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What is the hardest part of being pregnant?
No, not the insomnia despite the fact that you're perpetually exhausted. Not being able to eat cookie dough. That is the worst part of being pregnant. I know all about those warnings of not eating raw cookie dough because of the eggs and the eggs=death. Under normal, non-pregnant circumstances I give those warnings no heed. I've been sampling the cookie dough all my life, nothing is going to stop me now! Except, now I am pregnant and carrying this tiny little six ounce creature whose immune system is only just developing. She counts on me for everything. I live in perpetual fear that I will do something to injure her in some way. Thus it is that cookie dough has become off limits for me. Except it's hard to make cookies and not take a swipe, so I've made some substitutions to keep my dough egg free and my daughter salmonella free. It's a win win! I told PH I was going to make some cookies and blog about it and his response was, "why doesn't anyone ever make peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips?" So, being the loving wife that I am, and knowing that for the past several months PH has done all of the cooking and cleaning in our house without complaint, I make him some chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. They are soft, sweet, and delicious, and you really can't tell there are no eggs in there at all.
I know there are a lot of egg substitutes out there, like the ones I linked to at the bottom of this post. Those are each from Bob's Red Mill, remember how much I love them? One of them is even gluten free!
Sometimes though, if you don't have one of those egg replacements handy there are lots of other options. Some people like applesauce, others vegetable oil or flax seed. Personally though, I think the best way not to affect the texture of the cookies is the following combination: 2 tablespoons water, one teaspoon vegetable oil, and two teaspoons baking powder. That quantity is equal to one egg. Your cookies won't taste any different, and neither will your cookie dough!
Now, these cookies. These chocolate chip, peanut butter cookie delights. Ever since one person with his spoonful of peanut butter ran into another person with her spoonful of chocolate we have all loved the joys of the chocolate peanut butter combination. These cookies are soft, creamy, peanut buttery, and chocolate-y! I personally prefer dark chocolate or semi sweet morsels in my cookies, but you do you, and use whichever type of chocolate chip you'd like!
Now, get to baking, and don't forget a swipe of the cookie dough, there is no egg, you're safe!
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Hi everyone, Lindsey here, without a recipe for you. Turns out, I am still pregnant. This baby has really taken it out of me. (Actually this baby +full time job+the worst office chair known to mankind has taken it out of me). I have a recipe in mind that I want to make and share with you all, but I haven't had a chance to do it. Not only do I get home too tired to do anything else and force my husband to cook, but last week, as my mom told you, we were gone. See, the day we were flying to France, PH's grandmother passed away. She lived in a nursing home in Connecticut and was nearly 96 years old when she died. I'd say that's a pretty good life! Since her posterity now lives all over the country they decided to do a memorial service a few months later when everyone could come. It was this last weekend. The service itself was very sweet. I never met his grandmother, but hearing all the stories about her, and seeing lots of family pictures helped me get to know her. I already loved her because she is the grandmother to the best husband in the world, so you know she had to be great. Well, PH and I flew to upstate New York a few days early and he showed me around to his old haunts (also we went to Niagara Falls). PH moved to upstate New York when he was 13 so he had some old hangouts he wanted me to see. Our first day there we met up with an old friend of his at a place called Thirsty's. Thirsty's is a bar, but during the summer they grill burgers and dogs up in the backyard. So we sat out back and I got to hear some fun stories about PH in his youth that he maybe didn't want me to hear. We also went to Tom Wahl's, which is an upstate New York staple. It's like a 50s Diner with, you guessed it, burgers and fries. PH told me the regional food in that area is really burgers, fries, and pizza. That's okay, everyone likes those things for a reason! Finally, we enjoyed some delicious custard from Abbott's, another upstate New York special. It really was some of the best custard I have ever had!
Our trip was short and sweet, but we had a really nice time! Next time I need to take PH to Vermont and show him around my little town of South Royalton. What food is special to your region of the country? What are the special little hole in the wall places you want to take visiting friends and family to? Share in the comments below?
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Did anyone else ever watch the cartoon Doug? Remember how he had a pet dog named Pork Chop? That's an interesting dog name. I also recall that Pork Chop was a very interesting dog. Well, this post is not about Pork Chop the dog from Doug, but it is about some delicious pork chops I made this week. Let me tell you a few things about pork chops, because I think they can be tricky for people.
As Lorelai Gilmore once said in Gilmore Girls, "normally I think eating pork chops is like chewing on a pottery barn catalog." She isn't wrong, Pork chops can be kind of famous for being a little dry. So, here are a few tips for you to have juicy, flavorful pork chops!
1. Get a good cut of meat. Try to avoid getting meat on the bone because that's usually drier. If you can get a rib cut or a center cut with some fat on it and no bone you'll be off to a great start. That way you can get a thicker chop. Thicker cut of meat= juicier chop.
2. Brine your chops before cooking. You'll notice the sauce in this recipe includes apple cider vinegar. Brining them makes them more flavorful. Always brine my friends. 3. When you are cooking your chops you should first sear them at a high heat. Then once the outsides are seared (about 3 minutes each side) lower the temp and cook them over medium heat until done. The seared outside will help lock the flavor and juices in, which results in a better chop.
Now lets talk about this honey mustard marinade. I really like honey mustard. I like the easiness of making my own. I like the extra kick from the vinegar and the spicy mustard I used in this recipe. These pork chops were really delectable. PH sang their praises at dinner (and not just because it was the first time I had made dinner in forever.) They also kept pretty well because I took the leftovers to work for lunch the next day and it was still juicy and flavorful once reheated.
Tip: if you want a little extra sauce on the top after cooking, save your excess marinade and boil it for about 5 minutes to kill bacteria. I didn't add extra sauce because sauce itself is kind of grossing me out right now. Having the chops soak in it just enough for that flavor was good enough for me. If random food things are not currently making you sick to your stomach for no reason other than the fact that someone who is currently 3 inches long seems to have great power over your digestive system, then pour on the sauce! It has been quite a week for PH and I. If you didn't know already, we live in what is known as the Valley of the Sun in Phoenix Arizona. You may have heard stories of planes that were not allowed to take flight this week here in Sunny AZ, and those stories are true. I was born and raised in Phoenix and the summers come as no surprise, it just gets plain hot here. Granted, 120 degrees in June is a bit early, but it always comes. We live in a desert you know, and the desert can be such a truly beautiful place, but it's also hot. Very, very hot. However, the most important thing to have in 120 degree weather is an air conditioning unit. Well my friends, our a/c unit died on us. This was probably one of the most awful things to have ever happened to us, which shows how blessed we are. Since there was no way I was turning on the oven or staying in that hot house to make anything, we ate out a lot. So I don't have a recipe for you this week.
I want to direct your attention back to this post. Since posting my zoodle recipe we have come into contact with Michael from Nutrition Advance. It turns out he has this great guide to zoodles and why they're so healthy and he even has some additional recipes that you can check out here! Summer time is a great time to zoodle it up. You don't have to turn on the oven, and while everyone is thinking about eating healthier and having that great "beach body" why not swap your pasta for zoodles? Happy zoodling! |
Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
July 2024
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