Creamy Baked Asparagus

Say hello to our new favorite asparagus dish.

We all love asparagus in this house and I use it whenever I can. I roast it in the oven with some olive oil and salt and pepper for most dinners or throw it on the grill in the warmer weather but every once in awhile I like to kick it up a notch and make something a little different.

This creamy, cheesy dish is amazing! I've made it 4 times since I discovered the recipe. I doubled it for an AFC Football party, made it for dinner guests, made it again to photograph and I'm making another double batch for the Super Bowl. It really was a huge hit. There was never a stalk left!



I adjusted the ingredients a bit from the original recipe. The Italian seasoning was a bit overpowering in the original and there was a tad bid too much mozzarella. Did I really just say that? Too much cheese? I did, lol.

Creamy Baked Asparagus
adapted from a recipe at Will Cook for Smiles
PRINTABLE RECIPE
1 pound asparagus, small/medium thickness
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I lean towards the 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 400 and lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan or baking dish of similar size. Trim off the hard ends of the asparagus.  Place the asparagus into the baking dish and spread them out evenly. I used a 2 cup measuring cup, added the heavy cream, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and grated Asiago cheese in the cup and poured it over the asparagus. Spread mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for 20 -25 minutes or  until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly.

Our most favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm sure everyone has their idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie and I'm also know for sure that there are many, many different kinds of chocolate chip cookies. Not only can you have a chewy cookie, a thin cookie, a crispy cookie, you can have cakey cookies, crunchy cookies, the list goes on and on.

You can make cookies with granulated sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil, Crisco, cookies made with whole wheat flour, all butter, chilled dough, you can see where I'm going here, it's endless.

This is the recipe that my family loves the most. This is the cookie that my kids call addicting, and I have to admit, they kind of are. You can't eat just one because once you put that perfectly chewy, chocolate loaded, caramely cookie in your mouth, once your done with it, you instinctively will reach for another and another. They are that good.



The two things that make this cookie different from a lot of other cookies is cornstarch and maple syrup. I'm convinced that what makes these cookies amazing. I really think you need to use pure maple syrup in these. You can use pancake syrup in a pinch, but I think real maple syrup makes all the difference. You do have to chill the dough before you pop these bad boys in the oven, so a little planning is needed.

I don't remember where I got this recipe. It was on a tattered scrap of paper in my recipe file and I can't tell you how many times I've made these. I can't believe I never blogged them before. Hopefully they will become your favorite chocolate chip cookie too!



Our Most Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from Lisa@The Cutting Edge of Ordinary
PRINTABLE RECIPE
1 cup butter (2 sticks) melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips *see note

In large bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring until combined. Stir in vanilla extract and maple syrup. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl and allow it to chill for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350. Once the dough is chilled, I used a cookie scoop to make the cookies. I packed the scoop and then placed the dough on a parchment lined cookie tray about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 13 minutes. Don't worry if they look a little under cooked. They will set up perfectly. Allow cookies to cool for about 15 minutes on the sheet pan before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely. After I put the first batch in I scooped out the rest of the dough onto a platter and then put it back in the fridge. You don't have to scoop all the batter at once, you can scoop it out as you go but make sure to keep the dough in fridge in between batches and do not place cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet. I used 3 cookies sheets so I always had one cooling, one with cookies on it and one ready to go in the oven.

*Note - I use Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips in when I make these. We like the fact that they are a bit less sweet and a tiny bit bigger than regular chocolate chips.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Honey Balsamic Glaze

I realize that there was probably a bunch of people who took one look at the this post and went "yuck, brussel sprouts" but I can guarantee you, you will never hear that phrase uttered out of my mouth. I love them!

I wasn't always a brussel sprout lover. I can remember eating them at a friends house where her mom boiled them and probably threw some butter on them and I politely try to move them around my plate. That was a very long time ago and ever since I started roasting them, they have become one of my most favorite vegetable.

If you think you don't like them, I really encourage you to roast some up and give them another chance. Roasting brings out a really nutty, caramelized flavor, turning them into so much more than a little cabbage. I promise.

The most time consuming part of this recipe is cutting up the sprouts and the onions and it really doesn't take much time at all. The balsamic glaze gives it a tangy little kick!



Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Honey Balsamic Glaze
recipe from Lisa @The Cutting Edge of Ordinary
PRINTABLE RECIPE
2 lb. brussels sprouts, halved
1 red onion, sliced
Olive oil
salt and pepper

For the glaze
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the brussel sprouts and onions out on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. Add salt and pepper. Roast for 15 and then using a spatulas, flip them over, return to the oven and cook for an additional 10 - 15 minutes. Depending on how caramelized you like them.

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey and Dijon and drizzle over roasted sprouts and onions

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

We all need those recipes that you can whip up in a few minutes with ingredients that you always have on hand. There is always butter, flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, and oats in my pantry. I never run out of them. They are truly staples in our house. With as much baking as I do, I make sure to keep stocked up on items that I bake with all the time. You don't even want to know how much butter is in my freezer.

My friend Mary at Bunny's Warm Oven posted these bars and I knew I had to make them. My husband loved oatmeal chocolate chip cookies so I knew these would be a hit with him.

I have to admit. I made a mistake while making these. Mary's original recipe called for dividing a full cup of chocolate chips (1/2 cup in the batter, 1/2 cup on top). Oops! I didn't read through it quite thoroughly enough and only saw that the chips needed to be divided after I had already put a full cup in the batter. Didn't stop me from adding more to the top though. In fact, the added chips just made them that much better so I slightly adapted the recipe below.



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
very slightly adapted from a recipe at Bunny's Warm Oven
PRINTABLE RECIPE
1 stick butter at room temp
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup quick or rolled oats
1 cup milk chocolate chips plus more for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch baking pan.

In a bowl, beat butter,sugars,egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour,baking powder,salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in another bowl and whisk to combine. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in the oatmeal and the chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle the top with a few more chocolate chips. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until set in the middle and toothpick inserted comes out clean.