Sue G’s White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I love Sundays.

I think most people love Sundays because Sundays are supposed to be for sleeping in, eating too much for breakfast, possibly nursing a hangover, and watching movies in pj’s. Am I wrong?

Even though my Sundays are spent doing entirely different things—waking up well before noon, rushing to work, chugging some coffee, and proceeding to attempt to help people buy clothes and explain return policies (while usually nursing a hangover)—I still love Sundays.

Despite the fact that many people are appalled that I still work weekends at LOFT while being a full time doctoral student, there’s just something about it that I can’t let go of.

It might be THIS

or THIS

or things like THIS

OR it could be Sue G. Sue G always works on Sundays, and much to my delight, is incredible in the kitchen. She always brings in the various treats she had previously concocted for her insanely lucky family. Whether it be (my FAVORITE) pecan bars, fudge brownies, or these cookies I’m about to share with you.

Now, in terms of desserts, I am usually a chocolate fanatic. I always go for anything chocolaty- especially dark- too rich- with peanut butter- or maybe marshmallow- and caramel- and anything else that is likely to be the end of me eventually. And my opinion about white chocolate? Frankly, I’m not even sure why it’s called chocolate!

These cookies, however, are incredible. Don’t let the non-chocolate and fruity nature of them deter you. Plus, there’s BOOZE in there. That’s gotta make up for some of the non-chocolate/fruitiness, yes??

These cookies are to die for. They’re crunchy and chewy and a little bit tart, but so sweet and rich with tons of flavor from the amaretto.

I followed Sue G’s recipe to a t, and I suggest you do the same. 

Sue G’s White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 T amaretto (Sue G said she has also used brandy or frangelica)

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. 

Mix soft butter with sugars until creamy, then add egg and liquor.

Blend in flour and baking soda.

Stir in cranberry and white chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoon sized spoon of dough for each cookie and bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Cool 1 minute before removing from baking sheet. 

The only thing I’d maybe change about the way I made these would be to make them more flat. When Sue G brought them, they were crispier (which is usually soo not my taste, either) and that crunchiness just made the white chocolate taste amazingly creamy and rich. (SERIOUSLY, WHO AM I RIGHT NOW?!)

Easy & Quick Late-Night Tofu Dinner

Ever have those nights when you come home at 10P, hardly eaten all day, with no energy to do anything at all but collapse? Yeah, that’s me several days a week. On those days, I hardly ever actually cook anything. Plus, the sink is usually so full of dishes it disgusts me to even go in the kitchen for longer than the few minutes it takes to heat up some Trader Joe’s thing from the freezer. Oh how I love Trader Joe’s.

This is not today, though. Although my love for TJ’s never ceases, today is about that random and rare day I come home late and the dishes are done and even though I have no idea what to cook I am ready to open the fridge and figure it out.

Remember how I’ve been into tofu? Well speaking of TJ’s, on this particular day, I found this in my refrigerator:

I remembered seeing it at the store and deciding to try it out. Already seasoned and ready to go it seemed like a great thing to have around. Cook it like a steak and throw it on some pasta? Sounds like dinner to me!

Easy & Quick Late-Night Tofu Dinner

Ingredients:

One small block of tofu, previously seasoned/marinated

Cooking spray

Whole grain linguine, a handful

1 t olive oil

Splash of balsamic vinegar

Spices to taste: salt & pepper, ground thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flake

Boil a salted pot of water and add pasta. I just cooked what looked like enough for me to eat for dinner.

While it’s cooking (usually about 8-10 minutes), heat a small skillet on medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and add tofu. I cooked it like a steak instead of cubing it, mainly for the sake of convenience. I only cooked about 5 minutes on each side- until just browned. This tofu from TJ was pretty firm.

When the pasta is finished, drain and toss with olive oil, balsamic, and spices. I just did a few shakes of each, and a small splash of the vinegar.

Aren’t carbs just the best??

Yummmmm.

Only thing missing was a vegetable. Even from across the country I can’t help but hear my father’s voice: “Jennifer, did you eat anything green today?”

Favorite (Healthy) Chicken Cutlet

I'm not sure there really is such a thing as a healthy chicken cutlet. This one, however, is baked and whole wheat. That's healthy sounding, yes?

I've adopted this method from Jessica (my pretend BFF) over at How Sweet and unless I'm feeling like something realllly fried, this is how I usually do fried things like chicken, onion rings, etc.

PS. Can someone tell me how to make dinner on a gorgeous spring night without one (or two or three) of these? I'd be so much more productive if I knew...

Favorite (Healthy) Chicken Cutlet


Ingredients:
2 chicken breast cutlets
1 egg
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
spices of your choice- I use: red pepper flake, oregano, basil, thyme, paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
A thing I learned from Rachel Ray re: chicken cutlets- season every layer. It really makes SUCH a difference! Here's how I set things up:
In one shallow bowl I have the egg. I feel like recipes usually call for more than one, but I hate wasting, and usually feel like unless I'm making chicken for a crowd, one is plenty. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
The real seasoning comes in the flour. I use a plate, and add about 1/4 a cup of whole wheat flour. I never measure the spices, but use probably about a 1/4 teaspoon of each. I'd rather over than under season, but that's just me.

Then, because this is baked, lay a wire rack (I use the one from my toaster oven..) over a tin foil lined cookie sheet.

After the chicken is covered in egg and dredged through the flour and spice mixture (make sure you get it in alll the nooks and crannies!) lay pieces on the wire rack, spray with cooking spray on both sides, and bake for about 20 minutes. If it doesn't seem crispy enough, you can put it under the broiler for just a minute or two on either side.

With leftover quinoa?

Dinner is served.

Quinoa 2 Ways

I LOVE quinoa. I had the most amazing quinoa salad when I was in Israel last summer, and have been quite obsessed ever since.

If I remember correctly, it was: carrots, celery, parsley, walnuts, dried cranberries, and lemon. The lemon and fresh parsley made it soo fresh tasting, and in combination with the crunchy celery and walnuts, chewy, tangy, and sweet cranberries, ugh, it was to die for. 

I made 2 quinoa salads today, one of which was similar to this, but frutier, and summery-er. 

Fruity Summer Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice- maybe more to taste

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

handful of dried cranberries

handful of dried apricots, chopped

handful of walnuts, chopped

1 avocado, diced 

salt & pepper to taste 

Cook quinoa according to directions on the package. Usually 1 cup of quinoa calls for 2 cups of water, so in this case I used one cup. Once it's finished cooking- you'll know because the grains turn kind of translucent and they begin to split apart- let it sit to cool. Once cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then add the rest of the ingredients and viola! A summery and healthy treat :) 

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Cherry and Sundried Tomatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Garlic 

*Disclaimer: there are no cherries in this dish, just roasted cherry tomatoes

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained 

handful of cherry tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon olive oil 

handful of mushrooms, sliced

1/3 of a square of tofu

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

pinch of minced onion 

handful of sun dried tomatoes

salt, pepper, and red pepper flake to taste

(don't you just loove the Manishewitz in the background? It's soo Jewey of me) 

As described above, cook quinoa according to the directions on the package and let sit out. I think this salad could be served hot or cold, so if you prefer cold, chill it in the fridge. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take a handful of cherry tomatoes and place them on a tin foil lined cookie sheet. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 15-20 minutes. This is what they'll look like when they're done. 

While the tomatoes are cooking, spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Once hot, add the slice of tofu and sear. I usually cube the tofu before cooking it, but this time I cooked the whole piece like a steak. 

It was SO much easier, although it didn't slice as nicely once cooked. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Once the pan has cooled a bit, add a tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, onion, and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are soft.

At the very end, add a handful of sundried tomatoes and toss. 

If serving the quinoa hot, add to the quinoa now. Otherwise, set aside to cool. Same with the tomatoes once they are finished cooking. I ate mine hot, so once everything was done I added it to the quinoa, tossed with some salt, pepper, red pepper flake, and a bit more garlic. 

For those of you tofu-haters, this would still be delicious leaving it out. 

PS. Aren't I getting better at remembering to take pictures as I go along? I'll get a hang of this blogging thing eventually... 

Beginnings

I’ve been thinking about starting a food blog for a while, not that I necessarily have the free time for such an undertaking, but nonetheless, here we are. I’ve decided to do this primarily because I am incredibly obsessed with food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, snacks, I love it all. My favorite things consist of bacon, cheese (even though I’m slightly lactose intolerant), avocado, chocolate, and vegetables of all kind (excluding brussel sprouts). I love to create healthy dishes, but have a soft spot for dessert (and bacon), so this is probably what you will see most of. I usually cook just for myself—especially when it comes to dinners—so much of what I will post on here will be individual serving sized. 

Here are some other things that can be expected from this blog:

1) inconsistent posts

2) inaccurate measurements

3) random life insights

4) my current obsessions in music, fashion, etc.

I also like to eat out, and will probably also post photos of tasty things from neat places around NYC. 

I get a lot of inspiration from the following bloggers, and will probably share some of their recipes as well:

How Sweet It Is

Cookie and Kate

Smitten Kitchen

Salad In a Jar

Turntable Kitchen

I also enjoy:

The Glamourai

The Chloe Conspiracy

A Cup of Jo

Wit and Delight

I have found that I sometimes make delicious things out of the blue and then devour them before I have the chance to even recall what I did, let alone recreate it in the future.

This happened the other night, when I returned home after a super long day, and proceeded to make dinner. I had some tofu I wanted to use (been into working with tofu lately.. chicken gets boring). I was starving and didn’t want to wait for rice to cook, but this would have been even better (and more filling) over jasmine rice. Or rice noodles. Yay carbs. 

I used this premade sauce that my dad got for me for Christmas. It's soo good! I would have loved to make one from scratch, but c’est la vie.

Even if you don't think you like tofu, I encourage you to try it out!

Here’s the recipe:

Tofu & Peppers in Crunchy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

2/3 of a square of tofu, cut into ½-inch pieces

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

2 tablespoons of chopped onion

½ bell pepper, cut into bit sized slices

1 tablespoon of canola oil (peanut or sesame would have been better)

small handful of peanuts, coarsely chopped

¼ cup Peanut Satay Noodle and Simmer Sauce

red pepper flake to taste

Spray large pan with cooking spray.

While it’s heating, cut tofu into approx ½-inch to 1-inch cubes. Once the pan is hot, place the tofu pieces in it.

Cook until the bottoms are seared and then flip. I have found that this is the key when cooking with tofu; otherwise it’s too mushy. When finished, remove from pan and set aside.

Let the pan cool for a minute, and then spray again with cooking spray.

Add salt, garlic, onion and bell pepper slices. Toss until peppers are soft and onions clear. Add some oil- peanut or sesame would be ideal, but I used canola. While cooking, coarsely chop peanuts and then toss with the pepper/onion mixture.

Add peanut sauce.

Put tofu in a bowl, and then pour pepper onion and peanut sauce mixture over tofu. Sprinkle with red pepper flake to taste.

(I didn't decide to write up the recipe until after I ate most of it, but that's what was left by the time I got my camera out...)