Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

With the exception of my friend Melissa's thin and crispy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, I'm in the thick and chewy camp. This recipe from Fine Cooking magazine is really good. Too good. I usually scoop out a bunch of cookie dough balls to freeze and bake later, but often they end up eaten before I get around to baking them.

This is the recipe I plan to use for making the Father's Day cookies for our girl's camp fundraiser. We're going to bake them on a big sheet like bar cookies, then cut them out into tie shapes while they're hot from the oven. Then decorate them. I will update with photos when we do this. Maybe I should use the pre-made tubs of Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough from Costco because it would be lots easier and close to the same price. But I'm guessing these would taste a lot better. Any opinions?

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/3 cups unsalted butter, cold
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, cold
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar, starting on low speed and gradually working your way up to high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes once you reach high speed. Scrape the bowl and beater. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on low until blended. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape it down again.

In a med. bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add this to the butter mixture and stir on low just until almost blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until bottoms are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yucatecan Pork (Cochinita Pibil)

This fantastic dish comes from Rick Bayless's "Everyday Mexican". Rick Bayless does it again. This is my current favorite cookbook because the recipes really are easy enough for every day, but they sing with authentic Mexican flavors and take me back to our days living in Mexico.

The hardest part of making this dish (aside from finding the ingredients) is juicing limes and slicing onions, which is to say that I think it's easy. It's pretty quick to assemble and fabulous enough for company, but we love it so much we sometimes find it difficult to share. It's my all-time favorite way to eat pork, and perhaps the main reason my daughter hasn't become vegetarian yet. It's the perfect combination of flavors - I LOVE the red onions pickled in fresh lime juice on top - they turn a lovely pink color and are so tart and crunchy. We like to eat it just with some shredded cabbage and warmed corn tortillas. You can make little soft tacos to eat it, and the leftovers are also good on tostadas (layer on the shredded pork, pickled red onions and cabbage). If I'm making it just for us, I usually freeze half of the pork to eat later with freshly made pickled red onions. And I've found the leftover pink and oniony lime juice from the red onions is great in guacamole (the color's not the best, but the flavor is).

We found achiote paste at the Mexican grocery store just off of Bates street in Oakland, but I bet you could find it at Reyna's in the strip. I got the optional banana leaves at the Asian store in Wilkinsburg in the frozen section, and I think their aroma adds a lot to the experience of opening up the crockpot, unfolding the banana leaves, and finding this perfectly tender and savory piece of pork roast nestled inside - I can almost imagine it was roasted in a pit for a day or two.

Sorry no pictures - we couldn't wait to dig in. I'll have to take some the next time I make it.

So, with that raving intro, here it is:

Slow-Cooked Achiote Pork (Cochinita Pibil)
1/2 of a 3/5 oz. package achiote seasoning (he recommends Yucateco brand adobo de achiote)
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (divided use)
salt
half a 1 lb pkg banana leaves, optional (defrosted if frozen)
3 lb. bone-in pork shoulder roast (I think I've usually made this with 3-4 lbs boneless pork loin)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted fresh chile salsa or bottled habanero hot sauce for serving

Place the achiote seasoning in a small bowl. Pour in 1/2 cup lime juice and 1 1/2 tsp salt (he calls for 2, but I prefer it with this), then use the back of a spoon to work the mixture into a smooth, thickish marinade.

If you have banana leaves, cut two 2-foot sections and use them to line a slow-cooker -- lay one down the length, the other across the width. Lay in the pork and pour the marinade over and around the roast. Scatter the white onion over the meat.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat. Fold up the banana leaves to roughly cover everything. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender (this can also hold on the keep warm setting for 4 more hours or so).

Once you've started the meat, combine the red onion with the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt, toss and set aside to marinate, stirring from time to time.

Use tongs to transfer the meat (it will easily break into delicious-looking pieces) and onions to a serving dish. Spoon off any rendered fat that's floating in the juices (I also peel off the layer of fat from the top of the roast and discard it). If there are 2 cups or more of the sauce, put it in a saucepan and boil it down to 1 cup. Spoon the sauce over the meat. Top with the lime-marinated red onions and serve with the salsa and plenty of hot tortillas.

This can also be baked in a dutch oven for 2 1/2 -3 hours at 300 degrees. And you can substitute chicken thighs for the pork. Black beans make a great side dish, too.

Lentils with Chickpeas and Couscous

Last night I made a long time favorite dinner. Takes about 1/2 hour to make. Lentils with chickpeas and couscous. kind of a moroccan flair. It fits all my ideals - healthy, fast, delicious, and economical. Plus it's vegetarian. We like to top it with chopped dried apricots from my parents' tree, but none of us can decide which is our favorite topping: the mint, the pinenuts or the apricots. You just have to have them all, but when you don't have any, it's still delicious.

You are here

Ingredients: 

1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

2 ¾ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

⅓ cup raisins

1 cup whole-wheat couscous

1 12-oz. jar chunky medium salsa or picante sauce

1 cup chopped cilantro

3 Tbs. tomato paste

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 large carrot, diced (about ½ cup)

1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Instructions: 

1. Bring lentils and 6 cups water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered 15 minutes, or until lentils are just tender.

2. Bring 1 1/4 cups broth and raisins to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat.

3. Place salsa, cilantro, tomato paste and cumin in food processor, and purée until smooth.

4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until slightly browned, stirring frequently. Add salsa mixture, remaining 1 1/2 cups broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Drain lentils and add to chickpea sauce. Thin with additional broth if sauce is too thick.

6. Place couscous in 6 bowls and top with sauce. Sprinkle each serving with mint and pine nuts, and serve.

Nutrition Information: 

Calories: 

 

373

Protein: 

 

19 g

Total Fat: 

 

8 g

Saturated Fat: 

 

5 g

Carbohydrates: 

 

61 g

Cholesterol: 

 

0 mg

Sodium: 

 

593 mg

Fiber: 

 

11 g

Sugar: 

 

11 g

Yield: 

 

Serves 6