Recipe: Nutella Cookie Sandwiches

I'm not into really sweet things most of the time but every once in awhile, I get a craving specifically for Nutella. This recipe was spawned from one such craving.

I used this shortbread cookie recipe as a loose guide. I tend to avoid cookie recipes that require the dough to chill for a period of time, as is the case with most shortbreads; instead this recipe is super fast and only requires a few simple ingredients. The shortbread cookies turn out slightly sweet, a little crunchy, and a little chewy, and they allow the Nutella filling to take the lead with flavor.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
Nutella, for the filling

Directions
Allow your butter to soften at room temperature. (Do not melt in the microwave as this will change the consistency of the cookies.) Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract. Then, gradually add in the flour until the dough comes together.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the palm of your hand, press each ball down until it is flattened to a little less than half of its original height. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, or until the edges start turn a light golden brown.

Remove the cookies and allow them to cool. Overturn one cookie and spread the desired amount of Nutella on the flat side. Place another cookie flat-side-down on the Nutella filling. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Makes 9–12 cookie sandwiches.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Chicken Nuggets for Grown-Ups

Just because chicken nuggets are marketed to children with poor taste does not mean that they are not actually a delightful food, if prepared correctly. They have real potential to be bite-sized packets of flavor and work well both as a main meat dish or a hand-held appetizer for a party. I serve my chicken nuggets with some sweet potato fries, a frisée salad, and a variety of dipping sauces for a casual, fun dinner.

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 heaping teaspoon ground sumac
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3–4 tablespoons flour
salt
vegetable oil
chives (for garnish)

Directions
Cut your chicken into the desired nugget-sized pieces. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken pieces with the soy sauce, sumac, and Herbes de Provence. Toss everything together and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes.

To make the batter, whisk together your eggs, milk, white pepper, and a pinch of salt. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour. If you prefer your batter to be thin and airy, you can probably stop here. I prefer my batter to be a bit more on the soft but thick side, so I would whisk in an additional tablespoon of flour.

Since I don't have a deep fryer, I cook my chicken nuggets in a sturdy 9-inch skillet. Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Fill the skillet 1/2-inch deep with cooking oil and allow the oil to heat up. Work in small batches of 6 to 8 nuggets; coat the chicken pieces with the batter and gently place them into the oil. When they turn golden brown on one side, gently turn each nugget over and fry until they are golden brown on the other side. Place the nuggets on a brown paper bag or paper towels to allow the oil to drain off.

When all the nuggets have been fried, transfer them to an oven-safe dish and place them in the oven to finish cooking (about 10 minutes). Look for small bubbles of oil sizzling on the surface of the nuggets or cut one open as a tester. Transfer them to your serving dish, finely chop some chives, and sprinkle the chives over the nuggets as a garnish. Serve with spicy ketchup if desired.

Makes 2 dinner servings.

| Spicy Ketchup | In a small dish, add a dollop of ketchup and as much Sriracha sauce as you dare to use. Mix thoroughly.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Cookie Dough Truffles

On our one-year anniversary, Nick and I picked up a large pizza from Goat Hill Pizza and I made these cookie dough truffles. (Not setting ourselves up for longevity, eh?) Cookie dough truffles are like classic ganache truffles except instead of ganache rolled in cocoa powder, I rolled balls of raw cookie dough in it. Since you're not baking the dough, you can use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and just leave out the leaveners like eggs, baking soda, and baking powder. You'll need to use a little more butter and vanilla extract to make up for the loss of moisture from the eggs but there's no need to worry about measuring precisely since you're not baking.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tiny pinch of salt
3/8 cup flour
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
Bring the butter up to room temperature or pop it in the microwave until just a little bit of it starts to liquefy. (Do not melt it all the way to a liquid state.) Cream together the butter, brown sugar, regular sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Add the flour a little bit at a time until the dough holds itself together; you may need a little more than 3/8 cup depending on the texture of your butter. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Scatter the cocoa powder on a small plate. Using a 1-inch cookie drop/ice cream scooper or a small spoon, drop a 1-inch ball of dough onto the cocoa powder and roll it gently until lightly coated. Tap off the excess cocoa powder and repeat with the remainder of the dough. Refrigerate until it is time for serving.

Makes 10 truffles.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Soba Noodles with Pickled Salad

Nick is always trying to get me to make Asian food, but by that, he doesn't mean the traditional Chinese vegetable dishes I dreaded growing up; he means taking the Asian flavors and spices that he likes and inventing an Asian-inspired dish that is neither Panda Express nor a plate of steamed choy sum. Here is one of the dishes I'm particularly proud of inventing because not only is it healthy but it is pretty, too. Which makes it taste even better.

Ingredients

| for the pickled salad | 1/4 red onion 10–15 broccoli florettes 1 cucumber 1 carrot 1 jalapeño 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons salt water

| for the soba | 2 bundles of soba 1 mango 1 small handful of cilantro 1/2 teaspoon plum sauce 1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce 1 teaspoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon pickling liquid 1/2 teaspoon white pepper sesame seeds (optional)

Directions
Fill your pickling jar halfway with water and pour the water into a saucepan. Set the jar and the saucepan aside.

Cut your veggies and onion into bite-sized pieces and seed and chop your jalapeño. I very quickly blanched these ingredients by boiling some water, throwing them in for a few seconds, and then rinsing them with cold water. You don't have to do this, but I prefer mine slightly less crunchy than the average pickle. When your veggies are ready for pickling, put them in your pickling jar.

Bring the water in the saucepan, along with the vinegar, sugar, and salt, to a boil. Pour the liquid into the jar and let cool before putting on the lid and putting the jar in the fridge. Let the salad pickle away for at least two hours before serving.

When it is time to prepare the soba, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Thoroughly wash the noodles in cold water after cooking. (This is an important step for soba preparation that is not always on the package!) Whisk together the liquids/sauces and the white pepper and toss the dressing together with the soba noodles in a large bowl.

Cut the mango into bite-sized pieces and roughly chop the cilantro. Just before serving, scoop out half of the pickled salad with a slotted spoon and add it to the bowl of noodles. Add the mango and the cilantro and give everything a quick toss. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve. Use the remaining half of the pickled veggies for Vietnamese bánh mì or for a fun snack.

Makes 1 large jar of pickled salad and 2 servings of soba.

P.S. My awesome chopsticks, shown above, are from the MOMA but are sadly no longer available.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Banana-Flambé-Topped French Toast

Subtitled: Cooking with Fire. Because Brunch Is So Hot Right Now.

Nick loves French toast and it is hard for me to see why because no matter what you do, it's still going to be just eggy bread. My way of trying to jazz up French toast, though, is with banana flambé. I'm not going to go into the details of the French-toast-making part of this recipe, because I am still perfecting my technique in that regard and the banana flambé topping will work with whatever French toast technique is currently successful for you. However, I do need to provide a cautionary note that individuals with bushy eyebrows or a very cluttered kitchen may want to think twice before trying out this recipe.

Ingredients
1 firm banana (That's what she said.)
2–3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup spiced rum
1 serving of French toast
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar (optional)

Special Equipment
gas stove or grill lighter

Directions
Slice your banana as desired. Using a banana that is slightly under-ripe is better than using an overly-ripe banana, which may lead to mushy disaster.

In a small pan on high heat, melt the butter all the way. Add the banana slices, toss to coat, and turn the heat down to medium. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and gently stir the melted butter and the sugar together until they have become fully incorporated and the sugar has dissolved.

Turn the heat back on to high. Pour the rum on top and 1) if you are using a gas stove, quickly tilt the pan towards the flame to ignite, or 2) set the rum ablaze with your lighter. Be sure to do this with great caution, as a tower of flames will suddenly burst from the pan. Shake the pan gently until the flames die down, give everything a little stir, and pour the banana flambé over your French toast. Dust a little powdered sugar on top for maximum presentation points and serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

I've also won many hearts in the past making banana flambé as a topping for vanilla ice cream; I would suggest that you up the butter amount a little bit there because you aren't getting the additional butter flavor from the French toast and the mix of butter and caramelized sugar hardening when it hits the cold ice cream is magical.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Mango-Jalapeño Chutney

A little while back, I sampled some of these Pepperlane preserves at my local Whole Foods. I really liked the idea of a sweet and spicy jam but I wasn't quite willing to pay $9 for a small bottle of jam from a grocery store, so I decided to make my own. It turned out sweet with just a little bit of kick in the finish; I would imagine you could add more peppers if you prefer something more spicy. I'm calling this a chutney because it is more of a thick sauce than it is gelatinous, but I would imagine that if you added a little bit of pectin, you could turn it into a jam with a longer shelf life.

Ingredients
1 large mango (I used the green and red kind from Mexico)
1 green jalapeño pepper
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

Directions
Slice open the jalapeño and remove the stem and seeds. Finely dice the jalapeño. Cut the flesh of the mango into small cubes. (I found this video to be pretty helpful.)

Add 1 cup of water and the jalapeño to a small saucepan and bring the ingredients to a boil on high. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the mango, stir, and let the mixture simmer uncovered. Stir occasionally as the sauce thickens. Simmer until the mango is soft and the little liquid remaining has been reduced to a very thick syrup. Crush some of the mango with the back of a spoon, if desired, to achieve a more sauce-like consistency.

Makes about 1 cup.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Apple Pie Granola

The other day I made my own granola. (I know, there is nothing more granola than making homemade granola.) Most recipes for homemade granola throw in a bunch of chunky dried fruits and seeds. Personally, I prefer my granola to have a more consistent texture all throughout rather than a potpourri of chewy, crunchy, hard, and things that make me need to floss immediately after. So, this recipe will give you chunky granola that smells like apple pie and is on the chewier side throughout—the kind you don't need to dissolve in milk first in order to bite into it. I adapted some proportions from here, and used this technique to make the granola chunk together. This photo is from when I turned out all the ingredients onto the baking sheet before smoothing out and baking, when the dried apples still had beautiful red tones that turned golden brown in the baking process.

Important but not pictured!: Tray should have been lined with parchment paper.

Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups walnuts or walnut pieces
1 cup dried apples
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/6 cup vegetable oil
1 egg white

Directions
Preheat your oven to 300° Fahrenheit. Line your large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, which I clearly neglected to do above. This will salvage a handful of your precious granola from being lost to severe pan-sticking.

Chop your walnuts and apples to the desired consistency. (Do not use super crunchy apple chips for this recipe since you are baking the fruit into the granola. I got my dried apple pieces from Rainbow Grocery, where they are a soft, moist consistency like other dried fruits.)

Toss together the walnuts, apples, oats, both sugars, salt, and both spices in a large bowl. Add the oils and the maple syrup and stir thoroughly to combine. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until it is frothy throughout. Add this to the mixture and fold carefully to combine.

Pour the mixture onto your lined baking sheet and flatten it out, making sure everything is firmly packed together but evenly spread. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Then break it into the desired chunks.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Orange-Zested Buttercream

Full disclosure: I got the base buttercream recipe from the book Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell; my original contribution is the orange zest. I promise it makes a huge difference. Zesting a whole orange will perfume your kitchen and if you love the combination of dark chocolate and citrus like I do, using this buttercream to fill your chocolate whoopie pies will really hit the spot.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 stick room temperature salted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange

Directions
You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer, or—if you are hardcore like me— a regular metal spoon. Beat together the sugar and the butter; the mixture will be crumbly. Add the milk and the vanilla. Beat everything together until the mixture is fluffy and creamy. Mix in the orange zest. If the moisture from the zest throws off the texture of the buttercream, add another tablespoon of confectioner's sugar. You can't over-stir the buttercream, so keep beating it until your arm gets too tired or you achieve the desired fluffiness and creaminess.

With this recipe, I generously filled 12 2-inch whoopie pies and still had a little bit left over, so I would say there is enough for 15 whoopie pies here.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Bacon and Spinach Quiche Mini Muffins

I got the concept for using pancake mix and eggs to make quiche-inspired muffins from a recipe I found online two laptops ago. Over the years, I have been experimenting with various fillings and using the recipe to bail myself out of last-minute potluck-contributing situations. I think this is the best version, but you can substitute the bacon and spinach with other quiche fillings if you'd like.

Ingredients
1/2 medium onion
2 strips of applewood-smoked bacon
2 eggs
1/2 cup pancake mix
1 small handful of baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
nonstick spray
olive oil

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Using a nonstick cooking spray, grease a mini muffin pan well (otherwise these will definitely stick and make for a very difficult-to-clean pan).

Finely dice the onion and chop up the slices of bacon. Heat a small skillet on medium-high heat and add a few drops of olive oil. Add the onions and sauté just until they begin to soften on the edges. Add the bacon and sauté until the bacon is cooked and the onions are translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the onions and bacon to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the onions and bacon and mix to combine evenly. (Lifestyle tip: Save the bacon fat to use as a secret ingredient in guacamole.) Stir in the pancake mix. Roughly chop the spinach and add it to the bowl. Add almost all of the shredded cheese, reserving about 1 tablespoon for later. Mix the ingredients until everything is evenly combined.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Top each with just a little pinch of the remaining cheese. Bake them for 10 minutes, and allow the muffins to cool before removing them from the pan with a butter knife.

Makes 12 mini muffins.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Enchilada Lasagna for Lazies

I was feeling lazy about my grocery list for this week and decided to get one of those $5 rotisserie chickens from Costco, which is a major steal because for us that means three meals worth of food. Plus I think that Costco's rotisserie chicken is juicer and more flavorful than ones I've had from other stores. I try to mix it up though by doing different things with the chicken meat. On the second day, I made this dish that I invented myself because I am too lazy to roll individual enchiladas. I usually try not to use so many pre-made sauces in my life because I like to control the amount of sodium I am consuming at home, but I'd had a really long day at work the day before so I decided to take it easy. At least I made my own guacamole.

Ingredients
2 rotisserie chicken breasts
1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa
4 of your favorite tortillas
8+ ounces grated Colby Jack cheese
1/2 cup enchilada sauce

Directions
Shred your chicken meat; hand-shredding will give it a much nicer texture than cutting it up with a knife. (The reason you should use the breast meat is because this dish will give it a moist environment and you should save the naturally-juicy dark meat parts for a classic chicken dinner.) Place the meat in a medium-sized bowl and combine it with 1 1/4 cups of your salsa. The mixture should hold together nicely without being too saucy, so add more salsa if necessary.

Preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Spoon 2 tablespoons of salsa into a 9" x 9" casserole dish and spread it around just to cover the bottom. Cut the tortillas into quarters. Place 4 tortilla quarters on the bottom so that the right angles of the pieces fit into the corners of the dish. Use another quarter to fill the hole in the middle.

Spoon half of the chicken-and-salsa mixture on top of the tortillas and spread it evenly. Sprinkle an even layer of cheese over it. Then repeat with another layer of tortilla quarters, the rest of the chicken-and-salsa mixture, and more cheese. Top it with a third layer of tortilla quarters, the enchilada sauce, and the rest of the cheese. (I use Rick Bayless's Chipotle Garlic Enchilada Sauce.) You can feed your remaining unused quarter of a tortilla to your husband and/or dog.

Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, and then let it set for a couple of minutes before cutting it up.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Recipe: Ginger Spice Cookies

I made these cookies for dessert when we had some friends over for lunch on Sunday. It was storming the night before so I was in the mood for some holiday-ish flavors. I served chicken-apple sausage pigs-in-a-blanket, butternut squash and kale lasagna, and then these cookies that are loaded with ginger and spice. I used a recipe from the December 2009 issue of Bon Appétit as a guide and then improvised out of laziness.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons room temperature salted butter
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup uncrystallized candied ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 nubs freshly peeled ginger
1/6 cup wildflower amber honey or whatever honey you have
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
small bowl of unrefined cane sugar

Directions
First of all, a lifestyle tip: letting your butter get to room temperature rather than sticking it in the microwave will make a huge difference in the shape and texture of your cookies. So measure out your butter, leave it in a large bowl, and let it get to room temperature.

While you are waiting, you can line your baking tray with parchment paper, place your oven rack in the middle, and preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. You can also cut your candied ginger (I get mine from Trader Joe's) into pieces about the size of chocolate chips and finely grate your fresh ginger. In a bowl, alternate adding your flour and your candied ginger so that the candied ginger doesn't clump together. Add the baking soda and the salt (use 2 pinches if your butter is unsalted). Stir to combine.

When your butter is ready, whisk it until it has a creamy texture. Thoroughly whisk in both brown sugars. Crack your egg into a small bowl, beat it gently, and pour half into your wet ingredients. Add the vanilla, grated ginger, honey, cinnamon, and clove. Whisk thoroughly until creamy. Gently stir in the dry ingredients in two or three batches.

Roll some of the dough into a 1-inch ball. Dip it in the bowl of unrefined sugar and place it on the baking tray sugar-side-up. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the balls 2 inches apart. Bake them for about 15 minutes, or until they are firm on the outside and the tops have that cracked, sparkly holiday cookie look.

Makes 20 cookies.