Peanut Butter Pecan Cookies with Chocolate Frosting

I'm not usually a fan of peanut butter cookies, but Jacob loves them. He loves any kind of cookie. So, fine. Peanut butter it is. I took a basic peanut butter cookie recipe and added pecans to the batter, and frosting to the cookies after they had baked and cooled. I LOVE them

For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 cup chopped pecans
- granulated sugar, or sugar in the raw for dusting

Directions:
Cream together butter and peanut butter. Add granulated and brown sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in pecans and flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into additional sugar to coat. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet flatten by making crisscross marks with the tings of a fork. Bake at 375 for 7 to 9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For Frosting:
- 1 cube butter
- 3 cups-ish of powdered sugar
- a little milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coco powder (to taste)

Directions:
Blend butter and powdered sugar together, add milk to desired consistency. Add vanilla and coco powder. Spread over cooled cookies.

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel Sauce

Cook Time: 30 min, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

- 2 eggs, beaten

- 1 1/4 cups plain bread crumbs

- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan

- 2 teaspoons dried basil

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme

- 4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the sauce:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced

- 2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved

- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

Directions:

For the chicken:

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.

Using 3 wide shallow bowls, add the flour to 1, the eggs to another and to the third bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and thyme.

On a work surface, put the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken until approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly, then dip into the beaten eggs, allowing the excess egg to drip off. Coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

In a large, nonstick saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of the breaded chicken into the oil and cook until light golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Reserve the cooking juices in the saute pan.

For the sauce:

Using the same saute pan, add the olive oil to the reserved cooking juices and heat over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic and thyme. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top before serving.

Leek, Potato and Bacon Casserole

Our lovely friends Andrea and Ben came over for dinner on Sunday night. We had a delicious bruschetta made by Andrea (yummm, bruschetta is one of my favorite things! I could eat it all day long.) We also had COUNTRY STYLE SPARE RIBS (recipe here), fruit salad, and this leek, potato and bacon casserole. When I read the recipe for some reason I thought it would turn out more like au gratin potatoes. I obviously didn't read it very closely. It was delicious, and not totally weird as a dinner side, but if I make it again it will be for breakfast or brunch I think.

Leek, Potato, and Bacon Casserole:
Cook time: 1 hour 30 min, serves: 4
Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

- 2 leeks, white and light green (about 6 ounces)
- 6 slices smoked bacon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus for brushing the pan
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium red potatoes, diced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
- 2 cloves smashed garlic
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 6 ounces Jarlsberg Swiss cheese , grated (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:Preheat the oven 325 degrees F.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch square glass casserole dish. Halve the leeks lengthwise, and then cut them crosswise into half circles (There should be about 1 3/4 cups.). 

Put the cut leeks in the basket of a salad spinner, or a colander set in a bowl, and fill with water. Swish the leeks around to flush out any grit. Lift the basket from water--don't pour the water off or you will pour any grit right back over the leeks.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then crumble. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings, add the butter and leeks, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a small saucepan with the garlic, thyme, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and water, to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain. Discard the thyme and garlic and add potatoes to the leeks.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and half-and-half, then stir in the leek mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, the bacon, and nutmeg. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish:

cover with foil and bake until just set but still moist, about 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Position a rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler. Scatter the remaining 1 cup cheese over the casserole and broil until the cheese browns, about 3 minutes. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Unmold or serve from baking dish.

Larene's Country Style Pork BBQ Spare Ribs (in the crock pot)

Here are the BBQ pork spare ribs I made for Sunday dinner with Andrea and Ben. It is my mother-in-law Larene's recipe, but I made a couple small changes. Jacob loves these ribs, and growing up this was one of his top birthday dinner requests (along with macaroni and tomatoes, which I will NEVER make, because it is gross.)

Country Style Pork Spare Ribs
Cook time *(including prep): 4 hours and 15 minutes, Serves: 4 to 6

- 1 14oz bottle Chili Sauce or Ketchup (I ALWAYS use Chili Sauce)
- ½ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Mustard
- ½ cup Brown Sugar (plus...and sometimes I add 1/4 cup molasses)
- 1 med Onion, cut any way you prefer. I like big slices.
- ½ tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Water
- Beef Bouillon Cube to yield 1 cup broth
- Tabasco Sauce to taste
- About 8 Country Style Spare Ribs (I usually do 4 with bone, and 4 w/out)
- Optional: 4 to 6 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Optional prep: Season ribs with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and shake off excess, then braise ribs on all sides in hot skillet before placing in crock pot. (Braising will seal in juices and create a nice crust that otherwise wouldn’t form in the crock pot.)

I don't braise them every time, but if you do you will find it adds extra flavor and the flour helps to thicken the sauce.

If you choose not to braise then simply season the short ribs with salt and pepper and then add along with the onions to a crock pot. Mix together all other ingredients (except cornstarch) to create your sauce and poor over the onion and ribs. Cook for 4 hours on high setting. You can serve them at this point, or...

Optional: Remove Ribs from crock pot and set aside. Ladle some of the liquid (about 1 cup) into a small bowl and to it, add 4 to 6 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk until there are no lumps. The liquid in the bowl should have begun to thicken quite a bit. Add this liquid back to the crock pot and whisk to combine. Add ribs back to crock pot and allow to cook for about 15 more minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up to an almost gravy like consistency. Serve over Buttered Noodles with Lemon, Shallots and Chives.

Black Bean Soup

Nothing really to say that I didn't already say about navy beans. Beans are good.

So says Zonya.
So say I.

Recipe by: Me (and my neighbor Tessa)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

- 5 pieces of bacon, large chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- fresh ground pepper (to taste, about 1/8 tsp)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tomato, diced, and sour cream to serve

Directions:

In a large soup pot or dutch oven cook bacon until done and almost crispy. Add onion. Cook until onion begins to turn translucent.

Add seasoning, beans and broth. Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes, or until beans become tender and broth begins to thicken. Serve with fresh diced tomatoes and sour cream.

Navy Bean Soup

Scoff if you will, but I am taking seriously the charge given me by Zonya Focco (author of Water with Lemon, and acclaimed motivational speaker). She says that if I eat a serving of beans 4 times a week I will lower my risk of heart disease by 19%!!!! And Zonya knows all.

I wonder if she is factoring in the enormous dollop of sour cream I always add, and the fact that most bean soups call for bacon or some other salty pig product...

I know she doesn't mean just soups, but I've gotta start somewhere. I'm not the type to just throw together a salad (yet), so let me get to that point first before you have me adding those disgusting red kidney beans to the top of it.


Recipe from: Foodnetwork.com
Cook time: 2 ½ hrs, serves 8

Ingredients: 
-1 pound navy beans , picked over, rinsed and drained
-10 sprigs parsley
-2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
-1 bay leaf
-2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds
-1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
-1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
-8 cups of cold water
-1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-Butter for garnish (or sour cream, or olive oil)

Directions:
Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve.
Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions, and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hock are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours. (Mine took quite a bit longer than this, about another hour.)
Turn off the heat and remove the hocks. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard.
Puree about 3 cups of the beans with some of the liquid in a blender. (For a smoother soup puree all the beans.) Stir the puree and diced meat into the soup. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
Pour into heated bowls, place a small pat of butter on top of each soup, and serve.
(Or, instead of butter, place a drizzle of olive oil, and a heaping scoop of sour cream. Bam!)