Two Open Houses this Past Sunday

I have been a bit slow getting this blog out. Blame technology, this time! I got a new iPhone, and it just took days to get things to work properly. Today was the first time I was able to get photos downloaded. Since iPhone cameras work so very well on food photos, I have stopped relying on my (admittedly great) Nikon, when it comes to food photos. 

I have the photos downloaded, cropped and anything else needed, so finally I am ready to blog. 

Open House Fare, clockwise from top left: Mini Sweet Peppers with Chevre Honey Cream, Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta & Prosciutto, Mocha Spice Cookies and Spanakopita Cups

On Sunday, one of the Broker-Owners at ReMax in Aberdeen, held two high-end open houses, featuring wine and appetizers. She brings wines and I make appetizers. I truly admire her initiative and drive in getting houses sold. Meanwhile, I will stick to what I do best: food.
 

Appetizers set up at Open House

At the first open house at 2 PM, we met there and I set up the foods as attractively as possible, then set out the wines and cups. Tetiana got lights turned on and everything ready, and people began arriving promptly at 2 PM. The open house was well-attended and the time passed quickly.

I made foods that I had made in the past, simply for their wonderful flavors and ability to pair with different wines. For wines there was a choice of Cabernet Sauvignon, a Pinot Noir, a Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. The foods I served were Mini Sweet Peppers with Chevre Honey Cream, Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta & Prosciutto, Mocha Spice Cookies (Using Mocha Spice Blend II) and Spanakopita Cups. Please click on any of the links to find the recipes.

When the time was up for the open house, I packed up the foods and plates in preparation for moving to the next open house. I had brought 2 paper doilies for each of the four plates, so I could discard the used ones after the first open house, and then set fresh doilies on the plates for the second open house. 

Setting up the Appetizers at Open House

The next open house was held at another lovely home. The kitchen featured a good sized island, which is where I chose to display my appetizers.

Though it was later in the afternoon, there was quite a good showing altogether, with very favorable commentary. I hope those who tasted my appetizers also enjoyed. 

Both these houses have much to offer, and Tetiana is a very professional young woman. I am happy to be a part of these special open houses.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Excellent New Dessert for Open House

It has been an exceptionally busy few months, making appetizer bites for so many different functions. Yesterday was another Open House in Aberdeen. For higher end homes, the realtor sometimes holds a wine with appetizers type open house, and I was asked to create some little finger foods for this one. With as many different functions lately, I was looking for some of the simplest recipes possible.

Two that I made were standbys: Savory Blue Cheese Coins with Fig Apricot Preserve, and my Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad, which I served on some little Rubschlager cocktail breads. I had never used my Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad for an Open House situation, so I looked around for ideas to make it look pretty and enticing (Once you taste it, no further enticement is needed 😊). I used both the sourdough and the pumpernickel type breads for variety and color, placed a few baby arugula leaves on the bread before scooping on the salad, and then topped them alternately with either a pecan half or a strip of roasted red pepper. They turned out so pretty! 

Open House Finger Foods, clockwise from top left: Savory Blue Cheese Coins, Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad, Baklava Bars

The one thing I did new and different was Baklava Bars. I don't know about you, but I love Baklava. Also, making it is a whole lot of mess and work. I love phyllo (fillo, filo), but it is messy using all the butter, trying to work with the dough before it dries to a crisp, or trying not to tear it while using. Needless to say, I do not use it too often, thus Baklava is something I do not make often. And probably a good thing, because it is really hard to resist eating it all. 

As I searched the internet for ideas, I came upon this recipe for Greek Baklava Bars from Better Homes & Gardens. The recipe looked and sounded good. But anyone who knows me also knows I really cannot seem to make any recipe "as is." Also, Baklava is generally very sweet. As I looked at the recipe, I tried to see if I could pare down the sugar/honey amounts at all. Not sure how well I succeeded, because it is still sweet. Another thing I was really concerned about is if they would be too sticky to pick up and eat. The last thing a realtor needs is someone dropping sticky, oozy crumbs on the floors, or tracking them through a house. Granted, there are plates and plastic forks there, but still, the concern remains. 

Baklava Bars at Open House

I have a recipe for Baklava that I have used over the years, and aside from switching out the type and quantity of the nuts, that is one recipe I have followed mostly to the letter. I have never put that recipe out here on either blog or my website, because I photocopied the recipe straight from some cookbook many long years ago, and have no idea what book it may have been, or to whom to attribute the recipe. All I can say is that it is so very, very good. 

Knowing how good that recipe always came out, I went to see what it did for the honey syrup part of the recipe. It was somewhat similar, but enough different that I opted to make a somewhat lesser amount of this tried and true syrup to use for this new Baklava Bars recipe. Aside from that, the only other difference in my version was that I used 1 cup of each of the nuts. I used the crust part of the recipe just as it stood. 

Baklava Bars

One interesting thing in the BH&G recipe was that they used a box of Mini Phyllo Shells, crumbled over the top of the bars, just before baking; a little tribute to what Baklava is all about - that crispy, delicate crunch. It also adds a bit of interest to the look of the finished bars. Since the little phyllo shells are already baked, they are nicely crisp and so simple to crush, even one-handed!

While I will say categorically that these bars are heavenly, it does not imply that they are a snap to make. It took me over 1½ hours before they went into the oven. Granted, it is the first time making them. Still, I am used to making things from scratch. I know where everything is in my kitchen, so I can generally put something together quickly, or at least as quickly as is possible. So, on another attempt, these might take a bit less time. But, no guarantee! The syrup needs to be made, then cooled. The crust has to be made, pressed into the pan and baked. The nuts I chopped by hand, to keep them mostly larger chunks without being whole. The food processor may have done this okay, but I wanted the least "dust" possible, so I chopped - carefully - by hand. And ultimately, these bars are very easy to pick up with hands and eat, and with a minimum of mess, certainly not a sticky mess. Yet the bars are just perfect in that they are sticky: eating them is highly reminiscent of eating real Baklava. The "bite" is very similar. The taste is very similar. These are really excellent, and well worth the time. The fact that they can also be made about 3 or so days in advance and kept refrigerated - or even frozen - makes them perfect for a party where last minute time is of the essence. Make them ahead and let them rest until needed.

Baklava Bars

Makes 48 (1½-inch) bars

Baklava Bars

SYRUP:
¼ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
12 cardamom seeds (not pods!)
3 whole cloves
2 - 3-inches cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
⅓ cup honey
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon orange flower water, optional
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

CRUST:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 cup walnuts, lightly chopped
1 cup raw, unsalted pistachios, lightly chopped
⅓ cup brown sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 box (1.9 ounces/54 grams) pre-baked phyllo cups, crumbled

SYRUP: In a small saucepan, cook the water, sugar, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and lemon zest over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the syrup reaches 230 degrees. I used an instant-read thermometer and checked every few minutes. Once the temperature is reached, remove from heat and add in the honey, lemon juice, orange flower water and butter. Stir well to melt the butter, then strain the syrup into a measure with lip for pouring and set aside to cool.

CRUST: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil that extends well over the edges. Spray the foil with cooking spray. This helps to easily remove the whole dessert to a surface for easy, neat cutting later.

         Crust             | Nut Streusel texture |  Nut Streusel on crust | Crumbled Phyllo | Phyllo Crumbs over top

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and lemon zest until creamy. Combine the egg and vanilla, then beat into the creamed mixture. Add in the flour and mix to combine. Press this mixture evenly into the prepared pan, making sure to press into edges. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden. Cool slightly.

FILLING: In another mixing bowl, combine the walnuts and pistachios with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. With fingers, work in the butter. The mixture will look somewhat like streusel. Spread the nut mixture evenly over the crust. Strew the crushed phyllo cups evenly over top of the nut mixture. Bake the baklava bars for 18 to 20 minutes until golden.

Just Baked Baklava               |                Cooled Syrup            |          Syrup on Baklava Bars

Remove from oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the surface of the baked Baklava Bars. Let set until cooled. Refrigerate.

To cut, lift the whole baklava out of the pan using the edges of foil. Set on a hard surface to cut into small squares. The bars can also be cut smaller still, into triangles, to make 96 little bites.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Appetizers and an Open House

I wrote last week about creating some new appetizers, with the intent to make them for an upcoming Open House here in town. 

The recipes for two of the four appetizers I made were posted in this blog. The recipes not posted yet were the Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers, (oh my, they were so delicious), and the little Spanakopita Cups. All four of these appetizers were wonderful, if I do say so myself. All four are cheese-filled, so if cheese is not your thing, then these wouldn't be for you. Cheese just tastes so good. From the little mini strawberry cheesecakes to the Spanakopita Cups, they were all delightful.

The Four Appetizers Served, clockwise from top left: Spanakopita Cups, Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers, Strawberry Mini Cheesecake Tarts in Chocolate Shell and Buffalo Chicken Rolls

When the realtors hold an open house at one of the realty's high end homes, she occasionally asks me to make appetizers and she will bring an assortment of wines. One of the wines this time was an Australian red blend called "19 Crimes." I can attest that this lighter red went well with all the appetizers, even the cheesecakes! Other wines were Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. She tries to have something available for most tastes. 

Filled Mini Sweet Peppers, just before baking

MAKE AHEAD IDEAS: The Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers are a wonderfully easy appetizer to make ahead and bake just before serving. If pressed for time, make the filling up to 3 days ahead. For freshness, it is probably best not to cut, remove seeds and stuff the peppers until the day before the event. I did this last part and set the peppers on the baking sheet I would use to bake them, then covered them with foil before refrigerating the whole pan. Just on the off chance that the foil might stick to the cheese filling, I lightly sprayed the foil with non-stick spray before covering them. Once baked, while they are lovely warm or at room temperature, and yet they are still just as good once chilled.

Of the four appetizers, the ones that hold up best once baked are these Mini Stuffed Peppers and the Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes. The Buffalo Chicken Rolls are best if rolled and chilled the day of the event, as the tortillas begin to get soggy. The filling can be made a day or two ahead. It doesn't affect the taste, but only the texture. Similarly, with the Spanakopita Cups, the filling can be made and refrigerated a day or two in advance, but the fillo cups begin to get soggy after a day if filled or baked ahead, though the flavor is fine. It takes no time at all to fill the fillo cups if you own a little 2-teaspoon cookie scoop to fill them. It took less time to fill the 30 fillo cups than it took to heat the oven!

Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Makes 40 - 50 half-peppers (from a 1-pound bag) 

4 slices thick-sliced bacon, or 6 - 7 slices regular bacon
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces soft goat cheese, Chevre or Montrachet
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about ⅓ cup)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1½ teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (1-pound) bag mini sweet peppers

In a nonstick skillet, fry the bacon until just almost crisp. Remove the bacon to drain on paper toweling. Pour off most of the bacon grease, leaving about 2 teaspoons in the pan. Return the pan to the heat, and on low, cook the shallot and garlic until they begin to caramelize slightly, stirring often, for about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the shallots are cooking, place the three cheeses in a mixing bowl and beat well with a hand mixer until well combined and mostly smooth. Add in the Worcestershire, egg, rosemary and black pepper and mix again to combine. Mince the drained bacon until quite fine (some of the peppers are very small, so no large chunks), then add the bacon to the mixing bowl. Once the shallot/garlic mixture is beginning to caramelize, add these to the cheese mixture and mix again to combine all the ingredients. * Do Ahead: This mixture can be made up to two days in advance and refrigerated. When ready to fill the peppers, remove the filling from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for ease in filling the peppers.

Cut all the mini sweet peppers in half, lengthwise. Endeavor to keep the stem end on, even cutting down the center of the stem if possible. This makes for a very pretty presentation. There are few seeds in most of the little peppers, but there are some. A small knife works well to make a tiny cut just inside the pepper's stem end, to remove the seed section and pull out any larger membranes. *Do Ahead: If time is pressing, this can be done the day before the event. Fill the peppers and smooth the top with a table knife or a spoon. Set them onto a baking sheet, then cover with foil and refrigerate. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees, then bake the peppers for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they just start to brown on top. The goal is to "set" the filling without totally cooking the peppers. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spanakopita Cups

Spanakopita Cups

Spanakopita Cups

Makes about 30

1 egg
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
¼ pound feta cheese, crumbled
4 ounces cream cheese
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder 2 packages frozen filo cups (30 in all)

You will need only about 5 ounces of the frozen spinach. Thaw, then squeeze all the liquid from the spinach. Re-chop, to ensure very small bits. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the filo cups, mixing well. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set the filo cups on a baking sheet. Using two teaspoons or a small “cookie scoop,” fill each of the cups. Once oven is hot, set the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the filling is set and the filo cups are browning slightly at the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES: The filling can be made up to three days in advance and refrigerated, covered tightly until needed. If using filo dough strips, set two (2-inch wide) strips together, brush with melted butter, set a teaspoon of filling into the edge of filo dough, as shown in figure a. Begin folding, flag-style, lifting a corner to cover the filling diagonally left, figure b. Lift the triangle and flip upwards, figure c. Flip the triangle diagonally to the right, figure d. Continue, repeating the pattern to the end of the filo strip. Brush the outsides of the packet with melted butter and set on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until golden. The packets can be frozen before baking, then baked when needed


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Open House with Great Appetizers

My culinary skills are occasionally called for when one of the local realtors wants to make a real splash presentation to promote a higher end home for sale. Tetiana Althoff was holding such an open house a couple of weeks past, and she asked if I could make some of my tried and true Appetizers, making a lovely presentation for the home; the owners supplied wine to pair with the food. 

Andouille Coins in Puff Pastry

The appetizers she requested for this open house were Green Pea Pancakes with Smoked Salmon Mousse, Mini Sweet Peppers with Honey-Chevre Cream, Millard's Mini-Artichoke Quiches, Andouille Coins in Puff Pastry, Flank Steak Rolls with Gorgonzola Walnut Spread and Mini Pecan Tarts.  Some of these recipes were oldies but goodies (for me) and others were embellished as the muse struck. 

I love using the little mini sweet peppers, as they are colorful and add in a nice fresh note. This time I threw together a goat cheese and honey mixture that turned out absolutely delightful either used as I did here piped onto the peppers, or just used as a delicious spread for crackers. I used a large open star tip to pipe the mixture onto the peppers.

Chevre-Honey- Cream

Mini Sweet Peppers
with Chevre-Honey Cream

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
8 ounces Chevre or Montrachet goat cheese
3 tablespoons cream cheese 
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat together the olive oil and honey with the lemon zest. Allow to steep for at least 15 to 20 minutes, then strain the mixture. Aside, beat together the goat cheese with the cream cheese, then add in the strained honey-oil mixture and season with salt and pepper. Beat well to combine, then chill until needed.

If using as a dip or spread, the mixture may need to come to room temperature before using. If piping onto the peppers, use a large star tip to pipe one large star onto the pepper strip. This can be piped onto a cracker, a carrot strip, cucumber slice or any vegetable of your choosing. 

Green Pea Pancakes with Smoked Salmon Mousse

Whenever I go back to a recipe, no matter how wonderful, I cannot help but tweak. It seems to be a failing of mine - I can never leave well-enough alone. I tried adding things to the green pea pancakes, to enhance the flavor. Unfortunately in this case, I went too far. I scrapped the whole batch and started over, using the original recipe. They were absolutely delightful the first time. No need for more enhancement. For the recipe for these cute little appetizers, click on the title of the photo above or click here. If you serve these little appetizers, I can tell you, Prosecco is a fantastic pairing.

Flank Steak Rolls with Gorgonzola Walnut Spread

Another of the appetizers I am asked to make time and again, the Flank Steak Rolls with Gorgonzola Walnut Spread are unfailingly good. The combination just cries out for a nice bold dry red wine, which was what they were originally created to pair with. A really wonderful thing about this recipe for the flank steak is that it turns out perfect every time, and I have made it so many times now, for various events, I cannot even count anymore. The meat is fairly rare in the center, but this keeps it both moist and tender. Flank steak has little to no fat, so it can get very dry and tough, very quickly. A thing to note when slicing flank steak: slice it thinly and across the grain. Flank steak has a very strong one-way grain to the meat. Cutting along those lengths will result in a long and stringy meat with little hope of eating, much less eating gracefully. 

Millard's Mini Artichoke Quiches

One of the appetizers I have been making, perhaps more often than most any other, is Millard's Mini Artichoke Quiches. "Millard" was a neighbor when we lived in Florida, and he shared this recipe in the development's newsletter. I read the recipe and thought, "How could this possibly work?" But it does, and beautifully. I have most often made them as mini quiches (Millard called them "Muffins"), though his recipe stated that they can also be made larger, about 6 per recipe, in regular muffin tins. I did this once. They were fantastic. But I tell you, for quick and easy appetizers, these just take the cake. (If you like hot sauce, Sriracha is amazingly good dotted on top of these little things!) Millard's recipe called for saltine crackers crumbled into the mixture, or they can be left out. I have made them both ways. While delicious either way, I find that leaving out the saltines left the outcome with an odd texture. They still taste great. So I got thinking. Being conversant with gluten free cooking and baking, I have on some occasions used psyllium husks to simulate the structure given by the often called for xanthan gum. I have found I just do not like the flavor xanthan gum gives to foods. Psyllium offers the structure with no taste. I used 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks in this batch of these mini quiches and the texture was perfect. I may just use this method from here on out!


For a little sweetness, Tetiana and I decided on some little Pecan Tartlets. Again, these were made in the mini-muffin tins, so they are just a bite or two. Surprisingly easy to make, though the fitting of the crusts into the mini tins is a little bit of a chore. I have found that my marble pestle, which has the thicker end for crushing spices in the mortar, and the narrower end that you hold, works fantastically to fit the tart pastry into the mini tins. The dough is made and rolled into little balls, then chilled. Placing one little ball into a mini tart well, and with the larger end of the pestle, I press the dough in, creating a large dip, the beginning of the fit. Then with the narrow end of the pestle, I roll that tip pressing the sides to the edges of each well. This has worked for me for many years.

Pecan Nut Tarts

Pecan Nut Tarts

Makes 28

¼ cup unsalted butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup pecans, chopped

With a pastry cutter combine the first three ingredients until they come together as dough. Chill until firm.  Then, divide the dough into 28 evenly sized balls. Set one ball into each of the wells of mini muffin tins and fit the pastry into bottom and up the sides. Set the tins in the refrigerator until ready to bake. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, egg, salt, vanilla, melted butter and pecans. Fill the pastry lined mini tart shells about 3/4 full with this mixture and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Do not over bake!

Holiday season is fast approaching (AGAIN!), so I hope maybe these recipes can provide easy party fare for whatever event you might be hosting. All these are excellent recipes. The hardest part is not overeating them!



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Open Houses Held Sunday

I helped host two Open Houses this past Sunday. Tetiana likes to host her open houses with a little wine and some light appetizers, to make the viewers' visits most especially pleasant. This week there were two open houses, and I helped her set up at the first, then take everything down and move to the next open house and set up again. 

Bits of things on sticks

The first open house was very well attended. Tetiana made little skewers of meat, cheese, olives or grapes. There were also skewers of cherry tomatoes with mozzarella cheese. Another plate held bell pepper wedges with a vegetable dip. She made some little black olive penguins to stand sentry on the plates. I made some Chocolate Chip Cookies, with the addition of Heath English Toffee Chips. 

Crudites and dip, with penguins on guard

The second Open House, held from 4:00 to 5:30 PM, was not at all well-attended; no one showed up for this open house. Tetiana and I spent the time in the kitchen, which has granite counters and lots of cabinet space (pictured below). A most pleasant place to spend the time, though we wished someone would have found their way to view this lovely home.

My only contribution to these open houses this time was to make cookies. I was feeling a bit under the weather, as was Tetiana. I went for something simple, yet loved by most: Chocolate Chip Cookies. I got the idea to add in half  Heath "English Toffee Bits" along with chocolate chips. I made a large batch of cookies, so (hopefully) there would be plenty for the open house viewers and some left to eat at home. I made the recipe larger for this purpose and got about 85 cookies out of it. These cookies turned out really wonderfully flavored and delightfully chewy; a winning combination in my book, for sure. This is the recipe:

Chocolate & Heath Chip Cookies

Chocolate and Heath Chip Cookies

Makes about 85 smaller cookies

3½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups unsalted butter (3 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
1¼ cups light brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups pecans, coarse-chopped
8 ounces chocolate chips
8 ounces Heath "English Toffee Bits"

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 if using Convection Bake). Whisk together the first three (dry) ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Have the butter at room temperature. In a mixer bowl, cream the butter with the granulated and brown sugars until light. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until completely combined before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the creamed ingredients and mix until just barely combined. Add the nuts and chips and finish mixing.

Drop the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets using a spoon or a cookie scoop, keeping the cookies at least 2-inches apart. Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden and set. Allow them to rest for one minute on the cookie sheet before removing to a rack to cool.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.