White Chocolate Chip Candy Cane (or Macadamia Nut) Cookies

Around Christmastime a coworker brought in a big batch of white chocolate chip candy cane cookies. I had never had these before, and I brought a couple home to my boys. They loved them and it was obvious we had to make our own -- in fact, Zeke declared them his favorite cookies ever!

Aaron suggested using a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie dough instead of a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough, which was a great idea. I used the recipe at http://www.annies-eats.com/2013/02/22/white-chocolate-chunk-macadamia-nut-cookies, with a couple of changes. I was intrigued by how she suggested to shape the cookies... and pleasantly surprised to find that it does make for pretty cookies.

1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 + 1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 c flour
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
1/4 c chopped candy canes (or heaping 1/4 c macadamia nuts)

Cream butter and sugars until well blended. Add vanilla and mix well. Add egg and mix well. Add dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour) and mix until well combined. Add chocolate chips and candy canes and mix until thoroughly distributed. cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment. Form cookies by rolling about 1/4 c of dough into a ball, then separating into two pieces. Place 'jagged' sides up on the cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until just set (but still flexible) and just barely starting to brown. Let cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

Makes about 2.5 dozen

Chicken Mushroom Pasta

adapted from http://www.eatliverun.com/creamy-chicken-and-mushroom-pasta-skillet/

1 package fresh mushrooms
2 medium chicken thighs
1 large clove garlic
1 tbsp butter/margarine
3 tsp beef bullion (2 bullion cubes)
1 1/2 c milk
 2 heaping tbsp cornstarch
~ 8 oz cooked egg noodles

Thinly slice mushrooms, mince garlic, and chop chicken. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Cook until fragrant and add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms get juicy, stirring constantly. Reduce heat slightly and add chicken and 1 tsp bullion. Cook until chicken is done and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.
Whisk cornstarch into milk and add to skillet, along with the remaining bullion. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is bubbly and thickens. Toss with egg noodles (you probably won't use a full 8 oz) and serve immediately.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Adapted from the recipe on the package of Ball freezer jars

2 lb strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp fruit pectin (most of a small box)

Rinse strawberries and drain. Let warm up to around room temp if they have been in the fridge. Hull strawberries and cut into halves or quarters (or smaller if they are very large). Crush strawberries using a food processor (or blender or potato masher...), leaving some larger fruit chunks as desired, until you have 2 1/2 c. Stir sugar and pectin together, then add strawberries. Stir for 3 minutes, then place in freezer jars. Let stand for 30 minutes to thicken.

My notes:
1 c quartered strawberries made about 3/4 cup puree
I used about 3/4 of my 2 lb package of strawberries
I made the jam in a 4 cup measuring cup, which makes for easy pouring into jars
Yield was 3- 8 oz jars plus about 2 oz extra
Total active time about 45 minutes

Chicken Chow Mein

Adapted from Sun Luck

1 large carrot
2-3 medium stalks celery
1/4 medium onion
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can water chestnuts
1 large clove garlic
2 chicken thighs
1 1/2 packages soba chow mein noodles

For the sauce:
1 1/2 tsp chicken bullion
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Prepare vegetables: shred carrot, thinly slice celery and onion, and I also like to slice the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to be roughly the same size as the other veggies. Mince garlic and set aside. Chop chicken into small cubes and add to garlic.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions (around 3 minutes). Drain noodles and rinse in cold water. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a wok over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add noodles and toss to distribute the oil. Cook 3-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until noodles are heated through and sticky. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat another 1 tbsp oil in the wok and add the veggies. Cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary. When veggies are almost done, add the chicken and garlic. Stir fry until chicken is white on the outside and garlic is fragrant, then cover.

While veggies cook, make the sauce. Add bullion to 1 1/2 cups water and microwave about 1 minute or until bullion dissolves. Add soy sauce. In a separate small bowl, stir cornstarch into 1 1/2 tbsp water. When chicken is cooked through, stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir cornstarch mixture and stir into boiling liquid. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until sauce thickens (it will still be thin). Remove from heat and stir in noodles. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving, tossing occasionally.

note: the noodles are soba noodles, not the crispy chow mein noodles you put on salads. They are in the Asian foods section and come in bricks like ramen noodles. I get mine at Walmart.