Chocolate Chip Cookies

As I've grown older and more fond of my kitchen, I have found treats produced from my kitchen to be the best way to show people that I care.  This week is my last week at a lovely job that I've held for almost six years.  The people who work in my office, including a few professional staff and lots of hungry college students, have lit up my day, every day for a long time and I can't think of a better way to say thanks then a yummy batch of these classically, always good, chocolate chip cookies.

Once again, for the basics, I turn to my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.  It's not the prettiest cookbook or the most fun to read, but I'm of the opinion that you should perfect the basics before you try to get all fancy with them.  It helps to know why a recipe turns out well before adjusting it.  That's why, more often than not, I open up the red and white kitchen bible.

Roasted Garlic Spread

Saturday night was date night, and the husband and I both felt a hankering for some garlic.  We drove ourselves to Garlic Jo's, which used to be quite the garlic-laced dinner spot.  I was very disappointed this time around to receive an appetizer of "roasted garlic" that was still hard... Hard garlic?  At a garlic restaurant?  Fuggedaboudit!

I was determined to do better, but was in need of a guide.  Enter the cooking bible - the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, with the answer: "Roasted Garlic Spread."  I just LOVE the fixins list for this one...

PB&J Waffle Sandwiches

Waffles have been my nemesis since I received my Belgian waffle iron for Christmas from a dear friend.  I had been yearning for the appliance, and it was finally mine.  To make a long story short, I went through three waffle irons before I discovered that it was I who was preparing the waffles wrong and not the parade of waffle irons being defective...embarrassing to say the least.  Once I discovered the root of my waffle debacle, I tried yet again to create the tasty waffles of my childhood.  The result was finally cooked properly, but was also dense, oily, and most definitely NOT tasty.  The waffle iron was banished to a cupboard, until now.

The same friend that gave me the waffle iron must have sensed my desperation, and for my birthday she gave me Waffles: Sweet & Savory Recipes for Every Meal by Tara Duggan.   After perusing the basics, I had my "aha!" moment.  For the correct texture for Belgian waffles, you are supposed to whip the egg whites separately and add them to the batter at the end!  Salvation!  Armed with my new found knowledge, I mustered up the courage to open the cupboard and dig out the waffle iron.  What better way to break the cycle of waffle misery than with a classic childhood treat, peanut butter and jelly?  PB&J Waffle Sandwiches, to the rescue!

The Lady's Warm Potato Salad

I was reading Paula Deen - A Memoir - It Aint All About the Cookin' on the bus as I rode home from work.  I hit the "Food, Glorious Food, Southern Style" chapter, and I new my dinner fate was sealed.  I've had a hankering for potato salad and have so far been dissatisfied with most pre-made varieties that have crossed my path.  It is high time, I decided, to forge ahead and create my own path, bespeckled with bits of potato and spoonfuls of mayo, of course.

The Lady's Warm Potato Salad comes from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen, owner of the Georgian restaurant by the same name.  Since I started reading her memoir last weekend, I've been dying to make one of her recipes.  It's Friday at 6pm, I'm in my pajamas, what is a girl to do but open up some wine and whip up some southern yumminess?

Roasted Green Chile & Tomatillo Mac & Cheese

I adore macaroni and cheese.  It is the quintessential comfort food and is my favorite dish - to eat.  I specify, to eat, because unless it comes from the blue box, I have yet to achieve homemade macaroni and cheese perfection.  The finicky bechamels, the endless cheese grating, and the annoying need to bake the concoction all add up to frustration on my part as I strive for something that hearkens back to my childhood - creamy, cheesy, dreamy, and no silly breadcrumbs.

I'm not a purist necessarily and I will be the first to admit that there are a number of ingredients that can indeed enhance a bowl of mac & cheese, like bacon or broccoli.  When I came across the recipe for "Roasted Green Chile and Tomatillo Mac and Cheese" in the stove-top section of my new Macaroni & Cheese cookbook by Marlena Spieler, I knew I had to try it.  Green chiles and cheese?  Dynamite flavor combo!