chocolate chippers by King Arthur

Today I am trying their chocolate chip cookies which is pretty much the standard, only with the addition of vinegar and I have gotten into the habit of sprinkling sea salt on top of most cookies before baking. Here's the recipe, straight from King Arthur himself.

2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. almond extract
1 t. vinegar, cider or white
1 t. baking soda
1 large egg
2 cups flour
2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375. LIghtly grease or line with parchment two or more baking sheets.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, butter, shortening, salt, vanilla, and almond extracts, vinegar, and baking soda, beating until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, again beating til smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, then the chips.

Use a spoon or a tablespoon cookie scooop to scoop 1-1/2" balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2" between them on all sides...they'll spread.

Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, til their edges are chestnut brown and their tops are light golden brown, almost blonde. Remove them from the oven and cool on the pan til they've set enough to move without breaking....yields 3 dozen.

PS...remember to sprinkle the top of the dough with sea salt before baking.

ok...the first pan is out of the oven, cooled enough to set, and put on a cooling rack...but I couldn't wait. They did spread a bit, but are SO Amazingly soft! A hint of the almond and I love the hint...but if you would prefer the usual flavor, skip the almond and only use vanilla.

copy cat that!

Applebee's Spicy Orange chicken Bowl
	Spicy Orange Sauce 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup light brown sugar 3 Tbs orange marmalade 2 Tbs soy sauce 1 Tbs vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon minced parsley 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes 1/4 tsp minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tsp rice vinegar Almond Rice Pilaf 3 Tbs butter 1 cup uncooked converted rice 2-1/4 cups chicken broth 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds 1/4 cup diced celery 1/4 cup diced onions 1 teaspoon minced parsley OTHER 20 ounces breaded chicken fingers, baked --approx 12 strips 1-1/2 cups broccoli florets 1 cup sliced red bell peppers 1 cup sliced mushrooms 3/4 cup sugar snap peas 1/4 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup crispy chow mein noodles 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds 1 Make the spicy orange sauce by combining all ingredients, except vinegar, in a medium saucepan. Simmer over med/low heat for 15 minutes or til thick...might need to add cornstarch/mixed with a little water to thicken. Remove sauce from heat and add vinegar 2 Make rice pilaf by melting 2 T. butter ofmediumheat in a med. saucepan. Be sure to use a saucepan with a lid. Add 1 cup uncooked converted rice and saute rice for 2-4 minutes in butter or til some of the rice begins to turn light brown. As the rice is cooking heat chicken stock on high in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes or until stock begins to bubble. When the rice begins to brown, quickly add the hot stock and salt to the pan. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer rice for 20 mionutes. As the rice cooks, melt remaining 1 T. butter in a medium skillet over mediumheat. Add almonds and saute for 1-2 minutes ro tuntil the almonds begin to brown. Add celery and onions and saute for another couple of minutes until the onion begins to turn translucent. When the rice has cooked for 20 minutes, remove it from the heat. Add almonds, celery, onion, and parsley to the rice, then let it sit, covered, for 5 miknutes or until the remaining liquid is absorbed. 3 If you haven't already baked your chicken fingers, now's the time to cook them following the directions on the package. 4 Steam the broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, and carrot in a steamer basekt in a covered suacepan over simmering water for 10 miknutes or until the broccoli si tender. Salt and pepper the veggies 5 Prepare each dish by spooning 2 cups of the rice pilaf into two large bowls. Divide the steamed vegetables in half and spoon them over the rice. Cut each of the chicken fingers in half and slide them into a large bowl. Pour the orange sauce over the chicken and toss. Spoon the chicken and sauce onto the veggies in each bow. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chow meain noodles over each dish, followed by about 2 Tablespoons of almonds 6 serve. Servings: 2 but almost 3, depending on how piggly wiggly you are. Next time I will not thicken the sauce as much.