Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know its only Wednesday but its been a long week, ok maybe its been a long month. Regardless tonight was cookie night because after dinner and a glass of wine I wanted a sweet treat to top off the evening. I’m not one to normally eat gluten free but my mother-in-law was raving about these cookies this weekend and I’m always up for trying out a new recipe so I decided I needed to put this one to the taste test.

They are a sweet mixture of chocolate and peanut buttery goodness. For gluten free and gluten full eaters – indulge and enjoy! 🙂

 Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter (I use crunchy)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar (I’ve also used dark brown and they are still just as good)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and then scoop onto baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes and then let cool for 5minutes. Enjoy!

Original recipe from cookingclassy.com

Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Alfredo

Sunday nights almost always mean I’m in the mood to cook a homemade meal. But after working all morning and taking a long walk at the park with my family this afternoon it also means I usually want to make something fast yet tasty. This is one of my go-to dishes that doesn’t require a lot of ingredients that we don’t normally already have. Add a side salad or veggie and you have a tasty dish without the hassle of being homemade. Also as a side note, the goat cheese flavor isn’t over powering and is good for even your pickiest eater.

Ingredients:

• 1 jar roasted red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fat free half & half
• 4 oz. garlic & herb goat cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb. linguine, cooked to al dente
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Begin boiling water and cook linguine about 10 minutes.
• In the mean time, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil 7 minutes or until tender.
• Pour in half & half, goat cheese, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
• Chop bell peppers into large pieces and place into sauce along with parmesan cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat.
• Pour sauce into food processor and puree, or use an immersion blender. Place back into hot pan and toss with cooked pasta.
• Top with more parmesan cheese, and parsley, if desired and serve immediately.

Yield: 3 large servings

Creamy Tomato Soup

I’ve been waiting for months (ok maybe weeks or days) for Tom + Chee (the new grilled cheese and tomato soup restaurant) to open up near my office. A friend and I attempted to go there again today and it was still not even close to being open. Since it’s rainy and cold outside I finally decided its time I went ahead and made some myself. This is my favorite recipe for some thick and creamy tomato soup (best served with a hot grilled cheese)! Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 T reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil
1 C chopped onion
¾ C shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese
optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakesOptional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

1. Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,  carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. (If you’re adding red pepper flakes, add them now)

3. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pan and simmer for 30  minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid spills. Process for a few minutes until smooth.  You could also add cream cheese directly to the pot and use an immersion blender to combine.

5. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls.  Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf if desired.

*Recipe by Our Best Bites

Cauliflower Soup

It’s been raining all week and so its about time for some warm comfort food in the form of a good soup. Here’s a recipe that even the pickiest eater can’t complain about.. Cauliflower soup by the Pioneer Woman. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 stick Butter, Divided
1⁄2 whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped) 2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley, Chopped
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

Preparation

In a large soup pot melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Original post available here.

Lemon Pound Cake

Tonight I’m making mini loaves of Lemon Pound Cake for our little man’s teachers (and some of my co-workers as well). This is one of my favorite desserts and is a pretty simple recipe to master. It’s best served warm with vanilla ice cream but is also great cold if you’re in a hurry and need breakfast on the run 🙂 Why not eat cake for breakfast?!

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening, room temperature

5 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

6 Tbsp lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Preheat oven to 350F

Spray or butter and flour 2 loaf pans or one large Bundt pan.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.  Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each one.

Add dry ingredients in three additions to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Mix in lemon juice and zest.

Pour batter into prepared pans (1 large bundt pan or 6 mini loaf pans).  Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes for 1 large pan and about 30 min for 4 mini loaves.  Cool cakes in pans for 15-20 minutes.  Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.

Coconut Bread

Tonight we opened up our mailbox to the most amazing surprise! Coconut bread from one of our dear sweet neighbors as a little Christmas treat. I’ve never really heard of coconut bread before or tried it but it was AMAZING. My husband (who hates coconut) even tried it and loved it. So tasty. Of course I missed the chance to take a pic before we finished it off so I guess that’s as good of an excuse as any to go ahead and make it myself. For now here is the recipe as written by my dear neighbor Kelly.. More pics coming soon! 

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Bites

A chocoholic’s dream – dark chocolate with sea salt and a touch of whip cream in one (or two) amazing, little bites. Perfect for a party or just a light evening dessert. These things are amazing!

 

 

Ingredients:

• 15 mini phyllo shells (1 package), thawed if frozen
• 1/4 cup low fat milk
• 1 tsp salted butter
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• a sprinkle of sea salt (per bite)
• fat free whip cream

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Place phyllo shells on a sheet pan and bake until lightly crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over high heat, heat milk and butter, stirring occasionally, until milk boils and butter melts. Reduce heat to low; stir in chocolate and vanilla extract until combined.
• Let chocolate mixture cool slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes; evenly divide among cooked phyllo shells. Sprinkle tarts with sea salt; chill until filling sets, about 10 minutes. Top each tart with whipped cream before serving.

Original recipe available here.

Basil Lemonade

My best friend made this for my baby shower earlier this year and it was a huge hit. I decided to do the same for another shower I threw this past week. Here is a simple recipe for a tasty spin on lemonade, perfect for a shower or party.

• 2-3 bottles Simply Lemonade (depending on the size of your drink dispenser)
• 1/4 cup sugar per bottle
• Fresh basil finely diced

 

 

• Pour 1/4 cup sugar directly into Simply Lemonade bottle.
• Add fresh basil
• Shake and let sit overnight (shaking occasionally)
• Enjoy!

 

Crescent Cinnamon Rolls

When you are low on groceries and out of eggs and bacon. Here is a great, quick, recipe everyone will surely love.

Ingredients

• 1 tube (8 count) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, unrolled and separated
• 5 tablespoons butter,softened
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2½ teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered Sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Place the unrolled and separate crescent rolls on an un greased rimmed cookie sheet(one with sides).
3. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and cinnamon
4. Evenly spread the cinnamon butter over the crescent rolls and roll up tightly.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Glaze

1. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
2. Place in a zip lock bag and snip a tiny corner off.
3. Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls.

Original recipe available here.

Cheesy Chicken Rolls

One of our favorite go-to meals thanks to our neighbor, Jenny, who brought this to us after our little man was born. I’m returning the favor and making it for another friend with a new baby this weekend.

4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 – 8 oz. cans crescent rolls
2 – 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1 1/4 cups milk

In a saucepan on low heat, combine soup, 1 cup of cheese, and milk and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Pour half* sauce into a 9×13″ pan prepared with nonstick spray.

Open cans of rolls and separate. Set aside 1/4 cup of cheese for topping. Combine chicken and cheese in a bowl. Place about 2 T of the chicken/cheese mixture on wide end of each dough triangle, pulling side points of triangle over filling. Roll up each crescent roll and set in pan with sauce. Top with remaining sauce. 

Bake at 375* uncovered for 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and then heat to melt additional 3 minutes.