Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know there's no shortage of chocolate chip cookie recipes on our blog, but please try this one....I promise you'll be in love! This is the type of big cookie you'd find at a specialty bakery. Just remember to follow the special tips and use that wooden spoon!

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or half chocolate chunks, half chips)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes.

Tips: Only use a dark baking sheet or else the batter will spread out (I used my silpat from Demarle and they turned out perfectly moist and chunky). Also, use a wooden spoon for mixing in the sifted ingredients as well. Do not overbake!

Chocolate Almond Caramel Popcorn

Everyone loves caramel popcorn this time of year, right? Here's a delicious caramel popcorn recipe with a twist. I love, love, love the chocolate. The caramel's just an added bonus! I'm not one to add any kind of nut to any kind of dessert, but it's an option for all you nut-lovers out there!

Chocolate Almond Caramel Popcorn

12 cups popcorn, popped

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup almonds, slivered and broiled (toasted) *optional

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Heat oven to 250. Spray two 9x13 pans with non-stick spray. Divide popcorn between pans. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until full boil (7-9 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking without stirring until thermometer reaches 234 degrees (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Sprinkle almonds evenly over top, sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips over each pan (I accidently

left out this step

, so the picture above shows less chocolate than it should). Stir it all to coat popcorn. Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread popcorn out on wax paper and sprinkle evenly with remaining chocolate chips. Cool.

Ham Fried Rice

Ok, so you would think this recipe is easy and a no-brainer. Kind of like making scrambled eggs. You think everyone knows how to make ham fried rice. WRONG. I learned how to really make it when we lived in Japan. Not because it's a Japanese food (they would be appalled by this concoction I assure you) but because our good friends the Jensen's made it all the time. This is the reason why: Everyone in Japan lives off of rice. They eat it three meals a day. No joke. So there's always race hanging around (in the rice cookers on warm for days at a time) and it gets old eventually. This recipe is only good for leftover rice. I repeat, for leftover rice. that's very important. I have tried making it with fresh rice...it's not good.



Ham Fried Rice
Combine the following ingredients into a large frying pan. Saute veggies until brownish and sizzling on one side of pan.
2T butter
1/2 green pepper
1/2 onion

While you are sauteing the veggies, scramble about 3-5 eggs (to taste, I like 5) and scramble on the other side of the pan.

Once veggies are soft and eggs are scrambled, put the following ingredients into the pan with eggs and veggies.
6oz. diced sandwich ham
4-5 cups cooked and refrigerated rice (the refrigeration dries it out and makes for great ham fried rice)
1/3 c. soy sauce or to taste (My husband like a ton...but he can always add more on his own)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Aunt Kathy's Roast

Now that Emily made a reference to it, we HAVE to post Aunt Kathy's Roast on here. And I made it on Sunday and was reminded what an amazing yummy and easy recipe this is. Thank you Aunt Kathy for developing a recipe where you could throw something in the crock pot in the morning before church, come home, take a nap and dinner is ready around 5 without lifting a finger after 8 a.m. It's a beautiful thing.

Aunt Kathy's Roast (You don't have to make gravy)
1 3-5 lb. rump roast (this recipe is lenient...I have used a million different cuts it just needs to say "roast")
Brown thoroughly on all sides, really brown. In other words put your roast on your biggest frying pan and turn the heat to MH and flip until all sides are brown.

Mix the following ingredients and pour over roast (I usually make the gravy first in a sauce pan and then put everything in with the gravy so it's all mixed together):
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 can beef gravy (I use 2 c. water, 1/2 c. flour and beef bullion instead)
1/4 c brown sugar
3 T vinegar
2T soy sauce

Cover and cook in crock pot on high for a minimum of six hours. YOU CANNOT cook this too long but you can cook this too short. Trust me. I usually put it in around 8 a.m. and then we eat at 5 p.m. I put diced potatoes and carrots in too, then its a whole meal and you can really nap. :) This makes a delicious gravy. I use a slotted spoon and separate the carrots and potatoes (like in the pic) and then put the gravy in a gravy boat. YUM!

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

Okay, you know you've found a good one when Mom is still talking about it 3 days later.  Don't know why, but all this together makes a perfect dish!  I didn't have lasagna noodles so I just used penne, it was amazing!

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna
From Real Mom Kitchen Blog

2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk (not fat-free)
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked (I recommend reducing it to 8 oz to 12 oz)
1 1/2 to  2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to  2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the chicken and noodles first at the same time. Once noodles are done–rinse in cold water and set aside (it keeps them from sticking together). Combine evaporated milk (don’t use fat-free version) and Ranch dressing in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes (don’t do any less), stirring frequently. Layer half of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and cheese in well-buttered 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Nieman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

YUMMY! Have you guys heard the story about these cookies? Well, if you haven't heard about it, look it up!

Neiman Marcus Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c butter
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 c sugar
2 1/2 c blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and then put into a blender until it is a fine powder)
12 oz chocolate chips
1 c b sugar
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 t baking powder

1 t vanilla
1/2 Hershey's bar (4oz)grated (optional- I didn't use b/c I didn't have it on hand)
Chopped nuts to taste (optional- I didn't use)

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, powder, & soda. Add chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Or in my case (and I seriously hope yours too), I have a new love affair with my cookie scooper thing....LOVE.LOVE.LOVE. It makes them all look so uniform and pretty. Bake for ten minutes at 350. Makes about 4 dozen.

Chicken Pot Pie

Everyone needs a little comfort food from time to time, right? This recipe is fabulous- wholesome, delicious, and well...comforting! You'll love this recipe and so will your family...guaranteed. You can put whichever veggies you prefer into the pie.

picture courtesy google images

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted slightly from Allrecipes.com

1-2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used leftover frozen chicken from the Costco whole cooked chickens)

• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk (I used Fat Free)
• 4 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (I used Pet-Ritz frozen variety)
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Rub egg white onto one pie crust and cook in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until desired golden-brown. Remove and set aside. In a saucepan combine carrots, potatoes, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions and garlic in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed, and frozen or thawed (cooked) chicken. Stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium heat until thick- about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Place half the veggie mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour 1/2 hot liquid chicken mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Repeat with second pie. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 2 pies.