Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie

Remember that Seinfeld when everyone starts using a fork and knife to eat their candy bars?  I tell you- there is something to that.  I am not a huge chocolate chip cookie fan, but something about eating it with a fork like a pie makes it taste delicious.  So Seinfeld has a true basis behind their inane story lines.

This cookie is everything a chocolate chip cookie should be and more.  You should go make it, while I decide to eat my chocolate covered raisins with a knife and fork.

DEEP DISH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

Slightly Adapted from Bakerella

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a medium bowl, beat egg until foamy.  Add flour, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.  Mix until incorporated.  Add butter and vanilla.  Mix until incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Grease a 9-inch pie/tart pan.  Evenly distribute dough into pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes.  Allow cookie to cool 10-30 minutes before cutting.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Greek Pasta

At the beginning of my school week, I am busy with a normal load of work, but as Friday approaches, even though it seems impossible to do so, I get increasingly busier.  Every Thursday I am out of my apartment from 10 until 9.  This means I have to bring my lunch and dinner with me and carry it all day long. I faced the quandry: what can I eat for dinner that is portable, able to be kept the right temperature, and still delicious?

Like with most of life’s questions, pasta was the answer.  Every Wednesday night, I make my pasta, trying to vary what type of sauce and add ins I use. One night I was just throwing ingredients I had leftover in my fridge to make a sauce and this yummy pasta came to be.  Now, this pasta may need quotations around “Greek”.  While I do use Greek seasonings and Greek yogurt, it’s a recipe created by a Greek newbie who knows very little about Greek food.

So think of me every Thursday night and send positive thoughts as I run participants in research and eat my pasta out of a ziploc container, standing and watching them.  The highlight of my Thursdays.

GREEK PASTA

From Cinnamon Freud

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dill

DIRECTIONS

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over low heat.  Stir garlic powder.  Add lemon juice and Greek yogurt.  Stir until sauce is smooth and remove from heat.  Add Greek seasoning and dill.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix.  Pour into a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake covered for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until top pasta is golden brown.

Serves One.

Possible Add Ins: Chicken breast, red onion slices, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese

Open Face Turkey Sandwich

I knew when we went to New York City this summer I was going to do one thing.  Eat cheesecake.  A lot of it.

And eat cheesecake I did.  One place I wanted to try cheesecake at was Junior’s.  I would have been happy eating multiple pieces of cheesecake for dinner, but we live in a world where it’s socially unacceptable to do so (some day!).  So when we went there I had to order some kind of dinner.  I ordered a turkey sandwich basically just as a rouse to get to the cheesecake. When I ate it, I was shocked.  It was delicious- which is surprising since I know what I typically like about turkey sandwiches and this did not fit the bill.  I inhaled this sandwich and have been dreaming about it ever since.

This is simple at its best.  Not as good as Junior’s but very delicious.  I guess it just means I have to go back to New York sometime…

OPEN FACE TURKEY SANDWICH

From Cinnamon Freud, Inspired by Junior’s

INGREDIENTS

For the Turkey:
4 ounces of turkey breast/cutlets
Poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper

For the Gravy:
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper

For the Sandwich
2 slices sandwich bread
Cranberry Sauce, optional

DIRECTIONS

For the Turkey:
Slice the turkey in small slices.  Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add turkey.  Season with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Cook until done, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Gravy:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil.  Mix cornstarch with a little cold water.  Stir cornstarch mixture into chicken stock.  Add poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 4-8 minutes until thickened.

For the Sandwich:
Put two pieces of bread on a plate.  Top with turkey.  Pour gravy over top.  Top with cranberry sauce if desired.

Honey Mustard Chicken & Apples

Today was the first day in forever that I woke, got out of bed, and put on socks.  Now you may be wondering to yourself why you should care that I put on socks.  Well, my putting on socks after waking up signifies the beginning of fall.  Finally!  I woke up and was chilly enough to have to cover my feet.  And when I left for class that afternoon, it still was fairly cool.  Well, I wasn’t sweating by the time I made it to the psychology building at least.

I knew to usher in the new season I needed a fall dish for dinner tonight.  What is more autumn than baked apples? I always have apples on hand and had bought chicken breast, so I was ready to go. However, I was not ready to turn my oven on and bake my entire apartment yet, so I made the recipe work entirely on the stove.  And one pan no less.

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN & APPLES

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces chicken breast
Salt and pepper
Red onion, coarsely chopped
3 apples, chopped in large chunks
1/2 cup cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cut chicken breast into 4 pieces and pound thin. Cook chicken breast about 3-5 minutes each side. Remove chicken from pan. Add red onion and apples and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Whisk chicken stock, mustard, and honey together.  Add to pan and bring to a boil.  Mix cornstarch with water.  Whisk into pan. Let cook 2-3 additional minutes until apples and onions are soft and sauce is thickened.  Return chicken to pan and quickly coat with sauce if desired. Remove chicken.

Plate the honey mustard apples and onions.  Place chicken on top.  Garnish with parsley.

Brie and Pear Pizza

Sometimes at night, I dream of brie.  I am a lover of cheeses, and brie is up at the very top of my favorite cheese.  I love the combination of brie, pears, and onions- I have made it as quesadillas, bruschetta, and sandwiches.  The next logical step was to put it on a pizza.

This is very similar to my Blue Cheese, Pear, & Fig Pizza (which is also delicious) , but trust me- the brie takes it to a whole other level.

BRIE AND PEAR PIZZA

From Cinnamon Freud

INGREDIENTS

For the Pizza Dough:

1 package active yeast

2/3 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Toppings:

Brie, softened

Pear, sliced

Dried figs

Red onion, sliced

Craisins/cranbrries

Herbes de Provence

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 475°F.  

Dissolve yeast in warm water, allowing to sit at least 10 minutes.Combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add yeast mixture and mix together with a wooden until a soft dough forms.  Knead on a lightly floured surface for for at least 5 minutes.  Allow to rise at least 30-40 minutes, uncovered.

Heat 1-2 cups of water in a microwave for 2 minutes.  Soak dried figs in water for at least 10 minutes.  Remove, dry.  Slice figs. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté red onions until tender, about 5 minutes.

Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness.  Place slices on brie on dough.  Top with pear, figs, and red onion.  Sprinkle with herbes de provence.  Bake for 10-15, until crust turns golden brown.  Sprinkle craisins/cranberries on top.

Serves 2-4.

Asian Noodles

I love Asian food, especially any type of noodle dishes.  My particular favorite noodles are rice and egg noodles.  I love twirling them around my fork and slurping them up and sauce dribbles all over.

This noodle dish is by no means authentic Asian cuisine, but it utilizes Asian sauces and oils. And it’s easy and delicious, so what are you waiting for? These are good served hot or chilled and make a great side dish to a Chinese Barbeque Pork Tenderloin

ASIAN NOODLES

Inspired by Martha Stewart, From Cinnamon Freud

INGREDIENTS

6 ounces rice noodles
6 scallions, chopped
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Bean Sprouts, bok choy, water chestnuts, sesame seeds if desired

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook rice noodles according to package until tender.  Drain and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, cider vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic powder.  Whisk together.

In a large serving bowl, combine noodles and sauce.  Top with scallions, bean sprouts, bok choy, water chestnuts, or toasted sesame seeds.

Eat warm or refrigerate for 2 hours and eat chilled.

Pretzel Rolls

I, like every other sane person, love bread.  I also love big soft pretzels.  These rolls combine those two amazing things.

Bread is not hard to make- I promise.  Really, the only downside is just waiting for the bread to rise, which isn’t hard, just time consuming.  The only extra step to these rolls involves poached them in boiling water before baking.  Again, not hard at all.

Go make these rolls now- they have a crisp, salty exterior and soft center.  We ate these with steak sandwiches, but there are so many possibilities.  These were so good I ate them on their own with a little ketchup and mustard.

PRETZEL ROLLS

From How Sweet It Is

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup Warm Water (110°F)

1 package active
dry yeast

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve yeast into warm water.  Let sit at least 5 minutes, until yeast
foams.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and melted
butter.  Add water and stir with wooden
dough until a soft dough forms.  Knead
for 5-15 minutes until combined and elastic. 
Spray a bowl with cooking spray. 
Place dough in bowl, and cover with a towel.  Sit in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour,
or until doubled in size.

On a slightly floured surface, punch down dough.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Divide the dough into 18 circular
pieces.  Each piece should weigh about 2
ounces.    Place on baking sheets, leaving 1 inch in
between each roll.  Cover with towel and
let rise in warm place for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven racks on the lowest
and middle positions.

In a large source pan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low
boil.  Add baking soda and lower heat to
simmer.

Working with 3 rolls at a time,
put rolls in poaching liquid.  Poach for
30 seconds then carefully use slotted spoon to flip roll over.  Poach for an additional 30 seconds.  Remove with slotted spoon and place back on
baking pans.  Repeat until all rolls have
been poached.

Brush each roll with lightly beaten egg.  Make sure to coat all sides completely. With
a sharp knife (not serrated), cut an “X” on top of each roll. Sprinkle kosher
salt on top of rolls. 

Bake rolls for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 18 slider rolls.*

*Can easily make larger rolls and different shapes.  Just adjust the baking time to reflect any size changes.

Bay Scallops Gratin

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Ina Garten is a culinary genius.

I made this dish for the first time with friends, and I had never even heard of a scallop before.  In fact, I confused a scallop with scallion, thinking it was a green onion-centric dish.  I was a lost cooking soul back then.  (And it took me several weeks after that to be able to remember scallop, scallion, and green onion differences).

But this dish was DELICIOUS.  This is my mom’s favorite dish.  It’s butter filled, lemony, crunchy yet tender- basically it’s Ina at her best.

BAY SCALLOPS GRATIN

Adapted from Ina Garten

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons butter, softened
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 shallots, minced
4-5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons panko
3 tablespoons white wine
1 pound bay scallops

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, garlic, shallot, bacon, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (Using a fork or whisk is easier than a spoon).  While whisking, slowly add olive oil.  Fold in panko.  Set aside.

Wash and dry scallops.  Add the wine to the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan.  Arrange scallops on top.  Spread the butter mixture evenly over scallops.  Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4.