DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

You will not be able to resist these deliciously soft and chewy double chocolate chip cookies. I have been making these cookies for years.

¾ cup (12 T) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 t pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t fine sea salt

12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 oz Hershey Bar, grated

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix to combine.

While mixer is still running, add vanilla, eggs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined.  

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chocolate chips and grated chocolate.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a medium size ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Cool on wire racks before storing in an airtight container.

SUMMER GRILLED SHRIMP & VEGETABLES

This is such a light and delicious summer dinner. You can add any vegetable you like. I love poblano peppers and added one but you can use a green bell pepper instead.

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 t avocado oil

1 t Old Bay seasoning

½ t onion powder

½ t garlic powder

½ t brown sugar

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch paprika

Juice of ½ lime

Extra-light olive oil spray

2 ears corn on the cob

1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, cut in half, seeds and membrane removed

1 poblano pepper, cut in half, seeds and membrane removed

1 large sweet potato, partially cooked in the microwave, skin removed and cut in half, lengthwise

1 avocado, diced

Juice ½ lime

Place shrimp in a medium bowl.

Add the avocado oil, Old Bay, onion powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, and lime juice.

Toss to completely combine and skewer shrimp onto metal skewers and set aside.

Lightly spray the zucchini, bell pepper, poblano pepper, sweet potato chunks, and ears of corn with extra-light olive oil spray.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill the corn cobs, zucchini, bell pepper halves, poblano pepper halves, and sweet potatoes halves for 5 minutes.

Turn over and grill vegetables another 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and grill 2 minutes on each side.

Remove everything from the grill at the same time.

Cut off the kernels from the cob.

Chop the zucchini, peppers, and sweet potatoes.

Divide everything among 2 plates and serve with a wedge of lime.

OLD-FASHIONED MOLASSES COOKIES

These cookies were my daughter's favorite when she was growing up. It came from an old Colonial recipe for ginger cookies. I added less ginger and more butter. They are chewy and scrumptious.

12 T (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup unsulphured molasses

1 large egg

½ t ground cloves

½ t ground ginger

1 t ground cinnamon

¼ t ground nutmeg

½ t salt

½ t baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and butter until light and creamy.  Add the molasses and egg continue mixing.

Mix in the cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda.

Slowly add the flour and mix until completely incorporated.

Drop tablespoons of cookie batter onto lightly greased baking sheets.

You can also use the smallest ice cream scoop.

Leave 2 to 3 inches of space between cookies.

Bake until cookies start to darken, about 10 minutes. 

Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

BAKED ONION & CHEESE DIP

Set this hot cheese dip out for an appetizer and you will see it gone before it cools.

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup minced sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla)

1 T dry minced onions

1 clove garlic, minced

3 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

¾ cup grated Pepper Jack cheese

½ cup grated Gruyére or Swiss Emmentaler cheese 

1 t paprika

Finely chopped parsley, for garnish

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, onions, garlic, and cheeses.

Spoon into a small baking dish, sprinkle with paprika and bake uncovered at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

IZETTA'S SUNDAY PICNIC POTATO SALAD

I still have fond memories of my mom's Sunday picnic potato salad. She always put it in large Mason jars and packed it in ice in the cooler. We would drive to the country and have a picnic with some of our country relatives. Mom would tie on her pretty apron, put a couple of tablecloths on the picnic tables and set up her food. Her potato salad always contained chopped eggs. I buy eggs from local farms where they have a stand set up outside their entrances. You put the money in a tin box and take the eggs; all based on the honor system. Their hens are allowed to roam free and eat a variety of left-over veggies from kitchen scraps. When I was a little girl, my Aunt Stella would give me a basket and let me go into the hen house and collect a few eggs. She showed me how to gently cup the hen's head with one hand and slip out an egg from under her with my other hand. They never saw me take the eggs. Poor little hens; they just sat there as if they still had an egg under them. 

Left to right - my dad, Uncle Julian & Aunt Dorothy, Grand Uncle Edward & my mom, Izetta
My Aunt Hattie probably took the photo. I was off playing somewhere.

3 lbs Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes 
3 T dill pickle juice

1 to 2 dill pickles, finely diced, or ¼ cup sweet pickle relish

3 stalks celery, finely diced

¼ medium red onion, finely diced

4 hard cooked eggs, peeled and finely diced (optional)

1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's or Dukes)

1 T yellow mustard 

2 T finely chopped Italian parsley

½ t dried dill (optional)

½ t sea salt

¼ t fine ground black pepper

Paprika, for sprinkling

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil and boil 6 to 8 minutes, or until fork tender.

Pour potatoes into a colander, let drain and cool for 30 minutes.

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add the pickle juice and gently toss.

Mix of the rest of the ingredients in a smaller bowl and add to the potatoes.  

Gently toss to combine, sprinkle with a little paprika. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for flavors to blend.

10 servings

OATMEAL-COCONUT COOKIES WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES & PECANS

These oatmeal cookies are soft, moist, and not overly sweet. I added coconut and dried cranberries for additional flavor. You can certainly omit the coconut and cranberries, just add another ½ cup of oats.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 t pure vanilla extract

2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

½ t sea salt

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and sugars until smooth. 

Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, oats, salt, and coconut.

Slowly mix flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the dried cranberries and pecans.

Drop by a level medium size ice cream scoop onto 2 baking sheets.

Flatten lightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake for 12 to 13 minutes.

• Cookies can be frozen after they are dropped on the baking sheet until hard and then placed in a resealable bag.
• Before baking, let cookies thaw then slightly flatten with a sugared glass.

CHILE COLORADO

Chile Colorado is a traditional beef dish stewed in a red chile sauce. Colorado translates to "colored red" in Spanish. 

6 whole dried Guajillo chiles, broken into pieces, stems and seeds removed

2 cups boiling-hot water

2 T avocado oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 poblano, pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 T oregano leaves

1 3 to 4 lb beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into large chunks

1 28-oz can red chile sauce or 3 10-oz cans enchilada sauce
2 cups beef broth

1 T chile powder

1 T ancho chile powder

1 T ground cumin

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place dried chiles in a large heat-proof bowl and add the boiling water.

Let sit in water for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add one tablespoon of the oil.

Sauté the onion, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, and oregano in oil for 10 minutes.

Spoon into a blender and add the soaked Guajillo chiles along with the soaking water.

Blend mixture until smooth.

In the same Dutch oven brown the meat in batches. 

Transfer browned meat to a platter while browning the rest.

Return all the meat to the Dutch oven and add the pureed mixture from the blender.
Add the red chile sauce or enchilada sauce, beef broth, chile powders, and cumin.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place in a 300 degree F oven for 4 hours.

Serve with black beans and Mexican rice.

Serves 6