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We were delighted to support the Great American Bake Sale, Atlanta Food Bloggers gathered to support Share Our Strength in their quest to raise money to stamp out childhood hunger in the United States. For the #ATLBakeSale, we whipped up three cookies revolving around chocolate chips. The first cookies into the oven were the Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies. Such a classic recipe. With a couple of modest tweaks, this is a classic recipe after all, we made several dozen heavenly chocolate chip cookies. Our tweaks: Nestle semi-sweet mini-morsels, bleach and unbleached whole wheat flour, and we chilled the batter before dropping the on parchment paper lined cookies sheets. 

Batch One: Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Servings: 60 cookies (5 dozen)

Ingredients

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Chill dough for 30 minutes. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
3. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe is available on the back of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels packages and their website.

Next we mixed things up with this quick and easy chocolate chip recipe that is moist and so satisfyingly scrumptious like a muffin top (the best part).

Batch Two: Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Erin Cooks, who posted an adaption of Elinor Klivans’s The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook published by Chronicle Books

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (we used Vietnamese Extra Fancy Cinnamon from Penzeys)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup oatmeal (not quick-cooking)
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (we used a mix of Nestle semi-sweet and dark chocolate morsels)
• 3 bananas, cut into 1/4 to1/3 inch pieces
• sea salt and sugar (optional topping)

Preparation

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.
2. In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. On a low speed mix in the banana pieces, mixing just until they are evenly distributed and lightly mashed with some visible pieces, about 10-20 seconds.
4. Use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough (about 3 level tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with optional sea salt and sugar mixture.
5. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, than use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container, layered between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Like banana bread- only better!

Batch Three: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Our third cookie was Jose’s Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from epicurious.com. These all-in-one cookies include something for everyone – oatmeal, peanut butter (we prefer chunky) and chocolate chips (a mix of semi-sweet and dark) – thankfully we made plenty for the bake sale and the freezer.

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A heartfelt thanks to Tami Hardeman, food stylist, foodie extraordinaire and curator of www.runwithtweezers.com blog, for organizing the Atlanta food bloggers. Over $3,000 was raised for Share Our Strength at the #ATLBakeSale. We enjoyed baking and meeting other Atlanta bloggers for such a wonderful cause.

Best-Ever (and so simple) Salmon Recipe

While flipping through Paula Wolfert’s The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen (2003)  I found a wonderful technique for cooking salmon in a slow (low temperature) while steam-roasting the fish to moist, silky perfection. Over time this has become a go-to recipe for both weekday dinners and for company. This recipe is so forgiving and allows you to call the kids to the table (and for them to dawdle) or serve your guests a glass of wine while dinner gently cooks. Don’t forget to let the fish rest after cooking to allow the juices to seep back in.

Slow Oven-Steamed Salmon

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4 servings

4 salmon fillets (5 ounce fillets)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Other fresh or dried herbs. as desired (1 tablespoon fresh)

1. Preheat the oven to 275ºF with one rack in the lower third of the oven and a second rack in the upper third. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper.

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Take the fish out of the fridge and allow to sit for several minutes. Rinse the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the salmon on top of prepared baking sheet. Rub lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with optional herbs and spices.

Fill a roasting pan with boiling water and place it on the lower rack.

2. Place the salmon in the oven on the upper rack and bake for  20 minutes – the salmon should be firm to the touch and white bubbles of protein should appear on the surface. Remove from the heat and allow to rest before slicing or serving.

To serve, place a portion of salmon on the plate, and sprinkle with fresh herbs (parsley, chives, etc) or sauted mushrooms.

• Notes: You can cook the salmon ahead and serve it at room temperature.
• Most recently I used Indigo Grinds Buddha’s Brew (sea salt, birdseye chili, lemongrass, sweet basil, cardamom seed, coriander seed, red mustard seed and fennel seed) for the sprinkle of herbs on the salmon. So delicious. Found this spice blend at Heinen’s in the Cleveland area on a recent trip to visit my Grandmother.

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Recipe Inspiration: Paula Wolfert

What Do You Do with Left Over Champagne?

Imagine, if you can, that you have one cup of leftover champagne. Perhaps it’s even a little flat. Do Not Throw Out Leftover Champagne. However flat — the flavor is still there and will provide one last smile in this simple soup recipe.

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True story, as we entered the New Year, I had a smidgen of bubbly remaining and was determined to create a delicious dish. After searching for recipes (vinaigrettes, sauces, chicken dishes and more) I stumbled upon a wonderful “Champagne Primer” post by Michelle M. Winner on CulinaryTravler.com that recounts her solution to this age-old question of what to do with leftover champagne. Cheers and thanks to Michelle for discovering this culinary gem of a recipe.

Soup A L’Oignon

Easy

Serves 6

Approximate time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:
2 ounces butter
6 onions, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoonful French mustard
Salt and black pepper
1 teaspoonful flour
1/2 pint flat champagne
1 1/2 pints stock or water (use half beef and half chicken stock for best soup)
6 slices French bread
2 ounces Parmesan or Emmentaler cheese

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in a casserole or heavy bottomed soup or stockpot over medium/low heat.
2. Add the finely sliced the onions and sauté until the onions are transparent (about 20 minutes) stirring frequently. Add salt, pepper, and mustard. Brown very slowly for an additional 10 minutes; cover the pan with a lid, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour, mix until smooth. Add the wine, stock, or water. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat; simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Place a few thin slices of thin slices of French bread and thin slices of cheese in the bottom of the individual serving bowls. Reserve some cheese.
5. Taste the soup and added additional salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle soup into prepared bowls.  Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese, and glaze under the grill.

Mama Says Notes: Michelle Winner suggests pouring the soup into small oven-proof Pyrex bowls and topping with a large, single slice of toasted bread and a sprinkle of cheese. Then broiling until bubbly.

I used chicken broth and champagne for the liquid and toasted day-old wheat bread to create croutons and eliminated the cheese. Rave reviews from the family.

Inspiration: CulinaryTraveler.com

Recipe adapted from: Au Petit Cordon Bleu (1953) by Dione Lucas and Rosemary Hume, JM. Dent and Sons, London.

Eat Out — At Home

Asian Inspired Slow-Cooked Chicken Thighs

View at Picasa Cashew Chicken a la bhg.com (http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/cashew-chicken/)

As the kitchen remodel races toward completion, it’s late afternoon and there is no time for complicated dinner preparations – barely enough time to gather a few ingredients and start the crock pot in order to eat at a reasonable hour! This recipe for Cashew Chicken is fast, fresh and healthy – and so very tasty. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal. Put down that take-out menu and whip up a delicious meal at home.

Cashew Chicken in a Crock Pot

Ingredients

• 1 10.75-oz. can  condensed golden mushroom soup (low sodium)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 3 heaping Tbsp.  soy sauce
• 1 heaping tsp.  ground ginger
• 1 – 1 -1/2 pounds chicken chicken thighs (fatty sections removed)
• 1 16-oz. pkg. frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend
• 1 8-oz. package sliced mushrooms, wiped clean
• 1 can sliced bamboo shoots
• 1 10 ounce pkg, frozen broccoli spears
• 1/2 cup  cashews

Recipe inspiration and photo credit: BGH.com – I’ve added fresh mushrooms, extras veggies and bamboo shoots.

Awarding Winning Cupcake Recipe

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Chocolate and peanut butter is a winning combination. And when you bite into this cupcake from Chocolate Pink Cafe in Atlanta, GA you’ll know why members of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Alliance voted the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake (click for pdf of recipe) their all-round favorite cupcake at a recent tasting.

Executive Pastry Chef Christian Balbierer is passionate about flavor – complex flavor layering in his sumptuous desserts. On a recent Sunday afternoon, he opened the upstairs social space at Chocolate Pink Cafe to over a dozen food bloggers to learn more about his fresh approach to using best quality chocolate and unique flavor combinations to make one of a kind delicacies — and to vote on their favorite cupcake.

Judging cupcakes is no easy task. We were asked to consider: Flavor. Texture. Presentation. Uniqueness. Best Overall. The 1st Annual Chocolate Pink Cupcake Contest was a workout for the senses and the taste buds. Here’s a sneak peak of the tasting fun!

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Round 1 Tasting Plate (L – R): Dulce de Leche, Strawberry Pop Tart, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookies & Cream

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Round 2 Tasting Plate (L – R): Chocolate Nutella, Chocolate Fudge, Sweet Potato Brown Butter, Pumpkin Maple w/ Bacon

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Like cupcakes?  Chocolate Pink Cafe invites you to personally sample a cupcake along with their other treats with this printable coupon or call to arrange an online order.

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Which were my favorites?!!  Strawberry Pop Tart, Cookies & Cream and Sweet Potato Brown Butter

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Meet some of our friends from the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Alliance:

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• The Self Trained Chef
• Maggie Cubbler
• Ultra Foodie
• Red Velvet Confections
• Food Victorian
• Ever so Sweet
• The Constant Gobbler
• What’s 4 Dinner Tonite

May your holidays be filled with the sweet laughter of family and friends.