Chocolate Crinkle Cookie = LOVE

Honestly I cook and bake the most when I have a lot on my mind or I am stressed out. What happens though is I make a ton of food and then i don't eat it so I have to give it all away.

Well normally. different story with this new cookie I just made. Over the holidays I caught a glimpse of these pretty little things and added the recipe to my "to bake" list. The only thing I wish I would have done was make them sooner.

These cookies have a great texture. It's crisp yet chewy. Chocolaty but not over whelming. Sweet but just right. This cookie is a great glass of cold milk and dunk cookie. Trust me on this one. I tested their dunk-a-bility and they passed with flying colors!

The recipes I saw all called for a ton of sugar. YUCK! I cut the sugar down in this recipe. WAY DOWN.

After I made these I added a bunch of notes to my recipe for updates. Like you could roll them in coco and sugar or one or the other. You get where I am going with this.

As you can tell by my blog I'm not all about making the complicated dessert or the 5 star dinner. I mean I do love to do these things and challenge myself but I am more about sharing the things I make and come to love. I have made a ton of things taken great pics and never posted them here because I just wasn't impressed in the end.

So know that when I post something here I am sharing something I truly hope you enjoy as much as I do.

With that being said....

Enjoy and Keep On Making Stuff!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart and All Recipes

Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use a generous cup because it's good!)
2 cups white sugar (i only used 1 cup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (i used sunflower oil)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (i added a couple table spoons of white sugar too for texture)
Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours. (mine was in there over night)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.(mine actually took about 15 mins) Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

a little ball of goodness!

 it's like a cookie parade

these cookies are so pretty

i insist you dunk one! it's a must with this cookie!

the sweet sweet ending! YUMM!!

Chicken Lemon Rice Soup for my stuffy nose

Who doesn't love a good bowl of soup when they don't feel good??

I wasn't so sick I needy my mommie but I was for sure coming down with something and I needed some comfort. So I decided to make soup. Why on earth would I eat yucky canned soup when I can easily make yummy homemade soup!!

I have a couple fav soups that I can eat all the time. Hot and Sour, Italian Wedding, French Onion and Chicken Lemon Rice. I don't know which one is my fav I love them all so much!

I didn't have a recipe for this soup I just winged it so I am sure my recipe could use some tweaking depending on preference but it's low fat, low sodium, and makes you feel warm and cozy.

Sorry if this recipe is sort of slapped together but it sure did taste good.

Ingredients:
2 cups of long grain rice
2 cups cooked shredded chicken(you can add or take away depends on what you like)
3-4 cups of low sodium chicken broth(this will depend on how thick or liquidy you want the soup to be)
1.5 cups of lemon juice

Directions:
In a large stock pot cook rice as directed. You can use instant or regular long grain.
Once rice is cooked add the chicken broth in slowly. (I added 1 cup at a time). Continue to stir while rice breaks down and soup thickens. Add broth until it's a consistency you like.
It will thicken up on it's own as the rice breaks down.
Now add the lemon juice about 1/4 a cup at a time and keep adding to taste. I like my lemon rice soup really lemony so just keep adding until it's to your liking.
Let cook on low for about 15 mins. You'll see the soup thicken.
Once it's heated through and it's the consistency you like add your chicken, let simmer for a few more minutes.

Now is the best part, get your fav soup bowl and ladle yourself some of this yummy soup!

Enjoy and Keep on Making Stuff!

Please feel free to leave comments with questions

those are my legs and my flannel pajama pants. They have penguins ice skating on them ahaha! they make me warm and cozy!

this soup was so comforting. Look at Charlie B in the background wishing he could eat some soup too. Awww he's cute!

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Stuffed Mushrooms help ring in the new year

 my Mommie Dearest and I have a pretty cool thing going on and she got me the Pioneer Woman cookbook for Christmas!! HOLLAAA!!! I was soooo excited to see this, I already have about 20 things tagged in that darn book. Blame Ree Drummond for being so awesome. She needs her own show on the Cooking Channel like NOW!!

WAIT let me tell you this mom of mine is fab and she has given me some great gifts but one this Christmas was the Slap Chop. Slap Chop=NO CHOP!!! This dang thing didn't even cut through a dang mushroom!! FAILURE!!

Oh well everything came out sooooooooo good!!

So make these for your next dinner party or half the recipe and make them for a quiet night at home with your sugar booger ahahaha!



Enjoy and Keep on Making Stuff!!

Stuffed Mushrooms
From Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms (3 - 8 ounce packages for those of you who were confused momentarily like i was)

⅓ pounds Hot Pork Sausage (i used turkey sausage)

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

⅓ cups Dry White Wine (i omitted this and they were still moist and delish)

8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese (i used fat free, got to watch those calories sometimes)

1 whole Egg Yolk

¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated (I bought a pre grated bag of parm that was perfect)

Salt And Pepper, to taste

1/4 of Italian bread crumbs (this was my own addition)

Preparation Instructions

Wipe off or wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.

Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside.

Brown and crumble sausage(add bread crumbs here if using them). Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat.

Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate.

Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot. (trust me on this DO NOT EAT HOT you will burn your entire mouth right off. I may or may not have done this ahahaha)



ahaha he even wore my cookie apron. what a good sport!



hahaha he poses with his egg ahahaha!

this recipe is a keeper. they were gone at the end of the night!!