Dinner for the Eyes

I think I'm really getting the hang of this cooking thing. Of course, I can bake. But now I'm finally learning how to cook for myself...and not just frozen dinners or cans of soup. I'm making meals that would win the heart (and stomach) of any man. Last night's dinner? Baked chicken seasoned with Sun Dried Tomatoes stuffed with garlic and Romano cheese, atop a bed of whole wheat linguine in a creamy garlic tomato sauce.

(I have to stop taking camera pics of my food and use my Powershot)

To accompany the dish: a salad of spring greens and romaine, red onion, tomato, cucumber & parsley with red wine viniagrette dressing and a miniature loaf of 9-grain bread with butter in between the slices (picture is not actual size,hence it being a mini loaf). Served with a glass of 2002 Bonny Doon Syrah-Sirrah, a bottle I'd been saving for my collection based on the label art.

Well as asthetically pleasing as this meal may have been, the chicken turned out to be slightly dry, not as tender as I would have liked it to be and didn't hold in any of the flavor piled on the outside of it. Besides that the pasta was on the mushy side, there was barely enough sauce for 2 people and the wine was spicy. I've never had Syrah before, so perhaps its supposed to be spicy. But the only thing it really went well with was the bread. So, I got an A for presentation but the rest was more of a learning experience. I may not be a gourmet chef, but I'm getting there.

I <3 *$ Doubleshot!

Ok, so I tried the new Doubleshot+Energy drink at Starbucks this morning. I wasn't sure how to ask for it, so I picked up one of the canned on-the-go version and asked a barista. "Do you guys make these or do I just give you the can and you'll pour it over ice and shake it?" The lovely young lady behind the counter answered with a slightly confused look on her face, "We can make it, yeah. But that one is a Mocha. The regular one might be more bitter than that." So, I ordered it, "Ok, I'll have one of them... a Venti. No, a Grande! It'll probably have more caffeine right? So, I better start with a Grande." It was obvious that the Bean Crew was still pretty unfamiliar with the new drink, but they were very helpful in answering my questions and filling me in. Miss Barista made my drink in a Venti cup to allow extra room for stirring and shaking, then added extra ice. I asked her what to call it when I ordered next time and she laughed, "um...I don't know. A doubleshot + Mocha... + Energy?" Well, that works for me. I believe my new favorite drink this Summer is an Iced Mocha Doubleshot with Energy! (in a Venti Cup). It tastes just like an Iced Mocha but with 100 less calories! Why didn't I discover this sooner? Want something with even less calories? You can opt for sugar-free syrups and nonfat milk. I think that would be called an Iced Skinny Mocha Doubleshot with Energy. Mmm... bravvisimo!

Heirloom Recipes

I have wanted to put together a family heirloom cookbook for some time now. If anyone has recipes that they'd like to donate, please do! One of my favorites is Grandma's Banana Cake. Anyone else have a family favorite? Post your comments below!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

What did I do while I was on vacation? I lounged around for a while, and I baked. I made brownies from the box--I haven't tried a brownie recipe from scratch yet--and I made a new cookie which I haven't done yet. Thanks to Hershey's for putting their recipes on the bag! What would I do without it? So, my special friend and I had just finished eating lunch... being around me has brought out the sweet tooth in him so he asked me if I could bake something. Why not? I love baking! My cupboards are not fully stocked, thought, so I grabbed what I could find and discovered I could make Reese's Chocolate PB chip cookies (which look delicious on the bag by the way). Oh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them! Surprisingly I wasn't able to find the recipe on the Hershey's website. But I did find the exact recipe I used on Cooks.com.

REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CHIP CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour

2/3 c. Hershey's cocoa (sifted)

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. (12 oz. pkg.) Reese's peanut butter chips

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Chill until firm enough to handle.

I dropped the first batch onto the pan in teaspoonfuls as directed, just so we could have some to eat right away and then start watching a movie. I figured I'd chill the rest and make them later or on another day. This turned out to be a great idea because I just sliced off sections later in the night and proceeded as follows:

Shape small amounts of dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet onto wire rack.

Makes about 6 dozen 2 1/2 inch cookies.

They were soooo goood! We couldn't stop eating them!