Cookie and Foodie

Veggie lasagna

2012-02-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

TLC

MORE ON KITCHEN BOSS

Serves: 8-10

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound whole-wheat lasagna noodles
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 small zucchini, sliced into rounds
2 small yellow squash, sliced into rounds
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and pepper
10 ounces fresh or frozen spinach, steamed, squeezed dry and chopped
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/3 cup store-bought pesto, or Buddy's Master Pesto recipe
1 pound mozzarella cheese (the non water-packed kind), torn into pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Butter a 9 x 13" baking dish.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and let cool.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and stir to coat with the oil. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini and yellow squash with another pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened and exuded their juices.
Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium to low heat to avoid scalding. Then, heat the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour to the butter and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, to remove the raw flour taste and completely melt the butter. Gradually whisk in heated milk until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly.
Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture for top of the lasagna.
In a small bowl combine the ricotta and the pesto.
Spread a thin layer of spinach mixture in the bottom of prepared pan. Add a layer of noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the vegetables, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella. Repeat this layering two more times. Finish with a top layer of noodles, the reserved spinach mixture, the remaining mozzarella and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool for approximately 10-20 minutes before serving.

This is a yummy one from the good ole cake boss!

Alfredo Sauce

2012-02-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

1/2 c Butter
1 3-oz Cream Cheese
1 pint Heavy Cream
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 c Parm Cheese
1 lb Fettuccine

1.Melt butter in sauce pan. Mix in cream cheese. Stir in cream and garlic powder. Increase heat bring to a boil. Decrease heat and simmer. Stirring often. If thin, add tsp flour 1 at a time.

2. Stir in Parm and salt n pepper to taste.

Italian Bread

2012-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

3 c Warm Water
1.5 TB
2 TB
1 TB Salt
1/4 c Butter (melted)
7-9 c Flour

Butter
Egg

1. Combine water, yeast, and 1/2 tsp sugar. Stir until yeast dissolves. Cover 5-10 minutes.
2. Large bowl: Mix salt, 2 TB sugar, butter, yeast mix, 3.5 c flour. Add flour .5 c at a time up to 3.5 c (7 total).
3. Knead 10 minutes on low. Transfer to greased large bowl. Let rise 20 to 40 minutes.
4. Punch down & divide in half. Roll into 10" baguette. Make 3 cuts in top. Beat egg whites and brush over dough.
5. Preheat oven to 350'. When dough doubles bake 30 minutes.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2011-12-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

3 whole (to 4) Chicken Breasts
Kosher Salt
Ground Coriander
Cumin, To Taste
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
6 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Large Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger
Garam Masala
1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
Sugar
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups Basmati Rice
_____
OPTIONAL:
Fresh Cilantro
Chili Peppers
Turmeric
Frozen Peas

Preparation Instructions
Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.
Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.
Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. Now you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.
To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric and 4 cups water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure that you use Basmati rice.
After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top.

Make sure to have some Nann bread handy, too. (see below)

Naan

2011-12-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted
Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill.

Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares (Am's Recipe)

2011-12-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

2c All Purpose Flour

*1 TB Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp Salt

1c Unsalted Butter (room temp)

1 1/4c Sugar

1 egg

2 tsp Vanilla

1c canned pumpkin puree

1 pkg (12 oz) Chocolate Chips

*if you don't have Pumpkin Pie Spice:

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

3/4 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 allspice

1/8 cloves

(all ground)

Preheat oven 350'

Grease 9x13" pan line w foil

in med bowl whisk together first 4 ingredients (set aside)

cream together butter and sugar until smooth

beat in egg and vanilla until combined

beat in pumpkin puree (may appear curdled)

reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients until just combined.

Fold in Chocolate chips

Pour mixture into pan

Bake 350' 30-40 mins

Cool completely in pan!!

makes 24

Thanksgiving Tip...

2011-11-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

When making mashed potatoes, heat the milk and butter together, over medium heat, until thoroughly warmed and the butter is melted (there should also be a few bubbles forming on the surface of the mixture). THEN add the milk/butter mixture to the hot, cooked potatoes. Apparently it is supposed to be way better than dumping in the cold butter and milk.

Also, mash with a fork if you have the patience. Supposed to give them a great texture!

Bon appetit!

Adobo chicken

2011-11-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

So I'm on a crusade to try all the recipes I pulled from my cooking light mags and deem them yummy or not. Here is the first one, we liked it!

Ingredients:

1 tbls canola oil

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

2 cups chopped onion

5 garlic cloves, minced

6 tbls soy sauce

3 tbls water

3 tbls white vinegar

2 tbls honey

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken sauté 4 mins on each side or until browned. Remove chicken. Add onions sauté 3 mins. Add garlic; sauté 1 min, stirring frequently.

Return chicken to pan. Add soy sauce, and next 5 ingredients ( through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 12 mins. Uncover and cook 20 mins or until Chicken is done and sauce thickens. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice!

It also says to serve with sliced oranges.

Pulled Pork

2011-11-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

Honestly, this is the best thing ever-- spend 5 seconds to make a dinner that will last all week. And its delicious.

1. Have a crock pot. (I bought one for this. Worth it.)
2. Put 3 Ingredients in the pot. I used:

pork shoulder aka pork butt (I bought a huge thing from Costco, 8 lbs)
1 full bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's, and
2 cans of soda (you can use Dr Pepper, root beer, Cherry Cola... whatevs-- I did caffeine-free Coke). Some people also say to use your favorite seasoning on the pork before you put it in-- up to you. I did a little salt and a little Lowry's. I don't think it is necessary, but again, up to you.

3. Turn on crock pot and let cook on high for 6-8 hours.
4. Shred meat and call to tell me how awesome I am for sharing this with you.

pic via

Serve on Heather's awesome homemade rolls. Add cheese if you're "like that."

PS Also it's the BEST thing to make if you're bringing dinner to people because it is delicious comfort food, cheap, and super simple. You can also freeze the leftovers or feed an army-- when I made this it lasted for at least 16 servings. Prob more like 20. And cost way less than $20 total. Serious.

Its-The-Most-Wonderful-Time-Of-The-Year-Bread

2011-10-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

I have an obsession with fall, and my husband has an obsession with with pumpkin bread. That makes this the most wonderful time of the year (contrary to popular belief). We start with the pumpkin bread in September and keep it going well into March. It is amazing. My mother-in-law shared this recipe with me and it is to-die-for. My personal additions are noted with the *

3.5 c flour (*I like baking flour)
3 c sugar
2 tsp soda
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg (*I do a little less because I don't like this flavor to over power)
1 tsp cinnamon (*I do a tiny bit more because I love this flavor)
1 c corn oil (*or canola)
4 eggs
2/3 c water
2 c pumpkin

(*I separate the batter in two and make 1/2 of it with chocolate chips and the other half without. I mix the chocolate chips with a couple teaspoons of flour before adding to the batter to make sure they don't just all sink to the bottom of the pan).

Mix dry, add wet (*I like to mix eggs together before adding to the rest). Bake at 350 for appx 1 hour in 2 greased loaf pans (or several small disposable loaf pans and give them to people-- best gift ever.)

*Baking times vary, so depending on the oven or the size of my pan, I bake for 50 minutes and check back every 5 minutes until the middle is no longer jiggly.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

2011-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is from my sister-in-law Jenn, and its so yummy!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

2011-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

1 package lean ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (preferably one without sugar)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and spices and cook until it simmers. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add the ground turkey, oat bran, egg, and tomato mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Pack into an 8 X 4 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf, about 4-6 servings.

Banana Bread

2011-07-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Chopped Walnut

Topping:
Chopped Walnuts
Brown Sugar
Melted Butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Add Waluts and mix in.

Pour batter into prepared pan

Top with Walnuts. Mix Butter and Brown Sugar and pour on top.

Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Best-Cookies-I've-Ever-Eaten Cookies (a chewy cookie)

2011-06-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

I know you guys like your own recipes-- and I like them too. They are delicious. But I've been on the hunt for cookies that don't taste too salty (for me), don't taste like baking soda (to me), aren't too cakey (to me), and have enough chewiness and a tiny crunch on the edges to completely satisfy me. This is the one! I actually didn't even use chocolate chips, rather, I divided the batter in 3 and made some with minced up Twix bar (mom's idea), peanut butter Dove bar, and Heath bar. I'm so happy I did! I'm completely hooked. If only Greta could let me have a glass of milk once in a while...

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (I barely sifted it, I used a spoon)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (yes! melted!)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or crushed candy bar of your choice... I'd advise against Skittles ;-))

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (I just kept checking them until they looked golden. This was at exactly 15 minutes for me, but depends on your oven)

Goat Cheese Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

2011-03-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is amazing. They seem a little nicer than my average hors d'oeuvres (if you can call guacamole an hors d'oeuvre ;-)) and they're super quick to make. As in like 10 minutes. SO addicting and absolutely delicious...

2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
1 scallion (white part only), thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons aged Spanish sherry vinegar
1 can (13.75 ounces; 16 peppers) piquillo peppers, drained
3 ounces soft goat cheese (I used A LOT more :-))
Olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Whisk shallots, scallion and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slice open the top of each pepper to create a pocket. Spoon cheese into peppers, dividing it equally among them. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat; coat with a little olive oil. Cook peppers, flipping once, until cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds each side. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with parsley and thyme. Drizzle dressing over peppers and serve.
Seriously, I could eat these like candy. Enjoy!

PS recipe and image from epicurious.

The Pioneer Woman

2011-03-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

So about a year ago I found The Pioneer Woman's food blog. I have tried a few of her recipes and most of them are pretty amazing. I even bought her recipe book at Costco. I thought I would post my top fave's so far here:

White Chicken Enchiladas(my change: use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Way better for you and you don't taste the difference, I PROMISE!)

To go with the enchiladas you will want...
Mexican Rice (my change: use a rice cooker if you are like me and have never been able to make decent rice on the stove top.)

Meatloaf(so easy and sooooo delicious!)

Pie or Quiche Crust

There you have it.

You are welcome. ;)

Stuffed Peppers

2011-02-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Yet another recipe I randomly threw together... thankfully it is super easy and turned out yummy!
Hard to mess up because everything is to taste...

Ingredients:
2 red peppers (washed, halved, and seeded)
appx. 1 lb. ground beef (or turkey... if ground beef I like the free range/grass fed)
appx. 2 c. brown rice
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
dash garlic powder
dash seasoning salt
appx. 1 c. salsa (I like Green Mountain Gringo jarred, but fresh would be even better)
appx. 1 c. cheddar cheese (+ extra for garnish)
greek yogurt (or sour cream) for garnish
avocado for garnish

Saute chopped onion in a fry pan with a little butter. Add ground beef. Season with garlic powder and seasoning salt.

While meat is cooking, place pepper halves on cookie sheet and bake on 350 for about 6 min.

When beef is fully cooked, add salsa, rice and cheese to the fry pan. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Scoop the beef mixture into the pepper halves evenly. Cover with remaining cheddar cheese and put back in oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of Greek yogurt and a few slices of avocado. Yum!

-my guess is that Ty would really like this one (especially when made with turkey) because it's pretty healthy and still tasty.

Amazing Raspberry Bars

2011-01-06T21:27:00.001-08:00

Crust:

1 c butter (softened)

1 c sugar

2 c flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c coconut (optional)

Cream together butter and sugar

Mix all dry ingredients together

Combine the two mixtures and mix well.

Press in to the bottom of 9 x 13 pan.

Bake 375 for 10 mins

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Spread Jam on top (about 1 1/2 c)

Sprinkle with 1/2c to 1c sliced almonds (or whatever nut you prefer)

Bake 375 for 13 mins

Mix powdered sugar w milk and drizzle on top!!

Baklava

2010-12-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is best Baklava recipe ever. I made it with Sara in college and it's amazing every time I have it.

Sweet Chex Mix

2010-11-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 1/2 c butter shopping list
1 c white kayro
1 c sugar
3 c Rice Chex
3 c Corn Chex
6 c golden grahams
1/2 c coconut
slivered almonds
How to make it

In large bowl combine cereals, coconut and almonds
In saucepan combine butter, sugar and kayro
Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes
Pour over cereal mixture
Spread on wax paper till slightly dry to touch
Separate into bite-sized clusters

Roasted Squash Soup with Sage

2010-11-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

Time: 2 hours

Yield: Serves 8

-8 medium acorn squash (roundish)

-4 Tbls. mild extra virgin olive oil

-1 medium yellow onion, chopped

-1 tsp. smoked paprika

-2 Tbls. chopped sage, plus several leaves for garnish

-about 1 1/2 tsp. course sea salt

-2 galic cloves, chopped

-5 to 6 cups chicken broth

-1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

-1/2 cup creme fraiche (I used heavy whipping cream,

but you can make your own creme with

buttermilk and whipping cream)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut top third off each squash. Scoop out seeds from squash bottoms and tops; discard. Trim just enough off bottom of each squash so that it sits straight. (Don't cut off too much).
2. Set squash bottoms and tops on 2 large baking sheets and drizzle with about 2 Tbsp. oil, rubbing it all over insides and rims. Bake 45 to 55 mins. or until flesh is soft and golden brown, but before squash start collapsing.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaning 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium heat; add onion, paprika, sage, and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook until golden brown , about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
4. Scoop cooked flesh from squash into pot, leaving enough flesh so that squash keep their shape. Pave over any holes in squash "bowls" with some cooked squash and keep them warm.
5. To pot add 5 cups stock, remaing 1 tsp. salt and the pepper. bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
6. Puree soup in batches in a blender, adding more stock if soup is too thick (cover top with a towel to keep hot soup from spurting out). Reheat in pot. Stir in creme fraiche and more stock if necessary.
7. Laddle soup into squash bowls and top with sage leaves.

Janies Texas Sheet Cake!

2010-09-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Preheat oven to 400

Stir together in large bowl:
-2 cups sugar
-2 cups flour

Stir the following over medium heat until mixture is boiling. Pour over flour mixture.
-1 cup butter
-1 cup water
-1/4 cup cocoa

In a separate bowl:
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-2 eggs
-1 Tbl. Soda
Whip together and mix with flour and cocoa mixture.
Pour into greased (buttered) jelly roll pan and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

In a pan melt:
1/2 cupp butter
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, remove from heat.
-add 3/4 cup to 1 lb powdered sugar
And whip until smooth. Pour over cake that is still warm. Add nuts to top if desired. Yummy yummy!

Greek Pasta (by Breck Reed)

2010-06-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 lb. penne pasta
¾ cup feta cheese
4-6 chopped cherry tomatoes
½ package baby spinach chopped
¼ cup milk
¾ cup pesto sauce
½ cup sliced peppers
1 cup ranch dressing

Directions:
1. Cook pasta until you have 4 more minutes left and add the peppers to the boiling pasta.
2. Drain pasta/pepper mixture
3. Add the pesto and feta to the drained pasta.
4. Add tomatoes, spinach, and peppers to the mixture.
5. Add milk to ranch dressing.
6. Add ranch mixture unto the pasta.
7. Add grilled chicken strips or shredded chicken if desired. (Boiled chicken works well, boil chicken 15 minutes then shred.)

Country Fried Chicken

2010-05-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well this isn't the healthiest, but it's so good!

Country Fried Chicken
Jayne Swapp

1 frying chicken
shortening
3 tsp. Garlic salt
½ c. milk
1 tsp. Paprika
1 egg
¼ tsp. Poultry seasoning
1 c. flour
1 tsp. Black pepper

Blend milk and egg. Combine flour and seasonings in paper or plastic bag. Shake chicken in this seasoned flour. Dip chicken pieces in milk/egg mixture. Shake chicken a second time in seasoning mixture to coat evenly and thoroughly. Melt shortening in skillet to about ½ to 1 inch deep and heat to 350˚. Brown chicken on all sides. Reduce heat to 275˚. And continue cooking until chicken is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Do not cover. Turn chicken several times during cooking. Drain on paper towels

Search Box

2010-05-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find a recipe earlier and I couldn't (took too long, dumb computer, etc...). Anyway, I decided that we really need to have a search box on the blog. Ladies, what do you think? :)

Brats with Spicy Stewed Peppers

2010-05-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 medium jalapeno chile pepper
1 medium red onion
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
5 fresh bratwurst
5 large hot dog buns

DIRECTIONS:
Remove and discard the stems and seeds from the bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Cut the bell peppers lengthwise into 1/3-inch strips. Finely chop the jalapeno pepper. Cut the onion in half through the stem and root ends. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Melt the butter in pan. Add the peppers, onion, fennel seed, salt, and pepper. Mix well with tongs. Cook the vegetables in the pan over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they are tender and golden brown in spots, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables are tender, add and mustard. Mix well with tongs.

Prepare Brats per the directions on the packaging

Put the Brats in the buns, cover with the pepper mixture, top with condiments of choice (I prefer ketchup) and enjoy.

YUM!

Zesty Chicken Enchiladas (ala Jane Griffith)

2010-04-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Griffith family had us over for dinner a few months ago and they served some amazing enchiladas. Jane was kind enough to share the recipe. I was surprised that the yummy enchiladas were so good and yet so easy to make. Here you go!

1-2 lb shredded chicken
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
16 oz jar mild Green Salsa
1 c cream
1 1/4 c Grated Jack Cheese
8 6-inch tortillas (I like flour, the recipe suggests corn)

1. In large bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes, mild Green Salsa, cream, 1 cup cheese, 1/2 of the tomatillo sauce, and 1/2 tsp salt and pepper.

2. Warm tortillas according to the package directions. Spread remaining green sauce in 9x13 baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas and place in baking dish.

3. Top with remaining cheese (and maybe a little extra:)) Bake 350' for 10-15 minutes, or until the enchiladas begin to brown.

Brownie Pudding

2010-04-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Brownie Pudding

1 c all-purpose Flour

1/2 c Sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 c Milk

2 Tbsp Cooking Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

3/4 c Sugar

1/4 c unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 c Water, boiling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Turn into un-greased 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Combine sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour liquid mixture evenly over mixture in pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tests done.

Serve warm (hot) over vanilla ice cream.

Pistachio-Parmesan Chicken

2010-04-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

This week Ben and I are taking our "Anniversary/I-desperately-need-to-get-out-of-Provo-before-I-start-school-again-this-summer Vacation." Since we're crashing at Greg & Darlene's house, we decided to cook dinner for them tonight. The menu: Pistachio-Parmesan Chicken, Roasted Vegetables, and rye bread, with Brownie Pudding for dessert.

Pistachio-Parmesan Chicken

6 Tbsp unsalted Butter

3/4 c finely chopped unsalted Pistachio nuts**

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 c all-purpose Flour

2 tsp Salt

2 Eggs

4 large chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)

Preheat oven to 375. Place butter in roasting pan and melt in oven 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a shallow dish, mix together pistachios, cheese, flour, and salt. In another shallow dish, beat eggs with fork to slightly foamy consistency.

Dip chicken pieces first in pistachio mixture, then in eggs, then back into pistachio mixture, coating generously. Place in melted buter in roasting pan.

Bake uncovered (at 375) for 45 minutes. Spoon juices from bottom of pan over chicken; bake 15 minutes more, until golden in color.

**Note: Chop pistachios in food processor or blender. If using salted pistachios, omit the salt from the recipe.

Roasted Vegetables

2010-04-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite summer dishes. It's perfect as a side dish, mixed in with pasta, or even on top of pork chops. The colors are just as amazing as the flavor, and sometimes I can't decide if I want to eat it or just look at it! It's very versatile, and quite a matter of taste, so here are some basic guidelines - feel free to mix it up a little. (I made it for four the other day, so these are the measurements I used.)

Roasted Vegetables

1 sm. Zucchini
1 sm. Summer Squash
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 bunch Asparagus
2 Red Onions
olive oil
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Cut up vegetables into large pieces (peppers and onions about 1 inch square, zucchini/summer squash around 1/4 inch thick, asparagus about 2 inches long, etc). Toss with a few Tbsp olive oil - everything should be coated well, but you don't want a ton left in the bottom. Salt and Pepper to taste and mix well to blend.

Spread out evenly on a cookie sheet (with sides). Depending on how many veggies you use, it may take up two cookie sheets. (*Note: putting foil on the sheet first makes for easier clean up). Bake for 30 min-1 hr, or until for tender, mixing 2-3 times. Immediately turn the oven to Broil and cook until veggies are caramelized and edges look slightly charred.

(here's a before shot; sadly I forgot to take a picture after I cooked it)

More Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for my special chocolate chip cookie recipe. Everyone has to have their unique take on the old classic right? Change a couple of the dimensions, and bam! its a whole new thing. I tried these last night for a party and the reviews were great!

A few notes on the recipe first. I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips-- I think it makes a big difference. I buy a bunch when I see they're on sale and freeze them until I need em. Second, baking them for 8 minutes is key so set that timer! You may think they aren’t done at this point, but after sitting on the pan a couple of minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack, they will be just right.

My Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter (must be room temp!)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temp)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (feel free to throw in the whole bag if you like them super chocolate-y…why not?)

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until creamy. Add the vanilla.

In another bowl mix the dry ingredients together before slowly adding them to the creamed mixture. When combined, stop the mixer and add the semi-sweet chips. Mix up and then drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Mold them into a ball as best as you can with the spoon for a more shaped cookie.

Bake on 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Take them out of the oven and allow the cookies to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes. Then, carefully place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Irish Colcannon and Soda Bread

2010-03-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

I'm very proud of my Irish heritage and a few years ago I had a wonderful opportunity to spend some time in Ireland. While I was there I found a wonderful little cookbook that not only has great traditional recipes, but also has a little bit of a history of each recipe as well.

Colcannon

Colcannon is a mash made of white vegetables, typically served at the midday meal. At Halloween, coins are wrapped in foil and buried in the colcannon for children to discover as they eat. If you're used to a typical St. Patrick's Day dish of Corned Beef and Cabbage, try the Colcannon instead next time. It's definitely worth it, in fact, it's so good you should make it more often than just March 17!

1 medium-sized head white cabbage
2 medium-sized parsnips
3-4 medium-sized onions
8-10 medium-sized potatoes
salt and pepper
1 pint water (2 1/2 cups)
4 oz butter (1/2 cup)

Cut cabbage into four, remove stumps and wash each leaf thoroughly in salt and water. Put four or five outer leaves aside, chop the remaining leaves finely. Wash and scrape parsnips, remove skins from the onions (I also peeled the potatoes). Cut parsnips, onions and potatoes into half inch slices. arrange a layer of potatoes on the bottom of a saucepan, cover with a layer or parsnips, then a layer of onion, the a layer of cabbage; season well, continue layering the vegetables and again season well. Pour water over the vegetables and cover vegetables completely with the outer leaves. Put the lid on the saucepan, bring to the boil and cover; simmer until cooked, 25-30 minutes. Strain off any excess water. Remove the outer leaves of cabbage. Mash the vegetables well, add the butter and mix well. Put into a serving dish. Serve hot with plenty of creamy butter. Serves 4-6.

Soda Bread

1 lb flour (4 cups)
pinch of salt (1/4 tsp or so)
1 level teaspoon breadsoda (baking soda)
10 fl oz buttermilk or sour milk (1 1/4 cups)

Preheat oven to 400F. Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl. Pute the breadsoda into the palm of the hand and work with the back of a spoon to get rid of lumps. (You don't actually have to do this part... it's cool to see how it used to be done though.) Add to the sieved flour and salt. Make a well in the and add the milk. Mix until it forms a loose dough. (I actually had to add about 1/4 c more milk) Mix well and form into a circle; make a cross-cut on the surface and place on a lightly floured baking sheet; put into the oven. The bread is baked when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom (about 40-45 minutes). When baked, place on a wire rack to cool.
**Be careful not to over mix the dough because it will become very tough.
**If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice per 1 c milk and let stand for 5 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-03-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

I made these for work today, very yummy!

Cream Well:
1 c. butter (room temp)
1 c. brown sugar
¾ c. white sugar

Add:
2 eggs (room temp)
1 T vanilla
Cream for 4 minutes

Add:
3 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. soda

Blend mixture slowly and thoroughly
Add: 2 c. chocolate chips (I do lots more... probably over 3 cups, but that's me, eyeball it)
Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.

The BEST Carrot Cake.

2010-03-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

As promised to Darlene, here is my carrot cake recipe. Now, before you go and say that you don't like carrot cake, you have to try this one. This recipe has converted many a carrot cake hater, and I'm willing to bet that you'll love it too!

Carrot Cake

2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 c sugar
1 1/4 c canola oil
4 large eggs
3 c grated peeled carrots
1/2 c coconut

And for those that do love the nuts and raisins,
1 c coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 c raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom with waxed paper. Grease and flour the paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend. In a separate bowl, mix oil and sugar until well blended. Stir in carrots and coconut. (If using nuts and raising, add them now as well.)

Divide batter between pans. Bake layers about 40 minutes each, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off waxed paper and cool cakes completely.

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 bag powdered sugar (to taste)

Blend together. If too thick, add milk 1 tsp at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

**Note - I like to top it with chopped pecans (instead of putting them in the cake).

Breakfast in Heaven

2010-02-19T20:32:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure in heaven this is what breakfast will be:

Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 ¾ cup buttermilk (or milk with 4 tsp. vinegar/lemon juice)
2 Tbs. butter-melted
1 egg
¼ c. sour cream
3 Tbs. honey
-Combine dry and wet ingredients separately in 2 bowls, then add wet to dry.
Add more milk if needed.

Homemade Syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
-Place all ingredients except vanilla in large saucepan,bring to boil,boil for 7 minutes (mixture will foam) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

*I owe Christie Palmer credit for both recipes. She's my kitchen soul mate.

Tuscan Chicken

2010-02-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

3 ½ lb Chicken *flattened (I like to use chicken pieces, they cook faster)
Kosher Salt
1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 C Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 tablespoon minced Rosemary
Fresh ground black pepper

Sprinkle Chicken with Kosher Salt on each side.
Combined EVOO, Lemon Juice, Garlic, and Rosemary and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a glass bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and cover with mixture.

Add chicken and oil mixture to sauce pan and cook on medium heat until cooked through, it will take about 15 minutes.

Sushi Tuesday

2010-02-10T18:05:00.001-08:00

Adam and I started a new fun thing together: Sushi Tuesday. We love sushi-- who couldn't love fish and veggies with the health benefits of nori? Yum! Its pretty easy and something we can do together-- and we can do any fun combo when we do it ourselves without worrying about paying $12 a roll (more like $1/roll).

There are some specialty things that are needed to pull this off. First, a bamboo roller. I think I got one at whole foods for $2-- it is the tool used to make the sushi into a perfect roll. Also, nori-- you eat this as part of the sushi and I also got sheets of it at Whole Foods. The rest is fairly basic: Jasmine rice (cooks faster and is cheaper than other rices), sugar, typically rice vinegar but we have experimented with this too, veggies, fish, cheese or whatever else sounds good to you.

First- cook the rice. For Adam and I, we use 1.5 cups of uncooked rice and we get about 5 rolls out of this.

Second- If you have fish, I cook mine while the rice is simmering. We don't mess with the raw stuff here. We have used crab meat, cooked or smoked salmon, and shrimp. These are allllll good options!

While those two things are cooking, I spend some time slicing my veggies into long skinny rectangles. I always do English cucumbers (so not to worry about seeds) and avocado, but we also do carrots, radish, lime pieces (fruit is ok too...) and anything else we can find in the crispy drawer of the fridge.

By now the rice and fish should be ready and I take them off the heat. I sprinkle in my vinegar and sugar into the rice and mix it until it has a sticky consistency. I wish I could give measurements-- maybe for this much rice I would say 2-3 TBSP of both sugar and vinegar. Totally a guess. Anyway, that is all that is needed to make sticky rice! Its super easy. I have used rice vinegar which is great, but I also this time I tried a flavored vinegar (thanks to Carol-- its delicious!). There are a lot of flavors but I have tried pineapple and lime-- both amazing.

Once the rice is totally ready, I lay down a sheet of nori and spread a thin layer of sticky rice over it, leaving about 1/2 an inch at the top uncovered. Then I lay down my slices of fish and veggies and place the sheet on my bamboo roller. With the roller I can create a perfectly tight and round roll and then I slice into 6 or 8 even sized rolls. PS do not over fill them. It doesn't look like tons of food when you're sprinkling it in there, but dainty rolls are the best to eat, and if you want lots of food, just eat lots of dainty rolls, not a few massive ones. Its super fun and its a good way to get creative with dinner.

Tonight we made cooked salmon, cucumber, avocado, and pineapple flavored rice. Adam was obsessed and ate almost the whole batch himself (and that is a big deal because he's not a nori kind of guy)! I saw some with different veggies and meats and cheeses, but I haven't gone there yet... If we do I'll keep you posted! I am dying to try shrimp with lime and jalepeno and avocado. Doesn't that sound yummy??

And we did have some pictures of us making it to better outline the lesser known stuff I mentioned, but Adam's phone deleted every single picture off itself this weekend, so you only get one of our finished product from our most recent Sushi Tuesday. Enjoy!

Chocolate Frosting

2010-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

I used Allyson's yellow cake recipe and I used my own Chocolate frosting, in a word: AMAZING!

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1 cup softened butter
4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 ¼ cups baking cocoa
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Add enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

After I made the frosting I coarsely chopped up Pecans, applied the frosting to the middle layer, and then sprinkled with Pecans. Then I added the top layer of cake, frosted, and topped with more pecans as well as coarsely chopped milk chocolate chips. The pecans added an amazing flavor, Sam's only request was to add more next time.

(this is why I never take photos)

French Dip

2010-02-07T16:11:00.001-08:00

I just made this for dinner tonight. The recipe is from Liz Andrews, she made it for Ambyr when Am had Grace and I have been dreaming of it ever since. It's so easy, but who doesn't love a crock pot recipe?!
French Dip

1 large onion, sliced
3 lb. beef roast
½ c. water
1 pkg. au jus gravy mix (you can find this in the gravy isle at the market)
2 cans beef broth

1. place onion in cooker. Add roast
2. combine water and gravy mix, pour over roast
3. add broth
4. cook on low 10-12 hours
5. remove meat from liquid, let rest for 10 minutes, shred or slice

Oriental Chicken Thighs

2010-02-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

5 bone in skinless thighs
5 tsp. olive oil
1/3 c warm water
¼ c packed B Sugar
2 TB Orange Juice
2 TB Soy Sauce
2 TB Ketchup
1 TB White Vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ Tsp crushed red pepper
¼ Tsp Chinese Spice Powder (very important to the recipe do not omit!)

Hot cooked rice
Sliced green onions

In large skillet over medium heat brown chicken in oil for 18-20 minutes, until oil runs clear.

Combine water, b sugar, juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes, 5 spice powder, shake until sugar is dissolved, pour over chicken.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, uncover for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning occasionally.

*DOUBLE ALL SAUCE INGREDIENTS

Baked Pesto Chicken

2010-01-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

I love finding recipes that require ingredients that are already in the house (I hate last minute trips to the market). This recipe is so easy and delicious! I made it with brown rice and a salad.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup Refrigerated Pesto with Basil
3 sliced tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 400 F. Line baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
2. PLACE chicken and pesto in medium bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
3. BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Date and Nut Bread (Barefoot Contessa)

2010-01-19T18:55:00.001-08:00

* 2 cups coarsely chopped dates (10 ounces pitted)
* 1/3 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau or Triple Sec)
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 1 extra-large egg
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3 oranges)
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (3 ounces)

Directions

For the cream cheese spread:
nocoupons

* 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan.

Combine the dates and orange liqueur in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating only until combined. By hand, stir in the dates with their liquid, and the pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until just combined.

Slice the bread and serve with the orange cream cheese on the side for spreading.

Chicken Butternut Tagine

2010-01-15T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I made this yesterday and it was so yummy and Greg loved it (he usually doesn’t like new unusual things)! Even without all the things I left out it was so good and I also didn’t have couscous so I used the broth with some rice and it was good too.
Chicken-Butternut Tangine With Pistachio coucous
This is another delicious one from Cooking Light magazine
1 tablespoon of Olive oil
2 Cups chopped onion
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground Turmeric (didn’t have this)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth
8 ounces peeled cubed butternut squash
1/3 cup halved pitted picholine olives (didn’t use these either)
8 pitted dried plums, chopped (didn’t use these)
Fresh flat leaf parsley leaves (optional)
1. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 8 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in Cumin and next 7 ingredients (through chicken); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Stir in broth, squash, olives, and dried plums, bring to a boil. Cover reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 (or 15) minutes or until squash is tender. Garnish with parsley. Yield 4 servings (serving size 1 ¼ cups) Calories 309; fat 8.8g; protein 29.8g; fiber 5.2g

Pistachio couscous
Bring ¾ cup fat-free chicken broth to a boil in small sauce pan. Stir in ¾ cup uncooked couscous; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes; fluff with fork. Stir in 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind and ¼ cup chopped pistachios.

Apple Pie/Cobbler/Shortbread

2010-01-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

Not sure exactly what to call this besides delicious. I stole this recipe from my sister-in-law's boyfriend-- YUM! This is the kind of baking I like-- more of an art than a science. I made extra crust because it was super delicious, and make sure not to skimp on the sugar and honey because that is what makes the consistency perfect. It makes the juice from the apples gelatinize perfectly! Also, don't cut the apple slices too big or they don't cook through, and don't cut them too small because when they cook they shrink ;-)

Crust:
-1 cup flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 stick softened butter
-pinch of salt

Pie Filling:
-8 or 9 Golden Delicious apples, peeled/sliced
-1/2 cup sugar
-honey (maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons?)
-cinnamon (there isn't an exact amt, just to taste for both cinnamon and honey)

Mix apples + sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, then put into pie dish. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with more cinnamon -- both liberally. Mix the crust ingredients either by hand or in a Cuisinart until it becomes dough. Tear off little pieces, pat flat and spread over top of pie (when you cover the whole thing it will look like a cobblestone road, hence the "cobbler" but it tastes more like a shortbread). Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes or until golden. Make sure you put a sheet of tin foil on the oven floor in case of dripping sugar (but not over the top of the pie!). And that's it! Yum.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

2010-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

In honor of my darling husband's birthday, I'm finally posting this long awaited recipe. Tyler, now you don't have to wait for my next visit!

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. This cake is insanely good, and just as rich, so start with a small piece, a tall glass of milk, and invite over a lot of friends. The chocolate cake itself is the best chocolate cake I've ever had and would work in any chocolate cake recipe, or even plain without any frosting, so don't limit yourself to just this recipe! (And Ben thinks the frosting would make dog food taste good.) And now......

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
-1 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 cups water
-2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 eggs

-1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (optional - I haven't tried this yet, but I'd love to)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper. (Note: I only have 9 inch cake pans, which seem to be more common, and they work just fine.)

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Note: These cakes are very, very soft. Once cool, put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes and they'll be oh-so-much easier to work with. Don't worry, they'll defrost before you want to eat them. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)

4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating.)

Once the cake is fully frosted, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze. I like make the cake a day ahead up to this point and put it in the refrigerator over night. The next day you can put the glaze on it.

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. (Do this slowly!) Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Frosting

-10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
-1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
-5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
-2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze

-8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
-3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
-2 tablespoons light corn syrup
-1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy whipping cream

1. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

(Note: If you don't want to use the corn syrup, just increase the cream to 2/3 cup.)

Chicken Tamale Casserole

2010-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

This recipe is tasty and simple!

Ingredients

* 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
* 1/3 cup fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup egg substitute
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
* 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
* 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
* Cooking spray
* 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2010-01-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

My family has a tradition that on Christmas Eve we spend the whole day making all sorts of hours devours and then all evening eating them and watching Christmas movies. This year, as Ben helped me with the pies and cookies, I contemplated what my favorite cookie is. Chocolate chip cookies are kind of like apples. While good, even amazing sometimes, they are so common-place that I never really want to eat them. Snickerdoodles, Sugar cookies, and Oatmeal cookies are relatively common as well. (Although I'm pretty confident that I can make the best sugar cookies you've ever had.)

I guess I just get bored with these cookies too quickly for them to be my favorite. They don't keep me as excited as a "favorite" cookie should. My Banana Chocolate Chip cookies, on the other hand, never cease to amaze me. The cookies are so light and fluffy with just a hint of banana so it's not overpowering. Throughout the cookie there are these little bits of chocolaty goodness. I really can't get enough of them, whether it's the cookie or the dough. Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ c flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

4 mashed bananas (the kind you'd use for banana bread)
½ c evaporated milk

2/3 c shortening
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs

1/3 bag Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the mashed bananas and evaporated milk. In a third bowl or stand mixer, combine the shortening and sugar. Mix until blended and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Alternate combining the banana and flour mixtures until used, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. When both mixtures are incorporated, mix in the chocolate chips. (You can use more chocolate chips if you want, but they're not supposed to be too overpowering.) :)
Scoop out onto cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10-15 min. Cookies will remain colorless and soft. Remove from cookies sheet and cool on a rack. Devour.

**Note: tripling the batch uses a whole can of canned milk and one package of mini chocolate chips**

Warm Up with Zuppa!

2009-12-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Zuppa Tuscano

1 Ib Ground Italian Sausage
1 ½ tsp. Crushed Red Peppers
1 Large diced White onion
4 tbl. Bacon pieces
2 tsp. Garlic puree
10 cups water
5 Cubes chicken bullion
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 Ib Sliced russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ Bunch of Kale

1.Sautee Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat. Refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2.In same pan Sautee bacon, onion and garlic for app. 15 minutes or until onions are soft.
3.Mix together chicken bullion and water, then add to onion, bacon and galic. Cook until boiling.
4.Add potatoes and cook until soft, about 30 minutes.
5.Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sausage and add kale just before serving.

Greg and I don’t like this too spicy so we either use Italian sausage and no red pepper, or use regular sausage and red pepper. Use a big Sautee pan.
This is so yummy and perfect for a cold day. Also good with garlic bread sticks (like Olive Garden).

Yellow Layer Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

2009-11-29T01:14:00.000-08:00

Best Yellow Layer Cake

Yield: Two 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cake layers, and, in theory, 22 to 24 cupcakes, two 8-inch squares or a 9×13 single-layer cake

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Cooking note: Be sure that your sour cream is at room temperature before you make the frosting. Using cold sour cream will result in the chocolate seizing a little, leaving little bits (like chocolate chips!) throughout the frosting.

Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough to frost and fill a two layer 9-inch cake

15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double-boiler or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave for 30 seconds, stirring well, and then heating in 15 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted.) Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and if needed, add additional corn syrup in one tablespoon increments until desired level of sweetness is achieved.

Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again. However, I found that the frosting didn't seem to thicken up very well at all and was more runny than I expected.

Gullivers Corn

2009-11-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

This is another MUST HAVE for my Thanksgiving and Christmas feast. A family favorite. If all you know of creamed corn is the gross canned kind, give this a try. It is AMAZING. I promise everyone will ask for it every holiday. Believe me. When I show up to a celebration people are looking at me to make sure I've got this in tow. ;)

20 ounces frozen corn
8 ounces whipping cream
4 ounces whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch of white pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT butter and flour in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low and simmer for 5 minutes. In another (small) pot, melt butter and add flour. Add butter/flour mixture to corn and mix well. Remove from heat and serve.

Grandma Paul's Yams

2009-11-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

This is the most delicious recipe for doing your Thanksgiving Yams or Sweet Potatoes or whatever you prefer. Me? I prefer yams for their color...and I think that the color means that they are better for you. As for the way it tastes, you can't go wrong with either.

For this recipe there are two parts. There's the potato part which ultimately ends up with mashed potatoes. The second part is the candied pecan topping. This is what really makes the dish deliciousness.

I have to give the credit to my Grandma Paul for this one. She makes it every year and I can't celebrate a Thanksgiving or Christmas without it! I'm pretty sure my sisters feel the same! And since it's Thanksgiving I'd like to give my 'Thanks' to my handsome hubby and darling children. Everything else pales in comparison to them.

I ask that you read the entire recipe through before you begin. There are two parts here so you need to make sure you have ALL of the ingredients.

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

The yam/sweet potato mixture:
2 lbs yams or sweet potatoes
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

The pecan topping:
8 ounces (1 cup) chopped pecans
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter

Peel sweet potatoes or yams and cut into 1 inch cubes. Put the sweet potatoes or yams in a stockpot of water until it comes to a boil. When it comes to a boil turn it to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, mash and let stand for 15 minutes.

Combine yams/potatoes with the brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread into an 8 X 8 baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine pecans, brown sugar flour and butter. Spread over the top of the yams/potatoes.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Cranberry Pudding Cake

2009-11-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

1 c sugar
2 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 c evaporated milk
Pinch of salt
3 TBS melted butter or margarine

Mix & add 2 cups washed cranberries.
Place in 9x13 pan.
Cook @ 350’ until light brown.
Test w toothpick.
Remove from oven and cool.

Sauce:
1 c sugar
½ c evaporated milk
½ c butter
1 tsp vanilla
Place all ingredients in sauce pan, boil. Remove when it starts boiling.

Grandma's Brisket Recipe

2009-11-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

Ingredients-
Brisket
Brown Sugar
2 PK Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix
2 Bottles Heinz Chili Sauce
1 onion, sliced

First rub a little brown sugar on the brisket.
Cover the brisket with 1 packet of onion soup mix.
Cover it with one bottle of chili sauce.
Layer on about half of the sliced onion.
Sprinkle the 2nd packet of onion soup mix over top.
Cover it with the 2nd bottle of chili sauce.
Layer on the sliced onions.
(you have 2 layers of the same stuff happening here)

Cook in a crock pot on low for approximately 6 hours. I believe you can also cook it in the oven around 300' for 6 hours, make sure it is covered but I really like making it in the crock pot. It never dries out that way.

Note: The sauce makes for excellent gravy!

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

2009-11-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

I've been on a bit of a squash kick lately... Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque, Stuffed Acorn Squash and Wild Rice, Zucchini Spuma, Parmesan Spaghetti Squash, and the list goes on. I guess that's just what happens as the leaves change colors and the weather starts turning colder.
Well during this spree, I have discovered what may well be my favorite new squash recipe, featuring the Italian squash.... Zucchini!

Now, this is not a dessert, so don't let the words "zucchini" and "cheesecake" in the title gross you out. This is seriously amazing! Ben and I made this recently with some friends, served with Sage Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions and a yummy salad and it was a big hit. I found the recipe on the 101 cookbooks website and, due to lack of ingredients when I decided to make it, improvised a little bit. I am, however, giving you the original recipe.
Bon Appetit!

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

To shred the zucchini use a box grater - most micro planes are too fine, you want shredded zucchini, not mush. Feel free to play around with the "add-in" ingredients - for example, use whatever chopped herbs you like. I had dill on hand, and I like how it tastes with summer squash, so dill it was. I suspect anything from chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chives, to spices, chopped spinach, or corn could work here. Also, when I have the time and inclination I'll drain the ricotta through cheesecloth to get even more moisture out of the cake, but to be honest, most times I won't bother. Lastly, I use a springform pan here, but you could use an equivalent baking dish or deep tart pan as well.

2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan.

In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).

At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn't quite golden, I'll zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few sprigs of dill.

Serves 8.

Benihana's Salad Dressing

2009-11-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Yum, I love Benihana's Ginger salad dressing. So Greg’s been ordering Benihana's when he stays late at work, and I'm obsessed with the salad dressing its so good.
So I went online and found this recipe that claims to be from the restaurant, and well it’s pretty darn good. Let me know what you think.

Benihana’s ginger Salad

3/4 cup Chopped onion
3/4 cup Peanut oil
6 tablespoons Rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons Water
3 tablespoons Fresh chopped ginger root
3 tablespoons Chopped celery
3 tablespoons Soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoon Tomato paste
4 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
4 teaspoons Lemon juice salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until very smooth. Makes enough to fill a tupperware squeeze bottle. Refridgerate. Note...I found the 3 Tablespoons of fresh ginger root to be a little hot, so you might try using the chopped ginger in a jar because it is a little milder than the fresh. Also, you can add a little more soy sauce if you would like! It has the best flavor after it has been refrigerated a day or two.

Artichoke Dip (for non-mayonnaisers)

2009-10-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

I love artichoke dip, but the only food I hate in this world is mayonnaise (it is nasty but I must admit it can enhance things sometimes). I played with a few until I found the perfect dip with minimal mayo! Its not very scientific, but I've gotten excellent reviews from friends-- and actually it's even better the next day with some crusty bread, YUM!

I found this recipe on the Food Network but tweaked it a bit and included my adjustments first:

First I doubled the recipe. I used a jar of artichoke hearts and quartered them instead of frozen artichokes. Oh, and after I cooked the spinach I spent a while making sure it was COMPLETELY drained because otherwise I think it would make it kind of soupy and gross otherwise (other people in the reviews complained it was soupy and I think that is why). Also I skipped the red pepper flakes, and used fresh crushed garlic instead of the powder. I topped with Parmesan which I really liked to do-- the more cheese the better, right?Oh and then I baked it on 375 somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes, not exactly sure (keep an eye on it, but long enough for cheese to look all delicious).

Ingredients

1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach
11/2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts (you can chop, but the chunks are the best part!)
6 ounces good cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I probably used less, and only used it to cut the taste of the sour cream. I actually used low-fat too because I think its less offensive than the full fat stuff)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (I probably used like 3/4 c. instead, ha)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (fresh crushed sub)

Directions

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

Chicken Piccata (by the Barefoot Contessa)

2009-10-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of my cute cousins coming to dinner tonight, I am making Chicken Piccata. Ambyr shared this recipe with me and it quickly became a favorite in our home. Enjoy.

Chicken Piccata

4 split (2 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 extra large eggs
1 1/2 seasoned (or plain) dried breadcrumbs
good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
sliced lemon, for serving (I don't do this...)
chopped fresh parsley, for serving (I do do this;)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound it out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread-crumb mixtures.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the parchment paper covered sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the saute pan and cook the second 2 chicken breasts. Place them on the same sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5-10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each plate, spoon on the sauce, and serve with sliced lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Cooking/Baking tip

2009-10-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

Read through your recipe once or twice before you begin to cook or bake. Sometimes recipes will say something like mix batter, making sure not to over mix. The cook or baker will stop at mix without reading on and then realize they may have over mixed.

A lesson in compromise

2009-10-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

The other night, while trying to come up with yet another last minute dinner idea, Ben decided that he wanted waffles for dinner, but I was craving something more along the lines of a caramelized onion quiche. While flipping through my [many] cookbooks for the perfect waffle recipe, we both definitely found what we were looking for, albeit was somewhat unusual.

Husband's review: To review this recipe is like being asked to review what you thought about toilets and indoor plumbing when you were potty training; I was skeptical at first but I eventually came to love the wonder of seeing that water disappear to Neverland, or wherever it goes (just ask Luke, he knows what I'm talking about). I was hungry and I wanted my sweet, buttery, sugar filled waffles, and I wasn't going to hear it any other way. But, due to my kindness (and the fact that Allyson can beat me up), I allowed my wife a savory alternative. However, when she said onions and waffles in the same sentence, and kept a straight face, I thought I was going to bed hungry (Heather, stop laughing, sometimes I DON'T eat everything in sight). This being the case, you could imagine my surprise when she busts out with the most appetizing waffle I've ever seen without whipped cream, sugar or maple syrup af any kind. So, with that in mind, I challenge all of you to slap Aunt Jamima out of the way, cool your Canadian maple loving tendencies, and hold on to your butts as you try these savory grids of goodness. You're gonna like the way it tastes, I guarantee it. But you don't have to take my word for it, because now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Now you have a friend in the waffle business. (4 points if you can name all 4 of the sources of the quotes used)

I guess I should say that to me, cooking is more than a necessity or even a hobby. Cooking is a passion, I'm even tempted to say that to me, cooking is life. I think I scare Ben a little every once in a while, when I suggest something out of the ordinary. So, on top of my passion for cooking, I love cookbooks. Although I'm rather picky about which cookbooks I buy, I have cookbooks for anything and everything, from all over the world. Yes, in fact, I actually read them in my spare time. I'll attribute this recipe to possibly one of my favorite cookbooks, Michael Bauer's "The Secrets of Success Cookbook; Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco's Best Restaurants"

So without further ado, here's the long awaited recipe for caramelized onion waffles and lemon cream. The perfect combination of savory with a hint of tang and even the slightest kick. Something unexpected, but combines to create a perfect symphony of flavors.

Caramelized Onion Waffles and Lemon Cream
Waffles
3 Tbsp butter
2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c chopped fresh mixed herbs (such as parsley, thyme, chives, tarragon, and chervil) [I used 1 1/2 Tbsp mixed dried herbs - parsley, thyme, and tarragon]
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs at room temperature
1/3 c melted butter
Vegetable oil for greasing
**optional, 1/4 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon or gravlax

- Melt the 3 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until golden and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

- In a large bowl, combine the flour, herbs, baking powder, pepper, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the caramelized onions. The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy.

- Heat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions and brush the grill lightly with vegetable oil. Cook the waffles until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Brush the grill with oil between each waffle. Serve, topped with lemon cream.

**Optional: Place a waffle in the center of each plate and drape salmon on the waffles around the edges. Drizzle with lemon cream.

Lemon Cream
1 c sour cream
1/4 c whole milk
Zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

- Wisk the sour cream, milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl to blend. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

2009-09-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I have never really loved lasagna...sorry but it's true. I always knew it could be good. Well with this twist on the traditional dish I believe it is good. Forget ricotta and mozzarella. I want flavor! I have gotten nothing but rave reviews on this one. I promise you will fall in love with this recipe. It's easy and pretty quick.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs ground turkey
4 small 8 ounce cans tomato sauce (I use Hunts brand; two regular, two garlic flavored.)
8 ounces lasagna noodles
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
2 cups shredded extra sharp white cheddar
1 bag of spinach

Instruction:
Boil lasagna noodles and drain.
Saute spinach in olive oil. Drain excess juice and oil.
Brown turkey.

Combine spinach and turkey in a large bowl. Add tomato sauce and mix together.

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream.

Layer in 9x13 baking dish:
layer all of the noodles on the bottom of the casserole dish
½ turkey/spinach/tomato sauce mixture
cream cheese/sour cream mixture
½ turkey/spinach/tomato sauce mixture
sprinkle cheese on top

Bake uncovered at 350 degree for 30 minutes.

Let sit 5-10 minutes after removing from oven before serving.

Shower Food

2009-09-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

I threw a fall themed shower for a dear friend of mine, Molly. She is due with her little guy, Griffin, October 25 and we all couldn't be more excited! To celebrate his arrival we threw a couples baby shower-- fall themed to usher in the seasonal excitement in the most festive way possible!

Food-wise I obviously thought about butternut squash-- what could be more fall-ish?! Initially I planned on doing a soup, but I actually figured with this crowd a salad would be even better-- it did not disappoint!

Butternut Squash Salad With Apple Cider Dressing

1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (real stuff!)
salt
handful of dried cranberries
approximately 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
approximately 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
approximately 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, spring mix or whatever leafy greens, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted or glazed
(I also think a handful of pomegranate seeds would be awesome)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan and make sure chunks aren't too big. Toss with olive oil, the maple syrup, and salt. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, olive oil, and salt. ** This is what the formal recipe calls for-- I just eyeballed and added apple juice, apple cider vinegar, dijon, salt, and olive oil, mixed it and tasted until I liked the flavor. No boiling or anything, turned out delicious.

Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl and spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan (if desired). Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds if desired.

This turned out really well and was a perfect fall salad with a bunch of flavors that worked really well together!

Enjoy!

Gouda Mac N Cheese

2009-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

A spin on the Barefoot Contessa classic. Mac and Cheese is a staple in my home-- but we don't use the blue box around here. Thats like saying a bad word. (And it really is easy to make-- it just seems like a long recipe, but really its just because I am long winded...)

I like to make my mac n cheese from scratch-- so much better and soooo worth it! Originally I started experimenting with it when I tried Ina Garten's gruyere and cheddar macaroni and cheese, but now I toss in different cheese and try out texture changes with different noodles. Its really fun to come up with concoctions that really seem to work. I just finished making a gouda and white sharp cheddar mac and cheese and I have never been more pleased with the outcome. The great thing is that most of this stuff you always have around the house, with the exception of the gouda. Bear with me as I usually do everything to taste (measuring just means more dishes)! Also, this recipe is how much I make for just Adam and I and maybe one guest, double it for a bigger crowd.

A few tablespoons of flour (maybe 2 or 3 )
A few tablespoons of butter (equal to the amount of flour plus another 1 or 2 for breadcrumbs)
about 1 c. hot milk
1 c. white sharp cheddar (thats a really rough guess-- just keep adding until it tastes amazing-- same with the gouda)
1/2 c. to 1 c. gouda (and if you aren't a gouda person, try something else like gruyere or just double the cheddar)
a few cups of noodles (often I do macaroni, but if we have guests I use cavatappi because its so pretty, but sometimes hard to find at the store-- but use what you like! Penne, rotini, whatever)
about 1 c. bread crumbs (can use panko or make your own in the food processor from white bread)
2 roma tomatoes (optional)
salt

Throw the noodles in a pot of boiling water and cook according to directions on box. While noodles are cooking I work on the cheese sauce:

I start by making a roux and which I turn into a bechamel. This sounds really exciting because its fun french cooking terms, but its pretty basic-- mix one part fat with one part thickening agent over heat= a roux, and once you add the hot milk its a bechamel sauce. I like to use a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of flour. Cook over heat for about a minute. You want them to mix together and still be a little loose-- if they clump together add a little more butter, if it's super runny add a little more flour. After the minute, add the hot milk. Keep stirring over heat until you see the very cool transformation of runny milk to a beautiful rich and creamy milk substance. At this point you can remove from the heat and throw in the grated cheeses. Mix them well-- the hot milky sauce should melt the cheese pretty easily. Salt to taste.

Drain noodles and immediately add them to the cheese sauce. For my lunch-- I usually just stop here and toss a couple sliced tomatoes on top and call it a day (I like mine gooey and cheesy but baking it, which Adam prefers, will firm that up a little). For guests, I put it in a baking dish. If I have tomato eaters, I slice a roma tomato really really thin and do a single layer of that over the top with a tiny bit more salt to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes--if not I skip it. I mix bread crumbs with enough melted butter to moisten them (1 or 2 tblspns) and then evenly distribute over the macaroni and tomatoes. I bake it on 400 for about 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs get all golden and crunchy.

Make sure you eat it hot otherwise the breadcrumbs will turn from an awesome crunch to a soggy mess. This dish is a crowd pleaser for sure and I am loving the discovery of the gouda addition. You will never be sad about making this deliciousness.

Enjoy!

AMBYR CASSEROLE

2009-09-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 pound broccoli florets, cooked
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 scoops of mayonnaise
1 squeeze of Lemon Juice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350' degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake chicken until tender and shred into bite size pieces.
Steam broccoli until crisp but tender.
In a small bowl mix together the soup, mayonnaise, and one squeeze of lemon juice.
In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer the chicken, broccoli, soup mixture, and cheese.
Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes.

Serve over rice!

Artichoke Dip

2009-09-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

2 (6.5 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and chile peppers. Transfer the mixture to a 9x9 inch baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned

Fried Ice Cream

2009-09-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

I like to think that I can just randomly make things taste good regardless of how much of something I am supposed to add. Kind of dumb, but usually my results are pretty good anyway. The problem is I don't know how to recreate these inventions on a foodie blog.

This recipe was stolen from my friend Molly. Its good. I didn't pay attention to measurements-- but its dessert, people! Just add however much tastes delicious!

All you need is:
either Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes
Cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla Ice Cream (I guess you can actually do whatever you want, but its good with vanilla, especially with the chocolate sauce I will post next!)

sprinkle in plenty of cinnamon and sugar and toss in a bunch of Corn/Frosted Flakes in a medium mixing bowl. Mix and smash so the pieces of cereal are little and broken.

(get ready to get messy!) Take about a cup of Ice Cream (use a scoop, spoon, whatever, but your hands are going to get nasty anyway so you might as well use those-- and please make sure they are clean!) and mold it into a ball with your hands. Toss it into the cinnamon/sugar/cereal bowl and cover with yummy crunchy little flakes. Set on a piece of parchment/foil/Tupperware (anything you have will pretty much work, it doesn't really stick)
in the freezer until all the way frozen through again (about an hour).
6 people for dessert? Make 6 balls. Easy.

And I LOVE my new Anthro bowls-- they are the perfect size for this. Can't wait to have guests over to serve it in them (read: come over so I can make this again right now!!)
Enjoy!

Don't Be Appalled...

2009-09-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

You'll love it--but you're not going to like it! Just ignore how many ridiculous ingredients you're putting in, and keep in mind it tastes so amazing because of what you're tossing in the pot. Plus this makes so much you'll make it once and have leftovers in your freezer for the next 27 years.

Chocolate Sauce
(perfect for over the fried ice cream, as fondue for girls night, or just with a spoon! Ha)

Melt Together:

12 oz bag of chocolate chips (I like the good stuff: Ghirardelli--but use whichever you like, and I would do a double boil so I don't burn the chocolate)

1 c margarine

add alternately:

2 2/3 cup evaporated milk (although we used sweetened condensed milk on accident-- still good!)

1 lb powdered sugar

Add:

2 tsp vanilla

1 (7oz) jar marshmallow creme

Bring all ingredients to a boil; stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Makes a ton. Lasts for about 3 to 4 weeks in refrigerator and freezes well.

I drizzle about 1 or 2 tablespoons of the stuff over the fried ice cream. YUM!

Cheese

2009-08-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick tip:
Since relocating to Arizona I have noticed my cheese has been going bad faster than usual. Maybe the cheese in California is fresh and we import cheese in Arizona, which would limit the shelf life (my assumption). Our refrigerator is definitely cold enough; ask the frozen carrots and the slushy water, they’ll tell you. What I have been doing to prevent this unwanted mold is I keep my cheese in the freezer. Shredded cheese breaks apart very easily as does sliced cheddar. My cheese now keeps for a very long time and I don’t have to throw cheese away, which can get expensive.

Chicken and Broccoli Cheese Soup

2009-08-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 cooked chicken breasts

4 c chicken broth

4 c broccoli (chopped into small pieces)

¾ c butter

¾ c flour

1 quart half and half

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook 2-3 chicken breasts and chop into small pieces (boiled chicken might work well)

2. Bring 4 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add broccoli, simmer 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. White Sauce: Melt butter in a sauce pan. Whisk in flour until smooth over medium heat. Pour in half and half. Stir until it thickens, then gradually add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

4. Bring broccoli and broth to a simmer again and slowly pour in the white cheese sauce. Continue to stir until thickens. Add some coarse black pepper.

5. Add cooked chicken, and heat until chicken is warm again.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2009-08-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Recipe Courtesy of The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

Recipe goes like this:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa powder(I like dark chocolate)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and two sugar until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper, in rounded scoops. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

My advice on this one:
Follow the recipe exactly as it says. Unsalted butter, room temp. items and all. The details really do make the difference.

Sweet Potato Frites with Spicy Ketchup

2009-08-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

These make for a yummmmmy little side dish that Adam and I are now addicted to. A great way to get those good vitamins from a sweet potato without all the sugar of our Gramma's delicious holiday yam recipe. The spicy ketchup sends the fries just right over the top-- the combo is amazing.

For just Adam and I, we use one sweet potato-- but the recipe calls for 5.

Slice the potatoes into fry sized cuts-- I like mine long and skinny, some like them like steak fries, totally your preference.

Put fries in a bowl and pour a little olive oil (only enough to coat the yams) and a few pinches of salt. Toss them around until totally coated.

Lay them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer

Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until golden-- then pull out, flip and put back in for another 10-15 minutes.

While the fries are baking, put several tablespoons of ketchup in a small serving bowl and mix with a few splashes of Tabasco.

When the fries finish, let cool and dip in spicy ketchup. The fries should be just the right amount of crunchy, soft and chewy. The natural sweet flavor of the sweet potato with the salty olive oil coating dipped in the spicy ketchup is sooo delicious!

Enjoy!

CPK dough recipe

2009-08-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Makes dough for two 9-inch pizzas. We mixed by hand quadrupled the recipe and had to add a little more "yeast water" to make the dough a little more tacky. We didnt have a pizza stone or cornmeal so instead we used "pizza pans" and flour. The pizzas still turned out great.

Basic Pizza Dough:
1 teaspoon yeast
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
(105-110 degrees F)
1 ½ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

To make the dough:
1. Dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure that the water is not hot; temperatures of 120° F and above will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise.

2. If using an upright electric mixer, such as a KitchenAid, use the mixing paddle attachment because the batch size is too small for the dough hook to be effective. Combine all other ingredients (except one teaspoon of olive oil) and combine them with the dissolved yeast in the mixing bowl. (Do not pour the salt directly into the yeast water because this would kill some of the yeast.) Allow these 2 ingredients to mix gradually; use the lowest 2 speeds to mix the dough. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Over mixing will produce tough, rubbery dough, and friction will cause dough to rise too fast.

3. If mixing by hand, place the dry ingredients in a 4 to 6-quart mixing bowl; make a well in the middle and pour the liquids (reserving a teaspoon of olive oil). Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. Once initial mixing is done, you can lightly oil your hands and begin kneading the dough; knead for 5 minutes. When done, the dough should be slightly tacky (that is, it should be barely beyond sticking to your hands).

4. Lightly oil the dough ball and the interior of a 1 quart glass bowl. Place the dough ball in the bowl and seal the bowl with clear food wrap; seal air tight. Set aside at room temperature (70-80° F) to rise until double in size; about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

5. Note: The dough could be used at this point, but it will not be that wonderful, chewy, flavorful dough that it will become later. Punch down the dough, re-form a nice round ball and return it to the same bowl; cover again with clear food wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight covered airtight.

6. About 2 hours before you are ready to assemble your pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Use a sharp knife to divide the dough into 2 equal portions (or 4 equal portions if making appetizer-sized pizza or if smaller 6-inch pizzas are desired).

7. Roll the smaller dough into round balls on a smooth, clean surface; be sure to seal any holes by pinching or rolling.

8. Place the newly formed dough balls in a glass casserole dish, spaced far apart for each to double in size. Seal the top of the dish air-tight with clear food wrap. Set aside at room temperature until the dough balls have doubled in size (about 2 hours). They should be smooth and puffy.

To stretch and form the dough for pizza:
1. Sprinkle a medium dusting of flour over a 12x12-inch clean, smooth surface. Use a metal spatula or dough scraper to carefully remove a dough ball from the glass casserole dish, being very careful to preserve its round shape. Flour the dough liberally. Place the floured dough on the floured smooth surface.

2. Use your hand or rolling pin to press the dough down forming a flat circle about 1/2-inch thick. Pinch the dough between your fingers all around the edge of the circle, forming a lip or rim that rises about 1/4-inch above the center surface of the dough. You may continue this outward stretching motion of the hands until you have reached a 9-inch diameter pizza dough.

To dress the pizza:
1. Lightly sprinkle cornmeal, semolina or flour over the surface of a wooden pizza peel. Arrange the stretched dough over the floured peel surface. Work quickly to dress the pizza so that the dough won’t become soggy or sticky from the sauces and toppings.

2. When you are ready to transfer the pizza to the pizza stone in the preheated oven, grasp the handle of the peel and execute a very small test jerk to verify that the pizza will come easily off the peel. If the dough doesn’t move freely, carefully lift the edges of the dough and try to rotate it by hand. Extreme cases may require that you toss more flour under the dough edges.

3. Once the dough is moving easily on the peel, open the oven and position the edge of the peel over the center of the stone about 2/3 from the front of the stone. Jiggle and tilt the peel to get the pizza to start sliding off. When the pizza begins to touch the stone, pull the peel quickly out from under it. Don’t attempt to move the pizza until it has begun to set (about 3 minutes). The peel can be slid under the pizza to move it or remove it.

Cilantro Chicken

2009-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for another way to cook all of that frozen chicken in your freezer you can always try this. It's incredibly flavorful, quick and healthy. Isn't that what we all want? Note: you must like cilantro! Apparently there are people who don't like cilantro. Crazies.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup lime juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
4-6 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together and put into a Ziploc bag with chicken. Let marinate a minimum of 30 minutes or up to overnight. Grill 4-6 minutes on each side.

Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes :)

2009-08-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

These are the best cupcakes of life! The Magnolia Bakery is one place I insist on visiting whenever I find myself in New York. I highly recommend the bakery in New York and if you can't get there, make these at home in the mean time.

The cupcake:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, on at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes (depending on the size of your cupcake papers and muffin tins).

The icing:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set of chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes enough for 2 dozen cupcakes.

My advice: Always follow the recipes instructions when it says "at room temp." or "softened" or "don't over beat" and the like. These little details are what make the recipe better than the rest. That and the butter...

What can I say, I LOVE muffins...

2009-08-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well know I have a slight obsession with Ina Garten and her amazing recipes. Why, you might ask? Well, I've yet to make something of hers that I don't LOVE. And those who know me well know that I am an old faithful. If I find something that I like I will keep coming back for more. So, you will find a lot of Barefoot Contessa recipes from me. I'll just say it now and get it over with, you're welcome...

Tri-Berry Muffins
by Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa at Home

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups milk
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups sugar*
1 cup walnuts, chopped**

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir with your hand to be sure the ingredients are combined. In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, pour the wet mixture into the well, and stir until just combined. There will be some lumps but don't over mix the batter! Add the blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and sugar and stir gently to combine.

Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop***, spoon the batter into the muffin cups and fill the liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned.

Makes 16-18 muffins

*It's important that you add the sugar last and don't over mix as the directions say. See the pictures above. Just trust me.
**The walnuts are my own personal upgrade to this already fab-o recipe. Walnuts are so good for you and they taste amazing in here. You can also add flax seed and other healthy stuff to feel better about all of the butter and sugar. I don't let it bother me...
***The ice cream scoop thing really makes this step easy. Invest in a good one. You will not regret it.

Enjoy!!

Sunday Afternoon

2009-08-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

It seems like Sunday afternoons once we get home from church we are hungry and need something delicious and easy! As I do my grocery shopping on Mondays, we are usually low on fresh stuff by Sunday-- so we have a few reliable things we always fall back on, Adams favorite it naan pizza.

I would pick up some naan bread (regular is amazing, but usually I opt for whole wheat) from Whole Foods or Trader Joes (and now I feel like most grocery stores have it too). I like the Trader Joes the best because of the shape-- perfect for individual and easily eatable pizzas!

Also I either stew some tomatoes or more often I buy a jar of good pasta sauce (Archer Farms from Target or Trader Joes brand are both great, and I prefer pasta sauce to pizza sauce for this) and pour a little one top of each piece of naan. After the sauce, I layer on some mozzarella cheese (and I would tell you amounts but its is much more effective to use your judgement than dirty a bunch of measuring cups).

Once the staples are taken care of the fun part starts. Usually Adam is happy with cheese (or maybe salami/pepperoni on top) but I try something different each time. Occasionally I crumble goat cheese with fresh basil on top, or sauté squash and zucchini and layer that on there. I have also done cooked spinach, fresh tomato slices (has to be a really good ripe tomato), mushrooms, and garlic. Yum. The bottom line is-- the options are endless.

After it is topped with all of this deliciousness, I pop it in the oven on broil. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes to cook and watch it (I check on it about every minute) because it cooks really fast! You just want the cheese to be totally melted together and maybe a little bubbly.

The naan is a great base because it is such a tender bread. Its really doughy and delicious, and the extra bonus on top of the awesome flavor is how easy and fast it is to make! I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, and I buy naan and keep it in the freezer till I am ready to use it. This takes about 5-10 minutes total to make.

Enjoy!

Couples Sleepover

2009-08-11T20:10:00.001-07:00

We had a hilarious weekend full of fun, friends, and food! We had 8 friends sleep over on Friday night (a full house was a welcome change!). I loved every minute of it as we cooked up a storm and had massive amounts of girl talk as the boys had many battles of strength and stealth. A big request by the end of the weekend was the recipe for a pasta dish I made the night everyone arrived-- So easy and a yummy summer dish!

It takes about 20 minutes and is a big crowd pleaser...

Lemon Fusilli
(Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa, of course)

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons (I didn't use that much lemon because Adam doesn't love it)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli (I didn't add this)
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken (but don't wait for it to get thick, that won't happen). While its thickening cook the pasta (details below)...

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside. **I omitted the broccoli-- I don't think it needed it**

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula (the arugula will wilt from the heat), Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli (if used). Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot (I didn't add the lemon slices either).

Side note: I doubled the recipe and that was more than enough for a house full of 10 people and the leftovers were still yummy the next day! Perfect to drop at someone's house as a meal-- just add a little cooked salmon, shrimp, or chicken!

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Bar

2009-08-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

2 Cups Chunky Peanut Butter
1 Cup Melted Butter
1 Pound Powdered Sugar (3 3/4 cups)
1 package Graham Crackers

Mix all ingredients together.
Push into bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Refrigerate.
Melt approximately 12 oz. of milk chocolate (or a mix of milk chocolate and semi-sweet!) and spread on the top. Refrigerate again.

Heather’s Yummy Rolls

2009-07-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

If you haven't tried my garlic rolls, you are missing out. The topping is optional for those of you who are more into putting butter and honey on your rolls. Or you can do what I do and make some with the topping, and some without.

Heather’s Yummy Rolls

Dough Ingredients:
5 1/4 cups white unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1 1/2 rounded Tablespoon instant yeast (rapid rise)
1 1/2 Tablespoon liquid lecithin (you can find it at any health food store or sub w vegetable oil)
2 cups hot water

Garlic Topping Ingredients:
1/2 c. Butter (1 stick) Softened
1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese

1/2 c. Mayonnaise (do NOT sub with low-fat, non-fat or Miracle Whip; they are sick)
Minced Garlic, added to preference
Dried Parsley Flakes
(note: I never said this was a healthy topping)

Directions:
Preheat over to 350'
Mix dry ingredients.
Add lecithin(or oil) and water.
Mix for 1 minute, check consistency.

If dough is too dry, add more water.

If dough is too moist, add more flour.
Mix in mixer with kneading hook for five minutes, or knead by hand for ten minutes, most of the time I do a bit of both.
Roll dough into balls about half the size you want your rolls to be.

Allow dough to rise for 20 minutes.

While dough is rising, mix all topping ingredients together, less parsley flakes, in a small mixing bowl.
When dough is finished rising, scoop garlic mixture onto dough, sprinkle with parsley flakes (for aesthetics).
Bake at 350' for 10-12 minutes on the center rack of the oven; check the bottom to make sure it is a golden color.

Enjoy!

Espeecy Spicy Spaghetti

2009-07-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

I imagine Chef Pisghetti from Curious George saying this ;-)

This one is fast (especially if you already made the homemade sauce from my last post! Or Prego works too...) and easy but a little more fun than the old staple:

Coarse salt
1 pound pasta (use penne, bow ties, or whatever floats your boat)
2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce *cough cough* the one from my last post...
1 long red chili, cut into quarters (remove seeds if you don’t want it too spicy)
Olive oil
about 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino cheese (I like to use my zester for realllly fine cheese. It has a great texture)

Set a large pot of water on to boil and season with a few big pinches of salt and a little olive oil. Boil the pasta for two minutes less than the package tells you to. At the same time on another burner, heat the tomato sauce with the pieces of chili in a large frying pan over low heat to infuse the chili into the sauce. (Reserve some of boiling water from your pasta pot just in case) But drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan with the tomato sauce. Stir the pasta and sauce together with a little olive oil and let it cook on low heat for two minutes, (this is where you add a little of the reserved pasta water if you want to thin it out a little). You want the pasta to be just coated by the sauce, not swimming in it. Turn off the heat, remove the pieces of chili, stir in the pecorino and serve.

I actually also just like to cook up the sauce as it says (without adding the pasta) and pour it over angel hair pasta (fully cooked) and top it with the cheese.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

2009-07-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Pretty easy and definitely worth it... And any opportunity to use some of the leaves off of my beautiful basil plant is something I look forward to! I have experimented making my own sauce and I really like this one that I found and adapted. Its delicious-- and one of the only ones I have found that doesn't include tomato paste (which I do not like in my sauce!)!

In a large saucepan, slowly cook six cloves of thinly sliced garlic in a couple tablespoons of olive oil for five minutes over low heat. Add a couple fresh basil leaves and stir for a minute. Add two 28-ounce cans of whole, peeled tomatoes along with their juice and two more whole basil leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil, turn down the heat, season with salt and let it bubble away on low heat for 45 minutes. If the chunks are too big for you-- mash them up, chop them up, or stick it in a blender, but I love me a few steamy tomato chunks.

Cool and refrigerate.

(and to turn it into a yummy vodka sauce I want to stir in some cream cheese-- yuuuum)

This sauce is simple and pure, just the way it should be.

Yields: A LOT ;-)

Enjoy.

Make Any Italian Feast More Exciting With These...

2009-07-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Parmesan Crisps

The way you want it is crispy on the outside and a little chewy in the middle. Practice before you go serving this to a house full of guests-- but would be so cute in a little basket as an appetizer for a dinner party. Yum.

TIME: 5 minutes

1 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese (use the biggest holes on a box grater)

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Evenly space tablespoonfuls of parmesan on a large nonstick or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Using a small spoon or your fingers, spread the parmesan so that each small pile becomes a thin circle roughly 3" in diameter. Bake for exactly five minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling and light golden brown. Be sure not to brown them too much or they will taste bitter. Let the crisps cool a minute, then slip a thin spatula or dinner knife underneath each one and remove to a rack to cool completely before serving.

1 Cup should yield about 4 servings.

Enjoy.

Homemade Tartar Sauce and Basic Baked Salmon

2009-07-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is an easy one. I tried this one day as a topping for salmon and loved it. I prefer dill pickle relish as I hate the sweet taste of sweet pickle relish.

Tartar Sauce
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of dill pickle relish
stir it up

As for preparing my salmon, I go pretty basic. But since some people (I used to be one of them) don't even know where to begin to make good salmon I'll document my process here.

Baked Salmon
Preheat oven at 450 degrees. Put salmon on a baking sheet and rub generously on both sides with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 5 minutes and turn salmon over. Bake another 3-5 minutes. Top with homemade tartar sauce and serve.

I serve this to my family once a week since it is so easy and the salmon is so good for you. Try it and I bet it will become a staple in your house as well!

Healthy "Butter"

2009-07-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

I love how Luke calls every kind of creamy topping "butter." It could be Ambyr's amazing tarter sauce (which you should put on here), cream cheese, or frosting. Doesn't matter, its all delicious and its all butter to him (even though tarter sauce is a far cry from frosting. Imagine getting them confused)!

Anyway, I concocted my own yummy topping, and what Luke might consider butter, and what Tyler might consider healthy sauce, I would otherwise call it Avocado Crema. I personally think it tastes better and is actually probably quite healthy (I kid you not). I usually serve it along side some yummy light fish (last night I did it with pan fried mahi-mahi, a couple weeks ago I served it with grilled Tilapia).

1/2 avocado
2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt
(I have used 0,2, and 4%-- all work fine, depends on how you like it)
juice of half a lemon
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
salt to taste

I really mash up the avocado until it is creamy, you can whip it or mash with a fork, doesn't matter. Just make sure its not lumpy.

Add all other ingredients and mix well
(I like the thicker consistency, some may like it thinner-- in that case add a tablespoon of milk)
serves 2 big eaters (like me) or 4 nibblers (*cough* adam *cough*)

This stuff is goooood. My husband doesn't like any kind of sauce, but he covers his fish in this stuff and devours it. Also perfect for burritos, drizzled over grilled shrimp, fish tacos, quesadillas, or even on burgers!

Enjoy

basil burgers

2009-07-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

So before I became a vegetarian I ate my weight in hamburgers while living in New York. We found several burger places we loved, The best being Westville, yum! and the runner up would definitely be Shake Shack, I thought their veggie burgers were to die for. We also loved the burgers at Lovin' Cup in Williamsburg, Brookyln. Shake Shack is actually so popular there is a camera set up on their website for people to check the line before you go, and the new phenomenon this summer is people stand in line and sell their spots when they get close to the front! Kind of worth it when the wait is an hour long, which is not uncommon. Anyway, sadly I grew a little burger obsession just before I kicked the beef for good. Now I dream about them (a little creepy but true). The other night I dreamed of a burger recipe and I will need one of my meat eating friends to try it out and tell me if my suspicions are correct.

Take the ground meat and mix in some freshly chopped basil (or even homemade pesto if you're really ambitious)
Make two thin patties, and lay a chunk of goat cheese (I'm telling you, I'm obsessed with this stuff) on one patty and lay the other patty on top. Press the sides of the patties together until it is one large patty with the cheese inside.
Grill the burger
Use a Portuguese muffin as the bun.
(I'm thinking there are no necessary condiments for this yummy thing, but sautéed onions or sun-dried tomatoes would be delicious too:-)

I dream up recipes, and I dream about this place daily. I miss living 100 yards away from this delicious and fun little neighborhood gem! Girls trip to NY anyone?!

Another cookie recipe...

2009-07-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Cooking Light magazine

½ Cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
½ Cup packed brown sugar
¼ Cup butter, softened
¼ Cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 ¼ Cups all-purpose flour
2 Cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add egg; beat well.
3. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to banana mixture in bowl; beat with mixer until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Baking at 350 for 18 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Yield: 2 dozen.

This cookie is so yummy and somewhat healthy, hope you love it too!

Goat Cheese Please

2009-07-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

A current obsession:

Goat Cheese.

I want it on everything and this has led to a recent lunch creation that I have craved each day since the first day I made it. The total time it takes to make it is as long as it takes your noodles to boil (8 min?).

Barilla Multigrain Plus Thin Spaghetti (don't know why, it really does taste better in this dish than regular white flour pasta)
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
garlic
fresh basil
olive oil
goat cheese

First I boil water and cook the pasta (and I always add salt to the water). While the pasta is boiling, I heat up some olive oil in a pan and put a little goat cheese on the bottom of the bowl I will serve in. Once the oil in the pan is hot, I add in the tomatoes (which I halved) with a little salt. After they get good and hot, I add a little crushed garlic and my basil and toss it around. After another thirty seconds or so, its ready. I drain my noodles and put them in my goat cheesey bowl, throw my tomato basil concoction on top of the pasta and then fork a few (or a lot...) of goat cheese crumbles on top. Salt to taste. Its amazing (and healthy/super filling).