Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies

I figured I should share Dave's Valentine treat before the end of February. Someday I will get better about sharing things closer to when I make them. As soon as Picky Palate posted this recipe, I knew Dave would love it. It also seemed great to keep around since I am not a huge cookie fan. Well, I was mistaken. These cookies were amazing. The chocolate chip cookie stayed a bit softer, which is the way I like them. Thank goodness I halved the recipe so that we only had a dozen of these around. A few were passed on to friends, and Dave happily took one in his lunch all week. At first, everyone thought I made a giant chocolate chip cookie. They were all surprised to find an oreo in the middle! This is why I was referring to them as "Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies."

Here's what I did to yield 12 cookies. Visit the original recipe in order to make 24.

You will need:
*1 sticks softened butter
*1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
*1/2 cup granulated sugar
*1 large eggs
*1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
*1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*5 oz. chocolate chips
*12 Oreo cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Take a scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. (Mine were large, and they needed the full 13 minutes)

4. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

We never cook with fish. This is something we always aim to change. After the simplicity of this recipe, I am interested in trying some more dinners with tilapia. It's affordable and cooks fast which are two weeknight requirements around here. I found this recipe on the blog With A Cherry On Top.

You will need:
*1 lb. tilapia
*3 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
*Salt and pepper, to taste
*1 teaspoon flour
*1 Garlic Clove, minced
*1/4 cup Chicken Stock
*2 Tsp. Lemon Juice
*1 tomato, diced

1. Pat the fillets dry; season the fillets with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over med-high heat. Add in the fillets, and sear 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove the fillets from the pan and set aside.

3. While fillets are cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over med-high heat in a small sauce pan. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the flour, and cook for an additional minute. Gradually add in the chicken stock then lemon juice, stirring constantly until a smooth consistency forms. If the sauce thickens too much, add in more stock to get the consistency you prefer.

4. Spoon the sauce over the fillets and top with the diced tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin

When I was growing up, my parents always made Sunday dinners. We often had roasted meat, potato, and vegetables. I find that when I am creating my menu plans, I occasionally reflect on this and think of making Sunday a roast kind of night. This pork recipe was another hit from Rachael Ray. I discovered the recipe when it was posted on Katie's Cucina and reduced the amount of pork as she did. This came together easily. We enjoyed it with some steamed kale with garlic. The leftovers reheated well the next day.

You will need:
*2 large cloves garlic, minced
*1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
*1 teaspoon dried sage
*1/4 teaspoon pepper
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 trimmed pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

1. Position a rack near the bottom of the oven; preheat to 500°. Combine the garlic, salt, sage, pepper, and oil in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix over the meat, and place the tenderloin in the middle of a roasting pan.

2. Roast for 10 minutes, flip over, and roast again until the internal temperature registers 155° on an instant-read thermometer, about 8-10 minutes more.

3. Let rest for about 10 minutes-this should cause the internal temperature to reach 160°. Slice into ½-inch-thick slices.

Pomegranate White Chocolate Cookies

Every year, everyone in my family receives a pomegranate in the bottom of their Christmas stocking. I always end up taking all of the pomegranates home, and I struggle to use them before they overripe. I used one to make this Pomegranate Beef recipe again. Another one was opened as a snack and yogurt topping. As soon as I saw this cookie recipe posted as a guest post on Beantown Baker by Two Peas and Their Pod, I knew this would be a great way to use another pomegranate before it was too late. The cookies came together easily, but placing the arils was a little time consuming. It seemed a bit frustrating to me, but that may also have been from making these on a time constraint. The end result was definitely worth it.
(I made these cookies about a month ago, so I am clearly a bit behind on posting!)

You will need:
*1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
*1/2 cup light brown sugar
*1/2 cup white sugar
*1 large egg
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 cup old fashioned oats
*1 cup white chocolate chips
*1 cup pomegranate arils

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together for about two minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.

4. Stir in the oats and white chocolate chips. Make 1 tablespoon of dough balls and carefully place 6-8 pomegranate arils in each cookie ball. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.