tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14024825179111966822024-03-13T13:35:43.696-04:00Smells Like HomeA collection of favorites from a kitchen-saavy New Englander.Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-55128838863524772462008-02-22T12:55:00.004-05:002008-02-22T12:58:17.197-05:00Blog address changeHi all! I've moved my blog to wordpress and want to make sure that everyone changes their google readers and any links you may already have in your blogs. <br /><br />The new address is: <a href="http://www.smellslikehome.wordpress.com/">www.smellslikehome.wordpress.com</a><br /><br />This is a great change for me, one which I am <em>very</em> excited about!<br /><br />Thanks and I'll see you "on the flip side!" :)<br /><br />- TaraTarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-32161471596068828102008-02-19T06:04:00.012-05:002008-02-19T07:18:16.038-05:00TWD: Almost-Fudge Gâteau<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rEn6Er4zI/AAAAAAAAAm8/G-sGDMtbP_I/s1600-h/DSC01966.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168659712243917618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rEn6Er4zI/AAAAAAAAAm8/G-sGDMtbP_I/s400/DSC01966.JPG" border="0" /></a>The word gâteau always brings me back to my years of learning French throughout all of middle school and high school and evokes such fond memories of my stays in France with my family's close friends, who happen to have started out as my host family when I did an exchange program at the tender age of 10. May will mark the 20 year mark since that first trip and the beginning of a wonderful friendship between two completely random families who would never have otherwise met if it hadn't been for this program.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168660837525349234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rFpaEr43I/AAAAAAAAAnc/iiXjZOVAc7M/s400/DSC01971.JPG" border="0" /><br />My French tongue has faded some since my last visit in 2000 but that doesn't mean that I don't have the desire to continue to learn all that is French. I read <a href="http://cuisinequotidienne.blogspot.com/">blogs</a> of <a href="http://franceprofonde.blogspot.com/">expatriots</a> who live in France and I still yearn to be strolling the streets of Paris, ducking into a sidewalk café for a crossaint and a demi-tasse, browsing artists' works in Montparnasse or Montmartre, lunching on a baguette and brie with a glass of wine in Jardin des Tuileries, or of course perusing through one of the hundreds of French bakeries that make France so famous for it's baked goodies. This weeks' Dorie recipe was chosen by Nikki of <a href="http://crazydeliciousfood.wordpress.com/">Crazy Delicious</a> and comes from Hélène Samuel, a French restauranteur, who used to sit in front of the oven (her very <em>first</em> oven while living in Paris) and watch this cake bake as her source of entertainment. Le gâteau itself, as Dorie describes is "plain looking but profoundly flavorful, moist, pleasantly dense, and definitively chocolate..."; a description that perfectly matches how this cake itself turned out.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168659725128819522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rEoqEr40I/AAAAAAAAAnE/rkpzpBh7LRM/s400/DSC01976.JPG" border="0" /></p><p>I'll admit that I didn't run out and buy a 9" springform pan for this recipe so I'm not entirely sure if the cake turned out as "puffy" as it should have (with 5 egg white folded into the batter) while using a regular ol' 9" cake pan. Since this was another TWD recipe without a picture to guide me, I guess I'll have to wait and see how everyone else's cakes turned out. Regardless of how it looked, it tasted FANTASTIC. And fudgy it was! I used 60% bittersweet chocolate and was slightly worried about the bitter-factor but it was the right decision for me and I would use the same percentage should I make the cake again, which I'm sure I will. The top cracked, just as Dorie said it would and because I used a cake pan, my cake resembled more of an oversized molten lava cake than a pretty, smooth-sided cake turned out of a springform pan.</p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rFCKEr41I/AAAAAAAAAnM/ZhuZkX5wK38/s1600-h/DSC01968.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168660163215483730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rFCKEr41I/AAAAAAAAAnM/ZhuZkX5wK38/s320/DSC01968.JPG" border="0" /></a>As for the glaze however, I didn't have such great luck. I'm not really sure what happened but after I added the corn syrup, the melted chocolate-cream mixture separated from the syrup like oil and water. It was <em>very</em> strange and I couldn't bear to ruin a perfectly good cake with a mixture that resembled more of an sloppy chocolate mess than a chocolate glaze; powdered sugar and whipped cream worked just fine for me.<br /><br />In spite of the glaze issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this cake; both making it and eating...and yes, I had a piece for breakfast yesterday morning. Hats off to Nikki for a great choice this week! You can see how the over 30 other members of our growing TWD group did this week by visiting their blogs <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">here</a>.<br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168660828935414626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7rFo6Er42I/AAAAAAAAAnU/an2a6ZCsySY/s400/DSC01949.JPG" border="0" /><strong><u>Almost-Fudge Gâteau</u></strong></p><p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours</span></em></p><ul><li>5 large eggs</li><li>9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped <em><span style="color:#006600;">(I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet cacao chips)</span></em></li><li>1 cup of sugar</li><li>5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks</li><li>2 tablespoons coffee or water</li><li>1/3 cup all-purpose flour</li><li>Pinch of salt </li></ul><p><em>For the Glaze (optional)</em></p><ul><li>4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped</li><li>½ cup heavy cream</li><li>2 teaspoons light corn syrup </li></ul><p><em>Getting Ready:</em> </p><ol><li>Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan <em><span style="color:#006600;">(I used a 9" cake pan)</span></em>, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper, dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. </li><li>Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a mixer bowl or other large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl. </li><li>Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and add the chocolate, sugar butter and coffee. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted; the sugar may still be grainy, and that's fine. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let the mixture sit for 3 minutes. </li><li>Using a rubber spatula, stir in the yolks one by one, then fold in the flour. </li><li>Working with the whisk attachment of the mixer or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they hold firm, but glossy peaks. Using the spatula, stir about one quarter of the beaten whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Scrape the butter into the pan and jiggle the pan from side to side a couple of times to even the batter. </li><li>Bake for 35 to 45 minutes<span style="color:#006600;"> <em>(35 minutes was perfect for my oven)</em></span>, or until the cake has risen evenly (it might rise around the edges and you'll think it's done, but give it a few minutes more, and the center will puff too) and the top has firmed (it will probably be cracked) and doesn't shimmy when tapped; a thin knife inserted into the center should come out just slightly streaked with chocolate. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake rest for 5 to 10 minutes. </li><li>Run a blunt knife gently around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Carefully turn the cake over onto a rack and remove the pan bottom and the parchment paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and cool to room temperature right side up. As the cake cools, it may sink. </li></ol><p><em>To Make the Optional Glaze: </em>First, turn the cooled cake over onto another rack so you'll be glazing the flat bottom, and place the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper to catch any drips. </p><p>Put the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. </p><p>Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave oven – the chocolate should be just melted and only warm, not hot. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small sauce pan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir very gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in the corn syrup. </p><p>Pour the glaze over the cake and smooth the top with a long metal icing spatula. Don't worry if the glaze drips unevenly down the sides of the cake – it will just add to its charms. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature or, if you're impatient, slip the cake into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. If the glaze dulls in the fridge, just give it a little gentle heat from a hairdryer.</p><p align="center">Prep time: 20 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 35 minutes</p><p align="center">Yields: 12-16 slices<br /></p><p></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-13103977694978070712008-02-18T20:50:00.007-05:002008-02-18T21:28:21.940-05:00Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins<p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7o8saEr4wI/AAAAAAAAAmk/AIK-59MLd30/s1600-h/DSC01907.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168510255971951362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7o8saEr4wI/AAAAAAAAAmk/AIK-59MLd30/s400/DSC01907.JPG" border="0" /></a> </p>Grrubere humarhehr yeosmegerrb? ...... errr....sorry...my mouth was full with these INCREDIBLE muffins. What I asked was, "Have you ever tasted a better blueberry muffin than this one?" (or at least that's what I was thinking...) Ina has certainly outdone herself with this one, let me tell you. I've seen her make them a couple of times...you know the show...the one where she has her girlfriend's daughter and her college friends over for brunch and they ask to live with her forever because she's an incredible cook...well, uh...most of that is my fantasy but you get the drift. :) Well, in my infinite search to find the perfect recipes to make for my family when they visit for a weekend on the rare occasion, I firmly decided to make these muffins for their most recent visit. And what else was I going to serve for breakfast that morning? Nothing. That's right. Nothing. Except coffee of course. Breakfast on a Sunday with the family in town in usually a mid-morning <em>event</em> (eggs, bacon, sausages, toast/bagels, and sometimes pancakes) and since I had already made a big pot of [yes you guessed it] <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2008/02/inas-split-pea-soup.html">Ina's split pea soup</a> for lunch that afternoon, I didn't want to make a huge breakfast that would ruin appetites for later in the day.<br /><br />What I didn't realize was that these muffins would be the be all and end all of blueberry muffins. I was totally expecting to get huge raves over my soup that afternoon but I don't think I've ever heard as many mmms and oh-my-gods as I did over breakfast. In fact, I think the soup may have been a let-down after the morning muffins. lol The muffins were absolutely perfect in every sense of the word. They were the kind of muffins where the <em>whole </em>muffin was eaten, not just the top. They were sweet. They were moist. They were blueberry-y.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168510268856853282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7o8tKEr4yI/AAAAAAAAAm0/rLSCM4ergUk/s400/DSC01909.JPG" border="0" /> They were not what I expected when I opened the oven to check on them with just a few minutes of the cooking time remaining. The muffin tops had totally spilled over into one another and became a muffin top mass. Thankfully they didn't run over the sides of the muffin tins onto the bottom of the oven but nonetheless, I totally panicked. <em>Crap! What to do, what to do?</em> With just a few minutes left, there wasn't really much I could do but hope that they tasted ok even though they didn't look like your typical muffin. My mom and my aunt soothed my muffin anxiety and I talked myself through the thoughts of my last muffin disaster 4 years ago, which coincidentally was the <em>last</em> time I made muffins. After a few extra minutes added to the cooking time, I took the muffins out, let them cool for a few minutes, cut the tops with a spatula, and gently removed them. They all came out in one piece. First sigh of relief. They all sat upright on the cooling rack. Second sigh. The third sigh came when I took that first bite and the muffin melted in my mouth. ahhhhh sooooo goooooood.....<br /><br /><strong><u>Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins</u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34553,00.html">Ina Garten</a>, Barefoot Contessa Family Style</span></em><br /><ul><li>12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature </li><li>1 1/2 cups sugar </li><li>3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature </li><li>1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract </li><li>8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream </li><li>1/4 cup milk </li><li>2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour </li><li>2 teaspoons baking powder </li><li>1/2 teaspoon baking soda </li><li>1/2 teaspoon kosher salt </li><li>2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems<br /></li></ul><ol><li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans <em>(I just greased the muffin cups).</em> In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed. </li><li>Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans <em>(I used an ice cream scoop - works great!)</em>, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean. </li></ol><div align="center">Prep time: 10 minutes</div><div align="center">Cook time: 30 minutes</div><div align="center">Yields: 14 muffins (using the ice cream scoop)</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"></div><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168510264561885970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7o8s6Er4xI/AAAAAAAAAms/Yyw5Zsqu08w/s400/DSC01908.JPG" border="0" /></span></em><br /><p></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-40491366888265435262008-02-18T06:18:00.006-05:002008-02-18T08:12:16.111-05:00Some Outrageous Brownies<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7lt9KEr4uI/AAAAAAAAAmU/VB7rlnT1V74/s1600-h/DSC01857.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168282944827810530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7lt9KEr4uI/AAAAAAAAAmU/VB7rlnT1V74/s400/DSC01857.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div></div><div>ahh Ina...seriously, you found the right profession when buying Barefoot Contessa all those years ago. I haven't yet made a recipe of yours that isn't fantastic!</div><br /><div></div><div>OK, so I know she can't hear me, but sometimes I just need to get the voices out of my head..... :) </div><div></div><br /><div>After 5 years of knowing about the existence of these brownies and hearing all the raves on my cooking board, I only JUST made them for the first time a couple of weeks ago (yes, I'm slow to post recently). The only thing that was stopping me from making them was the fact that I don't ever have instant coffee powder in the house. But nonetheless, I finally decided to forego the powder and make the brownies without it.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168282962007679730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7lt-KEr4vI/AAAAAAAAAmc/MfgQmVHygRo/s400/DSC01862.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>WOW!! They turned out just half a notch below outrageous for me but still were out of this world. I know that half a notch was the missing coffee powder and now I'm bound and determined to buy some before I get the hankering to make them again. I made the full recipe, fully knowing how many brownies this would yield, and brought half of them to work where I knew sweet treats are always very much appreciated. As it turns out, my office was having a week from hell and these brownies were the exact "pick-me-up" that everyone needed. I have a few other homemade brownie recipes I want to try before I go and say that this will be the only one that I use but for now, it's right at the top of my list.</div><div></div><div><strong><u></u></strong> </div><div><strong><u>Ina's Outrageous Brownies</u></strong></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook</span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">This was adapted from a recipe for chocolate globs in the Soho Charcuterie Cookbook</span> </em></div><ul><li>1 pound unsalted butter </li><li>1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided </li><li>6 ounces unsweetened chocolate </li><li>6 extra-large eggs </li><li>3 tablespoons instant coffee powder </li><li>2 tablespoons real vanilla extract </li><li>2 1/4 cups sugar </li><li>1 1/4 cups flour, divided - 1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts </li><li>1 tablespoon baking powder </li><li>1 teaspoon kosher salt </li><li>3 cups diced walnut pieces <em>(I omitted)</em></li></ul><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. </li><li>Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and bitter chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature. </li><li>Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan. </li><li>Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not overbake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 15 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 30 minutes</p><p align="center">Yields: 20 large or 48 human-size brownies</p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-90622733570529493002008-02-12T12:58:00.002-05:002008-02-18T08:12:59.002-05:00TWD: Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7HsxKEr4oI/AAAAAAAAAlk/0RAITe4bDQ0/s1600-h/cc2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166170576832422530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7HsxKEr4oI/AAAAAAAAAlk/0RAITe4bDQ0/s400/cc2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Here's to my first TWD recipe!! Jaime of <a href="http://good-eats-n-sweet-treats.blogspot.com/">Good Eats n' Sweet Treats</a> chose Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake (pages 218-219) for this weeks' recipe and boy what a great job she did choosing! I'm a lover of all-things-cheesecake, albeit I've only made cheesecake a number of times. I'm always nervous to make cheesecake because there are so many ideas about the best techniques for the best cheesecake: waterbath vs. no waterbath, cool the cheesecake in the oven vs. on the counter, baked vs. no-bake, a crack should be there vs. shouldn't...you get the point. But because I'm such a recipe-follower, I wasn't too nervous about making this one. I know that Dorie's recipes are tried and true and that all I would need to do is follow her recipe. Easy enough.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166170585422357138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7HsxqEr4pI/AAAAAAAAAls/XVv1w0kLW40/s400/cc3.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Easy? Yes. Quick? No. It took me 1 and 1/2 hours to prep this cheesecake because I was so afraid of screwing it up...and lord knows I didn't want to screw up my first TWD recipe! I had to take extra precautions to be sure that everything I did was right...that the crust was browned enough but not too much, that the apples were cooked enough without burning the brown sugar, that the cream cheese was soft enough so the batter wasn't lumpy, that the springform pan was wrapped tightly enough so no water would leak into my masterpiece. It certainly was a process but the proof was in the pudding...err cheesecake...that my precautions and all that extra time yielded one hell of a cheesecake...and a cheesecake WITHOUT a crack!! This was a first for me and was the first indication that I felt that I really did everything right. The only little blemishes on the top of the cheesecake came from the aluminum foil that stuck to the cake as it rose in the oven - no biggie!</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166170611192160946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7HszKEr4rI/AAAAAAAAAl8/BeuFX7OVd80/s400/cc5.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Because I made the cheesecake last night (Monday night), I had to let it chill overnight before cutting it which was fine because I feel more comfortable taking pics during the daylight rather than at night...and coincidentally, I hadn't had breakfast this morning before cutting the cake and taking pics. Aww shucks....cheesecake for breakfast? What a bummer! Well, <em>somebody</em> had to taste it in order to write this review! </div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166170568242487922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7HswqEr4nI/AAAAAAAAAlc/AUUgwW9Sivo/s400/cc1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Dorie certainly was right - this is a substantial cheesecake. Not heavy and dense like NY cheesecake, but creamy and almost light...but substantial in taste it is. The cheesecake never fell in the middle while cooling and resulted in this beautiful dessert flecked with cinnamon as the highest (thickest?) cheesecake I've ever made. I did have to restrain myself from eating a whole piece this morning because I did only cut it 8ths but it was oh so good! (And in the future, I will definitely use dental floss again to make the initials cuts and then a hot, clean knife to finish them off.) I offered to put a piece in Kyle's lunch today but he said that he'd wait until tonight to try it and I almost feel bad about not waiting for him...<em>almost.</em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em>Check out how everyone else did <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">here</a>!</em></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166170589717324450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7Hsx6Er4qI/AAAAAAAAAl0/wNz8ruSNd-Y/s400/cc4.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><p><strong><u>Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake</u></strong></p><p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Baking: From My Home to Yours</span></em></p><p><u>For the Crust</u></p><ul><li>30 gingersnaps (or a scant 2 cups graham cracker crumbs) <em><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>I used cinnamon graham crackers and ground them into crumbs myself</strong></span></em></li><li>2 tbsp light brown sugar</li><li>1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)</li><li>1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted</li></ul><p><u>For the Apples</u></p><ul><li>1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter</li><li>3 large Golden Delicious or Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths <em><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>I used Golden Delicious</strong></span></em></li><li>2 tbsp (packed) light brown sugar</li></ul><p><u>For the Filling</u></p><ul><li>1 1/2 pounds (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature</li><li>3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar</li><li>6 tbsp sugar</li><li>3 tbsp apple cider </li><li>2 tsp pure vanilla extract</li><li>2 tsp ground cinnamon</li><li>3 large eggs</li><li>3/4 cup sour cream</li><li>1/3 cup heavy cream</li><li>Apple jelly, for glazing, or confectioner's sugar, for dusting (optional)</li></ul><p><u>To Make the Crust:</u> </p><ol><li>Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and whir until you have crumbs; you should have a scant 2 cups. (If you are using graham cracker crumbs, just put them in the food processor.) Pulse in the sugar and cinnamon, if you're using it, then pour over the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened. Turn the crumbs into the springform pan and, using your fingertips, firmly press them evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan as far as they'll go. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)</li><li>Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the pan from the freezer and wrap the bottom tightly in aluminum foil, going up the sides. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is set and lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool while you make the apples and the filling. Leave the oven at 350 degrees F.</li></ol><p><u>To Make the Apples:</u> </p><ol><li>Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, toss in half of the apple slices and cook, turning once, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the apples with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and cook them, turning, just until coated, another minute or so. Scrape the apples onto a plate, wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining apples. Let the apples cool while you make the filling.</li></ol><p><u>Getting Ready to Bake:</u> </p><p>Have a roasting pan large enough to hold the springform pan at hand. Put a kettle of water on to boil.</p><p><u>To Make the Filling:</u> </p><ol><li>Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the bowl often, for about 4 minutes, or until it is velvety smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in the cider, vanilla, and cinnamon. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Finally, beat in the sour cream and heavy cream, beating just until the batter is smooth.</li><li>Pour about one third of the batter into the baked crust. Drain the apples by lifting them off the plate with a slotted spoon or spatula, and spoon them into the pan. Cover with the remaining batter and, if needed, jiggle the pan to even the top. Place the springform pan in the roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.</li><li>Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 to 45 minutes, covering the cake loosely with a foil tent at the 45-minute mark. The cake will rise evenly and crack around the edges, and it should be fully set except, possibly, in the very center--if the center shimmies, that's just fine. </li><li>Gently transfer the cake, still in the pan, to a cooling rack and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least 6 hours; overnight would be better.</li><li>Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the crust, open the pan's latch and release and remove the sides.</li></ol>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-9971336815640174712008-02-12T11:46:00.000-05:002008-02-12T12:57:46.734-05:00Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD)After many months of debating about joining the Daring Bakers but being just plain chicken about it, I've decided to make good use of my newest cookbook and join a relatively new and still flourishing baking group called <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>. Laurie of <a href="http://slush.wordpress.com/">quirky cupcake</a> started TWD with Chelle of <a href="http://chelley325.wordpress.com/">Sugar & Spice</a> with the premise of baking their way through Dorie Greenspan's famous baking cookbook, Baking from My Home to Yours. Each week a new recipe will be choosen by a group member and each member will post their results in their respective blogs. <br /><br />You can find links to all of the members' blogs <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">here</a> - be sure to check out the results on all of the blogs!Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-25761315148582233882008-02-07T15:50:00.000-05:002008-02-07T16:56:03.805-05:00Peanuttiest Blondies<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6t8iDRvqmI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ld0MzwRvrJ8/s1600-h/DSC01866.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164358322147535458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6t8iDRvqmI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ld0MzwRvrJ8/s400/DSC01866.JPG" border="0" /></a>I was lucky enough to have a couple of very thoughtful people send me gift "cards" to amazon.com for Christmas and since I didn't receive the top 2 items on my Christmas list this past season, I decided to treat myself to these two items, which of course, happen to be cookbooks.<br /><br />Over the past couple of years, <a href="http://www.barefootcontessa.com/">Ina Garden</a> has grown to be one of my most idolized chefs on FoodNetwork. Her food is homey, classic, and fantastic and the next time I find myself in East Hampton, NY (which coincidentally is only 40 minutes from where I grew up and where my entire family still resides), I'm going to make a point of hitting up Barefoot Contessa to test out her stuff in person. For now, I'll settle for making her recipes in my own kitchen and I've just made that a little easier after buying <a href="http://www.barefootcontessa.com/books/tbcc_inside.html">The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook</a>, Ina's first cookbook. By the way, this was the first of the 2 cookbooks I treated myself to on amazon.<br /><br />So my little collection of cookbooks is growing and I'm already envisioning the designated space I'd like to create for them once Kyle and I build a home in the next few years. Taking up some of that space will most certainly be the baking bible and what seems to be the most coveted baking cookbook in my foodie circle of friends, cooking message board and so many of the food blogs I read, <a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/dorie_greenspan/books/index.html">Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours</a>. I've pined over this cookbook for a year now and for whatever reason, never got around buying it.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164358373687143026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6t8lDRvqnI/AAAAAAAAAlM/YM5U6O3pQ6Q/s400/DSC01871.JPG" border="0" /><br />Since Dorie's book has found a home in my kitchen, I've been reading it like a novel. Page after page of mouth-watering recipes and conversational dialogue that makes you feel like Dorie is right there in the kitchen with you. How could anyone NOT love a cookbook like this one?? This is the first recipe I've decided to make, and decision was a difficult one (which recipe???). Since Kyle and I are on a strict budget this month, which means no extra spending at the grocery store in an effort to keep costs down and use up what we already have on hand, I decided to go with a recipe that consisted of everything I already have. I'm a genius. This was the best sweet treat I've had in a long time and it certainly made me feel less bad about being so poor this month. :) I followed the recipe exactly, except that I omitted the nuts (of course) and subbed in peanut butter chips - not a bad substitution if I do say so myself. You must try this one!!!<br /><br /><strong><u>Peanuttiest Blondies</u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Dorie Greenspan, From My Home to Yours</span></em><br /><ul><li>1 cup all-purpose flour</li><li>1/2 tsp baking powder</li><li>1/2 tsp ground cinnamon</li><li>1/4 tsp baking soda</li><li>1/4 tsp salt</li><li>1/2 cup peanut butter - crunchy or creamy (not natural)</li><li>5 tbps unsalted butter, at room temperature</li><li>3/4 cup sugar</li><li>3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar</li><li>2 large eggs</li><li>1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract</li><li>1 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts</li><li>6 oz semisweet or premium-quality milk chocolate, coarsely choppped, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips</li></ul><ol><li>Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, butter the foil, and put the pan on a baking sheet.</li><li>Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.</li><li>Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add both the sugars and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until well incorporated into the butter. Add the eggs one at time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough; the dough will be thick. Add the peanuts and chocolate and give the mixer a few turns to stire them into the dough. If the chunky ingredients aren't mixed in after a few seconds, just finish the job with a sturdy spatula - don't overmix the dough. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan.</li><li>Bake the blondies for 40 to 50 minutes <em>(40 minutes was plenty for mine)</em>, or until they turn a deep honey brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.</li><li>When it is completely cool, carefully life the blondies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and turn them out onto a rack. Peel away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Use a long knife to cut into 16 bars, each roughly 2 1/4 inches on a side.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 10 minutes</p><p align="center">Bake time: 40 minutes</p><p align="center">Yields: 16 bars</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164358657154984578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6t81jRvqoI/AAAAAAAAAlU/9a3Wnq9dZn8/s400/DSC01867.JPG" border="0" /></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-4619116247069755642008-02-06T12:30:00.000-05:002008-02-12T16:10:58.409-05:00Ina's Split Pea Soup<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7IEZqEr4tI/AAAAAAAAAmM/xWVf2SztWLs/s1600-h/soup2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166196561384563410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7IEZqEr4tI/AAAAAAAAAmM/xWVf2SztWLs/s400/soup2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Well, really, it's called Parker's Split Pea Soup but I figured, who knows who Parker is just by reading the title of this post? Parker was a chef at Ina's gourmet food store, Barefoot Contessa, when Ina featured his split pea soup in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (and maybe he still is but I can't confirm that).<br /><br /><br /><p>Did I forget to mention that as a kid, I would groan when I found out that split pea soup was on the menu? Yeah, well, all of a sudden a few weeks ago, I felt this indescribable need to make split pea soup. I'm really not sure why but I went out a bought a couple pounds of dried split peas and some chorizo sausage to add to this recipe (instead of the ham or hot dogs my mom added when I was a kid). I put the recipe on hold until Kyle and I returned from our vacation and made the soup the first night we were back. It was simple and required minimal time from me standing over the stove which made it the perfect choice for a meal on a night where I definitely didn't feel like cooking.</p><p>Oh.My.Goodness. I can't describe how incredible this soup turned out!! It's seriously one of the best soups I've ever had, let alone made because as we all know, my soup skills aren't quite up to par. I made the whole recipe (which is 1/2 of what is written in the cookbook) and there were plenty of leftovers which neither of us minded at all. The soup was thick, flavorful, and the chorizo sausage was a wonderful addition. This will definitely make a appearance on my menu again soon! </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166196548499661506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R7IEY6Er4sI/AAAAAAAAAmE/-4CTT2za6pc/s400/soup1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong><u>Parker's Split Pea Soup</u></strong></p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook</span></em><br /><em></em><br /><ul><li>1 cup chopped yellow onions </li><li>2 cloves garlic, minced </li><li>1/8 cup good olive oil </li><li>1/2 teaspoon dried oregano </li><li>1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt </li><li>1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper </li><li>2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots) </li><li>1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small) </li><li>1 pound dried split green peas </li><li>8 cups chicken stock or water </li></ul><ol><li>In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of split peas, and chicken stock. </li><li>Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.</li></ol>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-70886533888858332142008-01-31T09:07:00.000-05:002008-01-31T09:42:52.517-05:00Spinach Polenta<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6HclDRvqhI/AAAAAAAAAkc/j8ZD2N4rYME/s1600-h/p1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161649177036302866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6HclDRvqhI/AAAAAAAAAkc/j8ZD2N4rYME/s400/p1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div> </div><div>In the past few months, I've really come to love polenta. I haven't attempted it in its baked or fried forms yet but those recipes are in the works. During my most recent meeting with polenta, I decided to get a little crazy (sarcasm) and add some fresh spinach...and some grated Pecorino-Romano cheese - what?? Remember my <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/11/taras-ultimate-mac-n-cheese.html">Cheese Is Love</a> post?? The result was outstanding! How is that just a simple couple of additions can make such a difference? I paired this treat with the most outstanding <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-longer-polenta-virgin.html">pork chop</a> recipe I've had in years. You can see my change in green below.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Spinach Polenta</u></strong></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis</span></em></div><ul><li>6 cups water </li><li>2 teaspoons salt </li><li>1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal </li><li>3 tablespoons unsalted butter</li><li><span style="color:#006600;">1/2 tsp freshly grated black pepper</span></li><li><span style="color:#006600;">1 1/2 cups fresh raw spinach (washed)</span></li><li><span style="color:#006600;">3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese</span></li></ul><ol><li>Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt <span style="color:#006600;">and black pepper</span>. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. <em><span style="color:#006600;">(It</span><span style="color:#006600;"> only took about 5 minutes to thicken but I cooked it for an additional 5-8 minutes to make sure the cornmeal was cooked through.)</span></em> Turn off the heat. Add the butter, <span style="color:#006600;">spinach, and cheese, </span>and stir until melted.</li></ol><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161649185626237474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6HcljRvqiI/AAAAAAAAAkk/IM46ZWUlhPU/s400/p2.jpg" border="0" />Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-36771458829640467772008-01-29T10:27:00.000-05:002008-02-04T11:38:56.574-05:00Pasta Primavera<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6c69zRvqlI/AAAAAAAAAk8/-UTs4BE_Nas/s1600-h/pp3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163160331214629458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6c69zRvqlI/AAAAAAAAAk8/-UTs4BE_Nas/s400/pp3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, yes, I do realize that we are in the middle of winter but I really needed a dish to make it feel like spring...it's cold here in New England! So I threw a bunch of summer veggies in my cart and set out to recreate a killer pasta primavera my office ordered for our holiday lunch back in December.<br /><br /><br /><p>The result of this recreation was delicious - there wasn't nearly as much creamy sauce as the original dish but that was part of my intention - food at my house will be damn good but not necessarily as heavy and fat-laden as that which can be found in restaurants.</p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163160309739792946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6c68jRvqjI/AAAAAAAAAks/PWhXZxljWzA/s400/pp1.jpg" border="0" /></p><strong><u>Pasta Primavera</u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Smells Like Home</span></em><br /><ul><li>2 tbsp olive oil</li><li>1 small to medium zucchini, cubed in 1/2" pieces</li><li>1 medium or 2 small yellow squash, cubed in 1/2" pieces</li><li>1 red pepper, diced in 1/2" pieces</li><li>1/2 tsp salt</li><li>1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper</li><li>1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, drained, patted dry and sliced</li><li>3 cloves garlic, minced</li><li>2 tbsp tomato paste</li><li>1/3 cup heavy cream</li><li>1/2 lb uncooked spaghetti</li></ul><ol><li>In a large stockpot, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.</li><li>Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, squash, red peppers, salt and pepper and cook for 7-10 minutes or until veggies being to soften. Add sundried tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to medium. </li><li>Stir in tomato paste until vegetables are coated with the paste and cook for another minute or so. Stir in cream and allow mixture to come to a simmer. If sauce is too thick, add some pasta water. If sauce is too thin, add some additional tomato paste and allow sauce to return to a simmer. If there isn't enough sauce, add some additional cream, half-n-half or skim milk if you're watching calories.</li><li>After pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the veggie mixture and stir to combine veggies with pasta.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 10 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 10-12 minutes</p><p align="center">Serves: 3<br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163160322624694850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R6c69TRvqkI/AAAAAAAAAk0/rTKHkqBu5TA/s400/pp2.jpg" border="0" />Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-56801593290574150782008-01-16T11:22:00.000-05:002008-01-29T10:26:08.402-05:00better-late-than-never blondies<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R59FITRvqfI/AAAAAAAAAkM/jf-zyFYLzGY/s1600-h/b2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160919706905848306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R59FITRvqfI/AAAAAAAAAkM/jf-zyFYLzGY/s400/b2.jpg" border="0" /></a>When Kyle came home from work last week begging for blondies all I could do was hang my head in shame. I had never made them. I had never had the desire to make them. Worse yet, I had never liked them. *gasp!* How could I not like the non-chocolate version of a brownie? Nuts! Every blondie I've ever come across has had some type of nut in them, and while they <em>look</em> fantastic, I've always taken a laissez-faire attitude with them. What's the point of eating something and having to pick around the nuts?<br /><br /><br />After much begging that evening, something clicked. Why couldn't I make them without nuts?? Duh. :: forehead slap :: I ran down to the computer knowing that I could find a recipe on one of the famous blogs I read on a nearly everyday basis, and of course, Smitten Kitchen came through for me again.<br /><br /><br /><p> </p><p> </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160919651071273442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R59FFDRvqeI/AAAAAAAAAkE/CBUTbTTya_M/s400/b1.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>This is a blondie recipe that is simple, allows for any add-ins (or subtract-aways), and is touted to be Deb's favorite blondie recipe. 'Nuff said. Onward to the kitchen...</p><p>In my recipe, I used 1 tsp vanilla and added a bag of peanut butter chips. The next time I make this recipe, I think I'll add some peanut butter to the mix as well as chocolate chips because while they turned out pretty great, I think they needed a little extra "umph." (This was no fault of Deb's though.)</p><br /><strong><u>Blondies</u></strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>source: Smitten Kitchen from </em>How to Cook Everything</span><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em><br /><ul><li>8 tablespoons butter, melted</li><li>1 cup brown sugar</li><li>1 egg</li><li>1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon almond extract</li><li>Pinch salt</li><li>1 cup all-purpose flour</li></ul><ol><li>Butter an 8×8 pan</li><li>Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.<br />Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below). </li><li>Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I always err on the side of caution with baking times — nobody ever complained about a gooey-middled cookie. Cool on rack before cutting them.<br /></li></ol><p>Further additions, use one or a combination of:<br />1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor<br />1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips<br />1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla<br />1/2 cup mashed bananas<br />1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon<br />2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla<br />Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter<br />Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160919719790750210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R59FJDRvqgI/AAAAAAAAAkU/Dt8QpXR2oMM/s400/b3.jpg" border="0" /></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-65574099425981088802008-01-07T10:41:00.000-05:002008-01-07T10:55:17.128-05:00Something must be wrong here...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R4JLHJnDOlI/AAAAAAAAAj8/FWKWPgQTtDo/s1600-h/bpics2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152763509876144722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R4JLHJnDOlI/AAAAAAAAAj8/FWKWPgQTtDo/s400/bpics2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>My first bad Giada recipe!! I'm not sure how this happened as I followed the recipe to a 'T' (minus the nuts) but something went wrong. I was so excited to be trying broccoli rabe for the first time and was more excited to be pairing it with another new recipe. The combination seemed like a great one but turned out that the braciole was the only edible food on the plate. I'm not sure I've ever tasted something so bitter in my life! I used the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25308,00.html">recipe</a> from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook and the only difference I see between that recipe and the FN recipe (as oftentimes there are subtle differences) is that the FN recipe instructed to trim the stems, which I did not do the first time. I figure that must have been the issue because just about all of the reviews gave the recipe 4 or 5 stars. What a bummer though because it really does look so good and I'm not sure if I'll get Kyle to try broccoli rabe again for fear that he'll protest. You can find the recipe in the link above.</div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-76244601338075184982008-01-03T11:40:00.000-05:002008-01-07T10:55:58.596-05:00Braciole<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;color:#006600;">Welcome 2008!!</span></strong><br /><br /></div><br />As my first post of the New Year, I'm posting quite possibly the only dish that I had be dying to make in 2007...which not-so-coincidentally didn't happen until <em>almost</em> the "11th hour." I know that I'm a procrastinator and the fact that I waited until the second to last day of the year to break down and make this braciole is just a testament to my ability to be resolute in my procrastination convictions.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152756573503961666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R4JEzZnDOkI/AAAAAAAAAj0/I1VhKuTi_20/s400/bpics.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p></p><p><em>What the hell does that mean</em>, right? Well let me 'splain. Of all the things I've learned about myself in the past 10 years, throughout the second half of my college career, my Master's program, and my working life, I think one of the most important things I've learned is that I work well under pressure. I pulled many o' all-nighters back in the day and it wasn't necessarily because I kept putting assignments off; more like working 3 part-time jobs, taking 18 credits, and handling a relationship with a Navy sailor kinda put a crimp in my study habits. So oftentimes the only time I had to study and write papers was in the wee hours of the morning when my brain was so fried and there wasn't enough coffee in the dorm to keep my eyes open. But somehow I pumped out some of the best papers of my college career watching [and sometimes sweating as] the minutes tick by on that little clock on the bottom right-hand of the screen. A after A after A were the grades that appeared on those papers, exams, projects, and oral presentations. I know, I couldn't believe it either! So now that you know where my affinity (for lack of a better word) for procrastination comes from. But I digress...</p>So back the braciole (which by the way, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braciola">the word is commonly pronounced /bra'zhul/ from the Sicilian pronunciation</a>)...I'd never made it before and don't really remember my parents making the rolled-up version mentioned in the Wikipedia (although there was almost always a piece (read: a hunk) of beef or pork in the sauce they made) but I'd heard about it from various sources and then it showed up in Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook. I tell you, I looked at that recipe on and off for 8 months, and only after finding a great flank steak at Whole Foods did I decide it was time. And like magic, with the flank steak waiting in the fridge, Giada popped up on the FN with the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25307,00.html">braciole episode</a>...fate, I tell ya.<br /><br />We both really enjoyed how this turned out...and it was well worth the 8 month wait. The meat was tender, the filling was flavorful, and overall the braciole was very simple to put together. In the future, I'd be tempted to try out other additions to the filling - maybe roasted red peppers, garlic, or sundried tomatoes. Similar to a crockpot meal, this cooked for a while in the oven, which was nice because it gave me time to run around the house and get a few things done before dinner was ready. I'll definitely make this again but will find a different side dish other than the one I served with the braciole this time (see <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2008/01/something-must-be-wrong-here.html">broccoli rabe</a> post).<br /><br /><strong><u>Braciole</u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Giada de Laurentiis</span></em><br /><ul><li>1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs </li><li>1 garlic clove, minced </li><li>2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano </li><li>1/3 cup grated provolone </li><li>2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves </li><li>4 tablespoons olive oil </li><li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper </li><li>1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak </li><li>1 cup dry white wine </li><li>3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce <em>(I used my own homemade sauce. You can find Giada's sauce recipe in the link above.)</em></li></ul><ol><li>Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.</li><li>Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper. </li><li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. </li><li>Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours. </li><li>Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve. </li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 15 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 1 hour and 40 minutes</p><p align="center">Serves: 4</p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-64759800571674522522007-12-30T16:53:00.001-05:002007-12-30T17:11:54.105-05:00Oven fries<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gU65nDOjI/AAAAAAAAAjs/Wu4mio3xLIo/s1600-h/DSC01727.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149889176027740722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gU65nDOjI/AAAAAAAAAjs/Wu4mio3xLIo/s400/DSC01727.JPG" border="0" /></a><em>Admission:</em> fries are one of my weaknesses. Come on, who can't resist a big plate of fries? Of course this weakness lends its hand to "a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips." So I figured that there has to be a better way of enjoying french fries other than picking them up through a window or dumping a bunch of frozen potato sticks onto a baking sheet. So in the spirit of eating a bit healthier and not letting our organically-spent money get flushed down the drain, I decided that oven fries would be a nice way to blend the two concepts.<br /><br /><p><em>Admission:</em> these fries need a little work. They were right in line with what fries should be (without the deep frying of course) but lacked a little in the flavor department and were slightly chewy, which I think had to do with the type of potato rather than my overcooking them. After cutting the potatoes (about 1lb Russet potatoes) into the traditional french fry shape (think Wendy's not McDonald's), I drizzled them with some olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I think next time I'll use Idaho potatoes, change up the seasonings a bit (and add more), and cut the potatoes into more of a steak fry shape. Truthfully, I did consider quickly deep frying them first before baking but I figured that would defeat the whole purpose of going for a healthier version. I did bake them on a greased cooling rack which I found helped the cook and crisp the fry more evenly - and I won't change that technique next time. So yeah, overall not too bad but they need a little work next time.</p><p align="center">Prep time: 10 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 35 minutes @ 425 degrees F</p><p align="center">Serves: 2</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149889171732773410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gU6pnDOiI/AAAAAAAAAjk/KiClPAdFFc0/s400/DSC01724.JPG" border="0" /></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-16887151162391530022007-12-20T10:20:00.000-05:002007-12-30T16:52:53.466-05:00Calzones<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gQZpnDOeI/AAAAAAAAAjE/NOhDKXHEeQM/s1600-h/DSC01713.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149884206750579170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gQZpnDOeI/AAAAAAAAAjE/NOhDKXHEeQM/s400/DSC01713.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>Whenever we make calzones I always want to pronouce it like Giada does: cal-zone-ase...but I always feel so stupid doing so - it just sounds too weird to me, even though I was raised saying many Italian foods like Giada does as my dad is 100% Italian. Does saying it like and Italian mean that the food will taste better? It sure sounds like it would, doesn't it? But no matter how I end up pronoucing calzones, it really makes no difference because they always turn out wonderfully. Really, how could you go wrong with two types of cheese baked in a pizza dough pocket? You can't.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149884215340513778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gQaJnDOfI/AAAAAAAAAjM/L57mURQM54k/s400/DSC01714.JPG" border="0" /><br />I've made the leap into dough making this year and as the year comes to a close, I can honestly say that I'm proud of myself for doing so. I had always been so afraid to make dough for whatever the reason, but as it turns out, it's really so much easier than I had first anticipated. My most recent dough endeavor was for calzones, hence the purpose of the first paragraph - and you thought that I was just babbling. :)<br /><div></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149884855290640914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gQ_ZnDOhI/AAAAAAAAAjc/J42Froxq_2Y/s400/DSC01709.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div>The dough itself came out beautifully. I used a well-passed-around recipe on my cooking board: <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jays-Signature-Pizza-Crust/Detail.aspx">Jay's Signature Pizza Crust</a> and wasn't at all let down. The dough was easy to make, easy to work with, and tasted wonderful. I'll double the recipe next time and freeze a good portion of it.</div><br /><div></div><div>After you've got a good dough, the calzones pretty much come together by themselves. These were basic: layer ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, some sprinkled oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and of course, Parmesan cheese (although I think I used Pecorino-Romano this time) on half of a rolled out piece of dough, then fold over, pinch the edges and cut a few slits in the top to allow for steam escapage (is that even a word??). Bake on a hot pizza stone or baking sheet for 15 minutes at 475 degrees F. Seriously, these couldn't be easier. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Active prep time: 15 minutes</div><div align="center">Inactive prep time: 1 hour</div><div align="center">Cook time: 15 minutes</div><div align="center">One calzone (half of dough recipe) serves: 2</div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149884223930448386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R3gQapnDOgI/AAAAAAAAAjU/dHyfSzPI-eE/s400/DSC01719.JPG" border="0" /></div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-44998776995837588572007-12-19T15:51:00.000-05:002007-12-20T10:19:55.668-05:00Fajitas<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2mPt5nDOdI/AAAAAAAAAi8/f_B8U8nYFcc/s1600-h/f2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145802067968997842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2mPt5nDOdI/AAAAAAAAAi8/f_B8U8nYFcc/s400/f2.jpg" border="0" /></a>We're always looking for new ways to finish up the leftovers in the house and inevitably there is always soft tortialla shells, red peppers, and numerous types of cheese. This time, we had nice piece of flank steak thawing and thus the steak and the leftovers turned into some kick-ass fajitas.<br /><br />Let me say that Mexican food is not something I cook very frequently because in my attempts to use less processed foods, I've had to learn to make up my own spice mixes (or use recipes), and that has always been a bit unnerving for me. I mean, that's what a spice packet is for isn't it? And let's be honest, with a spice packet 99% of the time, the end-product tastes the way it should! Nevertheless, I did have some success <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/10/cheesy-enchiladas-with-chili-gravy.html">recently</a> which I think boosted my confidence and prompted me to take on other dishes, hence the fajitas.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145802059379063234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2mPtZnDOcI/AAAAAAAAAi0/0JKo3Bpk28o/s400/f1.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>Oh my goodness were these good!! The steak was cooked just perfectly - just shy of medium - and I have to give myself a big pat on the back for coming up with the right combo of spices for a dry rub. The peppers and onions really did need to be cooked "low and slow" in order to achieve the right consistency so as to not brown the onions so I didn't at all mind waiting nearly 30 minutes for them to cook down.<br /><strong><u></u></strong></p><p><strong><u>Beef Fajitas</u></strong></p><p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Smells Like Home</span></em></p><ul><li>2 tbsp olive oil</li><li>1 tbsp butter</li><li>1 large onion, sliced</li><li>1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced</li><li>1 to 1 1/2 lbs flank steak</li><li>ground cumin</li><li>ground corinader</li><li>chili powder</li><li>garlic powder</li><li>Kosher salt</li><li>freshly ground black pepper</li><li><em>For serving: soft flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream</em></li></ul><ol><li>In a heavy cast iron frying pan over medium low heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter until melted. Add peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle on some of each of the spices - 3-4 shakes of cumain, corinader, chili and garlic powders should to it along with a couple pinches of salt and a few grates of black pepper. Add onions and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until onions and peppers are soft and close to caramelizing.</li><li>While peppers and onions are cooking, sprinkle each of the spices on both sides of the flank steak and allow steak to come to room temperature before cooking.</li><li>Remove peppers and onions from pan and set aside, keeping warm. Turn up heat to medium, add about 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the steak in the pan and sear both sides for about 5 minutes each. Remove the steak from the pan, slice into thin pieces <em>against the grain. </em>If steak isn't cooked to desired "redness", finish slicing and return the slices to the hot pan. Return the peppers and onions to the pan and cook everything together for another 2-3 minutes, taking care to not overcook the steak.</li><li>Serve on soft tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 5-8 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 35-40 minutes</p><p align="center">Serves: 2 (with some leftovers)</p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-54836034692130333912007-12-19T10:37:00.000-05:002007-12-19T14:02:38.273-05:00Chocolate Dipped Orange Heaven<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2lpHJnDOYI/AAAAAAAAAiU/Jyi3Gc4Gnhk/s1600-h/c2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145759620807211394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2lpHJnDOYI/AAAAAAAAAiU/Jyi3Gc4Gnhk/s400/c2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>I'm not sure if others have had similar experiences during childhood, but I must share this experience with you... </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>My brother and I were not allowed, under ANY circumstances, to eat mom's Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies. She only bought them for two reasons: 1.) we were taking a long car trip, or 2.) they were on sale and she had a coupon. No matter the reason though, these precious little commodities were not for kids. They were kept hidden, sometimes even in mom's purse, and if we ever came across them in our searches for a snack, we knew she had the cookies counted so if one was missing, <em>she would know. </em></div><br /><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145759629397146002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2lpHpnDOZI/AAAAAAAAAic/az8VAPa_WHA/s400/c1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div><em>Flashforward to the present...</em></div><div></div><div>Since moving out of my parents' house years ago, I'm not sure if mom is still as compulsive about her Milanos as she once was but I do know that Pepperidge Farm has struck gold after releasing new flavors of their oh so simple and delicious original Milanos and they now boast 11 different flavors!! No, I certainly haven't tried them all but I definitely <em>have</em> tested out the <a href="http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductDetail.aspx?catID=725#">orange Milano</a>s and was not at all let down. In fact, they are so good that I was inspired to copycat them at home. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Thanks to the help of the butter cookie recipe I was given from Nestie <a href="http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/">Katie102006</a> during the WC Recipe Exchange (all recipes are desserts) that she organized, I was able to recreate the orange Milanos for Christmas this year. I realize making the connection between butter cookie and chocolate dipped orange heaven might be a stretch, but part of the fun of this exchange is that we can modify the recipe to our liking. Why a recipe exchange rather than a cookie swap, you ask? Well, Katie and I are part of an online community message board (called What's Cooking, hence WC) on theNest.com where there is a whole slew of other young mostly married women who exchange recipes, stories, thoughts, jokes, and many many questions throughout the day, all day, 7 days a week. And since we're located all over the world, it's <em>slightly</em> impractical to mail a box of cookies to someone during the rush of the Christmas season with the expectation that they will arrive on time and not in a million pieces. So the idea of the WC Recipe Exchange was born. Now, I still don't know who's recipe this is because guessing who the owner of the recipe is is part of the exchange and we will find out after the cut-off date of December 22nd...but whoever you are, THANK YOU!!! This is a wonderful butter cookie recipe that not only stands beautifully on it's own, but also is the perfect base recipe to modify and is seriously one of the easiest cookie recipes I've come across in a while. <em>Please see my modifications in italics below.</em></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145759637987080610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2lpIJnDOaI/AAAAAAAAAik/QKvnEp-Lhm4/s400/c3.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I'm also submitting this recipe to Susan (over at <a href="http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/">Food Blogga</a>) for her <a href="http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2007/11/christmas-cookies-from-around-world.html">Christmas Cookies from Around the World 2007</a> event as I think these little pieces of heaven will be a nice addition the huge array of cookies Susan is bringing in.</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145721580281870706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="132" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2lGg5nDOXI/AAAAAAAAAiM/H6nNF9qxMm0/s320/Food%2BBlogga%2BCookie%2BLogo.jpe" width="145" border="0" /><strong><u>Butter Cookies</u></strong></div><br /><ul><li>1 cup butter</li><li>1/2 cup sugar</li><li>1 egg</li><li><span style="font-family:georgia;">1 tsp almond extract</span> <em>(I used 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp pure orange extract)</em></li><li>2 1/3 cups flour</li><li><em>3 tbsp course sugar</em></li><li><em>2 oz bittersweet choclate</em></li><li><em>2 oz semi-sweet choclate</em></li></ul><ol><li>Cream butter. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and <em>vanilla extract</em>. Gradually blend in flour. </li><li><em>Separate the dough in half, leaving one half of the dough in the bowl. To this dough, add 1/2 tsp pure orange extract. Using a spatula work extract into dough so that it is evenly distributed.</em></li><li>This recipe is meant for a cookie press, but I can never get my cookie press to work. So what I do is use a small cookie scoop and flatten the dough into discs. I think this dough could be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters as well. <em>I rolled the dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrapped them in clear plastic wrap and refrigerated for 4 hours. I sliced them with a sharp knife into 1/4" x 2" discs.</em></li><li>Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet. Decorate with colored sugar, rainbow nonpareils, or press a thumbrint into the cookies and fill with jam. Also can be baked plain and iced with frosting when cooled.<em> I used coarse sugar.</em></li><li>Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove immediately to wire rack to cool. </li><li><em>While cookies cool, heat chocolate in a double boiler. After cooling, dip the orange cookies in the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to cool.</em></li></ol><p align="center">Active prep time: 20 minutes</p><p align="center">Inactive prep time: 4 hours</p><p align="center">Cook time: 8-10 minutes</p><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145759646577015218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2lpIpnDObI/AAAAAAAAAis/yIHcPU2NPTY/s400/c4.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-51936268713548380532007-12-19T09:39:00.000-05:002007-12-19T10:37:11.198-05:00A warm meal on a cold day<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2k6NZnDOVI/AAAAAAAAAh8/tOk1hs2GuFU/s1600-h/stew2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145708051134888274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2k6NZnDOVI/AAAAAAAAAh8/tOk1hs2GuFU/s400/stew2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Southern New England saw it's first major snowfall of season last week and with that I felt compelled to make something warm and cozy for dinner. So with 10 inches of snow came a big pot of beef stew. </div><br /><div></div><div>After only having made beef stew once prior to this, I have to admit that I'm still honing my skills with this one. Overall, the stew came out great; the veggies and potatoes were nice and soft, but the meat was a wee bit tough, most likely because I mistakenly allowed the stew to boil in the pot rather than simmer. Ah well...I'll pay more attention next time.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong><u>Beef Stew</u></strong></div><div><em>source: Smells Like Home</em></div><ul><li>1 1/2 lbs stew meat</li><li>flour</li><li>2 tbsp olive oil</li><li>4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick</li><li>3 celery stalks, chopped</li><li>2 medium onions, chopped</li><li>1 lb white potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1" cubes</li><li>2 cloves garlic, minced</li><li>approx 1 tbsp thyme (I used fresh)</li><li>approx 2 tsp rosemary (I used dried)</li><li>1 tsp Kosher salt</li><li>1 tsp freshly ground black pepper</li><li>4 1/2 to 5 cups chicken stock</li><li>1/2 cup uncooked barley (optional)</li><li>cornstarch (if necessary)</li></ul><ol><li>Heat oil in a large deep stockpot or dutch oven (I used 7 1/4 qt dutch oven).</li><li>In a large Ziploc bag, toss meat in flour until well-coated. When oil is heated, cook meat for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add vegetables and cook for 7-10 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes. </li><li>Return the beef to the pot and combine with vegetable mixture. Add chicken stock and barley. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. If after 1 hour the stew hasn't thicken, raise the heat and stir in a mixture of 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tsp cold water to the pot. Allow stew to come to a steady low boil and allow stew to thicken - should take about 5 minutes. Repeat the cornstarch step until the stew thickens to desired consistency.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 15 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 1 hr 15 minutes</p><p align="center">Serves: 6-8</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145708059724822882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R2k6N5nDOWI/AAAAAAAAAiE/ovYm8iNJmmE/s400/stew+pics.jpg" border="0" /></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-13105863640639350162007-12-08T08:58:00.000-05:002007-12-08T09:45:33.193-05:00Herb-Crusted Salmon<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1qpGAcsutI/AAAAAAAAAhs/QTuwQ1fzkco/s1600-h/DSC01681.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141607845261523666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1qpGAcsutI/AAAAAAAAAhs/QTuwQ1fzkco/s400/DSC01681.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div></div><div>Kyle and I hit up <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/">Whole Foods Market</a> for the first time last weekend as we transition our diet into eating solely organic foods and attempting to eat more locally grown foods. I must admit that he had a terrible time pulling me away from the butcher, the cheese monger, and the seafood monger and I'd estimate that nearly half of what we spent that day was divided between these three areas - and I'm not at all ashamed to admit it. I mean, Whole Foods is a 40 minute drive for us and I really didn't know the next time we'd be back (although little did I know then that we're going back tonight) so I loaded up the cart with great meats and cheeses that freeze well and was like a kid in a candy store at the seafood monger as I picked out <em>wild</em> shrimp and <em>wild</em> salmon - two things that we cannot find at the seafood counter in our local supermarket but that I feel are totally worth the extra money (although not that much extra because the <em>wild</em> jumbo shrimp were on sale for $10.99/lb - a bargain in my eyes!).</div><div></div><br /><div>So back to the salmon. We don't eat a lot of fish. And while I have been fully aware of the health benefits fish provides, it's never been a big part of our diet because of two reasons: 1.) Kyle claims that he's never been a big fan, and 2.) I've been afraid to cook it for fear of it being horrible. I've recently decided that I've had enough of these two excuses and so fish will now be a more regular part of our weekly menus...starting with this salmon we picked up last weekend. I had no idea how to prepare it but bought it anyway, figuring that I can find a recipe when I got home. Well...uhh...I never really found an actual recipe that I wanted to follow but was inspired by Katie's <a href="http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/2007/11/herb-crusted-salmon.html">herb-crusted salmon</a> and decided to make a few changes. The salmon was paired with some herb-roasted potatoes (quartered small white potatoes, mixed with garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, Kosher salt, black pepper, and drizzled with olive oil then baked for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees F) I got 2 big thumbs up from Kyle on this one, a real treat for me to see, and so as my fish confidence rises, you'll be seeing more and more fish dishes here. Enjoy!</div><div> </div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5141607849556490978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1qpGQcsuuI/AAAAAAAAAh0/xz4fSetHSaU/s400/DSC01680.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><p><strong><u>Herb-Crusted Salmon</u></strong></p><ul><li>2 6oz salmon filets (about 1 1/2" thick)</li><li>2 tsp olive oil</li><li>1/4 cup garlic and herb breadcrumbs</li><li>1 tsp fresh thyme</li><li>1/2 tsp dried rosemary</li><li>couple sprinkles of garlic powder</li><li>1/4 tsp Kosher salt</li><li>1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper</li><li>1 tbsp milk</li></ul><ol><li>In a medium oven-safe saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Pre-heat broiler in oven and move rack to middle of oven.</li><li>In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, adding the milk last and adding enough so that the mixture just starts to stick together when pressed.</li><li>Cover flesh side of each salmon piece with breadcrumb mixture and carefully place salmon skin-side down in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes.</li><li>Transfer saute pan to oven and continue to cook fish under the broiler for an additional 3-4 minutes or until fish is firm and begins to flake. Be sure that the breading does not burn under the broiler. <em><strong>Using an oven mitt or pot holder</strong></em>, remove the pan from the oven and serve fish. Provided the fish is thoroughly cooked, it will come right off the skin as you eat it.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 5 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 10 minutes</p><p align="center">Serves: 2</p><p></p><p></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-56427681725561029172007-12-06T15:40:00.000-05:002007-12-19T15:16:39.135-05:00Artichoke and Sausage Stuffed Shells<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hkTgcsuoI/AAAAAAAAAhE/gfGWgb87yvM/s1600-h/shells1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140969260934019714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hkTgcsuoI/AAAAAAAAAhE/gfGWgb87yvM/s400/shells1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Finally, a recipe from my "must make" list! I've been dying to try Giada's <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_36324,00.html">Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells</a> for ages but have had some reservation about it because I wasn't sure how it would go over with Kyle, although I know I shouldn't have any reservations about making any of <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/10/vodka-sauce.html">Giada's</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/09/cheese-and-spinach-puff-pastry-pockets.html">recipes</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/08/sophisticated-mac-n-cheese.html">because</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/08/another-idea-for-abundant-summer.html">they</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-longer-polenta-virgin.html">all</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/06/giada-does-it-again.html">turn</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/06/sunday-night-seafood.html">out</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/09/giadas-rigatoni-with-sausage-peppers.html">so</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/10/tomato-soup-with-pancetta.html">wonderful</a>. Once again, we were not disappointed by Giada!</div><br /><div></div><div>We ended up swapping out the ground turkey for ground pork because it's what we had on hand and it certainly was a good move; the combination of artichoke with sausage is just heavenly! We didn't make the sauce in Giada's recipe because we're still working through the large pot of sauce that Kyle made over the weekend and I really don't think the recipe was missing anything without Giada's sauce. I didn't include the sauce recipe below but you can find it by clicking on the link to the original recipe above. All in all, this recipe is just perfect for a cold New England [pre]winter night and I can guarantee that they will be back on our plates before the winter is through.</div><div></div><div>In fact, these shells are also just the perfect dish to bring to <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2007/11/12/home-is-where-the-heart-is/">Peabody's Housewarming Party</a> this weekend! It's a potluck-style party and I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to see what everyone "brings"! Not only are my stuffed shells incredibly tasty and will everyone at the party <em>love</em> them, the shells can be made in advance (and frozen if you wish) and they travel well (yes, even virutally). They can be baked after being frozen or refrigerated (baking time adjusted accordingly) and will turn out beautifully either way. And be honest, who doesn't love stuffed shells??</div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140969269523954322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hkUAcsupI/AAAAAAAAAhM/DCwVArIjyZA/s400/shells3.jpg" border="0" /></div><div><strong><u></u></strong></div><div><strong><u>Artichoke and Sausage Stuffed Shells</u></strong></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">adapted from Giada De Laurentiis</span></em></div><ul><li>1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla) </li><li>3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil </li><li>1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) </li><li>3 cloves garlic, chopped </li><li>1 pound ground pork (sweet Italian sausage) </li><li>1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon </li><li>1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon </li><li>1 (15oz) can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped </li><li>1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese </li><li>3/4 cup grated Parmesan </li><li>2 eggs, lightly beaten </li><li>1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves </li><li>5 cups sauce, homemade or jarred</li><li>1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)<br /></li></ul><ol><li>Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.</li><li>Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.</li><li>In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.<br />To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of sauce. </li><li>Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.</li><li>To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)</li></ol><div align="center">Prep time: 20 minutes</div><div align="center">Cook time: 20 minutes (fresh); 60 minutes (frozen)</div><div align="center">Serves: 6-8</div><div align="center"></div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-43847000395047838022007-12-06T11:23:00.000-05:002007-12-06T16:58:01.030-05:00Sausage and Peppers<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hbagcsulI/AAAAAAAAAgs/6ETmgRh35lA/s1600-h/sp3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140959485588453970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hbagcsulI/AAAAAAAAAgs/6ETmgRh35lA/s400/sp3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have been made blatently aware that Kyle's favorite carnivorous choice is pork in [almost] any form: Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, ground pork, bacon, pork chops, roast pork, pork tenderloin. The only form of pork that he shys away from is ham (thankfully because I'm not a fan either). He recently confessed that if he was ever stranded on a deserted island and he could only choose one food to eat for the rest of his life, it would be pork. <em>Such </em>a man! I suppose this is the reason why I have <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/12/show-me-gravy.html">so</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/10/maple-braised-pork-chops.html">many</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/09/giadas-rigatoni-with-sausage-peppers.html">pork</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-longer-polenta-virgin.html">posts</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/07/twist-on-your-typical-sausage-and.html">in</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/07/bringing-little-of-south-to-new-england.html">this</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/09/apple-and-onion-stuffed-roasted-pork.html">blog</a> and the reason why I have come to <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/10/fabulous-frittata.html">love</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/10/creamy-pumpkin-sauce-with-roasted.html">chicken</a> <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/07/mmmpizzammm.html">sausage</a> as it's a great and less-fattening alternative to pork sausage.</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hb0wcsumI/AAAAAAAAAg0/WJiBZBbWa3k/s1600-h/sp2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140959936560020066" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hb0wcsumI/AAAAAAAAAg0/WJiBZBbWa3k/s320/sp2.jpg" border="0" /></a>So Kyle has been in a cooking mood recently. Last week it was the <a href="http://thecookingfiend.blogspot.com/2007/12/broccoli-aioli.html">broccoli aioli</a>, on Sunday he made a big pot of sauce, and on Monday night, he thawed the frozen hot Italian sausages from our favorite Italian deli on Long Island that he's been dying to have. He reserved these sausages strictly for sausage and peppers, a dish that he is totally in love with and only on a rare occasion will he let <em>me</em> make because of how much <em>he</em> enjoys making it. Sometimes I wonder if he loves sausage and peppers more than he loves me! (kidding)<br /><br /></div><div>Anyway, enough chatter about a dish I didn't even eat. Yes, that's right: he made sausage and peppers for what was supposed to be 3 lunches this week and only turned into 1 lunch because he couldn't restrain himself from eating the rest when he got home from work on Monday. <em>For shame!</em></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140981823713360578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 395px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 246px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="279" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1hvuwcsusI/AAAAAAAAAhk/Qr7qxi_7hCo/s320/sp1.jpg" width="374" border="0" /><br /><div><em></em></div><div><strong><u>Kyle's Sausage and Peppers</u></strong></div><br /><ul><li>4 hot Italian pork sausages</li><li>1/4 cup dry white wine</li><li>2 tbsp plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided</li><li>2 green peppers, seeded and sliced</li><li>2 medium onions, sliced in half-moons</li><li>4-5 cloves garlic, minced</li><li>1/4 tsp oregano</li><li>1/4 tsp garlic powder</li><li>salt and pepper to taste</li><li>grated Parmesan cheese</li></ul><ol><li>In a deep heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat to low or medium-low if the sausages are browning to quickly.</li><li>Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat; add peppers and cook for 5 minutes then add onions, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until peppers and onions begin to soften. Reduce heat to medium. Add in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. If mixture becomes too dry, add some additional oil.</li><li>Add wine to the pot containing the sausages and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Be sure to scrape the bits of sausages from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. When peppers and onions have softened, add to pot and turn heat to low. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, taking care to not let the garlic burn. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.</li></ol><div align="center">Prep time: 10 minutes</div><div align="center">Cook time: 15-20 minutes</div><div align="center">Serves: 2-4</div><div align="center"> </div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-51963562500077431342007-12-06T10:33:00.000-05:002007-12-06T11:22:38.905-05:00Broccoli Aioli<div align="left"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1ghEQcsuiI/AAAAAAAAAgY/U7STY_9KAvw/s1600-h/aioli2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140895331661953570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1ghEQcsuiI/AAAAAAAAAgY/U7STY_9KAvw/s400/aioli2.jpg" border="0" /></a> One of my favorite meals that my parents make is aioli and when I lived at home, it was always a treat when that was on the menu because it's God-awfully fattening...butter, olive oil, spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, a ton of salt, and it was usually served with either pork chops or sausages...delish but completely artery-clogging at the same time. Unfortunately, it isn't one of the dishes that I've been able to perfect since trying my own hand at it. My mom keeps telling me that it needs to be heavily salted but some part of me is truly frightened to heavily salt <em>anything</em> for fear of cankles (fat ankles that look like an extension of the calf) and sausage fingers the next morning. So I've never made it since I've been with Kyle, although <em>he</em> has made it on a couple of occasions. It's one of those meals where you have all of the ingredients in the house already and it has come in very handy on the nights where we've stared at each with blank faces, shrugging our shoulders figuring out what to make for dinner because nothing sounds "good."<br /><br />This exact situation happened last week, during my 'I don't feel like cooking because I'm still worn out from cooking Thanksgiving last week' week. So Kyle opened up the fridge, pulled a few things out and whipped up a great meal. What can I say? I have a husband who loves food and enjoys cooking! I guess it helps that he worked in an Italian restaurant/pizza shop for a few years 'way back when.'<br /><br />Anyway, this aioli turned out great, and again, it needed salt. The broccoli was a really nice addition and didn't make it feel <em>as</em> fattening as it actually is...and I suppose the whole wheat spaghetti we used helped with that feeling too. It's a quick and simple meal and you really won't be let down - give it a try!!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140895340251888178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1ghEwcsujI/AAAAAAAAAgg/Pdah7NnG2BU/s400/aioli1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong><u>Broccoli Aioli</u></strong><br /><ul><li>8 oz whole wheat spaghetti</li><li>2 cups broccoli florets</li><li>1/4 cup butter</li><li>1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil</li><li>4-5 cloves garlic, minced</li><li>lots of salt</li><li>freshly ground black pepper</li><li>grated Parmesan cheese</li></ul><ol><li>Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, toss in broccoli and cook until pasta is finished. Drain.</li><li>Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then turn heat to low to keep warm while broccoli and spaghetti finish cooking.</li><li>After spaghetti and broccoli are well-drained, add to frying pan and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.</li></ol><p align="center">Prep time: 5 minutes</p><p align="center">Cook time: 10 minutes</p></div><div align="center">Serves: 2 </div>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-44856718162470032412007-12-04T13:56:00.000-05:002007-12-04T14:44:55.815-05:00Shepherd's Pie<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WrVwcsugI/AAAAAAAAAgI/OgcSeAbFWwU/s1600-h/sp1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140202939984165378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WrVwcsugI/AAAAAAAAAgI/OgcSeAbFWwU/s400/sp1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I'll be honest, I never liked shepherd's pie. So every time Kyle has asked me to make it in the 5 years that we've been together, I've always turned my nose up...but he never really got my point because every so often the shepherd's pie topic would come up: </div><br /><div></div><div>Him: <em>"I can't understand how you don't like it! It's just meat, mashed potatoes, and a bunch of vegetables all thrown together and baked. What's not to like?" </em></div><br /><div></div><div>Me: <em>"I don't like my food to touch. The fact that the meat, mashed potatoes, and vegetables are all mushed together does not appeal to me at all."</em></div><br /><div></div><div>But as we were trying to use up all the leftovers from Thanksgiving, I gave in. I don't know what came over me that night when he asked for it...maybe it was that I was having doubts about my plan for dinner that night (turkey pot pie) or because I figured it was time to give shepherd's pie another shot...I don't know but I quickly found a recipe and got to cookin' before I changed my mind. </div><br /><div></div><div>"Who needs a recipe for shepherd's pie?" you ask. Well, I do. If I was going to give a long-requested and long-disliked (respectively, in our house) dish a shot, I wanted to do it right. Now let me say that I don't make many of Emeril's recipes because they usually involve too many ingredients, many of which I'm often unable to find at the grocery store...but <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32374,00.html">this recipe</a> really was great. I used what I had on hand and overall, I must admit, it turned out very well. I got a thumbs up and a few "mmms" from Kyle and now have a new-found respect for shephard's pie. Who knew??</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140202948574099986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WrWQcsuhI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/eUCeg3ricFI/s400/sp2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><strong><u>Shepherd's Pie</u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Emeril Lagasse</span></em><br /><p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Traditionally, shepherd's pie is made with lamb and "cottage pie" is made with beef. This is my twist on these 2 favorite English casseroles, substituting leftover roast turkey for the meat.</span></em></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tablespoon unsalted butter </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 teaspoons olive oil </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 cup chopped yellow onions </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup) </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 teaspoon Essence or Creole Seasoning </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 teaspoon minced garlic </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 ounces mushrooms, stemmed, wiped clean, and sliced <em>(I omitted)</em></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 bay leaf </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tablespoon all-purpose flour </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 teaspoons tomato paste </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">2 to 2 1/2 cups chopped or shredded roast turkey (white and/or dark meat) </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1 1/4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">1/2 cup green peas </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">4 cups leftover mashed potatoes or Basic Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows <em>(I used my leftover mashed potatoes)</em></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">3/4 cup grated sharp or medium Cheddar </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></li></ul><ol><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square or 2.2 quart baking dish with the butter and set aside. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, Essence, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until thick, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the meat and stir well to combine. Gradually add the stock and then the peas, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture is thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Carefully transfer to the prepared dish and spoon the potatoes over the meat mixture, spreading to the edges. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the potatoes are crisp around the edges, 22 to 25 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. </span></li></ol><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Prep time: 15 minutes</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Cook time: 22-25 minutes</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Serves: 4-6</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><p>Basic Mashed Potatoes: </p><ul><li>2 pounds potatoes, peeled, quartered, cut into 1-inch wedges </li><li>3/4 teaspoon salt </li><li>1/2 cup milk </li><li>4 tablespoons unsalted butter </li><li>3 tablespoons heavy cream </li><li>1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper </li></ul><ol><li>Place the potatoes in a medium, heavy saucepan with enough salted water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 25 minutes. </li><li>Drain in a colander and return to the saucepan. Over medium-low heat, cook the potatoes for 1 minute to dry. Add the milk, butter, cream, salt and pepper and mash until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. </span></li></ol><p></p>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-41339470823020204962007-12-04T12:10:00.001-05:002007-12-04T13:55:37.553-05:00Apple Crisp<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WhowcsucI/AAAAAAAAAfo/SYyl65rPfs8/s1600-h/ac1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140192271285402050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WhowcsucI/AAAAAAAAAfo/SYyl65rPfs8/s400/ac1.jpg" border="0" /></a>What would fall be without our favorite apple crisp recipe? I discovered this recipe years ago in my mom's old (read: vintage) Women's Day alphabetized volumes of recipes - yes, you may have seen them either in your mom's or grandmother's kitchen or at yard/tag sales. As much bad press as some vintage cookbooks have gotten in the "foodie" community, this collection of recipes continually has provided me with tried and true recipes. One of which being this fantastic apple crisp recipe. It really is the only apple crisp recipe I've ever used and Kyle and I love it so much that I don't ever feel the need to find a new one to try. Our love for this recipe is so great, in fact, that our wedding reception centerpieces were classy buckets full of apples (DIY) and we gave out this recipe (my slightly modified version of it) for our guests to take home. (and if I remember when I get home later, maybe I'll post a pic of the centerpieces here)<br /><br /><strong><u>Apple Crisp</u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: adapted from the Women's Day collection of recipes</span></em><br /><br /><ul><li>2 lbs cooking apples, peeled and sliced (about 5 1/2 cups) <em>I recommend Macoun or Granny Smith</em></li><li>1/4 cup water</li><li>1/2 cup sugar</li><li>1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar</li><li>1/4 tsp ground nutmeg</li><li>1 tsp cinnamon plus extra to sprinkle on top</li><li>1/4 tsp salt</li><li>3/4 cup flour</li><li>3/4 cup cold butter, diced</li></ul><ol><li>Put apples in a shallow 2qt casserole; add water. </li><li>Combine sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and flour in a separate bowl. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender. Spoon mixture evenly over apples. Sprinkle additional cinnamon on top (to taste).</li><li>Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and back for an additional 30 minutes.</li></ol><div align="center">Prep time: 15-20 minutes</div><div align="center">Cook time: 1 hour</div><div align="center">Serves: 6-8 </div><div align="center"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140192546163309010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1Wh4wcsudI/AAAAAAAAAfw/xieLHxZw1mo/s400/ac2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em></em>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402482517911196682.post-65475095741663711742007-12-01T09:06:00.000-05:002007-12-04T12:09:25.204-05:00Show me the gravy!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WJUgcsuaI/AAAAAAAAAfY/b--G0VMTvnk/s1600-h/sausage2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140165535113984418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WJUgcsuaI/AAAAAAAAAfY/b--G0VMTvnk/s400/sausage2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>As a kid, my parents drove my brother and I all over the place: Niagara Falls, Disney World, Connecticut, Montana/Idaho, Hershey Park (PA). Driving truly sucked, especially with a bratty little brother in the back seat the whole ride...but that's another story for the couch so I won't go into it here. I suppose as a kid, I never really appreciated the opportunities to see the country that driving provided (which is why I self-medicated with Dramamine), but I did see the opportunities in tasting the local foods wherever we drove through or ended up. There's no question what my favorite local fare was and I looked for it on every menu at every truck stop, Denny's or IHOP we ever stopped at: Biscuits and Gravy. :: <em>insert Homer Simpson drooling sound here</em> :: It's not a dish that you can readily find here in the Northeast so it's always such a treat to order it, especially when I'm down South.</div><br /><div></div><div>However, now I don't have to wait until I travel to find it!! My mom cut out a recipe for Biscuits and Gravy a few years ago from her local newspaper and it turns out that it's a wonderful and fairly authentic recipe that I've been making ever since. I'm sure the recipes in the South call for some form of lard to enhance the flavor (and of course further clog the arteries) but this recipe is pretty basic, and it's certainly not lacking in flavor. It happens to be Kyle's #1 breakfast request for special occasions, weekends hosting guests, and holidays - but I refuse to make it for any sort of random day because I feel that we should have a "special" breakfast made only a couple times of year so that the novelty of this great meal doesn't wear out. </div><br /><div></div><div>Our most recent indulgence was for Thanksgiving morning breakfast and even with the hustle and bustle of preparing a turkey dinner for later in the day, there was still plenty of time to put this in our bellies because it's so easy to make. For this occasion, I didn't make biscuits from scratch (but have in the past), and used a can of refrigerated biscuits - no shame in that! I've never actually used the biscuit recipe below so I can't attest to how it turns out but it sounds like it would turn out OK. Please note that I've made some changes to the gravy recipe, which you can see in italics.</div><div> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140165547998886322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6YoDhCzRkE/R1WJVQcsubI/AAAAAAAAAfg/zhH_EZlNPLg/s400/sausage1.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><div><strong><u>Biscuits and Gravy</u></strong></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">source: Bev Bennett in Newsday, April 6, 2003</span></em></div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em></div><br /><div>For the biscuits:</div><ul><li>1 cup flour</li><li>1/2 tsp salt</li><li>2 tsp baking powder</li><li>1 tsp sugar</li><li>1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces</li><li>4 to 5 tbsp milk</li><li>1 tbsp minced chives (optional)</li></ul><ol><li>Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture contains small chunks of butter. Add 4 tbsp milk and stir. If dough is stiff, add remaining tbsp of milk. Knead in chives. Dough should be soft, but not sticky.</li><li>Pat dough to 3/4 inch thickness on lightly floured board. Cut into 4 circles with 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.</li><li>Place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before splitting open. Makes 4 biscuits.</li></ol><p>For the gravy:</p><ul><li>8 oz bulk <em>(ground)</em> pork sausage in sage or hot seasonings <em>(I use 12oz of ground breakfast sausage - either Jones' or Jimmy Dean)</em></li><li>1 tbsp* flour</li><li>1 cup* milk or combination of milk and half-and-half <em>(should be room temperature)</em></li><li>freshly ground black pepper <em>(lots!!)</em></li></ul><ol><li>While biscuits are baking, brown sausage in a medium, non-stick skillet <em>(it doesn't have to be non-stick). </em>Do not pour off fat.</li><li>Add flour to sausage and fat and stir to make a paste. Stir <em>(whisk)</em> in milk or half-and-half and cook over low heat <em>(medium works better)</em>, stirring frequently, until sausage is hot and gravy is smooth and thick. <em>(The mixture will need to come to a simmer before you get the right consistency.)</em> Season generously with pepper.</li><li>To serve, split each biscuit in half and top with 1/4 of the gravy mixture. Serve immediately. Serves 2.</li></ol><p><em><strong>*Notes:</strong></em> </p><ol><li>You might need a little extra flour and milk if you use extra sausage.</li><li>Usually my gravy is a bit more "runny" than what these pics show but I was running low on milk that morning and had to make sure I had enough to last through the remainder of the holiday.</li><li>This recipe easily doubles but I don't recommend fully doubling the milk. Add as much milk as necessary to bring your gravy to your desired thickness.</li></ol>Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660059817386222245noreply@blogger.com0