Perhaps the Greatest Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe of All Time

An awesome coworker of mine was mean enough to have brought this cookie to work for a meeting.  I thought of nothing else for two weeks.  After finally getting the recipe and the required ingredients, the torture continued.  These cookies are amazing, and they have to be, or no one would take the time to make them.

Now, the recipe is for a chocolate chip cookie, which doesn't do the cookie justice.  It needs to be renamed to something glorious with the word salt in it somewhere.  The Glorious Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie?  The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie?  Eh.  Someone comment below and give it a better name.

The really odd thing about this recipe, to me, is that it calls for both bread and cake flour.  After looking up the difference between the different types of flour out there, bread flour has the highest protein content and cake flour has the lowest.  This has to do with the gluten that is formed.  Now, why you couldn't use AP flour...in the middle...I don't know.  What I do know, is that baking is all about science, and this science works, so I'm not going to mess with it.

You have to refrigerate the dough for 24-36 hours before you bake the cookies.  It will be hard.  I used a metal ice cream scooper to form the balls and did it just like ice cream.  When you bake them, they get a lot darker than the usual cookie.  Be careful not to overcook them.

My biggest tip with any cookie is:  Store them in a sealed container with bread!!!  I use whatever I have, and if I don't have bread, I get the cheapest loaf I can find.  The bread gets stale, but the cookies stay super soft.

The second night I made them, we ate them straight out of the oven with ice cream.  Do it.  You won't regret it!

(You know what's really horrible?  I made the daughter pose with the cookie above, but didn't let her eat it!  I'm so mean!  (It was 9:30 in the morning.))

"Man Pleasing Chicken" is the Perfect Name for This Dish

I say it is the perfect name for this dish, because the men loved it, but the girls...not so much.  I didn't really dislike it so much as just wasn't into it.  I think it was the mustard.  I had made two dishes with maple before this, and they were amazing!  I guess my expectations were high, and the mustard changed the flavor enough that it was just okay to me.

The girl took one bite, started chewing it, got a funny look on her face, and spit it out and refused to eat any more of it.

Now, the husband, on the other hand, wouldn't shut up about how amazing it was.  He recommends serving it with rice, since the sauce was quite saucy, and would have been soaked up nicely by the rice.  I'm not a rice person, so it didn't occur to me.

The baby, also a man, ate the crap out of it as well.  Of course, he's still in the-this is a new flavor!-stage of eating, so his opinion isn't exactly reliable.  (Okay, so maybe it's more reliable, but...)

Changes I would make?  Well, none, really.  It reached 165 way faster than 40 minutes, but I'm a freak about chicken, so I let it go the whole time...just in case.  (I even made it the night before and left it in the fridge for the next day.)  The foil lining was also a total waste.  It somehow got through anyway, and was a breeze to get off of my pan.

I won't make it again, simply because I personally didn't care for it.  I would still recommend it, however, because it was me...not the dish.  :)

(stupid) Pinterest MVPs

Let's talk about the two pins I that are clearly the superstars of (stupid) Pinterest:  Refrigerator Oatmeal and Mason Jar Salads.  I make them both every week.  In fact, that's all I eat for breakfast anymore.

(Leaning tower of salads?  I was holding the baby.  Sorry.)

The salads are not exactly complicated, so it's kind of hard to improve them.  The oatmeal, however, was just waiting to be perfected...which I have!

Original Recipe:
1/4 c. old fashioned rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel-cut)
1/4 c. Greek yogurt
1/3 c. milk
1.5 t. chia seeds

You then take this recipe and add different things to it to give it the needed sweetness and flavors.  There are a gazillion recipes, as you can see on the original website.  There are a lot of good combinations, but I have found that I actually prefer it pretty plain the best.

My Recipe:

1/4 c. old fashioned rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel-cut)
3 oz. flavored Greek yogurt (I've been using the Chobani stuff.  One 6 oz. container split between two mason jars.)
1/3 c. milk
1.5 t. chia seeds (I get them at Rosauers.)
1 heaping t. of flax seeds (I get them in the bulk section at Winco.)

For the husband's, I throw a few frozen berries on top after I have mixed them, but like I said, I prefer mine pretty plain.  I think the berries, once they have thawed in the fridge, thin it a bit.  I prefer it thick...like oatmeal was meant to be.  I use strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, or whatever other flavor I find, and that's enough for me.  I really liked the version of the original recipe where you use the PB2 (I got it pretty cheap at Fred Meyers in the natural food section), cocoa powder, and bananas, so I might try a version of that my way.  The plain version has 230 calories, calcium, protein, fiber, tons of omega-3s, etc.  Basically, it's a about as perfect as you get.

My favorite part is the flax seeds.  They give it that needed crunch/chew it was lacking.  And, they have a lot of great health benefits.  And, I'll be honest...Dr. Oz said to add them to your oatmeal in the morning, so...

One more small tip.  I prefer the short, fat mason over the taller, skinnier ones for this one.  It's easier to get everything in without making a mess, and the husband claims it's easier to eat with the wider mouth.

*UPDATE* After having some issues with the chia seeds clumping, I've tried a few different solutions.  The other night I threw it all in a blender, and it totally worked!  It turned out WAY thicker, and I didn't have to shake anything.  I made four in one batch, and it worked great.  More dishes, but it may be worth it.

As for the Mason Jar Salads, I.  Love.  Them.  Some things I've learned:

• Cherry/Grape tomatoes work way better than chopped up regular tomatoes.
• Keep the crunchier veggies on the bottom.  Carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
• Avoid cheese.  It just isn't worth it.

Favorite toppings:
Sliced eggs
Shelled edamame
Frozen peas
Sliced turkey
Real bacon bits (make sure there isn't anything that will make them soggy around it)

I want to try avocados, but am too chicken.  Someone perfect it and get back to me.

I now keep my lettuce in a mason jar in my fridge after I clean it and let it dry.  I find that it stays fresher, longer.  How did I live so long without mason jars?  

Thank you, (stupid) Pinterest.

Ravioli Bake

The little girl LOVES ravioli, so this pin immediately appealed to me.  Unfortunately, it didn't actually go over all that well.

First off, it was quite boring, and I didn't even follow the recipe exactly.

Original recipe:

1 jar of pasta sauce

1 package (25oz to 27oz) of frozen meat-filled ravioli

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

grated parmesan cheese

My version:

1 jar of red sauce

Enough alfredo sauce for one layer

1 package frozen cheese ravioli

(I didn't measure) mozzarella cheese

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

I used alfredo sauce for the first layer, just for the fun of it, and I added artichoke hearts to each layer.  It was just blah.  If I were to try this again, I would add fake sausage, heavily spiced ground turkey, peas, basil, olives, or SOMETHING with flavor.

My other complaint, and the main reason I probably won't try it again, was how long it took.  One of the main reasons I make ravioli is how fast and easy it is.  This recipe takes 55 minutes in the oven.  Ridiculous!  Who has that kind of time?!?  Okay, I do one weekends, but still!  Maybe if the ravioli was boiled before the dish was assembled, so the oven time was really only to melt the cheese?  Hmmm...other suggestions?

Also, I really wanted it to stand like lasagna, but it SO did not.  Now, that could be because I didn't let it sit at all before I scooped away, but there's no way I'm taking the blame here.  :)

I'm calling them Chia Seed Popsicles...

Holy crap.
Ding, ding, we have a winner.
Get in my belly!
Etc.

I saw this pin and wanted to go to the store immediately, because they look so beautiful.  Yesterday, I finally made it happen.  I altered the original recipe quite a bit, because I'm not really a shredded coconut fan.

Original recipe:
• 1/2 cup lite coconut milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup raspberries
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
• 8 drops Nu-Naturals liquid stevia (or sugar/honey to taste)

My version:
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 cup chopped strawberries 
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 T. Splenda/Sugar blend

I was hoping the vanilla soy milk would be sweet enough on its own, but it wasn't quite enough, so I added a bit of the Splenda crap.  I'm gradually transitioning away from the artificial stuff because I don't really want my kids eating a ton of it.

They turned out amazing.  They are definitely as good as they look.  I wasn't sure the little girl would like them since she isn't a big fan of the chia seeds, but she ate the crap out of it and wanted more.

The best part about this refreshing dessert/snack/breakfast (yes, I ate one for breakfast because I couldn't wait any longer to try them) is that with my recipe, they are only 67 calories each.  Yes.  I said 67 calories.

Highly, highly recommend this one, folks.  I'll be making another batch...and another...and another until the soy milk is gone.

Maple Pork Chops

So, something you should know about me is that I'm not much of a meat eater.  It's true.  I found it rather painless to stop eating all meat...except for fish.  I could never give up sushi.  My entire life, I've been okay with eating meat when it is tucked nicely inside a sandwich, pasta dish, or salad.  I was never a fan of meat when it was just meat.  There-on a plate-meat.  Well, this meat was amazing.

I took this pin, and did almost exactly what it said to do.  The only difference was that I added a little extra maple because I was afraid of the coffee.  What I ended up with was amazing.  

Well, I guess I also used tenderloin instead of chops.  I cut it up and pounded it out.  Super cheap, and super awesome.

I threw it together with some tri-color baby potatoes, and the dinner was complete.  Low cal, and tasty.

I think I'm going to add thyme to just about everything going forward...

Eggs for Breakfast Sandwiches

We've all seen this pin, and many other versions  a hundred times, right?  I've always wanted to try it, but I haven't been making breakfast sandwiches lately.  Yesterday, however, I found a cute little bag of mini bagels, which the little girl loves, so I decided to give it a shot.

I made my eggs with just salt and pepper, but if I had spinach or parsley, I would have gladly thrown some in there.  They turned out a little too small, even for mini bagels.  I knew they would, which is another reason I haven't tried them before.  I know they made giant muffin tins.  If I see one somewhere for a reasonable price, I'll snag one and try it again.

Also, next time I'm going to scramble the eggs before I put it in the muffin tin.  I'm not a fan of egg yolks, so I prefer to hide them.

With the time it takes to preheat the oven and let them bake, I don't know that it actually saved me any time.  Maybe with a batch of 12, but I only did six.  I guess it freed me up to other things while they baked, like listen to the little girl whine about waiting, but not sure it made a difference.  I'll give it another shot when I get the bigger tin.

**UPDATE**-Yeeeeah...so, I already have a bigger muffin tin.  I just found it while cleaning out the miscellaneous cabinet.  Perhaps I should look in there more often.  Oops.

Taco Pasta? Sure, why not?

The pin doesn't actually take you anywhere, but the instructions were enough.  There isn't a name for the dish, so I'm going to call it Taco Pasta.  On my version of the pin, I added some capitalization and punctuation, which should help.  After making it, I decided that next time I would mix everything together instead of layering it.  Then, when I read the directions again, I realized it was supposed to be mixed.  Grammar, people.  Learn it, love it, live it.

So, as I said, the recipe was great all on its own.  I, of course, used ground turkey instead of beef, I used a whole bag of gigantic elbow macaroni, and I also ended up using a lot more cheese, because I used my new shredder attachment on my Kitchen Aid.  It shreds about as fine as one could get, and in the longest strings ever.  So, I couldn't really get it to sprinkle all over.

Here is what it looked like when it came out of the oven.

I decided to do what I always do to Mexican food.  I added avocado sour cream, and salsa.

Throw in the obvious side dish, broccoli with cheese, and you've got the perfect meal.  I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today!  **UPDATE**-Leftovers were super tasty, which is good, because it made a crap-a-load of food.