Weekend Dog Blogging #48

I have a few catering jobs this week, so it will be a good chance for me to revisit some old favorites, as well as try out some new recipes. For a few days this week, I’ll be providing breakfast and a cookie tray for a small group. For the breakfast portion, my eye is on keeping it simple and not messy, since the group is attending a course.

I ran through the Sweets category in the Recipes section of my web site and decided to go with Barbara’s Watch Hill Sour Cream Coffeecake for breakfast. I haven’t made this one before, but I had it back in November, when one of the women brought it to Supper Club. Coffeecake is ideal for breakfast meetings since it’s easy to eat, and not overly sweet or heavy. Since this recipe originate from a bed-and-breakfast, I knew it would be perfect. I also wanted to add fresh fruit and went with Champagne Grapes. I’ve never seen these before (have you?) and don’t know how they got their name, but it’s certainly quite fitting. They’re like tiny little bubbles of sweetness that burst in your mouth … so, so good, and they’ll look perfect around the coffeecake.

And for the cookie tray … I’ve been craving Oatmeal Raisin Cookies lately, and this was a perfect opportunity. I made a batch of those, and even have enough to send a small tray into Nicholas’ Summer Camp tomorrow. For the second cookie, I went with Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies, a new recipe. I happened to be going through some mail and came across an envelope of recipe cards, a free offering from Time Life. Described as the “giant cookies you can find at your local bakery or gourmet shop,” I knew these would be perfect. Slightly crispy on the outside, with a soft center, even though the recipe says it only yields 12, I got 18 out of it, and they are plenty giant.

I promised The Husband I’d include a salad tonight with dinner tonight, and when we were at the grocery store, he was petitioning for his new favorite lettuce, red leaf. He winced when I grabbed a head of iceberg. I promised he would like the salad, and whew!, it passed muster. I didn’t have any doubt, since we have had it plenty of times before … Chopped Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salad. Both he, my stepdaughter and Nicholas gobbled up their portions. Hey, with crispy bacon as a main ingredient, you can’t go wrong. We finished out the meal with another tried-and-true, John Zaccaro, Jr.’s Penne with Vodka Sauce. This is a recipe I got from Karen Duffy’s A Slob in the Kitchen cookbook, and it’s one of my go-to recipes. Quick and simple, it’s perfect comfort food and my favorite penne with vodka sauce recipe.

OK folks, all for tonight. On with your Weekend Dog Blogging roundup. Until tomorrow…

A year ago today… Eli and a delicious pasta salad.

The tiny, not-even-five-pounds Rocco from Is It EDible? in sunny San Francisco, California:

Mr. Woofy from Kitchen Wench gave me my laugh-of-the-day with his trio of tongue shots (always my favorite!) – go check out the site for the other two:

The clan from Dispensing Happiness have the right idea … stay INSIDE to keep cool.

Looks like Ziggy from Soul Fusion Kitchen has been cheating a bit on his diet:

The pups from My Very Own Eating San Diego Blog spend some time at the beach:

And last, but not least, our camera-shy Eli:

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Time Life

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (11.5 oz) chocolate chunks
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars on low speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Beat on medium-heat for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chunks and pecans. Mix just until combined. Use 1/4 cup measure or medium sized ice cream scoop and fill the measure to heaping. Place 6 balls of dough 3 inches apart on each of the prepared baking sheets. Place baking sheets on two center racks of oven. Bake 14-16 minutes, switching the cookie sheets, top and bottom, halfway through. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 1 minute before lifting them off with spatula.