Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Pazookie

Going out to BJ's is probably one of my favorite chain restaurants... I love the lunch specials, and the house-made pretzels, and most importantly, the Pazookie. The closest one is an hour from my house (it's probably for the best) but I get to splurge when we do go!

I love ending the night with a white chocolate macadamia Pazookie, warm gooey cookie and melting vanilla ice cream is one of THE BEST combinations! My other favorite combo is chocolate and peanut butter, so rmaking this at home meant re-creating it in my favorite flavors.

So here it is, a Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Pazookie... YUM!

You Will Need:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Vanilla ice cream for topping!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 7" cast iron skillet, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add in the egg until blended and then add in the corn syrup, cold water, and vanilla. Beat until combined.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt... Just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
Press into your prepared skillet so the cookie is even all over.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffy and golden. Remove and let cool slightly.
Top with cold ice cream and serve.
Enjoy!

Night Out Giveaway!

Morningnoonight's Facebook page recently reached over 1,000 likes! To celebrate, I thought I would thank each and every one of you by hosting a "Night Out" Giveaway! One Winner will receive one $25 e-Giftcard for Red Lobster and one $25 e-Giftcard for Fandango Movie Theaters... Dinner and a movie? Fun! The Giveaway goes from 6/22/14 at 12:00 p.m. PST and ends 7/1/14 at 12:00 a.m... Midnight! Winners will be announced on 7/3/14 and have 48 hours to claim their prize!

Get out of the hot Summer sun for a cool night out with your significant other, family, or friends! And thank you EVERYONE for liking Morningnoonight! Good luck :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

I've been on an ice cream making kick lately. \

I have an old fashioned mixer. Okay, who am I kidding, it's updated but it churns and requires rock salt and ice. The machine is just electric and not hand churned, thank goodness. Except, I could probably burn calories hand churning and that would make up for all of this ice cream I've been eating...

Anyways, I have a wide range of favorites but Cookies and Cream has always been up there on the list. I love the sweet vanilla ice cream turned dark from the chocolate and studded with cookies and cream centers... Yum! This homemade Cookies and Cream ice cream was not disappointing. My husband commented that it would have a better vanilla flavor if there were less cookies. How dare he, right? So if you decide to make this, cater the cookies to your needs.

No, the whole package won't fit, I tried...

You will need:
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped Oreo cookies

In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar. Whisk just until the sugar is dissolved and the yolks are lighter in color, set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, heavy cream, milk, and salt. Heat just until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form around the edges, remove from heat. Take 1 cup of the milk mixture and slowly whisk it into the egg yolks to temper. Pour the egg/milk mixture back into the sauce pan and simmer, over low, until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, around 5 minutes.
Using a large fine mesh strainer, place over a heatproof bowl and pour the ice cream mixture in. The strainer should catch any eggs that may have scrambled. Stir in the 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
Chill the ice cream base overnight.
When you are ready to make the ice cream, pour into your machine and freeze based on the manufacturers instructions. Place half of the chopped Oreos into the machine 5 minutes before it is finished. When the ice cream is done churning, stir in the remaining Oreo cookies. Place in an airtight container and freeze for 3-4 hours or until set.
Scoop and enjoy!

*recipe adapted from Smells Like Home

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Burger Buns

Staples for the Summer in the Henry household definitely include pulled pork and all things BBQ related. On long days of working however, when the heat reaches the high 90's, my desire to grill over a hot BBQ tends to be at an all time low.

I've found the best way to make pulled pork and have dinner ready when you get home, is making it in the crock pot! It cooks all day so the meat is super tender and you can add sauce or go without. The homemade hamburger buns are the perfect addition and hold up to the tender-saucy meat!

For the Pork:
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (4-6 pound) pork shoulder
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Buns:
1 cup warm water
3 Tablespoons warm milk
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
toasted sesame seeds

Your favorite BBQ sauce and coleslaw for topping the sandwiches

I started by making the Homemade Burger Buns the day before.

In a medium bowl, combine the 1 cup of warm water, milk, yeast, and sugar. Whisk together until the yeast is thoroughly incorporated and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk one egg and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the bread and all-purpose flours with the salt until incorporated. Add in the softened butter and with the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is combined and the mixture is crumbly. Switch attachment to your dough hook and add in the yeast/milk mixture and the 1 beaten egg. Mix on medium low speed until the dough comes together, around 8-10 minutes. Add a 1/4 cup more flour if the dough is still too sticky, or 1 teaspoon of warm water if the dough is to tough. The dough should be smooth yet slightly tacky.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place until doubled, around 1-2 hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from bowl and portion into 8 pieces. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and roll each dough piece into a ball and place on the cookie sheet.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap, cover and place in a warm place to rise for another 1-2 hours until doubled.

Set a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven and the second rack in the center. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat remaining 1 egg with 1 Tablespoon of water, brush on the top of the buns and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Bake in the preheated oven, turning the sheet halfway through, until the tops are golden around 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store buns in an airtight container for up to a week.

Now, time to make the pork!

Remove pork shoulder from packaging and rinse under cold water, dry off and set aside.

Place sliced onion in the bottom of a large crock pot. Set pork shoulder on top of the onions. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Rub over the tops and sides of the pork.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, sugar, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Pour 1/3 of the vinegar sauce over the top of the pork. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 9-12 hours or until the pork is cooked through and starts to fall apart. 30 minutes before the pork is finished, drizzle with remaining vinegar sauce, reserving some if you would like to use it on your sandwich in lieu of BBQ sauce.
Remove meat and shred, returning to juices in the crock pot.

Assemble the sandwich by slicing open a hamburger bun, place 1/4-1/2 cup of meat on the bottom half, top with a drizzle of BBQ sauce or vinegar and your favorite coleslaw recipe. Place the top bun on and serve!

I love the tangy, juicy meat and tender hamburger buns! This is a Summer dish to a T! Enjoy!

Pulled Pork recipe adapted from: My Baking Addiction
Hamburger Bun recipe adapted from: Parsley, Sage & Sweet

Oatmeal Cookie Chunk Ice Cream

Some of my favorite memories as an adult include those first dates with my now husband. His family is from the Los Angeles area and a close family friend of mine used to live in Long Beach. My husband and I met in college, but we would try to spend Holidays or vacations, somehow together, in Southern California.

A distinct memory of mine includes staying in my Aunt's condo together and walking down to Cold stone Creamery. Once a year, maybe more because I don't have one close enough to pay attention, they release their Oatmeal Cookie Batter ice cream. Oh my word, it is so good! I used to get mine swirled with fudge and almonds. Delicious.

All I remember is sitting in bed, laughing, and watching some old movie while eating it. So, when I ran across the recipe for an Oatmeal Cookie Chunk ice cream at Dinner or Dessert, I knew I had to whip up a batch. Ya know, for nostalgia and happy bellies.

You Will Need:
(makes 1 quart)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
7-8 oatmeal cookies, chopped
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate chunks

In a medium sauce pan, heat the whipping cream and milk over medium heat just until small bubbles form around the edges.
In a large heat proof bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light in color. When bubbles form around the milk mixture, remove it from the heat and take a cup of the mixture and slowly, while whisking, add it to the egg/sugar mixture to temper. Add the eggs, sugar, and 1 cup of creamy milk back to the sauce pan with the remaining creamy milk and return to heat over medium. Stir the mixture continuously until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon, around 15 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and using a fine mesh sieve to catch any scrambled eggs, pour back into your heat proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, touching the mixture so a film doesn't form, and place in your fridge until cooled completely, around 2-3 hours.
Remove the mixture from your fridge and pour into your ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturers instructions. When the ice cream has finished churning stir in the chopped oatmeal cookies and chocolate chunks. Place ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until firm, around 3-4 hours to overnight.
Scoop and serve!

This cinnamon ice cream adds the perfect spice to compliment the oatmeal cookies. The chocolate is just an added touch of perfection. Enjoy!

Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I love making things from scratch for the family, yet I'm always nervous when it comes to making breads. What if I don't let the yeast proof long enough? What if I don't let it rise and the bread is tough? And most importantly, what if I waste allllll of these ingredients? Its panic inducing, really.

This bread is fairly fool proof though, I mean as far as breads go. And the scent of it baking in your oven is heavenly. It takes a little bit of time for rising and proofing but it's well worth it. You ready to get your bread on?

You will need:
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons butter
2 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons softened butter

1 egg beaten with a splash of milk for brushing

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt together the 1 cup and 6 Tablespoons of butter. Heat just until warmed and completely melted and remove from the heat, cool to warm to the touch but not hot. Sprinkle in yeast, whisking to combine, and allow the yeast to proof (sit) for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and eggs just until creamy. Pour in the milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir on medium until combined. Add in half of the flour/salt mixture and combine until incorporated. Switch the paddle to the hook attachment and add in the remaining flour mixture. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together, if dough still looks sticky you may add in an additional 1/4 cup. Knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes.
While the dough is kneading fill a metal bowl with hot water and set aside.
When the dough is finished kneading it should be slightly sticky.

Dump out the hot water from your metal bowl, this will ensure the bowl is warmed, and grease liberally with vegetable oil. Transfer kneaded dough to the vegetable oil coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap and store in a warm place until doubled in size, around 2 hours.

When dough has doubled in size, lightly flour a work surface and transfer dough to it. Roll out dough so the width is equal to the length of your bread pan (5" if using standard size) and a length of 2 feet.

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon from the filling ingredients and set aside. Using 2 Tablespoons of softened butter, spread liberally over the top of your dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Starting at the far end, roll the dough horizontally towards you. Pinch the bottom of the dough when finished.

Grease a 9x5" loaf pan with softened butter or cooking spray, and place bread seam side down, tucking in the ends to fit the pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow the bread to rise in a warm place, until doubled, around 2 hours.

When loaf has doubled, brush with egg and milk mixture.

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 35-40 minutes or until the top is very golden in color. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing bread from pan to cool completely.

Slice and serve! I love mine toasted and topped with butter or peanut butter, YUM! This bread would also be great studded with raisins. I hope you try it TODAY!

*Recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman (I just lurve her!)