So, I have this problem. It’s really really really hard for me to pick my favorite kind of cookie. I mean seriously. How can I choose between peanut butter, or chocolate chip, or oatmeal cranberry? And what about M&M cookies? Or cookies with peanuts? I’ll pick all of the above, please. But thankfully… sometimes problems have happy endings. Sometimes you can have your cake [cookie?] and eat it too. Now is one of those times.
To me, monster cookies are so great because they combine the best of the best. A peanut butter, oatmeal based cookie dough with bits of chocolate and nuts and dried fruit and candy. Ohmygoodnessdeliciousamazement. Plus, they can be totally customized to your desires and tastes and preferences without changing the integrity of the cookie. So, honestly, there isn’t much to say about these fantastic treats other than make them now. Because you know they’ll be good. As your custom creation they better be! 🙂
Add eggs, sugars, vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. In a small bowl, whisk together butter and peanut butter. Fold into the egg mixture, then add flour and oats and mix to combine. Finally, fold in the add-ins [peanuts, M&Ms, chips, and cranberries]–I used a wooden spoon to do so because the bowl of my mixer was practically overflowing! Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove from fridge and scoop dough onto cookie sheets in rounded tablespoons, using the spoon to press down slightly on each ball of dough to flatten it a little. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
Note:
I made 24 cookies and one 8-inch cookie cake in a pie pan. The cookie cake was the result of an abundance of add-ins; I just pressed all the extras into the remaining dough. It was yummy!
When my husband and I first got married about a year and a half ago, I wasn’t a bad cook. I grew up cooking and baking a lot at home with my family, and living on my own for two years post-college gave me time to experiment with new recipes and figure out things in a grown-up kitchen. Problem was, I married a meat-lover and so in the early days of our marriage, I quickly realized I needed to expand my cooking repertoire to make Ben happy. Because I did want to make him happy… and I still do. 🙂
That first summer of marriage, I wasn’t yet working or in school so I had a lot of spare time [after all the wedding gifts were unpacked, I was settled into our new apartment, thank you notes written, etc.]. One day, I was flipping through one of my new cookbooks looking for some recipes I could try out. I knew Ben liked meat and Asian food, and when I saw the recipe for Hawaiian Baked Chicken, I was sold. It wasn’t exactly Chinese food, but it had a bit of Asian undertones, if only in the fact that it was chicken and veggies with a sauce served with rice. We didn’t have all the ingredients, but I improvised and by the time Ben arrived home that night, had dinner prepared.
5/23/09--I love you, Benny.
This sweet and savory chicken dinner was a winner and was quickly proclaimed a keeper. There’s some mustard and spice for a savory, tangy kick, and honey and pineapple for sweetness. Served atop a bed of rice, this will make any hungry man happy. Now, it was what I make for my husband when I know he’s had a hard week or to celebrate an accomplishment at work. I like to make it for him when we haven’t had it in awhile just so he knows I remember how much he enjoyed it. I look forward to making it for my Ben in the years to come, so we can be in our 60s and look back to remember our early days of marriage in our tiny apartment in Bloomington, Indiana.
1 pound raw chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
16 ounces pineapple chunks in pineapple juice, undrained
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
cooked rice prepared with chicken broth instead of water
cooking spray
Directions:
Grease a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and then place chicken in dish. Pour green pepper and pineapple [and its juice] over chicken. In a large measuring cup, whisk together chicken broth, mustard, honey, olive oil, and paprika. Pour mixture over chicken and pineapple, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours for best results. Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Serve over rice.
Notes:
I’ve also used Dijon mustard and chili powder in lieu of brown mustard and paprika with excellent results. I’ve also added carrots before, but would recommend very small pieces so they cook and/or pre-cooking the carrots prior to baking. Also, this dish doesn’t have to marinate over a long period of time but it does get more flavorful the longer it sits. I like to prepare this the night before or morning of, but do what works best for you.
Mac and cheese. This mainstream dish is truly a staple in the diet of American children [and adults… let’s be real here]. Many of us grew up eating this out of a blue box [hello, Kraft!] and then later enjoyed baked macaroni and cheese and wondered what we’d been missing all our lives. Well, at least that’s been my experience.
A few weeks ago I was sitting in class, outlining a meal plan in my head… whoops… and I began to wonder if I could create a stovetop mac and cheese that tastes just as good as Kraft’s, and just as good as baked mac and cheese, but without the processing and without the long baking time. I felt up to the challenge one night last week and embarked on a journey that has changed my perception of stovetop mac and cheese–forever. I hope it will change yours too!
This stovetop macaroni and cheese boasts a variety of flavors that meld together in mere minutes [scarcely more than it takes to make a box of Kraft] to make a rustic, home-cooked comfort dish, perfect for a relaxing night at home. The aged Wisconsin cheddar meets the sharpness of mustard, the spiciness of nutmeg, the richness of cream, and the tang of Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce to have a party in the pan… and then in your mouth. Just add some broccoli for texture and a boost of veggies, and a delicious dinner is ready in no time at all.
And in case you’re interested, and in need of some reading material, be sure to click here to read about the history of macaroni and cheese in America! It all began with Thomas Jefferson and his love of cheese and Italian food. This influenced American colonists’ meal preparation in the early days of limited food choice. In 1896, a recipe appeared for macaroni in cheese in the cookbook for the Boston Cooking School and by 1937, Kraft marketed a boxed version. Now, versions spring up all over America. Here’s the latest!
Stovetop Mac & Cheese with Broccoli
Ingredients:
1/2 pound small pasta [macaroni, mini penne, etc. I used mini bowties.]
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream [to lighten it up use half and half]
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
few dashes freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon dried mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 small bunches broccoli, chopped into florets
Directions:
In a large stock pot, prepare pasta according to package directions. [If you haven’t yet checked out these instructions for best pasta preparation, do it! They are so helpful!] Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, cream, milk, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, and mustard in a small bowl. In a separate pot or the microwave, steam broccoli for a few minutes, but don’t let it get completely tender as it will cook more in the pasta.
Once pasta is cooked and drained, toss butter with pasta until it melts. Then pour in egg mixture and stir to combine. Fold in cheese and broccoli, cover, and cook for about 3-4 minutes on low-medium heat or until cheese is melted. Top with freshly ground black pepper and enjoy!
Question of the Day: Were you a Kraft kid? Are you still? I was. I think we tried other boxed mac & cheeses but nothing compared to the blue box! Now, I still like it occasionally but my tastes have changed somewhat.
Welcome to Day Five of Pumpkin Week on The Pajama Chef! So, I think I should buy stock in Pumpkin Pie Spice. I certainly have been using it a lot lately, and it’s almost time to introduce the new bottle to my spice drawer. [By the way… if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, check out their Pumpkin Pie Spice. I think it’s the best! They didn’t pay me to say that, but I wouldn’t object if they wanted to…]
So, today’s installment brings you another pumpkin masterpiece. This “recipe” is really a compilation of other recipes. While it may look long and complicated because of the number of ingredients, it’s simple really. All ya gotta do is make some French toast, grill some bananas, whip up some pumpkin goodness, boil down some sugar, assemble your sammie and eat up! Easy easy, right? 🙂
The End Result
I mean, who wouldn’t want to bite into this mess of hearty flavors–pumpkin, spices, banana, bread. Ah-mazing! I really enjoyed how the power of the pumpkin permeated through each and every delicious bite. This is a great, easy dinner, or a breakfast for a leisurely morning. If you don’t like pumpkin very much, scale back on the pumpkin pie spice or substitute in another sweet spice [cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.] that you prefer better. But if you don’t like pumpkin very much, this week might have been not-so-appealing to you anyways. Regularly scheduled programming begins next week again. But pumpkin will be back, I’m sure… don’t you fret!
1 loaf multigrain French bread, preferably a day old or so, cut into appropriate size pieces for french toast [cut longways or shortways depending on what size loaf you have… or if your bread is presliced, great! I just like to use bakery bread for french toast–I think it tastes better.]
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
butter/oil for greasing the pan
For the Filling:
2 bananas, sliced in half longways and then into thirds [you want 6 pieces from each banana that can be laid flat on the griddle]
Preheat a skillet over medium heat and prep with some butter/oil for frying. In a medium size bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Meanwhile, begin making the syrup. In a small saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup sugar, water, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, then cover the pan and allow to simmer until liquid has thickend up to desired consistency. Let cool a bit before serving, as this syrup is basically a caramel sauce and is very very hot at first!
While the syrup is simmering, make the French toast. Dip each piece of bread in the egg mixture and turn several times to coat, but do not leave submurged more than a few seconds or the bread will get soggy. Place bread on skillet and cook until each side is a crispy, golden brown. While bread is cooking, add banana pieces to griddle to grill too.
At the same time, mix pumpkin, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and a sprinkle of ginger in a small bowl [my cereal bowl was just the right size for the job]. If you want, you could put this in another saucepan or even the microwave to warm it up a tad, but I didn’t do this so it’s optional.
When all ingredients are finished, assemble sandwiches. Here is my order, from plate upwards, but feel free to be innovative and unique:
1 piece of French toast
heaping spoonful of pumpkin
2 slices of grilled banana
sprinkle pecans
sprinkle pumpkin pie spice
repeat steps 1-5 and then drizzle syrup overtop it all!
As for number of servings, it really will depend on you and your needs. This was really filling so I only ate one sandwich with some fruit for dinner. Ben ate several pieces of French toast with butter and syrup, and then let me make him a mini sandwich too. We finished an entire mini loaf of thin French bread between the two of us. For the syrup, Diana suggests a serving size of 2-4, with 2 servings of heavy-syrup usage and 4 of light. I would agree with that, as we had a little syrup leftover, but not much.
In unrelated news, I saw this on Facebook tonight and it cracked me up. Maybe you’ve seen this before and I’m just behind the times, but it is hilarious!
Go to Google Maps.
Click on “Get Directions.”
Type Japan as the start location and China as the end location.
Go to direction #43.
Laugh. HARD. Preferably at work. 🙂
Question of the Day: TGIF! I am so glad it’s the weekend. Schoolwork has been killer lately. What are your weekend plans?I’ll be doing some homework 😦 but also heading to Indianapolis to see some friends from home for the day!
The Pajama Chef 