Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Cookie, Cookie, Cookie Please. Of all the Sweets in the World the humble Cookie is my favorite.  And King of the Cookie? The Classic Chocolate Chip of Course!
The Chocolate Chip Cookie comes in many varieties and I personally have about 3 Classic CCC recipes that I love. Here is today's CCC Recipe based on the recipe in the Old 1960's Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook.

The Deets
1/2 Cup Margarine or Shortening
3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 Sticks or 1 stick + 4 TBS)
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
1 tsp baking Soda
1 tsp baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Cups Flour
1 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Bag Chocolate Chips

The How To
Cream Butter, Margarine and Sugar
Add Eggs and Mix until smooth
Add Vanilla, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and 1 Cup of Flour, Mix until dry ingredients are incorporated, add remaining Cup of Flour, Mix until smooth.
Add Whole Wheat Flour and mix until smooth
Add Chocolate Chips and mix one last time

Bake at 350 for 10-12 Minutes

Pure Cookie Perfection!

Blackberry Banana Smoothie

It's a Very Berry Summer around here. Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries and Blackberries galore. Today's Smoothie recipe is brought to you by the Berry Black - Blackberry that is. A nice sweet, slightly tart tribute to this lovely berry - simple and sweet. Enough buttering up the berries - here are the deets on the Blackberry smoothie.


The Deets
2 Cups Blackberries1 Banana
1 Cup Spinach
1 Cup Plain Lowfat Yogurt
1/4 Cup Milk
1 TBS Creamed Honey


The How To
Add Milk and Yogurt to Blender
Next Add Spinach
Then Pile in the Berries, Banana & Honey
Blend & Enjoy!

Golden Beet Watermelon Carrot Juice

Summer is a great time to experiment with juice recipes. Produce is abundant and inexpensive. This time of year, I am far more adventurous with my juice creations. Today's juice creation celebrates one of my favorite summer fruits - the watermelon! As we all know the watermelon is one sweet fruit, so to tone it down I added a grapefruit. The result was as delicious as it was healthy. Here are the deets to create this yummy juice blend.

2 Cups Watermelon
1 Cup Carrots
1 Golden Beet
1 Grapefruit

Clean, Cut, Juice & Enjoy!

Asparagus Couscous and MahiMahi

Summer is in full swing, it's hot, too hot. I don't know about you, but when it's too hot, food is the last thing on my mind. But we've all got to eat, so I tend to chose lighter meals in the summer. There is plenty of fresh produce to go around, all you need now is a light protein and a quick and easy side. I'm a big fan of couscous, it's quick, easy and doesn't over heat the house during the summer thanks to its quick cooking time. Today's recipe is a simple Israeli Couscous with grilled MahiMahi.

The Deets
1 Box Israeli Couscous
8-10 Stalks of Asparagus
8-10 Mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)
1 Shallot
2 TBS Butter
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1/4 Cup Almonds finely chopped

The How To
Bring Chicken Broth to a Boil
Add Couscous and lower heat to medium-low
Cook approximately 15 minutes {until liquid is evaporated and texture is right}
Cut Asparagus and Mushrooms into bite size pieces
Finely Chop Shallot
In a small pan melt Butter over Medium
Add Shallot and cook until transparent
Add Asparagus and Mushrooms cook until glossy

Once Couscous is fully cooked pour it into pan with Asparagus, Mushrooms & Shallots
Mix Well and add Almonds

Add a lean protein - I made it with grilled MahiMahi

Plate, Pray & Enjoy

Noosa. Best Yogurt Ever.

Awhile back my friend had posted a status update about being in love with Noosa. Since I knew she hadn't been to Australia in recent times (or ever for that matter), I inquired as to whether she was planning a trip or discussing something else entirely. She then told me about Noosa Australian Yoghurt, her latest obsession. Being the food-loving, attempt to be healthy girl, I am I had to try it. Let me say this: My name is Tiffany and I am a Noosa Addict.

Seriously. The stuff is amazing! If you haven't tried Australian style yogurt - you should - but stick with Noosa. I had tried other "Aussie yogurt" and lets just say it didn't go well. Noosa however totally hits the spot for perfection in yogurt! The consistency is between traditional American style yogurt and Greek yogurt. It is sweetened with honey and is all natural. My personal favorites are raspberry, blueberry and strawberry-rhubarb. They are amazing!

FYI this post is not in any way shape or form a sponsered post - it is purely an "I love this product & you should too" post!

Acai Berry, Berry, Spinach Smoothie

I Love a good Smoothie! I recently discovered these great pure Acai berry packets in the freezer section & they make smoothies even more healthy & delicious. Here are the deets on the Acai Berry Berry Smoothie:

The Deets
1 Acai Berry Packet
1 Banana
1 Cup Blueberries
1 Cup Spinach
1 Cup Plain Lowfat Yogurt
1/4 Cup Milk
1 TBS Creamed Honey

The How To
Add Milk and Yogurt to Blender
Next Add Spinach
Then Pile in the Berries, Banana & Honey
Add Acai Berry Packet
Blend & Enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters

Spring is in the air, fresh veggies are becoming more abundant (and will be even more abundant once my freshly planted garden takes off!) And in general I'm craving fresher meals packed full of as many veggies as I can get. This week I bought a bunch of beautiful baby zucchini. After stir-frying, sauteing, and grilling, I decided to try something different. For some reason I was craving my dad's delicious and utterly unhealthy hashbrowns...so I thought to myself, "self, you can do something healthier to hit the spot, right?" and I set off to make zucchini/potato fritters. 

I added the potato because I wasn't sure how the zucchini would hold up both in the flavor and texture department. They turned out fantastic and I really enjoyed the little nuttiness the potato added, but they would be good straight zuch as well.  Here are the deets for a new spin on zucchini. 

The Deets
2 Zucchini Shredded
1 Potato Shredded
2 Eggs Beaten
1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Shallot finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBS Olive Oil

The How To
Add Beaten Eggs into Shredded Zucchini, Potato and Shallot

Mix until coated well with egg
Add Panko Breadcrumbs and Salt and Pepper

Once fully incorporated form into small patties

Add Olive Oil to a pan over medium heat

Cook patties until brown {about 7 minutes}
Flip-over and cook on other side for another 7 minutes or so

Plate, Pray & Enjoy

White Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna. When you hear the word Lasagna I bet you imagine red sauce, ground beef and lots of tomatoes. Am I right? Well time for a switch up in your normal {delicious but normal} Lasagna. This recipe is actually lighter than it sounds, you can forgo the heavy cream and use all milk to make it even lighter. Either way, it's delicious! 

The Deets

1/4 Cup Butter

1 Shallot {or 1/2 small onion [I'm a shallot fan]} finely chopped

1 Clove Garlic minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

2 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

     1 TBS Chopped Fresh Basil

1 tsp Oregano

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese

2-3 Chicken Breasts, Cooked and Chopped/Cubed

1 Package Frozen Chopped Spinach {Thawed, Rinsed and Drained}

1 Jar Artichoke Hearts – Roughly Chopped

1 Box Lasagna Noodles

     1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese for Topping

The How To

Melt the Butter in a saucepan over medium heat

Cook the Shallot and Garlic in the butter until tender

Stir in Flour and Salt, and simmer until bubbly

Add Chicken Broth and Milk, 

Gently bring to a boil, stirring constantly

Once boiling add 1 1/2 Cups Mozzarella and 1/4 Cup Parmesan

Reduce heat and stir until smooth

Add Basil and Oregano mix until smooth and remove from heat.

Divide Sauce in half

Add Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Hearts to 1/2 of Sauce Mixture

Cook Lasagna Noodles according to package directions

Time for Assembly! 

In 9x13 baking dish add 1/2 of the plain sauce mixture 

Add a layer of Lasagna Noodles 

Top with  1/2 Ricotta, and 1/2  Chicken/Spinach/Artichoke Sauce 

Add another layer of Lasagna Noodles 

Top with remaining  Ricotta and Chicken/Spinach/Artichoke Sauce  

Add 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella and 1/4 Cup Parmesan

Add another layer of Lasagna Noodles

Top with remaining plain sauce mixture and remaining Cheese

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes

Plate Pray & Enjoy!

Veggi Up!

Here's a Quick and Delicious way to add an extra serving of vegetables to your plate. Flash Seared Veggies!


The Deets
1 Cup Baby Carrots (I cut mine in quarters)
1 Cup Snap Peas
1 Zucchini (Cut in Half & quartered)
1 Cup Mushrooms (Quartered)
1 TBS Olive Oil (I used Pesto Infused Olive Oil)


The How To
Cut and Clean Veggies

Heat Pan over Medium Heat
Add Olive Oil
Cook Mushrooms for about 4 minutes

Add Zucchini cook for another 4-5 minutes
I like to get a good sear on my Zucchini & Mushrooms

Add Carrots & Snap Peas

Cook for about 4 minutes


Plate, Pray & Enjoy!

Pineapple Grapefruit Juice

This week we got a new grocery store - this makes me happy - very happy - almost as happy as if a new Nordstrom opened... This grocery store has a great concept it's a combo of your traditional supermarket mixed with your whole foods style natural market grocer. Each isle has your traditional grocery staple brands right next to a section of your more natural or specialized items. It's really a great concept. And since it was the grand opening they had some fantastic produce bargains! They had pineapples on sale for $2.00 so I have to grab one. Here is a great pineapple trick - when you cut up your pineapple resist the urge to toss the core - it's great for juicing! I used the core & only the core for juicing this time, usually I'll toss in a few pieces of the good stuff, but my experiment was successful!

The Deets
1 Pineapple Core
2 Ruby Red Grapefruits

The How To
Cut Core into Quarters
Peal and halve Grapefruit
Juice Away!

Enjoy!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today's treat is cherry chocolate chip cookies, which happen to be my dad's specialty. Of course this is my spin on his fantastic recipe, they are slightly different, dad's are all white flour, a little flatter and have far more cherries. Both versions are deliciously different from your average CCC. Here's my take on Dad's famous CCCCs.

The Deets

1/2 Cup Margarine or Shortening

3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 Sticks)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Maraschino Cherry Juice

1 tsp baking Soda

1 tsp baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

2 Cups Flour

1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Bag Chocolate Chips
10-12 Maraschino Cherries Roughly Chopped

The How To

Cream Butter, Margarine, Sugar and Eggs

Add Vanilla, Cherry Juice, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and 2 Cups of Flour, Mix until smooth

Add Whole Wheat Flour and mix until smooth

Add Chocolate Chips and Chopped Maraschino Cherries and Mix until well incorporated
Roll into Balls for Baking

Bake @ 365 for 8-10 Minutes

Delicious! 

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Looking for a sweet treat for your sweetheart? Chocolate Covered Pretzels coming up! I remember one year for my birthday my Aunt sent me a beautiful box of decorated chocolate covered pretzel rods. I felt so grown up and fancy. I still love them and love making different toppings for them, but now they make me feel like a kid! Funny how things change.

Chocolate covered pretzels are simple to make, fun to decorate and great to gift! Here are the simple deets on chocolate covered bliss!

The Deets
1 bag of pretzel rods (for this I like classic rold gold) {Makes about 2 dozen pretzels}
1 1/2 Cup Chocolate (Semi-Sweet)
1TBS shortening or butter
1 Cup White Chocolate or Almond Bark (if you use almond bark you don't need to add butter or shortening - if you use chocolate add a TBS)
Sprinkles!
Almonds!
Toasted Coconut
Any topping your heart desires
Parchment paper for drying

The How To
First Regular Chocolate!
In a BPA free plastic container mix Chocolate Chips and Shortening and melt in the microwave stirring every 30 - 45 seconds (should take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes) {do not use glass - it gets too hot and can over cook the chocolate)
Lay out parchment paper
I've discovered that drizzling the chocolate over the pretzel works better than trying to dip.

Put Pretzel rod standing up in melted chocolate with spoon or spatula pour chocolate over pretzel rod
gently shake rod (like ringing a bell) back and forth to remove excess chocolate

For topping you can do it one of two ways:
1. Hold pretzel up and sprinkle toppings all around or
2. make a line of topping on parchment paper, lay pretzel on it and then sprinkle on more toppings.

Repeat with white chocolate.

Let Pretzels dry and then enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

Egg in the Hole

Sometimes the Simplest things are the best things. Case in point: Egg in the Hole. Whole Wheat Toast + Sunny Side up Egg = Perfect Breakfast. Since this Month is all about love we've sweetened it up by making the Hole Heat-shaped. 
The Deets are Simple:
Whole Wheat Bread
Eggs
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Butter

The How To
Lightly Toast a piece of your favorite Whole Wheat Bread
Cut a Hole or better yet, a Heart - set aside cutout 

Butter Bread
Place Bread in a Pan over Medium Heat
Crack Egg into Hole

Lightly Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cook until Egg is your desired "doneness" 
Mine took about 4 minutes to Perfect

Add a side of Grapefruit and a slice or 2 of Bacon and you've got a perfect breakfast.
This is also a great breakfast in bed for your sweetie....

OPUS Prime Steakhouse

OPUS Prime Steakhouse is of the Old World decor style, large oversized rod iron doors, dark wood furniture, amber glass lighting. It's over-the-top yet beautiful in its own big way. OPUS is definitely a special occasion restaurant, the food is fantastic, but its pricey.  So file OPUS on your list of places to try when you have something great to celebrate - like say your anniversary...   


First up: Crispy Calamari

I do not say this lightly when I say hands down, the best calamari I can remember eating. The breading was light and crispy, the calamari was cooked perfectly and somehow it wasn't heavy or greasy at all. The dipping sauce was OPUS' take on a traditional marinara-style sauce. It was fresh, flavorful and delicious!
The Calamari earns: 10/10 Stars!


Salad Course: Opus Prime Signature Salad

The "Signature" Salad definitely missed the mark. Mixed Greens, Red Pepper, Olives, Grape Tomatoes, Bacon, Croutons, and Blue Cheese with your choice of house made dressing. First of all, when I'm at a restaurant of this caliber, when I see olives, I assume I'm getting good Kalamata, Spanish or other "good" olives not what the "Signature" contained...canned black olives. Don't get me wrong, I like olives but those olives don't belong on any "Signature" salad. On top of bad olives, the bacon was mushy and flavorless, and the house made dressing was thick and bland. I absolutely would not recommend this salad.
The Signature Salad earns 1/10 Stars


The Main Course: Colorado Rack of Lamb, Atlantic Salmon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The Rack of Lamb was served with a peppercorn demi-glaze. The Lamb was a beautiful Medium-Rare+ absolute perfection, tender, juicy perfection and the demi-glaze was just right - which is saying a lot for me, a no sauce kind of girl.
The Rack of Lamb Earns  9/10 Stars

(please forgive the phone quality photo - it was much prettier than it looks)
The Atlantic Salmon was served with Jumbo Lump Crab and a Burre Blanc Sauce. The Salmon was flakey, the Crab was jumbo and succulent and the Burre Blanc was nice. This dish was everything that makes a good Salmon dish.
The Salmon Earns 8/10 Stars

And of course we can't forget the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes...Skin on, extra creamy, just the way I like them. 
The Mashed Potatoes Earn 9/10 Stars


The Report Card for Opus Prime Steakhouse:
Service       7/10
Ambiance   8/10
Food          8/10
Overall        8/10



If you have a special occasion to celebrate I'd recommend OPUS Prime if your willing to splurge for said special occasion. 

Rainbow Smoothie

What starts out looking like a Rainbow and ends up looking like a delicious Mudpuddle? A Rainbow Smoothie of course!

The Deets
2 Stalks Rainbow Chard
1 Banana
1 Cup Blueberries
4-5 Strawberries
3/4 Cup Low Fat Plain Yogurt (you can use Vanilla - but omit the Honey)
1 Cup Ice
1 tsp Creamed Honey

The How To
Clean & Prep your Fruits & Veggies (remember everything that you toss in the blender gets blended - things don't get filtered out like the juicer)
Roughly Chop Chard, and Banana
Add Ice to Blender
Add all other Ingredients
Blend Away!

Enjoy your delicious, nutritious smoothie!