Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

We had some friends over last night to watch the Superbowl.  This was one of the many sweet treats we had at our party (but the only one I can take credit for).  It was ridiculously good!  Everyone just loved it…don’t tell them, but I even used fat-free cream cheese!  There was almost nothing left at the end of the night.

From RecipeZaar

INGREDIENTS
1/2C. Butter
1/3C. Brown sugar
1t. Vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce package) Cream cheese, softened
1/2C. Confectioners’ sugar
3/4C. Semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/2C. Chopped nuts (optional)
Nilla wafers and/or Graham crackers sticks for dipping

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat.  Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar for 1 minute.  Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using.  Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.

Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.

Husband Rating - N/A – “This isn’t a Christopher-friendly recipe, but everyone else sure loved it.”

Quick and Easy French Dip Subs

Lately, whenever we go to one of our favorite local restaurants I order their French Dip sandwich.  It’s wonderfully juicy and the au jus has the perfect blend of veggies, herbs and seasoning.  But, unfortunately, I’m sure it takes all day to prepare.

So, I went in search of something quick and easy that could be prepared on a weeknight and found this Rachael Ray recipe on Food Network.  It’s delicious, and just what I was looking for!

INGREDIENTS
2T. Butter
1 Shallot, chopped
1T. All-purpose flour
1 jigger Dry sherry, optional (did not use)
2C. Beef stock or broth
1 1/2lb. Deli sliced rare roast beef
1T. Montreal Steak seasoning blend
4 Torpedo sandwich rolls, split

DIRECTIONS
In a large, shallow skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and saute 2 minutes.  Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer.

Whisk in sherry (if using) and cook liquid out.  Whisk in broth in a slow stream.  Add Montreal Steak seasoning and bring sauce to a simmer and allow to cook over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches.

Add sliced deli meat to au jus for 2 minutes to warm before piling onto rolls.  Spoon extra jus into ramekins or small soup cups for dipping and enjoy!

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – Very good!

Crispy Lemon Thyme Chicken Cutlets

I’ve been on a thyme kick lately and this is my latest creation using this delicious herb.  It was wonderfully flavored and delightfully crunchy.  Best of all – everything came together in less than 15 minutes!

Panko breadcrumbs are definitely the way to go with this dish.  If you haven’t tried panko yet, grab some next time you’re at the store (it’s right next to the regular breadcrumbs) you will be so glad you did!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Thin-sliced chicken cutlets
2 Eggs
2T. Water
Olive oil
1 1/2C. Panko breadcrumbs
1 Lemon
Leaves of 6-8 thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Ready two bowls.  In one, add eggs and water and beat together.  In the second bowl add panko, the zest of your lemon, leaves from thyme sprigs, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Pour olive oil into a large skillet and set over medium high heat.  One at a time, dip the chicken into the egg wash then the panko mixture.  Add to the hot skillet and cook 2-3 minutes on each side.

Remove from skillet, squeeze a little of the reserved lemon juice over the top and enjoy!

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “These were so crispy and really good!”

Chicken Gyros

Now that I have mastered pita bread, next step is to come up with new ways to use it!

These gyros were a big hit on the cooking board I frequent a few months ago and now I’m jumping on the bandwagon.  I used the recipe from Elly Says Opa! – it’s just wonderful!  So simple, but so incredibly flavorful!

I made my own version of ‘tzatziki sauce’ that would better suit our tastes and dairy-free life – it is listed below.  If you are looking for an authentic tzatziki sauce recipe, try this one (also from Elly Says Opa!).

INGREDIENTS
For the chicken:
1lb. Chicken breasts (cut into pieces)
4 Cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2t. Red wine vinegar
2T. Olive oil
2T. Plain yogurt (I used dairy free sour cream)
1T. Dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Bella’s ‘fake-out tzatziki sauce’:
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and squeezed dry
1/2C. Dairy free sour cream
2T. Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1T. Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste

To finish the gyros:
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced raw onions
Pita bread

DIRECTIONS
Combine garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt (or sour cream), and oregano in a bowl.  Add the chicken and rub the marinade in.  Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat a grill pan on the stove over medium high heat.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending  what size/type chicken you are using.  Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes and onions.  Enjoy!

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “I love the Christopher-friendly tzatziki sauce!”

Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs

Surprise, surprise…another Tyler Florence recipe!  These chicken legs were wonderful – super crispy, very moist and quite flavorful.

I do not own a mortar and pestle, yet, so I’m sure the garlic and rosemary could have been more powerful, but I really enjoyed the milder flavor (as rosemary isn’t one of my favorite herbs).

Note:  The cooled chicken makes awesome chicken salad the next day!

INGREDIENTS
12 Chicken legs
2 Cloves garlic, minced
4 Stems rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
4C. Panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Eggs
2C. Milk
3C. All-purpose flour
Extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Put a sheet tray in the oven to preheat.

Wash and trim the chicken legs of any excess fat.  Mix the garlic, rosemary and panko together in a shallow rimmed dish and season well with salt and pepper.  Alternately, crush the garlic and rosemary with some olive oil and salt in a mortar and pestle.

Crack the eggs into a similar dish, add the milk and whisk to combine.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  In another dish add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Take the chicken legs and 1 at a time, dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then coat well with the rosemary-garlic panko bread crumbs.  Lay the chicken legs out on a tray lined with parchment paper, as you work.  Refrigerate the legs for about 15 to 20 minutes for the breading to set.

Remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil.  Arrange the chicken legs carefully on the tray, spacing them out evenly.  Roast until the chicken legs are golden and crispy, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter.

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – Crispy and juicy!  Could be garlic-ier.

Pita Bread

Almost a year ago our favorite Mediterranean restaurant, Mediza, went out of business.  I was so sad.  They had the best pita bread I’ve ever eaten.  Warm, fluffy, clearly homemade and perfect with roasted garlic hummus!  The only other Mediterranean restaurant near us (I won’t name names) clearly uses store-bought pita.  It’s just awful.

Anyway, I got very excited when  I saw this recipe for pita bread on Brown Eyed Baker.  It looked just like the pita we longed for from Mediza.

This pita bread is wonderful!  I don’t think I’m ever going to go back to store-bought pita ever again!

INGREDIENTS
3C. Flour
1 1/2t. Salt
1T. Sugar or honey
1 Packet instant yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2C. Water, roughly at room temperature
2T. Olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar.  Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon.  All of the ingredients should form a ball.  If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place in the bowl of your electric mixer (with the dough hook attachment) and mix on low for 8-10 minutes.

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil.  Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it’ll be easier to shape.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there.  Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough.  You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 in. thick – 6 in. in diameter.  If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well.  If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven.  This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface.  They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes.  If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, but it isn’t necessary.

Husband Rating - 5 out of 5 – Perfect!

Swedish Meatballs

Another home run for Tyler Florence!

I was watching Tyler’s Ultimate this morning and was so excited to see that he makes his Swedish meatballs with sour cream, and no heavy cream.  Yay!  This makes our dairy-free lives so much easier (my poor Swedish husband has been missing this dish quite a bit since we found out he can’t have diary)!

I have a great regular meatball recipe already, so I used that instead of his.  If you want that recipe, click here.

For the sauce, I had everything we needed in the house already except for the fresh parsley and the lingonberry sauce, so I subbed in some fresh thyme and omitted the lingonberry sauce.  It was fabulous and everything came together so quickly!  This is definitely going to be a regular in our house from now on.

INGREDIENTS
1T. Unsalted butter
1 1/2C. Low sodium chicken broth
3/4C. Sour cream (we like the Tofutti brand dairy-free vegan sour cream)
1 Handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
2T. All-purpose flour
1/4C. Lingonberry or red currant jam, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS
Make a batch of your favorite meatballs and set aside.

Add the butter and swirl it around to coat the pan.  Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve into the fat.

Pour in the chicken broth, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the meatball bits from the bottom of the pan.  Simmer and stir until the liquid is reduced and a sauce starts to form; season with salt and pepper.

Lower the heat and stir in the sour cream.  Return the meatballs to the sauce and stir in 1/4 cup of the lingonberry jam until combined.  Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Shower with chopped parsley and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve the Swedish meatballs over egg noodles with additional lingonberry jam on the side.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “These were awesome!”

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Pasta

Christopher and I love basil…like LOVE basil…and we’re always looking for new ways to use it so when I saw this recipe on Picky Palate I knew we had to try it.  Of course, we omitted the heavy cream and it was still very good!  I wish it was just a little ’saucier’.  Next time I’ll reserve some of the pasta water to add to the finished dish.

I had some shrimp on hand that I wanted to use, so I just threw that in with the drained pasta and sauce and cooked for a few minutes.  Chicken would also be great with this.  I have a feeling this is going to be a regular in our house from now on.

INGREDIENTS
1/2C. Roasted red bell peppers from a jar or fresh
3 Cloves fresh garlic
1/3C. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3C. Pine nuts (did not use)
1 1/2C. Basil leaves
1/2t. Salt
1/2C. Extra virgin olive oil
1lb. Pasta of your choice
1/4C. Heavy cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place roasted red peppers and garlic into food processor.  Pulse until well combined.  Add the parmesan, pine nuts, basil leaves and salt.  With processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil.  Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and transfer to a large rimmed skillet or pot.  Pour in pesto and stir.  Stir in heavy cream if desired.  Heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.

Husband Rating - 3.5 out of 5 – Very good, but could be saucier.

‘Peamutt’ Butter Oatmeal Dog Cookies

This year, instead of torturing my consistently-dieting work teammates with various holiday goodies I decided to spoil their pooches with these peamutt butter oatmeal cookies.

Ever since we moved into our new house I can’t seem to find my collection of cookie cutters, so instead of rolling these out, I decided to make cookies out of them..I sure hope their doggies like them!

INGREDIENTS
1/4C. Peanut butter
1T. Vegetable oil
1C. Water
2 1/4C. Whole wheat flour
1C. Oatmeal

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, oil and water.

Gradually add flour and then oatmeal.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with a cookie cutter. (bone shaped if possible)

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 35 minutes.

Husband Rating – N/A

AB’s Peanut Butter Fudge

I had just finished making the dog cookies above and thought “what will I do with the rest of this peanut butter?”  (since I really only like chunky in sandwiches etc…).  I remembered seeing Alton Brown make this fudge on his show and how easy it was.  So, I looked up the recipe and in less than 10 minutes it was done!

It’s really sweet – a little goes a long way, but it is quite tasty and a great quick fudge recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1C. Butter, plus more for greasing pan
1C. Peanut butter
1t. Vanilla
1lb. Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high.  Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes.

Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.

Pour into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with waxed paper.

Place a second piece of waxed paper on the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool.

Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – “A good first attempt at fudge.”