Quinoa, zucchini, and goat cheese patties

Gave these a shot for some easy snacks/ lunches for the school year. Surprisingly they turned out quite tasty although slightly messy (all my stuff is haha). The only thing I might change is to add more seasoning next time and bake a little longer but I had somewhere to go. I added extra baking time in the directions for you! Enjoy. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 medium zucchini-shredded
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (or regular) 
• 2 eggs, beaten
•  pepper (to your liking) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 and line baking dish or cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Cook the quinoa-(add quinoa to 1.5 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is cooked, about 15 minutes.) 
2. Shred the zucchini. 
3. Using a dish towel or paper towel squeeze the liquid out of the shredded zucchini.
4. Beat the eggs in your mixing bowl. 
5. Add and then combine cooked quinoa, zucchini, cheese, parsley, bread crumbs, and pepper to the beat eggs. Mix well. 
6. Form the mixture into patties. They might fall apart easily especially if your zucchini is still wet. If this happens, add more breadcrumbs, one tablespoon at a time.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Place in dish or on a pan and bake for about 15 minutes on each side at 400. 
   

   
   
8. Turn the oven up to 425 and bake for about another 10 minutes on each side or until patties brown. 
   
   9. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy fresh. Store in sealed container in the fridge. 

   
   ( I placed half on a plate and froze them and placed in a freezer bag one fully frozen for lunches to go)

Easy peasy homemade salsa

Yup I said easy peasy. Deal with it I teach 8-9 year olds. I Don't have exact measurements for this salsa but more of guidelines. Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 

Note- all my ingredients were garden fresh makes this 100 times better. Also the amount of tomatoes depends on the amount you want to make. This is for the amount  shown above....if you increase tomatoes increase the rest as well. Amount of herbs depend on your taste as well.

About 20 cherry tomatoes (all colors) 

1 ear of corn cooked and taken off cob

Cilantro 

Parsley

1/4 chopped small red onion 

Juice from one small lime

Directions: 

1. Cook the corn ( I cooked mine in the microwave! So much easier and quicker...and the husk comes right off! Place one ear in for 3 minutes and done!). Once cooked remove kernels and place aside.  

2. Chop and slice the tomatoes and add to the container you will be using. 

3. Add the chopped onion. 

4. Chop both the cilantro and parsley and add to container. 

4. Add the corn and the lime juice. 

5. Enjoy! (I topped grilled chicken with it for a wrap!)

It's the weekend and I'm having a bbq so naturally I will bake.

Read the title it explains all. Well mostly all. The third part is I had some really ripe naners I needed to use. Yes, you read that correctly....I said naners. There are naners in these cookies....shhhh don't tell. That makes them healthy right? HA nope just makes them fluffy and even pancake like. Aka the best breakfast food ever. I have made so many types of naner bread that I wanted to try something else. Especially going back to work after summer school ended  and with the school year starting again (because I will be making it a lot for breakfast on the go). Ok done with tangent. Anyways I didn't want to make a cake because not everyone attending the bbq like naners....I know what your thinking....THEY HAVE A PROBLEM. That's for another time though. So after looking through many ideas I took one I found and changed it around (because why not?) well that was the every long and rant version of how these white chocolate caramel cookies were born. Enjoy :) especially because they taste like naner bread pancakes turned into a cookie 😱

Nice and ripe

I just love brown sugar 😍 (especially on waffles and pancakes )

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter-room temp.

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

2 mashed banana

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups of cake  flour (use cake for the fluffness) 

1/2 tsp. Vanilla 

A pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup Caramel  bits

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and baking soda together. 

3. Add the butter and sugar into the naner mix and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix until combined and fluffy. 

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and cinnamon.

5. Add the naner mixture one cup at a time mixing until just combined. 

6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the caramel bits and white chocolate chips into the batter. Mix until just combined.

 7. Using a cookie scoop scoop out and place on a plate. THE BATTER WILL BE STICKY! Cover and chill for at least an hour ( I placed in freezer for about 40mins) 

8. When ready place on cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for 11-13 minutes. 

9. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. 

10. Enjoy warmed up and topped with some Ice cream :) they make a great sundae base! 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.thekitchn.com/banana-white-chocolate-toffee-88258

A request was made....ooey, gooey, chewy, and chocolatly chocolate chip cookies

Sorry nothing creative to say 😱 I didn't bring cookies to yoga last weekend and multiple people asked what I baked....whoops😁  I asked one of the instructors what she requested and she asked for chocolate chip cookies. If you know me they are not my favorite thing to  bake but I aim to please 🙄 I tired a new recipe and they are ooey, gooey, chocolatly and chewy (as seen below) 😋 enjoy! 

Ingredients

1. 1 and 1/2 cups ap flour (stick to ap for fluffness wheat will dry them out) 
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. Pinch of salt
4. 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
5. 1/2 cup plus four tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
6. 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 
7. 1 large egg
8. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( or a heafty pour) 
9. 1 bar of dark chocolate (I used trader Joe's) chopped and shaved 

Directions: 

1. Chop and shave chocolate bar. 
   
   
   
   2.  Wisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. 
2. In your mixing bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and maple syrup. Mix until fluffy/smooth.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. 
4. Add one cup of the flour mixture and mix in until just combined.
   
   
   
   
5. Add the chocolate in and mix for about 2 seconds :) 
6. Add in the reminding 1/2 cup of flour and mix until JUST combined do not over mix (flour will still be on sides) 
   
   
   
   
   

   
   
7. Scrape downs the sides and stir with a spatula or your hands  just until combined.
   
   
   
8. The dough will be very sticky so using either a cookie scoop or a spoon scoop out the dough and place on a plate. (Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl because the dough is so sticky I got another 2 cookies from it!
   
   )
   
   *****it was requested that these be nut free but I know some people like nuts in their cookies and let's be honest I do so at this point I scooped half out and added walnuts to the remaining half and repeated.
   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   
9. Cover the plate with press and seal and place in fridge to chill for at least one hour ( I did overnight). 
10. Eat the remaining dough on the mixer blade :).   If you get sick it's not my fault you don't have to listen to everything I tell you :) 
    
11. When ready to bake: preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
12. Bake the cookies 8-12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned and the tops feel firm. 
13. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes (depending on the bottoms) MAKE SURE TO DO THIS (I usually skip this part but these cookies need it) and then then transfer to wire racks to cool completely (after trying some of course).  
    
    
    
    

    
    
14. Enjoy warmed with a glass of milk and ice cream and why not some peanut butter as a topping? Or some hot fudge :) 

An upgrade to my Bakery Style chewy peanut butter cookies.

An upgrade to my Bakery Style chewy peanut butter cookies.

Just look at that goodness 😍

Ever since I made my dad the peanut butter cookies for his birthday he has been nagging and sometimes attempting to politely hint that I need to make them again. We all know I like to experiment and bake new things but honestly he needs to stop asking! Maybe these will stop him from asking for over a week or two....until he asks again. The recipe is basically the same but changed up the nut butter to Vermont peanut butter beenut butter because it is just so tasty. Also, keeping in mind these are for my dad if any of you reading this know him also know he has an obsession with pure Vermont maple syrup. This 'beenut' butter is the company's peanut butter with pure Vermont honey  added in (almost the same as syrup)....I aim to please. The majority of the original blurb is below followed by the directions. Enjoy!   

Original blurb: 

We all know peanut butter cookies are not my favorite but my dad has had a recent obsession with them. When asked about any food or baked good even in a restaurant he usually just says the item is ok or fine. When I asked him how these were he said GOOD! AND JUST WAIT....you may want to take a seat too....I responded with like a bakery right? and he said NO BETTER THAN A BAKERY. wow. I think that if I got his approval I can call these a success (and we know I don't usually go for a pb cookie but have had my fair share already). Enjoy! They are a tad crunchy on the outside while still nice and moist and chewy on the inside. And as my dad said actually taste like peanut butter. 

-a few notes-many recipes say don't use all natural pb because it spreads but I did anyways and clearly these did not spread. I just popped them in the freezer for 40 mins. before baking.

- if you have some dough waiting to be baked while a pan is cooking place in fridge to keep chilled.

- DO NOT think they are under-baked after about 10-12 minutes they will look a bit underdone but then let sit for 2 minutes on pan and then move to a cooling rack!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter room temperature or softened
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ½ cup (or a bit more...can't hurt :) )  peanut butter ( I used Vermont peanut butter beenut butter)
• 1  egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups all purpose white flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:
       1. Mix the butter and sugars together in your mixer or a medium bowl. 
2. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until combined.

 3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mixed until just combined. Be sure to stop and scrape down the side of the bowl and then mix again until all combined.

4. Roll dough into a ball and using a cookie scooper, scoop out cookies and place on a plate. Cover with press and seal and place in freezer for 30-40 minutes. (if you have more time in the fridge for about an hour or up to overnight).

5. Preheat oven to 350. After done chilling place cookies on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.


6. Place in oven and bake 10-13 minutes.  ***read note at the top***

7. Let sit on pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool or eat :)

8. Enjoy with a nice glass of milk and some ice cream and maybe even topped with some more pb! Or make a nice ice cream cookie sandwich :)

*store in an airtight container to keep freshness once fully cooled.

Morning or anytime snack :)

Everyone else always makes their food look so pretty so before I inhaled this post spin nap snack (already had breakfast before spin and nap🙄) I tried 😳. 1 Full raspberry Siggis  mixed with some pain Siggis , one and half frozen naners, Lenny and Larry's lemon poppy seed and half the jar of buff bake  birthday cake. Enjoy be creative! 

Now it is really summer :)

It is the last day of summer school! Woooo summer is here now! For a little while at least. Don't get me wrong I like teaching summer school but also like a little time off as well. Normal people would not think of this as a reason to bake but clearly I do. I asked one of my coworkers what she wanted me to bake and walnut chocolate chip cookies were one of the final choices. I tired a new recipe that I kinda/sorta made up. Different that chocolate chip cookies I have made before. Enjoy! (ALSO it just happens to be national chocolate chip cookie day too SO YOU SHOULD MAKE THESE NOW) :) 

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1 cup dark brown sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• Hearty pour of pure vanilla extract 
• 1 cup cake flour 
• 2 cups ivory wheat (white wheat) flour
• A pinch of salt 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 
• 1/2 cup -1 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1 and 1/2 dark chocolate bar (I used Trader Joe's) 

Directions 

1. In your mixer cream butter and sugar together fluffy. 
   
2. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. 
3. Add in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Mix until just combined. 
4. Add in one cup of cake flour. Mix until just combined. 
   
5. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix until just combined. 
6. Add in the chopped and shaved chocolate. 
   
   
   
7.  To ensure all ingredients are combined by using your hands. 
   
8. Add in the walnuts and again using your hands combine. 
   
   
9. Using a cookie scooper or spoon, scoop out balls, place on a plate and cover with Press and seal. 
   
10. Place in fridge for at least one hour ( I needed to bake quicker so I placed in freezer for 30 mins) 
11. WHEN READY TO BAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
12. Place the dough balls on the lined cookie sheet. 
13. Bake for 8-15 minutes.
    
14. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet if you have self control because the caramel will be hot ! Transfer to cookie rack to continue cooling.
    
    
15. Enjoy heated up with some ice cream and a nice big glass milk!