Cassie’s Ruminations

Double Chocolate Double Cherry Cookies

These are a creation of mine inspired by a couple recipes in my favorite cookie book, The Colorado Cookie Collection. It’s a deliciously rich, cake-like cookie that goes over well with just about anyone. 😀

Double Chocolate Double Cherry Cookies
Makes about 56 cookies

2 large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1.5 oz dried whole cherries, cut in half
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup maraschino cherries, halved
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place a rack in the lower half of the oven.

Beat the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl. Add the dried cherries and cover the bowl. Let the cherries soak for 20 minutes to rehydrate.

While the cherries soak, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg mixture and beat again to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir until a stiff batter forms. Fold in the maraschino cherries and chocolate chips.

Form the batter into 1 inch balls (I used my #50 disher), and drop them onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Keep extras in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Posted in Baking, Cookies, Desserts, Food | No Comments »

Chicken in Lemon and White Wine Sauce with Asparagus

This is a quick meal for a weeknight that I came up with on the fly. It turned out pretty well and I’m happy to share it here. I think brussels sprouts might work better as the vegetable, but the asparagus was quite alright too.

Chicken in Lemon and White Wine Sauce with Asparagus
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken thighs with skin and bone (1.75 – 2 lbs)
kosher salt and black pepper
1/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 small bottle (187 ml) dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
1 cup chicken broth (I like non-fat, low sodium)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 bunch asparagus (thick spears)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil heats, season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper on both sides. When the oil shimmers, add the thighs, skin side down. Brown well on both sides, about 5 minutes on the skin side and another 2-3 minutes on the other.

Scoot the chicken to one side of the pan and tilt slightly to pool the oil and rendered chicken fat on the opposite side of the pan. Add the flour to the oil and whisk to make a roux.

Add the lemon juice, white wine, and chicken broth to the skillet and whisk with the roux until a smooth mixture is formed. Season with garlic, salt, and white pepper and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Place the asparagus on top of the chicken and cover the skillet.

Cook covered for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Serve warm.

Posted in Food, Italian, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »

Paying It Forward

Earlier this year I posted a status update on my facebook page:

I promise to send (or deliver) something handmade/homemade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you must repost this status, offering the same thing to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade/homemade by you, and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2012. Ready, set, GO!

I got a surprise in the mail today – a gorgeous scarf came in the mail today from Dawn. 😀

I’m thrilled and well on the way to making my surprises to send out as well. This has been a lot of fun. 🙂

Posted in Corgi, Ramblings | No Comments »

30% Lost!

After being stuck on a plateau for a while, I made my next goal – I now weight 30% less than I did at my heaviest, 78.3 lbs lost! On to 35% lost!

Posted in Ramblings | 3 Comments »

Package from Hawaii

A friend of mine in Hawaii sent me a great little thank you package for helping her out with some physics problems for her biomechanics class. Thank you, Krista!

She sent me some chocolate covered macadamia nuts (yum!), a really tasty sounding macadamia spice blend, and some awesome socks. Check it out! 🙂

This day has just been great. 😀 I met a tough deadline at work yesterday, so actually slept well last night, then got a massage, then a tasty lunch at Red Robin, I’ve been reading a good book on the couch with Emma snoozing on me, and we’re about to make popcorn and watch a movie.

Posted in Ramblings | 1 Comment »

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Or as a co-worker said, Happy 50%-Off-Candy Eve 😉

Tonight’s dinner was my nice and fast turkey meatballs, made a bit less fast due to the sudden inexplicable flight of whimsy that caused me to shape them into hearts. It was another 12 hour day at work, so where the energy and motivation came from, I cannot say, but it made Shaun and me smile, so it was worth it 🙂 I roasted some zucchini alongside the meat-hearts to round out the meal.

Extra fun socks for today, of course. Puppy dogs today, ladybugs yesterday. I really need to post the collection I’ve been wearing throughout the winter months too.

Posted in Easy, Food, Italian, Poultry, Ramblings, Vegetables | No Comments »

Valentine’s Day Crisped Rice Treats

These are classic crisped rice treats with a little holiday twist. I love vanilla, so I always add more than the official recipes call for. 🙂 I made a double batch and brought them into work to share with my coworkers.

Valentine’s Day Crisped Rice Treats
Serves 16

3 tbsp butter
1 10-oz package (4 cups) miniature marshmallows
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups crisped rice cereal
1 tbsp Valentine’s Day colored sprinkles, plus more for the top

Melt the butter and marshmallows together in an 8 cup microwave safe bowl (for my microwave, this is on high for 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Stir in the vanilla, then fold in the cereal. Add the sprinkles and continue to gently stir until the cereal is completely coated. Spread the mixture out into 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with parchment paper. Scatter sprinkles evenly over the top of the mixture while it is still warm, pressing the sprinkles in slightly.

Let the mixture cool completely and cut into squares.

Posted in Desserts, Easy, Food, Grains | 3 Comments »

More of what we’ve been eating

Work remains hectic, so we’ve been doing a lot of the stand-by meals. Here’s some of what we’ve been eating the past couple weeks:

Beef Stew

Turkey Meatballs with roasted carrots and broccoli

Quick Braised Brussels Sprouts and Apple Chicken Sausage

Game Day Nachos (just my burrito seasoned ground beef stirred with a can of refried beans, spooned over corn chips, and warmed in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes, then topped with tomatoes, avocado, and shaved cheddar cheese

Tonkatsu with a quick cucumber salad (1 cucumber tossed with 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and a pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper)

White wine braised chicken thighs and asparagus (similar to this, which we did with brussels sprouts

Beer Roasted Chicken

Beef and Bean Burritos

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Pollo Arrosto al Balsamico con Patate – Balsamic Roast Chicken and Potatoes

This is another great recipe from Central Market – an Italian take on a classic roast chicken. The original recipe called for chopped onion and pancetta in the rub, which I substituted with more garlic and some nice nitrate/nitrite free applewood smoked bacon (from the always excellent Niman Ranch). This turned out quite nicely and was a good change of pace from our usual Beer Roasted Chicken.

Pollo Arrosto al Balsamico con Patate – Balsamic Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Serves 4

For the rub:
6 large cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
2 slices bacon (about 2 oz), chopped
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

The rest:
1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs
2 lbs baby yukon gold potatoes
1 small bottle (187 ml) dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together the rub ingredients and set aside.

Remove any giblets from the chicken and discard them. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and gently loosen the skin from around the breasts, legs, and thighs, making small incisions along the back just through the skin to help if necessary. Stuff most of the rub mixture evenly under the skin. Rub any remaining mixture over the top and sides of the chicken.

Add the potatoes to the pan and sprinkle with additional kosher salt and black pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes, then pour the wine into the pan. Continue to cook for 50-60 minutes more, or until the internal temperature of a thigh reaches 165 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving warm.

Posted in Food, Italian, Potatoes, Poultry | No Comments »

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

This is a quick and easy meal that uses leftover chicken. I used meat leftover from my beer braised chicken (about half a chicken’s worth). You could grill up a pound of skinless boneless thighs or breast and chop it up if you don’t happen to have leftovers sitting around.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 4

4 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 16-oz can refried beans (I like Old El Paso)
8 large yellow corn tortillas (about 7 inches in diameter)
1 15-oz can green chile enchilada sauce (I like Hatch)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Warm the chicken and beans in a large microwave safe bowl for about 3 minutes, or until warm. Stir to combine. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of filling, and roll to close. Place each filled tortilla seam side down in an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Spoon any extra filling evenly over the top, then pour the enchilada sauce over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly. Serve warm.

Posted in Beans, Food, Mexican, Poultry | No Comments »