A New Twist on an Old Favorite: Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I make very few desserts that are better than Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This latest version was perfected by my sister-in-law, an excellent cook who enjoys experimenting with both classic and untried recipes.  In this recipe she doubles the baking soda and leaves out the traditional baking powder.  She also undercooks the cookies slightly so they will be soft and chewy.

Homemade Pizza Saves the Day

 

I used to make pizza for 5 every Saturday night because that’s what everyone wanted.  Then half the family got old enough to drive and preferred to hang out with friends.  So I stopped making it since just 2 of us were eating it.

Flash forward a few years.

How to Make Chocolate Granola Bars in 10 Minutes

 

Whenever I think of granola bars, I think of school lunches.  But with my new recipe for Chocolate Granola Bars, snack time can be much tastier.  The secret ingredient is unsweetened cocoa powder.

Question for Mom

Why are some kiwi green and others gold?  -- Margaret H. 

Despite the difference in color, these kiwi are cousins and are quite similar in taste.  SunGold™ Kiwifruit, which are grown in New Zealand, are golden and slightly sweeter than the more available green kiwi.  Both are used as snacks or are cut up in salads.  Green kiwi have fuzzy brown skins, while the golden version is smooth and slightly lighter in color.  Instead of peeling them, cut a kiwi in half and scoop out the fruit with a spoon.

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Spice Up the Day with Bean Dip!

I try not to eat a lot between meals, but that’s a problem when my homemade Bean Dip is in the refrigerator.  If my stomach rumbles, I immediately begin thinking about visiting the fridge for just a small spoonful.  Pretty soon none is left.

Cara Cara Oranges: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

I am always excited when Cara Cara oranges appear in my grocery store in November.  Every morning I like to drink some fresh orange juice, which means finding a juicy orange to squeeze.

Question for Mom

I like bananas but often they become over-ripe or turn black before I can eat them.  How can I use them up? –Shirley Z.

Super-soft bananas are one reason why Banana Bread was invented.  Here’s my Chocolate Banana Bread recipe.  My family loves it. 
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The Biggest Vegetarian Sandwich Ever

The Joeyburger

Just how big is your mouth, Joey?  He laughed and said, “Big enough.”  And that’s how the Joeyburger came into existence.

Joey is the only young family member who has stayed vegetarian (except for pepperoni on his pizza) since he was a toddler.  He may be the only one at our table willing to eat any vegetable put in front of him.

When You're Having a Bad Day

When my day is not going right and I need to cheer myself up, I reach for a piece of crusty bread.  Add some butter, and nothing could taste better!

Tired of Chocolate Chip Cookies? Try Chocolate Biscotti!

A huge box of biscotti somehow found its way into my shopping cart at Costco, and soon after I got home every adult in the house was standing next to it.  Maybe the see-through packaging was too inviting to ignore.  Within a few days the box of 20 individually wrapped 8-inch-long biscotti was empty.

Cooked Apples for Breakfast

If I eat an apple, it’s almost always as a snack—or in an apple pie.  But now that I’ve tasted my friend Judy’s Cooked Apples with Honey, Yogurt and Granola, I make a point of keeping apples on hand for breakfast.

Thanks to the honey, Judy’s cooked apples don’t have the overwhelming sweetness of apple pie filling, but they’re not tart either.  Topped with a tablespoon or two of plain yogurt and a sprinkling of granola, they are a novel way to start the day.  Or serve this dish as a healthy dessert.

Mom Cooking Tip 157

Normally I serve fresh strawberries whole,with stems attached.  If I cover them with chocolate, I take the stems off first.  Never have I thought to serve them cut until I saw a caterer turn a bowl of strawberries into a work of art by simply slicing them in half.  They're faster to prepare because you can leave the stems in place.

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A New Use for Mozzarella String Cheese

Looking back I think my first mouthful of mozzarella cheese came from pizza.  Then I was introduced to lasagna and other Italian dishes that featured this somewhat bland cheese. 

Mozzarella string cheese recently entered my life when a nutritionist recommended it as a snack.

Tangelos: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Tangelos are a citrus fruit—half tangerine and half grapefruit.  They have a funny knob at the stem end, which sets them apart from an orange.  They are easy to peel and make a wonderful snack.  If you’re into fresh orange juice, try squeezing tangelos.  They produce a lot of juice. 

Question for Mom

Regular Peach (left), White Peach (right)

What’s the difference between regular peaches and white peaches? – Claire Z.

Price and flavor.  White peaches are rarely found in supermarkets.  When they are, they’re usually priced at a premium.  The skin of a white peach is rosy pink and white, much paler than the yellow/orange/red hues on the skin of a regular peach.  The flesh is white, not deep yellow, and the taste is a bit sweeter.  White peaches are more delicate and don’t bake as well as regular peaches, so don't use them for pies.  Instead, slice them and eat them raw for dessert or as a snack.

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Leftovers and Tortillas: A Marriage Made in Heaven

No matter how carefully I plan a meal, I almost always wind up with leftovers.  I used to hate the little parcels of wrapped-up food in the fridge, thinking, ‘If I’d liked it so much when I made it, why didn’t I eat it all?’

I can’t bear to throw food away unless it’s moldy.  That does happen when food parcels get pushed to the back of the shelf, but NOT ANY LONGER if I can help it.

Too Many Cherry Tomatoes

I love summer and the abundance of cherry tomatoes that flood farmer's markets and grocery stores. However, there is a limit to how many cherry tomatoes the family is willing to eat. What to do with the excess?

What Every Freezer Needs

Most cooks probably have a favorite food they stash in the freezer.  For some it would be cookies, which you can actually eat frozen but do thaw very quickly if you can wait that long.  My freezer is seldom without croissants, which defrost and crisp up in the oven in about 7 minutes.

But the frozen food I value most these days is home-cooked shredded chicken.  It doesn’t take up much space and is enormously useful.  Toss a frozen handful into soup or thaw a handful and add it to a salad.  Viola!  A meal.

Better yet, heat up a cupful or two of frozen shredded chicken in some water and barbecue sauce and then stuff it into a few heated buns.  It makes a quick snack, lunch or dinner with virtually no fuss.

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Please Teenagers with Homemade Chicken Fingers

Whenever I’m trying to figure out a dinner menu that includes teenagers, Chicken Fingers pop into my head.  This is a main course I started making years ago in London, inspired by my kids’ love of Fish Fingers (the British version of Fish Sticks).

At the time, chicken tenders were not available at the grocery store, so I simply cut boneless chicken breasts into “fingers,” marinated them for a while, breaded them and then baked them.  Leftovers made great snacks—although late-night excursions to the fridge usually resulted in an empty plate by morning.

Avocado Toast

I need to get in the Avocado Toast business, now that I realize some people will pay $17 for something I can make for less than a dollar. And that includes homemade wholegrain bread.

I’m not usually on the cutting edge of restaurant dishes, and I’m probably behind the curve on this one too.  But I am a big fan of avocados. 

I didn’t discover this fruit until I was an adult and went grocery shopping with a friend.  He mentioned that his mother often served avocados so I bought one as a dinner side dish.  Regrettably he didn’t mention that avocados are only really edible when they’re ripe.  Under-ripe avocados, which are rock-like, have no taste, and once you cut into them they will not ripen further.  Over-ripe avocados are usually mushy, riddled with black spots and have an off  taste.

In their natural just-ripe state, avocados have a delicate flavor.  Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing poured into the cavity where the very large avocado seed once was boosts the taste.  Check out this link.  This was my go-to appetizer when I lived in London.

Avocado Toast is a good alternative.