S'mores Cookies

Tonight John and I are going to my parents' for a BBQ. I am bring two desserts and a side, all of which came out great so look forward to the blog updates! One of the desserts I made were these cookies. What says summer more that s'mores? I think s'mores might be my favorite special treat since I eat them so infrequently but truly enjoy them when I do. I knew these cookies would be great when I saw them and they definitely were. A real must try!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash of cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon. In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

Tonight I had planned to make something yummy and new for dinner but I was completely lacking motivation. All I really wanted was pasta with jarred sauce... exciting? No. But it was really the only thing that appealed to me. I wanted to make something better for John since I haven't made him dinner in so long due to his work schedule so I threw this meal together. I used what I had in my fridge and it came out so tasty! I had a bite of his and my jarred tomato sauce looked pretty lackluster in comparison!

The measurements might be off since I was just pouring this and that in, but you really can't mess this dish up.

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked pasta
3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 tablespoon EVOO
4 basil cubes (frozen chopped basil from Trader Joe's- you could easily substitute some chopped fresh basil)
1 clove of garlic, smashed

Directions:
1- Heat a skillet with the EVOO and garlic. Allow it to cook on medium heat for about 1 minute.
2- Toss in the tomato sauce, butter, cream, and basil. Stir until well combined.
3- Add the pasta, stirring to coat.
4- Serve with fresh parmesan cheese.

Pasta Salad

Ahhhh summer... such a wonderful time of the year. As a teacher I am fortunate to still have summer vacations! However even though I have the summer off it is nothing like the summers of childhood. I miss those long days of waking up early, changing into my bathing suit, and swimming in the pool all day. When we weren't swimming we were running in the backyard, eating outside, and having a BBQ at night. One side dish that graced every BBQ in my childhood was pasta salad. My mother always makes it for summer get togethers and still does. John and I are going to a BBQ today for Memorial Day so I decided to make a big tray of Mom's pasta salad to take with us.

I make this recipe constantly because it is seriously John's favorite thing I make. There are so many varieties and I usually just use whatever veggies/pasta I have on hand. Get creative- the options are limitless!

Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta (I usually use either tri-colored rotini or tri-colored tortellini)
1 block of cheese, preferably cheddar or Monterey Jack, diced into small pieces
1 bottle of Italian Salad dressing
2-3 peppers, chopped into pieces

Other optional ingredients I have used and enjoyed:
pepperoni
black olives
mushrooms
red onions

Directions:
1- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Cool pasta completely.
2- Chop all of the veggies you want to use into bite sized pieces.
3- Toss cheese, pasta, and veggies with 1/2 of the Italian salad dressing.
4- Allow it to chill for at least 2-3 hours in the fridge.
5- Prior to serving, pour in the rest of the dressing and toss.

Walnut Brownie Bites

Until recently baking to me meant using a boxed mix. I have since learned that nothing compared to cookies from scratch. However I have really struggled with brownies from scratch. They always turn out gooey
(aka EXTREMELY undercooked!) in the middle even after the cook time has come and gone. I really wanted to use up some walnuts I have so I found this recipe for walnut brownies. I decided to make them in my mini muffin tin so I could assure they would cook evenly.

They came out pretty good. I love fudgy brownies and these were more cakey than fudgy. However I am not THAT picky and I do feel all brownies are pretty good! My only change would be to slightly decrease the sugar next time because they are pretty sweet.

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
6 tablespoons of baking cocoa
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of walnuts (I made half the brownies with nuts and half without. If you want them to all have nuts use 1/2 cup)

Directions:
In a small bowl, cream butter and cocoa; beat in egg, sugar and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in walnuts.

Spoon heaping spoonfuls into a mini muffin tin. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I will never make another pancake recipe again! Growing up my father made pancakes for breakfast every Sunday and I can still taste his (he used the Bisquick mix and I will always love that recipe!) Years and years from now when my children think of pancakes I am willing to bet this recipe will be the ones they think of. They were so light and fluffy and amazing. Can you tell I liked them?

If you are going to make these pancakes I would follow the directions very carefully, particularly when it comes to not over stirring the batter and adding the wet ingredients to the dry right before you make them. The recipe itself is pretty standard but I think those two steps really contribute to this being a winning recipe.

I made 1/3 of this recipe and it was perfect for the two of us!



INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

This is my third shrimp scampi recipe that I have posted in my blog. It is by far my favorite of the three. I love the use of orzo instead of linguine. I also like how light it is with a slight lemon taste. I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light and thought it was pretty perfect with my modifications. My only advice would be to use slightly less pepper if you aren't a huge fan of pepper- it was a prominent flavor. Also I am glad I cooked the orzo in a can of chicken broth instead of water because it gives the orzo a creamy texture without adding fat/calories. Yum- give this a shot soon!

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
Garlic Powder (I used several heavy dashes of garlic powder)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can of chicken broth
Cooking spray
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Spray a small sauce pan with cooking spray. Add the orzo, stirring frequently until slightly toasted. Pour in the chicken broth. Cook until almost all of the broth is absorbed. Place orzo in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.

2. While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.

3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic powder to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Stir the orzo back into the skillet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

**8 points per serving (1/2 cup of orzo and 7 shrimp)

Strawberries and Cream

This recipe was excellent and light. Typically it wouldn't be worthy of a blog update, because really it's THAT simple, but it is also pretty and delicious. I made these as part of the strawberry platter I served on Mother's Day and they were so good. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
12 large strawberries, washed (I used about 20)
Fat free whipped cream

Directions:
Cut the greens off top of strawberry so when you flip it around the strawberries sit flat. With a sharp knife cut slits all the way down the berry in an X shape, careful not to cut through. Arrange strawberries on a plate, and open them like a flower. Fill with whipped cream.

** 1 Weight Watchers Point per 3 strawberries

Walnut Graham Candy

Yum! I made these on Mother's Day and thought they were quite tasty. This isn't a recipe that would immediately pull me in on a regular basis (I tend to be attracted to peanut butter and chocolate desserts) but these were yummy and different. Definitely worth making. I used cinnamon graham crackers but would like to try it again with chocolate since everything is better with a little chocolate in it.



Ingredients:

Graham crackers (enough to fill up two cookie sheet, so just start with a whole box)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (I uses walnuts)

Directions:

Line two (or just one large) cookie sheets with foil and cover the entire bottoms with graham crackers in squares (not crushed). Boil butter, and sugar for 3 minutes. Pour over the top of graham crackers. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool, then break up into pieces. Store in airtight container.

Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is fresh, enjoyable, and full of delicious flavors. I chose to serve these in martini glasses to make them more festive and enjoyable (at least from a visual standpoint.) I didn't measure but these are approximates of the ingredients I used.

Ingredients:
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 container of mini fresh mozzarella balls (I bought the kind in seasonings and oil and highly recommend it)
Fresh basil (about 20 leaves, finely chopped)
Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
Balsamic vinegar (about 1 tablespoon)

Directions:
1- Toss all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl.
2- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for a couple hours prior to serving.

Mushroom and Garlic Cream Tartlets

I decided to make this recipe for an appetizer on Mother's Day. They were a hit and everyone liked them, especially my mom. I thought of her immediately when I saw this recipe and knew she would love them. Sure enough she did. An excellent recipe and a real must try the next time you have a get together!

NGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (8 oz) fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, flour, onion and garlic; mix well. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Add cream and cheese; mix well. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of liquid has evaporated.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 2 long rectangles.
3. Cut each rectangle into 12 squares. Place 1 square in each of 24 ungreased miniature muffin cups. Firmly press in bottom and up sides of cups, leaving corners of dough extended over edges of cups. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon mushroom mixture into each cup.
4. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley. Cool 5 minutes. Remove tartlets from pan. Serve warm. Cover and refrigerate any remaining tartlets.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cake

There are many wonderful food blogs in the food blogosphere, but few are as good as Annie's. Annie has quality recipes, beautiful pictures, and often unique recipes that aren't found on everyone else's blog (well... that is until we all copy her haha!) I decided to make her Reese's Peanut Butter Cake for Mother's Day since both of our mothers love the chocolate/peanut butter combo. Last minute I decided to go with vanilla frosting in place of the peanut butter frosting recommended in Annie's post. It came out excellent with the vanilla, but I am sure it would be much more rich and decadent with the peanut butter. If you are looking for a good cake give this a try. The batter was amazing and if there weren't 4 raw eggs in it I would have eaten a bowl full of the batter. Delicious!


Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional) I did use it

For decorating:
Frosting (I used vanilla)
miniature Reese’s cups, halved and/or chopped

Directions:

For the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9×2” round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. (I used baking spray and skipped both the flour and parchment paper. It worked perfectly) Place the pans on a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix each addition only until it is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and add the melted chocolate, if using, folding it in with a spatula. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cakes feel springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cardboard circle or serving dish. Spread frosting on top of the cake layer. (If desired, sprinkle with chopped Reese’s cups.) Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top and outside of the cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with halved and chopped Reese’s cups as desired.

Sauteed Vegetables in a Pesto Sauce

Happy Mother's Day everyone! If you are a mother I hope you had a wonderful and enjoyable day. If you are not, I hope you had an opportunity to spend it with someone you love. I am so sorry I have been neglecting my blog. I have no excuse... shame on me. I have been barely cooking but it is time to get back on the wagon!

Today we hosted a small dinner party for our immediate families. I will be posting several blog updates this week from the meal. When you think of Mother's Day you think of brunch, barbecues, etc. right? Well... unfortunately my mother couldn't come until after 3 which rules out brunch, and we don't have a grill, so there goes BBQ! I went with an Italian feast because honestly, who doesn't love Italian food?

One of the side dishes I chose was this zucchini. I wanted something light, summery, and healthy. It came out great and was very tasty. I made it ahead of time and warmed it up in the microwave which worked out perfectly. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
5 small zucchini, sliced into thin coins
8 ounces of mushrooms, cleaned
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup of pesto sauce

Directions:
1- Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Toss in the zucchini and mushrooms, sauteing until almost completely cooked.
2- Add the canned tomatoes, cook for about 3-4 minutes or until some of the juices are evaporated.
3- Toss in the pesto. Saute until warm throughout. Serve immediately.

Cooking with 1st Graders: Bird Nests

I love to cook and I love to teach so it is only natural that I would REALLY love to combine the two. My first graders ask me regularly if we are cooking anything in class. Of all the things I make with my kids this is my favorite for one simple reason:



Baby chicks! Isn't he cute? Or she? Every April I hatch baby chicks in my classroom (DON'T WORRY- They don't get eaten!) and celebrate their birth with this cute project. So far this year we are up to 9 chicks with 3 more pending (fingers crossed that they hatch tomorrow!)

I make the rice krispie treats in the microwave since I don't have an oven in my classroom but it works out really well. They are very marshmallowy but hey- who doesn't like that. The kids love it and I personally enjoy eating the left over rice krispie treats from the bowl- YUM!

Ingredients:
1 box of rice krispies (I used the jumbos this time and HIGHLY recommend them- much easier to handle)
1 10.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows
1 stick of butter
jelly beans
Peeps

Directions:
1- In a large microwave safe bowl combine 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 box of cereal, 1/2 bag of marshmallows.
2- Heat in the microwave 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
3- Stir until well combined.
4- Spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture onto parchment paper. Using a second sheet, mold the rice krispies into a nest shape.
5- Top with some jelly beans and a Peep!
6- Enjoy =)

Yields about 20 nests

Linguine with Garlicky Bread Crumbs

This is yet another Cooking Light success. I have put this pasta dish on my menu several times and never got around to making it. Tonight I finally got around to making this recipe and John and I both liked it. I thought the texture was very interesting and different then your average pasta meal. Definitely worth a try!

Ingredients
1 slice day-old hearty white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm), torn
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces uncooked linguine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup chicken broth (I added this to make a little bit extra sauce for the pasta)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 2/3 cup. Place breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Bake at 250° for 30 minutes or until dry.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Return pan to heat. Stir in breadcrumbs, and cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper; toss gently to combine. **If you choose to add chicken broth like I did add it in this step.

** 6 Weight Watchers points per 1 cup serving

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Now this is a recipe that I would usually make and not blog because it is so simple. However I recently started getting positive feedback from a few readers with regards to my Weight Watchers recipes. I know how hard it is to count points while cooking and enjoying yummy meals. So therefore I decided to post this recipe because even though it is simple I know a lot of people need simple 2 point snack/breakfast ideas that are healthy and delicious!

I found this recipe in "Weight Watchers 20 Minute Recipes Spring 2009" and I have been meaning to make it since I first saw the recipe. I needed something healthy and filling this morning to hold me over until lunch and thought this would be perfect. The smoothie was very refreshing and light- perfect for breakfast or in between meals!

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 banana
1 cup ice
1 6 ounce strawberry yogurt

Directions:
Place all ingredients in the blender- process until smooth. Yields 2 1 cup servings

** 2 Weight Watchers Points per 1 cup serving