TWD #2 - Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipster Cookies

Whew, what a mouthful - to say and to eat! This weeks recipe was chosen by the lovely Stefany (or tpox, as we Nesties know her) of Proceed with Caution. It's a big crispy yet chewy mouthful of peanut-butter, oatmeal and chocolate that simply screams for a big cold glass of milk. I made these on Friday evening so that Alex could bring them to his brother in NYC. I can't keep cookies in the apt or I'll just eat them all!

Being a part of TWD has already increased my baking technique and my baking snobbery. I love how Dorie writes an explanation before each section, giving different ideas and suggestions. This has become incredibly helpful throughout my kitchen adventures. For example, I have learned that even though chocolate chips are pretty convenient, I really like the flavor of actual chocolate chunks. And I feel so hardcore chopping it up in my kitchen! Dorie's right about this, fo' sho.

I have to say I was disappointed in these cookies. Sorry Dorie! You know I love you, bubbeleh. I mean, based on the amazingly delicious sounding name I figured I would like them...but I didn't. The batter was good (hey, I had to taste it in the name of research!) but when they came out of the oven, they were dry and not all that delish. I thought maybe they would be better after cooling off, and they were slightly more moist the next morning, but still not enough for me. Maybe it's the PB in the cookies b/c I recall regular PB cookies having a slightly dry and crumbly texture. My cookies were a little darker than the other bloggers and I think that's because I made a lot of chocolate "dust" when I chopped up the chunks.

Anyways, Alex and his brother loved the cookies, which is fine with me! I don't think I'll make these again, though. Next week is another cookie recipe and after that, I think I'll be cookied out. I know I can bake cookies...I want to try something else now!

Fah-mehs Mah-ket

(Boston speak for Farmers Market) Hey, I grew up in MA, what do ya expect?

My friend Dana and I have been wanting to try the big Baltimore Farmers Market for a while and we got out butts in gear this morning. It's under the JFX (Rt. 83) b/w Holliday and Saratoga...and it's awesome! Totally gigantic with so much to see, smell and taste. I brought my camera but was too overwhelmed to take pictures. It was super crowded, too, so when I go again, I'll probably go earlier in the morning.

I kept looking at every vendor, imagining the yummy dishes I'd make with farm-fresh ingredients. I also really like that I'm supporting local farms instead of big corporations. Eventually I settled on tomatoes, fresh basil, peaches, eggs and two huge yummy-looking portobella mushrooms. Mmmmm....can't wait to get to work!

If you live in an area with a farmers market, I BEG you to check it out. Once you have tomatoes off the vine (really off the vine, not "off-the-vine" labeled in Superfresh) you'll be spoiled forever. Now our whole apartment smells like fresh basil and it's amazing!

Operation Baking Gals

I've joined yet another online baking community - this one is for a great cause! Whether or not you support the war in Iraq , there is no denying that the troops deserve our gratitude. They serve this country with honor and I am happy to help from my tiny kitchen. A fellow blogger, Susan, of She's Becoming Doughmesstic, started this baking group that bakes every month and sends the treats to different units stationed overseas, in order to thank them and help boost morale.
I just joined and will contribute my baking to a group at the end of September. I figured that would be a great time because it will be Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and I can send some sweet New Year goodies to the troops.

If you would like to join Operation Baking Gals, just visit them and sign up! We can always use more treats for the troops.

**The next TWD recipe is on it's way...**

Alex cooks! Tenderizing Kiwi Marinade

Alex is actually much better in the kitchen when it comes to throwing together a meal. He can take a little bit of this, and a little bit of that --- voila! A delicious dinner. Me, on the other hand, I like the order and support that comes from sifting through fellow food blogs and finding recipes with reviews and suggestions. I like seeing the pictures of food and anticipating what I'm going to create. There are very few things I can make without a recipe, hence the food blog!

During our trip to the local Giant, the kiwi's looked pretty good, so Alex grabbed one. I also had stew beef in the freezer so he made a really delicious marinade. The enzymes in the kiwi help to tenderize tougher cuts of meat and stew beef is definitely tough! This was something we learned from my mom years ago, and she had learned it from a friend years ago. And now I pass it along to you!

Tenderizing Kiwi Marinade

*this recipe is a good base for anything you want to add/take away with this marinade*

Ingredients:

1 kiwi, chopped

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

4 tsp worcestershire sauce (maybe less next time b/c it was a tad salty)

2 cloves minced garlic

Directions:

Combine everything in a bowl and then add your choice of meat. We like to do everything in a ziplo.c bag and then massage it around before throwing it in the fridge. Do it however you like, and marinate for 2-6 hours.

We love our wok and that's how he stir-fried the beef, using a scant amount of oil for my weight-watching self. What a love! But you can do this meat on the grill, in the oven, in your wok...however you like to wok and roll. HA!

And we had this beautiful view off our balcony during dinner.

Mess-aroni and Cheese

Alternative titles:
Disaster-oni and Cheese
Macaroni and Chee---oh hell, just forget it.
Macaroni and Chee---what the $*%& is burning now?!?

Can you already see where this post is going? It started off so simply...so innocently. Today I said to Alex: "Hon, it's your birthday. I'm going to make mac & cheese for dinner. Homemade!" His eyes lit up and that was all the confirmation I needed.

I found a recipe on WW online, entitled "Easy Macaroni & Cheese." Mistake #1 - anything labeled "easy" is rarely so. I also believe that I angered the kitchen gods by thinking "Oh, I can totally pull this off! It's mac & cheese for pete's sake!" That's when they looked down on me and said "HA! We'll see...."

The recipe calls for 1/4 flour as a thickening agent and I had a scant 1/4 cup left...maybe a near 1/4 cup if I scraped the flour canister. "Not a problem" I thought "I'll just use corn starch to thicken when I need to!" Mistake #2 - they are NOT the same. Oh...definitely not the same.

So I begin. Pasta begins to cook, no problem. That, I can handle. Then I start to cook the milk, flour and onion powder. Stirring, and stirring, and stirring...and stirring and stirring...
It's not thickening. Time for the corn starch! I thought I was such a kitchen genius.
Mistake #3 - if/when you are using corn starch, do NOT add it to hot liquid. It will immediately congeal and leave you with nasty little lumps.

Stirring and stirring and stirring...

Still not thickening and now it's lumpy. So I decide to strain it into another pot to get out all the lumps and when I do, out comes the nastiest looking congealed globby mass that was at the bottom of the pot. Ugh. Oh, and I scalded the bottom of the pot.

So I think that now I have a semi-decent base for my cheese sauce. Mistake #4 - never assume anything in the kitchen. I add in my cheese and while it flavors the sauce, it doesn't thicken up like it's supposed to. I add in every type of cheese I can find in our fridge and it's a little thick now.

Finally, I mix it with the noodles and taste it. In a word? Meh. It tastes like noodles covered in a thin cheese sauce. This recipe was supposed to take 10 minutes. It took me 45.

Sometimes, there are kitchen disasters that turn out to be delicious mistakes. This, my friends, was not one of those times.

Happy birthday Alex!

Pasta Primavera

This recipe was good. Not knock-your-socks-off yet, but I have an idea of where to tweak it for next time. Alex really liked it and he doesn't like the usual pasta primavera (he was also starving when he came home at 9, so he would have probably eaten wallpaper and loved it).

It's a WW recipe, 6 points per serving, and it was really filling. It could have used a little more olive oil and possibly a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese as a topping. I think that would have kicked up the flavor a little bit. I would also use two cans of artichoke hearts b/c I like the flavor they add.

Try it and play around with it! I'd love to hear any suggestions you have.

Ingredients:

8 oz whole wheat spaghetti

1/8 tsp salt, for cooking the pasta

4 tsp olive oil, divided into 2 and 2

8 oz asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

4-6 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 small yellow summer squash, halved length-wise and then trimmed into 1/2 inch pieces (I left this out b/c we both dislike the texture of cooked squash)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters (I would do 2 cans next time for more POW flavor)

1 medium garlic clove, chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 salt

1/4 pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into strips (we were unable to find this, so I used dried. Fresh basil would add so much, so I HIGHLY recommend using it!)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to box instructions.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook asparagus, squash and snap peas, stirring often until vegetables are crisp-tender (about 4 min or so).

Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic, cook and stir over low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, peas, salt and pepper. Scoop out 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water and add it to the skillet. Cook, tossing all the ingredients until the tomatoes soften and the vegetables are crisp-tender (about 1 minute or so).

Drain pasta and then return to pot. Add vegetables, basil and remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Toss everything together and serve immediately!

Possibly top with grated Parmesan cheese and another tsp of olive oil. One serving is 2 1/4 cups.

TWD #1: Granola Grabbers

As you can see, all my baking will now be done in this tiny oven that barely fits my baking sheet! It takes careful maneuvering in order to make everything fit properly, but so far, so good.

I was finally able to do my first Tuesdays With Dorie recipe and they are delicious! Granola Grabbers are chunky cookies made with granola and lots of other stuff. I made a few alterations that I noted in the recipe, but only for health reasons. I used the WW online Recipe Builder and these are only 3 points per cookie. Not terrible, but it means that I will send them with Alex to work tomorrow.
*Update* I double-checked the rules for TWD posting and they asked that we not include the actual recipe online. They want to promote the book, rather than supply people with the recipes online. This totally makes sense so I removed the recipe. Sorry TWD folks! It won't happen again :-)


Enjoy these yummy cookies with a BIG cold glass of milk!

Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

These are perfect for when you want something sweet and decadent, but it's super hot outside. If you like a dark chocolate flavor then you'll love these! Very easy to make and only 1 point per cookie. The picture isn't the greatest, but they taste really good, especially straight out of the freezer.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup skim milk

2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

2 tsp canola oil

Directions:

Mix milk, cocoa and suger together in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until its melted. Next, stir in oats and oil. Spoon small spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for at least 4 hours, but they taste better the next day!

Mexican Soup

So I have a bunch of posts to add since we moved and I'll slowly post them on here. This soup is another Weight Watchers recipe. It's a Zero Point soup and since Alex and I love the flavor of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I knew I had to try it. However, I was in such a rush that I made two HUGE mistakes:

1) I didn't wear gloves when chopping the jalapeno. NOT smart.

2) I didn't remove the seeds before I pureed the chipotle pepper. Again, NOT smart.

So, in this case, do as I say, not as I do. :-)

Ingredients:

6 cups vegetable broth

14 ounces canned diced tomato, Mexican-style preferred

2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed into bite-sized pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 small zucchini (I did not use this b/c we hate the texture of cooked zucchini)

1 cup tomatillo, cubed (start with about 2 medium tomatillos)

1/2 medium poblano chili pepper, chopped (left this out b/c Giant didn't have any)

1 medium jalapeño, membranes and seeds removed, minced

1 medium Spanish onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fresh oregano (I used 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)

2 roasted red peppers packed in water (Again, I left these out b/c I can't stand roasted red peppers)

1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (these are found in small cans in the 'Mexican' section)

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons lime juice (from 2 limes)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional Additions: tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese

Instructions:

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on MEDIUM HIGH.

Add the vegetables and spices (canned tomatoes through oregano) as they're prepped.

Add the broth.

Whiz the red peppers and chipotle pepper in a mini food processor and stir in. BE SURE TO REMOVE THE CHIPOTLE SEEDS FIRST

Cover and bring to a boil.

Once at a boil, partly uncover the soup, reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in salt, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately.

We thought it needed a little something, so I crumbled up baked tortilla chips and topped it with fat free cheddar cheese. This upped the points value, clearly, but it added a good flavor and crunch.

Also, if you're stupid like me and don't wear gloves when dealing with the jalapeno, wash your hands in milk. The dairy counteracts the capsaicin, which is the source of heat in peppers. If you don't have milk, try smearing yogurt or sour cream on your hands instead. DO NOT touch your eyes, nose, or lips until you've gotten off the capsaicin. Trust me on this.

Black Bean Brownies

You think I'm kidding...but I'm totally serious. I heard about this strange recipe on the Weight Watchers message boards and I was very intrigued. There are different variations of this recipe, but I first attempted the most basic and simple one. The end result? Fudgy, chewy, chocolatey brownies that were really dense and thick. They tasted better when warmed up in the microwave before eating and the chocolate chips really made a big difference. Try it...if you dare!!

Ingredients:
1 can of black beans (undrained and pureed)
1 bag brownie mix
8-12 oz chocolate chips (or any other brownie addition you like!)

Instructions:
Puree black beans in food processor and add them to a bowl. Add entire bag of brownie mix and mix very well. The batter will be thick and dense. Add chocolate chips. Pour into lightly greased baking pan and bake according to box instructions.

Eat them warm!!

Not a Cooking Related Vent - BOOOO Comcast!

Ugh, so annoyed with the giants at Comcast. We recently moved and when we tried to switch our service they tell us that we'll have to pay more for the SAME exact service we just had. MORE for the same thing. WTF? Also, not even a week after we sign up for the bundle, they start giving out Wii's for anyone who signs up for a bundle. Yeah, that's fair! So, I called to see if we could still get a Wii even though we signed up on the 26th and they posted the offer on the 28th.
Apparently, we can only qualify for it IF we spend MORE money per month. MORE? How elitist!
If we hadn't already signed a contract I would totally switch to Verizon FIOS.

Okay, rant over. But I still have resentment everytime I get that cable bill.