey, sugars, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix in flour. Stir in oats and mix ins.

Spread dough into a parchment paper (or aluminum foil) lined 13x9 pan. The easiest way to press the dough in is to wet your fingers with a little tap water and spread it around. Bake for 45 minutes on the top rack.

Allow to cool completely before cutting.

All Purpose Red Sauce

This is my favorite "gravy" as the Italians call it. My grandma cans tomatoes from her garden and I use them to make this sauce. I wish everyone had a grandma like mine, but I know that's not the case :) I highly recommend to use fresh tomatoes, but ONLY when they're in season. Otherwise, whole canned tomatoes are the best option. Buy the regular sodium kind, I've never had good luck with low sodium canned tomatoes.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
2 teaspoons Oregano
1- 18 ounce can tomato paste
3- 29 ounce cans whole tomatoes (OR 12 cups chopped fresh tomatoes)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

In a large stock pot, saute the onions, garlic, salt and pepper in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the seasoning and oregano, cook until fragrant. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, water, vinegar and sugar.

Simmer on low for 2-4 hours (the longer the better. I usually simmer for 2 hours with the pot covered and 2 with the lid off.

Puree sauce in batches in a blender. Season with additional salt and sugar to your taste

You can freeze this sauce in a plastic bag and it keeps really well.

To finish sauce for other dishes:
A little more sugar makes it perfect for pizza.
Red pepper flakes are good in sauce for spaghetti and chicken for a spicy sauce.
Fresh chopped basil for pasta.
Blend in some roasted red peppers for a great sauce for stuffed shells.

Vegetable and Chicken Lasagna

Just make it- then you'll understand

5 cups All Purpose Red Sauce (written in recipe above this post), or your favorite tomato sauce
1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch disks
4 small organic Zucchini (best quality you can get-worth the $), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
1 13.5 ounce package whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked for 10 minutes and drained
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
1 batch of "Lasagna Bechamel Filling" (below)

Lasagna Bechamel Filling:
12 ounces crimini mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half (you can use whole milk or fat free half and half if you want to cut a couple calories)
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 small box frozen spinach, defrosted and water squeeezed out

Cook mushrooms in butter and olive oil for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for one minute. Add half and half slowly. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese, mozzarella and parmesan, melt. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, chicken and spinach.

Building the lasagna:

I'm just going to write this in how I build the layers, from the bottom to the top.

13x9 pan
1 cup red sauce
4 lasagna noodles
2 cups bechamel filling
1/2 of the sliced zucchini
1 cup red sauce
4 lasagna noodles
2 cups bechamel filling
Eggplant slices
1 cup red sauce
4 lasagna noodles
2 cups bechamel filling
1/2 of the zucchini
1 cup red sauce
4 lasagna noodles
1 cup red sauce
1 1/4 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes if baking just after assembling. 40-50 if from the fridge. The lasagna will be almost bursting out of the pan, so it's safer to bake it on a baking sheet or place a baking sheet on the rack below to prevent oven messes. Mine usually bubbles over a teeny tiny bit in one corner.

For best slicing and removing results, allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

I always make a big lasagna because it can be frozen. Individual portions can be placed in ziplocks and frozen for a quick lunch or dinner down the road when you don't feel like cooking :)

Chicken, Veggies, and Cornbread Dumplings

The way I make Chicken and Dumplings is a little different than what you might be used to, but I love to cover the chicken with a flat layer of dumpling dough and cook the whole thing together so the dumplings steam on top of the chicken.

1/2 yellow onion, small diced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, green beans and peas)

Sautee the chicken and onion in the olive oil until chicken turns white. Season with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, oregano, thyme and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add vegetables, then cover with dumpling dough.

For the Dumplings:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup whole milk

Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Whisk in oil, egg, honey and milk until combined. Pour on top of the chicken and cover. Cook on low for 12 minutes.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

This is my favorite chocolate cake. I try to put a little coffee in whatever I do with chocolate because it does such amazing things for chocolate. You can't taste the coffee taste but it brings out the chocolate flavor. If you don't like or don't have coffee, just replace it with hot water.

The buttercream recipe reads to incorporate individual taste in stiffness of the frosting. For a softer frosting, you'll want to be on the low end of the sugar and the high end of the half and half. For a stiffer frosting, more sugar and less half and half.

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup hot coffee
1/2 cup hot water

Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Whisk in the oil, eggs, vanilla and milk. Whisk in the coffee and water, carefully. Batter will be runny.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes in 8'' round pans.

Cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool on a wire rack until cooled completely.

Slice cakes in half and fill with buttercream.

For the butter cream

1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate, (6 ounces) melted
4-6 tablespoons half and half
3 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter and shortening until soft. Add vanilla, cocoa powder and chocolate. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix, then half of the half and half. Then add the remaining sugar and half and half.

Soft Biscuits

Preheat oven to 425

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
3/4 cup buttermilk, half and half, or heavy cream

Combine all dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry mix until butter is the size of peas. Mix in milk until combined.

On a well floured surface, pat dough flat. Fold the dough over and beat it with a rolling pin until it's 1/2 inch thick. Do this a dozen times. Roll dough 1/2 thick and cut into desired size.

Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My favorite hummus. Pairs well with all sorts of stuff and is great on sandwiches.
Tahini paste can be pricey, but if you buy a big jar it keeps forever and you only use a small amount at a time. Also, I usually buy roasted red peppers in a jar. They're cheaper than doing it yourself and all the hard work is done. It also helps the dip come together in a snap. A 16 ounce jar usually has 2 whole peppers in it.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced (2-3 cloves)
1 16 ounce can chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved
2 tablespoons tahini paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
The juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 roasted red pepper

Heat olive oil and garlic in a saucepan until fragrant.
Add garlic and oil to a food processor with remaining ingredients.
Add reserved liquid from chickpeas until desired consistency is reached. I usually use 2-3 tablespoons.
Chill and serve.

For some yummy homemade bagel chips, slice a bagel into disks and toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toast at 425 for 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle hot bagel chips with 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese for an extra yummy touch.

Banana Pancakes

These are just so good. That's all I have to say about that. Ha!

2 medium bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour

Whisk all ingredients together except the flour until well combined. Whisk in flour until flour lumps dissolve.

Cook on medium heat until outer edges start to dry and bubbles pop in the middle. Flip and cook another minute.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Pie

There are a few reasons why I go ga-ga over this pie. It's easy, has great chocolate flavor and since it's frozen, I don't have to eat the whole thing in a couple days (though we usually do)

I apologize for the poor picture. It looks blah but is so good. :)

I like to use Cool Whip as the topping of this pie. I know, I know, it's cool whip. Fake, flavorless blah cool whip. But I always mix a little vanilla paste into it and I think it's just fine. It's great in this application because it freezes well and has a good texture. If you're too proud to like it, you can top the pie with whipped cream.

You will need one baked and cooled crust. You can find the recipe here

2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter

Heat 1 1/2 cups of the milk on low heat in a saucepan until small bubbles appear.

Whisk 1/2 cup of milk with the 3 egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar.

Slowly whisk egg mixture into hot milk. Cook while whisking until mixture becomes thick. It will be pretty thick, don't worry.

Strain custard through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Melt chocolate chips, cocoa powder, butter and vanilla into warm custard. Chill custard until cold.

*to cool custard quickly, put some ice and a small amount of water into a bowl larger than the one holding the custard. Put the custard bowl into the ice bath and stir it every few minutes until cool.

3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons sugar

Whip egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk in sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until peaks are stiff, glossy and smooth.

Fold half of egg whites into cooled custard until combined. Carefully fold in remaining half.

Pour chocolate filling into cooled, pre baked pie crust.

Top with 1 tub of Cool Whip with 2 teaspoons vanilla mixed in.

Freeze pie for at least 6 hours, overnight is best.

You can slice and serve the pie immediately after taking it out of the freezer.  Place leftovers back in freezer immediately.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

I love wheat flour, I'll throw it into just about anything because I love the flavor. These pancakes have just enough wheat flavor and still a spongey chewy softness that I love about pancakes.

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, milk and canola oil until well combined. Addd baking powder and flours, whisk. Whisk in melted butter to finish.

I cook them on an a dry electric griddle at 325, if you're cooking them in a non stick pan, cook at medium temperature. Do not put butter or oil on cooking surface if it is non stick.

Flip pancakes when outside rim starts to dry and small bubbles form in the middle.

Makes about 16 5 inch pancakes

Honey Wheat Bread

I make some of this about once a week. It's our standard house bread. You can bake it in a 9x5 loaf pan or split it into rolls.

1 1/2 cup hand hot water
1/4 ounce active dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
2 1/2 cups bread flour

Mix all ingredients and let rise for 20 minutes.

Add:

2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour

Knead on low speed with a dough hook in an electric mixer for 10 minutes. Dough will be slightly sticky. Allow dough to rise until it doubles, about an hour.

Shape dough by making a square while pinching out the bubbles. Then roll the dough tightly and place into a non stick sprayed 9x5 loaf pan with the seam on the bottom.

Allow dough to rise until it reaches the top of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (About 20 for rolls)

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Pizza

Most recipes for pizza crust floating around out there taste kind of biscuit-y to me. There's too much oil in most recipes and they only tell you to knead the dough once. I knead it before and after the dough rises. I also highly recommend bread flour, it has more gluten, thus makes the crust more chewey and delicious.

This recipe makes 2 12x17 baking sheet sized pizzas. This recipe halves easily if you like.

You can put whatever you like on here, but I will share my favorite sauce. It's pictured below, they sell it at my Giant Eagle store. I usually only make fresh pizza sauce when tomatoes are in season. One jar is enough for both pizzas. I also never buy yeast in packets. It's pretty much a rip off. I must also suggest you purchase good cheese. I'm not saying it's got to be organic buffalo mozzarella... but you aren't going to spend an hour plus making pizza dough to cover it in mozzarella flavored melted rubber... are you??

1 ounce active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
2 1/4 cups hot-to-the-touch water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
5+ cups bread flour

In a large bowl, mix the yeast, honey and water. Let proof 15 minutes, until nice and bubbly. Stir in olive oil and salt, then flour. The dough will be wet after mixing in the 5 cups (hence the "+" in the recipe)

Knead dough on a well floured surface, adding flour as needed. You'll probably end up kneading another 1/2 to 3/4 cup of bread flour into the dough. Knead for 5 minutes total. Dough will be soft, smooth and stretchy.

Return dough to bowl and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450

Divide dough in half and knead each half for two minutes on a floured surface. Then stretch and roll the dough to the size of your baking sheet. Put 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil on the baking sheet (enough to wet bottom and sides) Shape dough into pan and top with your desired ingredients.

Bake pizzas for 20 minutes. Rotate them halfway through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting pizza.

How To Cook Almost Anything: 10 Easy Tips

Over the years I've gotten so many questions about how I do some of the things I do. Like, how to cook hashbrowns that are golden brown, cooked all the way through and don't stick... how to grill chicken without it shredding on the grill... and on and on... So here are my biggest and most helpful tips that I know of that can help you everyday!

1- KOSHER SALT AND FRESH BLACK PEPPER: How to properly season food is one of the first things you learn in culinary school. And you will notice a huge difference in your food if you switch to kosher salt and fresh pepper. I like the Morton Salt in the blue box, it has the perfect texture and flavor. And please, buy a pepper mill... fresh pepper makes a world of difference.

2- HARD ANODIZED PANS: In my experience, these are the best non stick pans you can buy. And the process is patented, so you don't have to buy Emeril's brand in order to ensure quality. I bought mine (well, my mother bought mine :D) at Sam's club 4 years ago.. they are "Member's Mark" aka Sam's Club Brand. The whole set was like $60 and they show almost no wear and tear (and I use them pretty much every day)

3- CAST IRON PANS: For those times when you need to get a good sear on something, or fry something, you can't beat cast iron. When you're not using your non-stick pans, I would chose cast iron over stainless steel any day.

4- BEWARE OF THE DISHWASHER:Nothing will ruin your pans or knives faster than a dishwasher. Take the teeny weeny extra bit of effort and wash all of your pans and knives by hand. Dry them immediately and put them away. Anodized pans say they can be put in the dishwasher, but please, don't do it. It ruins the finish. Especially don't put teflon or other non stick finishes in there.. bad news bears.

5- DON'T BE AFRAID OF HEAT: In the restaurant business, we have all our ovens at 500 and all the burners and grills on high. I'm not saying do everything on high! But don't be scared of it. I'll go more in depth about temps/techniques a little later.

6- STEPS TO SEARING AND SAUTEING SUCCESS: This simple steps with help you cook anything; potatoes, eggs, fish, chicken, steaks, veggies... ect. A: Heat the pan dry first before adding oils/butter B: Once pan is preheated, add cooking oil/butter. I very often use half butter, half olive oil. But you can use whatever you like C: Heat butter or oil before adding whatever you're cooking. D: When cooking with butter, it's very easy to tell when it's time to add your food to the pan. The butter will melt and bubble, when the butter stops making noise, it's ready. E: Add food and shake in the pan slightly. Then LEAVE IT ALONE. Shake it slightly then leave them be. If you heated your pan properly, when the food caramelizes it will release itself. So when the food moves, it's ready to be turned. If it doesn't move, leave it be until it's ready. This is the secret to hashbrowns, fish, chicken, steaks, all sorts of stuff!

7- GRILLING BASICS: The most important part of grilling is proper preheating. Most grilling that we do is searing and cooking relatively quickly. This is the same concept as searing and sauteing in a pan on your stovetop. In order to keep the food from sticking, heat your grill to 400 or 450 (anywhere in there is fine) If you don't have a temperature gauge on your grill, a good rule is about 10 minutes of heating before cooking. You always want a little oil on what you're cooking to keep it from sticking. It's much easier (and safer) to put the oil (or non stick spray if you prefer) on the food itself rather than the grill. If you have cast iron grates on your grill, you will need to "season" them occasionally with oil. When the grill is hot, take and old rag, roll it up, dip it in a little oil (canola is great) and use tongs to rub the oiled towel on the grill grates. For cast iron grates, it's good to do this everytime you start from a cold grill. If you have porcelain or stainless steel grates, you don't have to season them. On the contrary to searing food on your stovetop, when you grill you won't move the food at all after placing it on the grill. But you will let it sit until it moves. If you try to pick it up and it's sticking, just leave it be. It will move when it's ready... I promise!

8- ROASTING: You can roast almsot anything. It's easy, healthy and delicious. I roast almost everything at 450. Asparagus, Broccoli, Chicken, Onions, Fish, Potatoes, Crostini, Croutons, Squash.. on and on. I know it sounds hot, but without some heat you don't get adequate caramelization. Season whatever you're roasting olive oil or canola oil, salt, pepper, plus whatever else you like. Want some roasted chicken for fajitas? Try some cumin, chili powder, oregano and some lime juice. Herbs for fish? Try tarragon, garlic and parsley. Herbs for chicken or pork? Try thyme, sage, rosemary and garlic. Croutons? Garlic, dry thyme and parmesan cheese can't be beat! Now for timing, toasting bread products is usually between 5 and 10 minutes. Vegetables take about 10-15. Potatoes start at 30 mins for a smaller dice, and 40-50 for quartered red potatoes. Chicken breasts usually take about 15-25. Fish about 10-15.

9- BOILING: The biggest tip is to season your water well with salt and use lots of water for what you're cooking. Seasoning water for potatoes and pasta makes a world of difference in flavor.

10- POACHING: For easy poaching liquid that's great for Shrimp, Fish, or Chicken. Bring water to a boil with some cut up carrots, celery, onions, a couple quartered lemons, a good amount of salt, some whole peppercorns and some fresh thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes before adding your seafood or chicken. Add seafood or chicken and simmer until cooked trough. Seafood usually takes about 5 minutes. Chicken can take 10-15 depending on how thick it is.

Biscuits

Oh, biscuits... how you have given me so much grief over the years! It's been a long time coming.. but I finally have made a biscuit recipe that is worth the effort! Hallelujah!

A couple of notes on this recipe:
After the addition of the buttermilk, the dough will seem a little wet. It's very important to not overwork the dough and don't add more flour to the mix. Just make sure you put the dough onto a well floured surface to shape it. Also, if you don't own biscuit cutters, I've found a white wine glass works well the cut the biscuits ;)

Oven: 450

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter (or a fork if you don't own one) When the butter is the size of peas, mix in buttermilk until just combined.
Turn dough onto a well floured surface and pat until 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into circles and place in a non-stick sprayed pan.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Caramel Banana Cream Pie

Caramelizing the sugar before making the filling brings out the flavor of the bananas without overpowering them.

You will find a pie crust recipe to the right. You will need to pre bake and cool crust before filling.

This recipe is going to read a little different: instead of all the ingredients listed at once and then directions, the ingredients are listed with each step. Be sure to read all the way through to make sure you have everything you need.

1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups whole milk

Combine sugar and water in a high sided saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat until sugar caramelizes to a rich, amber color. Slowly whisk in milk. Be careful, as caramelized sugar will seize and milk will bubble violently. Don't worry when sugar turns solid, it's fine. The sugar will melt as the milk heats.

2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
6 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup milk

Whisk eggs, corn starch and milk in a small bowl. With the heat on low, slowly whisk into milk and caramelized sugar once sugar has completely melted into milk. Continue to cook on low, whisking, until filling becomes thick.

Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer. Mix in:

2 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Chill filling until it is at least room temperature before adding bananas.

With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk beat 2 medium bananas until broken apart. Whisk in filling until combined. Pour filling into a pre baked pie crust.

Chill pie for at least 6 hours and top with fresh whipped cream.

For whipped cream topping:

1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Rigatoni with Roasted Tomatoes, Broccoli and Chicken in a Parmesan-Asiago-Romano cheese sauce

By roasting the chicken and veggies in one step, you can save time and dishes. My grocery store carries a 5 ounce tub of shredded Parmesan-Asiago-Romano blend that I like to pick up for this recipe. Makes it quick and easy for weeknights.

5 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 3 crowns)
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
3 medium (or 2 large, about 1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dry thyme leaves
2 teaspoons dry oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toss all the above ingredients in a large bowl. Turn onto a sheet pan and roast at 450 for 20 minutes.

For the pasta:

3 cups milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 ounces grated Parmesan-Asiago-Romano cheese blend
12 ounces rigatoni (about 4 cups dry)
1/2 cup pasta water

In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly, boil 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it melts.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Combine sauce, pasta, pasta water and cooked chicken and veggies.

My Favorite Pork Chop Marinade

This recipe makes enough for about 2 lbs of chops. Marinade chops overnight for best results. Grill on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side for 1 inch chops. Serve with my applesauce recipe for a classic combo.

In a food processor combine:

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons dry thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt

2 Minute Applesauce

I whip up this quick and yummy applesauce for my daughter when she asks. There's two techniques. The first being a fresh, cold applesauce. The other being one that you cook and store. The addition of the vinegar keeps the sauce from turning brown. The addition of sugar balances the vinegar, leaving a balanced, fresh flavor. If you're not going to eat the sauce right away, do the cooked version, as it will turn brown quickly.

Cold Applesauce:

1 medium gala apple
1/4 cup apple cider

Peel, dice and puree apples in a food processor with the cider. Voila

Cooked Applesauce:

Combine "Cold Applesauce" with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar per apple. Add additional sugar if needed to maintain desired sweetness. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Red Velvet Cake

When I was in culinary school, my American Regional Instructor insisted that we change the red velvet cake recipe in the curriculum to my recipe after tasting this cake.

This is going to be a strange tip- fyi. But when I was a kid my mom always baked cakes with paper towel circles lining the cake pans vs parchment paper. Which I thought was super weird, but I've got to tell you, it works really well. (And is super cheap) just cut white paper towels to the size of your cake pans, then non stick spray the pan all over. Place the paper towel on the bottom, then spray the towel with a small amount of non stick spray.  After the cake bakes the paper towel peels off so clean and perfect. And the cake bakes soft on the bottom, it's fantastic. I know- it sounds like a crazy hillbilly method. But it works really good, I swear!

I use apple cider vinegar versus the traditional distilled white vinegar. But this is because I have absolutely no need for white vinegar in my house, and I don't like it. But if you have white vinegar, you can by all means use it.

For the frosting you can add chopped and  toasted pecans or you can leave them out. It's totally a personal choice.

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce (1 small bottle) red food coloring
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk

Cream butter, sugar, and salt together with an electric mixer until soft and light. About 2 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.
Add food coloring, vinegar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda, mix until combined.
Add half the flour, mix. Add half the milk, mix.
Finish by adding the rest of the cake flour, then the rest of the milk. Mix until combined.

Pour batter into prepared 9 inch cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Allow cakes to cool 10 minutes before taking out of the pan. Then turn the cakes onto wire cooling racks and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beat until fluffy and smooth. Add pecans (if using) at the end.

Apple Coffee Cake "Muffins"

I say "muffins" because this is a true, super moist coffee cake, it's just shaped like a muffin. I like this recipe in muffin cups because then it becomes more portable!

This method I call my "modified muffin method". If you know the muffin method for baked goods, it's essentially all of the wet ingredients mixed together in one bowl, all the dry in another, then you combine the two. I, however, do not like to wash dishes. So I like to only use one bowl. I essentially combine all of the ingredients but the flour, then just stir the flour in. This is the method I use for coffee cake, cookies, quick breads, pancakes, and yes, muffins :)

One note: when prepping the pans, I suggest to spray the paper liners with non-stick spray. I know this sounds a little silly. But if you don't the topping will adhere to the liners and you'll be gnawing it off the paper with your teeth when you're eating these.

Preheat oven to 375

Topping:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine sugars, flour and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix until well combined. Set aside.

Cake:

1/2 cup butter
1 medium gala apple, 1/4 inch diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Line 12 muffin pan with paper liners. Then spray inside of liners with non-stick spray.

Melt butter in a saucepan and add diced apple. Cook for one minute.
Transfer apples and butter to a mixing bowl. Add sour cream, cider, vanilla, sugar, salt, and baking powder one at a time, in that order. Mix in flour until just combined.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, divide batter into muffin cups. (You will notice it divides perfectly) Top each muffin with a little over 1 tablespoon of the topping.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Allow to completely cool in pan before removing.

Machine Free Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I love this recipe. It's easy and you don't need a machine to make ice cream at home! Yum!

First, I must address just a couple things. Although you don't need an ice cream machine, you will need one special tool. A fine mesh strainer. You can get a large one for $10, or a smaller one for like 5. Next, I must insist on Vanilla Bean Paste in this recipe. It really makes a difference. However, if you chose not to, you can substitute one tablespoon of extract or one halved and scraped vanilla bean. I freeze my ice cream in this gladware contat's about 9x13 in size) it's black and has a clear lid. I like it because it's shallow so the ice cream freezes quickly and evenly.

The first part of making ice cream consists of making an anglaise. You can make just the anglaise itself and use it as a sauce over chocolate torte, brownies, apple crisp, or you could even put some southern comfort in it for a little egg nog :)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
1 cup granulated white sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Whisk egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until pale yellow in color and thick (about a minute) Heat milk in a saucepan until slightly simmering. Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the eggs, then whisk all of the egg mixture into the milk in the saucepan. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir anglaise constantly. Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. The anglaise will start to boil and become thick. Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer.

Chill uncovered in refrigerator for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.

When your custard is cool, whip the cream. You want the cream to be stiff. Stir half of whipped cream into anglaise with a rubber spatula. It will feel like it takes a while, so be patient. Use small circular motions. Stir/fold remaining whipped cream until just combined.

Pour into plastic container, cover, and freeze for a minimum of 5 hours.

*note* my ice cream is currently in the freezer, when it's done I'll snap a pic for you :)

Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder

This isn't necessarily a recipe as much as it is a method. This is how I make pork shoulder. You can pull it for bbq sandwiches, put it in beans, serve with grits, or my personal favorite- grilled cheese.

Simply rub the shoulder with some salt and pepper and sear it in a hot pan with a little olive oil. Sear on all sides, remove pork. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of apple cider per 2 lbs of meat. Add the cider to the pork in whatever you will be braising it in. Either a crock pot on low or an oven set at 200 for 6-8 hours.

After the pork is done and you pull it, I like to dump a yeungling in it. Let the pork absorb. If you live in an area where you can't get yuengling (as I did a month ago) use a good amber beer.

Banana Nut Bread

This is the best recipe for banana bread that I have ever used. My mother, who had been using her own recipe since I can remember even switched to this one after she tried it.
Feel free to use whatever nuts you like. I like roasted almonds. Also, when buying nuts for some reason they are cheaper in the snack (or bulk foods aisle if your store has one) than in the baking aisle. The baking aisle is a rip off. :) I've obviously spent more time than I should wandering around grocery stores.
Feel free to replace nuts with chocolate chips, or to add chips and nuts.
I included a picture of the ripeness of banana I like to use. A little brown, a little black, and definitely no green in sight.
This recipe can easily be halved, as it does make 2 loaves or 24 muffins. The bread itself will look dark when you bake it, not to worry, it will taste great.
This is also a good time to use the non-stick spray that has flour in it. Works great for quick breads.

Oven: 350

3/4 cup butter, room temp
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
2 cups granulated white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4)
1 cup chopped nuts

Spray two 8x4 loaf pans or 24 muffin cups with non-stick baking spray.
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and cream for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and cream until combined. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined. Add mashed bananas and nuts and/or chips.
Divide batter into baking vessels. Bake bread for about an hour. Muffins for 25-30. You want a toothpick inserted in the middle to come out clean and dry.

Pumpkin Pie

At first glance, this will look like pumpkin cheesecake because of the addition of mascarpone cheese. But it's not. The mascarpone just gives the pie a more custard-thick consistency. It's nothing like your typical grocery store pie, it's way better. Mascarpone is pricey, but it's worth it. You can always substitute regular cream cheese if you want, I've done it both ways and both are good, mascarpone is just better. *sidenote* if you've never purchased mascarpone before, it's in the specialty cheese fridge by the deli by the parmesan, not by the cream cheese.
I've written my pie crust recipe below, if you don't want to make it, just go to the store and buy a premade one. (I won't tell!)
One other note: this makes a little larger than your average sized pie. I have deep dish pie plates that I use for everything and I posted a picture of the pie plate I use below. It's Food Network brand from Kohls. I got it on sale for $5, and it was only $10 originally. If you use smaller pie dishes, this filling will actually fill 2 of them, so you'll need to double the crust recipe.
I also included a basic vanilla bean whipped cream for garnish. It has vanilla bean paste in it. If you haven't bought any yet.. you need to! :) You can find a link in my "A Note About Vanilla Bean Paste" post, or you can find 4 ounce bottles at sur la table or williams sonoma. Or yes, you can use vanilla from the grocery store :) Man, I'm a brat about vanilla aren't I?
Pie Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons butter, cold and diced
2-3 tablespoons ice cold water
Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Cut the shortening and butter into the flour with a pastry blender, or fork, or your fingers (whatever you're most comfortable with) you want the butter and shortening to be the size of peas. With your hands, knead the dough while adding in the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
Roll the crust out to fit your plate on a well floured, flat surface. Place the crust in the plate and pinch the top sides with your fingers. (Everyone pretty much knows how to do that I think)
Put the crust in the fridge to rest while you work on the filling.
Pumpkin Filling
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temp
15 ounces canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger
With your electric mixer, beat mascarpone until soft. Add pumpkin and sugar, beat until combined. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes. The way you tell if a custard is done is to shake it. It should have a very little jiggle in the middle. It's better to have it a little overdone than a little underdone, so if you're nervous about taking it out, leave it in for a few more minutes.
Allow pie to cool on a wire rack until room temperature before refrigerating. This will allow the pie to finish setting. Chill for 4-6 hours or overnight if you like cold pumpkin pie.
Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Whip cream and butter until .... well until it looks like whipped cream! Add sugar and vanilla and whip until combined. Add a little more sugar if you want it a little sweeter. The melted butter will help the cream to keep it's shape if it sits for more than a couple hours (fyi).
Did I forget to mention that this is NOT low fat?? :D happy baking!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

The best mac and cheese recipe meets buffalo chicken!! So good.

If you want a simple mac and cheese, just make it without the chicken and use plain bread crumbs or shredded cheese to top.

This recipe makes enough for 4 people. You can easily double it, I just figured this would be the quantity most desired.

If you like blue cheese with your buffalo wings, you can add some blue cheese on top of the macaroni. I listed it in the recipe, though that variation is not pictured.

Cheese Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups milk
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Melt butter in a saucepan. Whish in flour, salt and pepper, cook for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and melt in cheese and mustard.

Mix cheese sauce with 1/2 lb macaroni noodles, boiled and well drained.

For the chicken:

Shred 8 oz cooked chicken breast (about 2 breasts) you can poach them or roast them, whichever way you like. Mix shredded chicken with Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce. Use amount that you feel comfortable. I use about 1/3 of the bottle.

For the topping:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 packet dry ranch seasoning (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

To assemble mac and cheese:

Preheat oven to 400

Spread bottom of a 9x13 pan with half the macaroni and cheese. Spread chicken evenly, then top with remaining half of macaroni. The layers will be pretty thin, so don't worry if chicken sticks out some. The chicken will stay more moist if you put it in the middle, it tends to dry out on top. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. If you're using blue cheese, put it under the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Chili and Cornbread

In honor of how awful the weather is, I'm posting my chili recipe. It's going to look complicated.. but it's not. I have tons of dry spices and herbs, so I make my own Chili seasoning mix. But you can always buy the packet stuff if that's what you like. I personally always have these spices on hand, and totally understand that not everyone is as crazy as myself.

For a packet spice blend, I like McCormick. You will need 2 packets for the amount of chili this recipe makes.

This recipe will fill a 5 quart crock pot, so feel free to cut it in half if you're not super chili eaters.

First listed will be the spice blend, then the chili ingredients, and finally a cornbread recipe.

Also, in the recipe you will see that it simply says "2 lbs meat" this is simply because you can put any combination of meat you like in here and it's good. This chili base is so great in the fact that so many things are good in it. 1 lb of chicken with 1 lb of chorizo, 1 lb or ground beef with 1 lb of italian sausage, 1 lb of sausage with 1 lb of ground turkey, 2 lbs of leftover turkey breast, 2 lbs of diced chuck roast.... it goes on and on and on... Even if you don't care for beans, just leave the beans out and add another pound of meat, say bacon maybe?? :)

When you read the chili recipe you will think I am insane.. but yes.. chocolate. Just do it. It rounds out all the flavors and makes a huge difference. TRUST me on this one. If you know my brownie recipe, you know I like Hershey's Special Dark Bars.. guess what... I like them here too! For the beer I usually just use whatever I have, Corona, Coors, Yuengling. It's all good. Also, if you don't have/like/want beer, you may want to add a little chicken stock/ water instead.

Ok, this is the spice mix I like:

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dry oregano leaves
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Please note that the spice mix is a starting point, if you like it more spicy, add some hot sauce.. if you don't like heat at all, leave out the cayenne.

For the chili:

1 poblano pepper, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium vidalia onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1- 4.25 ounce can diced green chilis
1- 29 ounce can tomato sauce
1-12 ounce can tomato paste
1-10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotelle is a good brand)
2-15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 lbs meat of choice
1-12 ounce beer
2 ounces dark chocolate

In whatever pot you will be simmering your chili in (crock pot, soup pot...) open and empty your tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced green chilis, diced tomatoes, beans, beer and chocolate. Also add all of the spice mix. In a large saute pan, heat a small amount of olive oil and saute your peppers, onions and garlic until fragrant and soft. About 4-5 minutes. Add cooked peppers and onions to chili pot.
If you're using raw meat, brown it before adding to chili pot.

Allow to simmer for at least 4 hours. Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, shredded cheese, cornbread or whatever else you like.

Cornbread Recipe

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400. Non stick spray an 8x8 pan, a 9x9, or 12 muffin pan.

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, and all the wet in another. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake muffins for 15 minutes, panned bread for 20-25.

Pictured chili is chicken and chorizo.

No Bake Cookies

When I was a kid, we always had cookies in our lunch. My mother didn't always have the time to bake a whole batch- so she would make no-bakes. They are super duper easy.

Below I have written the original recipe flavored by chocolate and peanut butter and also the Nutella variation. You can use either crunchy or smooth peanut butter, I like smooth.. but that's just me.

Before you start making the cookies, prep where you will either drop them or pour them. If you want drop cookies, lay out some wax paper, parchment or aluminum foil. You will need to non-stick spray the foil if that's what you use. I will often times just pour the cookie batter into a parchment or aluminum foiled lined 9x13 pan and cut them once they're set into small bars. 

The Nutella bar variation is pictured below.

ORIGINAL No-Bake Cookies

2 cups granulated white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups quick cooking oats

In a large saucepan bring the sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk to a boil. Boil for 30 seconds. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Once the peanut butter is melted, add the oats.

Either drop cookies in desired amounts or pour into your 9x13 pan. Let set for an hour or so (it may take a little longer for the 9x13 depending on the temperature/ humidity of your house). You can always throw the cookies into the fridge for 15 minutes if you're getting impatient.

NUTELLA No-Bakes

2 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Nutella
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups quick cooking oats

Bring the sugar, butter and milk to a boil. Boil for 30 seconds. Add the Nutella and vanilla. Once melted, add the oats.

Drop cookies onto prepared surface or into prepared pan. The Nutella cookies are a bit softer and take a little longer to set. Drop cookies about an hour, panned bar cookies about 2 hours.

Best, Best, Best Brownies

Brownies have been one of those things that have taken me a very, very long time to perfect. But I found, as with lots of my other recipes, that you have success when you combine traits of things that you like. Brownies are a perfect example. This recipe combines two distinct qualities of two very different types of brownie- tasteless yet wonderfully textured box mixes with flavorful yet usually too dense homemade mixes.

I have also worked on this recipe so it takes just a couple minutes longer than the box mix and only one bowl. A major downfall with a lot of the from scratch recipes is that they take expensive ingredients and require you to melt chocolate, separate eggs, and multiple bowls and tools.

A couple things: for the chocolate, I use those large Hershey Special Dark bars that you buy in the bulk candy aisle. It works great, and you can usually buy them on sale for a buck. Also, if you like nuts or chocolate chunks in your brownie, feel free to add them in. I wouldn't add more of 1 cup of add-ins. So if you wanted chunks and nuts, add 1/2 cup each. Or just 1 cup of nuts or 1 cup chunks. Whatever you like. This recipe is just the brownie base, so you can add what you want.
Also, I find that I like the crust on my brownies better when I bake them in an aluminum cake pan. I've tried glass and stone pans, and I like the aluminum best.

Preheat oven to 350. Line an aluminum 13x9 pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.

1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hot coffee
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or 2 teaspoons extract)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Put cocoa powder, dark chocolate, butter and salt in a large bowl. Pour hot coffee over and whisk until melted. The chocolate won't dissolve all the way into the coffee, no worries. It just needs to melt. Whisk in the oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar. Stir the flour in gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.

Mix in chocolate and/or nuts or whatever else (if you so desire) when you mix in the flour.

Pour brownie batter into your prepped 13x9 pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. You want a toothpick inserted in the middle to come out clean. Oven temps and times can vary so just be sure to check and make sure they're done baking before you take them out.

Allow brownies to cool on a baking rack in the pan for 90 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan before taking brownies out. Then turn the brownies upside down onto a cutting board. Cut into desire size with a serrated knife (if you have one, if you don't just be careful) using a sawing motion.

I have no idea where my brownie picture went.. I will have to find it and post it later. Until then, you have to trust me!!

A Note About Vanilla Bean Paste

Seriously, buy this stuff. If you only bake cookies, buy this stuff.. if you bake every day, buy this stuff.

It will change your life. It gives everything you add it to an amazing flavor. Even if you just put a teaspoon in a milkshake or your coffee... I should work for these people since I love this product so much. I gave it to my sister for her wedding present!!!

You can buy a 32 ounce bottle on Amazon for like $35. At a dollar an ounce, it's cheaper than poor quality extract at the grocery store.

Here's the link to where I get mine. And the seller includes a small tin of their mints with your purchase. Cute touch.

Brownie-Cookie Hybrid

I made these this morning, and holy moly. They are good!!

Notes: this is my cookie recipe and brownie recipe put together. So if you wanted to make just the cookie or just the brownie part, you can.This is also a massive recipe. I made these in a 12x16 cake pan. So it yields 48 2 inch brownies. This should be no problem for my husband! If you wanted to cut the recipe in half, it's fairly easy. I would suggest baking a half recipe in a 9x13 pan.
For the dark chocolate in the brownie half, I use those large Special Dark Hershey bars that you buy in the candy aisle. They're like 4.25 ounces, so you only need half a bar for the brownie recipe. Also, if you don't own vanilla bean paste, just use good vanilla extract.

Important prep: in order for proper pan removal, simply line your baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with non stick spray.
Preheat oven to 350

Cookie Half:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
12 ounces chocolate chips
Mix butter and sugars and salt together. Then add the vanilla and eggs. Next mix in the baking powder and baking soda. Finally, mix in the flours and chocolate chips

Brownie Half:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup hot coffee
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
2 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Put cocoa powder and chocolate into a bowl and pour hot coffee over chocolate. Mix until melted (chocolate won't dissolve into coffee all the way, no worries) Next, add the butter, salt, canola oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Mix flour in with rubber spatula until just combined.

In your aluminum lined and non stick sprayed pan, pour your brownie batter in and spread to the edges. Next, dollop the cookie batter all over the brownie batter. Take a butter knife and swirl through the brownie and cookie batters, mixing them together slightly.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. You want a toothpick inserted to come out dry. (For a half recipe, bake 30-35 mins)

This is the hard part : allow them to cool on a baking rack for 90 minutes!! these brownies will still be chewey when cooled down, no need to rush into the pan prematurely. When cool, run a butter knife around the outside of the pan. Turn the brownies upside down onto a cutting board. Carefully peel the aluminum foil off the brownies. Cut into 2 inch squares. (Use a serrated knife if you have one)

Ok.. now you can eat them.. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This seems like kind of a funny recipe to post first, but I'm so tired of seeing sad, burnt flat, dry cookies. I have made tons of cookies in my day and I still love a classic chocolate chip cookie. And in my opinion, these are the best. No fuddy duddy weird ingredients. Just simple, good cookies.
A little bit about why I think this recipe works the best: the melted butter absorbs the sugar well, and keeps the mixture moist so when you mix in the flour, you're less likely to overwork the batter. The bread flour has more gluten than all purpose so it gives the cookies more chew. The vanilla bean paste (I should write a post about that in itself) has such a fantastic flavor, you really can't go wrong. Also, I have no idea why.. but when you bake cookies on parchment paper, they always come out better... always. And yes, it's a pricey product. But it's worth it.. just buy the parchment paper. And you can use parchment over and over. when you're done baking, fold it back up and use the paper again. I usually start fresh after 4 or 5 batches of cookies. Ok, that's enough about parchment paper... ha!

Also, you will want to chill the dough slightly before baking. Cold cookies for some reason bake better.

Here's the recipe:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
12 ounces chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugars and salt. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until well incorporated. Mix in baking powder and baking soda. Finally, mix in flours and chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes.

Drop by 1 tablespoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 350.

Share The Love - The Introduction

for my first post, i will share why i am here. i personally believe that life is way too short to eat sub par food and settle for recipes that are either incomplete or not quite there. i do not know everything and i do not claim to know everything, but i know some pretty good tips, tricks, recipes and ideas that can make a difference. so i hope that you can enjoy this blog.. and please, if you have any requests, questions, ideas, suggestions... ect... please share!!