The Bake-Off Flunkie

This week's 5 Recipes I would love to make

2012-01-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

I have finally had to admit to myself that I will never--even if I cooked something new every day for the next 10 years--be able to possibly try all the recipes I have bookmarked. It was a rather sad moment. So I've decided, in order to at least be able share the amazing recipes I find around the internet with you, each Friday (and maybe more often) I'm going to post links to 5 recipes I would love to make. If you happen to make something I mention, I would love to hear about it so I can live vicariously through you.

Here are today's 5 Recipes I would love to make:

Apple Sharlotka from Ciao Chow Linda

Doesn't this look so light and divine? We love apple desserts at my house and I really hope this is something I can make sometimes soon. My husband's birthday is coming up.....

Spumoni Cookies from Betty Crocker

Growing up we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory often, and that is where I first had Spumoni ice cream. I was absolutely in love with the flavors, and thought people in my family who didn't like it were crazy! When I saw these cookies on Pinterest I literally (actually) froze in my chair. "Whoa...I. Want. Those. Cookes!" Pistachio, cherry, and chocolate. I don't see how it could go wrong.

Grilled Halibut with Chermoula from The Crabby Cook

I've had this one bookmarked forever. I love fish and I think the chermoula sounds so good and flavorful! Mmmm!

Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad by Closet Cooking

Kevin at Closet Cooking really makes so awesome food. I've made several of his recipes and have many others bookmarked. He uses quinoa often and this salad is something that really uses the protein-packed grain well.

Butternut Squash Ziti by Macheesmo

I love winter squash. It is delicious, super good for you, and you really can do almost anything with it. This recipe caught my eye because I'd never thought to put it with pasta. And the picture is gorgeous--look at that color!

Next week I'll post 5 more recipes I would love to make!

Pressure-Cooker Shredded Beef

2012-01-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

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I am beginning to learn that a pressure cooker is a beautiful thing. Up until this shredded beef, I'd only used my pressure cooker for making dry beans. Then yesterday I remembered something a friend had posted on Facebook: that she loved her pressure cooker because she could make a frozen roast in 1 1/2 hours. The day was going to be a little crazy, and I didn't want to eat out (again), so I decided to try her frozen roast idea. Believe me, I had some serious reservations. Could it possibly work? And be tasty? If not, there was always cereal. But if so....oh the possibilities!

Well, it did work. The beef was so good it almost felt wrong because it took zero effort. We had it over mashed potatoes, but I'm positive it would be equally as delicious on a bun with a nice slaw on the side.

Note: My friend swore by the 1 1/2 hours, but I cooked mine for 3 hours. Just to make sure. And that's how long it took me to pick up my daughter from school, take her to the orthodontist, dash into the grocery store, and get home. (And before anyone freaks out, No, I didn't leave the house with my stove on and unattended; my teenager was home, being very attentive. I'm sure. ;)

Pressure-Cooker Shredded Beef
printable recipe

1 2-2 1/2 pound beef roast (mine was a rump roast, and it was frozen)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
several shakes liquid smoke
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
several grinds fresh black pepper
thinly sliced green onion, if desired
prepared mashed potatoes

1. Combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure following the manufacturers directions for your pressure cooker and cook for 3 hours. Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to come down on it's own.

2. Remove the roast to a rectangular baking dish (so none of the delicious juices run away) and shred, discarding and undesirable bits. Pour the saucy stuff from the pressure cooker over the shredded beef and stir/toss to coat evenly (my roast was pretty well trimmed with not much fat, so I didn't need to remove any fat from the sauce.)

3. Serve over mashed potatoes and top with green onion.

Makes about 6 servings

How to rescue crystalized honey

2012-01-23T12:36:00.001-08:00

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Has this happened to you? You want to make something wonderful and delicious with some equally wonderful and delicious honey, only to pull it from your pantry to find it looks like this:

Yikes! Crystalization-city! Honey never goes bad, but it can form crystals, and once one crystal forms a chain-reaction begins that eventually turns it all into an unusable mess. What to do? Throw it away? That is a sad thought. Happily there is a way to rescue honey that's become a semi-solid mass of yuck.

Fill a pot large enough to contain most of the jug or container (this was actually the first time I had to rescue a jug this full--my sister found it in the back of her pantry. Heehee.). Turn the burner onto medium-low and let the water gently heat the honey to melt it. Occasionally take the container out of the pot and shake it. (Please be careful, the honey inside will be hot, as will the jug itself. And hopefully it goes without saying that you need to leave the lid on, but just in case: Please leave the lid on.)

Shaking the container does a few things: 1. shaking breaks up the bigger chunks of crystalized honey to help speed up the melting process. 2. shaking helps you gauge the progress. 3. (maybe most important) shaking coats the entire inside of the container with the melted honey, so any crystals that are lurking up at the top won't be able to sabotage your efforts by starting the chair reaction over again once back in your pantry.

How long this process takes depends on how much honey you're rescuing. This particular jug took several hours, but my patience was rewarded with a jug of honey that was perfectly crystal-free and ready to use.

A couple notes: Wait for the honey to cool before unscrewing the lid. Pressure builds in the container as the honey heats up, and if you take the lid off right away--and you're not ready for it--the lid will pop off and will maybe hit you in the face. Which may or may not have happened to me. Once. Of course, if you want to show your kids something cool, don't wait for the honey to cool, unscrew the lid, and watch it fly!

Also, I know that another way to melt honey that's crystalized is to put it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time. I don't like this quick-and-dirty method (unless you are super desperate and need the honey right this minute) because microwaves heat unevenly, it's hard on the plastic container, especially the corners, you have to stand there and babysit it, and it's harder to make sure you're getting every crystal. And, well, my jugs are usually too big to fit standing up in the microwave.

Gorgeous.

Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars

2012-01-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

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Food inspiration can come from anywhere. In the case of these Fruit and Nut Granola Bars, I was inspired by 5 Second Rule's post about her Larabar copycats, her Goji Nibby Nuggets. Chances are you've already heard of and read the work of the witty and wonderful Cheryl Sternman, but in case you haven't, you are missing out big time, and should go to her blog right away. After you finish this post.

I like to make food from scratch whenever possible, and have wanted to try granola bars for a long time. After reading about 5 Second Rule's Goji Nibby Nuggets, I took the plunge and went after the Clif bars my husband used to buy. To get a starting point, first thing I did was look at the ingredient list, then after a few fails I eventually had a great recipe. These bars are packed with all kinds of goodness, and make a perfect grab-and-go breakfast or snack that keeps you satisfied for a surprisingly long time. We go through them pretty fast so I keep them in my pantry, but for longer storage you can keep them in the fridge or freezer (just don't try to eat them straight from the fridge, it's like trying to bite into a rock).

Something different about these granola bars is they are dairy free (which, now that I think about it, might also make them vegan). Many (many) commercial granola bars have whey in them for added protein. Extra protein is great, but if you need a dairy-free diet, you are left with few options in the granola bar aisle. I didn't realize I had created a dairy-free granola bar (or the significance of this) until I was talking about them with a very good friend who has a daughter on a dairy-free diet. She couldn't wait to make them for her daughter, and I was super excited when her daughter gave them a big thumbs-up. Awesome!

The fruit, seeds, and nuts for this recipe come from a great trail mix I get at my local grocery store. It's a Kroger brand trail mix called Cranberry Delight, a mix of dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, almonds, golden raisins, and pepitas. If you can't find a similar mix or don't like what's in this one, you can use any trail mix you want, the bars will still be awesome.

One of my goals with these granola bars was to not use corn syrup as a sweetener. My first couple of batches I used all honey but the finished bars tasted too much of honey. A friend suggested I try brown rice syrup. I'd never heard of brown rice syrup and when I looked it up, sure enough, it's often used to sweeten organic and higher-end granola bars. It was a little tricky to find in my area, but I finally found it at a grocery store called Harmon's. If your grocery store has an organic section, you'll probably find it there (Or you can order it from Amazon). As far as cost goes, at about $5 a jar, it is more expensive than corn syrup, but since I can get 5 batches out of a jar, it's worth it to me to not be using corn syrup.

Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars

printable recipe

2 cups fruit and nut trail mix of your choice

1 cup crispy rice cereal

3 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Heat your oven to 325. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, having two sides extend up and over the edges of the pan. I've found that using clothes pins to hold the parchment paper to the pan keeps it from slipping all over when you're spreading the granola bar mixture around.

2. Combine the trail mix, crispy rice cereal, and oats in a medium bowl.

3. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine the honey, brown rice syrup, and peanut butter. Heat it in the microwave for 1 minute on high and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Add the honey mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is evenly coated (be patient, this can take a fair amount of stirring).

4. Transfer the granola bar mixture to the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Tear a sheet of plastic wrap, place it directly on the mixture, and press down with only hand pressure (hand pressure = just the pressure you can get with your hands, not leaning in with your body; the plastic wrap keeps it from sticking to your hands).

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars. To cut, use the parchment paper to lift the slab out of the pan, place on a cutting board, and cut using a sharp knife. They will be very soft, even after they cool. They will firm up after they cure for several hours, so resist any urge to press down on them again.

Makes 16 bars. Weight Watchers PointPlus: 5 points

5-Minute Salsa

2012-01-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

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I watched my husband pull tortillas, cheddar cheese, and black beans from the fridge. Then he started searching for something else. "We're out of salsa," I told him. Man, was he disappointed. I wasn't feeling so hot, but he was looking pretty sad. "I could make some real quick," I offered (I just happened to have cilantro and jalapenos in the fridge). He tried to not look too hopeful, "You could?" He knew I wasn't feeling great. "Sure, 'cause I'm so awesome." He wasn't going to argue, and while he made his quesadilla I made this salsa. I'm not kidding, it's that fast to put together. The only caveat is you need a food processor.

I came up with this recipe one desperate Sunday afternoon years ago when we were out of salsa and wouldn't survive the rest of the day without it. It uses canned, diced tomatoes which makes it really easy to pull together with a few other ingredients. The great thing about this salsa (besides that it uses canned tomatoes so you can make it all year long) is that you can vary the ingredient amounts to your tastes: if you like less onion, don't use the whole onion, if you like it more spicy, use 2 (or more) jalapenos, ditto for the cilantro--you get the idea.

5-minute Salsa
printable recipe

2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained well, juice from one can reserved
1 small onion, cut into 1/2-in pieces
1-2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1/2-in pieces
1/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems, very roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1. Put the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 2-3 times (3 seconds each pulse), scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cilantro and pulse 1-2 more times, or until the salsa is the consistency you want. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and stir in the salt and lime juice.

2. Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days (though it never lasts that long at my house).

Makes about 2 1/2 cups salsa.

Drop Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles

2011-12-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

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For a super-easy way to make Drop Sugar Cookies look festive and colorful, simply dip the scooped dough in sprinkles before you bake them. And, no, it's not cheating for them to look so cute without the effort of frosting them. It's efficient, and smarty-pants clever ;)

Put the sprinkles in a small bowl and dip your scooped sugar cookie dough. I've found that if you use a small bowl, you can use the sides of the bowl to get more sprinkle coverage.

Bake the cookies as directed for the Drop Sugar Cookies. Remember to take them out when they still look underdone.

Mmmm...For these cookies I used my smallest cookie scoop. I ruined my regular scoop by using it to scoop plaster of paris into dixie cups, and then not rinsing it off right away. Oops. And darnit.

This look ready for Santa! Too bad we ate them. I'll have to make Santa some new cookies.

Drop Sugar Cookies

2011-12-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

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I think sugar cookies are one of the best cookies on the face of the planet. They are simple, sweet, and completely addictive. And while rolled sugar cookies are great, sometimes I want sugar cookies without all the fuss. These drop sugar cookies are so easy, and if you do any baking at all, you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen.

The ground nutmeg is totally optional. My mom put nutmeg in the sugar cookies she made when I was a kid, so for me sugar cookies aren't quite right without it. You can leave it out if you want--they will still be amazing.

As always, these cookies are formulated for my high altitude (5000+ feet), but will also work at lower altitudes.

Drop Sugar Cookies
printable recipe

1 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Heat your oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing well and scraping the sides of the bowl after each. Add the salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and flour; mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl once. Set aside for 15 minutes.

3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and still look underdone (they will set up as the cool). If you let them brown they won't be as soft after they cool.

Makes 36 cookies.

Christmas Jell-O Spritz Cookies

2011-12-08T20:30:00.001-08:00

I know it sounds weird: cookies with Jell-O? You bet, and they are so good, I promise it'll be hard when it's time to stop putting them in your mouth. When I was growing up these were a staple in my house. My mom's recipe called them Pastel Cookies (I'm sure because they cook up pastel in color, the color determined by the flavor of Jell-O you use.), but we all called them Push Cookies; I can only guess because you use a cookie press. When my sister and I were old enough to mess around in the kitchen we had making these cookies down to a science. It's all about how long you cook them--just until they are no longer shiny, and whatever you do, don't let them get brown because then they get hard. Not crispy or crunchy. Hard. Blech.

For these cookies I used lime Jell-O and the cookie press' Christmas tree disk. Another great Christmas design is to use red Jell-O and the flower disk to make poinsettias. Since I know you're wondering, the Jell-O does add flavor the cookie, but in a good, delicious way. If you want sprinkles be sure to put them on before baking.

Don't grease your cookie sheet or use parchment paper or a silpat. The dough needs a naked, ungreased pan in order to come off the cookie press. There is enough butter in the dough that they don't stick to the pan. Also, I've adjusted this recipe for my high altitude.

Christmas Jell-O Spritz Cookies
printable recipe

1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 3-oz box lime Jell-O (NOT sugar free)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour

1. Heat your oven to 400. Set aside 2 ungreased baking sheets.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and Jell-O. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well; scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the baking powder and flour, and mix well. Let the dough sit for 15 minutes before loading it into the cookie press.

3. Load the dough into your cookie press, and following it's manufacturers directions, press the dough onto your baking sheets. Add sprinkles if you want them.

4. Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes (mine took 7 minutes), just until they are no longer shiny, and not starting to brown. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then remove them to paper towels. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 100 cookies.

1 Weight Watcher's Points+ point per cookie, up to 5 cookies.

I'm back! + Chicken Chile Verde, too!

2011-11-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... "Good Night, Tiffiny! Where have you been? And what on Earth have you been doing?"

Well, I'm back, and I've had a great summer break! lol...I know it's practically winter; my summer was long this year ;) I didn't get all the projects done that I thought I would (with all my free time, right?), but it's been great anyway. Here are some pictures of the highlights:

June: I made my shoe-crazy daughter a cake for her 4th birthday:

Oh my gosh, the shoes are my favorite part!

June/July: We took a two-week trip to California.

On the way there we stopped at the Hoover Dam:

Standing on the Arizona side of the dam. Mercy, it was hot out there on the concrete. Blech!

I was blazing hot, 109-deg hot. We've never been in temperatures like that and we were all melting. Good thing the gift shop had water for sale. For $2.50 a bottle. Man, when they've got you, they've got you.

This is what a 4 year-old looks like when in the process of melting.

And what the same 4 year-old looks like back on the road in an air-conditioned van. Poor thing!

I had to document the insane temperature as we drive through Nevada and into California. You couldn't pay me to live in a place where it gets this hot.

In California: We stayed for a few days with my bestie from high school and her cute family.

One of the days we hiked the Pinnacles (Watsonville/Hollister area):

My three cuties :)

The cutest thing, ever!

How did they get up there! I didn't want to know. And I didn't want to watch them climb down, either.

The view was amazing.

And it all made you feel very small...see my daughter on the right?

Big sisters who will get you off a rock you can't climb down yourself are AweSoMe!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Yeah, like I said...made you feel very small.

Awww.....Hiking all day is hard work, no matter how old you are :)

Me and my bestie :) So glad our freshman English teacher had to make us share a desk for the first couple weeks of school :)

Then we drove to Cambria, CA, and stayed in a beach house with my brother and his family. What an amazing week!

Watching a glass blower at work in Harmony, CA (just outside of Cambria), pop. 18 (no joke).

Me and my sweetheart at Morrow Bay, CA.

My girls were in love with this mermaid sculpture. They would have stayed here all day...if we hadn't been on our way to the Pillow Pet store ;)

Ice cream break in Morrow Bay with my super cute sis-in-law and all the cousins.

Tide pools in Cambria. It was so fun to show my girls the ocean and all that comes with it.

Beach across from Hearst Castle: AweSoMe big sisters carry you on their back so you can go out far and not get wet.

Awww.....For me and my sweetheart :)

Cambria: I took all the kids for a horse-back ride. My girls take riding lessons, but it was the first time for my niece and nephew. My nephew had a smile permanently fixed to his face the whole time :)

I grew up going to the ocean, but never actually swam in it. The water here was freezing, but my husband and teenage daughter went in, anyway. Watching them body-surf was really, really cool.

My nephew showing my girls how to catch sand shrimp in a puddle.

Resting under the umbrella...playing at the beach is hard work!

Our trip out to California was so fantastic. I wish we didn't live so far away from family, friends, and the ocean!

July, back in Utah: I made these cupcakes--Chocolate with Peanut Butter Frosting.

Oooo! It's so mean of me to put this picture here with no recipe! Soon, I promise :)

July: My oldest sister comes to Utah from Texas for three weeks every summer with her four kids. We fill almost every minute of time with fun stuff like visiting Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon:

Cousins playing in the freezing water (snow-melt water). I put my feet in. For about two seconds. Oh, and in case you didn't already know, water shoes are worth their weight in gold.

My oldest with one of her cousin.

More cousins. With frozen feet.

Two of my sweet girls :)

Self-portrait. You know, to prove I was there.

Bridal Veil Falls is so beautiful!

August: Against my will (lol), I trained for, ended up in physical therapy because of, and ran my first 5k:

It took me a long time, but I finished with a smile on my face :) I'm still running...I discovered I actually like it. Insanity.

September: My husband and I had our 10th anniversary, and to celebrate we spent a weekend hiking up in Logan Canyon, UT.

It was so, so pretty.

And beautiful.

The weather was perfect. The company was perfect. Our room service pizza was fabulous (if you can believe it). It was a great weekend.

This was our goal on one of our hikes: The Wind Cave.

It was as impressive as it looked from below.

Me, striking a sassy pose ;)

September: And, we got a pony!!

My little girls with Flicka. We've wanted a pony for a long time, and finally had our dream come true.

Flicka is 15 years old, and is sweet beyond anything. We just love, love, love her!

OK! Now on to the recipe!

This Chicken Chile Verde has been one of our family favorites for a long time. It started out it's life as a restaurant recipe I found online, and had an ingredient list in restaurant proportions (12 pounds of tomatillos, anyone?) I love chile verde, so I scaled it down and started working on it. It took a couple years, but I finally had a chile verde that was super tasty, super easy to make, and super heathly. We've used both chicken and pork, and both are equally delicious. I like to add white beans to the rice for a little extra boost of fiber and protein. When picking your tomatillos at the store, take a few extra seconds to peel back the papery husk and peek inside to check for bruises, wrinkled skin, or mushy spots, and I've found that the greener the tomatillo the better. Also, if you want more heat, leave the seeds and ribs in your jalapeno peppers.

Note: If you use a regular blender to puree the chile verde, make sure you take the center stopper out of the lid and hold a clean, folded kitchen towel over the hole. If you don't do this, as soon as you push the button the heat from the mixture will force the lid off and you'll have green stuff all over your kitchen. Believe me. I know.

Chicken Chile Verde

printable recipe

Makes 8 servings (1 cup Chile Verde, 1/2 cup rice, 3 tbl beans; 7 Weight Watchers Point+ points)

1 32-oz carton (4 cups) chicken broth, divided

1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 large poblano peppers, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces

2-3 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and membranes removed, cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed, cut into 8 pieces each

3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken

4 cups hot cooked rice

1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

Shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, optional

1. In a large pot, combine 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, onion, poblano and jalapeno peppers, tomatillos, garlic, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup flour together until smooth; set aside. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender--see note above) puree the vegetable mixture directly in the pot until smooth. Add the flour mixture and cilantro, and blend until well incorporated.

3. Put the pot back on medium heat and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the chicken and heat through. Serve over hot rice and white beads, and top with shredded white cheddar. Enjoy!

Taking time off

2011-05-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Summer is here (though you'd never know it by the temperatures we keep having here in Utah) and I hope everyone has some great summer-time fun planned. I've decided to take some time off from my blog to take care of things here at home. Thanks to everyone who has supported me over the past two years, it has been a great ride. I do plan on coming back (so don't take me off your reader list!), though I'm not sure when I'll start up again. In the meantime, please continue to peruse the recipes and tips I've posted, and enjoy!

:)

Tiffiny

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

2011-04-06T07:20:00.001-07:00

Pin It Why pick brownies OR chocolate chip cookies when you can have both? I love making bar cookies and brownies becuase they are so easy; no scooping and no waiting for mulitple batches to finish cooking.

The chocolate chip cookie layer is my Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I halved and changed just a bit--a tad more butter and flour to give it more structure, and the brownie layer is a Betty Crocker Triple Chunk box mix for an 8x8 pan (18.9 oz box). I used a smaller box so the layer would be the right thickness once spread over the cookie layer in the 9x13 pan. If you don't want to use a box mix, you can use my Fudgy Brownie recipe, or any other brownie recipe you love (just make sure it's a recipe for an 8x8 pan).

Notes: They are much easier to cut once cooled completely, so hang on to your horses and wait to cut them (if you can)**To adjust for my high altitude I added 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour to the dry brownie mix.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies printable recipe

for the cookie layer

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

for the brownie layer

1 18.9-oz box Betty Crocker Triple Chunk brownie mix
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
1 egg

1. Heat your oven to 350. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil so the foil comes up the two long sides. Spray the foil and pan with non-stick spray.

2. In a mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well after each. Add the baking powder, salt, and flour, and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and mix gently until combined.

3. Crumble the cookie dough into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake 10-12 minutes. The dough should not be cooked through, just enough to hold up when you spoon the brownie batter on top.

4. While the cookie layer is baking, prepare the brownie layer: In a medium bowl, combine the brownie mix, flour, oil, water, and egg. Mix well.

5. Very gently, spoon the brownie batter on top of the partially cooked cookie layer and gently spread it into an even layer. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the brownie is set but still soft (not jiggly). Cool completely before cutting. To cut, use the foil to lift the brownies out of the pan; use a very sharp knife to cut into bars or squares.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2011-04-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Pin It A few years ago my church women's group put out a cookbook and this tomato soup recipe is one of the many yummy things I've tried from it's pages. The only change I made was adding a few sun-dried tomatoes to pump up the tomato flavor a little. The soup is super easy, and is thick and creamy, and quite wonderful as a side dish or as the main dish for a light meal (add a salad and your set).

Creamy Tomato Soup (lightly adapted from Chelsea Hubbard)
printable recipe

4 cups whole milk (can use lowfat for less creamy soup)
3 14-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
6-8 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, coarsly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pices
2 rounded tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the milk over medium heat in a medium pot.

2. Put the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, sugar, butter, tomato paste, and flour in the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Pour mixture into the warm milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Homemade Yogurt with Granola and Honey

2011-04-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was totally inspired by 5 Second Rule's post from a few days ago where she made her own version of a Larabar, and I decided to try to make my own version of a Clif bar my husband really likes.

My first go included a purchased cranberry-sunflower seed trail mix, quick oats, rice krispie cereal, creamy peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. The flavor was super, super good, but it crumbled when you picked up the bars; it needs more sticky stuff. So I crumbled it all onto a sprayed baking sheet and baked it at 350 for 20 minutes (I stirred it at the 10-minute mark). Once it cooled it was a beautifully crunchy granola. For breakfast this morning I had it with some of my homemade yogurt and a little honey. So tasty!

Stay tuned for more granola bar testing; my 8-year-old practically lives on a store-brand knock-off of Fiber 1 bars, and I'm going to come up with my own version of that. Thinking of the money I could save just making her bars (plus no mystery ingredients) makes me a little giddy!

Bacon-Cheeseburger Potato Skins

2011-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Pin It I've been craving these for a couple weeks, and was so excited to finally make them. We ate them for a main dish with a simple salad, but they would be awesome appetizers, especially since I used small'ish potatoes (the kind that come in a 5 lb bag). And not only were they a very tasty meal, I'm going to use the insides I scooped out to make Potato Soup, so they are perfect for planning 2-fer's (I love making a new meal with something left-over from a different meal).

These potato skins are loaded with everything that makes a great cheeseburger: seasoned beef, cheese, onion, bacon, and tomato. The only thing I might do differently next time is to use more cheese. I was worried about using too much and ending up with pictures that looked like potato drowning in a mess of cheese, so I was a little stingy (since it's all about the pictures, right?).

My husband and teenager both voted for more cheese. My two younger kids wouldn't partake. Meh. More for us, right?

Note: These were really easy to make because you prep all the filling ingredients while the potatoes bake in the oven. Then you fill and pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to heat everything through and melt the cheese. You could very easily prepare and fill the potato skins (minus the tomatoes) ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge until you needed them. Then just put them in the oven to heat everything back up and melt the cheese.

Bacon-Cheeseburger Potato Skins
printable recipe

12 small russet potatoes (3-4 oz each), scrubbed
1 lb lean ground beef
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 slices bacon
3-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a cheese mix)
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
coarse salt and fresh black pepper

Heat your oven to 400. Prick each potato a few times with a fork and put them directly on the oven rack. Bake until they are tender, 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling ingredients:

Note: I used the same 12-inch skillet for the beef, onion, and bacon. I just wiped it out with a paper towel after both the beef and the onion.

For the beef: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and cook and crumble the meat until it's broken up and no longer pink. Add the Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes. Transfer the beef to a bowl, cover the bowl, and set it aside.

For the onion: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it heat for 10 seconds. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring very often, until the onion is soft and golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the onion to a bowl, cover the bowl, and set it aside.

For the bacon: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp (or however you like it). Transfer the bacon to paper towels and dab off the excess fat. Coarsely chop the cooked bacon and set it aside.

To assemble the potato skins: Heat your oven to 400. Let the baked potatoes cool enough to handle and use a sharp knife to cut them in half lengthwise. Use a large spoon to scoop out the inside, leaving about 1/4-inch (+/-) of potato. Save the scooped out flesh for another dish like Potato Soup. Arrange the empty potato skins on a rimmed baking sheet. Layer the following in the skins, dividing it all evenly between them: half of the cheese, the beef, the onion, the bacon, and the remaining half of the cheese. Put the skins in the oven and bake until they are heated through and the cheese is melted, 10-12 minutes. Top with the diced tomato and serve.

Makes 24 potato skins.

Note: I wish I'd lined my baking sheet with foil because getting the cooked-on cheese off the pan was a bit of a pain.

Works For Me Wednesday: Freezing past-prime strawberries for smoothies.

2011-03-30T05:41:00.001-07:00

Strawberry season is here! (Or just about, depending on where you live.) Today's Works For Me Wednesday idea comes from my sister--Thanks, Sheree!

Buying strawberries in big packages can be a great deal, but unless you buy them to make jam, or a recipe like strawberry shortcake, or your family really likes strawberries and eats a lot of them, more than likely you'll end up with a handful (or more) strawberries that are past the perfect-for-eating stage, but aren't quite at the throw-away stage.

What to do?

Of course, you could still eat them, but if they are a little soft are you more likely to let them sit in the fridge until they fully at the throw-away stage and then throw them away because they're bad? This is usually me.

Now--thanks to my amazing sister--I'll cut up the less-than-perfect strawberries, freeze them in a single layer on a pan, put them in a bag, and use them for smoothies. Thanks, Sheree! Less food waste is always a good thing.

For more great Works for me Wednesday ideas go here.

Gluten-Free Italian Cornmeal Cake

2011-03-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Pin It This is my first gluten-free cake, and I have to tell you I had almost no faith it was going to turn out. I mean, this cake is like the platypus of cakes: cornmeal, ricotta cheese, ground almonds, orange juice. And no flour. I'd never seen such a crazy combination of ingredients (though it's true I don't get out much). I got this Whole Foods recipe from a friend who recently found out she has a gluten allergy; she said her sister makes it for her at family gatherings so she can have something sweet. I loved that it had the cornmeal, and I'd never used ground almonds, so I was excited to try it--even though I had a hard time believing it would come together.

But come together it did.

This cake was so good.

It was just sweet enough, had a delightful orange flavor, and had a great texture from both the cornmeal and the ground almonds. I served it with some lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream and it was darn-near perfect. I never missed the flour, and I had a very hard time leaving it alone. Yum. YUM.

Note: I could not find ground almonds, so I made my own. I bought a package of slivered almonds and pulsed them, in two batches, in my food processor. Apparently you're living on the edge when you make your own ground almonds because if you go too far you end up with almond butter. I like to live dangerously (not actually), so I pulsed the almonds a few times. A few more times. A few more times. And then I decided to not push my luck any more because I didn't want to go back to the store. If you want less texture you could try to find almond flour (sometimes called 'almond meal'), which is very finely ground almonds.

Gluten-Free Italian Cornmeal Cake (adapted from Whole Foods)
printable recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
zest from 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving, if desired

1. Heat your oven to 375. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add ricotta, almonds, vanilla, orange juice, and zest; mix well. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix well.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until it's set and firm in the middle. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely before cutting. Serve with whipped cream.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Works For Me Wednesday: Storing Silpat Liners

2011-03-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say I thought of this on my own, but I know I read about it in one of my cooking magazines (though it was a while ago and I can't remember which one).

Silpats are great to use but trying to store the big, flat, floppy liners is a problem. Enter the humble papertowel tube--something you already have and won't cost you a penny. Simply roll the Silpat (short-end to short-end) and they are a perfect fit.

Tip: Roll the Silpat liner as tight as you can to make it easier to put in the tube. Once in the tube it will unroll itself for a tight fit.

Now I keep my liners in the drawer next to my foils and wraps, nice and neat, and ready when I need them.

Go here to read some other great Works for me Wednesday posts!

Cookie Carnival: Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal Cookies

2011-03-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yum. Yum. Yum. I made these Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal Cookies from Quaker for the March Cookie Carnival and they were so, so good. With chocolate and oatmeal, how could they not be? I was curious about the cream cheese, though. Why was it there and what would it do to the cookie?

I made my first batch of cookies exactly as the directions said (I chilled the dough for an hour, scooped the dough onto the baking sheet, and baked them for about 10 minutes). Other than the dough being very hard to scoop (I should have scooped the dough first and then chilled it), the cookies turned out really good and we happily gobbled them up.

Of course, I wondered if I could make them even better. They had a nice chocolate flavor, but I wanted to pump it up a little with some additional chocolate chips. I also wanted them to be more fudgy (they are supposed to be like brownies, right?), and I wondered if freezing the scoops of dough and then cooking them from frozen would do the trick (this is what my sister does to make her incredible oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies so good and chewy).

I let the remaining dough come back to room temperature, mixed in 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, scooped the dough on to waxed paper using my regular-sized cookie scoop, and froze the dough. I put the frozen dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cooked them at 350 for about 11 minutes. They seemed very underdone, but I hoped once they cooled they'd be really fudgy.

Boy, was I right. The cookies were amazing. This was one awesome chocolaty, fudgy, brownie-like oatmeal cookie. Remember to go HERE for the recipe.

Let's compare the before and after cookies:

The cookie on the left is from my first batch. A very tasty cookie, a little on the crisp side, not especially fudgy (They made very nice ice cream sandwiches). The cookie on the right has the extra chocolate chips and was baked from frozen. It was loaded with chocolate flavor and was super, super fudgy. As an added bonus, they didn't spread as much as the first batch which meant I could fit more cookies on the baking sheet. More cookies in less time. Awesome.

As with most things cookie, what you do will depend on what you want from your cookie. Do you like a more crisp cookie or a more fudgy cookie? Do you want to take the time to freeze the scoops of dough? (Although if you chill them for an hour you might as well freeze them for an hour.) For me, I want chewy, fudgy cookies, so I'm ready to scoop and freeze and wait for the prize.

As an end note, I'm still not sure about the cream cheese in the dough. You can't taste it at all, so maybe it helps the cookie to be more brownie-like. I think it needs further experimentation.

St. Patrick's Day Quesadilla

2011-03-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

I always have left-overs from our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Always. And I can only eat a repeat of the meal a couple of times before it needs a make-over. Turning the left-overs into a filling for quesadillas is fast, easy, and tasty.

I used mozzarella cheese because it's what I had (and it melts so nice), but monterey jack would probably work just as good.

There are no specific measurements because it's a use-what-you've-got deal; more a great idea than a recipe.

Cut up the corned beef, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage so they are small and uniform in size.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat (I don't grease my pan). Layer a flour tortilla, 3-4 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, the cut up corned beef, carrots, potatoes and cabbage, another 3-4 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, and another tortilla.

Cook the quesadilla until it's golden brown. Flip it over (carefully so the filling doesn't fall out) and cook it on the other side until golden brown.

Cut into wedges and enjoy :)

Basic Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this in October 2009, and wanted to re-post it in honor of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. This soda bread is so easy to make and goes so perfect with Corned Beef and Cabbage :)

This bread is super easy to throw together, and it's wonderful dipped in stew, or with eggs at breakfast (or eaten plain...). I first made soda bread last St. Patrick's Day to have with our traditional St. Patties Day corned beef and cabbage. I found an awesome recipe from Diane Duane of EuropeanCuisines.com, complete with very detailed instructions and how-to videos. My advice is to watch the videos, even if you don't think you need to. My first try at the bread was a flop. Then I went back and watched the videos. "Oh, that's what I did wrong..." Somethings you just need to see. My second try was a complete success, thanks to her well-done video tutorials. Thanks, Diane!

Basic Irish Soda Bread
Printable Recipe

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3-1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Heat your oven to 400, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk and whisk it quickly with a fork. (Start with 1 1/3 cup of the buttermilk, and add the rest if it looks like you need it.)

The dough should look like this; "raggy" is what Diane calls it. She says, "You are trying to achieve a dough that is raggy and very soft, but the lumps and rags of it should look dryish and "floury", while still being extremely squishy if you poke them."

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough and knead it a few times, just enough to get it into a ball that holds together (a minute a most). Use a very sharp knife to make criss-crossing cuts in the top; the cuts should go about half-way through. The cuts let the bread "flower" as it cooks.

5. Cook the bread for 35-40 minutes, or until it's nicely browned, and sounds hollow when you tap it on the bottom.

6. To get a softer crust, wrap the hot bread in a clean dish towel while it cools (sometimes I help it along by putting the towel-wrapped bread in a plastic bag).

I absolutely recommend you go and read all of Diane's post about her soda bread (and watch the videos). She has a ton of really great information that will help you get the bread just right.

Spring Pea Pasta Salad

2011-03-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

The mint in the Spring Pea Dip in my last post reminded me so much of a fantastic pasta salad my sister makes I decided to try using some of the left-over dip to make a pasta sauce. The first night we ate it warm and it was really good. But when I ate it cold straight from the fridge the next day I liked it even better.

Spring Pea Pasta Salad
printable recipe

10 oz uncooked rotini, or other shaped pasta
1 cup Spring Pea Dip
1/2 cup buttermilk
6 green onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse until cold.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the Spring Pea Dip and buttermilk. Add the green onion and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the pasta to the bowl and stir until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Spring Pea Dip

2011-03-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm very predictable. As soon as January rolls around I start to pine away for a vegetable garden. Then the seed and plant catalogs start to appear in my mailbox. I know if look through the catalogs chances are high I'll order something; seeds, miniature greenhouses, tomato netting, whatever. But it's all I can do to not peek. It's a sickness, I know.

While so far this year the garden catalogs have gone straight to the recycle bin (phew), I did open my latest Cuisine At Home magazine and found this recipe for Spring Pea Dip. It calls for fresh green peas, and practically screamed SPRING! at me. When I saw a bag of fresh English peas at Costco (in early March when there is still snow on my yard), I knew it was fate. This dip was going to give me my garden fix so I'd be able to hold off on seed buying and garden planning. I'll still have to avoid the garden sections at Home Depot and Walmart. I don't have that much willpower.

The dip was really quite good. The ingredient list is short and each one plays an important part in the final flavor, so don't leave anything out. And let's not forget the color--isn't it gorgeous?! You should definitely put this dip on your Easter table.

Note: The instructions say to process the dip until it's chunky. I wanted my dip more smooth than the dip pictured in the magazine, so I let it process a little longer.

Spring Pea Dip (from Cuisine at Home)
printable recipe

2 cups fresh shelled green peas, blanched (or 2 cups frozen peas, thawed)
1/2 cup drained marinated artichoke hearts, oil reserved
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini or olive oil (I used olive oil)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I used 2 cloves)
salt and black pepper to taste

Combine everything except salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until it's the consistency you want. Season with the salt and pepper.

Serve the dip with pita bread or crackers.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups dip.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing

2011-01-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Pin It I confess: this is a total restaurant rip-off. I couldn't help myself, I had to copy it. Drizzle this dressing on salad, on tacos, on fajitas...even on a perfectly cooked over-easy egg. Mmmmm.

This dressing is creamy and just spicy enough to tingle your taste buds. If you want more heat, leave in the jalapeno ribs.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing
printable recipe

1/2 cup Ranch dressing (I use light)

1 large jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tomatillo, husk removed, cut into 8ths

2 teaspoons lime juice

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, lightly packed

Combine everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

Makes about 3/4 cup dressing.

2 TBL: 56 cal/4.7 fat/0 fbr/1.5 crb

Smoked Paprika Potatoes

2011-01-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

Pin It Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe how good these potatoes were. So, so, so, so, good! I'd never used smoked paprika before and now I know I have been missing out on something incredible. All I could say when the paprika hit the hot oil was, "Oh, my..."

There are so many wonderful things about this side dish: the red potatoes are creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside; the caramelized onions are sweet; the smoked paprika lends a subtle yet incredible smokey flavor. And I loved that I got all of this making them in a pan on the stove top instead of having to use the oven.

The recipe is from my latest issue of Cooks Country magazine. I followed the recipe except for the amount of oil; 1/4 cup seemed excessive. I used 3 tablespoons and it still seemed like it was too much. Next time I'll use 2 tablespoons and it will probably be perfect. Don't skip the oil altogether, though, because you need it to get the crisp awesomness that makes the potatoes so delicious.

Smoked Paprika Potatoes (slightly adapted from Cook's Country)
printable recipe

1 pounds baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved (quartered if large)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and 1 teaspoon paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add potatoes, broth, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until the potatoes are just tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, 5-8 minutes.

3. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon paprika in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are deep golden brown, about 5 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Cookie Cutter Giveaway Winner!

2011-01-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the flower cookie cutter and celebrating my 100th Follower with me! Random.org picked the lucky winner and it's Trista Z! Congratulations, Trista!

Turkey Enchilada Soup

2011-01-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

I love this soup because it uses so many pantry ingredients. I made this with my last bit of frozen turkey left-over from Thanksgiving (which made it even easier and faster to get on the table), but you could use almost any kind of meat--chicken, pork, beef.

I also love this soup because it's so, so yummy.

Turkey Enchilada Soup

printable recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 large red bell pepper, diced

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14.5-oz can whole kernel corn, drained

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can red enchilada sauce (my fav is Los Palmas)

2-3 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you want your soup)

2 cups cooked, diced turkey

hot cooked rice for serving

shredded cheddar cheese for serving

sour cream for serving

chopped cilantro for serving

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and heat 10 seconds. Add the onion and red bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, corn, black beans, enchilada sauce, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cooked turkey and heat through.

3. To serve, put a few tablespoons of cooked rice in a bowl and ladle the soup over the top. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.

Makes 4-6 servings.

100 Followers + a giveaway!

2011-01-13T09:55:00.001-08:00

I know they say you're not supposed to gauge the success of your site by how many followers you have, but I think we all do it anyway. And I know you're not supposed to have follower-envy and compare your blog to the ones that have 500, 800, 2000 followers, but I do it sometimes anyway. So I'm excited to write that I finally have 100 followers! It's taken me almost 2 years, but you know...Yay for 100 followers!

To celebrate I wanted to make something chocolate-on-chocolate and 5000 calories, but I haven't had time to do much in the kitchen the last few days. So instead I'm having a giveaway for this super-cute flower cookie cutter--Yay for giveaways!

I've been cleaning out, sorting, and organizing my cake closet (Yes, I have an insane amount of cake pans, equipment, etc.) and while sorting my cookie cutters I found I have two of these. Weird. Why did I buy two? Who knows, but aren't you lucky? This is a giant cookie cutter (as you can see), and it measures 5 inches across.

Leave me a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite cut-out cookie is--mine is a tie between sugar and gingerbread--and I'll put your name in the giveaway drawing. I'll pick the winner on Monday, January 17 using Random.org.

Good luck!!

Chocolate-Chip Muffin Tops + 4 other ways

2011-01-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

When I was doing Weight Watchers one of my favorite snacks was a Blueberry-Oat Muffin Bar made by Quaker. The muffin bar was 2 points, and while it wasn't huge, when eaten with Yoplait yogurt drink it was enough to satisfy. Then Quaker stopped making them. Bah! Doesn't it always seem to work that way?

After belly-aching about it for a while I decided I could come up with a muffin bar that would be just as good (probably better) for the same amount of points. I looked at the ingredient list on the Quaker muffin bar box (and then wished I hadn't) to get a general idea of what was in them, and then started mixing up batches of batter. A few weeks later I had a healthy, great-tasting muffin thing that was way better than Quaker's ever was.

It turned out to be impossible to make a bar-shaped snack that was consistent in size--I tried several different ideas for shaping them--and ended up using my cookie scoop to drop the batter onto the cookie sheets. So instead of muffin bars they were muffin tops.

My original recipe was for Blueberry, and 1 muffin top made with my standard-size cookie scoop (about 2 TBLs) was 1 point, 2 muffins tops (about the same total amount of snack--maybe a tad more--as one of the Quaker muffin bars) were 2 points. I also used a big scoop, used for muffins and cupcakes (about 1/4 cup), and then they were 3 points each.

Once I had a working recipe I experimented with chocolate-chip, cranberry-orange, dark chocolate-apricot, dark chocolate-cherry, blueberry white chocolate-chip, and jam. They all worked really well; I especially love the jam ones. If you're counting WW Points (and these are the old Points, not the new Points Plus), they are all essentially the same, but you have to make sure you're scraping the cookie scoop level against the edge of the bowl and don't have the batter rounded at all (especially for the ones with chocolate chips). If you're not counting Points then it doesn't matter :)

These muffin tops are heavier than a typical muffin, partially due to the whole wheat flour and oatmeal in them, and partially because they need to cook without spreading all over the pan. Also, they freeze really well and make great breakfasts and quick snacks.

A quick note about the chocolate chips I used: I couldn't find mini-dark or mini-white chocolate chips anywhere local, and after scouring the internet, I found ONE site that sold them, and that was only after reading a comment thread written by people looking for the mini-chips. So the place to get mini-dark and mini-white chocolate chips (as well as all kinds of crazy, hard-to-find baking stuff) is http://www.lepicerie.com/.

The recipe below is for Chocolate-Chip Muffin Tops. I'll put the changes for the other versions at the bottom of the post, as well as the nutritional info.

Chocolate-Chip Muffin Tops
printable recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup natural applesauce

1 egg

2 tablespoons canola oil

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat your oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside. Combine all the wet ingredients in a medium bowl (I use a 2 cup liquid measuring cup).

3. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until the batter comes together.

4. Use a standard cookie scoop to drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2-inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bottoms are a lightly browned and the muffin top is set.

Makes 28 muffin tops. 2 muffin tops: 130 cal/3g fat/2g fiber/2 WW points

4 other variations:

Cranberry-Orange Muffin Tops: Omit the chocolate chips; Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped, the zest of 1 orange, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Replace 3-4 tablespoons of the buttermilk with orange juice.

Makes 28 muffin tops. 2 muffin tops: 127 cal/2.8g fat/1.8g fiber/2 WW points

Blueberry, Lemon, White-Chocolate Chip: Replace the chocolate chips with mini-white chocolate chips, and add 1/2 cup dried blueberries, chopped, and the zest of 1 lemon to the dry ingredients. Replace 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk with lemon juice.

Makes 28 muffin tops. 2 muffin tops: 134.4 cal/2.8g fat/2.6g fiber/2 WW points

Jam Muffin Tops: Omit the chocolate chips. Once the batter is dropped on the baking sheet, use a small spoon (I used a baby spoon) or measuring spoon to stick about 1/2 teaspoon jam into the center of each ball. You want to put it into the batter, not just put it on top. I've made strawberry, blackberry, and apricot; my favorite is blackberry. And use a good brand of jam because it will be thicker than a more inexpensive brand, and will run less as the muffin tops cook.

Makes 28 muffin tops. 2 muffin tops: 137 cal/2.7g fat/1.6g fiber/2 WW points.

Apricot-Dark Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops: Change the semi-sweet chocolate chips to dark chocolate chips, and add 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots to the dry ingredients.

Makes 28 muffin tops. I haven't figured out the nutritional info for these. It's probably super-close to the info for the Blueberry-White Chocolate Chip ones. And I count them as 2 Points for 2 muffin tops.

Here's a picture of everyone. It was a busy baking day :)

Notes: My kids don't love the texture of the oatmeal, so I pulse it a couple of times in my food processor. Also, spraying your knife with non-stick spray will make chopping the dried fruit a little easier.

New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding

2011-01-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

And the winner of my first poll was the New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding! I have to admit I was rooting for the Lite Fettuccine Alfredo, but it came in a close second, so that's OK. And I was going to make it anyway ;)

The good:
This was my first time making bread pudding and I thought it was delicious. It was very easy to put together, which was very nice. It was rich and creamy, and the caramel sauce was to die for. I totally wanted to drink it.

The less-good (but not bad):
The final bread pudding was really heavy and dense (you can see it in the pictures), not like it looked in the picture in the magazine (more fluffy and defined), or like the bread pudding I love to buy at a local bakery. I may try it again with fewer eggs and less milk (the recipe calls for 6 eggs/more than 4 cups milk) and see if that helps. I also looked at recipes on-line, and many of them say to cook the bread pudding at 325 instead of 350, so that's something to try, too. It may also simply come down to personal preference--some like their bread pudding heavy and some like if fluffy.

My grocery store sells a great bread they call "cottage bread" that they make in the store. It's soft and dense and wonderful, and perfect for bread pudding. I always buy the wheat variety (for eating), so when my teenager saw the white loaf on the counter is was almost as if she couldn't believe her eyes: "Is that white bread?" And when I gave my 8 year-old one of the extra slices she danced around the kitchen. Danced. What is it about kids and white bread?

Make sure the bread you use is dry so it sponges up the custard. You can leave the cubed bread out overnight to dry, or you can do what I did and dry it in the oven. To use the oven, heat it to 275. Spread the cut up bread in a single layer on two baking sheets. Put the baking sheets in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes or until the bread cubes are dry (but not brown).

Note: the sauce recipe called for pecans and coconut, but I left out because I don't like pieces of stuff in my sauce. It also called for spiced rum, and I substituted rum extract.

New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding (from Cuisine at Home, Feb 2011)
printable recipe

for the bread pudding
6 eggs
3 cups whole milk
1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried currants (I didn't use these)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1-lb loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, staled (I used my store's bread)
2 teaspoons butter (I used non-stick spray)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 3--I love cinnamon)

for the caramel sauce
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons spice rum (I used 1 teaspoon rum extract)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (I left this out)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (I left this out)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

for the bread pudding
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, coconut milk, sugar, currants, and vanilla. Gently stir in the bread and let it sit at room temperature for 30-35 minutes.

2. Heat your oven to 350 and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Transfer the bread mixture to the pan.

3. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the bread pudding. Bake it until the center is set, about 1 hour. Let it cool 20-30 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

for the sauce
1. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.

2. Whisk in the cream, rum (if using), cinnamon, and salt. Bring it to a simmer and cook until it's thickened and reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in the pecans, coconut, vanilla, rum extract (if using instead of rum), and lemon juice. Serve sauce warm over bread pudding.

Works For Me Wednesday: The best way to zest citrus

2011-01-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

For the longest time I used to use my smallest cheese grater to zest citrus. One day a couple years ago, my sister was watching me zest a lemon and told me about her microplaner (sometimes called a rasp), and how great it was, blah, blah, blah. At first I wasn't interested (silly, silly me). I had a system and it worked fine, thanks. Then I bought a whole bag of lemons with the intention of juicing and zesting them all and freezing everything to have on-hand for later. It was an experiment. It sort of worked. Anyway, about half way through zesting I called my sister and begged to borrow her microplaner.

Have you ever finally found the right tool to do something, and the first time you use it you're sure you hear angels singing? Or you want to jump up and down because it's so wonderful? Or both? Yeah, this was like that. I couldn't believe how much easier it was to remove just the zest and leave the bitter pith behind. It was a bonus that I no longer scraped my fingers on the cheese grater.

I promptly told my husband that I wanted one for Mother's Day, which he thought was great because then he didn't have to come up with an idea. A win-win that definitely worked (and still works) for me! Thanks, Honey!

A poll to start the new year

2011-01-01T16:24:00.001-08:00

I got a new Cuisine at Home magazine in the mail and I need your help deciding what recipe to try this week. Vote in my first poll ever to help me decide!

Thanks!

My 10 Favorite Posts of 2010

2010-12-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! I hope everyone is gearing up for another great year!

I wanted to start off the new year by sharing my 10 favorite posts from 2010. It is so fun to look back over the posts, almost as hard as it is to pick just a few to call favorites.

Curried Split Pea Soup. I'll be eternally thankful to this soup for showing me that split pea soup can be delicious and not scary.

How to grow your own Alfalfa Sprouts. Growing my own sprouts was such a fun--and tasty--experience, and looking at the pictures reminds me that my jars have been empty for too long.

Homemade Yogurt . Yogurt wasn't something I ever thought I'd make myself. I mean, who makes yogurt? I do now, and so can you. It's so easy and the yogurt is so, so tasty.

Mother Nature's Sense of Humor. Oh my goodness. This picture still makes me laugh.

Rosemary-Cheese Spritz Cookies. I never would have tried these on my own, so thank goodness for the Cookie Carnival because I would have missed out on something wonderful.

My Share Our Strength Bake Sale 2010. Founding Herriman Against Hunger and organizing our first bake sale for Share Our Strength was equal parts amazing and exhausting. I can't wait to start planning our 2011 bake sale!

Chocolate Sauce in Middle School. Teenagers are awesome--they have so much energy! I've been a guest presenter in the Foods classes at my daughter's middle school a few times now, and I love it more each time.

Steakhouse Meatballs. These meatballs make regular appearances on our plates. On our pizzas. In our soup bowls. I could do a whole series on different ways to use these bites of deliciousness. I should, yes?

Coconut Curry Soup. This soup is just so good. Not only is it one of my best restaurant knock-offs, it uses frozen cauliflower, something I didn't even know existed outside of bland frozen veggie mixes.

Super-Creamy Mac & Cheese. I knew there had to be a way to make scratch Mac & Cheese that was easy and creamy, and I was right. But the best part was when my teenager made it for me as a surprise for Mother's Day. There were flames.

Again, a most heart-felt Happy New Year to all of you. I look forward to many more posts about great food and the adventures in my life.

Cheers!

Tiffiny

Easy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

2010-12-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

Ragu is a rich, meaty sauce made with lots of red wine. I made this ragu extra easy (totally cheated) by using my favorite jarred sauce, Classico Tomato-Basil as a base. You can make ragu with almost any kind of meat; I made this with some of the ground beef I got in my beef order from Utah Natural Meat (read about my first beef order here). The smell in my kitchen as the sauce simmered was close to divine, and the taste was wonderful. Use whatever kind of pasta you want--my kids are on a fettuccine kick right now--and serve it with plenty of fresh Parmesan, please.

Note: You'll want to cover the sauce while it simmers or you'll have splatters everywhere. I like to use a mesh splatter screen like the one here. I bought my set of 2 (1 large, 1 medium) at Walmart for super cheap.

Easy Beef Ragu with Fettuccine

printable recipe

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, 1/4-inch diced
3 medium carrots, 1/4-inch diced
1 1/2 cups red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 32-oz jar Classico Tomato-Basil pasta sauce
Cooked fettuccine or other pasta
fresh shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

1. Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Cook and crumble the ground beef just until it's no longer pink; drain any fat if necessary. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring often, until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until it's reduced by about half, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the pasta sauce, bring it to a low simmer, cover with a splatter screen, and simmer until very thick. I let mine simmer for just over an hour, and actually needed to add a little of my pasta cooking water to loosen it up before serving; it just depends on how thick you want your sauce. You can use a regular, solid lid, but your sauce won't be as thick.

4. Toss the sauce with your pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Sauce serves 4-6 people.

Your garbage disposal: Your friend, even when it's your enemy

2010-12-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

R.I.P #1M.

The garbage disposal and I have a history.

When I was growing up my mother drove me nuts always telling me what not to put down the disposal. Why? I wondered--wasn't that what it was for? When I moved out on my own into a tiny, one bedroom apartment and had my own disposal, I put everything--banana peels, carrot scrapings, potato peelings--down my disposal (can you see where this is going?). By the end of the first week in my new place my kitchen sink was completely backed up. I called my landlord and he sent a plumber out to fix it.

I chatted with the plumber as he worked on the sink: Yeah, I'd just moved in; Wasn't it crazy about the sink; I couldn't imagine what was wrong. Then he started pulling out handfuls of potato peelings, muttering to himself about stupid people and the things they put down their sink.

Uh-oh...

I'd made a big pot of clam chowder for my first meal in my new place and I'd used lots of potatoes.

I was shocked. And horrified. And mortified. It was a good thing the plumber had his head under the sink because if he could have seen my face he would have known instantly that it was me, and not the previous tenant, who had shoved a bucket-load of potato peelings down the garbage disposal. Of course I didn't admit to anything--I was 19, on my own for the first time, and couldn't begin to pluck up enough courage [maturity] to admit that I was the guilty potato-peel party. After that episode I was very careful about what I put down the sink. When treated well, your garbage disposal is most definitely your friend.

A year later I married my first husband. He was in the Army, and 8 months later we were transferred to Germany. He went first, got himself situated and found us an apartment, and I followed a little later with our household goods. I remember him giving me a tour of our new apartment. The kitchen was so tiny, with just a fridge, a very small counter and a few cupboards, and a very small sink. I looked closer at the sink--no garbage disposal! What?! What are you supposed to do with all the stuff?!

When we were transferred to North Carolina three years later, one of my apartment requirements: GARBAGE DISPOSAL.

It's now almost 20 years after my potato-peel incident, and I'm the mother carefully guarding the garbage disposal, one of the VIPs of my kitchen: "Hey! Don't you peel that carrot/potato into the sink unless you're going to pick every one of the peels out and put them in the garbage!" But even with such close watching accidents do happen; the occasional spoon gets chewed up, and just the other week my 3 year-old dropped my earring down the sink.

And then there was this, our most recent garbage disposal casualty: my beloved decorating tip #1M. The #1M is a giant, partially closed, rounded star tip, and it's what I use for piping swirls of frosting onto the tops of cupcakes (because frosting cupcakes with a spatula takes 10x as long and doesn't look nearly as pretty). The partially closed star creates delicate, fluttery, ruffly ribbons of icing, but when pitted against the raw power of our disposal it became a bent, mangled mess.

I forgive you, my garbage disposal, because that's what friends do. And the next time I have to clean out a container of something that's been in the back corner of the fridge for too long and is no longer recognizable, I'll have payback.

Cranberry-Apple Pie

2010-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

Apple pie is my husband's favorite, and I wanted to try this apple pie with a twist--a cranberry twist. I got the idea for putting the cranberry on the bottom instead of mixing it through the pie from one of my Cooks Illustrated magazines (but I can't remember which one). The guy went through a zillion iterations trying to construct the perfect cranberry-apple pie, and the thing I remember most was that he decided he got the best flavor balance by putting the cranberry on the bottom.

This pie was so delicious. The thin layer of cranberry was the perfect compliment to the sweet, cinnamony apples on top. I used my regular apple pie recipe and a basic homemade cranberry sauce, but I'm sure you could use canned whole-berry sauce that you've crushed up. In fact, this pie is a great way to use up part of the cranberry sauce people always seem to need on their holiday table, but never eat much of.

And the topping....let's not forget about the topping. It was pure crumbly deliciousness. You could make this with a regular pie-crust top, but the crumb top is our favorite.

Note: you'll notice that I use a refrigerated pie crust. No apologies. I can make my own pie crust, but I think the Pillsbury pie crust is just as good (don't use a store brand--blech). If you have a scratch pie crust you love, by all means use that.

Cranberry-Apple Pie

printable recipe

1 pie crust from 13.8 oz pkg, softened according to package directions

for the apple mixture
8 medium apples, about 3 lbs (I like half Gala, half Granny Smith)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

3/4 cup fresh cranberry sauce (from recipe below)

**If you're using canned, whole berry sauce, crush the berries well with a fork or potato masher.

for the topping
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Line a pie plate with the crust, crimp the edges under, and put it in the fridge while you prepare the apple filling.

2. Core, peel, and slice the apples very thin, then cut the slices into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces. (I use an apple corer-slicer tool to this this; it peels, cores, and slices the apples easy and fast. I only use it a few times a year, but it's worth it's weight in gold.)

3. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, and toss gently to mix well.

4. Spread the cranberry sauce on the bottom of the pie crust. Spoon the apple mixture on top of the cranberry. I actually use my hands to do this because it's easier to get the apples packed in well.

5. In a medium bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients and mix well. Pick up a handful, squeeze it together in your hand to make a solid mass, and crumble it over the pie (I like to leave most of the pieces big). Repeat with the remaining topping.

6. Adjust your oven racks to the two lowest positions, and put a piece of foil on the lowest rack to catch any drips; heat your oven to 425.

7. Put the pie on the top-most rack and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the apples are tender with pierced with a sharp knife and the topping is browned. If the topping gets brown before the pie is done, cover it with a piece of foil while the pie finishes. Cool completely before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Basic Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 12-oz package fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 10 minutes (the berries should be very soft and some will have burst). Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Use a potato masher or fork to crush the berries. Cool completely and store in the fridge.

Makes about 2 cups cranberry sauce.

The Ridiculous Cupcake Maker

2010-12-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

I don't normally pick on things like this--I'm usually content to shake my head and chuckle at the absurdity of [fill in the blank here]. But I decided this Cupcake Maker was ridiculous enough (up there with the Hot Dog Toaster) that I'd give it some special attention.

I saw one of these for the first time in last weeks JC Penny's Christmas sale catalog that came in the mail. After a quick Google search, I found that almost every maker of small kitchen appliances sells one. Which brings me to my one and only question: WHY? Why on Earth would someone want one of these?

Here are my top 5 reasons why this is a ridiculous appliance:

5. It must be a pain to clean. Just looking at the pictures make me cringe when I imagine cleaning each little cup without being able to submerge the whole thing. Granted, I'm making assumptions about the can't-submerge thing.

4. They take up precious real estate in your cupboard. I don't know about you, but I don't have extra cupboard space coming out my ears, and small appliances like these take up space I'd rather have for other things. Useful things.

3. You can only use it for one thing. OK, maybe you can use it for two things if you use it to make muffins, but it's still silly to have such a limited-use kitchen appliance. Most especially when you can accomplish the same exact thing with a cupcake pan and your oven.

2. It only makes 7 cupcakes at a time. What a waste of time! Can you imagine how long it would take to make a decent number of cupcakes? I know, what if you only want 7 cupcakes? Well, why make only 7 when you have to make a mess either way. And who ever only wants to make 7 cupcakes. Just saying. And (are you ready?) they are mini-cupcakes! Now, I thought the whole idea was bad enough, but when I realized they are mini-cupcakes I just about died. Bah! Who are they kidding?!

1. They cost an average of $30 (when you buy them on sale). All my offended culinary sensibilities come down to this: If you have $30 or more burning a hole in your pocket and you're hankering for a new addition to your kitchen armory, you should use it to buy a multi-tasking kitchen tool like a good knife or a nice sauce pan...or several cupcake pans that go in the oven. That you already have.

Cheers!

(photo credit: I snagged it off of Amazon.com)

Corn Pudding

2010-12-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

This recipe for this corn pudding comes from a super lady who has been my friend since our freshman year of high school (how long that's been will not be discussed). It's a family recipe, passed down from her grandma, and my friend makes it whenever they have a big family get-together. After reading her posts about it on Facebook I finally asked her for the recipe. I'd never heard of corn pudding and my curiosity was piqued.

OK, I was a little scared, too. I mean, corn pudding could be anything, right?

Turns out this corn pudding was moist, creamy, just sweet enough, and delicious...especially when drizzled with honey, which my friend said she doesn't do, but I just had to do. And I loved the super thin, crispy top. Yum.

Note: The batter will almost come to the top of your cooking dish, but it doesn't rise that much (it "puffs" more than "rises") so don't worry about it overflowing.

Corn Pudding (from Trista)
printable recipe

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled to warm
2 eggs, beaten
1 15-oz can cream-style corn
1 15-oz can corn, reserve half the liquid
1 box Jiffy corn mix
1 cup sour cream (I used light)

1. Heat your oven to 350. Spray an 8x8-in or 9x9-in pan, or 2-quart casserole with non-stick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and eggs until combined well. Add the cream-style corn, regular corn, and reserved liquid, and mix well. Add the corn mix and sour cream, and mix well.

3. Turn the batter out into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm (with a spoon).

Serves 6-8 people.

Shepherd's Pie

2010-12-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Backwards Shepherd's Pie. Inside-Out Shepherd's Pie. Deconstructed Shepherd's Pie. I wasn't sure if I could call this just "Shepherd's Pie", since it's not your typical construction. Your usual shepherd's pie goes like this: Make a meat filling. Make some mashed potatoes. In a baking pan, layer the meat filling and then the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese. Bake the pie until the potatoes and cheese have browned slightly.

I really wanted some Shepherd's Pie, but I didn't want to take the time to bake it in the oven. Then I wondered why bake it in the oven in the first place; everything is already cooked through and hot, why not just eat it as is?

Turns out 'eating as is' was a great idea. The flavor was all there (and it was delish), but it was ready in half the time because I skipped the oven. Niiice :) You can add cheese if you want, but I was out.

Note: This is very loosely adapted from a shepherd's pie recipe in one of my Cook's Country magazines.

Shepherd's Pie (Inside-Out, Backwards, and Deconstructed)
printable recipe

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 large carrots, scraped, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup milk (any fat content)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Prepared mashed potatoes for serving
Shredded cheddar cheese for serving, if desired
Thinly sliced green onion for serving, if desired

1. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Brown and crumble the ground beef untl no longer pink. Add the carrot and onion and cook until lightly browned, 5-8 minutes, stirring often. There will probably be some brown stuff stuck to the pan--this is good.

2. Add the flour and tomato paste, stirring well to coat the beef and veggies; cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add the chicken broth, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme; scrape up the browned stuff that's stuck-on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the sauce is very thick. Stir in peas and heat through.

4. Serve with mashed potatoes, and top with cheese and green onion if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake

2010-11-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

Close your eyes. Now imagine warm cinnamon rolls loaded with brown sugar and cinnamon, and smothered in icing. Makes your mouth water, doesn't it? I love cinnamon rolls but I don't make them very often because they take a fair amount of time. Then I ran across a recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake from Nicole at Baking Bites. This is what she says:

I love cinnamon buns, but homemade buns can be a bit time consuming to make from scratch when the craving hits. I'm not one to run out and buy a cinnamon bun in a situation like this. Instead, I made a batch of Quick and Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread, a yeast bread that tastes just like a cinnamon bun, complete with brown sugar and cinnamon filling, and comes together without kneading, shaping or waiting for the bread to rise! The original will always be a favorite of mine, but for a fall twist I turned it into a Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake.

Several things about this recipe immediately grabbed my attention: 1. it comes together fast (no waiting for rising or shaping); 2. it tastes like a cinnamon roll, complete with that wonderful yeasty flavor that comes from, well, yeast; 3. it has pumpkin in it--I give anything baked with pumpkin an A+; 4. she uses a lot of yeast to compensate for the short rising time.

I've now made this three times. The first time I made it exactly to the instructions (doubled so I could make a 9x13 pan). I thought it was really good, but a tad dense. The recipe calls for resting (basically a cold rise) for 15 minutes before putting the cake in a cold oven. I wondered if increasing the resting time from 15 minutes to 30 minutes would result in a cake that was less dense. I also wondered if I could get away with using less yeast; 2 tablespoons (less even, than doubling the original amount) just seemed like so much. I wasn't especially worried about time, so needing to let it rest longer wasn't an issue. And I substituted bread flour for the all-purpose flour called for in the recipe. Bread flour has more gluten (that's what's developed when you knead bread--it gives bread it's characteristic chew and softness), and I thought it might be even more yeast-bread like with the substitution.

The second pan was even better than the first pan (if that was even possible). The longer rest time made for a less-dense cake, and I liked the change in texture from the bread flour. And using less yeast worked great. For my third pan I pushed the yeast envelope even more and decreased the amount to just 2 1/4 teaspoons (the amount in a standard packet), and let it rest even longer--45 minutes. Even with this long of a rest the cake was ready in much less time than traditional cinnamon rolls. Oh, and as always, I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, so I used my usual substitution. And I left out the pecans.

Dare I say it was heavenly? I think I will. I'll also say I think I gained 5 pounds from testing the three different pans of cake. All in the name of science, right?

Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake (as I made it. Go here for the original recipe)
printable recipe

for the dough
1/2 cup warm milk (100-110 deg)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the filling/topping
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

for the icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I like to sift mine)
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream, depending on how thin you want your icing

1. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

2. In a medium bowl (I used a 2-cup glass measuring cup), whisk together the warm milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, and spices; mix well and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl (I used another 2-cup glass measuring cup), whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

5. Add the milk mixture and the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well (the dough should be pretty thick). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread it in an even layer. Cover the pan with paper towels and let rest for 45 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, combine the topping ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. After the dough has rested, sprinkle the topping evenly over the top and use your fingers to press it down into the dough. Don't be shy here; pressing the topping into the dough gives you that marbly goodness that makes this cake so, so scrumptious. You can also use a knife or spatula to swirl the topping into the dough, but I think fingers work better.

7. Put the pan in a cold oven, set a timer for 30 minutes, and set the oven to 350. Bake until the bread springs back when touched, and the edges are just barely starting to brown, 30-35 minutes. The topping will still be bubbling at the end of cooking; as it cools it will sink down into the craggy top of the cake.

8. While the cake cools whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the cake--make sure it sinks down into the craggy top, too. Gracious, this is so good!

Makes 18 servings.

Roasted Pumpkin Puree

2010-11-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Making my own pumpkin puree is something that's been on my list, and I finally bought some pie pumpkins this year to try it. First thing I noticed? Pie pumpkins are not cheap, at least not at my grocery stores. They were .79/pound, which made them between $5-$6 each. I was surprised (and there was some having-a-cow), but I was determined to make my own puree so I kept going.

I started with 7 pie pumpkins. To roast my pumpkins I cut them in half (through the stem and blossom-end), scooped out the seeds and stringy stuff (not an easy task), and placed them--cut side down--on a rimmed baking sheet. Some people say to add water to the pan, but I decided I didn't want to add any moisture, since I would already need to press out pumpkin liquid anyway.

Then I roasted them at 400 deg for 40 minutes or so, until the flesh of the pumpkins was fork-tender.

After they were cool enough to handle, I scooped out the cooked flesh and processed it in my food processor until it was very smooth, about 2 minutes. It took me 4 batches to do all 7 pumpkins.

I wanted to press out the extra liquid so the puree would be thick like canned puree; I figured it would work better in recipes that way. I lined a large colander with a flour sack towl, put it over a bowl, and put the puree in the colander.

At first I just let the weight of the puree press out the liquid. When the dripping slowed considerably, I folded the towel up over the puree, put a plate on top of it, and a large glass measuring cup on top of the plate. When the dripping slowed again, I took away the measuring cup and put my giant, 23-pound Hubbard squash on the plate. That got things going again! I pressed out a total of (almost) 10 cups of liquid. Pretty amazing, huh?

When the dripping stopped again, I had a puree that was very thick, much like canned pumpkin.

The whole process took up much of the day, and when I was done I considered my homemade puree. I considered the cost of the pie pumpkins and the time and trouble it took to make; I considered the amount of puree I ended up with, about 12 cups from my 7 pumpkins.

And then I considered the reasons why I make things from scratch:

Making things from scratch saves me money. 1 29-oz can of pumpkin contains 3 1/2 cups puree. I can get a 29-oz can for about $2.50. I bought 7 pie pumpkins, we'll say at an average of $5 each--that's $35 on pumpkins--and got 12 cups puree. That works out to $2.91 per cup. The canned puree works out to less than .75 per cup. This definitely did not save me money.
Things made from scratch taste better, are better quality, or help me rotate my food storage. While my homemade puree smelled really good (though not terribly different than canned), it cooked up the same way as canned puree in some Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake. I'm going to try it in pumpkin pie, too, but I imagine my results will be similar. And making the puree didn't do anything to help me rotate my food storage.
I make things from scratch because I enjoy it. I did not enjoy making this puree. It was quite a let-down, actually. Is it because I made so much at one time? Could be. But I'm not going to make small amounts; it's too much work and I use too much pumpkin puree in my cooking and baking.

All in all, I don't imagine I'll make homemade pumpkin puree again (unless I grow some pie pumpkins in my garden next year, but that's a different deal). I'm glad I did it this time for the experience, but the cost and work involved just isn't worth it.

Quick Chicken Enchiladas

2010-11-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite meals I remember from growing up was chicken enchiladas. My mom would heat oil in her electric skillet and give each corn tortilla a quick fry (like 2 seconds--just in and out) before filling them with a mixture of chicken, sauce, cheese, green chiles, olives, and sour cream. I still prefer them that way (sans the olives and I add black beans), but it takes extra time, and often, extra time is not what I have. So I changed the assembly to layering instead of rolling, and turned the dish into a super-fast dinner--on the table in less than 45 minutes.

Unless I happen to have cooked chicken on hand, I use canned, which is one of the reasons it's so fast (and it also helps rotate my food storage). I've used both canned chicken and beef for these, and both work equally well.

Note: my favorite enchilada sauce (and the same one my mom used) is Las Palmas. I'd love to find a from-scratch recipe, but for now it's Las Palmas for me.

Quick Chicken Enchiladas
printable recipe

1 13-oz can chicken, drained
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 4.5-oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce, (I use mild) divided (1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup sour cream (I use light)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
9 corn tortillas
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat your oven to 375, and spray an 8x8-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, black beans, green chiles, 1/3 cup enchilada sauce, sour cream, 1/2 cup cheese; mix well.

3. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce onto the bottom of the prepared pan and swirl it around to coat. Lay down two tortillas diagonally, and then tear one in half to fill in the other corners (see the picture below). Spoon and spread 1/2 chicken mixture on top of the tortillas. Drizzle about 1/3 cup sauce on top of the mixture. Repeat with 3 more tortillas, remaining chicken mixture, and another 1/3 cup sauce.

4. Top with remaining 3 tortillas and sauce. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and hot in the center. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese, and let sit until cheese melts.

You can easily double the recipe and make it in a 9x13-inch pan.

My birthday present: Cooking for Geeks

2010-11-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

My birthday was last week, and my sweet husband bought me Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter. I have Harold McGee's books, On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook (and his new book, Keys to Good Cooking, is on my Amazon wish list), and Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food, so he knew Cooking for Geeks would be right up my alley.

OK, fine, I helped a little. When he showed it to me on the electronics website he was shopping I said, "Ooo, I want that." He may have ordered it for me regardless, but it was handy for him that it happened to be around my birthday ;)

Cooking for Geeks is awesome for the same reason why these other books are awesome: science! There is science behind what happens in the kitchen and I love to learn about it. I know how to cook, and I know (usually...) what will happen when I put A and B together in a pan, but I love to learn why it happens. Does that make me a food nerd? That's OK. I can own it.

This book has information about food and equipment, ideas on how to organizing your kitchen, recipes, and even directions for doing things like how to hack your slow cooker. Why on earth would you want to do that? You'll have to get the book! ;)

Thanks to Jeff for a great book, and thanks to my sweetheart for the birthday present :)

Cookie Carnival: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2010-10-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

October's cookie for the Cookie Carnival hosted over at Tami's Kitchen Table Talk was this Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie, and I must shout from the roof tops: THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE PUMPKIN COOKIE! The addition of oatmeal took this pumpkin cookie to a new level, and it was heavenly. The recipe called for white chocolate chips and chopped dried cherries, but I had cranberries on hand so that's what I used. They were so, so good! Next time I'm going to try them with semi-sweet chocolate chips--my mouth is tingling just thinking about it!

I did change the recipe a little: I used half whole wheat flour/half all-purpose flour (because I almost always add some whole wheat flour to stuff I bake), and I made my usual high-altitude adjustments--a little more flour, and a little less butter and sugar. And I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, so I increased the cinnamon and used a little ground nutmeg and cloves.

These cookies are so Autumn-y and wonderful! Thanks so much to Jamie of My Baking Addiction for her recipe and to Tami for picking it for the carnival!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (as I made them--go here for the original recipe)
printable recipe

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Heat your oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, mixing well after each addition.

3. Add both flours, oatmeal, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt, and mix well. Add the white chocolate chips and cranberries and mix on low until well combined.

4. Use a cookie scoop to drop dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-14minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned (mine were exactly 12 minutes). Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Roasted Delicata-Carrot Puree

2010-10-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

I've had this puree on my mind ever since I bought the delicata squash at a local farm last week. They were so cute I couldn't resist! The flavors of the squash and carrots blend to a perfect sweetness, and a touch of butter adds just a bit of richness. And I really liked the texture; smooth but slightly grainy. The seasoning is simple: kosher salt and pepper. I served the puree with a little extra butter and fresh black pepper, but fresh Parmesan cheese would also be very tasty.

The delicata squash weighed about 1 pound each and were the size of a child's football. They are an heirloom variety of winter squash that was popular from 1894 through the 1920's, when they fell out of favor because they were difficult to transport and store due to their thin skin. But now they're back, and I'm so glad!

(I found the date info, plus lots of other great info about squash here.)

Roasted Delicata-Carrot Puree
printable recipe

2 delicata squash, about 1 lb each, halved lengthwise, and seeds and pulp removed
1 1/2 lbs carrots, scraped and sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
kosher salt
fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus extra for serving

1. Heat your oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Put the 4 squash halves, cut side up, on one half of the cookie sheet. Brush the flesh of each with about 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the carrots in a large zip-top bag; add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Seal the bag (with air in it) and gently shake and turn the bag to coat the carrots evenly. Pour the carrots onto the other half of the baking sheet.

3. Roast until tender and slightly charred, 40-50 minutes, stirring the carrots two or three times to prevent burning; let cool 5 minutes. Scoop the flesh out of the squash halves and put it, the carrots, and the butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.

4. Puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once. Serve with a little more butter and fresh black pepper if desired.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups, or 4 servings

Braised Acorn Squash and Kale

2010-10-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

I've been crazy busy with my Mom visiting from Texas, helping to plan a Fall Festival at my daughter's elementary school (which is Friday--thank goodness!), and a pantry re-model (what was I thinking?!), so here is a blast from past--well, from last December, anyway. This recipe was one of the first times I used kale, and I really liked it. I've made this dish several times since and it's always really good. I've even substituted chopped spinach for the kale with great results.

This started out as Braised Squash with Bacon, Sage, and Apples from Daily Unadventures in Cooking. I was seduced by the gorgeous picture and the promise of unfamiliar flavors. I'd done plenty with winter squash, but kale had always been "the weird green leafy stuff that I don't ever buy".

For my first try, I followed the recipe almost exactly--well, OK, I botched it; I didn't have sage or apple cider, and I totally forgot the bacon. Even with my recipe butchery, it was a beautiful dish. But I couldn't get past the taste of the apple cider vinegar; it was just too strong for me. And I didn't really love the pieces of apple. But I still loved the idea of the recipe, and I really liked the kale, so I tried it again without the apple and apple cider vinegar (I substituted chicken broth). I added some shredded Parmesan cheese and it was wonderful! A simple, delicious, healthy side dish that will add some beautiful color to your plate.

Braised Acorn Squash and Kale (adapted from Daily Unadventures in Cooking)
Printable Recipe

1 acorn squash (or other winter squash)

1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

2/3 cup chicken broth

3 cups kale, lightly packed, stems removed and chopped

fresh ground pepper to taste

freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Halve squash and remove the seeds. With the cut side down on a cutting board, slice the squash into wedges along the "ribs", peel each wedge, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Set aside.

2. Spray a large non-stick skillet with non-stick spray, and heat it over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and cook until it's started to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the squash and chicken broth, and bring it to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Stir in the kale and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover the skillet, and cook for 5 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the squash as much or as little as you want. I left about half of the squash intact. Stir in the pepper, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Utah Natural Meat, Buying a cow & Hearty Beef Chili

2010-10-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to find a local farmer to buy meat from for a long time. Then a few weeks ago, through a friend's Facebook post (I love Facebook), I found Utah Natural Meat, a local, family-owned ranch that raises grass fed beef and free-range chickens. I was so excited! The first thing I did was buy 4 chickens, then several dozen eggs (over a few weeks), and then we took the plunge and ordered a cow. Well, 1/4 of a cow, so I guess it was a mini plunge. Since it wasn't the whole cow I wasn't sure what cuts of meat we would get--it was a little exciting.

I picked up our beef this morning and this is what we got:

2 round steaks, 2 round cubed steaks, 2 top sirloin steaks, 2 sirloin tip steaks, 3 rib steaks, 1 tenderloin (it's mine), 7 T-bone steaks, 1 rump roast, 2 shoulder roasts, 1 pot roast, and 32 1-lb packages of ground beef. All for a total of 113.5 lbs of good, fresh, tasty beef that was raised on grass and fresh air.

I was thrilled to get so many pounds of ground beef (I make a lot of meatballs, meatloaf, etc). There are also several cuts that I've never used before, like the cubed steaks and rib steaks, so I'm excited to try some new things.

After getting the meat all tucked away in our garage freezer it was time to think about dinner. I grabbed one of the 1 lb packages of ground beef, but what to make? I decided a pot of thick, hearty chili would be perfect for the cool fall day we were having.

The meat cooked up nicely, and crumbled better and more evenly than the ground beef I used to buy at the store. And it didn't have the weird, sour smell that was sometimes present when I cooked store-bought ground beef. The meat was also incredibly lean (by virtue of the breed of cows they raise, and that they aren't fed corn), and I didn't have to drain a drop of fat. I did forget to taste it when it was done browning--darnit!--so I can't say what it tasted like straight, but it was wonderful and tender in the chili.

Thanks Utah Natural Meat, I'm so happy I found you!

Hearty Beef Chili
printable recipe

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large green or red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
2 cups chicken broth or water
grated cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onion, and sour cream for serving

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook and crumble until no longer pink. Remove meat to a bowl and keep warm. Reduce the heat to medium.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and garlic powder and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney and black beans, and broth. Bring it all to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

4. Serve with grated cheese, green onion, and sour cream if desired.

Makes 2 quarts chili; 4-6 servings.

Chocolate Turtle Cake (disaster?)

2010-10-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I made this today for my daughter's 14th birthday party. I normally make decorated cakes for birthdays, but as she's gotten older it's been harder to her to decide on a theme she likes. When she saw this Chocolate Turtle Cake in my October/November 2010 Cook's Country magazine she begged me to make it for her party. I didn't argue; I really like making decorated cakes, but I've wanted to make this cake ever since I got the magazine.

The cake is made of chocolate cake layers with caramel and chopped pecans in the middle. It's iced with chocolate ganache and topped with another layer of caramel. The picture in the magazine is gorgeous, the ingredient list is short, and the directions seemed simple.

Turns out it's one of those recipes that make people think they can't cook.

And one of those recipes that makes me wonder if anyone actually made the cake by following the directions before it was published.

Let's start with the directions for the ganache:

"In a medium saucepan, cook 1/2 cup heavy cream, chocolate, and corn syrup over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and refrigerate until thickened but still spreadable, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (Alternatively, refrigerate mixture overnight until set. Let sit at room temperature until softened and spreadable, about 1 hour.)"

The melting and whisking part went just fine, it was the rest that was a joke. After sitting in my fridge for 20 minutes the ganache was so firm I couldn't stir it; 2 hours would have made it rock hard. I had to put the bowl in my oven, which was still warm from baking the cakes, to soften it enough to where it was something I could use to frost a cake. As for the alternate directions about refrigerating it overnight and letting it soften on the counter until it was spreadable, that would never work. I had about 3 tablespoons of ganache left over, and after sitting in the bowl while I finished the cake and cleaned up, it was so firm it would never have spread on a cake.

Now for the top layer of caramel:

"Spread chocolate icing over top and sides of cake and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Spread reserved caramel mixture over top of cake, allowing caramel to drip over sides."

This sounds straight-forward enough, but in the real world, what do you think happens when you pour melty caramel on a chilled cake? And then try to spread it around? The caramel started to firm up almost immediately, and when I tried to spread it toward the edge of the cake it came up in globs, pulling ganache with it, mixing the ganach in with the caramel.

Bah! Yes, I was a little stressed about getting everything ready for the party, but when the caramel started mixing in with the ganache I wanted to scream. I consider myself a fairly experienced cook, but the directions for this cake had me stumbling all over myself. I was....displeased. I was able to get some of the caramel to go over the edge on about half the cake. I even got out my kitchen torch to try to soften the caramel enough that I could make it go over the edges of the other half. It sort of worked.

Another problem with the caramel is that the part I managed to get to drip over the side didn't stop dripping. It continued to ooze down the side of the cake (dragging pieces of ganache with it)until it was all pooled on the cake plate. By the time we cut the cake there were no more drips, just a moat of caramel all the way around the cake.

This was not the cake in the magazine.

When we cut the cake I understood why the picture in the magazine was of the whole cake, and not the cake with a slice cut out: the cake doesn't cut nicely. After cutting through the top the knife was coated in caramel which made it tear through the rest of the cake. Add to that the chopped pecan/caramel mixture in the center, and the cake was a ripped up mess by the time I got a piece out. As someone for whom presentation is important, it killed me to pass out plates with the pieces of mangled cake. The teenagers didn't care, but I sure did.

Part of me is tempted to try it again (the flavors were quite delicious); I know what to do differently with the ganache, and there must be a way to make the caramel work. And there is the issue of cutting the cake. Individual cakes, maybe? But the other part of me wants to just bag it because the list of dessert recipes I want to try is utterly, ridiculously long.

We'll see what happens. Have a great weekend!

Coronado Subs & National Sub Sandwich Day

2010-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

This adorable couple is Adam and Sonya Peterson and they own Coronado Subs in Riverton, Utah. Sonya is a good friend and I've wanted to write about their shop ever since they opened on April 8, 2010. And, as it happens, National Sub Sandwich Day in this Saturday, October 9, so this is the perfect time to highlight Coronado Subs and it's awesome sandwiches (they have salads and soups, too, but today we're talking subs).

Adam has worked in the food industry for 30 years, working his way up from associate to managerial positions, and then area manager positions. When I asked him how long he's wanted his own store he said, "29 years." Sonya was less eager to take the plunge; when you're the owner of a small business you're on your own in many ways.

When Adam finally felt that his recipes were perfect (and the economy cooperated, making it possible for them to buy a shop for a fraction of the normal cost), he decided it was time. A year later they served their first customer. My family and I went for subs that first day, and I remember how great it was to be there and share in their excitement. I had the Coronado's Meatball Sub (see below), and it was heavenly. I've since tried several things on their menu and the meatball sub is still my favorite.

Adam makes most of his sauces from scratch, including the buffalo-style sauce on this Coronado's Buffalo Chicken Sub. This sub comes sweet or savory, the sweet with Coronado's own ranch mayo and the savory with bleu cheese mayo. The tangy buffalo sauce sets off both dressings beautifully.

This sandwich is called The Captain's Sub. It's Adam's sub, being the captain of the Coronado Subs family, of course. Beef brisket, pastrami, Muenster cheese, and a vinaigrette make this sub hearty and flavorful. There's also a sub called The First Mate's Sub. It's one of their speciality subs with oil-browned turkey breast, Havarti cheese, and Coronado's own cranberry mayo. Adam wanted to call it The Sonya. I believe Sonya's response was something close to, "Don't you dare." She says she doesn't like to be front and center, but I can't help wonder if it would have been just a bit weird to have people at the register, "Yeah, I'll have a Sonya, with everything on it,"

And this is my favorite, Coronado's Meatball Sub. I'll give you a moment to soak it in. I've had meatball subs before, and while edible, they weren't something I craved or went back for again and again. This meatball sub is all that and more. The Italian meatballs are perfectly seasoned and Adam pairs them with a zesty marinara sauce and melted provolone cheese. The Italian seasoning sprinkled on top gives your taste buds a first layer of flavor before you bite all the way through the cheese, marinara sauce, and finally the meatballs. It's a simple sub with nothing extra to complicate the flavors that go so perfectly together.

You want one, now, don't you? I knew you would.

The Coronado Subs team getting it done during the lunch rush. The sub shop is next to the high school, so their first rush starts around 10:45 a.m. when students from the school's first lunch walk over for something much tastier than cafeteria food. Then there's another rush around 12:25 p.m. when students from the school's second lunch, plus other folks on their lunch break (from work, shopping, driving, errands) line up--almost out the door--to buy one of the shops subs or salads.

Nation Sub Sandwich Day is Saturday, and you could just go to Subway or Togo's or another sub chain, but I really encourage you to look for a sub shop that's making it's way separate from the corporate world. And if you're in the Salt Lake Area, it's worth the trip to Riverton to get yourself some Coronado's. You'll be so glad you did! Leave me a comment if you do, and we can all bask in the Coronado-love together.

Coronado Subs is located in Riverton, Utah at 2762 West 12600 South. They're open 10:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday); their phone number is 801-254-2313. You can also follow them on Facebook.

Works For Me Wednesday: Grinding my own cornmeal

2010-10-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

When I got my wheat grinder I stopped buying cornmeal. I buy polenta (corn grits) by the 25 pound-bag full (I love polenta) and wondered one day what would happen if I ran it through my grinder. Sure enough, it went in polenta--which is just very coarse ground corn--and it came out cornmeal! I was thrilled!

Here's the finished product after the grinder treatment. I run it through on the most coarse setting, but it still might be a bit more fine that store-bought cornmeal. It works perfect for my corn bread, though. And I can't wait to try it for a Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Blueberry Sauce Amanda from Amanda's Cookin' posted a while back. Yum.

Using my wheat grinder to make cornmeal out of polenta I already have definitely works for me.

You can go here to see more Works For Me Wednesday tips and ideas for this week.

Chicken & Dumplings Experiment

2010-10-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

OK, so I made Chicken & Dumplings for the first time tonight. It was an experiment since I only sort of knew what I was doing (I don't think I've ever even eaten chicken & dumplings before). All I knew was dumplings are like biscuits and that they are steamed as they sit on top of the simmering soup. And when they're done they should be dry in the middle.

I used my pancake mix to make my normal biscuit dough--with some added some green onion--and then dropped spoonfuls of the dough onto the top of the simmering soup. I covered it and let the dumplings cook for 10 minutes. By then the centers were dry, but my soup had gone from brothy to thick. It makes sense to me, what with my dropping balls of dough into the broth, but I don't know if this is normal. I looked online and some of the pictures show soups that are definitely not as thick.

So I have a question for anyone who has made chicken & dumplings: What is the finished soup supposed to look like? Thick or thin? And are dumplings just steamed biscuits? Or did I end up with thick soup because I used my biscuit batter instead of mixing up "dumpling" batter?

Oh, and the dumplings are kind of gooey on the botton; is that normal?

Thanks in advance!

Homemade Yogurt

2010-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Making my own yogurt wasn't something I'd ever considered...until I read this post from The Frugal Girl. She makes her own yogurt on a weekly basis, and figures she saves over $500 a year doing so. (Read her post about why she does it here.) Making your own yogurt also means it won't have any extra added ingredients. I wasn't convinced I'd be able to pull it off, but I really wanted to try.

Her instructions are so, so easy, and they worked perfectly. You don't need special equipment, just glass quart jars, a big pot, an instant-read thermometer, and a cooler big enough to hold the jars and a gallon of water. And the taste? Smooth and very mild--even with nothing to sweeten it I could eat it straight with a spoon. Of course, it's much better with something. While berries were in season I would just crush some into the yogurt, my husband likes to eat it with granola and some honey or agave, but our favorite way is to blend it into smoothies with frozen berries (sometimes I add whey protein powder, especially if the smoothie is for breakfast).

Note: She recommends using whole milk, which I've done. I want to experiment with 2% milk, though; I've read you can add unflavored gelatin to lower-fat milk to help it set up more like whole milk.

Go HERE for the instructions. You really will be so glad you did!

My first batch of finished yogurt (I've made 3 batches at the time of this post).

Look how gorgeous it is!

A smoothie with homemade yogurt, fresh strawberries, and a frozen mix of marionberries, blueberries, and blackberries. No sugar necessary.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

2010-10-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

I have fallen off the wagon: the check-out lane cookbooklet wagon. Ten years ago I was a check-out lane cookbooklet addict. I bought almost every one I came across. One day I finally decided I had a problem, and 1. went through my ridiculously huge collection and got rid of most of them, and 2. committed to stop buying them. I've done great all these years. Until now.

Last week I was in a forever-long line at the store and picked up the latest Betty Crocker cookbooklet to help pass the time. "Ooo, look, Bakerella and her cake pops are on the front! Good for her!" And then I turned it over and saw the back.

oooo...gingerbread cupcakes...

And before I knew what was happening, it was in my cart. In my car. On my kitchen counter.

Like I said, off the wagon. I guess now I just need to make sure I don't fill my wagon with a whole bunch of new cookbooklets.

Bakerella has a really nice, big section--Cheers for the Queen of Cake Pops! There are some really great looking things in the rest of the booklet, too, including these Gingerbread Cupcakes. I love, love, love gingerbread--gingerbread cookies are one of my top 5 favorites cookies--and I was so excited to try the cupcakes.

My kitchen smelled so good while they cooked and they had a really nice flavor. Of course, the cream cheese frosting was the perfect final touch. Don't leave out the lemon zest. I almost didn't put it in (I was feeling lazy), and I'm so glad I ended up using it. The lemon in the cream cheese frosting complemented the gingerbread perfectly. Yum.

I did alter the recipe a little. To accommodate my high altitude I reduced the sugar a little; I used half cake flour since I'm usually not happy with the texture of cakes made with all regular, all-purpose flour; I changed the spice measurements a little because I like more cinnamon, and I used cloves and nutmeg instead of allspice; I used buttermilk instead of water.

The cupcakes had a very nice crumb, but did get a little dry and crumbly after sitting in the fridge. The next time I make them I'll add some oil, probably 3 or 4 tablespoons, to see if it keeps them from getting as dry.

Note: I measured my flours by weight.

Gingerbread Cupcakes (adapted from Betty Crocker)
printable recipe

1/3 cup sugar (recipe called for 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup light molasses

2 eggs

5 oz all-purpose flour
5 oz cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup buttermilk

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

1. Heat your oven to 375 and line 18 regular-sized muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the molasses and eggs, mixing well after each addition. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and add the buttermilk and mix well.

3. Fill each cupcake liner 1/2-2/3 the way full and bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.

The cupcakes had a gorgeous craggy top. I don't know if they were supposed to (could have been my altitude or changes I made with the flours or buttermilk), but I thought they looked cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from Betty Crocker)

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the lemon zest, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cream and mix well until desired consistency.

I used a disposable decorating bag and a #808 decorating tip to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes. You could also use a huge star tip or just spread it on with a metal spatula.

More practice pictures trying to figure out my light box. I think I need brighter light blubs...

Crispy Caramel Popcorn

2010-09-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the fact that I have a new power cord for my laptop and can use my computer again, I give you caramel popcorn! I had about 20 teenage girls from church over to my house for an activity last night and made this caramel popcorn for a treat. This recipe is from a friend, and it is to die for. Really. The caramel makes a super-thin coating on the fluffy popcorn and it is incredibly light and crispy when you eat it. It was completely, totally addicting and my husband and I made ourselves sick eating what was left after all the crazy girls went home.

On a fun note, my sweet husband bought me a light box. I'm going to use the lightbox (and the new camera that's coming for Christmas--Eeee! :) to take the pictures for my book. These pictures are some of my first experiments; getting the lights just right is going to take some practice, I think.

Crispy Caramel Popcorn (from Stephanie)
Printable Recipe

2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 quarts popped corn (I used an air popper)
2 cups nuts, optional (I didn't use any nuts)

1. Heat your oven to 200 and spray two rimmed baking sheets with non-stick spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tarter, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

3. Clip on a candy thermometer and cook, stirring constantly (I actually didn't stir it at all--so much for reading the directions carefully) until the mixture reaches hard ball stage, about 5 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the baking soda. Poor immediately over popped corn, and stir and toss gently until it's evenly coated. Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans and spread into an even layer.

5. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Turn out onto waxed paper and allow to cool completely (I actually let it cool on the pans, and I stirred it a few times as it cooled to break up the big chunks). Store in an airtight container.

Autumn Pork Stew

2010-09-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday! My laptop is out of commission, and of course, it's what I write my blog on and have all my pictures on, blah, blah, blah. So, in order for you to have delicious food to read about--and hopefully be inspired to make--I've reposted a recipe from a year ago. Enjoy! And send good, laptop-fixing thoughts my way :)

Ah, pork, the delicious, sweet meat from sus domesticus, or the common domesticated pig. A staple in the American grocery store for who knows how long (forever?), sus domesticus has, in recent months, come under very close scrutiny because of it's most unfortunate association with the H1-N1 virus, or Swine Flu (thank you, media).

However, I'm trilled to report the CDC has concluded the H1-N1 virus is spread person-to-person, not from pig-to-person, and I want to celebrate the very happy news by sharing this recipe for my Autumn Pork Stew as part of Om-nom-nomivore's week-long tribute to the (whispering) Swine flu. Let's eat some pork!

The pork in this stew, sweet and lovely in it's own right, is complimented by carrots, sweet potatoes, and slightly bitter turnips. Pale ale adds a layer of flavor, and a touch of tarragon, sage, and cloves gives just a hint of herbiness (if that's a word) without taking away from the star of the stew: the pork.

Autumn Pork Stew
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs pork for stew
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 small onions, chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
1 32-oz carton chicken broth
1 12-oz bottle beer (I used a pale ale)
4 carrots, scraped and chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large turnip (about 8 oz), peeled and chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
3 whole cloves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 sweet potato (about 8 oz), peeled and chopped
fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Trim the pork of any less desirable parts, and cut any large pieces into bite-size ones. Season the meat with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Heat a large pot over medium high heat for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil to the pan and heat for about 10 seconds.

2. Add half of the pork to the pan (don't cheat here and add all of the meat at once; if you crowd the pan the pieces won't be able to brown because they'll steam in each other's juice instead of searing in a dry, hot pot). Once they are down don't try to move them; they need a chance to develop that lovely, flavorful crust that's so yum. After about 3 minutes stir the pork to turn them over, and brown the other side. (Don't worry about cooking the pork all the way through--that's what 2 hours of simmering is for.) Remove the browned meat to a bowl, add 2 more teaspoons of the oil to the pot, and repeat with the rest of the pork. Set all the browned meat aside.

3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pot. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until the onion has started to soften, 3-5 minutes. Watch the fond (browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot). Super dark brown is good flavor, black is bad (blech) flavor. Adjust the heat if the fond starts to burn.

4. Add the chicken broth and beer, scraping all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pot, and bring it to a high simmer over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, turnip, sage, tarragon, cloves, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pork (and any juices that accumulated in the bowl), and bring it back to a high simmer. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, reduce the heat to low, and barely simmer for 1 hour 10 minutes.

5. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water together. Add the flour slurry and sweet potatoes to the pot, bring it back to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the stew has thickened (stirring occasionally), 35-40 minutes.

Makes about 6 servings.

I served this with Irish soda bread.

On Fire and Evacuating

2010-09-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hurriedly packing bags, gathering important papers and pictures, and preparing kids and pets to leave home is not the way someone wants to spend their Sunday evening. But yesterday I found myself and my husband doing just that. A wild fire, sparked by National Guard machine gun practice at Camp Williams here in Utah, started sweeping across the hills just to the south of my house yesterday afternoon. As we read and listened to the lastest information throughout the evening, my 14 year-old daughter said, "This doesn't happen to us. This happens to other people." This time we were the other people.

It was a very strange and surreal thing to watch the flames move across the hills. Our house backs up to some smaller hills (not the ones on fire), and as the moon was rising the smoke above our hills glowed red, and the moon reflected the color in an amazing display. It was stranger still to pack things to take with us in the event we decided to leave our home. Fire is a strange creature, and while the winds were taking the fire away from us, we worried they could change direction at any time.

Of course I packed clothes, important papers like birth certificates, car titles, social security cards, marriage certificates, and pictures that couldn't be replaced. But as I stood in the middle of the main level of my house and looked at everything else we'd leave behind, I kept wondering if I should take more things. I knew it was just "stuff" and that "stuff" could be replaced, but I still wondered. We were leaving voluntarily--other neighborhoods had been told to leave. Was it easier if you had to leave quickly, rather than to stand there second-guessing yourself because you had time?

I'm blessed to have an Aunt nearby who has a house big enough to accommodate our family plus pets, and my sister's family, so that's where we headed when we decided it was time to go. As we drove down the highway we had a perfect view of the fire, a bright red-orange ribbon in the night, and I wondered what the neighborhoods would look like in the morning. I wondered how much damage there would be and what would be left.

As I write this, over 4,300 acres have burned and the fire is mostly contained. And to the tremendous credit of the police, fire departments, disaster response teams, The American Red Cross, and volunteers, evacuees who were displaced were tended to, and all but 3 of the 100's of homes in the path of the fire were saved. There were no fatalities, and only a handful of injuries (that I know of). I am so thankful for the selfless efforts of these people and for the miracles they have performed in the last 24+ hours.

Thank you, all of you.

(Photo credit: I pulled the picture off our local news website. There was no photographer listed. If anyone knows who took the picture please let me know.)

You can see more pictures and read more about the fire here and here.

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

2010-09-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

There is something deeply satisfying about Cajun gumbo. The rich flavor from the deep roux is amazing, there isn't any other way to describe it. When my husband and I went on our honeymoon to New Orleans I was in absolute heaven.

I'm fortunate enough to have a sister-in-law who is from Louisiana, and one of the first times we visited her and my brother-in-law at their home in Texas she made gumbo. I had never eaten gumbo before and was instantly hooked. She gave me the recipe and I didn't even have to beg. Thanks, Vee! :)

What elevates gumbo to a level above your regular soup is the roux, a slow-cooked mixture of fat and flour. Some people use shortening, or even butter (though butter's not recommended for the long cooking required to make this dark of a roux), but I like to use canola oil. As the fat/flour mixture cooks it starts to develop a nutty aroma and flavor, and as it cooks to a beautiful dark caramel color the nutty flavor intensifies. I should warn you that because the mixture is so hot it will smoke a little as it cooks, so plan on having fans on and a couple windows open. And plan on stirring, a lot. A roux isn't something you can leave unattended.

Before getting to the recipe, I have to say something about the shrimp I used. I live in Utah, which means there are no fresh shrimp to be found, and I've been disappointed by every brand of frozen shrimp I've used, until now. While at the store I noticed a bag of Chicken of the Sea brand frozen shrimp. Even though it gave me a little chuckle, it was a brand I hadn't tried before and I really wanted to make gumbo.

Let me tell you I was pleasantly and wonderfully surprised. The shrimp were very, very good. I bought a 2 pound bag of large (16/20 shrimp per pound) peeled, cleaned, raw shrimp with the tail on. After defrosting the shrimp in the sink in a bowl of cold water and rinsing away all the little bits of stuff, the tails came off easily leaving big, gorgeous shrimp, ready to cook.

Shrimp cook very fast, so it was just 2 or 3 minutes in the finished hot soup and they were done. Tender, sweet, and delicious. I was so excited! Now I can work my list of recipes I thought were lost to me for lack of decent shrimp. Yay!

Note: I may have committed a gumbo faux pas by combining shrimp and sausage. I think traditionally you have shrimp gumbo or chicken and sausage gumbo, but not usually shrimp and sausage. This gumbo was really tasty, but if it offends your Cajun sensibilities, you can omit the sausage.

I served this with corn bread, pan-roasted green beans, and white rice.

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
printable recipe

1 14-oz link smoked sausage (I used light)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 ribs celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 large bell pepper, seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved
8 cups chicken broth or water or some combination of both (I used half/half)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 pounds peeled, cleaned raw shrimp with tails removed (16/20 size)
hot cooked white rice for serving

1. Heat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick spray. Cut the sausage link in half lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the pieces on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake until browned, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

2. While the sausage is cooking, combine the oil and flour in a large pot and mix well. Heat over medium heat until the roux is a deep caramel color, stirring very often, 30-35 minutes.

3. While the roux is cooking, put the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 2 times for 3 seconds each time and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pulse 2 more times, 3 seconds each time, scraping down the bowl after each pulse. The veggies should be finely minced but not pureed.

4. Add the veggies to the roux and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes (the roux is very hot, please watch for splatters when you add the veggies).

5. Add the browned sausage, broth/water, salt, pepper, and Tony's seasoning. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

6. Add the green onion and shrimp, and cook 2-3 minutes or until they are just barely pink (they will continue to cook as they sit in the hot soup, so don't overdo it here). Serve over white rice.

This makes a ton of gumbo. We easily get two meals out of a pot.

Beautiful, tender shrimp is a glorious thing.

Pan-Seared Baby Bok Choy

2010-09-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Pan-searing made this baby bok choy a very fast side dish. Like 5 minutes fast. I seasoned it with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and seared it in a little olive oil. If you wanted you could sprinkle the finished dish with a little rice wine vinegar, but I ate it straight today (no vinegar).

Pan-Seared Baby Bok Choy

3-4 heads baby bok choy
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

rice wine vinegar, if desired

1. Remove any damaged outside leaves, and halve each head of baby bok choy lengthwise. Rinse well with cold water; shake off excess water and pat dry on paper towels. Season the cut side of the bok choy with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds. Lay the bok choy cut-side down in the hot pan and cook, without moving, until it's developed some nice color, about 2 minutes. Turn the bok choy over and cook another 2 minutes.

3. Serve with rice wine vinegar, if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Works For Me Wednesday: Catch Tray for Sprinkles

2010-09-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today's Works For Me Wednesday post is about cupcakes and sprinkles, and looking at these pictures makes me want one! :)

Putting your cupcakes on a rimmed baking sheet before shaking on the sprinkles is a great way to contain the mess. Before I started doing this they either went all over the counter or I put the sprinkles on the cupcakes over the sink (which killed me because it was wasteful). Using the baking sheet not only contains the mess, but it lets you collect the extra sprinkles to use again. Works for me!

Simple Vegetable Bean Soup

2010-09-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

I eat soup all year long, but I really crave it when the temperature outside starts to drop. I made this very simple vegetable soup for lunch in about 30 minutes. Well, maybe it took me 45 minutes with the chopping (most of the time is simmering-time, though). For such a quick soup it was very tasty. It's also very healthy: lots of veggies, low calorie, low (almost no) fat, protein from the beans, and lots of fiber. And almost everything is in 1's. See? Simple.

Vegetable Bean Soup
printable recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, scraped and diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
couple shakes red pepper flakes, optional
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 32-oz carton chicken broth
1 small zucchini, diced
1 15-oz can kidney beans (or other bean) drained and rinsed

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it heat for about 30 seconds. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and cook for about 2 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, zucchini, and kidney beans. Bring it all to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and the broth is slightly thickened.

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts soup. I ate it for lunch and then we had it with our dinner that night. And then I ate it for lunch again the next day....there was a lot of soup.

Note: This would have been really good with some fresh Parmesan cheese on top, but I didn't think of it until I'd already eaten. I was hungry.

Pumpkin Recipes for Fall

2010-09-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Kids are back in school, days are getting shorter, trees are changing colors, and nights definitely have a chill. Fall is here and I'm so excited! I love fall and everything that goes with it, especially the food and spices we all love to cook with when the weather turns cool: pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, alspice, cloves... Love them! Here are some recipes to help get you into the fall spirit. Enjoy, and break out those spices!

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cake

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cake

Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup

National Waffle Week: Berry White-Chocolate Chip Waffles

2010-09-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

For my final post for National Waffle Week I thought I'd use my Buttermilk Pancake Mix to make waffles, something I've never done before. Don't get me wrong, I like waffles, and I knew the mix would work for waffles, I just think making waffles takes too much time. Until they make a waffle iron that lets me make 8 at a time, I'm sticking with my pancake griddle :)

These waffles were really good. The raspberries added quick little shots of sweet-tart flavor to each bite, and the white chocolate chips added little pockets of creaminess. And as the waffles cooked the juice of the raspberries caramelized making little sweet, burnt spots. I know, sounds weird, but it was really tasty.

Berry White-Chocolate Chip Waffles

2 cups Buttermilk Pancake Mix
1 cup chopped frozen raspberries (chop first, then measure)
1/2 cup mini white chocolate chips
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the pancake mix, raspberries, and white chocolate chips. Mix well.

3. In a separate medium bowl (I use a 4-cup glass measuring cup), whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and canola oil. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently fold together with a rubber spatula.

4. Cook the waffles according to your manufacturer's directions. I used about 1/3 cup batter for each 4-inch'ish square waffle.

Makes about 14 4-inch'ish square waffles.

National Waffle Week: Bacon Waffles

2010-09-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

The current bacon craze is, well, crazy; t-shirts with "Everything's Better with Bacon" printed on them, chocolate-dipped bacon at carnivals (I'm so not kidding). When I saw this recipe for Bacon Waffles in Beyond Oatmeal by Carlene Duda my first reaction was, "Oh, weird!"

I knew I had to make them for National Waffle Week.

The bacon wasn't as strong as I worried it would be and my husband thought they were really good. My verdict is still out. They didn't taste bad, but I think I like my waffles bacon-free. They were very easy to put together, though, since the recipe doesn't call for separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites before folding them in to the batter. That was definitely a plus.

When I cook bacon that's going to be chopped or crumbled for a recipe I cut it up with kitchen scissors and then saute it in a pan (I learned this from my sister's sister-in-law). It's so much easier than trying to handle a bunch of full-size pieces only to cut them up afterward. You can also cook more pieces at a time if you cut them up first.

This recipe calls for 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon, plus 1/2 cup warm bacon drippings. I cut up 6 pieces of bacon, sauteed them in the pan, and added the bacon and whatever drippings there were to the batter.

Bacon Waffles (from Beyond Oatmeal)

printable recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup graham flour (I used wheat flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup crispy cooked bacon, crumbled (I used 6 pieces)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon kosher)
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup warmed bacon drippings (I used the drippings from my 6 pieces)

1. Preheat waffle iron and oil. (I used non-stick spray)

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking powder, sugar, bacon, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, use a whisk to beat the eggs until foamy. Beat in the milk and bacon drippings. Combine the two mixtures, blending until the batter is smooth.

4. Cook the batter on your waffle iron according to the manufactures directions. I used 1/3'ish cup batter for each 4-inch'ish waffle on my iron. The waffles-are-done light was just about right; about 3 minutes.

I made 12 4-inch'ish waffles.

National Waffle Week: Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup

2010-09-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

This week is National Waffle Week! To celebrate I'm going to post three great waffle recipes this week, and what better way to start off (especially since it's also the first week of fall) than with these Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup? Seriously, if you want to start feeling the fall spirit, all you need to do is make these waffles. The smell in your house as they cook is perfect for this time of year: warm, sweet, and spiced.

I first had these fantastic waffles after a friend (and next-door neighbor) posted on Facebook that she'd made them for her family for dinner. I posted a comment about how awesome they sounded and hinted that I'd like the recipe, and before I knew it she was at my door with a plate of waffles in her hand. Isn't she nice? They were so good--mouthwateringly good--and I knew I wanted to post them on my blog. Then National Waffle Week came along and voila! Here they are.

The waffle recipe comes from a blog called Pumpkin Waffles--a blog devoted to the single goal of finding the perfect pumpkin waffle recipe. Gotta love the singlemindedness. The recipe says it makes 4 round Belgian-style waffles. I made 14 4-inch'ish square waffles. The Cinnamon Cream Syrup comes from a cookbook called Beyond Oatmeal by Carlene Duda. Let me tell you, the syrup isn't the only heavenly recipe in this cookbook.

Pumpkin Waffles (from Pumpkin Waffles)
printable recipe

1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons ground ginger (I didn't use this)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't use this)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 tablespoons butter, melted and warm

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature. (I sprayed mine with non-stick spray and turned it on to the preset temperature).

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to blend.

3. Separate the eggs: yolks go in a medium bowl and whites go in a smaller bowl. Add the pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks; whisk to blend well. Add the melted butter; whisk to blend and set aside.

4. Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form, 1-1 1/2 minutes. Set aside.

5. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix them together until just combined. Add the egg whites and gently fold them in until no whites bits are obvious.

6. Pour the batter on the heated waffle iron and cook according to the manufacture directions. I used just over 1/4 cup batter for each waffle on my iron, and the automatic waffles-are-done light was about right.

Note: If you don't eat them all you can freeze the extras and then pop them in the toaster later.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup (from Beyond Oatmeal)
printable recipe

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 5-oz can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the evaporated milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Note: after typing these directions I realized I made the syrup all wrong. I combined everything in the saucepan, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to low to maintain a simmer, and cooked it, stirring often until it was thickened. It took about 20 minutes. It was super-yum.

Mother Nature's Sense of Humor

2010-09-07T10:47:00.001-07:00

Tomatoes Gone Wild. That's how you can describe our tomato plants this year. We joined a community garden in the spring and didn't get over there as often as we should have. When my husband and I went over yesterday to try to reclaim our plot from the weeds (and alfalfa--weird) and see if anything was salvageable, we were amazed by how crazy the tomatoes were. Not only had they survived our near-total neglect, they had thrived. They thrived all over the bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, yellow zucchini, and even the area behind and to the side of our plot.

We decided to pull and chop off the vines that were the most out of control to let the plants put their energy into making the remaining green tomatoes gorgeous and tasty. My husband was working on the Early Girl tomato plants when he found this beauty lying in wait under some thick vines. "Oh! That's just wrong!" he laughed and made like he was going to throw it in our enormous bank of weeds, alfalfa, tomato vines, and over-ripe zucchini the size of baseball bats (oops). "Wait! You have to let me have that!" I begged. This tomato gave us a good laugh.

I now have absolute, irrefutable proof that Mother Nature has a sense of humor. Did she giggle to herself the whole time this tomato grew under the masses of over-grown vines, waiting for us to find it? I'd have to say probably yes. I know if it were me, I definitely would have.

Cookie Carnival: Coconut Cherry Bars

2010-09-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

These gorgeous Coconut Cherry Bars are the August cookie for the Cookie Carnival hosted by Tami over at Tami's Kitchen Table Talk. Yes, I know it's September 6. Better late than never, especially for these bites of goodness.

Before making these I took a few minutes to read all the comments people left about them on the Betty Crocker website. Comments ranged all over, from loving the bars to hating them and everything in between. Some people didn't think there was enough cherry flavor, some wanted more coconut flavor. Want to know what I kept thinking? "OMG! These sound so much like the Rum Nougat from See's Candy (my favorite candy from See's)! I'm going to add rum flavoring to mine!" In addition to the rum flavoring, I increased the coconut from 1/2 cup to 1 cup, and decreased the vanilla a little (though I probably won't next time).

One of the comments I totally disagree with is that the recipe was not easy to make. I thought it was very easy to make. The hardest thing was chopping the walnuts and cherries. Yeah, super easy. I do have to say that I didn't actually chop my walnuts. I hate chopping nuts. They fly all over and make such a mess. This time I put a bunch of walnut halves in a zip-top bag and whacked them with my rolling pin (French-style. I hate rolling pins with handles). Barbaric, I know, but it totally worked. I may never chop walnuts with a knife again.

These bars don't have a strong flavor (one of the complaints on the website), but I really liked the flavor it did have. Sometimes it's nice to have a bar cookie that's not chocolate or lemon (stay with me here), and the coconut-cherry flavor of these bars was really nice. Of course, I also loved the rum flavor I added. I even think I'll add more next time. And I can't forget to mention the gorgeous pink color the cherries added. These cookies were really very pretty and would be a very nice addition to a dessert table. See? We're not replacing chocolate and lemon, we're adding. All is well...well, delightful, and scrumptious. :)

Note: these were much easier to cut into nice-looking squares after they sat in the fridge overnight.

Want the recipe? Click here to go to the Betty Crocker website.

Yum! Aren't they gorgeous?

Chocolate-Dipped Animal Crackers

2010-08-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

If you need a super-quick, super-easy treat, you can't get much better than these cute guys. I made these last night for our Sunday treat since I hadn't planned anything, and I had exactly the time it took for my husband to bathe our two youngest girls to pull them together. The animal crackers aren't very sweet, and with the chocolate they reminded me of a chocolate-covered shortbread. I put sprinkles on most of them because, well, kids love sprinkles. These are also great to send in lunchboxes; at least for a few minutes you can be the best parent in the world ;)

Note: This is more of a method than a recipe. You can make as much chocolate as you want, and the number of crackers you need depends on how much you chocolate you put on each cracker--you get the idea.

Chocolate-Dipped Animal Crackers

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening
Animal Crackers
Sprinkles

1. Cover your work surface (counter) with a large sheet of waxed paper.

2. To melt the chocolate, fill a small saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate chips and shortening in a metal bowl small enough to fit into the pot, and where the top rim of the pot comes about 1/2 way up the side of the bowl. OR you can use a double boiler. I don't have one so I use the pot/bowl combo. It's important that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the chocolate chips until they are melted (this takes just a minute or two tops) and then turn off the heat. The hot water in the pot will keep the chocolate melted.

3. Dip each cracker in the chocolate and lay them on the waxed paper. To make dipping easier, I tipped the bowl a little to the side so the chocolate created a nice puddle. Gentle shake each cookie to remove excess chocolate (if there ever is such a thing). Before the chocolate has set, sprinkle with the sprinkles.

And you're done! Like I said, super, super easy.

Fettuccine with Meatballs

2010-08-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

After a hard, crazy week I woke up with a cold: head, throat, and I can feel something starting to happen in my chest. I suspect I got it from my 3 year-old who started preschool 2 weeks ago, and who has a cough and a nasty, snotty nose. So, today I'm going to sit and write for my blog, work on my cookbook, and read some of the blogs I love but haven't had any time lately to visit. I guess being sick isn't all bad...

This pasta dinner is a great 2-Fer (meals made with left-overs from another meal). I made this with some of my Steakhouse Meatballs that were left-over from a huge batch of meatballs I made for a dinner party. I put the frozen meatballs, maybe 15-18, in a crockpot with 2 32-oz jars of Classico Tomato Basil pasta sauce (my favorite jarred sauce), and cooked it all on high for about 4 hours. After simmering for so long with the meatballs the sauce took on a very nice rich, meaty flavor. We had the meatballs and sauce over fettuccine noodles with a little fresh Parmesan cheese, but they would have made awesome meatballs subs, too. Yum!

Product Review: Aidells Cajun Style Andouille

2010-08-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite busy-day go-to dinners: chicken sausage + whatever I have in the freezer, which is usually cooked rice or couscous that I've portioned into zip-bags and frozen, and frozen broccoli (remember my post about rescuing frozen broccoli?). This time I added a simple salad of romaine lettuce and shredded Parmesan cheese with an oil-vinegar dressing. I love the sausages because they are super-fast to prepare. They're fully cooked, so a quick visit to a hot skillet and they're ready to go. I've also put them on the grill--Yum...

My standard chicken sausage is a spinach-and-asiago-cheese variety that comes from Sam's Club (they are so good, and only 3 WW Points each--5 Points for 2), but this time I decided to try a sausage my local grocery store was promoting: Aidells Cajun Style Andouille. I was interested to try it, partially because it was different than my usual sausage, but mostly because it was listed as "not recommended" in a comparison of Andouille sausage in one of my recent Cooks Illustrated magazines. I wanted to know if it was a horrid as their tasters thought.

(Sorry, I can't for the life of me find the issue of the magazine, or remember specifically which sausage they loved, just that it was an expensive mail-order sausage--and I'm not going to mail-order my sausage. If I find it I'll update this post.)

My verdict? I thought it was pretty good and tasty, tasty enough I wondered what the sausage the good folks at Cook's Illustrated loved tasted like. It was also very spicy, and I like spicy. One negative was that it's 4 WW Points each sausage (170 cal/12g fat/1g fiber). Boo! But even given that I'd be willing to buy them again.

Curried Split Pea Soup + Foodie Fights results

2010-08-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

First, the results from Foodie Fights Battle Tamarind and Brown Sugar: I won! That's right! My Frozen Tamarind-Apricot Custard with Brown-Sugar Pistachio Toffee won! I'm super excited *:)* As a Foodie Fights winner, my next job is to be one of the judges for the next battle, which happens to be Tomatoes and Corn (two of my favorites, by the way). I've been a judge once before, after winning Battle Pomegranate and Semolina Flour last year, and I have to tell you judging the entries is so much harder and more stressful than being a competitor. It's part of the prize, though, so I say, "Bring on the food!"

Now to the soup. I've always been deathly afraid of split pea soup. It's green, looks goopy, and is oftentimes made with ham--and I do not like ham (no, Sam). So I've avoided split pea soup at all costs.

Things change--people change--and I recently found myself wondering about split pea soup. I couldn't do the ham, that I knew, so was there another way to make it? I found my answer on the Food Network website in the form of Alton Brown's Curried Split Pea Soup. I love curry and there was no ham. Winner! My first pot was good, better than I'd expected, to be honest. Even my husband, who likes just about everything, was a little worried. It is green, after all--though I made sure it was not goopy. He was as pleasantly surprised as I was.

This recipe is loosely based on Alton's recipe. I changed it some because his recipe called for 12 oz of dried split peas and the bags I buy at the store are 16 oz. Who wants to have 4 oz of dried peas hanging around? I also replaced the butter in the original recipe with olive oil, and increased the curry by a lot. I wanted lots of curry flavor, and my first pot was a little weak. If you're not so much into strong curry, use the lower of the two amounts specified in the recipe.

Curried Split Pea Soup
Printable Recipe

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 16-oz bag green split peas, rinsed and picked over
7 cups chicken broth
sour cream or plain yogurt for serving, if desired

1. Heat a medium pot over medium heat until hot. Add the olive oil and heat for 10 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2. Add the rinsed split peas and chicken broth to the pot. Turn up the heat to bring it to a boil, cover and reduce the heat low or medium low to maintain a simmer. Cook for 45-50 minutes, or until the peas are very soft and falling apart. Remove from the heat.

3. Being very careful of splatters (please!), use a stick blender to puree the soup. This only takes about 30 seconds.

4. To serve, garnish with sour cream or plain yogurt. (I thinned my yogurt with a little milk to make it thin enough so it didn't sink and I could do the swirly thing on the top).

Makes about 2 quarts soup.

Foodie Fights: Frozen Tamarind-Apricot Custard with Brown Sugar-Pistachio Toffee

2010-08-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

"I hope this is what you had in mind," my husband said as he walked in the door. He had a plastic shopping bag in his hand.

"I don't know what I had in mind. I've never seen it before," I said, taking the bag and looking at the two bricks of tamarind pulp inside. I smiled at him, "This is going to be awesome."

Before signing up for this Foodie Fights battle I'd never heard of tamarind. Apparently I've been living in a cave because this is not some obscure ingredient. From Mexican to Tai to Indian food, tamarind is a common, staple ingredient. Like I said, a cave.

This, of course, is one of the reason's why I love Foodie Fights. Yes, I love the challenge of coming up with recipes, but I've been introduced to foods I don't think would have tried cooking with on my own: Pomegranate, Semolina Flour, Starfruit, Tamarind....Thanks guys :)

To make a usable paste from the pulp I softened 1/4 cup pulp in 1/4 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Then I used a fork to mash it around and really loosen the pulp from the solids, and pressed it all through a fine-mesh strainer. After scraping the stuff (goop) off the bottom of the strainer I was left with about 1/4 cup of thick tamarind paste.

After tasting the tamarind paste straight I felt like I had one of those big cartoon question marks above my head. I had no idea how this frozen custard was going to turn out. I thought apricots and cinnamon would work, but it might flop, too. I was very happy to find that it was very, very good; happy-dance good. The tamarind has a distinct flavor--you can't really compare it's sweet-tart flavor to anything else--and combining it with the apricots and cinnamon produced a delicious, round-in-your-mouth taste. Add the egg yolks, half and half, and cream, and you have a super-creamy, delightfully-flavored dessert.

Frozen Tamarind-Apricot Custard

Printable Recipe

12 dried apricots

4 egg yolks

1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup tamarind paste (see above)

1 cup half and half

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Put the dried apricots in a small sauce pan, cover them with water by about 1 inch, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the apricots to a small container (reserve cooking water) and puree with a stick blender until smooth, adding 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water as needed. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and brown sugar until thick and creamy. Add the tamarind paste, half and half, and cinnamon, and whisk until smooth.

3. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.

4. Cool the mixture until luke-warm and then transfer it to a bowl, put plastic wrap directly on the surface, cover with a lid, and refrigerator until very cold (I ended up leaving mine over-night).

5. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's manufacturer's instructions, transfer to a bowl, cover, and harden in your freezer for at least 4 hours.

Note: I found that after 4 hours it was still pretty soft, but I don't know if it's because I didn't leave it in the freezer long enough, my freezer isn't cold enough, frozen custards don't get as hard as ice cream, or because this combination of ingredients just doesn't freeze very hard. It's a mystery.

I love pistachios. They're so, so tasty, and just look at those colors! Gorgeous!

I wanted to make some kind of toffee to go with my frozen custard, and thought it would be pretty with some chopped pistachios on it. I was right. Do pistachios go with tamarind? Maybe. I should publicly thank my daughter for shelling them for me. She got paid in pistachios. Win-win, I say.

Brown Sugar-Pistachio Toffee

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon tamarind paste (see above)

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

pinch kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3-1/2 cup chopped, shelled pistachios (I sifted out the tiny pieces)

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the brown sugar, water, tamarind paste, corn syrup, salt, and mix well. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until the brown sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

2. Clip on a candy thermometer and cook the mixture, without stirring, until it reaches 290 deg (just above the soft crack stage on my thermometer). Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. Immediately pour the toffee out onto a silpat mat and gently spread it with a metal spatula if needed. Immediately again--because it hardens quickly--sprinkle on the chopped pistachios. Allow the toffee to harden completely.

4. Break the toffee into pieces small enough to use to garnish your frozen custard.

You can go here to see what the other four contestants entered in this battle. Take a look and cast your vote! *:)*

Tutorial: How to make roasted bell peppers

2010-08-02T17:35:00.001-07:00

I love roasted red bell peppers. They add such a unique flavor to food, and while you can buy them in the jar, you can very easily make them at home. The peppers for this tutorial were prepared on a grill, but I usually roast them under my broiler (it seems to go a bit faster under the broiler). I have a gas stove, but I've never blackened them over the flame; I should try that next.

Much of this technique I learned from my older sister, who says it's a combination of what she learned in a cooking class she took and something she learned from Martha Stewart. Wherever she learned it, I think it's the easiest way to prepare them. What I love most is the sweating/peeling part of this technique. The use of paper towels makes it so fast and easy! Every time I see instructions that say to peel them with your bare hands I think, "Why?" The peppers are hot and so messy--paper towels are definitely the way to go.

How To Make Roasted Bell Peppers

On the grill: Heat your grill to super hot (450-500 deg). Lay the peppers cross-wise to the bars on your grill grate and grill them on each side, turning the peppers with long-handled tongs, until the skin is blistered and blackened, 6-10 minutes on each side.

Under the broiler: Pre-heat your broiler on high. Set the peppers on a baking sheet that you've lined with foil. Broil on each side, turning the peppers with long-handled tongs, until the skin is blistered and blackened, 5-8 minutes on each side.

Immediately wrap each pepper in a couple paper towels and tie it up in it's own plastic grocery bag (See? Recycling.). Let the peppers sweat for 10-15 minutes, or until you're ready to peel them. My sister says she's let them sit for an hour or more and they've still peeled just fine.

One at a time, remove each pepper from it's sauna and use the paper towels to gently wipe the skin off. Notice I'm wearing latex gloves? I always have a box of latex gloves in my kitchen, they are one of my favorite gadgets ;) I wear gloves to peel the peppers because they are still pretty hot and I don't like getting the goop under my nails. OK, it's mostly because I don't like the goop.

Once the pepper is naked, gently pull out the stem...

...and pull the pepper open. At this point you can give them a quick rinse under water to get rid of the seeds, or not. My sister actually did a little "gasp" when I rinsed these. Apparently she doesn't rinse her peppers ;) You choose--I don't like the seeds.

Now you're free to do whatever you want with your delicious, freshly prepared roasted bell peppers. You can leave them in large pieces for sandwiches or burgers, or slice them like I did here (a baking sheet under your cutting board will keep the pepper juice from going all over your counter--blech!). Sliced peppers work great in wraps or salads or my sister's awesome Pasta with Roasted Peppers and Balsamic Chicken. I know, don't you want that recipe? No tears. It's coming.

Use the peppers right away or store them in a tightly lidded, plastic container in the fridge. I can't tell you how long they last because if I don't use them within a couple days, I usually freeze them. And there's no need to add any liquid to their storage container. As they sit they release juice that keep them moist and scrumptious.

Thanks, Crystal, for everything you've taught me! And thanks to my daughter, who wore the photographer-hat for this post. Love ya!

Cookie Carnival: Rosemary-Cheese Spritz Cookies

2010-07-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

When Tami of Tami's Table Talk announced that this Rosemary-Cheese Spritz Cookie was the July cookie for the Cookie Carnival she hosts on her blog, my first reaction was, "Ewwww!". But when I looked at the picture and recipe I decided it actually looked and sounded promising. Maybe even tasty.

And tasty they were; delicious, rich, buttery, and irresistible are other words I'd use. As they cooled I popped one after another in my mouth--you know, just. one. more. Gracious they were good. I absolutely couldn't leave them alone.

These came together much like a sweet cookie, but they are very cheesy, and the fresh rosemary added a wonderful, sharp herbiness (it's a word). And I loved that I got to use my cookie press for something other than Push Cookies, a cookie my sister and I grew up making with my mother's cookie press (that we used so much we eventually wore it out). You can use any of the disks that come with your press; I used the disk that makes an oval cookie.

I made these as an accompaniment to minestrone soup, but I think they would be awesome as part of an appetizer bar...a little fruit, a little hard salami, and some of these bites of cheesy-deliciousness. Perfect.

Oh, and the smell as they cooked? Heaven.

Note: Since these aren't sweet cookies made with a bunch of sugar, my high-altitude adjustment was just 1 additional tablespoon of flour.

Rosemary-Cheese Spritz Cookies (from the Food Network Kitchens)

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg yolk
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese (recipe called for Pecorino)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (recipe called for 1 tsp fine salt)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (recipe called for pinch fresh ground)

1. Bring all the ingredients to room temperature.

2. Beat the butter and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly beat in the egg yolk and heavy cream.

3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, Asiago, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, sugar, rosemary, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while mixing slowly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on medium speed to make a slightly sticky dough. (this actually took longer than a normal cookie, and I scraped the bowl and mixed several times before the dough came together. So be patient :)

4. Fill the cookie press with the dough. Assemble the press with the disk you want to use, and press the cookies onto ungreased baking sheets (I used three). Leave about 1 inch between the cookies (I had more space between my cookies, which is probably why I ended up needing three baking sheets). Sprinkle the cookies with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

5. Heat your oven to 325. Bake the cookies until they are golden and smell nutty (and amazingly cheesy), 20-25 minutes. I suggest you keep the cookies in the fridge until you cook them. Briefly cool the cookies on the pan and then transfer them to racks or paper towels to cool completely.

The Food Network recipe says you can store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month, which is great, but I do not see how they would last that long without being eaten. We ate ours up within a couple days.

Fruited Chicken Salad Sandwiches

2010-07-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Sisters are great for so many things, and in this case, for this recipe for a delicious croissant sandwich stuffed with chicken, grapes, Mandarin oranges, and almonds in a creamy dressing. I must confess I was a little scared the first time I ate this (years ago), but I was quickly converted to the I-love-this-sandwich camp. I've also eaten this salad on cut romaine for a lower-carb (and lower-fat without the luscious croissant) meal. The crunch of the lettuce adds a really nice touch. The salad is super-yum regardless how you eat it!

My sister's tips: Don't cut the croissant all the way through. Rather, cut it leaving a hinge at the back so that the filling doesn't fall out when you're trying to eat it. Also, cut the chicken small (less than 1/2-inch cubes). Cubes that are any bigger also tend to fall out of the roll while you're eating.

Fruited Chicken Salad Sandwiches (from Crystal Bell)
Printable recipe

10 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small cubes
1 cup diced celery
2 cups halved red grapes (seedless)
1 large can Mandarin oranges, well drained
1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup mayo
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
12-16 large croissants, sliced horizontally

Combine everything (except croissants) in a very large bowl and mix gently until thoroughly combined. Serve immediately or after chilling it in the fridge. To serve, spoon filling into sliced croissants and enjoy!

Makes about 4 quarts salad (maybe a skosh more), or enough filling for 12-16 large croissants.

Recent birthday cakes

2010-07-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

These cakes are a couple that I've done over the last few months.

This one is a "princess cake" for my friend's daughter who turned 4. Her daughter picked the colors and then I was allowed artistic license for the rest. The cake was fun to make--very fru-fru :) The cake is iced in buttercream and the flowers are also buttercream. I bought a dress-up crown for the top, and it's sitting on a round mirror to keep the fuzzies out of the frosting. Her mom reported that she loved it :)

Close-up of the buttercream flowes.

This cake was for my nephew's 8 year-old birthday. His favorite color--since he was old enough to point--is green, and this year he requested a "green animal cake". I iced the cake in green buttercream, cut the animals out of green-tinted gumpaste with cookie cutters, and made the sign out of the same green gumpaste. I used a green edible food marker to write on the sign and for the accents on the animals.

And, of course, I tinted the cake green, too...you should have seen his face! :)

Did I mention his favorite color is green?

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken

2010-07-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Roasting is such a great way to cook food, I love the put-it-in-the-oven-and-leave-it-ness of it. The marinade for this roasted chicken is from my Weight Watcher's Take-Out Tonight cookbook, which has inspired many yummy recipes (Lentils and Rice with Vegetables and Tzatziki), and is very versatile: the recipe for the marinade includes roasted potatoes, sometimes I use the marinade for chicken breasts that I slice and put in pitas with tzatziki, red onion, and sprouts, and this time I simply roasted the bone-in chicken after marinating it overnight.

Note: I bought a cut-up whole chicken to make the cooking time faster and serving easier. I also doubled the marinade recipe to have enough.

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken
Printable Recipe

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 2-3 pound cut-up whole chicken

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except the chicken, in a small bowl (I use a glass measuring cup). Put the chicken in a zip-top bag, add the marinade, seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove from the fridge 1 1/2-2 hours before roasting to bring the chicken to room temp (don't worry, it's safe).

2. Heat your oven to 425 deg and line a baking sheet with foil; spray the foil with non-stick spray.

3. Remove the chicken pieces from the bag, letting the extra marinade drip off, and place them on the prepared baking sheet with the leg and thigh pieces toward the back. Insert the probe of a meat thermometer into the thickest part of one of the breast pieces (avoid the bone). Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 155.

4. Remove from the oven, cover the chicken with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: I removed the meat from the breast pieces and sliced it for serving.

Works for Me Wednesday: No-Mess Watermelon

2010-07-21T13:06:00.001-07:00

Watermelon is one of the best parts of summer, but cutting it up can leave a sticky, wet mess all over your counter. One day it occurred to me to use the same trick I use when slicing cooked roasts (that hopefully are juicy and delicious) : put the cutting board inside a rimmed baking sheet. This way any watermelon (or meat) juice that runs off the cutting board ends up on the baking sheet and not all over the counter. Sweet, juicy watermelon with less mess? Now that works for me!

To see all of this weeks Works for Me Wednesday tips, go here.