Monday, June 24, 2013

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks


Instructions:

Toss together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in the chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. 

Cover the dough and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Roll the dough into balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller rather than wide, to ensure the cookies will bake up to be thick. Put 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.

 Press a few more chocolate chips/chunks on top of the dough balls for looks, if desired. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. Do not bake longer than 12 minutes. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces flank steak, halved lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 12 ounces refrigerated fresh pizza dough
  • 1 tablespoon cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 1/3 cups vertically sliced onion
  • green bell pepper, cut into strips
  • orange bell pepper, cut into strips
  • garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 ounces reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

  1. 1. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500° (keep stone or baking sheet in oven).
  2. 2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steak with 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into very thin slices.
  3. 3. While steak cooks, place dough in a medium microwave-safe bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover and microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) for 45 seconds. Let stand 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a floured surface; pierce liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven, and sprinkle with cornmeal. Arrange dough on pizza stone. Bake at 500° for 10 minutes or until browned and crisp.
  4. 4. While crust bakes, return skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion and bell peppers; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add steak; sauté 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and soy sauce. Arrange steak mixture over crust.
  5. 5. Combine milk and flour in a 4-cup glass measuring cup; stir with a whisk until smooth. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in cheese and remaining ingredients. Drizzle cheese mixture over pizza. Cut into 8 wedges.

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup prechopped onion 
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • (15-ounce) can unsalted tomato sauce
  • 3 cups cooked hamburger meat
  • (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • 3 ounces preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 cup chopped tomato 
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 6 tablespoons sour cream

Directions:

  1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. 2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
  3. 3. Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave at HIGH for 25 seconds. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly. Top with tomato and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Slow Cooker Shredded Taco Chicken

Ingredients:

6 medium boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Add chicken broth to the crockpot and then add all the seasonings. Mix well. Add the chicken breasts and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Using a fork(s) shred the chicken.

This seasoned chicken can be used for other recipes.