Rachel's Cookie Bars

Lately, I have been tooling around with making up a recipe for fabulous cookie bars and this is what I have come up with. They are so yummy!

Rachel's Cookie Bars

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
1 bag milk chocolate chips (I like ghiradelli or the Aldi's brand, but if you like semi sweet feel free to use them)
1-2 cups pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine butter and brown sugar and mix until blended together. Add eggs and vanilla next and mix together. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Press dough into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. I usually check with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes up clean, the cookies are done.

This is all that was left of the cookies by the end of the day.

Hot Slow Roasted Pork, Mushroom and Mozarella Sandwiches

I have made this recipe three or four times now. Once was when my folks were visiting and I forgot to make the gravy. I wouldn't recommend not making the gravy, it leaves the sandwich kinda dry. I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking websites and switched it up a bit to fit my tastes. Here is the original recipe if you want to try it out. And here is the way I like to make it:

Hot Slow Roasted Pork, Mushrooms and Mozarella

Pork
4 garlic cloves chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
3-4 leaves of chopped fresh sage
Black pepper to taste
2 pork loins trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Add the garlic, olive oil, herbs and salt together in a small bowl. Using a sharp knife make 1-inch long, 2-inch deep slits all the way down each pork loin. Stuff the herb mixture into the slits and sprinkle the outside of the pork with salt and pepper. Place the pork in a roasting pan and place in oven preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast until the thickest part registers 170 degrees Fahrenheit. This usually takes about an hour and a half. Let the pork rest for 30 minutes. Slice the pork and cover with foil.

Gravy
Spoon off the fat from juices and measure out 2 cups worth. If needed add water to juice to measure 2 cups. Stir 2 tablespoons of juices and cornstarch in small saucepan until cornstarch dissolves. Whisk in remaining juice and vinegar. Whisk over medium heat until sauce boils and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mushrooms
One container of fresh mushrooms sliced (regular mushrooms or mini portabello mushrooms are both good)
1-2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add sliced mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms are cooked to your taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Any type of bread (I like to buy the big loaves of french bread in the bakery section of our grocery store)
1 1/2 pounds shredded mozzarella


Once the meat, gravy and mushrooms are ready pile it all on your favorite type of bread and enjoy.

I love this sandwich, especially with fresh herbs. It is so good!

Green Chili Cheese Ball ( I love a good Cheese Ball)

Ingredients
•4 large Anaheim chile peppers ( I used a Container of frozen Chopped Green Chili’s from hatch NM)
•1 1/2 pounds shredded pepper jack cheese
•2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon ground black pepper
•2 cups finely chopped pecans

Directions

1.Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate. Cook chiles on the preheated grill until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the peppers, or the skin will not come off easily. Turn the peppers often to cook evenly. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl, and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 minutes. Once cool, remove the skins and seeds. Chop the peppers.

2.If using frozen, defrost and strain juices.

3.Combine the chopped peppers with the pepper jack, cream cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form the the mixture into a ball and place on a plate covered with wax paper. Place the cheese ball in the freezer until very cold, about 15 minutes.


4.Spread the chopped pecans on a large cutting board or baking sheet. Roll the frozen cheese ball in the pecans. Use your hand to pack any areas that are not covered by pecans, making sure the entire outside of the cheese ball is covered with a nice layer of pecans.


I made this for a weekend barbq up in Phoenix. It travels well freezes well and one batch makes two huge cheesballs. Everyone loved it!