Hurricane Sandy's Junky Chunk Cookies!

                                This cookie's name is exactly what it is. Junky and Chunky.

2 1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup (two sticks) Butter, Softened
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla (extract)
2 Eggs
Pretzels (Minis)
MilkyWays (Minis)
ChessMen (or whatever kind of shortbread cookie you would like)
Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 360 degrees F. Un-wrap as many MilkyWay minis as you want, and cut each one in halves or quarters. Crush up your shortbread cookie of choice, along with crushed pretzels, and put into a bowl to await further use (hehehehehehehe...) In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. After that is all creamy and yummy looking, add the flour mixture in small increments. When the dough is all combined, abandon your mixer (if you were using one), roll up your sleeves, and crank out your wooden spoon. Put in one handful at a time of the Junky Chunk mixture, and stir slowly. You don't want the Chunk in Junky Chunk to be 'minuscule granules'! When all of that is combined, wipe the sweat off your brow and add in as much chocolate chips as you want! When you finally finish mixing, put small soon-to-be-cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
ENJOY!!!!

Cheezy Pop!

For Hurricane Sandy, we're trapped inside with...SNACK FOOD!!!! Here's an easy recipe that can bump up a boring snack-food, if snack foods can be boring...

5 Spoonfuls of Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
Popcorn kernels
Salt
Pepper

Put oil in the bottom of a pan/pot. Let it heat up a little bit before coating the bottom of the pan with popcorn kernels. Put a lid on the pan, but don't walk away. When you hear a pop, slowly start shaking the pot over the heat. When the popcorn is finished popping, pour two spoons of the cheese over it, along with salt. Split 1/4 of the popcorn into a bowl, then pour the rest of the cheese and pepper. Put the lid on again, and shake. Pour into a bowl and ENJOY!!!!!

Banana Pudding!!!

OMG credit to my baby-sitter Kelsey!!!!! Best recipe!!!! had to make it twice in one week because we finished it so fast!!!

1/2 pack vanilla pudding
1/2 sweetened condensed milk
3/4 of a cup of cold water
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
4 Bananas
3/4 box of Nilla Wafers

Mix the pudding mix with sweetened condensed milk and water. Put in freezer for 15 mins. Meanwhile... start making the whipped cream!!! Don't add any sweeteners!!! Once you get soft peaks, start to fold in pudding mix. Layer 1 layer of wafers on the bottom of a HUGE bowl. Then bananas. Then 1/3 of whipped-pudding goodness. Repeat 3 times. Crumble a little wafer on top for garnish.
ENJOY!!!!
P.S. this is just half the recipe mind you!

Miracle Berry

Miracle Berry: The berry that can switch your tastebuds.

This is not a recipe. This is just a suggestion to you foodies out there!

Buy: Lemons, Limes, Greek yogurt, Sour Cream, Strawberries, Brie, Grapefruit, and Cranberry Juice.

Put each item sliced, spooned, or chopped into seperate bowls. Take half a tablet and cover EVERY PART OF YOUR TONGUE, INCLUDING UNDER IT. Do not bite it. Swirl it around until it is fully dissolved. Eat and taste the weird flavors!
Hint: Lemons taste like lemonade!!!

Chicken Thighs Stuffed with Cheese and Prosciutto!

Yum at first sight-or rather- taste

WARNING-
I'm in my bathing suit, soaking wet in salt water and suntan. This blog post might be a little rushed because I'm itching to get back into the water!

4 Chicken Thighs, no bone or skin
4 sprigs of Rosemary
1 small pack of Parmesan Cheese
4 pieces of Prosciutto
Olive Oil
Half of a bottle of Red Wine
8 pieces of cooking string

Lay out the Chicken Thighs (flat). Sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese on it to cover one layer. Put one piece of Prosciutto, then a sprig of Rosemary on each one. Roll up, and tie with the cooking string (2 per Chicken Roll).
In a pan, pour in Olive Oil to cover the bottom. Let the Olive Oil heat up, then put in the Chicken rolls :). Let them brown a little bit in the pan, then pour in the Red Wine. Simmer until cooked-looking ;).

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Sorbetto alla fragola

No, I did not learn Italian, it is the magic of...... GOOGLE TRANSLATE!!!!!

1 pint of Fresh Strawberries
5 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
5 Tablespoons of Water
2 small Organic Lemons (Juice)

Puree the Strawberries and the Lemon Juice. Pour mixture into Ice Cream Maker. Add water.


GODETEVI IL VOSTRO YUMMYNESS!!!!!!!!

No Oven/Stove!!!

Sorry for not posting anything!!! Our Oven/Stove has been compromised, so there has been NO COOKING :((((((((((((((((( The sadness is un-explainable :((((((((((((
For now, I hope you guys like frozen yogurt and ice cream because that's all you're gonna' get!

Frozen Yogurt with Fruit Layers!!!

This frozen yogurt is to MELT for!!!

1 18 oz Greek Yogurt
1 pack Strawberries
1-2 Peaches
Maple Syrup
Agave Nectar
1 pack Blackberries
1 pack Raspberries

Puree the Strawberries and Peaches. Fold in Greek Yogurt. Put mix into the ice cream maker for 15m. Meanwhile.....
Puree the Raspberries with Agave Nectar to taste. Set aside. Puree the Blackberries with Agave Nectar. Set aside. When the frozen yogurt mix is done, pour half into the bottom of a container. Pour the Blackberry puree over it. Smooth it out. Put the other half of the frozen yogurt onto the Blackberry layer. Pour the Raspberry puree over it. Smooth it out. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Chocolate pudding pie

Just need some good old chocolate pie? Well leave this site and go somewhere else because this is chocolate pie with a twist! Go to my 2nd blog post 'chocolate pudding' And buy those things:) Oreo cookie pie crust(bought or fresh made) 15 raspberries (garnish) Make the 'chocolate pudding' recipe. Let it cool for about 10 to 15 mins. Pour the pudding into the pie crust. Decorate the top with raspberries!!! Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Mid-day summer refresher!!!

Are you ready for a totally dairy free ice cream!!! (When I first did this recipe I say 'What the heck!' also)

2 cans of Coconut milk (not light)
1/3 cup of Honey or Agave nectar (I prefer Agave nectar)
2 Table Spoons Vanilla

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Pour mix into ice cream maker. Churn for 20-25 mins.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!

Herb butter

Easy recipe that can kick up your steak a few notches!!!!

1 stick butter
1-4 Table spoons of fresh Thyme and Rosemary
Food Processor
Mixer
Plastic Wrap

Bring the butter up to room temperature. Mix the butter just a teeny bit to get is nice and soft, BUT NOT MELTED. I repeat DO NOT MELT DA BUTTER YA' HEAR!!!!! Now that we've got that out of the way.....
Process the herbs until they turn into little bits. Believe me, little bits = good. Put in the herb-bits with the butter and mix until very combined. Put the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll into log-like shape. Refridgerate for 45 mins to an hour. Will stay fresh for a few days/ a week.

ENJOY!

Peach Raspberry Frozen Yogurt!!!!!!!

Sorry I havent been posting in a while! To catch you up......It's summer break!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!  I mean, I love school and all, but you know when It's time for a break.
Anyway, time for my first summer recipe!

2-4 Table spoons Maple Syrup
1-2 Table spoon Agave nectar (optional)
1-2 cups Raspberries
2 Peaches
1 18 oz Greek Yogurt
Ice cream maker

In a food prosessor or blender, blend together the fruit and the Agave nectar until well blended, like a smoothie. Add Agave nectar to taste. Put the greek yogurt into a large bowl. Fold in the fruit (If you don't know what folding is, you can just mix or stir ;)). Add Maple Syrup to taste. A reason why I'm using both Agave nectar and Maple syrup is that I think too much of either one will leave a cloingly sweet taste, so to make sure that doesn't happen, combine the two for a perfect sweetness :)! In the ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the frozen bowl. Let the frozen yogurt churn for about 10-15 minutes. Pour the frozen yogurt into a container and freeze for about 1-2 hours before serving (of coarse I'm not going to storm into your house and tell you that you can't ea your frozen yogurt before then;))

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Mini Pie Pops!

Ever heard of them? Didn't think so. But guess what? They're the best things in the world. 

Here's a recipe I tried this morning;

Mixed berry bomb pies:

1 roll of Pillsbury Pie Crust

Roughly 1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons of water (added separately)

2 tablespoons sugar

Firstmn, mnmdnjdsdn,sbddcb. *gulping* sorry about that. I was eating a mini pie.

First, in a small saucepan, mix together the berries, sugar, and only one teaspoon of water. Stir constantly for about 5-8 mins until the berries are bubbling a little and aren't frozen any more. Then, stir in the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water. Mix until you think it's okay to stop stirring and remove the pan from heat. Allow this mixture to cool while you punch out little circles of dough. Lay one circle on the  baking pan. Put a lollipop or popsickle stick down the middle. Scoop about 1 teaspoon of the fruit mixture on to the middle. Put another circle on top of the fruit. Cinch around the edges so the mixture doesn't bubble out. Bake for about 2-5 mins. 

I used a mini pie pop maker, so this recipe might not be correct in the aspect of the baking sheet. If you have the mini pie pop maker, then follow the directions inside the recipe booklet.

Enjoy!

Birthday Stuff!!!

I can't believe me birthday would hold so much kitchen related surprises! I got a food processor that you already heard about, a paring knife, a mixer, a cake pop maker, and a mini pie pop maker! Plus, my mom took me to have REALLY good food at Pastis and Taboon. YUMMMMM!!!!

FOOD PROCESSOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peggy Miller just got me an awesome kitchen accessory for my B-Day!!! I just HAD to open it up early because I knew it was from Sur La Table! It has two buttons, chop and grind, and it has bowl lock and lid lock systems! Plus, it's in raspberry color. I just can't stop thinking about it!!! I'm just soooooo happy! Thanks so much Peggy (and gramps:))!!!

Homemade Pizza!!!

The best pizza in town with mozzarella, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, and basil!

1 package of Terranova Bakery's plain pizza dough (I found it at Whole Foods)
1 Fresh Mozzarella ball
1 package of goat cheese
3 Roma tomatoes
Some Basil
Olive Oil
Pinch 'o' garlic powder
Pinch 'o' salt
It's important that all of the ingredients are very fresh!

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees. Rub some olive oil on the inside of a bowl. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours in the bowl. Have a baking sheet ready with tinfoil. Rub  olive oil on the tinfoil. After the dough has risen, start stretching the dough ball like you see the people do in pizzarias. Try to make it the shape of the baking pan. Then, place the rectangle of dough on the baking sheet. Stretch the dough until it fits the baking sheet. When it does, sprinkle the top with the salt and garlic powder.  Slice the tomatoes. Start laying them down on the dough. Put the basil down next. Then, put the mozzarella and goat cheese. Put some basil on top. Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes.

 Voila!!!!

Double Chocolate Oatie IceCream

An easy chocolate ice cream with a little oatie kick!

For the ice cream:
3/4 cup of sifted cocoa powder (Hershey's)
3/4 cup Agave Nectar (if you have no idea what it is click on agave for the link)
3/4 cup Maple Syrup
pinch 'o' salt
1 cup of milk (soy milk will work, but it doesn't have the same creamy texture)
2 cups of heavy cream (yup, the whole little carton!)
1/2 tbs of vanilla extract

For the Oatie Crunch:
Look at Cocoa Oatie recipe
Crunch the cookies into bits.

Whisk together the cocoa, and salt. Add the milk and heavy cream. Add the agave nectar and maple syrup. Then add the vanilla. Before you pour the mixture in the ice cream maker, make sure the syrups aren't sticking to the bottom of the bowl. When the mixture is ready, turn the ice cream maker on. Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl (make sure you wait until the last second to take the freezer bowl out of the freezer!). After the ice cream has been churning for 10 minutes, put in the cookie chunks. Let the ice cream churn for 10 more minutes. Turn the ice cream maker off, and scoop the ice cream into an air tight container. Let the ice cream freeze for at least 1 hour.

Enjoy!
P.S. this is probably going to be the healthiest ice cream you will ever had that actually tastes good!

Cocoa-Oaties!

Yummy oatmeal chocolate cookies!

2 cups Old-fashioned rolled oats (Quaker)
1 cup Flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 3/4 cup melted chocolate (milk)
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

First of all, if you want to have not as much chew, grind the oats for 30 seconds in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a mixer, beat the brown sugar and the butter until the lumps are gone and well blended. Add egg and vanilla until well combined. Add melted chocolate and mix for about 20 seconds. Start adding flour mix slowly in batches for about 15 seconds each.
         Roll the dough into balls and place about 1 inch apart. Recipe makes about 26 cookies.

ENJOY!!!!

RAINBOW CUPCAKES!!!

This is just a picture, but the instructional will be uploaded soon.

POPCORN!!!! Returns....

A new popcorn recipe!!!! Only this time, it's adorned!

4 tbs coconut oil 
1/4-1/2 c popcorn (depending on how hungry you are :) )
3 tbs sugar (white)
Salt to taste (1-4 tsp)
Use a cast iron pan if you have one
(You can mix 1-2 tbs of butter with the coconut oil in the beginning for a little buttery taste)


Look at blog post POPCORN!!! to see how to start popcorn. Do the same steps, except with the coconut oil. Cook popcorn in coconut oil. Shake pot with popcorn so as not to burn popcorn kernels. When popcorn is half popped, add salt and sugar. Toss (with lid on the pot) to coat popcorn. Place back on flame until fully popped. 

Pizza Cresccents

These are so yummy and easy to make! Perfect for the super bowl..... :)

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Tomato sauce (pasta sauce can be used also)
Shredded cheese (any kind it doesn't matter)

Open the Crescent Rolls. Separate them into the triangle shapes. Don't roll them yet!!! Spoon a little of the tomato sauce on the  Crescent (enough to cover the top). Sprinkle the triangle with cheese (as much as you want). Gently roll the triangle into the crescent shape as seen on package. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown!
enjoy!

Red Velvet Crepes!!!

These look really good for a Saturday morning breakfast! I haven't tried them yet, but I just had to post!
Recipe based on: Chef In Training

        Crepe:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sifted cocoa powder
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Mix well; set aside.

In another large bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, egg, vanilla, sugar, red food coloring and melted butter. Whisk until smooth.

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Stir until smooth.

Heat a skillet over medium heat (butter on the bottom). When the skillet is hot, put a small amount of the batter into the pan, whatever looks a little smaller then a pancake will work. Lifting the pan off of the heat, swirl the batter around the bottom of the pan, coating the whole bottom of the pan. You want it to be as thin as possible(while not splitting), and coat the whole pan. Return to the heat and cook until the batter has lost it’s shine(in other words, it looks cooked), then flip and cook on the opposite side. Remove from the pan and keep warm in an oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.

The Goodness Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar and whipped cream.

Chocolate Drizzle

• 2 ounces chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cream

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl. In a pot, heat the cream until boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips and let sit for a little bit. Stir together until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

To assemble the crepes the fancy way:

Fill each crepe with a bit of the Goodness in the center. Roll up, sift powdered sugar on top, and then drizzle on chocolate.

Enjoy!

POPCORN!

Here's some plain old simple recipe on how to make popcorn.

Popcorn kernels
olive oil
salt

On medium-low heat, take a medium sauce pan(with a glass lid preferably) and coat the bottom with olive oil. Do the same with the popcorn kernels. Put a lid on the top and shake pan gently for about 5 mins. When you hear a pop, you better get your shake on so you don't burn the popcorn. When the lid is about to fly off, pour popcorn into a large bowl. Salt to taste.
ENJOY!

Mom's Best Stew

                 The yummiest stew you've ever tasted!

1 pound top round beef (optional-chopped for stew pieces)
3 small red potatoes
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
pinch (1/4 teaspoon) mustard seed
around 1/2 bottle (or whatever you have on your counter!) Cotes Du Rhone
6-8 ounces of beef/chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the onion into rings and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker. Rinse the beef, salt and pepper it, and place on top of the onion. Chop the garlic and put over beef. Wash and cut the potatoes and place into the slow cooker. Salt and pepper the whole thing. Pour in 6-8 ounces of beef/chicken stock. Pour in about half of the wine. Then, put in the thyme,bay leaf, and mustard seed. Slow cook the beef on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6.
Best served with a loaf of warm bread and butter.
Enjoy!

Mom's Whippin' it out!

Mom's whippin' out the slow cooker! She just made beef stew in Red wine sauce, all in the slow cooker! Can you believe that?! Wait until I post the recipe..... :)

Yay!

Some Day....... Doughnuts and pie and pudding and cookies.......

Lentils

Best lentils ever! I asked my friend Sarah to give me the recipe so that I could post it here! I hope you enjoy them!

The most important thing here is the french puy lentils. It really makes a difference .

2 oz. smoked bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
12 oz. green Puy lentils, rinsed and drained
2 tbs. dijon mustard
1 tbs. red wine vinegar

Special things needed: Kitchen Twine (you can get it at any department store)

Cook bacon in a fairly large (tall) saucepan over medium-high heat, until its fat has rendered (melted away), and bacon is crispy. Add butter, onions, carrots, and celery; cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with kitchen twine; add to pan. Stir in lentils and 5 1⁄2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Discard herbs. Stir in mustard and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

Serve with an extra splash of vinegar, top with parmesean cheese and crusty bread, or if you're feeling adventerous, top with arugula and a fried egg (yuuuum)
Enjoy!

Red Velvet Pudding cookies

These cookies are probably the best cookies I've ever made, next to mom's chocolate chip. The gooey yummy warm cookie just fills me with happiness and I hope it does that for you too!
Recipe from: Chef in Training

You need:
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 box of chocolate instant pudding mix (3.4 oz)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
(optional) 1 teaspoon red food coloring (preferably something organic)
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking SODA (NOT POWDER!!!!)
Pinch 'o' salt
1 cup white chocolate chips (or any kind of chocolate chips for that matter)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Slightly stir flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together (one of those moments when you just really want a mixer :)). Add pudding mix and stir/mix until well incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in food coloring (who am I to hold you back to just red?) until well blended. Add flour slowly until well mixed. Hand-stir in chocolate chips. Roll cookie balls on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 9-12 minutes depending on the size of the cookie. Makes about 24 cookies.
ENJOY!!!

Chocolate pudding

This is the best chocolate pudding ever. And I mean EVER. This was the first chocolate pudding recipe I tried, and it has worked for me every time. I sometimes leave out the crushed pretzels, but you can do whatever you want with this. I hope you enjoy!
Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/chocolate-pudding-and-pretzels-recipe/index.html

Pretzels:
1 cup pretzels, slightly crushed
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Pudding:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (Hershey's preferably)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk (works with soy milk too)
1 egg
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pretzels:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss Pretzels in butter and sugar. Place on sheet pan. bake until sugar melts and crystallizes. About 10 mins.

Pudding:
In a medium sauce pan, whisk together cocoa, sugar, and cornstarch. Form a well like shape in the center and slowly whisk in milk over medium heat. This makes the cornstarch not clumpy. bring mixture to a boil to thicken. Remove from heat. This is the tricky part; in a small bowl, whisk some of the warm mixture with the egg until the egg is about the same temperature as the mixture. This is called tempering the egg. Heat over low until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. About 3 to 5 min. Mix in chocolate chips and melt well with no clumps. If the pudding is clumpy, you can use a sifter or small holed colender to strain pudding. Chill at least 1 hour. Makes enough for 4 ramekins.

Welcome to my blog!

In this blog, I will be blogging about something I love. Food.  Every recipe I try will be posted for others, and I will try to explain how it tasted. Each recipe you see here is tried, or to be tried, and anyone is welcome to using these in everyday cooking life.

Happy cooking,
Marlon (marlo)