Kelsey's Cooking Adventures

Hunan Green Beans and Pork

2009-01-05T20:37:00.001-05:00

When browsing my new cookbooks and magazines for weekly recipes, I had marked this one. Kevin is always wanting pork chops but I am not the biggest fan of them. I decided to try this one because green beans are one of the only vegetables he likes, plus it had pork chops. I am glad I tried it because it was very good! I made 2 changes - one was using onion powder instead of the onions because I ran out, and the other was using red wine + an extra 1/2 tsp. sugar instead of the dry sherry, because that is what I had. One of the recipe suggestions was to serve it "southern-style" over cornbread, so I made a pan of cornbread (another one of Kevin's favorites) and we ate it with that.

Green Beans & Pork Hunan-Style
Source: Healthy Cooking for Two (Or Just You) by Frances Price

Ingredients (For 2 servings):
1 pound of fresh green beans
6 oz. lean boneless pork chops
1/2 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1/2 cup defatted chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 green onions, sliced

Snap the stem ends from the beans, then snap the beans into 2" lengths. Immerse them in lukewarm water, then turn them into a colander to drain.

Cut the pork chops into strips about the size and shape of the green beans.

In a large measure, combine the sherry or apple juice, broth or water, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper flakes (if using); stir to dissolve cornstarch and sugar.

Place a heavy, 10" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the oil, then the pork and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the beans and garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in the broth mixture. Cook and stir for 1 minute longer, or until the sauce is translucent and thickened. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes, or until the beans are crisp-tender. Stir in the green onions and serve hot.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-05T20:24:00.003-05:00

The other night I got a craving for some chocolate - not just any chocolate, but gooey, melty chocolate in the form of a just-baked cookie. I was specifically thinking of the triple chocolate chip cookies from Otis Spunkmeyer that we sell at the c-store where I used to work (those things are 6-8 WW points apiece, btw!!). I had some assorted partial packages of chocolate chips and baking chocolate left over from Christmas baking, so I took your basic Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and made them Big Fat Chewy Triple Chocolate Chip cookies! Even better! Mine didn't turn out very fat, probably because I was too impatient to eat them so I skipped the chilling step, which made them spread more than normal. But they were so delicious, and Kevin said he liked them better when they were thinner, so all was well. I made a batch of this dough, baked one dozen of them, and rolled the rest into a log in the freezer for some future use. Maybe the next batch will be fatter - we will see!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Made by Melissa

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped dark baking chocolate

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended (do not over-mix). Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. I refrigerate the dough for a couple hours before baking. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. I prefer smaller cookies, so I use my cookie scoop.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes (about 12 minutes if using cookie scoop size) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Watch closely and pull out of the oven as soon as edges start to turn golden! Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container and these cookies should stay soft for a couple of days, if they last that long! If cookies do start to become hard, add a piece of bread to the container.

I know my un-pretty pictures do not make these look that great, but you are going to have to trust me when I say they are AMAZING and you need to go make them now!!

Deep Dish Cherry Cobbler

2009-01-05T20:11:00.003-05:00

This dessert came from one of the healthy cookbooks I got for Christmas. I really like this book because it gives the amounts for the recipes for two different servings - either 1 or 2 servings, or 2 or 4 servings depending on the recipe. It is geared toward the 1/2 serving recipes, making it ideal for just Kevin and I, and it also gives nutrition information for a serving. Most of the ingredients are either items I usually have in my cabinets, or meat/produce that I buy weekly anyway, so the recipes are pretty low-cost and low-fuss.

I wanted to make a dessert to end our "nice" New Years Day dinner and this sounded pretty good - and it was! Not the most decadent dessert out there (I mean, the fact that there is no chocolate rules it out automatically), but for a "light" fruit dessert it was very tasty. It was the perfect finish to our relatively heavy meal and took no time to throw together.

Deep Dish Cherry Cobbler
Source: Healthy Cooking for Two (Or Just You) by Frances Price

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
1 cup canned water-packed pitted tart cherries, with liquid
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/3 cup reduced-fat biscuit mix
2 tablespoons 1% lowfat milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid. Measure the liquid and add water, if necessary, to make 1/2 cup, and set aside.

Spread the cherries in the bottom of a 3-cup shallow casserole or baking dish.

In a small saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the liquid reserved from the cherries. Place over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the almond extract (if using) and pour the thickened liquid over the cherries.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together the biscuit mix and milk until just blended. Divide the dough into 2 biscuits and spoon over the cherries.

Bake the cobbler for 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are browned and the cherries are bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken Kiev

2009-01-05T19:57:00.003-05:00

I was looking for something a little special to make for New Years Day dinner - something that took a little more time and effort than a usual weeknight dinner. This chicken kiev from Alton Brown fit the bill. It was deliciously juicy and the panko crust was perfectly golden-brown and crispy. It wasn't really that difficult, either - just takes a bit of planning ahead because it needs to rest in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. I served it with roasted potatoes and peas. I also made a (healthy version of a) cherry cobbler for dessert - look for that in my next post!

Chicken Kiev
Source: Food Network (Alton Brown)

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (I didn't have any so I subbed dill weed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large whole eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
2 cups Japanese bread crumbs (panko), plus 1/4 cup for filling
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

Combine butter, parsley, tarragon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place mixture on plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll into small log; place in freezer.

Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt chicken lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.

Lay 1 chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap and place 1/4 of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in the center of each breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in ends of breast and roll breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter; roll very tightly. Repeat with each breast. Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to overnight.

Place egg and water mixture in 1 pie pan and 2 cups bread crumbs in a different pie pan.

Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees F.

Dip each breast in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Gently place each breast in oil, sealed-side down, and cook until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove to a cooling rack set in sheet pan and allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. After reading a bunch of reviews saying that the chicken wasn't all the way done, I put it in the oven for an additional 15 minutes after it was nice and brown on both sides.

Luau Turkey Loaf with Pineapple Chutney

2008-12-31T16:21:00.006-05:00

One of my new Christmas cookbooks is Healthy Cooking for Two (Or Just You) by Francis Price. I immediately went through the entire book and marked recipes that I wanted to try, so when we were brainstorming the menu for this week I turned to the book and looked back at what I had marked. Kevin is always wanting meatloaf but I just don't care for it, but the flavors in this Luau Turkey Loaf actually didn't seem too bad. I had some leftover ground turkey in the freezer so on the menu it went. This dish actually was pretty good, though the pineapple chutney that accompanied it made the meal in my opinion. Kevin liked it pretty well so I have a feeling I will be making this again when the man wants some meatloaf.

Luau Turkey Loaf and Pineapple Chutney
Source: Healthy Cooking for Two (Or Just You) by Francis Price

For 2 servings:
1 tablespoon pineapple or orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped onions
1/8 small sweet green or red pepper, chopped
2 quarter-size slices fresh ginger
6 oz. lean ground turkey
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 large egg white

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender, combine the pineapple or orange juice, soy sauce, onions, peppers, and ginger. Process on medium speed until the vegetables are finely pureed. Pour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the turkey, bread crumbs, and egg.

Lightly coat a small baking sheet with no-stick spray. Blend everything well with your hands and pat the mixture into a loaf shape on the baking sheet. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the loaf is brown on top with no trace of pink in the center when you pierce it with a sharp knife.

Let the loaf stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot or cold.

Pineapple Chutney

1 can (8 oz) juice-packed crushed pineapple (with juice)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped red or green peppers
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons golden raisins (I omitted)

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the pineapple (with juice), sugar, vinegar, onions, red or green peppers, ginger, and pepper flakes. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir in the raisins and microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the chutney stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold.

MA! The meatloaf!!!
...sorry, couldn't resist ;-)

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2008-12-31T16:07:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite snack foods every is Harry and David's Pepper and Onion Relish. Every year my mom and I split a case of the stuff and it usually lasts for a couple months. I usually just use it as a dip for chips, but there are 4 recipes on the jar I have always wanted to try. I finally got around to trying one this past week and while it was very good, I think I like the relish better just by itself! This recipe made enough for 2 bowls of soup, which we ate with warm crescent rolls.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Source: Harry and David

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Pepper and Onion Relish
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock (I just used the whole can)
1/2 cup cream (I used fat free half and half)
Salt to taste
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Optional: 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
My addition: 1 or 2 chopped scallions for garnish

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and saute onion and garlic. Add relish and chicken broth and cook with pot covered for 15 min. over low heat. Add cream, salt, and chicken (optional) and simmer another 8-10 minutes over low heat. Stir in cheese and serve hot. Ladle into bowls and top with scallions.

Roasted Potatoes

2008-12-31T15:45:00.003-05:00

I have had this Cooking Light recipe in a stack of "things to try soon" for about a month now, so I decided to make these for a side for my family's Christmas dinner at my grandma's house. There are about 30 people in the family so we eat a LOT! I made a 5 lb. bag of potatoes and they were gone in under 5 minutes... guess I didn't make enough because not everyone even got some! I know I for one could not wait to eat them, because for the hour drive to Grandma's house all I could think about was how my car smelled like Chicken Shack potatoes (which are amazing, for you poor people who never lived near Detroit and experienced them first-hand)!! I made the vinaigrette in a separate container and put it on the potatoes after I reheated them, right before serving. These were really good and I am making some for tomorrow night's dinner for Kevin and I to enjoy, since we only got a taste last weekend.

New Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Source: Cooking Light, November 2008

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I omitted since I cannot stand any sort of mustard flavor, and used a dash of Worcestershire sauce and an extra dash of salt and vinegar instead)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and potatoes in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tender, stirring after 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
3. Squeeze garlic cloves to extract pulp. Discard skins. Combine garlic pulp, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chives, vinegar,, and mustard into a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add potatoes to bowl; toss well to coat.

Yield: 8 servings (about 3/4 cup)

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

2008-12-31T15:27:00.004-05:00

This cheesecake was inspired by the Cheesecake Factory's Peppermint Bark cheesecake, which is only available around the holidays. I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly what I wanted, but I found one that came pretty close and just made some minor changes to it. I don't think it as good as the Chubby Hubby Cheesecake that I made for Thanksgiving, but it was still very enjoyable. The red and green candy canes gave it a very festive touch. It also was the first cheesecake I made in my new springform pan that I got for Christmas! I ended up having to double the crust because there was no way a single recipe was going to cover the whole bottom of the pan!

White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
Adapted from RecipeZaar

Ingredients:
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
3 eggs
4 oz. white baking chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Crushed candy canes for garnish (I used 1/2 a box, so 4 or 5 candy canes)

Directions:
1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, 4 tablespoons sugar and melted butter together to make crust. Press mixture into bottom of 10-inch springform pan. Bake crust at 325F for 10 minutes. Cool.

2. Mix cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until just blended. Add peppermint extract and eggs, one at a time, mixing after each until blended.

3. Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler and stir into cream cheese mixture.

4. Pour mixture over cooled crust. Bake 45-50 minutes at 325F or until center is almost set. Cool completely, then refrigerate for (at least) 4 hours.

5. When ready to serve, spread a thin layer of whipped topping or whipped cream on top of cheesecake (if desired) and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. You can sprinkle with red and green sugar, too, if you like.

Quick Candied Yams

2008-12-30T23:32:00.003-05:00

Since Kevin and I spent Christmas with just the two of us this year, I didn't go all out on the menu. We got some sliced ham from Heavenly Ham, and I served it with corn, peas, and these yams. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, again!) It was a very nice day and it was the first time we had spent all of Christmas day together with just us. Like the title of the recipe implies, they are quick, easy, and tasty! I reduced the sugar because we don't like them to be overly sweet. I also added some cinnamon and nutmeg because I love those flavors together!

Quick Candied Yams
Adapted from the recipe on the side of the Bruce's Yams can

1 can Bruce's Yams (the medium size can)
2 TB butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup syrup from the can
Sprinkle of cinnamon to taste
Sprinkle of nutmeg to taste

Place Yams in a shallow baking dish. Combine syrup from can, sugar and butter in saucepan, stirring to boil to thicken. Pour sauce over Yams. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake in 350° oven for 20 to 30 minutes, basting frequently.

Hearty Christmas Pasta

2008-12-30T23:11:00.003-05:00

My dad and I created this recipe together when I was home for a few days leading up to Christmas. I call it Christmas pasta because it is red and green. It is very filling and delicious, and has some unexpected ingredients that most people (myself included) don't tend to think of as going with pasta (such as the carrots), but worked very well. This could be made healthier by using lean ground beef and turkey sausage, but since it includes so many veggies already it isn't too bad. Since we made this up by tasting as we went along, I am going to try my best to recall this exactly how we did it, but I didn't take any exact measurements so keep that in mind.

Hearty Christmas Pasta
A Kelsey and Jeff original

1 box farfalle pasta, cooked
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 links italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 - 1 whole onion, chopped
3-4 cloves minced garlic1 1/2 green peppers, in a large dice
2 handfuls baby carrots
4-5 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste and 1 can of water
2 teaspoons Dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Handful fresh basil leaves
Handful cherry tomato halves

Brown ground beef and sausage in a large skillet. Remove from pan and add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes then add the green peppers, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes or so until starting to soften, then add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and seasonings. Add browned meat back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is reduced to the consistency you want. Make sure to taste the sauce as you go and adjust seasonings. Remove from heat, stir in basil and cherry tomatoes, and serve over the farfalle.

Green Beans with Bacon

2008-12-30T23:05:00.002-05:00

I made this as a side dish for our Christmas potluck with Kevin's side of the family (sorry, forgot to take a picture!). The were yummy! I used onion instead of shallots and turkey bacon instead of regular bacon because that was what I had in my fridge, and also to lighten it up a bit. It was very good and I would make the recipe again, but it is nothing too special.

Green Beans with Bacon
Source: Cooking Light

Yields 12 servings (2/3 cup)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
3 bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Cook green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add shallots to drippings in pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add beans, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; toss to combine. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. Remove from heat. Sprinkle bacon over bean mixture; toss.

Christmas Cookies!

2008-12-30T22:43:00.004-05:00

This is the first year I have every really gotten into Christmas baking, but I really enjoyed making all my cookies. My friend Melanie came over one night and we baked for hours, accomplishing about half of these. The others were made over my finals week, because I had no finals (lucky me!). I enjoyed taking these to work, to holiday parties, and of course, snacking on them at home!

So this post isn't ridiculously long, I will just link to the recipes I found in other blogs, and will only post the recipes here that are family recipes I used.

Espresso Shortbread (Source: Yum.)
Chocolate Toffee Cookies (Source: Smitten Kitchen)
Mexican Wedding Cookies (Source: A Year in the Kitchen) Not pictured; these got eaten up too fast!

Top to bottom: Peanut Butter cookies with mini PB cups, Chocolate Toffee cookies, and Espresso Shortbread

It was my first time making all of these recipes, all were wonderful, and all will definitely be made again! I especially loved the lemon zest added to the Mexican Wedding cookies, it was so refreshing tasting with all that sugar!

The following 3 recipes are family recipes from my mom:

Sugar Cookies
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cream: Shortening, sugar, eggs, and flavoring
Mix: Dry ingredients
Add: Dry ingredients to cream mixture
Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Decorate as desired.
Bake 10 minutes.

Gingerbread Men

4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Cream: Shortening, sugar, eggs, and molasses
Mix: Dry ingredients
Add: Dry ingredients to creamed mixture
Roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters.
Bake for about 10 minutes

Peanut Butter Cookies (With Mini PB Cups or Kisses)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Cream: Butter and peanut butter
Add: Egg, vanilla, sugar, brown sugar, flour, and baking soda
Roll into 1" balls and put onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes
Immediately press in mini PB cups or kisses (14 oz. bag)
Let cool 10 minutes.

Captain Morgan Rum Balls

2008-12-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

I didn't catch a picture of these guys but I wanted to blog about them anyway. First I would like to say that I never plan to make these again. A couple people who tried them liked them, but most people agreed that they were way too strong, including Kevin's sister, who drinks Captain Morgan almost exclusively. So, if you like strong alcohol flavoring then go for it; if you don't, then I would pass on this one. They were, however, easy to make, but be prepared for your hands to get very messy!

Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum Balls
Source: Gifts From Your Kitchen

1 box vanilla wafers
4 tablespoons white Karo syrup
1/2 cup Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum or similar spiced rum
3 tablespoons powdered cocoa
1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Blend vanilla wafers in blender until they are powdered. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Roll into half dollar size balls. Roll in confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate overnight.

Dr. Pepper Peanut Brittle

2008-12-30T22:32:00.003-05:00

I found this recipe and thought it looked pretty simple. I was also wanting something else to go with all the holiday cookies I was making, so I decided to give it a go. I think my parents ate almost the whole batch themselves, and my mom especially loved it! It was quite easy and the cayenne adds an unexpected kick, so if you don't like sweet and spicy together than I would reduce this amount, or just omit it.

Dr. Pepper Peanut Brittle
Source: Homesick Texan, originally adapted from Cooking with Dr. Pepper and 7-Up

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of sugar
3/4 cups of butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/4 cup of Dr Pepper
2 cups roasted and salted peanuts, shelled
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

Method:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all the ingredients except for the baking soda in a pot, cook on medium heat and bring to a boil stirring often.

3. When the temperature reaches 290 degrees, remove from heat and stir in soda. Mixture will foam up and double in size.
4. Spread mixture thin on baking sheet using a silicone spatula.
5. When mixture cools and hardens (about half an hour), break into pieces and serve.
Makes 1 1/2 pounds or enough to feed you and a couple of other people.

Lasagna Rollups

2008-12-30T22:22:00.004-05:00

Kevin loves lasagna. But since there are just the 2 of us, I don't like to make a whole pan because we would have so much left over. Then I found this recipe for lasagna rollups, decided to try them, and now I think he likes these even better than regular lasagna! These are a regular dinner item in our house, and I probably make them once every 3 weeks or so. I make mine with the spinach, but Kevin doesn't like it so I make his with just the meat and cheese.

Beef and Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups
Source: Pillsbury.com
Ingredients:

1/4	lb extra lean ground beef
3	tablespoons chopped onion
1	jar (14-oz.) tomato pasta sauce
1	egg white
1/2	cup ricotta cheese
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1	teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3/4	cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz)
4	(8x2 1/2-inch) frozen precooked lasagna noodles, thawed (I use cooked dry noodles)
1	cup fresh baby spinach leaves, washed, stems removed

Directions:

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. In 8-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce. Remove from heat.
2.	In bottom of ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish, spread 3 tablespoons of the remaining pasta sauce. In medium bowl, beat egg white. Stir in ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
3.	Spread 1/4 each of ricotta mixture, spinach leaves and beef mixture over each lasagna noodle. Starting with short side, gently and loosely roll each noodle; place seam side down over sauce in baking dish. Top roll-ups with remaining sauce. Cover with foil.
4.	Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 2 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

One note: don't use fat free mozzarella like I did (it was all I had), or you will not get the nice gooey melted cheese on top. It will look like the picture above, and it is ok, but gooey cheese is way better.

Seasoned Pretzels

2008-12-30T22:16:00.003-05:00

These are something my mom makes every holiday season, and sometimes as a treat at other times in the year. They are super simple to make and so tasty! I bet you can't eat just one!

Seasoned Pretzels
Source: My Mom

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

20 oz. of broken pretzel sticks (the thick rod kind)
3/4 cup oil
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 Tbsp. dill weed
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder

Mix together oil, ranch dressing mix, dill weed, and garlic powder.
Coat pretzel pieces.

Bake in oven for 1 hour.
Stir every 15 minutes.

Roasted Chicken Penne

2008-12-26T18:27:00.004-05:00

This is a great comfort food recipe for a cold day. It reminds me of chicken pot pie, in pasta form.

Roasted Chicken Penne
Source: The Everything Quick and Easy 30-Minute, 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Larsen

2 cups penne pasta
2 roasted deli chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless breasts that I poached myself)
1 10-oz jar garlic Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup chicken gravy (from deli or jar)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, remove meat from chicken and shred. Combine with Alfredo sauce, chicken gravy, and vegetables in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce bubbles and chicken and vegetables are hot, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. When pasta is cooked al dente, drain thoroughly and add to chicken mixture, stirring and tossing gently. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and serve.

Serves 4.

Homemade Christmas gifts!

2008-12-26T17:54:00.006-05:00

This year I decided to do mostly homemade gifts, for fun and also to save a little money. I made three different types of cookie mix in a jar, which Kevin and I gave to friends, family, and coworkers. I decorated these with fabric circles and made a tag with baking instructions, which I tied with a ribbon around the top. I also made two different types of flavored cooking oil for my dad. (Also a no-sew fleece blanket for my brother, but that doesn't really belong here!)

M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar
Source: About.com

Jar Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
* M & M's

Filling the Jar:
Layer the ingredients in a quart size canning jar in the order listed. I used a small funnel and it worked pretty good for most of the ingredients! Use enough candy pieces so the jar is full to the top. You can use regular M & M's (I used the red and green ones) or the mini M & M's made for baking. Pack down all indredients, especially the brown sugar!

The website has printable tags that include baking directions for the recipient!

Decorative Brownie Mix in a Jar
Source: About.com

Jar Ingredients:

1 1/8 cup flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vanilla chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

walnuts

Filling the Jar:
Layer the ingredients in a quart size canning jar in the order listed. I used a small funnel and it worked pretty good for most of the ingredients! The walnuts are optional. If you use the walnuts, use enough to fill the jar to the top. If you do not use the walnuts, use extra chocolate and vanilla chips so the jar is full to the top. Pack down all indredients, especially the brown sugar!

The website has printable tags that include baking instructions for the recipient!

Snowball Cookie Mix in a Jar
Source: Gifts From Your Kitchen

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

(4 1/4 cups are placed in quart jar.)

Place 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar in a separate packet to attach to jar with recipe.

Attach the following instructions to the jar:

Snowballs
Cream 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter or margarine with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the Snowball Cookie Mix until ingredients are well combined. Dust your hands with a little of the confectioners' sugar and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, in a preheated oven, for 5 minutes at 325 degrees F or just until light brown. Transfer to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then roll in the confectioners' sugar.

These cookies keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Do not freeze them.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

First I used measuring cups to figure out the volume of my bottles; they held just under 2 cups. Then I adjusted the amounts in the recipes accordingly. The bottles came from the Dollar Tree.

Hot Chile Oil
Source: Whole Foods Market

Makes 3 (8-ounce) bottles of oil

Ingredients
3 teaspoons peppercorns (white, black or pink)
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 teaspoons red chile flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (25.4-ounce) bottle extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
10 whole dried chile pods

Method

Wash 3 glass bottles with hot soapy water, rinse well and set aside to dry. Once dry, place 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon red chile flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in each bottle. Heat olive oil and chile pods in a sauce pan to 150°F, turn heat off and allow oil to sit for a half hour. Carefully strain out chile pods. Place funnel in the bottle opening and pour oil in the bottle, leaving about 1 to 2 inches at the top. Shake to mix well, seal and store in a cool dark place for 1 week before enjoying. Package with a stainless steel spout around the neck of the bottle for easy dispensing.

Basil Oil
Source: Food Network - Michael Chiarello

For soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro or tarragon: Use 4 cups packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil.

For woody herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano or lemon verbena: Use 1 cup packed leaves to 2 cups pure olive oil.

In a blender, puree the herbs and oil until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Don't press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your hand to get the oil to drip through faster.

Immediately strain the oil again through a flat-bottomed paper filter. If the filter clogs, you may need to change the filter partway through. It's okay to pick the filter up and squeeze it gently to get the oil out faster, but be careful not to break the filter.

(Sometimes a little dark liquid comes through the filter first. Don't worry; that's water. It will settle to the bottom because it is heavier than the oil.)

Let the filtered oil settle for a few hours, then pour it off the dark liquid. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place.

Cook's Notes: The oil passes through the filter faster if it's filtered while still hot, so set up your filter before you start the recipe. You'll need a flat-bottomed paper filter, like those used for some drip coffee machines. Cone-shaped filters tend to get clogged.

Yield: about 1 1/3 cups

Oreo Truffles

2008-12-26T17:35:00.006-05:00

These little truffles are so decadent, and they are a perfect holiday treat! They do take a little bit of time, but they are pretty easy (except when you try to grab your hot burner with your bare hand and give yourself a second degree burn, but that is a different story).

Oreo Truffles
Source: Skinny Food by Amy

1 package oreos
14 oz. condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Almond bark or melting chocolate

First, crush the oreos in a ziploc bag or a food processor. Then, add the condensed milk and mix together. Form into small balls (a cookie scoop is a great way to do this) and place in the freezer to set for about half an hour. In the meantime, prepare your melting chocolates according to the package instructions in the microwave or double boiler. Then, dip the balls in chocolate (I used toothpicks to hold the balls in the chocolate) and allow to cool on parchment or mini candy cups. Decorate with a white chocolate drizzle or sprinkles, if desired.

I got about 30 or so truffles out of the recipe, but I made them bigger than I would have liked. They were so large that you could barely eat a whole one because they were so rich. They also were a little too large for the mini muffin wrappers I was using. I will definitely be making these again, just with a smaller scooper!

Italian Chicken Pitas

2008-12-26T17:27:00.006-05:00

Another easy, quick one pan meal! You can also use this filling for wraps, or just eat it plain!

Italian Chicken Pitas
Source: Weight Watchers Recipes

3/4lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut in thin 1" slices
1 small Zucchini cliced (1/2 cup)
1 small Carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
1 small Onion, slice in rings, then halve them
1/4 tsp dried Oregano, Basil and ground Pepper
1 med Tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
3 pita pocket breads, 6", warmed & halved
1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 dash garlic powder per sandwich (optional)

Stir fry chicken with non-stick cooking spray until cooked, no longer pink inside. Add Zucchini, Carrot, Onion, & Seasonings. (Add a little water if needed) Stir fry 2 - 3 min, until crisp tender. Remove from heat & add tomato just before filling warmed pocket breads. Sprinkle fillings with cheese.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

I have not measured the volume that goes into each pita, but I would estimate the filling volume around 1/2 cup. Add lettuce to cooled mix for a little more volume.

These pitas are a great way for me to sneak vegetables into Kevin's food, since he usually doesn't eat them. He claims to not like any of the ingredients in these except the chicken and carrots, yet somehow he will eat every bite when you put them all together!

Spicy Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Basil

2008-12-26T17:14:00.005-05:00

This is one of Kevin's favorite pasta dishes because of the shrimp, and one of mine because of the fresh basil!

Spicy Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Basil
Source: Unknown

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
6 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced italian-style tomatoes in juice
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorrino Romano

Directions: Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red pepper flakes and canned tomatoes (in their juice) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes and basil.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain; reserving 1/2-1 cup cooking water. Transfer pasta to serving bowl. Add reserved cooking water, tomato sauce, shrimp, basil and parmesan cheese, and toss. Serve immediately.

I printed this recipe out ages ago, probably from a Weight Watchers message board, but I am not really sure where it came from. I usually make a half recipe of this without the cherry tomatoes for the 2 of us. One other thing I do is crush the tomatoes with the back of a slotted spoon after I dump the can in, because Kevin doesn't like chunks of tomatoes and they cook down a little better this way.

Chubby Hubby Cheesecake

2008-12-26T16:56:00.004-05:00

I made this cheesecake (based on the Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor) for my family's Thanksgiving dinner, and it was a huge hit! There were a couple of slices left at the end of the dinner, so we ate it for breakfast the next morning and it was just as good!

Chubby Hubby Cheesecake
Source: Quirky Cupcake

Crust:
2 cups finely crushed pretzel sticks
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter

Stir together all ingredients; firmly press crumb mixture on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 9-inch pieplate. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and cool crust 1 hour or until completely cool before filling.

Peanut butter layer:
Blend 1/3 cup peanut butter, 2 TB cream cheese, and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until smooth.
You might want to double this; I ended up doubling this layer because a single recipe wasn't enough to cover the entire crust.

Chocolate ganache layer:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 TB heavy cream

Heat the chips in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds. Heat the cream, and stir into melted chips until smooth.

Cheesecake:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces (1 cup) cottage cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the cream cheese and cottage cheese into the food processor and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times, for 2 minutes, until you’ve got a smooth, satiny mix. Add the sugar, salt and spices and process for another 30 seconds. With the machine running, add the eggs and process, scraping the bowl as needed, for a final minute.

Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the filling is uniformly puffed and no longer jiggly. Gently transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack and allow the torte to cool to room temperature, during which time the filling will collapse into a thin, elegant layer.

Run a blunt knife between the crust and the sides of the pan, then open and remove the sides of the springform. If the sides of the crust extend above the filling and you don’t like this look, very gently saw off the excess crust using a serrated knife. Chill the torte slightly or thoroughly before serving and if you’d like, dust the top with confectioner’s sugar.

Assembly:
After the crust has cooled, spread the peanut butter layer on first, then pour the chocolate ganache on top of that. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the chocolate layer, then bake as directed.

Like I said, this was a hit! It was also my first attempt at making a cheesecake, so I was happy that it was so successful. I will definitely be keeping this recipe around. It is also great because it is a good base recipe that can be played with, adding different things to it to create different flavors.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2008-12-26T16:31:00.005-05:00

I made this with the honey yeast rolls for my family on the night before Thanksgiving. It was so delicious! I couldn't find any of the blackening spice that the recipe calls for, so I ended up making my own version based on a recipe I found from Emeril.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Source: The Cynical Chef, originally from Food Network

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Emeril's Essence
Source: Food Network

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

My dad, who is a spicy food fanatic, loved this! It was pretty much the perfect seasoning, it had a great kick but didn't burn your mouth off. The leftovers were pretty good the next day, too.

Honey Yeast Rolls

2008-12-26T16:16:00.005-05:00

Bad me... these next 3 posts are all from before thanksgiving! I blame the fact that I was trying to graduate, but now that I have no school and no job (yet) I have no excuse anymore! Time to get back to blogging!

I made these rolls when I was at my parents house as a day before Thanksgiving dinner. I had been wanting to make them for awhile and my mom has a Kitchenaid, so I was excited to try them!

Honey Yeast Rolls
Source: Annie's Eats (Adapted from ...A cookie a day)

Honey Yeast Rolls
Ingredients:
2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 cup warm water (105°-115° F)
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
vegetable cooking spray
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp honey

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix until it is incorporated into the dough. Switch to the dough hook, and continue kneading on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Punch the dough down and divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place into a round, lightly greased baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush lightly over the tops of the rolls. Bake at 400° for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Overall these tasted great! They are not the prettiest rolls (especially compared to the ladies' I got the recipe from!) but I guess that will come with practice. The only issue I had with them was that the rolls in the middle were still a little doughy in the center. If I had a Kitchenaid I would be making these all the time, but I think I am too lazy to make bread that I have to knead by hand!

White Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon and Banana Bread Biscotti

2008-12-02T13:48:00.003-05:00

I have had this starred on my google reader for awhile now so last week I made it for my family a few days before Thanksgiving. The cinnamon chips were a bit elusive but I finally tracked them down, and it was worth all the searching! They are so good!

White Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon and Banana Bread Biscotti
Source: Picky Palate

Ingredients:

¾ Cup mashed over ripe bananas
1 egg
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¾ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour
½ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ Cup cinnamon chips
1 Cup white chocolate chips
White non-perils

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bananas, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla into a large bowl; mix until combined. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cinnamon chips into a large bowl; mix to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry until combined. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and place onto a silpat lined baking sheet 4 inches apart from each other. Form each piece of dough into a 7 inch logs, about 2 inches wide. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven, reduce heat to 250 degrees F and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice biscotti into ½ inch strips, on the diagonal. Place slices back onto cookie sheet and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until crisped. Let cool completely.

2. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until smooth. Dip top corner of biscotti in chocolate then sprinkle with non perils. Let dry on wax paper.

Makes about 30 biscotti

Homemade Doggie Treats

2008-12-02T13:30:00.004-05:00

My parents got a puppy over the summer who has now grown into a sweet 9 month old girl. When I visited them over Thanksgiving I decided to make her some delicious treats. She loves peanut butter so I knew she would gobble these up!

Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Source: Skinny Food by Amy

1 cup Natural Peanut Butter
2 cups Whole Wheat flour
1 cup 2% milk
1 tablespoon baking powder

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl (pb and milk). Mix dry ingredients in a different bowl (flour and baking powder). Mix wet ingredients slowly into dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until starting to brown.

I used a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the treats. It made a lot - 3 baking sheets worth. These would be a great Christmas gift to your dog owner friends!

Johanna scarfed these right down, and begged for more right away!

Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-12-02T13:13:00.005-05:00

There is nothing like chicken noodle soup on a cold winter day, or when you are feeling a little under the weather. This recipe from Taste and See makes a huge pot of soup that can be frozen into individual bowls for whenever you need a comforting little pick-me-up.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Source: Taste and See

Ingredients:
3 cups boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Enough water to fill up half your stock pot

2 bay leaves
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3-4 chicken bullion cubes

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
1 package egg noodles

Directions:
Fill half the stock pot with water. Trim all visible fat from chicken and place in water. Place bay leaves, carrots, celery, bullion, onions, salt and pepper in water also. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked throughout. Take chicken out and shred or cube. While chicken is out of the pot, place the noodles in and cook according to the back of the package. While the noodles are cooking, taste the broth and season accordingly (if needed). Shred or chop chicken. Once the noodles are cooked, place the chicken back in the stock pot.

As Maryanna said, this soup is one where you can just "dump" ingredients in... no measuring required! Just make it to your taste, and enjoy!

Low Cholesterol Scalloped Potatoes

2008-11-11T00:27:00.008-05:00

I have never made scalloped potatoes and I haven't had them in a long time, so I made this to go along with the crispy yogurt chicken. I have had this recipe saved for a while as a "healthier" recipe to try so I just went for it.

Low Cholesterol Scalloped Potatoes
Source: Spark Recipes

Ingredients:
4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
1 onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons low cholesterol margarine
1 1/2 cups skim milk

Directions:
1. Layer potatoes and onions in casserole, sprinkling flour between each layer.
2. Heat milk and margarine and season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Pour sauce over all layers.
3. Bake 1 hour covered at 350 F. Remove cover and bake additional 30 minutes.
Makes 6 servings.

These turned out pretty good. I overcooked them just a tad so the edges were really dark, but they were nice and moist and flavorful in the middle. I tweaked the recipe a bit since it was only the two of us- I used 1 large baking potato, 1/4 of an onion, and 1 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of margarine for the sauce. The proportions were right on and it could have fed about 4 people as a side dish.

Pioneer Woman's Crispy Yogurt Chicken

2008-11-11T00:15:00.006-05:00

This was another one that has been floating around on the message boards for awhile, and a lot of people seemed to rave about it! For me, it was an easy weeknight dinner that came out great. It was very crispy, which I was happy with because some people had trouble getting it crispy enough. I will definitely be making this again - but I found it to be a bit bland, so I think I will add some stronger seasonings next time.

Crispy Yogurt Chicken
Source: Pioneer Woman

Chicken pieces (I used boneless skinless breasts)
2 cups plain, unflavored yogurt (I used fat free)
2-3 cloves garlic
Parsley
The juice of one lemon
Salt
Butter
Approx. 2 cups Panko bread crumbs

-Mix the yogurt, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice together in a bowl.
-Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt.
-In another bowl place the bread crumbs. Give them a sprinkling of salt too and then stir.
-Butter a baking dish. With tongs place the chicken, one piece at a time, into the yogurt mixture. Turn it over thoroughly to coat. Then roll the chicken in the Panko brad crumbs. Cover each piece thoroughly wiht bread crumbs and place in the baking dish.
-Finally, place a slice of butter over the large part of each chicken piece. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes of the cooking. When the chicken is nice and golden, remove from the oven and enjoy!

Since I read about the problems people had getting it crispy, I made sure to get the excess yogurt off before I dipped in the bread crumbs. Also, I forgot to cover it with foil, but I think this was part of the reason mine got so crispy. It ended up only taking an hour without the foil.

Halloween Eyeball Cupcakes

2008-11-11T00:09:00.004-05:00

My boss's birthday is on Halloween so we all brought in treats to celebrate. I had seen these on Confections of a Foodie Bride and I thought they would be perfect. I must confess, I cheated and used a box chocolate cake mix and jarred vanilla frosting, so no recipes there. I just wanted to show you my decorating!

I made these with gummy savers, brown mini m&ms, and for the frosting I mixed red food coloring into some of the frosting and used a ziploc with the corner cut off to pipe it on. They were a big hit at work!

Apple Spice Cookie Bars

2008-11-11T00:04:00.008-05:00

These have been floating around on the message boards for awhile now so I made them to take to a tailgate to see what all the fuss was about- they were delicious! They were sitting outside in the cold weather and I think they might have even tasted better cold than warm! I did make one small change which was to sub in one cup of whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose.

Apple Spice Cookie Bars
Source: Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
2 c. plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
small pinch ground cloves
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 apples, cored and diced (a little less than 2 c.)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 9x13 pan with foil and baking spray.
-In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
-Whisk to combine well and set aside.
-In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine.
-Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.
-Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
-Fold in apples.
-Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle top generously with cinnamon sugar.
-Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 30 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting and serving. (bars will be very soft)

They were absolutely delicious and I would definitely make these again!

Veggie Pasta Salad

2008-11-10T23:54:00.004-05:00

I love making this stuff, but I don't get a chance to very often. It is one of those things that you make for a crowd. I get carried away throwing stuff into it so it is hard for me to scale it back! It is great because you can use whatever veggies you love or whatever you have on hand. You can also adjust the seasonings to your taste. I loathe mayo so I use Italian salad dressing as the main ingredient.

Veggie Pasta Salad

3 bell peppers, assorted colors
2 small heads of broccoli
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch celery
3 carrots
1/2 - 1 cup Light Italian salad dressing
Seasoning salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Italian seasoning blend
Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Cook the pasta and run it under cold water until it is chilled. Chop the veggies and toss with the pasta. Add the salad dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste.

This stuff is truly simple to make. It is best when you let it sit for a few hours or overnight before serving to let the flavors blend together. It is also fantastic as leftovers for snacks or portable lunches! I made this for a tailgate and was eating the leftovers all week, and never got sick of it.

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Arugula

2008-11-10T23:47:00.005-05:00

I have been a really bad blogger! I have been so busy the past couple weeks I haven't even had time to unload my pictures off my camera, so I apologize for the lack of updating!

On to the food- the only thing I have to say about this is that it was delicious! I ate it for lunch for the next two days and it was just as good as the first time.

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage-Tomato Sauce, Arugula, and Parmesan
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2008 via Pachey's Treats

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 pounds fresh hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes with added puree

8 ounces rigatoni

2 cups (packed) fresh arugula, stemmed

1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I omitted)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain drippings. Add wine, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes; increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Stir pasta, arugula, basil and oregano into tomato sauce. Simmer until arugula wilts, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

I didn't get a good picture of this before we ate, so this is actually my leftovers the next day... oops! I guess that is something I need to work on, because I have made several dishes over the last few weeks and totally forgotten to take photos. And what fun is a blog post with no photos!

Kevin's Birthday Brownies

2008-10-23T12:56:00.008-04:00

Kevin's birthday is tomorrow and originally, he had asked me to make him German chocolate cake for his birthday. Then, we ended up scheduling our cake tasting for the wedding (!!!!) for tomorrow. I asked him if he still wanted a birthday cake even though we were going to be cake tasting and he said no, he wanted some brownies instead that he could take to work today (his work is sweet and gives you your birthday as a paid day off). In the past I have made plenty of brownies from the box mixes, but I wanted to try making them from scratch this time.

Baker's One Bowl Brownies
Source: Baker's Chocolate box

Ingredients:
4 squares Baker's Unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (I omitted)
I also added some Wilton Halloween sprinkles on top.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13x9-inch baking ban with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil. (I didn't use foil and just sprayed the pan with cooking spray)
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high for 2 min., or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour and nuts; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container.

I haven't tried one yet, but it seems like they were a hit because I got this text message from Kevin a little while ago: "Brownies are amazing!" I asked him to save me one for later and he replied "Good luck everybody is eating them all." Hopefully I will get to try one when we both get home from work tonight, but if not that just gives me an excuse to make another batch!

Thai Chicken Pizza

2008-10-22T23:35:00.005-04:00

Lately I have been in a mood for California Pizza Kitchen, which of course we don't have here in southern Indiana. My favorite thing from there was always the Thai Chicken pizza. I know they sell a frozen version in the grocery store but I decided to try and recreate the pizza myself. I thought it was delicious, though it has been so long since I had the original that I don't really have anything to compare it to. Kevin wasn't the biggest fan of the flavors, though he did finish two slices.

Thai Chicken Pizza
Inspiration: California Pizza Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 batch of pizza dough (I used store bought but you could easily use homemade)
1/2 cup of Thai peanut sauce (see previous blog entry for recipe)
1 very large cooked chicken breast, chopped
2 scallions (on my half only since Kevin doesn't like them)
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup peanuts - I bought these to put on the pizza, but ended up forgetting until dinner was over!! :( It was still good without them, though.
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Spread pizza dough onto baking surface. Top with sauce, then all toppings except cilantro, and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Thai Peanut Sauce

2008-10-22T01:01:00.009-04:00

I made this tonight in preparation for tomorrow's dinner, Thai Chicken Pizza. I was planning on just buying a jar of the stuff, but when I looked at Kroger it cost over $6, so I decided to try making it instead. I already had peanut butter and soy sauce so I figured I would just google for a recipe. That I did, and I came up with this recipe from Cooking with Amy.

Perfect Peanut Sauce
Source: Cooking with Amy

1/4 cup peanut butter (natural, no sugar kind) (I only had the regular kind so I used that)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar (I used a bit less than this since my peanut butter had sugar in it)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup coconut milk (lite is fine, if you prefer or substitute water)
1/4 cup water
red chili flake to taste
chili garlic sauce to taste or 1 clove crushed garlic

Optional:
sesame oil
curry paste
rice wine vinegar
fish sauce
grated ginger
shallots sauteed till brown in oil
Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients with a whisk in a small bowl, adding the water last. Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Experiment with this sauce adding a teaspoon at a time of one of the optional additions and tasting as you go. Serve hot or cold.

I ended up adding a splash of rice vinegar and sesame seed oil to my sauce, and a dash of ground ginger. It smelled and tasted great, so I am hopeful for tomorrow's pizza! I will try to get a picture tomorrow night.

White Chocolate-Macademia-Pretzel Bars

2008-10-20T16:06:00.006-04:00

Oh man these cookie bars were AMAZING! I took them to work on Saturday night and my co-workers went through almost the whole pan! I had 3 people ask for the recipe, so I would say that they were successful.

White Chocolate-Macademia-Pretzel Bars
Source: Pillsbury

Ingredients:
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated sugar cookies
1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pretzel sticks or twists
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 oz)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped cashews (I used macademia nuts)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13x9in pan with cooking spray. Break up cookie dough into pan. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of the white chocolate chips and the pretzels over dough; lightly press into dough.
2. Bake 16-20 min or until light golden brown. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 30 minutes.

3. In small microwaveable bowl, place 1/4 cup of the white chocolate chips; set aside. In large microwaveable bowl, microwave remaining white chocolate chips and the semisweet chips on high for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. If necessary, microwave 30 seconds longer. Stir in peanut butter and cashews. Spread mixture evenly over cooled baked crust. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 15 minutes. (It took mine over 30 minutes to set completely)
4. Microwave reserved 1/4 cup white chocolate chips on high for 30 seconds; stir until melted and smooth. If necessary, microwave 10 seconds longer. (I added a few drops of vegetable oil to thin out the chocolate and make it easier to pour) Drizzle over bars. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. (I did 5x6 rows)

Overall these were so so good, but very rich! I ate two and got a stomachache, but that was probably a good thing because any more and I would have been at the gym for hours working them off! One thing I might change is to make my own sugar cookie dough from scratch instead of the premade kind, just because I am not the hugest fan of the taste of the Pillsbury sugar dough, but it was a very good shortcut that made these super easy to put together.

Sweet Potato Fries

2008-10-20T15:53:00.004-04:00

I have never made my own fries before, usually opting for the Ore Ida bagged fries for a side, so I decided to give it a go. I didn't really follow a recipe for this, but just cut up the sweet potatoes, seasoned them and threw them in the oven for about 45 minutes. I thought they tasted pretty good, but they were not very crispy at all so my fiance didn't enjoy them too much. One thing I did try was adding an egg white to the olive oil I tossed them in, because I read somewhere that this will help them crisp up more, but it didn't seem to do anything for me.

Sweet Potato Fries
2 large sweet potatoes
Seasoning Salt
Thyme
Garlic powder
1-2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 egg white

Would I make these again? Yep! I love sweet potatoes, and like I said, they tasted great, it was just the non-crispiness of them that wasn't so awesome. I would definitely be a little less lazy and cut the fry pieces much smaller, as I think that might have had something to do with it.

Focaccia Bread

2008-10-17T22:09:00.003-04:00

For my first real blog post, I think it is fitting that I am posting about my first time making anything with yeast. I found this focaccia recipe over at Amber's Delectable Delights and have been wanting to try it for awhile, but I was afraid of the yeast since I had never used it before. It turned out that I had nothing to be afraid of- the bread was very easy to make and turned out to be delicious!

Blitz Bread: No-Fuss Focaccia
Source: King Arthur Flour via Amber's Delectable Delights

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour I used 2 cups regular bleached all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
1/4 cup (1 ounce) Vermont cheese powder, optional
Pizza Seasoning, optional
I omitted the above seasonings and used garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1) Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.
2) Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.
3) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it's become puffy.
4) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.
6) Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.
7) Bake the bread till it's golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(by the way, if anyone knows why this picture rotated itself and how to get it back the right direction, please let me know...)

I cut the bread into 6 pieces, then since it was so thick I cut each piece in half through the middle to make 2 slices. I made paninis with turkey, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves on our little George Foreman grill, which I served with baked sweet potato fries. My bread addict fiance loved the fact that I made homemade bread, even though he thought the fries were not crispy enough. Oh well, I liked them. :)

New blog

2008-10-17T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I decided it was time for me to start my own food blog. I have always enjoyed cooking, but about a year ago I began to get more "serious" about it and started cooking on a regular basis. A few months ago I found the What's Cooking board on the Nest and started reading a number of blogs and have gotten so many new recipes and cooking ideas from the ladies over there! This blog will be a way for me to keep track of the food I prepare and the progress made with my cooking skills, as well as share ideas with others.