Award-Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas is officially over, and we had a very merry Christmas, indeed. I thought I would share Jonathan's favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have another chocolate chip cookie recipe on the blog (found here), which may be my favorite, but this is Jonathan's fav hands-down. This is a recipe I modified from allrecipes.com.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (use good quality!)
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional--I don't use them, but it sounds good)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding powder until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture gradually. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips (and nuts, if desired).

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (I like to line mine with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, but this is purely preference). Bake for 10-11 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Soft and chewy :)

Nashville Trip

Christmas is just 3 days away, and all my holiday baking is officially done. I just wish the weather would cool down a little bit. I mean, it doesn't feel like Christmas when it's 70 degrees outside. I wore a sweater yesterday just for spite, and I was sweating all day long :(

Jonathan and I took a trip to Nashville this past weekend, and we had a blast. We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and wow, was that hotel massive! I've never seen anything like it. It is composed of multiple atriums (atria?) with glass ceilings so that all sorts of floral life and plants can grow in the hotel. Jonathan had stayed there a few years back with his family, and he knew I would love it, so he insisted on taking me this year. The hotel was decorated for Christmas, and the place was like a winter wonderland! Here's a few photos:

A Christmas tree made out of poinsettias

A beautifully decorated real Christmas tree

We got to see some of my Auburn friends, and it was so wonderful being able to catch up. And, of course, it's Nashville, so what's a trip without a picture with Elvis?

Jonathan and I also went to an amazing Ice Exhibit that featured giant ice sculptures based on the theme, "Merry Madagascar," the animated movie. It was truly a sight to see. They have to keep the temperature at 6 degrees Fahrenheit, so they give you giant parkas to wear. Jonathan and I kept joking that we were just practicing for winters in Iowa :) How do you like our new look?

It was COLD, but we survived! I think we can handle Iowa, lol :)

Jonathan riding down the ice slide

Everything you see in those pictures is carved by Chinese artists out of giant blocks of ice. It was spectacular. All in all, we had an amazing trip and made lots of fun memories.

Y'all have a Merry Christmas now, ya hear? :)

More Christmas Fun

It's been a really fun week. This is our last week of school before Christmas break, so we've pretty much had a class party every night. Here's a photo from our Tacky Christmas Sweater party:

Me and my lovely friends Maggie, Ashley, Kallie

I've been baking all sorts of Christmas goodies for my friends lately. This coming weekend, Jonathan and I are taking a weekend trip to Nashville. I'll post pictures from that trip soon :)

Garlic-Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes

This is another recipe from the cookbook Jonathan got me for my birthday. These potatoes are oh-so-delicious and super easy! When they're roasting in the oven, the smell of garlic and rosemary fills the whole house, and it makes you so ready for them to come out of the oven.

1 1/2 lb. fingerling or baby potatoes
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. coarse-grain or Dijon mustard
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
Black pepper and salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Rinse potatoes, and once the water is boiling, add them to the water and boil approximately 10 minutes. While potatoes are boiling, combine olive oil, mustard, rosemary, garlic, and some black pepper. Set aside.

Drain potatoes and return to pot. Stir in mustard mixture, and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet lined with foil, sprinkle with salt, and bake for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Source: Our Best Bites Cookbook

A close-up of the deliciousness

Oreo Cheesecake Bars

It's getting near Christmas time, and that means I've caught the "baking bug." I plan on making all sorts of delicious treats for my classmates, friends, and family. Jonathan is super excited...he has quite the sweet tooth. Here are some amazing oreo cheesecake bars that I plan on making again soon:

For the crust:
23 Oreo cookies
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. sour cream, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9 square pan with foil. Crush oreos for crust in a bag or food processor until fine. Add in melted butter and mix until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs into bottom of baking pan in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, and set aside.

To prepare filling, beat cream cheese on medium-high in an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until smooth. Mix in sugar until well combined. Blend in sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat in egg and egg yolk until incorporated. Stir in chopped oreos with a rubber spatula. Pour batter over crust and bake 40 minutes (or until edges are set but center is slightly wobbly). Let cool one hour on wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To serve, lift foil out of pan, peel away from cheesecake, and slice into bars.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

MATCH

This just in...Jonathan and I will be moving to IOWA!!! Why hello University of Iowa! Are you ready for us??

But seriously, we are so thrilled and thankful to God for allowing me to match at such a wonderful orthodontic residency program. We cannot wait to begin this new adventure together. We'll be moving there in June after I graduate from dental school. Woohoo!

Christmas Time!

Jonathan and I are already getting into the holiday spirit. Over Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I had girls' craft day and made yarn wreaths. I really liked how mine turned out! I hung it above our fireplace mantle:

On Sunday, we decorated our Christmas tree. Here's Jonathan using his height and long arms to put the star on top of the tree.


I can't wait for the weather to get a little colder so we can drink hot chocolate by the fire :)

Southwest Chicken Chili Mac

I spotted this recipe over at Picky Palate, and I knew I wanted to make it this fall. It was such a comforting, delicious meal on a cool fall night. I'm definitely adding it to my recipe box. It's funny because it calls for wagon wheel pasta (probably to please picky kid eaters), but I decided to live a little and get the wagon wheel pasta, too. It entertained this adult :) Here's the recipe:

8 ounces wagon wheel pasta noodles

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1o ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes, mild
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup corn, drained
1/2 cup white beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dry Ranch seasoning from packet
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and run under cool water. Heat oil in 9 inch deep cast iron skillet (or a regular skillet if you don't have one). Add onions and peppers, cook stirring about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add chicken, tomatoes, broth, corn, beans, wagon wheel pasta, chili powder, cumin, Ranch seasoning and cilantro. Stir until well combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ready to serve.

Monkey Bread

Hello blog! I'm sorry I've neglected you lately :) I'm finally done with all of my orthodontic residency interviews, and I'm trying to get my life back to normal. This weekend, all that is on the agenda is RELAXATION. Woo hoo! Here's a recipe I've been meaning to post for a while:

I was hanging out with a few of my classmates the other day, and the subject of monkey bread came up. They looked at me like I was crazy, and I was astonished that they had never experienced the delectable treat. So I decided to whip some up for them, and it turned out great.

**Notice Jonathan holding the platter for me. He wasn't too happy that I was taking away the deliciousness to give it away at school :)

4 pack of 7.5 oz refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional, but in my opinion, so not optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease one bundt pan.

Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using pecans, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

Bake at 350˚F for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

Source: Pennies on a Platter

Traditional Mashed Potatoes

I LOVE mashed potatoes. Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved the comfort of homemade mashed potatoes (I could give or take the gravy). Here's a recipe for mashed potatoes that came from the cookbook Jonathan got me for my birthday in July. I added blue cheese to spice it up a bit, because that is Jonathan's favorite!


1.5 lbs. russet potatoes
2 Tbsp. real butter
2 Tbsp. (plus more if needed) milk
Salt and black pepper

Cut the potatoes into uniform 1/2 inch pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once water boils, add potatoes and cook until very tender (test this with a fork; you want to pierce the biggest piece and have it crumble).

Drain and place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer until butter is melted and incorporated (electric mixer gives a creamy result). Slowly add in milk, until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Source: Our Best Bites cookbook

Whirlwind

Lots of exciting things have been happening lately. I really enjoyed my Iowa interview, and I flew back home on Saturday, then headed to Auburn Saturday afternoon for the Auburn v. Florida game.

We won! Here's us and my fabulous in-laws celebrating :)

We got back home at midnight Saturday night, and I basically slept the day away on Sunday. I also found out I passed by National Boards Part 2 that I took a couple of weeks ago. Hooray! It feels good to have that over with.

Tomorrow is my UAB interview, and I can't wait. I promise to post some recipes soon!

Hello Iowa!

Just enjoying a nice hot tea in picturesque and charming downtown Iowa City.

Chuy's Jalapeno Dip

It's a big week for us this coming week. I'm flying to Iowa for my first orthodontic interview on Thursday (hooray!), flying back home on Saturday morning, then heading straight to Auburn for the Auburn v. Florida game. I know...I must be crazy, but my hubby really wants me there, so I'm going to drag my exhausted self down to Auburn and cheer on my Tigers. I think it'll be fun; I just hope I'm not the wet blanket that has no energy :)

This weekend was really nice and relaxing. We just hung around the house and had some friends over to watch the Auburn game on Saturday. There's a new Tex-Mex restaurant here in town called Chuy's, and they have a jalapeno dip that is to-die-for. It's not as spicy as you'd think. It's more of a ranch flavor. I found a website where a lady tried to recreate it, so I made it for our football party. It's not exactly like the restaurant's, but it is still so tasty. I'm actually snacking on some now as I type this post! What's even cooler is that I discovered the lady whose blog I found it on is a huge Auburn fan...small world!

(Sorry for the bad lighting--the dip is a light green color in real life)

16 ounces Light Sour Cream
1 package (1 Oz.) Ranch Dip Mix
1 1/2 whole large jalapenos, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1 whole lime, juiced
2-4 Tbsp milk

Combine roughly chopped jalapenos, cilantro and garlic in the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add lime juice, sour cream and ranch mix. Pulse until thoroughly combined. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired thickness. Pour into serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Plain Chicken

Our New Toy

It's time to celebrate!! I'm finally done with my boards, and it feels SO good not to be studying every spare minute. I took the exam on Friday and Saturday, so today has been really relaxing. In other news, we got a new tv before football season this year. The thing is, Jonathan has been wanting one of those fancy LED televisions for some time now, and my deal was, if he got the new tv, I wanted a nice new entertainment center to put it on. Our old one was a rickety Target special from college that had seen better days. So, as a reward for all of Jonathan's hard work, here's the new toy:

Pictures don't do it justice. We have really enjoyed it so far. Football games look fantastic on it...it's like you're actually there at the stadium! Don't you want to come watch a game with us :)

Life Goal

I have the sweetest mother-in-law. She is the most on-top-of-it person I know when it comes to encouraging people and being thoughtful. Case in point:

A sweet card to encourage me during my board exam and ortho inteviews

So, life goal: become better at doing the same thing for other people one day :) Thanks Mrs. Jerre!

Homemade Pita Chips

All study and no play makes Erin a dull girl :( That's right...I take my National Board Exam II this coming Friday and Saturday, so I've been pinned up all weekend studying. I can't wait to get it over with!! Meanwhile, here's a super easy recipe I'll share.

I make a lot of dips during football season, and pita chips are excellent dippers. However, those dang bags of pita chips are so expensive at the grocery! Jonathan got me a cookbook that I had been really wanting for my birthday, so this was the first recipe I made:

4 whole wheat pitas
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
Seasonings, if desired

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside. Use a pizza cutter to cut pitas into 8 triangles. Put into a bowl and pour olive oil over them, and use your fingers to coat each pita. Arrange on baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt. For extra fun, add Italian seasoning, or cumin. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy.

Ready to go in the oven

The finished product
Source: Our Best Bites Cookbook

Creamy Lemon Bars

Not much new going on around here...I've been studying for part II of my national boards (I take it Sept. 30 and Oct. 1) and watching college football (War Eagle!). Here's a recipe I'll share with you guys.

This is a recipe I made for my friend whose mom passed. I love lemon squares, and when I saw this recipe that was essentially lemon cheesecake bars, I knew it was going to be a winner. Seriously, try these.

20 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold real butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) light cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temp (just place eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 10 min.)
2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. grated lemon peel, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking powder
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a bowl, combine Nilla Wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar. Chop butter into small pieces and then cut into crumb mixture with a pastry blender.If you don’t have a pastry blender, just use 2 knives, or even your fingers to break up the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

While crust is cooking, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 2 Tbsp. flour, and baking powder; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, and lemon juice and then pour mixture over crust.

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel just before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover squares in refrigerator.

Source: Our Best Bites

Ahh...fall

Now that the weather has cooled off a little (no more high 90's, yay!), I can indulge in a few favorite treats. Pumpkin spice latte equals happy Erin :)

Garlic-Balsamic Asparagus

There's not much new going on with Jonathan and me. We're just trying to enjoy a few laid-back weekends before this fall gets CRAZY! Anywho, this is a quick, tasty side item that can accompany lots of different dishes:

1 pound asparagus
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wash asparagus and snap woody ends off the bottom of each stem. In a small bowl, combine satl, pepper, olive oil, and garlic. Drizzle over asparagus and toss to coat.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sseet. Drizzle any remaining oil and vinegar mixture over the asparagus.

Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, turning once.

Faux-Fried Squash

Here's one of my favorite ways to cook summer squash. This is a recipe I sort-of made up based on lots of recipes I had seen.

4-5 medium squash, sliced
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Combine breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Put sliced squash in a separate bowl and toss with some olive oil to coat. Dip each piece of squash into breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place on a baking sheet, and cook in preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

One of my sweet friends is getting married soon, and some of the girls in our class threw her a couples fiesta shower. I made these jalapeno poppers, and they were gone in about 2.3 seconds. I literally turned around and the plate was empty, and that made me happy. I liked that they weren't very spicy at all but were savory and creamy. Here's the recipe (found on Pioneer Woman's cooking site):


20 whole fresh jalapenos (about 2-3 inches in size)
2 blocks light cream cheese, softened
1 lb. thin-sliced bacon, sliced into thirds

Note: Wear gloves while removing seeds and membranes from the jalapenos, or your hands will be burning for hours like mine were (literally 6 hours on fire!!). Cut jalapenos in half, lengthwise, and remove the white membrane and seeds. Smear cream cheese into each pepper half, and wrap with bacon piece. Secure with a toothpick.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven on a pan with a rack for 20-25 minutes (use a pan with a rack so that the grease from the bacon can drip off). Broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to crisp the bacon.

Barbecue Chicken

We don't have a grill, and we can't have one in our apartment complex, so I have to come up with my own way of barbecuing. I have found that baking chicken in the oven "low and slow" results in a very tender, melt-in-your-mouth result. Plus, once it's in the oven, you can walk away and forget about it for over and hour and get back to other important matters. This is a recipe for a homemade BBQ sauce that we love, but if you're in a huge hurry, I'm sure you could just buy a bottle and get similar results.

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 package boneless chicken thighs or breasts (Hint: thighs are so much more tender and moist, but breasts work well, too)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Add cornstarch, if needed, to thicken.

Place the chicken thighs into a baking dish, and pour the sauce over them. Cover tightly with foil.Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F, and bake for one hour. Remove cover, stir and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

I have no picture for this one. There's just no way to make BBQ look pretty in a picture. But I assure you, this is a regular meal in our house because it really is great.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

I have decided that every recipe my mom gives me is going to be a home-run. This one is no exception. I actually made this on Memorial Day to go with our barbecue, pasta salad, and corn on the cob, and we couldn't stop eating it. The picture doesn't do it justice:

It's one of those recipes that just gets better and better as the days pass and the flavors meld.

1 Angel Food cake
1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (14 oz.) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) container fat free Cool Whip
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. corn starch
3 Tbsp. strawberry gelatin (I used Jello brand)
1 cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into thick slices

Pinch cake into large bite-sized pieces. For the custard: Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and Cool Whip in a large bowl and set aside. For the glaze: In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water. Cook stirring over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. When cooled, fold in strawberries.

To assemble, place 1/3 of angel food cake in bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with 1/3 of the glaze, and 1/3 of the custard mixture. Repeat layers in this order for the remaining cake, glaze, and custard. Top with more Cool Whip and fresh strawberries.

We're seniors!

Buckle your seatbelts...we're seniors!!I went to lunch today with some of my classmates to catch up over summer break. It was wonderful seeing everyone again :)

Homemade Salsa

I got a nice Cuisinart food processor for our wedding that never worked. It broke my little heart, but I've kept it in the cabinet hoping it would eventually "magically" work. My cute hubby decided to make it his little project. He took it apart, got out his soldering kit, soldered a few wires together, and ta-da...it works!!!

In the process of repair:All done!
I knew immediately what I wanted to make first. I cannot stand jarred salsa, and I love, love, love restaurant-style salsa. This recipe found on Brown Eyed Baker turned out great!! So tasty and fresh!
Here's what you'll need:

14 oz. can whole tomatoes (peeled) with juice
1 (10 oz.) can original Rotel
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 jalepeño, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice from 1/4 a fresh lime
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until you get desired consistency. Refrigerate for at least two hours (but trust me, this tastes 10X better the next day), and then serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Enjoy!!

In other news, I start my senior year of dental school tomorrow. I'm having mixed emotions...I SO do not want to go back, but I'm ready to get this year over and on to the exciting things God has planned for me after dental school. Here's to a fresh start for senior year!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Nothing says summer to me like fresh fruits and veggies. This is a perfect summer meal that is healthy and tasty! And I'm always happy to find a salad recipe that Jonathan loves, too. Here's the recipe:

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/4 cup white sugar (I often do less and add a little Splenda)
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
10 oz. fresh spinach
1/4 c. almonds, sliced or slivered
feta cheese
Chicken breast cutlets

In a medium bowl, whisk together poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and onion. Cover and chill for at least one hour (the flavors need to blend).

Season chicken breasts with garlic powder and other desired seasonings, and cook on the grill (I use my George Foreman grill) until cooked through but still tender.

Assemble your own salad with spinach, strawberries, almonds, and feta. Top with chicken. Stir dressing well, spoon 1-2 teaspoons over your salad, to desired wetness. Enjoy!

Back from N'awlins

After a couple of weeks of travel madness, we are back home and trying to squeeze in some rest. We went home for the 4th of July, and then to New Orleans for my birthday (the big 25) and had a wonderful trip. These are some iPhone photos:

Beignets and cafe-au'-lait on your birthday? Yes, please!We love trips together!

He's back!

Jonathan is back from a blur of a business trip that included 7 flights over 4 days to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. He's back just in time for us to leave to go home tomorrow, lol :) Poor thing...hopefully he'll let me do a lot of the driving so he can rest. We're also going to New Orleans for my birthday since it's pretty close to home, so I'm very excited. Happy 4th of July!

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

One of my friends at school did something really nice for me, so I decided to make a treat as a thank-you. I found this recipe at Annie's Eats, and since I've never made brownies from scratch before, I gave it a try. Honestly, I thought the cream cheese topping was excellent, but the brownies weren't as good as my Ghiradelli boxed mix:

Photo credit: www.grasscity.com

Here's how the brownies turned out:If you look closely, you can see the chunks of oreos in the brownie itself. That is pretty tasty, I will admit.

Here's the recipe:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
½ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1½ cups coarsely chopped Oreo cookies
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk together to combine. Add the eggs to the pan with the butter-sugar mixture and whisk until combined. Whisk in the milk. Transfer the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the Oreo pieces. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Drop the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in dollops. Use the blade of a knife to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture together with the brownie batter, creating a marble effect.

Bake for about 22-24 minutes (mine required longer, like 30 minutes). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Another recipe from my mom. You know what that means--it's going to be good. Mom gave me this recipe about 4 years ago when I was in college, and I'm just now getting around to pulling it out of my recipe box. I wish I had done so earlier. This is a nice, healthy dish that I really enjoyed, and so did Jonathan (our resident shrimp lover).

Here's the recipe:
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus 1-2 Tbsp.
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Linguine noodles, cooked (I like whole wheat)

Toss shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 tsp. salt and red pepper flakes. Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and saute a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside. Add onion to same skillet, adding 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil if needed to the pan. Saute until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the tomatoes and their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat and cook for 1 minute so that the flavors meld. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve over cooked linguine.

Charleston Trip

For our one-year anniversary, Jonathan and I took a roadtrip, and while we were at it, we visited a few orthodontic residencies, too. We went to Richmond, which was a really cool place, but the highlight of our trip was Charleston. What a beautiful city! I've always heard that it was cool, but I had no idea just how charming and lovely a place it really is. Here's some pictures of the fun:

Us at historic Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor

The real cannons used to defend the fort

Amazing shopping that went for almost 1.5 miles

Ridiculously cute houses everywhere you went (over 90 blocks of them!)

Wonderful cobblestone streets

My absolute favorite thing we did? A carriage tour! I thought it would be lame, but some of the residents at MUSC really recommended it. I have to say, it was AWESOME. We got to ride in a carriage and hear the wonderful history of Charleston, as well as see beautiful houses like this one.

Charleston officially is one of the top 2 favorite cities in America I've visited. What's not to love about it?!

One Year!

Three days ago, Jonathan and I celebrated one year of marriage. We were in Charleston at the time, so today, we thawed out our cake topper for the tradition of eating your top tier on the first anniversary of your wedding. Now, I must admit I was fully expecting the thing to be NASTY. I mean...it's cake that's been frozen a whole year. However, my mom had amazingly wrapped this thing in like 30 layers of Saran Wrap and aluminum foil, and it was miraculously preserved:

It is (not kidding) moist and delicious.

I'll post soon about our trip to Charleston!