Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I came across a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that said "These are the best chocolate chip cookies ever!", I just had to try them. Let's just say that they don't disappoint! These cookies are thick and chewy, just like we like them.



I found the recipe on a blog called Chocolate Bytes.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups + 2 Tb all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside. Mix butter and sugars in mixer until well combined. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Using a cookie scoop, place cookies two inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.



Whoops! I stuck my finger in one by accident. (well, I just HAD to lick it off of my finger instead of wiping it off!) MMM...ooey, gooey chocolatey heaven!

Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables

For tonight's dinner, I tried a new recipe called Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables. It was delicious! I found this recipe posted on FamilyCorner.com by member kathymac.


Here is the original recipe:

Spicy Orange Beef with Vegetables

Makes 4 servings.

3/4 pound beef top round, trimmed of all
visible fat, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 pound green beans
, halved crosswise
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 carrot, cut into matchstick-thin strips

(I doubled the recipe. I also subbed mushrooms for the carrots.)

Combine beef, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and orange rind in a medium bowl; toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, broth, orange juice, soy sauce, sugar and crushed pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of the oil, then add the beef. Stir-fry until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Swirl the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, then add the ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the green beans, bell pepper and carrot. Stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the beef and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Note: when I cooked the beef at the beginning, I left it slightly pink when I removed it from the pan. Since it is sliced so thin, it will finish cooking very quickly when you put it back in the pan at the end for an additional minute.

(The next time I make this, I am going to try it with a little more orange juice instead and less beef broth for more of a "orangey" flavor. I skipped the ginger because I didn't have any but I will definitely add it in the next time, along with a little more red pepper flakes.)

After all of the prep work, it comes together rather quickly and easily. I added spaghetti noodles to the dish instead of serving it over rice. Everyone really enjoyed it. It's a keeper!

I'm submitting this for my BookMarked Recipe of the Week for next week. Check here for more info. on how you can join me!


Check out this week's BookMarked Recipes.

TWD - Blackberry Crumb Muffins

This week's Tuesday with Dorie recipe was Blueberry Crumb Cake. It was chosen by Sihan of Befuddlement. Thanks for choosing a great recipe!

I decided to make muffins instead of the cake, as they are easier to pack up to send with my husband for his lunch.


I replaced the nuts in the recipe with almonds and the blueberries with blackberries. The baking time was shortened to about 30 minutes. I got 20 muffins out of this recipe. They turned out very light and moist. My husband and I really liked them.

Be sure to check out Sihan's blog for the recipe. Take a look at the TWD blogroll to see many wonderful variations of this recipe. I love reading all of the different twists that were tried with this one. Warning.....you will probably leave the blogroll very hungry!

Trying to save money by menu planning

We talked about menu planning at Amanda's Cookin' blog two weeks ago on Thrifty Thursday. I said then that I was going to make an effort to save money by planning a weekly menu. I've never stuck to one for very long before. Hopefully this go 'round I will be a little more successful.

Here is my first menu:

Monday - meatloaf w/ gravy, buttered potatoes, steamed broccoli
Tuesday - spicy orange beef w/noodles
Wednesday -breakfast for Dinner--pancakes, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and toast
Thursday - crockpot pork chops with cream of mushroom gravy over egg noodles, green beans
Friday - homemade pizza roll-ups and salad
Saturday -chicken tortellini soup w/homemade ciabatta bread
Sunday - spaghetti and meatballs w/homemade Italian herb bread (This is usually my shopping day)


Tonight's meal went over well...even though my kids don't really like cooked potatoes. We ate late because my son had to stay after school to practice his part in a school play. Everyone was starving so I didn't bother to take pictures.

I made a huge meatloaf:

3 lbs of hamburger
1 C. of Ritz crackers, crushed fine
1/2 C. ketchup --I am picky, I only like Heinz
1/2 C. milk
2 eggs
1 package of Lipton onion soup mix
extra garlic and onion seasonings
a few splash of Worcestershire sauce

Mixed it altogether with my hands and formed a large rectangle of meat in a 9x13 pan. Baked it at 350* for about an hour. I drained the grease off of it half way through the cooking. We like brown gravy served on our meatloaf instead of any type of tomato topping.

I'd planned on making dessert but the night got away from me.

Thrifty Thursday a day late

Lately I have been late doing everything. I hate it, it's not me. I'm usually on time or early for the things that I have planned to do.

I hadn't planned on participating in Thrifty Thursday this week because I haven't done any frugal this week. Even the cookbooks that I bought for a steal turned out too good to be true --but that's a story I want to forget about. What's that they say... "If it seems too good to be true..."

Anyway.... I came across a nice freebie this morning and wanted to pass it along to everyone in hopes that you can take advantage of it. Who doesn't love Italian ice?!?

You can enjoy a FREE 10 oz. cup of Italian Ice from Rita's today from noon until 10:00 pm. Check here to see if there is a shop near you! Unfortunately, I don't have a shop nearby so I'd love to hear from you if you take part in this one!

So there you have it, a Thrifty Thursday food freebie! I love freebies!!



Check out more Thrifty Thursday tips at Amanda's Cookin' blog.