Seasoned with Love

Buca Di Beppo Apple Gorgonzola Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

2011-11-10T00:59:00.003-07:00

I am a vegetarian. I love vegetables. I like salads when they are made well, but I rarely LOVE salads. I eat them on a regular basis, but don't make them very often. I think they taste better when someone else makes them. :) I also am a little funny when it comes to putting fruit on salads. I'm just not usually a big fan. I don't like to mix sweet and savory. I like them better separate. I don't like the sweet potatoes with marshmallows served at Thanksgiving. Weird, I know. I'd probably like them if they were savory roasted sweet potatoes or something along those lines. I'm weird. As my husband would say "wonderfully weird" (Thanks 'Friends'!)

Back to the salad ... I went to Buca Di Beppo (we don't have one where I live, the closest one is 80 or so miles away) with my family and my mom ordered a salad. Not just any salad. This salad. I was hesitant, but tried it. I LOVED it! I think it's one of my favorite salads, hands down! It's delicious. Even my husband who doesn't eat salad very often craved it for dinner one night, so I had to look up a copycat recipe online. (Thank you Google!) It tasted exactly the same. Try it! You won't be disappointed. If you are. . . sorry in advance.

Buca Di Beppo Copycat Apple Gorgonzola Salad with Italian Vinaigrette
(Thank you meemoskitchen.blogspot.com!!)

Ingredients:
1 granny smith apple (chopped, and sliced for garnish)
8 oz romaine lettuce (washed and chopped)
2 Tb Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
2 oz Spiced California Walnuts (chopped .. recipe below)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Italian vinaigrette (recipe below)

Preparation:
Make spiced walnuts. (They take roughly an hour) While waiting for walnuts, make the vinaigrette. (This will be best if it sits for at least a half hour) While waiting for walnuts and vinaigrette to sit, slice and chop apple. Chop lettuce and crumble cheese.

Once everything is ready, mix vinaigrette into lettuce. Add chopped apples, 3/4 of the walnuts and 3/4 of the Gorgonzola cheese. Toss well. Plate and garnish with remaining walnuts, cranberries, apples and cheese. Serve immediately.

Buca Di Beppo Italian Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper
1/8 cup red onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
3/4 cup olive oil

Combine the vinegar, oregano, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a blender. Add the onion and garlic. Blend together while slowly adding the olive oil. By adding the olive oil slowly, it will emulsify with the other ingredients creating a thicker vinaigrette. Let vinaigrette sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. This is best made shortly before using.

Spiced California Walnuts
(Recipe from the California Walnut Board)

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
2 cups California walnuts (halves and pieces)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Preheat oven to 225 and line a large shallow baking pan with foil.
Combine egg white and water. Beat until foamy. Add walnut halves and pieces and toss to coat. Pour the mixture into a strainer and let drain 2-3 minutes.
Combine sugar, cinnamon and allspice in a plastic or paper bag. Shake to mix.
Add the walnuts; hold the bag shut and shake vigorously to coat the nuts.
Spread the nuts in one layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Cool completely, stirring occasionally and breaking nuts apart if stuck together. Don't worry if they stick to the foil, it's easy to peel them off.

Store in a tightly-capped jar.
Makes 2 cups.

Vegetarian Chili

2011-10-12T15:02:00.005-06:00

As cold, rainy, perfectly crisp fall weather approaches, I tend to want more soups and warming comfort foods. Last night just happened to be a "I think we should have chili and cornbread" day. This chili was delicious and totally filling! You won't even miss the meat.

Vegetarian Chili
(Adapted from Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch's "Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking"

Makes 6-8 servings

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (about 3 small onions)
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2-3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed {I only used 2 and it turned out really good}
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped {Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to peel my tomatoes, so I just seeded and chopped them and they worked fine for me}
3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 15-ounce cans of black beans), rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (Do not add to the pot if you're planning to freeze chili)

**Optional toppings: cooked brown rice, sour cream, greek yogurt, cheese, diced avocado, chopped green onions (scallions)**

1. In a large, heavy pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini, corn and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes.
4. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in the tomatoes.
6. Add the black beans, tomato sauce and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
8. To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili over the rice and top with whatever garnishes you choose.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Garlic Scallion Noodles

2011-10-06T13:26:00.001-06:00

There are some days where all I want are noodles. It doesn't matter what flavor, what type of noodle ... just noodles. I tell my husband all the time that I should have been born Italian. :) One day for lunch I was looking online for a quick and simple noodle recipe for lunch that I had all the ingredients for already. This is what I found and it didn't disappoint. They were quick and quite tasty! Even my picky 3 year old ate a bowl full (and that's saying something!).

Garlic Scallion Noodles
(Recipe from weekofmenus.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:
8oz (half a box) of angel hair or thin spaghetti noodles
4 Tbsp (half a stick) butter
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2-4 scallions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp of brown sugar (based on your own personal preference of sweetness)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add scallions and garlic. Stir and cook, without browning the garlic. Cook until the garlic smell is fragrant and filling the room, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and soy sauce, and cook for another minute. Increase the heat a bit and throw in the noodles. Quickly saute the noodles until they are all coated with the garlicky butter mixture.

Serve immediately. Garnish with additional scallions if desired.

Spaghetti Sauce

2011-09-29T13:51:00.003-06:00

I love spaghetti, but jarred sauce is expensive and not nearly as good as homemade sauce. Here is a sauce that is very good that doesn't need to cook all day long. It takes as long as the noodles take to cook.

Kelsie's Awesome Spaghetti Sauce:

1 large can crushed tomatoes in puree
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 large onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
Basil (fresh is best, dried works fine)
Oregano
Dried parsley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
1lb spaghetti noodles

Also good with mushrooms, or ground beef if you want to add them. Add anything you like, but I leave mine as a simple tomato and basil sauce.

Pour a little olive oil into a large sauce pan or a tall sided frying pan. Add diced onion and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until onion is tender. Add a palm full of parsley, a palm full of dried basil and a few pinches of oregano. Oregano is pretty strong, don't add too much. If you are using fresh basil, add a handful of fresh leaves now and save a handful for the very end. Once the herbs are added and mixed in dump in tomatoes and tomato sauce. Mix well. Simmer covered (so it doesn't pop all over your stove) until noodles are finished. Taste. If it is missing any salt, pepper or any other seasonings add them. If you are using fresh basil, throw the second handful in right before you add to the noodles.

Once the noodles are finished cooking, drain and put back into pot. Pour sauce over noodles and toss to coat. Put some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top and toss again.

Enjoy!

Cake Pops

2011-09-26T23:46:00.001-06:00

Cake pops have exploded all over the internet! One day I had never heard of them, and the next day I saw them everywhere! Some of them are so cute and creative (you should definitely google cake pops and look at some of the images for ideas!). I decided to try my hand at them and see if I liked them or not. I tried them two ways, with the stick pointing into the air (cake down on the pan) and the stick going down (like an actual sucker). Putting the cake on the pan was a lot easier for me. If you want them to be like actual suckers, put them in a piece of styrofoam to keep their shape.

My husband totally loves these! He asks me to make them all the time. I mean who doesn't love cake? And little tiny bite size pieces on a stick? Can't get much better than that! These are perfect for any sort of celebration. A party, wedding, baby shower, bridal shower ... you name it.

Cake Pops

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box) - I made two batches, one was chocolate and one was red velvet
1 16oz tub frosting (I used chocolate for the chocolate cake and cream cheese for the red velvet)
1 package of chocolate bark or candy melts (if you want to drizzle with additional colors, choose as many as you'd like)

Sucker sticks

Directions:
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. Break apart either with hands or my kitchen aid mixer was really fast!
2. Mix thoroughly with 1/2-1 tub frosting. (I used about 3/4 of a tub of frosting). Again, you can mix with your hands...or a kitchen aid mixer works really well!
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. I used my cookie scooper to get a consistent size and I ended up with 48)
4. Chill
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Insert about 1/4" of one end of the sucker stick into the chocolate and then insert the sucker stick into the ball. (This will hold the sucker sticks in like glue and makes it easier when you start to coat the cake).

7. Chill again
6. Reheat chocolate if needed. Roll balls in chocolate and place on wax paper until firm. Drizzle with additional colors if you choose and decorate as desired!

**If your melted chocolate is a little too thick and weighs too much for your cake pop, you can thin it out a little with a little bit of vegetable oil**

White Chocolate Orange Cookies

2011-09-22T09:55:00.000-06:00

White Chocolate Orange Cookies
(Recipe found at www.landeeseelandeedo.com)

1 cup butter (not margarine), softened to room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp orange zest
2 cups white chocolate chips

Mix butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in egg. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix in. When you have a good dough consistency, add the orange zest and the white chocolate. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350. Cool on wire racks.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with a Whipped Ganache Frosting

2011-09-13T14:18:00.004-06:00

I have a friend who along with her 4 year old son, has Celiac Disease. They cannot process gluten, which means most baked goods are off limits. I have been wanting to take them treats but didn't want either her or her son to be left out, so I looked for a recipe that the entire family could enjoy. People at school had made flourless chocolate cakes with a poured ganache over the top, so I took that idea and just made it into smaller portions. Instead of a poured ganache, I whipped mine and then I was able to frost them instead. They turned out delicious. They are a very rich dessert and one that is a must have for any chocolate lover.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten Free)
(Recipe found at glutenfreecooking.about.com, submitted by Teri Gruss)

**This recipe will make 24 cupcakes**

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs (or 7 medium eggs)
1 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over medium low heat until melted and smooth.
2. Add sugar and salt and reduce heat to low. Cook while stirring for about one minute, or until sugar starts to dissolve. (The mixture will still be grainy, the sugar will not fully dissolve until they are baked)
3. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. (Mixture will look smooth and glossy)
4. Use a mesh hand sieve to sift cocoa into mixture. This will prevent lumps. Whisk until the cake batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into cupcake liners OR you can butter and dust the cupcake pan with cocoa powder if you do not want to use liners.
6. Bake for 15+ minutes. Honestly, you will have to keep checking it. You do not want to overcook these cupcakes. I think mine went for about 18-20 minutes.
7. Pull out and let cool to room temperature. (I cooled mine off in the fridge)
8. Frost with whipped ganache (recipe to follow).

(These are also delicious topped with fresh strawberries!)

Reminder: Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.

Whipped Ganache Frosting
(Recipe found on foodnetwork.com, submitted by Alton Brown)

You will use equal parts chocolate to heavy cream. So, if your bag of chocolate is 10 oz... you will use 10 oz of heavy cream. :)

1 bag bittersweet chocolate chips (My bag was 10 oz)
10 oz heavy cream (or more/less if your bag is bigger/smaller)

1. Place the chocolate into a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the heavy cream in a microwavable container for 3-4 minutes on high, or in a saucepan on the stove top until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to let the cream boil over.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for about 2 minutes.
4. Mix well until chocolate is melted and it's just syrupy (is that a word?) goodness
5. Put mixture into fridge for about an hour or until setup and chilled.
6. Whip the mixture until light and fluffy.
7. Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Grilled steak with a caramelized onion and gorgonzola cheese sauce

2011-08-06T11:30:00.000-06:00

Here is yet another steak recipe. I am still looking for the "perfect" one for my steak loving husband. I had made this one night for him and then learned that he was stuck at work until 11pm so I took it to him so he could eat something. Because he was starving, tired and still at work, he just ate it as fast as he could and went back to work. He said it was good, but I'm guessing he couldn't really taste a whole lot. I will definitely try it again. The sauce was totally delicious!

Grilled Steak with a caramelized onion and gorgonzola cheese sauce
(Sauce recipe is by the Pioneer Woman)

2 steaks
Butter, room temperature
Outback rub (see recipe below)
Sauce:
4 Tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
3/4-1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1. Butter each side of each steak and season with outback rub. Rub the seasoning in and grill until desired doneness. (My husband likes medium or medium-rare)
2. Saute onion in 4 Tbsp butter over high heat until dark and caramelized. Reduce heat to simmer and pour in heavy cream. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in cheese until melted. Pour over steak and serve!

Outback Rub:
(Recipe found on becomingbetty.blogspot.com)

4 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp coarse, black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric

Mix together and rub on meat before grilling or baking. Store in airtight container.

Kale Chips

2011-08-04T12:36:00.000-06:00

I'll admit that kale is not one of my favorite vegetables, so when I received it in my bountiful basket I wanted to find a way to make it that I would like, but also that my 3 year old picky eater son would like. I had heard that making kale into chips was delicious so we decided to give it a try.

Kale Chips

A bunch of kale
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Clean and trim up the kale. I should have removed more of the stalk, it was a bit tough when it was cooked. I will do that next time. Put all the leaves in a large ziplock bag and add just enough oil to lightly coat the greens. You don't want them dripping in oil. Toss well. Add to cookie sheet, making sure not to overlap them.

Bake until crispy (roughly 15-20 minutes??). Once crispy, remove from oven and salt. If you salt them before you put them in the oven, it will draw out all the moisture and they will be soggy and won't get crisp.

Cabbage Slaw

2011-08-02T00:42:00.003-06:00

Normally, I don't care for cole slaw. I think it's bland and just overall not very good. The only thing I like about it is the crunch of the fresh cabbage. This past weekend when I received my bountiful basket it had 2 huge heads of cabbage in it, combine that with the 1 already in my fridge, and well ... I needed to figure out something to do with all of that cabbage. I decided to make a slaw that I actually liked and would want to eat again. My attempt was successful. Not only was this slaw crunchy, it was delicious! I would totally make it again, and probably will with the ever ending supply of cabbage in my fridge.

Cabbage Slaw

2 lbs cabbage, sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced thin and then diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
3/4 cup mayo (I made fresh mayo for this slaw, I will post the recipe)
1 tsp celery salt
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)
Salt and pepper to taste

Shred the cabbage and put in large bowl. Add onion, beans and corn. Toss.

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, celery salt, vinegar, sugar and hot sauce. Mix well. Pour over cabbage and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put in fridge to let the flavors mingle for about 30 minutes.

Serve!

Homemade Mayo
(Recipe found in KitchenAid, Great Baking and More)

3 egg yolks
2 cups vegetable or olive oil
1 lemon, juiced (I just poured a little bottled lemon juice in)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Place egg yolks in a bowl and whip for about 3 minutes on high, until yolks are stiff and pale yellow. Reduce speed to med-high and slowly add the oil in a thin stream. If the mixture becomes too thick, thin with a little lemon juice. Continue to add oil until completely absorbed.

Reduce speed to medium and add lemon juice, salt, dry mustard and vinegar and whip until blended.

Store in the refrigerator.

Pizza Sauce

2011-06-23T16:24:00.002-06:00

I don't make homemade pizza very often, but when I do, I never know what sauce to use. Jared sauce is just not very good, spaghetti sauce ... well, tastes like spaghetti. :) This sauce was simple, but very good. I will definitely be making this again.

Simple Pizza Sauce
(Recipe from cooksillustrated.com)

2 cans (14oz) crushed tomatoes in puree
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in pan. Add garlic and cook until it starts to simmer (only like 30 seconds). Add in tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to lump up on a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilled Flank Steak

2011-06-04T13:19:00.000-06:00

For this flank steak I just used the same marinade recipe as the steak I made a while back, and just added a couple extra ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 flank steak (mine was just under a pound and a half, and it fed 3 adults and 1 child)
Kosher salt and pepper

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp liquid smoke (mesquite)

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients and whisk well.
2. Using a dinner fork, poke steak about 20 times on each side. Season with salt and pepper and place in a gallon size ziplock bag. Pour marinade over the top and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
3. Preheat grill
4. Using paper towels, wipe marinade off steak. Grill steak directly on grill until well browned 4-6 minutes. Using tongs, flip steak; grill until second side is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Cook until the internal temperature is 125 degrees. It will continue to cook as it rests. You do not want to over cook a flank steak! It is a meat that needs to be cooked rare or medium rare.
4. Cover steak with foil and let rest at least 15 minutes to let the juice redistribute.
5. Using a sharp chef's knife or a carving knife, slice steak about 1/4" thick against the grain and on a bias. Serve immediately.

Below is a drawing, it will show where you need to cut your meat to make it so it doesn't end up super tough and chewy. The grains on a flank steak all run the same direction so we need to cut against the grain and on a bias to give the slices a bigger surface area.

Like the recipes?

2011-06-02T21:51:00.003-06:00

Used a recipe? Loved it? Hated it? Changed it? Let everyone know!

Which recipe has been your favorite? Is it in your collection of go-to recipes now? Share your kitchen experience. Leave a comment! Thanks for stopping by!

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

2011-06-02T13:04:00.000-06:00

Crispy Smashed Potatoes
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated, altered slightly by me)

Ingredients:
Small red bliss potatoes or small gold potatoes (However many you want per person)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
Garlic powder
Parsley
Thyme

1. Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Put potatoes on a baking sheet and pour 3/4 cup of water into the pan and wrap tightly with tin foil. Cook on bottom rack until soft (paring knife slips in and out easily) about 25-30 minutes. (This will depend on how big your potatoes are). Remove foil and cool for 10 minutes. If any water remains, blog dry with paper towel.

2. Drizzle some olive oil over potatoes and roll to coat them. Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place a second baking sheet on top and press down on the potatoes, flattening the potatoes (or just splitting them open). Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top of the potatoes again and season each potato with a little garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme.

3. Put the potatoes back into the oven on the top rack for 15 minutes. Then transfer the potatoes to the bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned (20-30 minutes longer).

Serve immediately.

Coconut Lime Chewy Sugar Cookies

2011-05-20T15:01:00.002-06:00

Coconut Lime Chewy Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, chopped fine
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
1 tsp lime zest
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp fresh lime juice

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, coconut, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese and lime zest in large bowl.
4. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine. (Some lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later).
5. Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and lime juice. Continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
7. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 Tbsp each).
8. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat and space evenly on baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
9. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Cabbage and Ramen Noodle Salad

2011-05-17T15:06:00.004-06:00

Cabbage and Ramen Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 handful of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
The noodles from 1 package oriental ramen

*Optional: Chicken, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chives instead of onions, etc.*

Dressing:
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
Seasoning packet from oriental ramen noodles
Salt & Pepper to taste
Season salt to taste
*I also added a little smoked paprika and it was delicious!*

Dressing:
Mix together all the ingredients and set aside.

Salad:
Chop cabbage into bite size pieces and put into large bowl. Add green onions and nuts. Break up noodles into bite size pieces and add to salad.

Toss with dressing and serve immediately

Marinated Steaks

2011-05-14T15:04:00.003-06:00

I'm always looking for new ways to cook steaks for my husband to change things up a bit. I found a recipe for a marinade and changed it up a little bit. He said it tasted good and it was something he'd want again (which is saying something, because he's quite a picky eater).

Marinade for Steak (or whatever you want!)
(This makes probably about 2 cups of marinade)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
4 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
pinch cayenne pepper

Poke steaks with fork all over on both sides. Put into large ziplock bag and cover with marinade. Place in refrigerator for 1-24 hours. Cook, serve and enjoy!

Chewy Chai Spice Sugar Cookies

2011-05-11T11:44:00.000-06:00

Chewy Chai-Spice Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of black pepper
1 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and black pepper in large bowl.
4. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine. (Some lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later).
5. Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
7. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 Tbsp each).
8. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat and space evenly on baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
9. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Roasted Garlic & Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

2011-05-08T11:00:00.000-06:00

Roasted Garlic & Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 an onion, diced
8 cups water (with chicken bouillon cubes or chicken base) or Chicken Stock
2 Red bell peppers, roasted and diced. (for roasting instructions...click here)
1 head garlic
Olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350.
Cut the top off the head of garlic. Put in tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Ball up the tin foil and put garlic in oven until the rice is finished cooking.

In a saucepan bring 8 cups of stock (or water with base or bouillon cubes) to boil. Keep at a simmer the entire time. In a large skillet or frying pan with tall sides heat 1 Tbsp butter until melted. Add onion and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add rice. Stir until coated. Now it's time for the cooking process.

Add about 1 ladle full of hot broth to the rice at a time stirring until the rice absorbs it all. Once it is all absorbed add another ladle until rice is cooked, but not mushy. You will probably have some liquid left over. Once the rice is fully cooked, pull the garlic out of the oven. Squish the sides and all the cloves should come out easily. They should have a nutty aroma and be golden brown. Roughly chop them and add to the rice. Add the red peppers and stir to combine. Add Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the rice gets a little too stiff, add a little more stock to loosen it up a little.

Serve and enjoy!

Chewy Sugar Cookies

2011-05-05T11:34:00.001-06:00

Chewy Sugar Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for rolling)
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl.
4. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine. (Some lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later).
5. Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Continue to whisk until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft dough forms.
7. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (about 2 Tbsp each).
8. Using hands, roll dough into balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat and space evenly on baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
9. Bake 1 tray at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.
10. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Variations:

Chewy Chai-Spice Sugar Cookies can be found here
Chewy Coconut-Lime Sugar Cookies can be found here

Poor Man Skor Bars

2011-05-02T13:51:00.000-06:00

Poor Man Skor Bars
(Thanks for the recipe Debbie!)

Ingredients:
2 sleeves saltine crackers
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
1-2 cups nuts of choice (slivered almonds, chopped walnuts or pecans)
Flaked coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Completely cover baking sheet with saltines. In a saucepan, melt the butter and sugar. Pour melted mixture over the saltines, trying to cover all of them. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips of choice over the crackers immediately. Let sit about 5 minutes until chips have softened. Spread the softened chips completely over crackers and sprinkle with desired toppings. Place in refrigerator and cool. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Banana Cake

2011-05-02T11:32:00.000-06:00

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe courtesy of food.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Optional: Walnuts for a garnish

1. Preheat oven to 275 (seems low, I know)
2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan
3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with lemon juice, set aside
4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside
5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 sugar until light and fluffy
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla
7. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk
8. Stir in banana mixture
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes.
11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
12. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla
13. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.
14. Spread on cooled cake.
15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top of the frosting if desired.

Coconut Pecan Icing

2011-04-30T12:10:00.001-06:00

I am not really a cake fan. I'll admit, sometimes it's good..but usually in moderation. The exception in my book is German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Icing. Delicious. This homemade icing doesn't disappoint.

Coconut Pecan Icing
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups (7 oz) sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted (either in 350 degree oven until browned about 8 minutes, or on the stove top in a frying pan)

1. Whisk yolks in medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Add sugars, butter and salt and cook over medium high heat whisking constantly until mixture is boiling, frothy and slightly thickened (about 6 minutes).

2. Transfer mixture to bowl, whisk in vanilla, then stir in coconut. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool or cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

3. Stir in pecans just before cake assembly.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Stew

2011-04-29T13:50:00.000-06:00

Black Bean Stew
(Thanks for the recipe Debbie!)

Ingredients:
1 large diced onion
1-3 minced cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
2 cans chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 small can diced green chilies
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes (plain flavor)
1 (28 oz) can (or two 16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
Cooked rice (I used brown)
Cilantro, chopped
Avocado, diced
Sour cream
Lime slices

1. In a dutch oven, saute onion, garlic and pepper flakes in olive oil. Add herbs, broth and chilies and bring to boil.
2. Add tomatoes and beans. Simmer one hour.
3. Remove 1/2 of stew, cool slightly and puree until smooth. Add pureed mixture back into pot and stir to combine.
4. Serve stew over rice with fresh cilantro, avocado, sour cream and lime slices.

Almond Crusted Chicken

2011-04-29T13:20:00.001-06:00

Almond Crusted Chicken
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (I think mine were too big, I would have gone smaller)
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 Tbsp)
1 cup panko (Japanese style bread crumbs)
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves (I just used dry)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup all purpose flour

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke thickest half of chicken breast 5-6 times. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Refrigerate, uncovered while preparing coating.

2. Process nuts in food processor until they resemble course meal. (I left mine too chunky and everyone said they tasted delicious, the texture just resembled soft gravel. Next time I will process them to a finer texture). Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan constantly until butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma (4-5 minutes). Add shallot and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Cook stirring constantly until just beginning to brown (2 minutes). Reduce heat to medium low. Add panko and ground nuts. Cook stirring frequently until golden brown (10-12 minutes). Transfer panko mixture to shallow dish or pie plate and stir in lemon zest, thyme and cayenne.

3. Lightly beat eggs, mustard and black pepper in a second shallow dish or pie plate. Place flour in a third shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Work with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides with panko mixture, pressing gently so that crumbs adhere. Transfer breaded chicken to clean wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees (20-25 minutes). Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Parmesan Risotto

2011-04-28T13:00:00.000-06:00

Parmesan Risotto

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 an onion, diced
8 cups water (with chicken bouillon cubes or chicken base) or Chicken Stock
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan bring 8 cups of stock (or water with base or bouillon cubes) to boil. Keep at a simmer the entire time. In a large skillet or frying pan with tall sides heat 1 Tbsp butter until melted. Add onion and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add rice. Stir until coated. Now it's time for the cooking process.

Add about 1 ladle full of hot broth to the rice at a time stirring until the rice absorbs it all. Once it is all absorbed add another ladle until rice is cooked, but not mushy. You will probably have some liquid left over. Once the rice is fully cooked, add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Stir until melted. Add Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom and Spinach Marsala Pappardelle

2011-01-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Mushroom and Spinach Marsala Pappardelle
(Courtesy of Rachael Ray, changed up a bit by me)

1 lb pappardelle or fettuccine pasta (I couldn't find pappardelle, so I used extra wide egg noodles)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, sliced (regular mushrooms would work if these aren't available)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 bay leaves
A pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
A handful of chopped fresh parsley
1 bag of baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 tsp of red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you want)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it, add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a large, deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds to flavor the oil and then add the mushrooms and bay leaves. Cook until the mushrooms release all their liquid and the liquid is gone and the mushrooms start to brown. (about 8 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach a couple of handfuls at a time. Add more when the previous additions have wilted down. Season with nutmeg. Once all the spinach is wilted down, add the marsala and cook until slightly reduced (about 1 minute). Add the vegetable stock and cook for about another minute. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the cream and heat until warm. Add the parsley and cheese and pour over noodles. Add pepper flakes. If it needs more salt and pepper, season to taste.

If the sauce is still too runny, let it simmer with the noodles while stirring occasionally until it thickens and coats the noodles.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-11-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and this time of year especially! I've only ever made the cheater cookies where you add one can of pumpkin to one box spice cake mix and add chocolate chips and then bake. I was excited when I found this recipe and it didn't disappoint. They were delicious and super soft!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(courtesy of Food Network, specifically George Duran)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups (12 ounce bag) of milk chocolate chips (not semisweet)
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Chicken Fricassee

2010-10-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken for Mart, I feel like I always cook him the same kind. I got my Cooks Illustrated magazine in the mail the other day and saw this recipe and thought I would try it out. It's just a chicken breast with a creamy mushroom sauce on top. He said he liked it and would want it again. (That's saying something!)

Chicken Fricassee
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cooked three smaller breasts and had plenty of sauce for all three)
Salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (my store was out the day I bought them so I just used plain old button mushrooms)
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 tsp)
1 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp juice from 1 lemon (I just used all the juice from the lemon)
2 tsp minced fresh tarragon or parsley

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned (about 4 minutes). Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side (about 4 minutes longer). Transfer chicken to a large plate.

2. Add mushrooms, onion and wine to the now empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned (8-10 minutes). Add flour and garlic. Cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add broth/stock and bring mixture to a boil, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in breasts (5-10 minutes).

3. Transfer chicken to a clean platter and tent loosely with foil. Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stir about 1/2 cup of the sauce into sour cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce. Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice and terragon/parsley. Return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2010-10-05T22:55:00.000-06:00

'Tis the season for soups! I love rainy days or crisp fall days. They make the perfect day for a nice hot bowl of homemade soup. I decided to try a new one tonight and wasn't disappointed. It was pretty tasty. I may change it a little next time I make it, but it wasn't bad for a first time attempt.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)
*I altered this recipe from the original*

5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small rib celery, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne pepper
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 cups) *I didn't have sharp cheese, so I used colby jack and added a couple of handfuls extra, it tasted just fine*
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves or about 1 tsp dried

(The soup pictured does not have any carrots because I was feeding someone who was allergic to them)

1. Heat butter in a large soup pan or heavy bottom dutch oven over medium high heat until foaming. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 4 minutes). Add carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute). Add flour and cook, stirring to coat the veggies until mixture begins to brown on the bottom of the pot (about 2 minutes). Gradually whisk in stock and milk and add bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until vegetables soften (about 10 minutes).

2. While vegetables are simmering chop up some broccoli into bite size florets (I also dice up the stems too) and put into a deep frying pan with a little bit of water and cover. Steam until they are bright green and still have a bit of a crunch to them. Drain and set aside.

3. Off heat add cayenne to the soup. Cool the soup for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the cheese and thyme; season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately! (Mine needed a little extra cheese because I didn't have any sharp cheese so I just added more to taste).

Zucchini Soup

2010-08-17T22:29:00.000-06:00

During the summer I always have more than enough zucchini from my garden, plus my neighbor always gives me some of his as well. You can only make so much zucchini bread before it becomes too much so I thought I'd try something new.
My 2 1/2 year old is a super picky veggie eater but LOVES soup! I love to make him soups that are chuck full of veggies and puree them so that he has no idea they are in there but will eat a huge bowl of it and love it. This soup was no exception. He loves bacon which helped but he ate a huge bowl of this soup. It really is delicious for such a simple soup.

Zucchini Soup
(Courtesy of sisterscafe.blogspot.com)
*I altered this recipe slightly from the original*

1 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth (I used veggie bouillon cubes in water)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup half and half or milk will work fine
*Optional garnishes*
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Bacon cooked crisp and then crumbled

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and sliced zucchini. Stir. Add broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 minutes). Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half and half or milk. Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Taste to test seasoning, add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and bacon bits.
Makes 6 small servings.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2010-08-06T10:53:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but when I plant my garden I always have zucchini growing like crazy (and I only plant one plant!) and on top of that, my cute neighbor always wants to share some of his so we have MORE than enough for all of us with a year supply on top of that. Aside from savory ways to prepare all my zucchini, my house loves zucchini bread. My husband is a chocolate fanatic, so when I found this new recipe I knew I had to try it. It didn't disappoint.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
(Courtesy of sisterscafe.blogspot.com)
*I altered this recipe slightly from the original*

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup melted butter (cooled)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 small bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

Beat together the eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla. Add the remaining ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) mix until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into greased and sugared loaf pans (Sugaring is just like flouring a pan, just use sugar instead. It will make the crust sweet and crispy)

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

*This batch made 2 smallish loaves in disposable loaf pans, I doubled it and ended up with 4 loaves!*

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad

2010-06-27T21:35:00.000-06:00

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
1 bunch (about 1-1 1/2 pounds) of asparagus, tough ends trimmed
3 large red bell peppers (I used red and orange)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to toss with vegetables
1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice from 2 lemons
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 pound short, bite sized pasta
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Grill peppers and asparagus on grill until lightly charred and tender. Cool to room temperature (They could also be roasted if you'd prefer that)

2. Chop the veggies up and toss with oil, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and salt to boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente and drain.
4. While pasta is cooking make dressing. Whisk lemon juice, zest, 3/4 tsp salt, garlic and ground black pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream until smooth.
5. While pasta is hot toss with veggies, chives, basil, parmesan cheese and dressing and mix thoroughly. Cool to room temperature. Adjust seasonings and serve.

(Can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 1 day; return to room temperature before serving.)

Orange Chipotle Grilled Chicken Breasts

2010-06-27T21:32:00.000-06:00

Grilled Chicken Breasts
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:
4 bone-in chicken breasts
1/3 cup salt
Cold water
1 recipe for the glaze (see below)

1. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large container. Add chicken, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. When finished, rinse chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken with pepper.

2. Turn all burners to high heat with the lid down until very hot. Cook chicken until the thickest part of the breast reads 150 degrees on a thermometer.

3. Brush both sides of the chicken with the glaze. Continue to cook until browned and the thermometer reads 160 in the thickest part of the breast. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve. Pass remaining glaze separately.

Orange-Chipotle Glaze
(Also courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

(I would at least double this batch, I barely had enough to brush on the chicken once while cooking and none leftover to brush on afterward.)

Ingredients:
1 tsp orange zest
2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, from 2 oranges
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced (1-2 Tbsp) - I used 1 chile
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp light molasses (I just had regular molasses in my pantry so that's what I used)
3/4 tsp cornstarch
Salt

Combine zest, juice, shallot, chile and thyme in a small saucepan, then whisk in molasses and cornstarch. Simmer mixture over medium heat until thickened (about 5 minutes). Season with salt. Reserve half the glaze for serving and use the other half for brushing on chicken while grilling. (Again, I would at least double this recipe if you are going to reserve some for serving, I didn't have enough in the end.)

Orange Garlic Grilled Pork Tenderloin

2010-06-14T23:12:00.000-06:00

Orange Garlic Grilled Pork Tenderloin
(Courtesy of Cooks Illustrated)

Pork:
2 pork tenderloins, silver skin trimmed off
3 Tbsp kosher salt (or 1 1/2 Tbsp table salt)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups water (hot)
2 cups water (cold)

In a medium bowl, dissolve the salt and sugar in the hot water. Stir in the cold water to cool the mixture to room temperature. Add the tenderloins and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until fully seasoned (about an hour). While the tenderloin is in the brine, make the wet rub.

Orange Garlic Wet Rub

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp grated orange zest from 1 large orange
2 large cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp orange marmalade
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

10-15 minutes before the pork is ready, turn all burners on a gas grill to high, close lid and let the grill get nice and hot. Will take about 10-15 minutes.

When the tenderloin is fully seasoned, remove from the brine, rinse well and dry with paper towels. Rub tenderloin with wet rub. Cook with grill lid closed until well browned on three sides (about 3 1/2 minutes per side) then cook on the final side until well browned and the internal temp. is 140 degrees in the thickest part of the meat. Pull the pork off the grill and let rest under a tin foil tent for 5 minutes. Slice and serve

Italian Brine Grilled Chicken

2010-06-14T23:11:00.000-06:00

Italian Brine Grilled Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

Chicken breast
Cold water
Salt
Italian seasoning
Pepper

Fill a bowl with cold water and add a decent amount of salt. Add about a palmful of Italian seasoning. Add chicken and let sit in the fridge for about an hour. When you are ready, preheat your grill for 10 minutes until nice and hot.

Pull chicken out of brine and dry off with paper towels. Season both sides with pepper and a little extra Italian seasoning if it all came off when you dried the chicken. Grill until the chicken is juicy and fully cooked. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving (this will continue to cook the chicken, so don't over cook on the grill).

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

2010-06-14T23:05:00.000-06:00

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce
(Courtesy of sisterscafe.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut or snap the ends off the washed asparagus and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender (but not mushy). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Let it lightly simmer until the sauce thickens a little bit or it won't stick to the asparagus.

Pour finished sauce over roasted asparagus and serve!

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

2010-06-14T23:01:00.000-06:00

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

Fresh brussel sprouts
Olive oil
Garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

Cut the brussel sprouts in half or quarter them if they are huge. In a frying pan, heat some olive oil and the minced garlic. Be careful not to burn the garlic! When the oil is hot, add the brussel sprouts. Toss in the oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute in olive oil until the sprouts are as tender as you want them to be. I like a little crunch left in mine.

Protein Blueberry Waffles

2010-03-30T12:36:00.000-06:00

These are super delicious and so good for you! They have the option of being either pancakes or waffles, which ever you'd prefer.

Protein Blueberry Waffles:

1 cup oats
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
6 large egg whites or 5 XL egg whites (or better yet, 5 oz [which is just over half a cup] of egg whites)
A couple packets of equal, splenda, or any other sweetener you want to use
1 tsp vanilla
A couple handfuls of FROZEN blueberries
A handful of chopped walnuts

Combine in a blender or food processor the oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, splenda and vanilla. Blend until it's no longer chunky and smooth like a batter should be.
Stir in frozen blueberries and walnuts. Poor into a preheated waffle iron (I use a Belgium waffle iron).
Top with your favorite ingredients! My favorite are fresh strawberries, whipped cream and a delicious sugar free syrup that I found!

Protein pancakes:

1 cup oats
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
6 large egg whites or 5 XL egg whites (or better yet, 5 oz [which is just over half a cup] of egg whites)
A couple packets of equal, splenda, or any other sweetener you want to use
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine in a blender or food processor the oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, splenda, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend until it's no longer chunky and smooth like a batter should be.

Cook like normal pancakes. Top with your favorite toppings!

Buttermilk Pancakes

2010-02-25T19:16:00.001-07:00

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and melted butter. Make well in center of dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients; gently stir until just combined (batter should remain lumpy with few streaks of flour). Do not over mix. Allow batter to sit 10 minutes before cooking.

2. Grease pan. Using 1/4 - 1/2 cup measuring cup (depending on how big you want your pancakes), pour batter into pan. Cook until edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve pancakes immediately. Repeat with remaining batter.

Chicken Marsala

2010-02-13T20:25:00.001-07:00

We love mushrooms at our house so I decided to make Chicken Marsala for Martin and Traves. This chicken turned out a lot sweeter than I expected, so if you like sweet chicken and mushrooms you'll love this!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, patted dry with paper towels
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2-4 slices of pancetta (or 2-3 slices of bacon) cut into 1" pieces
4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp tomato paste
3/4 cup marsala wine (sweet)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, cut into 2 pieces
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, set large heatproof plate on rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place flour in shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper; working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy-bottomed, 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook chicken until golden brown on first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining oil and using tongs, flip chicken; continue to cook until meat feels firm when pressed gently and second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven.

3. Return skillet to low heat and add pancetta; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits, until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel-lined plate. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta; cook while stirring until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.

4. Off heat, add Marsala; return pan to medium heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until mushroom sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

If there was a list of my top favorite chocolate chip cookies, this would definitely, hands down be on it ... most likely at the top! They are super delicious and my husband goes crazy whenever I make them. He's a major chocolate fanatic. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Super Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3/4 cup butter flavored crisco
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla (the cheap kind. If you use the 100% vanilla use a lot less)
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine the crisco, sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until blended. Beat in egg.
3. Combine flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl. Beat into mixture at low speed. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet
5. Bake 8-9 min. for chewy cookies, 11-13 min. for crisp.

Let cool and enjoy!

Marinated Steaks

2010-02-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

Marinated Steaks:

Steak (whatever cut you prefer)
Worcestershire Sauce
Fresh garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Poke the steaks with a fork all over the top and bottom and put in a bowl, ziplock bag or a small pan. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Pour some worcestershire sauce over the top. (A few tablespoons will work, just enough to coat them) and add a spoonful or two of minced garlic. Toss the steaks to coat and let them sit in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours. Pull them out and bring them to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Heat an oven safe skillet/frying pan until crazy hot. Add steaks and brown on both sides. Once browned, move into the oven to finish cooking. (You can transfer to a different pan if you need to). Cook as long as you like your steaks cooked. (Remember they need to rest before you can cut them so don't overcook them in the oven! They will continue to cook as they rest so pull them out a few degrees early).

Classic Granola

2010-01-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

I love granola and have been looking for a good recipe to make myself. This one is very tasty!

Classic Granola
(Thanks Cooks Illustrated)

1 cup walnuts, chopped
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup blanched almonds, slivered (or halved)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup raisins or craisins (optional)

Kelsie's Extra:
Brown sugar (optional)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl.

Heat syrup and honey together with oil in a small saucepan, whisking occasionally until warm. Pour mixture over dry ingredients. Stir with spatula until mixture is thoroughly coated. Put mixture onto a cookie sheet and spread into an even layer.

Bake, stirring and respreading mixture into an even layer every 5 minutes until granola is light brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately turn granola onto another cookie sheet to stop the cooking process. Stir in raisins, then spread granola evenly in pan. Set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Loosen granola with a spatula. Store in an airtight container.

**Optional: If you like it a little sweeter, toss the finished mixture in a little bit of brown sugar. It is delicious both ways!**

Beef and Shrimp Fajitas

2010-01-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Beef Fajitas

2 oz (4 Tbsp) vegetable oil
3 oz (6 Tbsp) lime juice
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 lb beef skirt steak, flank steak or london broil
1-2 bell peppers (assorted colors) cut into strips
1 onion, cut into thick strips
Mushrooms, sliced
Pepper jack cheese, grated
Tortillas
*Optional ingredients: Guacamole, sour cream, salsa, extra lime*

Mix together 3 Tbsp of the vegetable oil, the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the meat in a ziplock bag or a bowl and cover with the marinade. Turn the meat so it is coated on all sides. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

Remove meat from the marinade. Grill the meat on both sides on a grill or under a broiler until it is lightly charred and rare to medium done.

While the beef is grilling, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the peppers and saute briefly, keeping them slightly crisp. Remove peppers from the pan and saute the mushrooms and onions the same way.

When the beef is finished, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat across the grain into thin slices.

Warm the tortillas and top with the veggies and sliced beef, cheese and any optional ingredients.

For the shrimp fajitas, I just used a garlic & lime shrimp marinade that I have. It is delicious!

Garlic & Lime Shrimp

1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lime
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp onion powder

Mix the salt, pepper, cayenne, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, thyme and onion powder together in a small bowl.

Preheat a skillet. Add butter and stir in garlic. Let the garlic cook for about 30 seconds to a minute on medium heat. Add shrimp. Cut lime in half, squeeze over shrimp. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over and stir. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Taste your shrimp and check to see if your seasonings are right.

Spinach Enchiladas

2010-01-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

These enchiladas are so delicious! They are a little time consuming, but by doing a couple things different, I was able to cut down the time a little bit. I will post my revisions instead. This is not the most beautiful plate, but enchiladas really aren't that pretty. :)

Spinach Enchiladas
(Thanks Emeril Lagasse!)

4 Poblano chile peppers (Last time I went to the store they didn't have any, so I looked on the heat scale they had and ended up buying anaheim peppers instead and got 2 extra because they were smaller and they tasted good as well. Poblano are still my favorite, but you can substitute if you can't find them)
2 pounds frozen spinach
A couple handfuls of mushrooms, chopped up
8 Tbsp unsalted butter (split)
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
pinch cayenne
1/2 cup all purpose flour (split)
2 cups half and half
1 cup cubed queso fresco (I used this the first time, and couldn't find it the second time so I used mozzarella. Both tasted really similar)
1 cup cubed pepper jack (Plus a little extra grated for the top)
Parmesan (or I used asiago or just straight pepper jack for the top)
6-12 flour tortillas (this will depend on how big you want your enchiladas. We make huge ones and get 6 out of it)
1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Thaw out your spinach and let drain in a colander. When you are ready for the spinach, squeeze out all the excess water. (There will be a ton!)

Roast the peppers and then place them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, a ziplock bag or a paper bag and let them rest until cool enough to handle. Peel the peppers, split in half lenghtwise and discard the seeds, veins and stems. Roughly chop and set aside.

In a large saucepan or a large tall sided frying pan, melt 4 Tbsp of the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft. Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook stirring for about a minute. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and cook stirring to make a light roux (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the half and half and cook until thick. Add the spinach and stir incorporate. Remove from the heat and fold in half of the chopped chiles, adjust the seasoning to taste. Fold in the cubed cheeses and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter of medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly to make a light roux. Slowly add the stock and cook until thickened. Add the cream and cook until thick. Add the remaining roasted peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Fill your tortillas with the spinach mixture and put into a 13 x 9 pan (or bigger if you have more) and pour the sauce over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover evenly with the grated pepper jack and either parmesan or asiago (or neither if you don't want them) and return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and the enchiladas are completely warmed through. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Orange Chile Glazed Pork Tenderloin

2009-12-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

Every time I've ever seen pork, it looks so dry. It just always gets super overcooked. This is a really good way to cook pork and keep it juicy.

Orange Chile Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Pork Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (When you buy a package of pork tenderloins, it will generally have two in it)
1 gallon cold water
1/2 cup table salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp table salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tsp red chile flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Trim the silver skin off both tenderloins.
2. Add cold water and 1/2 cup salt to a large bowl or small bucket to make a brine. Add pork and brine in the fridge for at least 1 hour. (Longer would be fine).
3. Make the orange glaze while the tenderloin is in the brine. Combine orange juice, sugar and chile flakes in a small sauce pan or frying pan. Bring to a simmer and let simmer until it gets thick like a glaze. Set aside.

4. Whisk cornstarch, sugar, salt and black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
5. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels, then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on both sides. Thoroughly pat off excess cornstarch mixture. Too much cornstarch will leave gummy spots on the tenderloin.
6. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat until just beginning to smoke. Reduce heat to medium and put both tenderloins in the skillet. Cook until well browned on all sides. Transfer tenderloins to a wire rack set in a cookie sheet.

7. Brush tenderloin with orange glaze and put into preheated oven. Let roast until the thickest part of the pork reads 140.
8. Remove from oven, brush with glaze and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Slice and serve

Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

2009-12-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

This pound cake is super delicious! I found it on this website and decided to try it out. It is probably one of my favorite pound cakes I've ever tried.

Cranberry Orange Pound Cake

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
2 tsp orange zest (peel)
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
8 oz sour cream (1 cup)
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
2 apples, diced

Preheat oven to 350

1. Grease and flour a bundt pan (extremely well or the top of the cake will stick and get stuck in it)
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in orange zest and vanilla.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
4. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in sour cream.
5. Fold in cranberries and apples.
6. Pour batter (it's really thick) into the greased bundt pan. Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool about 15-30 minutes before removing from the pan.
7. Drizzle on the glaze while the cake and the glaze is still warm.

Glaze

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 cube butter
1/2 cup half and half

1. In a medium saucepan mix the sugar and the flour. Stir in butter and half and half.
2. Cook over medium head until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly
3. Drizzle over cake while still warm

Derby Pie

2009-12-06T02:55:00.001-07:00

Derby Pie

(Enough filling for 1, 10” or 2, 8” pies)

2 eggs

½ cup butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup flour

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp bourbon (Optional)

Melt butter. Add flour, sugar and slightly beaten eggs. Stir in nuts. Add vanilla. Stir in chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, the top should be golden brown.

(You will need to pre-bake your pie crusts for this recipe, bake them for 10-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let them cool and then fill with pie filling)

Ready to go in the oven:

Cut open. You can see how the chocolate chips all sink to the bottom:

Cheesecake

2009-12-06T02:54:00.003-07:00

Cheesecake

(Makes 3, 8” or 2, 10” cheesecakes)

Graham cracker crust

3 lbs 9 oz (7 cups) Cream cheese, room temperature

1 lb 2 oz (2 ¼ cups) sugar

¼ oz (1 ½ tsp) salt

15 oz (1 ½ cups + 1 Tbsp) eggs (Probably around 15 medium eggs)

1 ½ oz (3 Tbsp) egg yolk

7 ½ oz (3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp) heavy cream (or sour cream will work as well)

.75 oz (4 ½ tsp) vanilla extract

1. Coat the cake pans with a light film of fat and line them with parchment circles

2. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of each pan

3. Combine the cream cheese, sugar and salt and mix on medium speed with the paddle attachment, occasionally scraping down the bowl, until the mixture is completely smooth, about 3 minutes

4. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks together. Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture in very small amounts, making sure to scrape down the sides after each addition and making sure they are fully incorporated. This may take up to 6 additions. This will make it so it is not lumpy and perfectly smooth.

5. Add the heavy cream and vanilla, mix until fully incorporated

6. Add batter to pans, gently tap to release air bubbles

7. Bake in a hot water bath at 325 (or 300) until the centers of the cakes are set, about 1 hour

8. When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecakes in the oven without opening the door for 30 minutes – 1 hour

9. Cool the cakes completely in the pans on wire racks. Wrap the cakes in plastic and refrigerate overnight to set.

Variations:

Chocolate cheesecake: To 4 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add 5 Tbsp sifted cocoa powder and blend well.

White chocolate cheesecake: To 5 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add ¾ cup melted white chocolate and blend well.

Marble cheesecake: To 1 cup batter for 1, 8” cake, add 4 Tbsp melted bittersweet chocolate: Pour the chocolate batter into 4 cups plain batter and gently swirl three or four times with the end of a wooden spoon. Do not over mix. Pour the marbleized batter into the prepared pan and proceed as directed above

Lemon cheesecake: To 5 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add 4 Tbsp lemon juice and the grated zest of one lemon and blend well.

Pumpkin cheesecake: To 3 cups batter for 1, 8” cake, add 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree and blend well.

Easy Pie Crust

2009-12-06T02:54:00.001-07:00

Easy Pie Crust

This is a 3, 2, 1 recipe.

3 parts flour

2 parts fat

1 part water

Normally it’s made with 3lbs flour, 2 lbs fat, 1 lb water but that makes a giant batch! It probably makes around 10+ pies so I am going to cut it in half.

Also you can use a variety of fats for this. You can use butter, shortening or lard either by themselves or a combination of the three. Pure butter tastes the best, but doesn’t hold up as well under the heat of the oven. Shortening holds up well but doesn’t taste as good and lard makes the flakiest crust of all. I like to use half butter, half shortening for mine.

This half batch makes about 6-7 pie crusts:

1 ½ lb (3 cups) flour

½ lb (1 cup) butter, cold

½ lb (1 cup) shortening

½ lb (1 cup) ice water

1-2 tsp salt or sugar (depending on your pie – if it’s super sweet, add salt. If it’s not, add sugar)

The trick to good pie crust is to keep it as cold as possible. Use cold butter, ice water and put the dough in the fridge when the butter starts to melt in your hands to cool it back down.

In a large bowl add flour and all your fat. Using your super clean hands start breaking the fat up and incorporating it into the flour. You will continue to do this until the butter/shortening pieces are about the size of a pea or a little smaller.

If the butter starts to get warm, put in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill it back down again.

Once the butter is incorporated into the flour, add the ice water and mix with your hands just until it comes together into a dough. Do not knead it, it will break up the butter chunks.

Roll it out and put into a pie plate. Once it’s in the pie plate, you don’t have to worry about chilling it anymore. If you mess up on rolling the first time, put that part of the dough into the fridge and work with the rest of the dough.

Shape and use like normal pie crust.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

2009-12-06T02:04:00.001-07:00

Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
Cooked chicken, cubed
2-4 stalks celery, diced
1/2-1 red onion, diced
Toasted almonds
Mayo
Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper

Combine chicken, celery, onion and almonds in a bowl. Add mayo and stir until well coated. Season to taste with old bay, salt and pepper.

Serve on a croissant or in eclair shells (pate a choux - I will try and post a recipe later. That's what's pictured above)

Artichoke Dip two ways

2009-12-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

When I participated in the Annual Lee's Holiday Food Show, I served two different types of artichoke dip. The first dip was an artichoke and green chile dip. It's just a different take on your normal artichoke and spinach dip. The second was a cream cheese, spinach artichoke dip. Both are delicious and very easy to make.

Artichoke and Green Chile Dip

Ingredients:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp hot sauce (I use Franks Red Hot)

Combine mayo and yogurt in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth. Add drained and chopped artichoke hearts, drained chiles, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Tabasco sauce. Spoon mixture into a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese. Broil 1-2 minutes or until lightly brown.

Serve on toasted baguette slices or crackers.

Cream cheese, spinach and artichoke dip
Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach
1 (7.5 oz or 14 oz) can artichoke hearts
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Spread cream cheese into the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Mix the spinach, drained and chopped artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese and garlic powder until well blended. Spread over cream cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese melts and the top is golden brown.

Serve on toasted baguette slices or crackers.

Rosemary and Peppercorn Brined Turkey

2009-12-06T01:16:00.000-07:00

Rosemary and Peppercorn Brine Turkey
Ingredients:
Turkey
Salt
Dried rosemary leaves
Whole black peppercorns
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
2 small-medium onions, roughly chopped
Poultry seasoning
Vegetable oil or butter

1-3 days before you are ready to cook your turkey, rinse it off and put it in a 5 gallon bucket or a pan big enough to hold the turkey and cover it with water. Fill it up with cold water, making sure your turkey is fully covered. For your brine you will use 1/2 cup salt for every gallon of water. Add salt, 1 container dried rosemary leaves, and 2 palmfuls of whole black peppers into the water. If your turkey is sticking out of the water at all, cover with a clean rag. It will absorb the water and keep the turkey wet. Keep the turkey in a cold (below 40 degrees) place for 1-3 days until you are ready to cook it.

The day you are ready to cook the turkey, preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Pull turkey out of brine and dry off with paper towels.
Stuff the cavity of the turkey with some of the celery, carrot and onion. Put in a large roasting pan and put the remaining celery, carrot and onion in the bottom of the pan. Rub the top of the turkey with vegetable oil or room temperature butter. Season with poultry seasoning and a little salt and pepper. (Don't use too much salt, it was in a brine)

Put turkey into a preheated oven with the legs in the back for 30 minutes. (The turkey should be golden brown). Pull out of oven and cover only the breast with tin foil. Leaving the legs exposed, put back in the oven with the legs in the back and drop the oven temperature to 350. Leave in the oven until the breast temperature reaches 161 degrees. (If you have a 15 pound turkey, it will be about an hour and a half). Pull out of the oven when the breast is 161 degrees. Cover with foil and let it rest for at LEAST 30 minutes. This will let the juices re-distribute.

Carve and serve

Hearty Beef Stew

2009-12-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

Hearty Beef Stew
Ingredients:
3 pounds chuck-eye roast, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped coarse (about 2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup red wine - alcohol will cook out (If you don't want to add this, add 1 cup extra stock)
2 cups beef or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
6 small yellow or red potatoes, halved or quartered depending on how big they are
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place beef cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. In a large cast iron skillet or a large soup pot, heat 2 Tbsp oil. Add beef in two separate batches. Brown meat on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch, adding remaining tablespoon of oil if needed. Remove meat and set aside. (If using a cast iron skillet, move meat into a soup pot). Add onions to now empty pan, saute until almost softened, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Continue to saute about 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour, cook until lightly colored (about 1-2 minutes). Add wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to the pan. Add stock, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to simmer. Add meat, return to a simmer. Cover and place in oven. Simmer in oven for 1 hour.
2. Remove pot from oven, add potatoes and carrots. Cover and return to oven. Simmer until meat is just tender, about 1 hour. Remove stew from oven. (Can be cooled, covered and refrigerated up to 3 days)
3. Add peas and allow to stand 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Baked Potato Soup

2009-12-06T00:51:00.000-07:00

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cups flour
6 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (Optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork, bake at 400 for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes, coarsely mash. Discard skins.
3. Put flour in a large pot gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until milk starts to thicken. Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in sour cream and most of the green onions (only save a few for a garnish). Cook over low heat until heated all the way through.
5. Ladle into a bowl and top with cheese, onions and bacon

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Homemade Marshmallows

2009-11-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

This year for Mart's birthday I wanted to make him something special. I am not much of a baker, but this really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. He loves chocolate and we saw this in a magazine at school. It was delicious! The cake was really dense, almost like a brownie crossed with cake. It was so rich that a small slice is more than enough.

Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with Homemade Marshmallows

For the cake:

6 oz (3/4 cup) unsalted butter; more for the pans

13 ½ oz (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pans

¾ cup canola oil

4 ½ oz bittersweet chocolate; finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)

3 cups white sugar

2 ¼ oz (3/4 cup) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (If you use Dutch cocoa powder, don’t use any baking soda. Use baking powder instead and double what it should have been for the soda. i.e. 1 tsp baking soda = 2 tsp baking powder instead)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 Tbs. vanilla extract

2 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

For the frosting:

2 ½ cups heavy cream

3 oz (6 Tbs) unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract (originally called for 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out)

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)

2 cups white sugar

6 oz cocoa powder

½ cup corn syrup

¼ tsp kosher salt

Position racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350 F.

Butter three 9x2” round cake pans (springform works best) and line each with a parchment round. Butter the parchment, then dust with flour and knock out the excess.

In a 3 quart saucepan, combine the butter, oil, chopped chocolate and 1 cup water. Heat over medium heat until melted.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda(powder), and salt. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.

Set two pans on the top rack and the third on the lower rack. Stagger the pans on the oven racks so that no pan is directly over another. Bake, swapping and rotating the pans’ positions after 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cook on racks for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks, remove the parchment paper and cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

In a 4 quart saucepan over low heat, combine the cream, butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted. Whisk in the chopped chocolate until melted (completely melted! Don’t leave any little tiny chunks). Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, syrup, and salt until smooth. Be sure the cocoa powder dissolves completely. Pour into a 9x13 pan and freeze until firm (about 2 hours) or refrigerate overnight.

Remove the frosting from the fridge or freezer. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium for 2 minutes to soften. Change to a whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Homemade Marshmallows:

Gelatin 1 1/4 oz
Cold Water 16 fl oz
Sugar 1 lb 8 oz
Corn Syrup 12 oz
Honey 8 oz
Vanilla 1/2 fl oz

1. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Bloom the gelatin in 8 oz water. (Blooming is when you add the gelatin to water and wait until it absorbs it all and becomes a big blob)
3. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, honey and remaining 8 oz water in a heavy bottom saucepan. Stir to ensure all the sugar is moistened. Bring to a boil over high head stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stop stirring and skim the surface of the syrup to remove any impurities. Continue to cook without stirring, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan using a wet pastry brush. Heat to 252 degrees. Remove from heat, cool to approx. 210 degrees.
4. While the sugar is cooling, dissolve the gelatin over simmering water (using a double boiler, put a metal or glass bowl over a pan of boiling water, but do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Stir the gelatin into the cooled sugar syrup using the whip attachment on high speed until medium peaks form.
6. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared sheet pan, the easiest way to do this is to place the mixture in the frame, place a sheet of oiled parchment on top of the marshmallow mixture and roll the marshmallow into the pan.
7. Remove the slab from the pan, inverting onto work surface and peel off the paper.
8. Cut the marshmallows and coat in 1/2 powdered sugar and 1/2 cornstarch.

Make the marshmallows. (Adrienne made some for her cake so I just used her leftovers). I'm sure you could use store bought as well, but it won't be quite as cool.

Assemble cake.

Here is my finished cake with the homemade marshmallows piled on top and dusted with some dutch cocoa powder!

It took me all day long, but I was so proud of my cake and really excited for Mart to see it and taste it. He loved it and it was by far the best birthday cake I have ever made.

Squash Soup with an Apple Cranberry Relish

2009-11-19T23:56:00.001-07:00

This soup is super delicious and has a different flavor than just a pureed squash soup!

Squash Soup

Ingredients:
6 cups (about 2 large squash - either acorn or butternut), cut in half and seeds removed
Melted butter, for brushing
1 Tbsp kosher salt, plus 1 tsp
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 tsp (black will work if you don't have white, it will just leave black spots in your soup)
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbsp honey
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
4 ounces heavy cream (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 Tbsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30-35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender or a food processor (a blender would probably work too). Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. (Taste it, you may need to add more salt or pepper)

Relish Topping

Ingredients:
1 crisp apple (Mcintosh or Granny Smith) finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

When the soup is finished and ready to be served, top with a small scoopful of the relish.

Grilled Flank Steak with a Garlic-Chile Marinade

2009-10-24T18:07:00.003-06:00

At school Thursday I was working on a flank steak for the line and for a lunch we are catering and I found two recipes. The first was a garlic, shallot, rosemary marinade and the second was the garlic chile marinade. John chose for me to do the garlic chile. After I finished prepping it for the marinade I had decided that I wanted to make it at home as well and try it out before Monday. I bought one of the marinading steaks and brought it home to try for dinner. It smelled really good and I think it turned out well. Martin liked it and Ethan even ate some, and he's not a big red meat eater.

Grilled Flank Steak with Garlic-Chile Marinade (From cooksillustrated.com)

Ingredients
For Marinade:
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 Tbsp)
2 medium scallions, minced (about 2 Tbsp) (I used a yellow onion instead)
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced (about 1 Tbsp - just save the rest of the can for something else)
1 medium jalapeno chile, seeded and ribs removed, minced

**Note: The ribs in a jalapeno are the hottest part. If you remove the ribs and the seeds it will cut back the heat significantly)

For the Steak:
1 flank steak (about 2 pounds) patted dry with paper towels
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

1. Puree all marinade ingredients in blender until smooth.
2. Using a dinner fork, prick steak about 20 times on each side. Rub both sides of steak evenly with salt and the with the paste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat your grill
4. Using paper towels, wipe paste off steak. Season both sides with pepper. Grill steak directly on grill until well browned 4-6 minutes. Using tongs, flip steak; grill until second side is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Cook until the internal temperature is 125 degrees. It will continue to cook as it rests. You do not want to over cook a flank steak! It is a meat that needs to be cooked rare or medium rare.

5. Cover steak with foil and let rest at least 15 minutes to let the juice redistribute.
6. Using a sharp chef's knife or a carving knife, slice steak about 1/4" thick against the grain and on a bias. Serve immediately.

Below is a drawing, it will show where you need to cut your meat to make it so it doesn't end up super tough and chewy. The grains on a flank steak all run the same direction so we need to cut against the grain and on a bias to give the slices a bigger surface area.

Roasted Chicken with a Sage-Vermouth Sauce

2009-10-19T00:19:00.000-06:00

Usually when I post meat dishes, I have no idea how they taste. I just go by smell and what they look like and others opinions on them when they eat them. Not this dish. This is the chicken that I had a small bite of to taste it at school. It was the first bite of chicken I have had in 8 years. It really was a good piece of chicken and I was so excited about it that I came home and made it for dinner that same night. It's not a hard dish to make either. I used to be really intimidated by sauces on meats because I had no idea how to make one that tasted good. After making this sauce, I know it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'm excited to start learning more new sauces so I can try out some different ones.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with a Sage-Vermouth Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken:
4 chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless which cook much faster. The recipe calls for bone in with skin and then you cut the bone out yourself. If you don't want to bother with that, just get boneless skinless)
1 cup kosher salt (or 1/2 cup table salt)
Ground pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce:
1 large shallot, minced (I didn't have shallots at home and used half a small yellow onion)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry vermouth (not expensive at all and it cooks out by the time the sauce is finished)
4 fresh sage leaves, torn in half and smashed enough to bruise the leaves (this brings out more flavor)
4 fresh sage leaves, cut into a chiffonade (stack leaves one top of each other and roll them up tight. Start and one end and just cut chop them up. Once the leaves unroll it will make it like little sage confetti)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Dissolve salt into 2 quarts cold tap water in a large container or bowl. Put the chicken in and let it brine and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Rinse chicken under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides of chicken with pepper.

Put oven rack to the lowest position and preheat oven to 450.

Heat oil in an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. Swirl to coat pan with oil. Brown chicken skin side down until deep golden (about 5 minutes...keep an eye on it) turn chicken and brown until golden on second side (about 3 minutes). Turn chicken back over to skin side down and place skillet in oven. Roast until juices run clear when chicken is cut with paring knife (this will dry out the chicken so use a thermometer if you have one) or until thickest part of breast reads 145 on thermometer, about 15-18 minutes. (It will finish getting to temperature while it rests). Transfer chicken to a platter to rest. Cover with foil to keep it warm and continue cooking.

Put skillet back on the stove and add shallot. Cook over med-high heat stirring frequently until shallot is softened. Add chicken broth, vermouth and sage leaves. Increase heat to high and simmer rapidly, scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, until slightly thickened and reduced down to about 3/4 cup. (About 5 minutes). Pour accumulated chicken juices from platter into skillet, reduce heat to medium and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper (you probably won't need any salt) and discard sage leaves. Spoon over chicken and top with the sage chiffonade.

Homemade caramel sauce

2009-10-13T20:26:00.000-06:00

Today I made a homemade caramel sauce to top my vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls instead of store bought sauce and it was really really good. I don't have a picture, but next time I make it I'll take one and post it.

This recipe is really easy to remember, it's all in ones.

Homemade caramel sauce

Ingredients:
1 pound butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Combine everything in a nonstick pan and stir constantly in small figure 8's on medium heat until it combines and reaches the color, taste and thickness you are going for. The longer you cook the caramel for and the darker the color gets, the harder your caramel is going to be. Because I wanted a sauce to drizzle over, I probably cooked mine for about 10 minutes or so.

Spice Rack

2009-10-11T23:40:00.000-06:00

I have been working on a new spice rack for my kitchen and I recently finished it! I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

Turkey noodle soup

2009-10-10T01:41:00.000-06:00

Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
Roasted cooked turkey, diced
2-4 carrots, peeled and diced
2-4 celery stocks, diced
1 onion, diced
Turkey stock (or water will work, but you will need a base)
Dried homemade (store bought) egg noodles
Ground sage
Thyme leaves
Salt
Turkey base (only if your stock needs more flavor or if you're using water)

Bring your stock to a boil (or water with base added to make a stock) and add vegetables to simmer until cooked. When they are starting to get tender, add turkey. Add noodles and cook until they are tender, but not mushy. (If you made a thick soup like I did, pull the veggies and turkey out and set aside while your noodles cook and add them back in at the end so the noodles have liquid to cook in).

Once everything is cooked and in the pot, season with salt (if needed. If you're using a base, they are really salty already so check before you add extra salt), add a little ground sage and some thyme leaves.

Just a twist on a classic chicken noodle soup

Salsa

2009-10-10T01:36:00.001-06:00

I love salsa, especially with tomatoes fresh out of the garden. My neighbor gave me a huge bag full of tomatoes, so to use some of them up we made salsa.

Fresh Salsa

Ingredients:

Fresh tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can green chilis
1 handful cilantro, chopped
The juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

Basically just chop everything, put it in a bowl and mix. Season with salt and pepper until it tastes right to you.

Super fast chili

2009-10-09T21:46:00.000-06:00

Super fast chili

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger, browned (Optional)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn (not creamed), drained
1 can diced tomatoes (the bigger can, I can't remember the size - Do not drain)
1 onion, diced (or dried onions if you would prefer those)
Beef Stock (if using hamburger, if not you can use chicken if you want)
Tomato paste
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper (Optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and saute onions and put them in a large stock pot. Add beans, corn and tomatoes. Add beef stock to cover the vegetables. (If you like it thick, just barely cover them, or if you like it more runny add a little extra) Put in a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and about 2 palmfuls of chili powder. If you like a little kick, add a couple sprinkles of cayenne over the top. Season with salt and pepper and heat to boiling. As soon as it's warm, it's finished.

Parmesan Herb Breaded Chicken

2009-10-09T21:34:00.000-06:00

Parmesan Herb Breaded Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts (as many as you want to make)
Flour (1/2 - 1 cup, depending on how much chicken you are making)
Eggs (1-2 again, depending on how much chicken you are making)
A few slices of bread (for bread crumbs. You can use the store bought kind if you don't want to make them)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil

Flatten your chicken breasts with a meat mallet or the bottom of a frying pan. A trick I learned once was to put the chicken in a ziplock bag with a tiny bit of water, that way when you hit it, it slides easily in the bag and doesn't get chicken juice all over.

Grab three separate bowls (I use pie plates). In the first one, put flour and some salt and pepper. In the second bowl, beat the eggs and in the third we will put the breadcrumbs. In a food processor, put the bread and pulse until it becomes crumbs (or you could use the store bought kind if you don't want to make your own). It works fine with moist bread or dried if you have some old stale bread. Add the breadcrumbs to the third bowl. Add the parsley, some freshly grated parmesan and some salt and pepper.

Lightly coat a frying pan with olive oil.

First coat the chicken with flour, shake of excess. Then cover with eggs and then cover completely with bread crumbs.

Cook in frying pan until golden and the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Roasted Chicken

2009-10-09T21:17:00.000-06:00

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
Whole chicken, thawed
2-3 carrots (no need to peel)
1 onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1 head of garlic (no need to peel)
1/2 a stick of butter, room temperature
Fresh herbs: I used sage, 1 sprig of rosemary, basil and a little bit of thyme
Salt and pepper
Poultry seasoning

Roughly chop your vegetables (no need to peel any of them, they are just for flavor) and break apart your garlic head.
Season the cavity of the chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Put 3/4 of your herbs (whole) into the cavity and fill the rest with your mirepoix (celery, onion and carrot).
In the bottom of the tray your chicken will be roasting in, put the rest of the mirepoix and your garlic cloves and about 1-2" of water. Chop the remaining herbs and mix into the butter. Spread the butter under the skin of the chicken and season the top of the chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add a couple dabs of butter to the top to brown the skin.

Put in a 375 degree oven until the chicken reaches 170 degrees. If you want, you can baste the chicken throughout the cooking with the juices that run off into the tray. Also if the chicken starts to get too brown, just cover with foil.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, cover with foil and let it sit for AT LEAST 15 minutes. This will finish cooking the chicken and let the juices redistribute.

Chicken, Pesto and Rosemary Potato Pizza

2009-10-05T22:46:00.000-06:00

When Kacean lived in Portland, she worked at a pizza place. She made up a pizza while she worked there, and it became her favorite pizza. Since she moved home, she hasn't had it and has been craving it. Yesterday she came over and we made one with chicken and one without chicken for dinner. She was so excited. It really was a good pizza.

Kacean's Chicken, Pesto and Roasted Rosemary Potato Pizza

Ingredients:
Pesto sauce (store bought or homemade - I will post a recipe after the pizza recipe)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
2 chicken breasts, cooked, cubed (I seasoned mine with salt, pepper and mesquite seasoning)
Fresh spinach leaves
Fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
Roasted rosemary potatoes
Pizza dough (store bought or homemade - I can post a recipe for dough as well)
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Corn meal

Make or roll out store bought pizza dough.

(Kacean making her pizza dough)

Put cornmeal down on a pizza tray or a cookie sheet and lay dough on top of the corn meal. This will make it so it doesn't stick. Spread pesto over the dough. Add chicken.

Then add a thick layer of spinach.

Top with cheese, mushrooms and artichoke hearts.

Add the roasted potatoes and finally top with fresh Parmesan.

Bake at 450 until the cheese is melted and the dough is all the way cooked (probably 20-30 minutes)

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:
Potatoes, diced
A few springs of fresh rosemary, leaves taken off the stem and roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss everything and roast in a 400 degree oven until the potatoes are tender.
Set aside for the pizza

Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:
A couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves
A couple cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
(Usually pine nuts, but I don't add them)
A lemon or lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Put basil, garlic, lemon or lime juice (just squeeze the entire thing), salt and pepper and cheese into a food processor. Turn on and drizzle olive oil into mixture until it forms a thick sauce.

Southern Dill Potato Salad

2009-10-05T22:39:00.000-06:00

(Sorry about the weirdo shadow on the picture, it was the best one I got)

At school Amy was making a potato salad and it looked really yummy. I am normally not a huge fan of potato salad, but she gave me a taste and I was hooked. This is probably one of my favorite potato salads I've ever had. I don't like a lot of mayo and try not to use it very often, so I really liked that this was half mayo and half sour cream. There are also a few other things I might change for next time, I will put my notes in the recipe.

Amy's Southern Dill Potato Salad

4 lbs unpeeled red potatoes (about 10)
5 hard boiled eggs

Sauce:
3/4 c. sour cream
3/4c. mayo
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tsp celery salt
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbs fresh dill (recipe calls for dried, but we used fresh and it was super good!)

(Kelsie's changes: I would probably not use the entire half an onion and maybe grate it up instead of dicing to keep the flavor but not have the crunch and intensity of it. Also, I would add 1-2 additional stocks of celery. It's also very good with a little paprika on top)

Cook the potatoes whole until tender. Cool.
Boil eggs, cool and peel.

Dice the potatoes and eggs up so they are about the same size (bite size). Mix sauce and coat potatoes. Chill.

Herb Rolls

2009-10-05T22:35:00.000-06:00

In school today I roasted a turkey to make turkey tetrazzini on Wednesday. We decided to make some herb rolls to serve with the tetrazzini. They look and smell delicious! I won't be baking them off until Wednesday right before we serve them, so I will post pictures after they are baked. Today I just made the dough, formed the dough into rolls and chilled it so it's ready to go when we need them.

(Everything we make is measured by weight and volume, and not by cups...so I will try and convert my recipe so it can be made at home without a scale. Also, it's a huge batch and can easily be cut in half)

Conversions:
1 lb=16oz
8 oz=1 cup
1 oz=2 Tablespoons

Herb Rolls

5 lbs 2 oz flour = 10 1/2 cups
1 oz dry yeast (double if using fresh yeast) = 2 Tbs dry yeast
3 lbs warm water = 48oz = 6 cups
8 oz sugar = 1 cup
1 1/4 oz salt = 2 1/2 Tbs
4 oz powdered milk = 1/2 cup
8 oz room temp butter (or shortening) = 1 cup
3 Tbs dried basil leaves
2 Tbs dried oregano leaves
1 Tbs dried thyme
1 Tbs garlic powder

Add water to yeast to let it activate
Combine the flour, dry ingredients and butter. Mix well. Add yeast to dry ingredient mixture then mix until it forms a smooth dough. Let rise until it doubles in size. Knead and form into 2 oz rolls (a small golf ball size). Let rise again utnil doubled in size. Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350.
Yield 5 1/2 dozen.

Fiesta Corn Salad

2009-09-25T22:05:00.000-06:00

Tuesday Amy (a lady in my class) and I made a fiesta corn salad for a lunch meeting we were catering that day. It was delicious! I didn't have my camera that day, but the recipe was blog worthy so here it is without a picture.

Fiesta Corn Salad

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob (maybe 5 or 6)
1-2 Roasted red bell peppers
1 red onion, diced
Cilantro leaves
1-2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1-2 avocados sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
The juice of 1-3 limes (it just all depends on how big you are making your salad)
Toasted cumin seeds (Just put whole cumin seeds in a hot pan and toss for a minute or two until they smell cooked and nutty!)

Blanch the corn (drop into boiling water for just a minute or two) and pull out and put into cold water to stop the cooking process. Cut the corn from the cob and put in a bowl. Add diced red onion, diced roasted red peppers and a handful of torn cilantro leaves. Coat with lime juice and season with salt, pepper and toasted cumin seeds. Put on top of a bed of fresh romaine lettuce and top with a lime wedge, a couple of tomato wedges and a few avocado slices. The lime juice should have enough flavor to not need any dressing, but if you want it, you can add ranch and it would be delicious that way as well.

Roasted Rosemary Tourne Potatoes

2009-09-25T20:39:00.000-06:00

The other day at school, I had to cut 80 potatoes in a style called Tourne. It's a nit picky way to cut a potato but they are pretty. They are only for presentation. I came home and made roasted rosemary Tourne potatoes to practice cutting them. They turned out very good! I cut mine a lot fatter than you are supposed to cut them because I didn't want to waste a lot of my potato. A Tourne potato is shaped a bit like a football, it's skinny at the ends and fatter in the middle and it has 7 sides.

I found some pictures of a proper Tourne potato online so you can see them.

Roasted Rosemary Tourne Potatoes

Ingredients:
20 small yukon gold potatoes or reds cut into a Tourne shape (If you don't want to bother with this, just peel them)
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary, removed from the stem (Add more if you like the rosemary. Mart doesn't like a lot so I use very little)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven as hot as it will go, mine goes to 550.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the potatoes until they start to get tender. Don't cook them all the way through. Drain. While potatoes are draining, heat olive oil in the pan you used to boil them and throw in the rosemary. This will make make the oil rosemary flavored. Don't burn! Just let it heat on medium or medium low to infuse the flavor.

Put potatoes back in pan and coat with the rosemary oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Put in a baking dish and bake until the sides are golden brown and delicious!

Eggplant Parmesan

2009-09-25T20:16:00.000-06:00

I love Eggplant Parmesan. If it is done correctly, it is one of my favorites! Here is a pretty easy recipe that tastes pretty good too.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/4" thick rounds
1 Tbsp kosher salt
8 slices high quality white bread torn into quarters
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 Tbsp vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce:
3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 generous tablespoon)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup grated parmesan
10 fresh basil leaves, torn for garnish

1. Toss eggplant slices and salt until combined and set in a large strainer. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 Tbsp liquid (maybe 30-45 minutes). Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with more paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe of excess salt.

2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack and heat oven to 425.
Pulse bread in a food processor to fine, even crumbs. (You should have about 4 cups). Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.

3. Combine flour and 1 tsp pepper in a second pie plate.

4. Beat eggs in a 3rd pie plate

5. Put eggplant slices in flour, coat the eggplant. Remove eggplant shaking off excess. Dip in eggs, then coat evenly with bread crumbs. Set breaded slices on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

6. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven. Add 3 Tbsp oil to each sheet, tiling to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in a single layer. Bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes. Switch and rotate baking sheets after 10 minutes. Flip eggplant slices over with a spatula after 20 minutes or when the bottom is browned. Remove but do not turn off oven.

7. While eggplant bakes, process 2 can diced tomatoes in a food processor until almost smooth. Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large pan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden. (About 3 minutes) Stir in all the tomatoes. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened. (About 15 minutes). Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Layer the eggplant slices, overlapping to fit. Put about1 cup sauce over eggplant, sprinkle with half the mozzarella and parmesan. If there is leftover eggplant you will need to use a second dish. Make the layers the same as the first dish. (If there is not enough eggplant to make more than one dish, use all the cheese on the first pan)
Leave majority of eggplant on top exposed so it will remain crisp. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned about 13-15 minutes. Scatter basil over the top and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Salad

2009-09-25T19:11:00.000-06:00

This salad is super easy and really delicious! If you've never roasted peppers before, it's really easy, it just takes a little bit of time. It's well worth the effort though!

Also this salad has basil cut into thin strips (That is called a chiffonade) on top and mixed in the salad, but it's not added until the end. The basil is fantastic with the peppers, it is light and fresh!

(This picture was taken right before it was put in the fridge to marinate, so there is not basil in it yet)

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Salad
(This salad has 16, 6 oz servings. If you want bigger portions it won't stretch as far. If you don't need as much, just cut the recipe in half)

Ingredients:
10 Bell peppers (Use mostly red, if you want some color add just a couple of either green or yellow or one of each)
2 cups Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup White wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Handful of fresh basil

1. Roast and peel the peppers.

How to roast peppers:

Hold the peppers over an open flame (just on your stove if you have a gas stove). Leave them there turning every couple of minutes until the skin is black all the way around. If you do not have a gas stove you can put them under a broiler or in a hot oven. If you do this, they will not turn as black, but the skin will loosen enough for you to peel off.

If you are putting them in the oven, cut them in half, clean out the seeds and the veins and put open side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Broil on high for 7-10 minutes or until skins are very black.

Once the peppers are black, put them in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a ziplock bag. (Put them in as soon as they are finished, one at a time if you need to). This will keep the moisture from the peppers on the peppers making it easier to peel the skin off. When you are finished with the peppers.

Once they cool off enough you can easily handle them, you can just rub the skin right off just using your fingers. There will be black pieces left on the pepper, that is completely normal.

2. Quickly rinse off the pepper under water to get any remaining black or skin off that is loose. Don't leave the peppers under the water, it will wash away flavor so just quickly put it in and pull it out.

3. Cut off the top and the bottom of the pepper and one side of the pepper. Roll out into a flat rectangle. Remove the core, seeds and veins

4. Cut the pepper into strips about 1/2 inch wide and you can either leave them the length of the pepper or cut them in half lengthwise so they are easier to fit in your mouth.

5. Combine the oil, vinegar salt and pepper to make a dressing. Pour over the peppers in a bowl and marinate for at least 2-3 hours.

6. Just before serving, finely shred most of the basil leaves and mix with the peppers, reserving a few leaves for garnish.

7. If you want, serve with bread to dip in the dressing.

Update

2009-09-15T23:52:00.000-06:00

I hope this blog starts to get more creative, as I start culinary school on Monday! I thought I would let everyone know.

Grilled corn with herb butter

2009-09-14T21:18:00.001-06:00

Summer gardens bring lots of corn on the cob! Boiling it gets a little old after a while, so here is a fun way to change it up a bit. Grilled corn on the cob with an herb butter. I tried two different herb butters, both were very good.

After making the corn, I had some leftover herb butter. I melted it in a frying pan and sauteed some summer squash in it.

Grilled corn with herb butter

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob
Herb butter (See recipes below)

Peel husks down far enough to remove the corn silks. Soak in water for 15 minutes. This keeps the husks from catching on fire while they are grilling. Once they have soaked rub the butter all over the cob and pull the husks back up. Grill on Medium heat for 10 or so minutes, checking to make sure they aren't burning.

Herb Butter #1

Ingredients:
Butter, room temperature (Amount will depend on how many ears of corn you are making. I have been making about 5 or 6 small ears and using about 1/2 stick or less.
Fresh Herbs:
Basil
Flat leaf Italian parsley
Sage
Lime Thyme
Salt and Pepper

(Would be really good with some fresh garlic in it as well!)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well.

Parmesan Herb Butter #2

Ingredients:
Butter, room temperature (Amount will depend on how many ears of corn you are making. I have been making about 5 or 6 small ears and using about 1/2 stick or less.
Fresh Herbs:
Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
Sage
Lime Thyme
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

(Would be really good with some fresh garlic in it as well!)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well.

Ethan loved the grilled corn on the cob!

Chewy White Chocolate Chip Ginger Snaps

2009-09-14T20:17:00.000-06:00

I got this recipe while browsing through My Sisters Cafe. They looked so good so I decided to give them a shot and make them for my weekly dart night. I've never made ginger snaps before, but these turned out pretty good.

Chewy White Chocolate Chip Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 package white chocolate chips

Combine the sugar, shortening, eggs and molasses until well mixed. Add the remaining ingredients. Roll into balls and then roll into sugar.
Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes

Potato Soup

2009-09-14T20:02:00.000-06:00

On rainy days like today, this soup is awesome! Serve it with rolls or some bread and it's the perfect cold weather meal. I add tons of extra veggies, and when the soup is blended you won't even notice them. It's a good way to get kids to eat vegetables without knowing they are there.

Awesome Potato Soup (Huge batch for leftovers)

Ingredients:
10 potatoes, diced
2 onions, diced
4-5 carrots, diced
5-6 stalks celery, diced
6 bullion cubes (I use vegetable flavored)
1 palmful of parsley flakes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cube of butter
1/2 cup - 1 cup heavy cream (this depends on how much soup you are making. If you make a tiny batch, just use a very small amount)
6 or so cups of water (eye ball this...this will depend on how many vegetables you add)
Salt and pepper
Cayenne pepper (Optional, but I like mine with a bit of a kick in it)

Variations:
Add about 1 cup of diced ham when cooking the vegetables or 1/2 pound of browned hamburgers. Also really good with fresh corn cut off the cob or 1 or 2 cans of corn. Adding corn makes it more like a potato corn chowder! Yum!!
Also very good topped with cheese!

Put all the diced vegetables into a big pot, add bay leaves, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne (if wanted), garlic and bullion cubes. Cover vegetables with water until they are just barely covered. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Add butter and heavy cream. (You only need a little bit of the cream. Blending it all together will help make it creamy) Remove from heat.

Put half or more of the soup in the blender and blend to puree it. Add back to the pot and stir it in. This will make it creamy but leave some chunks from the vegetables as well.

Chili fajita shrimp alfredo with garlic cheese bread

2009-08-29T15:25:00.000-06:00

Chili fajita shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 box bow tie pasta
Fresh broccoli (frozen will work too)
Fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 jar garlic or roasted garlic alfredo sauce
Raw shrimp, shell and tail removed
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Chili powder
Fajita seasoning
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp butter
Olive oil

Drop pasta into salted boiling water. Two or three minutes before pasta is finished, add broccoli.
When it is finished, drain and put back in pan. You can drizzle a little olive oil over the noodles to keep them from sticking if they will be sitting for a few minutes.

In a separate pan melt butter. Add sliced mushrooms. Cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In the same pan, add shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder and fajita seasoning. Cook only 1-3 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Do not overcook the shrimp!

Dump jar of sauce over noodles and broccoli. Fill jar about half way with milk, shake and dump over noodles. This will get all the sauce out of the jar and make your sauce stretch a bit further. Add mushrooms and shrimp. Stir everything together until well coated. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, sliced
1/2 - 1 stick room temperature butter (depending on how buttery you want your toast and how many slices you were able to get out of the bread. I can usually get around 13)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh Parmesan cheese

Put sliced bread on cookie sheet. Mix the garlic into the room temperature butter. Spread onto bread slices. Top with fresh grated cheese. Put in oven set to hi-broil. Watch the bread closely so it doesn't burn!! Take out when golden brown and the cheese has melted

Cinnamon Burst Pancakes

2009-08-29T15:13:00.000-06:00

Cinnamon Burst Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. flour
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. milk
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. cinnamon bursts

Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix oil, milk, vanilla and egg in a separate bowl.
Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add cinnamon bursts and stir together.
Cook over medium heat or on a skillet

Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes

2009-08-16T02:49:00.001-06:00

Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes:

Potatoes (whatever kind you would like to use)
Butter
Sour cream
Chives
Tonys
Salt
Pepper

Cube the potatoes and boil until fork tender. I leave the skins on. More nutrients. Drain. (If you don't want watery mashed potatoes, put them back in the hot pan and let the heat absorb some of the water out of the potatoes) Put in mixing bowl (I use my kitchen aide mixer!), add butter, a good amount of sour cream, salt, pepper, Tonys, and a palmful of chives. Whip.

Roasted Root Vegetables

2009-08-16T02:38:00.000-06:00

Roasted root vegetables (with a few extras)

Beets
Turnips
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions (I cooked them separately, someone I cooked for doesn't like onions)
Zucchini
Salt and Pepper
Roasted garlic and herb seasoning
Tonys
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Put a sheet of tin foil on a cookie sheet (this helps with clean up). Chop all the vegetables and put on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, tonys and roasted garlic and herb seasoning. Bake until tender, at least 30 minutes.

Before:

After:

Vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and caramel sauce

2009-08-14T21:22:00.001-06:00

I'm not even joking when I say that these are probably the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had. The pudding in the bread dough makes the bread incredibly soft and so yummy! I hope you love them as much as I do!

Kelsie's incredibly awesome cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients:

Rolls:
1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbs active dry yeast
2 Tbs white sugar
3 1/2 ounce package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
6 + c. flour

Filling:
1 c. butter, softened to room temperature
2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Frosting:
8 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3 c. powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs milk
Smuckers caramel sauce (or homemade caramel sauce)

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Set aside.
In a large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour. Knead until smooth. DO NOT OVERFLOUR THE DOUGH! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Then roll out on a floured board to 34 x 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup softened butter and spread over dough. In a small bowl mix 2 cups brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tsp nutmeg. Sprinkle over the top of the butter. Roll up very tightly. With a knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or a serrated knife. (I found the knife easier). Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden. Don't overbake!

While rolls are baking, make frosting so it will be ready when the rolls are ready.
Combine butter and cream cheese and mix well. Add vanilla and sugar and mix again. Add milk for desired consistency. I left mine a bit thick.

Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting and top with a drizzle of caramel sauce! So yummy!!

Makes 24 very large rolls

(Note: I also tried butterscotch sauce because I had it on hand, those are also very good but I liked the caramel better)

Just cut and ready to rise

Fresh out of the oven with caramel sauce

Fresh out of the oven with just frosting

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

2009-08-09T20:17:00.000-06:00

Mart's Grandparents are from England and his mom was born there. He grew up eating a few different English meals that he just loves. One of them is roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. It was something I was going to have to learn how to make for him. Last time his Nanan (his Grandma) was here, she showed me how to make a couple different English meals, Yorkshire pudding being one of them.

If you don't know what Yorkshire pudding is, (I didn't know what it was when I met Martin) it's a type of bread. The way I make it it looks like a biscuit, but is not dry like a biscuit. It's more similar to German Pancakes with the eggs that puff up in the oven. The traditional way to make it is on a cookie sheet so then they turn out really flat with the edges puffy. It is most commonly served with mashed potatoes, gravy and roast.

Kelsie's Roast

Ingredients:
A roast (whatever size you need for however many people you are serving)
Carrots
1/2 - 1 onion
1 beef bullion cube (more if your roast is large)
Steak seasoning
Tony's
Garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
Water

The night before you want to serve the roast, put roast in a crock pot and season both sides well with all seasonings except the garlic powder. Add veggies. (If I'm making a normal roast instead of one with mashed potatoes, I add cubed potatoes) Season again to make sure the veggies have flavor as well. Sprinkle garlic powder over the entire thing. Add an inch or so of water (more if you want more gravy). Add bullion cube to help flavor the juice. Set crock pot to low and leave until the next day at dinner time. This will make the roast shred and just melt in your mouth. If you don't like it cooked down that much, don't cook it as long.

Before:

After:

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients:
**Large Batch** (I would suggest cutting this in half unless you are serving 8 or more people)

2 cups cold milk

2 cups cold water

8 eggs

Mix well

4 1/2 cups bread flour (if you have it, if not use all purpose)

Salt to taste (maybe about 2 tsp for this batch)

Beat until just thinner than pancake batter. If you need to add more flour, add more flour.

Chill batter 20 minutes to 2 hours. The longer the better if you can.

Heat oven to 425. Put a small amount of Crisco or oil in the bottom of a muffin tin or on a cookie sheet. Just enough to barely cover the bottom so they won't stick. Heat oil until EXTREMELY hot. (This makes the pudding puff up better, like in German pancakes). Pour chilled batter into hot oil. If you are using a muffin tin, fill each hole about 1/3-1/2 of the way up). If you are using cookie sheets, you will probably need more than one for a large batch. Bake. Do no open the oven, this will make them not puff up.

Baking time:

Cookie sheets: About 40 minutes, or until golden brown

Muffin tins: About 20 minutes, or until golden brown

(Kelsie's Note: If you are going to make gravy to go with mashed potatoes, save about 1/2 cup of the batter and set aside)

Beef Gravy:

Drippings from roast, with everything strained out
1/2 cup or so of left over Yorkshire pudding batter

Heat drippings in a saucepan until warm. Pour in leftover batter and whisk well. Once it heats up it will thicken like a roux or cornstarch, except it will taste better.

Pour over potatoes and roast if desired.

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

2009-08-08T15:35:00.000-06:00

I found this trifle on another cooking blog and it looked pretty good so I decided to make it for my treat for dart night. I don't have a trifle bowl so I just used a glass batter bowl I had instead. Also, I made three layers instead of two...if you want to be able to see the individual layers a little better maybe just stick with two. It is very delicious, but very VERY sweet!

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle:

Ingredients:
1 9x13 pan of your favorite brownies
10 ounce bag of peanut butter chips
5 ounce package (the bigger box) of instant vanilla pudding
3 c. milk
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. whipping cream, whipped and divided
24 regular sized (2" in diameter) peanut butter cups, chopped and divided (Save 1/4 c. for garnish)

Line 9x13 pan with foil. Extend the foil a couple inches over the side. Grease lightly. Prepare brownies according to recipe (or box) and add peanut butter chips to batter. Bake in pan for required time. Cool completely. Invert on cutting board. Cut into 3/4" pieces.

Combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes or until thick. (I had to refrigerate for a few minutes to get mine to thicken all the way). Add peanut butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream.

Layer in bowl with half the brownies, half the chopped candy and half of the pudding mixture. Repeat. Top with remaining whipped cream and candy.

Garlic mushroom and spinach quesadilla

2009-07-27T01:26:00.000-06:00

I have lots of spinach in my garden and tried to come up with a new way to use it.

Kelsie's garlic mushroom and spinach Quesadillas:

Ingredients:
Half a small carton of mushrooms, sliced
A handful of fresh spinach, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (don't use too much, if your cloves are big only use 1)
Shredded cheese
2 tortillas (I like the kind you buy raw and cook yourself on the spot!)
1 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

In a frying pan, melt butter. Add sliced mushrooms and garlic. Cook until they are the way you like them. Season with salt and pepper. (Don't salt before they are cooked, it draws out water and causes them to take longer to cook) Add spinach and cook just a minute or two until not bright green anymore. As soon as it has all changed colors (to the cooked color of spinach), set aside.

Put one tortilla in pan and top with cheese. Add spinach and mushrooms and second tortilla. Cook until cheese is melted.

Cut and serve. Yum!

Dutch Oven

2009-07-27T00:58:00.000-06:00

We love to go camping, and we love to dutch oven. I prepare everything and Mart cooks all of it. We speed it up so we can eat sooner, so we cook in the fire instead of with briquettes. It is all so good. Next time I go camping, I'm going to make a dessert, but for now I just have chicken, potatoes and green bean casserole! (I bet you've never had that in a dutch oven before! It's so good!)

Everything all set up and ready to eat. We had a group of about 12 so these are large batches of food.

Kelsie's awesome dutch oven potatoes: (Large batch, cut in half or more if you don't want it so big)

Ingredients:
Potatoes, sliced
2 onions, diced
1 pound baby carrots (or handful of regular carrots peeled and chopped)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large cans cream of mushroom soup
2 large cans mushrooms
Lots of shredded cheese!
Salt and pepper
Tonys

(Kacean is allergic to carrots ... weird, i know ... so I make hers with a can of corn instead of carrots)

Mix all veggies together with soup until well coated. Season well with salt, fresh cracked pepper and lots of Tony's. Cook with briquettes or in a fire. When potatoes are ready, top with lots of cheese!

**Optional: I'm sure you can add bacon or ham or something and it would be good, but they are fantastic without. You won't miss them**

Potatoes ... Okay so the picture probably makes them not look so good, but they are fantastic!

Green bean casserole in a dutch oven: (Not just for Thanksgiving anymore ... huge batch!)

*This batch was so large, we ended up not eating probably half of it. I wouldn't make it this big unless you had a ton of people to serve*

Ingredients:
10 cans green beans (I always add extra to have more beans than soup)
1 large can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag (or large can) french fried onions
Salt and pepper

Mix everything well and cook in dutch oven.

Beans

Dutch oven BBQ chicken

Ingredients:
Couple pieces chicken legs or thighs per person
4-5 bottles BBQ sauce
Salt and pepper
Mesquite seasoning
Tony's

Put chicken in dutch oven. Season well with salt and pepper, mesquite seasoning and tonys. Dump in BBQ sauce until almost all the way covered. The chicken will just boil in sauce. Mart loves it!

Finished product:

Blue cheese burgers with parmesan herb potato wedges

2009-07-19T02:12:00.000-06:00

Blue cheese burgers

Ingredients:
3 pounds ground beef
8 ounces blue cheese
Tonys
Salt and pepper
1 egg

Combine everything in a bowl and form into patties. I made large patties about 3/4"-1" thick and it made about 10 patties. If you want to make them smaller it will stretch a lot further.
Grill on low until cooked how you like them.

Parmesan herb potato wedges

Ingredients:
Potatoes, cut into wedges
McCormick parmesan and herb seasoning blend
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Toss in Ziploc bag until well coated. Put on oiled cookie sheet. Make sure no potatoes are overlapping. Bake at 425, 20 minutes on one side and then flip the potatoes over and cook another 20 minutes on the other side. They will be brown and crispy.

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-07-19T02:05:00.000-06:00

Homemade macaroni and cheese

Ingredients:
1 box elbow macaroni noodles (I only had salad noodles, they worked just fine)
1 pound cheese (I used sharp cheddar), grated
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp mustard
2 cups milk
Garlic and herb bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

Boil noodles according to directions on the box.
In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour until it forms a paste. Slowly whisk in milk. Season with salt and pepper. The butter and flour combined will thicken the milk. Whisk in mustard. (I just like it as a background taste. You don't have to add it if you don't want to). Slowly stir in cheese until melted.

Add to noodles and toss. Top with bread crumbs.

(Kelsie's Note: Sometimes the cheese doesn't always melt and gets gritty instead...which is odd, but it still tastes good)

**Optional: You can pour macaroni and cheese into a baking dish, top with bread crumbs and a little more cheese and bake in oven until cheese is melted and there is a crunchy topping**

Cucumber Salad

2009-07-19T01:51:00.000-06:00

Kelsie's awesome cucumber salad!

Ingredients: (This is for a large batch, if you don't want it so big, just cut it in half)
6 large cucumbers, sliced thin
1 medium tomato diced
1 medium onion diced
1 Tbsp salt

Dressing:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Couple dashes of cayenne pepper

Put sliced cucumbers in a strainer and toss with 1 Tbsp salt. Let stand for 30+ minutes. (This draws all the water out of the cucumbers, so either put it on a plate to catch the water or in the sink. I like it on a plate in the fridge so the cucumbers stay cold)
In a large bowl, combine diced tomatoes and onions.

In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients. When you are ready to serve, rinse the cucumbers to get all the salt off and drain. Add to tomatoes and onions. Toss with dressing.

Yum!!

This is by far one of my very favorite salads. In fact, it's a recipe I refused to share for a very long time. You should feel privileged. :)

Super delicious brownies!

2009-07-12T22:57:00.000-06:00

These brownies are delicious! I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I could not get enough of these. You will love them.

Awesome brownies:

Ingredients:
1 package fudge brownie mix (your favorite kind)
1 (10.5 ounce) package mini marshmallows
2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate and it was very good)
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth. I used chunky, again very good! It added more texture)
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups rice krispies

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for fudge-like brownies. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 28-30 minutes. Top with marshmallows. Bake 3 minutes longer. (Marshmallows will not be completely melted). Cool on a wire rack.

In a saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Cook and stir over low head until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in cereal. Spread over brownies. Refridgerate for 1-2 hours or until firm before cutting.

Kelsie's Note: The first batch I made I had a seperate layer for marshmallows and chocolate topping. The second batch I made I poured the chocolate on the marshmallows while they were hot and mixed it in with the marhsmallow. They were very good both ways. I think I did prefer the marshmallow mixed in though. Make them whichever way you would prefer!

4th of July feast

2009-07-12T22:51:00.001-06:00

I wanted to make something pretty on the fourth of July to match the different colors of the fireworks. Tonight I roasted orange and purple cauliflower, made some fresh corn on the cob, a green salad and grilled some chicken and salmon. Delicious!

Roasted firework cauliflower:

1 head purple cauliflower
1 head orange cauliflower
Salt and pepper
Zatarains creole seasoning
Olive oil

Chop up the cauliflower and put on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and zatarains creole seasoning. Roast in a 500 degree oven until tender, but not mushy.

Mushroom ravioli with a gorgonzola blue cheese sauce

2009-07-12T22:35:00.001-06:00

Homemade 3 mushroom ravioli with a Gorgonzola and blue cheese sauce

Ingredients:

Ravioli:
Handful of cremini mushrooms, sliced
Handful of button mushrooms, sliced
1 small portabella mushroom, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 or so cloves of garlic, minced (or however many you want)
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Sauce:
1 package large egg roll wrappers
2-4 Tbsp butter
4-5 cloves of garlic
2-3 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese
2-4 ounces blue cheese
Parsley
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and bay leaves. Cook until mushrooms are done and mince in a food processor (or whatever else you want to use)

Cut egg roll wrappers with cookie cutter/top of glass/or anything else circle you have (I try and use a size so I can get four circles out of each sheet)

Put a little of the filling on one circle, get the edges wet on that circle and one other piece. Piece them together and seal. Set aside.

In another pan, melt butter and add garlic. Let cook, but don't over cook! Garlic is not good if it's overcooked. Add flour and whisk for 30 seconds to a minute. Add milk gradually and whisk constantly until it is mixed in and there are no lumps. Stir in the cream cheese, season with salt and pepper. Add gorgonzola, blue cheese and parsley. Stir until melted. It's okay to have a few crumbles left over, it adds a different texture to the sauce.

Boil the ravioli and top with the sauce! Yum!

Magic in the middle cookies

2009-06-24T18:20:00.000-06:00

Magic in the middle cookies:

Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
5. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth.
6. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
7. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
8. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
10. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
11. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
12. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

I got these from this website. Very tasty

Clam Chowder

2009-06-24T18:07:00.000-06:00

Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
4 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams, drain and reserve clam juice
1 cup water
6 russet potatoes scrubbed and diced medium
3 carrots
3 sticks celery
1/2 stick butter
3 large bay leaves
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Saute onions and garlic until softened. Add flour, whisk in and let cook for about 1 minute or until lightly colored. Gradually whisk in bottled clam juice, reserved clam juice and water. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Don't overcook the potatoes or they will become mushy after adding the cream and bringing to a simmer. Add clams, cream, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. (Be careful not to oversalt!) bring to a simmer, remove from heat and serve.

I served mine with dinner rolls. Yum!

Mushroom Risotto

2009-06-07T00:30:00.000-06:00

I really like risotto but it's a bit of a pain to make, and very easy to mess up. A lot of people, even professional chefs add too much broth and end up making the rice mushy. I am proud of the way mine turned out and it was not mushy! It was very very good and I will definitely be making it again. I served mine with Kacean's new favorite chicken, my spicy chicken.

3 mushroom risotto:

Ingredients:
2 cups Arborio rice
Handful of button mushrooms
Handful of cremini mushrooms
Handful of shitaki mushrooms
1/2 an onion
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
8 cups water
6 bouillon cubes (I used vegetarian)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

In a saucepan bring 8 cups of water and 6 bouillon cubes to boil. Keep at a simmer the entire time. In a large skillet or frying pan with tall sides saute 1/2 the onion (so 1/4 of an entire onion) with all the mushrooms sliced up, 2 garlic cloves and salt and pepper in 1-2 Tbsps oil until the mushrooms are cooked the way you want them) When they are finished, set aside.

When the mushrooms are finished, saute remaining onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add rice and stir for about a minute. Add bay leaves and the process begins.

The annoying part about risotto is you have to stir it the entire time or it doesn't work out correctly. You need to add about 1 ladle full of hot broth to the rice at a time stirring until the rice absorbs it all. Once it is all absorbed add another ladle until rice is cooked, but not mushy. About halfway through cooking add the mushrooms so the rice can incorporate the mushroom flavor. Season with pepper and salt if needed. Usually the broth is salty enough.

Partway through the cooking process:

I was getting really hot sitting in front of the stove and was getting a little bored of stirring. :) It was worth it though!

Just about finished!

Finished product! When the rice if finished, pull out the bay leaves and toss. Enjoy!

More chicken

2009-06-01T02:04:00.000-06:00

I know, I know..here's yet another grilled chicken. I only know how to cook meat a couple ways, and grilling is my favorite. Plus, it keeps my house cooler in the summer to cook outside.

Spicy grilled chicken:

Chicken legs/thighs
Salt and pepper
Season salt
Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle seasoning
Olive oil

Toss chicken in a ziplock bag with olive oil to coat. It will help the seasonings stick to the chicken. Add salt and pepper and a good amount of both season salt and mrs. dash to coat. Grill on low until juicy.

Spinach, asparagus and romaine Italian grilled salad:

Romaine hearts
Fresh spinach
Asparagus
Italian dressing (I like to make mine fresh)

Cut romaine hearts in half and pour a good Italian dressing on one side. Grill on low until the edges start to get black but the inside is warm but still crunchy. Throw spinach and asparagus on a grill pan inside (or outside if you can figure out a way) and dump a little Italian dressing and salt and pepper. Cook until spinach starts to wilt and asparagus is tender. Cut asparagus into chunks, cut romaine hearts into chunks and toss. If it needs a little more dressing, salt or pepper add to taste.

Yum!

Garlic Herb Chicken

2009-05-29T00:12:00.000-06:00

Here is yet another take on ... grilled chicken.

Garlic Herb Chicken:

Chicken legs and thighs (or whichever your prefer)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning

Drizzle oil over chicken just enough to coat it so seasoning will stick. Salt and pepper all the way around the chicken. Coat well with garlic powder and italian seasoning. Grill on low until juicy.

Spicy Fries:

Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tonys
Chili powder
Garlic pepper
Lemon pepper

Cut potatoes into fries. Toss in oil and seasonings. Bake at 425, 20 minutes on one side and then flip the potatoes over and cook another 20 minutes on the other side. They will be brown and crispy.

Broccoli and Carrots: (Also cauliflower, but I didn't have any)

Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Salt and pepper
Butter

Steam veggies until tender. Put 1-2 tablespoons butter over veggies and cut with fork and knife until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Russian pelmeni

2009-05-20T01:38:00.001-06:00

A friend of ours went on a mission to Russia quite a while ago and has been wanting to make dinner for us for quite some time now. He finally decided that it was time. So a week or two ago he came over and taught me how to make Russian Pelmeni. We made a meat version and a vegetarian version. I heard from everybody else they liked them combined. That way it wasn't too much of either.
Russian Pelmeni is like a Russian dumpling, or an Italian ravioli (He doesn't like when I call it that) but that's the easiest way to describe it.

Russian Pelmeni Meat Version (Vegetarian version to follow):

1 part ground beef
1 part ground pork
Whatever seasonings you like on meat. We used:
Salt and pepper
Tony's
Grill seasoning (Steak seasoning)
Garlic pepper
Small amount of lemon pepper
Chili powder
*Optional: Part of an onion grated in for flavor and to help keep the meat moist. Traves completely despises onions so we didn't do that.*
Egg roll wrappers (or fresh noodle dough if you have the time)

(Kelsie's Note: I would not use very much meat, you only use about a teaspoon or so in the actually dumpling. Don't go too crazy when you buy it. Traves bought 2 pounds each and there was quite a bit left over. We also fed 7-8 people.)

Mix the meat by hand until well blended. Don't overmix or the meat will become tough.

Mashed Potato Pelmeni (Vegetarian version):

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Whatever you like in your mashed potatoes
We used the following:
Butter
Sour cream
Tony's
Garlic pepper
Salt and pepper
Egg roll wrappers (or fresh noodle dough if you have the time)

Cube the potatoes and boil until very tender for mashing. Add butter, sour cream and seasonings and mash well. This is the filling for the vegetarian.

If you make a little of each, then you can have a combination of both potato and meat dumplings.

Here is the meat filling ready to go:

Once you have both fillings ready it's time to put them into the dough. We used a biscut (or a round cookie cutter) to cut the egg roll wrappers into four circles per sheet. (we bought the large egg roll wrappers) Our circles were about 2 3/4" in diameter. You can use a glass or whatever you have to cut the wrappers.

Place a small amount of filling into the center of the wrapper and wet all the way around the edges with water. This will allow the dough to stick together and not to fall apart. (For the most part. Some will still fall apart).

Fold in half and press the edges tight.

This part is hard to see because of the photo, but you are going to fold in half now the other direction. You will have the seam facing away from you.

Here is what they look like all folded up.

Once you have them all ready to go, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once it's boiling, salt well.

Add dumplings to boiling water and boil for 8 minutes (on the meat ones to cook the meat) and just a minute or two after they start floating on the potato ones. I boiled mine in two different pots so I knew which ones were ready to be taken out.

Traves likes to top his with just sour cream and salt and pepper. He said you can top it with anything you like. Tomato sauce, cheese, etc. I've only eaten them once so I have no idea what else to pair them with. The sour cream and salt and pepper were good though.

If you have way too many left over you can freeze them (if they are still raw) then you can just pull them out whenever you want them. You can also spend all day long making tons of them and just freeze them so next time you want them you don't spend all day making them.