Two Things I Would Like To Make For Thanksgiving

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

Apple Tart

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

It's true. I made the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet. I got the recipe from Cooks Illustrated, but you have to pay to get the recipe so here it is for free. The secret is more brown sugar than white sugar, and using melted butter not creamed butter.

Here is what you will need:

1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Add flour and baking soda into small mixing bowl

Melt 10 tablespoons of butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until its dark golden brown.

pour butter into heatproof bowl and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.

Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir till mixed evenly

Add egg and egg yolk to mix. Whip for 30 seconds and then let sit for 3 minutes. Repeat 2 more times.

Add flour and chocolate chips. Cook for 10-15 minutes.

Seriously, you will never go back to your old CC cookies again. They are so chewy and moist. (yes I used to word moist even though its gross, its just so appropriate for these cookies) I hope you enjoy them with a cold glass of milk!

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar

In honor of this rainy whether I decided to make a Roasted tomato soup with broiled cheddar. I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen; she has some really great recipes you should all try.

Soup

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Lid

4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side

1 tablespoon grated raw onion

1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste)

Cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle olive oil on top. Take the garlic cloves and wrap them in tin foil. Stick them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour.

Peel garlic, then stick the tomatoes and garlic into a blender or food processor and pulsate 'til the tomatoes become a chunky puree.

Transfer puree to a pot with chicken broth, thyme, and red peppers. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 25 mins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put soup in a oven safe dish. (I added a rotisserie chicken to the soup.)

Butter the toast and lay on top of soup. Add cheese to the top and slide it in the oven

The final product was delicious; I seriously out did myself. You should all try it.

Bacon, Potato, and Cheddar Frittata

I made my frist Frittata this weekend. Though there are a few things that I would have done differently (like cut the potatoes a lot smaller), I think it turned out pretty well! Here's what you will need...

6 Large eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons half and half

4 ounces of bacon (about 4 slices)

1/3 cups of cheddar cheese

2 scallions

Salt and peper

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First turn on the broiler

Mix eggs, half and half, salt and pepper.

Cook bacon

After your done cooking the bacon leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease for the potatoes

Cook the potatoes for about 15 mins

Mix bacon, scallions, and cheese together then add to the skillet

Cook on the stove for about 1 minute until the eggs start the form large curds, but eggs are still wet. Let eggs set to form a base, this should only take 30 seconds. Then put it in the oven for about 2 minutes.

let sit for 5 more minutes

Enjoy with some yummy berries...

and a boyfriend who has a silly bit about not showing his face in pictures.

French Toast

I made some french toast the other day and I thought I would share it with you all. I love french toast but, I hate when it comes out all soggy. So I found a recipe that would help with the soggy mess. Heres the secret to french toast.. are you ready... bake the bread first for 15 mins in the oven. Baking it makes it crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, a perfect texture for french toast.

Heres what you will need...

8 large slices of heart white sandwich bread

1 1/2 cups ho milk, warmed

3 large egg yolks

3tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon of table salt

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

toast the bread on a rack for 7 mins on each side

Mix everything together (Make sure the butters melted, it turns into a big mess if its not)

enjoy with some syrup and powdered sugar!

Homemade Caramel Apples

Today the girls were telling me that they have never had a caramel apple before. This shocked me! I love caramel apples and I believe that no one should be deprived of this great invention. I also needed a time filler so we made them. Now this was a first for me, but I knew how hard it would be to make caramel. The caramel ended up tasting great but was having a difficult time hardening. I really want to try this again with a bigger pot so I can get the heat just right. But the girls were happy with the apples and I thought it tasted great!

What you will need:

8 apples

1 cup heavy cream

3.4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Candy thermometer

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Add butter, corn syrup. heavy cream- 3/4 cup ( save the other 1/4 cup for later), and sugar

cook on high heat until temperature reaches 280 degrees F. ( You will need a thermometer for this) The caramel should harden a bit and at this point add the vanilla and the rest of the heavy cream.

Stick the apples and put on wax paper

dip the apples in caramel and let sit to dry

Final product

BBQ Chicken Pizza Braid

Becky came over for dinner last night to catch up and watch the bachelor pad. I made a BBQ chicken pizza braid for dinner. It was delicious and super easy so I just had to share it with you all . All you need is...

• Pizza Dough
• Celantro
• Red onions
• Chicken
• BBQ sauce
• mozzarella cheese

Let the dough sit for 20 minutes before rolling it out. While the dough sits take some chicken and mix it with BBQ sauce ( I forgot to take a picture of this step sorry :/)

**Little side recipe**

I bought a chicken from the store for the pizza and then used the carcass to make chicken broth for another day.

Chicken Broth: Take a chicken carcass add a whole onion (no need to peal it) , some dried bail leafs, salt, pepper, and garlic. Once you have everything together fill a medium size pot with water. Cook on low for a couple of hours, do not bring to a boil. The longer you cook it the better the chicken broth is.

Alright back to the Pizza.....

Chop up some red onions, cilantro, and mozzarella

Roll the dough into a rectangle. Drizzle BBQ sauce down the middle and add the pizza toppings. Next, cut the sides and then rap it like a braid.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 mins

I drizzled some olive oil on top to make it golden brown

Make sure you enjoy the pizza with great friends, it makes it taste way better!

*Thank you Brittany and Ryan for the Chicken broth recipe

Peach and Tomato Salad

Alright well I first heard about this recipe from a blog called Cupcakes and Cashmere, but she originally heard it from Mark Bittman's 101 simple salads. You guys this salad is amazing! and to prove it heres a quote from ryan, "This is the best thing I have eaten in over a month; that includes the things we ate in hawaii, home, and NYC" Let me tell you guys that thats a huge compliment when it comes to ryan. So you guys have to try it.

Here is what you will need (buy ingredients according to how many you are serving)

• peaches
• red onions- thinly sliced
• Tomatos- make sure they are ripe!
• Avocado
• cilantro
• lemon juice (1 lemon will do the trick; 1-3 ratio)
• Olive oil (3-1 ratio)

Cut the peaches and tomatoes and add to bowl

Thin slices of onion makes for a perfect salad (then add to bowl, along with minced cilantro)

Heres a little trick you might not know. To get the most juice out of your lemons roll them first

The dressing is the hardest part. I had about 1/4 cup of lemon juice so I added 1/2 cup olive oil (3:1 ratio). Add salt before the olive oil because once you add the olive oil the salt will not mix properly. When adding the olive oil make she you add a little bit at a time and continue mixing through out this process (the continual mixing is the most important part). When you stop mixing you don't want to see the olive oil on top.

I added the avocados last because I did not want them to go brown

The beautiful/yummy/amazing/I cant wait to make it again, Peach and Tomato Salad