I'm in love

One of my coworkers is being induced tomorrow so we had a food day in honor of her. She'll be the first to admit she's been living it up food wise since she got pregnant and today was her last hurrah of eating junk. She didn't give me an option of what type of food to bring. On the email she sent out I was told to bring something sweet and full of calories. I immediately thought of these wonderful No-Bake Bars I saw on Nemmie's fabulous blog. When I told her I would bring these her first comment was "well peanut butter, that's good for me it has protein". Then we realized this also has oats in it, and well, those are good for you too. So this was a "healthy" dessert. ;)

After I prepared these I tried one and it was awesome! I decided that in order to fulfill Sharla's wishes on a calorie laden snack and be able to keep some of these at home I'd better bake something else too. So I made my triple threat blondies and some caramel popcorn and called it good.

Everyone loved these (and everything else, it was all gone before I left work) and I am so glad I kept some at home to enjoy. I have most of the ingredients for these on hand so this will surely become a go-to dessert for me!

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Source: Cast Sugar



Ingredients:

Cooking spray
9 oz. chocolate wafers, finely ground (2 cups) (I ended up using chocolate teddy grahams and didn't completely ground them. I wanted some chocolate chunks)
1 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
5 oz. unsalted butter
1 c. chunky peanut butter
3/4 c. + 3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
10 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted


Directions:

Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides.

Combine wafers, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined. Add peanut butter mixture to wafer mixture, stirring until combined. Transfer to baking dish, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or an offset spatula to firmly press mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pour melted bittersweet chocolate over chilled mixture and, using an offset spatula, spread into a thin layer that covers the entire surface. Refrigerate until hardened, at least 15 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter in a small saucepan until runny. Drizzle peanut butter over chilled chocolate. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.

Use parchment to lift out chilled block of bars. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares, wiping knife between cuts. Let bars stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. (Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Success!

I owe my friend Julie big for our fabulous meal last night. It featured her delish Chicken Enchiladas and her no fail fabulous Mexi-Rice. I'm a huge fan of minute rice. I just suck at regular rice, but this my friends, was a success. It's not only very good, but it's so easy. I made a few modifications and think this would just be great with some chopped red peppers in it too. I can't wait to have leftovers tonight for dinner!

Julie's No Fail Mexi-Rice
Source: Julie



1 Cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 Cup chicken broth
1/2 Cup tomato sauce
1/4 Cup chopped onion
1 can diced green chiles (I used two fresh green chiles - diced)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbs vegetable oil
Cumin, chili powder, salt to taste
Fresh cilantro to taste

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add rice, onion, chiles, and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to boil.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer 25-30 minutes. DO NOT open lid while simmering, or the rice wont come out right. Fluff with a fork. Stir in fresh cilantro.

Have a Moment

You know I'm a sucker for anything peanut butter and/or chocolate. As soon as I saw these puppies on Erin Cooks last month I knew I had to make them. With a name like Triple Peanut Butter Melting Moments how could these not be the best cookie ever?

Sadly, they aren't the best cookies ever. :( They are good, but I was disappointed. It started when I went to make the cookie part, I was mixing the butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar and went to add egg when I realized this has no egg. I thought it was kind of odd, but whatever. So I continued on, baked the cookies, made my filling, assembled the sandwich cookie and took a big ole bite and... crumbs everywhere. The actual cookie part had this weird soft/dry/crumbly texture. The filling was fabulous, but the cookie part, not so much. My husband really liked them, I just thought they were ok. If I were to ever make these again, I would use a regular PB cookie recipe instead of this one. My rating: 5 Matt's rating: 8.

Triple Peanut Butter Melting Moments
Source: Erin Cooks



Cookies
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling (I doubled this as suggested)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature peanut butter cups (I quartered Reeses Mini PB Cups)

Position a rack in the middle of he oven. Preheat the oven to 300º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the cookies. Sift both flours, the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until smooth and lightened slightly in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the owl as needed during mixing. Add the vanilla and mix until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and a smooth dough forms.

For each cookie, roll a level tablespoon of dough between the palms of your hands into a smooth ball. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Use a fork to gently flatten the cookies to 1 1/4 inch disks, leaving an impression of the fork tines.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and the cookie bottoms are lightly browned, about 30 minutes; the tops of the cookies should not color. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling. In a medium bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir the butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter cups.

Turn half of the cooled cookies bottom side up, and use a thin metal spatula to spread a rounded teaspoon of filling evenly over each one. Place the remaining cookies right side up on the filing, and press gently.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Perfectly Perfect

Perfectly chocolate, perfectly moist, perfectly simple.....perfectly prefect. These babies most definitely live up to their name:

Hershey's Best Brownies
Source: hersheys.com



Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional) I decided to add Heath Bits instead
CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING(recipe follows) omitted this, these are are plenty good on their own!


Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

May the Best Candidate Win

Well my friends, there is an important election going on this year. No, no, no, not that darn presidential election. (Shhhhh... don't tell... I have a bachelors degree in Political Science and have never voted.) I'm talking about The Race for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Just about 9 short months ago I discovered ATK's Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and came to the realization they were the best chocolate chip cookie ever. Hands down. Since that time I've seen many a blog posts about what people claim are the best chocolate chip cookies. I've never been tempted to make any of them until now.

A few months ago I found the blog Rookie Cookie and have blog stalked it ever since. When she posted her top secret recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies and I was very intrigued. A recipe so good that it has only been shared with a few people until now? Sign me up!

Cookie Face Off '08

On the left we have Thick and Chewy and on the right Rookie Cookie.



The biggest difference between the two: T&C uses melted butter, one egg, and one egg yolk. RC cuts back a bit on sugar and adds a package of instant vanilla pudding in hers. Both of these cookies are phenomenal.

What I observe from numerous taste tests...

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies:


Exactly what it says it is, thick and chewy. The cookie is soft but still has a nice crunch to it. It tastes like it came from a bakery.



Rookie Cookie's Chocolate Chip Cookies:


Super soft and melts in your mouth. These are so amazingly soft they remind me somewhat of Chewy Chips Ahoy. But, a homemade version. (I could devour a package of those bad boys in one sitting)



This was a tough race. I tried the dough for RC's cookies and was certain they would take the place of T&C's in my heart. But, I'm still in love with T&C. Don't get me wrong, RC is an amazing cookie, but my heart belongs to T&C. My husband on the other hand love, love, loved RC's recipe.

A house divided.

Such an important decision couldn't be left up to only two judges, so I brought these out with us on Labor Day and had some friends try them out. Everyone absolutely loved both cookies, but the favorite was the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.



So my friends, the winner of this race is Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Believe me though, I will definitely be making Rookie Cookie's recipe again. Thanks Rookie Cookie for sharing your recipe with everyone :)

For the recipe for Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Click Here
For the recipe for the Rookie Cookie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Click Here

Simple Salad

Ever since I bought some Arugula at the farmers market last week I've been on the look out for an easy, yummy recipe. When I spotted this on All Recipes, I knew I had a winner. The salad came together in a matter of minutes and even Matt who rarely eats a salad without ranch dressing devoured this. This was perfect as a side salad, but with a little chicken would make a wonderful main dish. I wish I had some more arugula so I could make this for lunch tomorrow!

Easy Arugula Salad
Adapted from: Allrecipes.com



4 cups young arugula leaves, rinsed and dried
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


In a large plastic bowl with a lid, combine arugula, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, oil, vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and shake to mix.

Hot Potato!

There has been quite a buzz on blogs recently regarding The Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes. I came to the conclusion that: #1) they were most likely overrated and #2) I would never bother to make them.

I was wrong. On both accounts.

I got a hell of a deal on some Yukon Gold potatoes at the farmers market last week and this recipe seemed like the perfect way to use them up. They were a perfect companion to steak and a simple arugula salad. This recipe is not only super simple, but it tastes great. It's a nice alternative to a baked potato. I'm positive I'll make these again.


For the recipe visit The Pioneer Woman. The only changes I made were that I used Yukon Gold Potatoes instead of New Potatoes and Chives instead of Rosemary.

Crash Hot Potatoes