Ultimate Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

I have to admit that my oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is really good. I don't skimp on the raisins or the walnuts and I have a secret ingredient, Greek Yogurt, to make sure they are the moistest oatmeal raisin cookies ever! They're soft and chewy and loaded with raisins and walnuts. If you're not a fan of raisins or walnuts, try using crasins and white chocolate chips instead. They might not be strictly a cookie just for the holidays but they've always been a staple in our Christmas Eve cookie platter. Be sure to save some of these for Santa Claus - the reindeer sure love them too!!

2 sticks of room temperature butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts
3/4 cup of Golden raisins
3/4 cup of Dark raisins
1 tablespoon of Vanilla

2 large eggs
½ cup of plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream

2 cups of all purpose flour
3 cups of Oats

1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 of a teaspoon of fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cream together your butter, both sugars, the two eggs, and the vanilla. The best way to do this is with an electric mixer. Turn your mixer on high and whip the mixture together until it's light and fluffy - it usually takes about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl - combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and gently with them together. This ensures they dry ingredients are  into each other before we add them into the butter. Combine the dry ingredients with the creamed butter and mix together just until there is no flour visible. Next add the half a cup of Greek yogurt and mix into the batter. Finally add the oats, raisins, and walnuts and mix together until they become incorporated into the batter.

Use a cookie scoop or a large tablespoon to scoop out the batter and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep the cookies about 2 inches apart from each other as they will spread out a bit. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes.

Shortbread Cookies and "The Holiday"

Christmas is now under a week away and it's a frantic race to get everything done before the big day. One item in particular for me that always comes down to last minute is my cookie baking. My favorite cookie of all time is a freshly baked shortbread. Sweet and buttery with a strong vanilla flavor, it's impossible to just have one of these! Shortbread cookies can't be an easier to make and chances are you always have the ingredients you need on hand. On top of all that, the shortbread dough is perfect for using your favorite festive cookie cutters you have stored away.

3 sticks of very soft room temperature butter
1 cup of Sugar
½ Tablespoon of pure Vanilla extract 
½ teaspoon of Kosher Salt
3½ cups of all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
Whip the room temperature butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla together with an electric mixer on high speed or by hand with a wooden spoon until the two or completely combined and the mixture is very light and fluffy - about 5 minutes. Turn your mixer on low and gradually add the flour a cup or so at a time until all the flour is mixed in. Form the dough into a disc and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes. You can make this dough a few days ahead and keep it chilled until you're ready - just make sure it's thoroughly covered with saran wrap. 

Removed the chilled dough and place onto your working station (A table top, counter, or cutting board)  that you've dusted with a little bit of flour. Flour your rolling pin and roll the dough out in all directions until it's about a quarter inch thick but no need to be exact. Use your cookie cutters to cut out your cookie shapes and place on an un-greased baking sheet. Now is the time to decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar if you desire. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Baking time will depend on the size and shape of your cookies, if they are smaller they obviously won't take as long. The best way to tell if the cookie is done is the check the edges of the cookie, if you can see that it's turning golden brown the cookie is done. Remember just because we pulled the cookie from the oven the tray and cookie is still warm so it will continue to bake a little once you've removed them from the oven.

Once you're cookies are all done why not kick back and check out a new Christmas movie favorite of mine called "The Holiday". The 2006 film written and directer by Nancy Meyers follows the life of two young women in different parts of the world but with similar problematic love lives. Cameron Diaz plays Amanda, a workaholic movie trailer producer who finds her boyfriend cheating on her and Kate Winslet plays Iris, a journalist who recently discovers that her on and off again flame and co-worker has just gotten engaged.  While searching for a holiday hideaway, Amanda comes across a home exchange website where people switch houses and cars with each other for their vacations. Seeing a quaint English cottage listed, Amanda messages the owner to see if they are interested in spending time in her house in Beverly Hills - it just so happens Iris is the home owner and is eager to make the switch. Hours later both women are on their plans heading for a holiday vacation to spend some time alone and mend their broken hearts. Turns out they both might find exactly what it was they were running from. Judd Law and Jack Black play supporting roles in this romantic holiday comedy. Check out the trailer for sneak peek.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati Ohio on December 18, 1946. The birth of the greatest movie director in the history of film making however began when Arnold Spielberg took his young son to see his very first motion picture called "The Greatest Show on Earth." Steven Spielberg would later describe this experience as, "I became just one more victim of this tremendous drug called cinema." One scene that truly inspired Steven was a massive train wreck that occurred during the film.

A few years later, Spielberg was playing with his electric trains when he decided he'd like to recreate that scene from the movie he had seen a few years prior. So he set his trains up and crashed the two of them together. Breaking both trains, he explained to his father what had happened and why he had done it. His father repaired the trains but warned his son that if he crashed them again he would have to take the trains away from him. Still wanting to see the trains crash together like in "The Greatest Show on Earth" but of course not wanting to loose his train set, Steven borrowed his fathers 8mm Kodak film camera and filmed his two trains crashing into each other. Luckily his trains did not break during the crash and now with the event caught on film, Steven Spielberg directed his first movie. As they say, rest is history.

As a teenager, Steven Spielberg was on a tour of universal studio's movie lot when he veered off on his own away from the tour group. Spielberg spent the day on his own going in and out of sound stages and seeing first hand how major film productions were made. At the end of the day when he needed to call his cousin for a ride home, he borrowed the phone of the studio's film librarian who asked Spielberg how he got here. Seeing the passion and desire to work in movies, he gave Steven a pass to come back to the studio lot without having to sneak in. Later on in college, a short film Steven directed would catch the eye of the executives of the studio and he would officially become and employee of Universal Studios. Now in his early 20's and successfully directing his first two films "Duel" and "The Sugarland Express", he set his sights on directing a film about a killer shark that terrorizes a small New England town.

"Jaws" would prove to be a film that would push Spielberg to his limits as an artist and as a director. Upon arrival to Cape Cod Massachusetts, the film crew discovered that the mechanical shark they had named "Bruce" wasn't working. The very first time they tested Bruce, he shot from the water in a horrific burst of bubbles just as planned. The celebration was short lived however as only seconds later Spielberg and crew watched helplessly as Bruce sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

With a broken shark out of commission for several weeks, it was time for young Spielberg to develop plan B or admit defeat and cancel filming before it even began. Steven had always had a fear of the water, more directly the fear of what was beneath the water that he couldn't see. That fear would now become the idea behind the whole film and soon the fear of of every person who viewed the film. Using camera angles to represent the point of view from the shark swimming below it's victims only heightened the horror of the film. Spielberg would later say that the shock given when we finally get our first image of the giant shark next to Quint's boat wouldn't have been the same if he had shown any glimpse of the fish prior to that moment.

A world wide phenomenon now under his belt, Spielberg continued to direct hit after hit with films such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones, E.T., The Color Purple, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan." Winning the Oscar for best director for both "Schindler's list" and "Saving Private Ryan", Spielberg still remains the premier director in Hollywood and has produced countless films and Tv Series.

His latest film "Lincoln" has received praise from fans and critics and buzz for his third academy award as Best Director has already begun. Now 66 years old, Steven Spielberg still directs his films with the passion and excitement as the young boy in Arizona filming his toy trains crashing together. Steven Spielberg has shared his love and passion for films with millions of movie lovers, including me. Here is a wonderful video someone made that beautifully captures clips from the famous films of Steven Spielberg.

Buffalo Wing Dip

Most of us are going to find ourselves either attending or hosting a holiday party of some sort during the next few weeks. If you're looking for a flawless crowd pleasing appetizer look no further than Buffalo Wing Dip. Who doesn't love a spicy buffalo wing? I even know a few vegetarians who have admitted to sneaking a hot wing when nobody was watching them. We all know how messy eating a hot wing can be and that's never fun to deal with at a social gathering. With just five ingredients I'm willing to bet you almost always have on hand, this recipe is quick and simple to make.

1 pound of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 block of cream cheese
1 cup of Ranch or blue cheese salad dressing
¾ of a cup of Hot wing sauce
Fresh chopped Scallions (Optional)
Crispy bread, Celery, Crackers, and or Tortilla chips for scooping

Preheat oven to 375.

First step is to season your chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper. Now to cook your chicken breasts and you can really do this anyway you like. If they weather is nice, I like to grill my chicken but baking in the oven or sauteing in a skillet with a little olive oil are other recommend ways. Once you've cooked your chicken and it's cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and set aside. 

In a medium sized sauce pan, add the hot sauce, the ranch or blue cheese dressing, the block of cream cheese and stir together over medium heat until the cream cheese has melted. Next add 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, the chicken, and the chopped scallions. Transfer the dip into an over proof dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the dip is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Serve with crispy bread, celery, pretzels, crackers, tortilla chips, or just about anything else you can think of - seriously this stuff would taste good on a brick!

FYI - This dip is a great dish to make for watching the big games on Sunday!

Croque Monsieurs and "It's Complicated"

 I still remember the first time I saw the movie "It's Complicated" back when it was in the movie theaters in December of 2009. In the film, Meryl Streep plays Jane Adler who is a very passionate cook and owns her own Bakery/Bistro type establishment. In one scene, she's making dinner for herself and her architect Adam, played by Steve Martin, and I see her put something delicious looking onto their plates. When Adam comments how delicious they look, Jane tells him they are Croque Monsieurs. My first thought was, "Holy cow I don't know what that is but I want to make one!" With a little research I found that a Croque Monsieur is a traditional French sandwich with ham and Dijon mustard that's smothered with a cheese sauce and then broiled until sinfully delicious. I've made a few variations to the classic recipe and I think I've made this sandwich even better!

About ¾ of a pound good quality lunch meat ham (Off the bone ham or something similar)
¼ of a pound shredded Swiss cheese

¼ of a pound shredded sharp Cheddar

1½ cups of warm Half and Half

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 shallot finely diced

Black pepper and Kosher Salt

Pinch of Nutmeg

Italian Bread cut into long thin slices or any regular sandwich bread of your choice

Dijon Mustard

Turn your oven onto broil

Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Add the diced shallot and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes stirring occasionally. Meanwhile in another sauce pan, heat the half and half over very low heat. It doesn’t need to be scalding hot, we are just heating it through to take the chill off. You could also measure out the half and half, place into a heat proof mug or bowl and heat in the microwave. Once the shallot has cooked, add the flour to the pan and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. What we are doing here is making a roux. It’s a classic and essential technique to know when making many sauces and gravies as this step is what allows the sauce to thicken. The roux should look similar to what I have pictured below.

 

All at once, add the warmed half and half into the pot that we've made our roux in and mix together. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, and the cheese to the sauce and continue to mix everything together until the cheese has melted and created our thick and creamy cheese sauce for our sandwiches. Taste your cheese sauce for seasonings and adjust to your pallets liking.

Next, place your slices of bread on a cookie sheet and carefully toast them under the broiler - about 4 minutes on each side or just until they have that ideal golden brown color. On one side of each slice of bread, spread on the Dijon mustard and then layer with a few slices of ham. Pour a little bit, or a lot, of the cheese sauce directly over the ham and then top with another slice of bread. Finally, pour more cheese sauce over top the entire sandwich and repeat. You should get between 6 to 8 sandwiches depending on the size of bread. If you have any cheese sauce leftover, either do what I do and just go overboard on your sandwiches or save it for dinner the next night because it's great over steamed cauliflower or broccoli. 

 

Once the sandwiches are assembled, place them under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the cheese sauce on top starts to bubble and gets brown in spots. Keep a watchful eye on the sandwiches however, we don't want them to burn! I like to serve these Croque Monsieurs with either a nice salad or with just some salty potato chips and a crispy dill pickle! Now as I mentioned before I was inspired to make this dish from the movie "It's Complicated" so of course that's our movie of the week.

Writer/Director Nancy Meyer's delivered us another great romantic comedy with her most recent film, "It's Complicated". Meryl Streep plays Jane Adler, a middle aged divorced mother of three who after 10 years of being separated with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) has finally gotten some balance back into her life. Owner of a successful bakery and with plans to finally put an addition onto her house, Jane has a lot going for her. Still, with all her children now moved out of the house she still finds herself lonely. After all, Jake has been remarried for quite some time to a younger woman and Jane has barely had any love interests at all since the divorce.

While in New York City for their son's graduation, Jane and Jake find themselves together in the hotel restaurant sharing a meal together for the first time since their divorce. A few drinks and dances later, the previously married couple discover that the past might not be dead and buried after all. Jake now finds himself having an affair with his ex-wife while Jane struggles with her conscience on if she can continue playing the role of "The other woman". Add on top of that the fact that Jane and her architect Adam (Steve Martin) share a mutual attraction for one another, Jane's situation is a complicated one to say the least. 

"It's Complicated" is really a funny and enjoyable film from start to finish. I found myself laughing out loud quite often the first time I saw the movie and it continues to rank as one of my favorites. Streep, Martin, and Baldwin all give some of their best comedic performances in years. "The Office" star John Krasinski also gives a great performance playing the role of the future son-in-law who happens to see Jane and Jake sneaking off to a hotel together. If you're looking for a great film to watch that will deliver more than a few good laughs, check out "It's Complicated".

Movie Review - "Four Christmases"

Holidays are when we all look forward to reconnecting with our families...right? Joyful times sitting around the table, eating great food, exchanging beautifully wrapped presents, and enjoying each others company. The 2008 holiday film "Four Christmases" takes a look at a couple who will do anything and go anywhere but home for the holidays.

Vince Vaughn and Reese Whiterspoon star as Brad and Kate, a couple who plan a lavish private getaway for themselves every time the calender rolls into the holiday season. Careful not to offend their families, they lie saying that they travel every year to do humanitarian work when really they're relaxing on a sunny beach of a tropical island. All is set for another tropical vacation until mother nature throws a wrench in the couples plans and their flight has been canceled. To make matters worse, while shuffling through the busy airport, Brad and Kate are surprised by a news anchor on scene. With a live streaming video camera honed directly in on them, all of the greater San Fransisco area, including their families, know that the couple have been grounded. With no where to run, Brad and Kate won't be able to avoid any family time this Christmas.

Venturing from one divorced parents house to the next, four stops in all, Brad and Kate will have to deal with their families and their pasts to survive this holiday adventure. From Brad being attacked by former cage fighters to Kate facing her worst childhood fear, they'll have to have each other's back if they want to make it through in one piece. Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, John Voight, Mary Steenburgen, Tim McGraw, and Jon Favreau round out a star filled cast."Four Christmases" might not stand tall as an instant holiday classic, however if you're looking for a comedic film you might have missed the past few years, it's worth checking out. Here is the trailer for an extra glimpse.

Russian Tea Cakes

December is all about holiday's and the family traditions we have associated with them. Christmas just wouldn't be quite the same in my house without my favorite Christmas cookie - Russian Tea Cakes. Ever since I was a little boy, I couldn't wait for my mom to mix up a batch of these sweet and buttery cookies. The hardest part about making them is not eating them right off the tray when you take them out of the oven. Whether you're baking these for jolly old Santa himself or Ebenezer Scrooge - one cookie and they'll be busting out the air guitar to "Run, run Rudolph."

Recipe Yields about 2 to 3 dozen cookies


2 sticks of very soft room temperature butter
½ cup of sifted powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 cup of finely crushed walnuts 
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
2 ¼ cups of sifted all purpose flour
Additional powdered sugar for baked cookies

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the vanilla together. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until the butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy. Next, add the walnuts and mix together. You can buy crushed walnuts or if you have walnut halves just fill a heavy duty zip lock bag and and crush them with a rolling pin or a heavy skillet.

Gradually add the flour to the butter, sugar, and walnuts. If you're using an electric mixer be sure to start on a low speed or else you'll have a large plume of flour erupting from your mixing bowl. Once you've mixed everything together the dough is going to be very crumbly. Take a small handful of the dough and roll into small ball shapes.No need to be exact on how big they are, just make sure they're all roughly the same size to ensure an even baking time. Place the balls of dough on an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart from each other. Bake the cookies for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the you seem the bottom edges just start to brown. While the cookies are baking, fill a small bowl with some powdered sugar to roll the cookies in.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, roll them in the powdered sugar and allow them to cool. The first coating of powdered sugar will sort of melt around the cookie and create a sticky outer layer. Once the cookies have cooled, give them another generous roll in the powdered sugar. Hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do.

Grilled Chicken over Garden Salad and "The Switch"

Believe it or not, even people that love to cook sometimes aren't in the mood to come home after a long day and make a large dinner. Such was the case for me the other day after running errands all morning and a long night at work. Instead of finding some tasteless microwave dinner or bringing home an unhealthy fast food heart attack in a bag item, I turned to one of my favorite quick and easy dinners. A fresh salad with grilled breasts of chicken is a quick, flavorful, and healthy dinner fix. If you know you're going to have a busy day before hand, it's a good idea to marinade the chicken a day or two in advanced. If not, the chicken will still take on the flavors in the marinade in about thirty-minutes or so. It's a great go-to dinner idea all year round and you can customize the salad and the seasoning on the chicken anyway you'd like!

Serves4
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

3 tablespoons of red wine or balsamic vinegar

¼ cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of dried dill

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

¼ teaspoon of black pepper
Pinch of Kosher salt
1 container of Organic Greens
1 bag of organic baby spinach
1 English cucumber (sliced)
1 small red onion (Sliced)
1 Carrot (Shredded)

Dill Vinaigrette

½ cup of olive oil

3 tablespoons of red wine or balsamic vinegar

1 clove of garlic finely diced

1 teaspoon of fresh or dried dill

½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and black pepper

Start by mixing together the vinegar, olive oil, dried herbs, and the salt and pepper together. Pour the marinade over the chicken strips and toss to coat all the strips. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or put the chicken in a large resealable bag and let them sit overnight. While the chicken is soaking up the flavors, wash and prep the vegetables. A good tip for shredding your carrots is once you've you peeled the outer layer off, continue using your vegetable peeler to get nice thin slices of carrot. The reason I recommend an English cucumber is that normally you find them in the grocery store wrapped in plastic wrap therefore eliminating the need for a coating of wax. No need to peel unless your prefer it that way, just rinse the cucumber and slice into thin slices. Mix the vegetables together with your greens and the salad is all set. Now for the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, and the seasonings. Slowly add the mustard until the dressing emulsifies. Now that all the prep work is done, it's time to cook the chicken.

Preheat a skillet, grill pan, or an actual grill to a medium heat. Drizzle a little olive oil onto your pan and place the chicken strips evenly apart and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. If your unsure if your chicken is cooked through either slice into one of the large pieces to make sure there isn't any pink or use a meat thermometer and it should be around 180 degrees. Slice the chicken strip and place over the salad and top everything off with the dressing and croutons. Dinner in a flash and it's tasty and healthy too! Bonus tip - Left over Italian bread starting to get a little stale? Toss with some olive oil and seasonings then toast under the broiler until golden brown for fresh croutons!

After a quick dinner it's time for an enjoyable heart warming comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman - the 2010 film called "The Switch".

When Wally Mars (Bateman) meets with his best friend Kassie (Aniston) for lunch, Kassie shares some interesting news. Kassie has decided that she would like to have a child and though she currently doesn't have a husband or a boyfriend, she has chosen to pay for artificial insemination. Wally thinks the idea is crazy on all accounts and struggles with the hidden truth that his feelings for Kassie go beyond just being best friends. Kassie decides to have a party to celebrate the event and still unhappy with her decision and his inability to express how he really feels, Wally gets very drunk at the party and doesn't recall anything the morning after. Now 7 years later, Wally meets Kassie's son Sebastian and can't help but notice the similarities between the two. With help from his co-worker Leonard played by Jeff Goldblum, Wally starts to remember the night of Kassie's party and recalls what might have took place and the very real possibility that he may be the father of Kassie's son. Check out the trailer for a glimpse at this underrated film that I'm sure you'll all enjoy.

Moview Review - "Elf"

Tis' the season for for all things holiday. Music, cards, cookies, and especially movies. There are so many great holiday movies both new and old and it seems like we all have our favorites. While I can't really pick just one holiday film that I enjoy more than any other, there is one movie that instantly gets me in the holiday spirit.

"Elf" is the 2003 Christmas film starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the elf who is dealing with a bit of an identity crisis. Though Buddy is a grown man, he found himself as a young baby being raised by one of Santa's Elves. Not knowing he is actually a human, Buddy has always believed himself to be an Elf despite the many differences between himself and all the other elves. When he finally learns the truth, Buddy takes a voyage by himself from the North Pole to New York city on a quest to find his birth father Walter Hobbs (James Caan). Walter is less than thrilled to discover that he has a grown son who believes he's an elf and wants little to do with Buddy. Buddy will find himself trying to adapt into the real world is a challenge - especially when he's used to the way things are done at the North Pole. Elf is filled with laugh out loud moments and a very heartfelt story at its core. Zooey Deschanel, Edward Asner, Bob Newhart, and Mary Steenburgen also star in the holiday comedy. "Elf" is a new classic among holiday films and whether you've never seen it or are already a huge fan like myself - it's one I'm sure you'll enjoy for many holiday seasons to come. Click here for the trailer for "Elf".