Cookie Pie

That's right: Cookie Pie!
It's the best of both worlds! A marriage as wonderful as pumpkin square potato soup, only good. Trust me.

2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
dash of salt
1 t vanilla
1 c. milk chocolate chips

Pour into unbaked pie shell
Bake@325 for 1 hr.

yummy simple tomato sauce

Apparently this recipe is all the rage on several foodie blogs. So I had to try it. It did not disappoint. If you are looking for a zesty marinara sauce this is not it, but if you want a simple, delicate, delicious tomato sauce...this is it!

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass.

I did use the San Marzano tomatoes that were suggested in the recipe just to try them but they were expensive...4 bucks at my grocery store...I think next time I'll just use a can of Hunts and see if it makes that big of a difference. Even Quinn liked this and he does not take kindly to change when it comes to his spaghetti.

Lentil Soup

A yummy, easy winter soup!

Adapted from that Italian lady on the Food Network:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound lentils, rinsed (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
• 8 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

This is my favorite recipe right now. Delicious. Easy. Low carb (well, except for the part where you pour it over rice...)

Adapted from the ever-handy mykitchencafe.blogspot.com:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons curry powder (yellow)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t chili powder
1 medium red onion, cut julienne
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 14-oz can coconut milk (I use "light" when I care about calories)
1 T dried basil
1 t fresh grated/chopped ginger

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl. Stir together curry, salt, pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle over chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 3o min to an hour.

In a large nonstick frying pan, stir onion, basil, and garlic in hot oil over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink.

Add coconut milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. Stir in ginger. Cook and stir another minute or so. Serve over hot rice.

Super Simple Chicken Tacos

I found this uber simple recipe in the REAL SIMPLE magazine. :0)

Purchase a Rotissiere Chicken and shred the chicken from the bones and skin.
Place shredded chicken in a frying/sauce pan and add about 2 cups of salsa. Heat through.
You can use soft shell (Kodison favorite) or hard shell (which I prefer).
Garnish the taco with slices of avocado, sour cream, cilantro, monterey jack cheese, and several squeezes of lime. Lime is the key and adds the perfect flavor so I prefer not to skimp on the lime. :0) Plus, who doesn't love the flavor of lime. Mmm...