Chocoluxe Cookies

These are the most incredibly chocolatey cookies I've ever eaten. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. cocoa
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp instant coffee
• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 & 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 16 oz. chocolate melted and cooled (I usually do a mix of milk chocolate, bitter chocolate, and white chocolates, but do whatever mix of chocolates you prefer)
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together.
3. In separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, and instant coffee, until coffee dissolves.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together on medium speed until light & fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in egg mixture, then melted chocolate. Scrape down sides as needed.
5. With mixer on low, mix in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips until combined.
6. Cover and leave on counter approx. 30 minutes. Texture should be goopy like fudge.
7. Take 3 Tbsp of dough at a time and spoon balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until edges are set and tops are cracked, but the centers are still soft and underdone, 10-12 minutes.
8. Let cool on sheet 10 minutes, then serve warm or let cool on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These are to die for. Incredible. Can't say enough good things about them. Doug makes them for me for my birthday, and I confess I'm not sorry to say that I horde them like a selfish scallywag.

2 & 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

16 Tbsp butter

1 c. packed light brown sugar (or for those of us overseas, sugar with molasses added in)

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. extra crunchy peanut butter (Skippy is awesome!)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 lg. eggs

1 c. dry-roasted salted peanuts, ground fine

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
3. In another large bowl, beat butter & sugars together w/ an electric mixer @ medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Then incorporate the PB, then add the vanilla, then the eggs, scraping down the beaters and bowl as needed.
4. With mixer on low, incorporate the flour mixture until combined. Then add ground peanuts.
5. Use 3 Tbsp of dough at a time, roll into balls, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Make a crosshatch design on the top of each cookie, with a fork. ***see note below*** Bake until the edges are golden and the centers have puffed up and are beginning to deflate, 10-12 minutes. Rotate halfway through baking.
6. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm, or cool on wire racks.

*** At that point in the recipe, cookies can be frozen for several months, and pulled out to bake as desired. The cookie dough is tasty too. :)

Big Beautiful Muffins

These muffins are SO tasty, very moist, and definitely a family favorite of ours. Not to mention they are super easy. I often double or triple this recipe. This recipe can also be the basis of many stir-in muffin recipes... add in fruit, like peaches, blueberries, or bananas.

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Melt 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter.
3. Grease muffin pan or line with paper cups.
4. In large bowl, mix:
   

   3 c. flour
   1 c. sugar
   1 Tbsp baking powder
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   1/2 tsp salt

5. In medium bowl, whisk together:
   

   2 large eggs, beaten
   1 & 1/2 c. lowfat plain yogurt (I rarely buy lowfat, as the kids need full-fat, so I use normal yogurt, and this comes out fine)

6. Gently mix the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture, until combined.
7. Fold in melted butter.
8. Fill muffin cups roughly 2/3 full, then put into oven.
9. Bake until golden, roughly 25-30 minutes.
10. Let cool in pan a few minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

These are great warm, and very, very delicious cooled, or served the next day (don't bother refrigerating them, just put in a sealed container on the counter). Enjoy!

Cream Biscuits

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (For our family, I multiply this recipe by 3.)

In large bowl, combine:

2 c. flour

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt.

With wooden spoon, stir in:

1 & 1/2 c. heavy cream

Stir just until mostly mixed, then turn out onto lightly floured countertop & knead until smooth. Press dough flat until 3/4 inch thick.

***I used to then cut biscuits out, with biscuit cutters, but recently started just cutting squares. It uses the whole dough and then you don't have the re-mixed more tough biscuits from the 2nd kneading/pressing.*** But if you like nice circle biscuits, feel free. I also like doing little "biscuitlets" (smaller biscuits to go along with soups, or for large groups) with smaller cookie cutouts.

Place onto parchment-lined baking sheet & bake until golden, approx. 15 minutes. Quick and tasty!

Shepherd's Pie

1 pound, or more, of cubed beef

1 pound, or more, of trimmed, cubed lamb

salt & pepper

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 onions, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 garlic head, minced

2 Tbsp flour

2 & 1/4 c. chicken broth (or 2 & 1/4 c. water w/ 2 chicken bouillion cubes)

1/4 c. dry red wine (we never have this, and thus never use it)

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. minced dill

pinch of rosemary

Season meat w/ salt & pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat, and brown beef in a dutch oven. Remove beef to metal bowl, and brown the lamb in the dutch oven w/ more oil. Remove lamb. Then add more oil, and cook carrots, onions, and salt until softened (approx. 5 mins). Stir in tomato paste & garlic, then add in flour & cook 1 minute. Whisk in remaining ingredients, and return lamb & beef to the pot. Scrape up any browned bits, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and let cook approx 25-30 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

(You can do the whole, in a dish, over the mashed potatoes thing... but I'm too lazy. :) It's tasty just like this. And it goes great over rice if you have leftovers.)

Cream Sauce (to serve over steak)

We don't eat steak often, but when we do, I like to serve it with this cream sauce. It's easy enough to make, and it's made at the very last minute, once you have juice from the steaks to add in.

1 minced garlic head (yes, the whole head)

1 & 1/2 c. water w/ 1 beef boullion cube, and 1 chicken bouillion cube (or broths can be used in place of these ingredients)

5 Tbsp brandy (we never have, and thus never use, this part... I use pan drippings for this liquid)

1/4 c. heavy cream

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Instructions:

Remove steaks from pan, and put on plate (tent them with foil so they will remain hot while you whip up this sauce).

Reserve a Tbsp. or more of pan drippings from the steaks, and briefly sautee the garlic, less than 30 seconds. Add the water w/ boullions, and simmer about 5 mins. Stir together and add cream. Add in 1 Tbsp butter at a time, whisking to thicken. Then, remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve over steaks.

Chicken Teriyaki

Another family favorite-- mmm mmm mmm!

(Note: This is the amount I make, to feed our family of 6 eaters, plus have a little leftover for the next day. Quantities can be easily halved or cut into thirds for smaller families.)

1-2 pounds chicken thighs, chopped roughly into 1-inch cubes

Vegetable oil

1 & 1/2 cup soy sauce

1 & 1/2 cup sugar

6 Tbsp mirin/white wine (if you don't have this, as I never do, I sub in a splash of lemon vinegar)

2 Tbsp grated ginger

1 garlic, chopped fine/minced

1 & 1/2 tsp cornstarch

roughly 1/2 a tsp of red pepper flakes, give or take, according to your taste

Instructions:

***(as a sidenote, you'll want to start up your rice first, before you even chop the chicken. By the time it's done cooking, your chicken will be ready too.)***

Chop up the chicken. Nearly cover the bottom of a frying pan with vegetable oil, then add in chicken, and brown over medium-high heat. You want the chicken to be cooked, but still tender. Once chicken is cooked, add all other ingredients, in the order they appear above, to the frying pan, combine, turn down the heat, and simmer. Let thicken slightly, and then serve over rice.

Easy & delicious!