Huge Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies

I can’t believe Turkey day has come and gone, and now it’s already December 12^th? Where has the time gone? It’s just crazy-nonetheless,  I want to talk about my Thanksgiving cookies that I made and brought to my parents house in Virginia for Thanksgiving which featured me and my hubby’s favorite candy, Reese’s Peanut butter cups!

These were super simple using my handy dandy kitchen aid mixer, the hardest part was keeping my hubby from eating the Reese’s candies that were all unwrapped! I made a variation of sizes with these and were super fun to share and eat with our family. Couple these bad boys with some Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies and everyone will be smacking their sugary lips applauding your baking skills!

Over the Top Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies

·         3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         1 cup peanut butter (I used JIF creamy)

·         2 large eggs

·         2 tsp vanilla

·         1 tsp baking soda

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         2  1/2 cups flour

·         1  1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

·         32 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, each cut into 4 pieces

1. Mix the ingredients down to the vanilla.  Add soda, salt, and flour.  Fold in chocolate chips.
2. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough (these are big cookies).  Place 6 scoops of dough on ungreased cookie sheet.  Use your hand and slightly flatten each scoop of dough.  Cook for 12 minutes at 350.**
3. Remove cookies from oven and lightly press 8 cut up pieces of the Reese’s peanut butter cups over the top of each cookie. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes before placing on cooling rack.  Makes 18 big cookies.

4.       Variation: you can also use mini or regular M&M pieces or any other chocolate favorite candy of yours in place of the Reese’s pieces.

**if you don’t want big cookies, just use a melon baller and make smaller cookies and then you will have more to nibble on and share. Up to you!

Mason Jar Salsa

If I was deserted on an island and I could have one snack to eat for the rest of my life, it would be chips and salsa (and queso too if I can!). I just really love salsa and have a few restaurant favorites in which I can eat the whole basket of chips and lick that salsa bowl clean- hey I’m just being honest! Some of those favorites are from On The Border, Don Pablo's, Los Amigos and Chili's. I like a smoother consistency more than chunky but you can control that via the food processor to your likings.

This recipe made enough to last about two weeks in the fridge tightly sealed. I also used this salsa to top on chicken and quesadillas and its perfect to have handy when it's game time on Sunday's.. The dishes are limitless to what else you can add this with! So get to the kitchen and start salsa'ing!

What You Need:

5-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped (I actually used the Cento canned ones as my grocer was out of Roma’s)

1 Small onion, chopped

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Serrano, seeded and minced

1 Jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp of EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste.

*mason jar

Directions

• Heat pan over medium, and add the EVOO, garlic and onion and stir for 2-3 minutes
• Add the chilies, stir for a 1-2 minutes
• Then add the tomatoes and use a potato masher to crush them a bit
• Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for about 5 minutes
• Turn off the stove and pour mixture into the food processor, add your cilantro and lime juice, and pulse a few times until you get the consistency you like!
• Taste test and add S&P, garlic, cilantro, etc as needed for your taste buds then pour into your mason jar, close and put into your fridge for a bit while you arrange chips in a bowl and salivate waiting for those beautiful ingredients to marry together.

I’d suggest you let it sit for at least an hour, but preferably over night. The longer the better, as the flavors get a chance to dance together over time.

Thin Crust Shrimp Scampi Pizza

If you like thin crust pizza and shrimp scampi, you'll love it even more when using Lavash flatbread to make a pizza! It takes only minutes to prepare and the edges become super crispy. I read this recipe on Pinterest through Care’s Kitchen blog and wasn’t even sure what Lavash was, but thought I’d give it a try since I saw Skinnytaste also using it in a flatbread pizza recipe.

Lavash is a Middle Eastern flatbread, thinner than a pita and not as doughy as Pillsbury pizza dough. You usually find in the deli section of your supermarket or you can find it at Trader Joe's for $2.29 for (6) if you have one nearby! You can use these for sandwich wraps too!

I changed some things from Care’s Kitchen and added some spinach and more garlic. I also used Trader Joe’s packaged pesto but feel free to make your own as well!

I strongly encourage you to use a pizza stone if you have one (I use the Mario Batale Pizza stone from Crate and Barrel-best wedding gift ever, thanks Lindsay Lee!), but be careful when taking that big stone out when it’s hot, I received an oven wound and burnt my thumb by accident, owwwwwwww!

 Ingredients: 

• Lavash Flat Bread
• 4 cloves fresh Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 1 Package of frozen, peeled, deveined, tails taken off TJ’s medium shrimp (or use fresh of course if you can)
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Flat leaf Italian parsley
• 2 tablespoon chopped spinach
• Prepared Pesto
• 8 oz part skim Ricotta Cheese
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Red Pepper flakes (optional)

 To Prepare Pesto/Ricotta Mixture: 

Take Prepared pesto and Ricotta Cheese and mix together in a bowl until well combined and tastes delicious! Set aside.

To Prepare the Shrimp:

1. Take thawed shrimp and marinate in EVOO, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes if you choose, and a touch of salt and pepper for at least 10 minutes.
2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add shrimp with garlic/EVOO to hot pan and flash cook about 3 minutes (the shrimp do not have to be cooked all the way as they will finish cooking in the oven.)
4. Remove from the pan and once cool enough, chop up the shrimp, set aside

 Time to make the pizza:

I know this may seem like it's a lot of instructions, but it's very simple, and after you make it once, you'll know what to do and you can use the Lavash bread with any type of pizza type that you love, ie: margherita, prosciutto, four cheese, pepperoni, etc...

Right out of the oven

1. Place a pizza stone or cookie sheet in the middle of your oven and preheat to 425.
2. Once it's reached temperature, place (1) piece of Lavash Flat Bread onto the stone or sheet and cook for 2 minutes.Keep in mind that when the Lavash is cooked, it has a chewy but delicate cracker consistency, so when spreading your toppings just be sure not to press too hard or it can crack – that being  said - it can handle as many toppings as you choose! 
3. Carefully remove the Lavash Flat Bread from the oven and place on a flat surface. (watch your thumbs people!)
4. Take a garlic clove that's been cut in half and gently rub one side of the bread with the exposed fresh garlic - all over the bread. 
5. Brush entire bread with thin coating of EVOO
6. Spread your pesto ricotta mixture liberally over the top (you will have a lot of this mixture, don’t use it all on one piece of bread, just make more pizzas with it)
7. Place desired amount of prepared shrimp over the top.
8. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top.
9. Chop up some fresh flat leaf parsley and spinach leaves and throw onto the pizza.
10. Add some crushed red pepper flakes if you desire a bit of heat.
11. Drizzle Pizza with a bit more olive oil.
12. Place pizza back in the preheated oven and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until the edges look crispy and browned.
13. Carefully remove pizza from the oven.
14. Add fresh shaved Parmesan as a garnish if desired.
15. Let sit a minute or two, then cut with a pizza cutter and serve! 

These will become a household favorite! 

I made a second one with the remaining shrimp scampi ingredients and made the other half a bruschetta and mozzarella pizza, so good! Get creative!

*If you want each piece of bread to have  crispy edges all around, cut your pieces prior to placing on pizza stone in step 2

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Rigatoni bake

This recipe uses a bit of a lighter alredo creamy sauce using cream cheese and milk. I came across the original lasagna recipe from Tasty Tidbits blog and since me and lasagna are still not friends since my pork lasagna roll up trial, I decided to make a casserole dish with this using rigatoni. I made this the night before so it made for a quick dinner to pop in the oven after work last night. Pretty simple and great for leftovers to snack on for next few days...

Ingredients

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts

1 can (8 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped

1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup milk (I used 1%)

1 tablespoon. garlic powder

1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided

1 lb. Rigatoni pasta

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes.
3. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
4. Meanwhile, boil pot of water, cook the pasta, drain, and set aside.
5. Spread half cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish
6. Mix remaining cream cheese mixture with chicken mixture and pasta,cover with mozzarella; and cover with foil.
7. Bake25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Penne al a Chardonnay

I've been looking for a pink penne vodka sauce of some sort to make my husband's belly dance! I've tried two different recipes already that were mediocre and figured I'd give it another try after stumbling upon a recipe on Pinterest, and I'm glad I did! Anthony took his first bite and as I watched him, he made a face, and I quickly asked "it's not good?", he said, "No, this is delicious! It's really good, this is like eating in an Italian restaurant, what did you do?" At that moment, I smiled a mile wide and said "third times a charm, I guess!" He knows how nervous I get when trying to recreate good Italian food that meats his palette. The secret ingredient you ask? Using chardonnay instead of vodka, who knew!

Though I found this on Pinterest, this recipe originated from The Pioneer Woman's blog from her Penne a la Betsy recipe and I made some revisions by adding extra garlic and Italian seasoning instead of parsley. I also made the sauce a night before and I think that helped marry all the flavors. This dinner would be perfect for meatless Monday, so last night after coming home from work, I put the sauce on the stove, boiled some penne, sauteed the shrimp in some butter, had some Italian bread warming in the oven, and a beautiful Penne al a Chardonnay was served with smiles all around!

Ingredients:

·         3/4 pounds Penne Pasta

·         1 pound Shrimp

·         3 Tablespoons Butter

·         3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

·         1 whole Onion diced(small)

·         3 cloves Garlic diced

·         1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste 

·         1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)

·         1 cup Heavy Cream

·         Fresh Basil, To Taste

·         Salt and Pepper to taste

·         Italian seasoning

Directions:

1.Cook the penne pasta until al dente

2.Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Don’t overcook and remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

3.Finely dice one small onion and mince three cloves of garlic.

4.In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine (I used Rawson’s Retreat Chardonnay). Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce (I used Cento). Stir well until combined and then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

6.Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil. I also added a dash of Italian seasoning too for some more flavor

7.Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir and garnish with some fresh basil!

Bon Appetit!

Sizzlin' Pan Seared Scallops

Mmmmmm scallops. I’m drooling just thinking about how easy this was and how delicious they were! Instead of going out for seafood, which can cost an arm and a leg, I said I’d cook some fish at home and who knew, it was easy, quick, and delicious!  I picked up about a pound of fresh scallops (forget the frozen ones, fresh is best) from Wegman’s for me and the hubby, which ran me about 16 bucks. I had rice and green beans already at home from my previous weekly shopping adventure, and of course I had white wine, so back to the kitchen I go…

First and foremost, you want dry scallops. Be sure to pat dry your scallops to rid the moisture and season them on both sides with S&P, I also sprinkle them with some garlic seasoning. What? I love garlic! You also want to be sure that your pan is sizzling HOT so you get those delicious markings on the outsides (all clad frying pan will work best).  As soon as you add the olive oil,  you’ll see the sizzle and then drop those bad boys into the pan. They cook fast and after you remove them from the pan, they will continue to cook, so no need to be nervous of  eating raw scallops! Keep in mind, you don’t want to overcook them, because then they will taste like rubber bouncing balls, which then means you wasted your money too! You also don’t want to overcrowd them in the pan and create the steamer effect. I did my scallops in two batches.

I let these guys cook about 2 minutes on the first side, flip and cook another minute plus on the second side. I remove them quickly to a plate while I get ready for the amazing sauce. The pan will look a bit messy with all the scallop bits and juices, but do not throw down the drain. This help builds the flavors and makes a wonderful pan sauce because it is packed full of flavor. Keeping the pan at med-high heat, drop the butter and watch it melt…

When the butter is completely melted, it’s time to pour in the white wine. I had some Yellowtail Tree-free Chardonnay in the fridge, but feel free to use what you like/have-Pinot Grigio’s  work well for this too. Just promise me you’ll use some good wine, you just spent $$$ on the scallops and we don’t want them to swim in bad tasting, cheap wine. Obvi! The wine will bubble and steam, and you’ll need your whisk or spoon in there to stir it around and scrape at the bits on the pan. This will then soften up and dissolve into the liquid, which makes cleaning the pan much easier and flavors that lovely sauce. As it reduces to the right consistency, I remove it from the heat and serve it over the scallops

*Since these cook so fast, be sure to prepare/have your sides ready. Remember the scallops cook in about 5 minutes, and the sauce is done under 5 as well. Bon Appetito my fellow scallop sailors!

 Pan-seared scallop ingredients:

 Recipe:

• 8 large dry scallops

• salt

• pepper

• Garlic seasoning

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup white wine

• *parsley for garnish at the end

1. Pat the scallops dry with towel or paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the scallops (both sides).
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan (don’t use non-stick) over high heat. When oil is hot, place the scallops in the pan with at least one or two inches between them (so they don’t crowd and steam one another). After two minutes, the base should be browned nicely. Flip the scallops and cook for another minute or until base is browned. Remove from heat and set on serving dish(es).
3. While still on high heat, drop a pat of butter into the pan. Move the pat around the pan until melted completely.
4. Pour in the wine and use a whisk or spoon to scrape the bits from the pan and stir it into the liquid. Leave the heat on high and let the sauce boil until it reduces to desired consistency.
5. Immediately remove from heat and serve with scallops.