Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nutella Cream Cheese Filling

There have been many times since embarking on this journey with my husband that I have cursed the schedule of a doctor. So much of his time is sacrificed. From him, from me, and from our daughter. I think about all the time he spent studying, going to lecture, working in the hospital, driving to and from school, and driving to and from the hospital. It's not a nine to five job. Weekends are not guaranteed and neither are holidays.

When I know we won't be able to celebrate together, I have to settle for another day. On the 4th of July we stayed home while Daddy worked, all morning, afternoon, and night. There were no fireworks for us this year. :(

I  know it could be worse. What can I say, I'm jealous of those with husbands who do work a nine to five job and have consistent weekends off. Being a doctor's wife is hard stuff.

Anywho. On to the good stuff. We celebrated July 4th on July 5th! Since we still had not used our grill on our new deck, I was very excited to plan a BBQ menu. We had mustard and herb marinated chicken, veggie kabobs, crostini with tomato and cheese, and these babies. Chocolate chip cookies for dessert, with nutella filling. Mmm hmmm.  

 Source: Diethood
Servings: 18 cookie sandwiches

For the cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 bag (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Cream cheese filling
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and eggs and continue to beat on low until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown around the edges. Remove and let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet; transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add in the melted white chocolate chips and Nutella; continue to mix until thoroughly combined. Let sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before using.

Spread the frosting on the flat side of half of the cookies and put the remaining cookies on top. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the filling to stiffen slightly. Serve cookies at room temperature.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

In the midst of our move, we were seeing our friends as much as possible. We made so many wonderful friendships in Michigan, friendships I know I will keep for many years to come. Most of our time was spent with another couple who were also medical students. They became like family to us. In our last month in Michigan we spent many nights together, cooking each other meals, watching movies, and playing video games on the Wii endlessly. Needless to say, we miss them, very much.

On one of the nights my friend offered to cook, she made these delicious, mouth-watering quesadillas. Goat cheese is definitely my favorite cheese. I could eat it every day without guilt and without getting sick of it. The hubby also loves goat cheese as much as I do, if not more. When he heard there goat cheese involved, he said, "double it."

And that's what she did. Thank goodness. It was amazing.

I've made these many times since then, playing the amount of cheese, black beans, and seasonings. The last time I made them, they were perfect. It'll probably never happen again!

Source: America's Test Kitchen
Servings: 2

1/2 log of goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 can of black beans
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and diced
1/4 red onion, chopped and diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 whole wheat tortillas
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a skillet on medium and spray with cooking spray. Place all ingredients in a bowl and with a fork mash up the goat cheese, black beans, pepper, red onion, and seasonings. You don't want clumps of goat cheese, that's why I use a fork. Mix together until combined. Spread 1/4 cup (or more) of the goat cheese mixture onto a tortilla, fold over, and place in skillet. Heat for 2-3 minutes, flip over, and heat for 2-3 minutes more. Continue with remaining filling.

Life Lately: Milestones, Moving, and More!

The days move quickly. I spend all of my time with our daughter, who having just turned one, is so much fun to be around. We play together, laugh together, eat together, shop together. You name it, we're doing it together. Hubby has started residency and now that it's in full swing, we're seeing less and less of each other. Sure, the hours will change, as well the rotations, but when you're in the middle of a bad one, it's hard to remind yourself of that.

We ended up in North Carolina- Duke University. Our first choice! To say we are thrilled is an understatement. As many of you know, I was dying to move back south. While Michigan was good to us in many ways, the weather was not. I was done with bundling up for half the year.

We bought a house, we've settled in, and are slowly but surely making new friends. That's always the hardest part about moving. You lose your old friends and have to make new ones. And let me tell you, making new friends as an adult is hard! Or is it just me? Thankfully we have found some playmates for our daughter and I'm looking forward to seeing what our area has to offer.

I'm slowly getting back into blogging. I've missed it so much and now that I occasionally have time (say what) in the evenings, I'm going to get my butt back into gear. Old readers, I hope you're still out there and you haven't forgotten about me!

Fridays Fings & Faves

Today we find out where hubby is matching for residency. Yayyyy!! Fingers crossed we're moving down south!

Are you tired of the smore's trend yet? I'm not, especially after seeing this smore's cheesecake!

Hubby and I are high school sweethearts. We celebrated our high school dating anniversary this past weekend and went out to a nice Italian place. We ordered something with the word "bruschetta" in the name. It was nothing like traditional bruschetta, but it was really good!

I've loved the cookies and cream combo since I was a kid. This cake has my name written all over it.

By my calculations it should already be spring. March = no more snow, cold, black, gray, dreary weather...What better way to feel springy than to paint my nails, PINK! I'm loving this color.

What are your recent finds and faves?

Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

It's another mac and cheese recipe! I'm all for trying out as many of these as I can. Who doesn't like whipping together a cheesy, tasty pasta dish that can feed a whole family and provide you with plenty of leftovers the next day? Easy peasy. If you have kids or you're a kid at heart yourself, you and them are bond to love this meal.

True to it's name, this really does taste like you're eating a cheeseburger. It must be the ketchup and mustard that's in the mini burgers.

The cheddar cheese sauce ties it all together. You can't have a burger without cheese. Not for me at least. I must have some cheese! Tomatoes, red onions, and pickles are all great additions to add once it pops out of the oven.

Source: Rachael Ray
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 pound cavatappi pasta (I used penne)
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tablespoon (about a palmful) grill seasoning
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup yellow mustard
3 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium red onion, chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated yellow cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/4 cups grated Swiss cheese, divided
3 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 deli-style pickle, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook just shy of al dente, according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and reserve.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the ground sirloin with the grill seasoning, ketchup and yellow mustard. Grab about a tablespoon of meat in your hand and roll it into a small ball. Place the mini meatballs onto a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of EVOO and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler.

While the mini meatballs are in the oven, heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, and the butter. Cook the red onion with some salt and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over top and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, season with salt and pepper, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat and whisk in 1 cup of each cheese. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce along with the baked meatballs and toss to combine. Pour everything out into a casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and Swiss cheeses.

If serving immediately, toss the mac under the broiler until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Top with the chopped tomatoes and pickles, and serve.