Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter chips

This is another recipe I made J

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Cocoa ( I would go for the Hershey´s one)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs (large)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) Peanut Butter Chips ( I buy REESE'S in Aladino Store here in GDL)

           

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. With a blender mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs (check them first) and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake ( we dont want hard cookies) ; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Let it cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my favorite ones!!! Yesterday I rented a movie and just felt like having a glass of milk and fresh cookies to join it. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

·         2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

·         3/4 cup granulated sugar

·         3/4 cup packed brown sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         2 large eggs

·         2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips ( you can use any kind but I prefer the Nestle ones)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

With the help of a beater combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl(all powdery stuff first). Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until it feels creamy. Add eggs, one at a time ( I check them individually before adding them), beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir the chocolate chips ( you can add some nuts if you want). Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets ( I use wax paper to avoid fighting afterwards).

Let them bake  for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown, they´ll be a bit soft still by the time you take them out, this will about having “hard as stone” cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Blog Award

Hey, heeeeey...

Fran, an old friend of mine, who actually owes a pretty fun blog on fashion (http://stylishpoint.blogspot.com/ ), placed a smile on my face last week granted me an sylish blogger award… which I found super cute and nice!

To it there are some rules to follow :

Rules: 

·         Thank and link back to the person that gave you this award.

·         Share 7 things about yourself.

·         Award 7 recently discovered great bloggers.

·         Contact these bloggers and tell them about this award.

So here are seven things about myself:

1. I love shoes!!!! High heels specially, I am just crazy about them. Have worn them for a couple of years now and just fall deeper and deeper in love. They make any outfit fun and classy, and if I feel in a bad mood, red high heels have a way to change it all J.

2. I am quite random and picky on music… I go from rihanna, to iron maiden, some hints of pulp, beatles and Fiona apple… never “banda”, “rancheras” and so ….

3. I looooove to cook and bake, just loved it… It makes me happy!!! J  so any provided recipes will be highly appreciated.

4. I love courtship, that guy who makes you smile, gives you roses and has a look in his eyes where he states you are more beautiful than the moon, I am a romance freak, I totally think we should have more of that in the world J

5. I enjoy trying different things, food, places to go, etc; for instance I am taking salsa and singing lessons.

6. I can see pictures for hours, I enjoy photography a lot, although I am not quite talented in that department

7. The last but not the least, I love to watch movies… any kind, depends on my mood… Just adore it… and with some good company and hot chocolate on a side… heaven J

Sweet Stuff!

PEANUT AND NUTELLA GRANOLA BARS

Ingredients:

·         2 tbsp honey

·         2 1/2 tbsp creamy chunky peanut butter

·         1 1/2 tbsp Nutella

·         2 cups granola

·         2-4 tbsp milk

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix honey, peanut butter and Nutella, stir until homogenic, gradually stir in granola. Add just enough milk to moisten, so mixture still sticks together. Form into balls and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate

COCONUT CRISPY BARS

Ingredients:

·         3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

·         1 pkg.  (10 oz.) Marshmallows

·         6 cups crisp rice cereal, or any cereal you prefer

·         1-1/2 cups  Coconut, toasted, divided

Directions:

In a microwave place the butter on High till it gets melted, add the marshmallows; toss to coat. Microwave 1-1/2 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 sec. Add cereal and 1 cup coconut; mix well. press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Top with remaining coconut; press lightly into cereal mixture to secure. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT NON BAKE COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugar

• 4 cocoa tablespoons
• 1 butter stick
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup peanutbutter ( the chunky one)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups of oatmeal
• waxed paper

Directions

In a heavy saucepan put the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, and refrigerate until cooled and hardened.

Hope you enjoy them :)



Simply substitute!

Hello there...

Have you ever gotten stuck in a recipe because you ran out of a certain ingredient or you just can get to get it anywhere, I found out this useful list of substitutes for most popular ingredients found in recipes. Hope you find it as useful as I have J

Allspice - 1 teaspoon = 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Apple pie spice - 1 teaspoon =1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cardamon
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk (decrease liquid by 1/2 cup)
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice used with sweet milk to make 1/2 cup liquid (decrease liquid by 1/2 cup)

Bread crumbs 1/3 cup, dry = 1 slice bread
Bread crumbs 1/3 cup, dry = 1/4 cup, soft 1 slice bread
Bread crumbs 1/3 cup, dry = 1/4 cup cracker crumbs or 1/4 cup cornmeal
Bay leaf - 1 whole = 1/4 teaspoon crushed
Broth - 1 cup = 1 bouillon cube
Broth - 1 cup = 1 teaspoon powdered bouillon in 1 cup boiling water
Bouillon - 1 cube = 1 teaspoon powdered bouillon
Bell Pepper - 1 tablespoon dried = 3 tablespoon fresh chopped
Butter - 1 cup = 7/8 cup shortening or 7/8 cup oil or 1 cup margarine
Oil is not a direct substitute for solid fats in baked products.
Use recipes formulated for oil if a product made with oil is desired.

Buttermilk - the same amount of yogurt can replace buttermilk
Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup = 1 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon molasses
Dark Brown Sugar - 1 cup = 1 cup white sugar and 1 tablespoon molasses
Catsup - 1 cup = 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoon vinegar (for cooking use)
Chocolate - 1 ounce= 3 tablespoon cocoa + 1 tablespoon shortening
Chocolate chips - 1 ounce = 1 ounce sweet cooking semi-sweet chocolate
Chocolate - 1 ounce = 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoons fat
Cocoa - 1/4 cup = 1 ounce chocolate and omit 1/2 tablespoon fat
Corn syrup - 1 cup = 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid
Cracker crumbs - 3/4 cup = 1 cup bread crumbs
Cornstarch - 1 tablespoon = 2 tablespoons flour
Egg - 1 whole = 3 tablespoons beaten egg
Egg - 1 whole = 2 egg whites or 2 egg yolks
Egg - 1 whole = 1/4 cup egg substitute
Flour, for thickening - 1 tablespoon = 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
Flour, for baking - 1 cup sifted = 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons unsifted flour
Flour, for cooking - 1 cup sifted = 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Flour for cake - 1 cup = 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Flour, self-rising - 1 cup = 1 cup minus 2 teaspoons flour plus 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Garlic - 1 clove = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Garlic - 1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Ginger - 1/8 teaspoon = 1/2 teaspoon raw ginger
Honey - 1 cup = 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1/4 cup liquid
Horseradish - 1 tablespoon fresh = 2 tablespoons prepared
Lemon Juice - 1 teaspoon = 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
Lemon - 1 whole = 3 tablespoons juice plus 2 teaspoons rind
Lemon rind - 1 teaspoon = 1/2 teaspoon extract
Milk - Believe it or not, 1 1/2 lbs of zucchinni, peeled and pureed, will replace 2 cups of milk when baking.

Onion - 1 small = 1 tablespoon instant minced
Onion powder - 1 tablespoon = 1 medium onion chopped
Pumpkin pie spice - 1 teaspoon = 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon,
1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon allspice & 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Sour Cream- 3/4 cup sour milk and 1/3 cup butter or use plain yogurt
Sugar, white - 1 cup = 1 cup packed brown sugar
Sugar, white - 1 cup = 1 cup honey minus 1/4 cup liquid in recipe
Shortening, 1 cup = 1 cup and 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Tomatoes, fresh - 2 cups, chopped = 16 ounce can, drained
Tomato sauce - 2 cups = 1 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water
Vinegar -1 teaspoon = 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Yeast - 1 package = 1 cake yeast
Yeast - 1 package = 1 tablespoon dry yeast

Simple and Tasty

Have you ever gotten invited last minute over someone´s house reunion, or had unexpected visitors, or just felt like spoiling your friends while they enjoy playing dominoes or watch a soccer game? I don’t get to people´s places empty handed, just don’t feel comfortable with it and really rather do something than buy it, so these easy options might become as handy as they have been for me J

·         Cheese dips: Cream chesse is fabulous, I personally prefer Philadelphia chesse because I find the taste really unique and it just goes along with sweets and salty ingredients. My favorite one is so easy…

Chipotle Chesse Dip

·         1 package Philadelphia cream chesse

·         1 can tuna fish

·         Chipotle

Just get a package of Philadelphia chesse, a can of tuna fish and chipotle chili to taste; mix it with a fork till it is completely homogeny, serve with some crackers, although it is quite simple guys love it! Remember presentation is important; you can make it pretty chic with a nice container, and decorating it with some sesame seed.

Some more here J -àChesse Dips

·         Bruschettas and tapas : they are pretty easy to prepare and quite fancier, there are some good recipes attached and keep it easy to bite, I hate it when there is a huge piece of prosciutto or tomatoe and you are struggling biting it and deciding whether to get another one and suffer the deal again

Brie, Pear and Pomegranate:

·         342g brie chesse

·         1 mature pear seedless in fine slices

·         ¼ cup of honey

Salt and pepper freshly ground.- A bread slice, spread some brie on it, a pear slice , some honey drops on it and sprinkle with pomegranate, salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted squash and bacon:

·         ¼ medium size squash

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         Salt and pepper

·         114 grs bacon slices

·         Parmesan chesse freshly grinded

Preheat oven 170°C, take off the seeds and the skin to the squash and slice it in little cubes, place it in an oven pan with some olive oil on it and add some salt and pepper, bake it for 25-40 minutes or till it is soft, cook bacon till it´s crunchy and reserve. Place a slice of bread, some squash on it, then some pretty small cubed crunchy bacon, parmesan chesse and ready!

Some more here J Bruschetta

·         Popcorn, Chips, Nuts: I found this recipe in an In Style Magazine that I love.

Rosemary ( Romero) Popcorn:

·         1 stick no salt butter

·         2 tablespoons rosemary freshly chopped

·         12 cups freshly made popcorn

Melt butter into a pan in low heat temp, add the rosemary; when ready pour into the popcorn while still hot, Make sure it is well spread into all popcorn. If wanted you can add some pepper or ground chili to it

Some more here J Popcorn

Spicy Nuts:

·         3 tablespoons sesame oil

·         3 teaspoons curry powder

·         2 teaspoons chili powder

·         1 teaspoon paprika powder

·         ½ teaspoon ground ginger

·         ¼ teaspoon red pepper powder

·         5 cups nuts(any kind of nuts)

Preheat oven 170 °C, in a small pan low heat pour the oil, when it gets hot add the curry, chili, paprika, ginger and pepper. Pour it into the nuts and mix. Place the nuts on a pan covered with wax paper and bake it for 10 to 12 minutes, let them cook to keep them crunchy. Salt to taste.

Some more here J Nut Snack Recipes

Keep it fun, try as much as you want and never get deceived it something goes wrong… once I had friend’s over and the snacks were awesome, my friends were so happy with them but when we got to my main dish, alambres ( my uncle makes it and it was soooo good, it´s meat with peppers and onions grilled) and it was soooo bad, the meat was not well cooked and it had no salt on it… just horrible jejejeje, so never give up, you can always try it again J

Back to Basics...

I like to read and learn from other women, get some tips on how to look prettier, how to be classier  and chic, ladies like Audrey Hepburn,  Grace Kelly, Coco … and something I´ve have noticed that seems to be a common factor is that they kept it simple.

Let´s get this started…

·         Namaste: People who know me can tell I´m not a walking chill pill, I´m quite the opposite but I gotta say I know that simple things like honesty, being caring, loving, a good friend, a listener, quick to listen and slow to talk they say … can make you shine, you feel good and those around you see it too. A smile on your face will always make you bright and beautiful. A good warm heart is sexier than any victoria´s secrets goodies

·         Colorful: Health is important and having a balance diet it is as well, being surrounded by doctors (most people I love the most are becoming doctors) I learned how important being healthy is… I do not do diets, I believe we should eat a bit of everything, I´ve heard the green diet, or no dairies and so many things… I would go on a bit of everything. Be careful with sweets and grease, keep it in smaller portions less times a week, have tons of veggies… have a more moderated piece of chicken, meat or fish … make your meals attractive by adding spices on it and make it colorful! Believe me most things come by sight first …and let´s keep junk food for special occasions and cravings, since they are not very nutritious they can be avoided a much as possible J; exercising… it plays an important role on how much your body will need to function correctly so the less exercise the less calories needed. I do not exercise much do to work but I try to walk as much as possible and I dance whenever possible!!! Water… drink tons of it… I personally have trouble achieving this one but have seen you can really tell and your skin will look a lot better.

·         Sleeping beauty. I loooove to sleep, after I have a good rested night of sleep my skin looks fresher and my mood is nice. Your body needs to recover and there are a lot of body functions during it, so skipping it is not such a good idea. Make sure you rest, do not take any caffeine before it if you do not really tolerate it, pillows are so important, invest on some good ones, you´ll see how it is worth every cent of it and keep your room fresh and clean.

·         Tic, tac... I normally don´t make up much, nor spend a lot of time getting ready to work due long distances, traffic, timming… so I make sure it takes me 20-30 minutes to be ready. I focuss on having my skin hydrated and moisturized , I´ve tried several creams and lotions, spent tons of money on it and have finally become comfortable with biotherm  skin products, I wear an antifatigue eye roller/concelear that saves time and money from garnier and let my hair dry naturally. It avoids damaging it and saves time as well. I would apply some mascara ( loreal ones are awesome) and play with lipsticks… I would go from nude, to brown, to red and fiuscha J

·         Clothing: I like to have basic pieces in my closet and I just spice it up with some accessories, bright shoes, some hot lipstick or striking  high hills. I like to keep it comfortable yet cute. The best clothes are the ones that fit you and you carry graciously. We all feel comfortable in different styles but basic points… do not show off more than necessary, do not wear hills if you do not feel yet comfortable walking on them,  age is an important fact too, let´s keep our wardrobe updated to new trends and styles that fit our new acquired experience as well, Not to low not to high… lengths are a crucial fact, skirts, blouses, our back… make sure that you don’t have to be all stressed out by sitting down, getting into some stairs. If you don´t want to show it then cover it J.

And something really important to take care on is hygiene, I have a very oily skin so I carry our some oil absorbing sheets to keep it controlled, A shoe shine sponge at work to have my shoes clean, I wash my hands a lot, it has actually prevented me of getting sick tons of times and keep my nails short and neat, if my nail polish starts cracking I would just remove it all. Those little details make the trick J

So keep it simple!

Mad about red !

The ones who know me ... can tell... I just adore RED all over... keeping it simple it spices up any outfit, it makes salads and desserts look tastier and what about the sexiness it adds to it ... red high hills ... so sexy! ... but b-e-w-a-re... It must be used in little portions or it´ll ruin the trick.

Today I just woke up in such a good mood, so rested and awake... ready to head up to my -so-called-awesome-job- ( sarcasm font needed here) ... so I just decided it was time to take my russian red lipstick out and give it a ride to this crazy weather we are having this days in Guadalajara; so prepared myself with my red lipstick, got some high red hills with a cute bow on it and my red manicured nails and felt so vibrant and full of life... it really spiced my day up!!!

My favorite red lipstick I gotta confess is Russian Red and Mac Red from MAC Cosmetics, Nail polish would have to be Revlon Red, and remember... keep it simple... if your lips are full of color let them be the lead and show the rest naturally, only good moisturizer, great mascara and that will do it. Whenever I wear red in my outfit I let it be the performer so I´ll keep the rest plain... white, gray, nude, black are some good options!

My first post!

Hello there... well this is finally my first post... I´ve been wanting to start blogging for a while and just wouldn´t happen.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I, I am a bit random so you´ll find from simple chic clothing and shoes ideas to delicious tasty recipes over up to  fun posts about life!

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Coco Chanel ... What a woman!