Can I have s'more?

I recently saw a recipe online for S'mores cookies. I had a party coming up so I knew that I wanted to try them out. And I was not disappointed. They are AMAZING! and super easy.

Here's how:

- mix up your favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies (I use the Nestle Tollhouse recipe)

- at the same time you add in 1 cup choc. chips, add in 1 cup mini-marshmallows

- scoop out small globs of dough onto graham cracker squares you have laid on a cookie sheet

- press a mini-marshmallow into the top of each dough blob

- bake at 375 for about 9 minutes

- take off the cookie sheet immediately because they marshmallows ooze onto the sheet a little bit and get very sticky very fast

- cool and enjoy!

Here's what they look like about to go into the oven:

And here's what they look like after:
The top mini-marshmallow gets browned slightly so you really get that toasted effect. And the mini-marshmallows help the cookies stay really chewy and delicious. My recipe made 48 cookies and they were a huge hit with my friends!!

Simon & Garfunkel chicken

This is a favorite family recipe that I thought I would share with you. It gets its name because it has "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" in it (like the song, get it?!?). You start by marinating chicken in buttermilk. I like to poke some holes in the chicken to really help the milk soak in. You can do this a few hours before, but it is best several hours. I usually put the chicken in the buttermilk in the morning, throw it in the fridge, then it's ready to go when I get home. Then you mix together Italian breadcrumbs, add in some sage and rosemary. I like to also add some parmesan cheese to make it just a bit cheesy, then you also don't need salt. Coat the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, bake at 375 until done. Sorry I don't have a more definite time for you, but it totally depends on the size of your chicken (you can see from the picture, mine tonight is HUGE), the thickness, etc. You can tell its done when you press on the thickest part and it does not really go down a whole lot. Apparently it should feel like the palm of your hand, or something like that.

Enjoy! Like I said, this is a favorite recipe and one I make all the time. The leftovers are super yummy as well!

Fruit Crumble

This summer, I have discovered my love of fruit. I've been eating strawberries, blueberries and raspberries like they're going out of style. The other day I bought a pear for the first time, intending to eat it on a salad. Except that I forgot about it so it was a little too ripe and my spinach had already gone bad. Then I remembered I had some raspberries in the fridge and thought, hey! this would make a good fruit crumble. All of a sudden, I had dessert :)

I don't really follow recipes, but here's what I did:

cut up pear into small pieces, put in a small dish with some raspberries

mixed about 1T each of flour, oatmeal and sugar with some butter, spread on top

bake at 350 for 30 min? I didn't time it, just until it looked done

DELICIOUS!! and you could easily substitute whatever fruit you had on hand. Enjoy!

My latest food creation

I love broccoli. Like, seriously, love. I could eat it every day. I have been known to eat an entire meal that is just broccoli (plus the required addition of a sprinkling of parmesan cheese). Maybe it's because as a child, my mom's go-to meal was "brocki noo noo"- pasta with a little cream and parm, with a side of steamed broccoli.

I've always eaten broccoli steamed. Just chop it up, put in in the pot with a steamer basket, and a few minutes later, ta dah! delicious nutritious broccoli. Until a few days ago...

Then I discovered roasted broccoli. It's a whole new world of broccoli goodness. Cut up broccoli as before, spread on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Roast at 375 for 10 minutes? I don't really know how long, just until it is done. Try it, it's delicious!!