Is Winter Over Yet?

The snow is just getting downright hilarious. I just gotta take it as it comes and realize that we have no control over it. Teachers all over the state are panicking and here I am like: "Well, now I can bake ___________." 

Finding people to eat this delicious food instead of consuming it myself is the real challenge. Today we were snowed in again and I made home made Oreos. And chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. And oatmeal raisin cookies. Do you see what I mean? 

Later this week I am attempting to make an ice cream cake for the boyfriend because it's his birthday. I am feeling ambitious. 

So let's start with the Oreos. Reasons I made them are:

1. Just to see if I could.

2. I am too cheap to buy some to crush for the cookie crust for said ice cream cake.

3. Because... Why not?

Anyway, the process was easier than I thought it would be. The recipe I followed was from this Pinterest blog: 

http://www.thelittleepicurean.com/2013/03/homemade-oreos.html

Since I am cheap, I used a small Oreo-sized jar lip to cut out the cookie circles. This actually worked very well . 

You also have to watch carefully and make sure to rotate the baking sheets because you will not see them burning. You will, however, smell it. 

Anyway, the final product turned out really well. 

They are best when refrigerated after being made so the filling doesn't get to "melty." I also added a little bit more confectioners sugar so the centers would stay hard. 

The blog said they would only last in the fridge for two days and I was like "Whaaaaaa??!!?" Crazy. I'm freezing these babies in an airtight container and will see if they last longer.

Boyfriend Verdict: Good. 

(That was enthusiastic, right?)

NEXT: Oatmeal Cookies. 

A coworker of mine had a birthday today and claims to love oatmeal cookies. No, he did not ask me to bake them. I basically demanded that I was baking him cookies and he should tell me what kind or I'm just doing what I want. This is why people love me so much. 

Recipe from this Pinterest Blogger:

http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/04/soft-and-chewy-oatmeal-scotchies-cookies.html

I used everything in as written in her recipe but changed my add-ins at the end (chocolate chip, m & m, and raisin). Now, I will commonly divide dough and change up the add-ins within one batch when I make cookies. Why? 

1. Sometimes I just want to use up all the leftover candy bars I have.

2. I might not have enough chocolate chips or what not for an entire batch.

3. I am CREATIVE.

4. Because, why not?

Sooooooo, I divided this batch in about 1/3 and 2/3. 1/3 of the dough became Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and the rest was Chocolate Chip and m & m. 

The only trick with doing this is just being careful about watching how the ingredients react to being baked (some candy bars will get melty and need taken out sooner, some nuts might burn if left in too long). I also don't put them next to each other on a baking sheet generally. 

So this gives you a little peek into my mad scientist mind. 

Boyfriend Verdict: F that other guy you are cooking for!

(Jealous much?!)

Stay warm, y'all.

I'm Into Valentine's Day

Listen, I'm not gonna lie to you. I enjoy Valentine's Day. I don't care if it's some "consumerist" crap made up to sell chocolate and presents to women.

 Ladies, why would we ever turn down chocolates, flowers, or other presents? Who cares what the reason is. 

Anyway, today I'm focusing on cookies. Congrats to those of you who get to enjoy these, because they are pretty awesome if I do say so myself. They also keep well in the freezer for a later date. 

The first type of cookie is the classic Peanut Butter Cookie. I got them off of Pinterest, of course. Folks, these are so easy to make. Also kid friendly. I don't have kids, but I assume so. HA!

The ingredients:

-1 egg

-1 c sugar

-1 c peanut butter (chunky or smooth works)

- 1 tsp vanilla 

-(optional if you are experimental like me) cinnamon, other types of nuts, or chocolate chips for melting and drizzling later

Directions: (you ready for this!?)

-preheat oven to 350 degrees 

-mix everything (unless using chocolate chips for drizzling... Set them aside)

-roll into 1" balls (cookie dough scooper/melon baller works FABULOUS for this)

-press down with fork

-bake 7-8 mins on greased baking sheet

-let cool on rack or laid out paper bag

**check them towards the end of bake time and make sure they are not burning... You want them brown but not too crispy (like this)

TA DAA! 

Now, being the over achiever that I am, I drizzled them with chocolate. All you do is melt about 1/2 to 1 c of chocolate chips (I almost always add about 1 T of shortening if you have it on hand. It helps in melting and hardening the chocolate more efficiently.)

Final result:

If it clumps while drizzling, LET IT. Still tastes amazing. 

So good. 

My next recipe features Valentines day cookies. I used a classic sugar cookie recipe. This was as close as I could find online for the recipe I used:

Ingredients For Classic Rolled Sugar Cookies

• 
• Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 
• Soft Sugar Cookies IV

• 
• Cracked Sugar Cookies I

• 
• Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever

• 
• Decorating Sugar Cookies

• 
• How to Make Sugar Cookies

• 
• Easy Sugar Cookies

• 
• Battle of the Butter: Salted vs. Unsalted

• 
• Sugar and Sweeteners

• 
• All about Eggs

• 
• Vanilla Extract vs Vanilla Bean

• 
• Measuring All-Purpose Flour

• 
• Types of Sal

Original recipe makes 5 dozenChange Servings

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

• 2 cups white sugar

• 4 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  
  

  Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
     
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
  3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

  Because I didn't have a heart shaped cookie cutter, I had to get creative and hand cut them with a butter knife? Was this a little strange/crazy? Yes. That's how bad I wanted Valentine's themed cookies. One time a year, right?

• 5 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

Anyway, after the cookies were baked, I let them cool and got started on icing them. Props to my roommate Wesley, who let me use her refrigerated mereingue icing. You can find the powder/instructions for making it online or at craft stores like Michaels or A.C. Moore.

Three colors: pink, plain white and red. First, I coated all of the cookies with one of the colors. It got a little drippy, but I was more concerned about making them look cool and less about neatness. I figured I could break off the "drips" later if I needed to.

The icing needed to dry before I could start adding designs. After if was dry, I got to work.

 I had to get creative.

 

Anyway, they aren't perfect, but I am pleased with the results. They are festive. I let the icing dry and they are perfect for handing out to my peeps. 

My next mission is to get busy baking/cooking stuff on this lovely snow day! No school today.

Until next time,

K

Mediterranean Night

Tonight I decided to tackle some falafel. This type was specifically labeled as broccoli falafel, based on a recipe for zucchini falafel. Sounds complicated, right? It's not. 

Find the original recipe here:

http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2012/07/healthy-zucchini-falafels.html

Anyway, in my version I took everything mentioned and blended it together with my fabulous immersion blender. I know the recipe recommends you let the veggies "rest," but I didn't, and everything turned out fine. I actually needed some of the water because the mixture got too tacky. I used the same amount of broccoli as zucchini mentioned in the previous recipe.

It looks disgusting, but actually tastes pretty good. The mixture ended up making about 25-30 smallish falafel balls. Form them by spoon or hand and bake them on a greased baking sheet. They get a nice little crispness that way.

I also made tzaziki sauce to go with it. The recipe I used is here (from Skinnytaste.com):

Skinny Tzatziki
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 0 pts • Points+: 0 pts
Calories: 17.8 • Fat: 0 g • Protein: 2.6 g • Carb: 1.7 g • Fiber: 0.1 g    

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded (1 cup grated and drained)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
• kosher salt and fresh pepper

Put the falafel in some pita bread, top it with the sauce and BAM, you have an awesome, healthy, weeknight dinner. You're welcome.

Stay warm out there.

-K

Ice Days and Vegetables

I try to eat healthy most of the time. Judging by my last few posts, you may think I'm lying. But really, I do! My favorite thing to do is to make a healthy meal and trick my boyfriend into thinking it's not, because it's so delicious.

I am a firm believer that cooking healthy is way easier than most people think. It is just a way of eating more simple, uncomplicated food that has a way of cleansing your body. Now don't get me wrong. I am a sucker for horribly greasy, fatty chicken wings and Chinese food that makes you regret your life for days. But I'll leave the authentic stuff to the people that are the best at it... That way it's a splurge for me and not a regular thing. 

Yesterday we were iced in. The trees were coated beautifully, the schools shut down, and I needed some food to make. 

Those that know me know that I make a lot of salsa. I started doing it a few years ago, and now I can't really eat store bought anymore. I change my rations and do everything to taste at this point, but I always include the following

BASIC SALSA:

-1 can tomatoes, any variety (or fresh)

-1 chopped jalapeño pepper

-sautéed onions 1/4-1/2 cup (fresh chopped are too pungent for my liking)

-a handful of fresh cilantro (or basil, or parsley, whichever you have on hand)

-a pinch of brown sugar or honey

-apple cider vinegar

-lemon or lime juice

-salt and pepper to taste

-cumin

-any other spices you choose too add, like celery seed, paprika, or coriander

OPTIONAL:

- fruit (mangos or pineapple. I usually add a little bit of extra sugar to this variety)

- tomato paste/juice/tomato paste (this depends in your consistency desire 

Then I store it in jars in the fridge. It stays good for a week or two. I usually eat it so fast though, it doesn't last that long. 

Let me know what you think. I gave you my secret recipe! Until next time.

Shout Out to Starbucks

I know a lot of people say Starbucks is overpriced and overrated... Which may be entirely true. 

But let me tell you, the cappuccino sitting in front of me and the obscure music playing in the background and the hipster  sitting behind me with his Ray Ban glasses, plugged in Mac and plaid shirt are all getting me through the day. It's the one place where most people I know can't find me. 

I wish I could explain to non-teachers what it's like. At the risk of compromising my job, I won't go into too much detail.

It sort of feels like a you're willingly in the middle of the ocean on a regular basis trying to save 30 drowning people all at the same time.

 During a hurricane. 

Without a life jacket.

And they all forgot to bring pencils.

Needless to say, the end of the day is exhausting. Real life post-college is exhausting. 

Starbucks, thanks for being there. 

Need a refill.

It's the Super Bowl.

Folks, it's time to indulge. I wait for opportunities to bake like kids wait for Christmas. This time: Taco Dip, veggies and home made Ranch Dip, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake bars.

The Reese's bars have a brownie bottom:

With a cheesecake topping:

And are mixed in and topped with Reese's. 

The original recipe uses Reese's Pieces, but I was feeling cheap, so I used what I had (the peanut butter cups that my boyfriend hadn't gotten into). The final result has melted chocolate chips drizzled on top. The recipe just mentioned melted chocolate, but I always include my little secret of adding a little bit of shortening into chocolate meant for drizzling. It makes it nice and thin and allows for drizzling. Unfortunately, I didn't have any on hand, so it the end result was a little more clumpy than I wanted, but still tastes like peanut-buttery heaven.

Friends, the amount of deliciousness inside these cheesecake bars is downright dangerous.

They are meant to be served refrigerated. Let's see if they last until game time tomorrow.

Boyfriend verdict: DEADLY.

More on the Taco Dip and Home made Ranch tomorrow (gotta balance out the healthy with unhealthy, right?). Or I can at least pretend to be healthy. Until later!!! 

You can find the Reese's recipe here:

http://insidebrucrewlife.com/2010/11/ultimate-reeses-cheesecake-brownie-bars/