Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies were a staple in my childhood. More often than not, a deep blue plate piled with little golden cookies was on the kitchen counter. And more often than not, that plate was reduced to crumbs by the day's end. They were the perfect cookie: not to crunchy, not too soft, not too sugary, not to bland. As I've mentioned before, as a child I was pretty sure my mom had magical baking powers.

Yesterday afternoon, stuck at work, it hit me: I need these cookies, NOW. If I don't get some fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies a.s.a.p. I'm going to lose it! Not sure where that craving came from, but there it was & it wasn't budging. So, faced with a serious cookie hankerin,' I culled up all the ingredients as soon as I walked through the door. An hour later, voilà , warm, chewy, chocolaty heaven!

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chocolate Cookies, makes about 3 1/2 dzn.
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 c. quick-cooking oats
1 c. chopped dark chocolate, about 1 bar (valrhona or scharffen berger both work well)
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar & white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts & chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto parchment or foil lined baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.


One year ago: Curry Deviled Eggs

Maple-Prosciutto Chicken with Brown Sugar Carrots

Can't get the kiddos to eat their veggies? Here's a fail-safe method for ensuring optimal veggie consumption: drench them in brown sugar & butter. I never was a terribly picky eater as a child, but there were one or two things I turned my nose up at (Raw tomatoes, no way! Olives, forget it!!). These sugary carrots were not among my food rivals.

I'd forgotten about these sweet little gems until recently. I was standing in the aisles of Trader Joe's with a giant bag of baby carrots in my hands trying to justify the purchase to myself ... well, I'll never eat this whole bag on my own ... they almost always go bad ... what would I even cook with baby carrots ... brown sugar carrots, of course!

The next dilemma, what on earth to eat with sweet veggies? Well, fried chicken & mashed potatoes are often teamed up with them, but I wanted to dress it up a bit. Adult-ify them, if you will. Crisp, salty-sweet, maple-y prosciutto wrapped chicken turned out to be the perfect partner for these sugary little carrots. Not to mention, if I may say, super yummy!!

Maple-Prosciutto Chicken, for 2
2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
4 slices prosciutto
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 c. white wine
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. Meanwhile, wrap the chicken breasts in cellophane & pound them (the back of a heavy skillet works wonders) until they're about 1/2" thick. Heat an oven proof skillet over medium heat and melt the butter.

While the butter melts, wrap the chicken breasts in prosciutto -- two slices of prosciutto per breast should be enough -- & press well. Simply pressing firmly should keep the prosciutto secure on the chicken, but use a tooth pick or two if necessary.

Next, toss in the shallot & a pinch of salt in with the butter. After a minute or so, add 1 tbsp. of the maple syrup. Brown the chicken breasts on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Then transfer the skillet to the oven for 2 - 3 minutes to cook through.

Finally, remove the skillet from the oven & set the chicken aside. De-glaze the pan with white wine & add the remaining syrup. Drizzle over the chicken & serve.


Brown Sugar Carrots, for 2
1/2 lb. baby carrots
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
a pinch of salt

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter. Once melted, toss in the sugar & combine. Then add the carrots & cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes.

One year ago: Suprêmes de Volaille aux Champignons & Melanzane alla Parmigiana with Zucchini & Asparagus Crudi

Zebra Cake

I don't remember the first time this ice-box cake landed on the dinner table. All I remember is trying to wrap my young mind around the strange concoction. Was it ice cream? No. Was it some sort of pudding? No, not really. Was is cake? Well, I guess, but this was no ordinary cake. Creamy, cool, chocolaty - almost coconuty & zebra striped to boot, I was in love. How could simple whipped cream & thin chocolate wafers, after just a few hours in the fridge, turn into this!?

I assumed my mother possessed some magical dessert spell book (sometimes I still think she does), but it turns out, this cake has been gracing dinner tables for a better part of the 20th century. Sadly, the Famous Chocolate Wafer's popularity has waned & they're becoming nearly impossible to find in stores. After hitting up three different supermarkets I finally came across a cache of the cookies on the very top shelf of a cookie aisle in a local Albertson's. Not an easy thing to spot for a gal of just 5 feet, but well worth the hunt.

Zebra Cake or Famous Chocolate Wafer Cake
3 c. heavy cream
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 (9 oz.) packages chocolate wafer cookies, 2 or 3 cookies reserved (for topping)

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Start with three or four cookies & spread a dollop of whipped cream between each, making something like little sandwiches -- think triple, quadruple, quintuple, decker oreos. Lay each cookie "sandwich" on its edge on a large platter. Continue the process, making rows of cookie & whipped cream "sandwiches," until you have a log shape.

Cover the cookie & whipped cream "sandwiches" with a layer of whipped cream, smoothing with a spatula. Crumble 2 or 3 cookies on top. Refrigerate for 4 -6 hours, then serve.

One year ago: Lemon Pepper Pappardelle with Parsnip Ribbons & Capers & Mother's Enchiladas

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

Not to reinforce a girly trope, but I do not do taxes. 1040. 1040EZ. 1040 Schedule C. Schedule M. Form XYZ. If A, then B, on line C, minus line D ... come on! So confusing. After splurging on an accountant last year, Ray & I assumed we could simply follow her steps & do our own taxes this year - thereby saving $300! Sure, there would me much gnashing of teeth, but it seemed worth the 300 bucks. An hour or so in & several forms deep I was lost. My brain was fried & my nerves were frazzled, but Ray decided to plug on ahead. I knew he'd need some serious fuel to keep him afloat in a sea of deductions, calculators & woe. Lo & behold, nothing can make taxes more painless than a toasty marshmallow milkshake. Nothing! Except maybe an accountant.


Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes, makes 1
adapted from Gourmet & Stand
3 scoops vanilla ice cream (the best you can find!)
1 tbsp. whole milk
I large dollop plain yogurt
5 Kraft Jumbo Jet-Puffed marshmallows
Whipped cream (optional)

Toast marshmallows under a broiler, or, if you're frisky, over a flame (think gas stove) until they just start to blacken evenly (the trick is to make sure it's evenly toasted and dark, but not turned to charcoal).
Put the milk, yogurt, & then ice cream in the blender. Blend carefully, just until you get a "donut"—when you see the shake holding to the sides of the blender with a hollow core. Then add 3 of the toasted marshmallows to the blender, & whirl it just until they're all broken up and distributed evenly. Be careful not to over-blend it, making it too melty.

Pour shake into a glass, top with a dollop of whipped cream, break the last two marshmallows on top, and serve with an extra-wide straw. Repeat if necessary. And it will probably be necessary.

One year ago: Strawberry Thyme Butter Cookies & Rosemary Boursin

Roasted Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives or "Loo Chicken"

Rayme chicken is my favorite. Ray has a way with simple chicken. Toss in an onion, a bit of garlic, simmer some white wine, reduce the whole thing & Ray comes out of the kitchen with the most beautifully understated chicken breasts. It's his food calling card, if you will. Well, that and gravy, the man makes a mean gravy. His go to chicken dish always impressed me & I've been hunting for my own ever since his hit out table. Something easy, light, relatively quick & with a bright, robust flavor. So, Rayme chicken, meet Loo (as in "Laura-Loo," my childhood pet name) chicken.

Roasted Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives or Loo Chicken, for 6*
adapted from Real Simple
1 lemon
2 pints grape tomatoes1 head garlic, cloves separated & peeled
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small loaf country bread, warmed (optional)

Heat oven to 425° F. Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of zest from the lemon. (Reserve the lemon.) In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, garlic, olives, thyme & lemon zest with 1 tbsp. of the oil. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up, among the vegetables & drizzle with the remaining tbsp. of oil. Season the chicken and vegetables with ¾ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper.

Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the hot roasting pan. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the roasting pan & add the wine. Gently stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan. Serve the chicken & vegetables with the pan juices and bread (if using).

*For fewer diners, just use chicken legs (thigh & drumstick) & cut the rest of the ingredients in half.

One year ago: Seared NY Strips with David's Zucchini & Potato Fondantes with Rosemary Beurre Blanc