[Tacofino Chocolate Diablo Cookies]

 Tacofino Chocolate Diablo Cookies 

This recipe yields about 12 large (fist-sized) or around 56 smaller cookies. 

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to desired heat level)
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
• Coarse sea salt and granulated sugar for sprinkling 

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp fresh-grated ginger root or ginger juice 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cayenne, and cinnamon. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.
3. Combine wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in both the brown and white sugars, canola oil, fresh ginger, and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. Mix the dough: Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined into a dough. The dough may seem a bit dry at first, but it will become moist.
5. Portion and bake: Scoop the dough into balls (about the size of a golf ball or a generous tablespoon) and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten them slightly with the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers. Sprinkle the tops generously with coarse sea salt and granulated sugar.
6. Bake one pan at a time in the center of the oven for approximately 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops begin to crack.
7. Cool: The cookies should still be fudgy in the middle when removed from the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

[Grilled Corn Salad]

 Grilled Corn Salad

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

23 mins

 

This summer corn salad is a great use for leftover grilled corn. If you don't have any on hand, don't worry! It's still easy to make, and it's the perfect summer cookout side dish.

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Salad, side dish

Serves: 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 3 ears of grilled corn on the cob
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• ½ small cucumber, diced
• 2 ripe peaches, pitted and diced
• 1 small avocado, pitted and diced
• 8 basil leaves, thinly sliced
• juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
• 3 tablespoons Chile Lime Dressing, plus more to taste
• sea salt

Chile Lime Dressing (this makes extra)

• ¼ cup Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo or vegan Fabanaise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro, including stems, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus extra slices for serving
• ⅓ serrano chile, plus more to taste
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of onion powder
• sea salt

Instructions

1. Make the dressing: In a small food processor, combine the avocado mayonnaise, olive oil, cilantro, lime, serrano, garlic powder, onion powder and a few generous pinches of salt. Pulse until combined. Chill until ready to use.
2. Slice the kernels off of the grilled corn and place in a large bowl. Add the red pepper, green pepper, cucumber, peaches, avocado, basil, lime juice, a few pinches of salt, and toss. Add a few tablespoons of dressing, toss again, then taste and add more dressing and/or salt to taste. Serve with extra dressing and lime slices on the side.

[Broccoli + Cheese Soup]

 Broccoli + Cheese Soup

I want to try this for Christmas 2025.  This recipe apparently makes 6 bowls.

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

     

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (reduce or omit if sensitive to spice)
• 1 ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds broccoli with stalks (3 large or 4 medium)
• 1 large (about 12 ounces) russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 to 2-inch chunks
• 6 cups water
• 4 to 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese, depending on your mood
• Thinly sliced chives or green onions, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper.

• Stir to combine, then cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are just starting to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, slice off and discard the rough bottom ends of broccoli stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the tough outer skin on the stalks, then discard those bits. Slice the stalks off and cut them into pieces about 1 to 2-inches big. Set aside. 

• Working with the broccoli tops now, cut as closely to the base of the florets as you can. Slice any remaining stalks into chunks to match to the rest. Reserve the broccoli florets—we’ll use them in a bit.

• Add the chunks of broccoli stalk and potato to the pot and stir. Pour in 6 cups water and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. 

• Simmer until the broccoli stalks and potatoes are tender throughout and easily split apart when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the reserved florets into small pieces (I chop them all in one direction, then turn the cutting board and chop again). 

• Once the potato and stalks are tender, add half of the florets to pot, stir, cover, and cook until they’re bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Working in a couple of batches (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line or it could explode!), carefully transfer several cups of the mixture—both the liquid and solids—to your stand blender. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer the mixture to a heat-proof vessel temporarily as you blend the rest. Alternatively, use an immersion blender (it just won’t be aslusciously creamy). Return the purée to the pot. 

• Return the pot to medium heat and add the remaining florets. Cover the pot and cook until they’re bright green and easily pierced through by a fork, another 4 to 7 minutes. Add almost all 4 ounces of the grated cheddar cheese (reserve a small handful for garnish) and stir until smooth. Carefully taste (it’s hot) and stir in more cheese if you’d like more indulgent flavor/creamy texture, more salt for more overall flavor, and/or more black pepper for kick. 

• Divide the soup into bowls and top with a sprinkle of cheese, plus some thinly sliced chives and/or red pepper flakes, if desired. Leftover soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (though the color darkens a bit with time). I haven’t tried freezing this soup but suspect it will work fine—please let us know in the comments if you do.

[Tuscan Crockpot Chicken]

 I'm planning on making this for Christmas 2025 this year.

CROCKPOT TUSCAN CHICKEN RECIPE

COOK TIME: 3HOURS HOURS

TOTAL TIME: 3HOURS HOURS 10MINUTES MINUTES

SERVINGS: 4 SERVINGS

 

CALORIES: 393CAL

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

TUSCAN CREAM SAUCE

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed, drained and chopped)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place the chicken in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker.
• In a small bowl, combine the salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken.

TUSCAN CREAM SAUCE

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, cornstarch, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in the tomatoes and Parmesan and pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken reaches 165°F. If the sauce separates as it cooks, simply stir it until smooth. Stir in the spinach.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Remove from the slow cooker and serve.

[Romaine + Radicchio Salad]

 I'm hoping to try this for Christmas 2025 dinner this year ... 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 
• 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 hearts romaine lettuce 
• 1 large head radicchio
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and diced 
• 1 avocado, pitted, flesh scooped and diced 
• 2 cups pita chips, crushed 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. - To a jar with a tight-fitting lid, add the Parmesan, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt. Screw on the top and shake vigorously to emulsify. Set aside to let the flavours marry.
2. - In a large bowl, toss together the romaine, radicchio, basil, cucumber, avocado and pita chips. Pour the dressing over the salad, sprinkle with the salt and toss gently to coat and combine.