Food

Chocolate & Peanut Butter

In my house, there is nothing more important than peanut butter and chocolate. Every weekend, Jay and I indulge in a special dessert. We only eat dessert on the weekends, as a way to curb our sugar consumption, so the dessert we choose is paramount. This week I read Jay a list of cookie recipes from my new cook book, Smitten Kitchen, and he obviously chose the cookies with peanut butter and chocolate!

The cookbook is so easy to follow and Smitten Kitchen's recipes are delicious. The most challenging part of this recipe was forming the dough into rolls to chill. The dough was fairly dry and it did not stick together easily. Otherwise everything went smoothly.

What are your favorite dessert recipes? Any great recipes with peanut butter and chocolate? We are always eager to try new ones.

Ellie

Brussels Sprouts and Sausage

While on our family ski vacation we try and cook healthy and filling dinners after a full day of skiing.  This year, we made this dish adapted from a  New York Times recipe.  To lower the oil content and add more protein we substituted chicken sausage for pancetta and eliminated the butter and cheese.  We knew it had to be a  great dish since it included Brussels sprouts, Ellie's favorite vegetable. 

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz whole wheat pasta 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz chicken sausage
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 8 oz Brussels sprouts thinly sliced 
• 3 oz Pesto

Directions:

• Bring pot of salted water to boil, add pasta and cook until just al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat a larger saute pan over high head and add olive oil. When hot add chicken sausage and rosemary and saute until the sausage starts to to brown slightly. Add garlic and saute for about three minutes. 
• Add Brussels sprouts, a large pinch of salt, and a splash of water, and saute until sprouts just start to soften, about two minutes. Spread the Brussels sprouts minutes to the pan and press down to flatten. Let sear for a minute, then stir and repeated. This helps brown the sprouts. 
• Drain pasta and add to Brussels sprout mixture. Add pesto cook, tossing until well mixed.  
• Serves 4 or more. 

We definitely want to make this dinner again! We ended up having lots of left overs for lunch the next day. We served this dish with a mixed green salad and Annie's great garlic dressing. Even Ellie's husband, Jay, thought the meal was hearty enough for him. We hope you enjoy!

Ellie & Maddie