I'm not a big fan of cookies, but oh, how I love my Sugar Cookies!

This is by far the easiest recipe I've ever found to make scrumptious sugar cookies. The nice thing about these too, is how easy it is to modify them for any occasion... I know some people like to add sugar on top (to get a crunchy effect) but I like mine plain and simple. I've reduced the amount of sugar down to 1.25 c, but if you want yours a little sweeter, just make it with 1.5 c.



Ingredients:
2.75 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
.5 t baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1.25 c white sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookied sheets.



3. Bake 8 - 10 minutes, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet 2 minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.



I like mine dipped in a cold glass of milk... yum yum yum yum yum!!!

Mac and Cheese!

I've been craving mac and cheese for weeks, so I thought I'd make it tonight! Just as yummy as I could have hoped for ... mmmmm...


Ingredients:
2.25 c milk
3 T unsalted butter
2 T all-purpose flour
.25 t salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 - 3 c cheddar, shredded
1 box rotinni, gemelli, elbow (pick one!) noodles

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large pot, heat water to boiling and add noodles. Cook 8 - 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

3. In a small saucepan, heat milk to just below boiling.

4. In a medium - large saucepan, melt butter and add flour to make a roux. Cook 2 minutes or until flour taste has cooked off. Slowly add milk and whisk continuously. Add salt and pepper. Add cheese by the handful, whisking, until cheese is incorporated.


5. Pour cheese mixture over pasta and stir until evenly coated. Pour into a medium casserole dish and top with .5 - 1 c shredded cheese. Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until top is melted and gooey and bubbly :)

Mmmm... SOUP!

I had a premonition that Florida was going to get a cold front moving in... either that, or I just paid attention to the Weather Channel for a change. Either way, yesterday "felt" like it should be a soup day, and today I am very glad I've got some on hand! Soup is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods, and when you add in cheese, bacon and potatoes, well... you just can't go wrong in my book! So here's my current fave, Cheddar Potato Soup with Bacon. Hope you like!

Ingredients:
.5 lb bacon slices
2 medium onions or 1 lg onion, minced
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into .5 inch cubes
.5 c all-purpose flour
3.5 c water
3 c chicken broth
.5 c dry white wine
4 c grated sharp cheddar (about 16 oz)
4 T chopped fresh chives (optional, garnish)

Directions:
1. Cook bacon in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in pan.

2. Cook onion in reserved bacon fat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and cook until softened.

3. In a measuring cup, stir together flour and water and add to onion/garlic mixture. Add potatoes and broth and stir well.

4. Simmer 7 - 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add wine and simmer another 2 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in cheddar (do not let boil). Rough chop bacon and add to soup.

6. Serve soup with garnish of chives, if desired.

This yields about 10 cups and takes about 45 minutes to prepare. SUPER tasty!

Sorry!

I have been trying for several days now to publish the previous post with pictures of my burnt mess... but Blogger won't let me.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Uh oh...this blog is very aptly titled!

Tonight I attempted to make Lemon Garlic Chicken, with a side dish of Garlicky Risotto and my Semi-Greek salad... wow. Apart from the salad, what a freakin' disaster. Apparently, I lost my mind somewhere along the way, because what should have been a very simple dish, became a blackened mess! I know what I did wrong, but still...it hurts when a dish goes so very wrong! So here's the recipe for the chicken, the way it should be made.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 t salt
.5 t freshly ground black pepper
.25 c all-purpose flour
.125 c olive oil
1.5 c onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
.5 t crushed red pepper (optional)
1 small bay leaf (optional)
.25 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
.75 c chicken broth (preferably low-sodium)

Directions:
1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish and lightly dredge the chicken. Set aside.

2. In a large wide saute pan or saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (not smoking) add the breasts and brown well on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the chicken, until translucent (about 3 - 5 minutes). Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and bay leaf(if using), and cook 1 minute.

4. Add the lemon juice, chicken broth and browned chicken breasts to the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes.

5. Remove the lid, and cook an additional 10 - 15 minutes, or until cooked through and tender.

Roast Pork Loin Chops with Garlic and Rosemary

These turned out sooo good, I even impressed myself! Be warned: I am a garlic fiend, so please... feel free to adjust garlic amounts to suit your taste.

Ingredients:



4 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 t chopped fresh rosemary or 2 t dried
1.5 t coarse salt
.5 t ground black pepper
1.5 lbs boneless pork loin chops, .5 inch thick (about 4)
8 cloves garlic, whole
4 T extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In small bowl, mix together pressed garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Set aside.



3. Cut 3 inch slit in the side of each pork chop, and insert 2 whole garlic cloves in each one.

4. Put olive oil in the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish (I used an 8 x 11 inch) or roasting pan. Coat each pork chop with the oil.



5. Spread an equal amount of the rosemary mixture on each pork chop.



6. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 155 degrees F. Remove from oven and let rest at least 10 minutes.

7. Drizzle pan juices over pork chop after serving.



I served these with mashed potatoes and my "Semi-Greek" salad, and it was truly spectacular!

Bon Appetit!

Mexican food vs. Taco Bell

In a fight between the two, Mexican definitely wins!
I had a wonderful opportunity to go to Guanajuato, Mexico last October for a week and spent my whole vacation sightseeing and EATING! And all this time I thought I didn't like Mexican food... turns out, it's Tex-Mex I can't stand!

mis·hap (mshp, ms-hp), noun: Bad luck. An Unfortunate Accident.

So this is my first post, and I figured I should take a moment to explain myself, and what it is I'm doing here.

I've spent most of my life in the kitchen, playing sous chef to the master (my dad) and picking up bits and pieces along the way as to how to make a great meal. How to layer the flavors, the way an artist layers paint, to create a masterpiece. How to understand flavors and (more importantly) understand how flavors come together and create an emotional experience from the simple act of eating. How to present a dish in the most flattering and appetizing way possible, and not just slap some food on a plate and holler for everyone to "come and get it!" How cooking can be a work of art in and of itself, and how one should strive for perfection.

That being said... in my kitchen, that's not always what happens... sometimes I make a phenomenal dish, but neglect to write any ingredients (let alone, measurements) down, and can't reproduce the dish to save my life... sometimes I just plain make a horrific, gag-inducing slop (thankfully, that doesn't happen too often!).

So, since I create things on the fly, please bear with me and my "guess-timates" of ingredients as I drag you with me on my culinary misadventures!

Bon Appetit!