mom's chewy chocolate cookies

Not to be hyperbolic, 

but these are the most perfect chocolate cookies you will ever eat.

[1]

Cream together: 

1 1/4 c butter, softened

2 c sugar

[2]

Add:

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

[3]

Combine and stir into creamed mixture:

2 c flour [I did 2 1/4]

3/4 c unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

dash salt

[4]

My mom says here to "Stir in 1 c of chopped nuts, if desired."

I never desire that for a cookie. 

I, however, stirred in a cup of chocolate chips.

[5]

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. 

Cool on sheets until set; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

I also saw these amazing triple chocolate cookies on Sweetapolita and had to try them.

The glaze is AWESOME, but you will definitely need a huge glass of milk.

Chocolate Glaze by Sweetapolita

3/4 c bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp light corn syrup

You're welcome, friends.

You're welcome.

fast & easy dessert croissant

You guys.

I know I probably didn't invent this, but let's pretend I did.

Because I just whipped this up in the kitchen.

Easiest dessert ever.

 

Fast & East Dessert Croissant

 

Approximate Ingredients:

2 T cream cheese

1-2 T confectioners sugar

small handful of frozen berries of your choice (I used blueberries & raspberries)

1 pkg crescent rolls

few drops of water

 

Directions:

1. Mix room temp cream cheese with about a tbsp of sugar,

depending on how sweet you like your desserts.

2. Unroll crescent rolls, separate and place on baking sheet.

3. Put a dollop of cream cheese on each crescent roll.

4. Sprinkle a few berries on each.

5. Wrap crescent rolls around cream cheese & berries.

Try to make yours cuter than my sloppy ones below.

6. Bake according to package directions - mine was 375 for 11-13 mins.

7. While baking, make a thin frosting by mixing confectioners sugar with a little water.

This is really approximate - just dribble a little water into some conf sugar

until it reaches a consistency you're okay with.

Yep, high quality culinary instructions here.

8. When crescent rolls are done, remove and brush some of water/sugar mixture over them.

These would be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Enjoy!

campfire trifle

The girls of my little Class of 2012 had a "Last Summer Bash" to say goodbye to everyone before they head off to college, and I signed up to bring dessert. I knew right away that I wanted to make a trifle because they're easy. I'm also increasingly obsessed with s'mores and thought, how can I make this a s'more trifle?? I brainstormed in the shower, obviously (my most productive thought time, for some reason), and came up with this bad boy.

Campfire Trifle

Ingredients:

1 box chocolate cake mix (& required ingredients to prepare)

1 box instant chocolate pudding (& required ingredients to prepare)

1 small container of Fluff

1 medium container of Cool Whip

appox. 10 graham crackers

Heath Bar, if desired

Directions:

1. Prepare box cake as directed.

2. Prepare instant pudding as directed.

3. Beat fluff & Cool Whip together.

4. Crush graham crackers.

5. Layer ingredients as desired & decorate the top.

Source: my gluttonous brain

Thoughts/modifications I'd make:

- Annie makes s'more cupcakes that I'm dying to try, and I think her marshmallow frosting would be killer in this. Plus, how amazing would the top the trifle look if you ended with the frosting and used a kitchen torch to toast it?!

- I knew I wanted more texture, so I added the Heath Bar. 

- I don't think you'd be able to refrigerate this overnight because the graham crackers would get soggy. This wasn't an issue, since I put it together 10 minutes before leaving... and we made pretty quick work of it at the party.

If you try it, let me know what you did! 

iced coffee.

I don't like plain coffee.

However, sweet, espresso-y drinks? Yes, please.

And in the summer, take those and make them frappucinos or iced coffees? 

Mmm.

Not so delicious? The Starbucks/Biggby price tags.

Last summer I went through a phase where I tried to create my own iced coffee.

It was disappointing.

And then my sweet friend Patti 

(incidentally, someone hasn't updated her blog in HALF A YEAR)

introduced me to her homemade iced coffee recipe.

Needless to say... I am obsessed.

Since Patti has apparently abandoned the blogosphere, I decided this recipe needs to be shared.

I don't know where she found the recipe, so we'll just call it P's Iced Coffee.

Warning: there is nothing, NOTHING healthy about this concoction.

Booya.

Ingredients:

Coffee

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

Flavored creamer, if desired

Ice

Directions:

1. Brew yourself a nice, strong pot of coffee.

2. While brewing, mix condensed & evaporated milk together.

3. Add 4 Tbsp of the milk mixture to your cup.

(we believe that the double-walled travel cup with straw is the best route)

4. Store the rest of your milk mixture in the fridge for future use.

5. Add desired amount of flavored creamer, if desired. 

(I use a tsp or 2 of caramel macchiato flavor.)

6. Fill cup with ice.

7. Pour coffee over ice.

8. Stir & sip to your heart's content!

Thank you, Patti... and you're welcome, world.

citrus cream cheese frosting

I was looking for a frosting for a lemon cake and opened up my BHG to a random recipe.

This frosting is INCREDIBLE. 

If you like light, citrus taste and cream cheese based frostings, this is for you!

Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients
1 lemon
1 lime* (my addition)
2 3-oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 c butter, softened
1 tsp lemon juice* (I juiced the lemon & lime and used a tsp & a half of the combined juice)
4 1/2 c powdered sugar

Directions
1. Cut lemon & lime in half. Reserve one half of each for decor, and juice the other halves.
2. Finely shred the peel of the juiced halves; set aside.
3. In mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, butter and lemon/lime juice. Beat until fluffy.
4. Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency.
5. Stir in lemon/lime peels.

Modified from Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

another annie success

Homemade vanilla bean caramel sauce.

Yum.

Good on ice cream, good on apples... amazing.

Recipe here!

happy halloween.

SWEET. heavens. to. betsy.

This is cream cheese caramel dip with Heath bar. 

In other words, this is insanely delectable and you need to drop everything you're doing, run to the kitchen and make this IMMEDIATELY.

Victoria & I made it this weekend, and I am slightly obsessed. 

[there is an embarrassing chance that i may have eaten 2 apples when i got home from school just so i could dip them in this divine delight.]

Directions

Beat 2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, room temp til smooth and creamy. Blend in 1 16.5oz tub Marzetti's carmel dip. Stir in 2 crushed up Heath bars. Eat your heart out.

So. Good.

I am planning the master of all culinary experiments for this bad boy tomorrow night... stay tuned...

Oh, P.S. - Zooey says she's Tom Selleck for Halloween. I told her it's not as believable without the chest hair protruding from a Hawaiian shirt...

numbered list of awesome 4

1. Working out Monday morning with Patti & seeing Old Man Spandex. Okay, so that last part was not as awesome.

2. In-laws coming for part of break. Late night euchre, Jets bbq pizza, steak, and an excessive amount of mini Cadbury eggs...

3. Target with Debbie on Tuesday, shopping for Easter outfits for Lincoln.

4. Lunch with Jeanette on Wednesday - getting to hear about all the exciting things happening in her life these days! Playing with Eli on the interactive screen, watching him spin around and wipe out.

5. Coffee with Ellie Wednesday afternoon. The massive amount of chocolate whipped cream that the barista put on my drink!

6. Working out this morning and seeing Old Man Spandex again today in the exact same, clingy-in-all-the-wrong-places outfit! Guy loves his lunges...

7. Reading, reading, reading. I finished Invisible Man, read Hunger Games and Sold.

8. My new babysitting job. Don't I sound just like a 16-year old?! I started babysitting for two adorable little neighbor boys (4 yrs old & 10 mos old) while their parents go for a run a couple nights a week. Last night I got to rock the baby to sleep, which was pretty much amazing.

9. Almost finished my bedside table project. I need to paint the handles. And touch up a couple rough spots. Maybe.

10. Blue sky & sunshine today. Walking Zooey. Chilly outside, but the promise of warm weather in the air...

11. Going to NY TOMORROW!

12. Oh, fine. And the dulce de leche cupcakes. I had a leftover can of ddl from when I made these cheesecake bars (scrumptious), so I decided to use it up, since the in-laws are over. I cheated and used French Vanilla cupcake mix from a box. But I made the frosting.

Rachel's Impromptu Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

2 ... scoops of dulce de leche (each scoop was probably about 2 Tbsp)

1/4 c heaving whipping cream

Blend it all together until it's nice and fluffy. Yum. This would also be fantastic if you mixed some coconut in it and topped with some mini chocolate chips. Or drizzled some dark chocolate ganache over it. Yeah, pretty much anything would be a winning combo.

brownie cookies

HOLY MOLEY!

These things are SO good & SO easy.

Ingredients

1 pkg brownie mix

1 egg

1/3 c Crisco, melted

Directions

Mix it all together.

Drop onto greased cookie sheet (I rolled mine into little balls).

Bake at 350 for about 9-10 minutes.

Let cool on pan for a couple minutes.

Eat while warm & chewy & amazing. You WILL need a glass of milk.

Frosting: Swiss buttercream, ala Smitten Kitchen. Wow.

Happy Saturday night!

celebrating 500

So, it's my 500th blog post. What better way to celebrate than with a phenomenal fall recipe, utilizing Excelsior Apples?!

Apple Muffins w/ Sauce

Muffins:
1 T. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. flour
1/8 t. salt
2 T boiling water
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1 c. peeled and diced tart apples

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in order given.
3. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Sauce:
1 c. brown sugar
2 T. flour
1/2 c. boiling water
4 T butter
1 t. vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix brown sugar and flour together in small saucepan.
2. Add water, butter and vanilla.
3. Cook over med-low heat until thickened.
4. Serve hot sauce over muffins.

Recipe from Applehood & Motherpie cookbook.

Perfect fall recipe. Sorry, no cam = no pics!

caramel corn

Whoa, 2 blog posts in one day. I'm getting carried away. And it's another food post! This blog is getting more boring & I'm getting fatter every day. C'est la vie! (Which, loosely translated from the French means "Sweet bliss, all this sugary goodness is so worth it!")

How is it possible that I've lived for 25 years and have never made caramel corn?! It is ridiculously easy & extremely delicious.

Ingredients

1 bag popcorn

3/4 c packed brown sugar

6 T butter

3 T light corn syrup

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t vanilla

Directions

1. Heat oven to 300.

2. Pop popcorn & remove all unpopped kernels. Put popcorn in baking or roasting pan (I used a cake pan). Keep warm in oven while making caramel mixture.

3. In saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Continue boiling at moderate, steady rate for 5 more minutes.

4. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla.

5. Pour caramel over popcorn; stir gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir mixture; bake 5 minutes more. In the meantime, butter a large piece of foil.

6. Spread caramel corn on buttered foil; cool. (Stores in airtight container for a week.)

Yum!

domestic success!

Tonight was a night of culinary triumph in the Parton household. Tonight was the first time Doug & I have made pork chops, and it was the also, shamefully, the first time I've successfully made rice. 

I don't know what the deal has been with me and rice, but up until tonight, I've always had a little bit of crunch to my rice. And I'm not down with that. My sweet husband will graciously scarf down whatever mess I put in front of him, but I know my shortcomings, and  - up until tonight - rice was one of them. Let's just say I'll be buying jasmine rice from now on!

Okay, so my pork chops - yum. They've been marinating since Saturday. I bought them on a whim - I've never done pork chops, so I was nervous, I'll admit it. I'm a lot more confident with a chicken breast. As I was browsing through my cookbooks, trying to find an easy, appetizing recipe for pork chops, my mind turned to the cider that I had sitting in the fridge. Bingo. So, I improvised and came up with what turned out to be an awesome marinade.

Rachel's Cider Pork Chops

Mix together:

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 c. apple cider

2 T. honey

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

Marinade pork chops overnight (or... for 48 hours...)

Have your hubby grill to perfection. Enjoy!

Yum! Look at those diamonds!