Looking for spice...in nutella-stuffed brown butter & sea salt chocolate chip cookies

Lately, I've been in the land of milk and cookies. (get it? get it?) All I think about are cookies. What I can put in them, on them, around them...you get it. I have found myself stuck in traffic more often than not lately, so I've got plenty of time to consider my cookie options...cayenne cookies, cheesecake cookies, toffee cookies (I'm starting to sound like that guy in Forest Gump. Cajun shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp stew...) So I decided on these nutella-stuffed brown butter and sea salt chocolate chip cookies. Now there's a mouth full (of cookies.) 

Allow me to just point out that up until very recently, I thought brown butter was butter mixed with brown sugar. I even told people that AND THEY BELIEVED ME. Turns out, brown butter is, in fact, NOT butter and brown sugar. Brown butter is the process of, well, browning butter. The proper term for it is "beurre noisette" which means hazelnut butter and makes me feel like a French woman without a baguette. The process of browning butter is not particularly difficult, however, it is a bit time consuming and the butter is incredibly easy to burn. Now, I'm no Paula Deen, but I do enjoy butter. Especially brown butter, as it has an intense nutty flavor. In order to learn the process, I turned to my favorite blogger in the whole wide world, Jessica. On with it, people (aka all of my invisible followers and very possibly Barack Obama.)  

I will warn you that these cookies get a bit messy. And by messy I mean you're going to get nutella every where and you're (like me) going to end up licking nutella off of something the entire time. I somehow ended up with nutella on my forehead, in my hair and I'm pretty sure in my bra as well. Which is why my first word of advice would be: keep your jar of nutella in the fridge until you're ready to use it!

For the cookies:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 yolk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs plain greek yogurt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1 jar Nutella, chilled

coarse sea salt (for sprinkling on top)

To start, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. 

Start on browning your butter, by placing one cup of cubed unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. It's important that you whisk your butter during the entire process, as it's incredibly easy to burn. The butter is going to start to foam, keep whisking until you see some browning happening at the bottom of the saucepan, and then remove from heat. But the key is to not forget what your favorite blogger (me) told you, keep whisking! Whisk until you smell a fairly strong nutty flavor, at which point transfer the butter from the saucepan to a bowl to prevent burning. 

In a separate bowl (sorry, lots of dishes to wash with this recipe) combine butter and sugars until thoroughly blended and then add egg, egg yolk, yogurt and vanilla extract. 

(horribly blurry photos and I just noticed my blinding nail polish matches the yolk)

Once all of the ingredients are combined, gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

Wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for two hours, or the freezer for thirty minutes. I'm insanely impatient so I paced around my kitchen for about an hour, and then stared at the nutella jar in the fridge for about another hour contemplating whether or not I should just eat the nutella with a spoon and make regular cookies. You'll be happy to hear I endured the two hour wait, and made these cookies for your viewing and my eating pleasure. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and in the meantime take 1 1/2 Tbs. of dough, roll them into balls and then flatten them out to place 1 Tsp. of nutella in the middle. 

Gently fold the dough over the nutella, and roll into a ball. Make sure to do this carefully, as you don't want any nutella to seep out of the dough. Place dough on a nonstick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and gently flatten the tops of the dough balls. Cook for 9-11 minutes, and remove from oven. The cookies make look a bit undercooked, but believe you me..they are not!  Sprinkle sea salt on top and serve. They're gooey and warm and delicious. Aaaaand you'll thank me later.

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

Looking for spice...in steak tacos with cucumber-avocado salsa

Ladies and gentleman, I attempted a romantic gesture. That's right, I can be romantical.

He'd had a rough day at work, and what better way to feel better than football and red meat? Football is totally lost on me (I just cheer when they cheer.) However, the red meat part was easy for me: steak tacos with cucumber-avocado salsa. He's a foodie and loves lots of flavor and spice, so I knew the steak would have to carry some serious kick...and it did. Combined with the creaminess of the avocado and the crunchiness of the cucumber, I'd say this deserves a "best girlfriend of the...day" trophy.

For the cucumber-avocado salsa:

2 cups English cucumber, seeded & diced

2 firm, ripe avocados, peeled, pitted & diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro

3 jalepeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped

salt to taste

Combine all of the above listed ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently combine to mix. Serve within an hour of preparing. 

For the steak tacos:

1-1/4 lb. top sirloin steak

1 Tbs. chili powder

2 Tsp. minced fresh garlic

1/4 Tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 Tsp. salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

12 6-in. diameter corn tortillas

3 cups shredded red cabbage

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

1 lime cut into wedges

In a small bowl, stir together chili powder, cinnamon, salt, garlic and cayenne.

Rub the spice mixture into both sides of the steak. And in the meantime, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and allow to preheat over medium-high heat 

Grill the steak for five minutes per side, turning once, for medium-rare. My boyfriend practically likes his steak still mooing so this was perfect for him. I, however, like my steak medium-well, so my steak took a bit longer than his. Remove from the skillet and let the steak sit for at least five minutes before carving into thin slices.

Moo.

Since I was using a gas stove, I had the luxury of toasting the corn tortillas directly on the fire. If you're using a grill, you can do the same by putting the tortillas on the grill. If you're using an electric stove, just place corn tortillas on a nonstick skillet and allow the tortillas to toast that way. Have the steak prepared by the time you are toasting your tortillas, so that they can be served while hot. Toss some red cabbage on the tortilla, then top with steak and salsa. I plated with a wedge of lime, and some cilantro on top. 

To be honest, I actually ended up liking my boyfriends tacos better than mine. Turns out sirloin is a bit chewy when grilled for too long. Although his were far more rare than I'd prefer, they actually ended up tasting way better and the meat was more delicate. The flavors were phenomenal, and the salsa really cut down the spiciness of the steak. I made a quick side dish by throwing snap peas, a bit of sesame oil, panko bread crumbs and salt into a wok and tossing it around for a few minutes. Quick, healthy, crunchy and delicious!

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

Looking for spice...in homemade snickers bars

Hi, my name is Ronit and I'm a chocoholic. Ok, that's not entirely true, I was just trying to impress some friends this weekend. I threw a bit of a Dexter premiere party, and my guests cleaaaarly needed dessert. Even if they didn't need it, they were going to get it. 

If you're on a diet, like my roommate is, I suggest you close your eyes, ears and mouth immediately. Or continue reading. This is seriously one of the easiest desserts to make. Like had a few drinks easy. The ingredients may sound intimidating, but they're not at all. Trust me. Would I lie to you?

For the snickers bars:

bottom chocolate layer

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients in a saucepan or microwave, grease a 9x13 baking pan and then pour into dish and spread evenly. Once you'd spread the chocolate evenly throughout the dish, put it in the fridge to allow it to cool. 

nougat layer

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar (confectioners sugar)
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add milk and sugar and mix consistently until dissolved and smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about five minutes. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Remove the saucepan from heat and fold in peanuts. Pour over chocolate layer and then place back in the fridge to cool. 

caramel layer

1 14-ounce bag of caramels

1/4 cup whipping cream

Melt ingredients in a saucepan/microwave and once melted and smooth, pour over nougat layer. Place in fridge and allow to cool.

top chocolate layer

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients in a saucepan or microwave, then pour over caramel layer and place in fridge to cool. 

For best results, refrigerate them for about an hour before serving. They can stay at room temperature, but they will get gooey. And melty. And yummy. Aaaaand you will want to eat the entire pan. Don't do it. Seriously. Don't.

The bars are really, really sweet so I recommend you cut them into bite-sized squares. 

Like I said, I made these for my Dexter premiere party and they were a hit! What wasn't a hit was my DVR deciding to stop recording the episode about 5 minutes before it was over. Yes, that's right there is my luck - because EVERYONE knows the last five minutes are always the best. Needless to say, my guests were none too thrilled with me. Oops. So, I had to keep them busy - at which point, I decided to have my friends unwrap all of the caramel squares and see who could unwrap the most, the fastest. 

Yes, all they need are games and beer to entertain them.

P.S they said the snickers bars were worth the wait (and the horrible DVR fail.)

Until my next adventure...

xx,

Ronit

looking for spice...in baked parmesan spaghetti

You know those depression commercials - where they ask you questions and you find yourself answering "yes" to everything? And then you're walking around convinced you're depressed and need medication. You're calling your friends and breaking plans because you're too sad to get off the couch. Well, do you enjoy comfort food? Do you like cheese? Do you love garlic and crushed tomatoes? If you've answered yes to any/all of these, you're not depressed - you just like to eat. Allow me to introduce to you my newest food baby; baked parmesan spaghetti.

It's hot, gooey, cheesy, saucey, yummy....and everything else that ends in a 'y'. It's the perfect comfort food to get you through the hump of your week. You'll be sitting at work dreaming about this meal days after. THAT'S how delicious it is.

I've always hated basil..I found it overpowering and unappealing. However, they say with age comes wisdom and I've been wise enough to let my taste buds go on an exploration of the herbs. My roommate, Brandon, decided to start a hydroponic garden. I know, what? For the longest time I really did think he was growing other "herbs" in his room, but no - he really is growing a non-mary-jane herb garden. He is one of the main reasons I've decided to take this journey into the food blogging world, and will also be my herb dealer during this adventure. He even went as far as buying me cooking lessons, but I have yet to go because I kind of suck at making plans lately. Which makes me wonder if I'd answer yes to all of those questions in the "are you depressed?" commercial....

I digress...

Baked Parmesan Spaghetti

3/4 Pound spaghetti (I chose thin spaghetti)
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Pound ground beef
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
10-12 fresh large basil leaves, chopped
3 Cups of your favorite pasta sauce (i used four cheese and marinara)
2 Cups shredded mozzarella
2 Cups freshly grated parmesan

While you boil water to cook your pasta, set the oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until it is al dente, and don't worry if it's not thoroughly cooked, as it's going into the oven.

Under medium heat, allow olive oil to warm up in a skillet. Add onions and a pinch of salt and pepper, and allow to saute until soft. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Meanwhile, season beef with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Make sure to use a wooden spoon to break apart the beef and cook until brown on both sides.

Once the beef is browned, stir in one cup of pasta sauce and half of the chopped basil. 

Mix to combine, and then add the (drained) spaghetti to the mixture. Spray an oven safe dish with nonstick spray, and add half of the spaghetti mixture to the dish. Top with a cup of sauce and half of your parmesan/mozzarella cheese mix. Repeat the process, starting with another layer of the spaghetti mixture and then a cup of sauce and the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle the rest of the basil on top and place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is perfectly golden brown. 

The dish, in my opinion (and since it's my blog, I'm going to tell you my opinion) the dish came out really, really well. Like...really, really really well. Like three helpings well. We have enough to last us at least another lunch and dinner. I wouldn't change anything about the dish, except perhaps add maybe one more teaspoon of salt. No one else seemed to think it was lacking salt, so maybe like me - you can just add more salt to taste once you've plated. Mmm...so yummy. 

What kind of an evening would it be without dessert? I decided to buy an ice cream maker and tried to make some toasted marshmallow coconut ice cream. I had to wait for the bowl to freeze, but made the ice cream mix so that I'd be prepared once the bowl finally froze. The bowl froze overnight, and I found myself churning ice cream at 8am this morning. Not only did I feel insanely stupid, but it also came out absolutely disgusting. The ice cream went in the trash, and the evil ice cream maker went right back in the box. Once I realized I'd never be the ice cream maker I've always dreamed of, I opted for cupcakes instead. I made theeee most amazing brown sugar cupcakes with brown sugar peanut butter icing. And you better bet your sweet ass I'll be posting that recipe shortly.

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit

looking for spice...in red cabbage & apple slaw chicken burgers

When it comes to chicken, I don't know what else to say other than "shit's delicious." I love me some chicken, and probably eat it once a day. With the use of spices and herbs (and creativity and proper equipment) chicken dishes can be prepared a thousand different ways.

To close out this long, hot summer I decided to try out these chicken burgers because, well, who doesn't love a good burger? The hint of sweetness from the green apple and the crunchiness of the creamy red cabbage slaw gives this dish a really refreshing, crisp summer feel.The marriage of sweet and savory isn't something that I'm used to, as I don't really like sweetness in my main courses, however like I said earlier..shit's delicious. 

For the chicken burgers: (serves 4)

1lb. ground chicken

1/2 cup small diced granny smith apple

1/2 cup small diced red onion

1/4 cup small diced celery

3 Tbs. mayo

1 Tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tsp. minced garlic

1/2 Tsp. salt

1/4 Tsp. pepper

4 sesame hamburger buns

In a mixing bowl, add all aforementioned ingredients and gently mix with your hands. Yes, your hands..cooking means getting a little dirty. Well, cooking with ME means getting really dirty. Luckily, I've got an enthusiastic 55 pound pitbull named Lucy, who has better vacuuming skills than my (new) hot pink vacuum. 

Once you've mixed your ingredients, and your hands (and shirt) are covered in raw chicken, form 4 1/2-inch-thick patties

Grab a nonstick skillet, and allow 2 Tbs. of vegetable oil to heat up under medium heat. Once your skillet is nice and hot, carefully cook your chicken patties until golden brown and thoroughly cooked on both sides. To make sure your burgers are thoroughly cooked, you can either use an instantread thermometer making sure your burgers are at about 165F or you can use an instantread fork and knife, like me. The burgers should cook for about 9-12 minutes on each side, but shouldn't cook for too long, as the chicken is incredibly easy to dry out. 

In the mean time, pop the hamburger buns in the toaster and start on your red cabbage & apple slaw. 

For the creamy red cabbage & apple slaw

4 Tbs. mayo 

2 Tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 cup small-diced granny smith apple

1-1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage 

1/8 Tsp. salt 

1/8 Tsp. pepper

Toss to combine these aaaamazing ingredients and you've got your slaw! Feel free to add more salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. Initially, the recipe ordered for 3 Tbs. of mayo and 1 Tsp. of Dijon mustard, but upon tasting it; we decided to add in order to achieve perfect creaminess. Once you've removed the buns from the oven (ha ha), you're ready to plate your chicken burgers. Place your burgers on the bun, and then add a very generous portion of slaw on top. Take a bite and then repeat after me: "mmmm."

The first time I tried this recipe, I had a side dish of chickpea & spinach salad. That, however, was a bit of an unfortunate mess... which I'll blog about soon. Oh, I forgot to mention...what does one do with leftover lime wedges? That's right, tequila. Cheers!

Until my next adventure...

xx,

ronit