Baked Parmesan Asparagus



This picture makes me crave steak, but the asparagus is pretty too!



I’ve noticed since the holidays that my blog lacks any nutritional value. It’s all about Nutella, cookies and cake. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I could blog about and eat that ALL day. That actually might be my problem though. Hmmmmm.....wonder why I can’t lose weight??? Oh well, that’s a topic for another day. I doubt it’s my food choices, must be a slow metabolism. Today I am going to share an asparagus recipe! Yes, a vegetable. I know, I hope those following my blog for desserts won’t run screaming now. I need to keep mixing it up. Don’t worry, I made an awesome chocolate cake a few days ago that I’ll be blogging about soon. You will really like this method to cook asparagus. I usually steam asparagus, but this method is WAY better. It seems to make the asparagus taste like a totally different veggie than when I steam it, of course the parmesan cheese doesn’t hurt either. Okay, let’s get some nutrients in our body and start cooking:

Ingredients:

Bunch of asparagus

salt and pepper to taste

drizzle of olive oil

about 1 Tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese

Directions (this is super simple):

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper the first time I made it, just in case things got messy, but you don’t have to. I’ve cook this since and didn’t like the pan and it was fine. The olive oil drizzle helps it not to stick to the pan. Arrange asparagus on cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil and toss to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and bake!

How easy is that? Cook about 10-15 minutes. If it’s the fatter asparagus you’ll need a few more minutes, but the skinny ones should be ready after 15 minutes. Ta-da! A delicious vegetable that is super simple to make and super delicious! This is the only way I cook asparagus now. I think once you try it, you'll feel the same way. Enjoy!

THE Nestle' Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

We moved to GA from VA and had hoped we would escape the snow and super cold winters. Well, that didn’t work out this year. They are using the word “catastrophic” to describe the snow and ice heading our way tonight. Well, I had to jump into action and do what I could to make sure we are ready. Run to the grocery store? No! Make sure we have enough water, milk and bread? No! Salt the driveway? No! I immediately started a pot of chicken and rice soup (recipe coming soon) and then realized we needed a dessert too. How else could we make it through the storm without snacks and desserts??  You won’t believe this, but I’ve never made Nestle Toll House Cookies! I know, I can’t believe it either. I’ve eaten plenty in my time though. We all know what I decided to make now, right? Yep, for the first time ever  I made Toll House cookies. We mostly wanted them for the cookie dough, but I did end up baking some of them. Man, that is the best cookie dough ever. They are so quick and easy too......and so delicious. I know you can find this recipe everywhere, but now you can find it on my blog too! Other sites won’t have my humorous commentary either! Let’s make some cookies:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional – I didn’t add them this time)

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 375° F.

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, if desired.

or you could just eat the dough like we did!

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. The dough is just so beautiful.....and quite tasty!

Drop a few on cookies sheets, and a few in your mouth.....just a suggestion!

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. That is, if you can wait 2 minutes after smelling fresh chocolate chip cookies baking......we couldn't hence the numbness in the roof of my mouth where the hot chocolate chips burned it. BTW, totally worth it!

Nestle offered this option on their website, I might try it next time. Little squares of goodness sound like something I’d like to try too.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Nutella Pochettes

Now that we are pretty much settled in our Georgia home, I’ve been trying some new recipes.....and Thank God I did! I mean, just WOW! These Nutella Pochettes are to die for! Don’t worry, I didn’t know what a pochette was either. It’s basically a turnover, but this is a Nutella filled turnover? What?? Yes, delicious dough filled with the chocolaty deliciousness of Nutella! Thank goodness I've had time to watch more Food Network and find this little treasure. Yes, I know I have a recent blog with Nutella, but who can have too much Nutella?? No one!

We had our own little Superbowl party and I made these for our dessert and let me tell you, these will make you want to slap somebody! Take a bite of them fresh out of the oven.....YUM! Well, honestly, I did burn my lip just a little when the chocolate oozed out so I think I’ll recommend waiting just a few minutes, if you can. They are just the perfect little treat AND I made homemade dough! I know, I can’t believe it either, but I did! It was super easy too. Just three ingredients and I had a flaky and delicious dough. Should I see how many times I can use the word “delicious” in this blog? Okay, I guess you got the message, these are really really really good! I’m happy to share my recipe with you. Here’s what you need to get started:

 
Ingredients:
 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• about 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• Water, as needed
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

 

Directions:

 
In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy. Add the flour slowly until the dough forms. Do not over-mix!

Shape the dough into a ball and cover. That's my homemade dough ball. :-) Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Look! I made dough!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F while we get started on assembly.

On a lightly-floured surface, using a lightly-floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.

Keep rolling until it's a little thinner

Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Form the scraps into a ball and reroll to make more circles. I didn't have a regular biscuit cutter, much less a fluted one, so I used a glass. Anything that is a circle will most likely work.

This made about 15 for me, but the recipe said it should make 32. Hmmmmm.....I think I’ll roll the dough a little thinner next time.


Fill each dough circle with a small spoonful of the chocolate-hazelnut spread.  Don't overfill or spread around. Trust me, a spoonful is plenty and it will fill out the pasty shell.

What a beautiful sight!

Dip your finger in tap water and spread on the edge of half the circle to help create a seal. Fold the dough over to create a crescent.

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool, then sift the confectioners' sugar on top and serve. Don’t sprinkle sugar on until cool, it will appear wet and gummy on top.

Don't those look pretty? Wait until you sprinkle with powdered sugar!

If you decide to share these, you will have some happy friends and family! Enjoy!

Pizza Dip

 

Hi everyone! I’m so sorry that I’ve been gone for so long! I have a good excuse though.....well, it’s all I have right now so let’s all pretend it’s a good enough reason to have neglected my blog for 2 months! I’m so sorry! I know you’ve been dying for my blogs, wondering what I've been cooking. Your life is nothing without me. Okay, maybe I went to far, but hopefully someone has missed my blogs. :-) We moved back home to Atlanta from Richmond, VA. In case any of you were wondering, packing and moving is no fun. Not even a little bit. But lets not focus on my move, let’s get back to my blog since I’ve neglected you for so long. I promise to never let this happen again. And for a special little treat, I’m going to give you a super simple recipe for one of the best dips you’ve ever tasted. This will be your go-to dip recipe from now on. Trust me. A neighbor of ours, Maria, brought this to a party and we devoured it! She was kind enough to share the recipe with me.....a few times because I kept losing it. Thanks Maria!

 This is a tasty pizza dip. It’s so easy and you can add ingredients to really kick it up a notch. Let’s start simple first, since that’s what I promised you. Here’s what you need to make a little bit of heaven:

 Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

 
Mix cream cheese, sour cream, pepper flakes and garlic powder together and spread on pie plate forming a bottom layer.

Top with 1/2 cup pizza sauce

And 1/2 cup of mozzarella shredded cheese to top, make sure top is covered with the cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Serve with bagel chips, triscuits or pita chips. Delish!


Could it get any easier than that?? You could also add pepperoni to a layer or add feta to the topping for more flavor. Either way you make it, you and your guests will love it! Enjoy!