This is a sweet dip but if you like a sweet/salty combo consider using pretzel rods, pretzels, potato chips, or Ritz crackers as dippers. Lorna Doones, ‘Nilla Wafers, graham crackers, and chocolate butter cookies are good dippers to use for a major sweet tooth. You can also use strawberries with this.

The cookies and cream dip will turn sort of a light brown color if you over stir it. The chocolate cookies sort of disintegrate into the cream cheese mixture. Fold the cookie pieces in quickly when you are finished making the dip – that should help it stay lighter… if it matters to you.

It goes together fast and easy for Superbowl or any other party. This dip would be great at bridal showers!

© 2011 Marye Audet

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Onion dip.

Except as time went by we become more aware and concerned about chemical ingredients… additives… MSG.

I have happy, happy news for you.

This onion dip is completely from scratch AND delicious AND it doesnt’t have any weird ingredients unless you are unfamiliar with Greek yogurt. As an added bonus; it is versatile as you can see from the recipe variations in the notes.

You can add more onions if you want more onion flavor. The caramelization process adds  both color and flavor but you need to be watchful when you are caramelizing them. They will scorch and burn very quickly once they reach a certain point and that is not a flavor you want.

Using the large Vidalia or Texas 1015 onions makes for a more mellow flavor but you can certainly use yellow or white onions, Chipolinis, or whatever other heirloom or unusual onion you have in your area. Add more onions for more flavor. It’s up to you.

I sliced the onions very thinly but didn’t chop them. After they were caramelized and really soft I just pushed down with the edge of the spatula to sort of cut them smaller without having them too uniform, if that makes sense. You can make this up to three days ahead and keep it covered tightly in the fridge. It was delicious the first day but so much better the second that I will always make it at least a day ahead of time now.

This is so easy that it is really a shame to buy the other stuff… Oh, and the leftovers? Toasted rye bread, pastrami, and a schmear of this. You don’t have to thank me.

I love this chip and dip server. It has a rustic, country look that just works great for this kind of food.
Love it, too? Click on the image for more details.

© 2012 Marye Audet

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I don’t know of anyone. Even people that don’t get real excited about chocolate ( and I find people like that a little unsettling, don’t you?) do usually like chocolate chip cookies. It really only comes down to two questions; Chewy or crispy? Thin or thick?

I will be honest with you. I like my chocolate chip cookies to be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a deep buttery -almost-salty flavor. I want them to be thick but not cakey. I am extremely picky about chocolate chip cookies, so when I say that these are the absolute best that I ever had, well I mean it.

Totally.

Shiloh is renowned for her chocolate chip cookie making. I rarely make them anymore because she often does. In fact, there are times when I am in bed and the house is quiet and dark… and all of a sudden I will smell chocolate chip cookie aroma wafting up the stairs. Even at one o clock in the morning there really isn’t an incense that I love better.

Random, but true story. When I was in high school I got a job at a new company, The Great American Cookie Co.   I am not sure why I took it – It was one of those things that you do on a whim. I had my own  freelance window and visual merchandising company that handled several small businesses in the Dallas area and that the big stores used when they had a large event coming up – like Christmas. I also was modeling once in awhile and was represented by a few art galleries in the area.  When you figure in the time I spent partying (it WAS the 70′s after all) I had very little time to squeeze school into there.  Anyway, I decided to work at the cookie place – it was my first real introduction to baking and working with frosting. I came home every night smelling like chocolate chip cookies – and I had many, many offers for dates.  Coincidence? I think not. It is my belief that the aroma of chocolate chip cookies is more alluring than any pheromone out there.

Anyway.

These are amazing; really truly amazing. The outside is delicately crispy and the insides are chewy. The dough is buttery and vanilla with a delicate almond nuance that just whispers its presence. The pecans are toasted for added texture and flavor and the combination of several types of chocolate makes for several layers of flavors that create waves of ecstasy that your tongue may never recover from.

You will never put a Chips Ahoy in your mouth again. Never. The Keebler elves may need to consider repairing shoes on the side.

They are that good.

This recipe is the foundation for any type of chocolate chip cookie I make from the Reese’s stuffed cookies I posted earlier this week to all of the chocolate chip cookie recipes in my cookbook. And any I do in the future? You can bet that this will be the beginning recipe.

These freeze beautifully. One thing I like to do is make a huge batch and then drop them by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, very close together. I pop them in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then put them in freezer containers. Next time I want cookies I just preheat the oven and add a dozen or so of the frozen cookie dough balls to a cookie sheet. Bake as usual and I can serve hot, fresh chocolate chip cookies in less than 15 minutes with no mess.

I din’t get the reputation for being Wonder Woman for nothing.

© 2011 Marye Audet

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“Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!”

“You got peanut butter in my chocolate!”

What innocent days those were. No one was naked, no one passed gas, made suggestive comments, or was disgusting (unless the idea of peanut butter and chocolate grosses you out). It was just a commercial.

I liked those days. I liked t.v. in those days. In fact, I enjoyed going to the store when the music was playing just soft instrumental and I didn’t have to hear “F-ing Nig–r, pop a cap in yo a–/ Wish I had some F-ing reefer, yo/ I say F–k because I can’t sing worth a sh-t… Uh huh.”

Those lyrics might be a bit jumbled but you get the idea. It seems that to be creative these days you must either use absolutely foul language, have at least one image of a close to naked woman with state of the art, multi -layered, enhanced boobage (can they put light bulbs in those things? Seems like that would actually be a good idea so you don’t trip over anything in the dark…), and at least several references to sexual acts that are still illegal in some states.

All of that to say that I mourn the loss of real creativity. I blame Saturday Night Live. I am not sure it is their fault but someone has to take the hit for this and it might as well be them.

These peanut butter cup stuffed chocolate chip cookies are not naughty. They are not suggestive. They are not sexy. They are just dang awful good and if you can eat just one of them you havemuch more will power than I do.

Rich and buttery chocolate chip cookie dough is wrapped around a peanut butter cup (not the full sized ones but the snack sized ones that come individually wrapped in the bags).

When you bake it the peanut butter cup gets melty, the cookie inside gets chewy and the outer part gets perfectly crispy. It is really hard to wait for the cookies to cool enough to eat them – but they need time to set. After about five minutes (or ten if you are very disciplined) you bite into these things and layer after layer of flavor explodes in you mouth.

It’s good.

Chocolate, vanilla, butter, peanut butter….

Be sure that you have completely enclosed the peanut butter cup in the cookie dough or the candy will melt all over the place and the middle of the cookie will be empty – bereft of it’s magic…. hollow and without life… and  that’s no fun.

When I made these the dough was perfect for forming around the candy – if you find that your dough is too sticky or loose then just put it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so and give it another try. Don’t grease the cookie sheets – you don’t want these to spread too much.

You are now 20 minutes away from Heaven. Ready, set, go…

© 2011 Marye Audet

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Whatever the reason, they are fun to serve and easy to make. 

These beef sliders were made with ground sirloin. There was nearly no fat left in the broiler rack after I baked them. The Panko gives them a little more texture than regular bread crumbs but if you don’t have Panko use what you have.

The sauce is sweet-salty-tangy-garlicky and when paired with the pineapply-sweet Hawaiian bread rolls the combination is outstanding. If you can’t find the Hawaiian bread use any roll you want. I don’t think you can make a mistake with these. Everyone loved them.

Beware. I put these in the crockpot on low before church and by the time we got home 5 hours later they had started to scorch. I am not sure if it was my crockpot or my timing. In any case, the first time you make these plan on being home so you can see exactly how long to cook them in your slow cooker.

Even scorched these were a hit. They are perfectly suited for Superbowl parties – not too messy, and easy to eat out of hand.

© 2011 Marye Audet

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The thing is that jalapeno poppers are a pain to make and they disappear so fast that it almost isn’t worth it – almost. Well, this jalapeno popper dip has the flavor, bite, and crunch of the poppers but it is so easy to make that it is ridiculous. Serve it with some chips or toasted baguette slices and be prepared to watch it disappear. In fact, if you are really smart? Yeah, you’ll make two batches.

You can make this ahead and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve but don’t add the crumb-parmesan layer until you are ready to bake it. The crumbs will be soggy and never crisp up right at all. Bake the dip just before serving and serve it hot.

Don’t be afraid to adjust the amount of jalapenos to your own taste – you can add more or less. The chilies give it plenty of flavor without adding heat. The recipe as written is about medium hot. Half or double the jalapeno to adjust it.

This dip is made of minimal ingredients that give you maximum flavor.

Grated cheese and Panko crumbs give the hot dip a tasty crunch.

I decided at the last minute that the dip needed a little more flavor – from Colby-Jack cheese.

After a few minutes in the oven you end up with this… Serve with chips or toasted slices of baguette.

© 2011 Marye Audet

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We’ll get to that recipe in just a minute.

I am still elbow deep in the middle of a kitchen restoration – or, more accurately, Marc is.

Old houses do not have plumb walls. Just because you from one part of the wall you can’t guarantee that the measurement will be the same higher or lower on the wall.

Ask us how we know.

So, we had a brief setback but I am happy to say that at this point the majority of the work in the kitchen is done. We still need to buy the marble slab. We need to finish tiling the built in spice rack,  patch holes, mud, and paint. I need to decide on fabric for curtains and the window seat cushion.

The blacksplash is looking amazing, I love the pattern. And the small alcove in the wall is where the built in spice rack is going to go. White tiles with glass shelves. I think it will be beautiful but also keep the herbs and spices I cook with the most right where I need them.

I know tile has been given a bad reputation but I love it because it is easy to clean, and durable. At my house, with the number of kids I have and the amount of cooking I do? I heart durable. A lot.

I am getting used to my new oven and stove and how they work. I have not worked with a convection oven before so that is taking a little  concentration and trial and error… and with everything still being chaotic it is hard for me to cook, even with the ritalin that the VA put me on last month. Chaos is a quick way to make me crazy. Crazier.

Whatever.

Anyway, I am having trouble maneuvering around the kitchen at the moment and I was looking for something that would be fast and the kids would love. In fact, the biggest test of all – I wanted something I could make on a karate night… the kids have to be at karate at 6 p.m. So, easy, fast, family friendly.

I love Allrecipes.com, don’t you? You can read recipes, save them to your box, and read what other people have said about them. I really wish that people would comment on food blogs more than they do – it would serve the same purpose. Anyway, I was surfing the site and ended up bookmarking about 10 recipes.

This one, Monterey Chicken Tortilla Casserole looked easy with only a few ingredients. There was no cream of ick soup in there which was a big plus for me. I wanted to add some onion and peppers because I love their fresh flavor in this type of dish. I didn’t change the recipe too much because it seemed easy and straightforward.

I put it in the oven on convection at 5 pm, knowing that we had to leave by 5:35 at the latest. Talk about a test!

While the casserole baked  (really just warmed through) I made a salad and had the kids clear and set the table…

I checked it at 5:25 and it was hot all the way through, the cheese was melted and it smelled amazing. But would they like it?

This dish got six thumbs up. All of the kids liked it… a lot. Comments like, “Wow Mom, it’s delicious!” permeated the fragrant air of the kitchen.

Success!

Nothing crazy here – just straight-forward, straight up, easy food that everyone has heard of. I would not freeze this – I think it would get soggy and the texture would be off. It is easy enough to throw together at the last minute so no need for making ahead, unless you want to saute the chicken and vegetables ahead of time and save 10 minutes or so.

All in all this takes about 30 minutes start to finish, depending on your knife skills. You’ll put this one at the front of your recipe box, I am pretty sure!

Step by step images after the recipe.

There are no weird ingredients in this one.

Practice your knife skills. Remember to keep your knife sharp and change cutting boards and knives between the chicken and the vegetables. The more uniform the sizes of the chopped foods the better it will cook.

Make layers with the various ingredients starting with half of the chips as a base. End with the rest of the chips and cheese.

That is really all there is to it.

When we left for karate? Yeah, the dish was empty. They inhaled it in less that five minutes.

I love this casserole dish… Red with white dots? Yes please! (just click on the picture for more details )

© 2011 Marye Audet

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Anyway, I don’t get a chance to see who is doing what unless I purposely take a day and blog surf. I am always amazed at the talent of so many food bloggers. Is it any wonder that publishers and media are courting food bloggers right and left? I don’t think so!

When I was in high school I never really fit in anywhere. I felt that I did not have a lot in common with anyone. I was intelligent, creative, artistic and pulled top grades without studying … I rebelled, drank, smoked pot, and was generally wild.

I was too straight for the wild crowd and too wild for the straight crowd.

When I was a young mom and the older kids were kids, it seemed that I heard a lot of comparison among mothers on how to parent. To co-sleep or not to co-sleep, bottle or breast, hospital or homebirth… then the kids got older… homeschool or conventional school… date or courtship…. I always found myself in between; straddling the barbed wire fence so to speak.

In other words there were always lines drawn, comparisons made, sides taken. There was competition. Peer pressure in a big way, you aren’t a real mom unless you ______________ (fill in the blank).  You aren’t a real christian unless you________________.

Now I am seeing things that hint at the same kind of thing in food blogging. You have the organic, eat clean, local, fresh group and then the who has time for that crap I am buying a mix group.  Neither is a problem until someone starts explaining why they are really in touch or they make real food that real people eat or even my body is my temple and you obviously don’t care about your family.

Some blogs make me feel like I should put on a trenchcoat, glasses and a fake nose with Groucho style mustache if I am going to the store to pick up a package of hot dogs. It doesn’t happen often around here but it does happen. Once in awhile we buy  a package of hot dogs.

Other blogs make me feel like I am out of touch with readers because I suggest making your own catsup and encourage my readers to stay away from HFCS, and eat organic as much as possible.

I don’t ever want anyone to feel intimidated or inferior because of what they eat, what they like, or how they cook. I happen to absolutely adore ADORE lobster. My favorite meal at the local steakhouse is filet mignon and lobster… but I also LOVE chili dogs and rootbeer floats. I know what is in hot dogs, I know what is in Wolf Brand chili, and QUITE FRANKLY MY DEAR I DON’T GIVE A DAMN. There are sometimes when there is nothing that will satiate my cravings other than a chili dog, chips, and a root beer float. Boxed mac and cheese? My kids like that better than homemade :::sob:::: and I have even made boxed mac and cheese last night recently.

As of this moment no one has died.

I have 6 kids at home, although Matt leaves next Monday for Air Force boot camp so it will be 5. Of those 5, three are boys and two are boys just entering into their teens and their appetites are just gearing up. My monthly grocery bill would have bought a Rolls Royce in 1920.

Sometimes I can’t buy the things I want to.  I shop sales, clearance meats…. I am careful about not buying milk with bGH but I can’t always afford the organic and we don’t have dairy goats anymore. I often grow my own vegetables but for the last few years I haven’t been able to. I don’ t always get to farmer’s market as much as I want to.

Sometimes…sometimes when I am reading blogs that are super perfect organic I feel guilty. Sometimes when I read blogs that make it seem like eating convenience foods is the only option for busy women on a budget I feel angry.

The truth is that all of us have to make wise choices for our families based on our own situation. No one can make those choices for us. No one should be able to make us feel guilty for not fitting into one of the conveniently cookie cuttered groups.

You know whether or not you are doing your best to provide healthy meals for your family. You are the only one that does know…and you are the only one that should judge what you are doing.

I know I am rambling…

You know, Paula Deen has come under a lot of flack this week – and maybe she deserved it and maybe she didn’t. The thing is that her type of cooking is PERFECT for a restaurant because it isn’t something you should eat everyday…. but she published recipe books and people could now make those “once in awhile luxury foods” every day and they did. The result is not healthy but really? Did people not get that eating a pound of butter or bacon at every meal was not smart? That wasn’t Paula’s fault.

Some recipes are meant as everyday food and some are not. Just like you would not wear that fabulous little black dress to mop the floor.

What I am saying is… Please. Read my blog, make my recipes, enjoy the food… hate the food, if you want… but understand that we are all individuals with different needs. You don’t have to be in one group or the other. You can just be you. Some of the recipes are great for everyday eating… some are for special occasions.

Be smart.

Every food blog makes reality food. It may not be reality for you but it is reality for the person that makes it. Frankly, I am tired of jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon. I like to make whole grain bread with freshly milled flour that I ground in my wheat grinder… BUT many times it is bread from the store. I stay away from the types with HFCS but other than that? Yeah. Sorry. Sometimes I buy bread. It does not make me less of a food writer and it does not make me less of a caring mom. In the past I have made lasagne with organic tomatoes, peppers, and basil from my garden, ricotta cheese I had made from the fresh, organic goat’s milk I had milked that morning, fresh eggs from our heritage breed chickens, free range ground bison, and homemade whole wheat pasta (made with freshly ground flour). THAT did not make me more of a food writer or a better mom.

Whether you are new to Restless Chipotle or have been reading since the Baking Delights days… leave your competitive nature at the kitchen door. Come in, relax, chat with me, look around… take what you love and leave what you hate.

And let’s all do just what works for us without worrying about how others are doing it. ‘k?

© 2011 Marye Audet

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What had been the kitchen was turned into a bedroom – and we turned it into the media room.

There are things I like about this and things I don’t like. First of all, I mourn drastic changes to old houses. Second, I mourn the loss of a formal dining room, although I doubt that I would have ever used it except on holidays. Thirdly, The peninsula was constantly stacked up with one thing or another. Any mess in the kitchen was immediately apparent.

As you can imagine, Marc has had plenty… PLENTY of help in this. I think that all of the kids have learned a lot. He is incredibly patient with letting them help, answering bazillions of questions, and showing them how things were done.

He moved the peninsula back and formed the base.

The thing is that I loved the fact that the kids could sit at the peninsula and talk to me while I cooked. The peninsula was a great, open work space. And, a 400 square foot kitchen is probably a lot more fun that a 250 square foot dining room and a 150 square foot kitchen.

When Marc and I talked about it I shared my frustrations with the peninsula. It was my main workspace so I needed something there… But tile would be a problem because of the need to roll and knead dough… there were not enough electrical outlets to handle the many appliances that I sometimes run…and… most of all… I wanted the kids to still be able to sit there, but I didn’t want the entire kitchen to be open to the dining area.

Marc suggested that we raise the bar part of the counter 6-9 inches and place a 12 inch wooden counter on the raised area. This would allow for a bar that could be used for eating, snacks or talking to me as I worked. The work surface and the rest of the kitchen would be hidden to anyone sitting at the table and the back would have four electric boxes added to it,giving me a total of 5  boxes (10 outlets) for that space. Then he would leave a cutout when he tiled and install a large hunk of black granite or marble as a pastry board.

Perfect!

I wanted mostly drawers on this work space, with a large cupboard for the mixer, fryer, and other large appliances. The drawers would hold utensils, bowls, baking pans, and everything else I needed in a real prep center. The dishwasher would be moved to the sink counter, which made more sense, and we would just keep one rather than having two. Worked for me.

He also extended the peninsula a few inches to give me more space. During all of this the peninsula was also moved back a few inches and we discovered some issues that we haven’t decided how to deal with yet… The wood beneath the peninsula is awful.. potentially I am going to paint and stencil a border around the floor to mask it. It is solid but just not very pretty.

As you can see there was some badly done repairs and patches… and just… well… eww. Marc has also talked about removing the bad wood and patching in some good stuff… which we could do from one of the closet floors where it wouldn’t matter as much.

I adore this man.

He has spent the past two years watching me work and figuring out what would be the most efficient setup…what I needed and what I didn’t. The tile I picked out was not the easiest to work with. He spent a couple of days carefully cutting and matching pieces. With me nothing is easy, and that is just the way it is. Even choosing the right kind of grout was difficult because I wanted what would have been used originally, not anything with silicone. I didn’t want bright white….

You get the idea.

We still do not have the marble in… we are getting that today. The back of the counter has not been installed yet.  But the rest of it is done and it looks fantastic!

© 2011 Marye Audet

If you are going to do this – and you have a historic home – you may find these resources from amazon helpful:

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Last year y’all made my blog more awesome than I could ever have hoped. You read, you shared, you followed me on Facebook and Twitter..and Pinterest…and…

It was all awesome but the goal for this year is for you to learn to hit the comment button, k?

Anyway… Here are the readers choice awards for Restless Chipotle… The top 10 recipes for 2011

10. Coconut Key Lime Cupcakes with Key Lime Curd Buttercream
9. Pink Velvet Cake
8. French Vanilla Cupcakes
7. Browned Butter Banana Rum Cupcakes
6. No Cook Chocolate Billionaires
5. Creme Brulee Cupcakes
4. Red Velvet Cheesecake Marbled Cupcakes
3. 50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet
2. All the Stuff You Don’t Want to Eat… but You Do Anyway
1. 50 best Cupcake Recipes on the Internet

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