Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I was looking all over for a good recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I came upon this one on Allrecipes.com.

For some reason I've been screwing up my cookies a lot lately and they turned out soft.

But these ones were perfect! Jesse loves his cookies crunchy too, and he told me to make a million of these lol! =p

And I love them too, dipped in cold milk! Mmm yum!

(I've tweaked the recipe just a little, after reading suggestions from reviewers on the website)

Oh and these make your house smell soo heavenly while baking!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled to abt room temperature (so as not to melt the choc chips!)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (I used a little less than 1/2 cup, for less sweet)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg (room temperature)
1 egg yolk (room temperature)
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (that's 1 and a quarter, not 11 quarters)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional if you don't have this)
1/2 cup chopped nuts of choice (optional, up to ur preference: walnuts, pecans etc. *if using nuts, reduce amount of chocolate chips used accordingly)


1) Preheat oven to 325 F (approx 160 deg C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2) Mix flour, baking soda, salt & cream of tartar in a bowl; set aside.

3) In separate medium bowl, cream together melted butter, brown sugar & white sugat till well blended.

Beat in vanilla, egg & egg yolk til light & creamy.

Mix in flour mixture til well blended.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using) by hand using wooden spoon.

Drop cookies onto prepared cookie sheets by the teaspoonfuls (or tablespoonfuls - up to ur size of choice) & flatten slightly.

4) Bake for about 14 minutes, or longer for bigger cookies. Cookies will appear slightly soft after removing from oven, but will harden after cooling.

5) Cool cookies completely on wire rack.

6) Kick back on your couch with a big jar of these cookies, and a cold glass of milk, and enjoy! =p


*Here's a tip I read about on one of the websites: If you want your cookies to be crunchy, expose them to air until cookies are cooled. If you want them to be soft and chewy, store them immediately after removing from oven. I don't know if it really works, but it's something to try if you like soft cookies.

**If you're using salted butter instead for this recipe, just omit the salt.

Tater-topped Casserole

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Jesse refuses to eat this if I refer to this as "tater-topped caserole" lol he says it has to be called Tater Tot Hotdish.. cos that's what they called it growing up when his mommy used to make it for him. (Yeah I have to deal with his nonsense all the time lol)

This is so simple too and really quick to prep.

What you need:

1lb ground beef (healthy option: use lean ground beef)
1 small onion, finely chopped (not shallot but smaller-sized bawang besar)
1 can (10.75oz) condensed cream of muchroom soup ( use reduced fat for healthier option)
1/4cup milk
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1lb (1/2 of 32-oz pkg.) frozen bite-size seasoned potato nuggets ie. Tater Tots!

1) Heat oven to 375 deg F. Brown meat with onions in skillet, stirring occasionally; drain.
Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish.

2) Mix soup and milk; pour over meat mixture. Top with layears of mixed vegetables, cheese and potatoes.

3) Bake 45mins or until potatoes are golden brown and casserole is heated thru.

Cheesy Chicken & Salsa Skillet

(Taken off Kraft Food & Family magazine)

This is so simple to make. And good for you too!

prep: 10min. Total: 30min. Makes: 4 servings, 2 cups each

What you need:
2 cups multigrain penne pasta (or any small pastas, like shell or macaroni), cooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 1/4 cups Chunky salsa
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips
1 cup shredded mexican style cheese / cheddar cheese

1) Heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-heat.
Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min.
Stir in salsa, corn and peppers.
Bring to boil. Simmer on med-low heat 10 mins. or until chicken is cooked thru, stirring occasionally.

2) Add cooked pasta to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese.
Remove from hear; cover. Let stand 1 min. or until cheese is melted.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Balls

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The name is quite a mouthful but boy, do they taste so good.

And easy to make too!

I got this recipe off the O magazine (Oprah's mag), and she suggests that this would make a lovely Christmas gift (or for any occasion) when wrapped up in gift paper as such:

I made this tonight to try it out and Jesse loved it, and so did I. I'm not a big fan of peanut butter, but I think this is even way better than regular rice krispies treats.

Here's what you need:
2 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered toffee candy bars e.g Heath
2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
16 regular-size marshmallows
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Canola oil


1) Leaving candy bars in wrappers, use a rolling pin to pound and crush bars into small pieces. Place Rice Krispies in a large bowl and set aside.

2) Place peanut butter in a medioum-size microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high until hot, about 45 seconds.
Add marshmallows and microwave on high until softened, about 30 seconds.
(Alternatively, place peanut butter and marshmallows in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.)

3) Working quickly, stir to combine mixture with Rice Krispies. Stir until evenly coated.
Add crushed candy bars and chocolate chips. Stir until combined.

Coat your hands with oil and shape mixture into spheres the size of golf balls, making 16 treats. Pack in decorative tins or arrange on waxed-paper-lined wrappers and tie ends with ribbon. The balls will keep up to one week at room temperature.

( Makes 16 balls )

Cajun Chicken

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts are always great for you!

Very low in fat, and the protein in chicken helps build muscle.

What you need:

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cajun seasoning
2 tbsp italian seasoning
2 tbsp lemon pepper
garlic powder, to taste
10 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

1. Mix all ingredients and marinade for 1/2 hr in the fridge, covered.
   
   
2. Grill or oven bake 350 deg F for 15-20 mins.
   

Sloppy Joes

What you need:

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp brown sugar
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
dash of worcestershire sauce

1. Brown ground beef, onion and green pepper. Drain fat.
   
   
2. Stir in other ingredients, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 mins.
   
   
3. Season with salt & pepper.
   
   
4. Serve between burger buns!

The art of hard-boiling eggs

This method is fool-proof. I followed the steps and my eggs came out perfect!

Hard-boiled egg yolks are supposed to be yellow.

If the yolks turn out with a grey outer-layer, they are over-boiled.

You know, I used to go to Malay weddings all the time when I was little and we would get hard-boiled eggs to bring home, and the yolks always came with a grey outer-layer.

And I always thought that's how hard-boiled eggs are supposed to look like.

Now I know different. Lol.

1. Place eggs in single layer in saucepan.
   
   
2. Cover with at least 1-inch of cold water over top of shells.



3. Cover saucepan with lid and bring to a boil over medium heat.



4. As soon as the water comes to a full boil, remove from heat and let stand.



5. Let stand in hot water (covered) for 15-17 mins.



6. Drain off hot water.



7. Immediately cover with cold water and add some ice.



8. Let stand until completely cooled (hard-boiled).



9. For soft-cooked eggs, at step 5: Let stand in hot water 1 - 4 mins, depending on your taste. Skip step 8.