I love this recipe because it calls for melted butter, so you can start making them at a moment’s notice. No softening butter for hours, just pull it straight out of the fridge and get going!

Let indulge, shall we?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3/4 c. melted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, plus 1 yolk
• 1 Tbs. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2. tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Combine dry ingredients ( flour, baking powder and salt) in a bowl, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter and both sugars. Add in the vanilla and eggs, mix until light and creamy. Add in flour and stir until its combined. Add chocolate chips.

Drop 1/4 c. of cookie dough on cookie sheet. (I use a stoneware pan that cooks very evenly, love it) You will want to space them out, about 5 cookies on my large bar pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. You may notice a small amount of browning, but mostly take them out before they look done. Let them cool mostly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack or parchment paper. Cool completely before moving. (they will fall apart otherwise, which also isn’t such a bad thing. I didn’t NOT find myself inhaling a falling apart ooey gooey cookie that wasn’t quite cool enough to transfer……)

Package them up, and someone might think you got these from a bake shop

I especially liked the flavors in this burger. Also, we added an egg to help hold them together during the slower cooking process.

Lets get started! Preheat smoker to 225 degrees, with hickory chips.

In a medium bowl combine:

• 2 lbs. ground beef (these are better with a 85/15, ground beef that’s too lean won’t taste as good here)
• 1/4 c. small chopped green pepper
• 1/4 c. small chopped onion
• 1/4 c. barbecue sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• generous amount fresh cracked black pepper

Mix everything well, trying not to squeeze the meat too much (that’s what he said). Then shape into 4 inch patties.

Place them in the smoker at 225 degrees.

They are done when the burgers have an internal temp. of 160 degrees. If you want cheese (trust me, you do) place slices on the burgers about 10-15 minutes before they are done. I think a medium-sharp cheddar is best.

Load ‘em up as you prefer. We like lettuce, tomato, red onion, and clauseen pickles.

Sorry about the picture, we were hungry! There was no time to loose. (My poor family waits on dinner so many times because I have to snap a picture, but this time even I couldn’t wait!)

It is what you make it, and this year I chose to make it a day with my two weirdos sweeties.

I took the kids to a play group where they played games, ate candy and exchanged Valentine’s. When we got home, Joslyn got all of her Valentine’s out, put them in a line and “read” them for over 30 minutes. She absolutely loved seeing all the characters, cut-outs and fun sayings. She kept asking me what the words were, over and over.

Here’s a picture of Jude playing marshmallow Bingo with Ethan. Jude was obviously more interested in eating the marshmallows than playing Bingo

I’ve been trying to teach Jos a servant’s attitude. That sometimes you have to work hard for those you love (ie. pick up toys you didn’t get out, help Jude put his shoes on, carry groceries inside), and life isn’t about freeloading. So we talked a lot about Valentine’s day about how to show your love for others. She has either the same thinking I do, or she knew where this was going, and surprisingly it was her idea to cook for Daddy.

So, this afternoon Joslyn helped me make lasagna for the boys. She wants to be independent, so I’m trying to let her do as much as possible. (Its so hard, because she makes a mess, and sometimes she spills EVERYTHING, and the control freak in me has to fight to not take over…..) Today I prepped all the layers and let her assemble them. She doesn’t quite have the attention span to do the whole meal. She actually did two layers and said, “Um. I’m going to go check on Jude, you can finish mommy” lol…..will do!

**Psst! Don’t judge my messy kitchen

Then she set the table-all by herself! Justin surprised me with cupcakes from The Cup, so she wanted those on the table to stare at during dinner She picked out the napkins, straws, fake flowers, and candy hearts herself at the dollar store. I told her we could buy them if she wanted to do the decorating- I’d say not bad for a 4 year old!

Joslyn is currently taking bids for wedding decorating this spring. Let me know soon, cause dates are going fast

Happy V-day! I hope you get the chance to tell someone that you care about them.

I don’t post a lot about meat, because its just not something I get excited about. But I know the guys really like it, so this week I’m doing 3 posts about MEAT! I’ve got smoke filets, juicy burgers and blackened chicken on the menu.

Cooking this much caveman goodness requires a little bit of testosterone. If you’re a dude and you just smoked a kickin’ piece of meat, that’s something to be proud of. It would be okay to throw in a little grunt.

Whether you’re a Green Egg, propane, charcoal or electric smokin’ type, I bet you enjoy cooking for us ladies once in a while. (what about cook for her this Valentine’s day??) Here’s the smoke machine:

Lets start off with a filet aka. the most perfect cut of beef.

Ingredients:

4 filets wrapped in bacon (8oz)

4 garlic cloves, crushed

olive oil/salt/pepper

Preheat smoker to 225 degrees with Cherry wood. (Feel free to soak if you must, but its not necessary)

Allow filets to come to room temperature, rub each side with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper

Heat a skillet on the stove top to medium-high heat. Sear filets in the skillet on each side, only about 1 minute (enough to get a nice brown sear). Then remove to aluminum foil. Wrap each filet individually with the tops uncovered. If you left some of the garlic/salt/pepper in the pan, feel free to reapply now.

Next place in smoker for 20-30 minutes. Medium-rare is 145 degrees. Remove and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Here’s a shot of the tenderlicious inside, removed at 145. Yum-tastic.

We paired it with a sweet potato and broccoli. Delish, enjoy.

]]> http://blog.foodierachel.com/2012/02/smoked-filet-mignon/feed/ 0 http://blog.foodierachel.com/2012/02/sweet-potato-hash/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sweet-potato-hash http://blog.foodierachel.com/2012/02/sweet-potato-hash/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:56:06 +0000 rachel http://blog.foodierachel.com/?p=2689 This edition of ‘Weekend Breakfast Blogging’ is brought to you with lots of coffee, and a two year old that refuses to sleep in. He wakes me with a simple phrase command: EAT!

After I got him squared away with a whole wheat waffle and chocolate milk (hey, its Saturday) I began my own breakfast feast:

Sweet Potato Hash with a fried egg and BACON! Lets begin.

Start by getting out a cast iron skillet. I think there is just something special about potatoes in cast iron. Comfort food at its finest!

If you have other things to cook, its best to get this started first. It can take a little while, but doesn’t require much fuss.

Dice a small onion and throw it into the skillet with a little butter/oil on medium heat.

Next dice a couple sweet potatoes, and add them to the skillet.

Add some salt, but mostly leave them alone. Stir every 5 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are soft and begin to mash together. At this point you can either leave them like this or really mash them with the back of a spatula. They crisp up on the bottom and become a delicious little sweet potato patty.

I was impatient, so I left them loose. Plop them on a plate, and whalla, you have sweet potato hash!

But ladies and gentlemen, I can’t have naked sweet potato hash. I need an egg on top.

And I need to do this

Oh yeah! Now we’re talkin! Have a great breakfast

Also, I think about 90 % of phone calls and texts I get from my Dad are about food. I love getting a voice mail about a place I’ve just got to try. It makes me smile. I went looking for a picture of him to show off, but every single one is of him either cutting a piece of meat, or driving the boat……so here’s one of him carving a (you guessed it) Prime Rib! And here is Yvonne who I believe this recipe originally came from.

Back when I was at home, every Sunday night was “Dad’s night” to cook. After church, we’d have lazy Sunday afternoons dreaming up a fun meal to make for dinner. We’d head to Harter House and come home pumped to try something new.

Today I’m going to showcase a Prime Rib, which is sure to be a hit (assuming you are cooking for carnivores). We had this for Christmas dinner, but it would be perfect for any guests you need to impress. Or me. If you make this, you are required to invite me. Sorry, that’s the way it is.

Start by purchasing an 8 pound Prime Rib roast. He says the short end is the best, so be sure and tell the butcher. These roasts aren’t exactly cheap, so if you’re going to take the plunge- do it right.

One side has a large piece of fat, and you are going to want that. Don’t let the butcher trim it off.

Primed Rib Roast

Mix dry rub ingredients in a small bowl:

• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 3 Tbs. dry mustard
• 4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper (the fresher the better)
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 1 Tbs. onion powder
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. ground Coriander
• 2 tsp. celery seeds

Take your roast, and place the fat side up. Make six 1.5 inch slits into the fat side of the roast. Rub 1 Tbs. olive oil over the meat. Then rub the dry mix evenly over the entire roast.

Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. The next day, you will want to take it out of the fridge a couple hours before cooking, to ensure it has come to room temperature. (cold meat into a hot oven can turn unnecessarily tough and dry, not to mention uneven cooking)

Preheat Oven to 500 degrees. Place roast uncovered in a 9×13 glass dish.

Cook at 500 degrees or 30 minutes, then turn oven down to 225 and continue roasting for another 3.5 hours (+/-). For a perfect medium-rare prime rib, remove when internal temperature is 145/150 degrees. Medium is 160, and well done is 170. (If you like prime rib well done, then you are in fact NOT well, my friend) Remember also that a roast this large will continue to rise 2-5 degrees after you take it out of the oven.

Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving. Then slice and get ready to savor something awesome. Brown and crisp on the outside, pink and tender on the inside.

I’ve been making my own laundry detergent for a couple years. I’ve had successful batches, and I’ve had failed batches. So I’m going to lay it all on the line here and give you some guidance.

This recipe costs me $0.06 per load. That’s $1 per gallon. It takes less than an hour to make, lasts 4-6 months (depending on how much laundry you have). So when people ask me, “Is it worth it?”……..you do the math.

Tools you’ll need:

• 5 gallon bucket (or another large vessel)
• 1 large stock pot
• box grater or food processor
• wooden spoon
• 1 cup Borax natural laundry soap
• 1 cup baking soda
• 2 cups Arm and Hammer’s Washing soda
• 1 bar soap (I prefer Yardley, but most people use Naptha Falls Laundry Bar- more info below)
• essential oils (optional)

1. Begin by grating the bar of soap. If you use a bath bar, use a natural one (without parabens or sulfates) so you don’t end up with soap suds covering your kitchen. I prefer the Yardley soaps or you could use a castile bar. If you use Naptha Falls (on the laundry isle), grate the laundry bar, then pulverize it in a food processor. I’ve found that Naptha doesn’t dissolve well unless its ground into a powder.
2. Place soap shavings into the large stock pot on medium heat. Add 4 cups water. Slowly heat and stir occasionally until soap has melted.
3. Add Borax, baking soda and washing soda. Continue on medium heat, stirring until it is all dissolved. This part takes the longest, keep stirring to keep the baking soda from becoming clump-o-tastic on the bottom of the pan. Low and slow, it will dissolve eventually. If you have to add more water.
4. Add any fragrance you prefer. I use lavender essential oil. About 15-20 drops is enough to smell fresh, but not make hubby’s clothes smell too girly.
5. Pour this concentrated solution into the 5 gallon bucket. 
6. Add 4 gallons of HOT water (or just fill the vessel). Stir, stir, stir. The hotter the better. Do not use cold for any reason, trust me
7. Let this set for 24 hours or until its completely cool. After 24 hours you’ll find that its solidified into a gel. The top may be thicker, so it will need another good stir before bottling. If there is any ‘scum’ on top (ie. powder than never dissolved), just scrap it off and discard.
8. Pour into containers of your choice. I find old milk jugs work the best. There are some water dispensers I’ve seen people use, but this solution is pretty thick, and it gets jammed up in the valve. They just don’t work.

To use:

• Shake the bottle before pouring. Because this solution isn’t tainted with extra chemicals that bind the water molecules to the soap, there will be natural separation (like peanut butter). Just shake and pour. No biggie.
• When we had a regular washer, I used 1 cup of this detergent.
• With our high efficiency, I use 1/2 cup.

Enjoy, I hope this helps some of you SAVE green and BE green

This year I was especially torn. I’ve done different diets plans over the years and wanted to try something new. Justin even put on his resolutions that this is his “junk detox year”, so I felt like there was pressure to find a good plan and stick to it.

But the truth is, every eating plan I researched turned out to be something I didn’t want. Like eliminating an entire food group, using hormones or medicines that are not proven to be safe, incorporating fake sugars (ie. chemicals), and some that just looked dumb and money wasting.

I mean, its pretty confusing when you are looking at either being 100% vegan or 100% paleo. To say I was torn was an understatement. I want to eat for my life. Not to loose 20 pounds, or build muscle. I want to eat food that is good for me, food that will help me live a long healthy life. Why is this concept so elusive to first world countries?

So Justin and I talked about all the options, and we have decided to focus on:

• fresh fruits and vegetables
• lean proteins
• low-glycemic (complex) carbs
• whole grains
• minimal processing/preservatives/chemicals
• very limited refined sugars/white flour

(gosh, what a revelation……)

The great part here is I can still use all the delicious vegan/paleo/Body for Life recipes I’ve been eyeballing, and hopefully giving you readers a little bit of variety too.

AND a bonus was learning that my kids really will eat anything if I don’t stuff them full of crackers at 4pm. That’s right, we got rid of crackers (and most other simple carbs). For snacks they expect fresh fruit, veggies sticks, mixed nuts or cottage cheese. I’ve been amazed at the ferociously hungry beast open minded attitude they now have when they are fed lean protein and vegetables. Makes a mamma proud

At first I was told the chef came from the Victory Trade School, which I thought was awesome (we love them!), but come to find out that is not true. The chef did come from a Teen Challenge, so he has a similar story. In my occupation, I deal with homeless population so much that its great to see someone who has worked hard and gotten their life together again. Stories like that are encouraging and uplifting- and they make me want to support those people!

I didn’t get photos of everything, but I can tell you it was all excellent! We ordered the Pomme frites, and they were perfectly light and crispy. They have a wine list that suited my tastes and espresso that looked amazing (however it was too late to try any).

For dessert we each ordered different things. We tried the Funky Monkey, the Limoncello and the Peach Melba.

Here’s the Limoncello. It was filled with marscapone cheese, coated with a lemon curd and berry compote. Truly amazing.

The funky monkey picture didn’t turn out, but it had bananas and nutella. Enough said!

Here’s the Peach Melba. This one has brown sugar coated peaches, raspberry jam, and a vanilla bean creme fraiche.

I liked it so much that I returned the following night with Justin for a date.

We tried the dinner entrees. I had the Coq Au Vin and it was divine! Justin’s sadly wasn’t as good, he had the Steak and mushroom. Dessert was the spotlight though, and redeemed the experience for Justin. I can’t remember which one I had, but he had the Berries and Creme.

The Aviary will go down probably as a 3.5 out of 5. I can’t wait to try everything else on the menu, especially the espresso! Here’s a link to their site for more information.

(Knock on wood…..)

This is a favorite park spot of ours, creatively called “the blue slide”.

Here’s to hoping that this winter stays fair, and the cold and snow doesn’t come during any winter camping trips on the calendar. While it lasts we’ll soak up the sun