Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my favorite types of cookies, if not my #1. As a kid, I could eat chocolate chips dunked in milk as a meal. Nowadays, I like to splurge and have a cookie here and there as a treat. I also like to bake them from scratch every once in a blue moon!

I was scanning through my monthly 'Food and Wine' magazine this weekend and saw a recipe for chocolate chips. I had all the ingredients at home so I figured I should make them. So here is my spin off of these.

They are delishh! You can store them in a sealed container for a few days or frozen for up to one month.

Ingredients: Makes about 25 cookies

• 2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter
• 2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Egg Yolk, lightly beaten
• 2 tbs Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips

In a medium sauce pan, cook the butter over medium heat until it is browned (about 5-7 minutes). Transfer the butter to a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda.

In the bowl of your standing mixer, add the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix at medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl half way through if needed.

Add in the eggs, milk, and vanilla and mix until it is well blended.

Add the dry mixture at low speed and scrape down as needed. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate longer than 2 hours, or overnight.

Once the dough is ready, it will be nice and firm. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (mine is unbleached, so it is brown).  Scoop 1 tablespoon full of cookie dough for each cookie and lay about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden brown on the bottom.

Serve warm or at room temp.

Drunken Turkey Tacos

I've said this before, but my favorite cuisine next to Italian is Mexican. I have Mexican cravings probably more often than I should admit.

It may not seem like it because of all the pasta and other goodness I cook, but I am somewhat health conscious. I like to try recipes with healthy alternatives like whole wheat pasta versus regular...white meat versus dark meat... baked versus fried. One yummy, healthy alternative that caught me by surprise was the turkey tacos I just made! I did not even realize I was eating turkey (turkey is probably one of my least favorite meats) - it is amazing what some spices and salt can do. Sure, try my beef tacos, but when you are trying to cut the calories and cholesterol, I promise this will not disappoint. It's actually pretty darn good and I plan on using the turkey more than less when making tacos because we enjoyed them that much.

Ingredients: Makes about 6 Tacos

• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1/4 Small Red Onion, diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1/2 Guinniss Beer (or any other dark beer)
• 1 tbs Pickled Jalapeno Peppers, diced
• 1 tbs Chili Powder
• 1 tbs Onion Powder
• 1 tbs Garlic Powder
• 3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
• Pinch of Coriander
• Olive Oil
• Salt - about 1/2 tsp, but taste the turkey - don't over or under salt
• Flour Tortillas - Taco Size

Guacamole recipe here!

Toppings: here is what I used

• Wisconsin Cheddar, grated
• Guacamole
• Fresh Squeezed Lime Wedge

In a large pan, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground turkey and let fully cook - under cooked poultry can carry salmonella, as we all know! Make sure the meat is broken up into relatively small pieces - it is more flavorful that way.

Add the beer and all the seasonings/herbs. Let cook until all beer is absorbed on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Layer on the turkey meat, cheese, guac, and a squeezed lime wedge. YUM.

Rigatoni with Beef and Pancetta Ragu

Having extra pancetta from my recent Shrimp and Pancetta dinner, I wanted to use it up this weekend. Given it was Sunday and all, we had to make a sauce for our Sunday Dinner. I took a spin on Bolognese Sauce (subtracted carrots and celery - but feel free to use them!). Ground beef, lots of white onion, garlic, pancetta, red wine, olive oil, salt, herbs, red pepper flakes - and that's it! The sauce was super flavorful, and I plan on making this again and again since it was such a hit. In these pictures I used Rigatoni, one of my favorite types of pastas - of course you can use anything like penne, ziti, paccheri, whatever you are in the mood for since the sauce is very versatile. I usually make a big batch of sauce and freeze containers for quick and easy meals during the week.

One thing I want to mention about the red wine ingredient - they say don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink. It's true, I suggest using decent wine for cooking.  We actually opened one of Ryan's favorite Cab Savs as we were cooking, Benzinger Reserve - Don't tell him but while he wasn't looking I used it for the sauce. Maybe that's why he liked it so much!!

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

• 1 lb Ground Sirloin (I use 90% lean since I prefer less grease in my pasta sauce)
• 1/2 Small White Onion, diced
• 1 Garlic Glove, minced
• 1/2 lb Pancetta, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 2 Large Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• 3/4 Cup Red Wine
• 2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
• 2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
• Handful of Fresh Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Parmigiano Cheese Rind
• Salt to taste
• Pasta

Run the tomatoes through a blender so they are fully blended to a tomato sauce.
In a large stock pot, medium heat, warm a few tablespoon of olive oil and add the pancetta. Saute until it begins to brown. Add the onions, garlic and crushed red pepper. Saute tthe onions until they are translucent, they should pick up the brown color from the cooked pancetta fat.

Add in the meat and break up/mix until meat is half cooked.
Pour in red wine and let simmer until meat is fully cooked.
Add in tomato sauce and stir all together.
When sauce comes to a boil, add fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, cheese rind, and salt to taste. Cook for about 45 minutes.

Serve on top of your pasta of choice, cooked al dente. Grate parm or romano cheese on top. Enjoy!

Seared Sea Scallops

The scallops at the Whole Foods were so big and beautiful we couldn't pass them up. We decided to  make them as an appetizer to our filet oreganata meal. Success!

Scallops are so sweet and delicate that they don't need much seasoning and fussing, in my opinion.

I decided to use rosemary in this because I actually have a rosemary plant that is flourishing. So, why not!?

Ingredients:

• 4 Sea Scallops
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 Fresh Rosemary Sprig
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:
Season the scallops with some salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil and garlic in a skillet for about 1-2 minutes.

Add the rosemary sprig. Slowly place the scallops in the pan - they hold some water which will make the oil splash, so be careful. Sear on each side for about 3-4 minutes, until their tops are golden brown.

Stuffed Pepper Wedges

What a fun, different appetizer starter for a dinner party! I made these this weekend as we were hosting some friends over for dinner. I decided to add these to the menu at last minute and I am really glad I did because everyone loved them!

It was the first time I made these, but not the first time I've eaten them....I kind of copied my mom's recipe; she always makes a similar version of these (if not the same) for our annual family New Years party. I got the idea to make them when I walked into the grocery store and gigantic, beautiful red and green peppers were staring at me.

The stuffing is very similar to my stuffed mushrooms stuffing. So here is an idea if you need a couple appetizers - make a mix of stuffed pepeprs and mushrooms! Easy peasy and yummmyyyy.

Ingredients:

2-3 Different Colors Peppers, cut into wedges

2 tbs White Onion, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tsp Parsley, chopped

1 1/2 Cups of Bread Crumbs

1 tbs Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

2 tbs Mozzarella, chopped

1 tbs Olive Oil

Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Salt to taste

Water

Directions:

Stuffing:

In a small frying pan, saute the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil until onions are translucent. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parmiggiano cheese, mozzarella, pepper, and parsley. Add the sauteed onion/garlic mixture and extra olive oil. Mix all together. Add in water as needed to make the stuffing sticky, but not runny. Water will keep the stuffing from getting dry.

Form/patt a small portion of the mixture in your hands, enough to fit on top of each pepper wedge, and press it on each pepper.

Bake in 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until peppers are cooked through and softened.

Tagliatelle with Herbs and Fresh Tomatoes

Now that the weather is warming up, out come the farmers markets in NYC! I love this time of year. There is nothing better than fresh veggies and herbs that you can hand pick yourself. You can take a simple meal to a whole other level by adding fresh herbs.

This recipe is very similar to my fresh tomato sauce that I posted some time back, but with an added bonus. I was in the process of cooking my fresh tomato sauce, but I wanted to jazz it up a bit. So, I added 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary - just follow the recipe in the link and add these two herbs while the tomatoes are cooking. Both versions of this sauce are delicious - the beauty of these recipes are the simplicity and the freshness.

The talgiatelle normally come in a bag, with sections rolled into balls. Here is the one I used - it is a mix of regular and spinach pasta. Buon Appetito!

Shrimp and Pancetta

Here's the deal with this meal - Ryan had picked us up shrimp at Whole Foods after work since we were craving seafood.  Later, on my way home from work, I was thinking about how to cook the shrimp. Go figure, I decided to create something new.  Rice pilaf was also on the menu for dinner... so what kind of shrimp can I make over rice pilaf?  I stopped into the Amish Market on my way home to pick out some additional ingredients and get cooking ideas. I walked out with a chunk of pancetta from the deli station, cut about an inch thick. That's it.  It was the first thing that came to mind so I stuck with it.

Pancetta gives such a great flavor - it is like high class bacon! I've been wanting to use it more in my recipes lately since I always love it.

Anyways, like most of my recipes, this was very, very spur of the moment, and turned out to be fantastic! This is how it goes....

Ingredients: Serves 2

• ~1 lb large shrimp, de-veinded and cleaned
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 lb pancetta, cut into pieces
• 2 1/2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 lemon, squeezed
• salt and pepper

Season the shrimp with cracked pepper and a little salt, not too much salt as the pancetta is already salty.

 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the pancetta. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes - cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the wine and let sizzle off for about 1 minute before adding in the shrimp.

Add shrimp and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Cook all together for about 10-12 minutes, until shrimp are fully cooked through. Flip the shrimp a few times while cooking and stir everything together so shrimp are well-coated with the ingredients.

Serve on top of rice pilaf or along side mashed potatoes and veggies. Enjoy with a cool glass of Chardonnay!

Summertime Potato Salad

Growing up I never ate mayo in anything - obviously, I'm Italian! I always knew potato salad to be made with oil and vinegar, as my mom and aunt made it. And to this day, I will not eat potato salad if it is made with mayo. It actually kind of grosses me out - no offense to everyone, I know you all like the American, classic potato salad! Well, since I am marking my words here, I have to share this recipe with y'all. It's very simple and delicious! This makes a great side dish to any meaty meal or BBQ. We made it this Mother's day along side our grilled veal chop that you see in the photo.

 Use about 1 potato for every 2 people, depending on potato size and about 4 string beans per person - but people tend to go for a second helping so I suggest to always make more!  

Boil the potatoes whole until they are fully cooked through.

Remove from water and peal off skin while they are still hot, as it is easier to remove skin while potatos are still hot.

Set aside to let potatoes cool. Slice into chunky pieces, as shown in photo.

Snap/cut the string beans in half. Boil the them with a little salt until they are cooked but still crunchy. Like a blanch, but a little bit longer.

Set aside to cool.

Once these are cooled off, combine in a large mixing/serving bowl. Add some sliced red onion, a few cherry tomatoes cut into halves, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Dress with EVOO and red wine vinegar. Toss all together and serve at room temp or slightly cooled. This can be refrigerated for days for left overs!