Chocolate Chip Vanilla Bean Cookies

My ideal chocolate chip cookie is thin, crispy, and deeply golden brown. This recipe incorporates an entire vanilla bean (the entire thing, not just the inside) which adds a delicous kick to a traditional cookie recipe. Currently I have a surplus of used vanilla bean pods from making my own vanilla extract. I figured I would use them rather than throw them away! I found the recipe on Epicurean Mom. I changed the baking directions so the cookies would be crispy, not chewy. So if you desire a chewy cookie, follow her directions.

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup cane sugar

1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/2 tbsp half and half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean, sliced in half
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.

In a food processor, process the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and vanilla bean until the bean is completely blended into the sugar. Stir the melted butter and sugars together.  Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, half and half, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture slowly. Then fold in the chocolate chips.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour. 

On ungreased cookie sheets, scoop out 1 heaping teaspoonful of dough about 2-3 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, turning the cookie sheets halfway through the baking process. Bake until golden brown. Let sit on baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling racks.
I served these cookies with some homemade brown sugar vanilla ice cream for a cookout at Nick's parents house. The rest of the cookies were saved for my cousins in Harrisburg.

Sesame Soba Noodles

These noodles have been a staple for me ever since college. I usually make them with whatever vegetables I have on hand. This time, I stopped at the farmer's market and picked up some heirloom varieties of asian eggplants. They come in all colors-white, pale green, and lavender.

Ingredients:
1- 8 ounce box soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)
3 shallots, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic
1 medium eggplant
1 small zucchini
3 banana peppers
1 large handful spinach
1 bunch green onions, chopped (white and green parts separated)
1 small bunch thai basil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 splash fish sauce

Heat some vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Fry the shallots and the whites of the green onions until golden brown. Then add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Slice the eggplant, zucchini, and peppers into thin, long strips. Saute in the oil until softened without overcooking. Add in the spinach until soft. Set vegetables aside to cool.
Meanwhile cook the noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Then cook the noodles until just soft enough to eat for about 5-7 minutes. Watch closely since they tend to cook quickly. Strain the noodles as soon as they are done, then rinse under cold running water in a strainer. This will prevent them from sticking together. Set aside to cool.
Mix the dressing together with the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and the fish sauce. Pour over the noodles and mix in the cooked vegetables. Mix in the sesame seeds and the chopped thai basil to your liking. Serve cold or hot. These make a great packed lunch!

Clam Chowder

This is my version of clam chowder made with coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Feel free to substitute if you want in equal proportions. When my family goes to the beach, we spend our time in the bay digging for clams, cutting mussels away from bay grasses, or catching crabs. If my sisters and I are lucky, we'll get a little bit of time on the beach at Assateague Island (wild ponies!). Both my parents love activity! If we're not in the water, we're at the beach house cooking. This soup was a combined effort from all of us. My dad steamed the clams, Tiffany chopped them, and all of us helped to catch them. Well Kelly and I mostly just splashed other people and got in the way...

When we catch the clams, we let them sit in a bucket in they bay for a day to filter out all of the sand before eating them. One of the neighbors recommended pouring a beer on the clams, which apparently makes them spit out all of the sand quickly.

Ingredients:

5 strips thick bacon, sliced
3 cups roughly chopped clams
3 cups small diced potatoes
7 celery stalks, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
6 1/2 cups clam juice
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped
1 can coconut cream
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

To cook the clams: Steam the clams until they open, pulling them out individually as they just open. Keep the clam juice that's in the shells and the clam juice in the steamer. You should have about 6 cups, but if not just dilute with some water. Once cool enough to handle, chop roughly (I like big chunks of clam).
For the soup: Fry the bacon until crispy over medium high heat in a large soup pot. Take out the bacon and set aside. Keep the bacon grease in the pot, add the onions to cook until translucent. Add the celery and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.
Add the clam juice and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat until they are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Then add the coconut cream and the spices. Cook until the soup is heated through. Add the chopped parsley, the chopped clams, and the bacon. Season again if needed and serve with some sourdough bread.

Raw & Roasted Beet Salad

I know not everybody loves beets as much as I do, but I think those people should give beets another chance. They are amazing, especially roasted, as most of the beets are in this salad. A couple of the beets are grated raw for texture.

WARNING: You may get a bit of vampire teeth after eating this. Also, eating beets makes your poop look bloody! Don't panic. Enjoy your beets.

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RAW & ROASTED BEET SALAD

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens 

7-8 small and/or medium beets

1 clove garlic

Olive oil

2-3 tbsp water

Salt

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

ground pepper

8 oz crumbled blue cheese

2 oz toasted almonds

1 tbsp parsley, if you have it