Dinner With the Bickfords

Clinton Street Baking Company's Black & White Cake

2011-12-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin? In a chocolate cake? Sounds weird. omg. It's totally delicious! You don't taste the pumpkin at all, it's just used to keep the cake moist and dense. And what a great job it does. This cake is not your fluffy, spongy, i-can-crush-this-thing-into-a-ping-pong-ball-sized-piece-of-cake cake. It's heavy. Thick. Dense. Chocolatey. and delicious. It sounds like a lot of ingredients, but it was pretty straight forward and easy to make. I only made one change, to the amount of milk in the frosting. Mine didn't need more than 1/4 cup, even though the recipe calls for 1/2 a cup. Add it slowly, in case you don't need all the milk. You don't want runny frosting!

Original Recipe Here

Ingredients

Cake

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
½ cup whole milk (I only used about 1/4 cup)

Chocolate Glaze

½ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup semisweet chocolate chunks (52–62% cacao)

Directions

Make the Cake

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and yolk and combine. Whisk the remaining dry ingredients together, in a separate bowl. Whisk the pumpkin puree together with the buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl. Alternate mixing dry ingredients with the pumpkin mixture into the egg mixture. Start with dry and end with wet. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool and unmold.

Make the Frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter together until soft. Add the confectioners' sugar, blending in 1 cup at a time. Add the milk slowly, as needed, and mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Make the Glaze

Heat the heavy cream, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate until it is completely melted, mixing gently with a rubber spatula until the glaze is smooth.

Assemble the Cake

Slice each cake in half with a long serrated knife to create 4 thin layers. Place 1 bottom layer on a cake plate. Ice the top with 3 to 4 tablespoons frosting and repeat with the remaining layers. You will have a 4-layer unfrosted cake. Then use a cake spatula to mask the top and sides until the cake is evenly frosted. Set it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the fridge and pour the chocolate glaze over the center of the cake until the top is covered and the glaze runs over the sides, still showing some frosting. Let the glaze set and serve.

Gnocchi with Kale & Squash

2011-09-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes straight out of FoodNetworkMagazine and it's delicious! Just a few ingredients, minimal effort, and about 20 min of cooking time. Perfect for a busy weeknight. I added 1/2 an onion, diced, and left out the sage, as that's not one of our favorite spices. Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
1 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi
3/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, stirring, until slightly soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Add the chicken broth to the skillet. When it starts to simmer, stir in the kale and cook until it wilts slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the gnocchi, stirring to coat. Cover and cook until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan; transfer to the broiler and cook until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Chinese Beef with Broccoli

2011-06-08T04:32:00.001-07:00

This is better than takeout! It's SO easy and tastes better than our local Chinese restaurant. I used skirt steak instead of flank, because our store was out of flank steak. It took about 30min to prepare and was plenty to feed 2 people with leftovers for lunch. The original recipe is from FoodNetworkMagazine and I only made some slight changes - omitted the red peppers, used skirt steak instead of flank, and added a dash of cayenne at the end for some kick.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
5 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 thin slices peeled ginger
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 large onion, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large bowl. Add the steak and toss to coat; refrigerate until ready to cook.
Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon each cornstarch and soy sauce, the oyster sauce and chicken broth in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the ginger, broccoli and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Heat 1 more tablespoon peanut oil in the skillet, add the onion and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, turning gently, 2 minutes. Transfer the onion and tomatoes to the plate with the broccoli.
Reduce the heat to medium high; add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and steak and stir-fry 1 minute. Whisk the sauce mixture, then add to the skillet and simmer 1 minute. Return the vegetables to the skillet; cook until the meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired.

Definitely not the best picture, but I forgot to snap one before putting the leftovers in a container! Oh well.

Panda Express Orange Chicken

2011-05-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

This recipe looks daunting, and time consuming, but it's really fairly simple. I've tried a few other "copycat" recipes for orange chicken and none seemed authentic, until this one. I think it's a dead ringer for the real deal! The only changes I made were to double the orange zest, and add some crushed red pepper to the sauce for some heat. Otherwise, it was delicious, as is. Oh, I also used thinly sliced onions instead of green onions, because I didn't have any green ones on hand.

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast meat
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups vegetable oil to be used for frying
1 cup cornstarch

Orange Sauce

1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated orange peel (I doubled this)
2 tablespoons chopped scallion (I used 1/4 thinly sliced onion instead)

Directions

Cut chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes, set aside.
To make marinade – combine egg white, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir vigorously until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add chicken cubes to marinade and stir to coat well.
To make orange sauce – combine water, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, 4 teaspoons cornstarch and sesame oil; stir and set aside. Place a pot over high heat. When pot is hot, add the 2tablespoons vegetable oil and heat. Add orange peel and scallion and stir for about 20 seconds, taking care not to burn the orange peel.
Pour combined sauce ingredients into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 12-15 minutes.
Preheat 4 cups oil to 350-375°F. Meanwhile, put marinated chicken in the plastic baggie containing the cornstarch. Shake chicken well for about 20 seconds or until chicken is covered with cornstarch. Shake off all excess cornstarch and fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown, approximately 2 1/2 minutes. Remove chicken from oil with a slotted spoon, drain well and set aside. Add fried chicken to pot with heated orange sauce, stir for about 30 seconds, and then serve immediately.
Serve with steamed rice.

Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

2011-03-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. Someone sent me this recipe and how could I resist?! Oreo? Chocolate chip cookies? Together? Sign me up! They were SO easy to make. I made them while Lily napped and only had about 45 min to prep, mix, bake and taste test one. They are quite rich, as it's 3 cookies in 1 (1 Oreo, and 2 choc chip cookies), but they're delicious anyway. Grab a glass of milk, a cold Diet Coke, or whatever your beverage of choice is. You'll need something to wash these down with.

Original recipe from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Double Stuff Oreo cookies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Swanson Turkey Chili

2011-03-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

I can't take credit for this recipe, as it's actually from Swanson, but it's simple and delicious, so I had to post it! With just a few canned ingredients and fresh ground turkey, you can make chili in less than an hour. The only changes I made were to add a can of diced tomatoes (drained), and some spicy sausage, but only because I had some leftover and didn't know what else to use it for.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup Thick & Chunky Salsa
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
my addition: 1 can diced tomatoes, drained

Directions

Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook until the turkey is well browned, stirring often.
Stir the broth, salsa, sugar, beans, corn and diced tomatoes in the saucepot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 30-45 minutes until thick.

Thai Basil Stir-Fry

2011-01-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of the better stir fry's we've made. It definitely tastes like takeout, and it's pretty easy to make. FYI - Oyster sauce and fish sauce can be found in the International aisle of your grocery store.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
sesame oil for frying
4 cups cooked jasmine rice, chilled
6 large cloves garlic clove, crushed
Sriracha hot sauce (comes in a big red bottle) or crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups frozen bell peppers
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cups basil (remove leaves from stem, but don't chop)

Directions

Whisk together the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Add the garlic and serrano peppers (or crushed red pepper), stirring quickly. Stir in the chicken, bell pepper, onion and oyster sauce mixture; cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Raise heat to high and stir in the chilled rice; stir quickly until the sauce is blended with the rice. Use the back of a spoon to break up any rice sticking together.
Remove from heat and mix in the basil leaves.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

2010-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Chicken wings are on sale! That's great, but I hate deep frying them because it's just such a pain to clean the oil afterwards and whatnot. You'd never know these were baked, instead of fried, they taste just as good as the "real deal." This was super easy to make and delicious. My best advice is to dry the wings with paper towels before dredging them in the flour mixture. This will help them come out nice and crispy instead of soggy. We dipped them in blue cheese dressing and served with steamed veggies. I don't have a picture because we were starving and devoured these in just a few minutes, before I realized I forgot to take a snapshot! Oh well.

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce, such as Frank's RedHot

Directions

Line a baking sheet with foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the flour, cayenne, garlic powder and salt into a resealable plastic bag, shaking to mix. Add chicken wings, seal and toss until well coated. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings in the butter mixture and place back on the baking sheet. Bake until chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

Homemade Pizza

2010-06-19T03:33:00.000-07:00

Friday night = pizza night in the Bickford household. I don't cook on Fridays. Ever. But with baby on the way, and only 1 income now, eating out is becoming a luxury, and we're trying really hard not to spend too much. So since I have an insane amount of time on my hands lately, I've decided to find the perfect pizza dough recipe. And I think I found it. The first few recipes I tried were dry, crusty and flavorless. But this one from Annie's Eats, is delicious! It's crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the overall perfect consistency. We used to get 1 large takeout pizza on Fridays, and it would give us dinner and lunch on Saturday, for about $14 after taxes. The same size pizza, with the same toppings, now costs us about $4, and we still get a dinner and lunch from 1 pizza. It's super easy to make, and the recipe below makes enough dough for 2 pizzas. Just freeze 1/2 of the dough and wrap tightly in plastic wrap until you're ready to use it!

Ingredients

½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting (I used about 4.5 cups, plus more to dust)
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Toppings, cheese and sauce - We used regular Barilla pasta sauce, Sargento Italian 6 cheese blend (asiago, parmesan, mozzarella, fontina, provolone, romano), and topped with spinach, red onion and banana peppers from the garden

Directions

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.
Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 450˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Banana Muffins

2010-06-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Yet another muffin recipe I made for the weekend! We had some bananas starting to go bad, so of course, when bananas go bad, you make banana bread! These are delicious. Super moist and just sweet enough, but not too much. I didn't change anything in this recipe except to melt the butter for the crumb topping.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-06-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Between being unemployed, crazy sales at the grocery store, and family coming into town, I figured now was a good time to make some muffins. I'm not usually a big muffin baker, but something struck my fancy and this recipe just looked too good not to try. Besides, blueberries were on sale, buy one get one free! So it was a good excuse to get 2 tubs of berries. They came out perfectly. Not too sweet, not too crumbly, just perfect. Don't use frozen berries. Use the fresh ones. You won't regret it!

The only change I made was to melt the butter for the topping, instead of cubing it. I always find crumble toppings work better with melted butter.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed (I melted the butter instead)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Lazy Day Waffles

2010-04-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

I love waffles. Who doesn't?! But sometimes it can get time consuming with separating the eggs, whipping the whites, blah blah blah. So these are what I call lazy waffles! It's basically french toast, made in a waffle iron. They are insanely easy and use ingredients that you probably already have on hand. You'd never know these were made with traditional white bread; they taste just like the real deal!

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or you can use cinnamon/nutmeg)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
3 slices of white bread

Directions

Heat and oil a standard size waffle iron. While preheating, mix egg, milk, spice, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Dip one slice of bread in the egg mixture, flip, and let soak for 2-3 minutes.
When iron is ready, place bread in center of iron and cook approximately 4 minutes, until brown and crispy. Continue with remaining slices of bread.
Serve with warm syrup!

Spaghetti with tomato and artichoke

2010-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Everyone raves about the Pioneer Woman, so I decided it was time to check out the blog and start cooking. It's been a long time since I've meal planned and actually cooked dinner. With my hectic work schedule, and being pregnant & exhausted, dinner seems to get pushed aside and usually ends up being pasta of some sort, frozen something or other, or lettuce.

This dish seemed really easy to make, and it contained pasta, which is a "must have" for me these days, so we decided to give it a try. Very tasty! But don't substitute soy milk for heavy cream. Our sauce was on the watery side, instead of the thick and creamy side. Still tasted good though. And it'd be great with some grilled chicken added, and a green salad on the side. I made it exactly as the recipe stated, except for my soymilk substitution.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
1 can Artichoke Hearts (14.5 Oz. Quartered Or Whole) Drained
1 can Diced Tomatoes With Juice (14.5 Oz.)
1 cup Heavy Cream
½ cups Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
½ teaspoons Nutmeg
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 pound Thin Spaghetti
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives (or Other Herbs) Chopped

Directions

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.
Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

Reese's PB Cookies

2010-02-14T14:36:00.001-08:00

The best way I can brighten someone's day is by sending a giant box of homemade goods their way. I knew I wanted to include my signature chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and a care package isn't complete without brownies, but I wanted to try some new recipes for the other cookies. Headed to Allrecipes.com and found this quick and easy recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I never really made those Peanut Butter Blossom cookies that everyone makes at Christmas, but I suppose these are a pretty similar style of cookie. Tender peanut butter cookie, stuffed with a dark chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup, and absolutely delicious. They only bake for 8 minutes, and take about as long to prep. I'd say the most time consuming part is unwrapping all those candies!

The only change I made, was to unwrap the candies first, and place them in the freezer while I prepped and baked the cookies. Besides that, I made the recipe exactly as stated, though I cut it in half, and I got exactly 20 cookies. FYI, a bag of peanut butter cups has approximately 40 pieces, so for the full recipe, you'll need 1 bag.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Unwrap peanut butter cups and place on a plate in the freezer until cookies are done (this helps keep them from falling apart otherwise).
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes (do not overbake. These really are done after 8 minutes). Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

2010-02-07T03:55:00.002-08:00

When it snows, there's really nothing else to do but eat! So I went on a mini cooking spree yesterday. We made chocolate chocolate chip cake cookies, garlic breadsticks, and some other random goodies for dinner. These cookies are delicious! Follow the directions exactly. Cream the butter for 10 minutes, don't overbake, cool slightly before moving to a rack and wait til they're cool to eat one. Oddly enough, these cookies are MUCH better when they're cool. They're fudgy, and chocolatey and absolutely perfect for a cold snowy day!

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes! Add the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
In a 1 gallon plastic food bag, place the all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt and cocoa powder. Seal the bag and massage the ingredients to combine. The mixture will appear homogenous with no separate ingredients showing.
Add the flour and cocoa mix to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix together until the dough appears completely combined - about 3 minutes. Add all the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir them into the dough. Drop by two teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Or roll into balls, place about two inches apart on the sheet, and flatten slightly with your fingers.
Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The cookies will appear to be just barely firm with a sheen to their surfaces. Allow to cool on the sheet for about one minute before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Rubios Fish Tacos

2009-12-20T04:25:00.000-08:00

Fish tacos are probably the best beachside food EVER. Seriously, there's nothing like sitting on a rooftop bar, looking out over the ocean at sunset, with a pitcher of margaritas, some excellent chips and salsa, and a plate of fish tacos. Mmm...mmm...good! Too bad you can't get any decent fish tacos in Washington, DC.

This recipe is supposed to taste like the fish tacos from Rubios, a popular California eatery. While these were quite tasty, and pretty easy to make, they aren't really authentic Rubios. There wasn't the distinct pink sauce and the batter wasn't quite right. But they were still delicious.

I'd give the recipe a 4 star rating on taste, and a 2 star rating on accuracy. Oh well. I don't know where the original recipe came from, it was just in a random post on Chef2Chef.

Ingredients

12 Cod or favorite whitefish fillets (1-1/2 oz ea.)
12 Tortillas, corn, as thick/fresh as possible

BEER BATTER:
1 c Flour
1 c Beer
Garlic powder, pepper to taste

WHITE SAUCE:
1/2 c Mayonaise
1/2 c Yogurt

SALSA:
1 Garlic clove, peeled and minced
6 Tomatoes, ripe, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 Onion, minced
2 tb Cilantro leaves, chopped, stems removed
1 Jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper
Oil for deep frying

GARNISH:
1 Head cabbage, green, shredded
1 Lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Mix flour with favorite spices such as garlic powder, red or black ground pepper. Stir the flour mixture into the beer and mix until well blended.
Wash fish by dipping in cold, lightly salted water or water with a little bit of lemon juice added. Be sure fish is completely dry before dipping into batter.
Prepare salsa; reserve.
Put the vegetable oil into a deep skillet and bring to 375F. Place fish in a single layer--do not let pieces touch each other. Cook fish until batter is crispy and golden brown.
Heat corn tortillas lightly in a skillet or Mexican comal until they are soft and hot.
To assemble, on each tortilla layer the fish fillet, white sauce, salsa and cabbage. Top it off with a squeeze of lime. Fold tortilla over to serve.

We made one change to the salsa & white sauce. I didn't like the "white sauce," so we pureed half of the salsa in a food processor and mixed that in with the sauce. Much tastier. I also think the batter needs a bit of salt, as the fish was pretty bland without the salsa or sauce on top.

Chili

2009-12-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

It's a cold and snowy night, which means it's perfect for chili and cornbread! It seems like every time I make chili, I use a new recipe. Some are good, some are great, and some are pretty damn worthless. But this one, is delicious! It's easy, quick, very chunky, spicy and pretty much perfect.

I did make a few changes, as per the suggestions of fellow readers on Allrecipes, and added 2 links of pepper/onion pork sausage. My changes are noted below. The chili starts off pretty thick, so it's great for a weeknight when you only have a few hours, vs. an entire day to let the chili thicken up. We served it with a side of cornbread, of course! And that recipe is also below.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground beef, and 1/2 lb pepper/onion sausage)
1 (23 fluid ounce) can tomato juice (I used 23oz tomato sauce)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (I used a 15oz can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Directions

Place ground beef & sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and put back in pan.
Add all ingredients to a large kettle. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Tilapia Pita Pockets

2009-12-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

Love love love when Tilapia is on sale at the grocery store! There's always something new I want to try with it. This time, I had a bunch of leftover Feta cheese, so I wanted to find a recipe that would incorporate both the fish and the cheese. And that's when I stumbled upon the Tilapia Pita Pockets recipe. After spending 6 years in California, we have grown to love fish tacos. This recipe is sort of similar to a fish taco, but a slight bit healthier. There is some mayo involved, but the fish is pan-grilled with no butter and there's lettuce, onions and whole wheat pita to add some nutrients! This is definitely a winner in my book. It was quick and simple to make, packed with flavor and spice, and made enough to have some leftover for lunch today.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 anchovy fillets, drained (I omitted these)
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 pound tilapia fillets
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
4 cups iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 small red onion, chopped
6 pita breads, cut in half

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Italian dressing, feta cheese and anchovies. Season with cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Mix until well blended, then set aside.
Spray grill pan with non-stick spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Place the tilapia fillets in the skillet, and season with lemon pepper, salt and cayenne. Cook until browned on each side, and fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes.
Warm pita breads in the toaster or in the microwave to soften. Open from the cut side to make pockets. Fill pita bread halves with lettuce, onion, and tilapia fillets, then spoon in some of the feta cheese sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Meatloaf

2009-12-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

It's always so difficult to find the perfect meatloaf recipe. One that's not too dry, not too wet, not too chunky, but just chunky enough, not too sweet, but not too spicy. This time, I think I've found the winning recipe! It's from Allrecipes, of course. The original recipe calls for buffalo meat, but I used a meatloaf mix (pork, veal and beef) instead. It was delicious! Full of flavor, and chunky with veggies, not too sweet, and just a little spicy. I served it with some Texas Toast and steamed veggies.

Ingredients

1 slice multigrain bread
1 pound ground buffalo meat (I substituted meatloaf mix and it was perfect!)
1 onion, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Crumble the bread slice into crumbs and set aside. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
Thoroughly mix ground buffalo meat, onion, egg, ground mustard, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape about 8x4 inches and place into the middle of the baking dish. Apply ketchup to the top and sides of the meatloaf.
Bake in preheated oven until meat is no longer pink and ketchup forms a glaze over the meatloaf, 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet & Spicy Pork

2009-11-11T05:12:00.000-08:00

This is probably one of the easiest marinades I've ever made, and it's full of flavor! We used it on pork loin, but I think it would be equally delicious on chicken, especially if it's grilled. The marinade only has 4 ingredients, but it's full of flavor -- sweet, spicy, smokey, and slightly salty.

Ingredients

2/3 cup maple syrup
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you can buy these in a can in the International aisle, and they last forever)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic

Directions

Pour all ingredients into blender or small food processor. Process until smooth.

I used a pork loin, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, and marinated it in this for about 2 hours. Then I cut up an onion and stir fried everything together, serving over rice. Next time, I'm going to marinate chicken and grill them! Yum!

Operation Lasagna

2009-11-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

Lasagna is one of those meals that must be planned. Shopped for. Prepped in advance. Spur of the moment dish, it is not. I've been craving some Lorna's Lasagna from San Diego for quite a while now, but who knows the next time I'll get out West to actually get some. So I decided to suck it up and make one myself. It's an easy dish to prepare, just time consuming. But the end result was gooey and cheesy and about the most perfect meal for 2 lactose intolerant people!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 20 oz can whole tomatoes, drained
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
crushed red pepper/cayenne to taste
1/2 lb lasagna noodles
1 lb ricotta
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 lb sliced mozzarella (I doubled this!)

Directions

Brown the beef and garlic in a saute pan until cooked. Add whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices to beef; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
In a 9x13 baking dish, spread 1 cup beef mixture along the bottom. Top with noodles, 1/2 the ricotta, 1/2 the parm, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat layers again. Top with remaining beef and mozzarella.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

2009-11-03T17:28:00.001-08:00

Blog entry #200! Can't believe I have that many entries on this thing. Insane!

Tonight's dish, Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa, was courtesy of Cooking Light. It's got a 5 star rating there, and now I know why! Quick and easy to prepare, a multitude of flavors, and absolutely delicious. We paired it with some steamed corn. The leftover salsa is great when mixed in with the corn, so versatile! I made the recipe exactly as stated, except for the addition of some cilantro in the salsa. I wouldn't change a thing!

Ingredients

Chicken:

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Salsa:

1 cup chopped plum tomato
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped (I only used 1/2 an avocado and it was plenty)

Directions

To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Clams and Mussels in Thai Curry Sauce

2009-11-02T17:05:00.001-08:00

This recipe is compliments of Food Network Magazine, and I have to say, it's not only easy, but delicious too! We used fresh steamers and frozen mussels and served it over some Udon noodles. The broth is a bit spicy, but you can tone that down by using less hot pepper or hot sauce, to your liking. I made a few simple substitutions noted below, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The recipe makes quite a bit of broth, which will be used for our lunch tomorrow with a package of Ramen noodles!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped (I used 1 tsp ginger paste instead)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I doubled this)
1 to 2 Thai chile peppers or jalapenos, seeded and chopped (I used Sriracha hot sauce)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (I used green curry paste b/c it's all I had)
1/2 cup ketchup
Juice of 2 limes, plus lime wedges for serving
16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 3/4 pounds mussels, scrubbed
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I used frozen bell peppers)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
3/4 cup fresh basil

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and chiles and stir-fry until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and ketchup and fry until slightly browned, 3 to 4 more minutes. Add the lime juice and 3 cups water, cover and bring to a boil.
Add the clams; cover and steam until they open slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the mussels; cover and steam until they open slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and half of the cilantro and basil. Cook, covered, until the pepper is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the clams and mussels to serving bowls and ladle the broth on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and basil and garnish with lime. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-10-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Last night was cold and rainy and just a dreary day. So I figured it was time to try out the next soup on my list! Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup, from the Food Network Magazine. It was very easy to make with just a few ingredients, and took little prep time. Great for a busy weeknight! The recipe didn't have exact measurements or times, so I sort of winged it and ended up with a very tasty soup! It was just a bit spicy, but the creaminess of the avocado mellowed out the spice. We each had 2 bowls, and had to force ourselves to stop, so we could take leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients

2 seeded ancho chiles (I used ancho chiles in adobo sauce)
1 onion
2 tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
3 cans chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, chopped and cooked
6 corn tortillas, sliced into thin strips
1/2 avocado
3/4 cup cilantro (we love cilantro, so you might want to tone this down a bit if you're not as big a fan)

Directons

In a food processor, puree ancho chiles, onion, tomatoes and garlic.
Meanwhile, cook chicken in large stock pot with a Tbsp of oil. Remove chicken and set aside.
Fry chile/onion mixture in the oil until fragrant. Add chicken broth, chicken, and 1/2 cup cilantro; simmer 10-15 minutes until thick. Add tortilla strips and boil 1-2 minutes until softened.
Ladle into bowls, top with sliced avocado and more cilantro.

Two Bean Soup with Kale

2009-10-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

Apparently, it went from Summer to Fall overnight! All of a sudden, it's 40 degrees in the morning, we had to turn the heat on, and the trees are rapidly changing colors. So of course, it means it's soup season! I have a ton of soup recipes I want to try this Fall/Winter, but to kick things off, I started with a two bean soup with kale. This is a Cooking Light recipe, from October 2009. I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious.

We loved the variety of textures going on, and the incredibly hearty flavor. It would be great with some added spicy sausage, or served in a bread bowl. Don't leave out the rosemary. It really does bring the dish together! The list of ingredients looks long and daunting, but they're all readily available and fairly inexpensive.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (I used a whole onion, roughly chopped)
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Emeril's), divided (I used chicken broth instead)
7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I used about a Tablespoon)

Directions

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
Place half of cannellini beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans, and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and rosemary.

Chicken with Chipotle

2009-09-15T14:52:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I got a great deal on chicken leg quarters, so I vowed to try 4 new recipes with my bargain chicken! This is the last of the 4 new ones. I found it on AllRecipes and didn't make any substitutions to the original recipe. The only thing I would change next time, is when the recipe says to put the chicken in the pan and simmer it in the sauce for 10min. I found that the oil from the chicken actually broke my sauce, leaving it looking not so appetizing. The chicken was definitely done after being in the oven, and I think it would be better to just spoon the sauce over it, instead of simmering both together.

Anyway, the dish is very simple to make, and the sauce would be great on just about any type of meat. I served it with some quesadillas, but you could also add refried beans or rice as a side dish.

Ingredients

2 chicken leg quarters
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
3/4 teaspoon margarine
salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Roast the chicken legs in the preheated oven until the skin is crispy, and the meat is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, puree the milk, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and chicken bouillon granules in a blender until smooth. Melt the margarine in a large pan over medium heat. Pour in the chipotle puree, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and season with salt to taste. Add the cooked chicken legs, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until chicken has taken on the flavor of the sauce (next time, I will skip this step and just pour the thickened sauce over the chicken).

I didn't feel comfortable using my own photo for this dish, because the sauce broke after adding the chicken to it, and left it looking pretty unappetizing (though it still tasted good!). So this is the picture from the original recipe on AllRecipes, because had my sauce not broken, my dish would have looked very similar.

Monkey Bread Cupcakes

2009-09-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, I subscribe to a wonderful blog called Cupcake Project, and Stef can literally make anything into a cupcake. She's awesome. This week, she made Monkey Bread cupcakes. And as I thought about it some more, I realized that not only have I never made Monkey Bread, but I really didn't even know what it was. People think that's crazy, but it's the truth! I had no clue. The recipe itself sounded delicious, somewhat time consuming, but fairly simple. A perfect project for my day off to keep me busy in between doing loads of laundry and cleaning the house. I started just before noon, and now it's 2:30pm and my cupcakes have about another 10 min to bake. So definitely make sure you have about 3 hours set aside to get these done.

Ingredients

1/2 C lukewarm water

1 T vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 t salt

1 T sugar

2 T instant yeast or rapid rise yeast

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C granulated sugar

1 T cinnamon

1 ripe banana, cut into small slices

chocolate chips or baking chunks to taste (about 2 oz)

2 T unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Place water, vegetable oil, egg, salt, sugar, and yeast in a medium bowl and mix well.

Add 1 cup of the flour, stirring to blend.

Add the second cup of flour, stirring to make a cohesive dough.

Let the dough rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.

Knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until it's soft and smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes or until it's doubled in size.

Gently deflate the dough.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Place cupcake liners into a cupcake tin and lightly grease them with butter or cooking spray.

Pull off a small piece of dough. How small? You should get 24 pieces out of the batter so that you can have two pieces in each cupcake. However, unless you are having a dinner party for exactly 12 people, it doesn't really matter and you can make the pieces whatever size you would like.

Stretch the piece out, put a banana slice and several chocolate chips or baking chunks inside, and then roll it into a ball.

Dip the ball in the melted butter.

Dip the ball in the cinnamon and sugar.

Put the ball into the cupcake liner. You should be able to fit two balls into each cupcake liner. Be sure to press the 2 balls together firmly, so they bake as 1 unit.

Cover the cupcake tin and let the bread rise for 30 to 60 minutes, until it's visibly puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Uncover the cupcake tin and bake the monkey bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's golden brown and feels set.

While the monkey bread is baking, prepare the glaze.

Cinnamon Glaze
Ingredients

1/2 C powdered sugar
1 T milk
1/4 t cinnamon

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients together.
Drizzle over the hot cupcakes.
The cupcakes are best served warm. If you can't eat them immediately, reheat them in microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.

Dough in cupcake pan, not yet risen.

After dough had sat for about 35 minutes, and risen quite a lot!

Finished product is a gooey, sweet, slightly crispy monkey bread cupcake. Delicious!

Pancakes!

2009-09-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us! To celebrate our 3rd anniversary, we bought ourselves an electric griddle (in addition to a new kitchen sink and faucet, but those aren't as fun as the griddle!). So tonight we finally got a chance to try it out, and figured pancakes were the way to go. We made a pretty basic sour cream pancake batter and cooked them up for dinner. So easy and so tasty. The recipe came from The Big Book of Breakfast, by Maryana Vollstedt.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 T brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 large egg
1 cup milk
3 T sour cream
1 T melted butter
Syrup of your choice

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, brown sugar and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, milk and sour cream. Whisk in dry ingredients. Add melted butter and whisk until just blended.
Preheat a nonstick griddle to medium high heat (we used a temp in between 2 and 3 on our griddle, with 3 being the hottest setting). Lightly spray or brush with vegetable oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until other side is golden, about 1 minute longer.

Makes 10 - 12 pancakes, or 3 servings

English Farmhouse Salad

2009-09-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe from the Simply Salad book by Jennifer Chandler. I added some grilled chicken to it and it made for a nice, light, Summery dish. Normally I am not a fan of blue cheese, but I decided to go for it anyway. Glad I did! The bite of the cheese is really mellowed out by the grilled apples and balsamic dressing.

Ingredients

1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 bag Spring Mix lettuce
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and cooled
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 chicken breasts

Vinaigrette

6 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (I used black currant balsamic)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat a clean grill or grill pan to medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and grill until no longer pink inside. Allow to cool, then slice into bite-sized chunks.
In a medium bowl, toss apple slices with oil until well coated. Place apples on grill pan and grill until just softened, about 2 min per side. Set aside to cool.
In a large salad bowl, toss the Spring Mix, walnuts, and blue cheese.
For vinaigrette, mix olive oil, balsamic salt and pepper until well blended. To keep the dressing from separating, add just a dash of garlic powder and mix gently. Add vinaigrette to taste and gently toss. Top with grilled apples.

Mocha Chicken

2009-09-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have to admit. When I first saw the title of this recipe, I was a bit turned off, but knew I had to try it anyway. Especially because I gave up my coffee addiction almost 3 months ago, so now I had a valid excuse to break out the coffee machine and brew up a cup! A small one, but a cup nonetheless. The chicken was marinated overnight in a soy/coffee combination that smells great, even though it sounds a bit off. I used chicken leg quarters and my Le Creuset dutch oven, because honestly, I just love using the damn thing! It's awesome.

The original recipe came from Dave, on Allrecipes. I didn't make any changes to the recipe, except that I used low sodium soy sauce, and it took me about an hour to get the chicken to cook (instead of 30min). I ended up covering it, and turning up the heat, and it finally cooked!

Ingredients

2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup olive oil
6 chicken legs
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a medium, nonreactive container, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, coffee, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place chicken legs in the mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours.
Remove chicken from the marinade mixture, and set aside. Transfer the marinade to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Heat remaining olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with pepper, and brown on all sides in the skillet. Pour the hot marinade mixture into the skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool slightly before serving.

Thai Pork Salad

2009-08-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty hot and humid these past few weeks, so while I was at the library, I picked up a fantastic cookbook that's all about salads, called Simply Salads, by Jennifer Chandler. The beauty of the book is that each salad can be made with a package of mixed salad greens and just a few ingredients. Also, there are a ton of recipes for freshly made salad dressings. The first salad we made was a Thai Beef Salad, but I used pork loin instead of beef. The marinade was good, but I didn't like the dressing, so I made something different. The final product was very light, and full of flavor, perfect for a hot Summer night.

Ingredients

1/2lb pork loin, trimmed, and cut into thin strips
1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 small onion, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh mint (I really didn't taste much mint with all the other ingredients, and would probably omit it next time)
1 bag Hearts of Romaine
1/2 cup corasely chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts

Marinade

3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 T grated ginger (I used 1 tsp ginger paste)
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil

Directions

Place the pork in a shallow dish. Pour 1/3 of the marinade over the pork and marinate 2-3 hours. Reserve the rest of the marinade for use later.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and cook pork 3 minutes. Add onions to pan and continue cooking until pork is no longer pink. Be careful not to overcook it!
In a large bowl, combined sliced pork, cucumber, onions, cilantro, mint and lettuce. Add dressing to taste, and toss well. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve immediately.

Pasta with Kale & Peppers

2009-08-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

Love love love kale. Really, I think it's one of the most underused vegetables out there! It's so tasty, and full of vitamins. More people need to realize just how delicious it can be! I bought a bunch of kale last week to use in a specific recipe, and we ended up with quite a bit leftover. So I found this recipe on Allrecipes, and decided to give it a shot. I added some canned, sliced black olives, and it was really good! Tons of flavor, super easy, especially when you use a bag of frozen mixed peppers instead of having to chop fresh ones. I added some fresh basil from our herb garden, and a little drizzle of garlic oil. Yum.

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (I bought a bag of frozen mixed peppers instead of chopping up individual ones)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup roughly chopped kale (I tripled this!)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pinch dried basil (used fresh instead of dried)
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
salt and ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used 4oz and it was plenty. 8oz would be way too much)
1 small can sliced black olives, drained

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in red pepper, yellow pepper, kale and garlic. Season with basil, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender.
In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta with skillet mixture. Sprinkle with feta cheese to serve.

40 Clove Chicken

2009-08-24T17:21:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to try this recipe for a long time, and also, really just wanted to make a dish using my Le Creuset dutch oven! It doesn't get nearly as much use as it should.

I saw that chicken quarters were on sale this week for 47 cents a pound, so this dish came out to be very cost effective. Don't be scared off by the fact that there are "40 cloves of garlic" in the recipe, because after they cook for an hour and a half, they are sweet and delicious, not spicy like raw garlic. Definitely make this dish with a fresh loaf of bread so you can schmear all the roasted garlic goodness on the bread! We also made a side dish of potatoes and onions with fresh rosemary. So tasty. And so simple to make! I think this dish would be great to make when entertaining, because the whole house smells wonderful, it looks great, and there's little effort involved. Definitely no fuss, that's for sure.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

Browning the chicken on the stove.

Adding fresh thyme and garlic to the pot before putting it in the oven.

When it came out of the oven, the thyme was pretty dried up and the garlic was nice and roasted, with a wonderful caramel color.

mmm...garlic chicken...

Fish with Black Bean Sauce

2009-08-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is definitely one of our favorite dishes from the local Chinese take-out restaurant, so Justin and I decided we'd try to make our own version. I found a lot of recipes online, and finally decided on one that sounded pretty good (recipe found here), and that incorporated ingredients that we had on hand. I made a few changes, nothing crazy, and it turned out perfectly. The sauce is just a bit sweet, but doesn't overpower the fish, and the onions end up with a nice caramel flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 lb mahi-mahi fish fillet (cut into pieces and marinate with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch)
2 tablespoon Lee Kam Kee black bean sauce
1 small onion (quartered)
6 dried chilies (deseeded) I didn't have any chilies, so I used Sriracha sauce instead.
1 small green bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
2 stalk scallions (cut into 1.5 inch length)
5 slices fresh ginger, I used 1 tsp ginger paste
1/8 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 tablespoon corn starch (mix with 3 tablespoons water)
I also added 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained

Directions

Heat up the wok and add in some cooking oil.
Add sliced ginger, onions, bell peppers, dried red chilies and stir fry them until aromatic.
Add in the fish and do a quick stir.
Add the black bean sauce, black beans, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame oil and stir fry until the fish is cooked.
Add in the corn starch mix to thicken the sauce.
Toss in the chopped scallion and do a quick stir, dish up and serve hot.

Tilapia with Wine & Tomatoes

2009-08-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

Tilapia was on sale at Harris Teeter this week: $3.99/lb. Normally it's about $6.99/lb so this was definitely a bargain. We also got a homegrown tomato this week so I wanted to find a recipe that would combine both ingredients. The original recipe is from Allrecipes, though I did make a few slight changes. It's quick and simple to make, and when paired with a bag of ready-to-steam veggies (which were also on sale this week, buy one get one free), you've got an effortless dinner that won't break the bank.

And Peggy, note that this recipe can be made on the grill! Though I opted not to grill in the rain and just made it in the oven instead.

Ingredients

2 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cloves garlic, pressed (I used 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped)
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I doubled this and used 4)
1/2 large tomato, chopped
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 finely chopped onion (this was my addition and is not in the original recipe)

Directions

Preheat a grill for medium-high heat. (I preheated the oven to 425 instead of using a grill)
Place the tilapia fillets side by side on a large piece of aluminum foil. Season each one with salt and pepper. Place one tablespoon of butter on top of each piece of fish, and sprinkle garlic, basil and tomato. Pour the wine over everything. Fold foil up around fish, and seal into a packet. (I put all ingredients in a glass baking dish, covered with foil.) Place packet on a cookie sheet for ease in transportation to and from the grill.
Place foil packet on the preheated grill, and cook for 15 minutes (I cooked it in the oven for 20 minutes), or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Open the packet carefully so as not to get burned from the steam, and serve.

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cookies

2009-08-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. They sound dreadful. But really, they're quite delicious! Very chocolatey, and the sauerkraut gives just a hint of bitterness. They end up being a very cake-like cookie. Dense, but still soft, if that makes sense. The flavor of the sauerkraut isn't overly pronounced, so you could probably frost these with just about anything, or eat them plain like we've been doing for the past half hour. I posted a mocha icing recipe below, which I think would be delicious, but I just realized I don't have chocolate chips, so I can't try it tonight. Bummer!

Ingredients

1/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sauerkraut (drained, and rinsed)

Directions

Rinse the sauerkraut with cold water in a strainer. Make sure it's rinsed well! Let it sit in the strainer while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients.
Beat the butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until creamy and well incorporated.
Mix in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder and baking soda. Beat on low speed until well mixed.
Add half the buttermilk and half the flour, beating until smooth. Add remaining buttermilk and flour, beat until smooth.
Pour the sauerkraut onto a cutting board. Spread out and blot dry with a paper towel (it will take several paper towels before kraut is dry). Then chop into small pieces. It's very important that the kraut is chopped finely.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies rest on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, frost with mocha icing.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Mocha Icing

Ingredients

1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2-3 tsp strongly brewed coffee
1.5 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Melt the chocolate chips with 2 tsp of the coffee in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir, and if the mixture is still lumpy, remove the spoon and microwave for an additional 20 seconds. If the mixture is still lumpy, microwave for an additional 20 seconds. When you are able to stir themixture smooth, set the bowl on the counter to cool to room temperature.
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the softened butter until smooth.
Whisk in the powdered sugar and stir until the mixture is of spreading consistency. If it's too thick, add the remaining 1 tsp of coffee. If it's too thin, stir in a little more powdered sugar.

Thai Pork Springrolls w/Peanut Sauce

2009-08-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

This was sort of done on a whim, in order to use up a pork loin that had been in the fridge for a few days. Justin really wanted to make spring rolls, and we had some wrappers leftover from our last attempt a few months ago, so we gave it another shot. I also made a light peanut sauce to drizzle over them. They're not the prettiest things, but they were delicious!

Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into bite-sized pieces
pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ginger
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced thinly
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
2 carrots, julienned
fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp peanut butter
sesame oil
soy sauce
hot sauce
6 spring roll wrappers (the kind you soak in hot water before using)

Directions

Heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil in large saute pan. Add pork and ginger, stir-frying just until cooked. Be careful not to overcook! Remove from pan and set aside.
In same pan, add cabbage and onions, cooking approximately 3 minutes until slightly wilted but still crunchy. You may need to add a smidge more oil to your pan to keep the cabbage from burning. Once cooked, remove cabbage/onion mixture and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, sesame oil and soy sauce until a thin sauce is formed. I used approximately 2T peanut butter, 2 T sesame oil and 1T soy sauce, but I kept adding a little of this and a little of that, so those amounts may not be entirely correct. Just keep adding those 3 ingredients until you have a sauce that's thin, but not watery. And add a few drops of hot sauce to kick it up a notch!
Prepare springroll wrappers according to package directions. Mine said to soak in hot water for 15 seconds, then place on a damp cloth and blot dry. Then I added the cabbage/onion mixture, pork, drizzle of sauce, raw carrots, and basil. Wrap each roll like a burrito and slice in half before serving.

Scallops & Angel Hair Pasta

2009-08-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from a friend of mine, who originally made it with langoustines. Since I am allergic, I substituted bay scallops, and it turned out just fine. You could also substitute shrimp for the langoustines. The overall dish is very light, and each ingredient can really be tasted on its own. The onions get nice and sweet, the pancetta has a fabulous crisp to it, and the white wine brings it all together.

Ingredients

1/2 lb angel hair pasta
salt
3oz pancetta, chopped (you could also substitute bacon)
1/2 medium red onion, peeled, cut in half, and thinly sliced
1T minced garlic (I used about 6 cloves, but we are huge garlic lovers)
2 ears of corn, kernels removed from cob
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
12oz langoustines, scallops, shrimp, etc.
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small tomato, chopped
freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
To the oil in the pan, add the onions and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds, then add the corn and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, 3/4tsp salt, red pepper and langoustines and cook, stirring, until shellfish are full cooked (my scallops took about 3-4 minutes). Add the green onion and chopped tomato, stirring to combine. Serve over angel hair pasta.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

2009-08-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

For my niece's first birthday, I made a bunch of cupcakes baked in ice cream cones. When they were done, they really did look like soft-serve cones. They were a huge hit! I did half the cones with chocolate cake, and half with Funfetti. The chocolate ones were frosted with either peanut butter frosting or chocolate ganache, while the Funfetti ones got vanilla buttercream or strawberry buttercream. I also used fondant to make cutouts that spelled out "Happy Birthday Jena!" The rest of the cakes just got sprinkles. And off to the side is Bubbles the obese monkey, compliments of my friend Alanna. So talented!

Ingredients

cake batter of your choice (enough batter for a standard 9" cake will make approximately 24 cones)
24 flat-bottom ice cream cones

Directions

Prepare your cake batter of choice. Use a cookie scoop to fill the cones to the first ridge (about 1" from the top). Place the cones in a mini cupcake pan and bake according to your cake instructions. Mine baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. When fully baked, remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
Frost the cupcakes using a large star tip, making sure to go all the way to the edge of the cone. This way, they look like they're really ice cream cones! Decorate, and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-08-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

A coworker frequently brings in various baked goods to share with us all, and this recipe has been brought in several times. I finally got the recipe and decided to give it a try. It yields a chewy cookie, that's sweet and a bit salty, and superbly delicious. I've tried making these in smaller sizes, but they just don't bake right. I'd recommend using an ice cream scoop for these, to make a nice giant sized cookie. I did make a few adjustments to the original recipe, which are noted below.

Ingredients

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used 1/2 tsp salt and it was plenty)
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter (I use salted butter)
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I use Ghiradelli's 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips)
Sea salt

Directions

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (I omit this, as they are plenty salty without this step) and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Spaghetti Squash

2009-08-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

A friend came over last week and brought me a spaghetti squash, which she bought accidentally, instead of a butternut squash. I'd never cooked one before, so I headed to Allrecipes.com to find a good recipe. It came out very light, full of flavor, and perfect for a hot Summer night. In addition to the ingredients below, I also added about 1 cup of frozen mixed peppers.

The recipe made enough for 4, so scale accordingly.

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup frozen mixed peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used 1 14oz can of Italian style diced tomatoes, drained)
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add frozen peppers and saute 3 minutes until tender and warmed through. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

Broiled Feta Chicken Parmesan

2009-06-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Yum yum yum! I love feta. On just about anything. And lately I've been buying it in a block and slicing/chopping whatever I need for various recipes. It's got much more flavor than the crumbled feta and I'd definitely recommend using the block instead of crumbled. This was our little twist on chicken parmesan. Breaded chicken is pan-fried, then topped with fresh tomato slices, fresh basil and sliced feta and broiled until bubbly.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
oil for pan frying
1/2 medium tomato, sliced
fresh basil
1/2 block of feta, sliced

Directions

Coat chicken breasts in breadcrumbs. Discard remaining breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken, frying about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Chicken should be about 75% cooked, or about 130 degrees.
Remove chicken from pan and drain quickly on paper towel. Top with fresh basil leaves, sliced tomato and sliced feta. Broil about 3-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown and chicken registers 160 on a meat thermometer.

Spinach and Feta Pasta

2009-06-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

On a hot Summer night, I love making pasta with mozzarella, basil and fresh tomato. But we'd had that a few times already, and needed to spice it up a bit. So I decided to use Feta instead and add some spinach and garlic too. The end result was delicious, easy, and cheap. I like to use Rigatoni, but any shaped pasta will work just fine with this recipe.

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package Rigatoni (or any shape) pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped in 1 inch pieces
3 cups spinach leaves, packed
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces feta cheese (I buy the block of feta and cut it into small pieces, since the crumbled feta just sort of disintegrates)

Directions

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking until onion is tender and garlic is browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium low and add tomatoes, stirring until just heated through and barely cooked.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Return pasta to pot, and add spinach mixture. Toss to combine. Add feta, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and allow to steam (don't bother turning on the burner, the pasta will retain enough heat to melt the cheese) until cheese is melty.

Scallop Scampi

2009-06-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy way to cook bay scallops that's absolutely delicious! I made a few changes to the original recipe, which can be found on AllRecipes. We purchased a 4-pack of small bottles of wine, so you don't end up with a full bottle open in the fridge. I'd definitely recommend that option if you aren't a big white wine drinker and don't normally have a bottle laying around. The sauce was a little watery, so we removed the scallops and then boiled it down for about 5 minutes. That seemed to work perfectly.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons margarine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can chicken broth
1 pound bay scallops
1 pound linguine pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a large skillet, melt margarine over medium heat and saute garlic and onion until translucent. Add wine, salt, ground black pepper and 1/4 cup cheese.
Add chicken broth and boil on medium-high for 5 minutes until reduced. Add scallops, cooking 2-3 minutes until tender. If sauce is still watery, remove scallops and boil broth an additional 5 minutes until reduced more.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Reduce heat for scallop mixture and add parsley; place sauce on top of linguine. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; serve.

Korean BBQ Chicken

2009-06-15T10:53:00.001-07:00

I had this marinade recipe kicking around from an old Cooking Light issue. It didn't seem to be anything fantastic, but it did look simple and quick, so I gave it a shot last night. I mixed up the marinade, coated some chopped chicken in it, and stir fried it with some white and green onions.

The overall dish was a bit sweet for me, and lacked some spice. I ended up adding crushed red pepper and Sriracha for some heat, which improved the dish. It was good, but not great. And I honestly don't know what makes it Korean at all...? Next time I think I'll cut down the sugar, add some ginger, and some heat.

Ingredients

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Cut 2 chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and coat with marinade. Stir-fry chicken with 1 white onion, thinly sliced, until onions are tender and chicken is fully cooked. Remove from heat, stir in chopped green onions and serve over rice.

Thai Chicken Salad

2009-06-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Chicken Ceaser Salad is a staple for us, at least once a week. Buy a bag of salad, grill some chicken, toss in some veggies, coat with Ceaser dressing. Simple! But this week, I decided to switch it up a bit. The local farm up the road had peas, fresh for picking. So we went over the weekend and picked a bucket full and they are delicious! I was inspired to make a Thai style chicken salad, using the peas, and some other fresh veggies, and some homemade ginger dressing. The dressing makes a fairly large batch, so make sure you have a big enough container nearby to store it.

Ingredients
Dressing

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3/4 cup olive oil (we used sesame oil instead)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water

Directions

In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp soy sauce
garlic powder, to taste
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup sliced carrots
3 Tbsp chopped peanuts
Lettuce

Directions

Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with garlic powder. Add chicken and white onions, cooking until almost done, approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add broccoli, peas and sliced carrots to pan, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Pour soy sauce over everything and toss to combine.
Remove from heat when veggies are tender and chicken is cooked. Stir in chopped green onions. Allow mixture to cool about 8-10 minutes.
Combine lettuce and chicken mixture in a large bowl and pour dressing over top, tossing to coat evenly. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa

2009-06-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

This recipe is originally from Allrecipes. It took about 10 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to cook, so it's perfect for a weeknight when you don't have a lot of time. The pork is tender and juicy and just a tad bit sweet, while the salsa is sweet and spicy. I used hot sauce instead of jalapeno peppers, because I didn't have any peppers, and it turned out perfectly. We had a side of couscous with it and the salsa complimented the couscous as well.

Ingredients

2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

Salsa

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I used Sriracha hot sauce instead)
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro (I tripled this as we are big cilantro fans)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

Place pork on a greased rack in a foil-lined shallow roasting pan. Combine the brown sugar, mustard and ginger; spread over pork. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
In a bowl, combine the salsa ingredients. Serve with pork.

Korean Spicy Pork

2009-05-27T04:19:00.000-07:00

I found this on Allrecipes, and while I don't know quite how authentic this recipe really is, it's damn tasty and very easy to make. A little sweet, a touch spicy, and very garlicky. Just the way the Bickford's like their food! I marinated the pork overnight in the sauce, along with the green and white onions, so that all I had to do was stir-fry it when I was ready to make dinner the next night. Super simple, full of flavor, and definitely going on our "staple" list. While stir-frying, there was a lot of water that came out, I guess from the onions? So I'd recommend draining it halfway through and getting rid of all that extra liquid.

This would also probably be very tasty with flank steak, cut into thin strips and stir fried. It's on my list to try in the next few weeks, and I will update the post after I do!

Ingredients

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup gochu jang (Korean hot pepper paste) (I didn't have this, so I used about a teaspoon of Sriracha hot sauce in stead)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root (I cut this in half and it was plenty gingery!)
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings
1 (2 pound) pork loin, cut into 1/4 inch slices
canola oil

Directions

Stir together the vinegar, soy sauce, hot pepper paste, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, sugar, green onions, and yellow onion in a large bowl. Mix in the pork slices, mixing well until completely coated. Place into a resealable plastic bag, squeeze out any excess air, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir fry until the pork is fully cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Remember to drain the liquid halfway through cooking, if it seems like there is an excessive amount of water in the pan. Serve over white rice.

Unlayered Lasagna

2009-05-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

Sunday evening. Fridge is full of random foodstuffs, and I notice a few things that need to get used up. 1/2 a bunch of fresh spinach. 1/2 a container of Ricotta. 1 pound ground beef.

So of course, I decided a spinach lasagna would be quite tasty on this rainy night, but we didn't have lasagna noodles. So I sort of improvised and made a non-layered lasagna with Rigatoni, tomatoes, garlic, onion, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella. The end result was awesome! Very cheesy, gooey, and warming on a cold rainy night.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 14.5oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 6oz can tomato paste
salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
1/2 pound Rigatoni, or any pasta shapes really
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1.5 cups shredded fresh mozzarella (buy a big hunk of mozzarella and shred it, instead of the pre-shredded mozzarella. It'll taste much better!)
1/2 cup Ricotta

Directions

Heat saute pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic, and cook additional 2 minutes. Add spinach in two batches, waiting until the first batch is mostly wilted before adding the remaining spinach. Continue cooking until beef is thoroughly cooked.
Stir in chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook Rigatoni 10 minutes, or until desired doneness.
Drain pasta. Add beef/tomato mixture and stir. Add Ricotta cheese, stir. Add parmesan and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Stir until evenly mixed. Pour into baking dish, and top with remaining mozzarella.
Cover with foil and bake on 375 for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Soy Citrus Scallops

2009-05-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

This is a delicious scallop recipe that's incredibly easy and quick to make. The original recipe is from Cooking Light's April 2009 issue. We found the scallops to be quite tender, a little bit sweet, and just a touch spicy. Perfect! I paired it with a side salad, though next time I'll certainly try the veggie side dish that CL recommends.

We substituted Bay Scallops for the Sea Scallops, so I didn't even attempt to sear them. From the Cooking Light website, many people suggest not marinating the scallops first, but instead searing them first, cooking down the marinade liquid, and adding the scallops back at the end. For me, I marinated my bay scallops, then cooked them 80% of the way, boiled down the sauce, and added them back in. They came out perfectly!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee) (I just used hot sauce and 2 cloves of chopped garlic)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
1 pound large sea scallops
4 cups hot cooked soba (about 6 ounces uncooked buckwheat noodles) (I used Ramen noodles instead)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients and 1 teaspoon oil in a shallow baking dish; add scallops to dish in a single layer. Marinate 4 minutes on each side.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove scallops from dish, reserving marinade. Add scallops to pan; sauté 1 minute on each side or until almost done. Remove scallops from pan; keep warm. Place remaining marinade in pan; bring to a boil. Return scallops to pan; cook 1 minute. Toss noodles with salt and green onions. Place 1 cup noodle mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 3 scallops, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon sauce.

Black Bottom Goat Cheese Cupcakes

2009-05-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

So I subscribe a fantastic cupcake blog, titled "Cupcake Project." The creativity that Stef has is just unbelievable! This girl can make any ingredient into a cupcake. And I find that fun! So being a goat cheese addict like myself, I decided to try her recipe for Black Bottom Cupcakes with Goat Cheese. They may sound a bit weird, but they're delicious! The goat cheese bakes into a puffy, creamy, cheesy goodness that makes these cupcakes perfect just as they are. No frosting necessary. I did have to make a few ingredient changes, just because I didn't have yogurt or unsweetened chocolate on hand. But they still turned out perfectly!

Ingredients
Cake

2 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C butter, room temperature
1 1/3 C sugar
2 eggs
2/3 C plain yogurt (2/3 C buttermilk)
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 C milk
5 oz baking chocolate, melted (15T cocoa + 5T butter)

Goat Cheese Topping

8 oz goat cheese
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Whisk flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and milk until blended.
Alternately fold in flour mixture and melted chocolate, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the goat cheese topping.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the topping onto the center of each cupcake.
Bake at 350 F for thirty minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Still in the pan...cooling.

Ready to eat!!

Bread Machine Pizza Dough

2009-04-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Pizza night! We love the pizza dough from Trader Joes but this week they were out of it when I went to pick some up. So off to AllRecipes I went, where I found this recipe for pizza dough. I love the addition of beer into this recipe. It gives the dough a nice bite. We topped our pizza with store-bought sauce, sliced onions and roasted garlic. Delicious! The dough makes enough for 1 large pizza. I don't have a stone, or a pizza pan, so I don't have exact measurements, but it was plenty for the 2 of us.

Ingredients

1 cup flat beer
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Directions

Put beer, butter, sugar, salt, flour, and yeast in a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting, and press Start.
Remove dough from bread machine when cycle is complete. Roll or press dough to cover a prepared pizza pan. Brush lightly with olive oil. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Spread sauce and toppings on top of dough. Bake until crust is lightly brown and crispy on the outside, about 24 minutes.

Pizza - before going into the oven

After!

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

2009-04-01T13:16:00.001-07:00

I was asked to make some sugar cookies for a baby shower, and wanted to try a different recipe than the last time. Why, you ask? Because I like trying new recipes. Simple as that! This recipe is awesome, and works perfectly for sugar cookie cutouts. I used a round cutter, and they did flatten a bit, but they definitely kept their shape, which can be a real challenge with sugar cookies. The original recipe was a tad bland, so I added an additional cup of sugar and I think they're perfect.

I also used a new frosting from AllRecipes, again, because I like trying new recipes! It's very thick. I was expecting a thinner icing that I could dip the cookies into, but this definitely needed to be applied with a pastry brush. Not sure how I feel about that. I love the way it dries -- a glossy smooth finish with a nice shine, but the application process could be a bit frustrating for the average at-home baker.

Cookies
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar (I used 3)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (instead of flour, I use confectioners sugar to keep the surface from sticking while I roll it out). Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Frosting
Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Baked cookies - I rolled dough to 1/2 inch thick and they definitely flattened a bit. Still chewy and soft on the inside though.

Frosted cookies - I used a pastry brush to paint the frosting on. These will be clocks when they're finished, but I'm waiting for the base to dry before using tempered chocolate to pipe on the numbers and clock hands. Updates to follow...

Finished clock cookies

Best Bread Machine Challah

2009-04-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

The price of bread at the grocery store is absurd! $3.99 for a loaf of bread? I think not. Maybe it's the fact that we spent 6 years living basically in poverty, but I just can't comfortably spend that kind of money on something I know I can bake myself, for much less money.

This recipe for challah is SO delicious. Better than the last recipe I made, and up until now, I thought that one was the best! This makes a 1.5 pound loaf that's eggy, slightly sweet, and just a great sandwich bread. It's so simple to make in the bread machine...as Ron Popiel would say, "Set it and forget it!" But make sure to set your machine on "light" so it doesn't get too crusty. I also used the "sweet" bread setting on my machine.

Ingredients

3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons margarine
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

Add ingredients to the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer.
Select Sweet (or Basic, if you don't have a sweet option) Bread and Light Crust settings. Start.

I forgot to take a picture of our loaf, which has since been devoured, so I stole this picture from the original recipe that's posted on Allrecipes.com.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli

2009-03-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Round 3 of fresh pasta making.

Tonight we made Emeril's Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli, with sage brown butter sauce. And they were delicious! Though not easy. It's definitely a lot of work to get these together, but the end result is worth it. The filling is creamy and velvety, and pairs really well with the nuttiness of the sage brown butter sauce. I added just a dash of cinnamon to the filling, which isn't in the original recipe, but I'd highly recommend doing so. The nutmeg is a nice touch, but the cinnamon just makes it superb.

Ingredients

9 tablespoons butter (I made the sauce with 4 T butter, and that was plenty)
3 tablespoons minced shallots (I used onion instead)
1 cup roasted butternut squash puree (cut squash in half, scoop out inside, and place cut face down in pyrex baking dish, filled with 1/4 inch of water. Bake at 375 for 45min until tender)
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream (I used Ricotta instead, as I didn't have cream on hand)
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 2 ounces
Pinch nutmeg and cinnamon
1 recipe pasta dough, rolled out into wide ribbons
12 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the squash puree and cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons cheese and nutmeg, to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.
Cut the pasta ribbons into 3-inch squares. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each pasta square. Bring 1 corner of the square to the other, forming a triangle and seal the pasta completely. Add the pasta to pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes or until the pasta floats and is pale in color.
Remove the pasta from the water and drain well. Season the pasta with salt and pepper.
In a large saute pan, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter. Add the sage to the butter and continue to cook until the butter starts to brown. Remove from the heat.
Place some of the pasta in the center of each serving plate. Spoon the butter sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle the 2 ounces of cheese over each plate and garnish with parsley.

Herbed Ricotta Ravioli

2009-03-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Homemade pasta is still new to me, so I'm trying to experiment with a variety of things. A few weeks ago we made linguine and spaghetti, and tonight we made ravioli with an herbed ricotta filling. They were time consuming, but easy, and so so so delicious! The original recipe is from Cooking Light's March 2009 issue. I made a few changes that are noted below. I love that you can make a big batch of these and freeze them. Next time, I'll definitely double the recipe so I can put some away for another day!

The recipe looks a bit daunting because it's long and involved, but take your time, and follow the steps. It's pretty simple to make, and very straightforward.

Ingredients
Dough

5.6 ounces soft wheat flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large egg

Directions

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and eggs in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until mixture is crumbly (dough will not form a ball). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes). Shape dough into a disc; wrap with plastic wrap. Let dough stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Unwrap dough. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (keep remaining dough covered to prevent drying), pass dough through pasta rollers of a pasta machine on the widest setting. Fold dough in half crosswise; fold in half again. Pass dough through rollers again. Move width gauge to next setting; pass pasta through rollers. Continue moving width gauge to narrower settings; pass dough through rollers once at each setting to form 8 (15 x 3–inch) pasta strips. (I rolled some of my pasta to #2 on my pasta machine and some to #3. I'd definitely recommend stopping at #3, as the #2 ones were a bit too thin.) Lay strips flat on a lightly floured surface; cover. Repeat procedure with remaining dough portions.

Ravioli Filling
Ingredients

3/4 cup (6 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (I omitted this)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
5 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (this was not part of the original recipe)

Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

To prepare ravioli, place ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined colander; drain 30 minutes. Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, and next 4 ingredients (through egg), stirring until well combined.
Place 1 (15 x 3–inch) Classic Pasta Dough sheet on a lightly floured surface. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons filling mixture 1 1/2 inches from left edge in the center of sheet. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons filling mixture at 3-inch intervals along the length of sheet. Moisten edges and in between each filling portion with water; place 1 (15 x 3–inch) pasta sheet on top, pressing to seal. Cut pasta sheet crosswise into 5 (3 x 3–inch) ravioli, trimming edges with a sharp knife or pastry wheel. Place ravioli on a lightly floured baking sheet (cover with a damp towel to prevent drying). Repeat procedure with remaining pasta sheets and filling mixture to form 20 ravioli.
Bring 6 quarts water and salt to a boil in an 8-quart pot. Add half of ravioli to pot; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until no longer translucent. Remove ravioli from water with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining ravioli.
To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 6 minutes or until garlic is tender. Remove from heat. Place 5 ravioli in each of 4 shallow bowls; drizzle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic oil. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon basil and 1 tablespoon shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.

Poppyseed Challah

2009-03-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've made any bread, but I definitely miss it. This Challah recipe isn't quite as tender as a traditional loaf (it's slightly on the dense side), but it's sweet, and eggy, and very good for sandwiches, french toast, or just snacking! You can top it with just about anything. I made 2 loaves -- one topped with poppyseeds, and one topped with Kosher salt. You can also add golden raisins for added sweetness.

Ingredients

2.5 cups warm water (110 degrees - be careful it's not too hot, or it will kill the yeast)
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 whole eggs, plus 4 yolks
1 Tablespoon salt
8 cups all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water for eggwash
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds or sesame seeds for topping

Directions

Pour water in mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast on top. Mix in honey, oil, eggs and yolks until well combined.
Add 2 cups flour, and salt, and mix with dough hook until combined. Continue adding flour, 1 or 2 cups at a time, until dough comes together and forms a tight ball. Knead with hook about 7 minutes on speed 2 or 3, until smooth and shiny.
Remove hook from bowl, shape dough into a neat round ball and place back in bowl, covered with a damp cloth, for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Cut dough into 2 equal pieces (recipe yields 2 loaves). For a 6 stranded braid, cut each equal piece into 6 pieces. I found this video on YouTube that describes how to do a 6-strand braid very clearly. If you don't feel comfortable, just do a 3 strand braid.
Spray parchment with non-stick spray, and place braided loaf on greased parchment. Allow to rise an additional 20 minutes. Brush with eggwash and sprinkle poppyseeds, sesame seeds, or the topping of your choice on the bread. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Yogurt Marinated Pork Chops

2009-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

For some reason, Justin had been CRAVING yogurt marinated pork chops. Not sure where it came from, but he wanted them. So I found a quick recipe online and off I went to defrost some pork and start the marinating process. These really couldn't be easier. Marinate for 4 hours, stick in the oven. Done. We broiled some Brussels sprouts too, so the whole dinner took about 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook. Fantastic, if you ask me!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

Directions:

Rinse and clean the pork chops. Trim any attached fat.
In a large bowl mix together the yogurt, ginger, garlic, salt and chili powder. Add the chops to the marinade and mix gently till all sides are evenly coated. Refrigerate the marinated chops for 2-4 hours, turning the pieces once in between.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Lift the chops from the marinade and place on the baking tray coated with tin foil. Bake 40 minutes or until done.

Other Brother Dave's Pork Tenderloin

2009-02-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

Since we both have brothers named Dave, I commonly refer to Justin's brother as "Other Brother Dave" to avoid confusion. This is his recipe for slow cooked pork tenderloin, and it's quite delicious. He first made it for us at Christmas, and I was shocked to find out just how easy it is to cook. Four ingredients, in the slow cooker, and 7 hours later you've got a full meal on the table. yum! I love the sweetness of the cranberries, and the tang from the mustard. It's a perfect compliment to the pork.

Ingredients

1 16oz can of cranberry jelly
3 T of fresh lemon or orange juice (I prefer orange)
4 T of dijon mustard
3 T of brown sugar
2 pounds pork tenderloins

Directions

Mix all ingredients, through brown sugar, to form a sauce. Place pork tenderloins in slow cooker and cover with sauce.
Cook on low for 8-10 hrs, or high 4-5 hrs
Add potatoes and carrots, if desired, about 3 hours into cooking process. I also quartered an onion and threw that in the crockpot for some more flavor.

Tenderloin Steaks with Red Onion Marmalade

2009-02-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

We still have a few steaks leftover from the fabulous Omaha Steak package Justin got for Hanukkah. We vowed to try a new recipe with each cut of beef, hoping to add some "favorites" to our on-going collection of recipes. I paired this with garlic mashed potatoes and some steamed spinach. The onions have a nice sweet, slightly acidic flavor to them, which really went well with the meat. And the potatoes. Well, who doesn't love some roasted garlic?! And a whole head of garlic in these? Yum!! They were uber-delicious. Both recipes are, of course, from Cooking Light.

Tenderloin Steaks & Marmalade
Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 large red onion, sliced and separated into rings (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add vinegar, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, and pepper evenly over beef. Place beef on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with onion mixture.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients

1 whole garlic head
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound peeled Yukon Gold or red potatoes, quartered
3 cups water
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.
Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Rub oil over garlic head; wrap in foil. Bake at 375° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Set aside. Discard skins.
Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Heat milk in pan over medium heat until hot (do not boil). Add potatoes, salt, and pepper, and beat at medium speed of a mixer until potato mixture is smooth (I just used a handheld potato masher, since I'm not a fan of using a hand mixer for mashed potatoes). Add garlic pulp, and stir well.

Pork Tenderloin with Mango-Soy-Ginger marinade

2009-02-11T01:25:00.000-08:00

Mangoes were on sale this week at the grocery store, and I just couldn't resist. It's been so long since we've cooked with them, so I bought 2 and figured I'd find a way to use them later! Of course, there's a Costco pork tenderloin in the freezer, as always, so I started looking up recipes for a mango pork tenderloin. Came across this one, that looks darn tasty. I made the marinade a day in advance so the pork could sit in it overnight and soak up all those yummy flavors.

I served this with some rice, that I cooked with 2 tablespoons of the Paprika Spice Blend I made the other night for pork. It gave the rice a nice smokey, sort of spicy flavor that paired nicely with the pork.

Ingredients

1 medium size onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons pure olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup mango chutney (I chopped up a fresh mango instead and it was perfect!)
1 12-16 oz. pork tenderloin

Directions

Heat oil until shimmering and then add onions. Turn heat to low and cook onions until very tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
In a medium size bowl, combine the cooked onions and the rest of the ingredients except for the pork. Stir well to combine and then pour into a Ziploc bag. Put the pork tenderloin in the bag and seal. Shake well to thoroughly coat the pork. Allow pork to marinate for at least six hours, or up to 24 hours.
About 45 minutes before dinnertime, start your grill. When the coals reach medium heat (when you can just stand to hold your hand over the grill for about 5 seconds), put the pork on the grill. Turn frequently, cooking until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140F, about 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, take the remaining marinade and heat it in a saucepan on the stove. Bring the sauce to a full boil until it is reduced to a nice thick sauce. Pour it into a little bowl and set aside.
When the pork is ready, remove from grill and let it sit. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise for the first few minutes, and then it will begin to cool and the juices will absorb back into the tissues. After about 10 minutes, when the meat has begun to cool a little, carve into 1/2 inch thick slices and fan 4-5 slices on each plate. Pour the carving juices into your bowl of sauce, swirl to combine, and spoon the sauce over the pork.

The pork looks pink, and raw towards the top right of the picture, but it's actually just from the smoker we used to cook it. We've found when we smoke meats, especially the pork tenderloin, they end up with a bright pink color. It's fully cooked though, don't worry!!

Thai Coconut Curry Tilapia

2009-02-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

By now, you've probably figured out that we are huge fans of Asian style cuisine, and I have a new recent obsession with Cooking Light! This recipe is from Cooking Light.com and was rated one of the top fish recipes. So of course I had to try it. It is SO good. Just a bit spicy, but not so spicy that it burns your mouth. This sauce is definitely going in my "staple book" to use on chicken, fish, tofu, veggies, etc.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice
4 lime wedges

Directions

Preheat broiler.
Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Chocolate Banana Chip Cookies

2009-02-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows when your bananas start turning black, it's time to make banana bread! This time though, it was time to make banana chocolate chip cookies. These little babies are SO delicious and versatile! You could add chocolate chips, toasted walnuts, dried banana chips, etc. The original recipe is from the Golden Book of Chocolate. The only change I made was to omit the chopped dried banana chips, and use banana extract instead of vanilla extract, just to punch it up a bit.

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown, as it's all I had)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp banana extract)
2 large eggs
1 large banana, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried banana chips (I omitted)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I recommend convention, instead of convection. For some reason, these just don't bake as well in convection.). Butter 3 baking sheets, or line with parchment.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
With mixer on low speed, beat in the banana and mixed dry ingredients, followed by the chocolate and banana chips. Drop teaspoons of the dough 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. (You can use a cookie scoop for standard size cookies, or an ice cream for Bickford sized cookies!! We like our cookies jumbo sized...)
Bake until just golden, 15-20 minutes. Cool on the sheets until the cookies firm slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool completely.

Root Beer Float Ice Cream

2009-02-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

We made a cake at work that only required egg whites, so I was able to bring home a plethora of yolks. And what do you make with egg yolks? Ice cream! Last night we made Ina Garten's Espresso ice cream, which is delicious. And tonight we made Root Beer Float ice cream. I brought home some root beer concentrate (also from work, of course!) and we just added it to Alton Brown's basic ice cream base recipe. So creamy and good. It tastes just like a float -- creamy and frothy, and just enough root beer. I also didn't have enough 1/2 and 1/2 for the recipe, so I ended up using 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 and 3 cups heavy cream. It's luxurious!

**Quick Update** I don't recommend using this much cream! It's tasty, but the fat content is just a tad bit too high. I'd suggest using the original recipe of 3 cups 1/2 and 1/2 and 1 cup heavy cream.

Ingredients

9 ounces sugar
8 egg yolks
3 cups 1/2 & 1/2
1 Tbsp root beer concentrate
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Over medium heat, bring the cream and 1/2 & 1/2 just barely to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks until they're light and creamy. Slowly whisk in the sugar until light and THICK. You want the mixture to fall from the whisk slowly and sort of clump when it reaches the bowl. If it's runny, keep whisking. It takes a while to get it to the right consistency.

3. Slowly add 1/3 of the cream into the eggs while whisking constantly. Once that's mixed and the eggs are tempered, slowly add the remaining cream into the eggs and whisk to combine. Add in the root beer concentrate and stir until thoroughly mixed.

4. Return cream/egg mixture to the heat, and stir on medium low until it reaches 170 degrees. Move mixture to a metal bowl and cool in sink filled with cold water. Once mixture reaches room temperature, refrigerate to 40 degrees.

5. Add mixture to ice cream machine and follow manufacturer's directions.

Fresh Linguine with Spicy Red Clam Sauce

2009-02-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

This weekend we found an incredible deal on a pasta roller/cutter, so we decided it was about time we ventured into making fresh pasta. Linguine was the first thing we made, and what better sauce to pair it with than spicy red clam sauce! Yum. The clam sauce is from Cooking Light, and the fresh pasta recipe is from AllRecipes.

Fresh Pasta
Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width. I kneaded the dough in a KA stand mixer. Had to add about 1/4 cup of water though, in order to bring the dough together.

Spicy Red Clam Sauce
Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) package fresh linguine (or make your own, like we did!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (6.5-ounce) cans minced clams, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. (For our fresh pasta, we let it dry for about 5 hours, then boiled it for 4 minutes to al dente.)
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in clams; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, basil, and oregano. Serve with pasta.

Ina Garten's Espresso Ice Cream

2009-02-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

We were making a cake at work last week that called for about 40 whites. With nothing to do with the yolks, I decided to bring them home and make ice cream! First on the list was Ina Garten's Espresso Ice Cream. We're huge fans of Alton Brown's ice cream, but this recipe is slightly different. Next time, I'd definitely double it, since the recipe doesn't make very much (about 1 quart). It's quite espresso-y though and delicious. Creamy, velvety, and packed full of flavor.

**Quick Update** After eating a few bowls of the ice cream, it still tastes delicious, but the consistency is a bit icy. I think I'll go back to my tried and true Alton Brown recipe, as it's got a much creamier texture. Nice try Ina, but Alton's got you beat!

Ingredients

3 cups half-and-half
6 extra-large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 1/2 tablespoons ground espresso coffee beans, decaffeinated or regular
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces (1/2 cup) chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped

Directions

Heat the half-and-half until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed. Slowly add the hot half-and-half until combined. Wipe out the pan and pour the mixture back into the clean pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (until it reaches 170 degrees), for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon.
Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Mix in the chopped espresso beans, spoon into a container, and allow to freeze for a few hours. Soften slightly before serving.

Pork Tenderloin & Goat Cheese Smashed Potatoes

2009-02-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

Yet another 2 recipes from Cooking Light -- November 2008 edition. Costco has such a wonderful deal on pork tenderloins, we always have at least 1 in the freezer. So I'm always on the lookout for new recipes that use pork tenderloin, which is one of our favorite cuts of meat. This recipe is so quick and easy, it's a great recipe for weeknights when you're short on time. Full of flavor, easy to cook, and goes well with just about any side dish you might have on hand. I chose to pair it with the Goat Cheese Smashed Potatoes, which is also a quick and simple dish.

Paprika Spice Rub

1/4 cup paprika
2 T salt
2 T ground cumin
2 T brown sugar
2 T chili powder
2 T ground black pepper
1 T garlic powder

Combine all ingredients; store in airtight container.

Pork Tenderloin with Paprika Spice Rub

1 tablespoon Paprika Spice Blend
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Rub Paprika Spice Blend over pork. Place pork in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 500 degrees for 20 minutes until it reaches 155 degrees.

Goat Cheese Smashed Potatoes

3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 T butter
3/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup milk
3 T chopped fresh chives (I used green onions instead and thinly sliced them)

Directions

Place potatoes in saucepan and cover with cold water to 2 inches above. Add 1/4 tsp salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 min or until tender; drain. Return the potatoes to pan over low heat; add remaining 1 tsp salt and butter to pan. Mash potatoes until desired consistency.
Add cheese and pepper to potato mixture; stir until cheese melts. Stir in milk; cook 1 min until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in chives.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

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

With the recent ice and snow hitting the DC area, I decided it was time to start making some warm, hearty soups for dinner. Something about snow and wind makes me crave hot soup and bread, so I turned to Cooking Light (Dec 2008) and found a delicious recipe for Coconut Curry soup. It's definitely filling, with the chicken, spinach and pasta.

This definitely has a long list of ingredients, but it makes about 8 servings, so it'll last a while.

Ingredients

4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half
1 5.75oz package pad thai noodles
1 T canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tsp red curry paste
1 1/2 curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
2.5 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 T sugar
2 T fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped
7 lime wedges

Directions

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan, cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables and place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Chicken Fricassee & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2009-02-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

We've recently found a love for Brussels Sprouts, despite the negative connotation the public seems to give them. These little gems are really quite delicious when seasoned properly, and I highly recommend you try them, even if you've had negative past experiences. The chicken is SO easy to cook -- marinate it overnight and it's ready to go whenever you are. Both recipes are from Cooking Light -- Chicken is from Jan/Feb 2009 edition, Brussels sprouts from Dec 2008.

Chicken Fricassee Ingredients

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 T chopped fresh thyme
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Combine mustard, 1 Tablespoon parsley, 1.5 tsp thyme and chicken in a large plastic bag. Toss well to coat -- chill 8 hours, or overnight.
Remove chicken from bag, discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, cook 5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pan.
Add chopped onion to pan, and saute 5 min or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic to pan, and saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 1 Tablespoon parsley and remaining 1.5 teaspoons thyme. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 min until chicken is done. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, and keep warm.
Cook sauce, uncovered, over medium heat 4 min or until slightly thick. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tablespoons parsley.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Chestnuts
Ingredients

4 cups trimmed and quartered Brussels sprouts
1 1/4 cups halved chestnuts (I roasted fresh ones)
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
dash of ground red pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine sprouts and chestnuts in a large bowl. Add oil, salt and peppers; toss well to coat. Spread in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until sprouts are tender, stirring after 15 min. Remove from oven. Add butter to sprout mixture, tossing until butter melts.

Garlic Gnocchi & Spinach

2009-02-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

This is originally a Cooking Light recipe that I altered just a bit. It's quick, easy, and full of flavor. Pair it with a nice salad to round out the meal. I used store-bought gnocchi, packaged spinach, and pre-shredded Parmesan. Could it be any easier?!

Ingredients

16 oz pre-packaged gnocchi
1 Tablespoon butter
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 ounces fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Heat non-stick skillet on medium-high. Add butter. Fry gnocchi for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until light golden brown.
Add garlic to pan and heat for 1 minute. Add half of the spinach to the pan and stir. When spinach begins to wilt, add remaining spinach. Cook additional 3-4 minutes until spinach is completely wilted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and stir in Parmesan cheese.

Rolo Cookies

2009-01-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

I was in Barnes & Noble right after Christmas and came across the most eye-catching chocolate cookbook ever. It was a deep, dark, rich chocolate brown, with a shiny gold cover, appropriately titled, "The Golden Book of Chocolate." A good 30 minutes were spent browsing through the book, with its shiny gold coated pages and intriguing photographs. About 3 days later, when I found myself still dreaming of the book, I ordered it through B&N.com, saved about $12, and anxiously awaited for it to arrive on my doorstep.
After flipping through 800 some pages of delectable desserts, I decided to try the Caramel Cookies, mainly because they called for Rolos, of which I have plenty. They are just dreamy. Sweet, fluffy, tender, crumbly, gooey, chocolatey, and warm! Simple to make with standard ingredients on hand (nothing's worse than a cookbook that constantly calls for specialty ingredients that you don't have in the pantry), and damn tasty.

The recipe does call for dried banana chips, which I omitted, because it didn't sound appetizing to me. Next time, I would probably add a bit more Rolos, but for now, these will have to do.

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp firmly backed dark brown sugar (I used light brown again, as I didn't have dark brown on hand)
2 large eggs
8 oz caramel-filled chocolates, such as Rolos, chopped (I used 4 rolls of Rolos, but next time would use 5)
3 oz dried banana chips, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp milk

Directions

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter and brown sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer, at high speed, until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended.
With mixer on low, beat in mixed dry ingredients, chocolates, banana chips and milk.
Divide the dough in 2 and form 2 8-inch logs. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, sprayed with non-stick spray. Slice the dough in 1/2 inch thick pieces and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake until the edges are firm and the centers are still slightly soft, 15-18 minutes. Cool on the sheets until the cookies are firm slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Asian Noodles in Satay Sauce

2009-01-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is a Weight Watchers recipe, from Cook it Quick. The recipe is really versatile -- just use whatever veggies you have on hand, or grab a few bags of frozen veggies for a super quick meal. You could also add chicken or pork to it or change out the noodles. Very tasty, and super easy to make. I added freshly sliced onions also, and just steamed them with the broccoli until they were opaque and tender.

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup snow peas
3 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz fettuccine
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 small red pepper, seeded and sliced

Directions

Bring 1/4 cup of the water to a boil in a skillet. Add the carrots, broccoli and mushrooms, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 4-6 minutes. Add snow peas, scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook, uncovered until the snow peas soften.
Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine accord to package directions, drain.
Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and remaining 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Stir into the vegetables. Add the bell pepper and the fettuccine, toss to coat, and serve.

This recipe has been submitted to Blogger Joelen's Chef Spotlight: Health Conscious Chefs, who's blog can be found here.

Cranberry Walnut Muffins

2009-01-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

A while ago, I made some fantastic blueberry corn muffins. I remembered this recipe while brainstorming what I could do with a few bags of leftover cranberries. Cranberry walnut muffins, of course! Classic, simple, and great for breakfast. I decided to make mini bundt cakes instead of muffins though, just because I love the look of the mini bundts. You can substitute any fruit for the cranberries, or Splenda for the sugar. The recipe is really versatile.

The original Blueberry recipe is here, but I'll repost for convenience sake too.

Ingredients

1.75 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1.25 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 T Splenda for Baking (or 3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup egg substitute (I whisked 2 eggs in a small bowl and measured out 1/3 cup. 2 eggs generally measures 1/2 cup, so there isn't much waste here)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (we are lactose intolerant, so I made faux buttermilk by adding 1 tsp lemon juice to 1 cup Silk soy milk, and letting it curdle for 5 minutes)
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen -- no need to thaw if frozen)
1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Blend dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. Blend butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg slowly. Scrape sides and continue to mix until butter forms small lumps. Add vanilla and buttermilk. Mix well. Add dry ingredients in three batches. Mix well and scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition. DO NOT OVERMIX. When the dry ingredients are about 80% mixed into the butter/egg mixture, gently fold the blueberries into the batter. This will help prevent over mixing.

4. Scoop batter into muffin cups or mini bundt pans. Makes 12 muffins or 6 mini bundts.

Guinness & Onion burgers

2009-01-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

This recipe came from The Little Black Book of BBQ. Simple and delicious. We used Guinness, though I think any dark beer would work well. Served on a fresh ciabatta roll topped with onions and mustard, a side of sliced sweet potatoes that we grilled with some olive oil and salt, and some kettle chips, made for a perfect Sunday dinner.

Ingredients

2 beef burgers
3 ounces Guinness (or any dark beer)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp olive oil
dash of salt

Directions

Dice red onion and place in food processor with Guinness, olive oil and salt. Puree until smooth and liquidy.
Liberally baste burgers on one side with marinade. I use a fork to poke holes in the burger so the beer mixture seeps in a bit more.
Place burgers on grill, marinade side up. Grill 2-3 minutes, flip, and brush other side liberally with remaining marinade. Discard any leftover marinade. Continue cooking until burgers are done to your liking.

Country Supper Waffles

2009-01-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from the fabulous book, Retro Breakfast. It's full of pancake, waffle, biscuit and egg recipes that remind me of the greasy spoon diners I love so much. The recipe makes enough waffles for 4 people, but we always make it for 2, and then freeze the rest -- they reheat well in the toaster.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup melted butter, margarine, or oil

Directions

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, combine egg yolks and milk until well blended.
With electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Pour egg/milk mixture into flour and beat just enough to moisten.
Stir in slightly cooled melted butter. Fold in egg whites, leaving little clumps of the white.
Pour into waffle iron and bake to perfection!

Rolo Pretzels

2009-01-01T14:30:00.001-08:00

This is pretty much the easiest and fastest dessert recipe out there. It came about because every year for Christmas, I get a giant box of Rolos. That's 36 rolls of Rolos! So I figured it was time to get busy trying out some recipes involving the Rolos, so we don't just sit in front of the TV pigging out.

Ingredients

Small pretzels -- twists or circles work best
Rolos - you'll need 1 Rolo per pretzel (FYI - 8 Rolos come in each roll)
Toasted walnuts -- halves or chopped, or you can use pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Spray with non-stick spray and wipe with a paper towel.
Arrange pretzels in a single layer on sheet pan. Top each pretzel with a Rolo.
Bake at 325 for 5 minutes, until Rolos are soft, but not melted.
Remove pan from oven and using nuts, smoosh the Rolo and press the nuts into it. Let them cool completely on the parchment/tin foil, then store in an air tight container.

Grilled Pepper Steak and Herb-Roasted Onions

2008-12-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner was superb. Really, fantastic. We grilled top sirloin steaks, which were so darn simple. Just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and coat with cracked pepper. Then grill to perfection (135 degrees for me)! Yum.

And Ina Garten's Herb-Roasted Onions were such an easy compliment to the dinner. I'd definitely recommend the recipe, especially the vinaigrette. It's pretty versatile and would taste good on just about any vegetable, or even used as a salad dressing.

The original recipe is here, but I'll repost for convenience sake too.

Ingredients

2 red onions
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used oregano instead, personal preference)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.
For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Pineapple Fried Rice & Chicken

2008-12-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

There's a lovely food blogger, by the name of Joelen, who has the most amazing blog ever. Seriously, her culinary adventures sound fantastic, and I am highly envious. Tonight, I decided to make her pineapple fried rice, and add in some chicken as well. The original recipe is from her blog, but I will repost it here for convenience. The rice was quick and easy to make, and very tasty.

The only change I made was to add some chicken to it. And I didn't have green onions, so I omitted them (though I think they'd make the dish that much more delicious). The end result was a sweet and salty fried rice, and a sort of glazed chicken addition (my chicken addition is below the recipe).

Ingredients

2 cups cold prepared rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2-3 stalks green onion, sliced
1 small can pineapple tibits, drained
1-2 tablespoons lite sodium soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

In a wok or skillet, heat oil.When hot, add diced white onion, garlic, pineapple and half of the sliced green onion.Toss and heat until white onions are softened.
Add cold rice, crumbling it with your hands.
Fold rice into the onion/pineapple mixture.
Allow rice to heat & crisp up.
Add remaining green onion and toss.
Drizzle in the soy sauce for additional flavor and color.
Add salt & pepper to taste.
Fold or toss rice to fully combine.
Serve when heated through.

My chicken addition is as follows.
Ingredients

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
2T honey
2T sesame oil

Directions

Cut chicken into chunks. Mix soy sauce, sugar, honey and oil in a small container. Toss chicken in mixture and marinate about 2-4 hours.
In a wok, heat 1-2 tablespoons oil. Stir-fry chicken until caramel colored and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Continue with fried rice recipe above, in same wok, and add chicken in at the end, just to heat through.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

2008-12-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

This is, by far, one of the best cheesecake recipes I've ever made. It's super simple to make, but it's so creamy and smooth and rich and delicious! I've made it plain, and with pumpkin, and both versions are awesome.

This particular time I made it, was the first time I'd used my oven in the new house. So my timing was off and it was slightly underdone, which is why the picture shows a pretty unclean looking piece of cake. But it's still quite tasty and who am I to let a little undercooked-ness ruin my evening?!

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2/3 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 T. cinnamon
2 T. sugar

Directions

Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Pour graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and sugar into bottom of springform pan. Add melted butter and use fingers to combine ingredients until they are wet enough to be patted into a crust. Pat the crust into the bottom of the pan, not up the sides. Set aside.

Filling

2 lbs. cream cheese
1/2 lb. Mascarpone
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 T. and 2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 c pumpkin puree (I always buy the one for pumpkin pie, it says it has additional spices in it like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc)

Directions

Blend cheeses and sugar on low, until smooth. Do not overmix.
Add eggs and vanilla....blend on low until creamy. Reserve 1 cup of batter. Pour remaining batter into crust.
Mix reserved cup of batter with pumpkin puree and pour on top of regular batter. Swirl it together with a knife, or just spread evenly on top for a layered look.
Bake at 300 til almost set...about 45min to an hour. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Honey Carrot Cake

2008-11-30T06:52:00.001-08:00

Got this recipe from a friend of mine. Using half honey and half sugar gives the cake a sweet flavor without being too sweet. If you are a huge fan of honey, you can actually substitute (1:1 ratio) honey for the granulated sugar in the recipe.

Ingredients

6oz all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5.3 oz canola oil
3 eggs
4.63 oz honey
4.63 oz granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5.75 oz carrots, shredded finely
1.3 oz walnuts, chopped

Directions

Sift dry ingredients into medium sized bowl.
Whisk eggs, honey and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy/foamy.
Gradually drizzle in oil until incorporated.
Add dry ingredients to whipped egg mixture and mix just until combined.
Add carrots and walnuts, folding by hand until incorporated.
Place 2 pounds of batter in a parchment lined 9" cake pan, and bake about 40 minutes at 365 degrees, or until skewer comes out clean.

I usually end up with a little bit of extra batter, which I use to make cupcakes or mini bundt cakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add butter and vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes, until well combined.
Slowly add in powdered sugar and beat until fluffy consistency.
Use immediately or keep well covered in refrigerator.

This is a very traditional cream cheese frosting. It's not overly sweet and has more of a cream cheese taste to it than sugar. If you prefer something sweeter, you may want to double the powdered sugar.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

This will be the first Thanksgiving in our new house, so of course we're hosting it this year. Justin is taking care of the turkey (see below) by smoking it on the grill, and I'm doing all the sides, except sweet potatoes and white potatoes. Except white potatoes, we don't really have any family recipes for things like stuffing, green beans, cranberries, etc. So off to Allrecipes I went! And here's what I found:

Tasty Green Bean Casserole

Unstuffing Side Dish

Browning sausage, mushrooms, celery and onions. I don't have a picture of the final stuffing yet since it's still in the oven.

Cranberry Chutney

All 3 were incredibly easy to make and from what I've tasted so far, quite delicious!

I also made Turnips Au Gratin, compliments of Peggy. I've never had turnips on Thanksgiving, but she swears that they're awesome, and her insanely picky husband even liked them! So I figured I'd give them a shot, since Justin is definitely a fan of turnips.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Turnips, peeled
4T Butter
1 1/2 tsp Marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs, separated
2C milk
1/2 C water
1C cornmeal
2C Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Butter 9" square baking dish
In saucepan, steam turnips over 1" water until very tender
Puree Turnips with butter and marjoram until smooth
Transfer puree to large bowl, and season with salt and pepper
Whisk in the cheese and egg yolks
Over medium heat, bring milk and water to simmer
Slowly pour in the cornmeal, whisking constantly until smooth. Cook
until thick, about 2 minutes
Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk cornmeal into turnip mixture
Beat egg whites with mixer until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites
into turnip mixture
Spoon batter into prepared baking dish
Bake 45 minutes at 350* until puffed and lightly browned

And finally, I made a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Because it's not Thanksgiving without cheesecake!

Ingredients

CRUST

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2/3 pound unsalted butter
1/2 T. cinnamon
2 T. sugar

FILLING

2 lbs. cream cheese
1/2 lb. mascarpone
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 T. and 2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 c pumpkin puree

Directions

Blend cheeses and sugar on low til smooth. Do not overmix.
Add eggs and vanilla....blend on low til smooth. Reserve 1 cup of batter. Pour rest into crust. Mix remaining cup of batter with pumpkin puree and pour on top of regular batter. Swirl it together with a knife.
Bake at 300 until almost set, about 45min to an hour.

Update...
Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving.

Our fabulous smoked turkey. Took about 6 hours, start to finish.
Justin and David carving the turkey by hand.

The turkey on display on the table!

Dining room table

Dining room table before all the food.

Too much Thanksgiving excitement for Jena leaves her shoeless and passed out.

Smoked Cornish Game Hens

2008-11-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

This was our pre-Thanksgiving test, to see just what's involved in smoking a bird. We picked up 2 cornish game hens at the store and planned to season them and smoke them on the grill. First, we made a salty-sweet brine and injected the thighs, breasts and legs with a bit of the brine, to help keep the bird juicy while cooking. Then we made a paste with roasted garlic, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and shallots, and stuffed that under the skin. We removed the innards and saved them to make the gravy. The hens went into a large pan and the grill was heated to about 325 to begin the smoking process. It took about 3 hours, mainly because it was our first attempt and we weren't quite used to keeping the fire going and adding charcoal to the fire. But the finished product was delicious, perfectly cooked, and topped with a luscious gravy. Can't wait for Thanksgiving when we do a big turkey the same way!

Brine

about 1 cup chicken stock
about 1/2 cup water
pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey

These measurements are estimates. We just sort of threw them into a bowl until it tasted good, heated it up to dissolve the sugar and honey, then let it cool before injecting it into the bird.

Herb Rub

2 shallots, diced
1 head roasted garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

Combine all ingredients. Run fingers under skin of hen to make room for the rub. Generously coat the hen, under the skin, with the herb mixture.

Gravy

1 shallot, diced
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
chicken innards
Remaining brine mixture from above
chicken stock may be necessary if you don't have enough brine leftover

Over medium-high heat, pan fry shallot and tarragon with 1 tablespoon oil. Fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken innards to pan. Turn frequently until brown on all sides. Add about 1.5 cups of brine mixture to pan, bring to a boil. Simmer gently, stirring about every 10 minutes or so, for about 2 hours. If liquid reduces too much, add more brine, or chicken stock, to keep simmering. When gravy is a bit thick (takes a few hours), remove the innards from the pan and discard. Lightly spoon gravy over birds when they come off the smoker.

All of these recipes/procedures are sort of estimates because we just flew by the seat of our pants. I tried to write down things as we went, but nothing was exact.

Martini Cookies

2008-08-13T02:45:00.000-07:00

So a friend of mine is getting married in about 3 weeks, and I've been asked to make her wedding favors. A crab shaped sugar cookie! I made the same ones for my wedding, so it shouldn't too difficult. But at the last minute, she also asked me to make some cookies for her bachelorette party. Gotta love Christy's flexibility, since she said "just make something cute. Surprise me!" So I went with the martini glass, figuring that was appropriate for the party. Her wedding colors are teal (and something else, which I can't remember, as it's only 5:40am!), so I made the tops of the martinis teal, to run with the theme. All in all, I think they look great! Congratulations Christy!! Have fun at your party! :)

Blackened Catfish and Dirty Rice

2008-07-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Since the parents had never tasted catfish, I decided to cook some for dinner tonight, with Zatarain's dirty rice and steamed string beans. The fish was super easy to make and came out tender and flakey and really tasty. It's spicy though, and although I cut the cayenne in half, it was still spicy. The recipe is actually from Allrecipes, though I made a few changes, noted below.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (as per the reviews online, I cut this in half and it was still plenty spicy)
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 pound catfish fillets
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing (I omitted this and used olive oil instead)
I also added 2 teaspoons onion powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter (I softened the butter in the microwave for a few seconds first). Rub fillets with the cayenne pepper mixture on both sides.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.
Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing (I just misted with a bit of olive oil and omitted the dressing completely). Bake 30 to 35 minutes (mine were cooked in 15 minutes) in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Final Shower goodies

2008-06-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

So the goodies for the baby shower are complete! I ended up making an apple spice cake with pumpkin spice buttercream, chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes, and vanilla sugar cookies for favors. The baby's room will be lavender and sage, with a daisy and lamb theme. So I ran with the colors and daisies and tried to make something Springy and fun for the shower this weekend.

Shower Cake - Test #1

2008-05-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

So in addition to the daisy cupcakes, I'll also be making an apple pie spice cake since my sister-in-law is not into chocolate these days. I'd never attempted an entire cake with basketweave before, I'd learned it in culinary school but that's about it. So for my first shot at basketweave, I'm pretty happy. I need to work on the spacing a bit, but that's ok.

For the shower, The vertical lines will be lavender, and the horizontal ones will be sage, and there will be a lavender sugar daisy in the center of the top.

The cake itself is a spice cake with 2 cups of diced apples, then buttercream flavored with apple pie spice in the center and top. The buttercream around the edges is just plain vanilla buttercream.

Shower Cupcakes - Trial #1

2008-05-24T20:44:00.001-07:00

This was the first trial for the shower cupcakes. They're going to be a quadruple chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream icing, in purple and sage daisies.

Can't remember the exact recipe right now, but it was a doctored cake mix, with added chocolate chips, sour cream, and extra chocolate. Quite tasty, though the icing was a bit sweet.

The purple ones photographed better, but the green ones looked better in person. And sorry they're a little sloppy. I kept doing a daisy, messing up, and scraping it off, so they're definitely not perfect. But they will be for the shower!

Justin's Birthday Cake!

2008-04-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

He requested a GIANT cupcake this year for his birthday. So off to Michael's I went, coupon in hand, and picked up the pan to make said cake. I made a chocolate mocha cake, and plan to do chocolate icing on the bottom, and vanilla buttercream on the top. I haven't iced it yet, that's tomorrow's project. But I ended up with the giant cupcake and 12 regular sized cupcakes leftover. Damn tasty.

For the cupcake pan, the bottom part bakes much slower than the top, because of the cavity size difference. I filled the bottom about 2/3 full, baked for 10 minutes, then filled the top and continued baking for 40 minutes at 325. It came out perfectly. You'll see in the pictures, where the nonstick spray discolored the cake slightly, but it's getting covered in icing, so I don't care too much...

Cake recipe: From Sandra Lee
Ingredients

1 cup ground espresso
2 2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
6 eggs
2 boxes of chocolate cake mix (I used a Dark Chocolate mix)

Directions

1. Brew espresso and water in standard coffee pot. Set aside.

2. Combine other ingredients in large bowl and mix on low until combined. Slowly add in hot coffee, while mixing on medium. Mix for 2 minutes until batter is light and fluffy.

3. Fill pans accordingly. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert to wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
------------------------------------
Frosting Recipe
Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
food coloring, if desired.

Directions

1. Combine butter and vanilla in medium bowl. Use whip attachment and mix on medium-high for 4 minutes, until butter is light and fluffy.

2. Add in confectioners sugar and milk. Whip another 5 minutes, until frosting is fluffy and sugar has completely dissolved (taste the frosting -- if it's still grainy, mix a little bit longer). Mix in food coloring, if desired.

** Depending on the thickness you require (thicker for piping, thinner for frosting), you may need to add milk and/or sugar to achieve the desired consistency.
------------------------------------

We also had some incredible, homemade cinnamon ice cream.

Ingredients

3 cups half and half
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sugar and half and half. Stir occasionally, and remove from heat just as it begins to simmer (takes about 10 minutes or so). Slowly combine half of the mixture with the beaten eggs, whisking quickly to combine, preventing the eggs from scrambling. Pour egg mixture back into saucepan with remaining half and half mixture. Bring to 170 degrees, over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add in vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk quickly to combine. Set aside to cool. When mixture reaches about 70 degrees, refrigerate 2-3 hours.

2. Pour cooled mixture into ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

** Note: I used the Kitchenaid 2 quart ice cream maker. This recipe has to be made in 2 parts, because it is too large an amount for the KA attachment. If you place the full recipe in the ice cream maker, it won't freeze properly.

Finished cake, without the candles

Unfinished...still needs frosting!

Leftover batter I made into cupcakes. Also added some chocolate chips to them.

Four Cheese Macaroni

2008-04-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

This was sort of a last ditch attempt to get rid of a lot of cheese left in the fridge. I had a bag of 65 cent pasta, some leftover broccoli from the 2lb/$1 sale, and 4 different kinds of cheese that needed to be used.

Ingredients

2 cups macaroni
1 head of broccoli, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese (cheddar and jack)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and boil 8-10 minutes until tender. When pasta has about 1 minute left, add broccoli to the pot. Once pasta is tender, drain liquid.

2. Add 1 type of cheese at a time, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon to avoid clumping. Make sure cheese is fully melted and has evenly coated pasta before adding the next one. Continue stirring vigorously until all cheeses are added.