ode to a cookie

alright no not really an ode however hands down may favorite of all time is the black & white cookie! and I know you can order everything over the interweb but this just seems like something you need to buy in person which is what I did on Sunday, The Fresh Market had some nice pretty ones in the display case and they were very fresh and very yummy it brought me back to my youth going with my dad to The New York Bake shop in beautiful downtown Danbury CT on Sunday's and purchasing said cookies. Seriously these are the best cookies ever

dijon green beans

1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans trimmed
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 small onion sliced
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

-place beans in large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil
-cook uncovered about 8-10 minutes
-in another bowl whisk vinegar, oil, mustard with salt & pepper.
-drain beans place in a serving bowl
--add tomato & onion
-drizzle with dressing, toss to coat
-sprinke with cheese-completely optional personally I opt out in this case

should you find yourself

in the deep, dark wilds of Farragut East Japanese Resturant in Village Green is really yummy, great Japanese food & excellent sushi

chicken stir-fry

way too easy to make. I got this one off a Campbell's soup when we were first married and it is always a quick weeknight meal to prepare!

1 lb chicken breasts skinless/boneless cut into thin strips or just into cubes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bag(16oz) frozen veggie combination thawed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 can tomato soup

- heat 1 tbsp of oil & brown chicken(seasoned with salt & pepper) in skillet. remove from pan
-heat remaining oil in skillet stir -fry veggies over medium heat with ginger & garlic till tender crisp-maybe 1-2 minutes
-add soup, soy & vinegar. heat to boiling return chicken to skillet. heat through
-now the recipe says to serve over rice I can only assume at this point we were out of rice the first time I made it because we always serve it over spaghetti noddles

brownie cupcakes

I am going to give my mother credit on this she made these for us all the time when we were kids-always a treat and none of my friend's moms ever made them! I am guessing it's origins are at Pillsbury as it calls for a box of Pillsbury brownie mix

1 box Pillsbury traditional fudge brownies family size
1/4 water
1/2 oil
2 eggs

-heat oven to 350 degrees
-line either 36 of the mini muffin cups with the mini liners or line12-16 of the regular sized muffin tins-spray with Pam
-mix ingredients fill bakingcups about 2/3 full and bake 18-20minutes

cucumber salad

my newly famous not sure which web site I got it from new recipe

3 large cucumbers peeled & thinly sliced
3/4 cup of water
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup of sugar
dashes of-salt, pepper, parsley, basil & cayenne

-combine all but cucumbers in a sauce pan and heat just till sugar dissolves
-pour over cucumbers and refridgerate at least 3 hours
add some cherry tomatoes for some color well they taste good too

tex-mex chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breasts cut into strips
2 tbsp taco seasoning mix
2 tbsp flour
1 each green pepper & red pepper cut into strips
1 cup frozen corn
1 small jar chunky salsa
1 can beer-cheaper the better

-toss chicken with seasoning mix & flour in crock pot
-stir in remaining ingredients
-cook on low for 6-8 hours

another goodie from Kraft magazine.
I thought the recipe could use more fluid so I am adding beer to the mix next time or some chicken stock would work well too. I also think chicken thighs would work well.