An all time favorite - Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with a twist

Everyone needs a no fail, all time favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe... here is one that I make all the time! Simple, fast and easy!

Prep time: 10 minutes, Ready in: 40 minutes, Bake time: 15 minutes, Serving: 3 dozen (small cookies)

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Skor

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup skor bits

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease cookie sheets, line with parchment paper or use a heat resistant baking sheet.

** This is a nice alternative to parchment paper which can be reused over and over again! Much better for the environment (and their well-priced).

2.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl, set aside.
3.  In another larger bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.  Sitr in the chocolate chips and skor bits by hand using a wooden spoon.  Drop cookie dough one tablespoon or 1/2 cup onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Cookies should be 2-3 inches apart.
4.  Bake for 15 - 17 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges are lightly toasted.  Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely

Warm chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream, a delicious treat!! Enjoy!

cinco de mayo - chimichangas

Game 4 fell on Cinco de mayo -- which translates to the 5th of May, so to celebrate this holiday and to cheer on the 'nucks a fiesta was in order.  Robynn and I had been brainstorming a number of ideas for a yummy Mexican dessert.  Making churros was the leading pick, but we decided on Banana Foster Chimichanga's a la mode..

Prep Time: 20-30 mins, Cook Time: 5-10 mins, Devour Time: Seconds

Servings: we made enough for a party of 10 =)

Instructions:

1 pack of large tortilla (whole wheat or regular - around 10-12 per pack) - cut into triangles or use your favourite cookie cutter
1 cup of cooking oil (canola)

• Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon, which will be used to coat the chimichanga once they are fried.
• Prep a cooking sheet, by laying down paper towels to allow oil to drip onto once chimichangas come out of the oil.

Banana Topping:

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2-3 bananas sliced thinly
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp of vanilla
Optional: 2 tablespoons of spiced rum

1. In a large skillet,  over medium heat, melt butter.  Stir in bananas and sugar until dissolved. Pour in rum and cook 1-2 minutes more.  Turn heat off.
2. With a handy new cookie cutter the shape of a flower, Sandra and I cut into the tortilla rounds.
3. Place oil in a heavy and deep pot on medium high heat. Tip - to test if oil is hot enough, you can place a wooden chopstick upright in the pot, if you see bubbles forming around the tip of the chopstick it is ready.
4. Drop tortilla pieces into the hot oil and fry for a 1-2 minutes, do not over fry.
5. Let cool slightly on paper towel, then transfer to sugar and cinnamon mixture, coat on both sides.
6. Place 2-3 pieces in serving bowl.

7.  Place banana topping over chimichangas.

8.  Scoop of vanilla ice cream over top.... and enjoy!

Sushi 101

The joys of living in Vancouver means we can have endless amounts of REALLY good sushi at anytime and pretty well anywhere.  You don't realize it till you go away and come back again... so for moments like that and for friends who are reading this and are abroad.. Here's how to make some easy,cheap and yummy rolls.


To start, here's what you need:

• Rice cooker - it's the easiest way to cook rice so you don't have to check, otherwise you can use a heavy bottomed pot
• Bamboo Sushi Mat
• A large bowl to cool rice
• Japanese Mayo -- can't remember what it's called but it's got a baby on the package
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Serving Plate

Ingredients: 

• Sushi rice like Niishki (it's short - medium grained and quite glutinous)
• Rice Vinegar (you can find ones in stores that are labelled sushi rice vinegar, which has sugar added in)
• Soy Sauce, Pickled ginger, Wasabi
• Sesame seeds
• Nori (seaweed squares)
• Fillings can be what ever you like - cucumber, peppers, mango, lettuce, asparagus, avocado, egg, imitation crab meat, tofu, tempeh etc.

The ratio of rice to water I use is 1:1. When I make rice at home, I usually cook 2 cups of rice with 2 cups of water. It's best to let the rice and water sit for about 20-30 minutes before you cook it thought it's not necessary, however it does turn out better this way. I then cook my rice in my rice cooker. If you don't have a rice cooker, a saucepan with a good lid will work just fine. If you're doing it that way, follow these steps:

• Bring rice and water to a boil
• Reduce heat to a simmer
• Cover rice and water, allow to cook for 10 minutes
• Turn off heat and allow rice to steam for 20 minute

Next, make the vinegar mix -- if you use the sushi rice vinegar you do not need to add sugar and salt, just add 1/4 cup of it into the rice pot.

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Once rice is cooked, use a rice paddle or wooden spoon to move rice into the bowl where it will cool.  Now you can start to prepare your fillings.  Most veges should be cut in lengths.


Today I'm showing you the basic california rolls... imitation crab meat and cucumber (had no avocados)

1. Start with your nori - smooth side down along the sushi mat. Spread cooled rice on 2/3 of the rougher surface of the nori.  It's quite delicate so you'll need to be careful not to break or tear it.

2.  Next, place fillers into the center of the rice.

3. Once your sushi is filled, from the end closest to you - pick up the mat and nori and roll it halfway, making sure to tuck in the ingredients so they don't fall out.  Dab water along the edge of the nori that is not covered in rice and roll your sushi the rest of the way until it resembles a log. See below once it's sliced in half.

5.  Using a very sharp knife, slice up the roll and place on plate.... enjoy!

mmmmmm chocolate

A little of overdue but as per the requests of those who had some of my Chocolate brownies a few weeks ago, here's the recipe alas... (sorry, due to the speed at which these were devoured, I have no pictures)

Double Chocolate Brownie Goodness

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup each of ghiradelli ground chocolate (dark, milk, semi-sweet)
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup marshmallows (optional - if you like it rocky road style)

1.  Preheat oven
2.  Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, then add butter
3.  Mix ground chocolate into sifted flour baking powder, and salt.
4.  Stir into egg mixture
5.  Add nuts
6.  Spread into3 inch square pan
7.  Bake for 20 mins (Be sure not to over bake, as brownies will appear a bit softer but not runny.  As it cools it will harden just a little).

Rocky road lovers - 5-10 minutes before done, sprinkle marshmallows all over.  When it cools, melt 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over top! Enjoy =)

Easter mini-cupcakes

I like baking for the holidays, no matter what it is.. so with Easter and Spring (though I can't explain why it snowed yesterday) just around the corner... I thought I'd get in the spirit with some carrot mini-cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting.

A simple and easy recipe to follow, courtesy of the food network recipe website:

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpse flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/3 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup natural apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz/1package of cream cheese
3/4 cup icing sugar sifted
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Garnishment:

1/4 cup of shredded coconut
1 bag of candy chocolate mini eggs
green food colouring


Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pans with cups or spray with cooking oil.
2.  Sift together into a medium bowl, flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3.  Whisk together oil, brown sugar and eggs in a large bowl.
4.  Whisk in apple sauce, vanilla and carrots.
5.  Add flour mixture into wet ingredients until combined.
6.  Stir in walnuts.
7.  For mini cupcakes drop two tablespoons into muffin cup. For large cupcakes fill about 2/3 of the muffin cup.
7.  Bake for 20 minutes on centee of oven rack.
8.  While cupcakes are baking, with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese sugar and lemon zest for the icing.
8.   In a small bowl mix coconut shreds with a few drops (4-6) until coated with food colouring.
9.  To check doneness, use a toothpick to insert into the middle of the cake, it should come out clean. Once cupcakes are baked, let cool on wire rack.

Now for the fun part...

10.  Decorate by spreading cream cheese mixture over each cupcake
11.  Spread coconut shreads out on plate, roll cupcake till cream cheese is covered.
12.  Place a chocolate candy covered egg in the center.

Simple as that.... now enjoy your Easter Carrot Cupcakes

welcome ... now let's shake and bake

Finally with the encouragement of my fabulous and vundeeful friends... a blog to showcase my creative baking goods is here. While it was a challenge to scrounge up ideas of what my blog name would be.. I finally settled on "shake and bake."  It's my ode to a line by Cal Naughton Jr. in the hilarious movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballads of Ricky Bobby."  Now, if you haven't seen this movie with Will Farrell, I have to ask - what universe have you been living on? So here we go, shake and bake it is, and to follow the first of many creative goodies.