Blissful Bounty

American Sandwich Bread

2009-11-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

I've been trying my hand at bread making for the past year and a half. Most of the recipes come out okay; that is, as long as they are toasted they are edible. There has yet to be a bread that I will eat out of hand, as a sandwich, in other words untoasted.

That is, until yesterday. This is the.most.amazing.bread you will ever make. So yummy I scarfed down a piece or two while I was cutting it for future use. My husband even texted me on his way to work: "this is the best bread." In my book, that designates a winner. Simple ingredients, quick assembly, and out of this world taste equal a bread I'm happy to make weekly or even, daily:) For great pics of the finished product, head here!

American Sandwich Bread

(The New Best Recipe, pg. 725)

Time: About 2 hours (lots of inactive time)

Yield: One 9-inch loaf

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm whole milk (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast (also called rapid rise)

Preparation

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Once the oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain the heat for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.

Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix the milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the liquid.

When the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping the machine two or three times to scrape dough from the hook, if necessary, about ten minutes. (After five minutes of kneading, if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time and up to 1/4 cup total, until the dough is no longer sticky.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.

Place the dough in a very lightly oiled large bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat lightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the warmed oven until the dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.

Gently press the dough into an 8-inch square that measures 1 inch thick. Starting with the side farthest away from you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed. Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil 2 cups of water and pour into a baking pan, and place it on the bottom rack. If possible, put the loaf on a rack above the baking pan of water (my oven is much too small to have a loaf of bread on anything but the bottom rack) otherwise put the two pans side by side. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted at an angle from the short end just above the pan rim into the center of the loaf reads 195 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.

Grilled Pepperoni Pizza

2009-10-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

After we were first married, I was really excited to try and make everything from scratch. The first thing on the list was pizza dough. I have a favorite for regular, hand tossed style pizza and calzones and one for pizza on the grill, which is the one I’m talking about here. I happened upon it in my cooking light one month and no, the recipe was not for pizza on the grill!

When I was younger and we went camping pizza on the grill was what I looked forward to most and back then I think we just threw a frozen pizza on the grill! But this one is easy to throw together, does not need a long rising, and is perfect for the grill.

The key to grilling pizza is to make sure you have everything ready before you start. I like to roll out the dough and then place it on a cookie sheet that is covered with cornmeal. It’s easier to get the dough onto the grill not to mention much easier for carrying it out TO the grill!

There’s no good way to describe pizza that has been cooked on the grill other than delicious and oh so good. Try it, you’ll fall in love!

Grilled Pepperoni Pizza
(adapted from Cooking Light)

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

Sauce:
Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (i either omit or use dried)
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package quick-rise yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornmeal
Remaining ingredients:
16 slices turkey pepperoni (such as Hormel) (we use regular pork pepperoni, and lots of it!)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (we also use lots of cheese!)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

To prepare the sauce, place a small saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add the dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and tomato sauce; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley, and keep warm.
To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl, and let stand 5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), and add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If indention remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface.

(this is where the new instructions come in for baking pizza on the grill! ~ take pizza dough on a baking sheet out to the grill...place on grill and put the cover down. After 5 or so minutes, flip the dough while first popping any bubbles that have crept up! Once it is flipped arm yourself with your sauce, cheese and toppings and begin assembling as quickly as possible. Put grill cover down and bake for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly!)

Place dough on a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim. Cover and let rise 10 minutes.

Spread sauce over pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top with pepperoni. Sprinkle with cheeses.

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is puffy and lightly browned. Remove pizza to cutting board; cut into 6 slices.

Croque Monsieur...oui, oui!

2009-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Even though I lived in France for part of a summer I never had a croque monsieur. I don’t know what I was thinking. But when given the chance to go back, I ordered one within the first 24 hours. There is something so utterly delicious and comforting about this meal. It’s a little fussy…it’s French for goodness sakes, but take the time…the end result is so worth it.

These didn’t stick around for long. Great alone or paired with a green salad or some soup this sandwich is comforting, salty, gooey and like I said, oh so delicious!

Croque Monsieur
(borrowed from the Barefoot Contessa: Paris)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
Dijon mustard
8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Pasta, Pesto and Peas

2009-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is delicious. Let me just put that out there before I even begin. So easy, so simple and yet so utterly good. Especially when someone cuts a corner and uses jarred pesto…I don’t know who you are talking about…:o Sometimes on a weeknight, quick and easy is the best way. Not only is it delicious but it’s fairly healthy as well, unless of course you eat far more than the portion served to you!

Try it, you’ll love it even if you don’t especially care for pesto. I used the brand Classico and it’s sold at Target and probably every other grocery store and it was oh so good for only $2.99. You can’t beat that. And look forward to how I used the rest of the jar…it gets even better! I changed some things from Ina's recipe, mostly because I just used what I had on hand and I also added some pan fried chicken breasts cut into smaller pieces for some protein.

Pasta, Pesto and Peas (recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients

3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta (i just used bow tie)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups pesto (packaged or see recipe below)...store bought
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry didn't use
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise did not use
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Pesto:

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

Yield: 4 cups

Cumin Spiced Chicken with Green Chile Sauce

2009-08-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Really Easy...Really Fast...Really Delicious!

There is not a whole lot to this one except the explosion of flavors when it hits your mouth:) In the mood for mexican food, I threw what we had in the pantry together to create this delighful dish. So feel free to substitute with what you have on hand or run to the store, everything in here is relatively cheap and easy to find! Enjoy!

Cumin Spiced Chicken with Green Chile Sauce

(inspired and created by...ME)

Chicken:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 T ground Cumin

1/2 t ground adobo pepper seasoning (ground red pepper will also work)

a little olive oil, 1 T or so

salt and pepper

Sauce:

1/2 C fresh cilantro

1 can green chiles

1 clove garlic

1/2 t minced jalapeno

1/4 t salt

squeeze of lime

monterrey jack cheese

1. Preheat grill. Combine seasonings in a bowl (cumin, adobo, s&p). Rub chicken down with seasoning. Allow to sit and mellow in the seasoning up to 24 hours.

2. Put chicken on grill...cook until no longer pink, flipping accordingly. In a food processor or blender, mix together all of the sauce ingredients (cilantro through lime).

3. During last minutes of grilling, top with cheese and let melt. Grab off grill and bring inside. Pour sauce over the top. Enjoy.

Cashew Chicken

2009-08-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Cashew chicken is one of my all-time favorite meals to order from a chinese restaurant. Something about the savory asian flavors paired with the creaminess of the cashews, is well perfection in my opinion, and this meal delivered. Alex and I both loved the taste of this, very tasty brown sauce, not too spicy and not too sweet. It's great with whatever you want to throw in the wok, but this time I threw in some napa cabbage I needed to use up, celery, and some onion.

It was quick and easy and hit the spot...delish!

Cashew Chicken
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
~makes 4 servings ~

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons. soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup salted roasted cashews
Steamed rice for serving

Directions:

Marinate the chicken -In a large bowl, stir together 2 Tbs. of the soy sauce, the wine and ginger. Stir in the chicken to coat evenly and set aside for 15 minutes.

Make the sauce - In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbs. water, the remaining 1 Tbs. soy sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch, and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch.

Stir-fry the chicken- Heat a wok or large fry pan over high heat until very hot and add 2 Tbs. of the corn oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, draining it well, and discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until opaque, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl.

Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining 1 Tbs. corn oil. Add the green onions and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Return the chicken to the wok and add the cashews. Give the sauce a quick stir, add to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately with the steamed rice.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Asparagus

2009-07-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

Yum...is all I have to say for this one. It's so simple and so delicious. The best part, you can use the extra chicken all week long.

So roasted in the oven keeps the potatoes crisp and the chicken moist. Add some fresh crusty french bread to mop up the juices and dinner is set. Light enough for summer and spring and hearty enough for winter, just switch up the asparagus to something in season.

Try it, you'll like it...not only the food, but the savings that comes from using a whole chicken.
Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Asparagus (courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 package cut-up whole chicken (about 3 pounds)
1 bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes and half the butter in a roasting pan; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until potatoes are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Place chicken, skin side up, on top of potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
Scatter asparagus, lemon, remaining butter, and thyme around chicken. Roast until asparagus is tender and chicken is opaque throughout, 5 to 15 minutes. Serve chicken, vegetables, and lemon drizzled with pan juices.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

2009-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

I like chocolate and I definately like chocolate cake. A couple of weeks ago, I was just in the mood for cake. I don't normally just bake a cake, especially if we do not have anywhere to take it. But the mood for cake won me over, as did the picture in Ina Garten's Cookbook. This cake was so...YUM! Add a tall glass of milk and savor every bite. Even my cake-hating husband LOVED this cake!

Beatty's Chocolate Cake (courtesy of Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Chicken with Saffron Rice

2009-05-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was raving over my Everyday Food and how much I look forward to the day it arrives in my mailbox. Well there is another magazine I love to get, and this one happens to be free. It's my Williams-Sonoma catalog that comes every month or so. They happen to have some of the most delicious recipes inside, not only are they easy, I have yet to make one that does not taste good:)

A few months ago, I opened up the magazine and spotted this recipe. I do not really enjoy olives, but for some reason lately the thought of them paired with other delicious flavors has been beyond appealing, I mean it's a little addicting.

So after paging through I ripped this recipe out and set to make it the next night. We were blown away by this recipe...it is so delicious, salty from the olive brine and sweet the red pepper, with a little heat to boot. Don't delay in making this, it is perfect for any night of the week and tastes great the next day too!

(For the record, I cut this in half and it was still plenty of food.)

Chicken with Saffron Rice

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb. chicken thighs and drumsticks

Salt, to taste, plus 1 1/4 tsp.

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1/4 tsp. crumbled saffron

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry sherry

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices

3 cups medium-grain rice

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and halved

1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F.

Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Discard the fat in the pot, then wipe out the pot with paper towels.

In the same pot over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, saffron and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the sherry and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the chicken, broth, tomatoes and their juices and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Stir in the rice, olives, the 1 1/4 tsp. salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time.

Remove the pot from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with the parsley and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Zucchini Parmesan Loaf

2009-05-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

When I was back visiting my mother, I spent hours paging through all of her old Everyday Food magazines...I mean it was really bad, they kept my attention for far longer than I would like to admit. Considering she still has the first magazine ever, that was um...about 5 years ago. Yeah, apparantly I have too much time on my hands:)

But the best thing about all that time spent, is that I now have a list of about 100 recipes that I would love to make and looked delicious. One in particular that looked good was this zucchini parmesan quick bread. I know it sounds a little odd, but the result is a tangy, savory, and delicious quick bread that pairs perfectly with soup, stew, and anything in which dipping is allowed!

I didn't need to change anything in the recipe, but feel free to add and subtract as you see fit~

Zucchini Parmesan Loaf

Serves 8

1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound (about 1 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (6-cup capacity) with oil; dust with flour, and tap out excess.
In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, and eggs. In a large bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix in zucchini, then egg mixture until just moistened (batter will be very thick, like biscuit dough).
Transfer batter to prepared pan; press in gently. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with foil if loaf starts to brown too quickly). Cool 15 minutes in pan; turn out loaf onto a rack to cool completely.

(courtesy of Everyday Food)

Butterscotch Bark

2009-05-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Every month I look forward to all my food magazines to come in the mail. But there is one on my mind that always makes my heart skip a beat and that is Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I have found that these recipes use ingredients we usually have in the pantry and take around 30 minutes, perfect for any weeknight!

We happen to love most things coconut, and especially seven layer bars. They are oh, so delicious, and usually do not stand a chance in being thrown out for remaining too long on the counter. That's right, most things if we don't eat them in a couple of days or so, either get tossed in the freezer or right into the trash. We are not stock-pilers:0 and besides, I probably would have given the thought to giving them away, but who in their right mind is going to enjoy a stale and more than day old treat...i mean that's just cruel:)

But these guys were delicious, especially with the addition of butterscotch chips. I wouldn't recommend making them without, because everything is better with a little more chip, and believe me not a chip found the garbage!

Butterscotch Bark

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 graham crackers
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light-brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans and coconut on baking sheet; bake until golden, 5 minutes. Cool; toss with chocolate chips.
Line a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with foil. Break graham crackers in half; fit in pan in single layer.
In saucepan, whisk butter and sugar over medium heat until smooth; spread over crackers.
Bake until bubbly, 10 minutes. Sprinkle with nut topping; press gently. Cool; break into pieces.

Homemade French Fries

2009-05-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

For some of you the thought of making french fries from scratch brings anticipation...for others, the slight cock of the head in pure wonder, I mean they sell french fries in the freezer section right?...and for the those others, there awaits the loud exclamation...umm, McDonald's is right next door!

Although all of these thoughts are possible and relatively okay in their simplicity, I happen to be one who is eager with anticipation and excitement, at well, let's be honest, almost anything I can make homemade.

I started making homemade fries right after we got married, because a big delicious burger among other things is not complete without fries. If anyone knows me, they also know that I did NOT frantically search the internet for instructions, I just gave it a whirl...in fact I just cut potatoes and put them in the oven under very high heat, I mean who doesn't like crispy fries:)

We like them almost any way; cut thick like steak fries, very thin as in those seen with steak frites, and every way in between. We've drenched them in garlic butter and parsley (yum!), seasoned them with spice, and left them in their amazing naked state. But most of all, it's a great side for pennies on the dollar as potatoes, are well, cheap!

Homemade French Fries

1-4 medium potatoes (depending on number of people/we usually use 2 for the 2 of us)
1-3 T olive oil (again less for fewer potatoes, etc)
coarse ground salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Cut potatoes into thin slices, according to the size you are going for, and then into sticks
3. Place potatoes into a gallon ziplock bag, add oil to bag and shake until evenly coated
4. Pour fries onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown/feel free to flip midway through

Farmhouse white bread

2009-03-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

So today resumed my bread baking and boy what a treat this loaf was. It is quick to pull together and yields a delicious basic white bread. Much better than the first one I tried a couple of months ago. Perfect with butter or toasted for breakfast.

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://ayearinbread.earthandhearth.com/2007/05/t-his-bread-which-i-call-farmhouse.html

ps...I cut the recipe in half and I came out with one normal sized loaf and one a little smaller!

From our home to yours!

2009-03-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus, we've had our time filled with organizing, packing, and moving! Now that we are finally settled, the dinners, desserts, and dining can resume! With things put away and the kitchen clean, there is only one thing to do...step back, enjoy, and then get it dirty, baking and cooking up a storm.

Lately my hubby has been in the mood for some home cooking...in our house that relates to "make some of the recipes my mom makes, the ones from my childhood!" Good thing that right after we were married I went to his mother with pen in hand to copy down all of the hubby's family favorites. On the top of his list...Barbecues.

What amazes me is that hubby and I grew up in regionally the same area of Wisconsin. We did not call this dish Barbecue, but instead sloppy joes. Unfortunately, no matter who makes them, sloppy joes are just one thing I don't like...ever...please don't serve one to me unless I have a large glass of water to help it down...but what does the hubs love...Barbeques, oh the irony.

So up today are Brogle Barbecues...Grandma Emma's recipe...best served on the cheapest bun you can find (according to the hubs)

Barbecues (best part..just use what you have on hand, they're very adaptable)

1/2 onion diced
1 1/2 stalks of celery diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 green pepper diced
1 pound of ground beef
1-2 cups of Ketchup
dash of red pepper (cayenne)
dash of paprika

1. Brown onion in 1T butter.
2. Add hamburger and brown, season with salt and pepper
3. Add tomatoes, ketchup, celery and green pepper. (add more ketchup to desired consistency)
4. Sprinkle red pepepr and paprika on top, cover and let simmer of 1/2 hour to an hour.

OMG...I love this stuff

2009-02-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

What is it I love? I am so in love with Chobani greek yogurt. While the hubby was away a couple of weeks ago, I headed to Whole Foods to do some browsing. I picked up a couple of things I have never tried, including a container of Chobani. Now I like greek yogurt, but I have never had Chobani. Slightly less expensive than Fage, though still pricey for yogurt, making this great treat an occasional indulgence.

Until the other week. While browsing Costco, I found Chobani in a pack of 16. So delicious and now less than a dollar a carton, making this indulgence available a little more often.

Break out of the yogurt rut, and indulge in some greek yogurt. Not only is it better for you (mroe protein, less sugar) but now it is more affordable as well!

Yea!

Vacation Eats!

2009-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

Every year we head down to Florida for a little vacation. We are so blessed to have lodging down there that is free for us to use. This year we stayed with Alex's parents for four days and then headed to my parent's condo near Tampa. While we are in Tampa we always head to the grocery store and buy food for all our meals but one. We head out to eat one night and the rest of our meals are made in the kitchenette. This year I went with a Ina theme, taking three recipes out of her cookbooks that seemed light and fresh and they were delicious!

The three recipes that graced our table were:

Summer Garden Pasta

Cobb Salad

Caesar Club Sandwiches

Also on our vacation menu were vanilla yogurt parfaits, roasted chicken (aka from the deli), frozen pizza, and Carrabba's for our dinner out.

Tasty Thai Slaw Salad

2009-01-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

I am always in need of side dishes for meals that we have. I usually just look in the crisper and decide what would best suit the main entree. We always have romaine in the crisper, along with green onions and celery. In the past, I have made a pickled celery salad that we both really loved, so I expanded this recipe to include some other ingredients. So the other night when we had our Thai Chicken with Cashews, the perfect side dish was created, quickly and very easily. The salad tastes sweet and sour with just the right punch of spice. It's clean and delicious.

Thai Slaw Salad

1 C very thinly sliced romaine

1 T chopped scallions

1 stalk of celery, very thinly sliced

2 dry red thai chilis, thinly sliced

1 T sugar

2 T white vinegar

2 T rice wine vinegar

3 T chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients together and let sit as long as possible, an hour up to a day, to allow flavors to meld.

Peasant Pasta...for you and me

2009-01-14T05:36:00.000-08:00

This was a delicious meal for a quick and easy, throw together under 30 minutes, dinner. Yum. I found this recipe a couple weeks ago on Good Eats'n Sweet Treats. This looked perfect. With our supply of meat in the freezer dwindling, and italian sausage still remaining, I knew we would have this for dinner.

The ingredients are very simple, versatile, and delicious. Paired with some bread and a caesar salad, dinner was on the table in 30 minutes flat and it was so yummy:)

Peasant Pasta

from Rachael Ray

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 2 links, casings removed

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 4 links, casings removed (I just used 1 lb. of hot italian sausage total)

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped, optional

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

24 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente (I used rotini)

Grated Italian cheese, for passing

1. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage meat. Crumble sausage meat as it browns. Add chopped garlic to the pan. When all of the crumbles have browned evenly, deglaze the pan drippings using chicken or vegetable broth.

2. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir cream into your sauce, this will blush the color and cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

3. Season with salt and pepper. Stir peas and basil into your sauce to combine. Toss hot drained penne rigate in pan with the sauce, then transfer pasta to serving bowl.

Yield: 6 Servings.

Time for bread again!

2009-01-12T15:20:00.002-08:00

So here it is Monday already! I love Mondays...I am off of work and it is my day to get everything situated around the house, bake, and clean! I love it. There is nothing more refreshing than a Monday evening, sitting down at night and admiring a job well done:)

So on Friday I mentioned having Mondays be my bread making day. I love this new resolution...fresh baked bread, the smell is amazing.

I always used to be one who thought that bread making must be difficult. But now that I have gotten the hang of letting the yeast bubble and utilizing my handy stand mixer, I think it may be one of the easier things I make!

So today in an attempt to bring some variety into the bread making, I chose to make a cinnamon swirl loaf and a garlic swirl loaf. Both were so delicious. I used the same base for both but chose to fill and shape them differently. They are so, so good and so easy!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread (adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

see adaptations at end for garlic swirl

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. active dry yeast
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (105° to 115°F)
1 cup warm milk (105° to 115°F)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbs. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 to 6 1/4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
3/4 cup golden raisins (i omitted we don't care for raisins)
3/4 cup dark raisins (i omitted)

For the filling:

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar mixed with 4 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
(i cut in half b/c only one loaf was cinnamon- 1/3 C with 2 1/4 t)

Directions:

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar over 1⁄2 cup of the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the remaining 3/4 cup water, the milk, butter, the remaining granulated sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1⁄2 cup of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add the raisins, then beat in the remaining flour, 1⁄2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed, adding flour 1 Tbs. at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased deep bowl and turn to coat it.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours. Lightly grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each half into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Lightly sprinkle each rectangle with half of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Beginning at a narrow end, tightly roll up each rectangle into a compact log. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal in the filling. Place each log, seam side down, in a prepared pan.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is about 1 inch above the rim of each pan, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the loaves out onto wire racks and let cool completely. Makes two 9-by-5-inch loaves.

For one garlic swirl loaf:

Swirl Ingredients:

4 T butter, softened

1 T garlic, minced

2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine butter, garlic, parsley and oregano and spread evenly over top of dough, leaving 1/2" at end to help seal loaf. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top of butter mixture. Tightly roll dough up into cylinder shape, pinching and tucking ends to form a tight seal and pinching seam to seal.

Bake as directed above.

Fresh Bread right out of the Oven!

2009-01-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like fresh bread right out of the oven. Yum! Just the smell, the taste...it's so good! I have decided in the new year I would like to make our bread as much as possible. We are not huge bread eaters, but what we do eat we enjoy thoroughly. I'd like to try all kinds of things...foccacia, bagels, english muffins, pretzels, etc. Those are more the things we love.

But to start out, I tried a recipe for white bread out of my KitchenAid stand mixer cookbook. It was good, not great, but good for a first timer. Fresh, smelled great, and tasted good as well. It was perfect under the broiler with butter alongside stew, okay for toast, and yummy right out of the oven. So every Monday or every other, depending on how long it lasts, I will be making bread. Next up...whole wheat!

Basic White Bread (KitchenAid Recipe book)

1/2 C low-fat milk

3 T sugar

2 t salt

3 T butter

2 pkg. active dry yeast

1 1/2 C warm water

5-6 C all purpose flour

1. Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

2. Dissove yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 C flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer, turn to speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

3. Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 C at a time, and mix about 1 1/2 minutes or until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.

4. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover, Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

5. Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf (roll out dough to 9x13, roll up jelly roll style starting from shorter ends.) place each in a greased loaf pan. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour and until doubled in bulk.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Carmelitas...muy deliciosa!

2009-01-08T06:07:00.000-08:00

I first tried a carmelita bar at my first christmas cookie exchange as an adult, three years ago. They were so delicious. Leaving the cookie exchange with the recipe in hand, I knew I would be making these again...soon! I've made them in the past and haven't blogged about them, but this time around I remembered my camera and quick took a pic.

I have seen other recipes for similar bars using caramel ice cream topping. I would think these would be great as well, but I love caramels, so we usually have a bag in the pantry and we luck out when we need to make carmelitas!

Here is the recipe I used...thanks to that mom who made them for the cookie exchange...they are amazing!

Oatmeal Carmelitas

32 kraft caramels, unwrapped
5 T of milk
1 C all purpose flour
1 C oatmeal, uncooked
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C butter (melted)
1/2 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Melt caramels and milk in the top of a double boiler. (i used the microwave in 45 sec. increments.) Stir until combined, set aside.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and caramels in a separate bowl. Stir until all butter is incorporated and mixture is crumbly.
3. Press half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of a 8" of 9" square pan (i line it with foil)
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven, top with caramel mixture. Sprinkle chocolate chips on the top. Top with rest of oatmeal mixture, pressing firmly. Bake for another 12-15 minutes.
5. Let cool and when still warm cut into pieces.

Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

One weekend while passing through the Sur la Table here in the Twincities, my mom and I happened upon the cookbook bigfatcookies. My mom picked it up in an instant, buying it on sale. If there is one thing she can't resist, its baking cookies. As we looked through it we were hooked. There are so many delicious looking cookie recipes in that book, they all must be made:)

So when my mom suggested I take the book back to our house in MN, I jumped at the chance. The first recipe I chose was for Chocolate Chip-Stuffed Cookies. Basically you make a pretty simple chocolate chip cookie dough, make balls, squash them, fill with chips, and then top with another flattened disk. Bake and eat. These are so gooey in the inside, bursting with chocolaty goodness. So YUM!!

I can't wait to try out some more from the book. These did not disappoint.

Chocolate Chip-Stuffed Cookies (adapted from bigfatcookies by Elinor Klivans)

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened for about 30 minutes

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

2 large cold eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled.

On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Mix in 2 cups (336g) of the chocolate chips.

Roll 2 tablespoons of dough between the palms of your hands into a ball, flatten it slightly to make a 2-inch (5cm) disk and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat to make a total of 16 disks, placing 8 on each baking sheet and spacing them 4 inches (10cm) apart. Leaving a ¼-inch (6mm) plain edge, lightly press 1 tablespoon* of the remaining chocolate chips onto each disk. Using the remaining dough, make 16 more disks, placing one on top of each chocolate-chip-topped disk. Press the dough disks gently to cover any of the chocolate chip filling that shows around the edges.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned but the centers are still pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm (the filling will be soft and melted) or at room temperature.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

A new year, a second chance

2009-01-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

Last year I decided to tackle Baked Potato Soup. Well, it never made it in the blog, let alone a bowl. What I made ended up as pure wallpaper paste, inedible, and definitely a memorable experience.

So the other week when I received my Midwest Living magazine (a gift from my mom, thanks:)), I decided to give it another whirl. Armed with my trusty Le Crueset and some potatoes I was armed for success.

(note the lovely 70's orange...another gift from my mother, one she unearthed from her basement, a old gift from my dad to her...the thing is a relic)

Success it was, the result was a delicious Baked Potato Soup loaded with toppings...

Here is a link to the recipe: Baked Potato Soup

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T08:56:00.001-08:00

Well I hope the month long hiatus is history in this new year!

We've been so blessed this year beyond our wildest comprehension by an amazing God.

Hoping you and yours best wishes and great joy in the new year ahead.

As for things around here at Bliss Bounty, great things are in store with new recipes, great food, and an ambitious cook in the kitchen:)

from the both of us at Bliss Bounty:)

The dough that wowed~

2008-11-21T04:42:00.000-08:00

Whenever we have pizza, stromboli, calzones, etc., I always prefer to make the dough rather than buying it. Not only is it a money saver, but it tastes so much better too! But I also know that making dough is not always in everyone's best interest, especially when it comes to time.

But this dough recipe that I found on BrownEyedBaker really wowed Alex and I. For Alex it was the taste and the fact that it was thin but not to thin, and for me it was working with the dough. There has never in my opinion been a dough easier to roll out even after it has been frozen and thawed.

Here is the recipe for the dough adapted from Baking Illustrated. A couple of notes though, I have used all purpose flour and it has been fine. Also the other day for stromboli I used regular yeast and just let it sit in a warm space for 6 hours. Again it came out great and I always use the stand mixer variation. I think it's quite foolproof. Plus it makes enough for two to three dinners. Now that is time saved in my book:)

Pizza Dough (Source: Baking Illustrated, pages 153-155)

Makes enough for 3 medium pizzas.

We find the food processor is the best tool for making pizza dough. However, only a food processor with a capacity of at least 11 cups can handle this much dough. You can also knead this dough by hand or in a standing mixer (see the variations that follow). Unbleached all-purpose flour can be used in a pinch, but the resulting crust will be less crisp. If you want to make pizza dough in the morning and let it rise on the counter all day, decrease the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon and let the covered dough rise at cool room temperature (about 68 degrees) until doubled in size, about 8 hours. You can prolong the rising time even further by refrigerating the covered dough for up to 16 hours and then letting it rise on the counter until doubled in size, which will take 6 to 8 hours.

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast

1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface and hands

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Process the flour and salt in a large food processor, pulsing to combine. Continue pulsing while pouring the liquid ingredients (holding back a few tablespoons) through the feed tube. If the dough does not readily form into a ball, add the remaining liquid and continue to pulse until a ball forms. Process until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds longer.

3. The dough will be a bit tacky, so use a rubber spatula to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by h and for a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball. Put the dough into a deep oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

Pizza Dough Kneaded by Hand

Follow the recipe for Pizza Dough through step 1. Omit step 2 and instead combine the salt and half the flour in a deep bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and use a wooden spoon to combine. Add the remaining flour, stirring until a cohesive mass forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic 7 to 8 minutes, using as little dusting flour as possible while kneading. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.

Pizza Dough Kneaded in a Standing Mixer

Follow the recipe for Pizza Dough through step 1. Omit step 2 and instead place the flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.

Rollin' Stromboli

2008-11-20T06:41:00.002-08:00

I love making stromboli, first and foremost, because it is so simple and so delicious. I have made strombli multiple different ways: with homemade bread dough, rhodes bread dough, traditional, italian and american. Everytime it's delicious.

Last night we needed a quick dinner, so in the morning I threw together a quick batch of bread dough for the stromboli. Last weekend my mom gave us some lunch meat. Though we liek sandwiches, somehow it usually goes uneaten. To ensure it was used before it expired, ham, turkey and cheese stromboli went on the menu.

With the dough rising throughout the day, throwing it together was easy. After arriving home from work I rolled out half the dough and layered turkey, ham and cheese on the dough. Roll it up jellyroll style, seal edges iwht water and pop in the oven...dinner in no time flat. We served it with tomato soup and salad for a filling and nutitious dinner!

Variations we love:

-any pizza style filling, pepperoni and cheese for pepperoni bread

-traditional with salami, cheese, peppers, etc.

Make it your Way Stromboli (adapted from Cooks Illustrated Best Make Ahead)

-1 pound of the dough of your choice

-Fillings of your choice

(approximately 4 ounces of cheese and 1/2 pound of lunch meat)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. You can cover with foil if desired for the first 20 minutes but it is not necessary.

Yummy coffee cake!

2008-11-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

I like breakfast breads, muffins, coffeecake, you name it, I like it. But we don't have them a lot at our house because they just don't seem to do the trick in sustaining us until lunch...must be all the nutritional value:) Plus, they are not all that quick for a week day morning.

But Sunday, I had plenty of time before church so I quick pulled together a delicious coffeecake. The best part about this, is that it is made from cake mix, so it's really quick and easy.

I found the recipe on Picky Palate, and this hit the mark. She calls it a clone on Starbucks coffeecake while I'm just calling it New York Crumb Cake. Either way, it's delicious any time of the day! I chose to divide the cake mix in half like I usually do to scale down the size. I made it in an 8 inch square pan, and we still have plenty leftover.

New York Crumb Cake (adapted from picky palate)

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (plus ingredients on back of box)

2 Sticks cold salted butter

2 1/4 Cups flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 ¾ Cups sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla

Powdered sugar (for dusting)

PREHEAT oven to 350.

PREPARE cake mixe in large bowl according to directions on box. Spray 9X13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until center is just barely set.

WHILE cakes are baking, prepare crumb topping. In large bowl of electric mixer combine, butter, flour, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla until all crumbly.

IMMEDIATELY after cake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers, sprinkling over top. Put back in oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes (topping will begin to look a little less wet/raw). Let cool fully then dust with powdered sugar, using a sieve.

CUT into squares and serve.

Loving Bacon in Spaghetti Carbonara

2008-11-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

We love italian food and Alex loves bacon. So for an easy dinner, quick and delicious, Spaghetti Carbonara hit the mark. All you need is a little bacon, some fettucini, cream, eggs, and parmesan, and a delicious dinner is on the table in no time flat.

Lately I have been cooking a lot from the Everyday Food magazine. Not only do the recipes rely on ingredients most have on hand, they are quick, easy, and delicious!

Spaghetti Carbonara (Everyday Food, 2007)

Serves 4

1 pound spaghetti (i used buitoni fresh fettucini)
8 ounces (8 slices) bacon, cut 1 inch thick crosswise
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions

Set a large pot of water to boil (for pasta). In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Salt boiling water generously; add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and half-and-half. Set aside.

Drain pasta, leaving some water clinging to it. Working quickly, add hot pasta to egg mixture.

Add bacon; season with salt and pepper, and toss all to combine (heat from pasta will cook eggs). Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Orange chicken ...so yummy

2008-10-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

So finally the house is done! We are finally finished remodeling a now 3500 square foot house here in the cities. It was a huge project but worth all the sweat. Now we hope it sells. But now that we are finished, eating out and crock pot meals will no longer grace our table. I am so glad to be back in the kitchen and making healthy, nutritious meals for Alex and I.

I have really been challenged to try and make healthy meals while not spending a fortune at the grocery store. About a month ago, we went on a huge grocery spree, buying up all sorts of staples. Now it is my goal to make healthy and nutritious meals for around $20 a week in groceries. Wish me luck...I think I can do it!

Last week I made this meal that I found on Annie's Eats. Her website is so inspiring with all the yummy looking food. This was a huge hit at our house...only a few changes and the meal was complete.

Orange Chicken (adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
For the marinade and sauce:
1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 ½” pieces (i used breast meat)
¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
¾ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 ½ tsp. grated orange zest
8 thin strips orange peel (optional)
6 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup dark brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water
i added chopped scallions and some peanuts to the finished product

For coating and frying:
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups peanut oil (or canola oil) (i only used 1/4 C of canola)

Directions:

For the marinade and sauce, place the chicken in a Ziploc bag; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper; whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and pour it into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer. Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water; whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the orange peel (if using); set the sauce aside.

For the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate and beat with a fork until frothy. In a second pie plate, whisk together the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne until combined. Drain the chicken in a colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat. Transfer the pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the dredged chicken pieces on another plate or a baking sheet.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in an 11- to 12-inch dutch oven or straight sided sauté pan with at least 3 qt. capacity over high heat until the oil reaches 350° on an instant read or deep fry thermometer. Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Return the oil to 350° and repeat with the remaining chicken.

To serve, reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.

Apricot pork chops hit the dinner table!

2008-09-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

My husband is not the biggest fan of pork. He is not a picky eater, but pork just doesn't ever set him swooning. Me on the other hand, I don't mind it, especially when it is cooked well. But last week our local grocer had a great deal on pork so I stocked up on tenderloins and chops. Why you might ask if my hubby doesn't like it? Well because he doesn't always get what he wants:)

So the other night in need of a quick meal for dinner, I spied this recipe on Brianna's site for Apricot-Glazed Pork Chops. Knowing that the sweet and spicy glaze might just be the thing to make the pork shine, I went for it. Ready in 30 minutes or less this dish is so good. My hubby even decided that pork was not that bad.

We served these with buttered egg noodles and fresh steamed broccoli. These will definitely be chosen again in this house!

Apricot Glazed Pork Chops (from Brianna)

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon water
1/4 cup Apricot preserves
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 Boneless Pork Chops, Fat trimmed

In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and water until smooth. Stir in the apricot, oil,lime juice and garlic until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir mixture for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

In a large oven safe skillet, add the pork chops browning slightly on each side, about a minute each. Add the apricot glaze. Transfer the pork chops to the oven, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until pork juices run clear.

Get out the BBQ sauce, there's a burger waiting!

2008-09-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

I love, love , love barbecue sauce...homemade, out of a jar, it really doesn't matter, it's all delicious, especially when grilling season comes around.

One of my favorites is barbecue chicken pizza from Pizza Luce here in the cities. They call their's the Wrangler Pizza, and it is delicious! Crispy crust topped with barbecue sauce, loads of thinly sliced chicken, Monterrey jack and mozzarella cheese, thin slices of red onion and banana peppers...they make the pizza!

So a couple of months ago I decided to try and make a burger resembling the taste of barbecue chicken pizza, and the result, AMAZING! Try it for yourself if you wish...I served our burgers atop crisp buns topped with red onion and jack cheese, accompanied by chipotle slaw, so good!

Barbecue Chicken Burgers (by me)

1 lb. Lean Ground Chicken
1/4 C finely chopped banana peppers
salt and pepper
1 T barbecue grill seasoning

1/2 C barbecue sauce for basting the burgers while grilling

Monterrey Jack cheese, slices of red onion, hamburger buns, and more BBQ sauce for dipping

Grill as normal, basting every time you flip or every couple of minutes with BBQ sauce, top with toppings and enjoy!

Potstickers or dumplings, either way they are delicious!

2008-09-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, after the fried cheese, I was contemplating potstickers for a way to use up the leftover wonton wrappers. I saw a recipe in Cooks Illustrated for potstickers, but for some reason I have always been intimidated!

Well on a Tuesday night I found myself trying to find a plan for dinner and knowing Alex would be home late, I decided ot tackle the dumplings. I don't know what I was so nervous for, they are so simple and easy to put together.

Though I like dumplings more (steamed) the hubby is a fan of potstickers (pan-fried) so potstickers it was. They were delish! In the end we decided they needed a littl emore punch of flavor but that is easy to remedy, so I would think we will be making these again!

Pork Potstickers (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Filling
3 cups minced napa cabbage leaves (about ½ medium head)
¾ teaspoon table salt
¾ pound ground pork
4 minced scallions (about 6 tablespoons)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1½ teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepperDumplings
36 round potsticker wrappers (see note)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water, plus extra for brushing

Instructions:

Toss cabbage with the salt in colander set over a bowl and let stand until cabbage begins to wilt, about 20 minutes. Press the cabbage gently with rubber spatula to squeeze out any excess moisture, the transfer to a medium bowl. (If you can't get moisture to release, squeeze cabbage with hands.)

Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until mixture is cold, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Working with 4 potsticker wrappers at a time (keep the remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap), fill, seal, and shape the dumplings using a generous 1 teaspoon of the chilled filling per dumpling. Transfer the dumplings to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling; you should have about 24 dumplings. (The dumplings can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day, or frozen for up to 1 month. Once frozen, the dumplings can be transferred to a zipper-lock bag to save space in the freezer; do not thaw before cooking.)

Line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels; set aside.

Brush 1 tablespoon of the oil over the bottom of a 12-inch nonstick skillet and arrange half of the dumplings in the skillet, with a flat side facing down (overlapping just slightly if necessary). Place the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the dumplings, without moving, until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, add ½ cup of the water, and cover immediately. Continue to cook, covered, until most of the water is absorbed and the wrappers are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes.

Uncover the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, without stirring, until the dumpling bottoms are well browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Slide the dumplings onto the paper towel-lined plate, browned side facing down, and let drain briefly. Transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Let the skillet cool until just warm, then wipe it clean with a wad of paper towels and repeat step 3 with the remaining dumplings, oil, and water.

Asian Style Meatballs

2008-08-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

When Alex and I were dating, I went to a restaurant we were thinking about as a caterer, for lunch with his mother in Stillwater. I ordered an asian salad that had a skewer of glazed pork meatballs on top. They were so delicious! The flavor was that of a potsticker, but better because of the glaze.

With a pound of ground chicken in the freezer I decided to try and recreate the flavor of that delicious meal. I mixed asian flavors into the meatballs and added a few plain breadcrumbs as a binder. The end product was really quite good. We had them over white rice with a little steamed broccoli on the side.

While I don't know if I would make them the same again, I am already thinking about how I could make them better!

Asian Style Meatballs

1 pound ground chicken
2 scallions minced
1/4 C plain breadcrumbs
1/4 C hoisin sauce
3 T soy sauce
1 T minced ginger
1/2 crushed red pepper
Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form into golf ball sized balls and place on broiler pan. Heat broiler to high and place broiler pan on rack, closer to the bottom. Let cook for 10 minutes, turn meatballs and cook for 5-10 minutes more. Remove from oven, brush with glaze.

Glaze

In a small saucepan combine 3 T hoisin sauce, 2 T soy sauce, 1-2 T cornstarch, 2 T sugar, 1 t ginger, 1/2 C chicken broth, 2 T chile garlic sauce

Heat over low heat and reduce, adding as much cornstarch for a glaze texture. Using a pastry brush, brush meatballs with glaze. Use rest of glaze for pouring over rice.

Black Bean Quesadillas!

2008-08-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

These are so delicious! A couple of months ago, I found a similar recipe in a Cooks Illustrated email. There was a demonstration video on making quesadillas, and because mine just never come out quite right, my eyes were glued to the computer screen.

One thing jumped out on me during preparation and that was how to make the tortillas crispy. I always thought you needed to use oil or butter and because of that, quesdadillas really never hit our table except for a quick lunch. What was the trick for crispy tortillas? Letting them sit on a hot skillet, unprepped, until air bubbles form, then flip. The result, so good quesdadillas!

And the best part, the combinations are now endless! We've made chicken, black bean, bacon and cheese...try them, you'll see how great they are!

Black Bean Quesdadillas

1 Can of Black Beans/diced chicken cooked/diced bacon cooked
2 C Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
1/2 red onion, minced
1/4 Bell Pepper, minced
1/4 C frozen corn
Salt and Pepper
1/4-1/2 t adobo chile powder (chile powder will also work or cumin)
4 Fajita size flour tortillas

Minced cilantro/sour cream/guacamole/salsa/etc. for the fixins

1. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes
2. Add one tortilla, let sit on skillet until large air bubbles form, flip. When air bubbles form again, remove from skillet and repeat with remaining tortillas.
3. In skillet, spray with cooking spray or add a little oil. Add onions and bell pepper, season addording to your tastes, cook about 5 minutes or until soft and beginning to blacken. Remove from skillet.
4. Add corn to skillet, no oil, let blacken on skillet for about 5 minutes.
5. Add pepper/onion mixture to corn along with black beans, season with chile powder, cook until beans are warm, remove from skillet.
6. Place one tortilla in skillet, cover 1/2 with cheese, spoon bean mixture on cheese, top with more cheese, fold in half and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Continue with rest.
At this point, you can place cooked quesadillas on a cookie sheet and place under broiler on low, to keep warm.

ENJOY!

Fried Cheese...Delish!

2008-08-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are both from Wisconsin, and though we like cheese, that's not the reason for this connection. He is from Milwaukee and in Milwaukee is a restaurant known for thier BBQ, Saz's. Well, hubby and I love the restaurant for other reasons, for their Mozzarella Sticks. They are just like these, which I found on Our Sweet Life, mozzarella enrobed in wonton wrappers.

Quick, easy and so delicious. I even think you could bake them if you didn't want to fry them, I'd say 400* would work just great. Try them, you know you want to!

Fried Cheese

Wrap a string cheese in an egg roll wrapper

Lay one string cheese on one egg roll wrapper diagonally so the cheese starts at one corner and ends at the opposite. Roll up like a burrito and seal with water or egg.

Fry in a frying pan using oil (vegetable or olive oil heated to about 350) until golden.

Refreshing Thai Salad

2008-07-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

After weeks of eating away from home, clean, fresh food is what my body craves. This last vacation was no exception and after three weeks I was ready to hit the kitchen. This salad is inspired by fresh Summer or Spring rolls. I love spring rolls...to me they are fresh and clean, and oh so wonderful.

I threw this salad together for lunch with some rice noodles I already had cooked. They only take a couple of minutes so they are great for a quick meal. I just chopped up things I had on hand and then topped it off with some TJ Soy Ginger dressing. It was YUM! So far I have had this for four meals, it's that good.
Thai Spring Roll Salad
(serves 1)

1/2 C rice noodles, cooked
3/4 C chopped green cabbage/romaine mix
1/4 C chopped cilantro
shredded carrot/cucumber to your liking
1/4 C celery chopped on the bias
1 T chopped peanuts

garnish with chow mein noodles if desired

Back from vacation with pancakes!

2008-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well after a being gone for three weeks, it's good to be back. The hubby and I traveled to Europe for a golf lovers dream vacation. It was such a fab trip, we had a magnificent time! London, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were beautiful but as with any vacation it's great to be back.

For one that loves to cook, it's just great to be back in the kitchen. The second morning after returning we had pancakes for breakfast. After three weeks of eggs, toast, tea and fruit, we needed something not on the English menu. This is my mom's recipe, and they are so delicious. They are light and thin and full of flavor. As a kid they were what I requested every chance I could, and even the hubs, a non-pancake fan, loved them!

Momma's Pancakes

1 1/2 C flour
2 T sugar
1 T baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 C milk
2 T oil

Combine all in a bowl.

Heat skillet/griddle, spray with cooking spray, pour scant 1/4 C of batter on griddle. Flip when bubbly...enjoy!

Leaving on a jet plane...

2008-07-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

There is going to be quite a break here at Bliss Bounty. The hubby and I are on our way to Great Britain for the "boys trip" of a lifetime, that is if you are a golf fan.

We will be touring England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for three weeks while taking a break to be spectators at the British Open!

See you on the flip side:)

Sinfully delicious, Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies!

2008-07-02T18:41:00.001-07:00

Why dub these sinfully delicious, well if they were not so hard to resist, so tempting, well then they wouldn't be sinful. Instead these are AMAZING, and will not stick around long at our house. These are potluck, bring a dessert, welcome a neighbor brownies. You must take them and leave them, or you may be in trouble. Sometimes I wish I hadn't happened upon the recipe from Baking Blonde . Her family's recipe is now our family favorite:)

The moist brownies are baked up and during the last five minutes and layer of mini marshmallows are sprinkled on top and placed back in the oven. After five or so minutes, take a buttered knife and spread the marshmallows out and then top with the delicious chocolate marshmallow frosting...YUM!

The only change I made was to substitute boxed brownie mix for the brownies, just to quicken things up. I have made these a couple of times so far, once with M&M's atop the marshmallows, once with chopped peanut butter cups, and once without anything. Also one of the times I made CI Light Fudge Brownies as a stand in to the mix, verdict: both were great, though the mix is great when you need them ASAP! To make them even more decadent I always add chocolate chips to the brownie mix. Try them, you will love them too!

Frosted Marshmallow Brownies (as adapted from Baking Blonde)

(I haven't made the brownies in this recipe, but have used my own)

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS baking cocoa

3-4 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 9×13 pan with PAM
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla beat until fluffy.
In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture. spread in greased 9×13 pan.
Bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with marshmallows, return to oven 2-3 mintues, or just until marshmallows are soft.
Remove from oven. Using a knife dipped in water spread the metled marshmallows evenly over bars.

Frosting

3/4 stick butter
6 TBS Milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup mini marshmallows or 4-6 large marshmallows
1/2 cup Chocolate chips (maybe upto 3/4 cup depending how chocolatey you want it)

Combine ingredients (except marshmallows and chocolate chips) in medium saucepan and melt over medium low heat. Stir constantly until combined. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
Add marshmallows and chocolate chips
Stir until marshmallows and chips are melted.
Remove from heat. Allow to cool and thicken slightly (can set in sink of cold water to speed up process). Pour and spread over marshmallows on bars.
Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Simply Spring Dinner~

2008-06-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Last night was the perfect night...clear, warm but not hot, and a slight breeze. With the lake in view and a glass of wine in hand, it was perfect. To make the night even better we took our dinner outside to enjoy and enjoy it we did.

On the menu was an old recipe I cut out from Cooking Light, Rotini with Asparagus, Tomatoes, and Chicken. Paired with a red from Northern Vineyards, where we were married, a mixed green salad and some bread, it was perfectly simple and perfectly spring!

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did:)

Rotini with Chicken, Asparagus, and Tomatoes
8 ounces uncooked rotini pasta
Cooking Spray
1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Cup (1-inch) sliced Asparagus
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 T chopped Fresh Basil
2 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 T Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C crumbled goat cheese (we used fresh mozzarella)

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and asparagus to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar, and oil. Arrange 2 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

CALORIES 419(20% from fat); FAT 9.5g (sat 3.2g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.6g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 105mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.5g; SODIUM 324mg; PROTEIN 33.9g; FIBER 3.4g

TWD: La Palette’s Strawberry Tart

2008-06-10T04:21:00.000-07:00

What a great treat! Easy to put together, fool proof, and quick to the table. This will be made time and time again for a quick and light dessert!

I pulled the crust together pretty quickly in the food processor and used the press in method for filling the tart pan. The crust is quite cookie like, instead of pastry like which I love. It's reminiscent of the fruit pizza we make.

As for the glaze, well we were pulling this together on the fly and after perusing the refrigerator, smuckers was the top choice for jam. (not that I didn't mind!) Down went the smuckers, pile on the strawberries, top with fresh whipped cream...yum! I love summer:)

Next week:

Caroline of A Consuming Passion has chosen…

Peppermint Cream Puff Ring on pages 290-292

TWD: French Chocolate Brownies, Ooh la la!

2008-06-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

C'est Magnifique!

A few years ago I spent my summer in Toulouse...it was wonderful, just like these brownies. There is something intriguing about the French, life giving. My two new found friends Marine and Clemance, adopted my friend Brittany and I as their new best friends giving us tours and even taking us to their home, where we made M&M cookies in their kitchen. It was an amazing experience and probably where my true love of food emerged.

There is something wonderful about sweeping through French markets, smelling the freshly made boule miche from the boulangerie, passing tarts upon tarts, perfectly executed, and watching the people delight in their food.

Upon return, my love for food grew, and though I never had a french brownie while I was there, I am sure they would not be disappointed with Dorie's version!

I love brownies, to me they are better than a cookie or a cake. I like my brownies fudgy, undercooked, and full of chunks, chocolate chunks, oreos, peanut butter, whatever as long as its loaded, just don't hand me one without any fun inside:)

Given my likes and dislikes, I only changed a couple of things in the recipe:
-I did not mix the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes, only about 45 seconds
-I dislike raisins, so dried cherries were substituted
-No flaming cherries in this kitchen, so they went in unscathed
-B/C more chocolate is essential, in went 1/2 C chocolate chips (semi and white)

End result...love at first taste...these are so good, moist, fudgy, and delicious!

French Chocolate Brownies

- makes 16 brownies -
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

A sesame smash...Lighter Sesame Chicken

2008-06-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

We like just about every kind of cuisine, but the top three have to be Italian, Mexican, and Asian. This meal was great. Last week, after so many other things taking up my time, dinner was the last thing on my mind. So what to do...well with chicken thawing and broccoli needing to be used, I turned to good old Martha Stewart. This recipe for Lighter Sesame Chicken was in Everyday Food awhile back and though definitely not authentic, this dish won high ratings with the hubby. The sauce contributes the flavor, so definitely double the sauce so there is enough to go around.

Easy, Delicious, light, and pretty on the plate, what more could you ask for...we'll be making this again, maybe even soon!

Lighter Sesame Chicken
(adapted from Everyday Food; changes in italics)
Serves 4

3/4 cup brown rice (we used white)
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed with a garlic press
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower (we used sesame oil)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into large florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced (I also added cut up green beans)

Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and fill with 1 inch water; set aside for broccoli. Cook rice according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Return all the chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.
Meanwhile, place saucepan with steamer basket over high heat; bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.

A twist on the taco!

2008-05-31T16:52:00.000-07:00

We are big fans of tex-mex, authentic mexican, and everything in-between. Last week we revisited a recipe I made last year, before the blog. The recipe is for Beef Carnitas and is from Cooking Light. We call it barbacoa, but only because carnitas to us screams pork. It's great, perfect for adding your own spice preferences and the end product turns out nice and tender, perfect for a taco.

We add homemade tomato salsa and serve cilantro lime rice on the side. Yum!

Beef Carnitas (adapted from Cooking Light)

(my changes in italics)

1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
large unpeeled orange wedge
1 T Cumin ( I added these spices)
1 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Preparation

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until beef is browned on all sides. Stir in broth, sugar, salt, and pepper; nestle orange section into beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard orange. Continue simmering, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Yield

4 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 180(40% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 3g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 22.2g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 16mg; SODIUM 320mg; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.5g

TWD: Honey Pecan Sticky Buns!

2008-05-27T04:49:00.000-07:00

This week for Tuesdays with Dorie, Madam Chow of Madam Chow’s Kitchen chose Honey Pecan Sticky Buns for our recipe of the week. These rich and delicious rolls are made from brioche dough that is made ahead first and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, rolled and then cut. The resulting roll is rich, buttery and reminiscent of a French pastry.

The dough is quite time consuming but the result is a very tender, buttery loaf that I think tastes quite similarly to a croissant. My husband loved them, probably due to the large amounts of butter in both recipes! The taste is tender and almost melts in your mouth. I actually defied Dorie and split the recips in half. I don't think it made a difference in the overall end product, but getting the dough to release from the stand mixer was a little difficult. So half of my half became sweet rolls and the other a mini loaf of brioche. Just enough to satisfy!

These were quite good and rich, but I didn't think they were amazing. That is probably due to the fact that I don't really care for butter. Gasp! Probably because I grew up on margarine! Gasp! Now as an adult I prefer butter to margarine, but it's not a love relationship! If company were coming I would think about it, that is if I could find a quicker brioche recipe.

Next week with TWD Di’s Kitchen Notebook has chosen…French Chocolate Brownies on pages 92-93.

Pecan Honey Sticky Buns
Makes 15 buns

For the Glaze:
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces)

For the Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Buns:
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating it overnight)
Generously butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect for this).

To make the glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissovle the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out asbest you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinle over the pecans.

To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.

To shape the buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months . . . . Or, if you want to make just part of the recipe now, you can use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder. Reduce the glae recipe accordingly).

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch thick buns. (Because you trim the ragged ends of the dough, and you may have lost a little length in the rolling, you will get 15 buns, not 16.) Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.

Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns ahve doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and, in all likelihood, touching one another.

Getting ready to bake: When the buns have almost fully risen , center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden; the glaze will be bubbling away merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.

The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicone mate or buttered foil. Be careful - the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.

What You'll Need for the Golden Brioche Dough (this recipe makes enough for two brioche loaves. If you divide the dough in half, you would use half for the sticky buns, and you can freeze the other half for a later date, or make a brioche loaf out of it!):

2 packets active dry yeast (each packet of yeast contains approx. 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

What You'll Need for the Glaze (you would brush this on brioche loaves, but not on the sticky buns):
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight. (After this, you can proceed with the recipe to make the brioche loaves, or make the sticky buns instead, or freeze all or part of the dough for later use.)
The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans.

Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)

Getting Ready To Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Baking up a storm!

2008-05-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day~

Thanks Grandpa for fighting in World War II and to all the other soldiers/veterans who have served our country!

During the past week there has been some action in the kitchen at our house! With Alex working more on the house and more lunches to be packed, cookies have become a favorite for him. Not much of a sweet tooth, the work he has been doing has been changing that. Watch out Cookie Monster. Last week he chose Magic Blondies for his dessert! These were full of chunks: chocolate, coconut, walnuts, and dried cherries. They were delicious out of the oven, but as the days wore on, they became a little dry. If made again, I think I would make them as cookie bars!

Well, I can't just lay all of this on him, we have had quite a few guests out to our house. A couple of weeks ago, some friends from our small group came out to help Alex put our dock and boat lift in. Cookies were our dessert, the Dark Chocolate Cherry cookies...yum! These are a dark chocolate cookies chock full of tart dried cherries and rich bittersweet chunks. They were good, but I thought they could have been better.

This week we had his parents over for dinner and his mother requested cookies. Well here favoite ice cream is Caramel Cashew, so what better cookie to make than the Caramel Cashew Cookie. (photo to come) These were so delicious. Toothsome, chewy and full of flavor. A winner for everyone!

I am a little sick of cookies, but we shall see what this short week holds!

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries
Source: Martha Stewart

1 ¾ cups flour
1 ¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cup sugar
¾ firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used 1 cup of Ghirardelli bittersweet chips)
1 ½ cups dried sour cherries, firmly packed (9 ounces) (I used 1 cup of peanut butter chips)

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well-combined. Do not overbeat. Fold in the chocolate and cherries with a wooden spoon.

Form balls of dough, each about 1/4 cup; place balls on baking sheet and bake until puffed and cracked, 9-11 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

* Dough can be frozen up to one month ahead. Thaw completely before baking. __________________

Find Magic Blondie Recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookies-The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share
__________________
Cashew-Caramel Cookies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups roasted, salted cashews
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
1 stick unsalted butter, softened - 8 tablespoons
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 cubes soft caramel candy
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, sift flour and salt together. Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews and set aside. Process remaining 1 1/2 cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Gradually pour oil into the feed tube. Process until mixture is creamy, about 2 minutes.

Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture. Mix in reserved chopped cashews.

Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place on parchment covered baking sheets about 2" apart. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten with a 1 cup measuring cup. I tried using a spatula but it was too big - a metal cup worked much better. If they begin to stick when you are pressing down, make sure to wipe the bottom before moving to the next cookie. Bake until bottoms are just golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Melt caramels with cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring. Let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set. The caramel will not get hard so you can't stack these. Store them in single layers for the best result.

Makes 36 cookies

Seoul-ful Chicken and Minted Cucumbers

2008-05-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

This dish was delicious! I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and I knew that I would try it. It included flavors we love and it looked like it would come together quickly.

About a month ago we bought an investment property, a house to be exact. Alex being a remodeler was excited to get his hands dirty and start renovating. It is so much fun to watch it all come together and to see him so happy. Because of this we have had to make some of our meals more portable. You see, the new house and our house are about 45 minutes apart in traffic and I work five minutes from the new house. With a mini charcoal grill and a microwave, there are only so many hamburgers and leftovers to be made.

That's where this delicious recipe comes in. I was able to marinate the meat overnight, make the cucumbers and the rice the night before, and transport all of this the next day to the fridge at the new house for dinner. The chicken took about 15 minutes on the grill. Pop the rice in the microwave and spoon on the cucumbers, and voila, there's dinner!

This dish was tasty, quick and easy. My changes are in blue!

Seoul-Ful Chicken and Minted Cucumbers (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

Cucumbers:
1 English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups) used regular
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced shallots omitted, used minced garlic instead
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint omitted
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
added salted peanuts

Chicken:
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds) used skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Cooking spray
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

1. To prepare cucumbers, place cucumber slices in a colander; sprinkle with salt, tossing well. Drain 1 hour. Place cucumber slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Combine cucumber, shallots, and next 6 ingredients (through chile) in a large bowl; toss gently. Cover and set aside.

2. To prepare chicken, place each chicken thigh between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine soy sauce and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to soy sauce mixture in bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place 4 thighs in pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 thighs. Place 2 thighs and 1/2 cup cucumbers on each of 4 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 262(31% from fat); FAT 8.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 3g,poly 2.8g); PROTEIN 29.9g; CHOLESTEROL 115mg; CALCIUM 40mg; SODIUM 502mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 2.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.9g

TWD: Going back, Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits

2008-05-20T05:24:00.001-07:00

These are so yummy! I joined TWD after they had chosen these and knew I would have to make them some time soon. I am a biscuit lover, in fact the first Dorie recipe that I tried were her biscuits. I love her word imagery, using your fingers to meld the butter into the dry ingredients. This type of cooking takes me back...makes me excited...I am creating something with my own hands that will taste so delicious. It's right up there with making your own bread by scratch, no mixer involved:)

This week Tara from Smells Like Home chose madeleines. Because I do not have a madeleine pan, I decided that this was the week to make the biscuits. While Alex was away meeting with the guys, I whipped these up in no time. The only substitutions I made were to use walnuts instead of pecans, only because I had them on hand and I added a dash of cinnamon.

Try them with jam or jelly, butter or cream cheese, these are seriously good and just sweet enough.

Next week: Pecan Honey Sticky Buns chosen by Madam Chow of Madam Chow’s Kitchen
Last week: Florida Pie chosen by Dianne of Dianne’s Dishes

This week: Madeleines or an old recipe

Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits
(Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” p.25)

(Makes about 12 biscuits)

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup cake flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/2 cup cold sour cream
1/4 cold whole milk
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, preferably toasted

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Get out a sharp 2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour(s), baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a bow. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips (my favorite method) or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between– and that’s just right.

Stir the sour cream and milk together and pour over the dry ingredients. Grab a fork and gently toss and turn the ingredients together until you’ve got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gentle kneading– 3 or 4 turns should be just enough to bring everything together. Toss in the pecans and knead 2 to 3 times to incorporate them.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour, pat the dough out with your hands or toll it with a pin until it is about 1/2 inch high. Don’t worry if the dough isn’t completely even– a quick, light touch is more important than accuracy.

Use the biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of the first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working with them as little as possible, pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer these to the sheet. (The biscuits ca be made to this point and frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight and kept for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting– just add a couple more minutes to the oven time.)

Bake the biscuits for 14-18 minutes, or until they are tall, puffed and golden brown. Transfer them to a serving basket.

The perfect spring dinner!

2008-05-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, Alex and I had one of the easiest and yet tastiest meals for dinner. It started out as a brainstorm of fajitas during the day, but they just sounded too dull and ordinary. So once I arrived home from work I asked Alex to throw the chicken on the grill and came up with some tasty salsa to top the fajita tacos.

This meal comes together in no time, perfect for a spur of the moment dinner. Since we have been carpooling lately, dinners need to be relatively quick. So the night before we ate I threw some chicken in the refrigerator with some mesquite marinade. The same Lawry's marinade I used earlier in the week. Usually I would put some things together to make a marinade but when life is busy, nothing beats a bottle to save time. After 24 hours in the marinade the chicken comes out so moist and delicious.

While the chicken was being grilled I tossed some corn on the cob in some water to cook and sauteed some yellow bell peppers and red onions in some EVOO. While they were cooking on the stove, it was time to make the salsa. Tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and jalapeno...yum!
Perfect Spring Salsa

1/2 avocado, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/4 C cilantro, minced
salt and pepper
lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, salt/pepper/lime juice to taste. Serve over chicken with lettuce, in a tortilla. yum. or enjoy with chips:)

Mesquite Chicken with Roasted Corn Salsa

2008-05-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Last week here in Minnesota, the weather was gorgeous and great for grilling. Anxious to fire up the grill, I set out chicken to thaw in the morning and let my mind wander throughout the day over what to make.

The week before I made Cook's Illustrated's Black Bean Quesadillas, which were delicious and combined black beans with a roasted corn mixture. The flavors were complex and tasted so good that I wanted to try and replicate it as a salsa to accompany the chicken. Because our meal had to be relatively quick I relied upon Lawry's Mesquite Marinade for the chicken. I left that to sit as I prepared the salsa and the Cumin Spiced fries with Chipotle ketchup! Dinner was ready in 30 minutes and tasted so delicious!

Mesquite Chicken and Roasted Corn Salsa

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Lawry's Mesquite Marinade

1/2 C frozen corn
1 tomato minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper minced
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 T minced cilantro

1. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag and pour half the bottle of marinade over. Marinate for 20 minutes, then place on a preheated grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning once.
2. While chicken is marinating, set a medium skillet on the stove and add frozen corn. Allow corn to sizzle and pop until it begins to char. Remove corn from skillet.
3. Pour olive oil in skillet and add onion and red pepper. Saute until softened and charred. Add corn back into skillet, season with salt and pepper, and mix in chopped tomato and cilantro. Stir for one minute, allowing flavors to incorporate and then remove from heat and plate alongside of the cooked chicken.
Cumin Spiced Fries with Chipotle Ketchup

Fries:

3 Large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into slices
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 T cumin
1/2 t ancho chile powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place potatoes and following ingredients into a large ziplock bag. Shake to thoroughly coat. Place on large cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

Chipotle Ketchup

1/2 C ketchup
1 T minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1. Mix together and serve with fries.

The best chocolate chip cookies!

2008-05-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we put our house on the market and had our first open house. So what else to make, but cookies so the house smells so wonderfully delicious you just want to buy it:) Well there were not any buyers, some lookers, but the cookies did thir job and the house smelled delicious. So much so that Alex got a bellyache from the four he ate!

These are so delicious! When Alex and I were at Disney World I bought a cookie and it was really yummy. When we returned home, I happened upon a copycat recipe of these same cookies on the cookiemadness website. She makes some of the greatest cookies and I love reading about all the different kinds she tries. But these are a winner in my book because they are thick, chewy and chock full of chips. My other favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is the Cooks Illustrated Chewy Chocolate Chip, but these are right up there in the cookie all of fame!

I doubled the recipe and came out with 16.

Here is the recipe thanks to Anna at Cookie Madness:

Super Small Batch Extra Large Chunk Cookies

4 tablespoons very hot melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons beaten egg (break egg, mix it with fork, measure)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (reduce slightly if using salted butter
3/4 cup flour, spooned and swept
1 teaspoon water (optional)
2-3 tablespoons white chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 ½ sandwich cookies, broken into chunks (can use nuts instead)
Broken up milk chocolate bar, milk chocolate chips, M&M’s, candies of choice

In a bowl, stir together hot butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar until smooth. If still very hot, let cool for about a minute, then stir in egg. Beat with a spoon until egg is fully mixed then stir in vanilla, baking soda and salt. Add flour and stir just until mixed. If dough seems too dry (falling apart), add the water. Stir in white chips, chocolate chips and broken cookies. Shape dough into a fat log of about 5 inches log. Chill for 1 hour. Carefully cut log into 4 equal pieces (each should weigh 3 ½ oz). If chunks of cookies and chips fall out, just stick them back onto the cut pieces.

Place cut pieces, spaced about 4 inches away from each other, 4 to a sheet, on an ungreased (I use insulated) cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven and arrange a few more semi-sweet chunks plus some milk chocolate chunks on top – the candy will melt and adhere to the cookie. Cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Let the cookies sit around for a while to set. Once set, you can wrap them up in plastic wrap and give them away.

Tasty Dinner, Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

2008-05-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I made this recipe as a quick dinner and as a way to use up some chicken thighs we had in the freezer. We love recipes that incorporate lemon and chicken. Yum! This recipe was great for a weeknight and when paired with parmesan orzo and some green beans it's perfect. I cut the recipe in half and there was just enough for us to eat that night and have leftovers for Alex to have the next day.

One thing I enjoyed about the dish was that there was plenty of sauce to drizzle over the top and soak into the parmesan orzo. Because we were out of white wine, I used chicken broth with a little white wine vinegar. I am looking forward to the day we have white wine on had so I can try this again!

Chicken Thighs Braised in White Wine

Source: Everyday Food, Serves 4

8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 2 3/4 pounds) (I used boneless)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

1. In a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid, arrange thighs, bone side up; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, wine, and thyme. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, 30 minutes. (the meat cooked a little quicker, due to no bone)

2. Turn chicken over. Place a lemon slice on each piece; cover and continue simmering until tender, about 15 minutes. Leaving garlic and liquid in skillet, transfer chicken and lemon slices to a platter. Cover tightly with foil to keep warm.

3. Bring liquid in skillet to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Add butter, parsley, and lemon juice; stir until butter has softened and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce and, if desired, rice.

Creamy Parmesan Orzo

(adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I used dried)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted (I omit)

Preparation:

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo, and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and orzo is done (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in cheese, basil, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with the pine nuts. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte!

2008-05-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

This week at our house has been super busy. A couple of weeks ago we bought a new house as an investment property that will go back on the market in August. My husband is a remodeler, so it is right up his alley. But between our commitments and obligations, finding time to bake or cook for that matter, has been few and far between. But when I can, I embrace it!

This weekend our church had it's women's conference and I was in charge of feeding the 400! It went so well and it was so neat to serve with such amazing women. Well that being said not much time was left for the torte. But last night after finalizing the order on cabinets around 9pm I hit the grocery for the heavy cream and the torte making began!

My husband who had been working all day and night for the past week was looking at me like I was crazy, but like I said give me an opportunity to cook or bake when things are crazy and I will take it. For me, it's like going to the spa. There is something calming in the whir of the KitchenAid.

It came together so beautifully, no problems, and I quartered the recipe, which still produced plenty of filling! The crust was a little crumbly when I tried plating the first piece this morning but all in all it was again a great, relatively easy recipe with seemingly fabulous results. I did have one little taste and for me it's a little too rich and I love peanut butter. So I don't know if I would make it again. I actually prefer my peanut butter torte with the ice cream better:

My picture does not give this very rich dessert the honor it deserves, so go over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see all of the other gorgeous tortes!

Peanut Butter Torte
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

1 ¼ cups finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ cups mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (I used salted butter)
Small pinch of salt (I omitted this)
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy) (I used creamy/smooth)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Scrape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mousse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte:
Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and, working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 6-8 Servings

TWD: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

2008-04-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

My doesn't that name sound delicious! Believe me, I was spectical of this recipe...but I am so glad that I made it. This might be one of my favorites, it's sweet but not too sweet, and when paired with a cup of strong black coffee, it's delicious...in fact I just might have it for breakfast tomorrow! I loved the texture...when the cake touches your tongue there is a slight grain from the cornmeal, so great, but then again I love anything with cornmeal!

This recipe came together in no time flat. I halved the recipe and it made 6 cute little fluted tarts, mainly because that is all the ricotta I had left in the house. What a great way to use up leftover ricotta!

The recipe begins by whisking together the dry ingredients, followed by the usual mixing of the wet ingredients. Probably almost quicker than cookies, the batter is ready lickety-split and after a short time in the oven, (perfect timing, just enough to clean up) it's ready.

I sprinkled powdered sugar over the top and plated it over cherry jam. Delish!

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed (I used dried cherries)
1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
1/2c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. ricotta
1/3 c. tepid water
3/4 C. sugar
3/4 c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 stick butter, cut into tiny bits (I only used 1 T)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 -inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.

Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.

Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.

Cinnabon watch out!

2008-04-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday mornings around our house are either completely relaxing or full of things to do around the house. This week it was spring cleaning and finishing up some projects on the house. After the week of the normal cereal and toast, I like to switch things up and make a new recipe. This weekend we were running out of eggs, but I still wanted to make something yummy, delicious, and very sinful!

Well these Quick Cinnamon Rolls by Cooks Illustrated fit the bill...and the best part they are not sinful at all. Why they taste the part, but because they are from the Best Light Recipe, they are not all that bad for you! What more could you ask for!

These come together in a breeze, do not have any yeast so you don't have to wait, and come out of the oven, warm, gooey, and so soft. They will forever be my cinnamon roll recipe. At Easter I made them into caramel rolls, but we like them both ways~what's not to love:)

TWD: Bill's Big Carrot Cake, Amazing!

2008-04-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was really exited for this week. If I had to choose one cake I love, and I don't even like cake that much, it would be carrot cake! This one is so yummy...I loved the different textures that hit your tongue while you are eating it. It is not overly spiced and chock full of good things. The only thing I left out were the raisins, I just don't care for them:)

While Alex was out of town this weekend I decided to make the cake. It comes together like a breeze, very easy especially if you have a food processor for the carrots. I did fourth the recipe again, only because it was just me eating it. Alex gave it one bite and that was enough for him. If I had made the entire cake, I would have been in trouble. Instead I ended up with 6 cupcakes. Perfect!

As I was adding ingredients I came to the oil. Having finished up our oil the night before I just subbed half plain yogurt and half olive oil. End product, didn't seem to change things a bit!

If ever making carrot cake again, this will be the recipe I will turn to. It was delicious!

Bill's Big Carrot Cake

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

½ cup shredded coconut (optional)

Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.

If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:

Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.

Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:

This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:

The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Sugar Snap Peas all tossed up!

2008-04-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

Last week we had dinner and I needed something quick, easy and nutritious to go along side of our yummy meatball subs. Ten minutes before dinner, while perusing the new Everyday Food, I came across this great recipe.

With five pounds of snap peas in the fridge (thanks Sam's Club; only $5) I had everything on hand and this refreshing and delicious side came together in no time!

Here is the recipe...would be great with anything or mixed with quinoa or couscous for a more substantial dish.

Raw Snap Pea Salad (as adapted from Everyday Food)

1 pound trimmed sugar snap peas

1 C finely chopped red onion

3 T lemon juice

2 T olive oil

Salt and Pepper

In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Let stand, tossing occasionally 10 minutes. Enjoy!

OMG, Frozen Peanut Butter Torte!

2008-04-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Last week, it was my sister in law Patty's Birthday! Happy Birthday! We celebrated as a family with a fiesta in her honor and for dessert I brought the Frozen Peanut Butter Torte, that was OMG delicious! This recipe is so easy and so adaptable to so many different palates. Like mint, sub out the ice cream for mint chip and the peanut butter cups for andes. So many delicious choices, I know this dessert will find it's way to the table again. Besides, who doesn't love ice cream!

Frozen Peanut Butter Torte

Bottom Layer:

1 box of brownies or your favorite brownie recipe

4 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped

1/2 C chocolate chips

Make brownies according to recipe or box. Add mix ins. Bake in a round cake pan, lined with parchment to ensure easy removal.

Middle Layer:

Oreo Cookies

Fudge Sauce (I made Dorie Greenspan's...so good)

Crumble half of a package of oreos, leaving some large chunks.

Prepare fudge sauce. If using jarred, melt. Use about 3/4 C.

-After the brownies cool, place in a springform pan. The brownies will not reach the edges, that is okay!

-Pour Fudge sauce over the top of the brownies.

-Sprinkle oreos over the top of the fudge sauce, and in the space between the brownies and the edge of the pan. Top with more fudge sauce. Do not use it all b/c you will need some for the end.

Top Layer:

Pint of your favorite ice cream (I used chocolate peanut butter swirl)

-Let ice cream sit out until softened, about 10 minutes. Place ice cream in large bowl or mixer and mix until smooth. Pour ice cream into a round cake pan lined with plastic wrap. Make sure enough plastic wrap hangs over the edge. Wrap ice cream so top is covered with plastic wrap. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours.

-When the ice cream is back to it's normal consistency, take out of freezer and unwrap. Place the ice cream circle on top of the oreos and spread to the edge of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze again until serving.

Topping:

1/4 C peanut butter melted

1/4 C reserved fudge sauce

4 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped

Using a spoon, drizzle peanut butter and chocolate over the top of the torte. Top with chopped peanut butter cups. Serve and enjoy.

Yield: 12 servings

TWD: Marshmallows or so I thought!

2008-04-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

This week the chosen recipe was for Marshmallows, chosen by Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats. Oh how excited I was to do this one. I have always wanted to make marshmallows, though I do not even really like them:) They just seem so pretty and delicious as well as a great gift to give away to others.

Last night I went to make them, and again remembered that I did not have a candy thermometer. I fared really well last week with the lemon cream without a thermometer so I decided to embark upon the marshmallows, no thermometer in hand. Well after last night, it's time to buy one! At least next week's recipe, chosen by Amanda of slow like honey, is Bill's Big Carrot Cake (one I also am looking forward too) does not require a thermometer.

I wish I would have read the comment on the TWD page before starting. I would have changed a few things. But the recipe was almost fool proof I am sure, as long as the temperature was right. I ended up with marshmallow mush as mine did not want to set. Will that stop me from trying again...NO! I will make marshamallows one day:) The ingredients came together really well and everything went great...until this morning when I realized they were very thin and not going to set at all. But I did get a pic that I will put up a bit later.

So for all of you with a sense of adventure give homemade Marshmallows a try...but not without your candy thermometer!

Here is the recipe:

Marshmallows

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows
About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet -- choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high -- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy -- don't overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.
Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife.

Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like -- into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl.

When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table -- it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don't cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week -- they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they'll still be very good.

Playing Around

RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOWS: Fruit purees are excellent for flavoring these candies.
For raspberry marshmallows, you'll need a generous 1/3 cup of puree; reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon. After the batter is mixed, gently fold in the puree with a rubber spatula. You can use the same measurements and technique for other purees, such as strawberry, mango and passion fruit.

CAPPUCCINO MARSHMALLOWS: Sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon together into a small bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and add it to the espresso mix. After you add the sugar syrup and gelatin to the meringue, beat in the espresso mixture and continue.

LIGHT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon, and after the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.

PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS: Whisk together 1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the spiced pumpkin with a large rubber spatula.

Donuts...so incredibly delicious!

2008-04-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Lately I have seen so many posts for donuts on other peoples blogs. I don't love donuts and I don't hate them. Once and awhile I have a craving and give in for usually, a chocolate raised donut. Knowing I would never probably fry my own donuts at our house, I just don't fry, so the only thing I could think of was baking donuts. Now I have seen donut pans out there and had one on my Christmas list, but considering the holiday has come and gone and the donut pan is not in the cupboard, my options were limited. That is until I happened upon the post by the Pioneer Woman. This woman is incredible and her recipes all look so darn good. While perusing her blog I happened upon this...

DONUT MUFFINS!

She calls them french breakfast puffs, but they are donuts. Perfect...they are small especially when you make them in a mini muffin pan like I did (then they are like mini donuts) which means you can eat as many as you want:) (like I did for breakfast on Saturday) I cut the recipe in half and it made 24 mini muffins.

Try them and you will see these are just like donut holes but better! Enjoy!

Cinnamon Donuts

(yields 12 muffins or 48 mini muffins)

3 Cups Flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 Cup Sugar

2/3 C shortening

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 1/2 C sugar

3 teaspoons Cinnamon

2 Sticks butter (I used 6 T)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups (I made mini muffins).

-Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

-In a different bowl cream together 1 C sugar and shortening, then add eggs and mix. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

-Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

-In a bowl melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

-recipe adapted from the pioneer woman

TWD: Perfect Lemon Tart

2008-04-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

So this week for the Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart...and it was delish!

I think that this was definitely one of my favorites, though much to my chagrin! I usually love chocolate desserts but this was light yet decadent, creamy and delicious.

When I started out prepping the recipe I noticed that my candy thermometer was not where it should be...then I remembered that it broke quite some time ago and I never replaced it...did I stop and buy a new one, no I pressed on, following Dorie's perfect, straight forward and almost tactile directions. It worked!

With my bowl in the water and lemon zest, juice, and egg in the bowl, I began whisking away, and what a beautiful sight that cream was. Into the blender the mixture went, butter added, cream superb!

I knew that Alex and I would never eat all of them, nor did we need any more pie dough in the freezer, so I did what most would never...I cut the recipe in half, and then half again! I used our cute little tart pans and made 2 individual servings and boy were they delicious!

I can't wait for next week...Judy of Judy's Gross Eats, has chosen....MARSHMALLOWS!

It's sad to be gone...

2008-04-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

This past week I haven't cooked much at all, well actually at all! Last week I was in Wisconsin visiting my family and celebrating my dad's 60th birthday! I had off so I went in the middle of the week. When I returned, Alex was gone on Thursday. But on Friday...we found out that the offer was accepted on our investment property and we were so excited we decided to celebrate with dinner at Kincaid's. The meal was good, but nowhere near amazing.

Hubby had steak while I went with their pan seared chicken with mushroom stuffing (with brie, goat cheese, almonds, and caramelized onions).

Here are some pics from the night...unfortunately we didn't get one of dessert! People must just think we are nuts:)

TWD: Gooey Chocolate Cake...yum!

2008-04-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Finally...I was able to make the recipe! I have felt so terrible lately because two weeks have passed since I have made a recipe...the flan went unmade (okay b/c hubby and I do not like flan) and the snickery squares, which I still want to make. So many things have been happening but now things are back to normal and baking, cooking, and eating are back on our agenda!

This recipe was chosen by Leigh of Lemon Tartlet...and they were well, good. The recipe came together easy enough, much quicker than I anticipated, and I followed the directions to a T, including the bake time of 13 minutes. This is where the problem came in...Our oven must be off a little, but I think they were over cooked b/c they were not that gooey, that or I did not add enough chocolate:)

Either way they were delicious, but if I were to make another gooey chocolate cake or lava cake I would probably go back to this one from Cooking Light. But anything chocolatey and warm is right up my alley. I decided to plate my gooey cakes with caramel and chocolate topping and freshly whipped cream. A great end to a Monday night, especially a SNOWY Monday night!

Up for next week from the TWD team, well actually Mary from Starting with Scratch is a delicious French Lemon Cream Tart...that one will get made b/c I have a hubby who might even lick those spoons!

Have a great day and here is the recipe:

Gooey Chocolate Cake

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4teaspoon salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
4 ounces coarsely chopped,
1 ounce very finely chopped
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
6 tablespoons of sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. butter (or spray – it’s easier) 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the pan of water. ( I used a regular saucepan on very low heat...just easier:))

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the finely chopped chocolate over the batter.

Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.)

Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3-minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to lift the cakes onto dessert plates.

Lemons make spaghetti!

2008-03-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

The other night when Alex was finally feeling better, oh it must have been Wednesday, I was thinking of what to make that still wouldn't hurt his stomach. Well my mother has ingrained in me that when you have sever stomach flu you stick to the BRAT diet...bread, rice, applesauce, toast. Given all the carbohydrates that are included in that cure, I decided what better to have for dinner than some kind of pasta, well not just any kind the BEST kind...Lemon Spaghetti!

Giada has come up with a great, simple, easy and delicious recipe for Lemon Spaghetti and usually in our house it only serves as a side dish to stuffed chicken or scallopini, but this night we had it as the main course, a filled plate of lemony delight!

Be sure to use freshly grated parmesan cheese as it adds to the flavor!

Lemon Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil (I either omit or use 1 T, it doesn't need all of this)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

What a week!

2008-03-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

So this week has been so crazy. We had a wonderful Easter with Alex's family and a great Easter dinner. Though I am quite upset with myself for not taking any pictures. We all pitched in a brought a couple dishes for dinner. I was on starch duty, never can have enough carbohydrates:)

I brought Cooks Illustrated's Scalloped Potatoes which were amazing of course, and then for rolls I brought Pretzel Rolls. I got the recipe from epicurious and they were the hit of the night. I made them a little smaller getting 12 instead of 8 but that was perfect and they tasted amazing. It was so nice to be with family and we celebrated our niece's 2nd birthday!

But after the holiday, Alex came down with the stomach flu which stopped the need for new recipes considering we had plenty of leftovers from Easter. The night before he was bedridden with the flu, we had leftover ham wtih a new recipe I found for Wild rice casserole in the crockpot. One of those recipes where you open a few cans and plop it all in to cook all day (I didn't add the chicken), well it was fantastic, definately comfort food and got rid of some things in the pantry.

I almost forgot the best part of Easter, well for me at least, food wise, were the caramel rolls I made for Easter breakfast. They were Cooks Illustrated Best Light recipe for Cinnamon Rolls...AMAZING...soft, yummy, and oh so addicting. Instead of the frosting I used the CI caramel for caramel rolls, since it was something we hadn't had in awhile! Try them...they are delicious!

Scalloped Potatoes

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs (about 5 med) russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of a potato slice with some resistance), about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

3. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish (or other 1 1/2 quart gratin dish). Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Granola, Granola, oh how we love you!

2008-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

We love granola at our house. Not the fattening, oil laden granola that so many places feed you, but homemade maple almond granola to be exact. I have tried other recipes but this one is terrific and terribly easy that you can throw it together in a matter of minutes for a great snack or breakfast.

We love our granola with vanilla yogurt, hubby adds dried fruit, and I add fresh fruit. But when the cereal and toast grow old, behold there is granola to save you from the breakfast hum drum.

The recipe is one I got from the Cooking Light website. The only change I make is that I do not add dried fruit to the entire batch. Watch yourself, this stuff is addicting!

Maple Almond Granola (Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

4 Cups regular Oats

1/4 Cup slivered almonds (or nut of choice)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 Cup water

1/3 Cup honey

1/3 Cup maple syrup

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons canola oil

Cooking Spray

1 Cup minced dried apricots

1 Cup raisins

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Combine water, syrup, sugar, and oil in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Pour over oat mixture; toss to coat. Spread out on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10 minutes. Place in a large bowl; stir in dried fruit and cool completely.

Note: store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 6 Cups (serving size 1/4 cup)

Nutritional Information: calories (126) fat (2.8)

Let's go bananas!

2008-03-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and sister in law came to the cities for the weekend. We had a blast just spending time together shopping, visiting, and eating of course! By Sunday though, it we decided it would be nice to have breakfast at our house, for one more chance to just visit, save money, and eat some really good homemade food.

Because my husband and I do not really care for banana breads, I decided to make one for the brunch because my guests love it. Also it was a great way to get rid of some of the frozen bananas in our freezer:) It's not that we don't like things with bananas, just banana bread...it's great right out of the oven when the exterior is really crisp and the inside warm and delicious, but the next day...hmm, not so much.

So for breakfast we enjoyed Farmer's Casserole (bhg...great!), banana bread, and homemade fruit salad. It was just enough and very delicious!

Banana Bread (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 C Flour

3/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

5 1/2 Tbsp. butter

2/3 C Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 C very ripe mashed bananas (I used three small ones)

optional 1/2 C walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the flour mixture. Batter will be really dry.

5. Gradually beat in eggs. Then add the bananas, folding in if desired.

6. Spread mixture into loaf pan and top with walnuts if desired.

7. Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

TWD: Brioche Raisin Snails, or muffins?

2008-03-18T04:31:00.000-07:00

Muffins it is...though I really want to try the Brioche. Only problem is, despite how yummy the recipe looks this weekend just filled up before I knew it. I don't usually have a lot of extra time during the week to do much baking so I rely on our weekends.

This weekend was filled spending some quality time with my hubby, seeing Jane Eyre at the Guthrie, and buying an investment property...yea! So with the weekend full, I didn't want TWD to go naked, so something needed to be made by Dorie as a substitute. Redeeming choice for breakfast Sunday, we had Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, which were moist, tart, and delicious!

But I think the snails may need to be made in the near future, because the flaming of the raisins, just sounds too irresistable:)

Check out the TWD site for links to all the others who made these delicious french sweets! Next week, Steph from A Whisk and a Spoon chose the Caramel Topped Flan...delish!

Chicken Piccata...salty, sour, superb!

2008-03-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I needed a quick and easy dinner and because the hubby was working so hard I wanted to make something he really liked. His favorite meal is Chicken Saltimbocca from Buca di Beppo, so I knew he would like the Chicken Piccata...I just didn't know he would love it. I always have him give the recipe a rating, well this one has the highest rating yet...9.5! Yeah Giada!

This recipe is really easy to put together, uses ingredients that might be in your pantry (they're in mine), and is on the table in a mere thirty minutes of less. I served ours over Ronzoni Thin Spaghetti with a Caesar salad with homemade croutons. A glass of cab on the side, made the meal complete!

Chicken Piccata (adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentis)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
all-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approx 2 lemons)
1/4 cup drained capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I omitted)

Season the chicken with the salt/pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large saute pan, melt 2 tbsp of the butter with the 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 3 minutes per side (I did mine a bit longer because, as per usual, I forgot to pound it!). Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the broth, lemon juice, and capers to the same pan and bring to a boil, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, and whisk the 2 remaining TBSP's of butter into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Romaine Lettuce
Caesar Salad Dressing of choice
Sliced cucumbers
Italian bread

Mix first three ingredients in a bowl.
Slice bread into cubes, toast in some olive oil on the stove and put in the oven under the broiler until crispy.

TWD: Russian Grandmothers' Apple Pie-Cake

2008-03-11T07:01:00.001-07:00

Mmmm....that is our opinion...this is so yummy and not too difficult to put together. The best part is that it tastes similar to pie but has the cakey crust. Both the hubby and I decided that it was in our opinion, better than pie:) But we also think that a light, vanilla glaze would be a great addition! Check out the TWD blog for more!

I took it to my Bible Study last night and it was funny, because when I called it pie-cake everyone stated..."well it looks like pie crust" well their opinions changed when they took a bite, it's definately cakier than it looks!

The recipe was chosen for the week by Natalie of Burned Bits, and it was a fabulous choice. I didn't have the two hours of refridgeration so I threw the dough in the freezer for about a half an hour and it still worked great. The only problem was after it sat a bit, it was a little dry for my taste, so best to eat slightly warm!

Up next week, by Culinary Concotions by Peabody...Brioche Raisin Snails!

Here is the recipe with the photo to come later!

Russian Grandmothers' Apple Pie-Cake

For The Dough

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For The Apples:
10 medium apples, all one kind or a mix (I like to use Fuji, Golden Delicious and Ida Reds; my grandmother probably used dry baking apples like Cordland and Rome)
Squirt of fresh lemon juice
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sugar, preferably decorating (coarse) sugar, for dusting

To Make The Dough:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the baking powder and salt and mix just to combine.

Add the lemon juice - the dough will probably curdle, but don't worry about it.

Still working on low speed, slowly but steadily add 3 1/4 cups of the flour, mixing to incorporate it and scraping down the bowl as needed.

The dough is meant to be soft, but if you think it looks more like a batter than a dough at this point, add the extra 1/4 cup flour. (The dough usually needs the extra flour.) When properly combined, the dough should almost clean the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a rectangle. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or for up to 3 days. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; defrost overnight in the refrigerator.)

To Make The Apples:

Peel and core the apples and cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick; cut the slices in half crosswise if you want. Toss the slices in a bowl with a little lemon juice - even with the juice, the apples may turn brown, but that's fine - and add the raisins.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the apples and stir to coat evenly. Taste an apple and add more sugar, cinnamon, and/or lemon juice if you like.

Getting Ready to Bake:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9x12-inch baking pan (Pyrex is good) and place it on a baking shee tlined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Remove the dough from the fridge. If it is too hard to roll and it cracks, either let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin to get it moving. Once it's a little more malleable, you've got a few choices. You can roll it on a well-floured work surface or roll it between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. You can even press or roll out pieces of the dough and patch them together in the pan - because of the baking powder in the dough, it will puff and self-heal under the oven's heat.

Roll the dough out until it is just a little larger all around than your pan and about 1/4 inch thick - you don't want the dough to be too thin, because you really want to taste it.

Transfer the dough to the pan. If the dough comes up the sides of the pan, that's fine; if it doesn't that's fine too. Give the apples another toss in the bowl, then turn them into the pan and, using your hands, spread them evenely across the bottom. Roll out the second piece of dough and position it over the apples.

Cut the dough so you've got a 1/4 to 1/2 inch overhang and tuck the excess into the sides of the pan, as though you were making a bed. (If you don't have that much overhang, just press what you've got against the sides of the pan.)

Brush the top of the dough lightly with water and sprinkle sugar over the dough. Using a small sharp knife, cut 6 to 8 evenly spaced slits in the dough.

Bake for 65 to 80 minutes, or until the dough is a nice golden brown and the juices from the apples are bubbling up through the slits. Transfer the baking pan to a cooling rack and cool to just warm or to room temperature. You'll be tempted to taste it sooner, but I think the dough needs a little time to rest.

Meatballs and Mozzarella...gooey goodness!

2008-03-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Last week we were in need of a quick dinner on Wednesday before our small group. Looking around the kitchen I found the perfect three ingredients for our meal...a few burger buns that needed to be used, fresh mozzarella, and ground beef. What does that make? Well, the gooiest, yummiest, meatball burgers:)

I have made meatball burgers before with great results, so I continued this time with the same tried and true recipe from Cooking Light. Actually I think what makes this meal so wonderful for us is the vegetable that goes with it...Scrumptious Garlic Fries.

This was the perfect meal paired with a glass of red wine, well maybe not the best pairing but it sure tasted great!

Here is the recipe:

ITALIAN MEATBALL BURGERS

8 ounces sweet turkey Italian sausage (I use regular italian sausage, and only 2-3 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (Omitted)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound ground sirloin
Cooking spray
2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
6 (2-ounce) Italian bread rolls, split
3/4 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen) (I used homemade marinara)

Preparation

Prepare grill.

Remove casings from sausage. Combine sausage, oregano, basil, salt, fennel seeds, garlic powder, and ground sirloin. Divide beef mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes. Turn patties over; grill 2 minutes. Divide fresh mozzarella cheese evenly over patties, and grill an additional 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Remove from grill; let stand 5 minutes.

Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce and top half of roll.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 375(33% from fat); FAT 13.9g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 28.1g; CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CALCIUM 130mg; SODIUM 894mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.7g

GARLIC FRIES

2-3 potatoes, cut and sliced into fries
3 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
2 T butter, melted
2 T parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Place cut fries and olive oil in a ziplock bag. Shake until coated. Place evenly on a rimmed baking sheet coated with and place in oven.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through, or until golden brown.
4. Melt butter and garlic in microwave, pour over fries. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with parsley.

TWD-Snickery Squares, at least I hoped

2008-03-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I do not have a post for my first debut with Tuesdays with Dorie. This past week at our house was really hectic. Some family things transpired that needed our attention, time and care so the snickery squares just didn't get made. I feel horrible b/c I just joined and couldn't make the complete the task, but any prayers for our family would be appreciated!

I can't wait though to check out how the snickery squares turned out from all of my other fellow TWD bloggers! Check out the Tuesdays with Dorie site for links to other blogs.

I am hoping though when things slow down to get my hands on all the ingredients and post about these yummy looking bars:)

Transformed Mexican Yum

2008-02-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

We do our budget monthly so here we are at the end of the month and there are only certain things that can be made with the bits of produce and fresh food we have left. Our freezer is always stocked with meat so yesterday I put out some chicken breasts to thaw and had on my mind to make Cooking Lights Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce which is so yummy. But as the day went on theweather began to change and lo and behold, snow started to fall. My tastes tend to be dictated by the weather adn now I wanted something a little less summery...if that makes any sense.

With two options going in my head, I called Alex for his opinion. After calling the hubby and asking him mexican or italian, mexican it was and dinner was chosen. I came up with this recipe on my own and it did not dissapoint. Using things in the the pantry, dinner was on the table in 30 minutes flat.

The dish of the night....

Spicy Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Cilantro Rice and Jalapeno Chutney!

Here is the recipe:

Spicy Cornmeal Crusted Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 C cornmeal (I used Quaker)
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
1 egg white

1. Set up a dredging area...put egg white in one bowl, while putting a plate or bowl out for the cornmeal mixture.
2. Place all dry ingredients with the cheese in food processor, process until all are uniform in size.
3. Place crumbs on plate and dredge chicken in egg whites followed by a dredging in the cornmeal mixture.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan and place coated chicken in the pan over medium heat, cook for about 5 minutes on each side.

Cilantro Rice

Follow the recipe of your choice for white rice, (I used uncle ben's long grain)
Add 1 T lime juice and 1 T salt to the water with teh rice.
When done cooking stir in 1 T cilantro, minced, with lime juice and salt to taste.

Jalapeno Chutney

1/4 red onion
2 T jalapenos
6 cherry tomatoes
1 T cilantro

Place all ingredients in the food processor, process so all is chopped but still chunky.

Place rice on plate, top with a piece of chicken and dollop chutney atop the chicken. Garnish with lettuce, more cheese, sour cream and salsa to taste!

It's so yummy, even hubby was shocked I came up with it on my own!

Must eat cookies!

2008-02-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

Lately I have really had a craving to bake and well...a craving for all things baked:) So yesterday, with not much time to bake from scratch and really desiring cookies of some sort, I scoured the pantry to find, much to my delight, the other half of the brownie mix. I often cut mixes in half just because we don't eat or need that many baked goods around, and though I prefer to make something from scratch they fill in when they need too...like today!

I threw together what I thought would take this brownie mix to a cookie form. So to the half box of mix I threw in one egg, 1/4 C oil, and 2T water. Mixed...added chocolate chunks and baked at 350' for about 10-12 min. Check to make sure they are just about setting and then pull them out.

Verdict, well for a quick and easy cookie made with something we just had on hand and in less than 5 minutes, they were amazing and curbed the craving perfectly!

Tuesdays with Dorie!

2008-02-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official...I am now part of my first blogging event! Tuesdays with Dorie is a group of fellow foodies, started by Laurie, who have made it their goal to make all the recipes from Dorie Greenspan's new book Baking: From my Home to Yours. This book is so great!

Last year I began making some of the recipes out of this cookbook and while some were amazing and some were okay, they all had one thing in common. They were not very difficult and used things you may have on hand. Our favorite so far are her classic biscuits. The way she explains the process of making them is straightforward and fun! When someone explains how to cut butter into biscuit dough by making sure you use your fingers and getting your hands full of dough, then the recipe must be a keeper:)

The group has been baking through the book for a couple of months now and since I have just joined I am debating if I should go back and bake the previous choices...we'll see!

But up this week and due to be posted next Tuesday are snickery squares! A shortbread base, dulce de leche fillings, covered in chocolate and sugered peanuts...YUM!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter...purely delightful!

2008-02-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend was finally one where the hubby and I did not have any plans. To me that is great, a chance to catch up on cleaning, make my plans as I go, and time for baking. This past week I have been truly enthralled with the enticing recipes on Picky Palate. If you have not visited this site before, do not wait. It is full of great recipes that are quick, easy and look wonderful.

We needed a treat around here and after giving hubby a choice, these Peanut Butter Cup Brownies won out. Though the original recipe is on Picky Palate's site, I made a few changes and mine is below. I often have brownie and cake mixes on hand for the times you just need something quick, that and I have not yet found the right brownie recipe for me to throw away the box. (I grew up on box mix brownies, so maybe that contributes to it!)

When using box mixes I often split them in two since it's usually just me and the hubby. I just scoop equal amounts of mix into the bowl and a ziplock bag to save for later. So for this recipe, I cut it in half and made it in an 8" pan.

These are gooey, yummy, chocolate, peanut buttery goodness in a pan!

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Brownies

1/2 box of the brownie mix of choice (9x13 size)
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
2 T sugar
1/2 egg (I used 1 1/2 T egg substitute)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 Cups mini marshmallows (I used large marshmallows cut up)
6 regular size Reeses Peanut Butter cups, cut into cubes
1/2 Cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place brownie mix and ingredients on back of box as directed (eggs, oil, water) into a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined and pour into a greased 8 inch baking dish. In a separate bowl mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Drop by tablespoonfuls evenly over the brownie batter. Take a knife or toothpick and swirl the cheese mixture through the brownie batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

2. Once brownies are just about cooked, with about 2 minutes left, sprinkle marshmallows, Reeses cups and chocolate chips over brownies. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed slightly. Remove and cool completely before cutting.

3. Once cool, use a plastic knife to cut into squares for an easy non stick cut. Enjoy!

A new look, a new day!

2008-02-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here in Minnesota, winter is still in full swing. But for one of the first times all week the temperature is above zero and the sun is shining bright! What a difference! From the look of my blog, you might be able to tell that I am excited for spring. I know it just has to be on its way and if not, well then at least it's spring here at Blissful Bounty!

One other great thing about today....the Foodie Blogroll! I am so excited to be a part of this. On the lower right side of the blog is a list of food blogs for all to enjoy. I myself am now added and I couldn't be more ecstatic or thankful to the Leftover Queen (who helped add me)!

Take a look at some of the other great blogs with amazing food...I have and they look terrific!

Happy early spring!

Spaghetti Bolognese...mmm so good!

2008-02-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti is always a back up at our house and last minute meal if we are busy. Multiple types of pasta line our pantry, but one of Alex's favorites is spaghetti with meat sauce. At our house, this usually consists of cooked spaghetti, a bottle of sauce and a pound of hamburger.

The other day while viewing the wonderful creations by Picky Palate

I came across a recipe for spaghetti bolognese that I knew would be a hit at our house. Super easy and yet uses ingredients that most have on hand. This recipe is quick to make and tastes great, it will now take the place of our 3 ingredient, and oh so regular, spaghetti and meat sauce.

Here is the recipe as created by Picky Palate!

Spaghetti Bolognese

12 strips uncooked bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces (I think I used 6)
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 26 oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce (or other favorite brand, or homemade)
1 ¼ Cups half and half (I used skim)
¼ Cup parmesan cheese

1 Box thin spaghetti noodles (I used fettuccine)

1. Cook bacon in a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until browned and crisped. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Discard all but 2 Tbsp’s of bacon grease. Saute onion in remaining bacon grease for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add beef, salt and pepper; crumble beef and cook until browned, about 5-8 more minutes. Stir in cooked bacon pieces. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce, half and half, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine; cover with lid and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, or up to an hour.

2. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Spoon noodles onto a large plate and pour sauce right on top. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

6 servings

The best bbq pork? Someone thinks so!

2008-02-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

Barbeque Pork...I love it, I actually like most things with bbq sauce. For the past year or so I have been making Cooking Light's BBQ Pulled Chicken whenever we want bbq. But after reading on so many blogs and boards, I decided to hang up my apron and try something quite out of the ordinary for me...a recipe with 3 ingredients!

This recipe is so easy and produces bbq pulled pork that is really delicious!

BBQ Pulled Pork

1 Pork Tenderloin
1 (12 ounce) can rootbeer (I used Diet)
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

1. Place tenderloin in crock pot and pour rootbeer over the top.
2. Cook on low for up to 7 hours.
3. Drain excess liquid, shred meat and mix in the bbq sauce.
4. Let simmer for a couple minutes to heat up and serve on rolls.

(feel free to saute onions and add along with the bbq sauce)

It doesn't get any easier than this and it is good, so good that Alex called it the "best bbq pork ever!"

Chicken Parmigiana, can it be light?

2008-01-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Well last night after asking Alex what he wanted for dinner all I could get out of him was italian. So I went to my new cookbook, Cooks Illustrated Best Light Recipe, and found a recipe for Chicken Parmigiana. So that became dinner. It was really quick to put together and turned out relatively good. I think we would give it a 3.75 out of 5. Reason for the middle number, well I didn't have any panko so italian breadcrumbs took the place and we used jarred sauce instead of homemade. I served the chicken with Barilla Plus penne. I am thinking that with those two changes, dinner would have been near perfect.

The recipe takes chicken cutlets through the three step breading process, flour, egg white, breadcurmbs and then to ensure a crisp crust all around the chicken is baked on a rack.

Here is the original recipe, Enjoy!

Light Chicken Parmigiana (Cooks Illustrated Best Light Recipe)

Ingredients:
1.5 cups Panko
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 oz. grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp water
vegetable oil spray
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/4 inch thick, or sliced in half to make cutlets)
1 recipe for Simple Tomato Sauce for Chicken Parmesan
3 oz low-fat mozzarella, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 tbsp fresh basil, minced

Directions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.
2. In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with veg oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with S&P. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking of excess, then dip into egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs. Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.
4. Spray the tops of the chicken with the veg oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tbsp. sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top with 2 tbsp. of mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Per serving: 310 calories, 8 grams of fat, 2.5g sat fat, 75mg cholesterol, 20g carbs, 38g protein, 790g sodium

Simple Tomato Sauce
(Source: Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Pulse the tomatoes with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 1-second pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with S&P to taste.

Plenty of options with cake mix!

2008-01-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, Alex and I were in charge of caring for his two nieces. We had a great time and spent some time in the kitchen creating two great desserts.

The first one is for a cake and I have seen this recipe floating around the boards for some time now and wanted to try it out. A great plus is that it only requires a couple of ingredients.

Diet Soda Cake

1 pkg. cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Cake)
1 can diet soda (I used Dt. Caffeine Free Coke, b/c that is what we have)

Pour cake mix in bowl and add soda. Stir together. Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake according to the box.

One change I made was that I only made half the cake mix. I think it came out to 2 1/4 C mix and half a can of coke in an 8" round or square pan.

For the frosting I combined dream whip topping, sf/ff chocolate pudding, and 1 1/2 C milk, beat with a hand mixer and spread over a cooled cake.

My oh my, this was so simple and so moist and delicious!

What to do with the rest of the cake mix, you might ask...well make cookies of course.

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

1/2 box cake mix (chocolate)
1/4 oil
1 egg
1/2 bag chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and bake at 350* for about 15 minutes. Cool on rack, ENJOY!

Demerera Sugar, who knew!

2008-01-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

Well I just felt like baking today. Nothing really struck my fancy, except that I knew whatever I made would have to include peanut butter and chocolate. As someone who very seldom has cravings, this was one craving that was not going away. I had made some Rice Krispie topped Brownie Marshmallow Bars the other day, well I threw them away finally because they were just too addicting and Alex did not like them. One look at the marshmallows and his nose turned up. So I wanted to be a loving wife and make something he would enjoy, even though his sweet tooth is nothing like mine.

After seeing this recipe with rave reviews everywhere I knew I would have to try it. With some demerara sugar in the pantry (how it got there, who knows!) I started baking. The recipe turned out okay, but a little disappointing because they were not show stopping. Not a waste of demerara, I just think my hopes were a little high for this one!

Here is the recipe for the brownies/bars:
Demerara Topped Peanut Butter Brownies

1 cup peanut butter -- not natural PB
1/2 cup butter -- at room temperature
2 1/2 cup Demerara Washed Raw Sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks, to taste
4 tablespoons Demerara Washed Raw Sugar -- for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a 9x13 pan with release foil or grease the pan.

Cream peanut butter, butter, and sugar until light in color. Add eggs and blend to combine. Add vanilla and blend well.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, soda, and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and blend until just combined. Stir in chips, if using.

Scoop batter into prepared pan and smooth it out. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons demerara over the top. Bake 28-30 minutes. Brownies will sink slightly in the center while cooling. Cool completely before cutting.

The kitchen is off duty!

2008-01-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well after a week of not posting I feel it necessary to at least say a few things. We have been extremely busy around here. Last week was Alex's birthday week and with a Coldstone Peanut Butter Playground cake, dessert was taken care of. We also ventured to Buca di Beppo twice over the week for Alex's parents 40th wedding anniversary as well as the annual birthday dinner with friends. Both times it was great, but I think Buca will be on hold after that much indulgence.

On Sunday, I was in charge of bringing dessert to Alex's birthday lunch at his parents house. I asked Alex to pick out a dessert and he chose the Vanilla Charlotte with Raspberries by Gale Gand in her book Chocolate and Vanilla. So on Saturday I set out to make the ladyfingers. Not too difficult, came out a little thin, but tasted great. On to the custard. Well, that thing did not want to set for its life. After pouring it into my lined spring form, the custard began leaking out all over the counter. My shriek beckoned Alex, who helped me get the custard into a 9" round pan. After four hours in the fridge, the custard was halfway to being set and the ladyfingers were not show worthy after all the rigmarole. So the dessert found its way into the garbage.

Dessert number two...I always keep box mixes on hand for occasions such as this. So into the oven went a yellow Duncan Hines. The next morning, the day of the lunch, I went to frost it with a lemon cream cheese frosting, homemade of course, and with some lemon curd in the middle that we had in the pantry. Well I guess the fact that the lemon curd was in our pantry should have elicited fear, but instead after finishing the cake, I licked a finger only to discover that the lemon curd tasted well, in the best words, inedible. So the second dessert went into the garbage.

So here we enter the house with half of the leftover coldstone cake:)

I have tried to redeem myself this week making CI Coffee Cake, Krispie topped Brownie bars, and CI's Chicken and Rice Casserole. Well they all turned out delicious...phew, I am not cursed:)

Cranberries and pork, oh my!

2008-01-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

Well I have one more post for tonight. I have been slacking a little but we didn't do much cooking over the weekend. Tonight for dinner was a new recipe I wanted to try from Sunset Magazine. The recipe is for Cranberry Pork Tenderloin with a side of Rice Pilaf with Shallots and Parmesan. It was quite tasty but not so amazing that it will get put into the tried and trues. With a side of steamed broccoli it was a complete dinner and healthy to boot:)

This week began birthday week for Alex and for dessert all week, well there is a Peanut Butter Playground Coldstone cake in the freezer!

Here are the recipes, enjoy!

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper; brown lightly all over, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer pork to a foil-lined 9- by 13-in. baking pan. Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil to frying pan, reduce heat to medium, and add onion. Cook, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, then pour in chicken broth, cranberry sauce, rosemary, and vinegar. Cook 2 minutes.

3. Pour hot cranberry sauce over pork and bake, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into meat registers 160°, about 20 minutes. Let pork rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve with sauce.

(Adapted from Sunset Magazine)

Rice Pilaf with Shallots and Parmesan

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of sea salt

Preparation

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in rice; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth and wine; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in cheese, parsley, pepper, and salt.

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

The yummiest peanut butter cookie:)

2008-01-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

We had a baby shower for a friend this past weekend and one of the girlfriends that was coming has Celiac disease. I have made these one other time before for a different friend with a gluten intolerance and every time they come out absolutely delicious and have the most distinct peanut butter taste. This is a recipe from a Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine for Flour less Peanut Butter cookies. If you are not making them for someone with a gluten intolerance or CD I think adding a couple T of flour may be a good addition if you don't like your cookies being a little crumbly.

Here is the recipe for these tasty little numbers:

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350°, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts.
With moistened hands, roll dough, about 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, into balls. Place 2 inches apart on two baking sheets.
Bake until cookies are golden and puffed, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Per cookie: 134 calories; 8.9 grams fat; 3.9 grams protein; 12.2 grams carbohydrates; 1.2 grams fiber
(Adapted from Everyday Food)

A new year, a new blog!

2008-01-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it. I am now a food blogger and first up on the menu, Cooks Illustrated's Perfect Chocolate Brownies! We needed dessert tonight after an okay dinner so we decided on brownies. This recipe is so simple and easy to put together, and they taste great. Although I am usually a box brownie type of girl with as many mix ins as possible, these were pretty good for homemade...but I don't think I will be throwing away any boxes yet!

Here is the recipe for these:

Classic Brownies

Be sure to test for doneness before removing the brownies from the oven. If underbaked (the toothpick has batter clinging to it) the texture of the brownies will be dense and gummy. If overbaked (the toothpick comes out completely clean), the brownies will be dry and cakey.

1¼ cups (5 ounces) cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six 1-inch pieces
2¼ cups (15¾ ounces) sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

(i added chocolate chunks and white chips ~1/2 C)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhand pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to 12-inch width; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs on at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts (if using) evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.)

(source: smitten kitchen)