Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Let me tell you, if you want to impress everyone at a party, at the office or at home... make these brownies.  They are especially great for pregnant ladies who are cookie dough deprived and would be great at a baby shower. (drool) They are pretty amazing and take the regular boring brownie to a whole new level.  

I know I normally bake on the healthier side... well... these are by no means healthy.  This is why you need to take these somewhere to impress others and not leave them at home where you will sit and eat the entire batch while watching re-runs of Gilmore Girls sobbing into your blanket because the show clearly ended too early. 

I would love to sit and chat about how awesome these are, but there is only one left in the fridge and I need to tackle my husband for the last bite!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
Makes: 24 bars

Ingredients:
for the brownies:
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 container of vanilla yogurt or 1/2 cup apple sauce or 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (optional, but I found these a little on the dry side so adding any of these ingredients will take care of that)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

for the cookie dough layer:
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk (I used whole, but any kind will work)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

for the topping:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13" pan and set aside.

In a large bowl or in a mixer,whisk together the cocoa powder and baking soda. Whisk in about half (1/3 cup approximately) of the melted butter until smooth. Whisk in the boiling water until smooth.

Whisk in the sugar and then the eggs and vanilla until smooth, whisk in the yogurt or applesauce or pumpkin. Whisk in the remaining butter and salt.

Stir in the flour until combined. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until just set and the edges are starting to pull away from the pan. Let cool completely in the pan.

While the brownies are cooling, make the cookie dough layer. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the melted butter and sugars until smooth and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the salt, vanilla & milk until combined.

Mix in the flour and chocolate chips until just combined. Spread the cookie dough evenly over the cool brownies in the pan. Place the pan into the fridge to chill while you make the glaze.

In a smallish, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the oil, stirring well every 30 seconds until just smooth. Spread evenly over the cookie dough layer and return to the fridge to continue chilling.

Butternut Squash Ravioli Pizza

If you know me at all, homemade pizza night is my favorite night of the week.  We usually have it on Fridays, but since today was a lovely holiday and we didn't work, we decided to make it today.  Whenever we make pizza, we always drink a nice glass of wine.  It's so much fun, like date night but at home. Since I have a wee one growing in my belly, I opted not to drink the wine tonight... tear... but would have loved this with a nice glass of chardonnay... or bottle... or box... whichever you like. Can I just say once more that I am thrilled to be able to cook and eat awesome foods again?  There is nothing worse, when you're a complete foody like me, than not being able to eat the foods you love... or any foods for that matter.  

This meal was hands down awesome.  I was thinking about making butternut squash lasagna, but really didn't feel like rolling out the pasta dough, so... a pizza it was.  Completely delicious and pretty darn easy too, even with a homemade crust.  

I can't wait to make this again and maybe next time, enjoy a glass of wine with it.  Enjoy your pizza nights folks!!

Butternut Squash Ravioli Pizza
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients: 
1/2 homemade pizza dough (get the recipe here)
1/2 butternut squash, thinly sliced (about 2 cups worth)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 yellow onion, sliced
1 cup fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup ricotta
10-15 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
salt and freshly cracked pepper

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400, make the crust according to recipe and set aside.

Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Blanch the squash for 3-5 minutes until barely soft.  Drain water and set aside.

Melt butter in a small skillet and cook on low to brown the butter.  Once the butter is a nice brown color and smells nutty, remove from heat and add a dash of salt and pepper.  Make sure not to burn the butter.

Spread the pizza crust onto a large baking sheet or pizza pan, add the brown butter sauce and spread over crust.  Add one layer of butternut squash and onion.  Top with fresh mozzarella, followed by dollops of ricotta and fresh sage leaves.  Top with remaining squash and finally top with Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is brown and bubbly and crust is crispy.  

Place on a cooling rack to cool for a couple of minutes and then slice.

BLT Wedge Salad

Well hello there.  I understand it has been months since my last post and I do have a very good and exciting reason.  For the past few months, I have suffered from what some might call... "morning sickness."  I, however call it, "all day nausea."  While I'm not complaining, because I had it pretty good compared to some people I know, it did put a damper on my cooking.  Most nights, dinner was either mac & cheese, french toast or cereal.  Or sometimes just a big bowl of fruits and veggies.  I planned ahead on meals, like I usually do, but by the time the day came, whatever I had planned did not sound appetizing at all.  That was probably the worst part about it all... being that I'm such a foodie.  But... good news, I am over the hump... food is sounding good again, I didn't think that could happen, but I will hopefully blog more in the near future! 

Tonight is movie night, which includes a big bowl of popcorn (freshly popped by my awesome husband) so I wanted to do something a little lighter for dinner... being that I'm pregnant, it needed to be filling too.  We kept raving about this salad all throughout dinner.  I usually hate when people talk about how awesome their food is during dinner... just shut up and enjoy it... but we were those people tonight.  I guess maybe it's cause we were expecting just a plain boring salad. But it was amazing. The dressing is the star of this salad. Just to let you know.

BLT Wedge Salad

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 bundle of romaine lettuce

10-15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup homemade croutons, (just slice two pieces of ciabatta bread, drizzle olive oil over, toss and bake in 350 oven for 7 minutes)

1/2 avocado, cubed (this make it a BLAT salad, but the avocado adds some healthy fats)

Dressing: 

1/4 olive oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. mayo

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I used morningstar bacon cause it's delicious, but you can use turkey bacon or pork bacon or whatever kind of bacon you like, just don't use jarred bacon bits... yuk)

dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mayo, maple syrup and taste.  Add bacon and a little salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.

For the salad, cut the romaine bundle in half and plate cut side up.  Add sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado and croutons and top with maple bacon dressing.  Enjoy!

Cookies 'n' Cream Cookies

I think that making anything cookies and cream flavor, would be delicious.  Think about it... cookies and cream ice cream... amazing!! Cookies and cream fudge... um yeah!! Cookies and cream brownies... more please!! I'm really thinking we need more cookies and cream.  Just think.... cookies and cream hot chocolate? Cookies and cream pie? Cookies and cream cake? I'm drooling just thinking of the possibilities. 

You better add this recipe to your cookie swap.  It's amazing.  I mean... crushed up Oreos within a cookie? What could be better?!  I thought of this recipe when I was thinking about my two favorite desserts to make. Oreo Balls and Chocolate Chip Cookies... I thought... "Why not combine them?" And I'm so glad I did. These cookies are so delicious and different! Definitely a crowd pleaser.  

Cookies 'n' Cream Cookies

Makes: 4 Dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pkg (4.2 oz) Cookies and Cream pudding mix (you could also use white chocolate pudding mix)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped or crushed

1 cup white chocolate chips (you could sub a 5 oz Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme chocolate bar, roughly chopped... and that would be amazing as well.)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the pudding mix and blend. Add in the eggs and mix until completely combined. Add in the vanilla.
In another bowl, combine the baking soda, flour and salt. Gradually add into the creamed mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the Oreos and white chocolate chips or Cookies 'n' Creme bar.
Form dough into tablespoon sized balls and place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes, or until golden on top.

Grilled Chicken Curry Risotto

Sometimes I come up with things in my head that are amazing. And other times I think... "why would I even think of putting those ingredients together"?  I was a little skeptical of this dish because normally when I mix Italian and Thai foods, it's a disaster.  This however, was not a disaster.  I'm always amazed when I think, "wow, I'd totally make this again... in fact... I WANT to make this again!"  That's what I thought for this meal.  It's delicious and it actually works together! I can't wait to make this again.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Curry Risotto

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Chicken:

1 1lb package or chicken tenders or 4 chicken breasts
poultry seasoning
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp red curry paste
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Risotto:

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup white wine

1 Tbsp red curry paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive or grapeseed oil

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks

1 cup chopped broccoli

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
For the Chicken:
In a glass container, mix the coconut milk, curry paste, soy sauce and seasoning.  Add the chicken and coat.  Let sit in marinade for an hour. Remove from marinade and grill until chicken is completely cooked. 

For the Risotto:

In a medium sized sauce pot, bring veggie or chicken stock to a boil, then turn down to a simmer to keep warm.

In a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat and add garlic and curry paste.  Stir and cook about 2 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat with oil.  Saute until it turns a golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add white wine and stir.  Add coconut milk and stir until absorbed  Add 1/2 cup of the broth and stir continuously until it absorbs.  Repeat this step until the rice is plump, but still has a bite.  You don't want it to be mush. 

Meanwhile, heat the grill to a medium heat.  Place the veggies in a grill pan and grill until soft. 

Mix the veggies into the risotto and add salt and pepper to taste.  Plate risotto and serve chicken over the top. 

Autumn Turkey Burgers

I'm new at this burger making thing.  I never made them before we got our grill.  I feel like I want to make them at least once a week now.  There are so many different delicious things you can add to a burger to make them even more delicious.  The past few times I made burgers, they had about 30 ingredients in them.  They all turned out okay, but these... these burgers were amazing... and totally blog worthy.  We had a friend over when I made them (which is strange because I don't normally make new things for company... ha) and afterwards he told me that I needed to open up a restaurant.  That's always awesome to hear. 

Anyway, once again... I create a fall version of something amazing already.  The turkey burger.  These were probably in my top 3 burgers I've ever had... I'm not a huge burger eater anymore, but I've been to some awesome places for burgers.  The top place for a burger is in Jerome, AZ.  Uh... I always called it Ghost Burger, but I just Googled it and apparently it's called the Haunted Hamburger... anyway, whatever it's called, it's awesome.  The views, the city, the burger... it's a pretty unique experience.  

Back to my burger.  It's delicious and very easy to make.  Goes very well with sweet potato fries too! Enjoy!

Autumn Turkey Burgers

Serves: 4-6 (6 small patties, 4 larger patties)

Ingredients:

Burgers: 

1 1/4 lb ground turkey breast

1/2 cup chunky apple sauce (I didn't have apple sauce so I just cut an apple into chunks and boiled it in about an inch of water for 30 minutes until soft and mashed it)

1 tsp poultry seasoning or whatever you have

1/2 cup cooked wild rice

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

hamburger buns (we used ciabatta rolls)

Toppings such as lettuce, spinach, tomato, onion

Maple Dijon Mustard:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients except turkey, buns and toppings.  Mix well and add the turkey.  Mix to incorporate, but do not over mix.  Form into patties and grill on a hot oiled grill for about 5-6 minutes per side.  

Serve on buns with a dollop of Maple Dijon Mustard and favorite toppings. 

*adapted from Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/apple-maple-turkey-burgers-with-maple-dijon-sauce-recipe/index.html

Pumpkin Oreo Truffles

Tis the season, where I add pumpkin or apple to literally everything I make. I love it!

These truffles (normally called balls, but I'm trying to be all professional here) are heroic.  My normal Oreo Truffles are raved about wherever I take them.  I went to a picnic this summer and brought a double batch (that's over 100 truffles) and they were literally gone in less than 5 minutes.  Not joking at all. They are amazing and if you need to make friends, make these. 

Anyway, I wanted to fall up my Oreo Truffles and I thought, why not make them pumpkiny?  So I used the Golden Oreos and added pumpkin and spices.  These seriously taste like fall exploded into your mouth.  They are pretty amazing and a nice little snack to take to your autumn pot lucks.  I feel like they have gotten better since sitting in the fridge for a day.  The spices have really come alive and you can really taste the pumpkin.  I'm excited to share these... but for now, the whole batch sits in my fridge all for me!  Oh yay! Enjoy!

Fall Oreo Truffles
Serves: 25 (if you limit yourself to 2... which you won't)

Ingredients:
1 package of Golden Oreos
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon, plus more for sprinkeling
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
6 squares of white chocolate candy coating

Directions:
In a good blender, blend up the Oreos until fine. Do not over blend, mine took about 5 seconds. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and pumpkin.  Add spices and stir.  Stir in the cookie crumbles and mix until the dough can form a ball.  Place in a sealed container and freeze for an hour up to overnight.

Roll the mixture into balls.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second increments. Dip the balls into the chocolate and place on parchment paper to harden.  Sprinkle with cinnamon before completely hardened.  Enjoy!  Store leftovers in fridge.