Who needs a candy bar?

Recently my mom has started picking my three-year-old daughter up from preschool on Thursday afternoons. That frees up my day for much needed house cleaning, errands, and an occasional lunch date with my husband, and also allows a few hours after my son gets out of school to hang one-on-one with him.

This afternoon I gave my son his after school snack and asked if there was anything he'd like to do. It's a snowy day, and he suggested baking cookies. Since the last of Tuesday's cookies were finished off last night, I thought that sounded like fun, and it had the added bonus of being low key. (When both kids are at home I have not been able to have them help me because they start to fight and a big mess ensues...my solution is to include them when they're alone with me! It's much more relaxing, and they might actually learn something that way.)

My son wanted to make cookies with chocolate dough. I pulled out my favorite recipe and promptly cut the portions in half. I gave him several options for add-ins, and he thought caramel chunks, chocolate chips, and peanuts sounded tasty. I happen to have homemade caramel on hand, but if you live near a good candy shop, you can use theirs (King Arthur Flour sells blocks of good caramel as well). Softening the caramel in the microwave for just a few seconds makes the hard type a little easier to cut. Be sure to use good quality caramel, and a good brand of chocolate. I used both mini and big chocolate chips to add dimension, but chopped chocolate would do the same.

Chocolate Candy Bar Cookies

This recipe makes about 34 cookies. If you need to make more, double the amounts and use two whole eggs in place of the egg and egg yolk.

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks*

approx 1/3 cup chopped unsalted peanuts (macadamias or pecans would be tasty too)

approx 1/2 cup chopped caramel chunks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix well. Beat in the salt, soda, and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder and flour and beat just until combined. Stir in the chocolate, caramel, and peanuts.

Drop by the rounded teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets (it's VERY imprtant to line you baking sheets). Bake about ten minutes. Refrigerate the remaining dough while one tray bakes; if the dough gets too warm it will spread too much. Remove from the oven and let stand for 3-5 minutes to allow the caramel to set up a little. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

*Use a combination of different chocolates, if possible, such as semisweet and 60% dark. White chocolate also goes very well with this dough...you can get creative!

Dinner Now, Dinner Later

I will be going away for a girls' vacation soon, and while my husband is planning on cooking some nights, I want to make things a little easier on him while I'm gone. I hope to have a few ready-to-heat meals waiting in the freezer before I leave.

Before I had my son I started doubling recipes that I knew would freeze well. I would place half in a disposable baking pan, wrap well, label, and freeze for when I'd need it most. (I would've done that with my daughter as well, but our kitchen was under construction at the time.) Unbaked casseroles work the best for this: Tuna Noodle, Penne with Sausage Marinara Sauce, Lasagna, Enchiladas...you get the idea. By taking a little extra time when you're preparing one dinner, you will have a premade dish that makes anything in the freezer section (Stouffer's...) pale in comparison. And it's healthier too!

Today I made Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Casserole. I roasted an organic chicken, but you could just as easily use a precooked rotisserie chicken from the store to cut down on the prep time. I also made a creamy sauce instead of the well known use of Campbell's canned soup (which you could substitute if necessary...use Cream of Chicken or Mushroom). For one dinner, cut the ingredients in half (you could use two chicken breasts, cooked, and chopped instead of the roasted chicken).

Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Casserole x2

1 chicken, roasted and cooled*
1 1/2 cups wild rice blend
3 cups water or chicken broth
6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, divided
6 tbsp butter, divided
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 cup white wine
3 cups lowfat milk
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste (may need less depending on if you used broth or water)
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp thyme
2 pkgs frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
grated cheese

Place the rice and water or broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. (I crumbled a few dried chanterelle mushrooms in with the rice also, because I had them!)

Skin the chicken. Pull the meat off the bones and chop it coarsely (reserve the bones for stock). Place in a large bowl. Add the broccoli and set aside.

Chop four slices of bacon and add to the chicken and broccoli. Toss to combine.

Heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute shallots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms until tender. Transfer to the chicken mixture.

In the same skillet, melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter. Whisk in the flour. Gradually whisk in the wine and milk, and cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbly. Add several gratings of fresh pepper, salt, and thyme; stir to incorporate. Pour over the chicken mixture.

Add the rice to the bowl and stir to coat. Divide between two casseroles and sprinkle with cheese. Crumble the remaining bacon over the tops; one slice per pan. Cover with foil.

Bake in a 350 degree oven 45 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve.

If freezing one pan for later, wrap it well with plastic after covering it with foil. Attach a label and directions for heating. Once it's frozen, to reheat, remove the plastic and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. This will take longer, about 1 1/2 hours from frozen state. You can always place the casserole in the fridge the night before (or even on the counter for 2-3 hours) to quicken the baking time.

*To roast a whole chicken for this recipe: Rinse and dry the bird with paper towels. Drizzle with olive oil and rub with salt and pepper. Place the bird breast side DOWN (to keep it super juicy) in a pan with a high rim. Roast at 375 degrees approximately one hour, until it registers 180 degrees.