Double Chocolate Cookies with Caramel & Sea Salt

 

Sweet, salt, chocolate - what more could you want?!?

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 16-17 caramel squares, cut in half
• coarse sea salt

Directions:

Cream the butter on medium speed for about 20 seconds. Add the sugars with the mixer running on medium speed. Cream it all together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a separate medium size bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly add to the wet ingredients. Stir in the milk, then fold in the dark chocolate morsels. The dough will be thick and very sticky. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Take 2 Tablespoons of chilled dough and split in half and roll each into a ball with your hands. Stick a 1/2 square of caramel into 1 ball of dough. Top the caramel with the other ball of dough and seal down the sides so that the caramel is securely stuffed inside. Repeat with the rest of the dough and 18 caramel candies. Sprinkle each with sea salt before putting into the oven.
Bake for 12-13 minutes. Cookies will appear undone and very soft. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 16-18 large cookies. Cookies stay fresh and soft in an airtight container up to 7 days.

Pear Chutney (on bruschetta with marscapone)

This is one of the yummiest things I have made!!  I gave it out as Christmas gifts this year, even to teachers. Then of course I promptly read a blog about how teachers don't like homemade food gifts because they have no clue as to the cleanliness of the kitchen - well fair enough and hopefully they are at least able to use the jars to store nails in the garage or something!

Here's what you need:

1 baguette

4 large (2 pounds) ripe pears - if they aren't ripe, it's ok, you'll just need to cook it a little longer

1/3 C packed dark brown sugar

1/3 C dark raisins (chopped)

1/3 C cider vinegar

2 t grated & peeled ginger

1/2 t Chinese 5 spice

1/4 t salt

Mascarpone cheese

Slice the baguette and place into preheated 350 degree oven. Toast for about 10 minutes, turning over once. 

Peel, core and chop the pears. In a pan add pears, raisins, vinegar, spices and cook over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes or the liquid evaporates, stirring frequently. At this point, if the pears arent soft add a little more brown sugar and vinegar and cook down some more until pears are soft - unless you like the crunchy, that's ok too.  You can also adjust the spices to your preference. I like a little more ginger.

Cool to room temp. When you want to serve, spread a little mascarpone on a slice of bruschetta and top with a little chutney. If you want to be really fancy, you can add a little parsley on top. 

Day 4 - Project 365

 

Ok - so I just have to say, I saw this in Walmart yesterday and it's all kinds of wrong.  Who wants a glass of wine mixed with cream?!?  I swear, people will buy anything - spend a few buck more and get the right thing or just save your money and don't bother. 

Day 3 - Project 365

 

Ok - so technically, I took this picture a couple days ago - but Monday I really didn't do crap except catch up on re-runs of Supernatual (don't judge) and eat -

 

Anyhoo - This is where my martini's are currently mixed!  At least until next summer when we move who knows where (we'll save that little tidbit for when the Army actually tells us!)  So, we've been here a little over 5 years and people that know nothing about EP generally think it is a hole.  That was my impression when we first moved here.  I seriously cried and felt sorry for myself for about 6 months!!  THEN I met some way cool people and started having a good time.  Lesson learned - life really is what you make of it and so much depends on the people you meet along the way.  Now, don't get me wrong, there have been a couple psychos and 1 or 2 complete douchebags along the way - but we really love it here and it will be a sad day when the moving truck pulls up and we cross our fingers for all of our crap to show up at the next destination. 

 

But about EP - don't judge a place until you've actually spent a little time there!  Great weather!  Great food (and not just Mexican, although it is fantastic), the people are super nice and the only real issue I have is the lack of driving skills and if we have any kind of "weather" - forget it!  And, despite the fact that it is a stone's throw away from Juarez, Mexico - one of the most dangerous cities I've ever heard of - this place is pretty darn safe - generally the worst thing that happens is drunk driving.  People assume the cartel violence spills over onto our side of the border, but seriously, the cartel is a business, they aren't dumb - we are their best customer and why in the world would they create problems over here that "might" result in it becoming more difficult for them to get their product across.

 

So - it has been a really great run here in EP - it's coming to an end faster than any of us would like - but if the Army tells us we are coming back some day - woo hoo!!

Day 2 - Project 365

 

Not much to say on this one - just that I live in the desert - but I saw this and it reminds me of the Rocky Mountains, trees and home :)

Day 1 - Project 365

ok - Day 1, November 2, 2013

It was actually not blazing hot here and a few of the trees are changing color!  yay!!!  I love fall - no more thinking about how pasty white gene my Irish ancestors passed along or how I need to remember to "forget" my bathing suit!  Back into jeans, sweaters and cute boots!!!  I have a seriously unhealthy obsession with riding boots (ordered 2 new pairs Friday) even though I'm never within 2 miles of a horse.

Yay!  for Fall!!

Spiced Pear Martini

 

This is SO yummy for fall!!!This is what you need:

 

1 part Pear Vodka (Absolut makes a really good one) - I just started having the for sight to put the vodka in the freezer - if you aren't doing this, you should - it really does make it taste better!

 

1 part simple syrup

 

1/2 part lemon juice

 

1/2 part pear puree

 

Now for the puree - I buy a small can of pears and drain about half the liquid, then I puree that with about a teaspoon of pureed ginger (that you should be able to find in the produce section of the grocery store, since I can get it at Walmart - and where I live, that's high end grocery shopping)

and a little cinnamon - of course you can adjust the spice however you like it.

 

Mix all these ingredients together and pour in your martini glass that's rimmed with superfine sugar and cinnamon.

 

Enjoy!!