Oatmeal, Chocolate, Dried Cranberry Cookies

Who doesn't love some fresh baked cookies full of yummy treats? We do in the Barber-Christensen house!!

Adapted from Food & Wine magazine, but with Lindsay's changes of chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup oats (quick cooking)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (I will use a little bit more next time)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (or in a stand up mixer) beat the butter with both sugars at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. beat in the egg and vanilla. At a low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just incorporated, then mix in the oats, chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Spread one inch sized cookie balls about 2 inches apart on large cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. EAT!!!

Chicken, Andouille Sausage and Kale Stew

My cousin recently asked me, "So, what's going on with your blog?" I responded that I just hadn't had the time to post anything as life has been busy with work, travel, the kids and wedding planning. But I haven't stopped cooking and trying new recipes. I am going to try and keep an updated blog in the hopes that someone will read it! 

I was in Washington, DC a few weeks ago for work and my boss and his wife had me over for dinner. Kristen is a great cook and always seems to have new recipes on hand. I also don't know anyone who loves kale as much as she does and she is a wealth of Kale knowledge and recipes. I made this recipe recently and Pete said it's the best soup I've ever made. I studied the original and adapted recipes below and developed my own. Next time I will add more thyme and either less chicken or more stock to make it more of a soup.

Chicken, Andouille Sausage and Kale Stew 
Adapted from How To - and The Kitchen Faerie 

- 3 parsnips, chopped
- 3 TBS olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Andouille sausage (we use Johnsonville brand)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large shallot, chopped 
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, thyme removed from stems
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
- One handful chopped kale, optional (ribs removed and torn into pieces)
- 1 cup frozen butternut squash, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss chopped parnsips in a bowl with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until the parsnips are browned and softened. 

In a dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add chopped onion and shallot, cooking until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage pieces and saute until completely cooked through. Add carrots and cook until softened. 

Add chicken stock, thyme, shredded chicken, butternut squash and parsnips. Bring to a simmer. Add kale and simmer 20 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.  

Chicken Stir Fry

Tonight I made a chicken stir fry. I pieced together a few different recipes that I found and used the vegetables that I had available at home. There is no reason to order Chinese food when you can make this at home! The great thing about stir fry is that you can add as much (or as little) meat, seafood and vegetables to suit your tastes. Once you find a marinade that you like, you can use it on a variety of meats and veggies.

Lindsay's Chicken Stir Fry

- 2/3 cup Soy Sauce

- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar

- 2 TBS Garlic, minced

- 1 tsp Ground Ginger 

- 2 TBS Olive Oil

- 3-4 Chicken Breasts (1 lb.) chopped into one inch pieces

- Variety of vegetables, chopped (I used about 1/2 cup of green and red bell peppers, one cup of carrots, 1/2 onion, 1/2 cup of mushrooms and 1/2 cup frozen edamame)

- 1 tsp of flour or cornstarch

1. Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 TBS of garlic and ginger. Add the chicken and marinate for 15-30 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the vegetables (minus the edamame) until tender. Add the remaining tablespoon of garlic to the skillet after a few minutes. (You don't want to add garlic too early because it can burn). Stir vegetable mixture every couple of minutes.

3. When veggies are tender, put aside in a bowl or plate and keep warm.

4. Add remaining one tablespoon of olive oil to skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Cook the chicken until no longer pink. 

5. Whisk the flour into the reserved marinade.

6. Add the frozen edamame and cooked vegetables back into the skillet with the chicken.

7. Slowly add the reserved marinade into the skillet. The flour will make it thick. NOTE: you can add as much or as little marinade as you want based on your preferences. If you don't want to add any marinade to the skillet, you can omit this step.

8. Serve with rice and enjoy.

Beef Tortilla Casserole

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted anthing since July! Life is and has been busy between work, kids and, Pete's training and racing and wedding planning. But no matter how busy it gets, I find the time to cook good food.

I love Mexican food; tacos, burritos, tortillas and gucamole. At home, I generally only cook tacos, so I decided to branch out and try something different and new. I always shy away from casseroles because they make so much food, but with Pete training - and the fact that he loves leftovers - I don't mind making larger meals.

I always reach for my Cook's Illustrated The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook when I am looking for inspiration. I have never made a bad recipe out of this cookbook. The Beef Tortilla Casserole is fantastic, but it does use several pots and pans. I know it's a pain, but the dish is worth the pots and pans!

I made a few alterations to the recipe to fit our likes. I am not a fan of spicy food, so I left out the chipotle chiles, I added 1/2 tsp of cumin and I used ground turkey instead of beef. I cut this recipe in half and it worked out well.

Beef Tortilla Casserole

Courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Serves 6-8

- 2 TBS Vegetable Oil

- 2 Red Bell Peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

- 1 Onion, minced

- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

- 2 tsp Chili Powder

- Salt

- 2 lbs. (90% lean) Ground Beef

- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

- 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, minced

- 2 cans (15.5 oz) pinto beans, rinsed

- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained (I always use petite diced)

- 6 TBS fresh Cilantro, chopped

- 2 TBS fresh Lime Juice

- 18 (6 inch) corn tortillas

- 8 oz (2 cups) Cheddar cheese, shredded

- 8 oz (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 300°.

2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
3. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the broth, chipotles, beans, and tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
7. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cilantro and the lime juice.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Meanwhile, spray both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray and spread out over two baking sheets (some overlap is fine).
10. Bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.
11. Remove the tortillas from the oven and increase oven temperature to 450°.
12. Spread 1/3 of the beef mixture in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
13. Layer 6 of the tortillas on top of the filling, overlapping as needed, then sprinkle with 3/4 cup of each cheese.
14. Repeat to form a second layer.
15. Spread the remaining filling in the baking dish.
16. Cut the remaining 6 tortillas into quarters, then spread over the top.
17. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of each cheese.
18. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling, about 15 minutes.
19. Let cool for 10 minutes.
20. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving.