Broccoli!

Whenever I head out to China Town to buy groceries, I always go nuts.   Although Trader Joes holds a very, very special place in my heart (and during the school year this blog will probably turn into The Best Frozen Foods from Trader Joes), it's nice to get out there and buy super fresh fruits and vegetables that Trader Joes doesn't always carry.  Exhibit A: Fresh broccoli! (if you feel like broccoli is too healthy and you're losing interest, keep reading, because there's a slightly more unhealthy treat at the end of the post.)

Anyways, since it definitely wasn't a date night for me,

I had no problem using plenty of garlic and onions to flavor the broccoli.

Although I used this super simple recipe as a side dish, it would have been great tossed up with some linguini or fettucini. 

Sautéed Broccoli:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 heads of fresh broccoli, chopped
3/4 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Water
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat up the olive oil in large nonstick pan, cook the onion and garlic under medium heat.  When the onions are translucent, add in the broccoli and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add in1/3 cup of water along with the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, allowing the broccoli to soften.  When the water has boiled off, transfer broccoli to a serving dish and serve immediately. 

And now, as promised, the dessert of the day: Butterscotch and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Once again, I went over to Pei and Erick's new apartment, and they were gracious enough to let me use their amazing Kitchen Aid stand mixer! (gahhhh I want one so badly)  

I dug up a recipe for chocolate chip cookies and made some, ahem, modifications.  I'll work on making more changes to the recipe before I write about it, but I thought I could post up the pictures anyway:)