My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER.

I have never in my life tasted chocolate chip cookies quite like these.

I have a preference for the big, fat, thick, chewy, melty kind of cookie.
Any recipe I had tried before this produced chewy cookies right out of the oven, but soon hardened, and these stay chewy even if just left on the counter.



I found this recipe in a cookbook my mom got us for Christmas so aptly named "The NEW Best Recipe- by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated". It's an amazing cookbook that teaches you how to make just about everything, and also explains what each ingredient brings to the recipe. It's so crazy great.

Anyway, this is my go-to for whenever that hankering for childhood strikes.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, melted and then cooled until just warm (VERY IMPORTANT! this is what keeps them chewy!
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (i used light.)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla
1-1.5 cups chocolate chips (i always use the whole bag! yummm.)

Directions:
preheat oven to 325. grease a baking pan and set aside.
in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
in a medium bowl, mix together butter and sugars until well blended.
mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla until just blended.
using a mixer on low speed (or a spoon), mix in dry ingredients until just blended.
add in chocolate chips to taste. (tonight i used chocolate/peanut butter swirled chips! oh man.)
roll dough into 1/4 cup balls and place on cookie sheet.*
bake for 15-18 minutes (i never do more than 15 because i like the center to be slightly undercooked. shh!)
allow to cool a bit before removing with a spatula and setting on cooling racks until warm.

obviously, the next step is to consume them with an ice cold glass of milk, feet swinging with pleasure.




*a tip suggested by the cookbook for creating beautiful cookies: roll dough into a ball, then break in half and place two sides next to each other, jagged edges up. press together into a circular shape, leaving the tops rough.

White Pizza with Salmon, Garlic, and Capers- Oh My!

This is the most amazing pizza I have ever eaten.
I cannot believe I made this.

Ready?

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pizza crust (I used Trader Joe's crust and LOVED IT.)
1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
4 cloves garlic, minced (+2 cloves garlic, minced, for topping)
Italian seasoning, salt & pepper

1 pkg grated mozzarella
1/2 can salmon, de-boned and skinned
1 tbsp capers

Directions:
Preheat oven to temperature indicated in your crust directions.
Brush edges of crust with olive oil.

Warm milk in saucepan on stove
In another saucepan, melt butter.
Add flour to butter and stir slowly, cooking for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly add warm milk, whisking thoroughly until thickened.
Add garlic and seasoning, stir thoroughly.

Spread sauce onto the crust evenly out to olive oil.
Top with mozzarella cheese (we LOADED it on!).
Scatter salmon, remaining garlic, and capers evenly.

Place pizza directly in the stove and cook according to the directions on the package. (ours was 10-12 minutes).

ENJOY!

Picky Eaters, this one's for you!

okay, i think an apology is long overdue.

i don't know what happened to my work ethic, but it obviously went to a very dark place.


but, i have retrieved it.
so here we go.

***

First and foremost, I owe an enormous apology to the wonderful company MixMyGranola.
Because they sent me a sample, and I inhaled it.
And I loved it.

And then I never blogged about it, as I had dropped of the face of the blog-world.

So, I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their generosity, and beg their forgiveness, as well as sing their praises from my internet rooftop, because this concept is sheer genius.


I don't know how many of you are picky eaters, like myself. But I have spent far too much time in life picking out the "weird" things from granola mixes, or trying to "just eat the m&ms". Foolish, I know. But whatever, I like my granola the way I like it.

Well, on this website- which is so appropriately named MixMyGranola-
you can pick and choose your base and mix-ins to effectively create your Perfect Granola.
Whether you're a health nut or a sweet-fiend, they have options you will love.

So here is what you do-

*You click on the link above, or go to www.mixmygranola.com.
*Then you choose from 4 base mixes.
I chose french vanilla.
*Then you choose your ingredients from 4 categories- fruits, nuts/seeds, extras, and enhancers (new!), each with a wide variety to choose from.
I chose dried raspberries
organic banana chips
dried sweetened cranberries
roasted almonds
flax seed
hazelnuts
chocolate mini morsels
oat bran flakes
and honey smacks!
because I fall more into the sweet-fiend category than the health nut one, haha.
*And finally, you name your one-of-a-kind mixture and submit the order.
Mine is dubbed "Happily Ever After" because it was sweet enough for dessert- the perfect ending to my day!

My 16oz. canister of fresh, sweet, crunchy, DELICIOUS granola arrived at my doorstep just two days later, and shipping was free!


Husbear and I polished off the entire 16 oz in record time. Oops. But let me tell you, it was something to behold. The ingredients were fresh and not stale, and every bite was as good as the last. It was amazing in milk like cereal, over yogurt, or by the handful!

So do these amazing geniuses a favor and head over to the website to get your paws on your very own creation! YUM!!