Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had to buy a bag of shelled pistachios for dinner, and because they were kind of pricey I wanted to find a way to use up the rest. I LOVE pistachios, but had never used them in cooking or baking before, but now I may have to find more ways to use them. I normally despise nuts in my chocolate chip cookies, but pistachios have more of a 'smooth' crunch than the typical crunch of other nuts, so they are a lovely addition that I will totally allow in my cookies in the future.

The original recipe calls for white chocolate, but since I didn't have any on hand I used a mix of bittersweet and semi-sweet chips. I think the white chocolate would be great though, possibly reminiscent of a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie?

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Adapted slightly from Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt (regular salt will suffice)
1 cup of rolled oats
1 1/2 cups of coarsely chopped pistachios, raw and unsalted
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter and sugars together on high speed for three minutes.

2. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and beat for 3 minutes, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and rolled oats. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture slowly, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once or twice to ensure even mixing.

4. Fold in the pistachios and white chocolate chips. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets, add an extra pistachio or two on top of each bit of dough for decoration if desired.

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to set up on the cookie sheets before moving to a baking rack to cool completely.

Makes 6 dozen.

Toasted Orzo with Peas and Parmesan

Another win for orzo! And this orzo can double as your vegetable if you so wish, which is even better. Peas are not something I would eat plain, but when mixed in with the toasted orzo and parmesan cheese they add a sweet flavor and crunch to every bite.

We served this with Pistachio Crusted Tilapia and it was a great accompaniment. I halved this recipe, and it still made about 4 servings. I left out the nutmeg since I'm not really a fan, and I think next time I may use half an onion instead of the whole thing.

Toasted Orzo with Peas & Parmesan
Source: Joelen's Culinary Adventures, adapted from Cook's Illustrated

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 pound orzo
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
10 oz frozen peas
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. It will start to foam around the edges and when foaming subsides, add onion and 3/4-teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened and starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add orzo and cook, stirring frequently until the orzo starts to toast and is lightly browned and golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the chicken broth. Turn on the flame to a medium-high heat and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has been absorbed and orzo is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

With rubber spatula, stir in peas, Parmesan, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Let stand off heat until peas are heated through, about 2 minutes; adjust seasoning with salt and serve.

Lemon-Herb Butter Roasted Chicken

For a long time I have been intimidated by whole chickens. There is always a fear that I will not know how long to cook it and it will come out dry and tough, or certain parts will cook faster than others, resulting in a baking catastrophe. I finally decided to just go for it, and each time my chicken has come out great.

I knew I had to try this recipe the moment I read it, and I was not disappointed. This resulted in a very tender, moist and flavorful bird that I can't wait to make again. This would also be a great meal to impress your dinner guests with:)
Lemon-Herb Butter Roasted Chicken
Source: The Southern Gourmand
1 4lb whole chicken
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 garlic cloves, whole
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Half stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 whole lemon, halved
Sea salt and black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in a roasting dish with the breasts facing up. Remove gizzards. Make a small incision under the skin at the neck and burrow with the knife to create room under the skin.

In a food processor or blender, combine butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, 2 rosemary sprigs and smashed garlic. Pulse until well blended.

Season chicken with salt and pepper both inside and out. Rub butter mixture over skin and inside the cavity and the burrow created earlier by the knife.

Place whole lemon, 2 rosemary sprigs and 4 whole garlic cloves in cavity. Cook chicken 15 minutes for each pound plus 15 minutes (ex: 4 lb chicken will cook for an hour and 15 minutes). Chicken is thoroughly cooked when juices run clear when pricked with fork.

Herb-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Creamy Orzo

I'm sorry for the lack of picture here, but it was dark by the time we ate and none of my pictures came out well enough to post, but you can check out Annie's picture to see the deliciousness.This is such an easy weeknight meal, and what makes it even better is it's delicious, and only takes two pans so clean up is easy! This meal can come together in less than 30 minutes, and it is a complete meal in one. This will become one of my go-to meals when I'm short for time or lacking dinner inspiration.

Herb-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Creamy Orzo

Source: Annie's Eats, adapted from Smells Like Home

Ingredients:
8 oz. orzo pasta, uncooked
2 chicken breasts, butterflied into halves (4 pieces total)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

Season both sides of the chicken breast halves with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with the Herbes de Provence. Heat the olive oil in a 12- or 14-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast halves to the pan and cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallot to the pan and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute, until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes with juices and the broccoli florets to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer over medium-low. Cover and let cook until the broccoli florets are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked orzo, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended and the cheese has melted. If necessary, add some of the reserved pasta water to smooth out the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Pizza Bites

Judging by the picture above, can you tell these pizza bites were a hit? I forgot to take a picture before people dug in, but you get the picture. A little ball of dough, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese-what's not to love?! This dish is actually easier to prepare than it looks, especially when using already prepared dough. I would like to try my hand at making my own pizza dough, but for now I'm okay with sticking with the convenience of having it done for me.

I recently discovered Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough, which is what I used to make these. I used whole wheat, but they also have white and (I've heard) some kind of herb dough. And better yet, the dough was only about 99 cents!

Next time I make these I will definitely use more pepperoni (only used one slice per dough ball), and maybe a bigger cube of cheese. I was kind of hesitant about how much filling could fit in each dough ball, and as it turns out they fit more than I expected. The hubby enjoyed these, but he thought they had too much dough and not enough filling. These could also be made with a variety of toppings, so experiment with your favorites and if you come up with a good one let me know:)

Pizza Bites
Source: Annie's Eats, inspired by Chaos in the Kitchen

Ingredients:
Homemade, frozen or refridgerated pizza dough (enough for one pizza)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.