I dream of Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 TSP baking soda

1cup butter, softened

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1TSP vanilla extract

2cups semisweet chocolate chips

1cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set asideIn a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

yum yum yummmmm who will take home the Oscars tonight?! who knows, but we’ll be watching in our pjs with chocolate smeared all over our faces! haha!

liss

Cheese and crackers are always a nice layout for a party, but how about some “life bread” and some hard meats and cheeses?

“Life Bread”

Assortment of hard Meats and Cheeses, cubed

1TBSP yeast

1tsp salt

1TBSP sugar (to start yeast)

1.5 cups warm water

4cups flour (all purpose)

2cups Warm water, mixed with 2TBSP baking soda

Start yeast with 1TBSP sugar and 2TBSP warm water. Give it about 2 minutes to poof up a bit, then add the flour and knead until its smooth and elastic. Let it rise for an hour. Combine baking soda with warm water.  When loaf has risen, dunk into baking soda water and set aside on a baking sheet to rise again for another 15minutes. Add another small layer of baking soda water with a brush or spoon to the top, and sprinkle with course salt. Let bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked in the middle. Cut into cubes and serve with cheese and meats

“Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is…Precious.

liss

So, why not make Baby Burgers with Blue cheese and pear topping! Its elegant enough for the Oscars, and you can always go for the ketchup and mustard if you make extra burgers

Blue Baby Burgers

1 package dinner rolls

1lb ground beef

1TBSP Soya sauce, and Worchesisire  sauce each

1TBSP garlic Powder

3TBSP Parmasan cheese (from the can people)

1/4cup breadcrumbs

3 ripe pears, cut into slices

blue cheese

Mix together meat, spices, breadcrumbs and parmasan, and form small 1inch thick, 2inches wide burgers. Grill or fry burgers, and 5 minutes before they are finished add blue cheese to the top and let melt. Add pears and then serve everything neatly tucked into a dinner roll!

… I have no quote because the blue people scare me a little. I appreciate its cinamatic genius though.

liss

Beouf Bourguignon Tartlets

12 tartlet shells, browned in the oven

1lb stewing beef

1 carrot and one onion chopped small

4 slices bacon, chopped

2TBSP flour

1cup Small peeled Pearl onions (put then in a bowl of water, and the skins should just pull off) **half them if they are too large for the tartlet shells**

4 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped

1TBSP tomato Paste

1Cup red wine,

1TBSP butter

1Cup beef stock

Pinch Rosemary

Saute bacon and Beef with 2tbsp of Flour, cooking on high, until browned on every side. Add vegetables and saute until they are browned as well. Remember that this stew is eventually going into a tartlet shell, so all ingredients should be small enough to put into them without making a mess. When the vegetables are browned, add the Wine, beef stock and tomato paste, as well as the garlic. Add 1 TBSP butter and the pinch of rosemary, and let it cook down until the stew is thick. Serve this stew hot, in prepared tart shells.

“Bon Appetite!” -Julia Child

liss

Probably the most manly for appetizers, channeling all of the scalping thats going on… ew… anyways, serve these little steak fingers hot with ranch dipping sauce

Deep fried Steak Fingers

1lb pre-cut steak strips

1/2cup flour

1egg

1TBSP garlic powder

2TBSP Grill seasoning

OIL for frying$

bamboo Skewers, or toothpicks for individual servings

Mix together spices, and flour. seperate the flour into 2 bowls, and crack the egg into another. Skewer about 5 steak strips, or 1-2 on a toothpick, and begin by dredging them in flour, then lightly in egg, and then again in flour. Heat the oil, and fry for about 6 minutes.  Pat excess oil off with a paper towel (no one likes grease on their party-dresses), and serve hot with Ranch dressing!

“You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin’.” inglorious Bastards, 2009

liss

So, for the next 5 days there will be a post of a simple snack recipe for your exciting Oscar party night. Most of these recipes can be made ahead, and are good for any snack night really, but why not celebrate your favorite Vampire movie with exquisite treats We’re rooting for Merryl Streep, Inglorius Bastards, UP, Sherlock Holmes, Avatar and Transformers!!! You can check out the nominees list at http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees?cid=10_oscars_landingCallout_nominations&cid=10_oscars_gridLayout_hot

SO crack open the Champagne and get ready to watch the Stars come out to play!

Today, in honor of UP, we’re makin’ “DOG TREAT” cookies for my pal Dug! Make these in the afternoon ahead of time, so they are still warm and fresh!

***you will need a ‘bone’ cookie cutter for these***

DOG TREATS (kind of)

1cup butter

1cup sugar

2eggs

1TSP vanilla

3 3/4 cup Flour

2TSP baking powder

1/4 cup whipping cream

Cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the heavy cream. Cover dough, and chill for 2 to 3 hours, until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut intodog bones with cookie cutters. Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottoms and edges of cookies are light brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Going UP?!

liss

Just so we’re all clear on the standings here (G/S/B/total):

1.		United States	9	15	13	37
2.		Germany	10	13	7	30
3.		Canada	14	7	5	26

Alright, now that we have that cleared up haha, I wanted to also add an exert from a page I was reading in research of this blog. Its from MSN.ca, and is discussing what was purchased for the Olympians at the very beginning. I thought it was interesting to look at

“So what exactly are the athletes eating out there in Vancouver and Whistler? Just a few examples of whatVANOC has purchased just at the start of the games: 36,540 eggs, 42,440 liters of 2% milk, 28,140 liters of skim milk, 77,800 lbs of bananas, 86,664 Granny Smith Apples, 70,104 Golden Delicious Apples and 11,000 lbs of pasta.” (http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/diet/ee-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23468426)

Thats a lot of food!

Back to the blog. For Desert: A fast Fruit Parfait, and for Dinner: A firecracker shrimp Pasta

3 Minute Parfait (no.. seriously)

3/4cup vanilla low-fat yogurt

1/4cup blueberries and raspberries (each)

2TBSP honey

3TBSP chopped almonds

You can do this one of two ways: Layer the parfait Yogurt, Berries, Honey,Yogurt, Berries, Honey, Almonds, OR just pile it yogurt, berries, honey almonds. Whatever’s faster for you Its as easy as that.

A Golden Finish: Firecracker Shrimp Pasta

1 OR 1.5 cups peeled/cooked frozen shrimp

1/2 TSP Chili flakes

2 cloves chopped garlic

1cup Snowpeas (in pod, halved)

1/2cup chopped rapini

1/2cup chopped cherry tomatos

100g WHOLE GRAIN Pasta per person (a very healthy choice)

1/4cup oil

Begin by starting boiling water for pasta, and heating pan with oil for the shrimp. Follow pasta package cooking directions, adding 3TBSP salt to the boiling water. Add in the snow peas and rapini to the pasta water 4 minutes before the pasta is finished. In the frying pan (about 5 minutes before the pasta is finished, the same time you add the snow peas and rapini to the pasta) add the garlic, chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper and shrimp to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Drain pasta and veggies, and then toss everything together quickly in the shrimp frying pan. Add more oil to coat the pasta if there isnt enough in the pan already. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Enjoy my loves!

I shall return soon!

liss

haha just kidding. give them a kiss anyways lol

This is a spin on a Jamie Oliver recipe which I loved so much. Its definitely the sexiest of the salads, and a good way to start your love day

Sex Salad (ya thats what Im calling it)

200g Prosciutto

6-10 figs

1 cantaloup

1ball fresh Mozzerella

4TBSP Capers

1/2cup Kalamata Olives

4TBSP Balsamic vinegar and olive oil (each)

5-8 leaves of Basil, torn

salt, pepper

Begin by cutting your cantaloup, use a vegetable peeler to peel thin strips of the fruit. Using a knife, cut an x into the top of all of the figs, and push slightly on the bottom to spread the x open and reveal the sweet fleshy inside. On a platter, randomly spread the figs out on the platter and weave the Prosciutto and melon strips between all of them. Break apart your ball of mozerella into reasonable bite sized chuncks and toss randomly onto the salad. Do the same with the olives and capers, and then drizzle with the Vinegar and Oil. Top with the basil and serve with a crusty french bread.

This is a SUPER simple meal with NO cooking time, which means more time together with your sweetie

ENJOY YOUR LOVE DAY KIDDIES!

liss

You can decorate these one of two ways, dipped in milk chocolate with white zigzags (simple pimple!) or try making little tuxedos with them!

I like calling strawberries rubies because they just remind me of them

Chocolate Covered Rubies

1Bag  Dark Chocolate chips

White chocolate for decorating

2TBSP heavy whipping cream (leftovers from your truffles maybe?!)

1 clamshell of FRESH Strawberries

** It may be hard to find fresh good quality strawberries because of Florida’s cold snap but give it a try. Look for super red, large berries that should be slightly soft to the touch. Mean’s their ripest!

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and combine with cream. Dip strawberries into the chocolate and lay out on a cookie sheet. Dip all strawberries once, and then again if you have leftovers after they have set up a little bit. Put in the fridge/freezer for an hour and let set.

In a medium zip lock bag put in white chocolate chips, and microwave until the chocolate is melted. **Make sure it doesnt melt the bag!** Cut a small hole in the bottom corner, and quickly drizzle the chocolate over the strawberries, going back and forth to create zigzag lines.

**To make a Tuxedo, dip in white chocolate and then let sit. Then dip either side in dark chocolate, creating a V shape on the front of the strawberry. You can even go as far as using the Zip lock with Dark chocolate to create little buttons and bows on them **

Refrigerate again until chocolate has set and serve!

I know my baby will appreciate these, and Im sure your sig-other will too for sure!

liss

**Quick thought for you all: Would anyone be interested in custom made aprons via Chef Liss?**

Pesto Shrimp Pizza

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 jar pesto (**make your own! 2 cloves garlic, 2 cups Basil, 1 cup Olive oil S&P, Blend Well**)

1tube pre-made pizzadough

1cup pre-cooked shrimp

1cup mozzerella

1jar Artichokes in brine, chopped

1/2jar capers, drained and rinsed

ALSO!

1TBSP garlic powder

1TBSP Parmesan cheese *cheap from the shaker can people, lets be honest its FEB and we’re runnin out of funds!*

1TBSP Oregano

1TBSP Butter

Roll out the dough, and mix roughly 1/2 Jar Pesto with 1/5th of a jar of  alfredo (You want it to be a thick sauce, not runny, and with more pesto than alfredo). Spread pesto/alfredo mix onto dough, add shrimp, artichokes and capers, then top with cheese. On the crust, spread thin layer of butter, then mix together the oregano, garlic powder and cheese, and top the buttered crust with it. Bake at 350 for 15-20minutes or until crust is browned.

Yummmmmmmmm looks sooooo good… trying this one soon for suree

liss