Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

I am in charge of pick-up desserts for approximately 100 guests for a party a bunch of friends are throwing for our dear friends Gardner and Janna, who just got married in Hawaii last month. As a result, I needed to call on some of my old stand-by dessert recipes, and the easier the better (considering I've got two additional little people commanding a good bit of my attention these days). WARNING: NONE of the baked goods recipes that you will see on this site in the next week or so are good for you. Healthy baked goods are just no fun and generally, in my experience, not worth it. Enjoy this recipe - it is the easiest dessert I have in my card file!

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CUPS

Recipe Notes

Wait until the cookies have cooled completely in the tins before removing them. Otherwise, the cookie will separate out from the peanut butter cup and you will have a donut shaped cookie with no peanut butter cup in the middle!

Ingredients

• Store-bought, premade chocolate chip cookie dough (such as Nestle Toll House)
• Reese's peanut butter cups - miniature size

Instructions

1. Spoon cookie dough into 12-cup muffin tin sprayed with Pam. Heat oven according to package directions (likely approximately 375 degrees) and bake according to package directions (likely approximately 10 minutes).

2. Unwrap miniature peanut butter cups.

3. Remove baked cookie cups from the oven and gently press one peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie cup.

4. Allow cookies to cool completely before removing to a storage tin or platter.

Something's Got to Give

I made the Pork Cutlet recipe for Corey this week that I posted last year. This is a good, easy recipe that has few ingredients and can be put together quickly. With infant twins in the house, these are important attributes. Throw in some simple roasted potatoes and salad from a few leftover ingredients in the fridge, and we had dinner!

I also bought some of the Steam Fresh Lightly Sauced vegetables available in the grocer's freezer (broccoli with cheese sauce). These are ready in the microwave in just five minutes, no preparation required. Corey informed me that these were his favorite part of dinner that night.

Of course, the one part of the meal that I DIDN'T make was the one part he liked the best. Oh well. We've got two little critters in the house that need CONSTANT attention, especially at dinner time during the "witching hour". Something's got to give, but at least we're not eating frozen TV dinners yet!

Crab-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

This is a very simple recipe that I pulled many years ago from either a Self or Shape Magazine (only six ingredients!) and it is nice and healthy, with just 209 calories and 3 g. fat per two-pepper serving.

Recipe Notes

Cooking time is pretty true to the recipe, even in my hot oven. I would suggest picking up crab at Costco....I recently got a 1 lb. tub of super lump there for $13.99!

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves four)
209 calories - 3 g. fat - 15 g. carbohydrates - 29 g. protein - 2 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat
• 1/2 c. fat free sour cream (I used light sour cream - basically the same)
• 1/4 c. seasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used Progresso)
• 2 tbsp. minced roasted red peppers
• 4 poblano peppers, halved and seeded
• 8 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese (I used shredded)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray a shallow baking dish with Pam.

3. In a medium bowl, combine crabmeat, sour cream, bread crumbs, and roasted red peppers. Mix gently to combine, being careful not to break up the crab.

4. Spoon crab mixture into halved poblano peppers and arrange side-by-side in baking dish.

5. Top mixture with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes, until peppers are soft and cheese begins to brown.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

This Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe can be prepped ahead, frozen, and eaten up to two months later.

Recipe Notes

If freezing ahead, freeze stuffed cutlets (seam side down) about one hour on a baking sheet. They should be firm. Wrap each individually in plastic and store in a resealable freezer bag (labeled and dated). Freeze for up to two months prior to use.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 8, two-cutlet portions)
384 calories - 13.7 g. fat - 58.1 g. protein - 3.6 g. carbohydrates - 0.4 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers (rinsed, patted dry, and coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 c. pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 3 large scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 16 chicken cutlets
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 c. tomato sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine feta, peppers, olives, scallions, and oregano.

3. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

4. Place cutlets on a flat surface, smooth side down. Spoon 2 tbsp. cheese mixture into center of each cutlet. Fold up sides of chicken around cheese, making a packet. If freezing, follow instructions above under "Recipe Notes". If baking immediately, continue below.

5. Arrange cutlets, seamside down, on baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake until chicken is opaque throughout (approximately 20 minutes). If baking frozen chicken cutlets, increase baking time to 30 minutes.

6. Top, if desired, with tomato sauce.

Blueberry Peach Cobbler

This Cooking Light recipe makes good use of the summer's bounty: fresh peaches and blueberries. This is great with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream!

Recipe Notes

I essentially halved this recipe and made it in an 8x8 inch glass dish. Halving the recipe easily serves 6-8 people. If you don't have turbinado sugar, you can use regular sugar (I did!).

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 12 BIG servings)
303 calories - 9.8 g. fat - 5.1 g. protein - 3.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 5 lbs. peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced)
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 3/8 tsp. salt, divided
• 1-1/2 c. flour, plus two tbsp. flour, divided
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. butter (one stick), softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 c. blueberries
• 2 tbsp. turbinado sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place peaches in a large bowl with lemon juice, 3/4 c. sugar, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 2 tbsp. flour. Toss to coat and arrange in glass baking dish.

3. Combine 1-1/2 c. flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

4. Using an electric mixer, combine softened butter and 1/4 c. sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, flour mixture, and buttermilk, alternating flour mixture and buttermilk when combining.

5. Turn off mixer and fold in blueberries.

6. Spread batter evenly over peaches and sprinkle with sugar. Place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet (to avoid spills in the oven). Bake at 375 degrees for one hour, or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly.

7. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream!

I Am Back!

If there is anyone who is still reading this blog after my long hiatus, I am back! I was put on bed rest unexpectedly in May, which meant no cooking, and then we welcomed twins Craig and Cameron in early June (again, no cooking!). Finally, thanks to our sweet friends (especially Sidney!) we have not had to cook since bringing the twins home, thanks to everyone's wonderful dinners while I've been recovering from having the babies.

But now I am back and hope to start posting regularly again, between maternity leave and continuing to work from home and caring for twins. So please forgive me if the postings are a bit sporadic these next several weeks as we adjust to our new schedule.

Now, here are a couple of photos of the little people to show you what has been keeping me busy and ignoring the blog:

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

My mom's friend has been consulting with a nutritionist at the Houstonian for quite some time. She often passes my mom good healthy recipes - this is one of them. This is a great recipe to make when you grill too much chicken the night before. I had Corey grill up a value pack of chicken one night and then just saved the 3-4 chicken breasts left over for this meal.

CHICKEN ORZO SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Recipe Notes

This recipe needs just a little "something extra" - it's a tad bit dry by itself. Corey tried adding about 1 tbsp. of light champagne vinaigrette to his meal and it was just what the doctor ordered. I would think that just about any vinaigrette would compliment this nicely.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 6)

295 calories - 7 g. fat - 32 g. carbohydrates - 24 g. protein

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 c. uncooked orzo pasta
• 3 c. chopped grilled chicken
• 1-1/2 c. trimmed arugula
• 1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 c. chopped red onion
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 6 tbsp. goat cheese

Instructions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

2. Combine pasta, chicken, arugula, tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, basil, and oregano in a bowl. Toss well.

3. Combine vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad.

4. Toss well to coat and sprinkle with goat cheese.