The Fish Wife Cooks

I've moved . . .

2010-11-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

Readers (if there are any still out there . . .),
My apologies for my extended absence. The health issues got better, the personal issues got worse. Suffice it to say, I no longer find it appropriate to keep a blog titled "The Fish Wife" does anything, when I am no longer Mr. Fish's wife. He now sustains himself on cereal and boxed food and we've remained friends. For more dirt on that, you'll have to see the new blog ;)

If you're interested in seeing what goes on in this single girl's kitchen, visit me at http://dianadishes.wordpress.com/

Thanks!!!

One From the Archives

2010-05-19T13:30:00.001-04:00

Wow, it's been a long few weeks over here. I've been battling some relationship issues and some health issues and haven't really had much time in the kitchen, save for a few dinners with friends where I made some things that have already been featured on here. Sorry if it seems I fell off the face of the earth, I'm still here! If I still have any readers, I appreciate you hanging on with anticipation for my next recipe (hahahaha).

In exciting news, I finally took the plunge and bought a new camera that I'm really excited about getting more familiar with. So I've been in the process of clearing out the memory card for my point and shoot and came across delicious things I never got a chance to post. One of those things was some corn muffins I made to go with a crock pot chicken chili that I didn't take pictures of before devouring. The corn muffins, however were fantastic and deserve to be shared with the masses. They're a sweet corn muffin, delicious with some butter and a very nice compliment to the spicy chili. I hope you enjoy, and I look forward to posting some yummy things from the kitchen soon now that better, less hectic days are here.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

recipe from Down Home with the Neelys

Ingredients:

1 C. yellow cornmeal

1 C. flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 C. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 C. whole milk

2 large eggs

1/2 stick of butter, melted

1/4 C. honey

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, butter and honey.

Add the honey mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir just until combined.

Line a 12 cavity muffin pan with paper liners.

Evenly divide the batter into the lined cavities.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Ditch the Box

2010-05-09T19:04:00.000-04:00

While planning meals the week before last (yes, I am that far behind . . . ), I came across this pasta dish that resembles homemade Hamburger Helper. I decided to throw it in the rotation because my husband and I were both practically raised on Hamburger Helper and pretty much since I've been cooking my own dinners, I don't remember making any. It seems like once you start getting away from things that come processed in boxes, you realize the salt and fat contained in those convenience dinners. Really it didn't take much more effort than it's packaged counterpart to prepare and tasted much better.

Creamy Taco Mac

adapted from Delish

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

8 oz. dried pasta and reserve 1 C. of cooking water

1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 packet mild taco seasoning (I make my own)

3 oz. cream cheese

1/2 C. sour cream

salt and pepper

shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta per package directions. Remember to reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink.

Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for five minutes.

Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Stir well until cheeses are melted and incorporated.

Simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper if desired and top with cheddar cheese if using.

BB: Jam Thumbprint Cookies

2010-04-22T18:24:00.004-04:00

I'll just cut right to the chase. These cookies are amazing. Usually whenever I make cookies, my husband and I will have them over the course of a few days and then end up tossing the rest because they're stale or we've lost interest. Very infrequently (unless I ship them off to work with my husband) does every cookie get consumed. This time, diet be damned, we finished them off in a little more than a weekend.

Cassandra, of Foodie with Little Thyme, chose the second recipe for April, these jam thumbprint cookies. The cookie itself is very similar to a shortbread, and then it gets rolled in coconut, and is topped off with a bit of jam. These are "party in your mouth" good, and really don't require a huge amount of effort. I made half of them with apricot preserves and half of them with raspberry, because the original recipe suggested those and I couldn't pick just one flavor. I can not wait to make these again, trying out other preserves flavors. Be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, p. 208 and can also be found here

makes 32 cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 1/2 C. flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water, for egg wash

7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut

apricot and/ or raspberry jam

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar just until combined.

Add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and roll together to form a flat disk.

Wrap the dough in plastic and put in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls (if using a scale, each ball should weigh one ounce).

Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll in coconut.

Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Make an indent with your fingers in the top of each ball.

Put 1/4 tsp. of jam into each indentation.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is golden brown.

White Lies

2010-04-21T18:15:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, you just have to withhold information. With this dinner, for instance, I did not tell my husband during any step of the planning or preparation process that it might resemble anything in an Alfredo sauce. Instead, I told him we'd be dining on meatballs and rigatoni in a cheese sauce and that seemed to be fine with him. Preparing this was a lengthy process, too lengthy for most weeknights but I had some time to kill, so I put it on the meal plan for the week anyway. It did not disappoint as I found it delicious and succeeded in getting my husband to eat something resembling an Alfredo sauce. Granted, he didn't love it like he's loved some other dinners I've prepared, but he finished what was on his plate without a complaint. I would gladly make this again. The sauce was cheesy and creamy, and the meatballs were delicious.

Baked Rigatoni with Meatballs

from Smitten Kitchen, originally from cookstr

makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

for the meatballs:

1/4 C. milk

1 slice good white bread, crust trimmed off

1 lb. ground pork

1 tsp. chopped garlic

2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

salt and pepper

1 C. flour, spread on a plate

vegetable oil, for frying

for the bechamel:

4 1/2 C. milk

6 Tbs. butter

5 Tbs. flour

1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

for finishing:

1 lb. rigatoni

3/4 C. grated Parmesan

1 Tbs. butter

1/4 C. milk

Directions:

Make the meatballs:

Heat the milk but don't let it simmer.

Tear the bread into pieces and put it into the milk.

Let the bread soak for five minutes and pick it up with your hand, squeezing out excess milk, and place in a large mixing bowl.

Add the pork, parsley, garlic, egg, salt and pepper, and cheese to the bread.

Combine with a fork until they are evenly mixed.

Using raspberry sized pieces of the pork mixture, roll into balls with the palms of your hands. Continue until all pork mixture is rolled into meatballs.

Roll the meatballs in the flour to coat and then place in a strainer. Shake the strainer to remove excess flour.

Pour oil into a large skillet so it comes 1/4 inch up the sides of the skillet.

Heat the oil over medium high until hot.

Place the meatballs into the skillet, as many as you can fit at a time without overcrowding.

Brown the meatballs until they have a crust all around. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Repeat until all meatballs are cooked.

Make the bechamel:

Heat the milk over low heat until it forms a ring of bubbles but do not boil.

In a larger saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.

Add the flour to the butter and stir constantly with a whisk until thouroughly combined.

Add the milk 2 Tbs. at a time, whisking after each addition. Repeat through eight additions (16 Tbs.).

Add the remaining milk in 1/2 cup increments, whisking after each addition. Stir constantly to keep it smooth.

After all of the milk has been added, add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Continue to cook and stir until sauce thickens.

To finish:

Cook the rigatoni in well salted boiling water until al dente, drain.

Combine immediately in a large bowl with 2/3 of the bechamel, half of the grated cheese, and all of the meatballs. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.

Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish and use a spatula to even out the top.

Pour the milk over the pasta mixture, spread the remaining bechamel on top, and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top.

Bake in the uppermost level of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until a golden brown crust forms on the top.

One Year Ago: Cheez-It Chicken

In the Rotation

2010-04-15T20:38:00.005-04:00

As soon as the weather gets warm, I start craving grilled chicken. I love the simplicity of grilled chicken. It pairs well with plenty of sides, and it's versatile and quick enough for any weeknight. I had this recipe saved from the blog Bakin' and Eggs, whose author, Jen, is running a series called 68 Days of Gourmet. Featured there are 68 recipes spanning the 68 years Gourmet Magazine was in publication until, sadly, it ceased publication in October 2009. Among those recipes is one I was dying to try, for teriyaki chicken.

I was drawn to the recipe because it called for simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand, and I knew it would make a great weeknight dinner to add to the rotation. Of course, apartment living means using my cast iron grill pan instead of a "real" grill, but it produced great results just the same. I used low-sodium soy sauce because it's all I keep in the house, and I also grilled it in the cast iron grill pan instead of broiling and it worked just fine. I was very happy with how this turned out, and I really look forward to making it again.

Teriyaki Chicken

adapted from Bakin' and Eggs, originally from Gourmet Magazine May 1990

makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

5 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. peeled minced fresh ginger root

3 Tbs. honey

1 Tbs. medium-dry sherry

2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to make a paste

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Place the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound to 1/2 inch thickness.

In a large shallow dish whisk together the soy sauce, ginger root, honey, sherry, vinegar and garlic.

Add the chicken to the dish and turn to coat.

Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least twenty minutes, turning once.

Heat a cast iron grill pan* over medium high heat.

Place the chicken into the pan and cook on one side for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes, until no longer pink and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.

* Please see the original recipe if you are interested in directions for making this with the broiler.

Not Quite How Grandma Used to Make . . .

2010-04-13T19:26:00.005-04:00

During the week, the best meals for me are the ones that come together quickly and produce tasty results. The meal earns bonus points if it consists of something resembling comfort food when one of us has had a long day at work. Due to my husband's place of employment being taken over by another company, he's got an entirely new system to learn. From the expletives he utters about it, it seems to be progressing a little further backward every day. Suffice it to say, every day has become a long day for him at this point. Oh, and if I haven't mentioned it before, he does the dishes in this house, so I also wanted a meal that wouldn't create too many of those. I thought it would be nice to have spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread ready when he got home from work last night, but I really didn't have the time for the production I knew that would become. I had this recipe for skillet spaghetti and meatballs saved, and decided to give it a try. It has simple ingredients, and comes together in one skillet as the meatballs finish cooking while they're nestled in spaghetti. From start to finish, it took a little over half an hour, but in defense of the recipe, I was distracted and I'm not the world's fastest meatball shaper. I think the meatballs could use a little more garlic, though they were tasty as-is. Overall, it was a good meal and I look forward to making it again so I can play with the seasonings.

Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs

from Framed, originally adapted from Cooks Illustrated

makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread, crust removed

1/4 C. buttermilk

1 lb. ground meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork, and veal combined)

1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper

2 Tbs. olive oil

3 C. marinara sauce

8 oz. spaghetti, broken in half

2 C. water

2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Tear the bread into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Mix with the buttermilk to make a paste.

Add the meat, Parmesan, egg yolk, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and stir to combine thoroughly.

Using 2 Tbs. of meat mixture for each meatball, form the meat mixture into round balls.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.

Sear the meatballs on one side for one minute. Turn the meatballs and cook briefly on other side.

Remove meatballs from skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

Wipe out the skillet.

Add marinara sauce and water to the skillet and stir to combine.

Add the pasta to the sauce.

With the heat on medium high, cover the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for 8 minutes.

Remove the lid and place the meatballs seared side up into the pasta.

Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the skillet, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and cook for 4 more minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is done.

Top with chopped basil.

One Year Ago: Strawberry Mini-Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

BB: Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

2010-04-10T14:13:00.004-04:00

I love oatmeal raisin cookies, so I was delighted to see that Leslie, of Lethally Delicious, had chosen these raisin pecan oatmeal cookies as the first of this month's Barefoot Bloggers recipes. While I've been using the recipe right on the back of the Quaker oats can for as long as I can remember, these did not disappoint. They were chewy and delicious and the pecans were a great addition. I thought they had just the right amount of cinnamon, even though I was initially tempted to double it. Be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this.

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

from Back to Basics, p. 214 and can also be found here

makes 36 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. pecans

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter at room temperature

1 C. brown sugar, lightly packed

2 extra large eggs at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

3 C. old-fashioned oatmeal

1 1/2 C. raisins

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.

Set pecans aside to cool, then chop coarsely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, and then add vanilla.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, with the mixer on low.

Add oats, raisins, and pecans, stirring until combined.

Drop the dough in 2 inch mounds, using a small scoop or a Tablespoon, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Lightly flatten the top of each mound with damp hands.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

One Year Ago: Linguini Amatriciana

Limited Engagement

2010-04-05T21:07:00.004-04:00

I was debating on what dessert to make to bring over to my in-laws for Easter. I went back and forth between pies and cakes, cookies, various fruits and creams and fillings danced in my head until I felt like I was in sugar shock just looking at the mounting grocery list. I checked my Google Reader one last time before heading off to the store, and ended up crossing everything off the list and getting only what was needed to make these cupcakes, which I saw at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody (and please check this post there to see what else she did with Cadbury eggs). They just struck me as the best choice. Cadbury Creme eggs are so delicious, so whimsical, and so available only at Easter that how could I not make these?

I'll be the first to admit, mine did not come out nearly as beautifully as hers, but they did taste delicious nonetheless. If I get the chance to make them again, I will certainly try the devil's food cake recipe provided (I used Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe for the cake part of these), and I will certainly add the ganache filing made with the shells of the Cadbury Creme egg. These were pretty sweet, without the filling, and if not, there's still the chocolate shell from the scooped-out egg to devour. Scooping out 20 eggs was no small task, but oh so worth it in the end.

Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

frosting recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

cake recipe from Hershey's

makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

for the cake:

2 C. sugar

1 3/4 C. flour

3/4 C. cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 C. milk

1/2 C. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. boiling water

for the frosting:

centers from 20 Cadbury Creme Eggs (save the chocolate shells)

1 C. butter, at room temperature

6 to 8 C. powdered sugar

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

milk, to thin frosting if needed

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tin cavities with paper liners.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa in a large bowl.

Add eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.

Beat on medium speed with a mixer for 2 minutes.

Add boiling water (batter will be thin) and stir.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each cavity 2/3 full.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To prepare the frosting, place butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add 4 C. of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the creme centers and beat to combine.

Add remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing reaches spreadable consistency. You can add milk to thin it if needed.

Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcake. Top with chocolate shell.

Peep Show

2010-04-01T20:05:00.004-04:00

Last year, I saw recipes for homemade Peeps candy floating around everywhere. It seemed easy enough to tackle and I figured I'd make some to send into work with my husband in time for Easter. The preparation of these is pretty easy and once you've mastered piping them out into Peep shape, they come along in no time. While I don't think the Just Born company will be calling me for pointers any time soon, I think these taste better than their factory-made counterparts.

Marshmallow Peeps

recipe from Martha Stewart Living, found on Serious Eats

makes about 16 Peeps

Ingredients:

1 packet unflavored gelatin

1/3 C. cold water, for gelatin

1/4 C. cold water, for sugar

1 C. sugar

extra sugar for coating (optional- I used Wilton sugar crystals)

food coloring to color sugar (optional)

Directions:

Pour 1/3 C. cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Sprinkle gelatin on top of the water and let sit for 5 minutes.

Pour 1/4 C. cold water into a medium saucepan.

Add sugar and stir over medium high heat until sugar dissolves.

Insert a candy thermometer into the sugar mixture and boil until it reaches "soft-ball" stage (238 degrees).

Remove from heat and pour sugar mixture into the gelatin mixture.

Stir by hand for a few minutes, then, using the whisk attachment for the stand mixer, beat on medium high for ten minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a plastic bag with a corner cut off.

Pipe the mixture into an oval shape for the body, then pipe on the head.

Sprinkle the colored sugar* onto the "Peeps." To make eyes on them, mix cocoa powder with water and dot them on with a toothpick.

*If you are making your own colored sugar, add gel or liquid food coloring to sugar and shake in a plastic bag or stir until it is mixed through.

One Year Ago: Ranch Chicken

BB: Chicken Caesar Sandwich

2010-03-27T12:25:00.005-04:00

I could not wait to make this month's second selection for Barefoot Bloggers, despite being a few days late getting around to doing so. I knew that this chicken Caesar club sandwich, chosen by Karen of Shortbread, would be the perfect lunch to enjoy an afternoon with as the weather changes from winter to spring and I wasn't disappointed.

I had no difficulty finding any ingredient except the arugula. I thought of all the things on there, the anchovy paste would be the challenge, but apparently baby arugula (or any arugula) is not to be found in central CT this time of the year. I used Romaine lettuce instead but look forward to making this again with the arugula because I'm sure the arugula lends it a nice peppery flavor. Be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this.

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich from Barefoot Contessa at Home, and can also be found here

Ingredients:

2 split chicken breasts, with skin and bone

olive oil

salt and pepper

4 oz. thinly sliced pancetta

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 Tbs. flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 C. good mayonnaise

1 large loaf ciabatta bread

2 oz. baby arugula, washed and spun dry

12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil

2-3 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Rub the chicken with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken on a baking sheet for 35 minutes, until completely cooked.

Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones and slice the meat thinly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, on a different baking sheet, place pancetta in a single layer and put in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until crispy.

Remove from oven and set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until minced.

Add the mayonnaise, anchovy paste, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard to the food processor bowl and process until you have a creamy dressing. Refrigerate dressing if not using immediately.

Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise, separate the top half from the bottom, and place with cut sides up, into the oven to toast, for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and spread Caesar dressing onto each cut side.

Place the arugula on the bottom half of the bread.

Layer the sandwich in order: sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, pancetta, then sliced chicken.

Place the top half of the bread on top. Slice into thirds and serve at room temperature.

Learning to Love

2010-03-26T18:32:00.008-04:00

"Onion soup sustains. The process of making it is somewhat like the process of learning to love. It requires time and committment, extraordinary effort, time, and will make you cry," according to Ronni Lundy.

My second Barefoot Bloggers post is going to be late as I'm making the recipe tomorrow while I'm off from work and can enjoy the deliciousness. In the meantime, though, I do have some fantastic soup to share with everyone. I made this on a cold, rainy day and seeing as we have some more cold, rainy days coming up here, I figure it's time to share.

I love French onion soup but have never made it at home, because among the list of things my husband doesn't like is French onion soup, or onions at all really. I rarely see the point in making a big batch of something when I'll be the only one eating it, but for this, I made the exception. I'm really glad I did, because it turned out fantastically and I really enjoyed it for lunch with a sandwich and a chick flick. Even though that was my special occasion, this looks fancy enough to serve to dinner guests and is pretty simple to put together. For some reason, I've always loved French onion soup with Provolone cheese melted on top, but you could use Swiss or Gruyere (Paula's suggestion) and I'm sure it would be equally delicious. I made half a batch as it was just for me, so if you're feeding a crowd double what's below.

French Onion Soup

adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

4 onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. flour

4 C. beef broth

1/8 C. dry white wine

pinch of dried thyme

salt and pepper

loaf of French bread

1/4 lb. Provolone cheese, sliced (3 slices per serving) or 1 C. grated gruyere cheese

Directions:

Saute onions and garlic in oil over low heat until soft and golden yellow.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and continue to cook for a few more minutes until flour is well browned.

Add the broth and the wine and bring to a boil.

Add thyme.

Reduce heat and cover, simmering gently for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the bread into slices 1 inch thick. Toast the bread on both sides, using a griddle or the broiler.

Ladle the soup into an oven safe bowl, add a piece of toasted bread and top with the Provolone.

Place the bowls on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place under the broiler for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

One Year Ago: Blueberry Mini-Muffins

A Chicken for Every Pot

2010-03-18T19:27:00.004-04:00

The best dinners for me after a day of work, when I have twenty four cupcakes to bake, fill and frost, are the ones that come together in one pot, in under half an hour, with minimal hands on time. I found this recipe and saved it for just such an occasion. I absolutely loved the simplicity of tossing the chicken in a simple marinade while I sliced the potatoes and diced up an onion (all with my mandolin which saved a ton of time) and then putting it all in a pot and having dinner half an hour later. I did think it could use a tad more seasoning, so next time I'll add some more garlic and maybe a pinch of cayenne, but overall it was a great meal. I couldn't get the best picture at nine thirty at night when we finally sat down to dinner, but I'm okay with that because sometimes the best meals I add to the rotation of "regulars" aren't the most photogenic, but deserve to be shared nonetheless.

Paprika Chicken with Potatoes

from The Crepes of Wrath

makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 Tbs. paprika

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb. potatoes, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper (red or green), diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C. chicken broth

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine paprika, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 Tbs. olive oil, pepper, and thyme.

Add the chicken to the mixture, toss to coat, and allow to sit while preparing vegetables.

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 tsp. salt, potatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and 1 Tbs. olive oil.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or pot over medium high heat.

Add the potato mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken broth and cover the pot or skillet.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place the chicken into the potato mixture.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Lovely Day for a Guinness

2010-03-17T18:17:00.005-04:00

I'm not of Irish descent, but my husband is. We're also Pagan, which makes for an interesting St. Patrick's Day in our house. See, I'm all about the "everyone's Irish on March 17th" rule, but what many people don't acknowledge/ realize, is that in St. Patrick's time, Ireland quite likely didn't have snakes and what St. Patrick really drove out of Ireland was the Pagans (symbolized by a serpent). So, while I see it as a chance to celebrate and have a fun time with Irish heritage, my husband sees it as a drinkfest to honor religious intolerance.

What we do agree on, however, is that Guinness beer makes everything better, including chocolate cupcakes. To celebrate last year, I made Guinness chocolate cupcakes which met with rave reviews. This year, I decided to change it up a little and make Guinness chocolate cupcakes, with whiskey ganache filling and Bailey's Irish Cream frosting. They're actually modeled after the drink, the Irish Car Bomb (invented in CT, thank you very much), which is a shot of whiskey and a shot of Irish cream dropped into a pint of Guinness and chugged down before it curdles. These are way more delicious as they involve chocolate.

I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen and it's fantastic. While you don't taste the Guinness in the cupcakes (it just gives them this deep chocolate flavor), and barely notice the whiskey in the ganache, you notice the Bailey's in the frosting. Smitten Kitchen suggests swapping out the Bailey's for milk if you're serving these to non-drinkers. I did have a little problem with the consistency of the frosting (I found 3 C. of confectioner's sugar to be plenty) and found it worked better to pipe on the frosting rather than try to spread it. Other than that, these went off without a hitch and make a fantastic treat.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Whiskey Ganache and Irish Cream Frosting

from this recipe at Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

for the cupcake:

1 C. Guinness beer

1 C. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 C. cocoa powder

2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

3/4 C. sour cream

for the ganache filling:

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2/3 C. heavy cream

2 Tbs. butter, room temperature

2 tsp. whiskey (optional)

for the frosting:

3-4 C. confectioner's sugar

1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

3-4 Tbs. Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.

Pour the Guinness into a medium saucepan and add the butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until butter is melted.

Stir the cocoa powder into the butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

Beat eggs and sour cream together in a stand mixer bowl, fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), until combined.

Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine.

Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold batter until completely combined.

Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full with batter.

Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Make the ganache filling by bringing the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.

Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for one minute.

Stir until smooth (you can use a microwave in 30 second increments if the cream did not melt the chocolate enough).

Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until it has reached piping consistency (you can use the refrigerator, but stir it every 10 minutes so it cools evenly).

Using a paring knife, apple corer, or 1" round cookie cutter, cut the center out of each cupcake, stopping 2/3 of the way down.

Transfer cooled ganache to a piping bag (or plastic bag with the corner cut off) and pipe ganache into the cavity in each cupcake.

To make the frosting, beat the butter in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, for several minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the confectioner's sugar a few tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition, until it has reached a spreadable consistency.

Add the Bailey's Irish Cream and beat to combine. Spread or pipe onto cupcakes.

One Year Ago: Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes and Crockpot Corned Beef

Happy Pi Day

2010-03-14T19:11:00.004-04:00

I am by no means a math person. I can handle the basics, and I managed to pass statistics in order to get my BA, but the math buck stopped there for me. I handle numbers on a daily basis (oh, the joys of retail math), and yet I dread all math related activity. However, even I can look at the date and notice that 3-14 is just like 3.14, which is the calculation for Pi (3.1415926 . . .) shortened to two decimal places. For other non-math people, Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Wow, that makes me sound pretty smart.

What makes me sound even smarter is that I decided to celebrate by making a pie, because Pi is about circles and pies are round. I found a recipe on Joelen's blog, What's Cookin' Chicago? Joelen's Culinary Adventures with Friends and Food (which if you've never visited, I highly recommend that you do), for Chocolate Toffee Cream Pie which sounded like it would be a great way to celebrate.

The pie is pretty simple to make (even simpler if you skip the directions for the crust and use a pre-made one, which I attempted to do until the whole thing ended up in pieces on my kitchen table), and it was torture waiting 2 hours for it to set.

Coffee Toffee Cream Pie

from Joelen's Blog, originally from Mrs. Field's: Best Cookie Book Ever

Ingredients:

for crust:

1 1/2 C. chocolate wafer crumbs

5 Tbs. butter, melted

2 Tbs. sugar

for the filling:

3/4 C. heavy cream

6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 C. cream cheese

1/4 C. packed light brown sugar

3/4 C. chopped chocolate covered toffee candy

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crust: Combine the wafer crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool.

To make the filling, measure the heavy cream into a 2 cup measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute.

Add the chocolate chips. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until the chips are melted and combined.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar.

Beat in the cream mixture.

Fold in 1/2 C. of the candy pieces.

Put the mixture into the pie crust and top with remaining candy pieces.

Refrigerate until set, 2 hours or overnight.

One Year Ago: Very Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

It Started with a Strawberry

2010-03-13T13:28:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, I was walking through the grocery store for the first time in what felt like forever and strawberries were on sale. There's something about the first strawberry sale of the year that makes me feel like spring is really on the horizon, and it cheered me up immensely. I also love the combination of strawberries and chocolate and that got me thinking about chocolate pound cake. As I gave it a little more thought, I decided what I was really after was a dense, fudgey chocolate cake, something almost like a flourless chocolate cake but not quite. I searched around and decided on Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess.

It was worth every bit of the effort it took to stir this by hand. Using a mixer would have incorporated too much air and reduced the denseness I was after. The end result of my efforts was a fudgey, dense loaf cake that just screams delicious. I originally planned to make a strawberry sauce with the strawberries that started all of this, but instead I just quartered my berries and served them alongside the cake. It's worth noting that this cake is even better on the second day than on the first.

Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

makes 8-10 servings depending on thickness of slices

Ingredients:

1 C. butter, softened

1 2/3 C. packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1/3 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. plus 2 Tbs. boiling water

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.

Cream together the butter and sugar (you can use a mixer for this).

Add eggs and vanilla and beat well (you can also use a mixer here).

Fold in the melted and slightly cooled chocolate. Be careful not to overbeat.

Add the flour spoon by spoon alternating with the boiling water, until you have a smooth liquidy batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. The cake is very damp and may sink in the middle, this is fine.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.

BB: Individual Meat Loaves

2010-03-12T16:56:00.004-05:00

I wish I could say I'm surprised that it's been two weeks since I last posted, but it's been two weeks since I cooked anything in my kitchen. I apologize for my lack of attendance, but it's been a rough two weeks schedule-wise and life-wise. I won't regale you with details, but suffice it to say I am very glad to be back to a normal working schedule and back in my kitchen. I was very excited upon my return to see that Tonya, of What's on My Plate? chose Individual Meat Loaves for this week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe. It was just the kind of comfort food I needed, and different from the meat loaf I made a few weeks back. My husband loves meat loaf and I love to try new recipes, hoping I'll find just the right one. Someday I must get my hands on his grandmother's recipe, but until then it's great to mix up different things and see how the results compare. This made for a great, comforting dinner along with some mashed potatoes. It's meat loaf the way I think meat loaf should be: simple and uncluttered by a ton of seasonings. The only modification I made was to cut the recipe in half and instead of shaping it into 3 loaves, I shaped it into 4 but left the cooking time the same. I always love the end piece of meat loaf, so making them individually like this gave them that nice "crust" that I love about those end pieces. Be sure to check and see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with this!

Individual Meat Loaves

adapted from Ina Garten

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 Tbs. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh chopped thyme leaves

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbs. canned chicken broth

1/2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 lb. ground chuck (81% lean)

1/4 C. plain dry bread crumbs

1 large egg, beaten

4 Tbs. ketchup

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Put oil in a medium sized saute pan.

Add onions, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and not brown.

Remove from heat and add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, and tomato paste.

Allow mixture to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, egg, and onion mixture. Do not mash, but stir until well combined.

Divide the mixture into 4 even portions and place on a baking sheet. Shape with hands into small loaves.

Spread 1 Tbs. of ketchup on each loaf.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.

One Year Ago: Banana Bread

BB: Baked Shrimp Scampi

2010-02-25T11:29:00.005-05:00

I was really excited to make the second recipe for Barefoot Bloggers this month. Jill from Insanely Good Food chose Baked Shrimp Scampi, which I've wanted to make ever since I got my own copy of Back to Basics.

It's very simple and clean in flavor, and even though peeling and deveining the shrimp is an undertaking, it's worth every bit of effort in the end. This is a meal sure to impress which makes it perfect for a special occasion. My special occasion was that I had the day off, and I enjoyed this for lunch with some pasta on the side. I halved the recipe, but I'm posting the full recipe below as this is too good to not share with a crowd.

Be sure to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

recipe from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, p. 128-129, and can also be found here.

Ingredients:

2 lb. shrimp in the shell (12-15 shrimp per lb.)

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. dry white wine

salt and pepper

12 Tbs. butter at room temperature

4 tsp. minced garlic (4 cloves)

1/4 C. minced shallot

3 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 extra large egg yolk

2/3 C. panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on.

Place the shrimp in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, wine, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Set aside at room temperature while preparing the garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, shallots, red pepper flakes, parsley, rosemary, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, and panko, and 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until combined.

Using a 14 inch oval dish, starting at the outside edge, arrange the shrimp with tails up in a single layer.

Pour remaining marinade over the shrimp.

Spread the butter mixture over the shrimp.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Place under the broiler for 1 minute if you want the top a little crispy.

One Year Ago: Chicken Parmesan

Hands Off Dinner

2010-02-24T20:46:00.006-05:00

Because of a change to my work schedule, I had to put together some meal ideas that would require minimal hands-on time. I leaned to an old staple, beef stew in the crock pot. There is nothing simpler than tossing some meat, some veggies, and a few other things together, setting the crock pot to low and enjoying a hearty bowl of stew eight hours later.

I've been making beef stew this way for years, and it has never failed me. The amounts of ingredients are flexible and easily adapted. Sometimes, I'll throw in a cup of frozen corn kernels a half hour before it's done, or add celery, or omit the carrots, depending on what we're in the mood for. The things that are always constant though, seem to be the beef, the potatoes, the beef broth, and the beer. The beer adds a nice hearty depth to the stew.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

makes four servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. stew meat, cubed

1/4 C. flour

salt and pepper

4 medium potatoes, cut in half and then each half quartered

1 C. baby carrots

1/2 C. diced carrots

1/2 C. onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 C. beef stock or broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 C. beer

Directions:

Put the flour in a medium bowl, and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the beef and toss to coat.

Place beef into the crock pot.

Add potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and bay leaf to the crock pot.

Pour in the stock and the beer.

Cover the crock pot and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

Stir before serving and remove the bay leaf.

One Year Ago: Apricot Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Comforting

2010-02-20T07:56:00.005-05:00

Due to a shift in my schedule, there are going to be a few nights a week where having dinner together with my husband just won't be possible. I've collected an arsenal of recipes that reheat well for such nights, so that I can bring dinner to work and my husband can heat up his serving when he gets home later on. For last night's dinner, though, I wanted to make something comforting and classic for us to enjoy together.

I browsed through a cookbook that I was lucky enough to grab at a library book sale for a whopping two dollars. The cookbook, Gourmet's America, features 250 recipes, divided into eight U.S. regions. The chapter on New England has some great, comforting recipes that seemed perfect for the occasion. The one I finally chose is a simple meatloaf.

I know meatloaf doesn't always seem like the most interesting meal, and as far as this recipe goes, there's nothing unexpected, no surprise ingredient. It's meatloaf the way grandma might have made it and there was something so comforting in that, I couldn't resist. I made it in one large loaf pan instead of dividing it into two loaves on a baking sheet because I wanted to use my meatloaf pan that has an insert allowing some of the fat to drain to the bottom. The resulting meatloaf was tasty and moist and the bacon gave it a great flavorful addition.

Meat Loaf

adapted from Gourmet's America, by Gourmet's Magazine Authors,

Conde' Nast Publishing, 1994, p. 23

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1/2 C. finely chopped onion

6 Tbs. ketchup

10 saltine crackers, crushed fine (about 1/4 C.)

3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 lb. ground beef (I used 93% lean against the book's directions and it was fine)

4 slices of bacon, halved crosswise

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, onion, 4 Tbs. ketchup, crushed saltines, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.

Add the beef and mix with clean hands just until mixed, being careful not to over mix.

Spread the mixture into a 9.5x4.5x2.5 loaf pan*.

Spread the remaining 2 Tbs. ketchup over the loaf.

Drape the bacon over the top of the loaf.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour, until the center registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

*Instead, you can form the mixture into two 8x4 inch loaves on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.

A Belated Thank You

2010-02-19T18:07:00.005-05:00

When my husband bought me Baking: From my Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, two Christmases ago, I immediately put a sticky note on page 85. On page 85 are found what promised to be a new favorite cookie for my husband, and I thought that would be a great way to thank him for buying me such a great book.

Since then, I have purchased many cartons of Whoppers malted milk ball candy in the hopes of making these cookies. Because of my husband's love of said candy, they never lasted long enough for me to get them into cookie dough. That all changed when I purchased two bags and waited until my husband was out of the house to unearth them and whip up these amazing cookies.

These cookies are the answer to any chocolate craving. The recipe didn't specify an oven temperature, so I looked at other recipes in the chapter and decided on 350 degrees and that worked perfectly. The combination of the chocolate chips and the malted milk powder in the dough turn these into a mouthful of malted milk chocolate heaven. The chopped candy adds a nice but subtle crunch as well. I am sure these will be a favorite in this house.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

from Baking: From My Home to Yours, p. 85

makes 36 cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 C. flour

1 C. malted milk powder

1/4 C. cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick plus 3 Tbs. (11 Tbs. total) butter, at room temperature

2/3 C. sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. milk

2 C. chocolate covered malted milk balls (6 oz.), such as Whoppers, coarsely chopped

1 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Position the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, salt, and baking powder.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) for 3 minutes on medium speed.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.

Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, add half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined into the batter.

Mix in the milk.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated. The batter will look like frosting.

Stir in the chopped malted milk balls and the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies are puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch.

Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to wire racks to cool.

Repeat with remaining dough, cooling sheets completely between batches.

Get out of Jail Free?

2010-02-18T19:32:00.003-05:00

I *think* this post gets me caught up with all of the insanity/ deliciousness that's been going on in my kitchen over the last week or so. It's not that I don't cook and bake when life is insane, it's just that I can't always find the time to create a post worthy of your time.

These cupcakes, however, are well worth the wait. I made them for a co-worker of mine because she'd been begging for weeks for me to bring in some cupcakes. That was followed by a request from a police officer (we have one on duty where I work) for some vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting on top and pudding inside. I couldn't very well disregard a request from a police officer, could I?? Well, I didn't and these cupcakes were the perfect thing with which to honor his request. They were so good that he joked I can now commit whatever crime I like and he'll get me out of it. I won't test that one out, but I will share the recipe with all of you.

I found the recipe in Woman's Day magazine and modified the directions slightly to make mini filled cupcakes instead of full sized, topped ones. The minis were delicious and dangerous at the same time- sticking to just eating one was the only difficulty I had with this.

Boston Cream Pie Mini Cupcakes recipe adapted from Woman's Day

Ingredients:

for the cake:

2 1/2 C. flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 C. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/4 C. sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 C. buttermilk

for the filling:

1 (3 oz.) package vanilla cook and serve pudding

1 1/4 C. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

for the chocolate glaze:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 C. water

1/3 C. sugar

3 Tbs. butter, softened

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini-muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.

In a medium bowl, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy.

Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat vanilla into butter mixture.

With the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until blended.

Spoon 1 heaping Tbs. of batter into each cavity of the muffin pan (the cavity should be 3/4 full).

Bake for 18 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center of the middle cupcakes should come out clean). Let cool in pan for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing together the pudding mix, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heating according to the package directions. Let cool completely. When cool, transfer to a frosting bag fitted with a medium piping tip.

When cupcakes are completely cool, pipe pudding mixture into each one.

To prepare the chocolate glaze, combine chocolate, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat.

Cook, stirring constantly, until melted, about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in butter until smooth. Let cool.

Top each cupcake with 1 tsp. of the chocolate glaze and let set.

It Started with a Sandwich

2010-02-17T18:30:00.004-05:00

I couldn't let the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games go without some fanfare. I really thought on it and tried to think of internationally inspired snacks and treats to enjoy while watching with my husband. I went with some typical munchies: bruschetta (Italy), nachos (Mexico), Swedish meatballs (um, Sweden). I also decided to make some mini pastrami sandwiches, just for fun, and some ham and Gruyere cheese grilled sandwiches, also known as Croque Monsieur, also in miniature.

The sandwiches were my favorite part of the smorgasbord. They were really simple to make and I'm not sure either one of them constitutes a recipe, but I thought I would share them no less. The process is the same for both sandwiches (and quite possibly over-stated below), only for the pastrami sandwiches, I used pastrami and provolone cheese. Oh, and the flags from countries around the world are strictly optional. They do, however, make this so much more fun.

Mini Croque Monsieur Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. deli ham, sliced thin

1/4 lb. Gruyere cheese (or Swiss cheese), sliced thin

1 baguette, sliced into 1" slices

butter

Directions:

Put butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Fold a slice of ham in half, then in half again and place onto the non-buttered side of one piece of the bread.

Top with some cheese.

Top with a second piece of bread, with the buttered side facing up. Repeat until all bread slices are used.

Heat a skillet over medium heat.

Place prepared sandwiches into the skillet (3-4 at a time) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook on other side for 2-3 minutes, until cheese has melted.

Eat Your Veggies

2010-02-17T16:37:00.004-05:00

For my "for no special reason" special dinner, not just any side would do. I decided to steal an idea I saw at Sweet Tea in Texas and make some bacon wrapped green beans. This worked out perfectly! They took no time at all to prepare and were perfect for my husband. My husband prefers his green beans warmed up out of a can, which I can't understand to save my life. He really enjoyed these though, so maybe the trick is to wrap things in bacon more often.

These are really easy to make. I didn't have any Ziplock steamer bags on hand and decided to steam my fresh green beans using a small sauce pan and steamer insert. Also, I used Oscar Mayer center cut bacon which tastes fantastic and has less fat and sodium than regular bacon (you could likely use turkey bacon for this as well). I also scaled this down so it would feed just the two of us (I used 1/2 lb. of green beans and 2 slices of bacon and we each had 2 bundles.

Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans

adapted from Sweet Tea in Texas

makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed

5 slices thick cut bacon, cut in half

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Steam the green beans for about 3 minutes.

Divide the green beans into bundles of 4 to 5 beans.

Wrap the 1/2 slice of bacon around the green bean bundle and secure with a toothpick.

Bake the green beans for 10 minutes, until bacon is cooked.

Remove the toothpicks and serve.

For No Special Reason

2010-02-17T10:47:00.009-05:00

A few weeks back, I had the hankering to make a really fantastic dinner. Not that I don't make a great dinner on a routine basis, but I wanted something with a little more "oomph" to it for no special reason. I'm a firm believer that "for no special reason" is the best reason to do anything and went with the hankering. I made some grilled pork chops, twice baked potatoes, bacon wrapped green beans, and these Parker House rolls.

If you didn't know already, I love foods with a little bit of history to them. According to Practicallyedible, Parker House rolls have been around since the mid-1870's, when they were put on the menu at the Parker House (now Omni) hotel in Boston. Apparently, the restaurant is still serving them and will even fill orders for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks to this recipe, I won't have to wait that long to enjoy one!

This recipe does make a lot of rolls (32 for me), so for just the two of us it was a little difficult to get through them all (but they were absolutely delicious with soup the next night!). I adapted the recipe, which I found on Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen, because when things like "Fall Herb Butter" get involved, my husband gets a little nervous. I think that next time, though, I will throw caution to the wind and make them with the herbed butter because that can only move these from the "great" column to the "out of this world delicious" one.

Parker House Rolls

adapted from Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen, originally from Chow

makes at least 30 rolls

Ingredients: 1 packet active dry yeast (1/4 ounce) 3/4 C. warm water 1 1/4 C. well-shaken buttermilk 1/4 C. clover honey 5 2/3 C. bread flour 4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 6 Tbs. butter cut into small pieces (plus additional for rising bowl and baking dish) additional 6 Tbs. butter, melted Directions: Dissolve yeast in warm water in a medium bowl. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir buttermilk and honey into the yeast mixture, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir together the flour and 2 tsp. salt until combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until evenly incorporated. Increase speed to medium low and add the butter, a few pieces at a time, letting each addition incorporate before adding more. Mix until smooth, elastic, and slightly soft, about 1o minutes total. Butter a large bowl. Place dough in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover dough with a damp kitchen table and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Coat a 13x9 inch baking dish with butter. Once the dough has risen, divide into 2 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10x12 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into five strips. Cut each strip into 3 smaller rectangles. Repeat with second half of dough. Brush each rectangle with melted butter, then fold in half. Arrange the rolls seam-side down in the buttered baking dish, 6 rolls across and 5 rolls down. Cover with a kitchen towel and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, one hour. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the racks so one is in the lower third of the oven. Once the bread has risen, brush the rolls with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with 2 tsp. sea salt. Bake for 40 minutes, until the tops and bottoms of the rolls are golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

One Year Ago: Swedish Meatballs

Taking a Dip

2010-02-12T19:26:00.002-05:00

What is any party without dip? No fun, that's what! I had seen variations of a cheese and beer dip floating around in blogland for the longest time, and decided the Superbowl would be a great time to check it out. I wasn't disappointed- this was super easy to make and a big hit at the party. I brought pretzels to dip this in, because that seemed like a natural pairing for beer and cheese. I used light beer because we had a stray can in the house, and it worked fine. I also omitted the chopped pecans because I was uncertain about allergies, but I think they would have made a fantastic addition.

Beer and Cheese Dip

adapted from Vintage Victuals

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

10 oz. cheez-whiz

1 packet dry ranch dressing seasoning mix

1/2 C. beer

Directions:

Put the cream cheese and cheez-whiz in a bowl and microwave for 40 seconds to soften.

Whisk in the ranch dressing mix.

Whisk in the beer.

Pour the dip into the serving bowl, cover and chill for 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Pretzel Time

2010-02-12T18:15:00.002-05:00

Along with the Chex Mix I brought to a Superbowl get-together, I wanted to make some finger food. Whenever I've made pretzels, they've been a pretty big hit with my husband, so I figured a stuffed pretzel bite could only be a bigger hit.

These ham and cheese stuffed pretzel bites, which I found on Annie's Eats (which she found on Pennies on a Platter, originally from Gourmet magazine), were a huge crowd pleaser. They are not terribly labor intensive, but you should definitely plan ahead as they do need time to rise. The result is a fantastic chewy pretzel bite with a nice ham and cheddar surprise inside.

Ham and Cheddar Pretzel Bites

recipe from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

for the dough:

1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1/4 C. warm water 1 C. warm milk

2 1/2 to 3 C. flour

for the filling:

1/2 C. finely diced ham

1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

for finishing:

6 C. water

4 tsp. baking soda

4 Tbs. butter, melted

kosher salt (or pretzel or other coarse salt)

Directions:

Combine the yeast, brown sugar, water, milk and 2 1/2 C. of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix until a dough has formed, then switch to the dough hook attachment.

Knead on low speed until a soft dough has formed.

Add the remaining 1/2 C. of flour 1 Tbs. at a time until the dough is tacky but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated in oil, and turn the dough to coat.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size and there are bubbles on the surface.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces.

Roll each piece out into a 12 inch by 4 inch rectangle.

Sprinkle each piece evenly with ham and cheddar, covering 1/3 of each piece along the long edge.

Starting with the filling edge, roll each piece up tightly so that the filling is sealed tightly inside.

Cut each piece into 12 even pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Boil the water and baking soda in a large pot and then reduce to a simmer.

Place pieces of pretzel dough into the water for about 20 seconds, turning once. Place the boiled pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Repeat until all pieces have been boiled.

Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

Brush each piece with the melted butter, sprinkle with salt.

Party People

2010-02-12T09:47:00.003-05:00

It's been a fairly hectic two weeks so far this month. First, my rotation of days off was more conducive to spending time with my husband than spending much time in the kitchen making new things. Second, we just had a lot of plans. Concert tickets, Superbowl, the list goes on. We were pretty popular the last few weeks. I did manage to get into the kitchen and make some snacks and treats to bring with us to a Superbowl get-together (the horrendous parking situation at our house caused us to not have one of our own), and I'd still like to share them with all of you.

One of the simplest, and most obvious snack foods ever, was the Chex mix I made. I will warn you to have a big, no-huge, bowl on hand for this stuff, plan for a crowd, or halve the recipe. There were ten guests at this party at one point, and we still had a quarter of it at least when the game was over.

Chex Mix

recipe adapted from General Mills

Ingredients:

9 cups of Chex cereal (any combination of rice, corn, and wheat or just one type- I used corn)

1 C. cheese crackers (Pepperidge Farm Goldfish)

1 C. mini pretzels

1 C. peanuts

1 C. cashews

6 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

Heat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the Chex, crackers, pretzels, and nuts.

In a large roasting pan, melt the butter in the oven (about 10 minutes).

Carefully stir the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder into the melted butter.

Add the cereal mixture, and toss it in the butter mixture to coat.

Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Spread out on paper towels to cool for 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

BB: Coconut Cupcakes

2010-02-11T20:17:00.004-05:00

This month's first selection for Barefoot Bloggers, chosen by Jamie of Jamie's Green Kitchen, has been something I've been wanting to make for a long time: coconut cupcakes. I knew these would be the perfect treat to share for Valentine's Day, and I wasn't disappointed. I halved the original recipe (which is what appears below) and ended up with 16 cupcakes. I also halved the frosting recipe and had plenty of frosting for all 16 cupcakes and enough for at least 8 more, and the frosting was so delicious I definitely didn't skimp!

Be sure to check to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with this recipe.

Coconut Cupcakes

recipe can be found here, or in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 175

Ingredients:

for the cake:

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

2 C. sugar

5 extra large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 C. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. buttermilk

14 oz. sweetened, shredded coconut

for the frosting:

1 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/2 lb. confectioner's sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the cavities of two muffin pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating after each addition.

Add the extracts and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.

Stir in 7 ounces of the coconut.

Fill cupcake liners to the top with batter.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting by beating together the cream cheese, butter, and extracts until combined.

Beat in the confectioner's sugar until smooth.

Frost the top of each cupcake, and dip each into the remaining coconut.

One Year Ago: Hershey's Best Brownies, Cake Balls, and Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes

Waffle House

2010-01-31T11:32:00.005-05:00

I rarely get to make breakfast at home, and it's even more rare that I get to have breakfast with my husband. This morning, I took advantage of a day off to make some waffles. Cinnamon raisin just sounded so good, and Epicurious had a simple enough recipe.

These took no time at all to make and produced delicious waffles reminiscent of cinnamon raisin toast. Paired with some bacon made in the oven while the waffles were in the waffle maker, this was a nice breakfast for two.

Cinnamon Raisin Waffles

recipe from Epicurious

makes 2 waffles

Ingredients:

1 C. flour

2 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. double-acting baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large egg

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1/3 C. raisins

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together egg, butter, raisins, cinnamon, and 1/2 C. water.

Whisk dry mixture into egg mixture.

Pour 1/2 of batter into a heated waffle maker, and bake according to manufacturer's instructions.

Repeat with remaining 1/2 of batter. Keep prepared waffles warm uncovered in the oven until ready to serve.

Make These Cookies. Now.

2010-01-30T11:32:00.007-05:00

Every once in a while, I look at all of the baking supplies and think that there has got to be a quick way to use some of this stuff up. Surveying the cabinet, I found two open bags of chocolate chips, half a jar of crunchy peanut butter, a half-used canister of oatmeal, and the last bit of sugar I needed to use up before opening another bag. I then dug out a favorite cookbook of mine, Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, and found bliss. By bliss, I mean I found a recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Usually, I send the baked goods to work with my husband for him and his co-workers to enjoy so that I can be mindful of my waistline. My husband loved these so much, he refused to bring them to work. He brought a few to have with lunch, but not a plateful like I usually send. So, to all of the co-workers that might read this, I apologize and promise some other kind of delicious baked treat will head your way shortly. For all who read this, go make these cookies. Now.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, p. 73

makes 60 cookies

Ingredients:

3 C. old fashioned oats

1 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 C. chunky peanut butter (not natural)

1 C. sugar

1 C. packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

9 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if you are chilling the dough, this step can wait).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beat for one minute after each addition.

Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients slowly and beat only until blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for two hours, if time permits.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. If dough is chilled, roll into balls using hands, then press each cookie down with the heel of your hand so they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 13-15 minutes. Rotate the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through.

Lift the cookies with a spatula onto a cooling rack. Cookies will firm as they cool.

Cool baking sheets completely between batches, repeat until all dough is used.

One Year Ago: Hamburger Soup

BB: Shrimp Bisque

2010-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

This month's second selection for Barefoot Bloggers was chosen by Jennifer of Our Blessed Home, and is Shrimp Bisque, from The Barefoot Contessa at Home. I am always excited to try a recipe when it involves any kind of seafood. It means that I'll be able to have the deliciousness all to myself, because I'm the only one in the Fish house that eats it. The trickiest part of this recipe was hunting down some seafood stock, which I finally did at Whole Foods.

I did modify this recipe to make only half a batch, and it made enough for me to have three generous bowls full. I also used fat free half-and-half and figured I'd settle for the thinned out results. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when the end result was indeed a thick, creamy bisque. I enjoyed this immensely, be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with this.

Shrimp Bisque

adapted from this recipe

makes 4 (1 Cup) servings

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, peels reserved

2 C. seafood stock

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 C. chopped leek, white and light green part (1 leek)

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

pinch of cayenne pepper

2 Tbs. dry sherry

2 Tbs. brandy

2 Tbs. flour

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 C. fat free half-and-half

1 Tbs. tomato paste

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Pour seafood stock into a saucepan. Add reserved shrimp shells. Simmer for 15 minutes and drain, discard shells. Add enough water to make 2 cups.

In a soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add leeks and cook 15 minutes, until soft, stirring.

Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add shrimp and cayenne, cook 3 more minutes.

Add brandy and cook 1 more minute.

Add sherry and cook 3 more minutes.

Remove shrimp mixture to a food processor and pulse, until coarsely pureed.

Melt butter in the soup pot, and add the flour. Stir with a whisk, cooking for 1 minute.

Add the half and half and whisk for 3 minutes, until thickened.

Add the shrimp mixture, seafood stock, salt and pepper and tomato paste. Stir.

Cook until hot but not boiling.

One Year Ago: Neiman Marcus Cookies

Stuffed

2010-01-26T19:16:00.005-05:00

Having the day off together is something my husband and I rarely get to enjoy. We spent Sunday waking up late, (over) eating breakfast at a local diner, enjoying a movie together, and then finishing the night with pizza and ice cream. While it made for a great day, it's also the kind of day that sends me running right back to my kitchen.

Feeling particularly domestic, I decided to indulge in some stuffed shells for dinner. I scoured the fridge and decided to use up some chicken, garlic, and cheese. A pantry raid produced some canned tomatoes, which made the base for a great sauce, and dinner was born. While it's typically more work than I like to do for a weeknight dinner, it does produce a delicious meal and it does freeze well.

Chicken and Garlic Stuffed Shells

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

15 Jumbo shell pasta

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz. container fat free Ricotta cheese

1/3 C. Parmesan cheese

6 cloves garlic, minced, divided

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbs. oregano

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Cook chicken breasts completely, then using two forks, shred.

Combine 1/4 C. mozzarella, ricotta, chicken, Parmesan, and 3 of the minced garlic cloves in a bowl. Stir to combine well.

Using a spoon, stuff each shell with the chicken mixture. Set shells in an 8x8 glass baking dish.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine crushed tomatoes, remaining 3 cloves of garlic, and oregano. Heat over medium heat, stirring, for 10 minutes.

Pour sauce over shells.

Cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese bubbles.

Turning One

2010-01-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of when I started this blog. I guess, in blog terms, today is The Fish Wife Cooks' blogiversary. It's been an interesting year, in my life and especially in my kitchen. I've been able to share some twists on old favorites, and create some new favorites as well. I've tackled things I never saw myself making at home and with enough success to keep trying new things. These are all of the reasons I started this blog in the first place, so I'd deem it a success.

To celebrate, I couldn't just make my blog any old recipe. This occasion called for something that would combine an old favorite with a new twist. Something sweet, but most importantly, something I knew my taste-tester and husband would enjoy. I decided on Samoas cookie bars. My husband and I could probably eat a box of these magnificent Girl Scout Cookie treats each, in one sitting (and I wonder why I've found myself having to cut back?). I guess it's best for us that at the moment, we don't know any Girl Scouts. It's better for us that I found this recipe at Baking Bites. These are every bit as delicious as the cookie. They do require a bit of work, and time in between steps, but they are well worth the effort.

Samoas Cookie Bars

from this recipe at Baking Bites

makes 30 bars

Ingredients:

for the cookie layer:

1/2 C. sugar

3/4 C. butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

for coconut layer and chocolate bottom:

3 C. shredded coconut

12 oz. chewy caramels (I used Kraft)

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. milk

10 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is fluffy.

Add vanilla and egg, and beat until combined.

With the speed on low, add the flour gradually and salt and beat until it is crumbly. The dough might not come together, this is fine.

Pour the dough into the prepared baking pan. Press dough until it is a flat layer covering the bottom of the baking pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set with lightly brown edges.

Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Bring oven to 300 degrees.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Spread coconut in a layer over the baking pan.

Place into the oven to toast coconut, for 20 minutes. Stir coconut lightly about every 5 minutes.

Cool coconut on the baking sheet, stirring, until completely cooled, and set aside.

Once coconut has cooled, combine the caramels, salt and milk in a large microwave safe bowl.

Microwave the caramel mixture 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramel has melted.

Fold in the toasted coconut.

Drop large spoon fulls of coconut mixture on top of the cookie base. Spread into an even layer, covering the cookie base completely.

Set aside and allow to cool.

Once cool, cut into 30 bars, using a knife or pizza cutter.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.

Dip the bottom of each bar into the melted chocolate and place onto a clean piece of parchment paper until set.

Once all bars are dipped, put the remaining melted chocolate into a ziplock bag and cut a small piece off the corner of the bag. Use this to drizzle lines of chocolate over each bar.

Allow chocolate to set before serving. Store in an airtight container.

One year ago: Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

Just Like Being on Vacation

2010-01-19T13:42:00.004-05:00

When my husband and I went to Providence, Rhode Island last year, we stayed at a great bed and breakfast. One of the things I miss is the great blueberry cornbread muffins they served for breakfast. This struck me as unusual, because I am not a fan of most things blueberry, and can't remember ever having craved a corn muffin. While the innkeeper wouldn't part with her recipe, I did find one that was similar. These muffins are quick and easy to make. In twenty minutes, I was enjoying a warm blueberry corn muffin and ready to plan a return trip to Providence.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

adapted from this recipe

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 C. yellow cornmeal

1 C. flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

4 oz. butter

1/3 C. honey

1/3 C. sugar

1 large egg

3/4 C. milk

1 1/2 C. blueberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12 cavity muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, honey, sugar, egg, and milk. Beat until combined.

Stir flour mixture into butter mixture.

Fold in blueberries.

Divide batter into prepared muffin pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from pan while hot.

Peas and Q's

2010-01-19T10:38:00.003-05:00

My experiences with pea soup have always involved a can opener. Campbell's, Progresso, Healthy Choice, I've tried them all. One of the issues with watching what I eat is that I must also watch my sodium intake (Doctor's orders!). If any of you have ever looked at the nutrition labels on a can of soup, you'll find some good things there, but the sodium content made my eyebrows shoot up, right there in the aisle in ShopRite.

Instead of tossing that can into my cart, I went over to the dried beans and got myself a pound of dried split peas. Besides being low in calories and high in fiber, they have very little sodium. I searched for a recipe as soon as I got home so I could have a nice hot bowl of soup for my lunch. My search brought me to Parker's Split Pea Soup, from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. It made a nice, thick, healthy pea soup that is so much better than anything I've ever had from a can. I did modify it some to meet my dietary requirements (and made half a batch as my husband does not eat pea soup and me eating 8 servings of it myself defeats the purpose of going healthier on this one).

Parker's Split Pea Soup

adapted from this recipe

makes 6 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients:

1/2 C. chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. olive oil

1/4 C. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 C. medium diced carrots

1 C. medium diced red potatoes, unpeeled

1/2 lb. dried split green peas

2 C. water

2 C. chicken stock

Directions:

In a stockpot on medium heat, saute the onion and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper and oregano. Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring, 10-15 minutes.

Add the carrots and potatoes and 1/4 lb. of the dried peas, along with water and chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim the foam off the top while cooking.

Add the remaining peas and simmer for 40 more minutes, or until the peas are soft. Stir continuously to prevent the bottom from burning.

Taste for salt and pepper, serve hot.

Roast Beast

2010-01-19T10:19:00.006-05:00

Ever since I can remember, my father has referred to roast beef as "roast beast." I suspect it has something to do with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, where the Grinch steals everything, including the Who's roast beast. It always makes me smile when I look at a 3 pound roast I've selected for myself and my husband and think "roast beast."

I used to shy away from making roast beef. It seemed so intimidating, so time consuming. When I moved in with my husband, I decided I would prove my domesticity by making a roast for dinner. While the cook time is time consuming, the actual preparation is a cinch. I've always made my roast the same way, with no variation but the cooking time, and it's always produced fantastic results. I cooked this roast for about 3 hours which resulted in a well-done roast, but typically I shoot for medium-well. I like to serve the roast for dinner and slice the rest thinly for sandwiches.

For a handy chart of roasting times for beef, pork, lamb and others, visit the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service chart.

Simple Roast Beef

makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 top round roast, 3 lbs. salt

pepper

garlic powder

3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into three pieces

Directions:

Remove roast from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature, covered, for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a wire rack into a roasting pan and set the roast on the wire rack. If you are not trimming the fat off of the roast, set the roast with the fat side up.

Sprinkle roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Using a sharp knife, make 9 incisions in the roast, deep enough to insert the garlic pieces.

Press the garlic pieces into the "holes."

Place roast in oven, roast 2 1/2 hours for medium-well doneness. Let sit 10 minutes before carving.

For the Birthday Boy

2010-01-14T17:49:00.003-05:00

In honor of my husband's thirtieth birthday, I wanted to make something he could bring to work to share. In addition to Guinness chocolate cupcakes, I made cupcakes he requested as I was thumbing through this month's Food Network magazine. They had a whole spread on cupcakes resembling various candy bars, and while I was dying to try the Snickers model, my husband said he would love the Nestle Crunch Bar version. Once I saw the ingredients required malt powder, I understood why.

The cupcakes themselves came together very easily and were fantastic. The frosting, on the other hand, is a project I don't think I'll ever subject myself to again. After boiling, stirring, whisking, chilling and setting, I woke up this morning to find a frosting that resembled the consistency of chocolate milk. Be prepared, if making these, that the frosting needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before it can be whipped into the finished product. Although tasty, it wasn't going to stay on these cupcakes. I whipped in some confectioner's sugar and got it to the consistency of a stiff glaze, but that was the best I could do. Overall they turned out tasty, but I think next time I'll keep the cake and ditch the frosting.

Nestle Crunch Bar Cupcakes

adapted from Food Network Magazine

makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For cupcakes:

2 C. flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 C. malted milk powder (such as Carnation)

3/4 C. cocoa powder

1 1/3 C. sugar

1 stick butter, at room temperature

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 3/4 C. half and half

1 1/2 C. crispy rice cereal

For frosting:

2/3 C. sugar

1 tsp. light corn syrup

3 C. heavy cream

3 Tbs. butter

7 oz. milk chocolate chips

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

Directions:

Make the frosting. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over a large skillet and add the corn syrup.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice.

Continue to boil, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the caramel is amber.

Slowly pour in the heavy cream and add the butter. Simmer, whisking, until the caramel is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Combine both chocolates and the salt in a heat proof bowl. Pour the hot caramel over the chocolate and let stand 5 minutes.

Whisk until smooth and shiny.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (can be made up to 2 days ahead).

Make the cupcakes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

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

In a separate bowl, sift the malted milk and cocoa powders together.

Beat the sugar and butter in a third bowl for about 7 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Add the malted milk mixture and beat until combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the half and half. Begin and end with the flour mixture.

Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners.

Pour batter into each liner, filling each about 3/4 full.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Finish the frosting. Beat the chilled frosting with a mixer or whisk until thick, about 2 minutes. If it doesn't thicken, beat in up to 2 C. of confectioner's sugar until it reaches the consistency of a thick glaze.

Sprinkle rice cereal over each cupcake.

The Second Time Around

2010-01-14T17:30:00.004-05:00

To celebrate my husband's thirtieth birthday, not just any kind of cake would do. He requested that I make the Guinness chocolate cupcakes I've made before, and I was happy to oblige. My only complaint about them the last time I made them was that the icing was very runny (although extremely tasty), so I decided to try the cupcakes again with a variation of the cream cheese frosting.

Just like last time, the cake was moist and dense and with a deep chocolate flavor. I didn't change many things from the first time around, because, let's face it, you don't mess with success. You don't taste the Guinness flavor at all- it just leaves behind a nice depth. The cream cheese frosting I tried was from Annie's Eats and was a delicious complement to these cupcakes.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

cake recipe adapted from Big City, Little Kitchen

frosting recipe from Annie's Eats

makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 C. Guinness beer

1 stick, plus 1 Tbs. butter, cut into chunks

3/4 C. cocoa powder

2 C. brown sugar

6 oz. container chocolate yogurt (such as Stoneyfield Farms)

2 eggs

1 Tbs. vanilla

2 C. flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

5 Tbs. butter

2 1/2 C. confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the beer and the butter in a large saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring, until butter melts.

Remove from heat and whisk in sugar and cocoa powder.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs and yogurt.

Stir yogurt mixture into the beer mixture.

In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.

Fold flour mixture into chocolate mixture.

Pour the batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Fill each about 1/2 full.

Bake 25 minutes, until the centers spring back when touched.

Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat until combined. Slowly beat in confectioner's sugar until desired consistency is reached.

Surprise, Surprise Indonesian Ginger Chicken

2010-01-14T10:20:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, things surprise you. Surprises are not typically something I'm thrilled about in the kitchen (unless I throw a hail Mary pass at saving a recipe and it turns out better than expected- I'm all for that). So, when I set out to make this week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe, I was surprised that instead of pulling a package of bone-in chicken breasts to thaw, I'd pulled out a package of boneless, skinless ones instead. I decided to trudge ahead and not waste the chicken I'd already thawed and was pleasantly surprised.

This week's recipe was chosen by Todd, from A Cooking Dad, and is Indonesian Ginger Chicken. I used 3 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of the two (3 1/2 lb. each) whole chickens that the recipe called for, and reduced the marinade by half. It made for a tasty dinner, that even my husband, who doesn't care for ginger, enjoyed. Be sure to check to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with this.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

recipe can be found here, or in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on p. 125

Ingredients:

1/2 C. honey

1/4 C. soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C. grated fresh ginger root

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions:

Combine honey, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until honey melts.

Place the chicken and sauce into a baking dish and marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake chicken 20 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over and return to oven. Bake for 20 more minutes.

If at First You Don't Succeed . . .

2010-01-14T09:57:00.003-05:00

I thought that after successfully mastering soft pretzels, and pretzel rolls, that homemade bagels would be the next logical step. Besides, today is my husband's 30th birthday and not just any breakfast would do.

I looked for the simplest recipe I could find, and plunged in. Overall, they tasted great and toasted well, but they came out surprisingly smaller than I expected. I think that next time I make these, I'll strive to make 6 larger bagels instead of the 12 the recipe was supposed to yield.

Plain Bagels

from Recipe Zaar

Ingredients:

4 1/4 to 4 3/4 C. flour

2 (1/4 oz.) packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 C. water (110 to 115 degrees)

3 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. salt

1 Tbs. sugar

Directions:

In a mixer, combine flour and yeast.

Combine water, 3 Tbs. sugar, and salt.

Pour into flour mixture.

Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, then on high speed 3 minutes.

Stir in as much of the flour as you can with a spoon (I stirred in about 2 cups).

Using the dough hook, knead in remaining flour until the dough is moderately stiff, smooth and elastic. (Or turn out onto a floured surface and knead remaining flour in, knead for 6 to 8 minutes).

Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Cut dough into 12 portions and shape each portion into a smooth ball.

Punch a hole in the center of each and stretch to make the hole 1 to 1 1/2 inches.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Broil 5 inches from heat source for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Bring 1 gallon of water and 1 Tbs. sugar to a boil.

Cook 4 bagels at a time for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Livening up Lunch

2010-01-12T16:37:00.005-05:00

So we're twelve days into 2010, and I'm about three days into a semi-new eating plan. While I'm still following the Weight Watchers points system, I'm trying to really consider where I spend those precious points. I'm making an effort to eat more whole foods, more lean protein, and less sodium and refined carbohydrates. For the first time in a long time, I'm forced to really scrutinize nutrition labels for more information than just the fat, fiber, and calories. There's a whole lot going on in our food besides those things and while it started out as being pretty overwhelming, it's forcing me to reconsider at least one meal of the day: lunch. For a long time, lunch has typically consisted of a frozen meal (hello, Lean Cuisine), or a can of soup, or a Subway sandwich and some baked chips. Every once in a while, out of sheer boredom, it's easy to just fall off of that wagon and end up at the Burger King drive-thru. Seeing as doing that is really not an option for me, health-wise, I've decided this week to think about lunches that are quick to prepare, easy to take along, or something different from the norm. Of course, said lunches also have to be tasty and fit my new dietary requirements, all while helping me stay satisfied and within my points range. In other words, no small task. I was browsing around for healthy recipes and found a simple recipe for oven-fried fish fillets from Eating Well magazine that fit my requirements. I made it with tilapia instead of sole because I had some tilapia fillets in the freezer to use up. I also used panko breadcrumbs instead of regular plain dried breadcrumbs, omitted the salt, and added some garlic powder for a little added flavor. Toasting the breadcrumbs really gave it the fried crunchiness that I love in anything that is "faux fried," and alongside some Trader Joe's frozen crinkle cut fries, it made for a nice lunch.

Oven-Fried Fish Fillet

adapted from this recipe from Eating Well magazine

Ingredients:

4 (4 oz. each) tilapia fillets

1/3 C. panko breadcrumbs

fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast panko, pepper and garlic powder, stirring for 5 minutes.

Brush each tilapia fillet with olive oil.

Press tilapia into the breadcrumb mixture to coat on both sides.

Bake for 5 to 6 minutes until the fish is opaque.

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

2010-01-08T18:45:00.003-05:00

There is a diner my husband and I go to every once in a while, and the food there isn't the greatest. The morning glory muffins, however, make up for what is lacking in the basic eggs and bacon. Grilled and buttered, these muffins make any day a great day.

Of course, a muffin twice the size of my fist covered in butter is probably not the best way to start a day of what should be healthy eating. I decided to attempt my own scaled down, healthy version of this delicious breakfast treat and I think the mission was a success. Despite these having little fat in them, they are very moist and flavorful. The next time I make these, I would increase the cinnamon and add a little nutmeg.

Morning Glory Muffins

adapted from this Mayo Clinic recipe

Ingredients:

1 C. all purpose flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1/4 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 C. granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 C. egg whites (about 3 large egg whites)

1/4 C. vegetable oil

1/2 C. low-fat buttermilk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 medium apple, shredded (including skin)

3/4 C. raisins

1 large carrot, grated

1/3 C. shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugars, cinnamon, and baking soda and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Add apple, raisins, carrot, and coconut to the egg white mixture and stir to combine.

Add flour mixture to apple mixture, stirring just until everything is moistened.

Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Fill each cavity of prepared muffin pan 2/3 full with batter.

Bake muffins for 35 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Immersing Myself

2010-01-08T15:01:00.005-05:00

Who doesn't love a nice, hearty soup on a chilly day? I love nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a mug of hot soup and a fluffy warm blanket. Since today was a snowy day off, I decided I would do just that. Okay, also I received an immersion blender for Christmas and I have been dying to use it.

Not just any soup would fit the bill, though. I had been having pervasive thoughts about Panera's broccoli-cheese soup ever since I received this month's Food Network Magazine, where a knockoff recipe was featured. Of course, I had to modify it to lessen some of the fat and calories further, and I'm pretty happy with what I turned out. Because of the modifications I made, I don't think it's fair to compare it to Panera's soup, but it was very tasty and very filling. I substituted fat-free half and half for regular, used less butter, and used reduced-fat cheddar. I was worried that the soup wouldn't thicken and that I would miss the fat. It was pleasantly surprising and I'm sure my waistline appreciates the modification.

Copy Cat Broccoli-Cheese Soup

adapted from Food Network Magazine, January/ February 2010 p. 58

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 C. flour

2 C. fat-free half and half

3 C. low sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

4 C. broccoli florets

1 large carrot, diced

2 1/2 C. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until tender.

Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, until golden.

Gradually whisk in half and half until smooth.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and nutmeg and bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth and simmer about 20 minutes, until tender.

Discard the bay leaves.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or you can puree in batches in a blender and return to the pot).

Add cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat, until melted.

Macaroni and Comfort

2010-01-06T16:58:00.004-05:00

Right around the time the weather turns from cold to colder here in CT, I often turn to comfort food and have nice, cozy dinners with my husband. Because I've resolved to lighten up some of my favorite comfort foods, I was thrilled to dig out my copy of Weight Watchers Comfort Classics and find a macaroni and cheese recipe to make right in my cast iron skillet.

This was a very simple recipe and quick to make as well. It tasted every bit as good as any other baked macaroni and cheese I've made, and I'm looking forward to making it again with different cheeses. My husband, who I'm not sure realized this was a Weight Watchers recipe involving reduced-fat cheese, ate 3 of the 4 servings this recipe makes.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

from Weight Watchers Comfort Classics, p. 108

Ingredients:

8 oz. whole wheat macaroni (I used whole wheat penne)

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. flour

1 1/2 C. fat-free milk

1 C. shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 Tbs. plain dried bread crumbs

1 Tbs. grated Parmesan

Directions:

Cook the macaroni, drain, and set aside.

In a large, ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the flour and cook for one minute, whisking constantly.

Gradually whisk in the milk.

Increase the heat and cook, whisking, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add cheddar, salt and pepper, whisking until cheese melts.

Add the pasta to the cheese mixture and stir to coat.

Preheat the broiler.

Stir together bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese in the skillet.

Broil 5 inches from the heat source, until crumbs are browned, about 1 minute.

With Resolve

2010-01-02T21:14:00.004-05:00

I'm sure many people have decided to lose weight, eat better, eat less, eat healthier etc. as a New Year's resolution. I had resolved to do so a while back and thus, the scarcity between posts. It's not that I don't cook often, it's that I get in the rut of cooking the same things over and over again. My New Year's Resolution is to spend more time in the kitchen, trying some new things, and lightening up old favorites.

I started with one of mine and my husband's favorite snacks: potato skins. I love to snack on these while watching some TV with my husband on a cold day (like the one we're having right now!), but the typical version of these racks up the fat and calories fast. I managed to trick my palate (and perhaps even my husband) with this lightened up version.

Lighter Potato Skins

Ingredients:

4 small baking potatoes, washed and cut in half lengthwise

8 Tbs. reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

4 slices center cut bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled non-stick cooking spray

1/4 C. reduced fat sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place potato halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Spray evenly with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Flip potatoes over so the cut side is up. Continue baking for another 15 minutes.

Flip the potatoes again, cut side down, spray again with cooking spray, and bake for 10 more minutes, until fork-tender.

Top each potato half with 1 Tbs. of the cheddar and sprinkle with crumbled bacon (about 2 tsp. of bacon per potato half).

Bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted.

Serve with reduced-fat sour cream, if desired.

Wassailing on a Cold Winter's Day

2010-01-02T13:59:00.004-05:00

To add to our previously mentioned Yule dinner, I made a delicious warm beverage known as wassail. Wassail is often associated with the holiday season ("Here we come a wassailing," anyone?), and resembles hot mulled cider. There are so many ways to make wassail that it's mind-boggling. You can make it with or without alcohol, with orange juice or pineapple juice added. You can make it with fruit slices or without. You can add eggs if you like (I don't like, and therefore don't add). I use the recipe below and it produces a delicious, hot drink that just tastes like Christmas time- just enough spice and sweetness and a warmth that heats you from the inside out. Also, I make mine in the crock pot in order to keep the stove free, but you could make it in a pot on the stove, on low.

Wassail

Ingredients:

32 oz. apple cider

40 oz. cranberry juice

1 whole orange, studded with cloves (about 20 cloves)

1 Tbs. cinnamon

1 Tbs. brown sugar

Directions:

Pour cider and juice into a crock pot and stir to combine.

Add cinnamon and sugar, stir to combine.

Add orange, studded with cloves (by pushing the cloves into the orange).

Set crock pot to low and let simmer for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

Serve warm.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T09:15:00.003-05:00

I hope this finds everyone welcoming in an exciting new year! I've gotten a little behind on my holiday posts, but I'm hoping to make up for it starting today.

Some may not realize that, while my family celebrates Christmas, my husband and I celebrate Yule. Yule is celebrated on the day of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and is a celebration of the newborn solstice sun (as they days get longer from the solstice on). There's so much more I could say, but at the risk of sounding offensive or preaching, I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, Yule is an exciting time in my home, and a time to celebrate with family and friends. To celebrate this year, I made some traditional things, including ham and mashed potatoes, and we had a nice dinner at home.

Ham always astounds me, because it really doesn't take much effort or hands-on time, yet I rarely make it. For this ham, I simply added a can of Dr. Pepper, parked it in the oven for 2 hours, and dinner was set.

Yule Ham Dinner

Ingredients:

1 8 lb. spiral cut ham (plan on 2 lbs. per diner, your needs may vary)

1 12 oz. can Dr. Pepper soda

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Place ham in a large roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil.

3. Bake ham for 15 minutes per pound (for an 8 lb. ham this is 2 hours).

4. Remove ham from oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees.

5. Pour Dr. Pepper evenly over the ham.

6. Bake ham for another 10 minutes, until glaze bubbles.

7. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.

BB: Better Late Than Never

2009-12-26T16:32:00.004-05:00

I'm a little behind on this assignment. I made this month's second Barefoot Bloggers selection, Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms, at the same time I made this month's first selection, but in all of the holiday insanity I forgot all about posting them. I know, I know, I can go ahead and type it all up and set it to automatically post on its due date, but I forgot to do that as well. Let's just say it's been a whirlwind of a holiday season and leave it at that, shall we?

Hopefully all of you are relaxing today after a fantastic holiday with loved ones. These Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, chosen by Michelle, of Welcome to the Club, make a fantastic appetizer for a party (New Years, perhaps?), or are great as a snack with a glass of wine after a looooooong day. Either way, they are very flavorful and I made them without varying from the recipe with the exception that I used large white mushrooms and ended up making quite a few of these, instead of using what are known as "stuffing mushrooms." Be sure to stop by and see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with this as well.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

recipe from Food Network

Ingredients:

16 extra-large white mushrooms

5 Tbs. olive oil, divided

2 1/2 Tbs. Marsala wine

3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

6 scallions, white and green parts, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 C. panko bread crumbs

5 oz. Mascarpone cheese

1/3 C. fresh grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley leaves

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the stems of the mushrooms and chop the stems finely. Set aside.

In a shallow bowl, mix mushroom caps with 3 Tbs. of the olive oil and the wine. Toss to coat and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the sausage and cook it, crumbling with the back of a wooden spoon, stirring. Cook until completely browned, 10 minutes.

Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the bread crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with other ingredients.

Swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking, stirring, until the mascarpone is melted and the sausage mixture is creamy.

Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

Cool mixture slightly.

Fill each mushroom cap generously with the sausage mixture, and arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold the mushrooms snugly.

Bake for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

In the Meadow we can Build a Snowman . . .

2009-12-21T09:00:00.003-05:00

While a huge storm made it's way up the East Coast, dumping record snowfall on the nation's capitol, it didn't do a whole lot here in central Connecticut. Looking out my kitchen window yesterday morning, I'd estimate the snow to be not more than 4 inches here (tough to tell because my driveway was already plowed and the walks were shoveled). Rather than running outside, digging the car out, and heading out on the Sunday before Christmas to finish up some holiday shopping, I decided to stay put and get a start on my holiday cookie trays.

I saw these snowman Oreos on Delicious Meliscious, and couldn't resist adding them to this year's assortment. They are so simple to make and they come out absolutely adorable- these are sure to be a hit.

Snowman Oreos

from Delicious Meliscious

Ingredients:

1 bag of white melting chocolate

1 package Oreo cookies

colored melting chocolate (colors and amounts vary)

Royal icing (I use Annie's Eats recipe)

Directions:

Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler.

Dip 2/3 of each Oreo into the white chocolate, and let set.

Dip remaining 1/3 of each Oreo into the melted colored chocolate and let set.

Use royal icing colored black to pipe on the eyes and mouth.

Use royal icing colored orange to pipe on the "carrot" nose.

Use white royal icing to pipe on the band for the "hat."

To Me, For Me, From Me

2009-12-20T11:12:00.007-05:00

Every once in a while, I succumb to the phenomenon started by my father known as the "To-me, For-me, From-me" gift (we can thank my father for starting this phenomenon). Usually it's an item I've been coveting with a price too great to resist, typically found as retailers start offering great prices to get those last minute holiday sales. Enter my new cookie press. While out shopping for some treat boxes I came across a half off sale on cookie presses at a craft store, and when combined with a 40% off my entire purchase coupon (it pays to frequent these places!), my purchase came to a bank-breaking six dollars. Couple that with the fact that we'd be snowed in more or less all weekend and my six dollar impulse buy suddenly became a necessity. I used the cookie dough recipe on the back of the cookie press packaging, and it worked beautifully. The dough came out of the press easily onto the sheet and the cookies baked up crisp and tasty. I left half of the dough colorless and "painted" the raw cookies with a mixture of egg yolk and food coloring. The other half of the dough, I added green food coloring to and used it to make adorable tree-shaped cookies. Best six dollars I've spent in a long time.

Spritz Cookies

adapted from Wilton

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. butter

1 C. sugar

1 egg 2 Tbs. milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. almond extract 3 1/2 C. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder

Egg yolk (one yolk per "paint" color) and food coloring, optional, to decorate

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Thoroughly cream together butter and sugar.

Add egg, milk, and extracts and beat to combine.

Stir together flour and baking powder.

Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough.* Do not chill.

Place dough into the cookie press and press cookies onto a chilled, ungreased cookie sheet.**

Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are golden brown on the bottom.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool on cooling racks.

*If desired, add green food coloring to all or some of the dough, until desired shade of green is reached (this is what I did for the green trees).

**If desired, combine one egg yolk with food coloring (enough until desired color is reached), and paint each cookie with the egg yolk "paint" before baking (this is what I did for the red and yellow "ornaments").

BB: Croissant Bread Pudding

2009-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love bread pudding. It's so comforting on a snowy day (much like the one we're having right now here in CT), and so easy to make- what's not to love? I was thrilled when I saw that the first recipe for Barefoot Bloggers this month, chosen by Peggy from Pantry Revisited, was Croissant Bread Pudding. I found some fantastic whole grain croissants at a local grocery store, so I used those instead of traditional ones. I also used fat free half and half, and added a sprinkle of cinnamon to the custard mixture. My only other modification was to cut the recipe in half- my husband won't touch bread pudding and I knew I was bound to get into trouble with a ton of leftovers in the house. The directions below are for the full size version, hopefully you have someone to share this with, because it's fantastic, and even better the day after it's baked. Be sure to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with this, here.

Croissant Bread Pudding

adapted from this recipe, at Food Network

also found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, p. 192

Ingredients:

3 extra-large whole eggs 8 extra-large egg yolks 5 C. fat free half-and-half 1 1/2 C. sugar 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 6 croissants, preferably stale, sliced horizontally 1 C. raisins

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla, and cinnamon, set aside.

In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants.hen Add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking.

Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently. Place the baking dish in a larger pan filled with 1-inch of hot water.

Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding.

Poke a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yule Love This Eggnog

2009-12-07T14:24:00.004-05:00

While driving home from work not too long ago, my husband almost caused a car accident as he swerved into a McDonald's after seeing a sign stating they had eggnog shakes. Yes, I'm serious. Needless to say, we love eggnog in this house. It also probably goes without saying that eggnog is not the most recommended beverage for anyone avoiding the holiday poundage. When my December issue of Food Network Magazine arrived, I was pleased to see that, tucked away behind the fifty Christmas cookie recipes, was a lightened up eggnog recipe.

It was pretty simple to prepare and pretty quick if you don't count the chilling time. Previous experience with eggnog has taught me to pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture very s-l-o-w-l-y or you end up with scrambled egg and milk soup, which I don't need to tell you does not pack the same deliciousness as properly made eggnog.

Lightened Up Eggnog

from Food Network Magazine December '09

Ingredients:

2 C. nonfat milk, divided

2 large strips of orange zest

1 vanilla bean

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/3 C. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

ground nutmeg, for garnish

Directions:

Combine 1 1/2 C. milk and orange zest in a medium saucepan.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and pod to the milk in the saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolk, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until light yellow.

Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Pour back into the pan.

Place pan over medium heat and stir constantly, in a figure-8 pattern, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately pour in the remaining 1/2 C. of milk, to stop the cooking.

Pour the eggnog into a large bowl (preferably glass or metal) and place over a larger bowl filled with ice to cool.

Transfer to a container, and chill until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, remove the vanilla bean pod and zest. Garnish with nutmeg.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-12-02T11:48:00.005-05:00

Along with the pumpkin cream cheese cupcakes and the pecan pie I made for our various stops on Thanksgiving day, I wanted something seen a tad less often on the Thanksgiving dessert spread: cheesecake. While I'm a fan of cheesecake in any form it takes, the idea of combining carrot cake and cheesecake (two of my favorite desserts) seemed irresistible. My husband and I have enjoyed a slice of Craig's Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory before, so I decided a copy cat of that would be perfect. I found one on the blog At Harvest Moon Farm and set out in all of my copy cat glory. I used a 10 inch spring form pan, so I had to adjust the baking times slightly to prevent the cake part from burning. I added raisins to the cake batter at my husband's request, and they were a great addition. The pineapple cream cheese frosting was delicious, and the carrot cake was moist and flavorful. It was the perfect ending to a great Thanksgiving meal.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

adapted from At Harvest Moon Farm

Ingredients:

for the cheesecake:

16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 C. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. flour

3 eggs

for the carrot cake:

3/4 C. vegetable oil

1 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

8 1/2 oz. can crushed pineapple, packed in juice, drained well, juice reserved

1 C. grated carrots

1/2 C. coconut

1/2 C. chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 C. raisins (optional)

for the pineapple cream cheese frosting:

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 Tbs. butter, softened

1 3/4 C. confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. reserved pineapple juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.

Beat in the flour and the eggs until smooth. Set aside and prepare carrot cake.

In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix until blended.

Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

Stir in pineapple, carrots, coconut, walnuts and raisins.

Pour 1/2 of the batter evenly into a greased 10 inch* spring form pan.

Pour cheesecake batter over cake batter.

Drop spoonfuls of remaining cake batter over the cheesecake batter, do not marble.

Bake for 45 minutes, until cake is set and cooked through.

Cool to room temperature, refrigerate for 4 hours until completely set.

Prepare pineapple frosting by beating cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and 2 Tbs. of pineapple juice together. Spread over cake.

*if you use a 9 inch springform pan, bake for 1 hour but start checking at 45 minutes

Just One More Turkey Post

2009-12-02T11:33:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. Everyone is likely just coming out of their Thanksgiving turkey coma and has finally shoveled their way out of the leftovers, and here I am posting turkey recipes. It was so simple and so delicious that I couldn't pass up the chance to share, though.

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is having a turkey sandwich from the comfort of my couch later on in the evening. Going to other people's gatherings usually means no leftover turkey for me and the husband. This year, I decided to throw a turkey breast in my crock pot when we left for our first get-together, so that we would arrive home to delicious roast turkey for sandwiches. The plan worked, and with very little prep or fuss, I had turkey for soup and sandwiches when we arrived home after 8 p.m. This method of cooking doesn't result in a golden brown turkey, but if you want that effect, you could put it under the broiler for about 10 minutes until browned.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Ingredients:

5 lb. turkey breast, thawed

1 can of chicken broth

rosemary

salt and pepper

thyme

Directions:

Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

Place the breast into the crock pot.

Pour in the chicken broth.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Happy Thanksgiving, BB Style

2009-11-26T09:57:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends today. I know that typically one wouldn't serve pot roast on Thanksgiving, and well, neither would I. If you ever did want to serve a pot roast on Thanksgiving, this one would be it, I'm sure.

November's second recipe for Barefoot Bloggers was chosen by Lisa, of Lime in the Coconut and is a favorite of mine. There's something about Ina's Company Pot Roast that instantly drew me in when I got my hands on a copy of Back to Basics. The ingredients are fresh and simple, although the procedure itself is a little more labor intensive than my old standby recipe (which basically has you season the roast, toss in the veggies, throw it all in the oven, and forget about it until the timer sounds). Because it was just the two of us, I used a smaller roast than called for (mine was a little over 2 lbs) and halved all of the other ingredients, except for the garlic. It all worked out fine and cooked up perfectly. I've listed the recipe below with the original measurements, because really this is meant to be shared with company, thus the name. This is well worth the effort, and it's perfect if company's coming or if it's just the two of you.

Be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this.

Company Pot Roast

from Back to Basics, also found here

Ingredients:

1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Flour Olive oil 2 C. chopped carrots (4 carrots) 2 C. chopped yellow onions (2 onions) 2 C. chopped celery (4 stalks) 2 C. chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks) 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 2 C. good red wine 2 Tbs. Cognac 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree 1 C. chicken stock, preferably homemade 1 chicken bouillon cube 3 branches fresh thyme 2 branches fresh rosemary 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 Tbs. salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.

Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbs. olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends, 4 to 5 minutes each side.

Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 Tbs. olive oil to the Dutch oven.

Add carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1 1/2 tsp. pepper and cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned.

Add wine and Cognac and bring to a boil.

Add tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot.

Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover.

Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees internally.

Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board.

Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce.

Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth.

Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stove top over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer.

Place 2 Tbs. flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened.

Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

And a Turkey for Dessert

2009-11-24T21:17:00.003-05:00

Well now that doesn't sound quite right, does it? It does if we're talking about cookies that look like turkeys! My husband came home from work one day talking about how a co-worker used some candy to make cookies that looked like turkeys, and I immediately set to work re-creating them for the little ones that I'll see this Thanksgiving.

I used the same cookie recipe that I used earlier for my candy corn sugar cookies, only this time I flavored the whole batch chocolate instead of splitting it half and half. I also doubled the recipe and got 24 cookies out of it. Using some chocolate covered cherries, nonpareils, and candy corn (not to mention a little royal icing), I assembled these pretty quickly. I think they're sure to go over well with little kids and big kids alike!

Turkey Lurkey Cookies

cookie recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

royal icing recipe (link below) from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1/2 C. butter, very soft 1/2 C. sugar 2 large egg yolks 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 C. flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 C. cocoa powder

For decorating:

candy corn

chocolate covered cherries

royal icing

nonpareils

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter, sugar, and egg yolks together until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla, beat to combine.

Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until combined into a "dough."

Drop dough by tablespoon fulls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Roll dough into a ball and flatten with a spatula.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

To decorate, put royal icing on the bottom of a chocolate covered cherry and place the cherry, frosting side down, onto the bottom center of a cookie.

Spread royal icing around the cherry on the rest of the cookie's surface. Place candy corn around the cherry, with the points touching the cherry.

Color a small amount of icing orange and pipe on the "beak."

Use a toothpick dipped in royal icing to dot icing onto the cherry, and place nonpareils on for eyes.

It Just Wouldn't Be Thanksgiving . . .

2009-11-24T20:48:00.003-05:00

without pumpkin. For me, anyway. Considering my list of desserts to make for Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I didn't feel like adding pumpkin pie to the roster. I wanted a dessert that would serve two purposes: allow people to pick up a bite of something and run, and to send something to work with my husband.

I decided to make some pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. A full cupcake hardly seems like a little bite of anything, though, so I made them mini. I used a Martha Stewart recipe for the cake, that I found on the blog Patent and the Pantry. I could have easily halved this- I ended up with 72 mini-cupcakes and enough batter left over to make another ten minis, easily. For the icing, I used Patent and the Pantry's cream cheese frosting, that she uses for her red velvet cake (which I drooled over for a moment before returning to the task at hand). I only used a cup of confectioner's sugar for the frosting as that was all I needed to get it to the consistency I wanted, and the cream cheese flavor really comes through. I was really pleased with how both turned out and think these are just the perfect "bite of something" to put on the dessert table.

Pumpkin Mini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from Martha Stewart, via Patent and the Pantry

Ingredients:

for the cake:

2 C. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 C. packed brown sugar 1 C. sugar 1 C. butter, melted and cooled 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree

for the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 C. butter, room temperature

1 C. confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini-muffin pan with mini-cupcake liners.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and eggs.

Add dry mixture to butter mixture and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in pumpkin.

Put 1 Tbs. batter into each cavity of the prepared muffin pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched.

Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cool fully on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, beat butter and cream cheese together until combined and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until fluffy and combined.

Well Surprise, Surprise

2009-11-24T17:03:00.003-05:00

Even though I've known my husband since we were in the seventh grade, there is the occasional moment when something about him really surprises me. This time, it was the revelation that he likes pecan pie. Yep, the same man who only allows me to put walnuts in banana bread likes pecan pie.

When my November issue of Cooking Light Magazine arrived, a drool-worthy pecan pie was on the cover and I immediately decided this was on the menu for Thanksgiving, especially since my work schedule changed and I'll now be able to enjoy the holiday with my husband's family. This pie was a cinch to make, even the crust. With very little hands-on time involved, I had a delicious dessert that I'm thrilled to share with family. I would have preferred to make fresh whipped cream, but in the name of saving time, I used the Cool-Whip and it was a fine topping for this great pie.

Pecan Pie with Spiked Cream

adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

for the crust: 1 C. flour, divided 3 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. ice water 2 Tbs. powdered sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 3 Tbs. vegetable shortening

for the filling: 1 C. dark corn syrup 1/4 C. maple syrup 2 Tbs. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 2 large eggs 1 large egg white 3/4 C. pecan halves 1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. bourbon

for the topping: 2/3 C. frozen fat-free whipped topping (such as Cool-Whip), thawed 1 Tbs. bourbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife.

Combine 1/4 C. of the flour and ice water, whisking until well blended to form a slurry.

Combine remaining 3/4 C. flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add slurry; toss with a fork until flour mixture is moist.

Gently press mixture into a 4-inch circle on 2 sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap.

Roll dough, still covered, into a 12-inch circle. Freeze dough 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can easily be removed.

Remove dough from freezer. Remove top 2 sheets of plastic wrap and let the dough stand for 1 minute or until pliable.

Fit dough, plastic wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate, allowing dough to extend over edge. Remove remaining plastic wrap.

Press dough into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Fold edges under; flute.

Bake empty crust for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, place syrup and next 5 ingredients (through egg white) in a large bowl.

Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.

Stir in pecans and vanilla.

Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake for 50 minutes or until edges puff and center is set (shield edges of crust with foil if crust gets too brown).

Cool on a wire rack.

To prepare the topping, combine the whipped topping and bourbon until blended.

No Kneads, Just Wants

2009-11-20T17:42:00.000-05:00

Somewhere along the way in deciding I wanted lasagna rolls for dinner last night, I decided I wanted bread to go with them. I'm making Ina Garten's Company Pot Roast for dinner Saturday, and wanted rolls that would go well with both meals. I also wanted to make rolls that wouldn't require much hands-on effort (read: I did not want to knead dough). I turned to The Pioneer Woman's no-knead dinner roll recipe to accomplish this task.

I didn't modify this, other than to halve the recipe. Doing this, I ended up with sixteen dinner rolls and a little extra dough. They were pretty simple to put together and produced a dense and delicious roll. These were a little sweeter than I tend to think a dinner roll should be, but I'm very sensitive to sugar lately so maybe it was just me. My husband gobbled up three of them with dinner, and can't wait to have them again with Saturday's dinner. Below is the recipe for the 16 rolls I produced. If you need rolls for an army, go ahead and follow the Pioneer Woman's original.

Pioneer Woman's No-Knead Dinner Rolls

halved from The Pioneer Woman's recipe

Ingredients:

2 C. milk

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. vegetable oil

4 1/2 C. flour, divided

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbs. salt

Directions:

Pour milk into a large pot. Add sugar and stir to combine. Add vegetable oil and stir to combine.

Heat milk mixture over medium-high heat and scald (heat until just before it boils).

Remove mixture from heat. Allow to cool until the mixture is between 90 and 110 degrees.

Add 2 C. of flour to the milk mixture and stir until combined.

Sprinkle on the yeast and stir to combine.

Add 2 C. of flour to the mixture, stir until combined.

Cover the mixture with a lid or a clean towel, allow to sit in a warm spot for an hour until risen. If it hasn't risen in an hour, put it in a warm oven (make sure the oven is off) for 45 minutes to rise.

Add 1/2 C. flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder to dough. Stir to combine (at this point, you may have to knead it in by hand, because it is difficult to stir).

Grease, butter, or spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, and roll into a ball. Place 3 balls into each cavity of the prepared muffin tins.

Cover muffin tins with a clean towel, and allow rolls to rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour.

Bake at 400 degrees until the rolls are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

100th Post!

2009-11-20T14:24:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to be posting my 1ooth post to share with all of you. When I started this blog, I told my husband that I'd be amazed if I made 100 posts in a year. Well, my blogiversary isn't until January and here we are at 100 posts: mission accomplished. It's been a great 100 posts, I think. I've enjoyed sharing goodies and recipes, and an anecdote or two along the way. One of the things I love most is that there are things that I used to buy prepared that I now make myself (ice cream comes to mind . . .). I've enjoyed pushing myself to try new things and different techniques, and can't wait for the next 100.

To mark this occasion, it seems only fitting that I share a combination of two of my favorite things: apples and cranberries. Apples always mark Fall for me, and cranberries are always my "gateway fruit" that takes me into winter. I can never get enough of either, and combining them into this apple cranberry sauce made for a delicious salute to both. I made this basically the same way I made my apple sauce, with the omission of the cinnamon and a lot more simmering. This is delicious, the perfect combination of sweet and tart. I think it would be great warm, spooned over ice cream.

Cranberry Applesauce

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. bag of cranberries

10 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into approximately 2" pieces

1/2 C. sugar

Directions:

In a large pot, put 2" of water and bring to a boil.

Rinse cranberries in a large bowl of water and pick through for un-ripe or mushy berries.

Put cranberries into boiling water for 10 minutes.

Add apple pieces to water. Continue to boil for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add sugar.

With a potato masher or spoon, mash apples into applesauce consistency.

Return to heat, and simmer on medium until the mixture thickens, about 1 hour.

Working it Out

2009-11-20T11:21:00.004-05:00

I'll be working on Thanksgiving, preparing for the busy month ahead. I decided I can't let my pesky work schedule keep me from doing something to celebrate Thanksgiving and spread some cheer. I decided to spend some of my day off baking sugar cookies to send off to work with my husband. It's not a big fancy meal, but it did give me the opportunity to feel like I was contributing something.

I used Wilton's recipe for sugar cookies, which was conveniently located on the cardboard backer for my pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. I added some sprinkles and royal icing, and ta-da! These pumpkin shaped sugar cookies were fantastic- solid enough to withstand the decorating process, but with a soft bite to them. While my decorating skills leave something to be desired, I loved the results nonetheless.

Pumpkin-shaped Sugar Cookies

from the Wilton Roll Out Cookie recipe

Ingredients:

1 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 3/4 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp. salt

Orange decorating sugar (optional)

Orange-colored royal icing (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and extracts.

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture 1 C. at a time, mixing after each addition.

Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a 12" circle, approximately 1/8 inch thick.

Dip a cookie cutter in flour and cut shapes out, collecting scraps and re-rolling dough as needed. Continue until all dough is used.

If using decorating sugar, sprinkle onto each cookie and spread, pressing lightly with fingers.

Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheets 6 to 7 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned.

Once cookies have cooled, outline with royal icing, if using.

This Could Never Be Jell-O

2009-11-12T08:26:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen the movie My Best Friend's Wedding? There's this one scene where Julia Roberts' character is comparing Cameron Diaz's character to Creme Brulee and if you haven't seen it, you must follow this link to truly understand where I'm going with this. Creme Brulee: it's sweet, it's irritatingly perfect, it could never be Jell-O. For November's first Barefoot Bloggers recipe, Suzie from Munch + Nibble chose Creme Brulee, from Barefoot in Paris. I was thrilled to make this for so many reasons. First, I love a good creme brulee. Second, I had recently acquired a handy creme brulee set. Third, I frequently order creme brulee for special occasions, but have never actually made one myself. This recipe seemed too easy, but produced great results. I did use fat free half and half, because it was what I had in the house. I also skipped the liqueur, because I didn't have any around. I fully prepared myself to have to toss it out, go to the store for cream, and start over, but that didn't happen at all. While mine was far from "irritatingly perfect," I think I did pretty well with this. Be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this one.

Creme Brulee

adapted from recipe here, or in Barefoot in Paris on p. 222

Ingredients:

1 extra-large egg 4 extra-large egg yolks 1/2 C. sugar, plus 1 Tbs. for each serving 3 C. fat free half and half 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and sugar together on low speed until just combined.

Meanwhile, scald the half and half in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs.

Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken.

Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly.

Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

A Culinary Adventure

2009-11-11T18:30:00.009-05:00

As my husband and I were planning a short getaway for our vacation time this week, we took some recommendations from friends and family and ended up in Providence, Rhode Island. While it is the off-season there, it still had plenty to offer. I won't bore you with the details from start to finish, but I will share the details I think any foodie would love.

We started our trip by checking into the Edgewood Manor, a Bed and Breakfast about 15 minutes from everything else we wanted to check out. Located in a central, but quiet neighborhood, the inn offered some beautiful accommodations and antiques. Breakfast was prepared by the innkeeper one morning and consisted of "eggs, any way you like," an assortment of breads, and a fresh fruit cup. Breakfast the second day was prepared by Joy, and consisted of eggs Florentine and some blueberry cornbread muffins that were out of this world. So good, in fact, I gobbled mine up before I took it's photo. I did get some great photos of the Manor, though:

The front of the Edgewood Manor The formal dining room, where we had breakfast by the fireplace

While ordinarily, I use vacation as an excuse to avoid any kind of chain restaurant, I made an exception for Legal Seafoods, in Warwick. This was a rare treat, for two reasons. First, we don't have a Legal Seafoods in Connecticut. Second, my husband does not eat fish or seafood of any kind, ever. While there isn't much on the menu besides seafood, my husband did have a delicious fillet Mignon while I enjoyed a crab cake, grilled shrimp and scallops.

As some might know, Providence is home to Johnson and Wales University, which is known in part for its College of Culinary Arts. Some notable alumni include Tyler Florence (class of '94), and Emeril Lagasse (class of '78). Julia Child was also presented with an honorary doctorate. What some might not realize, is that Johnson and Wales hosts a Culinary Arts Museum, which I couldn't miss. Mr. Potato Head (in a Johnson and Wales uniform, of course) meets you at the door

Sara Moulton, of "Cooking Live," and "Sara's Secrets" fame has a spot in the Pantheon of Chefs. Oh, how I loved the show "Cooking Live." Emeril Lagasse's spot in the Pantheon of Chefs

Some earlier versions of a beloved appliance, the toaster

Part of the Julia Child exhibit, this jacket was painted for her as a gift for her 8oth birthday

A ten-pound Hershey's Chocolate bar mold. It reads "The Chocolate that is Pure."

In a display of ice cream makers, scoops, and dishes. Proof that it's not just another cookbook, it's an artifact! This little number is made from the labels of some canned peas and tape. Yes, someone actually wore this.

Federal Hill boasts itself as "Providence's own Little Italy," and we found no shortage of food offerings there for lunch. We decided to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and lovely breeze and ate at Geppetto's, on the patio, in DePasquale square. Geppetto's has a pretty extensive selection of typical Italian fare, but I couldn't resist the grilled pizza, with chicken and broccoli and feta cheese.

Delicious grilled pizza

We wrapped up our visit to Federal Hill with a stop at Pastiche. Pastiche is home to some decadent cakes, delicious pastries, and coffee. It is truly a can't miss, and made a wonderful finale for our visit. We shared a carrot cake, which I can not wait to try to replicate at home.

A very sweet ending (and delicious carrot cake) were had at Pastiche

Without Further Adieu, The Chewy

2009-11-07T16:35:00.006-05:00

I watch Alton Brown's show, Good Eats, religiously. I'm not sure how it's possible that I have never made his delicious rendition of the chocolate chip cookie, "The Chewy," before now. As stated in an earlier post, part of my preparation for a trip with my husband was packing some cookies for snacks. A rerun of the episode "Three Chips for Sister Marsha" was on, and my husband watched the whole thing from start to finish, and followed up by asking where his chocolate chip cookies were. I had no trouble getting this recipe together. It only involved a little more work than my normal recipe, melting the butter and chilling the dough. I'm not sure if this version will lead me to never go back to my old recipe, but it sure was delicious nonetheless.

The Chewy

from Good Eats

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter 2 1/4 C. bread flour 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 C. sugar 1 1/4 C. brown sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 Tbs. milk 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add the sugars. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed.

Add the egg, yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet.

Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning.

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Hi, I'm the Fishwife, and I'm a Baking Addict

2009-11-07T16:07:00.004-05:00

This is how you know you have a baking problem: you're going to spend a few nights in a beautiful bed and breakfast, in a room that has an amazing fireplace, and you decide you need to pack some cookies for while you and your husband are relaxing in front of said fireplace. I know, I'm crazy.

Along with Alton Brown's "The Chewy," I decided on shortbread. I found a cranberry shortbread recipe on the Ocean Spray website that looked perfect for munching on fireside. The recipe is very simple, and makes an amazing buttery cookie. It melts in your mouth, and the cranberries add a nice tartness. I'm not sure which I'm most looking forward to- enjoying some alone time with my husband, or enjoying some alone time with my husband while enjoying these with some tea.

Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

from Ocean Spray

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C. butter, softened

1 C. powdered sugar

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 6-ounce package Craisins dried cranberries, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Add the flour a little at a time, mixing until combined.

Stir in the dried cranberries.

Roll dough into one-inch balls and place one dozen at a time on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 15-17 minutes.

Let cool slightly and dust with additional powdered sugar.

My Fourth (and Final) Day of the Week with the Barefoot Contessa

2009-11-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

For the fourth day of the Barefoot Bloggers Bonus Recipe Challenge, A Week with the Barefoot Contessa, I made the Chicken Chili from Barefoot Contessa Parties! and I am so glad that I did. I only made a few minor modifications based on what I had on hand. I used boneless, skinless chicken breast and thawed out a bag of Melange a Trois (frozen red, yellow, and green pepper strips) from Trader Joe's instead of fresh peppers. I also halved the recipe, and it made enough to easily serve 4 to 5 people a generous portion. This seemed like more of a stew to me than a chili, but the flavor was fantastic nonetheless.

I am sad to say that my progress with this challenge will end at this recipe. I wanted to make the Roasted Potato Leek Soup, but time doesn't really permit it. My vacation starts next week though, so I might just sneak it into the itinerary!

Chicken Chili

adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties! page 232, also found at Food Network

Ingredients:

2 C. chopped yellow onions (1 1/2 onions) 1 Tbs. good olive oil, plus extra for chicken 1 clove garlic, minced

1 bag Trader Joe's Melange a Trois frozen red, green and yellow pepper strips (OR 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper, diced) 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes, or to taste 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for chicken 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained 1/8 cup minced fresh basil leaves

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.

Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly.

Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks.

Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.

Serve, or refrigerate and heat gently before serving.

Copy Cat, Copy Cat

2009-11-04T09:27:00.004-05:00

I don't know how I resisted it this long. Every year, when Starbucks hauls out their pumpkin spice latte and their pumpkin bread, I am there waiting for the doors to open, nose pressed against the glass. Okay, not quite, but close. This year, I held off because in my effort to lose weight, a slice of bread with 12 grams of fat doesn't quite seem like the way to go. Instead, I googled and found a copycat recipe that claimed to be just like my beloved Starbucks version. Granted, it only reduced the fat content from 12 grams to 9 grams, it's better than nothing. I did substitute butter for margarine (because butter's what I had in the house), and I halved the recipe because, well, having two loaves of this stuff in the house along with a husband who doesn't eat pumpkin anything was just asking for trouble.

Trouble, indeed. This produced a moist, flavorful loaf of deliciousness. Warm out of the oven, this was amazing, and equally so cooled for breakfast in the morning. It really did remind me exactly of my beloved Starbucks pumpkin loaf. This made me really glad my husband won't touch pumpkin- more for me!

Imitation Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

recipe adapted from Sparkpeople

Ingredients:

1/2 C. butter

1 1/2 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/3 C. water

1 C. canned pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a separate bowl.

Add dry mixture to butter mixture, alternating with water and pumpkin. Beat well.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Day Three of My Week with the Barefoot Contessa

2009-11-04T09:27:00.000-05:00

For day three of the Barefoot Bloggers Bonus Recipe Challenge, A Week with the Barefoot Contessa, I made the French String Beans, from Barefoot in Paris. This was very easy to put together and I enjoyed it so much I might campaign to have this replace the beloved green bean casserole at the holiday table. These beans are simple enough to accompany any dinner, but the colorful presentation would dress up any meal easily.

French String Beans

recipe available on Food Network, or in Barefoot in Paris, page 160

Ingredients:

1 lb. French string beans, both ends removed Kosher salt 1 large red onion, diced 1/2 red bell pepper, large diced 1/2 yellow bell pepper, large diced Good olive oil Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for just 4 minutes.

Drain immediately and immerse in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cool, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss the onion and bell peppers together with 2 Tbs. of olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, tossing with a spatula from time to time to be sure the vegetables roast evenly.

Just before serving, reheat the string beans in a large saute pan drizzled with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and arrange on a platter.

Spoon the roasted vegetables over the string beans and serve hot or at room temperature.

Day Two of the Week with the Barefoot Contessa

2009-11-03T09:58:00.003-05:00

I wanted to like this, I really, really did. For the second day of the Barefoot Bloggers Bonus Recipe Challenge: A Week with the Barefoot Contessa, I made Caramelized Butternut Squash. My limited exposure to butternut squash has been at the Thanksgiving table, pureed with tons of butter and brown sugar, much like my exposure to sweet potatoes. I have also had butternut squash soup on one occasion, and loved it. This, however, I did not love. I can't blame the recipe- it tasted fantastic. It was very much so a texture issue for me. Perhaps had I mashed this, I would have loved it. Despite my not falling in love with this dish, it is a beautiful presentation, and it does taste good. It would likely make a welcome addition to the holiday table. It is really simple to put together. To make easy work of peeling the butternut squash, I placed the squash in a pot with enough boiling water to cover it. I boiled it, with the lid on, for about 4 minutes, then removed and rinsed it cold water until it was cool enough to handle. My regular old vegetable peeler had the skin off in no time. Other than that, my only modification was to halve the recipe- I couldn't see just two of us eating two whole butternut squash.

Caramelized Butternut Squash

from The Barefoot Contessa Parties! p. 232, recipe also available at Food Network

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 pounds total) 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted 1/4 C. light brown sugar, packed 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off and discard the ends of each butternut squash. Peel the squash, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds.

Cut the squash into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet.

Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

With clean hands, toss all the ingredients together and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize. While roasting, turn the squash a few times with a spatula, to be sure it browns evenly.

Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

A Week with the Barefoot Contessa

2009-11-02T09:21:00.008-05:00

Well, I joined the Barefoot Bloggers a month ago, and I'm already having such a good time that I decided to participate in the Bonus Recipe Challenge, A Week with The Barefoot Contessa. Five recipes were selected, and the idea is to post one each day from November 2-6. Some really delicious things were selected, and I can't wait to post them all this week.

The first one I made was Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars, from Barefoot Contessa at Home, page 170. These turn a lunchbox favorite into a rich, decadent dessert. I swapped out the raspberry jam for strawberry because I happened to have a huge jar of strawberry jam on hand. Also, my peanuts were a little more finely chopped than I wanted, but it worked out fine. In my haste, trying to cut these before they were completely cool resulted in a warm heap of peanut butter dough and jam on a plate. I walked away, left them on the kitchen table overnight, cut them this morning, and had much better success. These are absolutely delicious, and come together really easily, sure to be a favorite in this house.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

adapted from this recipe, in Barefoot Contessa at Home, p. 170

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 C. sugar 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 2 C. (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter

3 C. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1 1/2 C. (18 ounces) strawberry jam or other jam 2/3 C. salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with an offset spatula.

Spread the jam evenly over the dough.

Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven.

Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool and cut into squares.

Now That's the Spirit!

2009-10-28T16:09:00.004-04:00

I was wandering through a store a few weeks back, and found these:

Reynolds Fun Shapes Aluminum Baking Cups. I snatched them up and headed home, thinking these would help make some perfect Halloween treats for my husband's co-workers. Yesterday, I decided a brownie was in order, and to top them off with some marshmallow frosting. I then stumbled on some Wilton Sparkle Gel in black and decided that would finish the project.

I used to religiously watch Sweet Dreams on Food Network, Gale Gand's show. I decided to use her fudgy brownie recipe for these, and top them off with Rachel Ray's marshmallow buttercream. They were a cinch to make- the brownies come together with just a few quick stirs, and the buttercream is simple as well. The only modification I made was to double the recipe for the brownies, and halve the recipe for the frosting. Worked out perfectly for 18 ghostly treats.

Fugdgy Brownies with Marshmallow Buttercream

Brownie recipe from Gale Gand via Food Network

Buttercream recipe from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

for Brownies

1 C. unsalted butter 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate 2 C. granulated sugar 4 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2/3 C. all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt

For Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 C. confectioners’ sugar 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional) 8 oz. marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff brand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium pan over very low heat. Stir together and remove from the heat.

Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

Stir in the flour and salt.

If using the Fun Shapes, fill each one of them 1/2 full (will make 18). If not using the fun shapes,

divide the mixture into 2 buttered 8-inch square pans.

Bake until set, about 40 minutes. Cool before cutting.

To make the frosting, beat butter until fluffy. Add 1/4 of the confectioner's sugar and beat to combine. Continue with the rest of the sugar. Beat in vanilla. Stir in marshmallow cream until combined.

If using, use the Wilton Sparkle Gel to pipe on eyes and mouth.

A Kid at Heart

2009-10-26T18:51:00.002-04:00

Something about Halloween always really brings out the kid in me. I remember going to Halloween parties when I was little where we'd stick our hands in covered bowls or bags of stuff (like cold spaghetti and peeled grapes) labeled "bat eyeballs," and "zombie brains." I always got a kick out of that. I am just as childish with my Halloween food now as I was then.

To celebrate a little early, I made some mummy hot dogs. For a long time, I've made simple pigs in a blanket with some cocktail weiners and a can of crescent rolls. I figured, why not make some mummies? These are so simple, and not really a recipe per se, but I had to share.

Mummy Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

1 Can crescent roll dough

8 hot dogs

mustard and ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Unroll the crescent roll dough and wrap 1 triangle around each hot dog, starting about 1 inch from the end, resembling bandaging. Use excess to wrap the top, leaving about 1/2 inch or so of the hot dog exposed.

Bake on a baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Dip the end of a toothpick in either ketchup or mustard and dot on the "eyes."

Still Going Barefoot

2009-10-22T10:23:00.006-04:00

I'm not much for souffle. It usually is a whole lot of work and aggravation, for such a minimal amount of food, and that's if the thing doesn't further aggravate me by deflating just as it's pulled out of the oven. When I read that Summer, of Sexy Apartment, had chosen Blue Cheese Souffle as an October choice for Barefoot Bloggers, I cringed. Ever the trooper, however, I pulled myself together and assembled the ingredients. I signed up for this as a way to expand my horizons and broaden my techniques. Well, that and my declared undying love for all things Barefoot Contessa.

As for the souffle itself, it had an overwhelming eggy flavor that I didn't hate but didn't love either. It was really pretty simple to prepare, although I am prone to over mixing. I thought I had done a pretty good job of not doing that this time around, but the results proved otherwise. I think the lack of a fantastic rise was because I over folded in the egg whites, and possibly because even though I used an 8 cup dish, the measurements weren't the same as what was suggested. If I were ever to make this again, I would likely use more Parmesan and cayenne to combat some of the egginess, but overall it did make for a nice lunch with some mixed greens. Be sure to check here to see what the other Barefoot Bloggers made of this.

Blue Cheese Souffle

recipe can be found at Food Network

also in Barefoot in Paris, p. 50

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish 1/4 C. finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour 1 cup scalded milk (see note below) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch nutmeg 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature 3 oz. good Roquefort cheese, chopped 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg.

Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick. Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 C. of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven.

Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Send out the Sweets

2009-10-21T17:10:00.004-04:00

I have had candy corn on the brain lately. I bought a bag early on in the season, and while nibbling away at it while watching some DVR'd tv with my husband is a perfectly good way to use it up, it is not perfectly good for the waistline. I decided to bake something with it, and then promptly send the baked goods out of the house. Granted the recipe only uses 36 candy corn, but that's 36 less for me, right?

I used this recipe from Martha Stewart and it was so simple that I think from now on when I want quick sugar cookies, I'll use this recipe. I did modify her directions slightly so that I would have both plain and chocolate without making a second batch of cookies. Start to finish, this whole thing took less than 20 minutes and produced soft, delicious cookies.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter, very soft 1/2 C. sugar 1 large egg yolk 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

36 candy corns

2 tsp. cocoa powder (optional, if you want to make chocolate cookies at the same time)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugar.

Add egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder and salt.

Beat in flour until a dough forms.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet.

After 18 teaspoonfulls, beat cocoa powder into remaining dough.

Continue dropping dough by teaspoonfulls until all is used.

Using hands, roll dough into balls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes (do not let the cookies brown).

Immediately after removing from oven, press a candy corn into the top of each one.

First Trip to Penzey's

2009-10-21T09:23:00.003-04:00

I have heard about Penzey's spices from numerous sources, mainly from the ladies over at the What's Cooking? message board over on The Nest. I had browsed thier website, and perused the catalog on numerous occasions and have always been happy with my purchases. When I searched for a local store, I found that there is one ten minutes from where I work. After I got over the shock of "how did I not know this?!" I went over to browse. I stopped first at the cinnamon display they had at the front of the store, and picked up some Penzey's Cinnamon, which is a blend of four different cinnamons. It smelled absolutely wonderful (best part about going to the actual store- you can smell everything before you buy) and it immediately made me think about cinnamon raisin toast.

Once I got home with my bag full of Penzey's goodness, I immediately opened possibly what is the best gift my husband has ever given me: my copy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. Right there on page 58 was the recipe I needed. I set to work, and while it took a long time to get this bread together, it was so worth it in the end. It was so much better than any cinnamon raisin bread I've ever purchased at the store, just sweet enough with a hint of cinnamon, and plump raisins. It was so good, it was all I could think about for breakfast this morning.

I'm also submitting this to the What's Cooking Ingredient Challenge. Week 7's challenge is of course, cinnamon. This is fantastic on it's own, warm out of the oven, or toasted with butter.

Raisin Swirl Bread

from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, p. 58

Ingredients:

For the Bread

1 packet active dry yeast

1/4 c. sugar, plus a pinch

1 1/4 C. milk, heated just until warm to the touch

1/2 stick (4 Tbs.) butter, room temperature

3/4 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

3 3/4 to 4 C. all-purpose flour

For the swirl

1 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 C. moist, plump raisins

3 Tbs. butter, softened to a spreadable consistency

Directions:

Put the yeast in a small bowl, toss in the pinch of sugar and stir in 1/4 c. of the warm milk. Let rest for 3 minutes, then stir. Yeast may not be completely dissolved or bubbled, but it should be soft.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine remaining cup of milk, the butter, and remaining 1/4 C. sugar. Mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes.

Add the salt, egg, vanilla and nutmeg and mix for a minute. The mixture may look curdled at this point, this is normal.

Turn the mixer off, and add 2 3/4 C. of the flour. Mix on low speed just until the flour is worked into the liquid.

Switch to the dough hook attachment at this point. Add another 1 C. of flour, increase mixer speed to medium and beat the dough for a couple of minutes. If the dough does not come together and almost clean the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 C. more flour, 1 Tbs. at a time.

Keep the mixer speed at medium and knead the dough for 3 minutes until it is smooth and has a buttery sheen. The dough will be too soft to knead by hand.

Butter a large bowl, put the dough into the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap the dough and put it in the freezer to firm up, for 1/2 hour.

Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan

Whisk together the cinnamon, sugar, and cocoa.

Put the dough on a large, lightly floured work surface and roll the dough into a rectangle about 12x18 inches.

Gently smear 2 Tbs. of butter over the dough, using fingertips. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough. Sprinkle the raisins over the dough.

Starting from the short side of the dough, roll up jellyroll fashion, making sure to roll the dough snugly.

Fit the dough into the buttered loaf pan, seam side down, and tuck ends under loaf.

Cover the pan loosely with waxed paper and set in a warm place. Let the dough rise until it comes just a little above the edge of the pan, 45 minutes.

When the dough has almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Melt the remaining Tbs. of butter and brush over the top of the loaf. Place the loaf pan on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Cover the loaf with a foil tent and bake an additional 25 minutes, until bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan is tapped.

Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool right side up on the cooling rack.

The Power of Pink

2009-10-20T14:27:00.005-04:00

As I'm sure many people know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, there are 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the US alone, and more than 192,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in the US this year. As a woman who's family is affected by breast cancer, I do my best to call attention to this important topic year round.

To raise some awareness in my own home, I decided to make some pink baked goods. My mind turned immediately to pomegranate cupcakes. The initial idea came from Cupcake Rehab, but then I found a recipe on A Good Appetite and decided to somehow combine the two. I used the cake recipe at the latter blog and combined it with the pomegranate glaze and white chocolate buttercream found at the first blog. The resulting cake turned out to have a beautiful pink colored batter, but resulted in a greenish cake. I hid it well with the pomegranate glaze and the white chocolate frosting, and in the end they looked pretty and tasted fantastic.

Pomegranate Cupcakes with Pomegranate Glaze and White Chocolate Buttercream

adapted from recipes at Cupcake Rehab and A Good Appetite

Ingredients:

For cake

4 Tbs. butter, room temperature

1/2 C + 4 Tbs. sugar

1 large egg

1/2 C. pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 C. nonfat plain yogurt

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

For glaze

½ C. pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful) 1 C. confectioner’s sugar

For frosting

4 ½ oz. white chocolate, chopped 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 6 Tbs. (¾ stick) butter, room temperature 2 C. confectioner's sugar ½ tsp. vanilla extract ¼ tsp. coarse kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream the butter & sugar together.

Beat in the egg, pomegranate juice, vanilla, & yogurt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix to combine.

Divide the batter between the muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack.

To make the glaze, combine the pomegranate juice and confectioner's sugar in a bowl, stirring until blended. Pour by tablespoons onto each cooled cupcake. Allow to set.

To make the frosting, melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave until smooth. Cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in medium bowl until fluffy.

Gradually beat in melted white chocolate. Let cool until thickened to spreadable consistency. Pipe around the edge of each cupcake.

Celebrating Late

2009-10-20T14:03:00.005-04:00

October 18th was one of my new favorite holidays. A holiday so exciting, I couldn't help but to celebrate. October 18th was National Chocolate Cupcake Day. How great is it that the chocolate cupcake gets its own very special day? Okay, well I was excited anyway. To celebrate, I decided on a chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter buttercream frosting. Seeing as I just joined the Barefoot Bloggers, I've had Ina Garten on my mind and googled in search of what I was sure would be a fantastic chocolate cupcake courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa herself. I found this recipe, and it was absolutely fantastic. I omitted the coffee called for in the original (I didn't feel like making coffee at 8 p.m.). It created a rich, dense, moist chocolate cupcake, and a sweet peanut-buttery frosting. Absolutely delicious.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing

from Ina Garten, courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients:

For Cake

12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature 2/3 C. granulated sugar 2/3 C. light brown sugar, packed 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 C. buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature 1/2 C. sour cream, at room temperature 1 3/4 C. flour 1 C. cocoa powder 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For Icing:

1 C. confectioners' sugar 1 C. creamy peanut butter 5 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1/3 C. heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cavities of cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, and sour cream.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended. Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Hello, Muffin Top

2009-10-08T15:37:00.004-04:00

There's the muffin top we try to avoid (the condition where one's pudge spills over the waist of her pants . . .), and the muffin top we embrace (the kind from a warm, fresh baked good). I've been limiting my consumption of baked goods lately in an effort to avoid the first kind, but I couldn't resist the thought of a pumpkin muffin any longer. Luckily, I found a recipe from Cooking Light that would allow me to enjoy a delicious fresh baked muffin top without sporting a muffin top myself. I substituted nonfat vanilla yogurt for the fat free sour cream the original recipe because I thought it would add the same moisture and more flavor and calcium. The end result was a moist, delicious pumpkin muffin that is great without any butter and just sweet enough, thanks to the sugary topping. The recipe makes 18 muffins, so I'm sure to be enjoying a delicious breakfast on the run for a while, without compromising my waistline.

Pumpkin Muffins

adapted from Cooking Light December 2002

Ingredients:

2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour 1 C. sugar 1 Tbs. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1 C. canned pumpkin 3/4 C. nonfat vanilla yogurt 1/3 C. fat-free milk 1/4 C. vegetable oil 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg white Nonstick Cooking spray 1 Tbs. granulated sugar 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine pumpkin and next 6 ingredients (pumpkin through egg white).

Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups.

Combine 1 Tbs. granulated sugar and brown sugar; sprinkle over muffins.

Bake for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

I'm Going Barefoot

2009-10-08T10:28:00.005-04:00

I finally decided that my schedule permitted my signing up for the Barefoot Bloggers. Back when I had time, I used to love watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. This translated into a love of cooking, and I love that all of her dishes come together so balanced and fresh. So without further delay, I bring you my first Barefoot Bloggers contribution. Jill, of My Next Life, chose this Cheddar Corn Chowder. It can also be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 74. This was a little thinner than I'm used to for chowder, but made for a nice hearty soup nonetheless. The flavors worked fantastically, and it was a great way to use up the summer corn as the weather turns cooler. The only changes I made to the original were to halve the recipe (and still had enough to feed a small army!), omit the turmeric (I didn't have any on hand), reduced the olive oil and I used fat free half and half instead of regular to lighten this up. My version is what I printed below, but be sure to check the link to the original above. It turned out fantastically despite my omissions and substitutions.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, p. 74 as seen on Food Network.com

Ingredients:

4 oz. bacon, chopped 2 Tbs. good olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 Tbs. unsalted butter 1/2 C. flour 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 6 C. chicken stock 3 C. medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (1 lb.) 5 C. corn kernels, fresh (5 ears) or frozen ( 1 1/2 lbs.) 1 C. fat free half-and-half 4 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.)

Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Up to the Challenge

2009-10-06T20:09:00.004-04:00

At Roger's Orchard, there is a full bakery on site where they make delicious things like apple cider doughnuts, breads, and several kinds of pie (peach being a close second to the apple). They also have an apple sour cream cake that is to die for. I was excited to try to replicate it for the current WC Ingredient Challenge: Apples.

The closest I have come to imitating the beloved apple sour cream cake is a recipe courtesy of our friends over at the Food Network. I searched and searched for an apple sour cream loaf cake, but none of them seemed quite right until I found this one from Emeril. It wasn't in the shape of a loaf, but the ingredients seemed spot on.

This apple cake will be my go-to recipe until I can get my hands on the Roger's Orchard original. It is moist and light, and not overly sweet. This cake is fantastic warm for dessert, or great cold as a snack, and it really is delicious as a breakfast. The brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping is fantastic, so much so that I omitted the brown sugar glaze called for in the original as I didn't think the cake needed it.

Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake

adapted from Emeril's recipe at Food Network

Ingredients:

For the Cake: 1 stick butter 1 1/2 C. packed brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 C. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1 C. sour cream 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 C. peeled, cored and chopped apples

For the Streusel Topping: 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar 1/2 C. flour 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 4 Tbs. butter, softened

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with sour cream and vanilla.

Fold in the apples.

Pour batter into prepared baking dish.

In a bowl, combine streusel ingredients. Blend with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over cake batter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

Nice Fake-Out

2009-10-06T19:59:00.005-04:00

I don't know what comes over me sometimes. As soon as I decided on this Inspired Stir Fry for dinner, I wanted crab rangoon to go with it. Clearly I was not going to stop in the middle of steaming broccoli to run out for some fried takeout sides. Luckily I had some things on hand and decided to throw together some takeout- inspired, lighter, crab rangoon. While these were not as delicious as the deep fried version we know and love, they did make for a nice healthy substitute and satisfied the craving.

Light Crab Rangoon

Ingredients:

16 round wonton wrappers

4 oz. light cream cheese

1 C. imitation crab meat, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, crab, and garlic.

Place 1-2 tsp. of crab mixture onto each wonton wrapper.

Wet edge of 1/2 of wrapper, fold over and press to seal the wrapper closed.

Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until wontons are a light golden brown.

Feeling Inspired

2009-10-06T19:48:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, you just need a quick dinner with few ingredients that your husband won't know is actually light. This was one of those times. This is one of those recipes where the title says it all, "Inspired Stir-Fry." It reminded me of another takeout favorite, Beef with Broccoli. This at-home version was not only better for me, it was quick and tasty and required little fuss. I served it over brown rice and it was a healthy meal for two. The original recipe yielded 1 serving, but with little modification, this was doubled up easily for two.

Inspired Stir Fry

from the Weight Watchers 3 Month Journal

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. lean sirloin, trimmed and cut into strips2 tsp. canola oil 2 C. broccoli florets1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp. soy sauce 2 tsp. hoisin sauce 1 tsp. ground ginger 2 C. cooked brown rice (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add beef and stir fry until cooked through. Add garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and ginger. Stir fry until heated through. Serve over rice.

Not Entirely a Royal Pain

2009-10-02T19:04:00.008-04:00

It all started with a vision of some beautifully decorated Fall leaf shaped sugar cookies. Okay, really it all started with a disturbing craving for a sugar cookie with royal icing, but that spawned the vision, I swear. Sometimes, my visions for culinary greatness don't turn out exactly as planned. The results made up for in taste what they were lacking in decoration, due mainly to my inexperience with royal icing. While they weren't as pretty as I imagined, they were delicious. I think this recipe is sure to resurface in time for some holiday cookie trays. I think that if I keep practicing with the icing, the end result will turn out every bit as decorative as it is delicious. I used recipes from Annie's Eats, and if you want to see some truly beautiful sugar cookies with royal icing, be sure to visit her site. Be sure to see her site also for some great directions on how to work with royal icing. I did not use the "outline and flood method" and so I did not include it here.

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Cookie recipe and Icing recipe at Annie's Eats

Ingredients for Cookies:

1 C. butter

1 C. confectioner's sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 C. sifted flour

Directions:

Cream butter.

Add powdered sugar.

Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour.

Chill dough until firm.

Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface.

Cut with cookie cutters (I used a Wilton Comfort Grip maple leaf cutter)

Place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown.

Frost and decorate when cool.

Ingredients for Royal Icing:

4 C. confectioner's sugar, sifted

2 Tbs. meringue powder

1 Tbs. water

Directions for Royal Icing:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).

Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated.

Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.

To decorate:

Divide icing into 3 separate bowls.

Add food coloring to each until the desired shades of red, yellow, and brown (or green, or orange- whatever your favorite Fall leaf colors are). If using liquid food coloring and the coloring thins the icing too much, add more powdered sugar until the piping consistency is reached.

Place cookies on a wire rack, with waxed paper underneath the rack.

"Drip" or spread the colored icing onto cookies, using each color.

Hittin' the Sauce

2009-09-30T19:08:00.005-04:00

I still have apples in the house leftover from an apple picking trip I took earlier this month and decided to make applesauce to go with tonight's pork tenderloin for dinner. I'm no stranger to the stuff out of a jar, and I'm a huge fan of those little cups with foil lids come lunchtime. After making this, however, I think there's no turning back. I didn't really follow a recipe, I pretty much let fly it and it all turned out fantastically. This turned out just sweet enough, and tart enough that you really get the flavor of fresh fall apples. It had just enough cinnamon, and was full of little chunks of apple, which I love.

Quick Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients:

5 apples (I used McIntosh), cored, peeled, and chopped

2 Tbs. sugar

1/2 C. water

1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a pot, stir well to combine.

Cook over medium heat, with a lid on, for 20 minutes.

Mash with a potato masher just to smash the apple pieces a little, if desired. You could also use an immersion blender to make it less chunky if you like.

Serve warm, or let cool and put in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Tilapia in No Time

2009-09-30T18:59:00.004-04:00

My husband does not eat fish, or seafood of any kind, so it's a rare occasion that I have it at home. In an effort to add some variety to my lunches, however, I bought some tilapia fillets and decided to make them and save them for lunch. Because we weren't having them for dinner, I wanted to put them together quickly and move on. I went back and forth on even posting this, because it's not really any kind of amazing recipe, but I decided to go ahead and post because it is a quick and simple way to get a meal on the table. The whole thing comes together in ten minutes, start to finish. The fish comes out moist and flaky, and tastes light and delicious. It's great with rice and veggies, or with a side of pasta.

Garlic Rosemary Tilapia

makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. tilapia fillets (4 oz. each)

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp. olive oil, divided

salt and pepper

4 tsp. dried rosemary, divided

Directions:

Heat the broiler and line a broiler pan with aluminum foil.

Rinse fish and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush each fillet with 1 tsp. of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the garlic, and 1 tsp. of rosemary on each fillet.

Place 8 inches from the broiler, broil for 8 minutes.

No Beans About It . . .

2009-09-30T17:36:00.003-04:00

I have never in my life had chili without beans in it. Actually, my earliest forays into making chili consisted of ground beef, a seasoning packet, and a can of kidney beans. It wasn't until I really got into cooking that making it any other way interested me. I've made several variations of the classic over time, but never one without beans in it. I was reading through the October 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine, and came across a recipe for Texas Red Chili and figured I'd give that a go. It was very hearty, not too spicy, and full of flavor. I didn't miss the beans at all, and amazingly my husband didn't even seem to know there weren't any in there. Then again, if the elimination of beans means more room for beef, then I suppose he's in favor.

Texas Red Chili

adapted from Martha Stewart Living October 2009

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. olive oil

3 lbs. trimmed beef chuck, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

salt and pepper

2 onions, coarsely chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C. chili powder

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 28 oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes, pureed

4 C. water

2 tsp. white vinegar

Directions:

Heat a large heavy pot over high heat. Add 2 Tbs. of the oil.

Season beef with salt and pepper.

Brown beef in batches, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add remaining 1 Tbs. of oil, onions, garlic, and jalapeno to pot. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add chili powder and continue cooking for 1 minute.

Stir in browned beef. Add tomato puree, water, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 1/2 hours, until thick and meat is very tender. Check pot once an hour, and if it seems too dry add a little water.

Stir in vinegar.

And in the Morning, I'm Making Waffles!

2009-09-28T19:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the day my husband became the luckiest man alive. Okay, in all seriousness, it was our first wedding anniversary. The first year was a long one, full of ups and downs, and compromises, but overall a good one that I was happy to be celebrating. I decided I would make a great breakfast to start the day off right. My husband and I are rarely home together at breakfast time, so this was indeed a special occasion, the kind of occasion that calls for Belgian waffles.

I still had some apples left from our latest apple picking excursion, and we had bought a great cinnamon syrup from the farm where we went apple picking. Naturally, this all lent itself to some apple cinnamon Belgian waffles. I found a recipe for some like the ones at Martin Hill Inn, in New Hampshire. Granted, I am still not great at using the waffle maker we received as a wedding gift, but these did turn out pretty well, though misshapen. They were not very sweet, which worked well with the cinnamon syrup we poured on them, but they were full of apple bits which is exactly what I wanted.

Apple Cinnamon Belgian Waffles

adapted from the Martin Hill Inn recipe

Ingredients:

2 C. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. sugar

3 eggs

1/2 C. vegetable oil

1 C. milk

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped (I used a Cortland)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until thick, about 4 minutes.

Add the oil, milk and apple to the eggs.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until the batter is just combined, it's okay if it's lumpy. Thin with a little milk if needed for your waffle iron.

Let batter rest for 20 minutes.

Cook in Belgian style waffle iron according to the manufacturer's directions.