Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are so delicious and so good for you....that's just wishful thinking on my part.  If you think about it, it's like eating granola - especially if there are raisins and nuts, right?  Maybe that's why I can devour 2-3 morsels at a time without feeling guilty.  

Hubs doesn't like raisins so I searched for a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and found this from The Repressed Pastry Chef.  The cookies hardly took up any time to whip up.  The wait for the cookies to bake in the oven was the unending part.  I made my cookies a little tinier than the standard size so I cut my baking time short by 2-3 minutes. 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.  Beat in egg then stir in vanilla. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. 
4. Mix in the quick oats and chocolate chips.  Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes then remove sheets from oven.  Let them sit for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring them to rack to cool.

Orzo Salad with Chicken and Lemon Ginger Dressing

The other week I made Noodles with Mushroom and Lemon Ginger Dressing from Simply Recipes.   It was actually a recipe from Jaden Hair at Steamy Kitchen.  I really like the lemon ginger dressing which I used to throw together this orzo salad.  I just used what I already had in my pantry and refrigerator, plus the leftover dressing I made from the noodles.  It came together perfectly and I was really pleased.  Here is the recipe for my orzo salad and Jaden's lemon ginger dressing.

Orzo Salad
1 cup orzo pasta
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
7-8 asparagus spears
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
olive oil

Cook orzo pasta according to package, about 8-10 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

While pasta is cooking, make the chicken. Pound the chicken to uniform thickness and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Cook chicken on both sides, about 3-5 minutes, until done.  Set aside and let cool.

Prepare the asparagus.  Wash them thoroughly, break off the white bottom parts and discard.  Cut into 1-2 inch sections. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Parboil the asparagus for about 2 minutes over medium low heat. Drain and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.

Put the cooked orzo pasta into a medium bowl.  Chop the cooked chicken into bite size pieces.  Add to pasta.  Toss the remaining ingredients together and stir in the lemon ginger dressing.  Serve warm or cold (I liked it cold).

Lemon Ginger Dressing
From Steamy Kitchen

3/4 tsp Asian chili powder
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 T honey
1 T sesame oil
3 T EVOO

Combine all ingredients, except for the sesame oil and extra virgin olive oil in a food processor.  Run the food processor for a few seconds, until all ingredients are combined.  With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.

Thanksgiving 2010

This posting is long overdue but I'll blog about it anyway.  After all, Thanksgiving was only four months ago.  My husband's brother and his fiance came to visit us last Thanksgiving and we spent a weekend in Portland to watch the Blazers game and took them around Seattle.

Downtown Portland

Downtown Portland was our first stop where we did a self-guided walking tour.  I must say that there were a lot of bronze sculptures and water fountains around the city center.   We caught the free Trimet MAX light rail and stopped at the PSU Portland Farmers Market for a quick bite.  Then walked back to Pioneer Place Mall for some shopping.  It was time to check in to our hotel after all that walking and to eat some more!  Someone recommended us to eat at Saburo's, a little hole in the wall sushi place.  I researched it on yelp and many people said to go early because the wait is long.  Hence, we went at 4:00 pm for dinner.  Mind you, it's fall and the sun sets early so it actually felt like 6:00 pm.  We thought we were right on time for the first seating but as soon as we got there, the dining room was already packed and we had to wait for almost half an hour for our table.  Sheesh!

The sushi rolls were ginormous! No wonder we saw so many people leave with doggie bags.  The seafood quality was not the best but it was worth the value.

Look at the size of the unagi - almost as long as the chopsticks!  Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel for all you sushi virgins.  It's usually cooked in a sweet basting sauce, grilled, and tastes yummy over a hot bowl of rice.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel by the Convention Center to drop off our car and headed over to the Rose Quarter for the game.  Of course, Blazers lost, thanks to us.  We jinx every local team that plays at any major sports event.  We have never seen a victory game where our team wins.

The following day, we went to Helser's for breakfast.  See my previous post and photos of the scrumptious food we consumed there.  Two words:  Scottish eggs.

After breakfast, we went to Woodburn Outlet for more shopping.  The mall was about 30 minutes south of Portland.  It was raining buckets while we were there.  Not so fun when the stores are in an open air mall, but I did score a pair of boots for cheap so I ain't complaining.  Best of all, no tax!

We spotted reindeers while we were shopping!

Our plan was to drive back to Seattle after shopping and stop at 99 Ranch Market to pick up ingredients for hot pot but we were running late.  We decided to grab dinner before heading back so we ate at Ocean City Seafood Restaurant.  A guy from the party ahead of us at Saburo's recommended this place for dim sum.  Well, of course it was night time and they didn't serve dim sum.  All of us were craving for noodle soup and my brother-in-law was not feeling well so we ordered congee.  Looking at the menu, they did not have any noodle soup so we asked if we could order off the menu.  We got an order of wonton noodle soup and beef noodle soup.  There was a good reason why they weren't on the regular menu because it wasn't good.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll go back there to try what they are actually known for next time.

Finally, what is a trip to Portland without stopping at Voodoo Doughnuts?   They now have 2 locations in Portland.  We've already been to the original location so we went to check out the "new" store.  I liked it there - bigger space and they had parking!

We picked out a couple of doughnuts to share.  Like a kid at a candy store, we just pointed to the ones that looked good in the showcase.  That was the last stop in Portland.  Back in Seattle, we took our guests to the usual tourist traps - Pike Place Market, SAM, Space Needle, Safeco Field, International District, UW, Olympic Sculpture Park.

Fresh seafood at Pike Place

Space Needle view at Kerry Park

Now for the food....

Jade Garden was busy as usual on Black Friday so we went across the street to Harbor City for dim sum.  I like it there - less crowd and the food is comparable to their competitor.  In my opinion, the dumplings here in general are huge compared to the food served in Hawaii's dim sum restaurants.

For dinner, we headed over to the eastside for some tongue numbing Szechuan food at Spiced.  For just $5.99 you can pick 3 cold dishes up at the counter next to the cashier.  We got the salt baked chicken, spicy beef and tripe slices, and hot and sour seaweed.  The salt baked chicken was among our favorite.

Cold appetizer dishes

Main courses

Their menu was so huge that it was hard to choose but we managed to narrow it down.  We had the hot and sour soup, Szechuan dan dan noodles, shredded pork in Szechuan hot garlic sauce, and a beef dish with chili sauce and Chinese vegetables.  I can't remember what the last dish was called.  The noodle and shredded pork dishes were excellent.

On the last day of their visit, we went to Serious Pie for lunch.  This is the place to go if you like wood fired pizza but you must have a tolerance for waiting and sharing tables.  They do not take reservations and seating is communal.  We made the mistake of taking my friends there for dinner on our first visit.  We had a party of 8 and ended up waiting for almost 2 hours.  Luckily, my husband and I got there first to hold a space in line.  I quickly called my friends and told them to take their time while my husband and I killed time walking around Bed Bath & Beyond across the street.

The pizzas at Serious Pie are simply delicious.  I prefer thick crusted pizzas but I really like the light crispy thin crust they serve.  The menu only has 6 pizzas to choose from but they are all good.  From top to bottom, we had buffalo mozzarella and san marzano tomatoes, sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers and provolone, and chanterelles and truffle cheese.

Chinese hot pot

You know how tiring it gets after eating out day in and out and not to mention the havoc it does to your wallet?  So for the bon voyage meal we decided to lay low, kick up our feet, and enjoy a nice dinner at home - just us and the cats. 

Bon Bon nosing around

Shanghai-style rice cakes

The first time I had Shanghai-style rice cakes I was instantly hooked and I knew I had to recreate this at home.   This is a great alternative to dukbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes) if you are not in the mood for something spicy.  Rice cakes can be very filling so for me this was more like a snack or appetizer.  First time I made this using shiitake mushrooms and my husband didn't like it.  This recipe just called for napa cabbage.  You can add any vegetables you desire.  I've seen bean sprouts, chives, and yu choi in some recipes I've searched.  This one is Henry approved so it's a keeper!

Shanghai-style rice cakes
From Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

1 lb. oval rice cakes, thawed
1 medium napa cabbage, washed
5 green onions, julienned (I chopped mine)
3 T ginger, finely julienned
vegetable oil
salt to taste
1/2 lb. pork loin, cut into strips
3 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1-2 T cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth

Method:

Soak the rice cakes in cold water for 30 minutes.  Cut the cabbage into 1-inch segments.  In a medium bowl, mix the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch together until the pork in evenly coated.  In a large pan, heat oil, half of the ginger and green onions over high heat.  When the onions and ginger begin to sizzle, add the cabbage and saute.  Sprinkle a little salt to taste.  When the cabbage is almost cooked, remove it to a bowl.  Heat on high the remaining oil in the same pan and add the remaining ginger and green onions for a few seconds, add the pork and saute until the meat is nearly cooked through.  Pour the cabbage back into the pan and stir the pork and cabbage together.  Drain the rice cakes and add them to the pan along with  1/2 cup chicken broth.  Add more broth as needed or desired. Stir the contents of the pan around to prevent sticking.  When the rice cakes are soft and chewy, remove from heat immediately.  Serve hot.

Lemon Chicken

I love chicken, more than beef, pork, or any type of meat.  My favorite parts are the wings and the dark meat.  Chicken thighs were on sale at the grocery store so I bought some to make this chicken recipe I saw on Simply Recipes.  It's a very delicious recipe using a few simple ingredients.  I used dried herbs for this recipe because I did not have any fresh ones lying around.  At times like this I wish I had my own herb garden.

Lemon Chicken

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in

2 T lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T fresh chopped thyme (or 2 tsp dried)

1 T fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2-3 T melted butter (I used PAM)

lemon slices for garnish

Directions:

1. Place lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine.  With the tip of a sharp knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 an inch to help marinade penetrate.  Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag.  Rotate the bag so that all chicken pieces are coated with the marinade.  Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (in case of leakage).  Let marinate for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a baking dish, skin side up.  Reserve the marinade.  Spray PAM or brush a little melted butter on top of chicken pieces.
3. Bake for a total of 50 to 55 minutes, until the skins are crispy brown, and the chicken is cooked through, juices running clear.  Half-way through the baking, at about 25 minutes, baste the chicken pieces generously with reserved marinade.  Let reset, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
4. Pour the juices from the pan into a serving bowl and skim the fat off the top.  Serve the chicken with the juices on the side or a little poured over the top of the chicken.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I baked cookies!  And lots of them, to share, of course.  I just love the smell and the warmth of freshly baked cookies.  It's so comforting.  I took this recipe from the back of a shortening container and adapted it here.  The cookie came out very crunchy and it stayed that way for days.  Give it a try!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup all purpose flour
6 T brown sugar
6 T granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 tsp water

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F.  Cream shortening, sugars, vanilla, water and egg, until light and fluffy.  Beat in peanut butter.
2.  Mix flour with baking soda and salt; blend into cream mixture.  Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips.
3.  Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2" apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets.  Remove to wire rack; cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

I had the munchies the other night and I just remembered reading about a quick snack you can make at home with chickpeas (garbanzo beans).  It's very easy to make and so healthy for you.  It was also very  addictive. All you really need is some seasoning blend of your choice, salt, olive oil, and a can of garbanzo beans.  We seasoned ours with curry powder and garlic salt.

How to roast garbanzo beans:

1.  Drain the can of garbanzo beans and rinse to get rid of the slimy water.
2.  Pat dry the beans with a paper towel.
3.  Lay the beans on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and drizzle a bit of olive oil.  Toss to distribute.
4.  Put in a preheated 350F degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.
5.  Remove from oven and season with salt and seasonings.

Enjoy!