When Chocolate Chip Cookies are needed STAT!

The boys group Andy leads is doing their baking badge and the needed an easy cookie recipe that didn't require a whole lot of equipment. Last week they made cupcakes, next week cookies. The last time I let the boys use my mixer they started peeling my decals off of it... yes, my mixer is pimped out - are you surprised? you shouldn't be... it's been like that for almost 20 years. Anyway... something easier, but something quick. I found a no chill brown butter recipe which I converted into just a melted butter, modified ingredient amounts, then of course we needed a test. So, Friday after work I whipped up a batch of these cookies, they were gone by Sunday. So, you could say they were enjoyed, quickly.
So, if you need a quick batch of yummy soft cookies that get put together really quickly and even 5th and 6th grade boys can do it? These are great.

No Chill Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large cold egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter in microwave Add brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla and whisk to blend. Add whole egg and whisk until incorporated. Then whisk in baking soda and salt.
Add the flour and fold it in until mostly combined, then fold in chocolate chunks.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Use two spoons to scoop 14 pieces and roll into smooth balls. Place them onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Flatten slightly and bake for 9-11 minutes until golden around the edges and still slightly gooey in the center (they will set as they cool). Let cookies cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet.

AI doesn't know how to cook or bake...

Another day another AI recipe. How did I get stung twice in one week? I usually get my recipes from very reputable people but this one just looked so good - guess why? AI... ugh. Once I realized the photo was made up and the directions made absolutely no sense, I started figuring it out on my own. First off, strawberry pie filling from a can? Hard pass, even if you can find it, that does not make a fresh and wonderful dessert. Gross. I have seen tubs of glaze in the produce section of some stores, just not any that I frequent. I found a recipe for glaze (it's listed below) it's easy and works great, also uses fresh strawberries. Here's another tip - be smart about your cream mixture... I mixed up my cream cheese, tossed in my pudding mix, THEN added milk and ended up with chunk wetness all over the place, don't be me. Mix your pudding ahead, then slowly add it - avoid the chunk shower. Ugh.
On to assembly - the photo I had was not at all what the instructions said, so I forged my own way. Originally it said to layer it in an 8 x 8 baking dish. So, an entire angel food cake cut into cubes, a vat of cream, and strawberry pie filling, tucked nicely in an 8 x 8 pan? Are you insane? Come on AI, do better. I used a giant glass dish that I never use and it worked perfectly, you could see the layers and it worked great. This ended up being a wonderful dessert, which a LOT of edits. This was great for a warm spring night - fresh flavors that everyone enjoyed.
Just remember, if a recipe looks weird and doesn't seem to add up, use your common sense and make the changes and don't trust random crap you see on the internet.

Heaven on Earth Cake
16-ounce box angel food cake mix
21-ounce can strawberry pie filling (or make Strawberry Glaze and fold in 1 pound of sliced strawberries)
8-ounce block cream cheese
3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
1.5 cups milk
8-ounce container Cool Whip whipped topping

Prepare the angel food cake as directed on the package. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
Make Glaze and cool, add in strawberries
Mix together pudding mix and milk, set aside.
Beat block of cream cheese, slowly add pudding mixture, fold in cool whip.
In a large clear glass bowl, make three layers starting with angel food cake cubes, cream mixture, then strawberry mixture. Layer them until ending with strawberries on top.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.

Strawberry glaze recipe
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 (3-ounce) package strawberry Jello

In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and water. Turn on the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture tods a boil. Cook and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened.
Remove the pan from heat. Add in the strawberry gelatin. Whisk until completely dissolved.
Chill the glaze in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just slightly cooled. Don’t let it chill too long or it will start to set. We’re just refrigerating it briefly to let it shed heat.
Use the glaze immediately while it’s still spoonable and pourable. Or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Worrying that AI may have got me...

I was worried I got AI-ed with this recipe… When I prepped the ingredients the weekend before I hadn’t read the instructions. Well, they were colorful to say the least… Very colorful. As I was pouring all that liquid into the veggies I realized maybe I should have cooked the orzo in that liquid, I did end up using maybe a half cup of cream, mostly because my container was frozen and that’s all I could get thawed in the time I was making this. Also, I pulled out some of the liquid and added some cornstarch to thicken things up a bit. So, this ended up being served like soup instead of a pasta. It tasted great, but it was not what I thought. Andy liked it, so did the kids! I think next time I’d probably toss the uncooked past into the pot and let it suck up all that liquid. In the end I think someone tossed this recipe into AI to make it sound great… it didn’t, it sounded dumb. No one talks like that. I updated the language to be less…. dumb. I’m sure I’ll get nailed by an AI recipe at some point, I try to use reputable sites, but every once in a while something just looks so good – too good.
Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Orzo Recipe
2 cups cooked orzo pasta
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions and Instructions
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the cubed chicken and cook until it’s browned and cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Once done, remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.
In the same pot, add diced onion, minced garlic, diced carrots, and diced celery. Sauté vegetables until they soften and become fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, and dried thyme. Stir well and bring this mixture to a gentle simmer.
Now, bring back the cooked orzo, the frozen peas, and the sautéed chicken to the pot. Stir everything until well combined.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, allowing it to melt.
Before serving, garnish your pot pie orzo with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Pam's my girl! If she has flour...

If you are looking for all chocolate and nothing but the chocolate - this bundt cake is for you. Two mixes - a chocolate cake and a brownie mix make this one really simple, but also very heavy! I made this cake for a church dinner. Bundt cakes are great for feeding a crowd, easy to serve and eat. The frosting is an easy ganache, you could use canned frosting too if you wanted to go even easier.
Use one big bowl to mix up the cake batter and use Pam with Flour to very well coat the bundt pan. I use Pam with flour when I bake for my pans, the baked goods always come out easier than just regular Pam/spray. Pam's my girl! Ok that's weird. But legit... worthwhile... just don't use it for and gluten free baking! That would be dumb. But make this cake! Share with lots of people! They'll love it.

Chocolate Brownie Bundt Cake
For the cake
1 15.25 oz. chocolate cake mix
1 18.3 oz. brownie mix
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup oil
1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the ganache
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 10 cup bundt pan.
In a large bowl, beat both mixes, eggs, oil and water until mostly smooth. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Pour into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before inverted the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the ganache, place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Let stand for a few minutes, then whisk until ganache is smooth and shiny.
Pour ganache over cake and serve.

Even cheap parm gets stinky

I've been wanting to make this Pizza Monkey Bread for a while, and my life doesn't really have an appetizer section in it... I thought I needed one to have this. If someone had told me as a kid that for the rest of my adult life, I'm responsible for planning, preparing, purchasing, making every meal I'd have for the rest of my natural life, I might have said no thanks. Trust me... it gets REALLY old. I decided this was dinner last Saturday. Nicholas and I were outside building a trellis in the cold wind, and I knew I needed to be somewhere at a certain time, so I abandoned my kid, ran in and tossed this together quickly. I'd found an older bottle of grated parmesan in the cabinet since we ran out... opened it - whoa... that stuff ages stinkily. Even a little was TOO much... Wow... note to self... pick up a new one! But I tossed that baby in the oven and ran back out. It came out of the pan with some coaxing, but we got it! Dipped it in marinara and it was great! Everyone really liked it, maybe less stinky parm next time, but it was a great snacky dinner.

Pizza Monkey Bread
32 oz refrigerated canned biscuit dough, quartered
6 oz pepperoni, sliced (cut in halves)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Fresh parsley, for garnish
Marinara sauce, for dipping

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease a Bundt pan thoroughly to prevent sticking.
Cut biscuits into quarters
Slice pepperoni into halves
Smaller pieces ensure even baking and distribution.
In a large bowl, combine:
Biscuit pieces, Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Melted butter, Italian seasoning, Garlic powder, Garlic salt, Red pepper flakes (if using)
Toss until everything is evenly coated.
Spoon mixture into the prepared pan.
Lightly press down—but do not pack tightly. Airflow helps it bake properly.
Bake for 35–40 minutes.
If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last 10 minutes.
The internal dough should be fully cooked and no longer doughy in the center.
Let rest for 5–10 minutes.
Carefully invert onto a serving plate.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Serve warm with marinara for dipping.