Chewy oatmeal raisin cookies

So what does a girl do when she gets blatantly insulted about her brownies being "pretty bad" by...certain, tactless individuals who take a lot for granted? She goes home, sulks...and bakes cookies.

Oatmeal raisin cookies, that is. A timeless, comforting classic that's fairly simple, and delights many. Picnics, desserts, potlucks...you name it. This recipe yielded a crispy-around-the-edges, but chewy-in-the-center cookie. I am a chewy cookie fan, so I was happy with the results.


::gathering my raw materials::

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar (I used a 1/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar mix)

1 large egg

1 cup flour

1 heaping tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

dash of salt

3/4 cup quick rolled oats

1/3 cup raisins (or more, depending on what you like)


Directions:


In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.


Add egg and continue to beat. Sift dry ingredients together (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt) in a separate bowl. Slowly incorporate flour into wet ingredients and continue to beat @ a low speed.



Once fully incorporated, switch to a wooden spoon and add your oats, then raisins.


Roll into small balls and place on a cookie sheet with at least 1.5 inches in between each ball, for cookie expansion room.


Bake for 12-15 minutes @ 350F or until nice and brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Expect your cookies to be thin, and flatten out, as there is a higher content of sugar and butter. For a denser, cakier cookie, add more flour, and another egg. Enjoy!

Baked salmon with cilantro and lime

So for the poor blokes such as myself who don't have a grill or a bbq, gotta get creative with an oven or the broiler.

Baked salmon is easy enough. I love salmon. I will eat it bbq'd, fried, baked, raw, you name it. It's probably not the healthiest fish to eat, but it's certainly tasty.

I decided to keep it very simple with some nice complimentary ingredients. Served with rice and veggies, it was pretty rad. Can't go wrong with salmon, really...unless you don't like fish. = )


::gathering my raw materials::

Ingredients:

6 oz fresh salmon fillet

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp minced garlic (jarred is fine)

1 tbsp soy sauce

freshly ground pepper

1 cup cooked veggies (Sauteed or steamed)

1 cup cooked rice (flavored with whatever you'd like)



Directions:

Mix together your lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, minced garlic, and chopped cilantro in a small bowl. The soy sauce is a great addition, as you don't need to worry about adding any extra salt, but doesn't take away from the other flavors. In a small baking pan, coat the bottom of the pan with a bit of oil, to prevent sticking.


Place the salmon fillet in the pan, and season with freshly ground pepper.


Generously coat the cilantro mixture all over the fillet, including the underside. Pop into the oven for 15-18 minutes @ 350F.


While you're waiting, make whatever side dishes you'd like; rice, or veggies. Nuke frozen veggies in the microwave for a minute, and throw in a small saucepan with some onions and peppers. Keep it simple.


Remove your salmon from the oven and allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving.


If you're making rice, finish it up, season it to your liking, and serve it up on a dish with your salmon and veggies. Garnish with more fresh chopped cilantro, and you're all set. = )


Salmon is a great fish to experiment with various seasonings and sauces. Be bold, be mild, be spicy, be sour. I strongly encourage you to play with your food. = D

fudgy, nutty brownies

Ah the brownie...cakey, fudgy, chewy, or crunchy...so many different variations. No matter how many times I've tried, I always come out with either cakey brownies (which promptly end up in the trash, or slathered with fudge frosting to compensate for the texture), or the more pleasantly textured fudgy brownie. I flourish with chewy cookies...can make a muffin and cupcake from scratch...but the brownie is my unicorn. I can never get it just the way I'd like it...but gotta admit, this recipe yielded some nice fudgy, flavorful treats.


::gathering my raw materials::


Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 heaping tbsps cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 egg yolks

1 cup brown sugar

4 oz strong brewed coffee (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4-6 oz melted bittersweet chocolate

1 stick of butter

4 oz chocolate chips



Directions

Heat your oven to 350F. Throw some nuts on a cookie sheet, and toast for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and chop in a mini food processor.


Put aside in a bowl.


Optional step: Prepare some coffee in a coffee press, or brew some instant. I opted for the former, because I'll take any opportunity to make coffee for myself = )
Allow to steep for 4 minutes, if pressing. Pour about 4 oz into a cup.

In a double boiler, melt your chocolate and the stick of butter until smooth. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and coffee.


While you're waiting for the chocolate mixture to cool off a little, sift together your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.


Separate your eggs, and save the yolks. You can save the egg whites for breakfast, or toss. Whatever you'd like. I brought out my handy dandy egg separator.


Normally, I just use whole eggs, but a friend suggested I use egg yolks. I thought I'd give it a try, considering I was avoiding the cakey texture.

So now, the chocolate mixture should be at room temperature. Beat in the brown sugar with a mixer. Then slowly add the dry ingredients.



Once fully incorporated, add your nuts and chocolate chips. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spread mixture evenly.



Throw in the oven, bake @ 350F for about 17-20 minutes. Once done, remove and allow to cool for about two hours.

Flip over onto wax paper and remove aluminum. With a sharp knife, carefully make firm, even cuts to get that "clean cut" effect. Wipe the knife each time, as you cut the desired number of brownies.


Serve and enjoy alone, with ice cream, or however you'd like. For a cakier brownie, add more flour and use 3 whole eggs for recipe. For a crunchier brownie...simply, bake longer. And a chewier brownie? Still working on that one... = )

Curry with chicken and rice

Hmmm...I think I went a little curry happy with this one, but it was fun to break out of my element and try something new. Will definitely adhere to the 'less is more' idea, when dabbling with spicy stuff again.

So it came out good; super spicy, but good. The rice complimented the chicken and curry quite nicely, and was very simple to make. A bit of prep, but once everything was organized, it all came together quickly.


::gathering my raw materials::


Ingredients

6 oz chicken meat cut into small pieces

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup potatoes, cut into small cubes

1 tbsp cooking oil.

1-3 tbsp yellow curry paste (start with 1 tbsp and work your way up to your spice tolerance)

1 cup coconut milk

1-2 tbsp sugar (to taste)

1/2 cup jasmine rice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro




Directions:

In a deep skillet, sautee your onions, and diced potatoes with a bit of of cooking oil. Add your chicken to brown. At this point, it doesn't really matter if the chicken insn't fully cooked, as it will simmer and cook within the curry sauce.



Now this is the part where you do as I suggest, not as I did--I added about 3 (heaping) tbsps of curry paste to my food, followed by only about a half a cup of coconut milk. Um, oops. It didn't make the food taste any worse--just upped the spice factor, heh.



Once you add the coconut milk, drop your heat to a low-medium. Let the ingredients simmer together. Taste. If too salty, add some sugar. I like my curry slightly sweet, so I added about 2 tbsps.



At this point, you can add more liquid (water, milk, more coconut milk) to taste/texture. Allow to simmer until your potatoes are cooked. Other veggies are definitely welcome in this dish. Remove from heat once cooked.

In a small saucepan, bring a cup of water to boil, and add a half cup of rice. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes. Chop your cilantro while you're waiting for the rice to cook.



Once the rice is done, add the cilantro and stir a bit. Serve on a plate, and top with your curry and chicken.


Add a side salad, and you're good to go. Garnish your curry with cilantro leaves, as the cilantro compliments the spices in the curry quite nicely. Enjoy!

Tomato bisque

Anytime i get to fiddle with a kitchen gadget that i don't normally use, I am stoked. = ) i was also relieved to use my tomatoes, which i feared would be forgotten in the veggie drawer, and turn into a yucky tomato mush.

but luckily, they were nice and firm. this is my second attempt at a soup, and was pleased with the results. keeping chicken stock/broth handy is a great strategy for soup experimentation.

so...here we go...a nice tomato bisque for lunch. For the purpose of this recipe, I will double my measurements--I made only enough for myself, only because i had 1 and 1/2 tomatos to use.


::gathering my raw materials::



Ingredients


1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tbsps olive oil

4-6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

A 16 oz can, chicken stock

Seasonings - pinch of sage, rosemary, pepper -- all to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Shredded cheese, croutons, or sour cream (for garnish)

::note:: the salt and sugar ratio is entirely up to your own taste. I like my tomato bisques salty sweet, but taste as you go along.




Directions

In a large saucepan, heat your olive oil and sautee your minced garlic and chopped onions. Allow this to cook on low to medium heat for about 5-10 minutes.


Add your chicken stock and chopped tomatoes. Let them simmer on low.


This is a good time to add your seasonings. In goes the sage, rosemary, and pepper. Add more, add less--up to you.



Go away for an hour, keeping your heat on low, and your pot covered. When the tomatoes are fully cooked, you're ready for the blending. Turn off your heat.

So...there's a couple of ways you can do this: 1) scoop out your soup in parts, and put them in a blender or 2) use an immersion blender, and do it directly in the pot. I opted for the latter.

NOTE: MAKE SURE THE HEAD IS FULLY SUBMERGED IN YOUR LIQUID! I learned the hard way, and splashed hot soup on me, and my stove, 'til I got the hang of it. Totally worth it though, because it pureed everything in a snap, once I figured out what I was doing. = )


Now, if your tomato skins are very thick, take this opportunity to use a large sieve (try to use one with a wider mesh) to strain out skins, seeds, etc. I used roma tomatos, and the skins were very thin, so didn't really have an issue. Plus, I liked the texture of the mixed veggies. Put the soup back in the pot and on your stove. At extremely low heat, add your sugar and salt to taste. Add your heavy cream.



Once it starts to form tiny bubbles, you're essentially done. Add cheese, if you'd like. Serve into bowls and top with croutons, sour cream, pepper, cheese, etc. Enjoy alone or with a sandwich. And there you go...a non complicated lunch. = )