Nutella Chip Cookies

I got done with dinner fairly early tonight and decided to bake some cookies. I looked for a recipe that was easy and and had accessible ingredients. I decided on this Chocolate Hazelnut cookie by Giada De Laurentiis. I didn't have any hazelnuts but Steve probably wouldn't eat them if I put them in anyway so I added chocolate chips instead. The cookies are chewy and yummy. They are a little thinner than I would have liked which is probably because the directions said to flatten them with a fork. Other than that these came together very quickly and we both enjoyed them. White chocolate chips would be great in these cookies, too!


Nutella Chip Cookies

by Giada De Laurentiis
see original recipe here

Yields: 36 cookies (I only got 24)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup hazelnuts (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the butter, Nutella, sugar and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combine. Add Hazelnuts (or chocolate chips) and stir until combine.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacting the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Nutella Chip Cookies

I got done with dinner fairly early tonight and decided to bake some cookies. I looked for a recipe that was easy and and had accessible ingredients. I decided on this Chocolate Hazelnut cookie by Giada De Laurentiis. I didn't have any hazelnuts but Steve probably wouldn't eat them if I put them in anyway so I added chocolate chips instead. The cookies are chewy and yummy. They are a little thinner than I would have liked which is probably because the directions said to flatten them with a fork. Other than that these came together very quickly and we both enjoyed them. White chocolate chips would be great in these cookies, too!


Nutella Chip Cookies

by Giada De Laurentiis
see original recipe here

Yields: 36 cookies (I only got 24)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup hazelnuts (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the butter, Nutella, sugar and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combine. Add Hazelnuts (or chocolate chips) and stir until combine.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacting the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Pork Chops Pizziaola

In an effort to get Steve to like pork chops I pulled out this recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis, which I thought would sort of mask that it's pork.  I had no such luck with Steve even though the pork wasn't dry at all (I'm giving up on him eating pork) but I really enjoyed it.  This is very similar to the Italian Chicken with Couscous that I make all the time.   I didn't really follow Giada's recipe exactly.  I added a lot to it but I will link her original recipe since it's what gave me the idea to make it this way.  Not sure if this is really pizziaola since I changed it up so much but I didn't know what else to call it.  You see how creative I was with naming my "Italian Chicken".  Haha! Feel free to follow the recipe as Giada has written it, try some or all of my changes or as always, do it your way. 

Pork Chops Pizziaola

Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 bone in center cut pork chops

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tbsp. capers

10 kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown in olive oil until pork gets golden brown and pulls away from the pan without sticking.  Remove chops from pan and set aside.

2.  Reduce heat to medium low and add more oil (or even butter) if the pan seems dry.  Add onions, garlic and thyme.  When onions have softened turn heat up a little and add wine.  Use a wooden spoon to pick up all the browned bits that have stuck to the pan.  This is where all the flavor is.  I thought I took a picture of this but it's not there anymore!

3.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, capers and olives and season with salt and pepper.  Put pork back into the pan with the sauce and pour in any accumulated juices.  Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, turning once and spooning the sauce on top.  Depending on the thickness of your pork chops you may need to cook them longer.  Cut into them to see that it's white inside (or slightly pink) or when the temperature reaches 160 degrees.  

I like to serve this (and my Italian Chicken) with pine nut couscous with the sauce spooned over it.  It's delicious!

Pork Chops Pizziaola

In an effort to get Steve to like pork chops I pulled out this recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis, which I thought would sort of mask that it's pork.  I had no such luck with Steve even though the pork wasn't dry at all (I'm giving up on him eating pork) but I really enjoyed it.  This is very similar to the Italian Chicken with Couscous that I make all the time.   I didn't really follow Giada's recipe exactly.  I added a lot to it but I will link her original recipe since it's what gave me the idea to make it this way.  Not sure if this is really pizziaola since I changed it up so much but I didn't know what else to call it.  You see how creative I was with naming my "Italian Chicken".  Haha! Feel free to follow the recipe as Giada has written it, try some or all of my changes or as always, do it your way. 

Pork Chops Pizziaola

Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 bone in center cut pork chops

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tbsp. capers

10 kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown in olive oil until pork gets golden brown and pulls away from the pan without sticking.  Remove chops from pan and set aside.

2.  Reduce heat to medium low and add more oil (or even butter) if the pan seems dry.  Add onions, garlic and thyme.  When onions have softened turn heat up a little and add wine.  Use a wooden spoon to pick up all the browned bits that have stuck to the pan.  This is where all the flavor is.  I thought I took a picture of this but it's not there anymore!

3.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, capers and olives and season with salt and pepper.  Put pork back into the pan with the sauce and pour in any accumulated juices.  Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, turning once and spooning the sauce on top.  Depending on the thickness of your pork chops you may need to cook them longer.  Cut into them to see that it's white inside (or slightly pink) or when the temperature reaches 160 degrees.  

I like to serve this (and my Italian Chicken) with pine nut couscous with the sauce spooned over it.  It's delicious!

Spaghetti with Olives and Bread Crumbs

Have you noticed that I love olives? They aren't just for salads, I assure you. I'm always throwing kalamata olives into my of my dishes. I just love the salty kick that they give. Most of the time you can leave the olives out if you don't like them but in this dish I think you would really be missing something if you didn't use them. I watched Giada De Laurentiis make this recipe a while ago and it went into my mental rolodex of recipes that I must try. I thought about it yesterday when looking for something quick to make for dinner. I went to The Food Network and pulled up Giada's recipe. WARNING : The next paragraph is a rant, skip to recipe if you don't want to hear it.

I read the reviews and had myself a good laugh. I apologize ahead of time if I'm coming off mean or as a food snob. I really don't mean to but it just amazes me how critical people can be. So for those people who gave this recipe a bad review...If you don't like olives why would you want to make this dish? You obviously wouldn't like it so why ruin it for others that might like it? That's the same as me knowing that I don't like shrimp and then cooking it anyway and then giving it a bad review because no matter what the recipe is if there's shrimp in it I'm not going to like it. It's just not right. Oh and if you are going to use canned salad olives it's going to be awful but why would you do that if you read the recipe or watched the show? Stepping off my soap box now.

Anyway, sorry about that little rant, it just upsets me. The recipe is great! I changed it up slightly but not because it wasn't good but because I like to make things that suit my tastes and my style of cooking.

If you want to see the original recipe click here.

Here is the recipe with my alterations.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 tbsp butter
Approx 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use less you can always add more)
3/4 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped kalamata olives
3/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped large green sicilian olives
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper and the bread crumbs. Stirring constantly, cook the breadcrumbs until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir the pasta into the bread crumb mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the black and green olives. Add the Parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons of the parsley. Gently toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the pasta. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Olives and Bread Crumbs

Have you noticed that I love olives? They aren't just for salads, I assure you. I'm always throwing kalamata olives into my of my dishes. I just love the salty kick that they give. Most of the time you can leave the olives out if you don't like them but in this dish I think you would really be missing something if you didn't use them. I watched Giada De Laurentiis make this recipe a while ago and it went into my mental rolodex of recipes that I must try. I thought about it yesterday when looking for something quick to make for dinner. I went to The Food Network and pulled up Giada's recipe. WARNING : The next paragraph is a rant, skip to recipe if you don't want to hear it.

I read the reviews and had myself a good laugh. I apologize ahead of time if I'm coming off mean or as a food snob. I really don't mean to but it just amazes me how critical people can be. So for those people who gave this recipe a bad review...If you don't like olives why would you want to make this dish? You obviously wouldn't like it so why ruin it for others that might like it? That's the same as me knowing that I don't like shrimp and then cooking it anyway and then giving it a bad review because no matter what the recipe is if there's shrimp in it I'm not going to like it. It's just not right. Oh and if you are going to use canned salad olives it's going to be awful but why would you do that if you read the recipe or watched the show? Stepping off my soap box now.

Anyway, sorry about that little rant, it just upsets me. The recipe is great! I changed it up slightly but not because it wasn't good but because I like to make things that suit my tastes and my style of cooking.

If you want to see the original recipe click here.

Here is the recipe with my alterations.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 tbsp butter
Approx 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use less you can always add more)
3/4 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped kalamata olives
3/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped large green sicilian olives
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper and the bread crumbs. Stirring constantly, cook the breadcrumbs until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Stir the pasta into the bread crumb mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and add the black and green olives. Add the Parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons of the parsley. Gently toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the pasta. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Enjoy!

Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Raise your hand if you're addicted to the food network! I am! I have many shows recorded and Saturday mornings I can't seem to turn it off. I watch it while I clean...this is why it takes me all morning and early afternoon to clean our 2 bedroom condo...I get easily distracted. Well a few weeks ago I watched Giada make stuffed shells for her sister. This wasn't a new show but I guess this time it got my attention. Giada stuffed her shells with turkey and artichokes. Sounds interesting, I certainly do like artichokes but I wasn't really feeling that this weekend. So instead I made two boxes of shells (1 and half would have been plenty) and I stuffed half with turkey, spinach and ricotta and the other half with the normal cheese filling for ravioli, stuffed shells or manicotti, ricotta and mozzarella. My mom made her usual Sunday Sauce and it was delicious. She had meatballs and sausage and small chicken steaks in it. Both of the fillings were great! Everyone seemed very surprised and pleased with the turkey stuffed shells so now I have my creative juices flowing and will try something new next time.

I use part skim ricotta and part skim mozzarella but feel free to use the full fat versions if you like. You could use lean ground turkey if you like that but for my taste it is a little dry. I buy the ground turkey that's a mixture of white and dark meat. If you use the leaner meat I would suggest adding some more ricotta so it's creamy and not dry. I don't usually measure the amount of ricotta, I just add it in and taste it, same with the egg. I used only one egg but it was an extra large egg so depending on the other ingredients you chose you may want to add two large eggs.


Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 package of stuffed shells, cooked until al dente and cooled on a cookie sheet
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed to remove water
1 - 1 1/2 cups ricotta (approx)
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper, to taste
dash of nutmeg
extra virgin olive oil
1 -2 eggs, beaten
Prepared Sauce (see below)

Directions:

1. Sauté ground turkey in olive oil until browned, season with salt and pepper, drain fat and set aside in large bowl.

2. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add chopped spinach, seperating it with your fingers when you add it to the pan, season lightly with salt and add pepper and nutmeg. Once mixture is cooled add to bowl with turkey. Add ricotta and romano cheese, taste. You may want to add more romano, salt or pepper at this time. Add egg and combine.

3. In a lasagna pan add one layer of sauce to prevent shells from sticking. Fill shells well with a tablespoon of mixture, adding more if needed. You want to be able to see the filling but you don't want it to overflow from the shell. Add shells to pan. Top shells with sauce but don't drown it. You want to be able to see the shells. On top of the sauce add a layer of shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.





Michele's Basic Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cans Tuttorosa crushed tomatoes (use whatever brand you like)
1 medium onion, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil, to taste (dried or frozen can also be used)
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (if you like more spice add more)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning and basil. Stir to combine flavors.

2. Add crushed tomatoes and stir. Fill about 1/3 can with water and swish around to clean tomatoes from sides and then pour into next can and do the same thing. Add to pot. Stir and add sugar, salt and pepper.

3. Let sauce come to a boil and add fried meatballs to the pot and stir gently. Reduce heat and let sauce simmer for 2 hours stirring frequently. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

If you want to add sausage, beef steaks, pork ribs or neckbones saute them in oil in the same pan as the meatballs and add to sauce when you add meatballs putting heavier meats in first.

Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Raise your hand if you're addicted to the food network! I am! I have many shows recorded and Saturday mornings I can't seem to turn it off. I watch it while I clean...this is why it takes me all morning and early afternoon to clean our 2 bedroom condo...I get easily distracted. Well a few weeks ago I watched Giada make stuffed shells for her sister. This wasn't a new show but I guess this time it got my attention. Giada stuffed her shells with turkey and artichokes. Sounds interesting, I certainly do like artichokes but I wasn't really feeling that this weekend. So instead I made two boxes of shells (1 and half would have been plenty) and I stuffed half with turkey, spinach and ricotta and the other half with the normal cheese filling for ravioli, stuffed shells or manicotti, ricotta and mozzarella. My mom made her usual Sunday Sauce and it was delicious. She had meatballs and sausage and small chicken steaks in it. Both of the fillings were great! Everyone seemed very surprised and pleased with the turkey stuffed shells so now I have my creative juices flowing and will try something new next time.

I use part skim ricotta and part skim mozzarella but feel free to use the full fat versions if you like. You could use lean ground turkey if you like that but for my taste it is a little dry. I buy the ground turkey that's a mixture of white and dark meat. If you use the leaner meat I would suggest adding some more ricotta so it's creamy and not dry. I don't usually measure the amount of ricotta, I just add it in and taste it, same with the egg. I used only one egg but it was an extra large egg so depending on the other ingredients you chose you may want to add two large eggs.


Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 package of stuffed shells, cooked until al dente and cooled on a cookie sheet
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed to remove water
1 - 1 1/2 cups ricotta (approx)
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
salt and pepper, to taste
dash of nutmeg
extra virgin olive oil
1 -2 eggs, beaten
Prepared Sauce (see below)

Directions:

1. Sauté ground turkey in olive oil until browned, season with salt and pepper, drain fat and set aside in large bowl.

2. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add chopped spinach, seperating it with your fingers when you add it to the pan, season lightly with salt and add pepper and nutmeg. Once mixture is cooled add to bowl with turkey. Add ricotta and romano cheese, taste. You may want to add more romano, salt or pepper at this time. Add egg and combine.

3. In a lasagna pan add one layer of sauce to prevent shells from sticking. Fill shells well with a tablespoon of mixture, adding more if needed. You want to be able to see the filling but you don't want it to overflow from the shell. Add shells to pan. Top shells with sauce but don't drown it. You want to be able to see the shells. On top of the sauce add a layer of shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.





Michele's Basic Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cans Tuttorosa crushed tomatoes (use whatever brand you like)
1 medium onion, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil, to taste (dried or frozen can also be used)
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (if you like more spice add more)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning and basil. Stir to combine flavors.

2. Add crushed tomatoes and stir. Fill about 1/3 can with water and swish around to clean tomatoes from sides and then pour into next can and do the same thing. Add to pot. Stir and add sugar, salt and pepper.

3. Let sauce come to a boil and add fried meatballs to the pot and stir gently. Reduce heat and let sauce simmer for 2 hours stirring frequently. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

If you want to add sausage, beef steaks, pork ribs or neckbones saute them in oil in the same pan as the meatballs and add to sauce when you add meatballs putting heavier meats in first.

Giada's Chicken Piccata

This is one of my go to weeknight meals because I usually have everything I need to make this already on hand. I usually serve this with roasted potatoes but since I'm trying to be more health conscious I decided to go with broccoli rabe and a baked sweet potato (sorry, no picture of the sweet potato). I used less than half the butter in the recipe and added a little more oil when the pan got dry. I know oil is still fattening but it's a better fat than butter, right? However, if I added all of the butter I would have had a nice sauce to dip bread in...sigh...I miss normal eating! One more thing, make it easy on yourself and use chicken cutlets if you have them and I'm sure you can have this done in 30 minutes.

This recipe can be found on the food network website or in Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook Everyday Italian.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

3. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Giada's Chicken Piccata

This is one of my go to weeknight meals because I usually have everything I need to make this already on hand. I usually serve this with roasted potatoes but since I'm trying to be more health conscious I decided to go with broccoli rabe and a baked sweet potato (sorry, no picture of the sweet potato). I used less than half the butter in the recipe and added a little more oil when the pan got dry. I know oil is still fattening but it's a better fat than butter, right? However, if I added all of the butter I would have had a nice sauce to dip bread in...sigh...I miss normal eating! One more thing, make it easy on yourself and use chicken cutlets if you have them and I'm sure you can have this done in 30 minutes.

This recipe can be found on the food network website or in Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook Everyday Italian.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

3. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.