Black and White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

we had another dessert last night to share with people about london. i got to meet dan's second grade teacher and her husband. it was fun to meet them and for dan to get to see them again. i made these cookies for the first time. they were delicious and a nice change of pace from regular chocolate chip cookies. here's the recipe...

...recipe from the august 2006 issue of Bon Appétit magazine
2 cups Flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat both sugars, shortening, and butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; stir. Add white chocolate and stir.

Drop dough by tablespoonsful onto baking sheets. Bake cookies until just set, about 13 minutes. Cool on racks.

Vest

i knitted this vest for myself. i'm really pleased with the way it turned out, it even fits. i think i'm going to knit a hat that matches it.

Orioles Game

yesterday afternoon we took the girls to their first baseball game. dan's aunt and uncle gave us tickets. the seats we had we're great and were even in the shade! we saw the baltimore orioles play the oakland athletics at camden yards. the o's lost, but we still had a really fun day. the girls loved eating their popcorn and cotten candy! they even paid attention for a little bit while dan expained the rules of the game. they lasted 2 hours and through the seventh inning before they wanted to go home.

Layered Peach and Mozzarella Salad

for lunch today i grilled hamburgers and we had this salad with it. it was a really good combination and a different way to use peaches. here's the recipe...

...recipe from the august 2006 issue of Bon Appétit
ripe peaches, sliced
fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil leaves, sliced
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
frehsly ground salt and pepper

Layer sliced peaches and mozzarella. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Scatter sliced basil over the top and season with salt and pepper.

Grilled Spicy-Citrus Chicken Thighs with Corn and Green Onions

this is what i made for dinner last night. it was a great meal to make ahead. i put it all together in the marinade in the morning and then when in came time for dinner all i had to do was grill it. everything had really good flavor. here's the recipe...

...recipe from the august 2006 issue of Bon Appétit
1 cup lime juice
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 Cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
16 chicken thighs
16 green onions
8 ears corn, husked

Whisk first seven ingredients in a medium bowl. Season marinade with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a large ziplock back. Place corn and green onions in an extra-large ziplock bag. Divide marinade equally between bags; seal bags, turning to coat. Chill for 4 hours, turning occationally.

Heat grill. Remove chicken and vegetables from marinade; discard marinade. Grill chicken until charred and the juices run clear, turning once. Cook for about 25 minutes. Grill green onions and corn until charred on all sides, about 6 minutes for onions and 13 minutes for corn.

Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli

i made these for lunch today and they were really good. i especially like the garlic aioli on the sandwiches. here's the recipe...

...recipe from the august 2006 issue of Bon Appétit
for the aioli
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, blanched and finely minced
1/4 teaspoon course salt
3/4 cup mayonaise
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

for the sandwiches
6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
12 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche or egg bread. lightly toasted
large lettuce pieces (i used bib lettuce)
3 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced

For aioli: Mix together olive oil, salt, garlic, salt, and mayonaise. Then stir in lemon juice. Stir until thoroughly incorporated and smooth.

For sandwiches: Preheat oven to 450 F. Put pancetta in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Spread toast with aioli and top with lettuce, tomatoes, and pancetta. Top with another piece of toast. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

Crabbing

yesterday we went crabbing in the wye river. we hung out with our friends who live on the wye. we had a great day of crabbing, boating, and tubing. the girls went out on a boat for the very first time and had a wonderful time. we didn't catch very many crabs, but the ones we caught were huge (or as andi would say, bigantic). at the end of the day we ate the crabs that were caught that day. they were the best crabs i've ever eaten!

Heath Bar Brownies

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tonight we're having another dessert to share with people about london. so i made these brownies. they are one of my all time favorite brownies and they are also really good served with coffee ice cream. here's the recipe...

...recipe from the september 2004 issue of Bon Appétit
1 1/2 sticks butter, chopped
3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 1.4 ounce Heath bars, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 13 x 9 inch pan.

2. Stir butter and chocolate in a small heavy saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm.

3. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl to blend.

4. In electric mixer beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thick and billowy, about 3 minutes. Beat in chocolate, then flour. Transfer to the prepared baking pan.

5. Bake until puffed and tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes.

6. Sprinkle brownies with chopped Heath bars. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into squares.

Knitting

my mother-in-law has been teaching me to knit and today i finished my first scarf! i'm really happy with how it turned out and i'm anxious to get started on my next project!

Happy Fourth!

today we drove up to hanover to hang out with jeff and jodie and their kids. it was lots of fun to see them again. i brought dessert, pound cake with vanilla ice cream and berries. it was a good red, white, and blue dessert. here's the recipe...



2 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 cups cake flour
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter and sugar; then add one egg at a time. Mix in vanilla. Add flour and cream alternately, starting and ending with flour. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes @ 325. Leave in oven 10 minutes longer after oven is turned off.

Pie

last week my parents hosted a dinner for us to share about london with some of their friends. i made the pies for dessert. it was my first time making lattice and it turned out pretty well. here are the recipes...

...peach pie recipe is here



...blueberry pie recipe is here