Man, do I have a great family! =] This Christmas, I asked for (begged, pleaded, bribed...) lots of kitchen equipment. Basically stuff that I didn't register for when I got married, because I thought I'd never used it. And now, having realized how often I cook and how helpful some of these things are, I don't want to have to buy them myself! haha!
So what was on this year's wish list? So happy you asked. Here ya go!
1. Dutch oven (at least 7 qt.)
2. French rolling pin
3. *Large* mixing bowls
I had heard of Dutch ovens previously, but never figured I would make enough soups in enough quantities to justify owning one. Little did I know that those suckers are darned useful for making just about anything. So I got a 7 qt. creamy white Martha Stewart Dutch oven from my parents (Love it! Thanks!!) and a Lodge Ware 3 qt. Dutch oven from the hubby (who listened to and remembered me ranting and raving about how much I wanted/needed/demanded a Dutch oven -- he's the best!).
I also already have a rolling pin. It's a traditional, granite pin by Kitchen Aid and, like nearly everything I registered for, it was dishwasher safe. But the spring that enabled the pin to turn properly apparently was not dishwasher safe and rusted terribly. Leading to a situation where, the second or third time I used the thing, I took it out of the dishwasher after cleaning it and rust-colored water ran out of the handle area onto my foot. I know what you're thinking: "Ewwwww!" And you know what? You're right! That's exactly what I yelled at the very top of my lungs. So in addition to the Martha Dutch oven, my parents also got me a French rolling pin. It will be ideal for rolling out the crusts for my favorite apple tarts.
Now, let me say that I have mixing bowls. But I didn't have really huge, honkin' mixing bowls that I could mix up say, a double batch of homemade meatballs in. Well, now I do (thank you to my mother-in-law, Linda). This set comes with 4 nesting, stainless steel bowls and airtight lids for each. The bowls are dishwasher safe, and have already been put to good use mixing up a batch of the aforementioned meatballs.
Finally, let me say that I am blessed to be able to cook for family and friends and do so often. This past year has been an amazing one, with a visit from my best friend this past summer and several family lunches and dinners with both my and my husband's family.
I'm a lucky girl. And I'm lucky to share it with you. Happy Christmas! Happy 2010. May this new year be even better than the previous.
*Details in a future post about our New Year's Eve party and all the yummies we served. =]
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Oreo Truffles
Today is the first day of final exams. Which means that all my grades had to be finished yesterday so that students would know their grade going into finals. Which meant that last night, for the first night in a long time, I had -- wait for it -- nothing to grade! Bliss! Joy! Rapture!
Which meant I couldn't wait to get home and cook something. So for my project, I picked something I could bring to school and share:
Oreo Truffles
Ingredients:
1 package Oreos
1 8 oz. block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 lb. of chocolate (I used Dove Milk Chocolate Silky Squares, but have also covered the truffles in white chocolate, turning them into Inside-Out Oreos)
Directions:
Break up a package of Oreos into chunks and place in a food processor. Process until smooth (no chunks in thr truffles!). Add the softened cream cheese and process until the mixture comes together (generally, you'll know this has happened when the mixture forms a shiny clump on one side of the food processor's bowl). Using a small ice cream scooper (mine is 1-inch in diameter), scoopt the Oreo mixture out onto a wax paper- or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. While mixture cools, melt chocolate in a double boiler.* Remove cooled mixture from the refrigerator, roll scoops into balls and dip in melted chocolate. I used forks to remove the balls from the melted chocolate so that the excess could drip off. Place chocolate-covered balls onto another wax paper- or parchment-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight.
These are incredibly rich, so enjoy them with a large glass of milk handy.
*If you don't own a traditional double boiler, or, like me, discovered that chocolate burns easily in a traditional double boiler, try this trick:
Place a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Make sure the bowl isn't touching the water. Congratulations! You've just created a homemade double boiler. Chocolate (or anything else you're in the mood to melt) will melt more slowly, but I've never burned chocolate using this method.
Which meant I couldn't wait to get home and cook something. So for my project, I picked something I could bring to school and share:
Oreo Truffles
Ingredients:
1 package Oreos
1 8 oz. block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 lb. of chocolate (I used Dove Milk Chocolate Silky Squares, but have also covered the truffles in white chocolate, turning them into Inside-Out Oreos)
Directions:
Break up a package of Oreos into chunks and place in a food processor. Process until smooth (no chunks in thr truffles!). Add the softened cream cheese and process until the mixture comes together (generally, you'll know this has happened when the mixture forms a shiny clump on one side of the food processor's bowl). Using a small ice cream scooper (mine is 1-inch in diameter), scoopt the Oreo mixture out onto a wax paper- or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. While mixture cools, melt chocolate in a double boiler.* Remove cooled mixture from the refrigerator, roll scoops into balls and dip in melted chocolate. I used forks to remove the balls from the melted chocolate so that the excess could drip off. Place chocolate-covered balls onto another wax paper- or parchment-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight.
These are incredibly rich, so enjoy them with a large glass of milk handy.
*If you don't own a traditional double boiler, or, like me, discovered that chocolate burns easily in a traditional double boiler, try this trick:
Place a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Make sure the bowl isn't touching the water. Congratulations! You've just created a homemade double boiler. Chocolate (or anything else you're in the mood to melt) will melt more slowly, but I've never burned chocolate using this method.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cheddar Dill Scones
I am so behind on my blog postings! I don't know where the time goes these days. Not only that, but the last few posts I have managed to squeeze in, I forgot to upload pictures.
So this weekend, I will be trying to rectify this situation. I will be doing my best to get my lst few posts' pictures inserted in their proper spots, as well as blogging some of my recent kitchen antics.
For now, however, here's a recipe I tried recently for cheddar dill scones. Like so many others in my repertoire, it's a Barefoot Contessa recipe. In making these, I did learn several important lessons, however, which I will now share:
1. Ina's stand mixer is bigger than mine. In the future, I will cut her scone recipes in half.
2. Read the manual for the food processor's shedding attachment before just blithely assuming you know how to use it.
3. Invest in a cookie or biscuit butter for future scone-making. Some of my "free-hand cuts" were a little too generous.
4. Read the whole recipe over again before putting scones in the oven to avoid the inevitable baked-on mess when I realize that I forgot to sprinkle cheddar over the top of the scones before baking.
5. Make sure all your ingredients are very, very cold. The butter needs to be very cold so that once the scones are in the oven, the water in the butter will evaporate and create steam, which makes the scones puffy and delightful.
Overall, these were very good. Buttery, rich, and they made the whole house smell heavenly. Quite indulgent, and best served in small portions! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Cheddar Dill Scones:
Ingredients:
4 cups, plus 1 Tablespoon of all-purpose flour, divided
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 Teaspoons salt
3/4 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup fresh minced dill
1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk, for the egg wash
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine 4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
3. Add the butter and mix on low until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.
4. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and then add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until blended.
5. Toss together the cheddar, dill, and 1 Tablespoon of flour and add to dough. Mix together until just incorporated.
6. Dump the dough untila well-floured surface and kneed for 1 minute until the cheddar and dill are well-distributed.
7. Roll the dough out until it's 3/4 inch thick.
8. Cut dough into 4-inch squares and then cut in half diagonally to make triangles.
9. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until the outside is browned and crispy and the inside is fully baked.
So this weekend, I will be trying to rectify this situation. I will be doing my best to get my lst few posts' pictures inserted in their proper spots, as well as blogging some of my recent kitchen antics.
For now, however, here's a recipe I tried recently for cheddar dill scones. Like so many others in my repertoire, it's a Barefoot Contessa recipe. In making these, I did learn several important lessons, however, which I will now share:
1. Ina's stand mixer is bigger than mine. In the future, I will cut her scone recipes in half.
2. Read the manual for the food processor's shedding attachment before just blithely assuming you know how to use it.
3. Invest in a cookie or biscuit butter for future scone-making. Some of my "free-hand cuts" were a little too generous.
4. Read the whole recipe over again before putting scones in the oven to avoid the inevitable baked-on mess when I realize that I forgot to sprinkle cheddar over the top of the scones before baking.
5. Make sure all your ingredients are very, very cold. The butter needs to be very cold so that once the scones are in the oven, the water in the butter will evaporate and create steam, which makes the scones puffy and delightful.
Overall, these were very good. Buttery, rich, and they made the whole house smell heavenly. Quite indulgent, and best served in small portions! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Cheddar Dill Scones:
Ingredients:
4 cups, plus 1 Tablespoon of all-purpose flour, divided
2 Tablespoons baking powder
2 Teaspoons salt
3/4 lb. cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup fresh minced dill
1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk, for the egg wash
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine 4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
3. Add the butter and mix on low until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.
4. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and then add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until blended.
5. Toss together the cheddar, dill, and 1 Tablespoon of flour and add to dough. Mix together until just incorporated.
6. Dump the dough untila well-floured surface and kneed for 1 minute until the cheddar and dill are well-distributed.
7. Roll the dough out until it's 3/4 inch thick.
8. Cut dough into 4-inch squares and then cut in half diagonally to make triangles.
9. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until the outside is browned and crispy and the inside is fully baked.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Vegetable Lentil Soup
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm starting to get that Christmasy urge -- the one that makes me believe it's totally sensible to stay up till midnight stringing lights just so on the Christmas tree, or re-arrange the furniture to accomodate another Christmas tree, or generally string tinsel and garland over anything and anyone foolish enough to stand still while I rush about in a holiday frenzy. Some people would write this off to a typical young married woman's urge to create the "perfect holiday," something that no sane person has ever attempted, nor achieved. No, in truth, I rush around and get too little sleep because I truly believe this is the most wonderful time of the year. There's a feeling I get at the holidays that I don't really have any other time of the year -- everyone is kinder and friendlier (unless your holding the last Tickle-Me-Elmo doll still available for purchase, in which case, people are vicious, but still...).
Anyway, for several years (ever since I got married, as it turns out), I have been wanting to make soups in the late fall. Thick, luxurious, warming soups that I can eat with a chunk of warm crusty bread while curled under a fleecy blanket. Don't that sound wonderful? Ah, but sadly, life has always gotten in the way: there are errands to run, papers to grade, clothes to launder...you know what I mean.
But this year, I vowed, would be the year that I actually followed through and made...something!
So tonight, on my way home from school, I stopped at the store and picked up the ingredients for Vegetable Lentil Soup. Overall, it came together easily and is bubbling merrily away as I sit here, typing. For anyone keeping track, this is yet another Ina Garten recipe, although healthier than most of her other recipes. I liked that too -- I need to be watching my girlish figure as we head into the holidays (the better to scarf down my grandmother's cookies and other assorted goodies on Christmas Day!).
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Slightly Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onionss)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (about 2 leeks)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves) -- I used more; I love garlic!
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or about 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4-6 carrots)
*2 cans diced tomatoes
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
**Denotes my addition to the recipe -- I never met a vegetable soup that I didn't want to add more veggies to!
Directions:
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Double check the seasonings and adjust if needed. Serve hot and enjoy!
Anyway, for several years (ever since I got married, as it turns out), I have been wanting to make soups in the late fall. Thick, luxurious, warming soups that I can eat with a chunk of warm crusty bread while curled under a fleecy blanket. Don't that sound wonderful? Ah, but sadly, life has always gotten in the way: there are errands to run, papers to grade, clothes to launder...you know what I mean.
But this year, I vowed, would be the year that I actually followed through and made...something!
So tonight, on my way home from school, I stopped at the store and picked up the ingredients for Vegetable Lentil Soup. Overall, it came together easily and is bubbling merrily away as I sit here, typing. For anyone keeping track, this is yet another Ina Garten recipe, although healthier than most of her other recipes. I liked that too -- I need to be watching my girlish figure as we head into the holidays (the better to scarf down my grandmother's cookies and other assorted goodies on Christmas Day!).
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Slightly Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onionss)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (about 2 leeks)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves) -- I used more; I love garlic!
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or about 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4-6 carrots)
*2 cans diced tomatoes
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
**Denotes my addition to the recipe -- I never met a vegetable soup that I didn't want to add more veggies to!
Directions:
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Double check the seasonings and adjust if needed. Serve hot and enjoy!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Christmas Cookie Ornaments
I have given in...
It's only November 11th, and in the past week I have caught myself humming Christmas carols, planning holiday cooking, scheming ways to sneakily purchase Christmas gifts, and generally getting into the Christmas spirit nearly a month too early.
Each time I realize I'm doing one of these things I guiltily force myself to stop. I caution myself to enjoy each day (it's been ludicrously warm around here lately, so it hasn't been difficult to do that...but still...), stop and smell the roses, whatever I can to distract myself from Christmasy thoughts.
Well, I officially give up. I've thrown in the towel, I'm waving the white flag -- basically, pick your favorite metaphor for surrendering -- I"m doing it!
I found a recipe at allrecipes.com for a white cookie dough ornament. In the past, I've made gingerbread-looking ornaments with cinnamon, but hadn't found a good recipe for a white flour/bread dough-type ornament....until now.
Yesterday I made a double-batch of the ornament dough and stuck it in the fridge before running errands and going back to work for a couple hours. The dough was simple, came together easily, and has only three (inexpensive) ingredients. Today I had lots of fun cutting out all sorts of shapes using cookie cutters, and even worked on a couple free-form ornaments.
Best of all (or the worst, depending on your perspective), the house smells like baking sugar cookies. It's wonderful for the house to smell so good, but the downside is that the dough isn't meant to be eaten. Let me say again: THIS IS AN INEDIBLE RECIPE!!!
Here's the recipe. I'll be posting pictures of cookies as they are finished.
Christmas Ornament Cookie Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cup of warm water
Combine flour and salt in a bowl and mix well. Slowly add water, mixing as you go. When all the water has been incorporated, stir well (no need to worry about developing those glutens!). When you've mixed the dough as well as possible in the bowl, dump onto a well-floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and supple. You can either use the dough immediately or refrigerate it until ready to use.
When you are ready to make cookies, you can either pull, squish, and squeeze pleasing shapes from the dough or roll it to about 1/4 inch thick and cut using cookie cutters. Either way works well.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour.
*Mine got a little brown after an hour, so for the second batch I cut the cooking time to around 45 minutes. Bottom line: use your best judgment.
For decorating cookie dough ornaments, I have found that using fabric paint (also known as "puffy paint," those of us alive in the '80s probably remember this as the last word in fashionable t-shirts) accurately simulates the look of royal icing on cookies. After that, I raid the local craft store for buttons, beads, etc. -- anything that resembles candies, dragees, and other decorations.
It's only November 11th, and in the past week I have caught myself humming Christmas carols, planning holiday cooking, scheming ways to sneakily purchase Christmas gifts, and generally getting into the Christmas spirit nearly a month too early.
Each time I realize I'm doing one of these things I guiltily force myself to stop. I caution myself to enjoy each day (it's been ludicrously warm around here lately, so it hasn't been difficult to do that...but still...), stop and smell the roses, whatever I can to distract myself from Christmasy thoughts.
Well, I officially give up. I've thrown in the towel, I'm waving the white flag -- basically, pick your favorite metaphor for surrendering -- I"m doing it!
I found a recipe at allrecipes.com for a white cookie dough ornament. In the past, I've made gingerbread-looking ornaments with cinnamon, but hadn't found a good recipe for a white flour/bread dough-type ornament....until now.
Yesterday I made a double-batch of the ornament dough and stuck it in the fridge before running errands and going back to work for a couple hours. The dough was simple, came together easily, and has only three (inexpensive) ingredients. Today I had lots of fun cutting out all sorts of shapes using cookie cutters, and even worked on a couple free-form ornaments.
Best of all (or the worst, depending on your perspective), the house smells like baking sugar cookies. It's wonderful for the house to smell so good, but the downside is that the dough isn't meant to be eaten. Let me say again: THIS IS AN INEDIBLE RECIPE!!!
Here's the recipe. I'll be posting pictures of cookies as they are finished.
Christmas Ornament Cookie Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cup of warm water
Combine flour and salt in a bowl and mix well. Slowly add water, mixing as you go. When all the water has been incorporated, stir well (no need to worry about developing those glutens!). When you've mixed the dough as well as possible in the bowl, dump onto a well-floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and supple. You can either use the dough immediately or refrigerate it until ready to use.
When you are ready to make cookies, you can either pull, squish, and squeeze pleasing shapes from the dough or roll it to about 1/4 inch thick and cut using cookie cutters. Either way works well.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour.
*Mine got a little brown after an hour, so for the second batch I cut the cooking time to around 45 minutes. Bottom line: use your best judgment.
For decorating cookie dough ornaments, I have found that using fabric paint (also known as "puffy paint," those of us alive in the '80s probably remember this as the last word in fashionable t-shirts) accurately simulates the look of royal icing on cookies. After that, I raid the local craft store for buttons, beads, etc. -- anything that resembles candies, dragees, and other decorations.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
French Apple Tart
*Pictures Coming Soon!*
As I think I've mentioned in the past, I'm a little addicted to watching the Food Network. One of my favorite shows is Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. I know a lot of people (including my parents...hi, Mom and Dad!) who think she's dull as dishwater to watch, but everything she makes always looks so good and is so simple. Perhaps the problem isn't that her show is dull, but that people are easily bored by the deceptively simple (yet awesome) recipes she makes. Either way, I've yet to find a recipe from Barefoot Contessa that hasn't become a fast favorite.
Today's recipe was slightly scarier than my average Ina recipe, however. You see, I have a mental block/phobia regarding my ability to make pastries, breads, biscuits, etc. I believe my phobia on the subject goes back to the first year I was married and tried to follow a recipe for homemade buttermilk biscuits. Somehow, instead of being a sticky, but cohesive dough, what I got was a *liquid* (I know, ewwwwww, right?). Anyway, I have shied away from recipes of that sort ever since (the closest I've come since is baking up a can of those Pillsbury whomp biscuits -- so named because you have to whomp the tube on the counter to get the biscuits out -- and yes, whomp is a technical term). But I digress...
What was scary about the French apple tart recipe was that it called for making my own pastry. Granted, this looks easy as can be when Ina does it on TV, but remember, I have a phobia. So it was with great trepidation (look it up, it's really a word) ;) that I started today's project. In case things went badly, I didn't take any pictures of the pastry-making part of the recipe. But here's the thing. It really WAS easy. It actually worked EXACTLY the way Ina said it would. And now, as the smell of simmering apples and cinnamon (I tweaked Ina's original recipe just a tad) fills my kitchen, I relax, sniff appreciatively, and say to you, Happy Fall! I also say to you, go make this! Right now!
French Apple Tart
Adapted From: Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics "Easy French"
As I think I've mentioned in the past, I'm a little addicted to watching the Food Network. One of my favorite shows is Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. I know a lot of people (including my parents...hi, Mom and Dad!) who think she's dull as dishwater to watch, but everything she makes always looks so good and is so simple. Perhaps the problem isn't that her show is dull, but that people are easily bored by the deceptively simple (yet awesome) recipes she makes. Either way, I've yet to find a recipe from Barefoot Contessa that hasn't become a fast favorite.
Today's recipe was slightly scarier than my average Ina recipe, however. You see, I have a mental block/phobia regarding my ability to make pastries, breads, biscuits, etc. I believe my phobia on the subject goes back to the first year I was married and tried to follow a recipe for homemade buttermilk biscuits. Somehow, instead of being a sticky, but cohesive dough, what I got was a *liquid* (I know, ewwwwww, right?). Anyway, I have shied away from recipes of that sort ever since (the closest I've come since is baking up a can of those Pillsbury whomp biscuits -- so named because you have to whomp the tube on the counter to get the biscuits out -- and yes, whomp is a technical term). But I digress...
What was scary about the French apple tart recipe was that it called for making my own pastry. Granted, this looks easy as can be when Ina does it on TV, but remember, I have a phobia. So it was with great trepidation (look it up, it's really a word) ;) that I started today's project. In case things went badly, I didn't take any pictures of the pastry-making part of the recipe. But here's the thing. It really WAS easy. It actually worked EXACTLY the way Ina said it would. And now, as the smell of simmering apples and cinnamon (I tweaked Ina's original recipe just a tad) fills my kitchen, I relax, sniff appreciatively, and say to you, Happy Fall! I also say to you, go make this! Right now!
French Apple Tart
Adapted From: Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics "Easy French"
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 cup ice water
For the apples:
- 4 Granny Smith apples* (I only used 3 and had left-overs)
- 1/2 cup sugar* (I only used a heaping 1/4 cup -- the apples were plenty sweet already)
- Cinnamon, to taste*
- Just a tad of freshly grated nutmeg*
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
- 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam (I forgot to add this.)
- 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water (I forgot to add this too. The moral? Never multi-task and make dinner while making dessert.)
*Denotes my additions/changes.
Directions
For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour*, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
*45 minutes was plenty of time.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Isn't She Lovely?
Today, in honor of my friend Cari's birthday tomorrow, I made my famous (or infamous, depending on whether or not you ask my parents about it) homemade angelfood cake. Normally, this cake (which first appeared several months ago in my blog) is flavored with lemon zest. However, in honor of Cari's birthday, I went with orange zest for this particular cake. Rebellious, yes? Then, just to prove what a wild and crazy person I really am, I covered the whole she-bang (technical term) with a semi-sweet chocolate ganache. As the title says, isn't she lovely?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Presto! Pesto
I haven't posted anything recently, not because there's nothing going on in my kitchen, but because I've been so darned busy! Between the husband's promotion at work (!!!) and going back to school, I've been busier than a one-armed paper hanger (as the saying goes).
But as I said above, that doesn't mean I've neglected my cooking...just my blog (oops). Anyway, despite being busier than ever before, I'm going to try to catch you up with all my recent cookery. For now, however, I'll leave you with last night's uber-fast dinner:
Whole Wheat Linguini with Homemade Basil-Spinach Pesto
I used Barilla Whole Wheat Linguini and cooked it according to the package directions. Of all the different types of whole wheat pasta I've tried, I think this one is the best (I find many walk a fine line between being beyond chewy and needing to be boiled to mush just so I can chew it).
Anyway, the biggest and most delightful surprise of my night was the pesto; one of a series of things I've thrown together in my food processor recently (I love that little gadget!). Here's how to make your own (and keep in mind that I just wandered the supermarket, grabbing things that looked interesting).
Ingredients:
1 package (about a cup) basil
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
3-4 cloves chopped garlic (don't stress about chopping it, remember it's going in a food pro.)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Olive oil as needed
Directions:
Roughly chop the basil and spinach and dump it in the food processor. Add the garlic and the toasted pine nuts and walnuts, and parmesan cheese. Blend until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Once combined and with the lid on and motor running, stream in olive oil until the pesto reaches the desired consistency (I think I used between a 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup of olive oil -- I liked the chunkier texture). Toss room temperature pesto well with pasta and serve with additional parmesan cheese if you like.
*For those of you who are counting, this is the second recipe I made up all by myself! =]
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Pasta Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
We grilled tonight (as you can plainly see). We couldn't decide what to grill, so we grilled a little of everything. If you look closely at the back of the picture, you can see the grilled tilapia. This was our first experience grilling fish and I was a little worried we'd be scraping umm..."blackened" fish off the grill by the end. I should have had more faith in hubby's grilling skills; as well as in my prep skills. I doused the filets liberally in olive oil and rubbed it in well. Then I used some Pampered Chef Sweet and Smoky Barbeque rub on the fish. I love this rub and it goes particularly well with fish. The fish was absolutely delicioius! Perfection! Major props to me (and hubby!). =] As you can see from the picture, we also had burgers and hot dogs. Hubby does a great hamburger -- I season the patties with salt and pepper and while they are grilling he bastes them periodically with barbeque sauce. The hot dogs are Hebrew National. I love their slogan ("No Ifs, Ands, or Butts!") and their dogs are yummy too!
But for me, the highlight of dinner was the pasta salad I made. I didn't really have much of an idea of what I was going to make to begin with. I knew I wanted to make something healthy that would provide plenty of left-overs for lunch this coming week. So I wandered the grocery store and picked out some veggies, all familiar favorites: a red pepper, a cucumber, a pint of grape tomatoes, and a handful of green onions. My plan was starting to come together. When I got home I boiled about 1 1/2 cups of Barilla Piccolini pasta. While that was boiling, I chopped my veggies (I meant to take a picture, but forgot). Finally, with about 2 minutes to go until the pasta was ready (I should have done this first), I started to make my vinaigrette. I was basically just throwing things together, but it turned out so well that I may never buy salad dressing again! Homemade Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley (I would have used fresh, but forgot to pick some up, so I improvised)
Blend all ingredients on low in a blender, then with the motor running, stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. I used about 1/2 cup (guesstimate) and my vinaigrette was VERY thick.
I drained my pasta, then dumped in into a large bowl and covered it with about half the vinaigrette and tossed (so the sauce could soak into the warm pasta), then added all the chopped veggies. Finally I poured the rest of the vinaigrette over the top and tossed the whole thing well.
This is the first recipe I ever created (although I'm terribly afraid that it isn't that original), and it was wonderful. The vinaigrette tasted very similar to a caesar dressing, almost as though it had parmesan cheese in it. I'm not sure what combination of ingredients did that, but it was a fortuitous coincidence.
This would be a great, simple salad to take to a picnic or potluck because it can sit at room temperature., for hours, if necessary. I plan to make this again and often! You should too! =]
Multigrain English Muffins
This weekend marked the second recipe that Emily and I chose to make and blog about together. This week, Emily chose the recipe: Multigrain English Muffins. I was excited to make these since I enjoyed Emily's multigrain bread recipe. Interestingly, the weekend we chose to make the muffins was also the weekend that my husband and I redecorated our guest bedroom. Although I guess I can't technically say we *redecorated*, since that implies that the room was decorated before. And being used for storage and generally looking like a dump isn't exactly what I'd call the latest in interior design. So, where was I? Oh, yes, we were decorating, and the last thing we had to do was hang the curtains. No problem, right? Ha -- that just shows you know nothing about me!
I started the muffins early and then left them to rise for the first time while hubby and I tackled the curtains. The curtains were ironed and hung with the maximum amount of trauma and cursing, and then I returned to check on the dough. It was supposed to rise for an hour and "double in size." Ummm...I was willing to swear under oath that the stuff hadn't moved. Huh. Around this time, Emily texted me. Her dough wasn't rising either. Okay, now, I wasn't looking forward to making and baking multigrain hockey pucks, but it was comforting to know that it wasn't necessarily my fault. After a series of texts, we agreed to leave the dough to rise for another hour. Then, regardless of how it looked, we would roll the muffins out and cut them out. I was still apprehensive, but hey, at least we had a plan.
As you can clearly see from the pictures, despite my fears, things turned out very well. The dough didn't rise nearly as much as the original recipe claimed. Overall, the muffins were very good. I've eaten them with butter and jam, used them as hamburger buns, and had them toasted with scrambled eggs. I plan to make these again, and soon! Thanks to Emily for a great recipe.
Multigrain English Muffins (Recipe Copied From The View From the Thirty-Second Floor):Ingredients:
Makes 13 muffins
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups white/wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon course salt
1/4 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup milk
Combine warm water, honey, yeast and butter in the bottom of your mixer. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. Make sure the dough smells like yeast or is foamy. You want to make sure you activate the yeast. Combine the flour, wheat germ, salt and flax seeds in a separate bowl. With the dough hook attachment, turn your mixer on and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk. Mixture will form a ball. Let the mixer run for about 5 minutes to knead the dough. (You can knead the dough by hand if you don't have a stand mixer)
Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead just a few times. Put the dough into a bowl brushed lightly with oil so that the dough doesn't stick. Turn the oven on warm and put the bowl on top of your oven, cover with a dish towel and let rise for 2 hours. The dough will not rise much, so don't panic. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for 1 minute. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to 1/2 inch thick. Use a 3 inch ring cutter to form 13 dough rounds. Place the muffins onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Cover the muffins with a dish towel and let rise again, for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place English Muffins on the skillet in batches. Cook the muffin for 7 minutes on each side. The muffin will brown - don't let it burn. Take muffins off once they are cooked on both sides. Cool. Serve immediately or put in the freezer and take them out one at a time as needed.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Homemade Oreo Cookies
** Just before the tip popped off my piping bag.
**My iced cappucchino made it into this picture! =] Oh, and that red tea kettle? It was a wedding present from Emily of T.V.F.T.T.S.F. fame! =]
Ahh...the ice cream scooper. One of my favorite multi-taskers.
Recently my friend Emily (of The View From the Thirty-Second Floor) and I have started a blog project that was originally suggested by my husband. In the spirit of the Tuesdays with Dorie group, Emily and I are going to jointly choose a recipe, make it (she in Chicago, and I down St. Louis way), and then blog about it. This way, we can both try new recipes, something I know we both want to do more often. As our inaugural recipe, we chose the Homemade Oreo Cookie recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Now, as some of you are probably aware, I consider myself something of an Oreo lover (an Oreo fiend is how my husband once described it). So I was highly skeptical about achieving an authentic Oreo taste. Here's how things went down:
I came home from teaching summer school today, grabbed a quick lunch with the hubbie, and then sent him off to open gym so that I could have the kitchen to myself (being married to a basketball coach is so convenient sometimes). The cookie dough came together very quickly, although I was surprised that the dry ingredients were mixed together before adding the wet ones (that's pretty much backwards from every other cookie recipe I've ever made). According to the directions, rounded teaspoons of dough were to be spaced 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. How fortunate that I had a tiny ice cream scoop to use to scoop up and drop the dough. I can't emphasize what a great time-saving measure this is. Plus, the cookies were tiny enough that lots could fit on a single cookie sheet, so I got them all baked in two batches
(even more awesome!). While the cookies were baking, I mixed up the cream center for the cookies. According to Smitten's directions, she piped the icing centers on the cookies and it was easy as could be (she noted that having to ice the cookies individually would be an "unholy p.i.t.a." -- I couldn't agree more). Dutifully following directions, I got out, assembled, and filled my piping bag...and promptly squeezed the tip right out the end of it! Note: for future reference, use a Ziploc bag, snip off the corner, then throw it away and be done with it.
(even more awesome!). While the cookies were baking, I mixed up the cream center for the cookies. According to Smitten's directions, she piped the icing centers on the cookies and it was easy as could be (she noted that having to ice the cookies individually would be an "unholy p.i.t.a." -- I couldn't agree more). Dutifully following directions, I got out, assembled, and filled my piping bag...and promptly squeezed the tip right out the end of it! Note: for future reference, use a Ziploc bag, snip off the corner, then throw it away and be done with it.
Overall, this was a fairly easy recipe to complete, leaving me plenty of time afterward to clean up the kitchen and even (seriously!) clean and redecorate my spare bedroom (I promise I'm not making that up.) before hubbie got home.
I excercised some serious self-restraint and didn't even sample thecookies until hubbie could join me. Together we each ate a cookie. Here are my first impressions, uncensored:
"Umm...the cookies are chewy. I've NEVER eaten a CHEWY Oreo."
"Hey, the creamy center tastes just like the center of an Oreo. I rock!"
"Dang, this thing just sucked all the moisture out of my mouth. Need. Milk. NOW!"
Overall, these are pretty tasty, but, at least in my mind, can't hold a candle to a real Oreo. Of course, there is an unexpected up-side to this recipe. As my husband pointed out, these are undoubtedly better for you than an actual Oreo. But is healthy eating really the reason we eat Oreos?? =]
Homemade Oreo Cookies
For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.
Recipe Note (This is from Smitten Kitchen's original posting):
Let’s talk about the sugar for a minute, shall we? This is a sweet cookie. A good, sweet cookie. Yet, if you think of an actual Oreos, the wafers are fairly un-sweet and actually on the slightly salty side, which contrasts with the super-sweetness of the filling bringing harmony, happiness, yada yada. If you want your cookie closer to that original, you can take out a full half-cup of the sugar. If you want to make the cookie by itself, go ahead and use the full amount.
Note: I plan to make these cookies again to use for ice cream sandwich cookies.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Strawberry Fields
I had to post and brag about the wonderful produce we've been enjoying lately. So far this summer I've had gorgeous, juicy peaches and nectarines, as well as kiwis and magoes. But perhaps my all-time favorite fruit, and most recent purchase were strawberries.
These particular berries were Driscoll Organic berries. As we all know, organic produce is often more expensive than other produce. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the non-organic berries were almost a dollar more expensive than these little gems. Score one for me!
I also must confess that I did absolutely nothing to these berries except to wash them, blot them dry gently, and eat them! Delicious!
Monday, June 22, 2009
My Ace of Cakes Episode
This past year our school stopped sponsoring seasonal sports banquets, and instead each team was responsible for organizing their own. At the very end of the year (we procrastinate), Adam was finally able to schedule and hold the basketball team banquet. I will gladly take full credit for the banquet: I called the caterer, reserved the school's courtyard, and...made the cake.
Let me pause and digress here: I'm addicted to watching the Food Network, and one of my favorite shows to catch in the evening is Ace of Cakes. I love to watch the cast members of the show push the envelope in terms of creativity with food. When watching Food Network, I often want to jump up and start cooking whatever is currently on the screen. Perhaps that was the origin of my recent...shall we say, delusions of grandeur?
Here's what happened:
As I said, I made the cake for the banquet and knew going in that it would have to be a fairly big cake (in total I made 4 9x13 sheet cakes and smooshed (technical term) them together). Now, since this needed to be done quickly, I caved and used cake mixes to save time, as well as store bought icing. Still, I began baking the day before the banquet at 3:30pm and was about finished at 8pm. As I pulled the last sheet cake from the oven, the glass Pyrex dish slipped from my hands. Despite my best efforts to save the pan (which was a toasty 350 degrees at the time of the incident), the pan fell from my hands, bounced off the door of my oven, and crashed to the floor (naturally, all of this seemed to happen in slow motion). Even today, nearly two months later, I can't remember exactly what I did in the moment of silence that followed the shattering of the pan. I do remember that in the process of cleaning up the mess I employed an omelet spatula given to us as a wedding present (thanks, Aunt Kathy!). As I flipped broken glass-embedded cake into the trash, I noticed my husband bent over a particularly large piece of cake. As I watched in horror, he scooped up some cake and ATE IT!! That was it! It was getting late, I was going to have to go back to the store, not just for another cake mix, but also to find another PAN to bake in, and the cake wasn't going to get iced until the next day. Irritably I told my husband (whom I love more than life itself), "So help me, if you swallow glass and cut your own throat, I will not be the one to drive you to the hospital!" After that melodramatic rant, I flung myself crying into my car and drove to Walmart for cake mix and a pan.
Needless to say, things weren't as bad as they seemed. I came home and finished baking, apologized for yelling at the hubby (who was quite understanding about the whole incident, really), and even got a couple hours of sleep.
The next day I approached the cake with a new caffeine-spiked optimism. As I said, I was inspired by Ace of Cakes. With that in mind, and sipping from the largest cup of coffee Starbucks would sell me, I cut into the cake, shaping it into a basketball jersey. And it didn't look too shabby, if I do say so myself. Next I iced the cake with white icing and then, since nothing bad had happened yet, took a stab at dying icing. With the recently dyed-red icing, I added trim to the jersey, as well as a number. Finally, just as Adam was trying to load the car and head to the banquet, I added the final detail: a tiny Nike Swoosh in the lower righthand corner. Barring minor decrepancies, I had recreated in cake one of my husband's team's home game jerseys.
It looked great and the cake was delicious. People asked me, "Will you make this again next year?" Ummm....no. I don't think I would survive another incident like this. But like I said, the cake looked pretty good in the end (in spite of all the bumps -- and crashes -- along the way).
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Flying Gorillas
Birthdays when I was in college were always a challenge. You see, since my birthday is in early December, it always seemed to fall on the first day of final exams or on the day before exams. In other words, my birthday was at a time when no one had the time or the inclination to celebrate. The Christmas after my 21st birthday my parents and I were shopping at the St. Louis Galleria and stopped for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. A Flying Gorilla at the Cheesecake Factory is a banana and chocolate daquiri and it was the first alcoholic drink I ever had with my parents. I think I chose to get that particular drink because it had an interesting name more than any other reason. You may have noticed from my post titles that I enjoy interesting names! =]
For the past several days my husband has been requesting that I come up with a recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins. I don't know why he suddenly began to crave that particular combination, but it works out well, since I can name that creation a Flying Gorilla. I did some recipe research online, everything from asking my friend Emily (of The View From the Thirty-Second Floor) to epicurious and foodnetwork.com. Finally, I chose to use a recipe from Tyler Florence and adapt it slightly. Overall, I was very pleased with the results. Below is the recipe from Tyler's Ultimate. Any changes I made are noted in parentheses.
Flying Gorillas
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat flour and half A/P)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (I used a 6 oz. bag of walnuts and chopped them roughly)
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat flour and half A/P)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (I used a 6 oz. bag of walnuts and chopped them roughly)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins. (I used paper muffin liners -- easier clean-up.)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins. (I used paper muffin liners -- easier clean-up.)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes (I whipped all four bananas, at hubby's request). Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway (I used a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop to get even muffins).
Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out (this was a good idea -- I'll do this with other muffins, brownies, etc. in the future).
Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes (these were ready after 18 minutes in my oven). Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.
These are delicious and I can't wait to have one for breakfast tomorrow.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Bake While the Sun Shines
I'm sitting here at my kitchen table typing happily, pausing often to look out my lovely big bay window into the front yard. The sun is shining, my geraniums are blooming brightly, robins are hopping about after worms, and I'm listening to some of my favorite music (thank you,Project Playlist). Even better, there's currently a zero percent chance of rain (quite a switch -- it's been so rainy here that you'd think we were living in Seattle instead of the St. Louis-area). Since it's bright and sunny out, with very low humidity and lower temperatures overall, I figured this was a good day to get the baking bug out of my system. For quite a while, I've been meaning to bake another loaf of multigrain bread (recipe in my post, "Making Bread, Breaking Bread"). And then, the other day my friend Emily posted in her blog ("The View From the Thirty-Second Floor") about baking homemade chocolate pretzels....
Clearly I was overdue for an afternoon of me-time in the kitchen with a couple new recipes and my laptop playing all my favorite tunes (currently playing: Billy Joel's Uptown Girl -- classic!). I started the afternoon by getting out all the ingredients for the chocolate pretzels. As I arranged ingredients around my stand mixer, I noticed a portion of the recipe I had failed to pay any attention to...the butter and egg needed to come to room temperature! (I know that's a "well, duh" moment, but I totally forgot about it, okay?) Anyway, I quickly rearranged my baking schedule and started with the multigrain whole wheat bread. That way, the dough could rest while I prepared the chocolate pretzel dough.
The multigrain bread has fast become a favorite of mine, as its exterior is crusty and crumbly and it's interior is hearty, but soft and slightly chewy. As a bread, it's so versatile too! I love using it to make toast for breakfast, but it's also incredible with sliced turkey or ham as a sandwich for lunch, or even with a dab of peanut butter for a quick snack. If summer temperatures didn't prevent me, I would probably bake a loaf every week. Unfortunately, running my oven for almost an hour in a July heat wave is a recipe for heat stroke!
I'm also trying a new recipe today: chocolate pretzels. I got the recipe for these from Emily's blog as well (what can I say, she has great ideas). Her recipe, however, originated with The Smitten Kitchen, a blog that I have begun to follow as well. Smitten makes so many appealing treats, including homemade marshmallows and homemade graham crackers (used in what I can only assume were the ultimate s'mores). I have to say, you have to admire, and slightly fear, a pregnant woman who voluntarily makes s'mores from scratch in order to enjoy really good s'mores. Me, I always assumed that ANY s'more was a good s'more! But I obviously have much to learn!
I'll definitely be trying to make homemade marshmallows, etc. once. We'll see how traumatic they actually are. According to Smitten Kitchen, there's an excellent chance for me to end up wearing much of the marshmallow concoction. And while I will stipulate to the inherently messy nature of s'mores, I don't think I'd enjoy wearing them (or their individual components).
I'm sure I'll try many of the Smitten Kitchen recipes in the coming months, especially ones that don't require baking. I'm also planning to make lots of ice creams this summer (surely you remember how excited I was about my ice cream maker?!) =]
For now, my oven is preheated, and it's time to bake the bread. Another hour till the pretzel dough is ready......as Ahhr-nold would say, "I'll be back." =]
[Time Elapsed: 5 hours]
Okay, so after a really long break (and a trip to Border's for coffee and browsing), I came home and started rolling out my chocolate pretzels. After the first one broke for about the fifth time, I was ready to throw a chunk of the dough. Long story short, I made half a batch and will worry about the rest of the dough tomorrow. Or not.
For those of you who are feeling adventurous, here's the recipe:
Chocolate Pretzels
1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour (I used King Arthur White/Wheat Flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk (for brushing)
Rock sugar (for sprinkling)
Place butter into mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add sugars and beat for 2 minutes until butter and sugar is well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Do not over mix. Dough will pull away from sides and form a ball in the bottom of the bowl.
Remove dough from bowl. Form into a long rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Remove dough from fridge. Cut into 20 equal chunk portions. Roll each section into a long snake, about 10 inches long. Form dough into a circle and then twist twice at the bottom. Fold ends over to form a pretzel shape. Place on a baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk and then sprinkle with rock sugar.
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Pretzels will just start to harden. Transfer to a cooling rack. Do not store until completely cool.
Clearly I was overdue for an afternoon of me-time in the kitchen with a couple new recipes and my laptop playing all my favorite tunes (currently playing: Billy Joel's Uptown Girl -- classic!). I started the afternoon by getting out all the ingredients for the chocolate pretzels. As I arranged ingredients around my stand mixer, I noticed a portion of the recipe I had failed to pay any attention to...the butter and egg needed to come to room temperature! (I know that's a "well, duh" moment, but I totally forgot about it, okay?) Anyway, I quickly rearranged my baking schedule and started with the multigrain whole wheat bread. That way, the dough could rest while I prepared the chocolate pretzel dough.
The multigrain bread has fast become a favorite of mine, as its exterior is crusty and crumbly and it's interior is hearty, but soft and slightly chewy. As a bread, it's so versatile too! I love using it to make toast for breakfast, but it's also incredible with sliced turkey or ham as a sandwich for lunch, or even with a dab of peanut butter for a quick snack. If summer temperatures didn't prevent me, I would probably bake a loaf every week. Unfortunately, running my oven for almost an hour in a July heat wave is a recipe for heat stroke!
I'm also trying a new recipe today: chocolate pretzels. I got the recipe for these from Emily's blog as well (what can I say, she has great ideas). Her recipe, however, originated with The Smitten Kitchen, a blog that I have begun to follow as well. Smitten makes so many appealing treats, including homemade marshmallows and homemade graham crackers (used in what I can only assume were the ultimate s'mores). I have to say, you have to admire, and slightly fear, a pregnant woman who voluntarily makes s'mores from scratch in order to enjoy really good s'mores. Me, I always assumed that ANY s'more was a good s'more! But I obviously have much to learn!
I'll definitely be trying to make homemade marshmallows, etc. once. We'll see how traumatic they actually are. According to Smitten Kitchen, there's an excellent chance for me to end up wearing much of the marshmallow concoction. And while I will stipulate to the inherently messy nature of s'mores, I don't think I'd enjoy wearing them (or their individual components).
I'm sure I'll try many of the Smitten Kitchen recipes in the coming months, especially ones that don't require baking. I'm also planning to make lots of ice creams this summer (surely you remember how excited I was about my ice cream maker?!) =]
For now, my oven is preheated, and it's time to bake the bread. Another hour till the pretzel dough is ready......as Ahhr-nold would say, "I'll be back." =]
[Time Elapsed: 5 hours]
Okay, so after a really long break (and a trip to Border's for coffee and browsing), I came home and started rolling out my chocolate pretzels. After the first one broke for about the fifth time, I was ready to throw a chunk of the dough. Long story short, I made half a batch and will worry about the rest of the dough tomorrow. Or not.
For those of you who are feeling adventurous, here's the recipe:
Chocolate Pretzels
1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour (I used King Arthur White/Wheat Flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk (for brushing)
Rock sugar (for sprinkling)
Place butter into mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add sugars and beat for 2 minutes until butter and sugar is well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in melted chocolate and cocoa powder. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Do not over mix. Dough will pull away from sides and form a ball in the bottom of the bowl.
Remove dough from bowl. Form into a long rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Remove dough from fridge. Cut into 20 equal chunk portions. Roll each section into a long snake, about 10 inches long. Form dough into a circle and then twist twice at the bottom. Fold ends over to form a pretzel shape. Place on a baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk and then sprinkle with rock sugar.
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Pretzels will just start to harden. Transfer to a cooling rack. Do not store until completely cool.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Great Balls of...Meat!
The other day I had meatball-apalooza at my house. Right after we first got married I tried out a recipe for homemade meatballs and made spaghetti and meatballs (complete with homemade marinara sauce, I might add). Adam loved the meatballs and I had made waaaaaay too many, so we froze the leftovers. As I recall, we put 5 or 6 in a Ziploc baggie and added a ladle-full of the sauce (as I recall, we filled about 8 baggies total). We discovered that this made for super simple weeknight suppers, whether we were in the mood for pasta or a meatball sub. I've made the recipe several times since then, but never got around to blogging about it. So, after last weekend's record-setting meatball-making, here I am...
It all started on Thursday night. Adam ate the last baggie of meatballs for a late dinner. He mentioned that we needed to make more of them for easy dinners (that wouldn't heat up the kitchen too badly) during the summer. I happened to have some ground chuck and sirloin in the freezer, and so took it out to thaw. In total, I thawed about 6 pounds of meat and so made a triple batch of meatballs on Saturday morning. Below is my recipe...I started with Ina Garten's recipe from foodnetwork.com and then made modifications to add depth of flavor.
Meatball Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 sandwich slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup Italian dried bread crumbs
1-2 tablespoons dried parsley
1-2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 teasoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 ground nutmeg (grate it fresh, it matters)
1 extra-large egg, beaten (let the egg come to room temp., about 30 minutes...again, it matters)
Olive oil
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients lightly with a fork (try not to mash the mixture, as this will make the meatballs tough and hard):
-ground meats
-fresh bread crumbs
-dried bread crumbs
-parsley and oregano
-parmesan
-salt and pepper
-nutmeg
-egg
After mixing thoroughly, I used an 1 1/2 inch ice cream scooper to scoop even amounts of the meatball mixture, then rolled them lightly into balls and set them aside on a tray.
Pour about 1/4 inch of olive oil (I used classic olive oil for this instead of extra virgin because I think it gives the meatballs more flavor) into the largest skillet you own. Heat oil over medium heat. Brown meatballs in small batches (be careful not to overcrowd the skillet!) and turn the meatballs carefully with a spatula or fork (I used a large off-set spatula that I also like using to frost cakes...but I digress). Each batch takes about 8-10 minutes to brown. Drain the meatballs on a paper towel-covered plate and then transfer to a slow cooker to finish cooking. I pour in a small amount of marinara and then a layer of meatballs. Continue layering meatballs and sauce until the slow cooker is full (or you run out of meatballs). =] Let simmer on low heat for at least 2 hours.
**These are delicious fresh, but also keep very well in the freezer for up to 3 months (impressive, yes?) =]
It all started on Thursday night. Adam ate the last baggie of meatballs for a late dinner. He mentioned that we needed to make more of them for easy dinners (that wouldn't heat up the kitchen too badly) during the summer. I happened to have some ground chuck and sirloin in the freezer, and so took it out to thaw. In total, I thawed about 6 pounds of meat and so made a triple batch of meatballs on Saturday morning. Below is my recipe...I started with Ina Garten's recipe from foodnetwork.com and then made modifications to add depth of flavor.
Meatball Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 sandwich slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup Italian dried bread crumbs
1-2 tablespoons dried parsley
1-2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 teasoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 ground nutmeg (grate it fresh, it matters)
1 extra-large egg, beaten (let the egg come to room temp., about 30 minutes...again, it matters)
Olive oil
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients lightly with a fork (try not to mash the mixture, as this will make the meatballs tough and hard):
-ground meats
-fresh bread crumbs
-dried bread crumbs
-parsley and oregano
-parmesan
-salt and pepper
-nutmeg
-egg
After mixing thoroughly, I used an 1 1/2 inch ice cream scooper to scoop even amounts of the meatball mixture, then rolled them lightly into balls and set them aside on a tray.
Pour about 1/4 inch of olive oil (I used classic olive oil for this instead of extra virgin because I think it gives the meatballs more flavor) into the largest skillet you own. Heat oil over medium heat. Brown meatballs in small batches (be careful not to overcrowd the skillet!) and turn the meatballs carefully with a spatula or fork (I used a large off-set spatula that I also like using to frost cakes...but I digress). Each batch takes about 8-10 minutes to brown. Drain the meatballs on a paper towel-covered plate and then transfer to a slow cooker to finish cooking. I pour in a small amount of marinara and then a layer of meatballs. Continue layering meatballs and sauce until the slow cooker is full (or you run out of meatballs). =] Let simmer on low heat for at least 2 hours.
**These are delicious fresh, but also keep very well in the freezer for up to 3 months (impressive, yes?) =]
Monday, June 8, 2009
High *Steaks* Cooking
Today has been a busy day at my house. I got up early and did some cleaning (vacuuming, my least favorite chore), ran a bunch of errands, planted some beautiful Sprint Red begonias in between rain showers, and then started on dinner: Grilled Steak Kabobs. I started with a 2.15 lb. (it was gi-normous) London Broil steak, a fairly expensive cut, but it was recommended by my butcher. And what a great recommendation! The steak was juicy, tender, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious! I cut the steak into kabob-sized cubes (about an inch to an inch-and-a-half square), and marinated them in a homemade marinade that I've used in the past with chicken. But I can happily report that it is excellent with steak as well! I'm sure this would have been even better had the steak marinated overnight, and that's what I plan to do next time. But since Adam and I have been grilling quite a bit lately, I was craving something other than our usual burgers.
The Marinade:
One clove of garlic, minced per pound of meat
Combine 2 tablespoons of each of the following for each pound of meat:
-Olive oil
-Soy Sauce
-Honey
The Kabobs:
I soaked bamboo skewers for about an hour before loading and grilling them. In theory, this should keep the skewers from catching fire on the grill. In reality, the skewers caught fire fairly quickly and Adam and I were kept busy finding creative ways of putting them out (using tongs to grab the flames and smother them is a method I can recommend).
I loaded the skewers with the marinated steak cubes, chunks of yellow onion, and red and yellow bell peppers. Delicious!
The Marinade:
One clove of garlic, minced per pound of meat
Combine 2 tablespoons of each of the following for each pound of meat:
-Olive oil
-Soy Sauce
-Honey
The Kabobs:
I soaked bamboo skewers for about an hour before loading and grilling them. In theory, this should keep the skewers from catching fire on the grill. In reality, the skewers caught fire fairly quickly and Adam and I were kept busy finding creative ways of putting them out (using tongs to grab the flames and smother them is a method I can recommend).
I loaded the skewers with the marinated steak cubes, chunks of yellow onion, and red and yellow bell peppers. Delicious!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Playing Chicken with an Enchilada
Cinco de Mayo, Part 3:
How exciting! A mere 16 days after Cinco de Mayo, I'm finally finishing my posting about my amazing Mexican meal! This last post revolves around the chicken enchiladas I made for myself. As you all may recall from Cinco de Mayo, Part 1, my husband is not a fan of large chunks of vegetables in his meals (large chunks of meat? no problemo -- how 'bout that Spanish??) =] So anyway, the chicken enchiladas were for me, because they had both large chunks of veggies and green chiles, something Adam wouldn't knowingly eat if he was starving to death. So, as with the rest of my meal, I purchased ingredients for the enchiladas and hurried home to start cooking. And thus began a series of mistakes that caused dinner to be delayed until 8 p.m. For starters, I purchased large chicken breasts -- not an issue. The fact that I thought they were BONELESS, split chicken breasts when in fact I had grabbed a package of skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts --definitely an issue. Needless to say, this caused a plethora of problems:
1. Bone-in chicken breasts cook really slowly. Much slower than say, the rest of the meal.
2. Bone-in chicken breasts means that at some point, I have to remove the bones in order to shred the chicken.
3. Getting stabbed with a chicken bone while doing the afrementioned shredding does not improve one's overall mood...especially well into one's third hour of standing over a hot stove.
4. Shredding chicken breasts and suddenly realizing that the inside was actually NOT completely cooked delays dinner even more
5. Shredding partially cooked chicken breasts really decreases the likelihood that I'll want to eat them eventually, cooked or not.
6. Finding a way to finish cooking partially cooked shredded chicken breasts means that I will need to get out and get dirty every pot, pan, bowl, and utensil that I own.
7. Getting out all the aforementioned equipment means that the task of cleaning up after dinner was akin to Hercules having to clean the Aegean Stables, without the benefit of having god-like powers and simply redirecting a river.
Anyway, in spite of many (and I do mean MANY) obstacles, this meal was really tasty and turned out pretty well in the end. I can also happily report that I did not contract salmonella from the chicken bone stab wound. I can also report that the chicken was (in the end) completely cooked and very tender and juicy. Still...lesson learned.
So here's the recipe. I highly recommend it. I also highly recomment carefully reading the packaging before purchasing chicken breasts.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
12 small chile peppers, diced (optional)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 pint heavy cream (I used half and half since I had some in the fridge)
6 (6 inch) corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken and onions until chicken is evenly brown. Stir in diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, stewed tomatoes, chile peppers, soup and broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Remove chicken from skillet, and shred when cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, allow skillet mixture to simmer and reduce to about 2 1/4 cups. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken and about 1/4 cup skillet mixture (just enough to make a paste like mixture). Mix together with half the chopped green onions.
In a second skillet, heat cream over low heat, being careful not to boil. Dip tortillas in the warm cream to soften and coat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Top chicken mixture with half the shredded cheese, and roll up tortillas. Place rolled tortillas in a 9x13 inch baking dish, seam side down, and pour remaining 2 cups of skillet mixture over the enchiladas. Cover with remaining shredded cheese, and sprinkle remaining chopped green onion over cheese. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
How exciting! A mere 16 days after Cinco de Mayo, I'm finally finishing my posting about my amazing Mexican meal! This last post revolves around the chicken enchiladas I made for myself. As you all may recall from Cinco de Mayo, Part 1, my husband is not a fan of large chunks of vegetables in his meals (large chunks of meat? no problemo -- how 'bout that Spanish??) =] So anyway, the chicken enchiladas were for me, because they had both large chunks of veggies and green chiles, something Adam wouldn't knowingly eat if he was starving to death. So, as with the rest of my meal, I purchased ingredients for the enchiladas and hurried home to start cooking. And thus began a series of mistakes that caused dinner to be delayed until 8 p.m. For starters, I purchased large chicken breasts -- not an issue. The fact that I thought they were BONELESS, split chicken breasts when in fact I had grabbed a package of skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts --definitely an issue. Needless to say, this caused a plethora of problems:
1. Bone-in chicken breasts cook really slowly. Much slower than say, the rest of the meal.
2. Bone-in chicken breasts means that at some point, I have to remove the bones in order to shred the chicken.
3. Getting stabbed with a chicken bone while doing the afrementioned shredding does not improve one's overall mood...especially well into one's third hour of standing over a hot stove.
4. Shredding chicken breasts and suddenly realizing that the inside was actually NOT completely cooked delays dinner even more
5. Shredding partially cooked chicken breasts really decreases the likelihood that I'll want to eat them eventually, cooked or not.
6. Finding a way to finish cooking partially cooked shredded chicken breasts means that I will need to get out and get dirty every pot, pan, bowl, and utensil that I own.
7. Getting out all the aforementioned equipment means that the task of cleaning up after dinner was akin to Hercules having to clean the Aegean Stables, without the benefit of having god-like powers and simply redirecting a river.
Anyway, in spite of many (and I do mean MANY) obstacles, this meal was really tasty and turned out pretty well in the end. I can also happily report that I did not contract salmonella from the chicken bone stab wound. I can also report that the chicken was (in the end) completely cooked and very tender and juicy. Still...lesson learned.
So here's the recipe. I highly recommend it. I also highly recomment carefully reading the packaging before purchasing chicken breasts.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
12 small chile peppers, diced (optional)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 pint heavy cream (I used half and half since I had some in the fridge)
6 (6 inch) corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken and onions until chicken is evenly brown. Stir in diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, stewed tomatoes, chile peppers, soup and broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Remove chicken from skillet, and shred when cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, allow skillet mixture to simmer and reduce to about 2 1/4 cups. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken and about 1/4 cup skillet mixture (just enough to make a paste like mixture). Mix together with half the chopped green onions.
In a second skillet, heat cream over low heat, being careful not to boil. Dip tortillas in the warm cream to soften and coat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Top chicken mixture with half the shredded cheese, and roll up tortillas. Place rolled tortillas in a 9x13 inch baking dish, seam side down, and pour remaining 2 cups of skillet mixture over the enchiladas. Cover with remaining shredded cheese, and sprinkle remaining chopped green onion over cheese. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Let's Rock the Guac
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Posting, Part 2:
At this rate, I'll be done posting about my Cinco de Mayo meal by next May 5th! So, as I mentioned in a previous post, I made beef enchiladas with homemade sauce for my husband on Cinco de Mayo. For myself, I made chicken enchiladas (in my post, Cinco de Mayo, Part 3), but the highlight of the enchiladas was my homemade guacamole. I had never made guacamole before, so I printed several different recipes, read each, and then created my own. I loved it and have already made it again to eat at lunch this week. I love that something so delicious is also so healthful -- avocadoes, like pomegranates, mangoes, and cranberries, are considered a super-fruit.
Unfortunately, I don't have much of a guacamole recipe. It's more of a series of guidelines that you can adapt to suit your own needs. I would argue that this is how most recipes should be written so that we can all be creative with our food and so that it will suit our tastes. Anyway, here's how it went down.
I extracted the green stuff from 3 avocadoes (neat trick alert: after sticking a knife into the pod-thing in the middle of the green stuff, push down on it from both sides of the knife to remove it) and first tried to mash it with a fork. Ummmm...yeah. Cut to me, three minutes later dumping the mess into the food processor and hitting pulse. (I may have also yelled, "Take that, 'cado!" but we don't need to talk about that.) =] Anyway, after I had achieved *mostly* smooth avocado, I poured in some lemon juice, and about a quarter of a jar of salsa (I prefer Pace Chunky Mild, but to each his own). I mixed that it together and added a bit of salt and a lot of ground black pepper. Side note: I work with a guy who thinks pepper should be put in everything, including "the water that comes out of the tap." He's a little odd, but nice. =] Anyway, after all that was mixed together I dumped it all into a bowl and stirred in anoth quarter cup of the salsa (I love chunky stuff!) and then some finely chopped red pepper. Delish!!
At this rate, I'll be done posting about my Cinco de Mayo meal by next May 5th! So, as I mentioned in a previous post, I made beef enchiladas with homemade sauce for my husband on Cinco de Mayo. For myself, I made chicken enchiladas (in my post, Cinco de Mayo, Part 3), but the highlight of the enchiladas was my homemade guacamole. I had never made guacamole before, so I printed several different recipes, read each, and then created my own. I loved it and have already made it again to eat at lunch this week. I love that something so delicious is also so healthful -- avocadoes, like pomegranates, mangoes, and cranberries, are considered a super-fruit.
Unfortunately, I don't have much of a guacamole recipe. It's more of a series of guidelines that you can adapt to suit your own needs. I would argue that this is how most recipes should be written so that we can all be creative with our food and so that it will suit our tastes. Anyway, here's how it went down.
I extracted the green stuff from 3 avocadoes (neat trick alert: after sticking a knife into the pod-thing in the middle of the green stuff, push down on it from both sides of the knife to remove it) and first tried to mash it with a fork. Ummmm...yeah. Cut to me, three minutes later dumping the mess into the food processor and hitting pulse. (I may have also yelled, "Take that, 'cado!" but we don't need to talk about that.) =] Anyway, after I had achieved *mostly* smooth avocado, I poured in some lemon juice, and about a quarter of a jar of salsa (I prefer Pace Chunky Mild, but to each his own). I mixed that it together and added a bit of salt and a lot of ground black pepper. Side note: I work with a guy who thinks pepper should be put in everything, including "the water that comes out of the tap." He's a little odd, but nice. =] Anyway, after all that was mixed together I dumped it all into a bowl and stirred in anoth quarter cup of the salsa (I love chunky stuff!) and then some finely chopped red pepper. Delish!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Beef Enchiladas, Ole!
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Too much of a good thing...is wonderful."? I seem to have taken it to heart recently in my own kitchen. My husband and I are both big fans of Mexican food. He espcially enjoys enchiladas, and so for several months I have been scouring my favorite food sites for the perfect enchilada recipe to surprise him with. There are many requirements:
1. They must be beef enchiladas.
2. They must be covered in red sauce (none of that salsa verde crap for him!).
3. They must not contain larger chunks of vegetables (although large chunks of beef are okay).
4. They should be very cheesy in addition to the beef (well, duh, isn't that what everyone wants in an enchilada???).
And then, right around Cinco de Mayo (What fabulous luck -- finding Mexian food recipes around a Mexican holiday! Man did I feel blonde after that...=] ) I found the perfect recipe. Even better, I found a recipe for homemade red sauce to layer with the beef enchiladas. Also, anything of the chunky vegetable persuasion could be pureed until you'd never know it was there...perfect.
So last Monday (Cinco de Mayo, if any of you are keeping track), I left school and went to the store to get ingredients for not one, but two kinds of enchiladas (I made chicken ones for myself, but we'll discuss that in another post). Needless to say, when picking up items for several different recipes, I sit down first and try to organize my shopping list so that I'm not dashing back and forth across the store every 5 seconds. Also, needless to say, I screwed up the list on Monday (otherwise, why would I have brought this up). And so I dashed up and down and back and forth. It was pathetic. And exhausting. And when I got home, I still had to cook. (Insert dirty words here.)
According to my calculations (and frantic re-reading of the recipe), I would need to begin with the red sauce, since it was recommended that it simmer for 2-3 hours!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, right! I was practically fainting with hunger then. How ridiculous. (Cut to me, three hours later, finally assembling the damned enchiladas and shoving them in the oven.)
Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
5 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I used sweet basil)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup chunky salsa, pureed (I actually used about a 1/2 cup)
1 6oz. can of tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the minced onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa, and tomato paste.
Mix together and then stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes, although the acutal recipe recommended simmering for hours, adding more chicken broth as needed.
Once I had the sauce simmering nicely, I started on the second half of this dish: the actual enchiladas. These were actually very easy to put together (but let's not confuse easy with quick!).
Below is the recipe I used. All changes made are listed in parentheses.
Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I chose to use ground chuck, but may try it with ground sirloin in the future)
1 large chopped onion (finely minced...microscopically minced, in fact)
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
Add the following to taste: cumin, chili powder, pepper, dried parsley
12 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 oz. shredded colby jack cheese (I used Kraft Mexican cheese)
**The recipe called for two 19 oz. cans of enchilada sauce, but as I said, I made my own).
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a heavy saucepan or skillet, brown the ground beef and onions, stirring often. Season the beef with the garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, pepper, nad dried parsley and set aside (at this point I dump the meat into a fine mesh colander and let most of the grease drain out). In a skillet, fry the tortillas in the begetable oil (this is super important!! For future reference, I would fry them for 15-20 seconds each...mine were still a little soggy) =[
Pat the tortillas dry and set aside. Mix about a 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the beef and then spoon some of the beef mixture into each tortilla. Top with colby jack cheese and roll tightly, laying in a 9x13 Pyrex. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and cover in more colby jack cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and browned.
Also, I doubled the sauce recipe since my husband likes more sauce on enchiladas than I do, so he could spoon more onto each serving. These were very good, but time-consuming, so I probably make them again, just not on a school night! =]
1. They must be beef enchiladas.
2. They must be covered in red sauce (none of that salsa verde crap for him!).
3. They must not contain larger chunks of vegetables (although large chunks of beef are okay).
4. They should be very cheesy in addition to the beef (well, duh, isn't that what everyone wants in an enchilada???).
And then, right around Cinco de Mayo (What fabulous luck -- finding Mexian food recipes around a Mexican holiday! Man did I feel blonde after that...=] ) I found the perfect recipe. Even better, I found a recipe for homemade red sauce to layer with the beef enchiladas. Also, anything of the chunky vegetable persuasion could be pureed until you'd never know it was there...perfect.
So last Monday (Cinco de Mayo, if any of you are keeping track), I left school and went to the store to get ingredients for not one, but two kinds of enchiladas (I made chicken ones for myself, but we'll discuss that in another post). Needless to say, when picking up items for several different recipes, I sit down first and try to organize my shopping list so that I'm not dashing back and forth across the store every 5 seconds. Also, needless to say, I screwed up the list on Monday (otherwise, why would I have brought this up). And so I dashed up and down and back and forth. It was pathetic. And exhausting. And when I got home, I still had to cook. (Insert dirty words here.)
According to my calculations (and frantic re-reading of the recipe), I would need to begin with the red sauce, since it was recommended that it simmer for 2-3 hours!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, right! I was practically fainting with hunger then. How ridiculous. (Cut to me, three hours later, finally assembling the damned enchiladas and shoving them in the oven.)
Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
5 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I used sweet basil)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup chunky salsa, pureed (I actually used about a 1/2 cup)
1 6oz. can of tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the minced onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa, and tomato paste.
Mix together and then stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes, although the acutal recipe recommended simmering for hours, adding more chicken broth as needed.
Once I had the sauce simmering nicely, I started on the second half of this dish: the actual enchiladas. These were actually very easy to put together (but let's not confuse easy with quick!).
Below is the recipe I used. All changes made are listed in parentheses.
Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef (I chose to use ground chuck, but may try it with ground sirloin in the future)
1 large chopped onion (finely minced...microscopically minced, in fact)
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
Add the following to taste: cumin, chili powder, pepper, dried parsley
12 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 oz. shredded colby jack cheese (I used Kraft Mexican cheese)
**The recipe called for two 19 oz. cans of enchilada sauce, but as I said, I made my own).
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a heavy saucepan or skillet, brown the ground beef and onions, stirring often. Season the beef with the garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, pepper, nad dried parsley and set aside (at this point I dump the meat into a fine mesh colander and let most of the grease drain out). In a skillet, fry the tortillas in the begetable oil (this is super important!! For future reference, I would fry them for 15-20 seconds each...mine were still a little soggy) =[
Pat the tortillas dry and set aside. Mix about a 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the beef and then spoon some of the beef mixture into each tortilla. Top with colby jack cheese and roll tightly, laying in a 9x13 Pyrex. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and cover in more colby jack cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and browned.
Also, I doubled the sauce recipe since my husband likes more sauce on enchiladas than I do, so he could spoon more onto each serving. These were very good, but time-consuming, so I probably make them again, just not on a school night! =]
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Triple Threat Raspberry Sauce
Well, no surprises here: I've made another Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) recipe. And, as usual, it's fabulous. This time, I made Ina's Triple Threat Raspberry Sauce to top my homemade Lemon Angel Food Cake (you guessed it, another Ina recipe!). You see, every year on Easter SAturday, my parents have a big dinner at their house for my mom's side of the family. This used to be the big dinner at my grandma's house, but after a stroke or two, she wasn't up to having company, and we were a little scared of the idea of her cooking unsupervised. Not to be funny about it -- it wasn't a funny situation, but at the same time, there are moments with anyone suffering with Alzheimer's when you're either going to cry or laugh. In my case, I preferred to laugh (with grandma, not at her, of course).
Anyway, this dinner has been at my parents' house for quite a while by this time, so the routine is fairly established: we will have ham and turkey from the Honey-Baked Ham store. Dad will make his special baked macaroni and cheese (which Adam really likes), and there will be other sides as well, at least one of which is (hopefully) my Mom's jello casserole (I know it sounds gross, but believe me, it's amazing!). Anyway, this year we are also having mom's spinach salad (delish!) with homemade French dressing (yum!).
In previous years, my folks have really only experimented in the dessert department: some years my dad will make coconut cream pie from scratch (amazing) or his lemon raspberry layered pie (also darned good). The year Adam and I got engaged my mother went a little crazy and made chick cakes out of giant chocolate muffins. They were very good, but also very big and I needed a nap after eating all that!
This year my parents have put me in charge of the dessert, so the pressure was on. There are lots of froofy desserts that I would love to take, simply because they're impressive: pavlovas, meringues, that sort of thing. But since I've never attempted any of those things before, I figured I would stick with an old standard: lemon angel food cake. I've blogged about that before, so I won't repeat myself here. But this time, however, I'm serving the cake with triple threat raspberry sauce. The sauce is thick and luxurious and sweet, but tart at the same time. I always think lemon and raspberry are two very complimentary ingredients, so hopefully tonight's dinner will be a success. I'll be adding post-dinner thoughts, comments, etc. later tonight. For now, here's the recipe...
Triple Threat Raspberry Sauce
4 half pints of raspberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 12 oz. jar of seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons Framboise
Directions:
Combine two half pints of the raspberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 minutes. **The raspberries will start to break down as the sauce comes together.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jar of raspberry jam and the Framboise. Pour the heated raspberry mixture over the top. Pulse until smooth.
Pour the pureed sauce through a colander to remove some of the seeds. Add the last two half pints of raspberries to the sauce and stir to combine. Chill for at least two hours (preferably overnight) and serve over angel food cake, ice cream, etc.
Anyway, this dinner has been at my parents' house for quite a while by this time, so the routine is fairly established: we will have ham and turkey from the Honey-Baked Ham store. Dad will make his special baked macaroni and cheese (which Adam really likes), and there will be other sides as well, at least one of which is (hopefully) my Mom's jello casserole (I know it sounds gross, but believe me, it's amazing!). Anyway, this year we are also having mom's spinach salad (delish!) with homemade French dressing (yum!).
In previous years, my folks have really only experimented in the dessert department: some years my dad will make coconut cream pie from scratch (amazing) or his lemon raspberry layered pie (also darned good). The year Adam and I got engaged my mother went a little crazy and made chick cakes out of giant chocolate muffins. They were very good, but also very big and I needed a nap after eating all that!
This year my parents have put me in charge of the dessert, so the pressure was on. There are lots of froofy desserts that I would love to take, simply because they're impressive: pavlovas, meringues, that sort of thing. But since I've never attempted any of those things before, I figured I would stick with an old standard: lemon angel food cake. I've blogged about that before, so I won't repeat myself here. But this time, however, I'm serving the cake with triple threat raspberry sauce. The sauce is thick and luxurious and sweet, but tart at the same time. I always think lemon and raspberry are two very complimentary ingredients, so hopefully tonight's dinner will be a success. I'll be adding post-dinner thoughts, comments, etc. later tonight. For now, here's the recipe...
Triple Threat Raspberry Sauce
4 half pints of raspberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 12 oz. jar of seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons Framboise
Directions:
Combine two half pints of the raspberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 minutes. **The raspberries will start to break down as the sauce comes together.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jar of raspberry jam and the Framboise. Pour the heated raspberry mixture over the top. Pulse until smooth.
Pour the pureed sauce through a colander to remove some of the seeds. Add the last two half pints of raspberries to the sauce and stir to combine. Chill for at least two hours (preferably overnight) and serve over angel food cake, ice cream, etc.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Philly Cheese Steak Wraps
One of the highlights of my week is when the teachers I eat lunch with order out on Fridays. We frequently get food from Donzo's, a local restaurant/bar, and my favorite is the Philly cheese steak wrap. Today I was at the grocery store picking up a few things for dinner at my parents' house on Saturday (more on that in an upcoming post) and decided to see if I could make my own cheese steaks. So I quickly reversed course back through the grocery store and picked up a couple bell peppers (red and yellow), some sirloin steaks, and a package of whole grain garden vegetable wraps. I was very excited, especially since my husband had his master's class tonight and would be hungry when he got home.
When I got home I quickly got out my laptop and logged on to foodnetwork.com. I was eager to see what sort of spices, etc. I could add to the cheese steaks to really maximize the taste. What I found was a lot of information about how to properly caramelize onions and peppers (very helpful, but not exactly what I was after), and very little information about flavoring steaks for sandwiches. With very little to work with, I finally shrugged and decided to do my own thing (which has worked out...okay in the past). I quickly dug through my spice drawer and pulled on the onion and garlic powders and, after some hesitation, the marjoram. I also grabbed a can of beef broth from a nearby drawer and a large bowl. Working quickly I mixed my marinade and sliced the sirloin, stirring the steak into the marinade and then setting it aside. Next I got to work on caramelizing my onions and bell peppers, which takes quite a while, as I was about to find out...I also realized that I was quickly running out of both burners and skillets to put on them! Never fear! After the onions and peppers had cooked down in their separate skillets for about half an hour, I combined them into one skillet, and prepared to cook the steak strips in the newly emptied skillet.
As everything finished cooking, I took a moment to inhale deeply and appreciate how wonderful my kitchen smelled. I would venture to say that cooking onions is one of the most underappreciated smells....now stop laughing at me. =] Anyway, the steak was tender, the onions and peppers were perfectly caramelized and the cheese melted over the top of it all was creamy and delicious. Overall, this was a great meal; something that I would describe as simple, but time consuming (mainly because of the amount of time required to caramelize stuff without burning it to a crisp).
Philly Cheese Steak Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steak, sliced thinly
2 large Spanish onions
2 large bell peppers (one red and one yellow)
1 package whole grain tortilla wraps
1 can beef broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Mozzarella cheese
Directions: Thinly slice the steak into long strips. Place in a bowl and pour a can of beef broth over the meat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic and onion powder, and marjoram. Stir to mix marinade and thoroughly cover the meat. Set aside. Next halve the onions and slice them thinly. While doing this, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. As you add the onions to the skillet, separate the slices with your fingers in ensure even cooking. Next, slice the bell peppers into thin strips (note: the thinner the better!). Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and about 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil in a smaller skillet and add the peppers. Cook both the onions and peppers over medium-low heat, stirring often. Caramelized onions and peppers will need to cook down for anywhere from 30-40 minutes...like I said, this is pretty simple, but still time consuming.
Once the onions and peppers have begun to caramelize, combine them into one skillet and use the emptied skillet to cook the steak strips (I added just enough olive oil back to the pan to *very* thinly coat the bottom). Enough of the marinade sticks to the steak to deglaze the skillet, which is a nice bonus in the flavor department. As the steak strips finished cooking (I would say mine were somewhere between medium and medium-well) I removed them to a paper towel-covered plate to drain any extra olive oil away. Finally, after the steak strips finished cooking I added the remaining marinade to the skillet and cooked it down into a thick and flavorful au jus (which I carefully poured it a small bowl and promptly left sitting on the countertop while Adam and I headed downstairs with our plates to watch Survivor while we ate -- oops). Anyway, here's how it all came together: I took one of the wraps and loaded it with steak strips, covered them with the caramelized onions and peppers, and then topped it with some shredded mozzarella cheese. I stuck the whole thing into the toaster oven to melt the cheese and then wrapped it up and ate every last bite! It was delicious; the marinade was slightly spicy and and cheese was oozy. What a great meal, and one that I'll definitely be making again. Oh! And Adam, who scoffs at the use of whole grain wraps, ate his cheese steak on a whole wheat hoagie roll and said that it was "pretty good." Which, for anyone who doesn't know my husband, is high praise indeed! =]
When I got home I quickly got out my laptop and logged on to foodnetwork.com. I was eager to see what sort of spices, etc. I could add to the cheese steaks to really maximize the taste. What I found was a lot of information about how to properly caramelize onions and peppers (very helpful, but not exactly what I was after), and very little information about flavoring steaks for sandwiches. With very little to work with, I finally shrugged and decided to do my own thing (which has worked out...okay in the past). I quickly dug through my spice drawer and pulled on the onion and garlic powders and, after some hesitation, the marjoram. I also grabbed a can of beef broth from a nearby drawer and a large bowl. Working quickly I mixed my marinade and sliced the sirloin, stirring the steak into the marinade and then setting it aside. Next I got to work on caramelizing my onions and bell peppers, which takes quite a while, as I was about to find out...I also realized that I was quickly running out of both burners and skillets to put on them! Never fear! After the onions and peppers had cooked down in their separate skillets for about half an hour, I combined them into one skillet, and prepared to cook the steak strips in the newly emptied skillet.
As everything finished cooking, I took a moment to inhale deeply and appreciate how wonderful my kitchen smelled. I would venture to say that cooking onions is one of the most underappreciated smells....now stop laughing at me. =] Anyway, the steak was tender, the onions and peppers were perfectly caramelized and the cheese melted over the top of it all was creamy and delicious. Overall, this was a great meal; something that I would describe as simple, but time consuming (mainly because of the amount of time required to caramelize stuff without burning it to a crisp).
Philly Cheese Steak Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steak, sliced thinly
2 large Spanish onions
2 large bell peppers (one red and one yellow)
1 package whole grain tortilla wraps
1 can beef broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Mozzarella cheese
Directions: Thinly slice the steak into long strips. Place in a bowl and pour a can of beef broth over the meat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic and onion powder, and marjoram. Stir to mix marinade and thoroughly cover the meat. Set aside. Next halve the onions and slice them thinly. While doing this, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. As you add the onions to the skillet, separate the slices with your fingers in ensure even cooking. Next, slice the bell peppers into thin strips (note: the thinner the better!). Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and about 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil in a smaller skillet and add the peppers. Cook both the onions and peppers over medium-low heat, stirring often. Caramelized onions and peppers will need to cook down for anywhere from 30-40 minutes...like I said, this is pretty simple, but still time consuming.
Once the onions and peppers have begun to caramelize, combine them into one skillet and use the emptied skillet to cook the steak strips (I added just enough olive oil back to the pan to *very* thinly coat the bottom). Enough of the marinade sticks to the steak to deglaze the skillet, which is a nice bonus in the flavor department. As the steak strips finished cooking (I would say mine were somewhere between medium and medium-well) I removed them to a paper towel-covered plate to drain any extra olive oil away. Finally, after the steak strips finished cooking I added the remaining marinade to the skillet and cooked it down into a thick and flavorful au jus (which I carefully poured it a small bowl and promptly left sitting on the countertop while Adam and I headed downstairs with our plates to watch Survivor while we ate -- oops). Anyway, here's how it all came together: I took one of the wraps and loaded it with steak strips, covered them with the caramelized onions and peppers, and then topped it with some shredded mozzarella cheese. I stuck the whole thing into the toaster oven to melt the cheese and then wrapped it up and ate every last bite! It was delicious; the marinade was slightly spicy and and cheese was oozy. What a great meal, and one that I'll definitely be making again. Oh! And Adam, who scoffs at the use of whole grain wraps, ate his cheese steak on a whole wheat hoagie roll and said that it was "pretty good." Which, for anyone who doesn't know my husband, is high praise indeed! =]
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