Giant Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

September 12, 2019 By Leave a Comment

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I don’t want to brag, but my kids friends think I’m the greatest mom in the neighborhood. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I bake cookies pretty much every week.

It’s kind of hard to keep coming up with new cookies to bake each and every week, and it’s not too often that I get to return to an old favorite. In fact, I remember one day when one son was gushing over the cookie of the week, and the other son commented, “Do you like that? Because you’ll never have it again.”

Having a cookie blog is a double-edged sword, my friends.

I decided to revive an old favorite this week, one I haven’t made for maybe 2 years. One that is extra large and extra chocolatey, just the way I like my cookies. I used an amazing recipe from Cookie Madness, though I did make one tiny little addition, one that is completely optional, but more on that later.

The recipe calls for 12 oz. of chocolate, chopped up into pieces. That equals 3-4 good bars of chocolate or 1 bag of chocolate chips. This go-round I used 2 Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bars, 3 oz. each, and half of a bag of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips. Honestly, the chocolate chunks are kind of nice, because they get chopped into different sizes, so there’s really no uniformity to it. It’s cool, in a old-fashioned, rustic sort of way.

The addition I made was to add just a little swirl of peanut butter. I used only 1/2 cup for this small batch, and swirled it into the dough at the very last minute. I wanted some bites to be more peanut-buttery than others, kind of like the chocolate, I guess. If you’re not into peanut butter, though, just leave it out and no one will be the wiser.

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The Best Classic Potato Salad

August 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment

Perfect Potato Salad

Nothing says summer like potato salad. It’s a standby at all the summer holidays, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. If you are throwing a picnic or BBQ, people have come to expect it on the table, but that sloppy mess that the grocery store is serving you is not, I repeat, not potato salad. I know it takes time and it is not a pleasant summer past time to be in a hot kitchen when the afternoon breeze is calling you to the shade of your garden.

I mean who wants to be lording over a stockpot full of boiling potatoes in the heat of the day? Not someone without air conditioning that’s who; so when you live in an old Victorian with no ac but the shade from the old growth trees surrounding your home, you learn a few little tricks and tips to make this summer staple a dish that you don’t dread when requested. First stop peeling your potatoes. Just stop. It’s ridiculous. The peel holds any vitamins and minerals you may happen to get after boiling and it adds texture and color to the dish.

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Pineapple Bourbon Cocktail

August 23, 2019 By 5 Comments
For most of my life (well, since I was of drinking age), I had a thing against dark alcohols. And not just one particular kind. It was all of them. I didn’t try them, and I didn’t think about trying them. I just knew I didn’t like them. They smelled strong, and they were the kind of thing old guys drank on the rocks in musty dive bars. That was my impression, and it stuck for many, many years.
 
But recently something changed. Call it one too many episodes of Mad Men…call it the  prevalence of speakeasy style bars…call it martini overdose. Call it whatever you like. The simple fact is I was lured to the dark side, and I like it. I can’t say I necessarily savor the taste of dark alcohols just on the rocks (not quite there yet), but mix it up with some fresh, light mixes, and I’m all over it. And that’s exactly what you get in this refreshing cocktail. Yep, can you believe it? Bourbon can be refreshing!
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The key to this drink is to use fresh pineapple juice. If you have a juicer, that’s the easiest way to do it. I don’t have a juicer so I opted for another method…blend the pineapple in a blender until fully pureed, then strain through a mesh strainer, and strain again with cheesecloth lining the strainer. It takes a bit of time, but the deliciously pure juice you end up with is well worth it. (And if all else fails, store bought juice will work as well).
 
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Caprese Tuna Salad Stuffed Tomatoes

August 15, 2019 By 7 Comments

Caprese Tuna Salad3

Happy Friday, My Cooking Spot readers!!

I’m super excited to be a new contributor for My Cooking Spot, and I have a delicious recipe to share that’s perfect for a warm summer day.

It requires absolutely no cooking and takes less than 10 minutes and very little culinary ability to whip up.

While I love living in New Orleans – the food, the location, the fun, the list goes on… – the weather can be quite warm {read: hot & humid}. Don’t take this as a complaint though; I love the hot weather! I’d take a 100+ degree heat index any day over anything below 40 in a heart beat.

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