Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (with video link)

Yum and extra yum! These are wonderful cookies, 10/10! The only modifications I made were slight differences in preparation steps, but otherwise followed the recipe found here: https://www.crazyforcrust.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

This made 26 cookies; actual yield would depend on the exact size you scoop and how much your family steals out of the dough before baking ;)

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/3jtmIQbuo4s

Ingredients:

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. (1 stick) melted unsalted butter

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2/3 c. light brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/4 c. (5.31 oz.) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine peanut butter and melted butter on low speed.

2. Mix in the sugar and brown sugar until well combined.

3. Mix in the vanilla extract and egg until well combined.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. With mixer running on low, gradually add a little at a time of this dry mixture until all is well combined.

5. Stir in (by hand) the chocolate chips into the dough. Cover and chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

6. Just before the 30 minutes is up, heat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.

7. Use a 1 1/2 to 2 T. cookie scoop to portion out dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Use a fork to flatten the cookies on the sheet.

8. Bake for 8-12 min, until just starting brown at edges and cookies have just lost the "wet dough" look. (I had to go 10-12 min, depending on how big the cookies were.)

9. Let rest on the cookies sheet for at least 6 min. after removing from oven, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling (they will be soft). Serve up and enjoy!

Mussels in Roquefort Sauce (Moules au Roquefort)

Soooo delicious. Super pleased with my modified version, 10/10! Highly recommend serving with Ore-Ida Fast Food Style French Fries baked in the oven at 450°F for 10 min.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/8iSZxzZfLd8

Link to original recipe (in French): https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_moules-au-roquefort_36429.aspx

Recipe below contains my modifications.

1 T. salted butter

2 medium shallots, minced

175 mL dry white wine (I used Château Ste Michelle Sauvignon Blanc), plus a splash more

2 lbs. frozen mussels, cleaned/pre-cooked/in shell (used Wholey Brand, found at Tony's)

8 oz. crème fraîche

3 oz. Roquefort, crumbled as best you can

~1 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley

kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, then add shallots to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots start to turn slightly translucent (a couple of min).

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the 175 mL of white wine over medium heat. Add the frozen mussels to the pot and cover with lid. Let cook for around 5 min, stirring once during this time.

3. Stir in the crème fraîche and Roquefort with the cooked shallots, until mixture becomes smooth (does not take long). 

4. Season the cream mixture with Italian parsley, kosher salt, and coarse pepper. Remove from heat.

5. Remove mussels from heat. Pour off some, but not all, of the wine-brine mixture from the cooked mussels (you can also leave all of it or pour all off; I chose to keep maybe around 1/3 of it). 

6. Pour the cream mixture all over the mussels and stir to combine/coat. Serve up and enjoy!

Sautéed Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry

These mushrooms paired perfectly with the veal scaloppini in yesterday's entry, but they would also pair great with many other things. I sure hope I remember this correctly, as I made up the recipe as I went along and didn't enter it here on the blog until a couple days later...will update if needed next time I make these :)

Ingredients:

2 T. butter

16 oz. mushrooms, quartered (I used regular button mushrooms; you could also use baby bellas)

kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 T. dry sherry

herbes de Provence

1/4 c. chicken broth

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large sauté pan over slightly higher than medium heat. Add the mushrooms, then salt and pepper (to taste). Cook, stirring frequently, for around 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until mushrooms start to brown at bit at edges.

2. Deglaze pan with dry sherry. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence (I would guess around 1 tsp.). Cook and stir until the sherry has nearly evaporated (around 2 minutes).

3. Add the chicken broth to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for around 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Veal Scaloppini with Comté

This is excellent--10+/10 all the way! I created my own recipe for sautéed mushrooms to go with it, which you can find in the next post. The way that I made this is for two servings, using very thin slices of veal (around 1/8" thick). Will absolutely make this again! 

Link to original recipe (in French): https://www.petitsplatsentreamis.com/escalope-de-veau-au-comte/

Recipe below contains my modifications. 

Ingredients:

~1/2 lb. veal scaloppini slices

flour to dust

3 T. butter

kosher salt and pepper, to taste

3.5 oz. white wine (I used Château Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc)

80g Comté, thinly sliced

chopped curly parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat broiler on LO.

2. Coat veal slices very lightly all over in flour.  In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter.

3. Add veal slices to pan. Cook on each side for around 2 min, or until edges are starting to turn golden. Salt (kosher) and pepper, to taste (go easy on the salt, as the cheese will add quite a bit).

4. Transfer the veal slices to a plate, then deglaze pan with the white wine. Cook, stirring frequently, for around 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce into a pourable cup (such as a liquid measuring cup) and turn off burner.

5. Transfer veal slices back to skillet. Pour sauce atop all veal slices (as evenly as possible), then top with the slices of Comté.

6. Transfer skillet to oven and broil on LO for 4 min. Garnish with parsley, serve immediately and enjoy!

Midnight Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies

THIS IS NOT DOG FOOD, I repeat, NOT DOG FOOD. I really shouldn't have to say that, but apparently there are still people out there that have not heard this treat called 'puppy chow', so for the love of all things holy, do NOT serve this to dogs! It is now known also as "muddy buddies", due to the ridiculous idiocy of some not realizing this is NOT for dogs. Whichever name you want to call the mixture, this is a pretty good version. I was going to give it 9/10, but must lower it to 8/10, as after only two days, it went rather stale. The versions I made at Christmastime last year were better, did not go stale like this (will post those recipes soon). Still, this is quick and easy, a nice changeup on the usual mix flavor combos. Not included in the video: I ended up adding another 1/4 c. of powdered sugar to the mix, as it just wasn't quite sweet enough to balance out the chocolate (for us).

Link to my video of making the recipe: https://youtu.be/ecmD-MenDEQ

Link to original recipe: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/midnight-puppy-chow

Recipe version below includes my post video modification.

Ingredients:

2.5 oz. milk chocolate (I used a combo of 45% and 55% Lindt "intense cocoa" milk chocolates)

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 c. Chex cereal (used Rice version)

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 c. powdered sugar, divided

Directions:

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. Add milk chocolate, peanut butter, maple syrup, and kosher salt to a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HI for 30 sec, then stir to combine as much as possible. Microwave for 10-30 more if needed to achieve a smooth mixture when stirred (I had to go 10 seconds, I think).

3. Add the Chex cereal to the chocolate mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the cereal with the chocolate. Pour the coated cereal into a gallon sized zip-top plastic bag.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and 1/4 c. of the powdered sugar.  Add mixture to the plastic bag, seal, and shake until evenly coated. Add the remaining 1/4 c. of powdered sugar, seal, and shake to coat evenly.

5. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!

Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs

 9.5/10, very good, will make again! It is easy and simple, no fancy ingredients, perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Note about the video link: we tried out a new video camera instead of my phone for this and didn't know the microphone would pick up interference from the induction cooktop element. My apologies for the digital feedback noise in some parts; will re-do video when I make again.

Link to my YouTube video making it: https://youtu.be/3wSAMxBPEgM

Link to original recipe: https://cafedelites.com/garlic-mushroom-chicken-thighs/

Recipe as listed below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

2 T. olive oil (possibly more, depending on your pan and cooking style)

1 T. butter (I used unsalted, but don't think it matters much in this amount)

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. fresh (curly) parsley, chopped

dried thyme & dried rosemary, to taste

1/2 c. chicken broth

Directions:

1. Trim off excess fat from chicken thighs, then blot dry with paper towel. 

2. In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken thighs to coat evenly all over both sides.

3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 T. of the olive oil to start with. Add chicken thighs and cook around 8 minutes per side, or until well browned and cooked through. You may need to add remaining oil to pan while cooking them (I did). Transfer cooked thighs to a plate.

4. Melt the butter in the pan now and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper (to taste) and cook until softened (around 3 min.) You may need to add a bit of oil, as I did.

5. Stir in the garlic, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for 1 additional minute. 

6. Deglaze pan with the chicken broth. Stir and cook for around 2 minutes.

7. Return the chicken thighs to the pan and stir to coat in the sauce and mushroom mixture. Serve and enjoy! Note: rice would be a good pairing with this, but we liked it just fine on its own, no side needed.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer "Cake" (with video link)

This isn't cake--it's soft cookies, stacked cake-style, with frosting in-between the layers. And it is delicious! 10/10 for sure!

My mod: I used my own frosting recipe for the layers

Link to my YouTube video about the recipe: https://youtu.be/6B9jMEKG2-8

Link to original recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-layer-cake/

Ingredients:

for cake--

375g (3 cups) all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. light (or dark) brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. mini morsels (semi-sweet)

frosting--

powdered sugar

butter-flavored crisco

milk

salt

almond extract

vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Grease five 6" cake pans (or less and bake in batches), then line with parchment paper on bottom that is greased on top.

2. Heat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

5. Gradually mix in the reserved dry ingredients mixture until combined.

6. On lowest speed, mix in the mini morsels for just a few seconds (until evenly mixed in).

7. Portion dough into 5 balls of same size (mine came out larger than baseballs but smaller than softballs). Press each dough ball into each prepared pan. If baking in batches, you can leave dough out (covered) at room temp.

8. Bake for 20-22 min (I went 22) or until lightly browned on top and toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean.

9. Let cakes cool in pan for 10 min., then invert onto rack to finishing cooling before frosting.

10. Make the frosting: best to follow along with the video for this, as I don't have specific amounts for it (I just "eyeball" it).

11. To frost, place one cookie layer on plate, frost top of it, then continue until all layers are used. Slice up and enjoy!