Vanilla Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

See? I told you I would be better at posting! My roommate was supposed to come home from California last night, so I made cookies for her on my night off! I was trying to think of a good chocolate-less cookie that we both could enjoy, so I found a Puffy Vanilla Peanut Butter Chip Cookie from Six Sisters Stuff.. I love soft cookies. I will always buy the Chewy Chips Ahoy over the regular. I have also developed an obsession with pudding cookies. Mmmmmmm! These cookies definitely came out soft, chewy, and puffy! But, be warned, they are not kidding with the vanilla flavor! I'm not too sure if I had a heavy hand with the vanilla or if I should have been warned with the title of the cookie, but they are not shy about the vanilla taste! My roommate will be trying one today, so I will update it with her reaction, but I am a fan!

From Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

Preheat over to 375 and grease cookie sheet. Beat together Crisco, sugars, egg, water, and vanilla until batter is creamy. Mix in cinnamon, salt, baking soda, flour and mix until just combined. Fold in chips. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Form 1 inch balls (they do not spread much at all) and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes and cool on wire rack. 

Chicken Fajita Pasta, a long weekend, and an apology.

I am just going to a quick apology for disappearing for months and months and pretend like it didn't happen. I am very sorry though! I will be doing much better with the posts now that tax and audit season have died down and I hopefully have more time to myself.

So, happy week after Memorial Day Weekend! Over here in the NYC/NJ area, Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest holidays of the year. It is the official kick off to summer and EVERYONE goes to some sort of beach house or getaway. I usually spend my weekend at my beloved Jersey Shore, but this year, my dad conned me into going to the Lake House up in the Finger Lakes. It wasn't supposed to be the warmest (60 degrees!) in NJ, so I figured it was a good weekend to skip. I actually forgot how gorgeous it is up there!

View from the dock 

My lake house

Colin & I on the dock

My roommate is in LA for a nice extended long weekend, so I conned my boyfriend to being a sub roommate to me for a few days so I didn't have to be alone. It is always hard to try and cook something he likes to eat, but I figured that chicken fajita pasta (from picky palate) would work. It was very very good and made a TON. I have been eating it for every meal since to not waste the leftovers, so if you have 2 people I would halve the recipe. 

Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta

- 1 pound of your favorite small pasta

- 8 ozs of cream cheese

- 2 cups milk

- 2 boneless chicken breasts 

- 1 packet of dry ranch mix
- 1 package of pre-made Fajita veggies (I just cut up peppers and onions since my store didn't have them)

 - 1 tbsp olive oil. 

Cook your pasta according to directions. Boil or grill your chicken until done all the way through and cut up into small pieces (or shred). Whip the 8 oz of cream cheese until light and fluffy. While pasta is cooking, use a small pan to heat milk and ranch mix for about 5 minutes or until very hot. Slowly add the whipped cream cheese to the milk and ranch mixture. Stir until cream cheese is totally melted. Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil into pan and cook vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes. Strain pasta and combine with chicken and veggies. Pour over sauce and enjoy!!