Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just heard today that one of the co-founders of Trader Joe's, Theo Albrecht, has passed away today. I have been a loyal shopper for many moons and I especially love the fact that the store was created with the "over-educated and underpaid" in mind. In his honor, I am writing about my new favorite Trader Joe's item: Highbrow Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I have suddenly found myself to be overwhelmed by a desire to bake. I have been really good about eating healthy lately and I'm back to working out regularly. I am not really tempted by sweets on a regular basis, but a good cookie every once in a while? I cannot resist. So I was at the store gathering some ingredients for my baking extravaganza when I came across these cookies by the checkout. Highbrow Cookies?! These are new, I thought to myself. Their picture reminded me a little of another store bought cookie favorite of mine: Tate's Bake Shop cookies from the Hamptons that they sell at Whole Foods. Now those are certainly "highbrow". I can recall many times when I ate the whole bag in one sitting. So I bought these cookies and sure enough, they are delicious and addicting (beware)! Tate's are still a little better in my opinion, but these are a very close second. I know everyone has a different opinion when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, but if you like a crispier cookie, then you should give these a try. And as I type, this post, I am already half way through the bag. Old habits die hard.

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

This is another recipe from Real Simple Magazine. Like my Cuban Braised Beef from the other night, this was also one of the 10 Ideas for Flank Steak. Again, really easy to make and takes only about 20 minutes. I served my meal with potatoes (of course) and corn. Serve it alongside your favorite veggies and a nice Malbec.

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (Real Simple Magazine July 2010)
serves 4
Season 1 1/2 pounds of flank steak with salt and pepper
Cook in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare; slice
Serve with a mixture of 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 clove chopped garlic (I used 3 cloves!), salt and crushed red pepper

Potato Wedges

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I LOVE potatoes! French fries are my favorite, but I enjoy potatoes in any form. I've been known to order a salad with french fries at restaurants. Talk about an internal conflict! At our wedding, during cocktail hour we had fries with different dipping sauces. I know they are terrible for me, but they are one thing that I will never give up. I have fried potatoes at home, but honestly, I hate frying stuff in my kitchen. I can't stand the smell that lingers for days and the kitchen ends up being a greasy disaster. So you can imagine my delight when I saw that Joanne from one of my favorite food blogs Week of Menus, decided to make baked Chili Spiced Potato Wedges! They are so easy to make and requires minimal prep and clean up time. You can serve them as finger foods for a party and experiment with different dipping sauces. Enjoy!

Chili Spiced Potato Wedges (Week of Menus)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425.  In a large bowl, mix together olive, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder and salt.  Carefully toss potato wedges in olive oil mixture to coat each potato.

Lay potatoes in a single layer on a baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until potatoes are slightly crisp and golden.  Serve with ketchup.

Cuban Braised Beef

For dinner I decided to test out a recipe from Real Simple Magazine. I love this magazine for many reasons, but what I particularly appreciate about their recipe ideas is how simple they are and that they use very few and basic ingredients, so you don't always need to run to the store just to make a meal. I buy my meat at Costco, which means I get huge quantities at a time. This was quite serendipitous as the July issue of Real Simple Magazine had a spread on 10 ideas for: flank steak.

This recipe for Cuban braised beef was so simple it literally took me 5 minutes to prepare. Because of it's simplicity, I wasn't expecting much out of it, but I was very very pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. Husband was literally swooning over it! After dinner he requested that I put it into the regular rotation.

I highly recommend this magazine to any housewife, homemaker or cook, newbie or seasoned. I know I have overused this word in this post, but everything in there is Really that Simple!

Cuban Braised Beef (adapted from Real Simple Magazine - July 2010)
(serves 4)
1. In a large saucepan (I used a Le Creuset), combine 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, 1 1/2 pounds of flank steak (cut in half), 1 large onion (cut into wedges), and 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Cover and simmer until fork-tender (about 1.5-2 hours)
4. Shred and serve with rice and cilantro leaves.

The original recipe suggests serving with cut-up mango slices on top, but I'm not a fan of fruit in my warm entrees. Instead I added slices of red bell pepper in step 1.

Freesia Evokes Nostalgia

As you all know, I love fresh cut flowers and like most people, seeing them around the house really makes me happy. The other day my Middle Sister was in town and bought me some Freesia. This excited me because the flowers that I usually get are basics such as calla lilies, roses, peonies or sunflowers. As much as these are very lovely, they are a little conservative. I don't usually venture out and buy anything too stimulating: visually or olfactorily.

However, I was very happy with this Freesia and I suddenly remembered how much I loved the scent. It instantly took me back to elementary school and reminded me of my Older Sister who used to wear the Freesia perfume from Bath and Body Works. I used to love helping myself to a spritz or two when she wasn't around! The products from Bath and Body Works are a little too saccharin sweet for me now, so mildly scented flowers are just right. However, back then, I couldn't get enough of smelling like a fruit. Who remembers country apple or sparkling pear?

Chicken Wings

I had my family over to watch the World Cup Finals last week and I wanted to have food that was hearty enough to be a meal, but easy to eat in front of the television. Also, we are all struggling to eat healthily these days, so I didn't want to make anything too salty, greasy or creamy. I know those are usually imperative qualifications for food consumed while watching sports, but I decided to give it a try. I decided on chicken wings that were baked instead of fried. I made two different kinds that I got off of Week of Menus, one of my favorite food blogs. I made the Sweet Spicy Sour Wings, recipe here, and the Garlic Ginger Honey Wings, recipe here. Both were really easy to make and both turned out really yummy. I made about 10 pounds and they went fast! On the side I had the obligatory celery and carrot sticks, but instead of a fatty and creamy blue cheese dressing, I used hummus as a dip. I also made a Soy-ccotash Salad to go along with everything.

Soy-ccotash Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Mix boiled edamame, grilled corn, grilled chopped zuccini, grilled chopped red peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped red onions and a sprinkle of parsley. (You can add some grilled chicken or grilled shrimp if you like)

Lemon Vinaigrette
(makes 1/2 a cup)
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
Directions: mix in a jar and shake!

Sauteed Green Beans with Soy Chile Aioli

There's no real story here, except that my Husband forwarded to me this recipe he got off of Tasting Table. He's been doing this quite often lately, which I actually appreciate since I'm always asking him what he wants to eat and rarely does he have an opinion. The only thing is, I don't like peas or pea pods. I did have some fresh green beans though from the farmer's market. It turned out great and was approved by the Husband!

Sautéed Green Beans with Soy-Chile Aioli
(adapted from Tasting Table’s Sautéed Pea Pods with Soy-Chile Aioli)

Ingredients:  

1 pound English peas in their pods (about 4 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons fish sauce

¾ teaspoon Sriracha (Asian chile sauce)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Directions:

1. Prepare an ice bath. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and blanch the peas for 2 minutes, then transfer to the ice bath. When the peas are cool, drain them and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, fish sauce, Sriracha, garlic, soy sauce and olive oil until emulsified. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the chile-soy sauce into a small bowl and whisk in the mayonnaise to make the aioli; reserve the rest of the chile-soy sauce.
3. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the peas and 2 tablespoons of chile-soy sauce; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the pods begin to brown in places. Once the peas are cooked, transfer to a bowl and toss with the remaining chile-soy sauce.

The Answer is in the Stars

The other day I was at Trader Joe's (of course) and I noticed this new adorable snack. It reminds me of those Mother's circus animal cookies from our childhood. You know the hot pink and white cookies with sprinkles? I loved those as a kid! These are sorta like the adult version of those cookies. These have no artificial colors or flavors nor any preservatives. The color on these cookies comes from blueberry, raspberry and vanilla yogurt coating. This sounds better than Red #5 or Yellow #3. Yogurt is healthy, right? The package states that "if you're searching for something sweet, the answer may lie in the stars...so irresistible in fact, you might just get starry-eyed over them." So cute right? So yum too!

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th! Of course during this time of year, we contemplate all that is great about our country, but we'd be lying if we said the Fourth of July did not also conjure up images of fireworks and barbecues. Moreover, I'd be lying if I said that BBQ simply means hot dogs and hamburgers. In my family it also means Korean short ribs: Kalbi. Although Kalbi is just beginning to be more mainstream, almost all of my childhood barbecue memories involves Kalbi. It is so sweet, garlicky and delicious. The more garlic the better!

Korean Kalbi
for 4-6 pounds of Korean short ribs (found at any Korean market)

Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1/2 medium white onion, grated
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds 

Directions:
Coat each strip of meat with the marinade. Store in a container. Let the meat marinate in the fridge overnight. You may prepare it on a grill, in a pan stove top, or in a cast iron skillet.