Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken Fingers

I have been wanting to see the cat circus ever since I heard about it when we first moved here. So this weekend we saw it, and all in all it was a great cultural experience.

The cat circus was in a special building just for the purpose, meaning there were lots of cat decorations (that stained glass window was worthy of a picture).

The circus room was a small, dark theater lit up by many florescent colors. Although it was a cat circus, the humans did a lot of acting and speaking (which might have been better, had I understood Russian).

Also, there were two dogs – and get this: one dog could do a hand stand on its front paws. What? I can't even do that and I have thumbs! Anyways, the cats could do some pretty awesome things too. I enjoyed the part where a cat sat in a pot and whenever the man would take it out, it would jump back in, until it got fed up and "attacked" the man. The show was good fun.

Now what does this all have to do with chicken fingers? Nothing. Except that we had our own little feline friend watching us make the chicken fingers.

These chicken fingers are quite delicious. My family is not a big barbecue sauce eater, so I was surprised when I dipped my chicken into the sauce and was like YUM. It was sweet, spicy, smoky, and barbecue-y. Mmmm.

By the way, I think these chicken fingers taste better if you actually use your fingers to eat them. 'Finger' is in the name – if they aren't finger food, I don't know what is!

Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken Fingers

Notes:

*You can use honey flavored BBQ sauce and omit the honey, but there will be slightly less honey flavor.

*use your favorite seasonings if you have no smoked paprika.

*Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb that tends to stay crispier longer. Use seasoned or seasoned. If you don't have panko breadcrumbs, just make your own breadcrumbs by putting bread in the food processor then baking the breadcrumbs until they are crispy, stirring occasionally.

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/05/14/baked-honey-bbq-chicken-fingers/

Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

Goodbye fresh pasta. Goodbye Italian pizza. Goodbye yummy gelato. We will meet again delicious Italian food...

Hello, my chewy little oatmeal cookies. Because, cookies are, of course, what I made when I got back from Italy. I needed something to comfort me about the loss of gelato, didn't I?

And comfort me is just what they did. Before they had even finished baking them, I had already eaten a couple cookies' worth of cookie dough! That was good stuff. Don't worry though, we still had plenty of dough left to make cookies for our new neighbors and to snack on later!

It was fun to make these cookies. Not only did I get to sneak cookie dough, but when I was dumping all kinds of add-ins into the batter, no one noticed when a few chocolate chips disappeared!

This batter is nice and thick with a molasses and cinnamon flavor that is especially prominent in the dough (I should know!).

Chilling makes the dough easier to handle and hold its shape better.

They're too soft to move onto racks immediately – but if you break a cookie trying, then you have an excuse to eat it immediately.

And they finish cooling, ready to put in a box.

Add-in ideas:

M&Ms

Chocolate chips/white chocolate chips/butterscotch chips/cinnamon chips/peanut butter chips

Reese's Pieces

Raisins/dried cherries/dried cranberries

Pecans/walnuts

Pretzel pieces

Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

Makes: 24

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (115g) softened, unsalted butter

3/4 cup (150g) dark or light brown sugar

1/4 cup  (50g) granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. (20g) dark molasses

1 2/3 cups (140g) old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups add-ins

Directions:

1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer cream softened butter and sugars together until smooth.

2. Add egg. Mix about 1 minute on high until combined.

3. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla and molasses, mixing on high until combined. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl stir together the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix on low until combined.

6. Stir in add-ins using a spatula; dough will be thick.

7. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 325F.

9. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

10. Roll cookie dough into balls containing about 1.5 tablespoons each and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

11. Bake until very lightly browned on the edges, about 10-11 minutes. The centers should look soft.

12. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

13. Store cookies covered for up to 1 week at room temperature. Freeze baked cookies and rolled cookie dough for up to 3 months.

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/02/11/loaded-oatmeal-cookies/

Food Tour in Rome

My family and I are in Italy...land of the delicious food! With that in mind, we decided to take a food tour in Rome to find out more from a local.

We started out with our guide, Francesca, taking us to a grocery store. Not the normal supermarket kind, though. This was an old family owned grocery store. Inside was a big counter with various cheeses and meats. There were also some shelves of wine along with some normal grocery store products. Francesca first told us about buffalo mozzarella cheese. It is made of buffalo milk (surprise!) from domestic water buffaloes in Italy. It does not last for more than a week and cannot be stored at temperatures too warm or too cold. It is often referred to as "white gold" for a reason – when I bit into it, it was juicy, a little bit chewy, and absolutely bursting with flavor. I have never tasted buffalo mozzarella so good. We also found out that there are two other kinds of mozzarella: burrata (made from mozzarella and cream) and fior di latte (made from cow's milk). What is not true mozzarella cheese is the pre-grated stuff in a grocery store bag!

Next she gave us another type of Italian cheese: pecorino. Pecorino is a hard cheese made from sheep's milk, and it has a very salty flavor. Because of the saltiness, we ate a bite of salami afterwards. The flavors worked well together.

After the grocery store we went to an old bakery. The window was filled with sweet baked goods, which turns out is what Italians eat for breakfast. But we were here for dinner, so we ate the fast food of Rome: pizza! Roman pizza is thin and has no more than three toppings on any piece (cheese is considered an ingredient, not a topping). The pizza sits on the counter and when someone wants some, it is chopped up, weighed, and sold by the slice. Roman pizza is very thin crusted, and there are two kinds: pizza roja and pizza bianca. Pizza roja only has a thin layer of sauce on its thin base. Pizza bianca has no sauce, only cheese and other toppings. Because of the thinness and small amount of toppings, the pizza has much less calories than American pizza. Both were surprisingly delicious for the lack of toppings! I must say...I never was much of a fan of thin crust pizza before Italy.

We walked over to the Jewish Ghetto, which is now only a ghetto by name – in fact, to buy a house there, it would cost around 25,000 euros per square meter, effectively keeping the population mainly Jewish. Instead of buying property, the Jews that live there pass down their property through their family. We ate at a restaurant serving Jewish-Roman food. Jewish-Roman food is not necessarily Kosher, but does differ from Roman food. Many years ago when the Jewish Ghetto was still a ghetto, the Jews' main food was the scraps and leftovers from others. Because of this, they fried much of their food to make it safe to eat. Out of the leftovers, they created foods such as fried zucchini flowers stuffed with anchovies, and a fried ball of rice mixed with tomato sauce, with a pocket of mozzarella in the center (both of which we tried). This zucchini flower is called fiori di zucca fritti. The zucchini flower had a very light flavor, which is why it was stuffed with anchovies. For me, I did not like the anchovies part of that equation – too salty and fishy tasting! Not to mention I could see tiny bones. The rice mixture is called supplí. I liked the supplí...it tasted a little like pizza!

Next we went to a restaurant and learned about pasta. One of the traditional types in Rome is the bucatini all'amatriciana. The pasta, bucatini, is a bit thicker than spaghetti (which no Italian in Italy actually eats!) and has a tiny hole down the center. The pasta was perfectly al dente – if the noodles are not overcooked, it turns out that you get only a third of the calories as when they are overcooked! The sauce is called amatriciana. It is based on tomatoes, pecorino cheese, and guanciale. Guanciale is pig's cheek. To make the sauce more creamy but not change the flavor, some of the water that the pasta was cooked in is added to the sauce. We discovered that the Italians do not cut their pasta up when eating it as it defeats the point of long noodles. Might as well just make the noodles short in the first place if they're going to be cut up! Francesca also told us that Italians do not eat bread if they have pasta or potatoes. This solved a debate in our house about when to eat bread! Also, we learned about olive oil. Italians do not consider anything but extra virgin olive oil when buying theirs. When they buy olive oil, it is usually once a year from a farmer, when it is made. Italians buy enough for the whole year – about 50 liters at 8 euros a liter. That's a lot of olive oil! Of course, they taste it before buying such a large amount as the flavors may vary year to year.

Lastly we had gelato. We have gelato almost every night in Italy, but this particular night we learned the true meaning of real Italian gelato. 'Gelato' means frozen, and thus many gelaterias feel justified in selling frozen mixtures that they call 'gelato'. It may be ice cream, which isn't bad but it's not gelato, or it may be something truly gross which may have flour mixed in to make it creamy or start from a powdered mix that the gelateria makes 'gelato' from "fresh every morning". We discovered that it is difficult to tell what is real gelato and that there is a small amount of real gelaterias in Italy compared to fake gelaterias. One good sign of real gelato is if the top of the gelato is not piled up (even though it looks pretty); the top should be more or less flat because gelato has less air in it than ice cream so whipping it into piles just creates more unnecessary work. Another sign is trying it – after a few licks you should still be able to taste it...it shouldn't leave a nasty coating in your mouth. Also, you shouldn't feel like you need a drink afterwards; it should leave you feeling refreshed (well, you might need a drink if it is so rich and delicious!). Gelato is usually fruit, nut or chocolate flavored. If gelato is made from fruit, no sugar or cream is added. The gelateria we went to was so good they didn't even offer cones, everything came in a cup. No cardboard cone was going to distract from this gelato! First we tasted the flavors to find out our favorites. I tried many delicious flavors but ended up with almond and chocolate. The almond was so intense it tasted like almond paste (but better!) and the chocolate was insanely rich. They were a great pair and the best gelato I've ever had!

Malted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolaty, malty, cookie goodness. That's what this chocolate chip cookie dough is!

I'm telling you, this dough is some of the best chocolate chip cookie dough I have ever eaten. So good that I want to freeze it so that I can eat it whenever I want.

Of course, the cookies were good too, especially when they were warm and melty. I like soft, chewy cookies the best. That said, be careful not to over-bake these cookies, otherwise they will harden up!

These cookies were eaten up too fast for me to try it, but I was dying to dip them in milk – or, even better, dip them in chocolate milk! I'm pretty sure that would have been amazing, and it gives me an excuse to make them again soon...I have a feeling no one will oppose!

Upon hearing only the name of this recipe, Damon gave these cookies an immediate thumbs up – and when we made them they didn't let us down!

However, we did discover that the original recipe has WAY too many chocolate chips. I love chocolate chips, but there's a limit. Below is what I would put in next time.

Enjoy!

Malted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 36

Ingredients:

1 cup butter flavored Crisco

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup malted milk powder

2 Tbs. chocolate syrup

1 Tbs. vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Mix Crisco, brown sugar, malted milk powder, chocolate syrup, and vanilla very well in a large bowl. Add egg.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl.

3. Slowly add flour mixture to Crisco mixture. Mix well after each addition.

4. Mix in chocolate chips with a spatula.

5. Shape dough into 2-inch balls.

6. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes

7. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

8. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Do not over-cook or they will be crunchy. The middle,should still be soft and slightly underdone when removed from the oven.

9. Cool for a few minutes on the tray, then move cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe from: http://pinchofyum.com/malted-double-chocolate-chip-cookies

Chocolate Muffins

Tuesday morning I woke up and made 36 chocolate cupcakes for a cupcake order. I stacked them in a giant pile, planning to decorate them in the afternoon when they were cool.

Off I went with my friend to tour a few Russian monasteries. After stumbling into the Russian Water Museum with a babushka insisting we see the whole thing, visiting a monastery with two babushkas that were head scarf critics, relaxing in the pretty gardens of the second monastery, and eating a delicious Russian lunch while it rained outside, I retuned home to decorate my cupcakes.

Mom set out the cupcakes in a line on the counter.

"There's one missing," Mom informed me.

"What? Count them again." This was not a new problem. It's easy to miscount cupcakes.

But alas, it was true – one chocolate cupcake was missing.

No one admitted to eating it. The only person we hadn't questioned was Damon, who was at work.

When Damon returned, I interrogated him.

"So, was that a good cupcake at lunch?"

Damon's eyes bulged. "You counted them?!"

"Yep, and we're missing one."

"Well, I saw them there, and I hoped that it was a chocolate muffin. You know, like one of the ones  at bakeries with little chocolate chips in them."

"No. These are for an order, and there are no extra cupcakes in the freezer. Now you must come with me to tell the people and give them a discount."

After embarrassing Damon and offering the customers a discount, the next day I decided I could make actual chocolate muffins for Damon.

I was pleased with the high domes of the muffins rather than the flat tops of the chocolate cupcakes. Everyone ended up happy!

Chocolate Muffins

Makes: 14 standard sized muffins

Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moist-chocolate-muffins/

Puppy Chow, a.k.a. Muddy Buddies

I don't know where exactly someone got the idea to call this treat "puppy chow", but it sure doesn't taste like dog food (not that I've tasted dog food...the smell alone is enough to turn me off!).

Maybe it's named for the small brown-ish chunks.

Or maybe because it's so good you will chow it down like an energetic little puppy.

But that's about as far as the similarities go. In fact, it would be quite bad to give this to your dog as it contains chocolate...one of the reasons why it's so delicious.

These finger-licking little morsels of goodness are perfect for bringing along as a snack, which is exactly what I did this week with my crazy exam schedule. It really was too bad that the puppy chow only lasted a few days because it was so delicious! Although I think Damon ate most of the puppy chow, I have him to thank for suggesting to make it in the first place.

Luckily puppy chow only takes a few minutes to put together, which was a good thing as exam studying was calling my name. With Damon helping, the process went even faster (plus he was a good model for the blog!).

This is one case where natural peanut butter is not as good because the oil separates.

A little vanilla for extra flavor...

Stir gently. Don't make it into puppy dust!

Pretty powdered sugar :)

Shake it up – and dance while you're at it.

Blog post in action!

Although the recipe says to store the puppy chow in the refrigerator...nobody has that much room in their fridge. Besides, I think it tastes better at room temperature anyways!

Puppy Chow

Serves: 18 (1/2 cup servings)

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

9 cups rice chex, corn chex, or chocolate chex cereal

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Measure cereal into a large bowl (preferably a plastic bowl with a top) and set aside.

2. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter for one minute on high in an uncovered microwaveable bowl. Stir. Microwave about 30 more seconds or until smooth when mixed.

3. While still hot and melty, pour chocolate mixture over cereal, gently stirring until evenly coated.

4. If not using a bowl with a lid, pour chex into a resealable plastic bag.

5. Add powdered sugar and seal bowl or plastic bag. Gently shake until evenly coated.

6. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Recipe from: General Mills Rice Chex Cereal

Bruschetta

I didn't always like tomatoes.

But then one day I woke up and a whole new world was out there for me to discover...pastas, salads, appetizers...and bruschetta. I love bruschetta. It's amazing – perfect for a light lunch or a yummy appetizer. And it's so much better when you make and share it with someone else! Of course you could just cook it up and devour it yourself. Whatever works!

Bruschetta sounds really fancy; it is Italian, after all. But trust me, it's simple (especially if you share the work load!).

Today I made bruschetta with my mom. She's where I got my love for bruschetta from, because it definitely wasn't from my dad. He and my siblings still haven't woken up to the awesome flavor of tomatoes yet (excluding in salsa, that is).

My mom has been making this recipe for forever – so long that she just does the guess-and-dump method now. She got the original recipe from a little Italian cookbook that she doesn't have anymore.

This recipe is her guidelines from that little lost Italian cookbook. Feel free to change it up!

Purple basil gives our bruschetta a new dimension.

Toast your bread all pretty and golden.

Shred lotsa parmesan cheese...

Or just shred it right onto the beautiful bruschetta.

And eat! Told you it was easy.

Bruschetta

Makes 6 pieces

Ingredients:

6 slices French or Italian bread

2 medium garlic cloves, crushed

4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 large, firm, ripe tomato, chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Directions:

1. Combine garlic and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small bowl.

2. Cut 6 slices of French or Italian bread, whatever thickness desired.

3. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil and garlic mixture onto both sides of the bread slices.

4. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and place in oven 5 inches from the heat. Broil until lightly browned (about 3 minutes). Flip and brown the other side.

5. In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.

6. When hot, add diced tomatoes. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes, or until tomatoes are just heated through.

7. Drain tomato juice out of skillet. Stir in balsamic vinegar and basil.

8. Put tomatoes ontop of bread slices. Grate parmesan cheese ontop. Serve immediately.