Megan's Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt (Kosher)
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chips)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high until light and fluffy, 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture just until incorporated; fold in chocolate chips and chunks.

3. Using a 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop or a large spoon, drop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (you should have 24) and refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange 6 unbaked cookies, 3 inches apart, on each of two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges are light golden brown, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Bake remaining dough using new parchment.

4. To bake from frozen takes 22 to 24 minutes.

White Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (leave whole for slow cooker method)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chiles (see note above)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (see note above)
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Shredded cheese, tortilla chips, other toppings (optional)
DIRECTIONS:

STOVETOP DIRECTIONS: In a 4- or 5-quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until the onion starts to soften (it’s ok if the chicken isn’t cooked all the way; it will cook more in the next step).
Add the beans, broth, chiles, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper and cayenne.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat; stir in the sour cream and cream.
Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately with other toppings of choice, if desired.

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS: In a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, place 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts whole (without cutting into pieces).
Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet!
Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours.
Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces (or use a couple forks and shred right in the slow cooker). Add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the chili cook warm through on low temperature. Serve.

NOTES (from Mel's Kitchen Cafe):

As happens with recipes that have been posted as long as this one has (since 2008!), I have additional notes that may help make the recipe even more delicious. Over the years, I’ve often subbed out the green chiles completely for a jar (12 ounces) of green salsa (salsa verde or tomatillo salsa). Yum, super yum.

Also, I hardly ever use the whipping cream anymore. I either add extra sour cream OR use milk OR if I want a thicker chili, I blend 1/2 cup milk with 1 tablespoon flour and use that. There are SO many comments in the thread below about variations you’ve used as well.

Finally (sorry, I’m almost done), this chili is really delicious with already cooked chicken (like a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken or this simple stovetop shredded chicken). Simply stir in cooked chicken at the end and heat through.

Easy Shepherd Pie

Ingredients

For the potato layer:
3 pounds russet potatoes (4 to 5 large), peeled and diced
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk

For the filling:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen vegetable medley, such as carrots, peas, green beans, and corn
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic power

Equipment
12-inch oven-safe skillet
Measuring cups and spoons
Chef's knife and cutting board
3- to 4-quart pot with lid
Spatula
Potato masher

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes.

Boil the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large (3- to 4-quart pot). Cover with about 2 quarts of water, stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Brown the beef. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet — 12-inch cast iron is best — over medium-high until shimmering. Add the beef and salt, breaking it into large chunks as you add it to the pan. Let the meat brown for 1 to 2 minutes undisturbed, then use a spatula to break up the chunks into smaller pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes total.

Add the vegetables and sauce ingredients. Add the vegetables, water, flour, ketchup, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until simmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Don’t worry too much if the browned beef mixture looks a little soupy -- it will thicken in the oven.

Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and egg yolk. Drain the potatoes and return them to the now-empty pot. Add the milk, butter, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and mash to desired consistency (for shepherd’s pie we like a pretty smooth mixture). Stir in the egg yolk.

Top beef mixture with the mashed potatoes. Use a large spoon to dollop the mashed potatoes over the beef. Use the spoon to smooth the potatoes into an even layer.

Bake for 30 minutes. Bake until the potatoes just begin to brown and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes to let the sauce thicken slightly before serving.

Pizookie

12 tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) dark brown sugar ½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk 1 ¾ cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips Top with ice cream for an extra-decadent treat. 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 9 tablespoons butter in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until butter is dark golden brown, has nutty aroma, and bubbling subsides, about 5 minutes; transfer to large bowl. Stir remaining 3 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. 2. Whisk brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt into melted butter until smooth. Whisk in egg and yolk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let mixture sit for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. 3. Whisk flour and baking soda together in separate bowl, then stir flour mixture into butter mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips, making sure no flour pockets remain. 4. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Transfer dough to now-empty skillet and press into even layer with spatula. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cookie is golden brown and edges are set, about 20 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Using potholders, transfer skillet to wire rack and let cookie cool for 30 minutes. Slice cookie into wedges and serve. Notes: made this for Andy's birthday "cake". My cast iron skillet is only 10 inches so I had to guess on the bake time and I think I ended up having it in for about 30 minutes. I thought it would have been better a little gooier but Andy liked how it soaked up milk. But we both agreed it needed more chocolate chips. Kate made again on 8/27/2021: we baked for 20 minutes and it was pretty perfect if not slightly underdone. We used 1.5 cups of chocolate super chips. Yummmmm

Buttermilk biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

Notes: Trying to find a copycat recipe for Ruth's biscuits. Realized they need to be baked in a casserole dish instead of as individual biscuits. This recipe was a good start, but instead of using a 9x5 I put them in my deep square baking dish and they were about perfect baked for about 35 minutes. Need to use real buttermilk as buttermilk powder won't give the right texture.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss meringue buttercream is supremely better in both flavor and texture than American buttercream. Once you try it, you will want to use it on all of your cakes, cupcakes, cookies, everything! It is silky, pipes beautifully, and is very stable.

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Ingredients

7 large 210 grams or 7 oz egg whites
2 cups 400 grams granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups 3 sticks or 340 grams unsalted butter, softened*
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt we use non-iodized fine sea salt

Instructions

In a medium pot, add at least 1-inch of water and bring to simmer.
Thoroughly wash and dry the stainless steel mixing bowl from your stand mixer* (you don't want grease touching meringue). Add 7 egg whites and 2 cups sugar and whisk together. Place mixing bowl over pot of barely simmering water, creating a seal over the pot (bowl should be over the steam, not touching water). Whisk constantly until mixture reaches 160˚F (takes about 3 min). Sugar should be fully dissolved (you should not feel any sugar granules when rubbing mixture between finger tips). Mixture will feel hot to the touch.
Wipe water from bottom of mixing bowl and transfer bowl to stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form (about 15-20 min) and bottom of the bowl feels completely at room temp and not warm (important: warm meringue will melt the butter).
Once bowl is at room temp, switch to paddle attachment, reduce to medium speed and add butter 1 Tbsp at a time, adding it just as fast as it is absorbed by meringue. Once all butter is in, scrape down the bowl and continue beating until it reaches a thick whipped consistency (3 min on med-high speed). If it looks lumpy or liquidy at all, keep beating until smooth, thick and whipped.
Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt and mix on med-high until incorporated (about 1 min).

Recipe Notes

*Butter should be softened at room temp about 1 hour (more or less depending on your room temperature). It should be slightly cool to the touch and not overly soft or warm. If too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes at a time.

LAG notes:

Really yummy!!!! Noticeably less sweet than American buttercream. Really tasted like whipped cream but was more stable. Had the same very light and silky texture. I had made it for sugar cookies, but I think sugar cookies needed a heavier frosting you almost couldn't even tell it was there. Would be better on a light cake. Want to try it with flavorings like freeze dried strawberry or raspberry powder.

Instant Pot Cauliflower soup

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, floret
• 2 small red potatoes, chunked
• 4 cups (1 L) of unsalted chicken stock
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 stalks of green onions, chopped
• Optional: 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fish sauce
• Optional: freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

1. Crisp the Bacon: Place chopped bacon in your Pressure Cooker and turn heat to medium (Instant Pot: press Sauté button). Stir occasionally and allow the bacon bits to crisp (~4 mins). Remove bacon bits from pressure cooker and place on paper towel to absorb the excess fat.
2. Sauté the Onion, Garlic, and Green Onions: Sauté onions in bacon fat for roughly 1 – 2 minutes until soften. Add in garlic and half of the green onions. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper if you like. Sauté until fragrant.
3. Deglaze: Pour ~ ⅓ cup (100 ml) unsalted chicken stock. Scrub all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Keep the brown bits as they are very flavorful.
4. Pressure Cook the Cauliflower Potato Soup: Add 2 bay leaves, cauliflower, and 2 red potatoes in the pressure cooker. Pour the remaining chicken stock into pressure cooker. Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and do a 10 minutes Natural Release. Open the lid carefully.Remove Bay Leaves (Optional): If you don't think your immersion hand blender is powerful enough to blend through the bay leaves, you can remove them at this step.
5. Blend & Season: Blend cauliflower soup into desired consistency with an immersion hand blender. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream. Taste the soup and season with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fish sauce and kosher salt.
6. Serve: Garnish with green onions, crispy bacon bits, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately. I think you will love it :)

Notes

Thinner Consistency: If you like a thinner soup consistency, add hot homemade unsalted chicken stock to adjust the thickness of the soup.

Smaller Cauliflower Florets: break the larger pieces into smaller florets, so it'll be easier to blend.

Crispy Bacon: It's important to place the bacon in the cold pot before turning on the heat (see tips section in the article).