Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almost every time I make these cookies, I get raving compliments and people ask for the recipe. Which is quite funny since it is literally on the back of the bag of every single bag of chocolate chips. I do make a couple adaptations, most notably adding oatmeal, but even if I were to make the recipe exactly as is, they'd be delicious. And it's such a simple recipe because you basically plop all the ingredients in the bowl and mix!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from recipe on bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350º

In an electric mixing bowl, add:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are incorporated.

Add:
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
half or three-quarters bag of chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts [optional]
Mix until these are evenly distributed.

Spoon onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie. (Also, this makes a mean cookie cake. Just pile all the cookie batter on a large cookie sheet so that it forms a rough circle. Bake for ~45 minutes or until the middle is set. Then decorate as desired.)

Eat up!

Working Towards A Better View

a collection of instagram photos [weeks three-six]

Dear Audrey-

Your father and I have made it six weeks with you in our lives and to our knowledge, we don't seem to have damaged you in any permanent way. Thank God.

You've come a long way in the last month. You are now flashing your contagious smile at us all the time. I like all of your smiles, but they have an uncanny ability to melt my heart when you flash one at me just after I've changed your diaper for the second time after a 4 a.m. feeding. That's right...a second time. Because girl, you poop a lot without much concern for the fact that I've just put a new diaper on that cute little bum of yours. And you are a gassy little thing. Sometimes as I am finally drifting off to sleep, I hear you tooting away in the other room and have to let an audible little giggle escape from my sleep-deprived lips.

Let's talk about sleeping for a minute. Little one, I want you to know that there have been a couple of truly frustrating nights. I want you to know this so that in some far off time when you have your own little gassy darling, you won't feel like a bad momma when you hit a wall and have to call in the support troops. It's HARD to have someone yell at you for hours. But it doesn't mean you love them any less; it just means that you're tired and you're frazzled and you need to call me to tell me all about it...just like I call your Grammy for words of comfort and advice.

At your one-month appointment with Dr. Warner, he said you were in perfect health (at 9 pounds 12 ounces, you are in the 75th percentile for weight, evidence that you eat like a champ)! He also told us to start with tummy time. I must say that you love tummy time. Ever since you were born, you've been practicing tummy time whenever you lay on your dad's chest by frantically pushing your legs against his lap to "stand up" and by pushing your arms against his chest. Only now that you are stronger, you are able to lift up your torso so that you can look him right in the eye and give him that show-stopping smile. You haven't perfected holding up your head, but now when you do, it is for more than just a second or two. You are one determined little girl, demonstrated by both your facial expressions and vocal grunts as you try to get your body to cooperate with what your brain is telling it to do. We normally don't end tummy time because you're tired but because your frustrations drive you to real cries.

Speaking of figuring things out, three days ago you were in your vibrating chair when I caught you looking at your right hand. Audrey, I swear that at that very moment you came to the realization that those adorable five-fingered things were your hands and, what's more, that you had some semblance of control over them. Since then, whenever you look at a mobile that is within reach, you stare hard at it, stick out your tongue and concentrate on getting your hands to reach out and touch it. Just as with tummy time, sometimes we have to end these learning sessions because you get frustrated that things aren't happening as quickly as you'd like them to happen. It's really quite endearing.

Once you've gotten fussy, I quickly walk into your nursery and stand in front of the mirror. One glimpse at yourself or me in that reflective glass will yield at least a pause in the shockingly loud shrieking cries that escape from that tiny little mouth of yours.

In the last month you have been quite the socialite, garnering looks from every direction when I take you out! It doesn't matter if it is in line at the post office as you spit up all over me (that was super pleasant) or you're passed out in a wrap at lunch with your Grandpa and me at Whole Foods, you draw people in. You've visited with my co-workers, Grammy's Wednesday wining girlfriends, and even attended your first Game Night. And as you get older, you spend longer and longer with your hands against my chest, pushing yourself away from me so that you can get a better view of this great big world where adventure certainly is just around the corner. I can't wait to see where you'll go!

Love,
Mom

four weeks

Minestrone Soup

Our church hosts a fellowship meal every Wednesday evening called "Fling." Last fall I learned that there was a committee that helped prepare these meals - a fact that should have been obvious but one I'd clearly missed. Seeing as I love all things cooking, I figured that this would be a great way to help contribute to my church community. This past Wednesday we deviated from our usual meal of fried chicken and all the fixin's and served Minestrone Soup in observation of Ash Wednesday. Because Audrey is still too young to face crowds in flu season, instead of preparing it at the church, I made this at home during two of Audrey's naps.

Parenthood is funny in that somehow you have both a lot of time on your hands and no time to do anything. This conundrum is because babies don't operate on schedules. Sometimes Audrey sleeps forty-five minutes; sometimes four hours. Sometimes she eats every hour and a half; other times she'll wait three. So you can see that planning anything becomes impossible. There are days when all I have time to do is feed her, change her, put her down for a nap, feed myself and pee before I do it all again! Other days I have a couple of hours to do things like chores (ugh), cook (yay), or go out to lunch with a friend (double yay).

There are many well-intentioned folks who think that parenthood means I can no longer do anything "normal" and many days that holds true (and on days like that, I am so very thankful to have that pot pie in the freezer or Chipotle delivered). But during those lovely periods where Audrey decides to nap for two - even three! - hours, it is a project like making a soup for church or preparing a Friday night meal for friends that keep me sane and help me keep my life in perspective. As Debbie, an associate pastor at Highland, so wisely understood, projects like this help me "remember that there's a bigger world outside; a world which someday my little one will know about."

Minestrone Soup
adapted from original recipe by Debbie Layman

Serves 8-10

In a large pot, heat:
1/4 cup olive oil

Add:
1/2 medium white onion, finely diced
4 large carrots, coarsely diced
2 stalks celery, coarsely diced
Saute for 10 minutes.

Add:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
Let cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent garlic from burning.

Add:
2 cups diced potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 15 ounce can skinless tomatoes, diced
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
8 cups vegetable stock
Let simmer 10 minutes.

Add:
2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Cook 5-7 minutes or until green beans and potatoes are tender.

Salt + pepper to taste

Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread.

Eat up!

Sweet + Sour Pot Roast

Aunt Dot [left] and Grandma Kelley [right] in Grandma's kitchen making strawberry jam.

Several weeks ago, Jason, Audrey and I went over to my parents' house for a Sunday dinner of Sweet + Sour Pot Roast - a recipe from my Aunt Dot's kitchen, which I associate with my Grandma Kelley (her best friend). We have gone to my parents' several Sundays since Audrey's birth so that I can get out of the house and curb at least a little bit of the stir-craziness that develops over the course of a week. In addition to providing a respite from being home alone with a very cute infant, we are treated to delicious home cooked meals that I neither have to make nor have to clean up (for the record, I do try to help clean up, but Dad shoos me away). I cannot overstate what a blessing it has been for my parents to live close-by!

Now, I must admit that when Jason and I moved back to Winston-Salem, I was skeptical. While it did provide me a job in a terribly weak economy, Winston wasn't exactly where I'd envisioned myself landing. No, I had dreams of living in Denver, charting my own exciting and adventurous course in a bigger city with even bigger mountains nearby. Winston did not exactly seem exciting or adventurous. To be honest, it seemed like old news; a place I'd already experienced and didn't need to redo. As much as I'd loved my own childhood experience, I felt like I'd come full circle at the ripe-old age of twenty-five. I felt like I was reliving my parents' life when I wanted my own life.

But as we have made a life here, I have come to love Winston-Salem. I love the restaurants; I love its central North Carolina location; I love its history - particularly my history with it. But most of all, I love the people that Winston-Salem houses. And that is really what's most important anyway. Because without family and friends, what is a place? It is buildings and scenery and culture. But all those things without those you love cannot be more, at least not until you've been there long enough to make them your buildings, your scenery, your culture. No, it isn't not until that place houses your loved ones that it really becomes your home.

Does this mean I'd never leave Winston-Salem? Of course not. But I can now recognize that it provides its own excitement and adventure. Excitement and adventure that I get to share with my husband, my daughter, and my parents' over Sunday dinner. A dinner that you probably won't be surprised to know that I'd eaten numerous times, quite often on Sunday, with my parents, my brother, and my Grandma Kelley (from whom Audrey gets her middle name). Talk about full circle.

Sweet + Sour Pot Roast
Aunt Dot Newman [aka: "Ice Cube Dot"] with additions from Kathy Gondring [Mom]

Preheat oven 325º

In a large oven-proof Dutch oven, place:
3-4 pound rump roast
2 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube

Sprinkle over top of roast:
1 tsp salt
Cover and cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

In a medium bowl, combine:
1 medium white onion, sliced
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup catsup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger)
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard (or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard)
Add to Dutch oven and continue cooking for another 1 1/2 hours.

After beef has cooked for 3 hours, add:
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced sweet pickle or sweet relish
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces [optional]
Place back in oven and cook for 5-10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove from oven and place on stovetop over medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine:
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon corn starch
Add to the Dutch oven and cook until broth has slightly thickened.

Slice meat and serve with rice (Aunt Dot) or mashed potatoes (Grandma Kelley).

Eat up!

Raspberry Streusel Tarts

Raspberry Streusel Tarts
Kelley Gondring

Makes ~40 tarts

Preheat oven 375º

Tart Shell
In a food processor, combine:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Process together until coarse meal forms. Remove the pastry dough from the fridge. Using your hands, make 40 individual balls. Press evenly into the bottom and sides of mini-muffin pans.

Spoon into each tart shell:
1 teaspoon seedless raspberry preserves [about 3/4 cup total]

Streusel
In the food processor, combine:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg
Process together until coarse meal forms. Sprinkle evenly over the tarts.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with confectioner's sugar.

Eat up!

Chocolate + Orange Streusel Tarts

Chocolate + Orange Streusel Tarts
Kelley Gondring

Makes ~40 tarts

Preheat oven 375º

Tart Shell
In a food processor, combine:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
13 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Process together until coarse meal forms. Remove the pastry dough from the fridge. Using your hands, make 40 individual balls. Press evenly into the bottom and sides of mini-muffin pans.

Spoon into each tart shell:
1 teaspoon orange marmelade [about 3/4 cup total]

Streusel
In the food processor, combine:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Process together until coarse meal forms. Sprinkle evenly over the tarts.

Bake 20 minutes.

Top with confectioner's sugar and orange zest.

Eat up!

Chicken Divine

I grew up eating this casserole, which I knew simply as "Chicken Broccoli Casserole" on Christmas Eve. That was back when my Grandma Gondring still hosted Christmas Eve dinner. I hadn't had it in ages until my friend, Ashley, showed up with her version of the casserole to help us out when we had Audrey. Her rendition included rice, which I really love because it eliminates the need to make a side. Inspired by her dish, I went through all the recipes cards my Grandma gave me several months ago and found her recipe. Turns out I have been calling it the wrong thing all these years! [I love that is is called Chicken Devine because it dates the recipe perfectly.]

So here is my recipe for Chicken Divine - inspired by both my grandmother and my friend. I had a great time making it the last time Ashley came to visit us and really appreciate all of her help and companionship!

Chicken Divine
adapted from Grandma Gondring's kitchen and inspired by Ashley Kernodle's recipe

Preheat oven 350º

In a large, shallow casserole dish*, place:
3 cups cooked white rice [I used Jasmine rice]

Cover with:
1 large bunch of broccoli, cooked al dente + cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large chicken breasts, cooked + coarsely shredded

In a medium bowl, combine:
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of broccoli soup
Pour over chicken and broccoli.

In a small bowl, combine:
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sprinkle over sauce.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the edges of the casserole are bubbling.

*I chose to divide this casserole into 8 individual portions so that I could freeze them, simplifying dinner with a newborn.

Eat up!

The Best Meatloaf and Gravy

I love cookbooks. I love the weight of the books in my hands when I pick up a stack and place them on my dining room table to peruse. I love scanning the index and then flipping the pages to find a new recipe. Normally, after ten minutes or so there are several pieces of scrap paper marking recipes I'd like to make. Out of necessity, I must pick just one - sometimes two - to make for that lunch or dinner or dessert. But those scrap pieces remain in place, calling me back over the course of several days or weeks to create the recipes they hold in place.

So I was thrilled when our friends, Brent + Jillian, gave us The Farm by Ian Knauer. It is wonderfully categorized by season, which is perfect for cooking while foods are in season. After reading through several recipes, I decided I'd try my hand at making meatloaf, a dish which I have sometimes enjoyed but never made. Meatloaf is one of those dishes that has a reputation of being dry and overcooked (probably a result of it being an elementary school lunch menu favorite), but at it's best, meatloaf represents comfort food at its best. Pair it with mashed potatoes and green beans and you've got a winter dish you really can't beat.

The Best Meatloaf
adapted from The Farm

Serves 4-6

Preheat oven 375º

In a large bowl, combine:
3/4 cub fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoon whole milk
Let sit about 10 minutes so that the breadcrumbs soaked up all of the milk.

In a food processor, process until finely diced:
3 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
1 small carrot
1 medium white onion

In a medium skillet, heat:
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
Add the diced veggies. Cover and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, add to the food processor:
3 strips of thick-cut bacon (uncooked)
2 prunes
5-7 dried cherries
Process until finely diced.

Add to bowl with breadcrumbs the processed bacon/dried fruit, the sautéd veggies, and:
1 1/4 pounds Angus ground beef*
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Use hands to mix together ingredients. Once evenly mixed, transfer to a standard glass bread pan.

*Meatloaf is usually made with equal parts ground veal, beef, and pork, so if you'd like to use a mix, go for it! I just don't eat veal and the grocery store was out of ground pork (and since this was Audrey's maiden voyage to the grocery store, I decided one stop was enough of an adventure).

pre-cooking

post-cooking

Place in oven and let bake for 60-65 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 155º. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

While meatloaf is resting, prepare gravy.

Beef Gravy
In a small saucepan, heat:
1 tablespoon bacon grease (for a healthier alternative, use olive oil or butter)

Once warm, whisk in:
1 tablespoon flour

After flour is incorporated, slowly whisk in beef broth. Use as much as needed for desired thickness; I used a little less than a cup.

Finally, whisk in:
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Serve with Bacon + Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and green beans.

Eat up!

Bacon + Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Bacon + Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Kelley Gondring

Serves 4

In a medium pot, bring to a boil:
4 cups water

When water has come to a boil, add:
3 Yukon potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
Boil until tender.

Drain water. Add to the potatoes:
3 cloves roasted garlic
2 pieces bacon, crumbled
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
salt + pepper to taste
Use potato masher to mash to desired consistency (I like my mashed potatoes left just a little chunky).

Serve with hearty meat dish, such as Meatloaf, Pot Roast, Braised Lamb Shanks, or Stuffed Loin of Pork.

Eat up!

Grapefruit + Goat Cheese Salad with Tart Cherry Balsamic Dressing

A new baby often come with an influx of casseroles and other comfort foods. Delicious dishes that can be consumed immediately or put in the freezer for a later time. Babies don't often come with salads. And rightfully so, as they aren't easy to prepare ahead of time and must be eaten immediately. So last night I put together a salad with ingredients found in my pantry, freezer, and fruit bowl to eat before we devoured the chicken pot pie our friend, Meghan, kindly brought for us when Audrey was born. It isn't exactly a seasonally compatible salad, as there are both cherries and grapefruit, but it was a tangy delight nonetheless.

Grapefruit + Goat Cheese Salad with Tart Cherry Balsamic Dressing
Kelley Gondring

Serves 4

You'll need:
4 cups spring greens, washed + dried
1 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned, with fibrous membranes removed
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 heaping cup sour cherries*
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt + pepper to taste

Tart Cherry Balsamic Dressing
Add to a small saucepan:
1 heaping cup sour cherries*
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Bring to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cup or bowl and place in refrigerator to let cool completely.

*Feel free to substitute Bing Cherries since Sour Cherries are tough to find. I would eliminate or at least reduce the sugar and add a bit of lemon juice (or grapefruit juice, for that matter), anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon.

Assembly
On each plate, place 1 cup greens, 1 ounce goat cheese, and 1/4 of the each the grapefruit, almonds, and cherries. Sprinkle with salt + pepper. Drizzle with a spoonful or two of dressing.

Eat up!