Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love brownies and I love cookies so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this combination cookie.  Though a little time consuming, they are a fun change from the norm.  I figured out that I had to cut my brownie squares pretty small in order to make a regular-sized cookie.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to stuffed cookies and I will definitely be experimenting with other things in the future.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 brownie mix (Bake ahead of time.)
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (For fluffier cookies, add an extra 1/2 cup of flour for a total of 4 cups.)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips 

Prepare brownies according to package directions.  Let cool completely then cut into 1 inch squares.

Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until well combined.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips.  Place a scoop of dough on top of a brownie square and another smaller scoop on the bottom.  Gently press and enclose brownie with dough.  Place filled cookies onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  (Watch them, your time may vary.)

Spaghetti Pie

This recipe comes from one of my favorite sources: Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She says this is her family's favorite meal.  I haven't had spaghetti pie since I was a kid but I decided to give this recipe a try the other night and I thought it was delicious.  I used regular spaghetti noodles because that's what I had on hand but I think the thin ones would be better. 

Spaghetti Pie

12 ounces thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I used diced.)
16-ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

Lightly coat a deep 9 or 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.  (If you don't have a really deep pie plate, use a square or rectangular pan - I used a 9X13.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles until al dente according to package directions. While the noodles boil, heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef or turkey, breaking it into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and continuing to break up the meat, until the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease, if any. Return the skillet to medium heat and stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano. Simmer the sauce over medium or medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

When the noodles are done cooking, drain and return to the pot. Immediately stir in the cream cheese and toss the noodles by lightly lifting them up and over with tongs until the cream cheese is mostly melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Stir in 2 cups of the red sauce. Keep the remainder of the red sauce warm on the stove.

Scrape the noodles into the prepared pie plate and using a flat spatula, press the noodles evenly into the dish so they are tightly pressed together and evenly flat across the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese across the top.

Bake the spaghetti pie for 20-22 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden on top. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with remaining red sauce.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I tried a new chicken tortilla soup recipe tonight and really liked it so I'm adding it to my collection.  We officially have soup weather around here and I love it.  (Not the weather necessarily, but the excuse to make soup!)  I had to photograph the picture in the cookbook because I was in too much of a rush tonight to take a picture of the soup I made and it was gone by the time I came home.  This recipe comes from my "Crock-Pot" Cookbook.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (15 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped mild green chiles, drained (I didn't drain mine.)
1/2 cup - 1 cup chicken broth (I used frozen chicken breasts so I didn't add any broth.)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

4 corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4" strips (I didn't have any so we ate the soup with Fritos corn chips on top instead.)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I used about a tsp. dried.)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used sharp cheddar.)
1 avocado, peeled, diced and tossed with lime juice to prevent browning

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.  Combine tomatoes, chiles, 1/2 cup broth, onion, garlic and cumin in small bowl.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.

2.  Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Return to cooking liquid.  Adjust seasonings, adding salt, pepper and more broth, as desired.

3.  Just before serving, add tortillas and cilantro (if you use dried, add it in step one) to slow cooker.  **At this point I also added about half a cup of sour cream.  Stir to blend.  Serve in soup bowls, topping each serving with cheese and avocado.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

My friend Marianne made these for a church function we had a few years ago and they were delicious!  I had to bring a dessert to another church function tonight and immediately thought of these.  I'm so glad I have this recipe now - thanks Marianne!  I doubled this recipe and it filled 30 baking cups, each 3/4 full.  Also, the original recipe didn't call for whipped topping but it makes all the difference.  Marianne adds a little cinnamon to hers and it's the perfect touch.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

12 gingersnap cookies (just store-bought ones, the crunchier the better so they don't get soggy)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I almost always use Neufchatel - less fat)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place 12 muffin cup liners in a muffin tin. Place a gingersnap cookie in the bottom of each liner. Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla until well blended. Add the eggs and beat well. Divide batter equally among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and chill before serving.  Top with a dollop of whipped topping.

Whipped Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar to taste (about 1/3 cup)
sprinkling of cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp.)

With an electric hand mixer, beat the whipping cream on high speed.  Once it has started to stiffen, add in powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Continue to beat until correct consistency.


 

Guacamole

I can't believe I used to not like this stuff!  Now I can't get enough.  This recipe is really tasty and the addition of lime juice keeps the guacamole from turning brown right away.

Guacamole

2-3 medium avocados
1 T. fresh squeezed lime juice (I used the juice from half of one lime.)
1-2 cloves fresh minced garlic
2 T. finely minced onion (You could omit.)
2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream
Salt to taste

Optional: 3-4 T. finely diced tomatoes

Scoop out avocados from skins and mash in a bowl with a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and combine well.  If possible, make at least 30 minutes ahead of time so flavors can blend well.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

This really hit the spot with me tonight.  I don't cook with curry very often but after making this dish, I may have to change that.  All four of the adults who consumed this tonight had seconds.  Always a good sign.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 medium red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (By seeding the jalapeno you lose most of the heat but retain great flavor.)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

3 cups hot cooked rice

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl. Stir together curry, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle over chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

In a large nonstick frying pan, stir onion, basil, garlic and peppers in hot oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chicken and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink.

Combine coconut milk and cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Carefully add to skillet, whisking vigorously. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in ginger. Cook and stir for another minute. Serve over hot rice.

Cooked Salsa

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product!  Oh well.  I have been waiting for the past month to have enough tomatoes and peppers ripe at the same time to be able to make this recipe.  I had high hopes of canning this but realized after I had already started, that I needed pint size jars and I only had quart size.  So I ended up putting some in the fridge for immediate consumption and freezing the rest in small freezer jam jars.  I am going to ask Santa for a second freezer for my garage!  I got this recipe from my friend Cami several years ago.  On all of the vegetable measurements, I just approximated.  I'm guessing this recipe would yield about 10-12 pint size jars.

Cooked Salsa

12 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped*
5 cups green bell peppers, chopped and seeded
5 cups yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeded
5-8 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white vinegar (I used maybe half a cup.)
3 T. salt
1 T. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup dried onions
2 cans tomato paste (I only used one.)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I used 2-3 T. dried.)

Combine everything but the dried onions, tomato paste and cilantro (unless you use dried) and simmer for 2 hours uncovered on the stove top.  Add the dried onions and tomato paste and simmer ten more minutes.  Then add the fresh cilantro and simmer five minutes more.

*To peel tomatoes, blanch them.  That is, put them in a pot of very hot (nearly boiling) water and let them sit for 60 seconds.  Then transfer them to a sink of freezing cold water.  The skins should pull off easily.