Running Mama Cooks

When I came across this recipe on Bella's Bistro, I knew it was the perfect dessert to bring to "Girl's Night In" at Allison's house this weekend. It reminded me of hanging out with girlfriends as a teenager, eating cookie dough straight from the container. This grown up version was delicious and really easy to make!

For an appetizer, I brought the Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites that I prepared on Friday and they were definitely worth the work because they were a HUGE hit!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
from RecipeZaar inspired by Bella's Bistro

Ingredients:

1/2C. Butter
1/3C. Brown sugar
1t. Vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce package) Cream cheese, softened
1/2C. Confectioners’ sugar
3/4C. Semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/2C. Chopped nuts (optional)
Nilla wafers and/or Graham crackers sticks for dipping

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar for 1 minute. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.

Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.

Garnish with additional chocolate chips or nuts, if you choose.

Today was all about culinary challenges for me. I've never made risotto and have honestly been a little intimidated by it. Well, it was not that hard, but definitely a little tedious. The end result? Totally worth it. Super delicious and I really loved this flavor combination. This recipe, from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations, was excellent. I can see using the base recipe and adding any flavor combo I feel like, which Mary Ellen has done throughout her blog.

I am officially a big risotto fan! It was the perfect compliment to my Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Risotto with Roasted Red Pepper and Baby Spinach
From Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

•1 tbsp butter
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1 shallot, chopped
•2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
•Optional: a few dashes of red pepper flakes
•1 c arborio rice
•1/4 c dry white wine
•5 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version)
•1 roasted red pepper, chopped (to roast, put over an open flame until all of the skin is charred. Put in a bowl covered with plastic to sweat the skin off. After 10 minutes, peel the skin to reveal your beautiful roasted red pepper)
•1 c fresh baby spinach
•3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Directions

•Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan
•Add shallots and garlic (and red pepper flakes); stir until tender, about 2 minutes.
•Add arborio rice and stir until coated
•Add the white wine and stir until absorbed
•Add the chicken broth, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Add more broth only when all of the broth in the pan has been absorbed by the rice. This entire process takes anywhere from 17 to 25 minutes.
•Near the end, stir in the spinach and red peppers.
•When you add your final ladle of broth, add the cheese.
•Serve immediately.

Wow, these little guys are definitely a delicious appetizer, but they were also a big learning experience!!! Many lessons were learned while making these (twice). The biggest one was that wax paper is NOT the same as parchment paper!! My first batch tasted good, but they were a sticky, ugly mess.

On a positive note, I found out that making dough is very easy, and I will be doing that again, especially when making my own pizza or soft pretzels.

I'll be reheating these at "Girl's Night In" tomorrow at Allison's house. I can't wait!!

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites
From Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1½ tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
¼ cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2½-3 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:
½ cup small diced ham
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

To finish:
6 cups water
4 tsp. baking soda
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt (or pretzel salt), for topping

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the yeast, brown sugar, water, milk, and 2½ cups of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until a dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until a soft, elastic dough forms. Add the remaining flour a 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is tacky but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, until the dough has doubled in size and bubbles on the surface, about 1½ to 2 hours.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Stretch or roll one piece of the dough into a 12 x 4-inch rectangle. Sprinkle some of the diced ham and the shredded cheese over one third of the dough closest to an edge, lengthwise. Roll up tightly, filling edge first, so that the filling is tightly sealed inside. Slice the log into 12 pieces and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Repeat with the remaining 3 portions of dough, and the remaining filling.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the baking soda and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Boil the pretzels in batches, cooking for about 2o seconds and turning once. They should be slightly puffed. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to transfer them back to the baking sheet.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Brush the warm pretzel bites with the melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

I am really glad I didn't let this complicated recipe intimidate me, nor did I give up when it didn't work out the first time!

Rachael Ray made this crockpot meal on her talk show the other day, and since I am always looking to add to my crockpot repertoire, I decided to give it a try. While it was more work than your average slow cooker meal, it was worth it. All the flavors came together nicely and the chicken was super tender. I did take the chicken out prior to serving and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.

Here is the original recipe

Honey-Lemon Chicken with Potatoes
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
•8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
•Salt and ground black pepper
•1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes
•1 small onion, chopped
•2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•4-5 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped
•2 lemons, thinly sliced
•1/4 cup honey
•1/4 cup chicken stock or water

To finish:

•Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips
•1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
•1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
•Balsamic Drizzle (see below)


Preparation:

In a skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.

Scatter the potatoes, onion, garlic, thyme and lemon slices in the bowl of a crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the browned chicken over the veggies and drizzle with honey. Add the stock or water, cover and cook, undisturbed, for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Serve each portion topped with a combination of the lemon zest, parsley, toasted nuts and balsamic drizzle.


Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients:

•1 cup balsamic vinegar
•2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small pot over medium-high heat and bring up to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the liquids until they've reduced by about half and are thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes.

One of my favorite things to have for breakfast is oatmeal. Up until now, I have always used instant oatmeal, but am interested in branching out to healthier ways to prepare this healthy breakfast.

The other day I decided to try to make overnight oatmeal using my crockpot. It was a complete fail. It burned on the sides and was overcooked and unappetising. Since I had already purchased steel cut oats, I wanted to learn how to make them the regular way. Can't be that hard, right? I watched this video on you tube and gave it a shot.

I boiled three cups of water and added one cup of steel cut oats. I had some sliced almonds on hand so I threw in a handful of those along with half of a golden delicious apple, cut into chunks. I decided a sprinkle of cinnamon and about a tsp of brown sugar was a good idea as well. I turned the heat down to medium low and hoped for the best.

After being away all weekend at a fitness conference, I was really in the mood for a fun, somewhat indulgent meal for dinner. I happen to love meatloaf and have been trying to find one that Zach likes. When I read this recipe, I thought there was a chance!

It is from Rachael Ray. I decided to make them in my large muffin pan as individual loafs to add to the "fun" factor. They came out really tasty and cute! And my husband actually enjoyed meatloaf!

Here is the original recipe. I served it with tator tots and steamed broccoli.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 cup bread-and-butter pickle chips, chopped
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/3-inch cubes


Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

2.In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, bread crumbs, eggs and pickles; mix in the onion. Crumble in the beef, add the cheese and mix together. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and shape into a 4-by-12-inch loaf. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°, about 35 minutes.

I brushed ketchup on the tops of the muffins prior to baking

This meal is a staple for us in the winter, I can't believe how long its been since I've made it! The flavor combo on the chicken is so delicious. My friend Leslie makes her chicken the same way and she turned me onto it a few years ago.

I washed split breasts and placed them into a baking dish. Squeezed a half a lemon on top and sprinkled generously with Paprika and Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb. Then I add a drizzle of olive oil and dot the skin with a teeny bit of butter.

I baked it a bit differently this time and was really pleased with how juicy they were. For the first 10 minutes I put them in on 450 and then dropped the temp down to 350 for 45 minutes more. They were perfect!

All ready for the oven:

My side dishes were also really good and very easy. We love mashed butternut squash. Just boil water and then add in pre-cut and washed squash. Cook for 15-20 mins until fork tender.