Chocolate Hazelnut Drop Cookies

I know why cookies were invented.  They were invented to help one cope with work deadlines and similar highly stressful situations.  They were invented to bring a calm over the eater.  And they were most definitely invented to ensure that I am not the next subject of that "Snapped" television series.  These are my reasons for baking these cookies.

I've had a very difficult week and the thing that got me through it was these cookies. Let's just say that I have a bottle of nutella in my pantry and I'm not afraid to use it.  Giada's recipe is simple, straightforward and filled with butter. This is how I want to live my life.

These are not your ordinary cookies. They will not be chewy or cake-y. They will be light and crispy and that's OK. Don't be afraid to add extra chocolate chips into the batter to ensure extra chocolate chip-y goodness. You won't be disappointed. In fact, I would recommend bringing a half cup of chocolate chips to the party (aka the batter) next time. We all need to take a walk on the wild side sometimes.

Blue Cheese and Red Potatoes Tart

Potatoes and blue cheese should be a match made in heaven.  In fact, I'm pretty sure they are.  I have proven that with this tart.  It was a very short and subjective study, but as long as it's published on the internet it's true, right?

I'm a fan of Deb at the Smitten Kitchen food blog.  She has a fairly simple and approachable attitude toward food that I can get behind.  I've been drawn to several of her recipes in the past, but I was mesmerized by the Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart recipe on her site.  I was actually mesmerized a while ago (back in 2010) but I re-discovered this recipe while rifling through my bookmarks for a quick tart to whip up for brunch last weekend.  (Let's face it.  There just aren't enough days and events in my life to make all the food I want to make!)

This is a rustic, simple tart and I'm so so so glad I choose this recipe to make.  The potato, blue cheese, and rosemary combination was something I've discovered I can't get enough of.  This tart was scrumptious and it's a fact that everyone needs this in their life.

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

 

Don't give me the side-eye for the details I'm about to divulge.

I made this chicken while I was sleeping.  I am not kidding.  This was the easiest, tastiest pulled chicken recipe ever.  Now, I don't normally do something this, but it had been a hectic week and it was about to be a hectic weekend.  So I decided to sneak in some cooking time overnight.  I fired up the crockpot when I got home late on a Thursday and by Friday morning, the deed was done.

Now I have to admit that I was slightly inconvenienced by having to wake up twice during the night to stir the contents of the crockpot and make sure it wasn't burning, but this was completely something that I felt the need to do.  It's not required.  If you think about it, many people turn on their crockpots to make meals while they're at work all day.  Presumably, no stirring goes on during that time and their meals seem to pull through in the end.

No matter when you choose to make this chicken though, I would like to assure you that it will be absolutely tasty and flavorful.

Sweet Potato Macaroni and Cheese with Peas and Bacon

We all know that bacon makes it better.  Who doesn't know that?  You? Oh, well now you know.  It does.

You know what else makes it better?  Sweet potatoes.  Truth.

This month for my Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was matched up to the Veggie Converter blog.  Now I'm not a vegetarian.  However, I don't think Kristi will hold my love of bacon against me.  At least I hope not!

Kristi is a wife and a mom of two kids and makes delicious vegetarian and vegan meals for them.  I really think Kristi and I were meant to be friends in this life.  You may ask why.  This is totally because we share a passion for freezing food.  In Kristi's case, she's trying to feed her family healthy meals on a daily basis.  In my case, I simply don't want my meals to spoil while I'm traveling for work each week.  Freezing allows me to choose a variety of meals to defrost and eat whenever I return.  I like to think of these as personalized gourmet meals.  Kristi knows where it's at.

Lamb Meatballs in a Mint Tomato Sauce

Confession: This was my first time ever making meatballs. I've been cooking pretty regularly for years, but meatballs have never been on my radar.  I'm not sure why.  They really should be, since I love bite-sized food.

In an effort to get away from the various vegetarian meals I've been posting recently on this blog, I dug deep into the recesses of the black hole that is my Bookmarks library.  I reached in and pulled out this recipe.  It's been on my mind to make these lamb meatballs for a while now so I figured there was no time like the present.

I love lamb.  Lamb chops, lamb ragu with mint, lamb burgers.  Let's make it all happen.  Let's also add these lamb meatballs into the rotation.  They were succulent and delicious and perfectly paired with the mint tomato sauce and a serving of cous cous.

Frankly, I don't know how I've managed to live so long without this.