The Automat's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies that I have ever made. (And I have made a lot of chocolate chip cookies!)

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

9-ounce bag semi-chocolate chips ***

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In an electric mixer, blend the shortening with the white and brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the baking soda, salt, vanilla, and eggs, and beat until mixed. Stir in the flour slowly and beat at low speed until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop the mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. With a metal spatula, remove the cookies to wire racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store the cookies in a tightly covered container.

*** I substituted the semi-sweet chips for Special Dark chips and it was a good swap.

Bratten's Clam Chowder

Soup:
2 cups potatoes
1 cup celery
1 cup onion
2 small cans of clams
1 bottle of clam juice

Cream Sauce:
1 qt. half and half
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. red wine vinegar

Cut potatoes, celery and onion into small chunks. Add the clams and juice to mixture and then add enough clam juice or water to cover the mixture. Cook until vegetables are tender. To make the cream sauce - cook in the microwave or on the stove until mixture becomes thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. When this mixture is thick, add to the soup mixture and cook together. Add two Tb. red wine vinegar to this mixture. Cook a little longer. Then soup is done.

Source: Bratten's Restaurant (An old seafood restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah

Cheesecake Factory Avocado Eggrolls

Thank you SO much to Patti of Patti Cakes blog for this wonderful post. These are desperately delightful! Love your blog, Patti!

Cheesecake Factory Avocado Egg Rolls

If you haven't tried these yet put the mouse down and run. Seriously. This copycat recipe is spot on. Don't even bother making the Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce yourself, buy the jar at Cheesecake Factory. It's made on the premises and it completes these egg rolls.

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch salt
3 egg roll wraps
1 egg, beaten

Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt. Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.

Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling. Brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg, roll up from side to side, fold top corner over all and press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on brown paper bags.

Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and serve with the Tamarind Cashew dipping sauce.

Rhino Grille Halibut Pasta

Rhino Grille Halibut Pasta

1 oz olive oil
7 oz penne pasta
4 oz halibut
1.5 oz button mushrooms
1.5 oz shitake mushrooms
1 tbl capers
2 tbl lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 oz fresh basil
1 roma tomato
salt and pepper to taste

Cook penne pasta aldente. Slice mushrooms. Dice halibut into 1/4 inch cubes. Heat olive oil on medium high heat. Sautee mushrooms, halibut until slightly brown. Add lemon juice, heavy cream and reduce until it thickens. Add pasta, fresh basil, salt and pepper. Garnish with julienne roma tomatoes.

Cafe Rio Recipes

Cafe Rio is a yummy restaurant in Utah and Nevada. If you are a Cafe Rio fan, you will enjoy this link.

Cafe Rio Recipes

Pier 49 Sourdough Pizza Recipes

These are recipes from Pier 49 Pizza Restaurant. My friend, Mindi, and I would go to this restaurant often when we lived in the St. George, UT area. Holden would also be at our lunches, since he was about 2 years old. It was the closest restaurant to my house and Holden was afraid to drive in the car at the time! So it worked and became a favorite spot.

Mindi sent me these recipes, so down memory lane we go! Thanks, Mindi.

Pier 49 Sourdough Pizza Recipes