Chocolate Fudge Cookies

We had a chocolate-lover staying with us and I've been on a little cookie kick lately so I decided to try these. They did not disappoint...

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, fine chopped
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 stick slightly salted butter, softened
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
3 oz white chocolate coarse chopped*

Preheat oven to 300. Grease 2 baking sheets or line with non-stick baking parchment. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the cooled chocolate and fold in the flour until combined.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough spaced 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. When the cookies are cool, dip a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle over the cookies. Leave on wire racks to set the topping, then store the cookies in an airtight container.

*I didn't do the last step (with the white chocolate) because I didn't have any. But I did have some vanilla icing in the fridge so I put a dab of that on a few of them and it was yummy. Alex said they reminded him of fudge pop tarts with vanilla creme filling.

Makes about 25 cookies

Chicken Pot Pie

Not my picture - I forgot to take a pic before we ate it all :)

This is my go-to chicken pot pie recipe (ladies, it's in the cookbook - p. 135...). The first year we were married I would use a couple of cans of Progresso Chicken Pot Pie soup and top it with the flaky rolls you buy in a can. I've come a long way since then...and so has my pot pie!

Filling:
1 cooked chicken, de-boned and chopped
2 large potatoes, diced
4 large carrots, diced
1 can vegetables (corn, peas, etc.)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour*
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 t. pepper

Bring broth to a boil and cook carrots and potatoes. When almost cooked, add the can of vegetables. Remove all vegetables and set aside.

In another pot melt butter and add flour. Stir until smooth. Cook one minute stirring constantly. gradually add 3 cups broth and 1 cup milk over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper. Add vegetables and chicken and spoon into 9x13 greased casserole dish.

Crust:
3 c. flour*
1 c. shortening (I use butter when I'm in an artery-saving mood but the crust isn't as flaky that way...)
1 tsp salt.
~10 T cold water

Blend the flour, shortening and salt. Add 10 T cold water (more if needed...). Mix and knead. Roll out and place on top of chicken and vegetables. Cut slits in crust and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Mine usually overflows so I recommend setting the casserole dish on a baking sheet before placing in the oven.
*I use whole wheat flour in both the filling and the crust

Peanut Butter Cookies

This made for a great late night football-listening snack. Easy and tasty. I have a feeling they'll be even better tomorrow (after having settled for the night).

3/4 stick butter, softened
1/3 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/3 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. superfine sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking powder

Put the butter, peanut butter and sugars in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg. Don't worry if it looks like it's curdling - it will be fine once cooked. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Chill mixture for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 baking sheets or line w/ non-stick baking parchment. Place spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets at least 3 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

makes 20 cookies

Lemon Coconut Layer Cake

This was okay. I thought it sounded fun and a little exotic and I needed something to bring to lunch at a friend's house so I went for it. I don't think I'll be making it again any time soon - it didn't blow me away, but then again, coconut is not my favorite thing. If you love coconut and lemon, then you just might love this.

For the layers and filling:
1 c. all purpose flour
pinch of salt
8 eggs
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 T grated orange rind
grated rind of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c. shredded coconut
2 T cornstarch
6 T butter

For the frosting:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c. confectioners' sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
6-8 T fresh lemon juice* (I didn't need this much...)
1 package (14 oz) shredded coconut (I only used a little over 1/2 the bag and it was plenty)

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 3 8" cake pans w/ wax paper and grease them. In a bowl, sift together flour and salt and set aside.

Place 6 of the eggs in large heat proof bowl. Set over hot water. With an electric mixer beat until frothy. Gradually beat in 3/4 c. granulated sugar until the mixture doubles in volume and is thick enough to leave a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted, which takes about 10 minutes.

Remove the bowl from hot water. Fold in the orange rind, 1/2 the grated lemon rind and 1 T of the lemon juice until blended. Fold in the coconut. Sift the flour mixture in 3 batches, folding in thoroughly after each addition. Divide the mixture between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 3-5 minutes. Then unmold and transfer to a cooling rack.

In a bowl, blend the cornstarch with a little cold water to dissolve. Whisk in the remaining eggs until just blended. Set aside.

In a saucepan combine the remaining lemon rind and juice, the remaining sugar, butter and 1 c. water. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Whisk in eggs and cornstarch and return to a boil. Whisk constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming and set aside.

For the frosting, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in the lemon rind and enough lemon juice to maintain a thick, spreadable consistency.

Sandwich the 3 cake layers with the lemon custard mixture. Spread the frosting over the top and sides. Cover the cake with the coconut, pressing it in gently.

Chicken Spaghetti

While we were in the states my step-mom made some chicken spaghetti that was delicious. I still haven't gotten the recipe from her so I'll post the one that I use. I'm not sure I could fully do her recipe anyways b/c of the limitations on some ingredients here...

3-4 T butter
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped onion
1 t. minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup **(I use the Maggai dry soup packets and mix them with milk and labneh to make a sour cream consistency...)
1 can cream of chicken soup**
5 chicken breasts, skin removed (I usually just boil a whole chicken b/c it's so much cheaper)
8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
1 pkg spaghetti (I use about 3/4 of the pkg, that way the spaghetti stays wetter)
salt, pepper and garlic to taste
1 c. tomatoes

Sautee onion pepper and garlic in butter. Set aside. Boil chicken. Remove from water and set aside to cool and de-bone. Cook spaghetti in chicken broth and drain. In large casserole dish (i use a big bowl for this part, then transfer to casserole) mix all ingredients using only 1/2 the cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 until heated through and cheese is melted on top (about 20-25 mins). Serves 6.

Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

This recipe is from a restaurant cookbook - a place called Harry's Roadhouse on I-25 about 20 miles outside of Santa Fe in New Mexico. If you ever have occasion to go there you won't be sorry you stopped.

2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 T poppy seeds
3 lemons, zested
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 2/3 c. milk
1 T vanilla
4 eggs
1 t. lemon extract* (I don't ever have this on hand so I've never added it...)

Mix together the dry ingredients. Zest lemons without getting into the white, bitter pith. Mix the lemon zest together with the wet ingredients and fold into the dry ingredients until incorporated (over mixing is a no-no). Be sure to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Follow your waffle iron's instructions for how much batter to use for each waffle. This batter will hold up for a couple of days so if you make waffles for Sunday lunch you can cook up the leftovers for breakfast on Monday. Enjoy!