Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love a good cookie!!  I love sharing them.  I love eating them warm out of the oven.  I love ending a good day or a hard day with a cookie.  My kids love when I surprise them with a cookie at the end of dinner 'just because.'

Insert:  brown butter.  Chocolate Chips.  More brown sugar than white.  Make a double batch and freeze what you don't need.  Then you can bake 5 cookies or 2 dozen on a whim!  

*Warning:  These cookies are highly addictive!  And, they require a bit of planning ahead.  Cutting the chill times makes a decent cookie.  Chilling as suggested makes an out-of-this-world cookie!

- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp cornstarch

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp milk

- 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Brown the butter.  (To brown butter, melt the butter over medium heat and stir or whisk often.  Once melted, the butter begins to foam.  Continue to heat, while stirring or whisking often.  The butter will begin to brown!  You'll notice brown specks in the bottom and you'll smell an amazing nutty aroma!)

Refrigerate the brown butter for 2-3 hours (or up to 12 hours).  I like to put mine in the bowl of the stand mixer so that its ready for the next step at the right time!

Remove brown butter and beat the chilled brown butter with stand mixer or hand held mixer on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy.  Add the granulated and brown sugars.  Beat on medium high speed until light in color and combined, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract on high speed.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.  On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.  Then, beat in the milk on medium speed.  Add the chocolate chips and mix on low for 5-10 seconds until combined.  

Cover the dough and chill.  You can chill the dough for only 1.5 to 3 hours, or you can make it up to 2 or 3 days in advance.  

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.  Remove the dough as you preheat the oven.  Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop.  Scoop as many cookies as desired to bake right away!  Bake for 9-11 minutes.  (They will appear soft in the middle, though brown on the bottom.)  

To freeze, scoop onto a tray close enough to fit a bunch but not touching.  Flash freeze for 30 min.  Then, put the cookie dough in a freezer bag.  They bake amazing straight from freezer to oven! 

Gumbo

 

My Food Network magazine came in last month and I quickly decided to try a recipe from it.  Will loves Gumbo, and I love soup all year, especially as cooler weather sets in.  This one was so good that we invited our parents over on two separate occasions to serve it to them, meaning we had it three times in 2 weeks!  Instant favorite!  (This is a Marcus Samuelson recipe that he shared to advertise his new cookbook.)

- 3 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1/2 cup diced celery 

- 1/2 cup diced red onion

- 1/2 cup diced red pepper

- 4 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 tsp kosher salt

- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

- 4 oz ground chorizo

- (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

- 12 oz fresh okra, diced small

- 1 tbsp paprika

- 1 tbsp file powder

- 1 tsp cayenne pepper 

- 2 cups fish stock 

- 2 cups chicken stock (I’ve not used fish stock; I just double the chicken stock)

- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 8 oz smoked andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 in thick

- 6 cups cooked rice, for serving

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.  When the oil shimmers, add the celery, onion, peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 3-4 minutes.  Add the chorizo and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the tomatoes, okra, paprika, file powder and cayenne and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.  

Add the stocks and vinegar and bring to a simmer.  Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The file powder, which is made by grinding sassafras leaves, will thicken the stew.

Add the shrimp and andouille and stir to combine.  Continue to cook for 4-5 min, until the shrimp are just cooked through.  Serve the gumbo over rice.  (Optional top with scallions and parsley.)

This is a great make-ahead recipe, since the flavors taste even better after it has time to sit together!  Make hours or a day ahead!  So good!

Remember soups are also very easy to adjust to taste.  For my dad I use kielbasa and no cayenne, since he really can't handle spice.  But, for Will and his dad, I do the recipe as is.  I also couldn't find the file powder for the first time I made it and it was fine.  I found on Amazon for the following times I made it.

Chickpea and Chicken Curry Stew

 

This stew is a favorite!  My friend Ina (I wish, right?!) says to not let the long list of ingredients scare you and she’s right!  It’s an easy stew to put together and it is sooo tasty!  It’s more of a North African curry, which means earthy and flavorful rather than the spicier Thai curries.  We love all curries but this one satisfies the warm comfort food desires of fall and winter!  

- 2lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (Ina Garten’s original recipe says boneless lamb shoulder, 1 in diced.  Amazing, but chicken is a more normal weekly meat in my house.)

- 1/4 cup Madras curry powder (I’ve used just yellow curry powder if I can’t find that one)

- 1 tsp ground paprika

- 1 tsp thyme 

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 tsp ground fennel

- Kosher salt and pepper

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 1 cup chopped yellow onion

- 1 tbsp fresh ginger

- 2 tsp minced garlic

- 2 cups chicken stock

- 1 can coconut milk (13.5oz)

- 1/2 cup dry white wine

- 1/2 cup tomato paste (6oz)

- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

- 3 tbsp maple syrup

- 2 tbsp Harissa paste (I’ve left this out or used ground Harissa depending what I’ve found)

- 1 cup carrots, chopped (4 carrots)

- 1 cup celery, chopped (2 large stalks)

- 1/2 cup golden raisins

- 4 cups chickpeas, drained (45oz)

In a medium bowl combine the curry powder, paprika, cumin,  thyme, fennel, 2tbsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper.  Add the seasonings to the chicken (or lamb if using), toss well to coat, and set aside for 15-30 min.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and ginger and sauté for 5 min, until the onion is translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Raise the heat to medium high, add the chicken and all the seasonings in the bowl, and sauté for 10-15 min, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is evenly browned.  Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, wine, tomato paste, brown sugar, maple syrup, and harissa.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  

(I take the thighs out and dice them up after the hour.  Return to the simmering pot.)

Add the carrots, celery, raisins, chickpeas, and 2tsp salt.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for another 30 minutes.  

Serve hot with with rice or couscous.  

This is seriously good!  My kids will eat this.  My husband and I love this for days as our lunch time soup.  For supper, I like serving over couscous.  For my lunch I like serving the hot stew over fresh spinach.  The hot stew wilts the spinach and is a great pairing as well!  (And secret, I normally cut any sugar in a savory recipe in half.)

Mechada (Venezuelan style Shredded Beef)

 I was so excited to find this new recipe!  It's one that is easy to serve in lots of different ways!  Serve over rice (or cauliflower) with veggies.  Serve as simple street tacos with beans and a green.  Serve with a roll and favorite vegetables.

- 3-4 lb beef roast (original recipes that I looked up said skirt or flank steak, but I wanted a bigger amount and cheaper cut.)

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 green pepper or 3-4 jalapeños, diced

- 14 oz crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce 

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce

- salt and pepper

- 3tsp cumin

- 1 tbsp oregano

- 2 bay leaves

Place roast in slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper, cumin, and oregano.  Combine rest of the ingredients and pour over meat.  

Cook in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.  

Shred the beef.  Put back in the slow cooker to combine with the gravy created.  

Serve over rice with a green.  Serve as street tacos with beans and a salad.  Serve over cauliflower with sweet potatoes and a green vegetable.  For a busy season with our family, this has been a great one in the rotation to cook one night and eat over 2 to 3 nights, served each night a different way!

LG Change Your Life Chicken

 This recipe is as amazing as the title implies!  One pan.  Whole family enjoyed.  Quick prep.  Classic.  Thanks Lazy Genius for sharing this one pan yumminess with us!

- chicken thighs, bone in and skin on, one per person or to family preferences
- olive oil 
- salt and pepper

- (Lazy Genius says two handfuls of vegetables per person; below is what I do most often)

- One onion, large chunks

- potatoes, cut in chunks

- carrots, round slices

- green beans

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.  Lift up skin to sprinkle under skin with salt and pepper.  Prepare chicken this way one hour to one day early.  I even buy double thighs that I need, preparing one batch for supper that day and the rest prepped and in the freezer for a later day. 

Preheat oven to 500.  

Line large baking tray with foil.  Spray with olive oil spray to prevent sticking.  (LG says toss with oil, but I find that unnecessary if you use one pan.  If you separate chicken on its own pan, the vegetables lightly tossed in oil would be great!)

Arrange vegetables on pan.  Salt and pepper the vegetables.  Place chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables.  Bake at 500 degrees for 50 min.  (My oven runs hot, so I bake at 450 degrees.)

The chicken will be amazingly moist!  The veggies will be browned so lovely and flavorful!  The Lazy Genius has a great description about why she does it all this way.  Read her words of wisdom or just try it; you won’t be sorry!

Delicious Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These lettuce wraps were so delicious!  The whole family enjoyed!  I have one other lettuce wrap recipe on this site, but I find them a little too sweet.  These have a good balance between sweet and spicy, and yum!  (I used damndelicious.net's recipe as a guide and then tweaked to my liking!)

This is also my favorite kind of recipe for a busy day.  I chopped the vegetables early in the day (would have been great to prep the day before as well), as well as cooked and cubed the chicken early.  Because in this style of recipe the vegetables are meant to keep some crisp-ness, the vegetables are only cooked for a moment.  Prep early, then have dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less!

Prepped

Stir in vegetables

Serve and enjoy!

- 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

- 4 tablespoons soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

- 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha (optional to taste)

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)

- 3 large chicken breasts, cooked and then cubed (or 2 lbs of ground chicken)

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 in ginger, minced

- 1 onion, diced

- 3 baby bok choy, cored, chopped

- a handful of shredded carrot, or about 2 carrots, peeled and shredded

- 3 green onions, thinly sliced

- 1 head lettuce, for serving

Mix sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  Add chicken, garlic, ginger, onion.  Stir and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add sauce.  Stir to combine.  Allow sauce to come to a bubble.  Reduce heat to low.  Add vegetables and stir to fully combine.

Serve and so much enjoy!  As an entree, I serve with lettuce and a roasted vegetable like green beans or carrots.  For the leftovers, serve over rice or riced cauliflower.  

Sussex Stewed Steak (English-style Roast)

If I want my children to eat well, feed them roast!  If you want me to eat well, keep the recipes changing and sauces interesting!  I came across this recipe in my Elizabeth David cookbook, and knew I had to try it.  Roast.  Prep and walk away.  Serve to a happily waiting family!

Inexpensive cute of meat

Onions.  

Such a deep, rich gravy.

So tender

- 2 1/2 lb of an in expensive cut such as chuck steak, top round, or thick flank
- salt and pepper
- 1-2 tbsp flour
- an onion (or two!)
- 5-6 tbsp each of port and stout (I used Guinness and Sherry)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Season the meat.  Rub flour on both sides.  Put it flat in a shallow baking dish in which it just fits.  Slice a large onion, put over the meat.  Pour in the liquid.  Cover with a double sheet of parchment paper and the lid of the dish.  Put it in a very low oven, at 275 degrees and leave it for about 3 hours - a little less or a little longer won't matter.

Elizabeth David claimed that the toughest meat will come out tender and the gravy will be rich, brown, and excellently flavored.  She was absolutely right!!

I have said before that Elizabeth David takes French cooking and makes it approachable.  No fuss, just cook!  And, this one was as simple as it sounds and as big of a hit as I hoped with the family!