Chewy Sugar Cookies

These are gooey, chewy, soft sugar cookies that melt in your mouth! I got the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens' cookbook, Celebrating the Promise; Limited Edition.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar for coating

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, beat until combined. Beat in eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the electric mixer and stir the rest in by hand, mixing well. Divide and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Shape small portions into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in enough sugar to coat. Place balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes until very light brown, rapping the sheet hard a couple of times throughout the cooking process to make the cookies fall. When cooked, let cool on the sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Provençal Potato Salad

I love this version of potato salad even more than the creamy, eggy, mustard and relish version you always find at barbecues. It is a little more appealing to those who gag at the word "mayonnaise" and who won't eat anything they can't identify all the ingredients. (ahem...my husband about most foods and definitely about mayo.) This version is an alteration of a recipe in one of Ina Garten's cookbooks, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 pounds small boiling potatoes (white or red)
2 Tablespoons dry white wine
2 Tablespoons chicken stock
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7 Tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon dried dill weed
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
1/2 pound (or less, depending on your taste) haricots verts, stems removed
1 (4-ounce) can best quality all-white tuna, drained and flaked
1 Tablespoon capers, drained
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in fourths

1. Drop the potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over them to steam for 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, 1 Tablespoon at a time to make an emulsion.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into halves or fourths, depending on the size, and place in a bowl. Toss potatoes gently with the white wine and the chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak in for a few minutes while you bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Then, add the vinegar mixture to the potatoes and add the parsley, basil, and dill, and more salt and pepper to taste.

2. Blanch the haricots verts in the boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until barely tender. Drain. Add to the potatoes. Add the tuna (and you can add as much of that as you like- I don't use the entire 4-ounce can), the tomatoes, and capers to the potato mixture and gently toss to coat and combine. Serve warm or room temperature.

Herbed Focaccia

If you like Macaroni Grill's bread, you should like this as well!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
4 - 4 1/4 cups bread flour, plus extra as needed
pinch or two of garlic salt
1 teaspoon combination of dried basil, oregano, and/or thyme.
1 teaspoon chopped FRESH rosemary
course sea or kosher salt for sprinkling

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the salt, the dried herbs only, 1/4 teaspoon of the rosemary, the pinch of garlic salt, and 1 cup of the bread flour. Beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add another cup of the flour and beat on medium-low speed for 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook. On low speed, beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft shaggy dough forms that pulls away from the sides and clings to the hook. Knead with your hands, in the bowl, adding 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time if the dough is sticking until moist , soft, and slightly sticky, about 4-5 minutes or so. Cover loosely and let rest for 20 minutes.

Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the paper lightly with oil. Divide the dough in half and place both halves evenly apart on the sheet. With oiled fingers, press and flatten the dough into ovals. (You can do flatter ovals if you want or thicker ones to save room and have a very fluffy loaf of bread, which is what I like!) Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 

With your fingertips, make deep indentions in the dough, about 1 inch apart, all over the surface. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and let rise again, about 20-30 minutes at room temperature. Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. 

When the dough has risen, uncover and sprinkle with a little coarse salt and the remaining fresh rosemary. Place the baking sheet on the stone and bake until the bread is lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Check the bottom and bake for a few more minutes if it is pale. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

*I like to serve this with an olive oil dipping sauce. You can simply add freshly ground salt and pepper to Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, or the Pampered Chef makes a great dry dipping sauce mix you can add! 

Baby Carrots in Cream

I found this Italian recipe in The Silver Spoon.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 pound baby carrots

2 Tablespoons butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Cook the carrots in salted, boiling water for about 10 minutes, then drain and let cool. When cold, cut in halves or fourths. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat, pour in cream, add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, add the carrots and cook for a few minutes, then add the parsley. Mix well to coat the carrots and cook for a couple more minutes. Serve while hot.

Makes about 4 side servings.

If you can't tell, I love cooking with cream. Yum.

Parmesan-Herb Risotto

This one is delicious and different. It is creamy, a bit cheesy, and still has a firm texture like regular rice. I recommend this to someone who can focus on one dish for about 30 minutes, since it takes special attention and constant stirring. Enjoy this with a grilled steak and a baked sweet potato.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted in a deep skillet
1/2 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth, heated over medium-low heat
1/4 teaspoon salt (but you may not need this much; the broth and cheese may make it salty enough, just taste and see)
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or oregano (or a mixture of other fresh herbs)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Over high heat, cook rice in melted butter, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Reduce heat to medium-high and stir in onion; sauté for 1-3 minutes until onion is tender, stirring constantly.

Stir in wine and garlic; cooking until wine is absorbed.

Add 1 cup (or one ladle-full) of hot broth, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining broth, one ladle-full of 1 cup at a time, until broth is absorbed after each addition. This should take about 30-45 minutes total. 

Add the fresh herbs and stir constantly 2-3 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and add salt if needed and cheese, stirring vigorously until blended.

Serve hot or warm with a sprinkling of the grated cheese and some pepper to taste.

Makes about 4 side-dish servings.