Author: Hannah

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

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My Step-Mom, Cathy, makes the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. I remember learning that her secret ingredient was Captain Morgan and I thought somehow I would get drunk from eating all the cookie dough. The recipe is a simple one, it’s on the back of the Hershey’s chocolate chip bag [use whatever chocoloate chips you like just don’t use Nestle, Nestle steals resources from indigenous people]. Enjoy these chocolate chips with family and friends and don’t forget to thank Cathy for the secret ingredient. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Butter, softened (2 Sticks)
  • 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
  • 1 TSP Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 TSP Baking Soda
  • 1/2 TSP Salt
  • 2 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips
  • 3 TBSP Captain Morgan

Let’s Get Bakin’

Preheat the oven to 375F

Beat the butter + sugar + brown sugar + vanilla in a large bowl until it’s creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat well.

Add in the Captain Morgan. In a seperate bowl combine the salt + baking soda + flour. Slowly pour in the flour and mix until well blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the cookie sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Honey Chili Brie

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It’s the new year and one thing I will never give up is cheese. I love cheese, I love all cheeses; stinky, sweet, salty, all of them. Brie is one of my favorites, it’s creamy and melty, and you can incorporate so many different flavors with brie. I love combining heat and sweet and this honey chili brie is the perfect way to do that. Serve with crackers or crostinis.

Ingredients

  • Honey
  • 1 TSP Fresh Thyme, can use dried
  • 1 TSP Red Pepper Flakes
  • Brie

Let’s Get Cooking

Preheat the oven to 350F

Cut diagonal lines in the brie and place in a brie baker or on a lined baking sheet

Sprinkle the thyme + red pepper flakes over the brie, getting them into the cross-hatches. Drizzle the honey over top

Bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes or until the brie is melty and bubbling.

Let cool for a few minutes before diving in!

Made with Love,

Hannah

Dill Pretzel Snack

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My mom makes these pretzels once a year at Christmas. They are one of the greatest snacks I have ever eaten, EVER. On Christmas, our dinner consists of these pretzels and puppy chow. Bring out your roasting pan and be prepared to eat a whole bowl of these on your own.

Ingredients

  • 28-32oz of Mini Pretzels
  • 1 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
  • 1/2 TSP Dill Weed
  • 1/2 TSP Lemon Pepper
  • 1/2 TSP Garlic Powder
  • 1 Package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Powder

Let’s Get Cooking

Heat oven to 200F

Pour the pretzels into a large roasting pan.

In a shaker container combine the oil + dill + lemon pepper + garlic powder + ranch powder and shake well.

Pour the dressing over the pretzels and toss to coat.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Let cool after baking and store in an airtight container.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Kimchi Fried Rice

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I have been obsessed with Kimchi recently, any foods that are natural probiotics are a friend of mine. Kimchi is a Korean dish that is a fermented, spicy cabbage, often mixed with garlic, ginger, and chilis. Kimchi can be eaten on its own, or it can be fried with rice, which is a popular Korean dish. Perfect to make in large batches and enjoy for lunches over the week. I adapted this recipe from NYtimes Cooking.

Ingredients

  • 3 TBSP Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, medium diced
  • 1 Cup Kimchi, roughly chopped
  • 2 TBSP Kimchi Juice
  • 1/2 Cup Salted Ham, diced [or any leftover cooked meat]
  • 2 Cups Cooked, Cooled Rice
  • 2 TSP Soy Sauce
  • 1 TSP Sesame Oil
  • 2 TSP Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Egg
  • Nori, ripped to pieces

Let’s Get Cooking

In a large saute pan melt the butter over MED-LOW heat and add the onions. After about 2 minutes, add in the kimchi + kimchi juice and stir until it comes to a slight boil. Add in the ham and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the rice and break it up with a wooden spoon, mix well. Turn up the heat and add in soy sauce + sesame oil. Mix and then turn down the heat, letting the rice cook.

In a separate small pan, add in the oil. Once the oil is hot, cook the egg to the desired doneness.

Serve the rice topped with nori pieces and the fried egg.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Not That Mary Berry’s Bean Dip

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We all know Mary Berry, like the good old Great British Bake Off Mary Berry. Well, this isn’t who we are talking about. My best friend has about 1000000 nicknames for her mom and Mary Berry happens to be one of them. This is that Mary Berry’s bean dip [Thanks for the recipe MB!]. It’s cheesy, it’s tart, and you’re going to want to eat the whole dish. It’s perfect for your next holiday party when you have no clue what to bring. Make sure you serve with loads of tortilla chips.

Ingredients

  • 1 Block of Cream Cheese
  • 1 Can Hormell Chili, NO BEANS!
  • 1/2 Bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • LOTS of Tortilla Chips

Let’s Get Cooking

Preheat the oven to 375F

Spread the cream cheese in an even layer in a pyrex dish. Top with the chili and spread evenly. Sprinkle loads of cheese on top.

Place in the oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is all melty.

Remove from the oven and resist the urge to eat it right away, trust me it will burn the shit out of you and you’re going to hate yourself. I’ve been there, done that.

Let cool a little and serve with tortilla chips.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Wonton Soup

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Takeaway wonton soup is one of my favorite meals when I am looking for something warm and comforting. The thought of making wonton soup always seemed out of reach, like how do you even make wontons?! Do not fret, I found a recipe from Delish that didn’t seem too difficult, so I added a little bit of a flair to it, and BOOM easy peasy wonton soup that you can make at home. Making the wontons did take some focus and time, but I found it to be a very mindful task. Serve warm and enjoy.

Ingredients

For Wontons

  • 2/3 lb Ground Pork
  • 2 TSP Soy Sauce
  • 2 TSP Chives, Thinly sliced
  • 1 TSP Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 TSP Grated Ginger
  • 1 Garlic Clove, minced
  • 1/2 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/2 TSP Sesame Oil
  • 1 Package Square Wonton Wrappers
  • 1/4 Cup Water

For the Broth:

  • 6 Cups Chicken Broth
  • 3″ Piece of Peeled Ginger
  • 2 TSP Soy Sauce
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
  • 1/4 TSP Sesame Oil
  • 2 TBSP Sliced Green Onions
  • 1 Bundle of Bok Choy, Chopped
  • 1 Cup Mushrooms, Sliced
  • 1 Handful of Bean Sprouts

Lets Get Cooking

In a large stockpot bring together all of the broth ingredients except the bok choy and the bean sprouts. Bring up to a boil and then simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and ginger and bring back up to a boil.

While the broth is coming together, combine pork + soy sauce + chives + vinegar + ginger + garlic + red pepper flakes + sesame oil in a large bowl.

On a clean dry surface bring out your wonton wrappers. Keep a bowl of water close by and wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with water. Place about 1/2 TBSP of the pork filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton diagonally in half to make a triangle, seal the edges. Fold the two bottom corners in on each other and press again to seal. Repeat on all wrappers. Use extra water if needed to seal.

Bring a pot of water up to boiling and place in a few wontons at a time. These cook fast so be sure to watch them. When they float to the top remove them from the water. It is a small amount of meat so it will cook through and it will also continue to cook in the hot broth.

Once all the wontons are cooked, add the chopped bok choy and bean sprouts into the broth and simmer for about 5 minutes.

When you’re ready to eat. Place 3 wontons in a bowl and pour the hot broth over top.

Enjoy warm.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Latkes/Potato Pancakes

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The holidays are the perfect time to learn about different cultures. My favorite way to immerse myself in a new culture is through their food. It is currently Hanukkah and Latkes are a staple during this holiday. My knowledge of potato pancakes comes from German Festivals and from The Pierogi Lady here in the Cleveland area. I learned from Wade Wichard through Yourstory.org that Latkes symbolize the oil of the menorah that was able to stay aflame for 8 days following the ransacking of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Those these are just delicious and crispy potato pancakes, they mean a lot more to individuals of the Jewish faith, stating that they symbolize the hardships and strife that the Jews have faced (Wichard, n.d.). Serve these latkes up hot with sour cream and applesauce.

Ingredients

Makes 8 Latkes

  • 4 Small Potatoes
  • 4 TBSP Flour
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1/4 Cup Onion, finely diced
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Vegetable Oil

Let’s Get Cooking

Shred your potatoes with a cheese grater or whatever you have. Once grated, lay the potatoes on paper towels and dab them to get the excess moisture out.

In a bowl combine the shredded potato + onion + garlic + egg + flour + salt + pepper and mix well.

Heat your oil in a pan, you want a thin layer of oil, no more than an inch.

Once the oil is hot, add in a spoonful of the potato mixture, pressing it down gently with the back of the spoon to flatten it. Cook about 4 minutes on each side, or until crispy golden brown.

Remove from oil to a plate with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt immediately.

Serve with sour cream & applesauce.

Happy Hanukkah

Made with Love,

Hannah

Molly Baz’s Cold & Crunchy Green Beans with Garlic Pistachio Vinaigrette

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I hope everyone is winding down from a wonderful thanksgiving. I spent the day cooking a feast with my mom and brother and it was absolutely worth it. My brother brought along these green beans as a cold side and OMG were they exactly what we needed. They are snappy and garlicky and absolutely delicious. The recipe comes from Molly Baz’s cookbook.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs Green Beans, ends trimmed
  • 1 Small Garlic Clove, grated
  • 2 Lemons
  • 1 1/2 oz Grated Parmesan Cheese (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3/4 Cup Roasted, Salted Pistachios, finely chopped
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper

Let’s Get Cooking

Bring 4 quarts of water + 1 1/2 cups salt to a boil (its a lot of salt Molly knows, but trust her okay)

Stir the beans into the boiling water and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. While the beans are cooking fill a large bowl with ice and water. Use tongs to transfer the cooked beans into the ice bath to stop them from cooking. Once cool remove from water and pat dry.

Add the grated garlic + zest of one lemon into a medium bowl. Add the juice from both lemons and whisk to combine.

Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking as you go. Stir in the parm + salt + pepper + pistachios.

Add in the green beans and toss well to coat. Serve up cold! This makes a perfect winter or summer side dish to share with fam & friends.

Made with Love,

Hannah

White Lasagne Soup

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You are probably asking yourself, wtf is white lasagne soup. To explain, it’s not made with a tomato base, instead, it’s made with coconut milk, giving it a more creamy color rather than red, and well, tomato-ey. Also, I know the cover photo isn’t exactly the most appetizing photo you have ever seen, but get over it and just try it for yourself. The recipe is from Half-Baked Harvest, and she makes an important point that I did not follow. If you are making the soup for the week, store the cooked noodles separately, that way they don’t soak up all the broth the way mine did as you can see in the lovely photo.

Ingredients

  • 2 TBSP Salted Butter
  • 2 TBSP All Purpose Flour
  • 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
  • 2 Cups Mushroom, sliced
  • 2-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 2 TBSP Fresh Thyme Leaves /2TSP Dried
  • 1 TBSP Fresh Basil/ 1 TSP Dried
  • 2 TSP Dried Oregano
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Salt + Pepper
  • 6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 3/4 LBS Chicken Breast
  • 8 Lasagne Noodles, broken into pieces
  • 4-6 Cups Spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 Cup Canned Coconut Milk or heavy cream
  • 1 Cup Shredded Provolone Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
  • 2 oz. Proscuitto Torn

Let’s Get Cooking

Melt the butter + flour in a large pot. Cook about 1-2 min until the butter is melted. Add in the onion + mushroom + thyme + basil + oregano + garlic and stir to combine.

Add in the chicken broth + uncooked chicken + red pepper flakes + salt + pepper. Cover and cook on MED-HIGH for about 20-25 min or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken, shred it, and add it back to the soup.

While the chicken is cooking, preheat the oven to 350F and bake the prosciutto in a single layer until crisp, about 10-15 minutes.

Bring the soup to a boil and add in the noodles + spinach + coconut milk/cream. Cook until the noodles are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cheeses.

Serve the soup topped with the crispy prosciutto.

Made with Love,

Hannah

Buttermilk Pancakes

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Weekends at my childhood home are my favorite, spending time lounging around with my pets, and cooking waffles and pancakes for breakfast. My mom had some extra buttermilk laying around and rather than letting it go to waste we decided to ditch the Bisquick and make the pancakes ourself. This recipe comes from Great Grub, Delicious Treats. This recipe ensures the you get the fluffiest pancakes you can get. Serve up with your fav syrup, or powdered sugar if you are like me.

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 2 TBSP Sugar
  • 1 TSP baking Soda
  • 1 TSP Salt
  • 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Cups Buttermilk
  • 1 TSP Vegetable Oil

Let’s Get Cooking

In a bowl, combine the flour + sugar + baking soda + salt + baking powder.

In a larger bowl, whisk eggs + buttermilk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir. The batter will be a little bit lumpy.

Add oil to your griddle if needed and heat. Flick the pan with some water, if the water sizzles then the pan is hot enough. Use a 1/4 cup to spoon in a few pancakes to the pan. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, and then flip. Timing is all up to how hot the pan is.

Add in any additional ingredients you like, such as blueberries or my fav chocolate chips.

Serve warm.

Made with Love,
Hannah