Sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate. I don’t bake much anymore. My waist line can’t afford it. Well it could if I went to the gym, but its been months since I set foot in the gym so in the meantime cookies are not my friend. Oh but they are. These chocolate cookies are so good!

I like that it uses cocoa powder which I always have on hand, and I’m guaranteed to have a at least a few chips/chunks of chocolate to toss in as well. So this is a fabulous go-to late night cook recipe, especially cause its easily halved in case you find yourself with only one egg! Personally, I opt for dark chocolate whenever I can so I use Dark Cocoa powder in this recipe and dark chocolate chips. They make a fabulously rich and chocolatey cookie to satisfy your chocolate craving.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields: 3 dozen cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour*
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate (chips or chunks)
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt half the chocolate (4 oz) with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in remaining chocolate.

Scoop batter using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop; place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack, about 15 minutes. Cookies will still be a little soft but will set after removing from oven. Transfer on parchment to wire racks. Let cool 5 minutes.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, June 2005

* I have successfully made this recipe using all Wheat Pastry Flour. It yields a chewier cookie, but I certainly don’t mind for the extra benefit of using wheat flour!

Work has been keeping me really busy lately. As is life, so I’ve been spending Sundays trying to cook as much as possible for the week. When I saw this recipe pop up on Sing for Your Supper, I knew I had to try it! They do look amazing don’t they?? Speaking of Amy’s blog, have you checked it out? Amy is a fellow Texan, and an opera singer & voice teacher. She has a fabulous blog with delicious eats. She won a contest recently and one of her cookie recipes appeared in the Fort Worth Star Telegram; I can’t wait to try them! Definitely pop over and check out her blog!

Anyway, back to the recipe. I knew we’d be able to get several meals out of this which makes it ideal for weeknights! It reheats really well and is packed with flavor! Top your tacos off however you like. We opted for lettuce, sliced avocado & homemade salsa (and sour cream for hubby). I definitely recommend some avocado or guacamole though, its particularly good with the pork! Check out the original recipe on Food Network if you’re looking for some slaw to go with the pulled pork!

Definitely give it a try! It won’t disappoint!

Pulled Pork Tacos

1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 pork loin (~2 pounds), cut into 3-inch chunks
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp honey
1 orange, halved and juiced
1 lime, halved and juiced
salt & pepper, to taste
1 package corn tortillas, warmed
Garnishes as desired

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a dutch oven, combine the spices (oregano, chili powder, cumin), pork, onion chicken broth/stock, tomato paste, honey, orange and lime juice. Give it a good stir. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer. Transfer to the oven and cook, covered, until the pork is tender and easily shreds, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Remove the meat from the Dutch oven to a cutting board. Set the Dutch oven over medium heat and reduce the liquid until it becomes slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the meat and return to dutch oven once liquid is reduced. Allow pork to soak up remaining liquid. Season with salt & pepper as desired. Serve with corn tortillas and garnish as desired.

Source: Adapted from The Neelys

I’ve had chili on the mind lately. Its such a good hearty comfort food for a cold day. The end of winter is quickly approaching as we steady into 60 degree weather. I was flipping through my copy of The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger and saw this recipe. And I knew I wanted to make this. Its definitely different than my usual go-to Texas Style Chili recipe. I love the use of the chipotle chiles in this recipe, rather than the typical chili powder. They had a great flavor and bit of kick. The original recipe calls for 1 chile but we use two. If I were making a batch solely for hubby, I know that he would love it if I packed 3 in there but I know 3 is more than I’d care for. Start with 1 to play it safe and see what you think but two is our magic number.

Oh and don’t you just love the color? I love that this hearty and filling Chili but packs in a few extra veggies. Definitely give this one a try while its still cool outside!

Confetti Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (28-oz) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups water (or beef broth)
1-3 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced, plus 2 teaspoons of the sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (15.5-oz) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-oz) can kidney beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

We’ve had our sweet pup for a year now. Its hard to believe how quickly time flies. We brought her home Febraury 13th last year. Macy was skin & bones. 40 lbs to be exact (click here if you want to see a pic of her skinny itty bitty self taken the day we brought her home). She’s now a happy, healthy 52lb boxer who loves her mama for making her homemade treats Yes, I did just call myself my dog’s mama. It can’t be helped; she’s like my child. She’s my first child even which only makes it worse Oh how spoiled she is! All those homemade treats has given her plenty of chances at perfecting the ‘More Please!’ look! If you’re anything like me, then you have a hard time resisting this adorable face!!

I love making dog treats. First of all, your test subject will eat just about anything! But I enjoy trying new combos of flavors and different types of grains, etc to see what she seems to like more! This time I knew I wanted to create a chewier treat than she normally has. She gets so excited over her normal treats that she practically swallows them whole in an attempt to hurry and get another! I wanted to slow her down, so I began experimenting molasses! It did the trick! She actually spit the treat back out at first like what is this?! Gave it another sniff and proceeded to scarf it down as quickly as she could but these definitely require at least some chewing! haha. They definitely seemed like another winner! She certainly had no complaints!

Banana Oat Dog Treats

2 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c rolled oats
1 tsp molasses
1 large egg
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Dough should be soft but easily rolled (depending upon banana size, you may need to add a little flour). Scoop a teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place balls on baking sheet and press flat with fork, criss-crossing horizontally and vertically until cookies are uniform in thickness. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Let cool completely before giving to your dog.

Homemade bread. Its truly one of the most amazingly delicious foods that exists. I mean seriously, hot bread straight from the oven slathered with butter… its heaven. I’m sure I’m not the only impatient one when it comes to eating freshly baked bread (see photo below – can you see that steam?? haha.) I let the bread cool and took some more photos, but we’re keepin’ it real here. I have no patience to wait on delicious food. I was so ready to hurry and eat some fresh bread!

I first saw this recipe on Erin’s Food Files (p.s. – have you seen Erin’s blog? its great! go check it out). But as I frequently do, I went back to the original recipe from Gourmet and made some modifications of my own. This recipe will not disappoint. Its heavy and hearty and just all around delicious.The original recipe calls for a mix of wheat flour and all purpose. Like Erin, I’ve had great experiences using all wheat flour, so I also opted to use white wheat flour and omit the all purpose. If you’d like a lighter, airier bread. Go with the original recommendation of 3 cups wheat + 2 cups all purpose.

It will yield two loaves… don’t even think about cutting the recipe in half. You’ll eat them both! You can always freeze one loaf if you want, but since you’re putting in the effort to make bread anyway, you might as well get two loaves out of it! Definitely give this one a try!

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

2 cups milk
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) plus additional for topping if desired
1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F)
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup mild honey
1 Tbsp molasses
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for buttering pans
5 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon salt
Vegetable oil for oiling bowl

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
Special equipment: 2 (8- by 4-inch) loaf pans

Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm.

Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, molasses and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal.

Combine ingredients in stand mixer with wooden spoon, then knead with bread hook 5-7 minutes.Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Lightly butter loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each buttered pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. If desired, lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats. Bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.) Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Bread keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature, 4 days.

Adapted from Gourmet, October 2005

I’ve already blogged about Roasted Tomato Salsa before. That recipe is still our favorite. But I wanted to give this recipe a try since its faster to whip up and we love us some good roasted salsa goodness. We really enjoyed this salsa when served on day 1, but the roasty goodness was actually too much for us the longer that it sat! Which is surprising because I expected the roasted flavor to not be as strong in the canned tomatoes than when I fresh roast tomatoes!

So I don’t usually blog about recipes that I think are just so-so, and overall that’s what I’d give this since we felt like it had to be consumed right away and I like making a big batch on the weekend to last us a week. BUT this recipe definitely has a place in our kitchen and thus why its on the blog. Its great to whip up if you’ve got company on the way! My usual go-to recipe takes too long to whip up if you’re in a time crunch (and when its not tomato season its good just not as good as it could be so canned roasted tomatoes gives you more flavor).

Quick Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

1 to 2 fresh jalapeño chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt

Roast the chiles and garlic. In a small ungreased skillet over medium heat, roast the chiles and garlic, turning regularly, until they are soft and blotchy brown, about 10 minutes for the chiles, 15 minutes for the garlic.  Cool until handleable, then pull the stem(s) off the chile(s) and remove seeds if desired (we do!). Roughly chop jalapenos.  Peel the skin off the garlic.  Scoop into a food processor and pulse until quite finely chopped.

Finish the salsa. Add the tomatoes with their juice.  Re-cover and pulse until you have a coarse puree.  Scrape into a serving dish.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2  teaspoon.  Ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Rick Bayless

I love muffins. They’re good for breakfast, snacks and dessert. I mean cookies and brownies are good for all that too, but you definitely feel a little guilty for eating a brownie for breakfast. But muffins, no guilt. Especially if they’re made with whole wheat flour! We started weight watchers last June and I’ve only made muffins ONCE since then. I was due for some tasty muffins. I could have gone for my standby favorite, Banana Chocolate Crumb Muffins, but I was attempting to be healthier with my muffin baking choice. So I popped over to Epicurious. Do y’all use epicurious? Its one of my go-to spots when hunting for a new recipe. Most recipes I’ve tried from Gourmet magazine have been hits! So when I saw this one for Applesauce Spice Muffins, I knew I had a winner.

In typical fashion, I don’t know how to follow a recipe. Even when I have the best intentions of following a recipe as described, I don’t. I always wind up making changes.  First, I substituted the all-purpose flour for white whole wheat to make the recipe healthier. And I’m a cinnamon fiend so of course it was only natural to double the cinnamon. And then I wanted to trim the fat so I cut the butter, which was actually mentioned in several reviews of the recipe. I also opted to top the muffins with nuts rather than mix them in, therefore using fewer nuts. While nuts have healthy fats… they’re still fats and extra calories. I was able to use fewer nuts this way

If you’re not being particularly mindful of your waistline, I’d go ahead and use 1/2 cup of butter to yield a better texture. These were a tiny bit on the dry side but honestly, we didn’t mind a bit.I’d also increase the sugar up to a cup if you prefer a sweeter muffin, these are little more bread like than super sweet, which is my preference for breakfast muffins. They are tasty and hearty muffins. I love that they keep me full for a couple hours which is great! They’re much more filling than the cereal I typically have for breakfast.

Looking for a healthier, tasty breakfast muffin? These are your friend!

Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins

For muffins:
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
5 Tbsp butter
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

For the topping:
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp Turbinado sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease standard muffin pan.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then add butter, a little at a time, whisking until mixture is creamy. Stir in applesauce, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Stir together topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of muffins. Gently press into muffin batter. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool.

Yields 12 Muffins

Source: Adapted from Gourmet, November 2003

Its cold outside! 33 degrees which is chilly by Texas standards. I’m wearing a scarf and boots & coat today I love it though. I love January & February. They’re my favorite months I think because its the only “winter” we get in Texas. Actually this year has been pretty cool, but typically we don’t get much “winter.” I joke that Texas has two seasons: Summer and Not-Summer.Which is pretty much how it is. We usually get a couple weeks of cool weather and a couple weeks of Fall-ish weather, but yup… summer and not-summer pretty much sums it. I’ll take any cold weather I can get. It gives me an excuse to make things like Chili!

I first blogged my chili recipe two years ago. It took months of developing a recipe that I thought was just right. I still love my Chili recipe and it still remains unchanged. Hubby loves it a lot too, which is saying a lot cause nothing is as good as his dad’s chili, as he used to say. The first time I tried making chili, he gave me shifty eyes like, why are you trying? He declared that it was good though. Second time I ever made chili, he was still gave me the shifty eye look though. Like you’re still gonna try to make chili? Luckily, he’s stopped giving me the shifty eye look. I’ve made a winner of a chili recipe that even hubby requests. That’s a winner in my book!

I frequently buy pre-cubed ’stew’ meat from the butcher which is whatever cuts they give you, so you can use whatever cut of steak that you’d like. Just keep in mind that the less tender cuts will probably need to be cooked longer to get nice and tender. I also say 1-2 cups of broth in this recipe which is quite a big range. But I’ve found that sometimes I only need a single cup and other times I need more, depending upon how my meat cooks up or just how much juice is in the tomatoes, or how long it simmers on the stove. I’d recommend starting with a cup of broth. After all, we’re making chili not soup. And go from there to get the consistency you’d like.

And so there’s the great debate… should chili have beans or not? Personally, I don’t have much of a preference. I know… that’s probably a crime in and of itself. But I didn’t grow up eating chili. The first time I recall eating a bowl of chili was late in high school so really, I don’t think of either way as the “right” way. When I make a pot of chili, I typically add beans for nutritional purposes and to get more out of the chili Don’t hate, I’m still a Texan. But you can make this recipe however you like, with or without. I’ve made it both ways and its tasty both ways. So, you do what you want (of course)! When I do use beans, I typically use 1 can of kidney beans & 1 can of pinto beans. I buy an organic brand that is unseasoned. I’ve found that there’s enough flavoring in the chili to not have to add anything else for the extra cans except a little more salt & pepper.

I hope you’ll try this recipe out, we think its a winner!

Texas Chili (or not)

2 pounds chuck roast, cubed*
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes (with or without green chiles)
1-2 fresh roasted green chiles, seeds removed & diced (or a 4 oz can green chiles)
1-2 c beef broth
1 large onion, diced
3-4 large gloves garlic, minced
2 heaping Tbsp ancho chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
Salt & Black pepper to taste
2 (15 oz) cans beans, drained (optional!!)

In a large dutch oven, add beef. Season liberally with salt & freshly ground black pepper. Stir occasionally, until just browned. Over medium heat, add onions & garlic and saute, stirring occasionally until softened and aromatic, 7-9 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, diced tomatoes, green chiles and beef broth. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 hours, or longer (add broth as needed). If desired, add drained beans and allow to simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper as desired. Serve hot.

* For canned green chiles, we prefer Hatch brand roasted green chiles. If you can’t find canned green chiles, substitute the canned tomatoes with a variety that has chiles in them such as Rotel

I made my first batch of Caramel Corn several months ago for Girls’ Night. Then I made some again for the holidays. Then I got hooked and have made several more batches. I can’t help myself its delicious. I’ve tried trimming this recipe down several times with less butter and sugar but its never as good and frequently results in the popcorn getting a bit burnt due the lack of buttery goodness; dry popcorn pieces in the oven for 45 minutes = not tasty.  So after much testing, this is what I arrived at. Its tasty! I typically use 94% Fat Free Butter Popcorn since there’s extra buttery sugary goodness that gets poured all over it. Makes me feel not so guilty

The super bowl is coming up which is the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of this popcorn! So go get busy!

Caramel Popcorn

1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 bags microwave popped popcorn (~12 cups)

Preheat oven to 250°F . Place popcorn in a very large bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.

Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Source: Adapted from Good Things Catered

The first time I saw this recipe, I knew it would be a winner. For starters, one of my favorite bloggers Elly blogged about this delish meal. Second, you really can’t go wrong with this blend of ingredients. I love ancho chile powder!! I actually stopped buying regular chile powder about a year ago. Ancho chili powder has a rich, smokey flavor. I also like that it doesn’t pack much heat. Even with my love of ancho chili powder, I prefer to scale back the chili powder when making this. Elly uses 2.5 Tbsp but I wanted a milder flavor that would accompany the salsa so I use more like 1.5 Tbsp, but more is good too!

I love how quick and easy this dish is. Its perfect for a week night, especially since its a one pot dish!

Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

2 Tbsp. canola oil
1.25 – 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1-2 Tbsp ancho chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, large dice
1 cup rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped green onions, or 1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 to 1 cup salsa, such as Roasted Tomato Salsa

Cut the chicken breast into 1″ pieces. Heat the oil in a medium-large heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Season chicken chunks with with salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of the ancho chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown, 5-6 minutes . Remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the onion and rice to the pot. Stir for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining ancho chili powder. Cook one minute, and then add the broth and salt to taste. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add cooked chicken along with drained beans. Re-cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Sprinkle the green onions (or cilantro) and test a kernel of rice.  It should  have no more than a hint of chalkiness at in the center, in which case you place the cover back on, remove it from the heat and let it stand 5-10 minutes.  If it’s not cooked, cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Source: adapted from Elly Says Opa, originally from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless