recipe: flourles Peanut Butter Cookies

Yes, please. :)

I got this recipe from a couple of places. I guess the foodie/baking/cooking & blogging community is intertwined somehow. I have 2 blogs saved in my Google Reader and this recipe was posted within days of each other.

Understandable, really. It's really good. So I'm sharing it here...

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
(from Joy the Baker and Honey and Jam)

1 cup all-natural chunky or smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with butter and set aside. In a mixer combine peanut butter and sugars until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg and baking soda and mix for another 2 minutes. Roll into walnut sized balls and create a cris-cross pattern with a fork. If you’d like, add a few chocolate pieces to the top of the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to… your mouth.

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This recipe is SO GOOD it's DANGEROUS. I've already made 2 batches since discovering the recipe a few weeks ago. And each time I've had to give half of the batch away because I had consumed the other half in a matter of hours.

And just a warning though: since there's no flour, the cookies are pretty delicate. And I used old-fashioned PB - it works just fine. There's already a ton of sugar in it anyway!

Enjoy! :)

recipe: One-Pan Chicken and Potato Bake

4 bone-in chicken pieces (1 1/2lb)
4 large potatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Place chicken and potatoes in 13x9-inch baking dish.

Pour dressing over chicken and potatoes, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through (180F). Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

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I found this recipe in one of my old Kraft Food and Family magazines (I'm such a pack rat!). It looked really good in the picture... But when I made it, it was just ok.

I only used 3 potatoes (do you see how big those suckers were?) and I just used whatever chicken I had. The dish itself was tasty, but it was missing something. Hmmm...

I do have to give it props though... Super easy to make and it required just a little bit of time. If I ever made it again, though, I'd probably tweak it somehow.

Happy Friday!

5 weeks old.

Time is FLYING. I can't believe that Malia is already 5 weeks old!

We celebrated her first Cinco de Mayo yesterday here at home. Low key and didn't do much, but it was such a nice day to be chilling at home. :) I'm learning how to use our Nikon and shoot in MANUAL mode. Kind of daunting, but thankfully, my DH has really been into photography (his knowledge about photography surpasses mine) and he gave me a quick-bare-bones lesson on how to shoot in manual.

Here are a couple pics I took with our Nikon D200, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 in manual mode (and I didn't do any post processing).

It's been really really fun learning something new. I don't expect to be an awesome photographer like Caroline, Maria Grace, Ali, Tara, or Kelly, but I just want to step my game up a little bit.

And since I can't find any ME time to do anything crafty, I've rediscovered my love for cooking and baking again. I tried doing a cooking/baking blog and that didn't work, so I'll incorporate my food here in this blog (wish I started a while ago - I have been cooking up a storm!)

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EASY CHICKEN & CHEESE ENCHILADAS

1 can (10 3/4 oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup Pace Picante Sauce

2 tsp chili powder

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6 flour tortillas (6"), warmed

1 small tomato, chopped

1 green onion, sliced

1. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl

2. Stir 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl

3. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place them seamside up in an 11x8" shallow baking dish. Pour the remaining picante sauce mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.

4. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion

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They didn't come out like the picture in my magazine showed, but they were still pretty good! And they were super easy, so I'll be making these again! :)

Have a great week!