My Favorite Cookies

A few weeks ago, M and I went on vacation with part of our wonderful family pictured below:

We had a wonderful time of relaxation and memory building.  I hope we do it again next year or even the year after.

Anyway while we were on vacation I didn't have my favorite cookie recipe with me.  I don't know why I don't have it memorized, but anyway, had I blogged about it, I would have been able to access it on line.  Thus, the true reason for this post!

I have had this recipe on an index card ever since sophomore year of high school, and I really have no idea where it came from.  As you can see it has been through a lot.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream these ingredients together in a large mixing bowl:

1/4 cup peanut butter (spray measuring cup with cooking spray before diving into the peanut butter and the mixture will com out easily)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 egg

Combine these dry ingredients in a separate bowl:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Once combined, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture one cup full at a time until combined.  Once combined, roll portions of the mixture into ping pong ball sized portions and then roll in white sugar.  I usually only bake 6 at a time to ensure that M and I don't eat them all in one sitting.

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes.

*1 package of Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips

Remove the cookies from the oven and place four to five chocolate chips in the center of the cookies, and then bake them for another two minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on parchment paper.

Wrap any remaining cookie dough in the parchment paper you used to let the cookies cool (don't want to waste).

I don't know how long the cookie dough lasts in the refrigerator because it is usually gone within two days, and I assume the same will be true in your household.

Enjoy!

Ms. W.

Seven Heavenly Meals

Here is a week of meals that will make you think you are eating somewhere really special every night.  Well face it, you are, your home. 

Fennel-and-Sweet-Onion Pizza 

If you think fennel does not belong on a pizza, then you would be wrong.  This roasted fennel is an unexpected delight.  The crust is also wonderful.  It is maybe the best homemade thin crust pizza recipe ever, so crispy and yummy.  

Fried Shrimp Flatbreads with Spicy Cardamom Sauce

If you like a good sandwich, this one may just top your list.  So much flavor!  Use this flatbread recipe.

Smashed Shumai with Hot and Sour Broth

This is a nice unusual soup, serve as a first course or as a quick dinner.  Just as good the second day for lunch!

Thai Chicken with Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Sauce

Great grilled chicken. Serve with grilled sweet corn.  Baste the corn while grilling in a mixture of 2 tablespoons brown sugar, can of coconut milk, and two bay leaves.

Crispy Corn Tortillas with Chicken and Cheddar

This is a very easy recipe, I serve it with the radish relish and with an avocado sauce (one avocado blended with 1/2 cup salsa verde)

Grilled Pork Banh Mi

This would be a really good thing to grill for the Fourth of July.

Goat Cheese Ravioli With Orange And Fennel

This is a great recipe to make right after the pizza and Shumai recipe because then you have the fennel fronds and the wanton wrappers. 

Ink....

So it has been some time since I posted.  Things have been super busy this spring :)  Anyway, M and I just got back from a wonderful vacation with my side of the family in Colorado.  It was much, much needed.

Before we left for vacation, me and some friends went and checked out Ink .  Ink is Top Chef Winner, Michael Voltaggio's hit restaurant in West Los Angeles.  We basically tried everything on the menu (except for the tasting menu), and I liked everything.  If I could describe this menu in one phrase, it would be "balanced modern comfort food."  This chef really has a knack for balancing different flavors - sweet, savory, sour, bitter etc. 

These were my favorites:

beau soleil oysters, oyster leaf, mignonette ice.
- These are probably the best raw oysters I have EVER had, and the leaf that is served with them, strangely enough tastes just like an oyster. Yummy!

brussels sprouts, pigs ears, lardo, apple
 - Brussels sprouts charred are probably my favorite of all vegetables - no kidding.  But these brussels sprouts are really something special... I mean lardo... enough said.

baja scallops, egg yolk gnocchi, mushroom hay
 - The egg yolk gnocchi... so amazing.  It has basically the same texture as the scallops, but then  you press the gnocchi against your pallet with your tongue and the egg yolk bursts in your mouth. Delightful, comforting, and filling.

wagyu beef, carrots, tendon, horseradish tofu
- This dish is somewhat reminiscent of a beef stew my grandmother used to make almost every Saturday for me, my sister, and brother, except, this dish is a bit more sophisticated.   This dish pairs succulent beef, a tendon that basically looks like Styrofoam that melts in your mouth, roasted carrots, with a horseradish sauce that is out of this world.  I could literally eat this meal every Saturday for the rest of my life.

greek yogurt, strawberry, japanese peach, coconut
- Light, refreshing, and playful.  I love desserts that have some texture and depth of flavor.  All to often dessert is just sweet.  In my book dessert should be sweet, salty, tangy, creamy.  This dish delivers all of this.  The first layer is a banana/coconut cream with pieces of graham cracker crust.  Next layer is a greek frozen yogurt, followed by peaches and whole strawberries, as well as strawberry and I think rhubarb crushed ice.  

So the next time you are longing for a good meal, check out Ink.

Short Film -- The Newport Beach Film Festival

 

Weekend Meal: Shrimp, Fennel, Citrus

This is my ceviche inspired dish - I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 lb Raw Shrimp (shell on = better flavor)
1 Grapefruit
1 Orange
2 Key Limes
3 Bulbs of Fennel
1 Teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup cilantro
1 Tablespoon Dill
1 Scallion
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Baguette
Kosher salt + cracked pepper

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat:

Throw the shrimp on and cook them in their shell until they turn pink:

 

Remove the shrimp from the pan and set them to the side to cool.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, slice the fennel and place it in the pan.  Next, sprinkle the fennel with cumin:

 

Let the fennel get good and brown:

Remove the fennel from the heat and let it cool.  Start sectioning the grapefruit and orange, and be sure to get all the juices:

Squeeze the juice of the limes over the fennel:

Its time to chop the herbs and the scallion:

 

Whisk the remaining juices from the orange and grapefruit together with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste:

Take the shells off the shrimp, toss all of the ingredients together and pour the citrus vinaigrette over the salad.

 

 Serve with toasted slices of baguette.

And its that simple.

Enjoy!

~A~

Candlelight Dinner #2: Salmon With Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa:

1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro
1 Tablespoon  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher or Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper
Juice of Half a Lemon
1 Teaspoon Onion
Two Mangoes

Directions: Peel and slice the mango into cubes (this is the hardest part of this recipe).  Whisk lemon juice and EVOO, then add herbs, onion, salt, pepper, and mango.  Set aside.

Seared Salmon:
Salmon Filet (enough for Two)
Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:  Heat oil over medium heat.  Leave skin on the fish and sprinkle salt on the salmon flesh.  Lay fish in the stainless steal skillet with the flesh side down.  Once the fish is in the pan do not touch until it is done.  Cover the skillet, and when the salmon has changed from translucent the salmon is done - about 8-10 minutes.  Use a stainless still spatula to get all the golden bits up with your filet.

Plate the salmon and top the filet with the mango salsa.

Brussels Sprouts


1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts rinsed and cut in half
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Coat a skillet with olive oil and throw the brussels sprouts and salt in and cook until just soft and the edges chard. Plate and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

And there you go ... it is that simple.  This is Delicious...

~A~

Ron Paul Wins?

      In chess, a game is often won or lost long before it’s officially over. When that tide turns, it may take any number of moves to work out the impact, but the final result is inevitable. In other words, the battle has already been won, even though the doomed opponent may not even see it.

     I went to see Ron Paul speak at UCLA last night. Few in attendance (or elsewhere) believe that Paul can win the Republican nomination, yet the 5,800-seat stadium was full, with many climbing nearby trees just to catch a glimpse. I can bear witness to the fact that Paul’s supporters are continuing to show up in larger numbers than any of the leading candidates. Including Paul’s Tuesday stop in Chico, more than 12,000 folks came out to support Ron Paul in the last two days.

     On April 5, 2012, the day after setting two attendance records in a row, the only mention of Ron Paul on the Fox News site is an article (1) titled “Where’s Ron Paul? Campaign slows…”  The article flat-out lies by claiming that “the Ron Paul ‘revolution’ has gotten awfully quiet,” it “appears to be winding down on the trail,” and that “So far this month, [Paul’s] held just one [campaign event].” The sham of an article then poses this question: Why doesn’t Ron Paul quit? 

    Near the end of Paul’s 50-minute, no-notes speech, last night Paul provided the answer:  Ron Paul and his supporters believe that the ideas they hold cannot be stopped because their “time has finally come.”  As fellow Ron Paul champion Jesse Chapman put it, “Ron Paul can’t lose. He’s already won. He has won the battle of ideas.” (2)  You see, Paul understands what few politicians understand these days: good ideas are more powerful than people.  Rather than argue that he is better than President Obama or other politicians, Paul focuses his campaign on principles and ideas that are more powerful than himself. 

  If Paul, Chapman and the other thousands are correct, Paul’s campaign is simply the next move in the process of playing this game out to its inevitable conclusion.  So I pose a better question: Why quit a game when you’re winning? 


1 - http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/04/paul-campaign-making-fewer-stops-but-still-rolling


2 - http://www.examiner.com/city-buzz-in-los-angeles/massive-crowd-shows-up-to-see-ron-paul-los-angeles