Triple Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

These cookies do not have a lot of flour in them which makes them very light and crispy!




¼ cup flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
7 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
8 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Walnut halves
Melted semi sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease large heavy cookie sheets. Combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Using electric mixer beat butter, sugar and eggs in another bowl until smooth. Stir in 8 ounces melted chocolate. Stir in dry ingredients. Add milk chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Drop dough by tablespoons full onto prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Press walnut half onto each cookie. Bake until cookies look dry but feel soft when lightly pressed about 11 minutes. Let cookies stand on sheets for 5 minutes transfer to rack and cool completely.

Drizzle melted chocolate on top of cookies and let strand until chocolate sets.
Makes about 34 cookies

Cannellini Soup with Parmesan

This is a hearty and delicious soup that I am sure you will enjoy.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
3 15-ounce cans Cannellini (white kidney beans), drained
6 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, sage, Parmesan, and prosciutto; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend and soup thickens slightly, about 40 minutes.

Puree about 5 cups soup in processor and return to pot. Season with salt and pepper. (Soup can be made 2 days ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm before serving.) Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

Light Chicken Cordon Bleu

This version of Chicken Cordon Bleu is not breaded, so it is much lighter and very tasty!

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 small, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 thin slices of cooked ham
4 thin slices of Swiss cheese
1 bag pre-washed baby spinach

In non stick 12 inch skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown about 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until chicken loses its pink color throughout, about 6 minutes longer.

Increase heat to medium high. Stir in broth, vinegar and pepper, cook, uncovered 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat; top each breast half with ham slice, then cheese slice. Cover skillet and cook until cheese melts, about 3 minutes.

Arrange spinach on warm platter, top with chicken and drizzle with balsamic mixture.

Makes 4 serving.

Cherry Tomato Gratin

We often serve this as a side dish when we have steak as it is a great complement to a good steak.

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs. Parmesan, garlic, pepper and oil until blended.

Place cherry tomatoes in a 9 inch deep dish pie plate. Top with bread crumb mixture and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until heated through and crumbs have browned. about 20 minutes.

Makes 6 accompaniment servings.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

If you like Buffalo Chicken Wings, you will definitely enjoy this dish!

1 pound whole grain elbow shaped pasta
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
2 cups skim milk
1 pound cooked diced chicken
2 cups bread crumbs
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta for 2 minutes less than package specifies. Drain and set aside.

To a large pan over medium heat add hot sauce, butter, cream cheese and milk and stir until everything is combined and smooth. Add pasta and chicken to mixture and stir until uniform.

Add half the mixture to a large casserole dish and sprinkle with half of the cheddar cheese, top with remaining pasta and finish with the rest of the cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Uncover, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for another 15 minutes.

Avocado Pasta

My daughter Maggie gave this original recipe to me. She loves fresh fruit, vegetables, pasta and quick easy yummy recipes like this one. - Enjoy!

2 servings of pasta
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of Parmesan

Boil water for pasta when water is boiling add pasta and cook to al dente. While water is boiling and pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce. Finely chop garlic and combine with olive oil in microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and you have just made garlic infused olive oil which is great in anything that requires olive oil.

Combine garlic infused olive oil, avocado, lemon juice, and Greek yogurt in a blender and blend until smooth
Pour over the cooked pasta and top with Parmesan and mix until all pasta is covered.

Note: This is great over any grain or spaghetti squash. The sauce can be expanded for additional servings by adding avocado. Also I usually add about 1-2 tablespoons of goat cheese, if I have it on hand.

Grilled Flank Steak with Rosemary

Try this marinade if you want a very tasty way to eat flank steak.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
4 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 2 1/4 pound flank steak

Mix all ingredients except steak in a large ziploc bag. Add steak, seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare barbecue (medium high heat). Remove steak from bag, discard marinade. Grill steak to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Transfer steak to cutting board. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin strips. Arrange on platter and serve.

Makes 6 servings.