Beef Short Ribs

456. I think I've fallen in love with this recipe!!  If you have never tried beef short ribs or were afraid to, this is the best recipe to take your shot and be brave.

Can I say tender, falling off the bone, succulent, mouth-watering, home-cooked, heart-warming, feel like you were eating at a fine-dining restaurant...etc.  The flavors are similar to a beef stew but elevated.  This would be a beautiful meal for a special occasion or holiday main course.

The smell in the kitchen was divine!  And, the fact that you can walk away and accomplish other tasks makes this meal helpful for a busy holiday or special meal.  The meat will be fork tender and a steak knife is not needed.

"Today is a good day for a good day."

~Joanna Gaines

"Every hard thing we choose to do makes us braver for next time."

~Joanna Gaines

Family Circle's Favorite Peanut Butter Cookies

455.  A peanut butter cookie remains a favorite of mine for years.  I have since limited my intake of peanut butter because, I just feel better when I don't eat it every day.  I switched to pistachios and walnuts for my plant protein but they don't tick that box like peanut butter does for me.

When I was newly married, I would purchase the Family Circle Magazine for all the great recipes and articles.  That is where I first discovered this recipe and its one I return to each time I bake peanut butter cookies.  To me, it is the perfect cookie; soft in the center, crispy on the edges, and it melts in your mouth.

It is also one of the recipes that is taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet door.  Not many recipes make it to the kitchen cabinet door but only the tried-and-true, go-to recipes that I love.  I learned this from my mom :).  It just works for me.

Here is my copy directly from the magazine:

I have adjusted the temperature to 370, don't "grease" the cookie sheet but use parchment paper, gently roll  pieces of dough into a ball but flatten slightly and then tap the top of the cookie in sugar.  I place my fork in water before pressing it on the top of each cookie before baking and, bake for 9 minutes.  I make my cookies larger and it yields about 18 cookies.  If you actually followed this recipe and made the tinier cookies at this high temp for 12 minutes, you would end up with over-baked cookies.  And, you wouldn't want to make this mistake.

After cookies come out of the oven I slide the parchment paper onto a cool surface carefully then place new parchment paper on the cookie sheet.   The cookies are very delicate right out of the oven and will break apart and crumble if you try to move them with a spatula.  And, letting them stand on the hot cookie sheet for 5 minutes just continues the baking process on the hot sheet pan.

Once the cookies cool, they are more sturdy and you can move them easily.

I have also added chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanuts, peanut chips in the past and they make the cookie more substantial.

This is a winner for sure.  

"I'm going to take this God-given gift of being funny, and I'm going to spread it out like peanut butter on everything I do."

~ Steve Harvey