Chocolate Brownie-Like Cookies

I need a chocolate fix sometimes.  Maybe it's because we don't buy it ever.  But I keep cocoa powder on hand all. the. time.

I wanna make chocolate cake?  Cocoa powder.

I wanna make brownies?  Cocoa powder.

And tonight I wanted to make chocolate cookies.  Voila.  Cocoa powder.

For quick recipes, I usually search the Internet.  It can be hit or miss dealing with online recipes.  But this time, I struck gold.  I mean, if Jarred actually likes it, it's gotta be good.

I found this recipes from The Joy of Baking, but I've changed the recipe slightly.  I mean, who keeps unsalted butter on hand anyway?  Expensive!  Also, I used a medium egg instead of a large and I think it worked just fine.  There's only a slight difference in weight between a medium and large egg anyway.  I also would advise checking your cookies at the 10 minute mark.  Put a toothpick into one of the cookies.  Because though mine looked done on the outside, the inside was still a little wet.  Depends on the oven of course.

The original recipe called for salt, but I like to kill two birds with one stone.  It's called margarine or spread.  Buttery taste and texture and  it's salted.  Done and done.  Cookies don't need to be fancy.  They need to be tasty.  I also would love to try dark brown sugar instead of light.  I normally like dark brown better but I bought light brown last time.  Bummer.  If you've never substituted dark brown sugar for light, you don't know what you're missing.  Rich.  That's all I'll say about that.

And yes, that is imitation vanilla you see.  We're cheap when it comes to food.  But we eat well.  Have you seen our little belly pooches?  I couldn't stomach $6 for vanilla extract when Kroger was selling imitation for 99 cents.  Same with the spread.  $1.88.  Can I taste a difference?  Heck no! 

The recipe as is will not make 24 cookies as stated.  I think I got 17 or 18 cookies.  Though that's all fine and dandy, I feel like that's still a big discrepancy.  And that's considering the recipes says it will make 24 3 inch round cookies.  Of course, those who write recipes are magical and are able to do the impossible with their food.  If you're them, I'm sure you'd have no problem getting 24 cookies.  But for the rest of us, you'll get around 20, at most.

It's still completely delicious.

My batter could be mistaken for brownie mix.  Someone should try making this recipe but pouring the batter into a greased 8x8 dish to make brownies.  Yum.

I will totally make these cookies often.  I always have the ingredients on hand and it takes me roughly 30 minutes start to finish.  I'm tempted to try the recipe as the aforementioned brownie mix.  Seriously.

I'll be back sometime this weekend with more pictures.  Until then, I truly hope everyone has a wonderful Holy Thursday.

Just

a bit of a ramble.

I made the best fried eggplant tonight for dinner.  Best.  It was so much better than Olive Garden's and I could probably go back into the kitchen right now and eat some more.  I don't normally think too highly of my cooking, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

I'd love to share the recipe by Emeril.  I didn't add all of the ingredients, including the 'essence' because I didn't have all the spices.  I just used paprika, garlic salt, and pepper.  I also used Italian bread crumbs and had spaghetti sauce on hand.

On Facebook, I saw a friend had posted some more pictures of the construction of her home.  I felt sorry for myself for a second but didn't even look at the photos.  Good.  For.  Me.

On a brighter (?) note, tomorrow is finally Friday.  I was wondering when it was going to get here.  It's not as if my days are chock-full of busy, but this week has gone by at a snail's pace.

Why the excitement?  Shopping.  Or at least window-shopping.  And crafting.

I picked up these fabrics on Tuesday.  I kind of balked at the price per yardage, but then saw all fabric was 30% off.  Made me feel a tad better.  The girl at the counter asked what I would be making and I said I just wanted the fabric on hand.  I never tell salesclerks what I'm making.  Not to be secretive, but I've found that every time I answer them honestly, I just get a blank stare back.  Kind of reminds me of a funny story Ashley Ann told.  Of course on here, I'll say what I'm making.  I making a new bunting.  I need to go back to the craft store for a few more items, but I'm hoping I got enough fabric to make something that goes all the way around the bedroom.  Yeah.  Seriously.  

Foods

Jarred and I are not the healthiest eaters, but we're not terrible either.  I used to try to eat super healthy foods but since I began buying groceries for myself, I can't bring myself to buy some things I used to eat.  I definitely pay attention to food prices and get annoyed when it gets more expensive.  I noticed that my usual bread went up in price buy 11 cents last week and I was pissed.  Really.

I normally plan our weekly menu on Sundays for the upcoming week.  I'm pretty limited when it comes to ideas for meals.  I could probably write down on a single piece of paper all the recipes I know and use.  Even though I have many cookbooks, I don't put much monetary value on our food, so we eat what's cheap.  I don't want to make something that has tons of ingredients because the remaining will just go to waste.

With all that being said, Jarred and I definitely don't starve.  We have the beginnings of nice belly pooches that attest to that.  I buy what's cheap even when there may be more calories, I figure we're young and have the drive to be active to counteract any high fat food.  I don't want anyone to get the impression that most cheap food is bad for you.  Totally untrue.  I buy off brand tomato soup rather than Campbell's and it has less sodium, fat, and calories per serving than the name brand.  Take that high dollar foods!

My grocery list for the week:

- lettuce head     -broccoli     -cucumber     -eggplant     -zucchini     -tomato     green pepper     -green apple     -2 baking potatoes     -hummus     -marina sauce     -chicken breasts     -red beans and rice mix     -cheddar cheese     -cereal     -milk     -tortilla chips     -salsa

And that's it!  That's not all I need for this week's meals, but I already have some of my ingredients at home.  I have decided that it's easiest (and cheaper) for me to only think about one week at a time.  Some will say that buying groceries to last 2 weeks is cheaper, but I've found the opposite is true.  I only buy what I need.  I will also buy a new bottle of shampoo this trip because we're going to run out during the middle of the week.  I have enough toilet paper for another week, but I will then have to buy more.  I used to keep toiletries stocked up, but I would find myself buying the same things week after week because I couldn't keep track of what we were running low on.

Our menu for the week:

Monday:  Broccoli and cheese baked potato with salads

Tuesday:  Chicken salad on toast with cut up veggies

Wednesday:  Fried eggplant with marina sauce and salads

Thursday:  Red beans and rice and salads

Fiday:  Spaghetti and meatballs with veggies/salad

I also try to cook things that will have leftovers for Jarred to have for lunch.  We used to buy frozen dinners for him, but that got old (and expensive) real quick.

None of our meals are overly expensive to make and it provides some variety.  I wanted to cut back on the meat intake this week, so we'll only be having it with the chicken salad and spaghetti.  I don't normally buy snacks, but I'm having a craving for chips and salsa as well as hummus, which is something we never have because of expense.

I don't really deviate from our regular recipes.  Jarred can eat anything and I know if I'm getting tired of eating something, he won't mind.  It may take more time to cook a meal, but there's always more satisfaction and I always get exactly what I want!

Balsamic-Glazed Steak

As promised, I am posting the steak recipe I mentioned a few days ago.  I prepared the steak before lunch so there would be time for the flavors to really sink into the meat.

Here are our players:

Again, click the picture to see it up close.  And please excuse my 'balsmaic' vinegar typo.

There aren't any measurements for this recipe.  Sorry.  I will tell you about how much I used though.

Directions

1.  Rinse flat-iron steak and pat dry.  Sprinkle salt and pepper onto both sides of the steak .  I didn't measure, but I gave both sides I nice dusting of both.

2.  Pour balsamic vinegar into a sauce pan.  I used about 1 cup of vinegar, but could have gotten by with less, maybe 1/2 cup.  Turn heat on high and begin whisking until vinegar begins to slightly boil.  Make sure you are always stirring the vinegar or it will burn.

3.  I whisked for about 20 minutes to get the desired syrupy consistency.  I added sugar to sweet the sauce up slightly.

4.  Once vinegar has turned into a syrup, add 1 tablespoon of garlic.  We love garlic, which is why I used to much.  It's your decision really.

5.  Brush balsamic vinegar reduction onto both sides of steak.  

6.  Pan-fry the steak for up to 5 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and slice steak into strips.  Add strips back to pan until the middle of each strip is light pink.  I prepare our steaks medium-well, so the pink is almost completely gone.

I would recommend keeping a bit of the glaze to spread on top of the cooked steak, just in case someone wants more of a punch of flavor.

And that's it!  We never have anything like this for dinner because of the expense.  Jarred got a nice gift card to our supermarket for Christmas and I bought us some nice meats with it.  I serve raw veggies as a 'salad' and cook up some butter beans/lima beans and green beans or corn.  All with a crescent roll!

Cooking for Jarred, especially when he is sick makes me happy.  Today has actually been a good day, unlike yesterday.  But the past is the past.  And we move forward :)  

Potato Soup: Redeux

When I thought out this post, I was certain that I had featured this soup on M+J.  But apparently not.  I looked on my camera and found old pictures of the soup-making process that I meant to share.  But I never got around to it obviously.  So the title is really a lie.  There's no re-do except for in my head.  I've always wanted to post a redeux however, so the title remains.

I love this recipe so much -- I guess Jarred does too.  He at least eats it.

I love potatoes already, but adding butter, milk, cheese, bacon, and sour cream makes something magical.  It's creamy and savory -- the latter being my favorite taste bud to tweak.  I have made this soup so many times over and have really worked the ingredients to make a near-perfect soup.

Here's your ingredients line-up.  Please note that if a specific measurement is not given, that means to add as much or little as you want.  But I will gladly give you my recommendations.

 

(Can't see the measurements?  Click the picture for a better look!)

I make this soup for 2 people , but my measurements could make about 8 bowls.  Double the recipe if serving to a family.  Trust me, there will be leftovers and they will be eaten! 

Directions

1.  Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.  Peel and cube 5 medium/large potatoes while the water is heating up.  Once water begins to boil, drop in potato cubes.  Cook until tender.

2.  As the potatoes are boiling, melt down butter in a pot.  Add 1/3 cup flour to make a thick butter paste.

3.  Slowly add one can chicken broth to butter paste.  Pouring the entire can at once creates clumps.  Once broth is incorporated, slowly add the milk.  Heat liquid until hot, stirring occasionally.

4.  Carefully add cubed potatoes to the pot.  Do not stir potatoes too much or they will break apart and dissolve.  

5.  Add cheese to the soup mixture.  I usually use about 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  But I've also used Velveeta which makes for a creamier soup.  If I use the process cheese, I use 1/3 of a block. 

6.  Once cheese is melted into the soup, add 4 oz sour cream to mixture.  Use less if the family is not wild about sour cream.  But I insist on using at least a little because it gives the soup a nice kick and makes it even creamier.  

7.  Ladle soup into bowls and top soup with bacon, cheese, and/or green onion if desired.  Enjoy!

I normally serve the soup with some kind of vegetable.  Today we ate cut up bell pepper with it.  Raw veggies are so much cheaper and easier to prepare than salads.  While I appreciate a good salad, the ingredients can get a bit pricey and lettuce from my supermarket is terrible.  Jarred and I have begun buying frozen vegetables with only a few fresh (cucumber, tomato, pepper) here and there.

Next up, I will be featuring a steak with balsamic glaze recipe later in the week.  Bon appetit!