Lipstick Blogger

Spaghetti with Bacon Sauce & Meatballs

2012-01-05T17:38:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love a good red sauce. I have my tried and true Bolognese recipe, which I have posted here and I also love Barefoot Contessa's Weeknight Bolognese recipe, which you can find here. But, I think I found a new favorite to ad to my collection.

I was watching Food Network and stumbled across a new show called, "The Best Thing I Ever Made". There is another Food Network show called, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" where renowned Chef's share the places they love to go and eat everything from the best pizza they ever ate, the best dessert they ever ate, the best fried chicken they ever ate and so on. The show is so entertaining and I am always salivating as the chefs describe the amazing culinary creations they have come across. Well, this new show, "The Best Thing I Ever Made", is a similar idea, however the renowned chefs talk about the best dishes they have ever made. I was watching an episode when Beau MacMillan discussed a dish prepared by the mother of one of his close childhood friends. The dish was, Spaghetti with Bacon Sauce & Meatballs and it is to die for. I love bacon and firmly believe that everything is better with bacon and this sauce is no different - it is sensational.

Please, try this if you love bacon, red sauce and meatballs. It is amazing and I was incredibly surprised at how simple it was to make. The only thing that makes this a bit time consuming is the amount of time the sauce needs to simmer. Other than that, this can dish can be put together in about 20-30 minutes.

One thing to note, the original recipe as it is on Food Network uses Bucatini pasta, which I couldn't find, so I switched mine to Spaghetti.

Spaghetti with Bacon Sauce & Meatballs
Ingredients
Bacon Sauce:
7 or 8 strips regular bacon
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Two 28-ounce cans chunky ground tomatoes, such as Pastene Chunky Kitchen Ready

Meatballs:
Oil, for greasing pan
2 pounds 80-percent lean ground beef
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (made from day old Italian bread)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (not too fine)
2 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound bucatini pasta

Directions
For the bacon sauce: Cut the bacon into pieces. Using a big saute pan or skillet that has a cover, cook over medium heat until almost crispy. Don't drain the fat. Add the onions to the pan. When the onions are almost cooked and start to become translucent, add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, and then add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on low for about an hour to an hour and a half.

For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, garlic, eggs and some salt and pepper. Form into 1 to 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Make sure to turn every few minutes to brown on all sides.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.

Serve the meatballs over the pasta with the bacon sauce on the side. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Enjoy!

Spinach Pesto

2011-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

I LOVE pesto. I have to admit that sometimes I do have some guilt when eating it however due to all the oil that comes in the packaged variety in the stores. I know, it is olive oil, which is heart healthy - however it is packed with calories, which doesn't help my thighs.

I always purchase fresh, bagged spinach from Costco and came up with this Spinach Pesto recipe that is lighter on calories, but chock full of flavor and absolutely delicious!

Spinach Pesto

Ingredients
4 cups washed, torn baby spinach leaves
3 garlic cloves, halved
3 tablespoons pistachios
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions
Place spinach leaves, garlic, pistachios olive oil & chicken broth in blender or food processor. Cover and puree until leaves begin to look crushed. Use a rubber spatula to help to combine pureed mixture. Add Parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp. salt. Cover and process until spinach pesto mixture is smooth.

Enjoy over grilled meet and/or pasta. YUM!

Southwest Chicken with Cilantro Pesto Orzo

2011-08-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

As much as I love to cook, when my husband isn't home, I basically don't make big dinners. My boys prefer simple meals like eggs & bacon, basic pasta dishes and things of that nature, so if my man isn't around I will take a pass and make things easy on myself.

Well, it had been about a week or so and due to conflicting schedules, weekend trips and basic summer craziness, I hadn't been cooking much and this particular evening I decided to make something new since my honey was back in town. I had some Emeril's Southwest rub that I had mixed up for a chili recipe and decided to rub that on some bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that I had brined for a few hours earlier in the day. When looking for a side dish, I decided to use some yummy cilantro I had purchased earlier in the week for a cilantro pesto and I have to say, this is now one of my favorite meals. It blew my husband away and had him happy to back for some of my home cookin'. :)

Southwest Chicken with Cilantro Pesto Orzo
Southwest Chicken
2 lbs. bone-in, skin on chicken breasts (you could use chicken thighs here if you like also)
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. Emeril's Southwest Seasoning (recipe below)
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. white wine
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
3 T. corn starch
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
Begin by brining chicken. Put chicken in a very large bowl with the the 1/4 c. salt & sugar and fill to the top with water. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it brine for anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. The longer the chicken brines, the juicier the chicken will be once cooked.

After your chicken has brined, remove from the water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with Emeril's spice rub on both sides and set aside. Turn the oven onto 375 degrees and spray a large pan (I use an 8.5 x 11 inch Pyrex) with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Pour oil into a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until a nice crust has developed. The inside of the chicken will not be cooked at this point, so place them in the greased pan and put them in the oven for 20-30 minutes until they have reached an internal temperature of 170 degrees. This may take longer than 30 minutes as it depends on the size of your chicken breasts.

After you have transferred the chicken to the oven, deglaze the pan with the white wine and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once that has reduced, add the chicken stock and cook until reduced by about half. Mix the corn starch with 1 1/2 T. water and add to the sauce. Let thicken.

Once the chicken has come out of the oven, serve it with the sauce over the Cilantro Orzo. So, so GOOD!

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning
Ingredients
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yields 1/2 cup

Cilantro Pesto with Orzo
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package Orzo pasta
1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 lime, juiced

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and return water to a boil. Cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain well.

In an electric food processor or blender, blend cilantro, garlic, vinegar, Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, pistachios, salt and lime juice.

Add the olive oil, and blend the pesto. Add the chicken stock in 1 T. increments until the pesto has reached your desired consistency.

Pour pesto in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until pesto begins to simmer. Pour over cooked pasta and toss.

Orange Scented White Chocolate Toffee

2011-07-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted. I have been cooking a ton, but just nothing I felt was blog worthy. You see, I have been trying to cook healthier and with that is food that is good, just not great. I am sorry, but chocolate chip cookies made with garbanzo beans are not the same as those made with butter. Perhaps some people prefer them made that way, but it just isn't for me.

Alas, I caved and made some delicious Orange Scented White Chocolate Toffee with almonds. There is only five ingredients and they are pure heaven. So long garbanzo bean cookies, I am back on the butter wagon.

Orange Scented White Chocolate Toffee with Almonds
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup coarsely crushed dry roasted, salted almonds - chopped
2 tsp. orange extract
1 12 oz. package of white chocolate chips

Directions
In a medium non-stick saucepan, combine the butter and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes an amber color, and the temperature has reached 290 degrees F. Stir occasionally.

While the toffee is cooking, cover a bread pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, add 1 1/2 T. of the almonds and all the orange extract to the mixture. Pour it into the bread pan and let cool.

Let the toffee cool for about 15 minutes and then break it apart into rough pieces. Now you might ask, "why not put the chocolate on first?" The problem with this is that the chocolate breaks apart into pieces and doesn't adhere to the toffee, which is why you should break the toffee apart and then dip into chocolate.

Put half of the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Make sure to stir them after each 30 seconds. Mine took 1 minute to melt in my microwave. Pour or dip the the toffee pieces into the chocolate and sprinkle with half of the remaining almonds. Put the toffee in the refrigerator to set for about and hour. After the first side has set, turn the toffee over and melt the other half of the chocolate chips as noted above. Do the same thing to the other side of the toffee and return to the refrigerator to set up for another hour.

I store my toffee in tupperware. It lasts well for about a week in the refrigerator and makes about 16 - 20 good size chunks.

Enjoy!

Crack Cookies...

2011-06-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

There is a restaurant close to where I live called Pomegranate. The owner, Lisa Dupar, is a famed caterer in the greater Seattle area and is known for her ridiculously inventive and delicious food. The restaurant is one of those gems that is in an industrial office park, but is always packed due to the amazing cuisine.

When you walk in they have a cold case with a variety of sweets and I couldn't help but notice these delicious looking molasses cookies with creamy frosting sandwiched in between. I later found out that these molasses cookies were referred to as "crack cookies" due to their addictive nature. I get the nickname, I am obsessed and now, a junkie.

Ginger Molasses Cookies
adapted from Lisa Dupar's cookbook, Fried Chicken & Champagne

Cookie Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
2-1/4 cups pastry flour
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Filling:
1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

To make the cookies: In the bowl of a standing kitchen mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the butter, brown sugar, and sugar at medium speed until creamy and smooth. Add the egg and whip at medium speed until smooth. Add the molasses, and continue to mix until smooth. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add to bowl along with the freshly grated ginger root. Scrape down the bowl and whip for 1 minute at medium speed. In a separate bowl, sift together the pastry flour, cinnamon, powdered ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-molasses mixture and mix well, scraping down the bowl several times with a rubber spatula. Scoop the cookies into 1-inch balls with a small ice cream scoop, and chill until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, cinnamon and sugar until well mixed. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and roll the balls in cinnamon sugar, place onto parchment-lined sheet pans. Bake until just barely done, about 7 to 8 minutes. They will be slightly cracked on top.

To make the filling: In the bowl of a standing kitchen mixer with the whip attachment, whip cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

When the cookies are cool, turn half of the cookies upside down. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of filling, in a large dot, at the center of each cookie. Place the other half of the cookies on top, creating little sandwiches.

Makes 25 to 30 small sandwich cookies.

Cinnamon Brown Butter Pancakes

2011-05-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love pancakes and so do my kids. I am always trying to put a twist on an original and decided to brown some butter to see how the flavors would come together. They came together famously.

I particularly like this recipe because all the ingredients used are items I always have on hand. I love buttermilk pancakes, but buttermilk isn't a normal purchase for me. These have everything most people would always have on hand and the browned butter & cinnamon add a delicious warmth to an already delicious pancake batter.

Cinnamon Brown Butter Pancakes

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it turns a light golden brown. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the burner and let cool.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt together. After you have done this, sift it again. I know it seems like a pain, but this makes the pancakes super light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and browned butter together; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes; cook until the second side is golden brown.

Enjoy these with warm maple syrup and more butter slathered on top. Yum!

Blythe's Blueberry Muffins

2011-05-16T13:34:00.001-07:00

I try to stay in shape and eat healthy. As you can probably tell from my blog, I do have a weakness for sugar, butter, chocolate and fat in general. So, I read magazines like Shape and Fitness to keep me inspired and balanced.

In last month's issue of Self Gwyneth Paltrow was on the cover and inside there was a recipe for her mom's Blueberry Muffins. All I can say was - YUM! They were loaded with fresh blueberries and weren't that unhealthy (in my opinion - I know, not much). I will include the calorie & fat information at the bottom.

I made no changes from the original recipe and after my family and I ate a bunch I froze the rest for a quick breakfast and for snacks.

Blythe's Blueberry Muffins
adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow's Cookbook, "My Father's Daughter"
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions
Heat oven to 375°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk butter, eggs and milk in a bowl. Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients; fold in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups; sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp sugar. Bake until muffins are golden brown and a knife comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:
232 calories per muffin, 10 g fat (6 g saturated), 33 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein

Samocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a typo. These are really called Samocolate Chip Cookies. You see, I love Samoas and I love chocolate chip cookies - so why not combine the two? These are some ridiculously good cookies...

Samocolate Chip Cookies
Yields approximately 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (160 grams) bread flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (9 ounces) chopped semisweet chocolate
½ cup (2.5 ounces) finely chopped milk chocolate
2 cups toasted coconut (to toast coconut, place in the preheated 350 degree oven for 6 minutes until lightly browned)
1/2 pound CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramels or another variety of fine caramels

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven.

Cut your caramels into pieces that are approximately 1/2" x 1/2". You should get approximately 48 pieces. Roll each caramel ball in the toasted coconut. The will look like this:

Once completed, set aside the remaining toasted coconut, which will be added to the cookie batter later.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about five minutes. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle itself a couple of times. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on medium speed until thoroughly combined, two to three minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add both chocolates and remaining toasted coconut to the flour mix and toss to combine. Turn the mixer to low speed (or continue to use a wooden spoon if mixing by hand) and slowly blend the flour-chocolate-coconut mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until the flour mixture is totally incorporated and the dough is completely mixed.

Using a 1 T. ice cream scoop, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 3 inches apart. Place one caramel square in the center and top with another tablespoon of dough.

Bake until cookies are lightly golden brown on the edges and soft in the center, approximately 9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. The unbaked dough can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

English Toffee

2011-05-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was a little kid I have loved Heath bars. Now that I am older, I still love Heath bars, but have developed a love for REALLY good chocolate. Callebaut, Valrhona and Green & Black are all some of my favorites. I decided to marry my love of toffee with some of that really good chocolate and I found heaven.

If you enjoy toffee and good chocolate, you must give this a try. Please note, I did not sprinkle the top of my toffee with nuts because my kids are not a fan of nuts and they can't tell that there were nuts in the toffee. If I was making this just for myself, I would have adorned the top with nuts, however I would have had no helping eating the toffee which would be detrimental to fitting into skinny jeans.

English Toffee
adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan and foil

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups toasted almonds, chopped finely

8 ounces of your favorite semisweet chocolate, melted

Directions

Butter a 12-by-18-inch baking pan. Cover two large cutting boards or cardboard pieces with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, corn syrup and 3 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees.on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and 1 1/4 cups almonds, and pour out into prepared pan, spreading the mixture with the back of a spoon to fill the pan.

Before candy hardens, but when it is firm enough to handle, turn it out onto parchment-lined board. Allow to cool completely.

Wipe the surface of candy with a damp paper towel to remove excess butter, and allow to dry.

Using a small offset spatula, quickly spread melted chocolate over the candy. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set chocolate.

Break candy into 2-inch pieces. The candy may be stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 1 week; use parchment paper to separate layers.

Cilantro Lime Dressing & Marinade

2011-04-29T08:24:00.001-07:00

Every year I host book club for an absolutely fabulous group of ladies. They are sweet, genuine and most of all fun. I love them and am so lucky to be part of this special group. At first book club was a series of appetizers, but it has progressed into a dinner party and I was up this month.

Last year I had a bit of a debacle. I hosted in February and to complement the blustery weather I made Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Soup with Truffle Butter & White Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Sounds easy enough - wrong. I toasted the sandwiches before the guests arrived and put them in a 200 degree oven to stay warm. Well...after a couple glasses of wine and by the time I got around to serving dinner, they were no longer sandwiches, but croutons. I was so embarrassed. These lovely ladies still told me dinner was amazing (see why I love them!) and although I was mortified, the wine eased the pain.

So, this year, I was not going to make the same mistake again. I opted for two entree salads - one Southwest inspired version with a Cilantro Lime Dressing and another Italian Chopped Salad with a Creamy Balsamic Dressing. Along with some bread, which was accompanied by a white truffle oil, thyme & cracked black pepper compound butter, some desserts and wine (of course) I figured this was a more fool proof plan.

I will blog about some of the other recipes later, but I wanted to share my recipe for the Southwest entree salad with cilantro-lime marinated prawns. The salad was easy enough - just lots of veggies and items you would find in a typical southwest salad. I didn't use a recipe, but rather chopped up a bunch of the following and threw it in a bowl. The salad included: romaine lettuce, fresh corn kernels, black beans, tomatoes, shredded pepper jack cheese, orange peppers, crumbled blue corn tortilla chips and fresh cilantro. What made the salad was the dressing and the prawns. I actually used half of the dressing to marinate the prawns, which was not only easy, but delicious and some of the rest to dress the salad. I did have extra dressing leftover, which you may or may not have depending on how much dressing you like on your salad. If you want to use the dressing to marinate the prawns (chicken would be dynamite also) just add the marinade to peeled & deveined prawns 30 minutes before roasting or barbecuing. I roasted the prawns on a roasting rack in my oven for 5-7 minutes at 375 degrees. They turned out moist & delicious. For chicken, I would marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. Since there is citrus in the marinade, be careful not to marinade your protein for too long, otherwise it will begin to cook.

I have to admit that I was actually drinking this dressing, it is that good. I have never done that, but trust me, it is amazing.

Cilantro Lime Dressing/Marinade
adapted slightly from All Recipes

Ingredients

2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (or 1 medium

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper, or to taste

Directions

Place the jalapeno pepper, garlic clove, and ginger into a food processor or blender; pulse until the jalapeno and garlic are finely chopped. Pour in the lime juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt, add the cilantro leaves; pulse a few times to blend. Turn the food processor or blender on, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt & pepper before serving.

Quadruple Chocolate Chip "Brookies"

2011-04-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever ate a whole lot of something and then found yourself feeling bloated and guilty? I have, plenty of times. However, I ate a ton of these cookies and they were so good, I concluded that they were totally worth it.

If you love chocolate, you have to try these cookies. I almost think they should be called, "brookies" since they are a cross between a brownie and a cookie. There are four different types of chocolate that go into these little gems and they are oh so decadent. Again, if you love chocolate you must try these.

*Warning - consumption of these may cause permanent damage to your skinny jeans.

Quadruple Chocolate Brookies

Ingredients

1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups white chocolate morsels

2/3 cup milk chocolate (or semi-sweet) morsels

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.

In a double-boiler, melt the pound of semi-sweet chocolate. Set it aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In your mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and add the vanilla extract. Add the cooled chocolate to the mixture and blend. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the mixture is uniform.

Add half the flour mixture and combine on low speed, then add the remaining flour and mix until the batter comes together.

Now add the chocolate morsels. If you like nuts in your cookies, you would add them here.

Line a baking sheet with parchment, or silicone baking sheets, and drop spoonfuls of the cookie batter onto the sheet.

Bake the cookies for approximately 7-9 minutes until puffy. Be careful not to over bake these. (Think of baking them like a brownie. If they dont' seem done when you initially take them out of the oven, give them time to set, this is how they should look. They will be moist and delicious.) Allow the cookies to cool and firm up on the baking sheet for a few minutes before attempting to move them to a wire rack.

A Perfect Chocolate Frosting

2011-03-10T16:56:00.001-08:00

I am infatuated with frosting. I love it and while I love it, I am very picky when it comes to this fluffy, buttery heaven. I have my go to Easy Buttercream Frosting, which is full-proof and dynamite. I have yet to find someone that doesn't like it. I however have not stumbled across a chocolate frosting that truly made my head spin - until now...

This frosting is made with semi-sweet chocolate, lots of butter, confectioner's sugar and a few other things. The texture is airy and light (if only it were light - HA!) which makes it the perfect vessel for some shortbread cookies that I made. Think of it as one of those giant pink cookies, but with buttery, chocolatey frosting. You could also think of it as something similar to that buttery yellow cake with yummy chocolate frosting on top that we all had growing up. Anyway you think of it, your thoughts will be fond. Make this after a break up or when your ticked off at your spouse - it will make everything better (for a while anyways...)

If you do have a delicious yellow cake or fudge cake to slather this on, by all means do so. I however, was lazy and just needed an edible option in which I could indulge.

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
3 T. heavy cream
4 T. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
dash salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Put the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. In another microwave safe dish scald the cream in the microwave in 30 second increments until it is bubbling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds. Slowly stir until it is incorporated. Let cool for 20-30 minutes.

Fit your mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the butter on medium until smooth. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla & beat for three minutes until it is very light and fluffy. Slowly add the cooled chocolate and beat on medium for another three minutes. Spread them on your pan of cookies or frost a cake. If you do frost a cake, you will need to double the recipe.

Cake Mix Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 yellow or white cake mix

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

Mix all ingredients briskly together expect any optional additions, with a wooden spoon or on low speed with an electric mixer.

Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until set and light golden brown. Cool slightly on cookie sheets before removing to racks to cool.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Crispy Magic Frosting - A Recipe from the "Flour" Cookbook

2011-02-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

I have never heard of the "Flour" bakery in Boston, but I had a Groupon to burn at Barnes & Noble and this cookbook caught my eye. I am so, so glad that I ordered it. Rarely do I read the Prologue of cookbooks, but I took the time with this book and found it fascinating. Joanne Chang, the author and owner of both the Flour cookbook and Flour bakeries explains her journey from being Harvard educated consultant to leaving the consulting world to pursue a career as a pastry chef in some of the most esteemed restaurants.

I love the recipes that are classics - just better, like these cupcakes and her banana bread, but there are also lots of new ones such as the recipe for Lola cookies and the Milky Way tart.

I am sure I will be spending extra time on the treadmill due to this book, but it will be worth it.

This recipe created a moist delicious cupcake with a wonderfully creamy frosting. In the frosting, I did cut the butter down a bit from the original version which calls for three sticks. I only used two sticks and left the sugar at the same level. I just prefer a sweeter frosting, so if you prefer something more creamy and less sweet, add the extra stick in. I topped mine off with some milk chocolate curls for fun. The cupcakes were moist, fluffy, delicious and had a wonderful depth of chocolate flavor. My family and I loved these, I hope you do as well.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Crispy Magic Frosting
adapted from Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook
Cupcake Ingredients
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 c. Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/3 c. water
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt

Crispy Magic Frosting Ingredients
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 egg whites
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 2/3 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 T. milk
1 T. vanilla extract

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a standard 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.

In a small heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate and cocoa powder. In a small saucepan, heat the granulated sugar, butter and water over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot butter-sugar mixture over the chocolate cocoa mixture and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is homogenous.
Whisk the milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well mixed. Dump the flour mixture on top of the chocolate mixture. Whisk until the dry ingredients are totally mixed into the chocolate mixture. Let the batter sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (This allows the liquid to be totally absorbed into the batter, so the batter thickens up a bit and isn’t so soupy.)

Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly and filling the cups to the rim. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the tops spring back when pressed with a fingertip. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

To make the frosting: While the cupcakes are cooling, in a small heatproof bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and egg whites to make thick slurry. Place the bowl (not touching) above simmering water in a saucepan and heat, whisking occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is hot to the touch. It will thin out a bit as the sugar melts.

Remove from the heat and scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Whip on medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture becomes a light, white meringue and is cool to the touch. Turn down the speed to medium, add the butter a few chunks at a time and beat for 3-4 minutes, or until the butter is thoroughly incorporated. Add the confectioner’s sugar, salt, milk and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and satiny. You should have about 3 ½ cups. (Use immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, then beat with the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for a few minutes until smooth before using. Or, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, then bring to room temperature and paddle for a few minutes until smooth before using. )

Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and spread or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

French Breakfast Puffs

2011-02-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

I get Group On's everyday and occasionally one catches my eye. In one instance it was $10 for a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card. Although I received a Kindle for Christmas, this was such a great deal I just couldn't pass it up. Besides, as much as I love my Kindle, I can't imagine using it for cookbooks - there is something therapeutic about the size of cookbooks and the beautiful pictures.

OK, with $20 to burn, I ventured online and found two amazing cookbooks. The first is "Flour" by Joanne Chang and the next one is "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond. Both are amazing - my mouth waters just thinking of all the ridiculously fattening recipes in these two books!

Yesterday being President's Day, my oldest son and I made French Breakfast Puffs in the morning from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" cookbook. Oh my gosh were these good. Basically these are muffins that are then dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon & sugar. There is one caveat here, they are not muffin like at all. They are light, fluffy, and taste more like a piece of cake that has been dipped in butter and then cinnamon & sugar. They are truly sinful - I ate four.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe. The Pioneer Woman uses shortening and I didn't have any of that, so I used 1/3 c. canola oil & 1/3 c. butter instead. I also only used one stick of butter to dip the muffins in instead of two sticks and cut the sugar down by half. Hey - every little bit helps....

French Breakfast Puffs

Ingredients
3 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
1 cup Sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup
2 whole Eggs
1 cup Milk
3/4 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 stick Butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar, butter and oil. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

In a bowl, melt 1 stick of butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie with Heath Bits

2011-01-30T09:52:00.001-08:00

I love chocolate chip cookies, so naturally when I came across a recipe for a chocolate chip cookie pie I had to try it. Gooey chocolate chip cookie base in a pie crust? I went to the kitchen almost immediately to make this one.

I saw the recipe on All Recipes initially but after reading some of the feedback I cut back the butter to one stick and changed it up a bit more. I added some salt, increased the chocolate chips, added some heath bits (because why wouldn't you?) and added vanilla. I also omitted the nuts because my boys just don't like nuts in their cookies. The end result is fantastic. The next time I have a dinner party I am definitely serving this dessert warm, with a huge scoop of ice cream. Just sit back enjoy the pie as well as all the ooh's and ahh's you will be getting from your delighted guests.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie with Heath Bits

(slightly adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients

Dough for 1 (9 inch) pie shell that you roll out. Can be found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Next to the canned biscuits.

2 eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 T. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heath bits

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Spray your pie plate with some non-stick cooking spray. Roll out the pie shell dough and put it in the pie pan. Crimp the edges to look pretty.

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add flour, sugar brown sugar, salt and vanilla beat until well blended. Blend in melted butter. Stir in chocolate chips and heath bits. Pour into pie shell.

Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven. Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.

Here she is unbaked:

Still looking a little naked:

Now we're talkin'....

Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream and Raspberry Curd Filling

2011-01-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried something at a party or at a restaurant and find yourself thinking about it years later? I often do this, I can become a little obsessed if I try something I really like. Years and years ago I remember being at a birthday party and there was this delicious lemon poppyseed cake with raspberry filling and lemon buttercream. I still think about that cake and decided to recreate it in cupcake form.

I decided on cupcakes because cakes are a lot of work to frost and there is something so inviting about a cupcake. Not to mention my boys adore them. This cake is moist and delicious. I used the Lemon Layer Cake recipe from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook as a guideline but made quite a few adjustments. The main one being I used half butter and half canola oil, instead of all butter. I love the taste of butter, but I have found in my cake recipes that if I use some oil the cake turns out moister and fluffier while still having the delicious taste of butter.

Now, these are quite a bit of work so clear out an afternoon. I have to say though that they are totally worth it.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Buttercream & Raspberry Curd Filling
Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes
Ingredients
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. Canola Oil
2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, at room temp.
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 T. poppyseeds

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 cupcake tins with liners.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the oil and sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time.

Combine the flour, salt and baking powder together. Add to the butter mixture in four parts, alternating with the milk and the lemon juice and zest, beating well after each addition. Add in the poppyseeds and mix to combine.

Evenly pour the batter into the cupcake tins.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cup cake comes out
clean.

Let the cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire
rack.

When the cupcakes have cooled. Insert the raspberry curd in a pastry bag with a tip and inject each cupcake with approximately 1 T. of raspberry curd (recipe follows).

After, pipe lemon buttercream (recipe also below) onto cupcakes and enjoy!

Raspberry Curd
Ingredients
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
1 large eggs
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
Stir raspberries, sugar, egg, lemon juice, butter, and salt in medium saucepan over medium heat until thickened and beginning to bubble at edges, about 5 minutes. Strain raspberry curd into medium bowl, pressing on solids in strainer. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Lemon Buttercream
Ingredients
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Directions
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of sugar and then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until the icing is thick enough to be of good, spreadable consistency. Use and store at room temperature.

Barefoot Contessa's Basil Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

2011-01-25T16:23:00.001-08:00

My hubby loves meat and potatoes. One day he actually came up to me after breakfast while he was gnawing on a sausage link saying, "You know, I should really try this low carb thing - I mean I love eggs, sausage and bacon..." Let's just say that was the shortest diet in history. All it took was a little reminder of his love for all things potato and his diet was a goner. Whether their chips, mashed, scalloped, baked, roasted or any other type of preparation - he loves them. I have to say I love them also and I am always looking for a new way to make them.

I recently got Ina Garten's new cookbook, "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" and there was an amazing recipe for Basil Parmesan Mashed Potatoes that were out of this world. I love the green color and can't wait to make this amazing side with some fresh basil from the garden this summer. I paired these with a balsamic marinated flank steak and let's just say I think he won't think twice when that Nordstrom bill shows up this month - he was in heaven!

Basil Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 lbs large Yukon Gold or white boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed*
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, return to the saucepan, and cook over low heat until any remaining water evaporates. Set aside.

Meanwhile, blanch the basil leaves. First, fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan to a rolling boil, add the basil and cook for only 15 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge them into the ice water bath. Drain, and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the half and half and Parmesan and bring to a simmer. Place the basil in a food processor and puree. Add the half and half mixture to the basil and process until smooth.

With a handheld mixture, beat the potatoes until they are broken up. Slowly add the half and half mixture to the potatoes, along with the salt and pepper. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Onion Rings

2011-01-21T14:41:00.001-08:00

Do you have one of those items that if you go out to eat you order it? I do. They are onion rings. Whether they are fried in batter, breadcrumbs, tempura - it doesn't matter. Something about these delicious rings coated in anything then deep fried is heavenly to me. I compare it to pizza or chocolate - even when it's bad, it's good.

I actually came across a video on You Tube one day from someone named Food Wishes and had to try the recipe. His secret ingredient is instant mashed potatoes and I would normally be a skeptic, but the video was so convincing, I gave them a try. Here is the video if you would like to take a peek and below that is his recipe. Crunchy and delicious!

One thing I wanted to add is to make sure that your oil is at or around 350 degrees (I used a candy thermometer) to get the crispiest onion ring. If your oil isn't hot enough you will have soggy rings and if it is too hot, they will burn. Either way, they won't be good so use a thermometer.

Food Wishes Crispy Onion Rings
(adapted from Food Wishes)

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes
big pinch of cayenne
1 cup cold club soda
2-3 cups Panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs), or as needed
fine salt to taste
vegetable oil for frying
2-3 yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch rings

Directions
Heat your oil to 350 degrees over medium high heat.

Mix flour, corn starch, potatoes, and cayenne together in a medium bowl. Add the club soda and let sit for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile pour the breadcrumbs in a shallow place and cut the onions into 1/4 inch rings.

Dip the onions in the wet batter and then coat them in breadcrumbs. Repeat until all onions are coated.

Dip onions in batches into the hot oil. Fry for approximately 60-90 seconds per side. Be careful not to overcrowd the oil as this will make the rings less crispy.

Maple Oat Banana Muffins

2011-01-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

I love banana muffins. My kids love banana muffins. This is one somewhat healthy item that my kids will eat. Yes, they are laden with fat and loaded with sugar, but there are bananas in there so I feel a certain sense of victory every time I see their sweet little faces gobble them down.

I decided to give my favorite banana muffin recipe a little boost by adding some heart healthy oats and some rich, velvety maple syrup. The syrup adds a nice hint of maple and the oats lend this fluffy muffin the slightest bit of chewiness. They are delicious...

Maple-Oat Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

Ingredients
For the muffins
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the crumb topping
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine all-purpose flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and then beat together the bananas, sugar, egg, canola oil and vanilla extract.

Combine banana mixture with the flour mixture until just moistened.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, use a fork and mix together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cinnamon and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over the batter.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Homemade Kahlua

2011-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if it is the kids, everyday life or what, but I have come to really enjoy a cocktail or two every now and again. Combine that with my never ending desire to try something new in the kitchen and I just had to try making my own Kahlua.

The main thing I found is that the longer I let this Kahlua rest, the better it tasted as it mellowed out. It is truly delicious and a wonderful hostess gift. Cheers!

Kahlua

Ingredients

1 quart water

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons instant coffee

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups vodka

Directions

Boil water, coffee and sugar. Just as it boils, turn down heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours (stirring occassionally). After two hours, you should have a syrup that coats the back of your spoon.

Let cool and add vanilla and vodka.

Enjoy with coffee, cream, in a cocktail...

Peanut Butter Biscotti Drizzled with Salted Caramel & Chocolate

2010-12-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

Generally when I think of a cookie I think of something soft, gooey and preferably warm out of the oven. I am one to undercook a cookie before overcooking - if a recipe says 12-14 minutes baking time, I err on the side of 10 minutes just to make sure my cookie is soft. I do have one exception to this rule though and that is biscotti. I LOVE eating biscotti first thing in the morning with a warm cup of coffee. Dunking the crisp cookie and watching it transform into a delicious soft mess is utterly delicious. If there is chocolate on top that melts over the cookie and coffee, well that is just a bonus.

My favorite store bought biscotti is Starbucks Gingerbread Biscotti dipped in White Chocolate. Oh my gosh - YUM! I haven't tried to figure out a recipe for those, but I am sure that is not far off. I did however come across a recipe for using cake mix to make biscotti. Cake mix and biscott - it seemed like an oxy moron but I figured I would give it a try. I decided to add some peanut butter to the vanilla cake mix I used for some added flavor and began pondering what to drizzle over this little creation I was making and thought, "did anything ever hurt by adding some caramel and chocolate to the top of it?" I think not, so that is what I did.

The result was scrumptious and easy. Hope you enjoy...

Peanut Butter Biscotti Drizzled with Salted Caramel & Chocolate

Ingredients

1 box vanilla cake mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 lb. CC Confectionary Salted Vanilla Bean Caramels or another variety of fine caramels, melted
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions

1Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit and line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine cake mix, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until blended.

Divide dough in half and shape into a 12x2 inch log; place logs on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool on baking sheets for 15 minutes, then cut the logs into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices on the baking sheets, side up and bake for an additional 10 minutes and then cool completely.

Drizzle with melted caramel and chocolate. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Sticky, Salty, Sweet Caramel Popcorn

2010-12-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in ages. This is not due to a lack of cooking or baking, but rather a lack of time to photograph and write about my adventures. Oh how I have missed this...needless to say my holiday baking is going to offer up some delicious (I hope) creations for me to share.

Generally when starting my Christmas baking I start with one of my old favorites - Caramel Popcorn with Salted Almonds. Not only is this recipe foolproof, it is unbelievably delicious and so easy to make. I make batches and batches of this. It makes an amazing gift and such a delicious snack when you are having people over casually.

Caramel Popcorn with Salted Almonds
(adapted from All Recipes)

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups almonds or peanuts, roasted and salted

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn and peanuts or almonds in a very large bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn and nuts, stirring to coat.

Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Super Easy Baguettes

2010-09-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

I love bread and I especially love baguettes. There is something so warm and comforting about a fresh, crusty baguette that is warm out of the oven with a healthy slathering of butter. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Although I love to bake, I have avoided making bread because I always thought it was too daunting, but on a recent trip to Costco I saw that I could buy a HUGE amount of yeast (about 3 cups worth) for about $4, so I thought I would give my bread making a try. Boy was I glad I did! First off, homemade bread is SO delicious and it is SOOOOO cheap! I am amazed at how cheap it is. For just pennies, you can make bread that is more delicious than what you would pay several dollars for in the store. I also have to add that it is easy. With the help of my Kitchen Aid, which does all the kneading for me, the only hard part is waiting for the bread to rise. Seriously, that is it. Here is my recipe for baguettes. I hope you give them a try.

Super Easy Baguettes
Ingredients
1-3/4 Cups Warm Water (Approximately 105ºF)
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
4-1/2 Cups Flour Plus Extra for Dusting
2 tsp Salt
Vegetable Oil for Greasing

Directions
Combine the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and blend well with a fork until the yeast is completely dissolved. Wait about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour, salt and mix the dough hook on low speed just to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10-12 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Fold the dough gently, then let rise for another 45 minutes. It will look like this:

Fold the dough over on itself, pressing gently to release the gas. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, cut into 4 equal pieces, and round each piece into a smooth ball, pinching the seams together at the bottom of the ball. Cover the dough and let rise, seam sides down, until relaxed, about 30 minutes.

To shape the baguettes, on a lightly floured surface, press each ball of dough into a rectangle. Holding the short edges of the rectangle, lift and stretch the dough until the rectangle is as long as you would like. Roll the dough into a cylinder, pressing the seam closed with the edge of your palm. Transfer the dough, seam side down, to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the loaves and let rise until increased in volume by three-quarters, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Score each loaf in several places by making diagonal slashes just through the outer layer of the dough with a very thin blade.

Transfer bread to the parchment lined baking sheet. Just before baking the bread, brush or mist each baguette lightly with water. Brush or mist the bread 1 or 2 more times during the first 5 minutes of baking time. Bake until the loaves are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 30 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and let cool on wire racks before serving.

RAW Chewy Freezer Fudge

2010-09-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

I know that health nuts everywhere tout the benefits a Raw food diet, but I have to admit that I love food far too much to only eat raw. Now, since I have no idea why anyone would eat Raw, I did a little research and found a quick list of benefits to why one would want to eat Raw. They include a fiber rich diet, clearer skin, increased energy, lower saturated fats in raw food, and increased nutritional value in raw foods. Healthy benefits aside, there simply is no substitute for a delicious piece of cake or a cookie that is warm, right out of the oven. That said, I did stumble upon a recipe for Raw Freezer Fudge that sounded pretty good and I decided to give it a try.

The recipe has no refined sugar and the base is made of almond butter. In the event you don't have any almond butter, like I didn't, I just made my own. Super easy....just take 4 cups of almonds and grind them up in your food processor. Add a little oil until you get the consistency of a nut butter and voila - it's done! This will give you the 16 oz. needed for the recipe.

One caveat to this recipe is that it is fattening! You will not experience that sugar rush which is a definite bonus, however eat it sparingly and keep it in the freezer. Once it is kept out, it will begin to have the consistency of your nut butter, which is delicious, but a bit messy.

Raw Chewy Freezer Fudge
(adapted from the cookbook Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow)

Ingredients
2 cups almond butter (16 oz. jar) or try making your own nut butter!
¼ cup cocoa or carob powder
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 heaping tablespoon coconut butter
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1 cup shredded coconut, optional (this is my little addition because I’m a coconut lover! Plus, this bulks up the fudge, stretching the ingredients even further so there’s more for everyone!)

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well.

Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment or plastic wrap. Place the fudge into the pan and cover the surface of the fudge with parchment or plastic wrap & press down evenly to flatten. Place in the freezer to chill.

After an hour or so (if you can wait that long but I recommend you do or your fudge bars will be too sticky!), flip it out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut into bit-size squares. Store squares in a covered container in the freezer otherwise they will get soft and mushy.

Cinnamon Cafe Au Lait with Spiced Whipped Cream

2010-09-16T10:59:00.001-07:00

This September a major hurdle has come in my life – both of my boys are in school full time. Like most moms I have had days when this day couldn’t come soon enough and I have also dreaded this day like you can’t imagine. Someone once told me, “the days go by slow, but the years go by fast” and boy is that true. I remember tripping over countless squeaky toys while stressing out about whether or not my newborn infant was getting enough tummy time to have a strong neck and how will I ever get them to sleep through the night. Now, it is so much different. Will they be OK at recess? Will they have someone to play with? If they fall, who will kiss their scrape and hold them?

My babies are growing up and I have some sad days. Today was one of them, so I decided to make myself a special treat to warm my insides up. It is a Cinnamon Café au Lait with Spiced Whipped Cream. It was nothing close to having the arms of one of my boys wrapped around me, but for now, this will have to do – and it is pretty, darn good.

Cinnamon Café Au Lait with Spiced Whipped Cream

1 ½ cups low-fat milk
3 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
4 cups strong coffee
2 T sugar + ½ T. Sugar
1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract + 1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/3 c. very cold heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

Directions
Bring the milk, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the milk mixture to steep for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture, discarding the spices and bring it back to a simmer. Add the brewed coffee, 2 T. of the sugar and 1 ½ t. of the vanilla, and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar melts and the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. It will look like this:

Meanwhile, beat the cream, nutmeg and remaining sugar and the remaining vanilla in a bowl, just until soft peaks form.

Pour the hot coffee into the heated mugs and add a dollop of the spiced whipped cream. Garnish with more nutmeg or cinnamon if desired.

Also, I had to add a picture of the angels I miss so much. They are the best…

Brown Butter, Brown Sugar Cookies

2010-09-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

I love butter and I love brown sugar. So, naturally when I saw this recipe for Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies, I was destined to try it. The butter is browned to give the cookie a delicious, nutty flavor and also calls for using dark brown sugar to give the cookies a deep, delicious flavor similar to a caramel. A roll in some additional sugar right before baking and you have one dynamite cookie. Next time I might drizzle some chocolate on top – just for fun. :)

Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions
Heat 10 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet.

Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 9 to 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Bobby Flay's Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema

2010-09-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

I think Bobby Flay knows what he's doing when it comes to the kitchen. Several months ago I took a trip to Vegas with some girlfriends and we ate at Mesa Grill. The food was incredible, the drinks were incredible, and the service was incredible - everything was dynamite. I had to buy his cookbook to try and replicate some of the amazing food. So, I bought it, read it and FINALLY I have made something....You see, I am not always the fastest mover.

In any event, I made his Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema and it was by far, the best black bean soup I have ever made. One of the things that surprised me was that there isn't a ton of different spices in the soup, but it is so flavorful. Flay puts a strong emphasis on reducing down liquids to achieve maximum flavor vs. using thickening agents and is he onto something.

There are a few extra steps in here that take the soup a little longer to make, but it is definitely worth it. Do not skip roasting those peppers - you won't regret it. :)

Bobby Flay's Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Crema
(adapted from the Mesa Grill Cookbook)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup red wine
3 (15 -16 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 jalapenos, chilies roasted, peeled and seeded
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled and seeded
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade, but Kitchen Basics brand is good as well)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt & pepper, freshly ground (to taste)
Toasted Cumin Crema (recipe below)

Directions
Heat olive in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add carrot, onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half.

Add beans and reduce heat to medium, then add chilies and broth and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Using a blender or food processor, puree half of the soup and return it to the pot.

Bring to a simmer before serving. and top with Toasted Cumin Crema, recipe below.

Toasted Cumin Crema
Ingredients

8 ounces sour cream
1 T. cumin Seeds, toasted and ground or use 1 t. ground cumin
1 T. fresh lime juice
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
Put the sour cream in a bowl. Add the cumin, lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Indian Butter Chicken

2010-09-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed with watching the Food Network. I have my tried and true favorites, Giada DeLaurentiis and Ina Garten which I keep recorded on my DVR, but now I am beginning to watch the Food Network on primetime as well. One of my favorite prime time shows was, "The Next Food Network Star" and I just fell in love with the winner, Aarti Sequeira.

Aarti's specialty is to infuse spices commonly found in Indian cuisine into traditional American fare. Week after week as I watched the judges praise her amazing food, it just made me want to try and make some Indian cuisine. Enter my Indian Butter Chicken. Now, I am no expert at this, but I have to say I fused several recipes together and this one is a winner. It is bold, has a little heat and is easy enough to put together on a weeknight (so long as you have all the spices.) In my case, I poached the chicken breast because I was in a hurry and that is all I had time to do, but this would be even better with some lightly grilled chicken or just using a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store and shredding it up.

This one is delicious and I have made it healthy by using minimal oil. Hope you like it!

Indian Butter Chicken

Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil, vegetable or canola
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Sriracha
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup milk
3/4 of a small can of tomato paste (7 ounces)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (cooked and shredded) thighs and/or chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (use anything you like)
2-3 cups of cooked rice

Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté shallot and onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, Sriracha, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half, milk and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt pepper.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the cooked chicken and heat through for a few minutes.

Serve over rice and with some Naan if you have it.

Kahlua Brownies with Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Glaze

2010-08-27T14:54:00.001-07:00

I love brownies, I am always on the lookout for a new recipe and boy did I find one.

These Kahlua brownies are sitting on top a brown sugar crust, then topped with Kahlua buttercream. The extra chocolate drizzle at the end make these some of the best brownies I have ever had.

This is a definite must try for all brownie lovers out there!

Kahlua Brownies with Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients
Crust:
1/3 cup light brown sugar
5 T. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. all purpose flour
½ c. finely chopped pecans
¼ tsp. salt

Brownies:
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ c. sugar
½ c. light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 T. Kahlua
½ c. all purpose flour
½ tsp. salt

Buttercream Frosting:
6 T. unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp. Kahlua
1 T. heavy cream

Glaze:
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tsp. shortening or oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.

To make the crust, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the flour and continue to mix until blended. Add the pecans. When completely combined, press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan; set aside.

Make the filling, combine the chocolate, shortening and butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the sugars and then add the eggs one at a time, blending well. Add the vanilla and Kahlua. Slowly add the flour and salt, and mix until the batter is smooth. Pour and scrape the filling into the prepared crust. Bake 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted near the center comes out with a few fudgy crumbs. Be careful not to over bake. Cool.

For the frosting, cream the butter, sugar, Kahlua and cream in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Spread over the cooled brownies and refrigerate 30 minutes. More Kahlua may be added to make spreading easier.

For the glaze, melt the chocolates and shortening in a microwave in 30 minute increments until melted. Cool for a minute or so and drizzle over the buttercream frosting.

Caramel Chocolate Oat Bars

2010-08-24T08:12:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday I was enjoying a very lazy day - drinking coffee and watching the Food Network. Pure heaven...I always get so much inspiration by watching some of my favorite shows and this past Sunday's episode of Giada at Home was no exception. She made a hearty minestrone (stay tuned for the recipe on that one) and some Apricot Oat Bars. Both looked delicious and I knew I had to give them a try.

I started with the Apricot Oat Bars because I love dessert and I just felt like it. Not to mention, a warm cookie would go perfect with the steaming cup of coffee in my hand. My problem however was that I didn’t really feel like making something with Apricot in it. I do enjoy desserts with fruit, however I am partial to caramel and chocolate and decided to take this cookie that direction. This cookie starts with an oat cookie that is patted into a baking dish then filled with (in this case, Apricot filling), then topped with the remaining oat cookie. Rather than the Apricot filling, I sliced up some caramel and sprinkled chocolate chips in the middle. The results were fabulous! In making this cookie I also realized that you could go in so many different directions and I loved the versatility. For instance, you could sprinkle all chocolate in the middle, just caramel, Heath bits would be fabulous, butterscotch chips would be great or a mixture of white and dark chocolate would be dynamite. The possibilities are really endless and could be whatever you have on hand, which I just love.

Easy, delicious and versatile, this is a great cookie to add to your repertoire and a fun snack for the kids once they get home from school.

Click here for Giada’s exact recipe for Apricot Oat Bars. (I cut the recipe in half and made a few minor adjustments to suit my tastes a little better.)

Caramel Chocolate Oat Bars
adapted from Giada at Home

Ingredients
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Filling
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ lb. CC Confectionary Vanilla Bean Caramel (cut in pieces) or your favorite caramel (cut in pieces)

Crust
3/4 cup + 2 T. all-purpose flour
½ c. packed cup light brown sugar
¼ tsp. teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup + 2 T. old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats. Add the butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the caramel and chocolate chips over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture. There will be some holes and that is fine. It will look like this:

The crust will bake together and some open spots give the caramel and chocolate a place to ooze.

Bake until light golden, about 25 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Summer Gazpacho Pasta

2010-08-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

I love going to Farmer's Markets. I always come home with an abundance of veggies and while I have the best of intentions to you use them all, often times I fall short. Those days are over now...

In my quest to use up the inordinate amount of fresh veggies I had on hand, I decided to make Gazpacho. Now I love Gazpacho, but unfortunately I am the lone one in my home with this love. My husband doesn't care for it much and I won't even attempt to try and feed this to my boys...until now... You see, I had this huge bowl of yummy Gazpacho in my fridge and decided to use it as a pasta sauce on some thin spaghetti last night. Add a bunch of parmesan, fresh basil, salt, pepper and you have a healthy, delicious meal that will definitely satisfy. What else could one ask for?

Summer Gazpacho Pasta
Use your favorite Gazpacho recipe (I have included mine below, but use whatever one you like)
1 pound of thin spaghetti, spaghetti or your favorite pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup basil in chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Boil your pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Drain the pasta and put it in a very large bowl for tossing. Let the pasta cool for about one minute and add approximately 2-3 cups of Gazpacho.

If the sauce seems a little watery, add a couple tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time to thicken it up. Add 3/4 cup of the parmesan and toss. Wait a few more minutes for the pasta to cool down and then add the fresh basil. If you add the basil while the pasta is too hot, it will cook the basil and that beautiful green color will darken and who wants that!

Serve lukewarm, cold or at room temperature. Garnish with fresh basil!

Gazpacho Recipe

Ingredients
5 large, ripe tomatoes
2 large red bell peppers, seeded
2 large orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded
1 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 celery stalks
2 small cloves garlic
1 small red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tomato juice
2 T. white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce, to taste (if desired)

Directions
Cut vegetables, garlic, and onion into large chunks, and puree in batches in a blender or food processor, adding some of the olive oil to each batch.

Add tomato juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add the Tabasco, if desired. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, or overnight. Taste before serving; adjust seasonings if necessary.

Easiest Bread Ever...

2010-08-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

I LOVE bread. Never once did I think I cold ever do one of those low-carb diets. It simply is not in my DNA. I NEED unrefined, processed, bleached flour. Preferably with butter. Unfortunately my efforts to make bread haven't been very successful. It is not from a lack of trying, but if I do end up with a worthwhile product, often times I can't honestly say it was worth the effort. I mean really - you can pick up a good loaf of bread at most grocery stores now days with zero effort. All this has changed now with this recipe...

Seriously, it takes TIME (you know the dough rising and all that), but in terms of actual hands on time, it is maybe ten minutes for the whole recipe. You dump everything in your mixer, let it mix for a few minutes, then let it rise, covered with a cloth overnight (in the same bowl - no transferring the dough to an oiled bowl or anything). The next morning shape it into a loaf, let it rise for one hour and then pop it in the oven for thirty minutes. Voila! Crusty, warm, homemade bread. Delicious!

Country Bread
Adapted from King Arthur's Flour

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups water (temperature doesn't matter, you don't need to proof the yeast - LOVE THIS!)
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax (if you don't have this, just up the whole wheat flour up by another 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. active dry yeast

Directions

Stir together all of the ingredients in a stand mixer with the dough hook. The dough will come away from the sides of the bowl and look like this:

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a cloth and let it rest overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into the loaf shape of your choosing on lightly greased sheet pan. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. It will look like this:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown. That's it - how easy was that?!

Parmesan Pepper Cheese Puffs

2010-08-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

I order quite a bit online so every day when I go to check the mail I am bombarded with numerous catalogs ranging from everything from Athleta to Victoria's Secret and everything in between. I recently received my first ever catalog from King Arthur's Flour and found that not only do they have great products (I have already ordered a few things), but their catalog also includes recipes. I was delighted and decided to try a couple of them out. Cheese puffs and a no knead bread...here I come...

First, up was the Parmesan Pepper Cheese Puffs. I have never made cheese puffs and was excited at how easy the directions were. The results were delicious. Golden and crisp crust with a smooth, airy center. The parmesan, pepper and spices gave these little golden gems just the right kick as well.

These are definitely a winner and worth a try. Next up is my no knead bread. Stay tuned...

Parmesan Pepper Cheese Puffs
Adapted from King Arthur's Flour

Ingredients
1 cup water
4 T. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 egg white
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the water and butter in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Add the flour and seasonings in the pan all at once and stir until a ball of dough forms. Remove from the heat and scrape the dough into a bowl. Beat for 1 minute to cool slightly with electric beaters.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating each egg in completely before adding the next one. Beat in the egg white, then the parmesan cheese.

Using a teaspoon scoop dipped in cold water, deposit level 1" scoops of dough onto the baking sheets. Leave about 1 1/2" between balls to allow for expansion.

Bake the puffs until they're golden brown, about 15 minutes. Turn the oven off, crack the door open , and leave puffs in the cooling oven for five minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm, or at room temperature.

Blueberry Crisp Marshmallows

2010-08-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Recently I took a trip to Chelan, Washington where there was an abundance of fresh blueberries. I purchased ten pounds of berries for $5 - what a deal! Well, yes, it was a deal, but now I am faced with what on earth to do with a gizillion blueberries. There is only so much blueberry muffins, smoothies and syrup a family can take after all...

I decided to get creative and make my favorite recipe for homemade marshmallows, but with a twist. Rather than dust them with confectioner's sugar, I decided to dust them with a topping of graham crackers and swirl some fresh blueberry sauce in the marshmallows once completed. The result was fabulous and a great way to use up a bit of those blueberries. I fused several recipes together - Barefoot Contessa's recipe for homemade marshmallows along with a Blueberry Sauce from All Recipes.

Blueberry Crisp Marshmallows

Ingredients

1 package unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 7 squares)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. sugar
3 T. blueberry sauce (recipe below)

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes.

While the marshmallow is being whipped, add the crushed graham crackers, sugar and butter together. Set aside. Grease a 8x8 inch square pan with cooking spray or butter and dust the bottom with the graham cracker crumbs. Reserve the remaining crumbs. Like this:

Once the fifteen minutes has passed, your marshmallows will be light and fluffy. They will look like this:

Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Carefully fold in the blueberry sauce just until you see a ribbon of blueberry and a light marbling effect. Pour into the baking pan and sprinkle with some of the remaining graham cracker crumb mixture. Let the marshmallows set overnight or for approximately 6-8 hours.

Cut the marshmallows up once they are set and dust the remaining sides with the graham cracker crumb mixture. Enjoy!

Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Saturday Morning "Donuts"

2010-08-02T11:20:00.001-07:00

I woke up on Saturday morning with this ridiculous urge for donuts - homemade donuts. Fresh, hot and right out of the oil. I couldn't resist the urge and dug up an old recipe for some Zeppole, that are known as italian donuts.

I love this recipe because there is no rolling and they go straight from your saucepan to the hot oil without the mess of a rolling pin or a floured board. The result is a light, airy donut, zeppole, whatever you want to call it. To me and my family they are just fabulous. Unfortunately for my husband, he was golfing Saturday morning and there was only one left when he got home. Maybe next Saturday he will be around to enjoy some straight out of the oil...

Saturday Morning Donuts

Ingredients
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cottonseed or vegetable oil for frying*
Cinnamon Sugar (1/4 cup sugar plus 1 T cinnamon) or Powdered sugar for Dusting

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan (non-stick), combine sugar, salt, butter, and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling: butter will melt. Quickly add flour all at once; beat with wooden spoon until flour is moistened. Cook over medium heat, beating vigorously until dough forms a ball and leaves side of pan. Remove from heat.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating with electric mixer at medium speed after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, shiny and satiny and forms strands that break apart. It should hold its shape when beater is slowly raised. Beat in vanilla. Dough should be fairly stiff, but sticky.

In electric skillet or large, heavy skillet, heat 1 to 2-inches of oil to 375°F (185°C) on deep frying thermometer. Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot oil, frying in batches. Turn the donuts once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with cinnamon-sugar or powdered sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.

Chocolate Rosemary Shortbread

2010-07-29T08:39:00.001-07:00

I love a delicious cookie that I can whip up in a snap. Even more important with recipes like this is knowing that I will always have the ingredients on hand. Such is the case with my favorite shortbread recipe. Not only is it easy, but the recipe is incredibly versatile. In this version I combined chocolate and rosemary, however you could also switch it up by omitting the rosemary all together or using white chocolate. Some orange zest would be amazing as well. Ooooh, I may try that one nex time.

Chocolate Rosemary Shortbread
adapted from Melissa D'Arrabian

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, very finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cream the butter with sugar using a handheld mixer. Mix in the rosemary, salt, and flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Sprinkle in the chocolate chips, and stir by hand until well-distributed. Gather the dough into a ball. Cook's Note: If the dough begins to soften or feel greasy, chill the dough for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough out into a rectangle of 1/2-inch thickness and cut into rectangles about 1/2-inch by 2-inch. Place the dough on a cold ungreased baking sheet. Prick the top with a fork. Bake the shortbread for 25 minutes, or until the dough starts to turn a golden color. Remove the shortbread from the baking sheet and let cool completely on a rack.

Chicken Salad Minus the Guilt

2010-07-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love chicken salad. Something about the creaminess of the dressing, combined with the meatiness of the chicken, the crunch of the nuts, the crisp of the veggies and the chew of dried fruit makes my mouth water. There is so much going on in there and the harmonious flavors make my mouth water. Rarely do I order it when I go out because most chicken salads have a dressing that is largely made up of mayonnaise. While I love mayo, I hate what it does to my waistline. Enter my own, healthier and lightened up version of chicken salad...

First, I use non-fat Greek yogurt. This is fast becoming one of my favorite ingredients. Not only does it have a creamy texture and delicious, tangy taste it is also loaded with protein. I also scale back the nuts and dried fruit a touch and stick to using chicken breast meat. I love to put this in pitas for a great go to lunch that is easily transportable, but it would also be amazing on a bed of your favorite lettuce or on a cup of whole wheat pasta. This dish is low-fat, chock full of protein, delicious and easy. What's not to love!?

Chicken Salad Minus the Guilt

Salad Ingredients
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast meat
1/2 cup celery, diced
3 T. dried cherries, minced
1/2 cup apple, finely diced
1 cup baby spinach, cut into thin strips
3 T. toasted almonds, chopped into small pieces

Dressing Ingredients
1 8 oz. container non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 T. dijon mustard
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. curry powder
Juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all the salad ingredients and mix all the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine together and put in your favorite bread or as a topping on a bed of greens or pasta. YUM!

Butter & Brown Sugar Ice Cream

2010-07-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Every time I go to Costco I buy Half & Half. Mainly because I hate to use cream and sometimes I just can't make a sauce work with just milk. I also love it because you can get a half gallon of half & half at Costco for something ridiculously cheap like $2.75. The dilemma I face is that I hate to waste and I just don't use very much half & half. Many times I end up dumping much of it down the drain, which I just hate to do. I have found a solution to my quandary...

Yesterday it was particularly hot and I was craving ice cream. I thought what better way to use this half & half. I was faced with a larger conundrum when I realized I was out of eggs. I searched the web for eggless ice cream recipes and fused a bunch together to come up with this brown sugar, butter ice cream. I ate it for breakfast - it is so good. I am actually pretty embarrassed because I think it might be gone before my husband gets home and he loved it. I think I will need to make more, lord knows I have enough half & half.

Butter & Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 T. butter
1/2 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups half & half
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions
Melt the butter, brown sugar and salt over medium heat in a medium saucepan until melted and fully incorporated. Once melted, add the half & half and stir over low heat until the brown sugar mixture and half & half is fully incorporated.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Refrigerate for 8 hours and then freeze according to your ice cream makers directions.

This ice cream is so delicious you won't miss the eggs or the cream!

Cilantro-Lime Marinated Skirt Steak

2010-07-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have never cooked a skirt steak before, but I am a sucker for a good deal and when they were on sale at the store I decided to give it a shot. My first dilemma was to find a new (and good) marinade, decide how to cook it, and what to serve with it. The final judgment would come from my family (mainly my husband since my kids don't eat my cooking) to see if he liked it enough to eat it again.

A couple of days ago when I made this it was a beautiful day - 80 degrees and sunny. Not uncomfortably hot, but hot enough to want to be out in the sun. I wanted to use citrus and was inspired by some recipes for a cilantro lime marinade. I ultimately changed a bunch of items to make it my own and the end result was really quite fabulous. In most marinades I find that they use a ton of oil. To me, a 1/2 cup of oil is a lot. There is 880 calories in a 1/2 cup of oil, which is just way too much. My version has only 2 tablespoons and I used water instead of the rest of the oil. I would have used chicken stock but I ran out (probably because I use it in almost everything I cook.) Nevertheless the end result was delicious and tender. I didn't miss the oil one bit and neither will my skinny jeans.

The cooking decision was easy. I simply put it on the BBQ since it was such a beautiful day. Food on the grill tastes so good, you can never go wrong. I decided to serve my version of homemade black beans and some rice to accompany the steak which all fit the southwest theme.

The moment of truth...my hubby loved it! If he hates something I make (which he usually refers to as OK), I don't blog about it since I figure if he doesn't like it, neither would you. However, this one he loved.

Cilantro-Lime Marinated Skirt Steak

Ingredients
Good sized skirt steak or flank steak (1.5-2 pounds)
2 limes, juice of
2 T. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 c. water or chicken stock
salt and pepper

Directions
Dry meat with a papper towel to remove any excess juices from the meat. Season the meat liberally with salt & pepper.

Toss the rest of the ingredients into a mini food processor and pulse until combined.

Marinate meat for 1-2 hours (no more since the lime in the marinade can begin to break down the meat).

Grill to your desired doneness. While the meat is cooking, take the reserved marinade and boil in a saucepan on medium heat for 10 minutes. This will kill the bacteria and you will be able to use it as a nice sauce for your steak.

Enjoy!

Pomegranate Dijon Pork Tenderloin

2010-07-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of meat and I just love trying out new recipes using this tasty protein. I love the fruity taste of accompanied with pork - something about the sweet and savory goes so well together and my Pomegranate Dijon Pork Tenderloin is dynamite. I also have to add, like with all my recipes, it couldn't be easier.

Pomegranate Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. honey
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. orange zest
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 (1 1/2 pound) pork tenderloin
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

Directions

In a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine pomegranate juice, orange juice, mustard, honey, garlic, orange zest, cayenne pepper and thyme. Tighten lid, and shake until everything is mixed well. Pour over pork tenderloin in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag, and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Remove tenderloin from marinade, reserving the marinade. Place meat in roasting pan, and arrange pan on center rack in oven.

Pour marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and reduce volume by half. Remove from heat. Place 1/2 of liquid in a cup for basting, and reserve to use as a sauce.

Roast tenderloin in oven for 30 to 40 minutes, basting lightly with reduced marinade until internal temperature is 155 degrees F (68 degrees C) when measured in the thickest part of the tenderloin. Remove tenderloin from oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve each portion with reserved sauce drizzled over top, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme.

Lower-fat Lemon Cake

2010-07-12T11:27:00.001-07:00

Today I was in the mood for something sweet, but I didn't want to make cookies and I really wanted something light. I began perusing my cookbooks and stumbled across Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Cake. Surprisingly there wasn't a ton of oil and I was able to lighten it up even more by making some modifications. First, I used less oil, substituting with some unsweetened applesauce and I also used low-fat vanilla yogurt vs. plain whole milk yogurt. I also opted to cut down on the amount of lemon juice used since the first time I made her original recipe it was a bit too tart for my taste. The result was delicious and not that bad for you. Enjoy!

Lower-fat Lemon Cake

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 T. vegetable oil
2 T. unsweetened apple sauce
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T. water

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, applesauce, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 2 T. lemon juice, 2 T. water and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool. Here is what it looks like, pre-glaze:

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and milk and pour over the cake.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

2010-07-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

I love summer! I really, truly love it! The sunny days inspire me to utilize all the delicious, fresh, crisp organic produce I find at the local farmer's market and my salads have never tasted better.

On my last trip I picked up some fresh mint, parsley, tomatoes and although I wasn't sure what I was going to make at the time, I decided to make a tabbouleh salad. I was sure that I had bulgur, but unfortunately when going to find it, I found that I was mistaken and actually didn't have any. I hate it when that happens! Anyways, rather than loading my little monsters into the car, I opted to make a quinoa tabbouleh salad. I was a little hesitant to use quinoa since my last attempt using quinoa produced a very foul side dish. Come to think of it, "foul" is being too nice, it was disgusting. I now know that you must rinse the quinoa before cooking it. What a difference!

I doctored the tabbouleh up by adding a little feta, some scallions and made the dressing light by using only a little bit of oil. The salad turned out delicious and I didn't miss the oil one bit.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 1/2 T. olive oil
3 T. chicken broth
1 clove garlic
1 t. dijon mustard
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/3 cup feta cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soak the quinoa for 15 min. Soaking helps quinoa to cook evenly, and loosens up the outer coating of saponin, which can give a bitter taste if not removed. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

To rinse, stir the quinoa and carefully pour off the rinsing water, using a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to the cooking pot, add 1 1/2 cups water & 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove quinoa from heat and allow to sit five minutes with the lid on. Fluff quinoa gently with a fork and set aside until the quinoa reaches room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by adding the lemon juice, olive oil, chicken broth, garlic and dijon in a bowl and mix well. Pour into the quinoa salad and add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the quinoa sits for a few hours.

Best S'more Ever!

2010-07-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love caramel so I am always trying to incorporate it into dessert items. Some of my best desserts have come from adding caramel to a regular recipe that otherwise had no caramel whatsoever. This s'more is one of those cases. OMG, these are SOOOOOO good! I ate two while trying to take a picture of it. Something about the warm caramel, oozing into the chocolate with the slight crispness of the toasted marshmallow exterior that is wrapped up in the delicious crunch of the graham cracker was just to much. I couldn't help myself. I don't know if you will be able to either. Beware....

Best S'more Ever

Ingredients
Graham Crackers
Chocolate
CC Confectionary Vanilla Bean Caramels or another variety of fine caramels
Marshmallows

Directions
Toast your marshmallows and stack the s'more up old school - but this time add a slice of caramel in between the chocolate and marshmallow. Enjoy!

Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cakes

2010-07-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so I cheated. No, no, not on my husband, on my favorite brownie recipe. You see, I am a little bit of a snob when it comes to brownies. I have a typical fondness for Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownie recipe that is to die for rich and delicious, but I was in a pinch, had a chocolate craving (along with people coming over) and needed something quick. I remembered buying a box of Ghiradelli's Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix several weeks ago while perusing the baking aisles only to find it on sale for something ridiculously cheap. I thought, "why not?" and I am so glad that I did! Here is a picture of the little box:
I doctored the recipe by adding a layer of caramel and some additional chocolate chips to the middle layer and used a round biscuit cutter to make the pieces look pretty. Garnish with the glaze that comes in the box (how easy is that?!), add some caramel, whip cream and a sprig of mint and VOILA - the only person who will know how easy it was, is you. Definitely give this one a shot.

I have to add, that while the mix is not as good as the Barefoot Contessa recipe, Ghiradelli does do an amazing job at making a rich, dense, delicious and chocolaty brownie out of a box.

Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cakes

1 box of Ghiradelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix
1/2 lb. CC Confectionary Salted Vanilla Bean Caramels or another variety of fine caramels
2 T. milk
½ cup chocolate chips (whatever flavor you like – I used milk chocolate chips)
Whipped Cream (for garnish)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Make brownies according to the package directions. Reserve the glaze.

Pour 1/3 of the brownie mixture into the pan and bake for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the caramel along with the 2 T. of milk in the microwave in 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth. When the first layer of the brownie mixture comes out of the oven, spread ¾ of the caramel mixture over the partially cooked brownie layer and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Like this:

Spread remaining brownie mixture over the caramel, chocolate chip layer and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.

When done, cool slightly and cut them in cute, little circles with a biscuit cutter and drizzle with the glaze from the box. (Note: Make sure to put the glaze in a bowl of hot tap water for about five minutes before doing this to soften it up.) Drizzle your plate with the reserved caramel and some whip cream.

Delicious, Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

2010-06-29T10:04:00.001-07:00

I love pork tenderloin and am constantly trying out new ways to utilize this fabulous meat. I recently pounded it out, filled it with a delicious apricot, sausage & cheese filling and finished it off with a tangy apricot sauce. I used low-fat sausage, pork tenderloin is already lower in fat and the sauce is fat free. It is delicious and healthy - yum!

Sausage & Apricot Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin (approximately 1 – 1.5 pounds, butterflied and pounded flat evenly, to about a ¼ inch thick)
1 tsp. McCormicks Perfect Pinch Garlic Pepper Salt Free Seasoning
½ - 1 tsp. salt to taste
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely minced white onion
2 Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausages, diced into ½-inch dice
5 dried apricots, finely diced
¼ cup Light Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, minced
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Glaze:
½ c. apricot jam
½ c. chicken stock
2 T. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take pork tenderloin that has been pounded flat and season both sides with McCormicks Perfect Pinch Garlic Pepper Salt Free seasoning and salt. Set aside.

Heat a non-stick 12-inch non-stick sauté pan over medium-low heat Add olive oil and minced onion. Saute until the onions are translucent and just beginning to brown.

Turn the heat up to medium and sauté the sausages with the onions until the sausages are lightly browned.

Transfer onion and Al Fresco sausage mixture to a bowl and add apricots, Light Ricotta Cheese, thyme leaves, ½ t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Mix well.

Spread mixture evenly on top of the pork tenderloin, but leave ½ inch border around the tenderloin where there is no filling.

Roll up the tenderloin like a sausage and tie together with pieces of cooking twine to make sure it is secure while cooking. I tie the tenderloin every two inches to make sure that it is secure.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place apricot jam, chicken stock, vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and stir until bubbling.

While your apricot mixture is heating, over medium-high heat, heat up your 12-inch non-stick skillet and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Place tenderloin in the skillet and brown on all four sides. Each side should be seared for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Once all sides are browned, transfer to a oven safe dish and brush with the apricot mixture. You will have apricot mixture leftover. You will use it later.

Place the pork tenderloin in a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the pork has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees. While cooking, every 10 minutes brush the pork tenderloin with the apricot mixture.

When the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees, remove from the oven and pour remaining apricot mixture over the tenderloin. Cover with foil and let the tenderloin rest for 10 minutes.

After the tenderloin has rested, slice into 1 to 1 ½ inch slices and serve with sauce on top. Enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with Pea Puree in a Light Lemon Sauce

2010-06-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am very lucky in most aspects of my life and for that I am truly grateful. I have a great husband, great kids (most of the time ;-)) and my parents are still alive. For all the things that truly matter in the world - health and happiness, I feel truly blessed.

I am however, very unlucky in one respect. I am allergic to crab, lobster and most white fish. The horror - it is awful. I grew up eating crab, lobster, halibut and this allergy didn't develop until later in life. Since I love crab and lobster, whenever I would go out to dinner with my husband I would order it and we would inevitably end up in the emergency room since I felt like I was going to have a baby or pass a kidney stone. My husband's aunt was up for a trip several years ago and she mentioned that one of her daughters developed an allergy to crab and shellfish in her 20's and evidently I had done the same. So, it turns out I wasn't allergic to expensive restaurants, but instead the shellfish I kept eating. It is such a bummer...

I am OK with salmon, which I love, but I am constantly trying to come up with new and innovative ways to make it. Enter my roasted salmon with pea puree in a light lemon sauce. It is FABULOUS! I also have to say that the colors on the plate, I think, look pretty dynamite. An added bonus is that it is really pretty easy to make since the pea puree doesn't need to be cooked and roasting salmon couldn't be easier. Try it out - it's healthy, delicious and easy to make. I like to serve mine with some pasta to help mop up some of the delicious sauce and pea puree. Enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with Pea Puree in a Light Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

Lemon Sauce:
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 lemon, zested
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Pea Puree:
2 cups frozen peas, thawed (about 10 ounces)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Salmon:
Olive Oil Spray
4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
Approximately 1 T. Dry Rub (recipe here)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To make the Lemon Sauce, warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Bring to a simmer. Add sour cream and stir to incorporate. Keep warm, covered, over low heat.

To make the Pea Puree, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree. With the machine running, add the olive oil and chicken broth in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

To make the Salmon, place the fish in a roasting dish. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with dry rub. Roast in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until medium-rare. This could be longer or shorter depending on the thickness of the fish.

To assemble the dish, add the tablespoon chopped mint to the Lemon Brodetto and divide between 4 shallow dishes. Place a salmon piece atop the lemon broth and place a large spoonful of Pea Puree into the center of the salmon. Serve immediately.

Dinner in 20...

2010-06-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

I was super busy yesterday and all of the sudden I looked down at my computer and realized that it was 6 pm and I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner. I forgot to thaw something out and I really didn't have any idea what I was going to make.

Generally in these situations my go to protein is shrimp. I always have some in the freezer and it thaws out in a flash. Since my husband loves shrimp with any kind of pasta, I thought that would be a safe bet. I decided to go with some Israeli couscous I picked up at Trader Joes and boiled it in some chicken broth with a dash of red pepper and a garlic clove to give it some added flavor. Once it was cooked, it still lacked something so I added about a cup of this delicious Organic Creamy Tomato Soup from Trader Joes (see the picture below to give the sauce some flavor and body. Oh my gosh, it was delish! I used my indoor grill and my go to seasoning (click here for the recipe) for the shrimp and had a fabulous and very healthy dish in no time. Throw in some basil and a sprinkle of parmesan at the end and the only person who will know you didn't have this planned out well in advance is you!

I am always looking for delicious, fast and easy recipes that don't require a lot of chopping and prep. If you have any, I would LOVE to hear about them! :)

Israeli Couscous and Shrimp

Ingredients
8 oz. Israeli Couscous
3 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper (or to your liking)
3/4 cup Trader Joes Organic Creamy Tomato Soup (or your favorite Tomato Soup)
1 T. Dry Seasoning Rub (click here for recipe)
1/2 lb. large shrimp (approximately 25 count)
2 tsp. olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 c. basil in chiffonade
1/3 c. grated, fresh parmesan reggiano

Directions
Bring chicken broth, 1 garlic clove and red pepper to a boil. Once boiling, add couscous and cook until al dente (mine cooked for approximately 5 minutes.)

While the couscous is cooking, season shrimp with olive oil and dry rub. Place on preheated grill pan and grill for about 2 minutes per side. Remove from grill and cover with foil to keep warm.

Once couscous is cooked, drain the pasta and place back in the pot. Add the soup, additional clove of garlic, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the shrimp on top and sprinkly with parmesan.

Now wasn't that easy!!!

This is the Trader Joes Soup I used:

Chocolate Shortbread with Vanilla Buttercream

2010-06-22T07:58:00.001-07:00

They say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and that would certainly be the case when it comes to me, my boys and our love of frosting.

The other day my youngest son went to a birthday party where they had those enormous Costco cupcakes. You know the ones - they are the size of a muffin, but are actually a cake and have enough frosting on there to make a nutritionists head spin...Well, my son licked ALL the frosting off of one. Now, I love frosting, but even this completely grossed me out. Where was I? Chatting with friends so I had no idea what he was doing - I know, great mom. Anyways, when it was time to make cookies for my son's pre-school graduation, he wanted cupcakes, but since we were specifically told to make COOKIES and NOT CUPCAKES, I decided to make a chocolate shortbread with a nice dollop of my favorite vanilla buttercream. Not only were they sensational, but I earned huge mommy points.

I chose to use a round cookie cutter, however these would be cute cut into squares as well. Whatever you feel like. I chose not to make traditional sugar cookies for two reasons - 1) I am not a fan of royal icing and 2) they are far to time consuming for me and frankly, I just don't have the patience.

Chocolate Shortbread with Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Vanilla Buttercream (see below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add flour, sugar, and cocoa; mix just until combined. (Chill dough in the refrigerator 10 minutes if it is too soft to handle.)

Pat dough into an 8x8 or a 9x9 inch square pan; press edges down with the tines of a floured fork. Bake until firm, 30 minutes. Immediately cut into your desired shape; cool completely. Turn out of pan; break wedges apart. Decorate with icing.

Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Glaze

2010-06-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

I've written before about my love of coconut and my husbands lack of love for the stuff. Unfortunately my boys have also taken sides with their dad, so my house, for the most part, has been coconut free. Every now and again I will indulge myself, but I honestly don't want to eat an entire cake or batch of cookies, so most of the time I do avoid baking or cooking with coconut. There is a but in here...I did find an awesome recipe for thin and crispy oat meal cookies with coconut and I HAD to try it. I just HAD to!

The recipe came from Cooks Illustrated and since they perfect their recipes and let you know why certain things worked and why they didn't, I can always count on a flawless finished product. This was no different. The cookie itself is light and not thick like traditional oatmeal raisin cookies. I added a drizzle of dark chocolate glaze because I love the combination of chocolate and coconut together and the result was sensational. Even the coconut haters in my house fell in love with them.

Thin and Crispy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Glaze
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients
1 c. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
14 T. unsalted butter
1 c. granulated sugar
¼ c. light brown sugar, packed firmly
1 egg
1 t. pure vanilla extract
2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 ½ c. sweetened, flaked coconut

Chocolate Glaze:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 t. canola oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl again. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and smooth, 10 seconds.

With mixer still running on low, gradually add oats and coconut and mix until well incorporated, 20 seconds. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Measure dough with a small ice scream scoop (or about 1 ½ T. each) and then roll between palms into balls. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, using fingertips, gently press each dough ball to 3/4-inch thickness.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are deep golden brown, edges are crisp, and centers yield to slight pressure when pressed, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely on sheet.

Place chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments until chocolate is completely melted. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

A lighter take on Hasselback Potatoes

2010-06-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

I love potatoes. I know that some carb-haters deem them evil, but I will never, ever cut them out. Not only are they unbelievably versatile, but much like chicken, they can take on different tastes and flavors that will compliment practically any dish. Plus, I must mention that as long as we don’t drown our potatoes in butter, oil, cheese and other delectable fats, potatoes aren’t all that bad for you.

I found a delicious recipe for Hasselback potatoes, but decided to lighten them up a bit by using a LOT less oil and substituting some healthier alternatives. I started by using my handy Misto to spray the tops of the potatoes with and then melted one tablespoon of butter with some chicken stock, garlic, lemon and lemon zest to further flavor them some more. The result was a crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, flavorful potato that was not only lower in fat and calories than most Hasselback potatoes, but could go head to head with any of them in a taste test. Enjoy these, while you look great in your skinny jeans and swimsuits this summer….

One more note, I did serve these with my lighter version of gorgonzola sauce, see here, but you could also eat these plain or with a light sprinkling of either gorgonzola or parmesan cheese would be awesome as well.

“Lightened Up” Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients
4 medium sized red skinned potatoes (or any medium size potatoes you have on hand. If you use russet potatoes, I recommend taking the skin of first though)
Olive Oil Spray or olive oil spray from your Misto (If you don’t have a Misto, get one – they are FABULOUS!!!)
1 T. butter
½ c. chicken stock
1 t. lemon zest
½ medium lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, grated
salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through. Place your potatoes on a baking sheet and spray them with your olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.

In a microwave safe dish, combine, butter, stock, zest, lemon juice and garlic together. Microwave on high for 30 seconds until the mixture is combined and bubbling. With a brush, brush mixture over the potatoes. There will be leftovers, save them and use them for brushing the potatoes while they are cooking. Every 10 minutes, brush the potatoes with the mixture until they are cooked through. This should take about 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Hasselback Potatoes

Classy Cookie

2010-06-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

I love cookies, in fact I can't bake them as often as I would like because when I do, I gorge myself. There is something about a fresh cookie, straight out of the oven. For me, there is little else like it.

I did however find this fun recipe for Brown Buttercrunch cookies that is different from the traditional cookies that I generally make. They are dainty and perfect for a light dessert, a ladies luncheon or a fun snack. My boys loved them, but since they are crisp, I recommend making your kids sit down when they eat them or the crumbs go flying. I drizzled mine with a semi-sweet chocolate glaze, but next time I will try white chocolate as well for something a little different.

Brown Buttercrunch Cookies

Ingredients
Cookie:
½ cup salted butter, softened
½ cup light corn syrup
2/3 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup old-fashioned oats (not quick or instant)
¾ c. all-purpose flour
1 t. pure vanilla

Chocolate Glaze:
¼ c. heavy cream
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 t. light corn syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, corn syrup and brown sugar over moderate heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high. When mixture boils remove from heat and stir in oats, four and vanilla. The batter will look like this:

Bake cookies one pan at a time and be ready to work fast. Drop half teaspoonfuls, three inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes or until mixture spreads, bubbles and begins to brown. Let cookies cool for 1-2 minutes before rolling. They will look like this:

Roll widest edge of cookie around a wooden spoon handle, creating a tube. Repeat with remaining cookies. If cookies become too brittle to roll, return to oven for about 20 seconds to soften. Cool rolled cookies completely.

To make the chocolate glaze, heat cream in a small saucepan until scalded. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and corn syrup. Cover and let stand about 15 minutes until the chocolate has melted. Using a wire whisk or a wooden spoon, gently mix glaze until smooth, being careful not to create bubbles.

When cookies are cool, drizzle glaze over the cookies. Allow to set for 10-15 minutes.

The Other White Meat...

2010-05-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

You know a marketing campaign is good, when years after it has run its course, you still recall their slogan. I love pork and I think calling it the "other" white meat sells itself short sometimes. My new favorite cut, is pork tenderloin. It is succulent, delicious and is the perfect canvas to absorb all sorts of flavors. The fact that it is relatively lean doesn't hurt either - especially this time of year.

The recipe I made last night was inspired by one of my favorite wing recipes, Maple Wings. If you have never tried this recipe, you definitely should - they are sensational and everyone always raves about them. I can't tell you the number of times I have given out that recipe. The combination of soy sauce, teriyaki and maple syrup is spectacular and really brings out the natural flavors in the pork. I love to serve this dish with my Ginger Rice and a cool cucumber salad. Sooooo good!

Maple Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin (approximately 1.5-2 pounds)
2/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce (preferably Yoshida's)
1 T. finely minced garlic
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. crushed red pepper

Directions
Put pork tenderloin in a ziploc bag. In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients and pour into the ziploc bag. Marinate for as long as you can - overnight, if possible.

Remove pork from the plastic bag and grill or bake in a 400 degree oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

While the pork is cooking, boil the remaining marinade in the bag for atleast 10 minutes.

When the pork is finished, slice and serve with the marinade as a sauce.

Now, wasn't that easy!

Apricot Lime Cooler

2010-05-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

I am not a lush. Really. It is just that as the weather heats up, I just can't resist making one of the refreshing cocktails that I haven't made in oh, nine months. I can't help but want to share and along with the Vodka Thyme Lemonade. This one is made with apricot nectar, lime juice, lime zest, sugar, vodka and ice. It is really spectacular, very unique and a true crowd pleaser. Friends always ask for the recipe, I think yours will as well.

Apricot Lime Cooler
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons freshly grated lime zest (about 6 limes)
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 cups apricot nectar, chilled
1 1/4 cups white rum

Directions
In a food processor, pulse lime zest with the sugar until finely ground. Measure out 1/4 cup mixture; transfer the rest to a shallow dish. Pour 2 tablespoons lime juice into another dish. Dip rims of four glasses in juice, then in sugar mixture, coating well.

In a blender, puree apricot nectar, rum, remaining 1/4 cup lime juice, reserved zest 1/4 cup mixture, and 2 cups ice. Divide among prepared glasses, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Vodka Thyme Lemonade

2010-05-20T23:50:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it is almost Memorial Day. School is almost out, the barbecues are being dusted off and the weather is heating up. The time has come for some of those refreshing summer cocktails! One of my favorites is this recipe for Vodka-Thyme Lemonade (don't you just LOVE the name!) I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart's website several years ago and I have been making it consistently whenever the warm weather begins. An added bonus (for me, at least) is that because I garnish it with fresh thyme my kids won't come near it, so I don't need to worry about them getting into anything they shouldn't be.

Vodka Thyme Lemonade (adapted for MarthaStewart.com)
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
12 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 24 lemons
2 cups vodka

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the sugar and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.

Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup; discard thyme. You should have 2 cups syrup. Cover with plastic; chill.

In a large serving pitcher, stir together lemon juice, vodka, and chilled syrup; garnish with thyme. Divide evenly among eight tumblers filled with ice; serve immediately.

*Image provided by Martha Stewart

Salted Caramel Banana Cream Pie

2010-05-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last posted a recipe. I have been working on a little cooking project that I will share with you all later.

In the meantime, I was able to whip up my hubby's favorite dessert - Banana Cream Pie. I like to put my own twist on it however. First, I use a tart pan, because I am not good at making pie crusts look cute and tart pans are just so foolproof. Second, I am not a fan of heavy custard so I use vanilla pudding. Yes, from a box. I know it is cheating, but I truly like the taste butter. Next, I add caramel (of course) which truly sends it over the top. And lastly, I add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste to the fresh whipped topping. The recipe is very easy to make, but if you are in a time pinch, this is not the recipe to use. It is however, delicious and I don't even like Banana Cream Pie, at least not the traditional ones...

Salted Caramel Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Bean Whip Cream

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
3 bananas, cut into this slices
1/2 lb. CC Confectionary Salted Vanilla Bean Caramels or another variety of fine caramels
3 T. milk
1 small box instant vanilla pudding (no cook variety)
2 cups milk

For the whip cream:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste or the vanilla seeds scraped from one vanilla pod

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.

Once the crust has cooled, lay sliced bananas evenly over the crust. See here:

Next, melt the caramel and 3 T. milk in the microwave in 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Once smooth, pour 3/4 of the caramel over the bananas. Set the remaining caramel aside for a garnish.

Mix 2 cups milk and pudding mix according to package directions. Spread evenly over the banana and caramel mixture. Set in the refrigerator for at least two hours to set.

For the decoration, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla beans and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the tart. Decorate with the remaining caramel, if desired. Serve chilled. This is so delicious and WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY better than anything you could ever buy.

Simple and Healthy Pasta Dish

2010-05-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

No matter how efficient I try to be, there is just never enough hours in the day. Between trying to work, keeping the house up, spending quality time with family and trying to maintain relationships with my girlfriends, I am constantly rushing and feeling like I am falling short as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, domestic goddess...

Soooo...as I jump back on the hamster wheel of life I saw an amazing recipe on the Food Network by Ina Garten for a delicious pasta dish that comes together in oh ten minutes. Plus, it is FABULOUS!

I made a minor change to the recipe by using fresh campari tomatoes that I cut into a 1/2" dice since I didn't have cherry tomatoes. You can use what you like, however.

Cappellini with Tomatoes and Basil
(adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1/2 cup good olive oil, plus extra for the pot
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
4 pints small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes or 3 cups vine ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
18 large basil leaves, julienned
2 tablespoons chopped fresh curly parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 pound dried capellini or angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra chopped basil and grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and a splash of oil to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don't break up.

While the tomatoes are cooking, add the capellini to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes, basil, parsley and Parmesan and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top and a big bowl of extra Parmesan on the side.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

2010-05-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

So I think by now you have figured out that I have a slight infatuation with caramel. For me, it is one of those ingredients that adds a special something to the ordinary and I love to add it to desserts to give it that extra "oomph."

So with that, I have to introduce my recipe for Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Imagine luscious vanilla ice cream and then flavor it with delicious, buttery, creamy, slightly salty caramel. This ice cream is divine. Generally I am not one to brag, but I have to toot my own horn on this one. It is really, really, REALLY good. Toot, toot!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 pound CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramels with Fleur de Sel or other fine butter caramel with fleur de sel
2 1/4 cups half & half, divided
1 cup milk
1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl add salted caramel and 1/4 cup of the half & half. Microwave in 30 second increments until it is smooth. Let cool.

Meanwhile, bring remaining half & half, milk, and 1/4 cup sugar to a slight simmer, stirring occasionally.

Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of the hot mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.

Chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft), then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up.

A Delish Recipe for Dan Dan Noodles...

2010-05-04T20:20:00.001-07:00

I have a rule and I hope that I don't sound like too big of a snot when I say what it is...I try, with every ounce of my being to avoid restaurants that advertise on television. I don't know what it is, but I just feel like any restaurant that can mass advertise just can't have the freshest most delicious food. Seriously though, think about it...Red Lobster, Olive Garden (with their never ending salad and breadsticks - YUCK!), Applebee's, The Keg - when I think of fresh, flavorful, unforgettable cuisine the above just don't come to my mind.

I do however have a few favorite chains that I am particularly fond of and they seem to deliver on delicious food. I just hope they don't start advertising on TV cause it is all downhill from there. My favorite of all the chains would have to be PF Changs because I LOVE their Dan Dan Noodles. It is one of those items that I crave. I will think about them and my mouth will begin to water. Well, today I had a craving and I decided to try a recipe out. Boy am I glad I did. The taste wasn't exact, but it was pretty darn close and is a recipe that I will be adding to my regular repetoire. I have to add that I made this whole mean in about 20 minutes, which isn't half bad for a quick weeknight meal.

If you love PF Changs or even if you don't, you should give this recipe a try. One note, PF Changs serves their Dan Dan noodles with cucumbers. I am not particularly fond of cucumbers in this dish, so I left them out. If you like them, by all means add them.

Dan Dan Noodles-ish

Ingedients

2 chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil, plus more for cooking chicken
1/2 pound dry spaghetti
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 cup Yoshida's Teriyaki Sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons sambal oelek (chile-garlic sauce to taste)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Garnish:
Chives
1/2 cup peanuts

Directions
Saute chicken breast in a skillet in a little oil for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool; then mince.

Prepare the spaghetti following the directions on the package

For Sauce: In a wok or large saucepand heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and green onion and saute for just a few seconds; careful that the garlic doesn't burn.

Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar and chile-garlic sauce. Combine the cornstarch with ½ cup water and stir it into the sauce. Simmer sauce for about 2 minutes or until it thickens.

Once thick, add the chicken and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Place cooked noodles onto a serving plate. Spoon chicken and sauce over the top of the noodles. Garnish with chives or peanuts before serving.

Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

2010-04-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

I love caramel apples. Ever since I was a little kid I remember going to fairs and getting one of those sticky, messy, incredibly delicious concoctions on a stick and going to town on it for a good half hour. Many, many, many years have passed and I still love the flavor combination of caramel and apples. There is something about the tart bite of an apple (I am thinking of the Granny Smith variety here) and the creamy, sweet, smooth taste of caramel that meld so perfectly together. I still enjoy the occasional caramel apple when I am vacationing in a resort town, however now I choose to cut them as opposed to eat them directly off the stick. A sticky face at five is cute, at 34...not so much.

I was thinking of one of my favorite childhood treats when I came up with this recipe for Apple Cake with a Salted Caramel Glaze. This cake is not only moist, but you can make the entire thing without taking out a mixer or beaters. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my stand mixer, but with the amount I bake, if I can find a recipe where I can forgo the huge stainless bowl and paddle attachment, I will do so.

I love to serve this warm with a scoop of ice cream on top. Even if you are a hardcore chocolate lover like I am, I would recommend giving this cake a try. It is delicious!

Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze

Ingredients
For the cake:
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 apples, preferably organic peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the glaze:
1/2 pound CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramels with Fleur de Sel or other fine butter caramel
1/4 cup half & half or cream

Directions
To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour an 9-by-9-inch baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat sugars, oil and vanilla until well-blended. Add the eggs and egg white, beat well. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and gradually add to the sugar and eggs, mixing just until well-blended.

Fold in the apples and turn into pan. Your batter will look like this:

Bake for about 40 minutes (begin to check after 30 minutes), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan while preparing the glaze.

To prepare the glaze:

In a microwave safe bowl add salted caramel and half & half or cream. Microwave in 30 second increments until it is smooth. Spoon over cake and serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

A Light & Healthy Spaghetti Carbonara

2010-04-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, the title is correct - A Light AND Healthy Spaghetti Carbonara. I recently picked up a magazine featuring the best light & healthy recipes of 2010 from America's Test Kitchens. I absolutely love America's Test Kitchens because not only are their recipes full proof, they explain the science behind the recipe and I find it fascinating.

For this lightened up Spaghetti Carbonara they used ingredients such as fat-free evaporated milk and mayonnaise to create a creamy sauce without a ton of added fat. I would have never thought to use these ingredients in a carbonara, but let me tell you - it is fabulous and the calorie/fat content isn't so shabby either. Coming in at 410 calories per 1-cup serving, this comes in way under an original carbonara recipe and I didn't miss the original one bit. I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did.

Light & Healthy Spaghetti Carbonara
(adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

Ingredients
2/3 c. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
1/4 c. fat-free evaporated milk
2 T. mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 ounces Canadian Bacon, chopped coarse
2 slices bacon, chopped coarse
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. pepper
1/3 c. dry white wine
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
1 T. chopped, fresh parsley

Directions
Process the cheese, evaporated milk, 1 1/2 T. of the mayonnaise, egg and egg white in a food processor until smooth, about 15 seconds; leave the mixture in the food processor.

Cook the Canadian bacon and bacon together in a 12-inch non stick skillet over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is browned, about seven minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Add the garlic and pepper ot the fat left in the skillet, and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the wine, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened slightly, about one minute. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring four quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 T. salt, and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with the remaining 1 1/2 t. mayonnaise until coated.

With the food processor running, slowly add the wine mixture and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water to the egg mixture, and process until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute. Immediately pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss to combine, adjusting the sauce consistency with the remaining reserved cooking water as desired. Stir in the bacon and season with salt to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Salted Caramel Irish Cream

2010-04-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

I love Irish Cream and even more so, I love homemade Irish Cream. It is decadent, incredibly delicious and it is super simple to make. Talk about a fabulous hostess gift, not to mention a wonderful way to wow guests when they come over.

As most of you know, I am caramel obsessed so I decided to experiment with my favorite homemade Irish Cream recipe, which you can find here and give it a little extra something by adding some salted caramel. In this picture I also had a glass that I put in the freezer for about 30 minutes and put a salted caramel rim around the top. Simply melt some salted caramel and put it on a shallow plate. Dip the rim of your glass in the caramel and sprinkle with a small amount of additional fleur de sel or sea salt if you like.

Salted Caramel Irish Cream

Ingredients

1/4 lb. CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramels with Fleur de Sel or other fine salted caramel
1 1/4 cup milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cup Irish whiskey
1 teaspoon strong coffee
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1/4 lb. caramels with 1/4 c. milk in 30 second increments until caramel is smooth and completely melted. This should take no more than 60-90 seconds. Let cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine milk, sweetened condensed milk, Irish whiskey, coffee, chocolate syrup, melted caramel mixture and vanilla extract. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving.

Beer Braised Pork & Black Bean Tacos with Mango Pico de Gallo

2010-04-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I have a love-hate relationship with my slow cooker. I love the idea of it, well what's not to love...Throw everything in a pot, turn it on and 4-8 hours later - voila, dinner! The hate part is, it generally looks like a pile of slop. Really, even when it tastes good, let's face it - the finished product is not so easy on the eyes.

So...when I saw a recipe for pork & black bean soup that you could make in your slow cooker, my interest was piqued. I read the recipe and decided to adapt it to make the pork and black beans as a filling for tacos. I made a bunch of changes to the recipe, but I got inspiration from this recipe from Real Simple. I figured that even though slow cooker food doesn't look so appealing - did it really matter since I would be putting it inside tacos with a fabulous pico de gallo mango on top? I didn't think so, besides how great does taco meat ever look? Mine never looks all that great anyhow...

I deviated from the original recipe by using less beer, I added chicken stock and I used pork tenderloin instead of pork butt to save on fat and calories. The meat turned out delicious and moist and the beans were flavorful. Another bonus is that you could serve a ton of people with this meal. I used my handy Vidalia Onion Slicer to slice up the veggies for the pico de gallo and it made a huge difference in the amount of time it took me to chop all the fruits and veggies. If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one. It will save you time and money. And these are two things I could always use more of. :)

Enjoy!

Beer Braised Pork & Black Bean Tacos with Mango Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

1 – 12oz bottle of lager beer
1 can low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobe sauce and 1 tbsp adobe sauce
1 tsp cumin
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb dried black beans, rinsed
1 ½ lbs boneless pork butt (pork shoulder)
salt & pepper to taste
Corn or flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheese (whatever one you like)
Mango Pico de Gallo Salsa (recipe below)

In a slow cooker, combine beer, chicken broth, 2 cups water, the chilies, adobe sauce, cumin, onion, beans, pork and beef bouillon. Cook on high 4 hrs, separate pork and serve on tacos with cheese and pico de gallo.

Mango Pico de Gallo Salsa

Ingredients
6 vine ripened tomatoes, cored & seeded.
1 small jalapeno pepper (seeds and rib removed)
1/2 red onion
2 mangoes
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1 T. agave nectar
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
Finely chop or put the following through your Vidalia Onion Slicer - tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, red onion & mangoes.

Put the mixture in a bowl and add the cilantro, lime juice, agave nectar and salt & pepper.

Millionaire's Shortbread

2010-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

I know why they call these cookies Millionaire's Shortbread..Cause they taste like a million bucks.

In a cookie like this, the finished product is only as good as the sum of its parts. In this case, I started with a delicious, buttery shortbread crust. Topped it with a delicious layer of luscious caramel and topped that with some decadent white chocolate. In this case I used Fran's chocolate, but feel free to use the best chocolate you can find.

Most recipes I saw for this kind of cookie used vanilla caramel and a milk or dark chocolate topping, however I decided to mix it up a bit by using a chocolate caramel and a white chocolate top. Boy am I glad that I did. While you can't go wrong with the original version I found myself enjoying this version more than I could have ever imagined. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I did!

Millionaire Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1 t. salt
3 c. all purpose flour

Caramel Layer:
3/4 pound CC Confectionary Chocolate Truffle Caramels or other fine butter caramels
2 T. half & half

Chocolate Layer:
6 oz. white chocolate (best quality you can get your hands on)
2 oz. semi sweet chocolate

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Blend butter until smooth in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Slowly blend in the confectioners sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla and salt. Gradually add the flour and mix on low speed just until combined.

Pat the dough in a 9"x9" square pan lined with parchment paper and prick holes in the dough as seen below:

*Note: It is very important to line the pan with parchment paper. Not only will your shortbread not stick to the pan, but after you pour your caramel in, it will make your life much easier when you try to remove the cookies from the pan.

Place the shortbread in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges of your crust just begin to have a little color. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Once the shortbread crust has cooled, place the caramel and half & half in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until it is completely melted. Be sure to stir the caramel every 30 seconds to make sure that the heat is being evenly distributed throughout the caramel.

Pour caramel on the shortbread crust and let cool for approximately 2 hours.

Once the caramel layer has cooled, place the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until it is completely melted. Be sure to stir the chocolate every 30 seconds, just like the caramel, to make sure that the heat is being evenly distributed throughout. Spread chocolate evenly over the caramel layer.

If you choose to decorate your shortbread as I did in these pictures, immediately after you have completed the last step, melt the semi-sweet chocolate as noted above (in 30 second increments and pour into a plastic bag with a small opening snipped off the tip. Pipe thin parallel lines of chocolate along the length of the cookie.

Working quickly before the chocolate has a chance to set, drag a paring knife horizontally across the surface of the napoleon, alternating directions about 1/4" apart. This will give you this pretty design.

Enjoy!

Chicken Gorgonzola(ish)

2010-04-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love Chicken Gorgonzola. My mom made this for me when I was growing up and it was one of my favorite meals. I still love chicken gorgonzola, however as I have gotten older I have found it necessary to "lighten" up one of my favorite dishes if I want to enjoy it regularly.

Now, before you read any further, I realize this isn't true Chicken Gorgonzola. I have omitted the cream and did not pan fry my chicken and instead chose to grill my chicken breasts. In addition, I opted for whole wheat pasta in lieu of regular. If you are like me and love this dish, this is a way to enjoy a version with less guilt and still a lot of flavor. Hope you enjoy it!

Chicken Gorgonzola(ish)

Ingredients
2 pounds chicken breasts or chicken tenders (I used chicken tenders because that is what I had on hand.)
salt & pepper
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. shallots, chopped fine
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%, but use what you have on hand)
1 cup chicken stock
6 oz. Gorgonzola Cheese (or to taste)
1 lb. whole wheat pasta, cooked
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
2 T. chives (if desired)

Directions
Salt & pepper your chicken breasts and grill until done. The chicken tenders I used were pretty thin, so I cooked them for about 5 minutes per side. The time it takes for your chicken to cook will depend on how thin your pieces are, so adjust the time accordingly. When the chicken breasts are cooked, place them on a dish and cover them with foil to keep them warm.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the butter on medium-low until melted. Add the shallots and cook for about five minutes until shallots are translucent. Add flour to the shallots and cook for another 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk in milk carefully. Add a little milk at a time so that there are no lumps. Once all the milk has been added, add the chicken stock and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes on low.

Once the sauce has reduced some, add the Gorgonzola. I would start by adding 4 ounces of Gorgonzola and continue adding until you reach the flavor you like. Gorgonzola has a strong flavor and a little goes a long way. Make sure to taste the sauce and season it with salt and pepper to your likings. I can guarantee you it will need salt and pepper at this point.

To serve, put pasta on the plate, top with grilled chicken and spoon the sauce on top. I garnished mine with parmesan and chives. Enjoy!

Banana Cake with Caramel Frosting

2010-04-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

I buy lots of bananas in my house. Many times we get through them before they get overly ripe, however when they get too many brown spots I am not particularly fond of the texture and neither is anyone else in my house. Years ago I began to put them in the freezer when they get to this overly "ripe" state. This works perfectly so when I do have the urge to make banana bread, a banana shake or in this case a banana cake I have the perfect, overly ripe banana.

In the case of this banana cake, I cheated by doctoring up a yellow cake mix. I know, I know it's not hard to whip up a cake batter...but I was feeling lazy and trust me, this is delicious and super moist. I love the caramel frosting that tops the cake and inside the cake I made a chocolate caramel frosting to give the cake a nice flavor addition.

Banana Cake with Caramel Frosting

Ingredients
Butter, for greasing the pans
flour, for dusting the pans
1 package plain yellow cake mix, (18.25 ounces) (I like Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 medium-size ripe bananas, peeled & mashed (about one cup)
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Caramel Frosting (directions below)
Chocolate Caramel Frosting (directions below)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set pans aside.

Place the cake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the mashed bananas, water, oil, and eggs. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for two minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended and the bananas should be well pureed. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cakes until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for ten minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely 30 minutes more.

Make the chocolate caramel frosting and spread it on top one of the cake layers. Top with the remaining cake layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with the Caramel Frosting. Garnish as desired. I used some fresh fruit and chocolate wafer crumbs.

Chocolate Caramel Frosting

Ingredients
1/4 lb. CC Confectionary Chocolate Truffle Caramel or other fine chocolate caramel
1 T. half & half
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 T. butter (softened)
1 T. chocolate syrup

Directions
In a microwave safe bowl add chocolate caramel and half & half. Microwave in 30 minute increments until it is smooth. Like this:

In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachemnt, combine the caramel mixture, powdered sugar, butter and chocolate syrup. Mix until fluffy. If you find the frosting to be to stiff, simply add half & half a tsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 lb. CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Caramel or other fine caramel
2 T. half & half
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
4 T. butter (softened)

Directions
In a microwave safe bowl add caramel and half & half. Microwave in 30 minute increments until it is smooth.

In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachemnt, combine the caramel mixture, powdered sugar, and butter. Mix until very light and fluffy - about 3 minutes. If you find the frosting to be to stiff, simply add half & half a tsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

2010-04-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

Do any of you remember Starbucks Signature Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate? It was fabulous! This was the type of drink that was more like a dessert. It was so creamy and delicious and the way that salted caramel hit your taste buds, it was like an explosion in your mouth. I was in euphoria whenever I let myself indulge.

Unfortunately they are no longer serving this decadent treat and I have sorely missed it, however I have come up with my own little version that is quite delish. If I do say so myself…I took my favorite hot chocolate recipe (see Fluffy Hot Chocolate) and added salted caramel to it. It is fabulous and a real treat!

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Makes four, one-cup servings

Ingredients
4 c. milk
2 T. cocoa powder
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
¼ lb. CC Confectionary Salted Caramel or other fine, butter caramel
Accompaniments and garnish ideas: Whip cream, caramel sauce, fleur de sel, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, espresso, liqueurs

In a saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the cocoa has dissolved and the marshmallows are starting to melt, about 5minutes.

Add your caramel and let it melt. About another 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat; stir in and/or top with any additional accompaniments you like.

My Favorite Cookie of All Time

2010-04-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid my parents used to call me the Cookie Monster. If there were cookies around, I would eat them. As many as they would let me. This obsession with cookies is what started my passion with baking. Cookies are a great starter for new bakers for two reasons in my opinion - first, the instructions are generally simple and two, most of the time all the ingredients can be found in a reasonably stocked kitchen.

My favorite cookie of all is the good old chocolate chip cookie - it always has been, until now....Enter the chocolate chip cookie with a creamy caramel center. It is like eating a candy bar inside that delicious, chewy chocolate chip cookie. It is ridiculously good. I highly recommend giving them a try...

CC Confectionary Caramel Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (your preference)
1/4 lb. bar CC Confectionary Madagascar Vanilla Bean Caramels or Other Fine Caramel

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds).

Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Cut your caramels into pieces that are approximately 1/2" x 1/2". If you are using CC Confectionary caramels, cut the 1/4 lb. brick into 10 equal pieces and then slice each of those strips into three equal pieces. Here is a picture of what the caramel pieces look like.

Using a 1 T. ice cream scoop, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 3 inches apart. Place one caramel square in the center and top with another tablespoon of dough.

Roll them in your hand so they are a nice even ball. Like this...

Bake for about 9 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie. I like my cookies on the softer side, so if you like them that way also, at 9 minutes exactly, remove them from the oven.

Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet. Some of the caramel may have sunk to the bottom, so to avoid breaking the cookies, this is an important step.

My Caramel...

2010-04-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love caramel - LOVE the stuff. It is one of my favorite flavors along with butter and chocolate. This past November as I was starting my holiday baking I came across an amazing recipe for caramel-filled brownies. YUM! I have had caramel-filled brownies before from bakeries, however I had never attempted to make these on my own. My quest was on...

I headed to the grocery store and purchased the only caramels I could find. They were the Kraft caramels that are in every major grocery store. You know them - bright yellow bag, numerous little squares individually wrapped in cellophane. The problem is, they are tasteless. Oh yes, and they are rocks. My quest turned from making these brownies to trying to find some decent caramel. I simply couldn't find any and I was discouraged. I made the brownies, but they were only mediocre since one of the "stars" of the recipe was bland and flavorless. I was now on a mission....

I began testing caramel recipes from the web and various cookbooks and I found one thing. Caramels are hard to make. Really hard. Cook it to long and it was rock hard. Cook it for a shorter time period and it was a gooey mess that one couldn't work with. Then there was getting the flavor down. I made batches with to much sugar, not enough, to much vanilla, to much salt, not enough butter...You name it, I did it - wrong. Until one day, I made a batch that was pretty darn close to what I felt was caramel perfection. Creamy, soft, buttery, deliciousness that was infused with Madagascar vanilla beans. I found a winner.

I have been baking with my caramel non-stop and my family and friends love it. I am going to share recipes using my caramel with you on this blog some and you can purchase it on the widget to the right if you like. I love to write so this is not some post about purchasing my caramels. I will have a link, but the recipes can be made with any caramel. I hope you enjoy the recipes I share and try some. If you love caramel like I do, I think you will.

Returning home...

2010-04-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

My boys have been on Spring Break this past week and we decided to head down to San Francisco. We had an amazing time down there - visited with family, went to Alcatraz, rode the cable cars, visited Fisherman's Wharf, went to a couple of amusement parks, but mostly we ate. We ate and then we ate some more and when we were done, we ate more. I feel like I need to go on a juice fast for a week. I can't remember the last time I ate so much. My husband's side of the family down there is Italian and they are phenomenal cooks. One night it was lasagna, then there was a large roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings, another night an amazing chicken cacciatore served over a creamy mound of polenta....I could go on and on because I ate and ate. It really was insane.

Ahhh, so we arrived home this afternoon. So much to do, but first and foremost, I had to make dinner since we were all starving and it had to be healthy. I recalled seeing a recipe for black bean burgers and decided to give them a try. The particular recipe I used was from Gourmet. Healthy and delicious, it was a hit for both me and my husband.

I made a few tweaks from the original recipe by using low-fat mayo and panko breadcrumbs instead of regular dry breadcrumbs. I just love Panko, so I rarely use the regular. I also chose to bake my patties as opposed to frying them. Make sure to use fresh salsa, sourcream and a nice crisp lettuce. It will make all the difference in the world. Enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients
2 (14-oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 soft hamburger buns
Accompaniments: sour cream; salsa; lettuce

Directions
Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Pulse 1 can beans in a food processor with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, and cayenne until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and remaining can beans. Form mixture into 4 patties.

Place patties on top of a broiling pan that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Spray top of patties lightly with more cooking spray. Cook for 7 minutes. Turn patties over and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve on buns with sourcream, salsa and lettuce.

*Image provided by Gourmet

A Refreshing Cocktail

2010-03-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

I live in Seattle and we have been lucky enough to be experiencing some wonderful weather this Spring the past few days have been dark, dreary and windy. Where on earth did Spring go? I want to cry.

I did have an "A-ha" moment, however. An idea, a perfect little pick me up that takes me back to my honeymoon in the Bahamas - Rum Punch. We were on one of those snorkeling cruises where they had endless and I mean endless amounts of Rum Punch. Who knows what was in those drinks (I really would rather not know), but they were tasty and strong. Any seasickness I may have had was treated with a heavy buzz and the warmth of the tropical sun.

Although the tropical vacation is far off for me, unfortunately I do make a dynamite Rum Punch to clear up the gloomy weather blues that I currently have. And please, don't feel guilty - there is a lot of freshly squeezed juice in here.

Rum PunchMakes about 8 cups

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups light rum
3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
3 cups pineapple juice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons cranberry juice
2 tablespoons grenadine
Ice cubes
1 lime, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions
In a large pitcher, combine the rum, juices, and grenadine. Stir until well blended. Fill glasses with ice; divide mixture between glasses. Garnish with lime and serve immediately.

Killer Candied Peanuts

2010-03-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I haven't been at this whole blog thing very long, but as the days roll on I am becoming increasingly addicted. Not only to blogging, but to all the amazing bloggers out there that share their lives, recipes and so much more.

Many times I find the most amazing blogs to follow just by clicking on other blogs and seeing what they are following. In one such case I stumbled upon David Lebovitz's blog and WOW, is he amazing. What a phenomenal cook and what an amazing appreciation for food. As a foodie, I can truly appreciate this. He has unbelievable recipes and one of these is his "Killer Candied Peanuts." He refers to this as his go to appetizer at cocktail parties and I can certainly see why, but they are also sensational in cookies, brownies as a garnish and in a salad.

The recipe for these is below and the image is mine, but if you have time and haven't checked out his blog already, I would do so. Just click here.

David Lebovitz's Killer Candied Peanuts

Ingredients
2 cups raw peanuts or almonds
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
sprinkle of coarse sea salt or smoked salt
optional: ground cinnamon or chili powder

Directions
In a large skillet (preferably non-stick), mix the peanuts with the water and sugar. Cook over medium heat till the liquid thickens and becomes more like a paste -stir frequently. This step takes several minutes. The peanuts will become almost crusty and coated with crystallized sugar.

The mixture will become quite dry and sandy. Lower the heat and continue stirring and scraping, coating the nuts as much as possible. If necessary, tilt the pan and remove it from the heat to regulate the sugar syrup and the heat level. You want the nuts to become quite dark but not burnt.

Just before they are done, sprinkle the peanuts with the salt and if desired, cinnamon or chili powder, stir them several times then scoop out onto a baking sheet or other heat tolerant surface. Allow to cool completely (nuts can retain quite a bit of heat even if they feel cool).

Break up the clumps and store in an airtight container (they'll keep for a week...if they last that long).

Another One Pot Meal...

2010-03-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

How can you not love a one pot dinner? There are so many things to love - most of the time they can be made ahead of time, come dinner time you only have to make sure one item is hot and ready to go and in the case of this dish it is fabulous!

I was watching Barefoot Contessa the other day on the Food Network and she was making a dish called Pastisio, which she described as a Greek Lasagna. I love Greek food so she had me from the get go. The bottom layer of the dish is a savory, tomato-based meat sauce with pasta and on top of that is a parmesan bechamel sauce. Top the whole thing with some more parmesan and voila - you have one great meal.

I did switch things up a bit because I felt that the dish as it was prepared was a little too rich, so I cut back some of the fat a bit. I also made mine with ground beef as opposed to half ground beef and half lamb and cut back the cinnamon substantially because I am not a huge fan of cinnamon in savory dishes. Below is my version, for Barefoot Contessa's version, just click here.

Pastisio

Ingredients
For the Tomato Meat Sauce:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound small shells or other small pasta

For the Bechamel:
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or Kasseri cheese

Directions
For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon. Drain off any excess liquid, add the wine, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the bechamel, heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce, and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

(This is a picture of the meat sauce with the pasta)

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don't over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.

Add the pasta to the meat and tomato sauce, and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the bechamel evenly to cover the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.

(Pastisio with the Bechamel Sauce before baking)

My Son's Favorite Cookie

2010-03-23T16:26:00.001-07:00

Growing up my mom stayed at home and I have many fond memories of walking into a house that smelled of fresh baked cookies. There was a sense of peace I got everytime I walked into the house after school that I will never forget.

Several decades later I like to do the same for my boys. My youngest sons favorite is the standard chocolate chip cookie with both chocolate chips and M&M's. However, my oldest son enjoys the Almond Roca cookies that I am going to share with you. Not only are these delicious, but they are easy, quick and only have a handful of ingredients.

Almond Roca Cookies

Ingredients
1 sleeve of graham crackers (you may not use all of them)
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate, but use whatever variety you like
1/2 cup chopped, toasted almonds

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9"x9" with non-stick cooking spray and line the pan with graham crackers. Set aside.

In a sauce pan melt the butter and brown sugar on medium heat and cook until the butter and brown sugar have melted together and the mixture is bubbly. This should take around 7 minutes. When mixture is bubbly pour over graham crackers and put in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

When you remove the cookies, the mixture you should be bubbly. As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Wait a few minutes and spread the chocolate evenly over the butter/brown sugar mixture and sprinkle with almonds.

Easy Cake Under 200 Calories

2010-03-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am usually not one to adapt to the latest fad when it comes to weight loss and food. I love food way too much and I believe in moderation and portion sizes in order to keep my skinny jeans on. However, I have to say that I was intrigued one day when watching The View and Lisa Lillien (aka “The Hungry Girl”) was talking about her latest book, “200 Under 200.” This book basically has 200 recipes that are all under 200 calories.

On the episode, the hosts of the view sampled many of her recipes and although they didn’t seem crazy about some of the recipes, most were raved about. I was intrigued, because after all, who hasn’t had one too many donuts the weekend prior and needed to be in food “boot camp” for the next few days. I bought the book (yes, I know, “sucker”) and I recently tried this super simple chocolate cake recipe that is pretty darn good and you make it in the microwave. Now believe me, I was a skeptic – cake in the microwave? But it is delicious and moist. Plus, with only four ingredients total – this is the easiest cake recipe I have ever made.

A couple of notes, I did change the recipe in two ways. The Hungry Girl Recipe calls for Cool Whip Free whipped topping and Hershey’s Lite Syrup, which has less sugar and calories. I simply can’t buy Fat Free whipped cream, so I used light and I used regular Hershey’s Syrup because, I just think that it is wrong to try and make chocolate syrup “lite”. This upped the calorie intake in my cake to 180 calories. If you use the Lite syrup and Cool Whip Free, the calorie per cake would only be 130.

Mini Microwave Triple Chocolate Cake (makes one serving) (adapted from the Hungry Girl cookbook, “200 under 200”)

Ingredients
2 T. boxed devils food cake mix (any brand)
2 T. Cool Whip Light
1 T. Vanilla Fat Free Yogurt
1 T. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup

Directions

In a small dish, stir together the Cool Whip and half of the chocolate syrup. Place in the freezer to firm up while you prep the rest of your dessert.

In a very small microwave-safe dish (like a ramekin), combine cake mix and yogurt. Stir until smooth and blended. Don’t worry if it seems like a small amount. Your cake will puff up as it cooks – promise!

Microwave for 1 minute. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Remove chocolatey whipped topping form the freezer and spoon it over your cake. Drizzle the remaining chocolate syrup on top. Enjoy!

Go to meal...

2010-03-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

We all have those days when we have been running around all day and all of the sudden it is 5 o'clock and you think, "What am I going to make for dinner?" In my case, it is some sort of Teriyaki meat with Yoshida's sauce and my favorite go to Ginger Rice.

The meat part is super simple. I use my indoor grill and grill the meat that has been lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and towards the end I glaze it with Yoshida's Original Sweet and Savory Marinade. I buy this glaze at Costco and I love it! If you have never tried it, I highly recommend it. I then follow it up with this Ginger Rice. It is super easy, delicious and I almost always have the ingredients on hand.

One note, I was watching Rachel Ray one day and she was saying how after buying her ginger, she will peel it and put it in the freezer. Not only does it keep for a super long time, but when it comes time to grate, it is super simple and you will almost always have ginger on hand that hasn't gone bad.

Ginger Rice (adapted from the Simply Classic cookbook)

Ingredients
2 c. chicken stock
1 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
1 c. rice
2 t. vegetable oil
1/4 c. carrots, diced
1/4 c. green onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. ground coriander

Directions
In a medium saucepan, boil chicken stock, butter and salt. Stir in rice, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat and saute carrots 2 minutes. Add green onion, garlic and ginger. Saute 3 minutes more. Set aside.

When rice is cooked, stir in carrot/onion mixture, soy sauce and coriander. Serve hot.

A Grown-up Oreo Shake

2010-03-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

My kids LOVE going to Red Robin. It is the ultimate treat for them and while I consider the food to be mediocre (on a good night) at best, there is nothing like seeing their little faces light up when they know we are headed there. I know that the main reason they love going there so much is because when my husband and I were "training" my boys proper behavior at a restaurant we bribed them with an oreo shake everytime we went there. Well, a couple of years later the tradition has still stuck and while they are waiting for their chicken tenders to arrive they suck down their shakes with the biggest grins on their faces. Yes, I know this is unhealthy and no, they do not eat like this often. My own guilt is what is making me clarify this because honestly I am of the belief that what works for one parent might not work for the other and whatever it takes to make you and your little ones happy is what you should do. Enough said there....

As I watchthem down their sugar filled treat I was reminded of one of my own favorite concoctions containing Oreo's and just had to make it. This is my version of a Starbucks Frappuccino with Oreo's. This is an awesome treat to make in the summer and I like to lighten my version up a bit with low-fat milk. This helps with the healthy serving of whip cream that I just can't live without...

Frappuccino Oreo Shake
Ingredients
3/4 c. double-strength coffee, cold
3 T. granulated sugar
1 c. low-fat milk
2 c. ice
3 T. Chocolate Syrup
3 Oreo Cookies
Whipped Cream to garnish

Directions
Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker: That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using.

To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw.

Top each glass with whipped cream, if desired.

Delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-03-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

I live in the Seattle area and today is a dreary day. Rainy, cold and just blah. A real downer. I have to say that days such as these can be depressing, but the one bright spot to it all is really good, warm comfort food and do I have a recipe for you.

My friend Robin is a great cook. She has been raving about this amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup that she has and at book club I finally had the opportunity to try it. Not only was it delicious, but when I got the recipe I was surprised to see just how easy it was to make. Now I am not sure if there is such a word as "quad-fecta", but if there is such a word (I am pretty sure there isn't one) then this meal would be it. Not only is it easy, light and delicious it is also a one-pot meal. I think I may be in love because at this point in my life, if it is going to make my life easier - I love it. Period.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
1 t. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. cooked chicken, white or dark meat
1 c. whole frozen corn
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 T. chopped, seeded fresh jalapeno pepper
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. Worcestershire
1/2 t. chili powder
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges

Directions
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion & garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 1-2 hours.

To serve, crumble tortillas at the bottom of a bowl and add soup. Garnish with additional tortilla chips, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, cilantro and lime. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese

2010-03-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

I love blue cheese, in particular Gorgonzola. The Black River Gorgonzola from the North Hendren Co-op dairy in Wisconsin has become a particular favorite of mine. I have found this particular variety for sale on Amazon Fresh and I am hooked. It is velvety, has excellent melting qualities and has a delicious sweetness to it. Simply fabulous! I love making a compound butter with gorgonzola and white truffle oil that I put on a filet mignon that is resting. It melts into the meet and oozes off the sides. My mouth waters just thinking about it...

However, one of my all time favorite uses for Gorgonzola is this fabulous homemade blue cheese dressing that accompanies a basic wedge salad. This makes a fabulous lunch or light dinner with some roasted or grilled chicken and it is so easy and delicious. I hope you enjoy.

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Ingredients
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounces Gorgonzola
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon buttermilk
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving, if possible to let the flavors marry.

Wedge Salad

Ingredients
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into quarters
Blue cheese dressing
1 tomato, minced
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

Directions
On each salad plate, place 1 wedge of lettuce turned on its side. Pour blue cheese dressing on wedge. Sprinkle with tomatoes and crumbled bacon.

Coconut Lover...

2010-03-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

I am many things - wife, mama, cook, daughter, sister, friend and an avid coconut lover. It is funny how taste buds work. Sometimes you just love eating something and you meet someone else that just hates it and you wonder, "how could that be?" I am that way with coconut. I LOVE it, my husband hates it. I kinda don't get it, but I know so many people that hate coconut that I guess it is just one of those acquired tastes. On the other hand, my husband LOVES mushrooms and I loathe them. Oh well, the finicky taste bud...

My husband was away for a few days on a golf trip and since he was gone I decided to indulge my love of coconut with my absolute favorite recipe for Macaroon's. This is Ina Garten's recipe and there are only five ingredients to these little clouds of bliss. So good, so easy. What else could a coconut lover ask for?

Coconut Macaroons (Adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe)

Ingredients
14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Veggie Hater...

2010-02-28T12:18:00.000-08:00

I hated vegetables as a kid. I really, really hated them. I remember one particular punishment when I was around 8 or 9 years old. I was being really rude and talking back to my mom. She turned to me and said, "Your mouth needs some vitamins, you are going to eat a whole plate of spinach tonight." I was scarred from there on out. Don't get me wrong, I would eat salad and had a particular fondness for many raw veggies, but cooked were not my thing and this was a punishment that I still remember to this day. It truly was torture for me at that time and being a nine year old brat, I am sure the drama I provided to my parents was harder on them than the spinach was on me. As a side note, my children have now provided me with much mouthing off and torture. You know what they say about payback?

In any case, I have recently changed my tune regarding cooked veggies during a ski trip with friends, our friend Eric made the most amazing Stuffed Tomatoes. I have NEVER since my punishment ate any veggie so delicious. I couldn’t find Eric’s recipe, but came across this one for Baked Tomatoes Oregano that were pretty sensational.

I deviated from the original recipe in that I added some bacon, because a little bacon gives almost anything just a little something extra and I know Eric added some bacon to his tomatoes.

Baked Tomatoes Oregano Adapted from the All Recipes website

Ingredients
12 small vine-ripenedtomatoes, cut in half, removing about 2/3 of the pulp
1/8 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Place tomatoes cut side up in prepared baking dish and sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Combine cheese, bread crumbs, bacon garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and oregano and spoon into tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is lightly toasted.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

2010-02-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

I belong to an amazing book club. I love it for so many reasons…First, is the women. Some are friends that I have had for years and I love spending time with and others are women that are incredible, but if it had not been for book club I probably would have never had the opportunity to get to know them. Everyone in the club is amazing and brings something different. Be it the age of her kids, what she does for work, hobbies/interests and their overall outlook on life. The other reason I love my book club is that it is a “trashy” book club. Meaning we are not discussing meaningful pieces of literature, but light-hearted, sometimes sex-filled, chick-lit that is always fun to read.

We meet up once a month to discuss life, sometimes the book (which many times a lot of the group hasn’t read, but who really cares), eat good food and drink wine. Nothing wrong with that… Well this month was my month and boy was I stressed. These are amazing women like I said and they know how to throw a good party. I didn’t want to disappoint and was torn on what to make. I came across a recipe for a Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup from Barefoot Contessa’s Bake to Basics Cookbook and decided to pair it with her Cape Cod Chopped Salad and White Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with thyme & truffle butter. The soup was great, salad great, the sandwiches – not great. I grilled the sandwiches a half hour before my guests were going to arrive and put them in the oven at 200 degrees to keep them warm. By the time we ate an hour later they were croutons and bore no resemblance to a crusty and oozing grilled cheese. I was irritated with myself, but at least we had soup to dunk these overly crusty croutons into. Oh well…

I will say that the soup was fabulous and so I am going to share the recipe with you. I highly recommend a grilled cheese with this, just not one that has been in the oven for an hour beforehand.

I deviated from the actual recipe in two ways. First, I added less cream and the second is in Ina’s recipe she processes her soup through a food mill and I used an immersion blender because that is all I had. It was easy, creamy and delicious.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics cookbook

Ingredients
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (the actual recipe calls for 3/4 cup, but I cut it down some to save on fat and calories)

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.
Add the cream to the soup and process it with an immersion blender. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

The Dr.'s Dry Rub

2010-02-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

My oldest son is the spitting image of my husband. It's crazy, he actually looks like him now. Not as a little boy, but he looks like my husband now. A miniature, grown-up version of my husband. The similarity does not end there though, he actually has a pint-size version of my husband's personality. I'll never forget the time I gave my son cereal for dinner one evening. I think he was three and I was exhausted. Please, keep in mind I gave him some cheese and fruit to go along with the cereal, but the main entree was a bowl of Cheerios. In any event, about a half hour after "dinner" he came and said, "Mommy, what's for dinner?" I replied with, "You already ate dinner." His response, "That? That's not dinner. I need chicken. I need meat. I need fish." I laughed so hard, I was crying. I felt like my husband was standing in front of me, only he was three feet tall and had the cutest little voice I could have ever imagined.

My husband can't conceive a sandwich for dinner let alone gasp, a bowl of cereal. I am not sure what is wrong with cereal for dinner, but the guys in my house won't have any part of it, so cook I do. Chicken, meat, fish...I cook it all, but I have a little help from the Dr. Dry Rub which goes on almost all of these as a great first layer.

I got this recipe from a magazine years ago and have been using it faithfully. Generally I will put the dry rub on and if I desire a little sweeter taste, I will rub some additional light brown sugar on the meat.

The recipe is from Ray Lampe, aka Dr. BBQ and he is the executive chef at Southern Hospitality in NYC. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, it is a staple in my kitchen.

The Dr.’s Dry Rub
Ingredients
½ cup salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 T. granulated garlic
1 T. granulated onion
2 T. paprika
2 T. chili powder
2 T. black pepper
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T. dried thyme leaves
1 T. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions
Combine all ingredients, mix well, and store in an airtight container. Yields approximately 2 1/3 cups.

Paula Deen's French Toast Cassersole

2010-02-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

* Image provided by The Food Network

I hate mornings. I always have. I am a girl that loves her sleep. Being that I have two boys that are five and six, I have experienced many early mornings. Luckily I married a guy who is also an early bird so most of the time I am able to get a little bit of extra shut-eye in here and there.

The hating mornings aside, I do love a piping hot breakfast which is why I adore Paula Deen's breakfast casserole recipe. I mean adore it. Not only is it prepared the night before so I don't have to worry about getting up and making three hungry guys a warm breakfast, but it is decadent. Of course it comes with lots of butter, sugar and fat which is a prerequisite in all Paula Deen recipes, so while you may not be able to make this all the time, on the occasional Sunday or holiday, it is definitely worth it.

A couple of things to note, I deviated from the recipe on the Food Network site to adjust it to my own tastes and textures. I cut down the eggs by two and cut down the half-and-half listed to only one cup instead of two. By doing this the casserole is less "soupy" and lighter & fluffier. I also modified the Praline topping a bit, using less nuts. Some may think I am crazy, but again, this is just to my tastes. For Paula's Exact Frenct Toast Casserole recipe, just click on this link. Yes, the image I used is from the Food Network site because no matter what I do my casserole never looks quite as pretty as Paula's, but trust me, it is fabulous!

French Toast Casserole

French Toast Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces) OR 3/4 of the loaf of Texas Toast
6 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt

Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and make the Praline Topping.

Praline Topping Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

A Really Good Cocktail

2010-02-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

I wouldn’t consider myself a big drinker. I enjoy a nice glass of wine and the occasional cocktail when I go out. I have my usual favorite – citron vodka with soda and lime. I appreciate how alcohol can take the edge off, but don’t want all the extra calories that accompany so many mixed drinks so my citron & soda suits me just fine.

I have however found a new indulgence. I was perusing the aisles at my liquor store when I came across these little bottles of Kahlua Mudslides. Now let me backup…for those of you who are lucky enough to purchase liquor in regular stores, I am SOOOOOO jealous! However, in Washington the state controls the liquor, not to mention the prices so we are SOL and must purchase our hard alcohol (and anything containing hard alcohol) in liquor stores. Sorry for the digression, but as I said, I came across this pack of mudslides and decided to get them as a fun cocktail for our annual winter trip with friends. Oh my gosh, they were SO good. The problem was we went through the four-pack in no time at all and were left without any more Mudslides and a long night ahead of us. Being the crafty gals that my friends and I are we quickly found a recipe for mudslides and concocted a pitcher of our own mudslides that I must say were pretty darn delicious. I hope you enjoy them. Although they aren’t light on calories, as an occasional indulgence, they are worth it and very spectacular!

Mudslides
1 part vodka
1 part irish cream (here is my link to my own homemade version of Irish Cream)
1 part Kahlua
1 part milk or cream (we used milk and it was great)

Directions
MIx all the ingredients together and chill. Serve straight up or on ice.

Is There Anything Better Than Butter?

2010-02-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

I am watching the movie Julie and Julia and Julie Powell asks this very question. So, IS there anything better than butter? When it comes to food, I am going to have to say, "no way." Whether butter is oozing down fresh corn on the cob or being slathered on a fresh loaf of bread right out of the oven, butter adds richness and tenderness to everything. Whether it be sweet, salty or savory - chances are if it is made with better, it is going to be delicious.

In any event, I can't write a blog about butter with paying tribute to my favorite, my tried and true and hands down the best frosting recipe I have ever tried. This is the recipe for my super easy buttercream frosting recipe. Now, please keep in mind that I am a frosting connoisseur. You know those kids that lick their cupcakes at birthday parties and don't take a bite of cake. Well, I can relate to them. I love frosting - the good stuff anyways. So, trust me, this one is outstanding. If you have someone you want to impress I highly recommend making this! OK, here she is:

Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Maple Chicken Wings

2010-02-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

I have been watching the Food Network for years. Way, way back in the day there was a show called, “Calling All Cooks” where hosts would travel around the country and visit the homes of home cooks that made something that was really outstanding. I was lucky enough to be watching one day when the cook featured was a maple syrup aficionado. He made three amazing dishes using maple syrup as one of the star ingredients. One of the recipes was called “Maple Chicken Wings” and they are divine. They are sticky, sweet and a favorite in my house. This is also a nice alternative to buffalo wings in the event you have little ones in your house that might not be able to stomach the kick that comes along with all that hot sauce.

I made these yesterday for a Superbowl party and often make these when we have people over for appetizers or when I need to bring something to a friend’s house. I have also used this exact same recipe on bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and it works wonderfully as well. Depending on the size of the chicken you are using, I adjust the cooking time accordingly.

A couple of things to note regarding this recipe. Please use real Maple Syrup. The imitation stuff just won't work. Another thing is to use a disposable baking tray. These wings are super sticky and delicious. While they are fun to eat, cleaning up the pan these have been roasting in is a major pain in the arse.

Maple Chicken Wings (adapted closely from Paul Mayotte’s recipe)

Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds chicken wings (I like to use the Foster Farms brand wings as they are already trimmed of the actual wing tip)
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup lite soy sauce (sometimes all I have use full strength soy sauce, because Costco sells it, so I will use 1/3 cup regular soy sauce and use ¼ cup chicken broth)
2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 to 2 cups maple syrup

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place wings in disposable large baking pan. Add the maple syrup, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, toss to coat.

Place pan on baking sheet and bake for approximately 1 hours, tossing every 15 to 20 minutes. The liquid will gradually evaporate the longer you cook it. Your wings should have some beautiful, golden markings from baking. If they don’t just leave them in for an extra 15 minutes or so.

After one hour, if there is still a lot of liquid in the pan, I transfer the extra juices to a sauce pan for 15-20 minutes to reduce and add to the chicken wings.

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

2010-02-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

There is this amazing honey roasted peanut butter at Whole Foods. It is in their bulk foods section and there is this machine where you flip the switch and fresh peanuts go in and out comes fresh, honey-roasted peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but this kind is so amazingly delicious. It also happens to be something I always forget about when I am at Whole Foods. Don't you just hate that!? During certain times of the month I have been known to make a special trip to pick some up, but with kids, the house, the pets, the husband, and just life in general, I am not always able to make a special trip when the craving calls.

Today was one such day...only instead of being at Whole Foods, I was at Trader Joe's. Now although Trader Joe's doesn't sell (at least to my knowledge) honey-roasted peanut butter, they do have these scrumptious honey roasted peanuts. They are large nuts and a perfect combination of sweet and salty. I've seen the machine at Whole Foods take the nuts and spit out decadent peanut butter, so I thought, "How hard could it be?" Well, the answer is not hard at all. I did have to add a little canola oil to moisten the mixture a bit, which I am sure had to do with me and not the nuts, but I got a great result and something that will certainly work just as well as the Whole Foods variety when the craving strikes.

Honey Roasted Peanut Butter (yields 1/2 cup approximately)

Ingredients
2 cups honey roasted peanuts
1 - 2 T. canola oil

Directions
Place the peanuts into a food processor and process until as smooth as you can get it. I pulsed mine for about a minute total, stopping to make sure that the mixture that had stuck to the side of the bowl was reincorporated into the mixture. Add a tablespoon of canola oil in at a time until you reach the consistency you like.

The Best Hot Chocolate Recipe Ever

2010-02-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am ruined. Never again will I be able to settle for a cup of hot chocolate concocted from boiling water and some powder in a white pouch. Even the so-called gourmet varieties are no match for the frothy, delicious mug of cocoa I came across.

This recipe takes real marshmallows that are melted into the milk and chocolate to make it delectable and by far the best cup of hot cocoa my lips have ever tasted. I like to add a little Irish Cream in mine to give it a little something special. Some of my friends prefer Kahlua and next time I may add some Peppermint Schnapps for fun. Whether this is for you or the kids, this is one seriously delicious hot beverage. Although I haven't tried it, this would probably work well in a crock-pot to keep it warm for large parties.

Fluffy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients
8 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking cocoa
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Accompaniments and garnish ideas: Whip cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, espresso, liqueurs

Directions
In a saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until the marshmallows are melted, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and add any additional accompaniments you like.

Turkey Bolognese

2010-01-28T08:12:00.001-08:00

My kids are picky eaters, really picky eaters. Most days I end up making two different dinners - one for my husband and I, another for my boys. I indulge them in this because I was a picky eater and my mom worked with me. I have vivid memories of going to friends houses and being forced to down spinach that looked like it had been mutilated in boiling water for hours and to this day I am traumatized by that memory. l know my boys' taste buds will develop in time and I choose not to force foods they don't want to eat right now on them. I know that my philosophy is different than some and I don’t think either is right or wrong, it is just what I choose. I have enough battles…

However, there is one caveat to having to make two meals in my home and that is when I make my Bolognese. Everyone loves it, plus as an additional bonus, it is healthy! I generally make mine with turkey and whole wheat spaghetti. I first made this recipe after watching Anne Burrell’s show, “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” and adapted it to my own tastes. Here it is, I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

Turkey Bolognese

Ingredients
1 large onion or 2 small, cut into 1-inch dice
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice
4 cloves garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
Kosher salt
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey (I use the 7% fat variety)
2 cups tomato paste
2 cups hearty red wine
1 cup beef stock
Water
3 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions
In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat pan with oil. Add the pureed veggies and season with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the ground beef and season again with salt. Make sure to brown the turkey. Brown food tastes good. Don't rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine and stock. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes. Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you will gradually need to add more, about 2 to 3 cups at a time. Don't be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce. Stir and TASTE frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will). Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than it calls for on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking remove 1/2 of the ragu from the pot and reserve. Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the remaining ragu. Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved sauce, if needed, to make it about an even ratio between pasta and sauce. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and cook the pasta and sauce together over a medium heat until the water has reduced. Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the high quality finishing olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously. Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl. Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

Buttery Orange Scones with Cinnamon-Raspberry Butter

2010-01-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day, a perfect lazy Sunday. It is drizzly outside (not surprising since I live in Seattle), but inside it is cozy and my boys are actually playing together and not trying to attack one another. Did I just write that? OK, I am knocking on wood, because I am in such a peaceful place right now that I just can’t have the peace end.

Anyways, in my bliss of doing nothing, I came across a great recipe for Buttery Orange Scones and Blackberry-Cinnamon Butter that I just had to try. Any berry would be great for the butter and since I didn’t have any blackberries I just used frozen raspberries. The end result was ridiculously good. Something about a flaky, moist scone right out of the oven being slathered with a magical concoction of butter, sugar, cinnamon and raspberries had me in a food frenzy. The next time we have company spend the night, I am making these.

Buttery Orange Scones (makes approximately 24 scones)
4 cups all purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
¼ cup sugar
½ t. salt
½ pound (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into ½ inch pieces
Zest of two oranges (about 2 T.)
1 ¾ c. milk
1 egg white, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the bowl. Add the butter and mix until the flour resembles coarse meal, leaving a few lumps in the batter.

In another bowl mix the milk and orange zest together. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low just until combined. The dough will be a little wet and sticky here.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and pat it out to a thickness of ¾ inch. Cut the dough into rounds using a greased and floured biscuit cutter.

Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet (I used Pam) about an inch apart. Using a pastry brush, brush each scone with a small of amount of egg white. Cook for approximately 12 minutes or until they are lightly golden.

Berry-Cinnamon Butter (makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients
½ cup unsweetened fresh or frozen berries of your choice
¼ cup sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. water
1 stick butter, softened

Directions
Over high heat, combine the berries, sugar, cinnamon and water. Bring to a boil and lightly crush the berries with the back of a spoon or fork. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes, until the berries have softened and the juices have thickened slightly.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, or until cool to the touch. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken more.

Put the butter and berries in a bowl and mix. The butter will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week, but let it soften before using it to spread on your yummy scones.