Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

Found this recipe in a cookbook I had for over 15 years but never used. My son said he was craving something sweet lately so I thought I would try these. They were perfect to him. We don't like overly sweet things so these were just right. 

3/4 c butter, softened

1/4 c shortening

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

 2 1/4 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 12oz pkg semi sweet chocolate morsels

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugars, beating well. Adds eggs and vanilla, beating well.

Combine flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in chocolate morsels. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 6 1/2 dozen. 

Food for Thought: I did not have patience to make 6 or so batches so I made mine a little bigger and had to carefully monitor the time. 

Taco Tofu Chili

I met my friend Kacey through the blogging world back in the day when Pioneer Woman actually visited my blog, before she became famous and was on Food Network. Kacey & I became good friends & I even visited her in TN. She gave me this awesome recipe on a beautiful card. I never made it. Funny enough, my husband and I became whole food plant based eaters in 1/2019. I was looking through recipes & found her sweet recipe card. I thought to myself, why not sub the beef with tofu. And what came out of that was sweet victory. Hubs loves it & when it's done, a new batch gets made. It couldn't be easier because you just dump everything in except for the corn, which gets drained. 

1 pkg extra firm tofu

2 tblsp taco seasoning

Vegetable broth for cooking

1 onion, diced

1 can kidney beans, UNdrained

2 cans pinto beans, UNdrained

1 tblsp Ranch seasoning

1 can white corn

1 can Hot Rotel 

1 can original Rotel

1 4oz can diced green chiles

Drain tofu, crumble & lay out on paper towel to rid of excess water. Or use tofu press. Add to air fryer & sprinkle with taco seasoning. Air fry for about 15 minutes, tossing & breaking up a few times since the tofu will stick tpgether. 

Saute onion in vegetable broth until brown. Mix in beans (undrained), Rotel, corn, chiles, Ranch seasoning. Let simmer & cover until tofu is ready. 

When tofu is nice & brown, add it to the chili. 

I like to air fry oil free corn tortillas to go with this. Hubs still eats cheese so he adds some shredded. 

Beet Burgers with Smoky Tomato Aioli

1/4 c quinoa

1/2 c peas

1/2 c panko breadcrumbs

2 oz beets (canned works!)

Pretzel Buns

2/3 c Vegenaise

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 shallot, thinly sliced

Spinach or pea shoots

For the aioli, mix the Vegenaise, tomato paste, garlic, lemon juice & smoked paprika. Put in fridge until ready to use. This will make enough for 4-5 burgers. 

Cook quinoa according to package directions, along with a pinch of salt. Add cooked quinoa, peas, breadcrumbs, beets and 1/2 tsp salt to processor. Blend until well combined (about 10 pulses). Divide the beet mixture into 2-3 patties, depending on your size preference. Air fry, bake or pan fry until crisp.

To assemble sandwich, toast pretzel buns lightly. Spread each side with a little aioli. Top with beet burger, sliced shallots & spinach. 

Alternatively for the aioli: this recipe came from Purple Carrot. Their ingredients were 3 tblsp Vegenaise, 2 tsp tomato powder, 1/8 tsp liquid smoke & 1 tbsp water. Since I cannot find tomato powder, I resorted to a Googled recipe for this aioli. It comes quite close. 

Food for Thought: I just made these this evening. Doubled the recipe for just the burgers and made 5 patties. 

Stuffed Shrooms with Chicken Sausage

Delicious! Made these for Christmas Eve 2016 and we all agreed. I loved using the chicken sausage instead of regular pork sausage, especially when there were plenty of other heavier meats for the dinner. And even if there weren't, I wouldn't change a thing. These are definitely going in my appetizer rotation. 

24 ounces white button mushrooms

1/2 pound mild Italian chicken Sausage (I use Greenwise at Publix)

1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup dry white wine

8 ounces 1/3^rd less fat cream cheese

1 egg yolk

3/4 cups parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper, to taste

   Parsley, for garnish, optional

Wipe off mushrooms with damp cloth. Pop out stems, reserving both parts. Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside. 

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool. 

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool. 

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with parmesan cheese. Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up. 

Spoon mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get tops browned. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.

Thai Honey Chicken Skewers

This is a wonderful light appetizer I made just recently for Labor Day weekend 2024 alongside a dip, since our main meal was skirt steak with some heavy sides. Everyone was surprised at how much flavor these chicken skewers had. The dry rub along with the marinade ensures a great visit to Flavortown!  

Chicken

1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips or use chx tenderloins
2 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey 
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Chopped fresh cilantro & lime wedges for garnish

Sriracha Mayo

3 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice
Ground black pepper to taste

Toss chicken with the five-spice, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper.

In a small bowl combine honey, olive oil and lime juice. Toss chicken with marinade and put in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (I marinate overnight for fullest flavor).

For Sriracha mayo, combine mayo, Greek yogurt, Sriracha, lime juice and pepper and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside. 

Soak 6-8" skewers in water for an hour. Then skewer chicken.

Heat a grill to medium-high and cook chicken until nicely seared, about 3 minutes per side, depending how thin the chicken. Transfer to a plate, scatter with sesame seeds & fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges & Sriracha mayo on the side.

Buckeye Fudge - PB & Chocolate

Peanut Butter Layer:

1¼ cups creamy peanut butter

1¼ cups butter (2 ½ sticks), cut into 9 pieces

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate Layer:

2 cups (entire 12oz pkg) semi­sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

2½ tablespoons butter

Place peanut butter and butter pieces into a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar that has been sifted. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13­inch pan. Set aside.

In another medium microwave­ safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and 2½ tablespoons butter. Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth.

Pour on top of peanut butter layer and use a rubber spatula to smooth it out. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares. Notes: be sure to buy sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk. You will need most of a 14 ounce can. Sifting the powdered sugar will prevent lumps. 

Marinated Grilled Tuna Steak

3 (4 ounce) fresh tuna steaks

Ground black pepper (to taste)

Marinade:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced

In a bowl combine all marinade ingredients until well blended. Place the tuna steaks into a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the tuna steaks & turn to coat.

Refrigerate for an hour at the minimum or overnight if you have the time. Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Oil the grill grate. Remove the steaks from marinade (discard any marinade) & place on a plate. Season lightly with freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Let sit at room temp (as I do with anything about to be grilled or put in oven) for ½ hour. We grill our steaks for 2 min per side for a little rare in the middle. Cook longer if you like yours more well done.