chocolate dipped shortbread cookies

i know i said i was taking a break and, for the most part, the only exciting thing that's been coming out of my kitchen lately is the giant salad we've been having for dinner nearly every night. but... i just made these shortbread cookies that i can't not share.

yesterday i went to visit my brother and sister-in-law and their new baby. it's my personal policy to never visit new babies without yummy treats for mom and dad, so i whipped these up the night before and wrapped them in some pretty paper without even tasting them. this morning i pulled the leftover dough out of the fridge and baked the rest.
baking these delicious shortbread cookies this morning was no small feat... i have a 6 month old baby who gets into everything, a very poorly behaved cat i'd like to strangle, and a house that desperately needs cleaning, and for some reason, i decided to throw baking these delicate cookies into the mix.
was it worth it?
.....
i just sat down with my half cup of cold coffee from this morning and finally ate one, and i have to say that i could die a buttery, flakey, delicious death.

i used Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) recipe which I found on the food network's website. i love her show, but have never tried any of her recipes. i did make a few alterations due to the ingredients i had on hand. i used salted butter instead of unsalted, and i omitted the 1/4 tsp salt the recipe calls for. i also used sparkling sugar on top, for a coarser texture. i used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but had to thin them down with a little vegetable oil so they'd coat the cookies well.

can't wait for my nerd to get home from work to taste them!

the proper care and feeding of nerds is going on the back burner

i'll be taking a hiatus from blogging for a few weeks to spend some time working on my other hobby, crocheting.

i'll return with lots of baked goodies and winter soups!

xo

buffins: beer and muffins, together at last

i found this recipe while searching for a beer bread recipes. i was excited to try it out, but halfway through mixing it up i realized it was a total bust... the batter turned out like cookie dough, and with no binding ingredient the muffins would have simply crumbled. i added an egg, a bit more beer (because who doesn't want a bit more beer???), and substituted whole wheat flour for the all purpose originally suggested.
i made two batches; one with semi sweet chocolate chips and one with butterscotch morsels. i was only going to make chocolate, but my nerd loves butterscotch and asked me to indulge him. glad i did, because it turns out that butterscotch is the perfect accompaniment to the rich and bitter chocolate stout
.
beer. chocolate. butterscotch. these manly muffins are just shy of motor oil and machine guns. 

double chocolate stout muffins

3 c whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 c sugar
1 pint double chocolate stout
1/2 c melted butter
1 egg
2 c chocolate chips OR butterscotch morsels

preheat oven to 375f. spray muffin tin with baking spray.

in a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. stir in sugar.
slowly pour beer into flour mixture. add melted butter and egg. stir gently until combined.
mix in chocolate chips or butterscotch morsels.
spoon 1/3 c batter into each muffin cup. bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

makes 12 muffins

chicken and thyme-rosemary buttermilk biscuits

i made this last friday for some friends who stopped by for dinner. i forgot to take pictures, so i had to make it again (not complaining, it was wonderful!) during the week. we're still eating the leftovers from the second batch. this was a first-time recipe for me, and will now be my go-to chicken soup.

not feeling the dumplings? skip those and add about a cup of uncooked egg noodles during the last ten minutes of cooking, and feel free to adjust the recipe. add more veggies, leave the barley out, experiment with the herbs.

4 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 c chopped yellow onion
2 c sliced carrots
1 large potato, cubed
2-3 celery stalks, sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch of dried rosemary
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbs pearl barley
4-6 cups chicken stock (enough to cover all ingredients)
1/4 c water
1/4 c flour

in a large soup pot over high heat, combine chicken thighs, chicken breasts, onion, carrots, celery, potato, thyme, rosemary, salt, barley, and enough chicken stock to cover all the ingredients. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
mix flour and water in a small bowl and pour into soup, mixing well. allow to thicken, about 2-5 minutes.

for the dumplings:
2 c flour
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch of dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt

mix until combined. drop by heaping teaspoonful on top of the hot soup. turn the heat up to high and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. reduce heat to low and cover, simmering another 10-15 minutes until dumplings are done (test by inserting a toothpick into one. if it comes out clean they're done).

serve 4-6

anniversary cookies

my nerd and i met and started dating in the later part of august, 2009. on october 2nd of the same year i made him a batch of these cookies, the first cookies i had ever baked for him. later that evening he asked me to be his girl. three years later, i'm still his girl, his one and only, and he's my best friend, the father of my child, and the absolute love of my life. i know deep down that we were meant to be, but sometimes i wonder if it was the happy belly full of these rich, delicious cookies that did the asking that day three years ago.

i love you hunnie <3 <3 <3

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

1 c canned pumpkin
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp milk
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp freshly ground ginger root
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped pecans

preheat oven to 350f.

in a medium bowl whisk together pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg, milk, vanilla, and ginger root. set aside.

in a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

add wet ingredients to dry. mix until just combined. add chocolate chips and pecans.

drop by heaping teaspoonful onto lightly greased baking sheet. bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. transfer to rack and cool.

make these for your nerd, and maybe you'll be lucky in love too!

<3 <3 <3

dinner omelet

who doesn't love an omelet??? i didn't season these at all, mostly because we had a really long day and i forgot. i thought they'd be a little on the bland side, but they were actually pretty good.

1 c asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 small sweet onion, chopped
1 tbs olive oil
2 chicken and apple sausages, sliced
4 eggs
4 tbs milk
2 tbs butter
1/2 c grated smoked black pepper white cheddar

1. warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. saute asparagus, mushrooms, garlic and onion until asparagus is slightly tender. remove from pan.

2. add sausage to pan and saute until browned. remove from pan.

3. melt 1 tbs butter in same pan. reduce heat to low.

4. in a small bowl whisk together 2 eggs and 2 tbs milk. whisk for about a minute- you want all the air bubbles in the mixture you can get.

5. pour into pan. allow to cook until the egg is mostly solid, about 1 minute. add half of the veggies and sausage sliced to half of the omelet. sprinkle on 1/4 c cheese. carefully fold the other half over.

6. repeat steps 3-5 with the remaining ingredients.

beer brat

i set out with the intention of making my own sauerkraut. really, how hard could it be? after much research and consideration i've realized that this just is not possible. sauerkraut takes weeks, if not months, to ferment and acquire the perfect flavor. and you can't just make a little... while i love preparing meals from scratch, i just can't justify making 5 pounds of sauerkraut when we really only need about half a cup. so in the end, the star of this meal was the beer brat. mmm-mmhmmm delicious!

1 pint bottle guinness

2 tbs butter

1/2 small sweet onion, sliced

4 bratwurst

in a medium sauce pan heat beer and butter until butter is melted. add bratwurst and onion slices. simmer over medium-low heat until the beer has reduced into a syrupy sauce, about 1 hour. turn bratwurst about every 10 minutes to prevent burning. serve with sauerkraut, mustard, and toasted bread rolls.

easy, cheap, and yummy! 

leftovers... now what? beef short rib ramen

sometimes i just can't get my rear in gear to cook. and sometimes we have so many leftovers i don't know what to do with them. and sometimes, those two things combined can turn into a great meal!

beef short rib ramen

this really doesn't require a formal recipe. just heat up whatever meat you have leftover. i used my braised short ribs (i also made my own broth using the gravy from the ribs, heating it with some filtered water, instead of the ramen broth mix). prepare your ramen, add a fried egg and enjoy!

honey dijon chicken with rosemary rice

honey dijon chicken with rosemary rice

honey dijon chicken

1/3 c honey
1/3 c smooth dijon mustard
1 tbs olive oil
2 chicken leg quarters
salt
1/4 c chicken stock
2 or 3 rosemary sprigs
1 slice onion

preheat oven to 350f.
in a small bowl mix honey, mustard, and olive oil.
season chicken with salt, then place, skin side up, in a shallow casserole dish. spoon honey mustard sauce over the top, coating the chicken. pour chicken stock into the bottom of the dish. place rosemary sprigs in between and around chicken. separate rings from onion slice and layer over chicken.
place in oven, 45 minutes. remove and spoon sauce over the top of the chicken. turn oven up to 425f. place chicken back in the oven for 15-20 more minutes, until skin is crisp.

rosemary rice

prepare 2 servings of basmati rice, adding 1 sprig of fresh rosemary.

thistle of the gods

artichokes are my go-to comfort food whenever they're on sale at our market. my nerd likes them too! i've always had them boiled or steamed, and wanted something a little different. these were fantastic, roasted in the oven, with garlic, fresh lemon and a bit of salt. yummmmmm!

2 artichokes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
1 lemon, halved

preheat oven to 425f. using a serrated knife cut off the stem and 1 inch off the top of the artichokes and rub with lemon to prevent discoloration. push a garlic clove down into the center of each artichoke and sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt over each one. drizzle 1 tbs olive oil over the top of each, and squeeze 1/2 lemon over each, making sure to squeeze out all the juice. if you have dry lemons, feel free to use a whole lemon on each artichoke. wrap with tinfoil and place on a baking sheet. place in oven and roast for 1.5 hours. serve with peppery white cheddar mac'n cheese.

blue box revolution episode 3: peppery white cheddar with ham and broccoli

in the mood for something different, but don't have any idea what to make? whip up this recipe for white cheddar mac'n cheese and have your nerd drooling over his plate! i splurged a bit and bought a brick of tillamook smoked black pepper aged white cheddar, and it was totally worth it. add some caramelized onions, broccoli, and ham, and you've got a cheesy masterpiece!

peppery white cheddar mac'n cheese with ham and broccoli

1 box shells and white cheddar mac'n cheese
1/4 c smoked black pepper white cheddar
6 oz ham steak, diced
1 c chopped broccoli
1/2 c yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs olive oil

in a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. add onion and garlic. saute until golden brown. add broccoli and ham, continuing to saute until broccoli is tender.

prepare mac'n cheese according to directions, but brown the butter before mixing it in (you may need to add a little extra milk). add the onion, garlic, broccoli and ham, then add the white cheddar, stirring until completely melted.

of royal feasts: braised beef short ribs and rosemary fingerling potatoes

this was one of the most labor intensive meals i have ever made, and i can't wait to make it again! i've never braised anything before, so i went out and bought a dutch oven just for the occasion (i've actually been dying for one for years). this recipe calls for wine, a lot of it, but don't let that dissuade you if you're not a wine person (we aren't). the ribs were fall-apart tender, super juicy, and had a really robust, aromatic flavor, and the rosemary fingerling potatoes were butter soft and delicious.

braised beef short ribs and rosemary fingerling potatoes

12 beef short ribs, bone-in
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 c olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 dozen baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1/2 lb white mushrooms
750ml bottle dry red wine (we used barefoot cabernet sauvignon)
6 c beef stock

preheat oven to 350f. season ribs generously with salt and pepper. heat olive oil in a 5 qt dutch oven over high heat.

add ribs to the pot, a few at a time, and brown on all sides.

set browned ribs on a plate and add onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms to the pot.

saute, stirring often, until onions are golden brown. empty veggies into a bowl and set aside.

using the wine, deglaze the pan, scraping off any browned bits from the bottom. reduce the wine by three quarters until thick and slightly syrupy (15-20 minutes).

return the ribs to the pot and pour in the beef stock, adding enough water to cover everything. bring to a boil.

cover and place in oven. cook in oven (braise) for two hours.

remove from oven and return the veggies to the pot. continue cooking in oven for 30 more minutes. allow pot to cool completely, then place, covered, in refrigerator overnight.

the next day remove from fridge and scoop out all the fat that has solidified at the top. discard the fat. 

place the pot, uncovered, over medium heat. cook for about 40 minutes. remove the ribs and place them on a plate. cover with foil. using a slotted spoon, scoop out all of the veggies. place them in a bowl, cover with foil. continue to reduce the sauce, adding a mixture of 2 tbs cornstarch and 1/2 c hot water, for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half. 

spoon a little sauce over the ribs and serve, veggies on the side. we used some of the excess sauce for dipping.

 for the potatoes, just toss a couple handfuls of fingerling potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried rosemary. transfer to a foil lined sheet and bake in oven at 350f for 45 minutes.

serves 6 (or 2 with enough leftovers for ramen and sandwiches!)