The Cookin' Chemist

Club - Baked: Speculaas

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Club: Baked recipe was co-posted with our sister group, Baked Sunday Mornings. Both of our groups are baking through the book, Baked Explorations, but we are typically on different schedules as the Sunday morning group was established before we began our trip through the book. For fun, this time we decided to join-up on a recipe. More people baking together at one time. Should be fun. I am looking forward to seeing everyone's posts!

As described in the book, these cookies came together really easily for me. I mixed them up before leaving the house to run some errands, and they were ready to roll out and bake when I got back. My dough was a little sticky when rolling it out, but that is the only (minor) complaint that I had.

These cookies certainly end up on the crunchy side of things. I feel like mine were a little soft when I took them out of the oven, but the y set-up quite a bit as they cool. From the description of the cookies, it sounds like they are meant to be a crunchier cookie. I typically am a chewy cookie gal, but I found myself going back for these again and again. They were right up my husband's alley as he likes his cookies crunchy. I can't write this post without mentioning my beetle cookie cutter. I do actually drive a Beetle and received this cookie cutter as a gift from a 7-yr old family friend. Too cute!

These cookies certainly have that "holiday" type flavor and seem like they would keep really well for some time (not that I would know as ours didn't last very long). Something that I will definitely have to keep in mind for future holiday cookie plates. Be sure to check out the Club: Baked page to see the post from both our group and the Baked Sunday Mornings group. Should be a great round-up!

Fruit and Nut Granola

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

For breakfast, I am typically an oatmeal girl. Give me a container of oats, applesauce and cinnamon, and I am a happy girl. Better yet if I can add some sliced bananas on top. The hubbs, not so much. He really is not a picky guy, but oatmeal is not his thing. He tells me it's a texture issue more than anything.

Since he's not as happy with that container of dry oats as I am, I am constantly on the lookout for quick, homemade breakfast ideas for him. If my description of my oatmeal above tells you one thing, mornings and I are not the best of friends. If it is going to take me longer than 5 minutes to make in the morning, I am not going to have time to do it, making eggs and really anything that needs to be cooked out of the question.

Enter homemade granola. Something that can be made at home, can be made ahead of time to be a quick meal in the morning, and something that he enjoys. Sounds like it meets all the requirements!

Granola is something that I have actually made before. I have a great pumpkin granola recipe that I make again and again throughout the fall, but I really wanted to find a recipe that was less seasonal and more universal. In looking through the recipes that I have saved from other blogs, I realized I have had this recipe from Natalie at Oven Love saved for almost a year. Her description of the granola sounded great - full of chunks, low in oil/butter, and using nuts and flaxseed to boost the nutritional value. One note on the flaxseeds - if you want to get the nutritional benefits, they need to be ground. Overall, I am happy to report that this recipe was a hit. Now if I can just keep up with making it! Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Fruit and Nut Granola
Adapted from Oven Love (originally from Chocolate and Carrots and Gourmande in the Kitchen)

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2-1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1-1/2 cups puffed rice/wheat cereal
2-3 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups mix of nuts, chopped
1 cup dried fruit (mix of raisins and cranberries, or whatever you'd like)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 large, flat baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine oats, puffed cereal, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, honey, brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Pour the granola on the baking sheets, splitting evenly between the two sheets. With your hands, squeeze or pinch the oats together into small/medium clumps leaving space on the baking sheet between the clumps. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the granola is baking, chop the nuts and mix together in a small bowl. When the granola is finished baking, flip it with a large spatula and split the nuts between the baking pans. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until completely dry and brown. Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheets. Once cool, add the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Mexican Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cheesy. Enchilada. Casserole. Not the terms that you would typically think of in a January meal. Surprise, this recipe is actually based from Cooking Light, although I found this adaption on Iowa Girl Eats this past summer. Not sure it would actually classify as "health food," but when a Mexican craving strikes, this could certainly fulfill the requirements without doing too much damage to your diet. Good news in our book as Mexican is one of our favorite types of cuisines.

This recipe starts by cooking chicken breasts on the stove top in a mixture of chicken broth and green chiles. The cooked chicken is shredded and set aside as the chile mixture turns into your cheesy enchilada sauce. On a side note, did you know that you can shred a cooked chicken breast in your stand mixer? It works here or if you've boiled them on the stovetop. Just place the hot breast into the mixer with the paddle attachment and go. Perfect if you're like me and always end up burning yourself while trying to shred the hot chicken :)

Our verdict: cheesy, lighter, and delicious! Looking through the ingredients, the dish is really a deconstructed enchilada layered lasagna-style into a baking dish, so if you have that soft spot in your heart for enchiladas, these should float your boat. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Mexican Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats (originally adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5oz) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1-1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup skim evaporated milk
1 (10oz) can enchilada sauce
2oz. 1/3-less fat cream cheese
1 cup (4oz) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup (2oz) 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
9 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1-2 oz tortilla chips, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Heat the chicken broth and one can of the green chiles in a large skillet on medium-high heat. When boiling, add the chicken breasts and cook for 7-8 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken, shred, and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid and set aside.

Re-heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and second can of green chiles. Saute until the onions are soft, then add the evaporated milk, enchilada sauce, cream cheese, Monterey jack cheese, and reserved cooking liquid. Stir until sauce is combined, then add in the shredded chicken. Stir well, and remove from heat.

Lay 3 corn tortillas on the bottom of the baking dish, tearing them when necessary to cover the entire bottom of the dish. Top with 2 cups of the chicken mixture. Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with the chicken layer on top. Top with the crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese on the top is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos

2012-01-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

Ever have those random ingredients hanging around your kitchen. I seemed to end up with several types of random ingredients after all the different meals we made over the holidays - a half box of cornflakes here, half block of fontina cheese there, frozen roasted veggies, and a random (and HUGE) extra sweet potato.

Thankfully, I discovered a use for my rogue sweet potato while perusing Pinterest one day. Enter these taco packets by Natalie from Perry's Plate. Cubed sweet potatoes and some of your typical taco toppings are loaded up and baked right in a foil packet. They earn bonus points right away there - almost no clean up!

As for how they turned out, I'll just say my husband beat me out for taking the leftovers for lunch :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos
From Perry's Plate

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey
2-3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/2 cup (4oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14oz) black, pinto, or kidney beans
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups total)
2 Tbsp. butter
salt
1-1/2 cups fresh spinach, torn
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole for garnish
6, 12-inch long pieces of aluminum foil

Brown the ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and beans. Set aside.

To assemble the packets, spray the foil with non-stick spray. Place 1 cup of sweet potato cubes in the center of each piece. Top with a small piece of butter (1 teaspoon) and a pinch or two of salt. Sprinkle some torn spinach over the sweet potatoes, followed by about 1/3 cup of taco meat and a sprinkle of cheese. Fold the sides in, then bring the top and bottom ends of the foil together in the center and fold, sealing the packet.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients, placing the packets on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.

Club: Baked - Mississippi Mud Pie

2012-01-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my new goals for myself this year: bake with my groups more often! I really don't know why I don't do it more often as it seems more often than not the recipes we make are amazingly delicious. This one being no exception...

This time around, our Club:Baked recipe is hosted by Jess at The Saucy Kitchen. Her choice: Mississippi Mud Pie. I feel like I say this a lot, but without this group, I never would have given this pie a chance. Me. Dark chocolate and coffee? Na... give me some caramel and milk chocolate, and I'm a happy girl :)

Nonetheless, both my husband and I found ourselves really enjoying this pie. I made a half version in a little 5-inch pie tin since it was just the 2 of us, and everything seemed to come together really well. There are a lot of steps in this recipe, but most of it is melt, freeze, repeat. I am thinking that this pie could be the perfect solution for when I need a dessert in the middle of the summer. The no-bake factor certainly wins points in the Phoenix summers category. A couple people mentioned on the message board that they had trouble finding chocolate wafers. I have some leftover chocolate animal crackers from when my brother made this cheesecake, and they seemed to work just fine here.

Stop by the Club: Baked page today to check out the pies from the other bloggers, and be sure to stop by Jess's blog for hosting! Enjoy!

Mom's Banana Apple Bread

2012-01-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with my topic of types of food we have way too much of... browned bananas. At last count, the number of too brown bananas hanging out in my freezer was north of 15, and I haven't counted recently :)

In all seriousness, bananas are something we almost always keep in the house as I'll eat them everyday for breakfast when we have them. My problem? I like them green. As long as I can get the peel off, I'll eat them. One spot and they're sitting on the shelf waiting for banana bread, and one thing that I have learned since moving is that bananas ripen much faster here!

I have had my eye on this banana bread in The Sweet Melissa Baking Book since before I joined the baking group. The group made it before I was a member, and I remember thinking that this was a recipe that I definitely needed to make to "catch up." The opportunity presented itself to make this bread over the holidays while my in-laws were here, so I finally got to using up (at least a couple) of those bananas.

This banana bread recipe takes the twist of first caramelizing a couple chopped apples in brown sugar and butter before mixing them into the batter. I feel like we didn't necessary taste the apples themselves in the finished loaf, but they definitely helped keep the loaf really moist, even for a couple of days. Banana bread is one of those things where I can't seem to commit to a recipe, making a different one almost every time, but this is a recipe I'm sure we'll make again. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Mom's Apple Banana Bread
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Ingredients:
For the apples:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the banana bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart loaf pan. Set aside.

To make the apples, preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling. Add the apples and cinnamon and saute until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

For the banana bread, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the mashed bananas until combined. Then stir in the reserved apples.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan to cool on the rack further.

Eggplant Parmesan Pasta Bake

2012-01-09T21:55:00.001-07:00

Eggplant. That word may still be enough to strike a fair amount of fear into this household. If you've read my blog over the past couple of months, you may know that our garden gave us a fair number of eggplant from late summer into fall. Too many. Enough that I was actually considering leaving a bag of them on my neighbor's doorsteps! Our plants have since died out in the cooler temperatures so this may be one of the last eggplant recipes that you see from me for awhile.

The basic idea for this dish comes from Isabelle of Crumb, however I pre-cooked the eggplant based on a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. In CI, they explain that cooking with eggplant has 2 problems: 1) It has a fair amount of water that when baked, will water down your dish, and 2) It's full of air pockets that will soak up any oil that is used in the dish. Their solution? Wrapping it in paper towels and pre-cooking it in the microwave for a few minutes before adding it to the dish. The cooking time collapses the air pockets, leaving no room for the oil, and the paper towels will soak up any extra water. Makes perfect sense, and it is so easy that I may never make an eggplant dish without first doing this step.

Out of all the things that we made with our eggplant, this dish is my favorite. The ingredients are pretty unassuming - eggplant, pasta, a homemade tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella, but the combination is stellar. Good enough that I'd even consider planting another plant again. Well, maybe in a few months. Just remind me at that time that it is not a good idea to grow 6 plants of 1 type of vegetable for only 2 people :)

(Printable Recipe)

Eggplant Parmesan Pasta Bake
Adapted from Crumb and cooking methods from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. whole wheat rigatoni, ziti, or penne pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (14oz) low-sodium diced tomatoes with juices
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
generous pinch red pepper flakes
about 1/3-lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss eggplant with the salt in a large bowl. Line surface of a plate with a double layer of paper towels or coffee filters. Spread eggplant in even layers over filters. Microwave eggplant, uncovered, until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, about 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure that the eggplant cooks evenly. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, boil water to cook the pasta. Cook al dente, as directed by the package. Drain and rinse under cold water when finished cooking. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browning, about 8-10 minutes. Add eggplant and cook 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Add the tomatoes with juices, red wine, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes to the eggplant mixture. Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if needed. Add the pasta and stir to combine. Pour into a prepared 1-quart baking dish. Distribute the sliced mozzarella over the pasta and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is starting to brown. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread Take II

2012-01-02T20:17:00.001-07:00

Happy 2012 everyone! We ate our black eyed peas yesterday so hoping that 2012 will be a great year here.

I am not one to typically make resolutions with the new year as I feel that you can make a change any day of the year. The hubby and I did sit down on New Year's Eve to make a 30 Things before 30 list. Kind of a bucket list of things we want to do before we hit 30 years with goals and fun things to do :)

Resolutions aside, I am ready to get back into our routine after the holiday hoopla. I sat down this past weekend to make a menu plan for the week and realized that I hadn't planned out our meals since the end of November. With a meal plan ready to go for the next week, we'll hopefully be back on track. While they aren't actually on my menu for this next week, these pitas would certainly help this plan. Stuffed with meat and veggies for a fulfilling lunch or with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast, they meet the qualifications necessary for a great meal.

If you've read my blog for awhile, you know that this is not the first time that I have attempted to make pita bread at home. I am not sure if it was the recipe or more experience using yeast, but this recipe seemed to go much more smoothly than the previous one. Pita success.These even made great homemade pita chips :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Whole Wheat Pita Bread
From Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
2-1/4 tsp. instant yeast (1 pkg)
1 Tbsp. honey
1-1/4 cups hot water (105-115 F), divided
1-1/2 cups bread flour, divided
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
cornmeal for sprinkling

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the honey, yeast, and 1/2 cup of the water. Stir gently to blend. Whisk 1/4 cup of the bread flour and 1/4 cup of the whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining 3/4 cup of warm water, 1-1/4 cups bread flour, and 1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour until doubled in bulk.

Place the oven rack in a middle position. Place a baking stone in the oven (if using) and preheat to 500 degrees F.

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten one ball at a time into a disk and then stretch into a 6-1/2 to 7-inch circle. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. Loosely cover with a kitchen towel and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until slightly puffy.

Transfer 4 pitas to the stone or baking sheet. Bake for 2 minutes, until puffed and a pale golden color. Gently flip over using tongs and bake for 1 minute more. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Mashed Potato Pizza

2011-12-28T18:34:00.001-07:00

Mashed potato pizza. What a great idea. Saw this right before Thanksgiving on Iowa Girl Eats. In her post, Kristin talks about how she used to work right above a pizza parlor. That would be heaven in my husband's book. In fact, I am not sure I'd ever see him again :)

Kristin's idea was to use up leftover mashed potatoes to recreate one of the parlor's pizzas at home. We found ourselves with some extra, extra mashed potatoes after our little Thanksgiving gathering, so I thought I would give it a whirl as well. Our verdict - unique and absolutely delicious. As Kristin did, I would recommend making it on a thinner crust to counteract the layer of potatoes. This pizza is everything that is good about a loaded baked potato piled on a crispy crust.

If you have any mashed potatoes leftover from Christmas dinner, I would highly recommend giving this pizza a shot!

(Printable Recipe)

Mashed Potato Pizza
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
1 prepared or purchased thin crust pizza dough
1-1/2 cups mashed potatoes
chopped broccoli, steamed or cooked (I used part of a steamer bag)
1 roma tomato
1-1/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Place a pizza stone (if you have one) in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Roll out the pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Spread the mashed potatoes over the dough. Layer with broccoli, cheese, tomatoes and crumbled bacon. Briefly take the hot pan out of the oven and slide the pizza (on the parchment paper) onto the hot pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is browning around the edges and the cheese has melted. Slice and enjoy!

Christmas Soup Series: White Chicken Chili

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last but not least, I'm adding white chicken chili into the mix. This is one of those recipes where I'm sure everyone has their own little variation, but no matter how you make it, it always turns out awesome! This recipe is my mom's, and it has made an appearance more than once on Christmas Eve.

I feel like I say this a lot, but I really, really like this soup. We made a double batch of it last Friday for the savory part of a cookie exchange party, so my husband and I have been enjoying the leftovers all week. It literally is one of those things that I could eat everyday and not become tired of it. The recipe for this soup does call for a 1/2 cup of heavy cream. I have successfully swapped lower fat products including half and half and whole milk. If you are looking to try this, keep in mind that these items will "thin out" the soup a little bit more than the cream and may clump easier if they get too hot in the soup. If you are making it in the crockpot, be sure not to add any of the dairy products until about 30 minutes before you plan to serve the soup or they may curdle. A bonus with the crockpot is that your house will smell so good when you come home!

This is definitely a recipe that will allow for some tailoring, so if something sounds like it would go well in here, try it! I know I'll be enjoying my last bowl tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone!

(Printable Recipe)

White Chicken Chili
From Mom

Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
1 Tbsp. oil (only if cooking in stockpot)
1 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 cans (14.5 oz each) white beans (navy beans), rinsed and drained
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cans (4oz) chopped green chiles
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1-1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream

If cooking in a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic powder and saute until the onion is translucent. Add beans, broth, chiles, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and heavy cream.

Crockpot directions: Add all ingredients except the sour cream and heavy cream to the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add the sour cream and heavy cream about 30 minutes before serving to allow the soup to re-warm after the addition.

Christmas Soup Series: Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of soups for Christmas. This is one of the other recipes that my brother made last week while he was visiting. It is a little similar to this soup recipe that I posted last year in that it contains both sausage and red wine, but the soups are distinct enough that I am considering them different.

Of all the things on my blog, my soups are probably one of the things that we "repeat" the most at home. You other bloggers know what I am talking about. The "are we having something new again for dinner" syndrome. This soup is definitely up with the others in flavor, and that is considering that we really like all of the soups posted here. Given the fact that my brother served us this during the same meal as the chocolate-chip toffee cheesecake, I would certainly say we had a great meal!

Similar to the minestrone, the pasta in this soup will soak up some of the liquid as it sits. Just add extra broth to your preference when you reheat it. This one also calls for red wine, but it can be substituted for the beef broth if you prefer. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet Italian chicken/turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
1 can (14.5) oz. diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1-1/2 cups quartered zucchini
8 oz. fresh whole wheat tortellini
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large Dutch oven, brown the sausage, crumbling as you cook it. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain the fat.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and saute until the onion begins to soften. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Skim fat from the soup if necessary (should be very little if you use chicken/turkey sausage). Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

Crockpot directions: Cook the sausage as directed. Place all ingredients except tortellini and Parmesan cheese in the crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Cook tortellini separately on the stove according to package directions and add just before serving. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.

Christmas Soup Series: Jamie's Minestrone

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up we had quite a few Christmas traditions. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, we'd get up early to grab donuts before heading to the Christmas tree farm to pick out/cut down our tree. We also had a paper nativity scene that doubled as an Advent calendar. My brother and I would alternate days of putting up each character, often squabbling over who would get to put the star up over the manger on Christmas Eve.

One of the other traditions that I still continue - soup on Christmas Eve. The kind has changed over the years (there was a time when I would have a can of Campbell's chicken and stars because the rest of the family was having oyster stew...), but the idea of soup has stayed constant. We've done stews, chili, homemade chicken noodle, and even played with the idea of bread bowls, but it's always homemade and always great! Plus, it is low stress as you can put it in a crockpot and forget about it. Bonus that it leaves room for Christmas cookies :)

As I don't have too many Christmas cookie recipes to share with you this year, I thought I would let you in on our little tradition and offer up a few soup recipes leading up to Christmas Eve.

The first soup is a classic - minestrone. I have made this recipe a couple of times, and I really enjoy it as it is everything a minestrone soup should be: great flavor and loaded with vegetables. The recipe calls for red wine. If you are worried about including alcohol, it could certainly be replaced with some additional broth, however if you can, I would strongly suggest you include it. I love the flavor red wine adds to soups. One thing to note is that the pasta will continue to soak up the liquid (even when fully cooked), so cook it al dente and only add it a few minutes before serving. This is especially important if you are making the soup in a crockpot! For the leftovers in this case, I have just been adding a little bit more broth as needed when I heat it up.

Feel free to join in if you want. It's a fun tradition to start! Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Jamie's Minestrone
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups chicken broth (can use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
2 cups water
4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1 can (14.5oz) low-sodium kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed into 1-inch pieces
2 cups baby spinach
3 small zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup small whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente
shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. If using, add red wine. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach, zucchini, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.

Cook pasta separately until al dente according to package directions. Drain and add to soup. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Crockpot directions: Follow the first step through cooking the onions. Add the sauteed onions and garlic to the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients except the pasta, spinach, and Parmesan cheese. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Cook the pasta until al dente as directed above and add to the crockpot with the spinach just before serving. The heat will wilt the spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Chocolate-Chip Toffee Cheesecake

2011-12-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

Delectable. Phenomenal. Decadent.

I really wish that I could claim this one as my own, but my only claim to it is that it was made in my kitchen. The true chef behind this one - my brother. He stayed with us for a few days last week for an interview and decided to make dinner one day while my husband and I were both at work. We came home to homemade bread bowls, soup, and this cheesecake as dessert. I could get used to this!

Words aside, this cheesecake is definitely a show-stopper. I am not sure that any of these words can really describe how delicious it was. Decadent, but totally worth it. I am sure it would be well received to finish out any holiday party that you may encounter. Enjoy

(Printable Recipe)

Chocolate-Chip Toffee Cheesecake
Barely adapted from food.com

Ingredients:
Crust:
1-1/4 cups chocolate animal crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups Skor English toffee bits (from 2 8-oz bags)

Topping:
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and butter. In an ungreased 9-inch springform pan, press the crumb mixture in the bottom and 1 to 1-1/2 inches up the side.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and the vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the toffee bits for garnish. Gently stir remaining toffee bits into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until set. Turn oven off; leave door open 4 inches. Cool the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Without releasing or removing the sides of the pan, run a metal spatula along the sides of the cheesecake to loosen. Cool 30 more minutes. Run metal spatula along the sides of the cheesecake to loosen again. Refrigerate uncovered until thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours.

In a small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/2 cup chocolate chips and whipping cream uncovered on high 20-30 seconds or until chips are melted and can be stirred smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of toffee bits around the outer edge of the cheesecake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the middle of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until the topping is set, about 15 minutes. Drizzle with caramel ice cream topping. Remove the sides of the pan and serve.

Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken

2011-12-11T21:09:00.001-07:00

I wish I could tell you that I had a great Christmas cookie recipe for you, but I have really yet to think about anything Christmas. Our tree is up, but I have a big fat zero in the gift and baking department. I guess you could say that I've been a little slow getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Hoping to get on that this weekend with a cookie exchange party on Friday and shopping days planned for this up coming weekend :)

While I may be lacking in the Christmas department, I have been trying to keep up cooking and have several recipes that are in the wings waiting to be posted. This chicken dish is a recipe that Jenna posted almost a year ago to the date on Eat, Live, Run. While the recipe title basically sums up the ingredients, the combination of the ingredients here is greater than the sum of it's parts. The caramelization of the sugar in the oven combined with the tartness from the lemon juice = yum!

Be sure not to skip the pounding step as this really helps your chicken breasts cook evenly thus helping to avoid drying them out. I don't know about you, but I feel that the chicken breasts I have been getting from the store lately are huge. Without this step, I'd probably be baking them for a hour! I continued the lemon theme here by serving these over a lemon pearl couscous. Deliciousness if I do say so myself. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken
Adapted from Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
juice of 2 large lemons
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 cup flour
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Lemon Couscous:
olive oil
1 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous
1/2 lemon, juiced
1-3/4 cup chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts until thin and even. Set aside.

Combine the flour, paprika, and salt in a shallow cake pan or container. Coat each chicken breast with the flour mixture.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Drop each chicken breast in and cook until browned on each side, about 4 minutes per side. You do not need to cook the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking as it bakes. Remove chicken breasts and keep warm in a casserole dish.

Pour the lemon juice in the pan to deglaze. Cook until just boiling and the brown bits from the chicken are scooped up. Pour over the chicken in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and lemon zest. Bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reach 165 degrees.

Meanwhile, for the couscous, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add couscous and stir fry until the pearls become golden brown. Add the juice of half a lemon and stir to coat the couscous. Add the chicken broth to the pan, place a lid on top and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous is tender.

Hearty Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa

2011-12-08T22:01:00.001-07:00

Man. I feel like a little bit of a wimp saying this, but it was cold this week in New Orleans. No, not snow cold, but cool weather combined with rain can still be cold. We were there for a pharmacy conference and having to walk around in the rain is not synonymous with fun. I was definitely ready to get back to Arizona desert last night! Nonetheless, the chill stayed with me and has me thinking of one thing. Soup!

In reality, I made this soup a couple weeks ago, almost immediately after I ran across it online, and a bowl of it sounds about perfect right now! Dara from the Cookin' Canuck came up with this recipe on her own, and I have to say she is a genius. Check out her site for the pictures, and let me tell you that this soup is as good as it looks. Extra points in because it is healthy. Delicious + healthy = win.

I changed the soup a little by using a sweet potato rather than a butternut squash and slightly varying the cooking method. The recipe calls for cooking the chicken in some broth, but you could certainly use cooked chicken as a time saver if you want. We loved our end result, but I'm sure it would be great with the butternut squash too. If you're looking to warm up from some cool weather, this would be a great way to do it. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Hearty Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa
Adapted from Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs. sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley, chopped

In a medium saucepan, add sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 5-7 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Remove half of the pieces. Continue boiling the remaining pieces of sweet potato until they are very soft, 3-5 minutes more. Drain and mash with the back of a fork. Set aside.

In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Add the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.

Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower the heat to medium. Add olive oil and allow to warm. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and oregano. Cook stirring for 1 additional minute. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, cubed sweet potato pieces, and mashed sweet potato. Stir to combine. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.

Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork. Stir in the chicken, olives, and pepper into the stew, and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and serve.

SRC: Chile Honey Chicken

2011-12-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

It is Secret Recipe Club time already. It feels like there is no way that another month has gone by, but the calendar begs to differ. Our group has a new host this month, Jane from The Heritage Cook, so a huge thank you to her for helping to organize all our delicious posts!

My blog assigment this month Phemomenon. I was crazy excited about this assignment because Holly's blog is one of the first I started reading before I ever started my own. In fact, one of my very first posts was a Cookie Carnival week that she hosted (please forgive these early blog pictures!). Holly has established a great blog with tons of awesome looking dinners and desserts from posts for different cooking groups. In choosing a recipe for this group, I wanted to pick an original recipe to give her a little more of the spotlight, and this search led me straight to this chile honey chicken recipe.

While I haven't made an Asian-inspired dish in quite some time, my husband is definitely a fan of Chinese food. Combine that with one of Holly's recipes, and my odds were good that this would be a hit. As it turns out, I should have placed a few bets on those odds because this was really good! My only change from the way she originally made it was to follow her stir-fry directions. One of the advantages of making Chinese food at home is that it gives you the freedom to turn it into a healthy meal, so I never bread nor fry my chicken when making it at home. As she notes, the dish turns out being a little sweet from the addition of the honey, however one could easily up the heat-factor by adding a little more crushed red pepper - as I have found out the hard way in previous Asian dishes. Two tablespoons really is too much! :)

I know both of us cleaned our plates with this one. Yum! Be sure to check out the other great SRC recipes below. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Chile Honey Chicken
From PheMOMenon

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
1/3 cup Ponzu sauce
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas

Sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. water
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch (or more) crushed red pepper

Trim and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large ziptop bag with the ponzu sauce and 1/4 cup sweet chile sauce. Mix the bag to cover the chicken pieces and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Begin preparing rice or noodles if using to serve with the chicken.

While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce by whisking together the honey, remaining 1/4 cup sweet chile sauce, butter, water, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Drain the marinade from the chicken pieces and discard. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked through. Place the cooked chicken aside in a bowl, leaving an empty pan. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the prepared sauce. Using a wooden spoon, stir the sauce and let it boil for approximately 1 minute. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and stir to coat. Add the sugar snap peas and stir to coat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until everything is hot. Serve over rice or noodles.

Lemon Coconut Macaroons

2011-12-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

It's December, so that must mean it is cookie time! How about some macaroons? The ones with 2 o's :)

Macarons have been on my list of things to make for some time, butI have never mustered up the guts to try them. It is my understanding that theyhave quite the reputation for being temperamental. I have a feeling that this kind, with coconut and2 o's in the name, are a little simpler to make.

The recipe for these comesfrom The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I was a member of the Sweet MelissaSundays baking club, however the ladies made this recipe before I joined. I made these on a whim one day while looking for a way to use up a partial bag of coconut, and I haven't regretted it. With a short ingredient list, the recipe couldn't be easier, and as long as you like coconut and lemon, I am confident you will enjoy these. I am thinking you could even pass them off as "snowballs" on a Christmas cookie plate. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Lemon Coconut Macaroons
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Ingredients:
1 (14oz) bag sweetened coconut
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (these will tend to stick if you skip this step).

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, lemon juice, and lemon zest and rub together with your hands. Stir in the sugar and mix to combine. Add the egg whites. Use your hands to mix until everything is coated and the egg whites are distributed evenly.

Form the mixture into approximately 1-ounce balls with your hands or a cookie scoop. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookie base will keep up to 1 week if you want to make the 'dough' ahead of time. The finished cookies will keep well in a container at room temperature for 3 days. For longer storage, place them in the refrigerator.

Creamy, Light Mac and Cheese

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

It really hasn't been that long since I posted this version of macaroni and cheese, but really, who can resist a big bowl of cheesy macaroni when the weather starts to cool down? In our house, past macaroni and cheese recipes or not, there was no way my husband was going to allow me to not make this when he saw my September issue of Cooking Light. It was cover-love at its greatest :)

In reality, this macaroni and cheese recipe was the makeover recipe for September swapping pureed butternut squash for some of the cheese and fat in the traditional sauce. This one major swap cut the calories by almost 2/3. Crazy! Thinking there is no way that butternut squash could be a good replacement for cheese? In our opinion, it didn't do too bad. It certainly wasn't they Velveeta, gooey version of macaroni and cheese, but the squash actually keeps it quite creamy all while staying barely noticeable. If you are looking for that Velveeta version, you won't find that here. What you will find is a pretty good mac and cheese that would fall within most diets. In fact, if you didn't know the ingredients, it would be hard to pick squash out of the lineup. Perfect if you happen to know any vegetable haters. You don't even have to lie about the name. They left the word 'squash' out :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipes)

Creamy, Light Mac and Cheese
From Cooking Light September 2011

Ingredients:
3 cups (1 lb) cubed, peeled butternut sqaush
1-1/4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 cups skim milk
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. fat-free Greek yogurt
1-1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup (4 oz) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup (1 oz) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
cooking spray
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the hot squash mixture in a blender (or blend with an immersion blender if you have one as this step is much easier). Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of the blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid. Place a clean towel over the opening of the blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash in a bowl; stir in Gruyere, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 9x13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat the topping with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Club: Baked - Buckeyes

2011-11-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

My mom called the other day mentioning that she saw a girl wearing a shirt saying, "Once a Husker, always a Husker." She really wanted to get one for me since we have moved away from Nebraska, but the store had already sold out of them by the time she found it. Being a "true Husker girl" I have never made nor tried a Buckeye candy, but I decided to embrace my full B1G 10 spirit and give these a shot (j/k) :)

Named after an opposing mascot or not, these little candies crafted of peanut butter and chocolate are not something to pass up. Karen from Karen's Cookies Cakes & More is hosting this week's Club: Baked recipe, and as usual, I had a lot of fun making something that I otherwise wouldn't have chosen.

They were really simple to make. Mix together the peanut butter part. Melt the chocolate. Dip, set, and eat. As we were forewarned in the book, the peanut butter mixture was a little dry, but I was able to push it into a ball with my hands pretty easily. The hardest part about these for me proved to be waiting for the chocolate to set. I moved a few of them too soon, but it was nothing a quick set in the refrigerator couldn't fix. I could see these being a great recipe for when you need something quickly but still want it to be a hit. Just proves it is hard to go wrong with that classic peanut butter-chocolate combination.

Be sure to stop by the Club: Baked page to see the results for the other bloggers. I am thinking this will be a delicious week for everyone involved!

1 Step Pound (Bundt) Cake with Vanilla Glaze

2011-11-15T05:00:00.001-07:00

Do you know what today is? The picture is a hint :)

I am usually not too up with the foodie holidays. I will usually find out it's something like National Pancake Day at 9:00PM that night. Well, thanks to The Food Librarian's montage of bundt cakes I am prepared for this holiday. It's National Bundt Day!

In all seriousness, for the past 3 years, Mary at The Food Librarian has professed her love for the bundt cake by baking 30 cakes in 30 days prior to the holiday on November 15th. That is a lot of cake! She also hosts a 'big bundt' round-up, so I thought it would be fun this year to bake along. The timing also happens to be perfect as today is also my mother's birthday. Being several states away, I will not be able to celebrate with her in person this year, so I thought I'd offer up this cake.

The recipe for this cake comes from a co-worker. Admittedly, I am usually more of a frosting kind of gal, but this cake was good enough on its own that I actually considered skipping the glaze. Only for a moment. It was moist and dense (in a good way), and the lemon flavor comes through just a little bit from the added lemon juice. The only negative is that this recipe makes a ton of batter. I have a 15-cup bundt pan and it still rose above the edge of the pan. If you have a smaller pan, you may want to split the batter into 2 cakes.

So, I know it's the day of but join in on the bundt fun. Mary's link for the bundt round up can be found here, and I promise I won't tell if the calendar doesn't officially say November 15th. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

1 Step Pound (Bundt) Cake with Vanilla Glaze
From Vince's recipe

Ingredients:
Cake:
3 sticks of butter (1-1/2 cups), softened
3-1/2 cups flour, sifted
3 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 cups sour cream

Glaze:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Allow all the cold ingredients to come to room temperature. Grease and lightly flour a large bundt pan or desired loaf pan(s).

Combine all of the cake ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for 1 minute on low speed, then mix for 3 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes. The cake may need to bake longer than 60 minutes. When it rises completely in the middle and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, it is finished. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the pan and place on a wired rack to cool completely. You can skip the glaze and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

For the glaze, melt the butter. Mix in vanilla and milk. Add powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until desired consistency is obtained. Pour over the cooled cake and let harden before serving.

SRC: Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Pumpkin Hummus Pizza on a Rosemary Crust

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

This time of year, pumpkin recipes are abound. The sweet recipes range from pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream, to even a pumpkin dump cake. It's even creeping into the savory side in recipes such as pumpkin chili and pumpkin macaroni and cheese. One thing that I can say I have never seen is pumpkin hummus, but I found it here on my Secret Recipe Club assignment for November on Noelle's blog, An Opera Singer in the Kitchen.

Noelle really is an opera singer (which I find amazing). Not only that, but she just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on November 2nd. Many of her recipes are vegan. While we are not vegans nor vegetarians ourselves, I had a lot of fun looking through her recipes. While I lingered over these enchiladas for awhile, I finally decided on this pizza. As mentioned above, I have never seen a pumpkin hummus, and we definitely love pizza.

The pizza came together really well. I mixed the crust ingredients together in my stand mixer using the dough hook, and it rose beautifully. As we are not vegan, I did add cheese on top of the pizza - a combination of Parmesan and part-skim Mozzarella. My only other change was to use less oil in both the hummus and to cook the onions/spinach than was originally called for in the recipe. Not surprisingly, we loved the combination of these ingredients on the final pizza. While there, the pumpkin flavor was not really prominent in the hummus, and it served mostly to make a really smooth hummus.

Would I make this again? Absolutely. In the future, I may add another onion and a little bit more spinach to up the topping ratio a little, but it is definitely a meal we enjoyed. Thanks Noelle and congratulations on your new little one!

(Printable Recipe)

Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Pumpkin Hummus Pizza on a Rosemary Crust
Adapted from An Opera Singer in the Kitchen and Oh She Glows

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup white bread flour + 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 cup rosemary, chopped finely
2 tsp. garlic powder
2-1/4 tsp. instant yeast
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup warm water

Pumpkin Hummus:
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. Tahini paste
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Pizza:
1-2 onions, thinly sliced
3-6 cups fresh spinach, packed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 to 1-1/2 cups part-skim Mozzarella cheese

For the crust, mix together the 1 cup of bread flour, salt, sugar, rosemary, garlic powder, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir well. Add 2/3 cup warm water and the oil. Stir well. The dough will be wet and sticky at this point. Place dough hook attachment on the mixer and turn onto speed number 1. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour gradually until the dough becomes cohesive and less sticky. You may add up to another 1/4 cup extra flour if needed. Let the mixer continue on speed number 1 for another 4-5 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth. Place into a bowl sprayed with non-stick spray, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1-1/2 hours or until an indentation remains when you stick your finger into the dough. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees about thirty minutes before you plan to bake the pizza. If you are not using a pizza stone, you can preheat the oven immediately before baking.

For the hummus, combine the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. For the onions, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, and cook 20-30 minutes until browned and caramelized, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When the onions are finished, add the spinach and pepper and cook 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Roll the dough out using hands or a rolling pin on a piece of parchment paper. Shape a crust around the edges with your hands. Top with hummus and the onion and spinach mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the mozzarella. If using, take the hot stone out of the oven and slide the parchment paper and pizza onto the stone. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted. Slice and serve.

Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables and Ginger

2011-11-02T23:14:00.001-07:00

Funny story about this recipe....

I typically menu plan sometime on Friday or Saturday for the next week starting on Monday. Lately, since I have have been working quite a bit, my husband has been going to the store for the groceries with the list that I have made for him. Typically, he does quite well, but this last time he came home reporting that he could not find any orzo. After asking him if he looked in the pasta isle, I realized he had no idea it was pasta. No big deal. I drive by a store every day on the way home from the gym, so I told him I'd stop by to pick up some orzo on my way home.

Fast forward a couple days to when I come home, orzo in hand, to make the recipe. I should preface this by stating that I am not the best at gathering my ingredients before I begin a recipe. So, there I am, onions, garlic, and sweet potato pieces cooking away, when I begin to look for the kale. We usually keep a couple heads of green leaf or read leaf lettuce in the fridge, so I looked through them several times. No kale. All lettuce, so I called my husband...

"Hey, did you buy any kale at the store?"

Him, "Yeah, it should be in the vegetable drawer."

"Honey, I looked through the vegetable drawer and there is nothing in there that is green and leafy."

"Crap. What does kale look like?"

So, this is what I found in the vegetable drawer that was posing as "kale." Not sure what I am going to do with it, but if anyone has a recipe using a fennel bulb, let me know :)

I tell you that at his expense to get a little bit of a laugh, but he really gets big props for going back to the store to get some kale. When we finally gathered all the ingredients for this, it turned out to be a great dinner. The recipe comes from The Kitchn, and I think that it makes the perfect fall meal. Pasta, balsamic vinegar, roasted vegetables. Straight up my alley. I left the mushrooms out because they aren't my thing, but if you are into them, I'm sure they would be good in here for you. Other than that, my only changes were to use less oil in the recipe as I don't think it needs nearly as much as is listed throughout the instructions.

Try it out! Especially if you can manage to find orzo and kale at the store :)

(Printable Recipe)

Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables and Ginger
Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. orzo pasta
grapeseed, peanut, or vegetable oil
1 large sweet potato (about 3/4 lb)
2 medium onions (about 1 lb), finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (~1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 bunch kale or chard, leaves removed and finely chopped (about 2 cups)
freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt generously. Cook the orzo until barely al dente - about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.

Peel the sweet potato and dice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a large saute or frying pan over high heat. Drizzle in a little oil (not olive oil — you want an oil with a high smoke point) and heat until shimmering. Add the sweet potato pieces and arrange them in one layer. Cook them over high heat until they are beginning to caramelize and turn brown - about 3-4 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring as little as necessary to prevent burning. You want them to brown.

Turn the heat down to medium and push the sweet potato pieces into a pile on the side. Add the diced onion to the center of the pan and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir them into the onions. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until the onions turn quite brown and the potatoes are softening. If you are adding mushrooms, you can do it at this time.

Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of oil. Pour this into the pan with the vegetables and mix everything together, scraping the bottom as you go. Cook all the elements together for 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn the heat up to high. Add the orzo gradually, shaking in 1 cup at a time, and stirring and scraping constantly. Cook the orzo and other vegetables on high for 5 minutes, letting the orzo brown on the bottom of the pan, then scraping it up. You are developing a little more color and flavor on the pasta and helping all the flavors combine.

Finally, toss the chopped greens into the mix and cook for 1 more minute or until the greens are barely wilted. Turn off the heat and taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2011-10-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two weeks since I have posted on here. I have my reasons (solid 19 day stretch at work), but it is what it is. We're all busy. I am currently on day 14 of 19, and I promise that I will try to be better. We have certainly still been eating, so I should keep posting :) In a peace offering for my absence, I am offering up this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

While it may be a little hard to offer you a serving of this dish in person, I am not kidding when I tell you this recipe rocks. In her post, Mel talks about wanting to dream about this dinner forever. I am with her! The ingredients themselves seem fairly basic, something that would be the makings of your standard weeknight meal. I am not sure if it is one ingredient that stands out or if it is the combination of these ingredients together, but the finished dish is hands down one of the best dinners we have made (I say we because my husband actually made this dish, although I have to get some credit as I picked out the recipe).

My take on this one: Just make it. Please! And call me when you do, as I'll be over for supper as soon as I get off work :)

(Printable Recipe)

Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and from Cook’s Country Cookbook: Rediscovering America’s Home Cooking

Ingredients:
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup minced basil, divided
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (on the thicker side in order to stuff them)
3 Tbsp. lowfat mayonnaise
1 cup whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded cheese, 2 tablespoons of the minced basil, cream, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast. Stuff with cheese mixture and seal using a toothpick to help close the slit if necessary. Transfer the stuffed breasts to a 9x13-inch pan and spread the tops evenly with mayonnaise.

In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, remaining garlic, remaining basil, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the chicken breasts, pressing lightly to adhere.

Toss the tomatoes with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Arrange the tomatoes in the baking dish in and around the chicken. Bake until the crumbs are golden brown and the chicken is cooked through (registering 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer), about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Club: Baked - Sawdust Pie

2011-10-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

When Karen approached me about choosing a recipe for my host date of Club: Baked, she asked if I would be willing to pick a recipe out of the pie section of the book we're baking through, Baked Explorations. If you have been around my blog at all, you know that pies aren't exactly my area of expertise. I can count the number of pies I have ever made on one hand, and I don't even need all my fingers. That said, I approached my pick with a wide open viewpoint since most of the pies in the book would be something "new" in my mind.

So, what made me choose this sawdust pie? First, while it has quite a few ingredients, the recipe itself is relatively simple. Outside of the crust, it is just mix, pour, and bake. Second, the ingredients were things that we really like. Coconut has to be one of my husband's favorite ingredients in baked goods. Lastly, it was a unique recipe with unique ingredients. Who would have though of adding graham cracker crumbs in the filling of a pie? While I don't have too many pies that I can speak to in my repertoire, this is certainly one that I have never heard of prior to this book.

As it reads in the book, the pie came together pretty quickly. Since I don't have a "go-to" pie crust recipe, I also made the crust recipe exactly as written in the book. I feel like the crust turned out pretty good, however I think I may have added just a little bit too much water. Still working on that perfect flaky pie crust. Add the filling and some whipped cream to the crust, the pie was great! I am not kidding when I say that my husband loved it! In the comments about the recipe on the blog page, several of the ladies were comparing it to a pecan pie, and I can definitely see the reference given the chopped pecans although I feel that the texture difference from the graham crackers and coconut give it just a little bit more. With this one now in my pie repertoire, I may be making pies more often. At the very least, it will be making its way to our Thanksgiving feast.

Be sure to stop by the blog page to see pies from the other ladies. Thanks for baking along with me!

(Printable Recipe)

Sawdust Pie
Adapted from Baked Explorations
Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

Pie:
1/2 crust recipe
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1-1/4 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
1-1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
21 graham crackers (I used 21 half sheets)
2 ounces high-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
6 egg whites
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
whipped cream for serving
sliced bananas for serving (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together. In a measuring cup, stir 3/4 cup water with several ice cubes until it is very cold.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss them in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the butter pieces are the size of hazelnuts. Pulsing in 4-second bursts, slowly drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube. As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, stop adding water. Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half. Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap each disk first in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before proceeding with your recipe.

For the pie, dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Roll out the dough ball into a 12-inch round. Transfer it to a pie dish and carefully work it into place, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Wrap and refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to combine the sugars, coconut, pecans, graham crackers, white chocolate and salt. Add the egg whites and vanilla and stir until just combined - the egg whites should coat all the ingredients.

Transfer the filling to the prepared pie shell. Bake until filling is set to the touch, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool the pie for at least 1 hour before serving it warm, with whipped cream and sliced bananas, if you like.

Lighter Macaroni & Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

2011-10-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my mom the other day, and she was telling me that they are absolutely getting a bumper crop of tomatoes off their 3 plants right now. It hasn't gotten cold enough there to kill off the plants yet, and the plants are churning out tomatoes like crazy. Sounds like my eggplant plants!

I spotted this dish several months ago when Natalie posted it on her blog, Oven Love, but I think it is quite appropriate right now with the change in seasons. While it is a lighter take on macaroni and cheese, there is certainly enough cheese and carbohydrates in here to land it squarely in the comfort food category. The summer link comes through the tomatoes - just in case you have the same bumper crop that my parents do :)

It has been several weeks since we made this dish, and in looking through my pictures, I am thinking that I want to add it to the menu again soon! Natalie suggests making it in individual ramekins, however I didn't have enough small ramekins for the entire dish, so I simply made it in a large casserole dish. In changing it to a larger dish, I would do 2 things differently next time. One, add more tomatoes. I love how roasting tomatoes brings out their flavor, and I definitely could have done with more tomatoes in here! Two, roast the tomatoes for a little longer. Since the tomato slices were only roasted in the oven for 20 minutes, they were still pretty soft. I wouldn't want to take them all the way to "dried" tomatoes for this dish, but I think I would rather have them somewhere in the middle between soft and water and fully dried. This may fully be a personal preference, so I'll post the recipe below as written and let you decide. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Lighter Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from Oven Love and Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
6 small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 24, 1/4-inch thick slices
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for sprinkling
coarse salt and pepper
1/2-3/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. elbow macaroni (whole wheat if you'd like)
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne
1 tsp. ground mustard
2 cups milk (I used skim)
4 oz. (1-1/8 cup) reduced-fat (NOT non-fat) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. (1-1/8 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 oz (about 1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread tomatoes in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle each sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes have softened, about 20 minutes. Leave the oven on.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and pasta to the water. Return to a boil and cook pasta until al dente (about 2-3 minutes less than called for on the box). Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk 1/2 cup of stock into the flour in a medium bowl. Set aside. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne, ground mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add milk and remaining 1-1/2 cups of stock. Whisk in flour mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce to a simmer. Cook 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Add cheeses, cook, stirring until melted. Pour over macaroni and stir to combine.

Arrange the tomato slices to cover the bottom of a large casserole dish. There should be a few slices left. Carefully pour the macaroni over the tomatoes. Top with any remaining tomato slices. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and thyme. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake-Off: NYT vs. Levain Copycat

2011-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

The chocolate chip cookie. It has to be the ultimate cookie in the minds of a lot of people, and there are enough recipes to match. At last count, I have >50 recipes saved for different chocolate chip cookies, and that doesn't count the couple family recipes that I have sitting in my arsenal. So what's a girl to do? Compare them side by side!

Since comparing 50+ recipes at one time is not feasible (unless we want to eat chocolate chip cookies and only chocolate chip cookies for the next month!), I have decided that I want to compare the recipes, side by side, tournament style, two at a time and work our way through to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for us. This is probably going to take me awhile since I like to mix things up, but as I pair up the recipes, I'll send them your way. I have told you before that the hubs and I have a different take on the perfect cookie (he's a crunchy fan, I'm a chewy fan). Given this, I fully realize that I may end this quest with 2 perfect recipes, but 2 has to be better than 50 :)

So which 2 are up first? I started my quest with 2 of the most contended recipes floating around the blogsphere - the New York Times recipe and a Levain bakery copycat recipe. While I have never had an authentic Levain bakery cookie, it is certainly in my bucket list as it seems to be quite the experience. The New York Times recipe speaks for itself. I don't know how many blog posts I have read declaring this the best recipe ever. Some ground rules to start:

1) I will try to follow recipes as written.
2) That said, I want to use the same kinds of chocolate chips in each so that my tastes aren't swayed by the chocolate.
3) My other exception to following the recipes. Nuts. I will always leave them out.
4) One has to be declared a winner. One by me and one by the hubs.

So, here's my take on the cookies:

The New York Times recipe calls for chocolate disks. I looked really hard for these but all that I could find was unsweetened chocolate disks from Trader Joe's which weren't going to work. I ended up using a mix of bittersweet chips and milk chocolate chips in here to match the chips called for in the Levain recipe. If you've heard of this recipe, you know that it calls for a significant chill time (24 hours) in the refrigerator. This is torture for anyone who loves cookie dough :) I didn't try baking cookies at different chill times, but I have heard from other bloggers who have tried this that the chill time really does make a difference in developing depth in the flavors. The resulting cookies were large and did develop the texture difference referred to in the recipe - crunchy around the edges and chewy in the middle. One definite plus, they stayed soft for a couple of days as we ate through the batch.

(Printable Recipe)

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The New York Times July 8, 2008

Ingredients:
2 cups, minus 2 Tbsp. (8-1/2 oz) cake flour
1-2/3 cups (8-1/2 oz) cake flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups (10 oz) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. natural vanilla extract
1-1/4 lbs. bittersweet & milk chocolate chips, mixed
sea salt (optional)

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined, 5-10 seconds. Drop in chocolate chips and incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside. Scoop 3-1/2 ounce mounds of dough (size of generous golf balls) onto the baking sheet, making sure to turn any chocolate pieces that are poking up to make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
______________________________________________________________________

The Levain copycat recipe is also one that makes huge cookies. I used the same mix of bittersweet and milk chocolate chips in these to eliminate the chocolate as a variable. The cookies get definite points for being a quick recipe. There are some times where you just want a chocolate cookie recipe right now. The cookies were notably thicker that the New York Times recipe and were softer throughout with the outer edge being less crunchy. I loved the use of dark brown sugar in these as I loved the depth of the flavor that it added. Of note, there is not vanilla. Lisa, the creator of this copycat recipe states that these are best the day that they are made, and I agree. They tended to get drier than the NYT recipe after storing for a couple of days.

(Printable Recipe)

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2-3/4 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 cups bittersweet & milk chocolate chips, mixed
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (I omitted these)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Transfer dough to a clean work surface and gently mix by hand to ensure even distribution of the ingredients. Divide into 12 equal portions of about 4 oz each. Place each on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake. Let cool on a wire rack.
______________________________________________________________________

Well, so which one was our choice. I have to say that both recipes were phenomenal. I was expecting to make two recipes and have a clear favorite, but I can truly tell you that it was a hard choice. In the end, the NYT recipe won over both my hubs and I. Him for the crunchy edge. Me for many things including the depth of flavor and better storage. My biggest downside of these is the chill time required. It is certainly not a recipe that can fulfill a chocolate chip cookie craving but is great if you are planning ahead to make them.
I definitely wouldn't turn down one of these Levain copycat cookies if someone offered me one, but I think for now, the NYT recipe is on to the next round :) Enjoy!

SRC: Black Bean Soup

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

It actually cooled down here towards the end of the week last week. We are back up into the 80's and 90's for the rest of the week now, but for a couple of days last week, we had highs in the 70's. While I have been trying to get in the fall mood with decorations and these pumpkin muffins, the cooler weather did me in. Despite the increase in temperatures again, I've been looking at soup recipes for the last few days.

It's Secret Recipe Club time again, and I was excited to find quite a few soup recipes on my assigned blog: Itzy's Kitchen. Itzy's Kitchen is crafted by Erica. Erica's blog is new to me, but the focus of her recipes is right in line with how we try to eat most of the time. Healthy with a few treats thrown in. With my aforementioned focus on soup, I picked Erica's Black Bean Soup for my recipe this month.

I made the recipe exactly, with the small exception of using reduced sodium beans because one of the cans of beans is not rinsed. The soup turned out great. Mashing up one can of the beans keeps it on the thicker side, and the hot sauce gives it just a little kick. I served this with these pumpkin cheddar muffins, and it made a great meal! I know my husband really enjoyed it because he snatched the leftovers for lunch the next day before I even had a chance. There are only a couple things I wish I could change. One, I wish I could change is the color of my bowls to make a better picture (red, brown, and orangey soups are hard to photograph in red bowls). Two, I think having some sour cream or cheddar cheese on hand would make for great garnishes. Thanks Erica for a great recipe. I know it's one we'll make again and again!

(Printable Recipe)

Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Itzy's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 (15 oz) cans reduced-sodium black beans
1-1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
2 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup frozen corn
sour cream and/or cheddar cheese as garnish (optional)

Drain and rinse one can of black beans. Mash with a fork and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, red pepper, and onion and cook for 4-5 minutes (until fragrant). Add the remaining (undrained) can of black beans, the mashed beans that you have set aside, and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

Stir-Fried Chicken, Pineapple, and Red Onion in Sweet & Sour Sauce

2011-10-07T22:48:00.001-07:00

When we were undergraduates, there was a little Chinese buffet near campus that we ate at nearly every Friday night. I am not kidding. Sometimes we'd bring other people with us. Sometimes it would be just us, but you could make a pretty good bet that you'd find us there on any random Friday night. It was to the point that when my husband (then boyfriend) would walk in, the lady in charge would ask him if there was anything he wanted them to ADD to the buffet :)

Right now, it has actually been a long time since we've eaten at any Chinese place. Nonetheless, as I've mentioned several times previously, we love to make it at home. Stir-frys make great weeknight meals as they usually come together pretty quick. This one is from the cookbook, The Best Light Recipe, so it gets bonus points for being pretty healthy too. There aren't a ton of vegetables in here, but like most stir-frys, you could probably add whatever you have hanging in your fridge in the mix. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Stir-Fried Chicken, Pineapple, and Red Onion in Sweet & Sour Sauce
Adapted from The Best Light Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into uniform pieces
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. dry sherry
3 medium garlic cloves (~1 Tbsp), minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
3 scallions, white parts, minced and green parts cut into 1/4-inch lengths
4 tsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 small red onions, halved and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1-inch pieces (or 1 lg. can pineapple chunks)
3-4 servings brown rice, prepared according to pkg directions

Sauce:
6 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. juice from 1-2 oranges (or pineapple juice)
6 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt

Start cooking rice according to package directions if needed. Toss the chicken with the soy sauce and sherry in a medium bowl. Let the chicken marinate while you make the sauce and prepare the vegetables. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the sauce ingredients. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, scallion whites, and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps, until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.

Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan and return to high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the pineapple and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Clear the center of the pan and add the garlic mixture. Cook, mashing the garlic mixture into the pan with the back of a spatula, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the vegetables. Add the scallion greens and chicken and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it to the pan and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and toss until all the ingredients are well coated with sauce and sizzling hot. Serve immediately with the cooked rice.

Butterfinger Blondes

2011-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

I swear these bars must have some kind of crack in them. I am only partially kidding. I made them, so I know all the ingredients that were included. Don't worry, there really isn't any crack listed in the ingredient list. Nonetheless, there was something in these bars that just kept me going back for "a little bit more."

I ran across these beauties on pinterest (love that website by the way). As far as I can tell, the original idea was from Shelly at Cookies and Cups. These bars are one of those recipes that have made the rounds around several blogs and for good reason. They are so good! Make them as soon as you can and send me one please!

I think I'm off to convince the hubby that we need to hand out Butterfingers as Halloween candy this year... I know exactly what I am doing with extra :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipes)

Butterfinger Blondes
Adapted slightly from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients:
Bars:
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coarse salt
2 cups coarsely crushed Butterfinger bars (approximately 15 fun-sized bars)

Butterfinger Buttercream:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup coarsely crushed Butterfinger bars (approx 4 fun-sized bars)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs, one at a time and mix until incorporated. Mix in vanilla. On low add the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the crushed butterfingers. Spread in a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. The bars will still be a little "wiggly" when you take them out of the oven. That's okay. You want them to be soft not crunchy. Set on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

For the buttercream, cream the butter and shortening together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low. Once it begins to mix in, increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth. Spread on the cooled blondes. Sprinkle the remaining crushed Butterfingers on top.

Club: Baked - Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

2011-10-01T11:09:00.003-07:00

I resisted as long as I could, but I am finally admitting that it must be fall. I have had a hard time this year getting "in the mood" for fall. I know it officially became fall on the calendar last weekend and football has been on for several weeks now, but I still am in a summer state of mind. In fact, my husband had to beg me this week to put up our fall decorations. It has started to cool down a little here, and I have been able to venture outside for a couple of outdoor runs. Hoping this will help me get excited for fall and all the seasons coming!

These muffins are our next recipe for Club: Baked chosen by Billie of Chocloate and Chakra. As you may have guessed from above, these muffins were my first venture into anything that could be considered "seasonal cooking," but I think they may have given me the kick I needed into fall cooking and baking. The savory nature of these muffins made them more of a dinner pairing than a breakfast treat in my mind, so I went completely into the fall state of mind and served them with some soup.

I halved the recipe and ended up with six muffins. One thing to note is that the muffins don't rise very much. I took the advice of some of the other group members and filled the muffin papers pretty full, and it seemed to work really well. While pumpkin and cheddar cheese may not be first two flavors you would choose to pair, we really enjoyed these muffins. The cayenne and black pepper give these muffins a little bit of a kick, and they paired really well with our soup. My husband was even thinking further ahead in the fall season thinking that these would be great for Thanksgiving. We'll see :)

A big thanks to Bille for choosing another great recipe and giving me the kick I needed into fall! Be sure to stop by the Club: Baked page to check out the muffins from the other bakers!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Preztel Cookies

2011-09-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I last posted a new dessert recipe! I have talked before about how I consider myself more of a baker than a cook, so I am thinking it is about time I get some sweets up on here!

One of the wonderful things about being a food blogger is this huge community of great cooks and bakers with delicious food ideas. One of the downsides that I've heard discussed before is that it's really hard to come up with an original idea! I came up with the idea of using Trader Joe's chocolate-covered, peanut butter-filled pretzel bites in cookies after wandering across them in the store several months ago. I have made pretzel-chocolate chip cookie bars and pretzel m&m cookies previously and know that I love the sweet-salty combination that results. As you may have guessed, it turns out my idea was not that original as the Blue Eyed Bakers posted the exact same cookies this spring. I guess great minds think alike? Not being one to re-invent the wheel, I used their recipe, so the credit for these beauties is completely theirs.

The cookies turned out as good as they sound. I actually wasn't impressed by the chocolate covered, peanut butter-filled pretzels alone (of course I had to try one), but in the cookies, they were great. I love how the salt from the crushed pretzels adds another dimension to baked goods. If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, you may be able to get similar results with chopped Reese's and coarsely crushed normal pretzels - it's the salt that counts :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipes)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
From Blue Eyed Bakers

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chocolate-covered, peanut butter-filled pretzels, coarsely crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter for 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add the sugars and mix for 2 minutes more. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix only until just incorporated. Fold in the pretzel pieces and chocolate chips.

Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a prepared baking sheet (lined with parchment, silpat, or cooking spray). Flatten slightly with your hands or a spatula, and bake 8-12 minutes or until cookies are just set and beginning to brown on the edge. Do not overbake. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

2011-09-25T21:53:00.001-07:00

What do you do when you find yourself with an one day harvest of 12 eggplants? I am not kidding. We picked 12 of those babies from our little garden this past Saturday, and the plants are still going. There are several more little ones growing, and a ton more purple blooms on the plants. If you have any good eggplant recipes, I could sure use some!

I ran across the recipe for these enchiladas on pinterest and was instantly hooked by the picture. The recipe was posted by Natalie at Perry's Plate, but she originally adapted it from the book, The Roasted Vegetable. Knowing that I love roasted veggies and that anything Mexican related is a hit with the hubbs, I was sure these would be a hit.

I made a couple of changes to make these work for us. The first was to add an eggplant. It wasn't called for in the ingredient list (I swore it was previous to re-reading the recipe), but given the previously mentioned surplus, I chopped one up and threw it in with the rest of the veggies. The second change was to switch up the layering. The recipes calls for 3 layers in either a 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan. I only have an 8x8-inch pan, and by the end of the second layer, I was running out of room. I ended up leaving off the 3rd row of veggies, and we just ate them as a side. Not sure if using the 9x9-inch pan would leave you enough room or if I just roasted up too many veggies (entirely possible).

The verdit - vegetable deliciousness. How can roasted vegetables combined with salsa and cheese end up bad? Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
Adapted from Perry's Plate and The Roasted Vegetable

Ingredients:
1 poblano chile, cut into thin matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 red onion, halved and slivered
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1 small eggplant, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 tsp. cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
2 cups salsa
2 ounces of baby spinach
9-10 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded part-skim cheddar cheese (Cabot makes a great reduced fat kind)
sour cream and green onions for garnish, if desired
nonstick spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Place chopped vegetables through the eggplant into a large bowl. Add oil, cumin, garlic, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour into the prepared roasting pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. After the vegetables are finished, remove the pan from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, combine the salsa and chopped cilantro. Spread 1/4 cup of the salsa mixture into the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of tortillas, tearing them as needed to cover the salsa completely. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer with tortillas, salsa, vegetables, spinach and cheese. If space allows, repeat a 3rd time. If not, leave teh vegetables and spinach off the 3rd layer and eat the rest as a side. Cover with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes then cut into squares. Serve with garnishes if desired.

Yield: 4-5 servings

Flank Steak Tacos with Cilantro Lime Marinade

2011-09-19T21:32:00.001-07:00

His mom has a tatoo that says, "Son"... When in Rome, they do as he does... If he says, it's not you, it's me. He's lying... Anyone else always cracked up by the Dos XX most interesting man in the world commercials? I love them...

Anyway, one thing those commercials always make think of is Mexican food. We love it in any form. Everything from simple ground beef tacos to the most elaborate enchiladas you can make. The recipe for these beauties comes from Laurie at Simply Scratch. She makes a great pico too! The tacos really require no more work that your average taco recipe. Only a little more time so that the meat has a chance to marinate. The result? Delicious, simple taco perfection. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Flank Steak Tacos with Cilantro Lime Marinade
From Simply Scratch

Ingredients:
2 lbs. flank or skirt steak
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 tsp. honey
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly removed from the stems
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Ancho-Chili powder (I just used regular)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
aluminum foil
10-12 soft flour tortillas
lettuce, shredded or chopped
Monterey Jack cheese, freshly grated

Pico de gallo:
4 roma tomatoes, seeds removed, diced small
1 small red onion, diced small
1 jalapeno pepper, diced finely
1 clove garlic, smashed, peeled and minced
3 green onions, white and green parts sliced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
pinch of Kosher salt
few grinds of black pepper

For the marinade, in a mini food processor, place the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice and pulse quickly until chopped. Toss the remaining ingredients up to the tortillas into the food processor and pulse until combined. Place the steak and marinade in a ziplock bag and marinate on the countertop for 30 minutes. Be sure the meat is at room temperature before grilling.

While the meat is marinating, combine all the ingredients for the pico de gallo. Toss to mix. Cover and place in the refrigerator while you finish the tacos.

After 30 minutes, grill the steak for 6-10 minutes on each side over medium-high heat. Remove from the grill and cover with aluminum foil. Let the meat rest for 5-7 minutes before slicing so the juices in the meat can redistribute. Slice across the grain at a slight angle. Warm some flour tortillas, top with desired toppings, and serve with the pico de gallo.

Fruity Coconut Chicken Salad with Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

2011-09-15T22:25:00.001-07:00

Since September hit, I have been seeing a lot of fall-themed recipes across the blogs. Don't get me wrong, I still love pumpkin, apples, soups, and stews, but I am not quite ready to give up on summer. The weather has been gorgeous here the past week since we've dropped to right around or just below 100 degrees for a high. It's also been cooling off better at night - I actually saw a reading in the 70's in my car on the way to work the other morning (granted it was 5:30AM). I haven't been able to enjoy the weather on an outdoor run yet since I've been on call this week, but I assure you that I will be out there as soon as I can.

Since stone fruit and berries have still been on sale around here, I thought this salad was appropriate to share. The inspiration for this salad came from finding this berry poppy seed dressing on Our Best Bites. I am amongst the group that enjoys fruit in my salad, and I thought that the coconut chicken would pair well with the berries to make a great lighter meal. I didn't have any pineapple when I made these, but I think that this would make a great addition to the flavors here.

One note, I actually ended up using chicken tenders rather than chicken breasts as that is what I had stocked in the freezer. Chicken breasts would work just fine. You may need to adjust the ratios of coating, and just be sure to cook them to the appropriate temperature as gauged by a meat thermometer. The dressing does need to be made ahead of time, but it can certainly be made the night before to help speed up the cooking process when it is dinner time. Overall, we ended up really enjoying it, and it's definitely a recipe I will continue to make for as long as I can get my hands on good fresh fruit this fall :)

(Printable Recipe)

Fruity Coconut Chicken Salad with Berry Poppy Seed Viniagrette
Dressing recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken tenderloins
4 Tbsp. unsweetend shredded coconut (can use sweetened if preferred)
1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
pinch of salt
1 egg white
6 cups preferred salad greens (we love spinach, but a lettuce mix would work well too)
1-2 cups berries - blueberries, strawberries (sliced), raspberries, blackberries
1 nectarine, pitted and sliced
fresh pineapple, chopped (optional - I think this would be a great addition!)

Dressing:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1-2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. grated onion
1 tsp. kosher salt or other coarse salt
10 cracks of freshly ground black pepper (1/4-1/2 tsp)
1 cup raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries
2/3 cup canola oil
1-1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

For the dressing, combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and berries in a blender. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and whisk in the poppy seeds. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

For the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine the coconut, panko, and salt; place in a shallow dish. Add egg white to another shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the egg white, then coat in the coconut mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Divide the salad greens and fruit between 2 plates. If desired, slice the chicken and add on top of the salad. Dress individual plates with the dressing. There will be extra dressing. It should keep in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Enjoy!

Yield: 2 dinner-sized salads

SRC: Crockpot BBQ Chicken Loaded Baked Potatoes

2011-09-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Another month, another Secret Recipe Club post. I can't believe how fast this past month has gone! Summer - unofficially out the door, my birthday - yesterday, my residency - picking up steam like an unstoppable freight train, football - depending on the league you follow started either last week or this past weekend. I guess fall must really be knocking on the door because they are forecasting temperatures below the triple digit mark here next week. Not sure I am ready yet...

This month for SRC I was assigned Tami from Tami's Kitchen Table Talk. I am somewhat familiar with Tami's blog as she is the wonderful host of the Cookie Carnival in which I've been involved for quite awhile. While I've somewhat known about her blog through the carnival, I was excited to get a chance to look around! Much of the time I've spent over there has involved cookies in some form, so I wanted to find a non-sweet dinner recipe from her archives. As it turns out, this was harder than it sounds as Tami has some yummy sounding desserts over there! Nonetheless, I ended up combining two of her recipes - BBQ chicken sliders in the crockpot and homemade BBQ sauce to make a great, non-involved, easy dinner.

My only change to her recipes was omitting the whiskey from the barbecue sauce. In reality, this wasn't an intentional change. If you are worried about the alcohol, it will all cook off while the mixture is boiling. My issue was the lack of whiskey in our pantry. I swore we had some but when I went to look for it, none was to be found. As a result, my barbecue sauce ended up a little on the sweeter side. While it was still great, I think the whiskey in here serves the purpose of cutting the sweetness a little bit. I also blended it with my immersion blender at the end to incorporate the onion chunks.

The idea for this pairing came from our love loaded baked potatoes. Not the side-dish kind. The meal kind with chicken, onions, and cheese. It has been a long time since we have had them! Growing up, mom always made ours with canned or rotisserie chicken mixed with bottle barbecue sauce. By combining Tami's recipes for BBQ sauce and crockpot pulled chicken, I was able to make both from fresher ingredients in my own kitchen with only a little bit more effort. By making the barbecue sauce ahead of time one Sunday morning and cooking the chicken with it in the crockpot later that day, the only step left was cooking the potatoes and chopping a few ingredients right before serving. A perfect busy day recipe. Success if you ask me. My husband is already asking for them again!

(Printable Recipe)

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Loaded Baked Potato
Adapted from Tami's Kitchen Table Talk

Ingredients:
BBQ sauce:
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tsp. mesquite flavor liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. tobasco sauce
2 Tbsp. whiskey (optional)

Loaded Baked Potatoes:
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-1/2 cups of BBQ sauce
5-6 russet potatoes
cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream
red onion, diced
black olives, sliced
aluminum foil

For the barbecue sauce, warm a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the onion and garlic with the whiskey until the onion begins to soften. Combine remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If a smoother sauce is desired, blend with an immersion blender or let cool and add to a regular blender. Blend until smooth. Use 1-1/2 cups in the following recipe. Save the remaining sauce in the refrigerator.

Layer the chicken breasts into the crockpot by alternating one piece of chicken with a little barbecue sauce. Add the remaining barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. After 4 hours, check to see if the chicken is cooked through. It should begin to shred itself if it is finished cooking. If it is not quite done, continue to cook for another hour. Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Shred using two forks. Place the chicken in a resealable container and mix with any remaining barbecue sauce from the crockpot. Refrigerate until ready to use.

On the day you are planning to eat the potatoes, wash and wrap each in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped, raw potatoes in the clean crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When ready to eat, warm the chicken on the stove or in the microwave. Add more barbecue sauce to the chicken if desired. Top the potatoes with your desired ingredients. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken Pizza

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

This may be the last pizza recipe in my series, but I am sure it won't be the last recipe we have around here. That's one of the reasons we love pizza so much. You can really top it with any combination of ingredients that you can dream up!

In the year before and right after we were married, we frequented Papa Murphy's quite often. The pizza was good, relatively inexpensive, and made for a quick meal since we spent much of our time studying. Our two favorite pizzas there were the Mediterranean de-lite pizza and the chicken garlic pizza, but since I've been making more and more of our food at home, we haven't had one in quite a while. Not long ago, I ran across this pie on Tammy's Recipes, and thought I'd give one of our old favorites a shot.

While I am not quite sure it was exactly the same as the Papa Murphy's version, this pizza made a really great meal! I didn't make the crust recipe written into Tammy's post as I have been on a mission to find a great homemade whole wheat crust. For me, simply swaping whole wheat flour into most recipes makes my crust recipes really dense. The crust I used here was a new technique that actually worked really well, so it may be finding its way on here after a few more test runs :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Mediterranean Chicken Pizza
Adapted from Tammy's Recipes

Ingredients:
1 pkg. or portion homemade dough
1/3 cup light spicy Italian dressing
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
dash black pepper
2 cups shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1-2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not oil packed
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 cup (large handful) of baby spinach, torn
1/2 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If using a pizza stone, place the stone in the oven as it preheats. If using a normal pan, it does not need to be preheated.

Stretch dough out on a piece of parchment paper with your hands. If it springs back, let it sit for a few minutes and try again. Mix together the Italian dressing, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread over the dough. Sprinkle the toppings on the pizza in the order listed.

If using, remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the pizza (while still on the parchment paper) onto the hot pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is browned on the bottom and the toppings are hot and bubbly. After baking, let rest for 5 minutes then cut into slices.

Sausage and Pepper Calzones

2011-09-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Can anyone else believe that it is already football season? Don't get me wrong, I am crazy excited to spend Saturdays cheering on my Huskers, but to me, it shouldn't be September yet. Having never lived anywhere other than Nebraska, I am finding it different that much of the football focus here is on the pros rather than college. While I still prefer college football over pro football, both types certainly have one thing in common - GAME FOOD!

Pizza and football are something that go hand-in-hand in my mind, and these calzones are something that would make a great addition to any football party. I found them quite a while ago on Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy and bookmarked them immediately. My husband has this categorization in his mind of game food - it has to be something that is hand-friendly and portable. These could easily fit that bill. Self-contained and stuffed with sweet and spicy sausage, peppers, and onion. Game food indeed.

While we loved the idea of these, I think I will change up the type of sausage if we make them again. In her recipe, Susan calls for whole sausages that she slices, bakes, and then finishes in a skillet on the stove. Her reasoning is that it helps decrease the fat as opposed to frying it. While that is valid point, the fat in the skillet (from the sausage) can always be drained, and I think that crumbled sausage would fit into the calzones much easier. Next time, I think I'll try using some locally-made chicken sausages and removing the casing to get that crumbled effect. I'll let you know :) My only other complaint with these is the dough that I used. I've been looking for "that" pizza crust recipe, and the dough that I used for this one wasn't it. It didn't really brown and just wasn't our favorite, so use your favorite homemade or purchased dough here. Trader Joe's has a great one!

Enjoy and Go Big Red!

(Printable Recipe)

Sausage and Pepper Calzones
From Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet Italian chicken sausage, removed from casings
1 lb. spicy Italian chicken sausage, removed from casings
1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 bell peppers, any color, cut into strips
2 large sweet onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 pkg. or recipes of pizza dough
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place pizza stone in the oven to warm while the oven is preheating. If you do not have a pizza stone, you do not have to pre-heat it.

Place casing-free sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble until the sausage is cooked through. Drain any fat and set sausage aside.

Heat olive oil in the skillet (if dry) over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions and saute for about 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and saute for about 3 minutes more. Adjust the heat if needed to avoid burning. Add the sausage to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour in the chicken stock and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes more, until peppers and onions are very soft. Take the lid off and simmer a few more minutes to reduce the liquid in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Unroll pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut out two 5-6-inch circles of dough. Gather the scraps together and roll out the dough to make 1-2 more circles. If using a calzone press, place one dough circle on the open press. Place a generous scoop of sausage mixture in the center. Make sure to drain as much liquid out of the sausage mixture as you can, so the calzones will not be soggy. Top with mozzarella and lightly brush the outside edges with olive oil. Flip one side over the other and press to seal with the calzone press or with your fingers. Press the edge down with the tines of a fork to ensure the seal. Lightly brush the tops of the calzones with more olive oil and sprinkle a little Kosher salt on top. Place the calzones on the pizza stone or pan and bake for about 20-22 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 large calzones

SMS: Top 5

2011-08-28T07:00:00.003-07:00

Wow. The Sweet Melissa Sundays group is over. Complete. I missed it since I was working, but the last recipe was baked last week. I joined this wonderful group of ladies later in the game (circa March 2010), so there are still many recipes that I have not made. Nevertheless, I definitely was able to try some new things, meet some new bloggers (several of I would consider friends), and eat some great food.

When Gloria suggested that we do one last round-up including our favorite recipes from the book, I was all in. I am excited to see what some of the other ladies pick as their top recipes, so without further ado, here are mine in descending order:

Honorable mention: Pavolva Peach Melba

5) Chocolate Walnut Brownies -- or in my case Chocolate Brownie Bites. I know that I've said that I am not much of a chocolate person, but these have to make it in the round-up for the shear reason that my dad and brother couldn't stop popping them in their mouths! Even in my opinion, these made a pretty good brownie.

4) Cinnamon Peach Preserves - All the preserves really. I was only able to make 2 - the strawberry rhubarb and cinnamon peach, and they were both fantastic. Never knew homemade preserves could be so easy.

3) Honey Cream Caramels - My husband's step-father makes the best caramels every Christmas, and while the recipe is a little different, these completely remind me of his! I didn't cook mine quite long enough the first time, but that is easily remedied next time :)

2) Butterscotch Pralines - I had never had a praline prior to these, but knowing we love butterscotch, I was sure these would be a hit.

1) Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream - I actually didn't make this with the group, but it is a recipe from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book so it counts. I have made this several times, and it may be my favorite ice cream. Ever. That's a serious statement.

Hope you've enjoyed the round-up and the desserts over the past year and a half. Be sure to stop by the SMS page today to check out the favorites from the other ladies as there is sure to be some good eats over there :)

Beef Taco Pizza

2011-08-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the weekend, I have your next pizza recipe!

We actually first got the idea for a taco-type pizza after having a similar one from a pizza chain in Nebraska (Godfather's anyone?) and have made several variations on that idea since then. It is a really simple idea. You just take your taco toppings and add them to a pizza crust instead of a taco shell. It may be even better than tacos because the bake time melts the cheese on the pizza :)

We went all out on our toppings including taco-seasoned ground beef, onion, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, and cheddar cheese, but you could use any combination of ingredients here that you would add to your taco. Just swap the pizza sauce for taco sauce and remember to add the shredded lettuce after the bake time so that it doesn't wilt. Adding the lettuce is a little different, but we love the texture and temperature difference that the colder lettuce adds to the hot pizza. Try it. I promise it's good. Enjoy

(Printable Recipe)

Beef Taco Pizza
Cookin' Chemist original

Ingredients:
1 pkg pre-made or portion of homemade pizza dough
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 bell pepper, any color, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1-1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, shredded

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while the oven warms up.

Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough for a 12-14-inch pizza. Lightly flour the paper. Roll out or stretch out (using your hands) the pizza dough to your desired size. If it seems to shrink back after you stretch it, let it sit for a few minutes and try again. Set the crust aside. Brown the ground beef in a medium-sized skillet. Drain any fat, if necessary. Add the taco seasoning and mix well. Set aside.

Spread the taco sauce over the dough. Top with ground beef, olives, pepper, onion, and tomatoes. Finish with the cheese. Transfer the pizza and the parchment paper to the hot pizza stone or other pizza pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust begins to brown and the cheese is melted. Cut and serve immediately. Top each individual slice with lettuce upon serving (If you have leftovers, the lettuce will not keep well on top of the slices. This is why we add it to each piece as we eat them).

Chicken Avocado Pizza

2011-08-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was glancing through my stash of recipes yet to be blogged tonight, and I have a confession... I actually have more main dish recipes than desserts that are hanging around waiting to be posted. I am hoping this is because I make more dinners than desserts in a typical week, but I fear the real reason is that my turn-around time on desserts is much quicker. What can I say, I definitely have a sweet tooth, but everything in moderation right?

Since I've started my residency, my husband has been home more often than I have. He has decided that when he's up to cook, he gets to pick the recipe -- translation, we've made quite a bit of pizza in the last few weeks as that is one of his favorite things to make :) I am not arguing too much though. He does a really great job and has picked out some really good, unique pizza recipes! I have 4 or 5 pizza-themed recipes saved up in the aforementioned stash, so in his honor, I am planning to do a series of pizza posts.

The first in my series is this chicken avocado pizza adapted from allrecipes.com. Since embracing avocados, we have been finding lots of new ways to use them. This recipe basically makes a simple guacamole and then uses it as a "pizza sauce." Genius. Add chicken, tomatoes and some cheese, and you have a really great pizza. The recipe calls for 2 avocados, and I felt like the amount of avocado-mixture that resulted was too much for our pizza dough. This may depend on the size of your avocados, but if you are planning on making a smaller pizza (12-14 inch), you may want to half the amount of mock-guac that you make. The hubs liked it as is was with more "sauce," so it's your call. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Chicken Avocado Pizza
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 pkg. or homemade pizza dough for a 12-14-inch pizza
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, or to taste
salt to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled NOT minced
1 cup shredded chicken breast
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while the oven warms up.

Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough for a 12-14-inch pizza. Lightly flour the paper. Roll out or stretch out (using your hands) the pizza dough to your desired size. If it seems to shrink back after you stretch it, let it sit for a few minutes and try again. Slice the garlic clove in half and rub the cut side onto the top of the crust. Set the crust aside.

In a food processor, combine the avocado pieces and cilantro. Puree while adding lime juice and salt to taste. Spread the avocado mixture over the crust. Arrange the chicken and tomatoes over the avocado mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and season lightly with cayenne pepper. Transfer the pizza and the parchment paper to the hot pizza stone or other pizza pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust begins to brown and the cheese is melted.

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Sweet Corn and Tomatoes

2011-08-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

This is a meal that almost did not make it to completion. It was no fault of the recipe itself which comes from Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats. In fact, I really think it is a genius way to showcase some of summer's best produce, and ended up being a great meal in the end!

The fail in this recipe was entirely user error in cooking the rice. See, I have this great microwavable rice cooker from Pampered Chef that I always use to cook my brown rice. If you even cook brown rice, you know that you have to plan ahead a little bit because it is not a quick cooking process, even in the microwave. Well, I measured the rice, measured the water, started it and continued on with cooking the rest of the recipe. When it was time to add the rice, I pulled it out of the microwave only to discover that it was dry. Like dark brown, overcooked, crusty dry. I still have no idea what went wrong. I hate it when something you always do goes wrong and you have no idea why!

Luckily, I save dinner in a with some pearl couscous from the pantry so that we didn't have to wait forever for more rice to cook. The meal was great. Fresh and light. The flavors were spot on. In retrospect, I think it would have been a little better with the rice as the larger pieces of couscous seemed to compete with the corn and tomatoes, but hey, what can you do? Next time, I will cook the rice correctly, and this meal will be that much more delicious. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Sweet Corn and Tomatoes
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
Lemon Dressing:
2 lemons, juiced
6 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/2 cup brown basmati rice, prepared according to package directions
1 cup sweet corn, cut off the cob
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Marinate the chicken in about 6 tablespoons of the dressing for about 15-20 minutes. Set extra dressing aside. Grill the chicken on medium-high heat until cooked through and then set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the lemon dressing in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute corn and red onion for 3-4 minutes, or until onion is soft. Mix in cooked rice and remaining lemon dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir cherry tomatoes into corn and rice mixture, plate, the top with grilled chicken.

Yield: 2 servings

Club: Baked - Sunday Night Cake

2011-08-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

The next Club: Baked recipe was chosen by one of my favorite bloggers, Julie from Little Bit of Everything. I first met Julie through SMS, and she was the first blogger that I knew in my town. We have since moved to a new state (from NE to AZ), but I still love looking through Julie's recipes!

In the book, they talk about how this is one of their favorite cakes. While fancy layer cakes are nice, they take a lot of time and patience to make. Sometimes it is nice to make a cake in a pan, frost it, and eat! That's exactly what this cake is. It is a white-cinnamon base topped with a dark chocolate, pudding-like frosting. We really enjoyed the cake portion. The recipe called for a 9x9-inch pan, but I baked mine in a 8x8-inch pan. I had to add about 10 minutes to the bake time called for in the recipe, but it seemed to work okay. My cake turned out a little dense, but it was definitely still nice and moist! In my opinion, the frosting was just okay, but this may be due to the fact that I don't tend to gravitate towards chocolate-heavy recipes. I also think I may have let the frosting beat in the mixer just a little too long because the butter almost started to separate, so I would recommend to stick to the 2-3 minutes called for in the recipe. If dark chocolate is your thing, you'd probably love this frosting as it is chocolatey and pudding-like, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

But, don't let my chocolate aversions keep you from trying out this cake. We were already discussing other possible frosting ideas for the cake. I'm thinking maybe a cinnamon buttercream or even a cream cheese frosting would be great! Be sure to stop by the Club: Baked page to check out the other cakes. I know there are some other ladies there that are chocolate lovers, so they may have a better review of the frosting :) Enjoy!

SRC: Beef Empanadas with Black Bean Dipping Sauce

2011-08-15T04:00:00.003-07:00

There have been some big changes to the Secret Recipe Club this month. In the 5 months of it's existence, the blog group has grown enough that we are now divided into 3 segments - one managed by Amanda of Amanda's Cooking, one by Tina of Mom's Crazy Cooking, and one by Angela of Big Bear's Wife. The group is really fun. Who doesn't love getting to check out a new blog, new recipes, and having some air time for their own blog :) Not only that, but Amanda has rolled out a great blog page for the group featuring recipes from each of the members. Sweet!

My blog assignment for this month was A Bountiful Kitchen. One of the things that I loved about her blog was the surplus of Mexican-themed recipes on her blog. We love Mexican and Southwest flavors here, so I had a really hard time choosing amongst her recipes. I kid you not, I have no less than 3 more enchilada recipes and a salsa recipe bookmarked to make at a future date. Of course, Mexican foods aren't all you'll find... I have frosted sugar cookie bars and a great lasagna bookmarked too :)

In the end, I choose these empanadas because they are something different from what we normally make. While they were new to me, I found the recipe quite easy. It is basically cooking the meat filling and folding it into purchased puff pastry (I suppose you could make your own, but I'm not quite that confident). I followed her recipe almost to a 'T' except that I added about a teaspoon of adobe sauce and a de-seeded chipotle pepper to the sour cream mixture to give it a little bit more kick.

So how were they? Pretty awesome! I wouldn't change a thing. We ate them for dinner, but I am sure they'd make a great addition to an appetizer spread for a party too. We also made the fresh, but I am thinking they would freeze pretty well to make a quick meal. Maybe freeze them just after assembly, but before baking? Then you could probably bake them right out of the freezer, just adding a couple of minutes. Either way, be sure to stop by A Bountiful Kitchen. I know I'll be making more recipes from there!

(Printable Recipe)

Beef Empanadas with Black Bean Dipping Sauce
From A Bountiful Kitchen (Originally adapted from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:
Empanadas:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (17.3 oz) pkg. frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
2 large egg yolks, beaten for glaze

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 can (15 oz can) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded
1 tsp. adobo sauce
1 Roma tomato, seeded, chopped, divided
1 large green onion, sliced, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, chopped onion, and garlic; cook, stirring often and breaking into pieces with a wooden spoon until beef is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste, cumin, and cayenne. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring often, to let flavors meld, about 4 minutes. Add cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. Let filling cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (optional - I have baking stones, so I skipped this step). Cut each pastry sheet into 4 equal squares for a total of 8 squares. Lightly brush the edges of each square with the yolk glaze. Spoon filling into the center of each, dividing equally. Fold edges over, forming triangles. Dip the tines of a fork into flour and crimp the edges of each triangle to seal. Divide triangles between baking sheets. Brush the tops with glaze. (Assembled empanadas can be prepared up to 6 hours prior. Cover and chill.) Bake until tops are puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree the beans, sour cream, pepper, and adobo sauce in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Mix in half the tomato and half the green onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining tomato and green onion over the top. Serve with the baked empanadas.

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am way behind the times on the cake batter trend, but I am actually okay with that. I figure that as long as I can still hop on the train that I haven't completely missed it :)

I hold a special place in my heart for rice krispie treats. As simple as they are, I have always loved them. Ask my mom. Apparently I tried to "run-away" once when I was younger but decided to come home because we were having rice krispie treats for dessert. True story. They also single-handedly helped me get through college. My roommates and I would make them in a big bowl in the microwave and dig-in with a fork. No pan or set-time included. We made them quite a bit. Movie tonight? Let's make rice crispies. Finals week? Add some m&m's. You get the idea.

As you may imagine, when I saw the idea for cake batter rice krispie treats on Jessica's blog, I knew I had to make these. Were they good? No explanation needed, and they may have spurred a interest in other cake batter-flavored treats. Cake batter ice cream anyone? Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats
From How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 (10 oz) bag marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup yellow cake mix
6 cups rice krispies cereal
assorted sprinkles

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until the begin to melt and mix in vanilla. Add in cake mix one spoonful at a time and stir until combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray (I like an 8x8 or 9x9 to make them thicker) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

California Chicken

2011-08-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

I feel like we have really embraced avocados this year. Don't get me wrong. It's not like we didn't enjoy them before, but I never really cooked with them. In fact, I have a funny story regarding my husband and peeling an avocado, but I will spare him the details on here. Now that we are using them, I feel like we are buying them all the time. It has definitely been quite awhile since I have gone to the store without buying at least 1 or 2!

This recipe is the result of an idea that I took from allrecipes.com. The bones of the recipe were good, but it needed a little tweaking to work in our household. This includes the unwritten rule that if it is warm enough to grill, meat will be grilled not baked. I did end up using the broiler to melt the cheese but a couple minutes that it takes cheese to melt under the broiler does not count. The resulting chicken was great! It picked up quite a bit of flavor from the marinade and just gets better when topped with melted cheese and avocado slices. Pair it with a side salad for a great summer meal. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipes)

California Chicken
Original idea from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. honey
1-1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
2-3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into slices

Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness and place in a ziploc bag. Combine the marinade ingredients starting with the lime juice and ending with the pepper and place into the ziploc bag with the chicken. Place the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. You don't want to leave it too long or the acid in the lime juice will start to cook the chicken!

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Grill the chicken until cooked through. When the chicken is almost done, preheat the oven to broil. After the chicken has been cooked through, place in an oven-safe pan coated on the bottom with non-stick spray. Top each breast with slices of tomato, then slices of cheese. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starts to look brown. Remove from the broiler and top with avocado slices. Serve and enjoy!

SMS: Cinnamon Peach Preserves

2011-08-07T05:00:00.003-07:00

It is getting to be peach season for much of the country. When we were living in Nebraska, a local church would sell boxes of Colorado peaches. It seems like they always came around the end of August, and I always looked forward to those things! Our local peach season here is actually May to early June, and I'll be looking forward to it next year as we planted a new peach tree in our yard late this spring. I really think I need to learn how to can because these preserves will be a great way to save some of them!

This recipe for SMS is actually the second to last recipe for our group. The group has made this base recipe for preserves several times (there are 5 variations), and they have always been a big success. This is only my second time along, and I love Melissa's method! I am not sure why I had it in my head that jellies and preserves were hard to make, but this one is not. You cut up your fruit. Throw it in with a peeled cut up Granny Smith apple and some sugar and boil it until it sets up. Easy peasy. Melissa mentions using a candy thermometer, but I don't think you even need it. Just start your timer after it begins to boil. The only note I would add would be to use a bigger pot than you think will be necessary. I can speak from experience that splattered, burnt sugar is not fun to clean (last time around, not this time).

Be sure to stop by the round-up to see the others' preserves. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Cinnamon Peach Preserves
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Ingredients:
8 cups of peaches (about 8-12 peaches depending on size), peeled and cubed
2 cups peeled and cubed Granny Smith apples (2-3)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon and/or orange juice (I used orange)
3 cinnamon sticks

To easily peel the peaches, cut an 'x' with a knife on the bottom of each piece. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Drop the peaches in for a couple of minutes. When the peel looks like it is starting to pull away, remove them to a colander and rinse in cold water. The peels should pull of easily.

In an 8-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the fruit, apples, sugar, juice, and cinnamon sticks. Cook, until the mixture reaches 212 degrees F (boiling temperature) on a candy thermometer, stirring often to prevent scorching. You may mash the fruit slightly with a potato masher, if necessary. Once the preserves have reached boiling temperature, continue to cook for 30 minutes more, stirring often until thick. You can check the consistency by placing a dollop onto a plate and setting it in the freezer until just cool. If it is runny, continue cooking; if it is thick, you're good to go.

Can the preserves in clean canning jars as directed by the manufacturer, or cool to room temperature, tightly cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Tangy Cucumber and Avocado Salad

2011-08-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

I know it is ridiculously hot just about everywhere right now, but I still have a love affair with summer. What other time of year is it okay to pile your plate with fresh, in-season produce and call it a meal? I know as the temperature goes up it certainly has me actually craving things like large salads or vegetable combos to get my fill at meal time!

This is a salad that I adapted from allrecipes.com to use some of the produce that we were getting from our garden. The cucumbers and tomatoes in this are all ours! Sadly, our cucumber plants have since burned-out in the heat, but my yellow bell tomato plant is still producing those little guys like they are going out of style! The salad makes a great side to just about any main dish you are serving - think grilled chicken, steak, burgers, brats, heck even a Mexican-themed meal would go here, or you could mix in a grain and call it a meal. Love it! Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Tangy Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, cubed (can peel them or leave it on, your choice)
2 slightly firm avocados, cubed
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste (freshly ground if you have it)
1/4 lemon, juiced (or about 1 Tbsp.)
1 lime, juiced

In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Stir in garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon and lime juice over the top and gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Club: Baked - Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

2011-08-01T12:00:00.003-07:00

Mother nature was against me last night. I was on track to get these cookies finished and photographed before I lost my daylight, and instead we got a monsoon that made it dark about 45 minutes before the sun usually sets. I am really not being dramatic calling it a monsoon either. You should see how hard it rains when it finally decides to down here!

Weather aside, this is our next recipe for Club: Baked hosted by Jamie of Random Acts of Food. I am a cookie girl, so I was excited to see how the first cookie recipe in the book panned out. Overall, I think the process of putting these together went quite smooth. I used 72% dark chocolate and white chocolate that I picked up from Trader Joes and the Andes mint pieces (baking isle) for the mint chocolate. I did opt to use my standard cocoa instead of Dutch processed cocoa, as I really don't bake with chocolate that much. My only problem was trying to press a "thumbprint" in the cookies without causing them to crack. It is harder than it sounds! Even with a few cracks, my cookies all held the white chocolate ganache without leaking :)

My makeshift double-boiler set up.

Halving the recipe left me with 14 cookies (I've noticed my yields have been quite different than the listed yields in the recipes). I didn't try one as I am much for most chocolate goodies, but I can tell you that my husband wouldn't even share a bite of his :) The rest of them are headed to work today with him. Thanks to Jamie for hosting and be sure to stop by the Club: Baked page to check out the round-up!

Cookie Carnival: Wild Blue Energy Chews

2011-07-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's time for the Cookie Carnival again! As a refresher, it's a monthly group hosted by Tami at Tami's Kitchen Table Talk. Tami scours the recipes and comes up with two cookie recipes for the members to make throughout the month. I really like this group for a lot of reasons:

1) Tami always seems to find recipes I'd never run across on my own.
2) There is no pressure to bake.With that, there is no due date (with the exception of the end of the month). You can bake them and post them at any time throughout the month.
3) Cookies! They may be my favorite type of dessert!

This month, I chose to make the wild blue energy chews since I had another group making a chocolate-based cookie in the same time frame. It is a Betty Crocker sponsored recipe and starts with their oatmeal cookie mix. While I usually try to avoid using mixes, it certainly does make these quick. I was done from start to finish in about 30 minutes! The resulting cookies were good. I underbaked mine just a tad because oatmeal cookies HAVE to be a little bit chewy. We've recently found that we really enjoy dried blueberries, and the combination of them with the almonds and wheat germ really do give these a "healthier" vibe. One deviation that I had from the published recipe was the yield. The website claims this should make 30 cookies. If you've ever seen one of those packages, they aren't very big. I never really measure my dough balls, but I finished with 18 cookies that are probably 1-1/2-inch in diameter. It's really not a big deal, but I have no idea how you would get 30 cookies. They would be cookie bites!

Would I make them again? Sure, but I think I'll substitute a from-scratch oatmeal cookie recipe. Thanks Tami for another great pick! Be sure to stop by her blog in the next few days to catch the cookie round-up!

(Printable Recipe)

Wild Blue Energy Chews
From Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix
1/4 toasted wheat germ
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 Tbsp. water
1 egg white
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, wheat germ, butter, oil, water, and the egg white until soft dough forms. Stir in blueberries, almonds and chocolate chips. Roll dough into teaspoonful balls and set on the cookie sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with your hands or a spatula.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Grandma's Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2011-07-28T22:36:00.002-07:00

I never grew up with a garden. Always a couple tomato plants but never much else. When my parents moved into their current house when I was about 13, we tried one summer. Mom was weeding and pulled up all but one of the carrots that we had planted and that is about how the garden went the rest of the summer too (although not all of it was our fault).

Despite my lack of experience with anything green, when we finished our backyard this spring, a garden was on our short list of must-haves. By the time it was finished in mid-April, we were about a month late (for Arizona standards) getting our plants in the ground, but we decided to give it a go anyway. I have to say I have been pretty impressed. We have gotten herbs, cucumbers, tons of little yellow bell tomatoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, jalapenos, little bell peppers, and zucchini so far. Still waiting on our watermelon! You can tell that we were late planting as much of our produce has been small. That is everything but the zucchini! Check out this monster! (Those tiles on our counter are at least a foot in length). I am glad that we decided to only plant one zucchini plant!

So what does one do with a surplus of zucchini? Well, we have been grilling much of it, but there is only so much grilled zucchini that two people can eat! I was talking to my mom one day, and she mentioned that my grandma has a recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake that everyone always loved. I can assure you it didn't take me to long to decide on that recipe as a destination for this monster, and after a quick phone call to my aunt for the recipe, I was armed and ready to go.

I grated my zucchini by hand using the smaller portion of a cheese grater as I wanted the pieces to incorporate better into the batter. I can tell you that 2 cups of grated zucchini still left me with about 1/3 of this baby! As anticipated, the cake turned out great! Can you ever expect anything less from a "grandma recipe?" My aunt said that grandma usually frosted the cake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting. I went with a standard chocolate frosting that I will post below because I never keep cream cheese in the house, but if you want to make a cream cheese version, by all means send me some :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Grandma's Chocolate Zucchini Cake
From Grandma F.

Ingredients:
Cake:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup oil
1-3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups peeled, finely grated zucchini (I left the peel on)
2-1/2 cups flour
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2-3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional: I added these)

Chocolate Frosting:
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray and set aside. Add the cake ingredients in the order shown (except for the chocolate chips if using) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix and beat on low speed for 4 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed. Gently fold in chocolate chips if using. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For the frosting, mix the cocoa, butter, and milk. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frost the cake once cool.

Linked to Sweet Tooth Fridays

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2011-07-26T22:29:00.001-07:00

Ever since I made these, my husband has been literally begging me to put them up on the blog. In honor of his birthday tomorrow, I am obliging and sharing the deliciousness of this recipe with all of you. I only wish I was able to make them for him in the morning to celebrate, but since he has the day off and I have to be to work by 7:00 AM, I think I'll let him sleep :)

The idea for these came from Lori at Recipe Girl, and I have to say it is a brilliant one at that! Combining the best part of a cinnamon roll (the gooey filling) with a pancake is an idea that I never would have had on my own, but we certainly loved the results! They are more of a special breakfast treat, but they really do end up tasting like a cinnamon roll! Be sure to out the pictures from Lori's site. She was able to get this nice caramelized crust on her pancakes!

I was serving three adults, so I doubled the pancake portion of the recipe resulting in 5 large and 1 small pancakes. I also cut down on the filling to pancake ratio and actually had a fair amount extra leftover after I used all the batter. With the decrease, I didn't quite get the same caramel crust as Lori's cakes, but the pancakes still ended with that great cinnamon roll flavor. My only other change was to make a simple vanilla glaze since I don't routinely keep cream cheese around the house. I know I got 6 thumbs up from my taste testers here (myself included), so if you've got a special morning coming up, keep these in mind. Enjoy

(Printable Recipe)

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:
Pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cinnamon Filling:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the pancakes, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in milk, oil, and eggs, just until batter is moistened (a few lumps are fine).

In a separate medium bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. It should be the consistency of toothpaste.

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. You can add more powdered sugar or milk to get it to the correct consistency. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. With a pair of scissors, carefully snip a the very corner off the ziploc bag containing the brown sugar mixture. Squeeze a spiral of the sugar mixture into your pancake batter. When bubbles on the surface begin to pop, carefully flip the pancake and cook until browned on the underside, 1 or 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve. Serve with glaze drizzled over the top.

Yield: 5-6 large pancakes

Baked Veggie Sandwiches

2011-07-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe it has taken me this long to post these. The dates on my pictures are in April! The idea comes for this recipe comes from Kara at Itty Bitty Bistro, but I ran across them here at Finding Joy in My Kitchen. Despite my delay time from dinner to blog, these little guys pack a big punch. The posts from these ladies are actually a couple years old (2009), and my only regret now is that I didn't find this recipe sooner!

The ingredients are really pretty unassuming - broccoli, red bell pepper, spinach, shredded carrots, cheddar cheese, and whole wheat dough, but they combine to make a sandwich packed with flavor. You can tell a recipe is good when a blogger ends up making it again, and this one is in our regular rotation :) I followed SnoWhite's directions exactly, except for I didn't refrigerate the dough since I did not make it the night before. We actually used Cabot brand reduced-fat cheddar cheese for half of the cheese (per a suggestion from America's Test Kitchen), and it worked really well. It was still ooey, gooey and had just a little less guilt.

I know that turning on your oven may not be the first thing on your mind right now, but as soon as the heat wave breaks, you really should try these out. Promise! We are having them tonight!

(Printable Recipe)

Baked Veggie Sandwiches
From Finding Joy in My Kitchen (originally from Itty Bitty Bistro)

Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
2-1/4 tsp (1 pkg) rapid rise yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup warm water

Sandwiches:
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup red pepper, finely diced
1 cup broccoli, finely diced
1 cup spinach, finely diced
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
marinara sauce for dipping (optional)

Combine flours, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl and mix well. Add oil and water and stir just until dough forms a ball. Knead a few times on a lightly floured surface. Set inside a bowl sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover and allow the dough to rise about an hour and a half until it is doubled in size. SnoWhite indicates that the dough can be made the night before and placed in the refrigerator for the first rise, although I have never done it this way.

Divide the dough in half, and let it sit, covered, in a bowl for about 30 minutes. When the dough is just about done, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the vegetables (except the spinach) and saute until crisp tender. Add spinach and cook until it is wilted. Set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat an 8x8 inch square pan with cooking spray. Take 1/2 of the dough and stretch it to form a square, and place in the bottom of the pan. Cover with 1/2 of the cheese. Top with the vegetables and remaining cheese. Stretch the second piece of dough over the top of the cheese. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until warm and dough is cooked through and beginning to brown. Slice lengthwise and serve with marinara sauce if desired.

SRC: Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal

2011-07-18T04:00:00.011-07:00

Wow! I cannot believe that it is already time for the The Secret Recipe Club again! Time certainly flies!! This club, hosted by Amanda at Amanda's Cooking, has grown a ton already. The club is in it's 4th month, and this is my 3rd trip along. It has been loads of fun, and I have already met several bloggers whom I may not have otherwise run across.

This month my blogger was Anna from Sweet Anna's. She is definitely a woman of my own heart saying that she makes rice krispie treats often. Those little bars got me through college! Her blog is filled with fun recipes and adorable pictures/stories about her two boys, and I had a great time reading through her posts! Since I am still trying to get into my new work schedule, I decided on making Anna's Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal. I love steel cut oats, but making them on a weekday morning might be a little out of the picture for me :) The idea of the recipe is to improve the process by cooking them in the slow cooker overnight, so that by the morning they are ready to eat. Sounds great!

The recipe turned out pretty good. I decreased the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup and the oatmeal was plenty sweet with less sugar. There was still quite a bit of water leftover after the 8 hours of cook time. Stirring it up helped quite a bit, but I would try to decrease the amount of liquid next time. One thing that I noticed was different from oats cooked on the stove was the texture. The ones from the slow cooker were a little more smooth where oats cooked on the stove seem to have a little bit more chew to them. While I do like the chew that you get from the stove method, you certainly can't beat the convenience of having breakfast ready when you get up!

Enjoy and be sure to stop by and check out Anna's blog!

(Printable Recipe)

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
Adapted from Sweet Anna's (originally from The Hill Country Cook)

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups steel-cut oats
6 cups water
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter

Stir everything together in the slow cooker. The cinnamon will float on top of the liquid. Turn on low and cook for 8 hours (while you sleep!). In the morning, there may still be liquid on top of the oats. Stir them and they will thicken a little as they sit. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for future mornings :)

Yield: 6 servings

Club: Baked - Farm Stand Buttermilk Donuts

2011-07-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

While I make a lot of things that we eat from scratch at home, there are still certain things that have never occurred to me to make at home. Donuts (or doughnuts) are one of these things. Part of this is probably the fact that they aren't a food that we commonly eat, but I cannot blame it all on that as I have been known to enjoy a donut or two in my day. Well, I can no longer say that I am naive to donut-making as these farm stand donuts were the pick of Gloria from the Ginger Snap Girl for our second recipe in the group Club: Baked.

In reality, like most recipes that I seem to be a little weary of, the donuts were really simple to make. About an hour from start to clean-up. I did (and still do) have a fear of frying things. Something about having a pan of hot oil bubbling away on my stove makes me anxious. I am petrified of burning myself or worse lighting something on fire. Nevertheless, I heated up the oil as directed by the recipe, and in the end things (in the frying department) turned out just fine.

I halved the recipe and ended up with 7 donuts and 7 donut holes. On the group discussion board, a couple people mentioned that their dough was quite sticky. Mine actually ended up too dry, and I had to add a little bit of milk to get the dough to come together. This may or may not be due to the fact that I live in the desert? Since I do not own a biscuit cutter, I also used a drinking glass and shot glass to cut out the respective portions of the donut. As it turns out, the difference in diameter between our glasses and the shot glass is not very big, and I think this affected the way the donuts fried. My donut holes turned out really good and puffed up quite nicely, but my donuts stayed flat when they cooked. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Nevertheless, we still enjoyed both the donuts and the donut holes, although the donut holes were our favorite. I "dressed" the donuts with a couple different toppings - vanilla glaze and cinnamon sugar. The vanilla glaze was our favorite, but we are frosting folks around here :) If you want to see how the other bakers fared, check out the Club: Baked blogroll page and be sure to give Gloria some love for picking a fun recipe!

Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce

2011-07-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

Grilling. It has to be synonymous with summer, and the smell of dinner cooking away outside has to be one of my favorite smells in the world. When you combine grilling with one of our favorite cuisines (Greek), I am game. Thus, as soon as I saw this recipe for grilled pork souvlaki on The Blest Nest, I knew we would be making them soon!

Greek and other Mediterranean dishes aren't foods that either of us grew up eating, but they are something that we have come to love since we first tried them in pharmacy school. Lemon, oregano, garlic, chickpeas, olive oil. What's not to love? Not only is it GOOD, but it can be pretty healthy for you too. Double win :)

While we have made a couple other Greek meals at home, this pork souvlaki has to be the best one yet. It is really simple to make. No more complicated than your standard skewers in that you marinate the meat for several hours and then throw it on the grill. My only change was to grill the pork and vegetables on separate skewers to account for different cook times. Sometimes the veggies will finish cooking before the meat is done, and if they are on different skewers, you can simply take them off the grill. I made my own whole wheat pitas for this, but you could easily use some from the store to make this doable for a weeknight meal. Done and done. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce
Adapted from The Blest Nest

Ingredients:
Pork Souvlaki:
1 large lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green or red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup feta cheese
whole wheat pitas

Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup lowfat Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill (or 1 Tbsp. fresh if you have it)
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

For the meat, in a ziptop bag, combine the lemon juice, oil, soy sauce, oregano, and garlic. Swish to combine. Add pork cubes and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours (can be made in the morning for that evening). If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. If using metal skewers, the soaking step is not necessary.

For the tzatziki sauce, squeeze as much water from the cucumber as possible using a clean dish towel or paper towels. Combine with the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, dill and salt. Let the flavors marry in the refrigerator while the skewers are cooking.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and set aside. Boil the marinade for 5 minutes to kill any bacteria because you want to use it to baste the skewers. Thread pork and pepper and onions onto separate skewers. Cook for 10-15 minutes or to desired tenderness. Baste the meat occasionally and turn skewers frequently for even cooking. The vegetables will not take this long to cook. Remove them when the vegetables are tender and begin to brown around the edges.

Serve the pork, vegetables, and tzatziki over whole wheat pitas. Top with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. Enjoy!

Lighter Salted Caramel Ice Cream

2011-07-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

I officially started my residency this week, so I am now a working woman. So far, it's been a lot of orientation type tasks, but I am excited to finally be starting! I know the pace of things will pick up quite a bit over the next few weeks, but I plan to continue cooking. If nothing else, I have quite the stockpile of recipes saved to share with you!

Ice Cream. While many enjoy it year around, in my mind, it is synonymous with warmer temperatures. As a kiddo I remember root beer floats, "blizzards" from the local ice cream shop that was only open in the summer, and sundaes drenched with caramel. I have always had a soft spot for caramel, so when I saw this recipe, I was immediately interested. If caramel is good on top of ice cream, it has to be good frozen into it.

Well, I was right. This ice cream is awesome! I didn't add the salt on top of each serving, but the salt included in the ice cream gives it a sweet-salty combination that is awesome. If you've ever had a salted caramel, it's in that league. It is a little bit more complicated than most ice cream recipes because you need to make a caramel, but it is worth it. Plus, there is a bonus in that this recipe is a little lighter than most. With only 1/4 cup of heavy cream, it uses mostly 2% milk. While it is certainly still considered a treat, you can feel a little bit better about enjoying that (larger) scoop. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Lighter Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Adapted from Cooking Light May 2010

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups 2% milk
3 large egg yolks
1-1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. flake salt (optional)

Place milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat to 180 degrees (check temperature with a candy thermometer) or until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Do not boil. Meanwhile, place egg yolks in a large bowl and stir with a whisk. Once the milk reaches the correct temperature, gradually add half of the hot milk to the yolks, stirring constantly to temper. Add the rest of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Return the milk-yolk mixture to the saucepan.

In a separate large saucepan, combine sugar, cream, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Cook 3 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the Kosher salt. Gradually and carefully add the caramel mixture to the yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return pan to low heat and cook until a thermometer registers 160 degrees. Pour the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into a bowl set over a larger ice-filled bowl until completely cooled, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate overnight.

Pour the mixture into the freezer bucket of an ice-cream freezer. Freeze according to package directions. The ice cream will emerge in soft-serve consistency. Freeze in a resealable container for a firmer consistency or for storage of any leftovers. To serve, sprinkle each serving with flake salt if desired.

I am linking this to Sweets for Saturday.

Club: Baked - NY Style Crumb Cake Muffins

2011-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! First recipe for a new baking group! Club: Baked came about as an idea from Karen of Karen's Cookies Cakes and More. While it's been a great ride, our SMS recipes will wind up in August, and several of us decided that we were in for more baking so we chose another book :) Truthfully, I had never heard of Matt Lewis's Baked: Explorations before it was mentioned for this group, but after receiving the book, I am stoked for this group! If this first recipe is any indication, baking through this cookbook is going to be great (and delicious!).

Our first recipe was hosted by Karen and you can find her post here. The cake was originally intended to baked in a 9x13 with a crumb layer in almost equal thickness to the cake layer. I am definitely amongst the crumb-layer lovers, so this ratio sounds perfect! In reality, I didn't end up making the full recipe as that would be a TON of cake for only two people. Karen had noted on the website that she had trouble when baking half the recipe in a 8x8-inch pan, so I opted for muffins. The only downside of my muffins - they can't hold onto nearly as much crumb topping as the cake. I still really want to make this recipe as written and am absolutely going to keep it in mind if I ever need to bring a dish!

My muffins came together really easily, and I ended up with a dozen typical sized muffins and a little extra crumb topping. Not knowing how long they'd need to be in the oven, I originally set the timer for 18 minutes. Not even close. In the end, they needed about 28-30 minutes to finish baking. While they were baking, my husband kept asking me are these going to be good? With that much crumb topping, how could they not? They were awesome! We were able to enjoy them warm from the oven on the first morning, and what a great way to start the day. Sounds like this group is going to be great!

If you want to see the other bakers' links or want to join up with us, check out the Club: Baked page!

Garlic Naan

2011-06-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

In the span of my lifetime, I am relatively new to naan. In fact, I am relatively new to Indian food in general. Most of what I have had was ordered for lunch at work from a little, local Indian restaurant back in Nebraska. One of our technicians would usually order for all of us there on the weekend, and it would come in Styrofoam soup cups and foil-wrapped packets. Most of the time I didn’t know the exact name of what we were eating, but I do know that I liked it!

If you haven’t guessed, the foil-wrapped packets contained the hot, garlicly, buttery naan. To say this was one of our favorite parts of this meal would be an understatement. I guess since it was so foreign to me I always assumed that it would be relatively hard to make at home. Not true. After finding Jessica adaptations of Indian Simmer's recipe on Tasty Kitchen and seeing Tracey have good luck with it in her kitchen, I knew I would give it a shot next time we made an Indian meal. Who knew that making naan didn’t even involve yeast?!?

In her post on Tasty Kitchen, Jessica mentions that she made a batch using whole wheat pastry flour. I try to make most things a little healthier when I can, so I went that route. I did notice that my breads didn’t rise quite as much as either Jessica’s or Tracey’s, but the taste was spot on. I brushed the top side of mine with minced garlic before cooking them to get that garlic flavor that I remembered, and it worked perfectly. Definitely garlic naan. Unfortunately, I am not blessed with a gas stove-top, so I simply cooked both sides of mine in the pan, pancake style rather than roasting the second side over an open flame. They actually still browned pretty nicely regardless. My only extra tip would be to only brush melted butter on the pieces that you plan to eat that night. It keeps better that way – if there is any left :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Garlic Naan

From Tasty Kitchen (adapted from Indian Simmer)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat pastry flour)

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup warmed milk, about 100 F (I used skim)

1/2 cup plaint non-fat yogurt

bulb of garlic

melted garlic (to brush over the cooked naan)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Combine the milk and yogurt in a measuring cup. Pour over the dry ingredients and start to mix with a spoon, keeping in mind that you might not need all of the liquid to bring the dough together (I needed it all, but I live in the desert). The dough will not look like a typical bread dough at this point. Do not worry. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set it aside in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. The dough will become silky and smooth. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. You can add more flour if the dough is sticky. Roll the piece out to about 1/4-inch thick. The shape does not have to be a precise circle; it can be any shape. Push several garlic cloves through a garlic press. Brush one side of the bread with the minced garlic and wet the other side of the bread with water. I used a spray bottle and it worked really well, but you can also use a pastry brush.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When it is hot, place the naan wet side down and cover with a lid. The bread will stick at first, don't worry. Let it cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until you can see the dough bubbling. If you have a gas stove, you can cook the other side over the open flame of another burner, or you can flip the bread and cook the other side in the pan (like a pancake). Brush only the pieces you plan to eat immediately with melted butter.