Monday, December 13, 2010

Double Chocolate Cookies

         
    Ok, I'm going chocolate crazy. We had a bit of a snow storm yesterday, at least in Nashville terms, and I've been confined to the home for, well, a day, by choice, at least. I'm pretty sure the ice is gone now, but it's fun to imagine you can't leave for a while. Anyhow, this being inside is making me a tad restless and awfully snacky. Not good. I took puppy for a walk but have, otherwise, been laying like a vegetable all morning and am loving it. The chocolate comes into play in that I had (note the past tense) a tupperware of leftover cookie dough in my fridge that has been taunting me since I woke up. I had to take action. Now I believe a glass of milk and another walk might be in store...
     I'm so happy with these cookies. I found the recipe to try for a Christmas party on Saturday and they turned out fabulous. Warm, gooey, layers of chocolate, barely firm on the edges. I mean, man, so tasty. I made half of this batch with semi-sweet chocolate chips and some leftover white chocolate chips I had on hand. The other half included the same but with Andes Peppermint Chips mixed in (not to be confused with the standard Andes Mint chocolates, which could also be chopped up and used here interchangeably). So stinkin' good. I'd also love to try chopping up some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and mixing them in. Toasted walnuts or pecans would also be a nice addition, if you like such.

adapted from Kathy's recipe on allrecipes.com
yields approx. 3 dozen

ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (i put in a heaping 1/4 teaspoon)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever mix-in you choose)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until well-incorporated, about a minute. Beat in vanilla and add eggs, one at a time.
3. In separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until well-combined. 
4. Mix dry mixture gradually into wet mixture (it will be thick). Stir in add-ins.
5. Drop by the heaping teaspoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for *7 to 9 minutes. Let cool on pan for several minutes before eating.

*12/29: I just made these again and baked the first tray for 8 minutes (as i did the first time, and initially recommended here) but they turned out a bit on the dry side, not at all like the first ones I made. So, I put the second batch in for 7 minutes and they were just right. Err on the shorter side. They should feel fairly doughy when you take them out still. Just let them cool and harden a bit on the tray before serving. Just an fyi. :)

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Fiesta Soup

    
   Well, I'm finally coming around to writing again, and glad to be. There are so many yummy goodies to share this time of year. As the air gets cooler out and our heat cranked up indoors, food in general seems to beckon more loudly than ever (and, unfortunately drown out the calls of the gym. shame.). I've lately been most enjoying soups and teas and lattes and sweet potatoes and oatmeal and pretty much anything that warms me from the inside out. I've welcomed a new guest into my little home in the last couple weeks, one I've been entertaining the thought of for a couple years now. Lila is her name. She's a marvelous house guest, a bit messy and not well aware of personal boundaries, but sweet as pie. I picked her up at the Humane Shelter on Thanksgiving weekend and am absolutely agog. She's a 3 month-old Shepherd-Lab mix with a stubborn will and gentle disposition. We have a love-hate relationship at present, as she is not very conducive to my work-sleep schedule. At every odd hour she demands a trip outdoors, which, though quite necessary, is not the most pleasant when bundled so nicely under the covers, knowing a 16-degree wind awaits. I got little sleep today (back on night shift) due to the bone-knawing, paper-tearing, tail-wacking, and hourly pounces on the face by my new friend wanting her lazy playmate to wake up! (evidently i still have some training to do...). However, despite these inconveniences, I will say that having her has slowed me down a bit and is causing me to breathe more deeply and enjoy little moments. I've actually come to treasure the earliest morning bathroom trip to the yard when I can sit on my swing and breathe in the crisp air, listen to the quiet that only comes with 3am, and watch the frost twinkle in the moonlight. I do rather enjoy it. All this, to say two things: One, I've not been cooking as much as I normally would due to the demands of this little companion. And, two, being dragged into the cold so often is making me all the more hungry for a warm something in my belly. Which brings us now to...Fiesta Soup. I just named it. Let me tell you about it...

    I found this recipe in some magazine a few years ago and have adopted it and loved it every winter since. There are so many reasons to love it. First, it's about the easiest soup you will ever find. Mix up some canned beans and corn, throw in some salsa and broth, heat it up, chop up a few toppings of choice, and you've pretty much got your soup! 10 minutes max, really, including prep time. Can you beat this? And, really, what must follow is that it's totally okay that it doesn't take long to make it because it's still so good. In other words, you're not losing flavor by not stirring over a stovetop for an hour. It's a simply tasty soup. The main characters, I suppose, are the beans and corn. They take up the most space, at least. The beans give it some meatiness. The corn, a sweet snap to each bite. Then, the salsa. I love that you just throw in salsa. It gives a bit of heat to the dish (that is, if you choose the hotter option). The best part, in my opinion, is the freshness of the toppings: avocado, cilantro, green onion, sour cream, lime, cheddar cheese. Yum! This makes it. I load it with all of the above (especially the green stuff) and it lends a wonderful cool, crisp contrast to the heated soup it covers. Thirdly, this soup is great for you! I use light sour cream and the cheese is optional. I had it tonight without any and it was fabulous. I like to scoop tortilla chips into it and eat the chunkier bites like a dip. And then I usually throw in an apple on the side. Lovely. I hope you like it as much as I do (and for you cilantro-haters out there, just leave it out. it won't be nearly as good, but do what you must. :).

serves 4
adapted from a recipe by a guy named "Bart" in a magazine. that's all i got. :)

ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup chunky salsa (i used medium heat)
1+1/2 cups chicken broth (or try vegetable for a fully vegetarian dish)

juice of 1-2 small limes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4T chopped green onions
4 big dollops sour cream
a couple big handfuls fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 avocados, diced
salt and hot sauce, to taste

directions:
1. In a large microwave-safe bowl (or, if only dishing up one serving, use whatever you want to store the extra soup in, then you can just serve it into your serving bowl when ready to heat your portion), combine the first four ingredients (and hot sauce if you think you need it). 
2. Cover and microwave on high for several minutes or until heated through. 
3. Pour into 4 serving bowls and top each with equal amounts of the remaining ingredients. Serve it up and enjoy with tortilla chips. That's it!

*By the way, I should explain the name. I thought about calling it Black Bean Soup, but it's not really that, but so much more. And then I considered Tortilla Soup, but that usually involves chicken and more tomatoes, so that wouldn't do. And then I thought maybe just Black Bean and Corn Soup, but, how drab is that. So, Fiesta Soup came to mind. It claims it as a tex-mex type soup and lets every ingredient play an important role in the party. Perfect.

Meet Lila. :)