Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Huge fan of peanut butter.  Huge fan of chocolate.  It's nothing new that they go great together, so why not make some chocolate chip peanut butter cookies?

It all started at 8 am this morning when I was lounging around after my morning walk with baby boy.  I was craving something sweet.  Not just the usual twix and chocolate sweet, but like yummy homemade sweets!  (I am kind of an addict.)

My husband loves peanut butter cookies, so I decided I could kill two birds with one stone.  Peanut butter cookies for him and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for me.  All in less than half an hour.  Seriously, I got a craving and an hour later I had: chosen a recipe, decided to add chocolate chips to my half, and mixed, baked, and ate 'em.

The peanut butter cookies were so good.  A little bit chewy with a crunch.  I liked them, really.

Enough to eat one or two.  Although I saved the bulk of them for the intended recipient, my husband.  This totally counts as a Cooking for a Carnivore challenge success.  He loved these cookies.

These are so quick and easy and use ingredients that most of us have on hand so get up and make yourself something good.  Bonus= you can make them chocolaty or not.  Totally up to you.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour (click here)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream the butter, sugar and peanut butter.  

2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

3. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix until a smooth dough is formed.

4. Scoop the cookies now for plain peanut butter or add the chocolate chips for the peanut butter chocolate version.

5. Make a criss cross with a fork on top of each cookie and flatten as you go.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes until edges are browned.

Eat a dozen and give a dozen to a friend.  

This batch makes between 15-24 cookies depending on your scoop.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Another "Cooking for a Carnivore" challenge success!  This honey sesame chicken was sooo good!  I followed the recipe pretty much "TO THE T", but I there were a few things I would/could do differently next time too.  It was awesome, but I was missing the veggies and crunch.

This recipe is fast, easy, and totally YUMMY.  I totally felt like I was eating take-out!  The only thing that could have made this better was a side of cream cheese won-tons.  Right?

My husband loved it.  I think he is converting me to a little bit of a carnivore though, I don't see any vegetables on this plate.  We will have to fix that the next time around.

This recipe just calls for chicken, but next time I am going to add either diced water chestnuts or sliced bamboo shoots for a little crunch.  It would be good with the chicken cubed and mixed with veggies too, more like a stir fry.  You can get the original recipe here.

Recipe adapted from Skinny Taste blog.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 small can water chestnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts to garnish

Directions:

1. Place the chicken seasoned with black pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Mix everything but the cornstarch and the last amount of water in a bowl and pour over the chicken.

3. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.  Then remove the chicken and shred it with two forks.  Leave the sauce in the slow cooker.

4. Mix the 1/4 cup of water and cornstarch together and add to the slow cooker.  Cook on high for 10-20 minutes or until slightly thickened.

5. You can either place the chicken back in the slow cooker and coat with sauce or remove the sauce and pour the desired amount of sauce on the chicken. Add the water chestnuts, whole or sliced. 

6. Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve with rice.  

ENJOY!

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

I mentioned that I was making ribs the other day when I made cornbread, but I never shared how they turned out.  I used a variation of this recipe, which I found to be a good starting point.

They were so yummy!  I love crock pot ribs and these were no exception.  It was kind of tricky getting a good photo though, so bear with me on the pictures.  

This is my favorite picture.  I love green beans and now that they are just coming into season here we have been eating a lot of them.  I like to toss them in olive oil and minced garlic and then bake them at 350 for 10-20 minutes.  They are still a little crispy, crunchy, and oh so garlicky!

They were perfect with the cornbread muffins and we got at least 2 meals for both of us out of one rack of ribs. All in all, it was a total success.  "Cooking for a Carnivore" challenge item/day 5.  I am starting to think that not only am I trying to expand my husbands picky palate, but mine as well.

Baked Chicken Tenders

Crunchy chicken tenders hot off the fryer.  Wait...  these aren't fried?  Why are they so crispy and delicious?  Magic? Oh, that makes sense.

These were a huge hit with my carnivore.  Which brings me to item number 4 of my "Cooking for a Carnivore" challenge.  Baked Chicken Tenders. 

This is a really quick and easy recipe and it tastes great.  All you need is chicken, flour, a few eggs, panko, and some parmesan.  You could leave out the parmesan but it makes these extra yummy.  Give yourself about a half hour from start to finish and you will be eating lunch in no time.

I think I liked these so much because as I dipped them in BBQ sauce, I really forgot they weren't fried and then decided I liked them even more than the fried version.  Healthy, protein packed, and very versatile.  

For lunch we had these with Garlic Green Beans and Cantaloupe.  For dinner, they were sliced and served with pasta, like a Chicken Parmesan.  It was delicious both ways.  

I got the recipe from forkknifeswoon.  I changed it a little, but it is basically the same.  You can get the original here.  Or you can follow my slightly different version below.

1. Cut chicken into strip pieces.  I used kitchen shears and it was quick and painless to get any size I wanted.

2. Set up your breading station.  You will need one bowl for the flour, one for the beaten eggs, and one for the panko and parmesan which you will mix together.

3. First coat each chicken strip in flour.

4. Then dip it in the eggs.

5. Finish off with the panko and parmesan mixture, coating the chicken evenly.

6. Then place it on a well sprayed sheet pan or foil lined and sprayed pan.

7. Repeat until all of the chicken has been breaded.  

8. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.  Then broil it at the very end for 2-5 minutes to get it dark and crispy.

EAT - EAT - EAT

Blueberry Crumb Cake

Day 3 of my personal "Cooking for a Carnivore" challenge: Decadent Blueberry Crumb Cake

(This is where I try to make things my super picky husband will eat, in case you missed out.)

Another easy victory folks.  My husband loves blueberry muffins, so I switched it up a little and made a crumb cake.  He didn't even realize it was a cake.  He isn't really a cake kind of guy, he would tell you.

This recipe is basically a pound cake with an entire pint of blueberries mixed in.  I was lucky enough to have some extra blueberries from my Bountiful Basket from earlier this week, so I used fresh juicy blueberries.

It also has a crunchy, sugary, crumbly topping to make it even more yummy.  I baked this cake in my medium pyrex pan that I usually make enchiladas in, it's a big one.  The recipe calls for an 8 by 8 pan, but I have a 6 by 6, or this bad boy.  It says it makes 8 servings... WHAT?!  This is easily 12 large servings, just saying.  Next time I make it, I am going to make a half recipe and bake it in 2 loaf pans.

Did I like it?  That's a good question.  I eat cake for a living.  You don't believe me?  That is the other part of my job as a pastry cook, so I am kind of a pro when it comes to sweets.  I do my job in the tasting department, so I know my stuff. 

This cake is loaded with berries, crunchy on top, and remarkably soft and tender.  I would definitely make it again, and eat it.

The fresh blueberries make a big difference in moisture and flavor.  They are sooo good.

Off to enjoy a slice.  Get the full recipe here, or in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.  I love this book!  I have made a handful of recipes and so far they have all been fabulous.

Cooking for a Carnivore

I have mentioned before that my husband is a picky eater.  He really isn't that bad, we just like different things.  Ok, and maybe I am a little picky myself.  I could survive on fruits and veggies, while he could survive on meat and packaged foods.  Total opposites. 

One of my recent goals was to cook for my husband more often.  Heck, cooking at home more in general really.  It has been kind of a fun challenge to find things we both like to eat.  Usually I make something like lasagna and make one pan vegetarian and one pan for a total carnivore.  It's an exciting kitchen I tell ya.

This week I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  I got a huge basket of blueberries this week so you will probably be seeing more of these later, but this is day 1.  

They were super good and we both liked them.  Score!  I ate mine with greek yogurt and huckleberry syrup and he had his with eggs and bacon.  5 years ago I may have insisted he try the greek yogurt and berries with his pancakes, today I just make the bacon and eggs and enjoy my own version of breakfast while he enjoys his.  Compromise and acceptance really do make things easier.  

Another day of eating fresh and cooking for my carnivore accomplished.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband is a picky eater, especially when it comes to sweets.  I could make a decadent elaborate ganache layer cake, and he would still prefer brownies from a box.  

I've accepted this as my reality, but I've decided to make it a personal challenge to find things he likes and secretly broaden his "sweet" horizon.  Day 1 of my challenge : The Infamous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie.  

He is none the wiser of my plan with my choice for day 1. Why should he be?  I chose one of his favorite cookies.  Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.  MMMMM...  Who can resist?

Plus it gives me another reason to use my retro blue Kitchen Aid mixer.  She loves making cookies and creams butter and sugar like a pro.  

So what's the verdict, you say?  Did he embrace my sudden urge to make his favorite cookie or was he suspicious?  

He loved them!  Even I broke down and had a few.  He can't eat 30 some cookies all by himself right?

Want the recipe?  Yeah, I figured you would.  These are quick, easy, and yummy.  They whip up in about 10 minutes and only take 13 to bake.  You could be eating fresh, hot cookies in less than 30 minutes so get to it!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 cups oats

1 cup chocolate chips

(sub 1/2 nuts and 1/2 chips if you like nutty cookies)

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla slowly and beat until light and fluffy.

3. Add flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until combined.

4. Add chips and oats and mix lightly.

Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes.  

ENJOY!