I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I absolutely love, and I'm pretty much famous in my family for my chocolate chip cookies. That being said, I'm always on the lookout for something that might be better. When I saw this recipe on a blog this week, I thought I would give them a try. I'm not sure that I would say this is the "best" chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they are definitely yummy. The combination of using butter and shortening gives them a very nice texture. I think I still like my usual recipe a bit better because it only uses brown sugar instead of both brown and white, and mine are a bit chewier, which I tend to prefer. Whichever recipe you choose, you are going to get a great batch of cookies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (that means sitting it out on the counter for about 20 minutes before you bake)
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer bowl outfitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and sugar on low until bound together, then on medium-high until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla, continue beating, then add one egg. Beat until combined, then add the other egg and beat until fluffy.

In a large bowl, stir or whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix. Turn mixer to low and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until well blended.

Use a spoon or sturdy rubber spatula to stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated oven for 8-11 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven; allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing them to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Recipe Source - Amanda's Cookin'

Last week was a week of new recipes for me. Because my son is at camp, I've been able to make some things that have ingredients he wouldn't eat (i.e. fish, mushrooms). Everything I made last week turned out great! I ended up skipping the Pineapple Pork Chops and the Chicken Packets because of a couple of unexpected changes in our evening schedule. I'll give them a try another time. I think my favorite meal last week was the Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Cilantro Sauce. Maybe I liked it so much because I don't usually cook fish. :)

This week I have a few new items as well. I will have the recipes posted soon, so be sure to check back. I've had a busy week finishing up computer trainings at school, helping my mom, and visiting my son at Scholars Academy, so my meal planning is a bit behind. I promise to have everything caught up in the next day or so. We did have a great day visiting our son, and we finally got a chance to take a short 15 mile bike ride with him on our favorite part of the KATY trail.

Later this week I will be hosting my summer book club meeting at my house. I'm doing a fun new theme for lunch - Mini Munchies. I have some cute "tasting" dishes that I got at Pier 1, and I have a bunch of fun, new recipes I will be sharing for this get-together. Be sure to check back later in the week to see pictures and get the recipes.

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - eat out (parent visiting day at Scholars Academy)
Monday - Steak, Asparagus, Salad, Peaches
Tuesday - BLT Pizzas (531 cal), Peaches
Wednesday - In-N-Out Burgers , Oven Baked Fries (157 cal), Green Beans, Chocolate Shakes
Thursday - Fish Tacos, Salad, Strawberries
Friday - Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Bake, Salad, Peaches
Saturday - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Broccoli, Salad, Strawberries


For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.    

This tool longer than 45 minutes to cook. I had to cook it for about an hour and 15 minutes to make sure the rice was done. It was a very good casserole.

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
1 cup whole kernel corn
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
Paprika
3oz reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Stir the soup, picante sauce, water, corn and rice in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken. Sprinkle with the paprika. Cover the baking dish. Bake at 375°F. for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Sprinkle with the cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.

Recipe Source - Campbells

Our family's favorite show is not a television show, but rather an audio podcast. I know, we're weird. But, weird is good. :) We started listening to Two Gomers Run a Half Marathon (now called Two Gomers Run a Marathon) a couple of years ago. The podcast is basically these two regular guys who talk about their journey of trying to run a marathon. They are absolutely hysterical, and often talk about pop culture and their favorite fast food restaurants. One of the places they mention several times as being a favorite is In-N-Out Burgers. Now, being from the Midwest, I had never heard of this restaurant. It is a west coast burger chain that is apparently very popular. When we traveled to California for vacation last year, we decided to take the Gomers' advice and check it out. Well, they were right! The burgers are a huge, greasy, saucy, wonderful mess. :) The key to the burger is the special sauce. Since we aren't going on vacation this summer, I thought I would reminisce this week and make some In-N-Out Burgers at home. If you really want to be true to the experience, be sure to have a chocolate shake with your burger. :)

Special Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons finely minced white onion
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, cover, let sit in the fridge for a couple hours to let the flavors bind together.

Burger Ingredients:

Hamburger buns
Grilled hamburger patties
Slices American cheese
Tomato slices
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Special Sauce (see above)


Grill your burgers to your desired level of doneness, and top with the cheese to melt. (In-N-Out actually fries theirs, but grilling is simply better.)

You do have assemble the burger in the correct order to really have a true In-N-Out burger:
1. Spread the special sauce on the bottom half of the bun.
2. Add the tomato slices.
3. Top with iceberg lettuce (don't use shredded or other types of lettuce).
4. Add the grilled, cheese-covered patty.
5. Top with the other half of the bun.

Eat and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Full Bellies, Happy Kids

One of my favorite summertime treats is a BLT sandwich, especially when I have fresh tomatoes from the garden. This recipe is a fun twist on the traditional BLT. It combines the yummy combination of the traditional sandwich toppings, but puts in in pizza form. How fun is that! I made mine in the oven, but you could easily do these on grill if you don't want to heat up your house in the summer.

Ingredients:
1 package (contains 2 flatbreads) Stonefire brand Whole Grain Naan Flatbread
4 T Miracle Whip Light
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
2 oz. Reduced Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 slices Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
Chopped Romain Lettuce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Place flatbreads on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Divide mixture in half and spread half on one bread and half on the other. Top each pizza with 1 oz of cheddar cheese. Reserve a couple slices worth of the chopped bacon. Sprinkle the rest evenly on both pizzas. Bake in the oven about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top each pizza with lettuce, tomatoes, and reserved bacon crumbles.

Serving Size: Makes 2 individual pizzas

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

A while back, I purchased a new domain name for my blog. I decided "thematzats.blogspot.com" wasn't really descriptive the the content, and it's simply hard remember unless you are a member of my family. Of course, any combination of "what's for dinner" has been snagged up long ago, so I went with "myfamilymealplan.com". Hopefully it will be an easier one for my readers to remember. :)

Anyway, I spent some time the other day getting the new URL all set up, so the blog is good to go again. It was offline for a short time, which panicked some of my readers. Sorry to cause you stress when you were trying to meal plan, my friends. At least I know the site is being used. :) Be sure to update your feed readers to use the new address - http://www.myfamilymealplan.com.

Corey is still gone to "smart kid camp", so I took advantage of the added flexibility in my meal planning. You'll see some seafood items again this week, and even a recipe that has grilled portabello mushrooms as the main dish! Yum! Don't get me wrong - I definitely miss my kid and wish he was here, but it's fun to get to try some different meal options this week. I promise to add the pictures and nutrition information as I go.

Here's this week's menu. Enjoy and have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get fast updates from the blog. :)

Sunday - Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Cilantro Sauce, Grilled New Potato Packet, Salad, Strawberries
Monday - Steakhouse Cheeseburgers, Green Beans, Salad, Peaches
Tuesday - Sweet and Spicy Chicken Packets, Brussels Sprouts, Salad, Strawberries
Wednesday - Eat out with Eric (his band has practice after work, so no time for him to make it home for dinner)
Thursday -Grilled Italian Sausage Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, Green Beans, Salad, Grilled Pineapple
Friday - Chicken Saltimbocca, Rice, Broccoli, Salad
Saturday - Pineapple Pork Chops, Cheddar Potato Strips, Green Beans Almondine, Salad


For more menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com.   

Ingredients:

4 4 oz boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place pork in single layer. In a bowl, combine soy sauce with brown sugar, ginger, crushed pepper and pineapple. Pour over pork chops. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, basting frequently.