Chocolate Chip Cookies - Hilton Hotels Recipe

So it's quarantine, which means restaurants and hotels are releasing "secret" recipes. This cookie recipe is super similar to the one I normally make (the toll house cookie recipe) with two surprising ingredients - cinnamon and lemon juice! The small additions of those flavors really elevated the cookie! The Hilton recipe has rolled oats and walnuts which I left out.

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, at room temp
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a bowl. Combine with an electric mixer until well mixed and slightly fluffy, 2-4 minutes.

3. Add eggs to butter mixture one at a time and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla extract and lemon and mix until combined.

4. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl (and rolled oats if using). With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until just combined, do not over mix.

5. Add chocolate chips to dough (and walnuts if using). Stir gently by hand until mixed in.

6. Put balls of dough (about 2-3 tbsp) onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-23 minutes, turning sheet tray 180 half way through for even cooking.

7. Remove from oven and remove from pan. Serve slightly warm, maybe with some ice cream.

Chicken Tetrazinni - Keene Family Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 pound angle hair pasta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. grated parmesan
3 Tbsp. white wine
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Make Ahead:
Combine soup, cheese, water, and chicken in a bowl. Add in sour cream and wine. Stir everything until combined but be careful to break up chicken too much. Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to 24 hours.

When Ready to Eat:
1. Preheat an oven to 350. Remove sauce from fridge to bring to room temp. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cook noodles to package direction. Combine cooked noodles into pre-made sauce.  Stir gently until everything is combined. Pour into a buttered baking dish.

3. Combine bread crumbs and olive oil in a small bowl. Top pasta with bread crumb mid. Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and bread crumbs are lightly toasted. Serve warm with a sprinkle of basil on top and a side of your favorite vegetables.

Fried Potato Balls - Potato Croquette

This recipe is courtesy of quarantine. I was bored, wanted a snack, had left over mashed potatoes, and wanted to try something new.

Ingredients:
1 cup left over mashed potatoes
1/4 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
2 tsp. chives or parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
canola oil for frying

Directions:
1. Combine mashed potatoes, cheese, and half of herbs. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Stir until everything is well mixed.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. In a third separate plate, lay out bread crumbs.

3. Roll mashed potato mixture into small 1 inch wide balls. Coat them lightly in egg and then coat them in bread crumbs tapping off the excess. Put onto a plate until ready to fry.

4. Preheat a saucepan full of canola oil to 350. Drop 2-3 breaded potato balls in a time into the hot oil. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove from oil and put onto a paper towel lined plate. Season with a pinch of salt while potato balls are still hot.

5. After frying all of the potato balls, move to a serving platter. Serve with some dipping sauces. I recommend ketchup, sour cream, or a garlic mayo. Top with remaining fresh herbs.

Proscuitto Wrapped Chicken with Pasta

With the pandemic going on, we're doing more meal kits. It's kind of like having to color with 4 crayons instead of your normal 64 but grateful to have food options at all. This one was from Hello Fresh. It was pretty quick to make and I plan to add this to my future arsenal.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
4 slices proscuitto
1/2 cup mozarella
6 oz spaghetti
14 oz marinara sauce
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. red chili flake
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 sprigs basil, leaves picked and thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Wash and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season with pepper. (avoid salt at this stage because the prosciutto is very salty). Lay two slices of prosciutto besides one another on a flat surface. Tightly roll prosciutto around chicken. Repeat with remaining prosciutto and chicken.

3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add wrapped chicken (prosciutto seam down) and sear until browned, 2-3 minutes per side (it'll finish cooking in the next step).

4. Top seared chicken with mozzarella. Transfer oven safe pan to preheated oven on the top rack. Cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and set chicken aside to rest.

5. While chicken is roasting, cook the noodles. Once water is boiling, add spaghetti to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.

5. Heat pan used for chicken over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil, italian seasoning and red chili flakes and cook until toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in marinara sauce and 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until lightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Stir spaghetti, half the basil, half the parmesan, and 1 tbsp. butter into sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper. Divide between two plates and top with chicken. Garnish with remaining basil and parmesan.

Healthy Chicken-Spinach Salad with Rosemary-Mustard Vinaigrette

Found this recipe in a super old cook book. It was meant for salmon but my husband, Brian, isn't a huge seafood lover to I used chicken breast instead. Next time I plan to cut up the spinach and chicken into smaller pieces and toss everything together more like a salad. I also want to add some roasted tomato while the chicken cooks and some bacon bits for texture. Can't wait to make this dish again in Summer when it's hot out!

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts - boneless and skinless
4 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup diced cucumber, skin and seeds removed
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. finely minced fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
1 package fresh spinach 

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler. Season chicken with a drizzle of olive oil and a tsp. of salt and a tsp. of pepper. Rub seasoning all over. Lay chicken breast on a foil lined sheet pan. Broil until chicken hits 155 degrees, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes.

2. While chicken is cooking, make dressing. Combine lemon juice, rosemary, mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add red onion and cucumber to dressing. Set aside.

3. Once chicken has rested, slice into pieces. Toss spinach and bacon bits with half of dressing and cucumber/onion mixture until well coated. Place 1 cup of spinach mixture onto a plate. Add the chicken slices over the spinach and then top with the dressing mixture. Serve with lemon slices for garnish.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

I found this recipe from Pillsbury and thought it would be an easy appetizer. It was really tasty but if I'm going to do a pizza appetizer, I would just order a pizza and make my life easier for a party. If you want to make this, feel free to add your own touch with your favorite pizza toppings like sausage and peppers or pepperoni and pineapple. 

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury crescent dough sheet (or pizza dough)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

40 slices pepperonis

1 egg

1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Unroll crescent dough sheet onto cookie sheet. Spread dough evenly around pan. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over dough, leaving 1/2 inch border around edges. 

3. Place pepperoni slices evenly across cheese. Fold short end of dough just over edge of pepperoni. Starting with the long end, roll dough, pinching to seal. Place seam side down on cookie sheet. 

4. Mix egg with 1 Tbsp. water. Brush egg mixture over dough in a thin, even layer. (You will have egg mix leftover). 

5. Mix parmesan cheese and italian seasoning in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over dough. 

6. Back 14 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 2-inch thick slices. Serve with pizza sauce or marinara sauce for dipping. 

Thai Beef Salad

This is a great healthy but filling dish. I could see making it again in summer for a light dinner. The balance of the tenderness of the steak with the crunch of the cabbage and broccoli slaw. It also had a great contrast of savory and sweet because of the oranges. Will definitely be making this one again!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Thai fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. lime zest
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 small serrano chile, seeds and ribs removed
1 tsp. olive oil
2 (4-6 ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed of excess fat
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded napa cabbage
1/4 english cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and cut into half moons
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 (12 ounce) package broccoli coleslaw
1 (4 ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained

Directions:
1. Combine the basil leaves, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, lime zest, garlic, and serrano in a food processor and process until smooth.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks on all sides with salt and pepper. Add steaks to pan and cook on 4 minutes on each side to get a nice sear. Finish steaks in a preheated 350 oven until steaks are cooked to desired doneness. Remove steak from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice steaks.

3. Combine cabbage, cucumber, green onion, broccoli slaw, and oranges in a large bowl. Toss in dressing made in step 1. Arrange some slaw onto a plate and top with thinly sliced steaks. Serve while steak is still warm.