Peanut butter choc-chip cookie dough bites

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." - Barbara Jordan

That would be a great idea, right?  I mean imagine, the whole world - politicians, world leaders, miners, teachers... everyone, would actually sit down at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, have some cookies and milk and take a nap!  Imagine what it would be like!  It would be WOW!  There's be some giggling, and laughing and for a few minutes each day, there'd be harmony and peace.  Really!  

I've read about that quote by American politician and leader of the Civics Rights Movement Barbara Charline Jordan in the book by one of my favourite authors Robert Fulghum in his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It's one of those staright-forward-simple books that inspires and makes you laugh and think a little.  I've quoted this book many times in previous posts, including this here.   And writing this post, I am once again drawn back to it.  If you haven't had the chance to read it, go get yourself a copy and read on!  I promise you, you'll sit back and smile at every page.

Now back to the order of things.  This month's theme at the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop is hosted by the lovely Nic from Dining with a Stud.  She's come up with a real challenge of sweets without heat. Check out her raw chocolate ganache tart - with a surprise ingredient!   The pictures are so drool-worthy!

Initially I thought there's no way I can make anything sweet without heat - but then I remembered when cookie doughs became a hit a few years back.  Maybe an onset from Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavour combinations.  Who knows.   But I first saw them from Joy the Baker , bookmarked and never really got the chance to try.  Recently though, I've been back on the Pinterest arena and once again hooked on pinning and browsing, with lots of hours wasted (?) bookmarking and planning stuff to do.  And so this post is inspired by a Pinterest-find from the Disney Family.com site - cookie dough bites.  

To make these peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough bites:

125g unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 cup bittersweet/dark chocolate chips

Method

In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter until pale.

Add the flour, vanilla, salt and peanut butter and continue to beat until everything is incorporated.

Add the chocolate chips and mix with a wooden spoon.

Using a teaspoon, shape into round balls.  

Chill for a few minutes.

These are quite addictive.  They're sweet with some bursts of saltiness.  Something like a chocolate-covered pretzel or a salted caramel ganache.  I must say the peanut butter made it a little bit better.  Packed and wrapped with a ribbon - they can be great Christmas presents too!  Eaten as is, chilled or covered with melted dark chocolate, these are great anytime of the day. With milk, and possibly a nap afterwards. 

Pink milk aka strawberry smoothies

Strawberries are still aplenty on the shelves here in Sydney. Sometimes, they're even on special at the local fruit and veg shop in our suburb. Some spill over harvest from summer means extra red yumminess to eat and in this case, drink at home!

This serves 4.

We used 2 250g punnets of strawberries

1 cup of ice cubes

2 tablespoons raw sugar

1 cup milk

Place everything in a blender and whiz away!

Tips:

• These can be made using frozen strawberries, which in case you won't be needing the ice.  Just add milk to get the consistency you want. 
• Vanilla ice cream or natural yoghurt can be a substitute for milk
• To make this into a non-dairy drink, just add orange juice in leiu of milk.

When I make these, I make sure there's extra punnets at home.  That's only because my kids can't stop at one serve each.  They can be demanding when it comes to food!

Pork and chorizo sliders with jalapeno mayo

"Life is full of surprises and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure - do it well, enjoy it and then, not now, think about what comes next." - Condoleezza Rice

Do you believe in fate?  Serendipity?  I do in most instances.  I mean there are small miracles that happen every day, I believe that.  I've experienced that. But serendipity are those little sometimes big, pleasant surprises that just happen.  Because of fate?  Maybe.  Luck?  Who knows.  But I do believe this.  That if you think something or visualise something so bad and pray for it, the forces of the universe will make it happen.  

Now maybe I'm a little naive about these things and believe too much in this crap, but truly I am amazed at how things turned out for someone I've connected with in IG.  We don't know each other personally, but she's contacted me a few weeks ago.  We had two things in common.  We're both Filipinos and into Instagram.  That's about it.  In the course of our email exchange, she mentions about looking for a job which I thought maybe, somehow I could help however way I can.  Working a few days at at government office and with limited connections myself I casually forwarded a job posting email which circulates around the office when positions fall vacant.  And from there,  a few weeks after that email exchange, it all turned quite magical.  Serendipty. A happy pleasant surprise!  She got the job which involves a project working closely with our branch!  I am amazed at how this all turned out.  Social networking does work!  And soon, I will get to meet her!

Not to mention through social networking, my eating and cooking adventures (and my family included) have evolved.    

Just looking at my Instagram feed, Pinterest, FB and reading other food bloggers' posts is always inspiring.  Recently though, I had some nostalgic kick craving and remembering a particular burger we loved to eat while hubby and me were still dating.  This was served at a small kiosk at the Greenbelt Plaza just outside the cinema.  This was during the early 90s but they disappeared later on during that decade. From what I've learned, they are now back with the same famous recipe for choriburger but with an entirely new look and logo.  

So here's a recipe inspired by an old favourite from back in Manila (Burger on the Run's Choriburger).  I was looking for Bun on the Run online and found a Pork and Chorizo burger by Emeril Lagasse's from the Food Network's Backyard Eats - which I found too complicated with so many spices so I made my own version.  We served this "for adults only" at that weekend birthday party.   The smell of the patties while cooking was so inviting, some of the kids kept coming into the kitchen and asking what's cooking.  "Sorry kids, this is for adults only."

Ingredients:

500g pork mince

3 fresh chorizo sausages, removed from casings

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cajun pepper/seasoning

1 tablespoon corn flour (for binding)

salt and pepper for seasoning

 

Mix all the above ingredients by hand in a large bowl.  Shape into patties.  Set aside.

Using a pan griddle, or a simple pan, fry the patties in a little oil and cook until done.

To serve: thinly spread some jalapeno mayonnaise* on the rolls/buns, top with a pork-chorizo burger, some lettuce (add tomato slices and cucumbers if you prefer), and top with a good dollop of the jalapeno mayo*.  

*I wanted to make Emeril's green chilli mayonnaise but can't get poblano peppers at the time, so I made a simple Jalapeno mayonnaise.  Which was a mixture of 2 jalapeno peppers finely diced, mixed with a cup of mayonnaise. 

Tips:

•  Buy your chorizo fresh from the butcher or deli.  The supermarket variety will work but will not be the same because they are slightly cooked.  You will need to remove the chorizo from the casings which will be difficult to do with the commercial variety;

• You can make this as big as burgers or small as in for sliders (like this version);

 

Sometimes I think the fear of being vulnerable and taking a risk stops us from connecting with people.  Opening doors, in more ways than none, actually helps.  We create friendships and build little communities!   I love how blogging and social networks has helped me do this.  And taken my thirst for cooking and eating into new heights.