Quick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever get one of those sudden cravings for fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies? It usually hits me in the evening, as I settle down to watch a movie or read a book. Alas! Most chocolate chip cookie recipes require softening butter or chilling the dough for at least a few hours. If you decide to rush and skip chilling the dough, you end up with wafer-thin chocolate chip crepes on a cookie sheet. Very aggravating, especially to those of us who prefer our cookies to have some heft to them.

This recipe is different. You can throw these together in five minutes, especially if you have a stand mixer. Unlike most chocolate chip recipes, these cookies don't require chilling. There's no butter in this recipe, so there's nothing to soften. You can be happily eating cookies within 20 minutes of deciding you want some. And best of all, these cookies are delicious: tender, sweet and melt-in-your-mouth...exactly as a good chocolate chip cookie should be.

This recipe makes 18-24 cookies, depending on how large you make them.
Ingredients:
1 c. butter-flavored shortening.
1/2 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar.
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Yes, these cookies have nice vanilla punch.
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour.
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt.
2 c. chocolate chips. I use semi-sweet, but you can use milk chocolate chips if you like a sweeter cookie.

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together the shortening, white sugar and brown sugar until its light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until thoroughly combined. Add all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips, and stir to combine. The chocolate chips go in at the very end. Stir just enough to blend them into the dough.

Roll the dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until they're lightly browned. Let them cool on the sheet for a minute or two, then transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling. If they last that long, that is. I don't think anyone can resist a warm chocolate chip cookie.

Southwestern Turkey and Barley Chili

This is a healthier take on traditional chili. It's made of turkey instead of beef, with barley to help add a robust flavor. Putting this dish together is very simple, especially since most of the ingredients are canned. I promise, this tastes so good that nobody will ever know. But if you prefer, you can substitute the canned ingredients with fresh.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey. You can also use ground chicken.
1 onion, chopped.
2 tblsp. vegetable or canola oil.
5 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel. You can also find diced tomatoes in flavors like Mexican, Chipotle, Southwestern, etc. Any combination works.
2 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce.
1 cup barley.
2 14.5-ounce cans of chicken broth.
1 14.5-ounce can of sweet corn.
1 14.5-ounce can of black beans.
1/2 tsp. whole cumin seed.
1 tsp. oregano.
2 tblsp. chili powder.
1 shot of tequila (optional).
Salt and pepper, to taste.
Cayenne pepper (optional). I add a bit in because I love spicy chili, but you can skip it if you prefer a milder meal.
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (approximately 1 cup).

Start by heating a large 6-8 quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onions and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent. Toss in the ground turkey and cook until the meat is browned.

Next, add all the other ingredients except the corn, black beans and cilantro. Bring the mixture to a simmer and turn the heat down to medium. Cover the pot and simmer for 50 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender. Add the corn and black beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.

You can serve this chili with a side dish, but I think it's perfectly good eating by itself.

Protein Bars (Soy-Free)

I love these little protein bars. They taste better than the cardboard stuff at the store, are much cheaper to make than anything store-bought, are relatively low-calorie, and you can tailor their flavors to suit your tastes. Of course, the fact that they have the wonderful consistency of homemade brownies doesn't hurt anything...

Ingredients:
1 c. whey protein powder. I use either vanilla or chocolate flavor, depending on my mood.
1/4 c. oat bran.
1/2 c. wheat germ.
1/2 c. flour.
1/2 tsp. salt.
12 ounces of plain yogurt. Regular, fat-free, it's all good. I don't even measure, I just eyeball it.
2/3 c. peanut butter.
1/2 c. brown sugar.
1/2 c. Splenda (optional). I add some extra Splenda because I like the bars a bit sweeter, but want to pass on the additional calories.
2 eggs.
1/2 c. milk.
1/2 to 1 cup of topping of your choice. You can use just about anything: nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, etc. The favorites in my house are chocolate chip/shredded coconut combo, and dried pineapple/shredded coconut.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of a 13x9 glass baking pan with parchment paper, and grease bottom and sides well with non-stick spray. You can skip the parchment, but these bars do have a tendency to stick. It won't really hurt the bars, but you'll spend more time scrubbing the pan.

Mix the milk, sugar, yogurt, peanut butter, Splenda and eggs until well-combined. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the topping, and mix for 2-3 minutes until completely blended. It should look like a brownie or cake batter.

Pour the mixture into the pan and sprinkle the toppings on top. Put it in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Let the bars cool completely before cutting into squares. I cut each batch into anywhere from 24-36 squares, depending on how large I want them. While they smell and taste quite good, be sure not to gorge on them! They're surprisingly filling in your stomach. Two squares makes a great meal replacer, while one is a good snack.

Once they're thoroughly cool, I keep them in a gallon-sized freezer bag in the refrigerator. They easily keep for a week that way. They also freeze well. They don't last more than a day or so at room temp, but you don't need to worry about keeping them cold if you're packing them up for a day of hiking or something.

French Toast: The Big Batch

French toast is a great breakfast food. It's easy to make, has protein, carbs, calcium, and can even satisfy a sweet tooth. But if you're making it for more than two people, often the first pieces of toast are cold by the time the last are done. Very annoying. This recipe finishes all the toast together in the oven, ensuring that everyone gets a piping hot plateful at the same time.

Ingredients:
6-8 thick slices of stale bread. I prefer it at least 1/2-inch thick. I slice my own homemade bread, but you can often find "Texas Toast"-cut bread in the store. The night before you plan to make French toast, leave the slices out on the counter to get stale.
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk.
1/4 c. flavored coffee creamer (the one you get in the refrigerated section). You can find a lot of great flavors that add a nice punch. I like the caramel-flavored ones best for this.
1/4 c. sugar.
1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Non-stick cooking spray.
Powdered sugar, for decoration. (optional).

In a large pie pan or square baking pan, beat the eggs with a wisk until they're well-combined. Stir in the milk, creamer, vanilla and sugar, and mix until you have a nice custard.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On the stovetop, spray a frying pan lightly with cooking spray and heat on medium/high heat. Only soak as many slices as will fit in the frying pan! Put the slices of bread on the frying pan and cook until browned on one side, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip to the other side and repeat. You can put more slices of bread to soak while you cook the first batch. Don't worry if the middle of the French toast is cooked or not; it's not important. All you're worried about is the outside being nice and golden. Take the cooked slices off, spray the pan lightly with cooking spray, and move on to the next batch.

As you take the French toast off the frying pan, put the slices in a 9x13 baking pan. You can layer them like scalloped potatoes or playing cards, just try to fit them all in as best as you can. When all the pieces are in the pan, cover it with foil and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Put the toast on plates, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, and serve.

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

This dish is Italian-inspired, but I have no clue what its actual Italian name would be. It's creamy, spicy, and with a nice hint of wine. Basil also helps give it a wonderful aroma. Serve it with a side of homemade garlic bread, and you have a great meal.

Ingredients:
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and de-veined.
1 lb penne pasta.
1/3 c. white wine, or a shot of brandy.
1 1/2 c. heavy cream.
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper.
2 tblsp. flour.
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian style. You can also use fresh tomatoes and season with oregano, basil, and just a dash of fennel.
1 onion, chopped.
3 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tblsp. olive oil.
3 tblsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried.
salt, to taste.

Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and set aside. I cook the pasta while I'm making the sauce.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet or a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, crushed red pepper and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour is slightly browned, maybe 2 minutes. Put in the diced tomatoes and white wine, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the bite of the wine has softened.

Toss in the shrimp and heavy cream, and cook until the shrimp are pink and the sauce is bubbling. Season with salt and basil. When the sauce is ready, add the pasta. Stir, cover the skillet and turn off the heat. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes, for the pasta to absorb some of the sauce.

Pancit (Filipino Stir-Fried Noodles)

If there's one thing that I've learned about Filipino parties, its that the emphasis is placed almost entirely on the food. Nobody worries about "tablescapes", lighting, party games or music mixes (although Heaven help us if there's a karaoke machine in the vicinity!). Heck, even the guest list is completely fluid. Instead, the philosophy seem to be, "Serve large amounts of good food, and everything else will fall into place." And I have to admit, I have yet to see it go wrong.

This dish is the Filipino equivalent to Chinese lo mein, and...along with rice...is almost a requirement at every good gathering. Made with rice noodles instead of traditional flour noodles, this dish has a lighter feel to it than lo mein. Guests can devour copious amounts, too. I have literally never met anyone who doesn't love pancit, once introduced to its tummy-filling bliss. It's so popular that my mother has taken to firing up an outdoor butane burner on the patio and making entire cauldrons full at a time. But for practicality's sake, I've cut this down to a more manageable, stovetop size.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. rice noodles. They come in a wide range of sizes, but you want to use the almost hair-fine variety. It's often labeled as "rice sticks".
1 lb pork, diced into 1/2-inch pieces. You can also use chicken or shrimp.
2 tblsp. canola oil.
2 carrots, julienned.
1 onion, minced.
2 stalks celery, cut into thin slices.
5 cloves of garlic, minced.
3 cups cabbage, finely shredded.
3 tblsp. soy sauce.
1 tblsp. fish sauce.
water or broth, to add as needed.
1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper, depending on your taste.
salt (optional)

Start with the noodles. Unlike flour noodles, these fine rice noodles don't need boiling. Fill a large pot or bowl with hot water (straight from the tap is fine), submerge the noodles, and let them soak until tender. You actually want them just a bit al dente: soft and pliable, yet with the slightest bit of firmness when you bite into them. This can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. After soaking the noodles, drain them. Pancit requires the rice noodles to be in somewhat shorter pieces, generally 3-6 inches. The best way to do this is to take some cooking shears and make a few random snips into the mound of noodles. Once they're ready, set them aside.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, onions, garlic and the meat, and stir-fry until the meat is completely cooked. Next, add the carrots and celery. Cook until the veggies are tender, but still have a bit of crispness to them. Season with the fish sauce, then add the rice noodles. Stirring almost constantly, drizzle in the soy sauce and toss until its well-absorbed. Next, add the cabbage. You don't want the cabbage to cook until completely limp and lifeless, you want it only to wilt a bit.

Be sure to taste the pancit during cooking, not only to adjust the seasonings, but to check the tenderness of the noodles. If your noodles are still a bit firm, add a bit of water or chicken broth (only a few tablespoons at a time!) and toss until its absorbed. Rice noodles should do this very quickly. Season with the pepper, and add some salt if necessary. This dish actually keeps very well in the fridge, and can be rewarmed if necessary.

Fumi Salad

This refreshing, Asian-inspired salad is always a crowd pleaser. My family serves this often during parties and get-togethers, and its a big hit every time. Even people who swear their indifference to salads eagerly help themselves.

Fumi salad is a cabbage-based salad, like cole slaw, but the resemblance ends there. An Asian-style vinegarette dressing gives plenty of zest, and the surprising addition of crushed ramen noodles gives it a crisp, light crunch.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 small to medium-sized head of cabbage, shredded.
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro.
1/4 c. roasted sunflower seed kernels (no shells). Salted/seasoned is fine. You can find them at almost any gas station or rest stop.
1 1/2 packages of instant ramen noodles, crushed into small pieces. Be sure not to leave any big chunks, but don't crush them to powder.
1 bunch of green onions, sliced into thin rings.

For the dressing:
4 tblsp. sugar.
2 tsp. soy sauce.
1 tsp. black pepper
Flavor packets from 2 packages of instant ramen noodles. You can buy ramen noodles in any flavor under the sun, but for this recipe, keep to the basic flavors. I use either the chicken, shrimp or oriental flavors, alone or in combination.
6 tblsp. vinegar.
1 tsp. sesame oil.
1 c. vegetable oil.

In a large salad bowl, combine all the salad ingredients except the ramen noodles and toss to mix well. In a separate bowl or shaker, mix the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and flavor packets, and wisk well to combine. Add the sesame oil, then slowly add the vegetable oil and mix well to make a vinegarette. At this point, both the salad and the dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to a day.

Just before serving, add the dressing (remix it if necessary) to the salad and toss to lightly coat. Depending on your tastes and how much cabbage you use, you may not need all the dressing, so don't dump it all in at once. Finally, add the crushed ramen noodles (like the dressing, you may not use it all) and give it a final mixing.