NEW YORK TIMES CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3 2/3 cups minus 2 tablespoons fl our
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds chocolate chips

Sift fl our, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside. Using a mixer fi tted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough onto baking sheet. Bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.

PRUITT'S FRIED ICE CREAM

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
2 ½ cups cornfl akes - crushed
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
½ cup fl aked coconut
1 quart vanilla ice cream - softened

Heat sugar and butter in saucepan until melted. Add all other ingredients except the ice cream. Stir well. Press half of the mixture into a 9X13 pan. Spread with ice cream. Top with the rest of the crumb mixture then freeze it. Serve with ice cream toppings or fresh fruit. For a more crunchy texture, use toasted coconut.

LIZ'S CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese
2 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cube butter
Cinnamon & sugar
2 Pillsbury Large and Flaky Crescent Roll packages (the ones with 6 large ones in each package)
Strawberries or raspberries

Spray a 9X13 dish. Open one crescent roll package and spread out on bottom of pan. Pinch seams together. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and 1 cup sugar and fruit. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Spread the second crescent roll package over the top of the mixture and pinch seams. Melt butter and poor over the top evenly. Mix lots of cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle generously over top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Eat warm or cold.

VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLLS

8 round rice paper wrappers (found in Asian market)
2 large chicken breasts (you can also use shrimp or pork)
½ cup bean sprouts
2 ounces extra thin rice noodles, cooked according to package
24 small mint leaves (from 1 small bunch)
16 basil leaves
8 small sprigs cilantro
4 large iceberg lettuce leaves, cut in half
2 limes, quartered

Season and cook chicken. Fill a wide, shallow dish with hot water. Evenly submerge one rice paper at a time for about 30 seconds, or until soft. To build, place one lettuce leaf on a rice paper wrapper and top with bunches of noodles, mint leaves, basil, cilantro, bean sprouts and chicken. Fold the bottom half of the rice paper wrapper over the filling. Holding it firmly in place, fold the sides of the wrapper in. Then, pressing firmly down to hold the folds in place, roll the entire pile up to close the top. Serve with limes, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce and Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. You’ll love the fresh crunch!
 

TUXEDO SESAME CRUSTED CHICKEN

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to ½-inch thickness
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

For the chicken, mix bread crumbs and sesame seeds in shallow dish. Beat egg, garlic powder, salt and red pepper in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg mixture. Coat evenly on both sides in bread crumb mixture, pressing fi rmly so mixture adheres. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; several pieces at a time; cook 5 minutes per side or until chicken is browned and cooked through. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding remaining oil if needed. Makes 5 servings.

NICOLE & ANDY'S COBB SALAD

½ head of iceberg lettuce
3 slices of bacon
1 ripe avocado, peeled, and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ rotisserie chicken or turkey breast diced into bite sized pieces
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 hard-boiled large egg, grated
½ cup Blue Cheese Dressing

Cook the bacon in a skillet on medium heat until crisp on both sides. Remove from skillet and lay out on paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Allow the bacon to cool. Crumble the bacon and set aside. Slice iceberg into two wedges. Wash and dry.  To compose the salad, arrange the chicken or turkey, the bacon, the tomato, and the avocado decoratively over the wedges and garnish the salad with the grated egg. Drizzle with Blue Cheese Dressing and enjoy! Makes 2 servings.

GERMAN PANCAKES

1 cup of milk
1 cup of flour
6 eggs
dash of salt
1/2 cup of butter
lemons
powder sugar

In a 9X13 pan throw in a stick of butter and put it in the oven that is set at 450 degrees. While that is in the oven, in a mixing bowl, mix together milk, flour, eggs, & salt. Take pan out of the oven and pour the batter into the melted butter in the 9X13 pan and put it back into the oven for 15 minutes.

Top with powder sugar and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. Makes for a quick Sunday morning breakfast!

WARM SPINACH SALAD WITH GRILLED SAUSAGE

I found this recipe in Real Simple magazine and we LOVED it so I had to share. You can link to it on their website here. It's a really light and delicous summer meal. After we made it, we just scarfed it down before I could get a picture. So, the photo is a photo of the photo in the magazine.

Warm Spinach Salad with Grilled Sausage

4 Italian sausages (about 1 pound)

8 plum tomatoes, cut in half crosswise

1 onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

3 bunches spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

Heat grill to medium-high. With a fork, prick the sausages in several places. Grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.Meanwhile, brush the tomatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill until tender, 5 to 6 minutes per side for the onion and 2 to 3 minutes per side for the tomatoes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl as they are done, add the spinach, and toss.In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Slice the sausages and serve with the vegetables and dressing.

Tip: Tossing the spinach with warm vegetables wilts the leaves slightly and makes them more tender. Delicious on its own, this salad is also great mixed into pasta. Yield: Makes 4 servings.

PIONEER WOMAN CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In measuring cup, pour ½ cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop ½ cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 ¾ sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus ½ cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you've just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

CHICKPEA & ROMAINE SALAD WITH LEMON-PARMESAN VINAIGRETTE

1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 lemon, zested & juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
a good pinch of kosher salt
1/4 t red chili flakes
good olive oil
2-3 T parmesan cheese
1 head of romaine, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces

Add the chickpeas to a large bowl. In a small jar, mix together the lemon juice, zest, garlic, salt and chili flakes and pour in enough olive oil so that it doubles the amount of lemon juice. Pour over the chickpeas. Add in lettuce and parmesan cheese and toss until well combined. Eat up, hungrily.