So this may be the pregnancy talking, but I’m addicted to these cookies.  They are so chocolatey!  And I like the chewy, cake-like texture.  And if you put them in the microwave for a few seconds and enjoy them with a cold glass of milk – YUM.  It would also not be wrong to have a couple of warm cookies under a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fro-yo.  Maybe with a little chocolate syrup drizzle.  Maybe with a little whipped cream on top.  Maybe that’s definitely the pregnancy talking.  Anyway, a great pick from Sweet as Pie (even if I’m a month behind in making them).  Here’s how they came together:

First I mixed butter, sugar, brown sugar, and some melted baking chocolate together.  If that’s not a recipe for delicious, I don’t know what is.  I added the eggs one at a time.

While that was creaming, I whisked together (instead of sifting, because I’m 9 months pregnant and lazy) flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

After I mixed in the dry ingredients, I added chocolate chips (a mix of regular and mini because that’s what I had in my pantry) and a tablespoon of vanilla.

Finally, I portioned out the cookies and baked until nearly cooked through.

Yummy, chocolatey goodness!  Try not to eat them all at once.

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I did not think we would like this recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup at all.  For one thing, it’s full of beans.  It’s right there in the name.  And I loathe most beans.  For another thing, it called for kale.  To be fair, I’d never had kale, but I generally do not care for greens.  But, I’m not one to shy away from cooking club recipes, so I gave it a try.  I was so surprised when this soup turned out to be delicious!  Now, if only I’d taken pictures (sorry about that!).  Here’s how it came together:

First, I sauteed onion and garlic in olive oil before adding tomato paste, crushed red pepper, and oregano.

Then, I stirred in white wine and let the mixture reduce.  Diced tomatoes went in next, followed by three (3!) cans of beans.  Chicken broth filled out the soup and the mixture simmered for about 20 minutes.

Finally, I stirred in torn kale and fresh basil and adjusted the salt and pepper levels to taste.  To serve, I sprinkled on shaved parmesan cheese.

Phillip and I both really liked this one.  It was hearty without being heavy, and the beans and kale weren’t bad at all.  Don’t leave out the parmesan cheese as it really adds something important to the dish.  My grandmother liked it too, although she thought I should have torn the kale into smaller pieces (and she was probably right).  The recipe called for the soup to be garnished with shrimp, but since I forgot to defrost some shrimp the day I made it, I just skipped this part and don’t think the meal suffered for it.  If you’re looking for a new soup, give this one a try.  It’s also great leftover!

The February Sweet as Pie menu featured this recipe for Chicken Poppy Seed Salad.  I did make a few minor changes to this one to better suit my chicken salad tastes, but overall thought it was a pretty good blend (and pretty to look at, too).  Here’s how it came together:

I prefer shredded chicken over cubed in my chicken salad, so I first used my chopper to break up some boiled chicken breasts.Next, I added in some diced celery (I used a little less than the recipe called for since I’m not a big celery fan), slivered almonds (I probably only used about 1/2 to 2/3 of what the recipe called for), salt, pepper, poppy seeds, and dill.Then, I sliced some red seedless grapes and stirred those in along with some mayonnaise (again, 1/2 to 2/3 of what the recipe called for – I don’t like my chicken salad to be overly mayonnaise-y). At this point I tasted the salad and added some additional salt, as well as a sprinkle of ranch seasoning to add even more dill flavor.  I let it chill for a few hours before tasting it again and then decided that it really needed a little brightening.  I happened to have a lime on hand, so I added the juice of the entire lime to the mix and that solved the problem.  Very tasty!

I really enjoyed the sweetness of the grapes in this, and my house guests that partook agreed.  Next time I’ll probably reduce the amount of almonds even more, but will otherwise try to repeat what I did above.  It was easy to stir together and kept well all week.  I think this would make a crowd-friendly salad for any sort of gathering, or just for a week’s worth of lunches (as long as you’re not married to Phillip, who won’t eat chicken salad).

Ed. – I never said I won’t eat chicken salad.

The first recipe I made from the January Sweet as Pie list was this easy side from Trisha Yearwood.  We have asparagus fairly often since we both like it.  We usually stick to the steamed or broiled variety, so this baked version was a nice change of asparagus pace.  I really liked that it looked fancy even though it required minimal effort.  Here’s how it came together:

After trimming the asparagus, I divided it into bundles and wrapped bacon around each.  I used a full strip of bacon for each since the bacon I had on hand was fairly thin.  I also skipped the “secure the bacon with a toothpick” step since there was really just no need.

Next, I combined brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, garlic sauce, and pepper together in a saucepan.  Once that mixture came to a boil, I poured it over the asparagus and put the dish into the oven for about 20 minutes until the bacon was cooked through.

We both liked this one and I’m likely to make it again, especially if we’re having company over.  Who doesn’t like little bacon-wrapped bundles of anything?  And the glaze was delicious, too.  This one was a great start to the new cooking club year!

I saw Trisha and Garth make this salad on Trisha’s Food Network show and thought it might make a good light lunch or side through the week.  It was pretty easy to make, but in the end just didn’t pack enough punch to make it on to our favorites list.  Here’s how it came together:

I used pre-packaged cabbage mix to start the salad and then mixed in cucumber, edamame, and green onions.  For the dressing, I blended oil, cilantro, sugar, garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper together, then adjusted the seasonings to taste.  This salad was pretty, but just fell a little flat for us.  We did like the edamame and thought the dressing would have been better with a little more tang.  I added a little apple cider vinegar which helped, but the proportions just never seemed right.  Don’t get me wrong – this salad was still okay and I ate it several times through the week – I just probably won’t make it again.  At least not without some tweaking.  Sorry, Trisha!

One of the first recipes we’ve tried from Pioneer Woman’s newest cookbook was this winner, Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders.  We liked these so much that we’ve already made them again for friends.  Easy, tasty, and guy-friendly – a winning combination.  Here’s how they came together:

First, I formed the slider patties and seasoned them with salt and pepper. After cooking the burgers, I set them aside and sauteed a chopped onion in some of the drippings. I deglazed the pan with some whiskey (I use the cheap stuff to cook with), then let that reduce for a few minutes before stirring in the jalapenos and barbecue sauce. The sliders went back into the pan to get a thorough coating of sauce before being plated on split Hawaiian rolls. 

We really like the flavor of these.  The whiskey doesn’t overwhelm the sauce and the jalapenos add something to the mix without making the sliders too spicy.  We’ll definitely add them to our favorites list and make them again.  Perfect for dinner or as part of a party spread!

There are many things that I like about chili and one of these days I’m sure I’ll find a recipe that really captures all of these things while not having any of the things that make a good chili go bad (watery base, overuse of chili powder, etc.).  With that pursuit in mind, I was looking forward to trying this recipe for Chipotle Chicken Chili from Pioneer Woman.  This was much easier to prepare than other chili recipes we’ve tried, so it definitely scored points in the ease of use category.  Here’s how it came together:

First, I sauteed onion and garlic, then added the chicken to brown.

Next, I poured in some beer, let that reduce, and added tomatoes, chipotle peppers (which I’d run through my chopper to break up), three (3!) cans of beans, chili powder, cumin, and salt.  I let this simmer for about an hour.

I don’t know where to find masa harina, so I substituted regular ol’ cornmeal and made a paste with some more beer.  I added this to the chili, along with some lime juice.

This was okay.  The flavor profile was good, but it had way too many beans for me.  This is my number one problem with chili and probably why other people’s favorite chili recipe never satisfies me – I guess I just need a non-traditional, light on the beans chili.  I also think it would have been better texture-wise if I had used shredded chicken instead of cut pieces.  As far as things I did like, I thought the brightness the lime added was a nice touch and I did like the chili better with the sour cream and cheese garnishes. We got several meals out of it, but would I make it again?  Eh.  Maybe, with some modifications.  More than likely though, the quest for the perfect chili recipe will continue.