Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and this time of year especially! I've only ever made the cheater cookies where you add one can of pumpkin to one box spice cake mix and add chocolate chips and then bake. I was excited when I found this recipe and it didn't disappoint. They were delicious and super soft!




Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(courtesy of Food Network, specifically George Duran)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups (12 ounce bag) of milk chocolate chips (not semisweet)
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Chicken Fricassee

I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken for Mart, I feel like I always cook him the same kind. I got my Cooks Illustrated magazine in the mail the other day and saw this recipe and thought I would try it out. It's just a chicken breast with a creamy mushroom sauce on top. He said he liked it and would want it again. (That's saying something!)



Chicken Fricassee
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cooked three smaller breasts and had plenty of sauce for all three)
Salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (my store was out the day I bought them so I just used plain old button mushrooms)
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 tsp)
1 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp juice from 1 lemon (I just used all the juice from the lemon)
2 tsp minced fresh tarragon or parsley

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned (about 4 minutes). Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side (about 4 minutes longer). Transfer chicken to a large plate.

2. Add mushrooms, onion and wine to the now empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned (8-10 minutes). Add flour and garlic. Cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add broth/stock and bring mixture to a boil, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in breasts (5-10 minutes).

3. Transfer chicken to a clean platter and tent loosely with foil. Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stir about 1/2 cup of the sauce into sour cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce. Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice and terragon/parsley. Return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

'Tis the season for soups! I love rainy days or crisp fall days. They make the perfect day for a nice hot bowl of homemade soup. I decided to try a new one tonight and wasn't disappointed. It was pretty tasty. I may change it a little next time I make it, but it wasn't bad for a first time attempt.





Broccoli Cheese Soup
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)
*I altered this recipe from the original*

5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small rib celery, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne pepper
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 cups) *I didn't have sharp cheese, so I used colby jack and added a couple of handfuls extra, it tasted just fine*
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves or about 1 tsp dried

(The soup pictured does not have any carrots because I was feeding someone who was allergic to them)

1. Heat butter in a large soup pan or heavy bottom dutch oven over medium high heat until foaming. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 4 minutes). Add carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute). Add flour and cook, stirring to coat the veggies until mixture begins to brown on the bottom of the pot (about 2 minutes). Gradually whisk in stock and milk and add bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until vegetables soften (about 10 minutes).

2. While vegetables are simmering chop up some broccoli into bite size florets (I also dice up the stems too) and put into a deep frying pan with a little bit of water and cover. Steam until they are bright green and still have a bit of a crunch to them. Drain and set aside.

3. Off heat add cayenne to the soup. Cool the soup for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the cheese and thyme; season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately! (Mine needed a little extra cheese because I didn't have any sharp cheese so I just added more to taste).

Zucchini Soup

During the summer I always have more than enough zucchini from my garden, plus my neighbor always gives me some of his as well. You can only make so much zucchini bread before it becomes too much so I thought I'd try something new.
My 2 1/2 year old is a super picky veggie eater but LOVES soup! I love to make him soups that are chuck full of veggies and puree them so that he has no idea they are in there but will eat a huge bowl of it and love it. This soup was no exception. He loves bacon which helped but he ate a huge bowl of this soup. It really is delicious for such a simple soup.




Zucchini Soup
(Courtesy of sisterscafe.blogspot.com)
*I altered this recipe slightly from the original*


1 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth (I used veggie bouillon cubes in water)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup half and half or milk will work fine
*Optional garnishes*
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Bacon cooked crisp and then crumbled

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and sliced zucchini. Stir. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 minutes). Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half and half or milk. Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Taste to test seasoning, add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and bacon bits.
Makes 6 small servings.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I don't know about you, but when I plant my garden I always have zucchini growing like crazy (and I only plant one plant!) and on top of that, my cute neighbor always wants to share some of his so we have MORE than enough for all of us with a year supply on top of that. Aside from savory ways to prepare all my zucchini, my house loves zucchini bread. My husband is a chocolate fanatic, so when I found this new recipe I knew I had to try it. It didn't disappoint.






Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
(Courtesy of sisterscafe.blogspot.com)
*I altered this recipe slightly from the original*

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup melted butter (cooled)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 small bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

Beat together the eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla. Add the remaining ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into greased and sugared loaf pans (Sugaring is just like flouring a pan, just use sugar instead. It will make the crust sweet and crispy)

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

*This batch made 2 smallish loaves in disposable loaf pans, I doubled it and ended up with 4 loaves!*

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
1 bunch (about 1-1 1/2 pounds) of asparagus, tough ends trimmed
3 large red bell peppers (I used red and orange)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to toss with vegetables
1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice from 2 lemons
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 pound short, bite sized pasta
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Grill peppers and asparagus on grill until lightly charred and tender. Cool to room temperature (They could also be roasted if you'd prefer that)



2. Chop the veggies up and toss with oil, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and salt to boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente and drain.
4. While pasta is cooking make dressing. Whisk lemon juice, zest, 3/4 tsp salt, garlic and ground black pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream until smooth.
5. While pasta is hot toss with veggies, chives, basil, parmesan cheese and dressing and mix thoroughly. Cool to room temperature. Adjust seasonings and serve.

(Can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 1 day; return to room temperature before serving.)

Orange Chipotle Grilled Chicken Breasts

Grilled Chicken Breasts
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
4 bone-in chicken breasts
1/3 cup salt
Cold water
1 recipe for the glaze (see below)

1. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large container. Add chicken, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. When finished, rinse chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken with pepper.

2. Turn all burners to high heat with the lid down until very hot. Cook chicken until the thickest part of the breast reads 150 degrees on a thermometer.

3. Brush both sides of the chicken with the glaze. Continue to cook until browned and the thermometer reads 160 in the thickest part of the breast. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve. Pass remaining glaze separately.

Orange-Chipotle Glaze
(Also courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

(I would at least double this batch, I barely had enough to brush on the chicken once while cooking and none leftover to brush on afterward.)

Ingredients:
1 tsp orange zest
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, from 2 oranges
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced (1-2 Tbsp) - I used 1 chile
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp light molasses (I just had regular molasses in my pantry so that's what I used)
3/4 tsp cornstarch
Salt

Combine zest, juice, shallot, chile and thyme in a small saucepan, then whisk in molasses and cornstarch. Simmer mixture over medium heat until thickened (about 5 minutes). Season with salt. Reserve half the glaze for serving and use the other half for brushing on chicken while grilling. (Again, I would at least double this recipe if you are going to reserve some for serving, I didn't have enough in the end.)