Chocolate Chip Cookies ...

I am finally going to share my delicious and perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies. This is not by any means a secret family recipe my grandmother gave me that was created by Nestley Toulouse, (gotta love Phoebe from FRIENDS!) but one I mastered on my own after trial and error. So please, enjoy!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 C. Butter
1/3 C. Shortening (Butter-flavored Crisco)
1 C. white sugar
1 C. light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 eggs
1 package of milk chocolate pieces
2 1/2 C. flour
1 cup walnuts, optional (I do not usually put nuts in my cookies)


In a kitchen aid mixing bowl (5+ qts) beat the shortening and butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds or until creamy. 
      

Add the two kinds of sugars and baking soda. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in each egg, one at a time, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. 
Stir in remaining flour. Stir in chocolate pieces and, if desired, nuts. Drop a rounded tablespoon of dough about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Grease is not needed because the cookies use Crisco in the recipe. I also love air bake pans and they seem to work the best for this recipe.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven 8 or 9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 48 cookies.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork

There is no story with this recipe other than I just wanted to eat some good old fashioned BBQ food.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork

INGREDIENTS

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced 

4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth 

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar 

1 tablespoon chili powder 

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), 2 cups barbecue sauce (I prefer Stubb's or Famous Dave's brands) 

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.

If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce, if using, and mix to combine. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.

Serve with my delicious Homemade Dinner Rolls!

Homemade Dinner Rolls

My husband and I were strolling through the supermarket when the idea of Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches for dinner came to mind. We grabbed the pork and the ingredients needed. As we walked over to the bread aisle, we noticed the price of rolls had increased at our grocery store. It went from 3.99 to 5.29 for 8 rolls. With me going to school and not working as much, groceries have become less affordable. We have doubled the size of our garden, canned more goods, and hunted more for our food so we could afford to enjoy our time at the dinner table and feel like we have earned what eat.
A larger amount of food consumed by our family used to consist of processed foods and unhealthy carbohydrates. Now, my husband and I have lowered our carb intake by 3/4 and cut out many processed foods (with the exception of a few bad habits like fruit snacks and desserts..yum!). We feel healthier and happier. We never keep bread in the house, so buying 8 rolls for $5.29 and only eating 2 or 3, I decided that I would start making my own bread. With the leftover buns that we don't consumer, we can give those to family and  friends and feel even better about ourselves, after all sharing is caring, right?  :)

With that in mind, I opened up my recipe box and pulled out a modified recipe from Better Homes & Gardens "The New Cookbook". I found that with my gas stove, elevation levels, and healthier eating style, the original recipe was not suitable for us.

Here is the new recipe I modified:

You will Need: 

5 C. - all-purpose flour
1 C. - milk1 pks (1/4 oz)  active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 tsp.
1/3 C. - white granulated sugar (do not substitute splenda/stevia)1/3 C. - margarine
1 tsp. - salt2 eggs


Directions: 
In a large metal or glass mixing bowl, stir together only 2 cups of flour and the active dry yeast yeast. Be sure to mix these two together very well before combining the ingredients in the next step. 

In a small saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm and butter almost melt (BHG suggests 120-130º F). 
Add the heated mixture to the dry mixture.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl or measuring cup and add the the mixture.  Beat with a mixer on speed setting 2 on a Kitchenaid mixer or with a electric hand mixer on lowest setting for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly with a silicone spatula. Once it is mixed well, beat on high speed 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as possible, usually about 2 1/2 more cups.
Total flour used: 4 1/2 C. but you're not done yet ;) 

Place dough onto a lightly (1 Tbsp.)  floured surface. Knead in remaining 1/2 cup flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Kneading will take roughly 10 minutes to form stiff, shape-able, and non sticky dough.

 Shape the dough into a ball and set into a greased bowl (I use Crisco) and cover With a light flour sack towel; let rise  in a warm place until the ball has nearly doubled in size.

Gently punch the dough, this allows the air and gases to escape the dough in order to let the bread rise and bake well. Divide the dough and let it rise for another 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into desired roll size (I use about the size of a cue ball/pool ball) and place on prepared baking dishes or sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size. (30-40 minutes)


Bake in an oven @ 375º F for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove rolls from pans and let cool on wired baking racks. This will make roughly 12 rolls at the size mentioned above. 

Serve your rolls anyway you'd like. Here is the final result of my Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Bon Appetit!