Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies (aka the only cookie recipe you'll ever need)

I'm not kidding when I say this is the only choc. chip cookie recipe you'll ever need! Ever.
I thought I had made some really good ones before but they don't even compare to these! Something about the vanilla pudding gives these cookies an amazing soft and chewy texture and kicks the flavor up a couple notches!
I made these years ago and then lost the recipe and then my cousin posted this recipe on Pinterest and I HAD to make them again. The recipe made 8 dozen cookies (yikes!) so I made a few adjustments and ended up with 3 dozen instead. Perfect :)



Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix
2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips (12 oz. package)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a couple cookie sheets and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the sugars, butter and vanilla. Add eggs, one at at time and then add the vanilla pudding mix. Next, add the flour mixture into the butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time until well combined. Mix in the chocolate chips and drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until very lightly browned on the edges. Remove from the sheets and cool on cookie racks. Makes 3 dozen.

Fabric Scrap TuTu

So Margot's latest obsession is tutus. The first thing she asks for in the morning (before going potty or eating breakfast) is to put on a tutu. She has two that we rotate and wash all the time so I thought it would be good to add a couple more to her collection. I came across this tutorial on Pinterest and thought it was adorable and super do-able.


All you need for the easy project is....

-Fabric scraps (I used 35-40 per tutu)
-1/2 inch wide elastic band, sewn according to your child's waist size (I used pre-made elastic headbands...they were the perfect size! About 18 inches)
-Scissors or pinking shears (to cut fabric)
-Ribbon, tulle, silk flowers (optional)


Step 1: Cut your fabric into strips. I made two tutus and for one I made the strips 21-26 inches long. For the other they were 25-33 inches long. I made the strips 1-2 inches wide for both. I made them different sizes on purpose to add more character. I also used some coordinating ribbon and a flower for each. You can do whatever colors you want!

Step 2: Lay your fabric strips out to decide what order you want them in. This is an optional step but it helped me visualize what the tutu would look like. I wanted it to be randomly planned :)

Step 3: I found it easiest to place the elastic band around my knee to work with. Loosely tie each fabric strip to the band, making a double knot. It's as easy as that! This only took me about 5 minutes to complete.

Step 4: Once you're finished with the fabric strips, feel free to add some ribbon and/or tulle as well. Trim up the longer ends so they're all the same general length. I also added a flower to each of mine. I just sewed them through one of the fabric strips onto the elastic band. And you're done!

Aren't they adorable?? Margot absolutely loves them! She loves to twirl and dance in them. So fun! I'll have to post some pictures of her later :) Enjoy!

-Chloé

Classic Alfredo Sauce

This stuff is soooo very sinful but we wanted to make something special on Valentine's Day that we both love and that we don't normally eat. This was perfect! Great for the special occasion. Plus it was really easy to make. I didn't think to take a picture of it, but here's one that Randy snapped when we were eating dinner :)


Classic Alfredo Sauce (adapted from here)

Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. freshly shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the cream and garlic. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Next, whisk in the cheese until completely melted and smooth. Serves 4.

Chocolate Coconut M&M Cookies

It's been a while since I've make cookies, especially chocolate cookies...my husbands favorite! My brother gave me several bags of coconut M&Ms (so good!) so I decided to make cookies with them. I'm so glad i did! These cookies are amazing. Coconut+Chocolate is an amazing combo! If you can find coconut M&Ms, you gotta make these!



Chocolate Coconut M&M Cookies

Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c. cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 c. chopped coconut M&Ms
3/4 c. flaked coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a couple cookie sheets and set aside. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, extracts, eggs and butter until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, half a cup at a time and mix thoroughly after each addition. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, mix in the M&Ms and flaked coconut. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes and then transfer onto cooling racks. Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Meatless Monday - Tomato Basil Soup with Ricotta Dumplings

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! I got this recipe out of my Pampered Chef vegetarian cookbook and it did not disappoint! This soup was loaded with flavor and really easy to make! It only makes two servings so next time, I'm definitely doubling it.

Tomato Basil Soup with Ricotta Dumplings

Soup Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 c. vegetable broth

1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Dumpling Ingredients:

1/4 c. part skim ricotta cheese

2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 egg white

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 c. all purpose flour

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes, until very fragrant and lightly browned. Immediately add tomatoes, broth and basil. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the dumpling ingredients and shape into 8-10 small round balls. After soup has simmered, return to a boil and add prepared dumplings. Boil until dumplings float to the surface, about 3-5 minutes. Ladle soup into two bowls and top with additional basil and cheese if desired.

Pan-fried Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Mustard Sauce

Here is yet another tasty dish from Kalyn's Kitchen. I'm becoming a fan of cooking with tenderloin! Especially if I can find it on sale ;) It's moist, flavorful, fairly lean, versatile and really easy to work with. This recipe was absolutely delicious! I love spicy mustard so I figured this was gonna be good. And it was!


Pan-fried Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of any visible fat
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. fat free chicken broth (you could also use water)
1/3 c. spicy brown mustard
3 tbsp. dijon mustard
3 tbsp. low fat sour cream

Directions:
In a large skillet,  heat the oil over medium heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and place it in the hot skillet. Cook, turning occasionally until the meat is golden brown on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Once the meat is browned, turn the heat to low and cover. Cook covered for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
Remove the pork from the pan, allow to rest and cover it tightly with foil to keep warm.  Leave any drippings in the pan and turn heat back to medium. Whisk in the chicken broth, scrapping the bottom and sides of the pan. Bring to a bubble and whisk in the mustards and sour cream. Cook and stir until heated through.
Once you've allowed the meat to rest for 10 minutes, slice into 3/4 inch slices and spoon the mustard sauce over the top. Makes 4-6 servings.

Meatless Monday - Crock Pot Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I was planning on sharing a quinoa stuffed squash recipe with you for Meatless Monday today but I made it and it just wasn't worth posting in my opinion. I was a little bummed. Oh well! I made these delicious sweet potatoes to share with you instead! Aren't crock pots the best? Who knew you could make tasty and moist roasted sweet potatoes in a crock pot?? Mmm...you really should try this recipe.

Crock Pot Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt to taste

3 tbsp. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 c. water

Directions:

Scrub the sweet potatoes to wash and cut them in half long-ways. Spray your crock pot with cooking spray and place potatoes inside cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt according to your taste. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the tops. Pour the water around the potatoes into the bottom of the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until tender. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I really love this blog called Budget Bytes and I have a lot of her recipes saved and I finally got around to making one! We had some friends over the other night and I made this then and everyone really liked it. I changed a few minor things, mostly because of the ingredients I had (or didn't have) on hand. I've never used wild rice in any recipes before...it's tasty stuff!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small or medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 c. diced carrots

1 c. diced celery

1 large zucchini, diced (optional. I had one that I needed to use)

2 chicken breasts

4 c. (32 oz box) fat free chicken broth

2 c. water

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1 c. wild rice mix

2 tbsp. butter (I used Smart Balance)

2 tbsp. white flour

2 c. milk (I used 2%)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Next, add the carrots, celery and zucchini (if using) and saute for an additional 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts (whole and raw), broth, water, parsley, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and dry rice mix. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

Near the end of the hour, begin to make the creamy mixture. In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. When it is fully melted, whisk in the flour. Cook and stir the butter and flour mixture for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and allow it to come to a simmer, whisking occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Once it reaches a simmer, it will have thickened slightly.

Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred or dice with a knife and fork and add back to the pot. Slowly stir the creamy milk mixture and serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken in Tomato-Basil Broth over Cous Cous

Sounds like a complicated dish...but it's not! This was fun and simple to make, loaded with flavor and perfect for two people! I'm a huge basil fan so I knew I wanted to try it the minute I came across it in Mary Ellen's blog. It  did not disappoint! I used low fat feta instead of the suggested mozzarella and it gave it a really tasty kick.

Chicken in Tomato-Basil Broth over Cous Cous

Ingredients:

1 small box pearl cous cous

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 shallots, finely diced

2 campari or plum tomatoes, diced

1.5 c. fat free chicken broth

6-8 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

2 tbsp. crumbled low fat feta cheese

Directions:

Cook cous cous according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Place in the skillet and saute for 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove the chicken and cover to keep warm. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same skillet as well as the shallots and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute another 2 minutes. Next, add the broth and half the basil and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Place the chicken back into the pan and simmer an additional 5 minutes. To plate, place a large scoop of cous cous on a plate, top with a chicken breast, half the broth mixture, half of the remaining basil and one tablespoon of the feta cheese. Makes 2 servings.

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps with Tomato-Avocado Salsa

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love love love Kayln's Kitchen! It's such a great blog for low-carb recipes. I starred this one when I saw it the other day and I'm glad I did! It was so yummy and light and the avocado salsa on top made it even better. It called for lots of cilantro which I left out. We loved this dish! The only bummer thing is the salsa will go bad if you don't eat it all right away. So if you're making it for just a couple people, I'd make half the salsa then and the other half when you eat the leftovers.

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps with Tomato-Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

4 oz. can green chilis

1.5 lbs ground turkey

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. sliced green onions

Romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves (about 6-8)

Salsa:

2 ripe avocados, diced

1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the garlic and green chilies and saute for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and cook until brown, stirring as you go to break up the meat. Stir in the green onions and saute for 1 minute longer.

In a medium bowl, toss the diced avocado with the lime juice and olive oil. Carefully stir in the tomatoes, salt and pepper. To assemble, place the taco meat down the middle of a lettuce leaf and top with the salsa. Makes 6-8 tacos.