Shrimp Wrap with Zesty Cocktail Sauce

Last weekend while in Scottsdale, we landed right around lunchtime. After arriving at the resort, we dropped our bags and joined friends who had already arrived at a lunch spot on the property. Traveling puts me in a constant state of hunger. I was in a must-eat-now kind of mission that anything would suffice. I ordered a shrimp wrap that came with sweet potato tots. Yes sweet potato tots...pause for salivation.

Besides the tots the wrap was full of crisp lettuce, avocado, and shrimp. It was fantastic, I can't quit get across how good it was. My mom and sister ordered the shrimp cocktail that came with this amazing salsa/cocktail sauce combo. I could eat it with a spoon it was so good. I asked the waiter for my own little serving and proceeded to dip my wrap into it. I've recently really become a sauce person, so just go with me on this one. 

Not only did this lunch suffice, but left me craving it everyday since. I made quick note to recreate it as soon as I got home. Recreated it, loved it, and have pretty much eaten it everyday since. Looks like my plan worked! A few tweaks here and there and my own version of the salsa/cocktail sauce amazingness makes me feel like I am back in Paradise Valley. Now if only I can recreate those sweet potato tots... 

Shrimp Wrap with Zest Cocktail Sauce
yields 1 wrap

Ingredients:
1 Flatout wrap Light Original
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
handful of spinach
1/2 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 avocado, chopped
thinly sliced red onion
handful of frozen salad shrimp, thawed

Zesty cocktail sauce:
2 Tbsp. your favorite cocktail sauce
2 Tbsp. your favorite salsa

Directions:
Thaw your shrimp according to package directions. Salad shrimp are the little baby kind that are super easy to thaw and super easy to cook. In a small pan over medium, heat a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until bright pink and slightly roasted. This gives the shrimp a little extra flavor. 

Heat your Flatout wrap in the microwave for 10 seconds. This will make it more pliable when rolling your wrap up. Spread the dijon mustard over the whole surface. Top with spinach, then layer on tomatoes, red onion, avocado and shrimp. Starting from the short length end, begin rolling, tucking in all your components as you roll so things aren't spilling out. No need to fold in the sides with these wraps. Once you get it all rolled, place two toothpicks through to keep it in place while you slice it down the middle. 

Mix the cocktail sauce and salsa in a small bowl. Serve the wrap alongside and eat up!

This is a quick meal that comes together easily for lunch. I made it yesterday while having the day off and also made an extra, wrapped it in foil, and packed for my lunch at work today. My lunch break just went from 0 to 100 quick. Enjoy! 

Annie

Save This Recipe Snickerdoodles

The title says it all. I promise, you can trust me on this one. I've attempted to make snickerdoodles here and there over the course of my baking career, but they have never resulted in anything fantastic. They are always kind of puffy and don't get that cracked crust. This recipe is chewy, a little dense and just perfectly crispy around the edges!

I turned to cookie queen Christina Tosi for help on this one. If you don't make them asap, at least save them for a rainy day. 

Snickerdoodles adapted from Milk Bar Life
yields 24-30 cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Cream on high for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.

Add the flour, cream of tarter, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix until just combined. If time allows, let dough chill in the fridge for 20 minutes before scooping.

Combine your sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop the dough into golf ball size and roll between your palms. Toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture until completely covered. Arrange about 2 to 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, until just golden brown and slightly cracked. Cool and enjoy! 

Annie

Cookie Butter Popcorn

Yes you read that right, cookie butter popcorn. If you don't know what cookie butter is you live under a rock. Sorry if that was offensive...if you don't know what it is, it's basically Trader Joe's mascot. 

I have a weakness for white chocolate covered things. Pretzels, raisins, chex mix, strawberries, popcorn. You know that amazing white chocolaty mix people make at Christmas that has chex, m&ms, pretzels, etc? That stuff is my ish. Even though white chocolate isn't really chocolate, it still reigns supreme. Throw a little cookie butter in with white chocolate and it's basically game over. 

Cookie Butter Popcorn

Ingredients:
6-8 cups air popped popcorn (I used 1/2 cup kernels and 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil)
8 oz. vanilla almond bark
2 Tbsp. cookie butter or biscoff spread
sprinkles for decorating

Directions:
Pop your popcorn in a large pot over medium high heat, or in a popper. Melt the almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals, until fully melted. Stir in the cookie butter. In a large bowl mix the melted mixture and the popcorn together. Spread out on foil, decorate with sprinkles and let harden for at least hour. 

This popcorn would be perfect to take to your Super Bowl party. The Super Bowl is basically just an excuse to have a party, eat a ton of food, and drink on a Sunday. We all only watch it for the halftime show anyway #yonce. But still, bring the popcorn and people will love you. 

For more cookie butter deliciousness try these rice krispies.

Annie

Chocolate Chunk Cookies Round 3

So pretty right? Pretty and they taste good! Let's just sit and look at them for a second.....

Okay moment's over. With lots of new things happening in 2016, some things stay the same. Such as the fact that I am still recipe testing to find my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've tackled four recipes (only two were worth posting) so far, and today includes another great contender. 

A delicious recipe this is, they are adapted from an excellent cookbook I trust. I loved using chocolate chunks to give big bites of chocolate, and I think the sugar, butter, and vanilla ratios are pretty spot on. I will endorse this recipe, but I have to be honest and say these still aren't "the one." More testing to come, for your and my enjoyment. Linked here and here are my other two attempts.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
yields 30 cookies

Ingredients: 
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. chocolate chunks*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. (I'm partial to whisking instead of sifting, much easier). In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combines. Mix in the chocolate chunks. 

Using a cookie scoop, scoop generous size balls of dough onto prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes or until lightly brown. 

*I'm usually a mini chip person, but I love using chunks in this recipe! They give the cookies fun height and shape from the big chunks.

Annie

Baked Egg Sweet Potato

A quick recipe post because I couldn't wait to share it! I am lucky enough to work pretty close to home, so I love when I have the chance to run home for lunch instead of shoveling in a sub-par salad at my desk. 

I've had this image of an egg baked in a sweet potato floating around in my pool of recipe ideas for a while. Yesterday I was able to sneak home for lunch and finally got around to making it. It's the same idea as baking an egg in an avocado.

A little coconut butter, salt and pepper then a runny baked egg make this the most satisfying lunch. If really helped me get over the mid day hump of hump day.

Baked Egg Sweet Potato

Ingredients: 
1 sweet potato
1 egg
coconut oil
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

Directions:
Cook your sweet potato to your desire. I like wrapping it in foil and placing in the crock pot on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. You can bake it wrapped in foil at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Or the easiest, by popping it in the microwave for 10 minutes. 

If you cooked your potato in the oven, keep it on. If you didn't, preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Once your potato is cooked, make a cut across the top and open your sweet potato. Scrape the insides. Keeping it all in the skin, mix a pat of coconut oil, salt and pepper with the sweet potato insides. Create a little well in the potato. Crack the egg right into the potato. Place it back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes, or until the egg is set. I like my egg running so 10 minutes was enough. 

Top with a little more s&p, and some red pepper flakes for heat!

Annie