Chocolate Butter Cup Cookies

I made these cookies to take and share at work. I wanted to thank everyone because I am a new employee and everyone has been very nice and welcoming.
The feedback was excellent, everyone loved them, even early in the morning with coffee at our 6:30am staff meeting. I love putting smiles on people's faces and this definitely did the trick!

Chocolate Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 12oz bag of white chocolate chips
1 package (13 ounces) Reese's miniature butter cups candies

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter, 1 cup sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture just until combined. Mix in 1 cup of white chocolate chips.
Refrigerate dough for at least one hour to decrease stickiness of dough.
Shape dough around each candy. (May need to use two large metal spoons in place of hands to shape cookies)
Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-12 minutes or until top is slightly cracked. Cool for 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Melt 1 cup of white chocolate chips and drizzle over cookies.

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Green Chili Hummus

My food adventure today... hummus!
I love Greek cuisine and being from New Mexico I absolutely love green chili, I practically put it on everything! It is also Hatch Green Chili season so outside the grocery store they are freshly roasting green chili. The smell is absolutely amazing so it's easy to see why I couldn't resist and is the reason why I decided to add a bit of my New Mexican flare to one of my favorite dips. The combination turned out to be delicious and addicting! Regardless it's still Greek to me!

GREEN CHILI HUMMUS
Ingredients

2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained, save liquid
1/3 cup liquid from garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper add
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup diced hatch green chili
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Place all ingredients except olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with chili powder. Goes great with tortilla chips, pita bread, or fresh vegetables such as bell peppers and carrots.

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Blueberry Piglets (sausage pancakes)

Today I am cooking my all time favorite breakfast recipe, which happens to be in theme with the release of the Hunger Games. It's a combination of my favorite breakfast foods blueBERRIES (non poisonous), sausage, and pancakes! Every time I make these I never have any leftover, unlike when I order pancakes at a restaurant. They always sound soooo good and appealing but when I order pancakes I always get tired of them after the first few bites. This does not happen with these because they are sweet due to the blueberries and brown sugar and hearty due to the sausage. The combination is AMAZING. I encourage you to try topping you pancakes with butter and brown sugar it's simple and tastes fantastic.
"Happy Hunger Games. May the odds ever be in your fLavor."

BlueBERRY Piglets

Ingredients
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 lbs sausage
1- 1 1/2 cups blueberries

1. Cook sausage in a skillet to form crumbles. Once sausage is done place the crumbles into a bowl.
2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 375°F; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)
3. Stir all ingredients (except blueberries and sausage) with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle.
4. Sprinkle on the desired amount of blueberries and sausage while pancakes are cooking and before flipping the pancake.
5. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden. To keep warm, place in single layer on cookie sheet. Cover with aluminum foil, and place in 200°F oven up to 10 minutes.
Makes about 10-12 pancakes
6. Top with butter and brown sugar or maple syrup.
7. Enjoy!!!!

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Squash the Green Goat Pasta

Squash the Green Goat Pasta

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (2-pound) butternut or kombucha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 sweet yellow onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fettucini or penne
1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup hatch green chili
8 oz sliced mushrooms (portobello or white)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 cup white wine or chicken broth or pasta water
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Then season with S&P, to taste. Bake for to 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta. (Reserve 1 cup if thats the liquid you will be using.)

Sauté garlic and mushrooms in olive oil on med high heat until done. Turn stove down to low. Add diced green chili, goat cheese, 1 cup wine, and pasta. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

NOTE: Would go great with chicken but any left over meat would probably work great too. Add cubed chicken when adding squash mixture for the added protein.

BEER PARING: The Griffin (Hefeweizen) by Grimm Brothers Brewery

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Recipe on foodnetwork.com

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Salmon Nuggets

I love salmon and have really been craving fish sticks but i also wanted a healthy and tasty dish. These nuggets are baked and still have an amazing crunch to them thanks to the Panko bread crumbs. If you can't find Panko regular breadcrumbs work great too!
These salmon nuggets are fantastic and are a great spin on your traditional white fish sticks.

Salmon Nuggets
Prep Time:4 minInactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:17 min
Serves:
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 (18-ounce) center-cut salmon fillet, about 9 by 4 inches, skinned
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 egg whites
1 cup Panko
Olive oil, for drizzling or Spray oil

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or favorite mustard
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons chopped bread and butter or sweet pickle relish
2-3 tablespoons sweet or bread and butter pickle juice
Fresh ground pepper

For the Fish Sticks:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the fish in half to make 2 fillets each about 4 by 4 1/2-inches in size. Starting on the longest edge, slice the fillets into 1/2-inch pieces. Lay the widest pieces, from the center, cut side down, and slice in half lengthways so all the pieces are equally about 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 1/2-inches in size.

Place the flour in a medium bowl and season with the S&P. Place the egg whites in another bowl and beat until frothy, about 30 seconds. In a third bowl place Panko and season with S&P (salt and pepper)

Coat the salmon pieces in the seasoned flour and pat to remove any excess flour. Dip the floured salmon in the egg whites and then into the Panko, gently pressing the mixture into the fish. Place the breaded salmon pieces on a liberally oiled baking sheet. Drizzle or spray lightly with the olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

For the Dipping Sauce:
Mix the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, pickle juice, pickles, capers in a small dipping bowl season with pepper to taste

Cook's Note: The fish sticks can also be dipped in ketchup, marinara sauce, pesto, or ranch
I also recommend when dipping the fish in the egg then into the breadcrumbs use one hand to dip in the egg and the other for the breadcrumbs. This will help you to avoid doughy fingers.

Beer Paring: 90 Schilling by Odell

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

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