Soft and Chewy Dinner Rolls

The name says it all – soft and chewy dinner rolls.  Potato flakes are the secret ingredient in this recipe, and I do believe they make all the difference.  I’ve made rolls before, but these are easily the most similar store-bought white rolls – in a good way, not an “I’m-eating-paste” way.

These take a couple hours to make, though hands-on time is minimal.  This is a great lazy Saturday recipe.   And bonus – according to Cook’s Country, you can take the rolls out of the oven at about five minutes, or when they are just starting to brown.  When they cool, you can freeze them for up to a month.  To finish the rolls, let the rolls thaw on a prepared baking sheet for an hour, then bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

adapted from Cook’s Country April/May 2011
makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups water, heated to 110 degrees
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup instant potato flakes
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position.  Heat oven to 200 degrees and turn it off.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Grease a large bowl.
2. Whisk water, oil, and sugar in large liquid measuring cup until sugar dissolves.  In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, potato flakes, yeast, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt until combined.  With mixer on low, slowly add water mixture and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute.  Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 6 minutes.
3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball.  Transfer dough to prepared container and turn to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough has doubled in side, about 45 minutes.
4. Gently press down on dough on lightly floured surface.  Divide dough into quarters and cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces.  Form each piece into rough ball by pinching and pulling dough edges under so that top is smooth.  On clean counter, cup each ball with your palm and roll into smooth, tight ball.  Transfer to prepared baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic and let rest in turned off oven until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.   (Unbaked, formed rolls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours).
5. Remove unbaked rolls from oven and discard plastic.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush rolls with egg and sprinkle evenly with remaining salt.  Bake until golden brown and 200 degrees in the middle, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.  Cool rolls on sheet 10 minutes.  Serve.

Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix

We’re a traditional Chex Mix type of family.  Until recently, I’ve rarely varied the recipe aside from, say, adding a cup of mixed nuts instead of a cup of peanuts.  Just to spice things up a bit around here, I went wild and tried an entirely new (to us) flavor combo: cheesy ranch.

I’ll say this: not the original.  I’ll also say this: pretty tasty nonetheless.  I don’t think I’ll be exchanging our classic Chex Mix recipe any time soon, but this was fun to try, if nothing else!

recipe adapted from Chex
makes 26 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 9 cups Corn, Rice, or Wheat Chex (or any combination)
• 2 cups bite-sized pretzel twists
• 2 cups bite-sized cheese crackers
• 1 cup mixed nuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1-ounce package ranch dressing or seasoning mix

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 250. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven.
2. Add cereal, pretzels, crackers, and nuts; stir to coat.  Add ranch mix and cheese; stir again.
3. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 5 minutes.   Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Breakfast Casserole for Two

Egg bakes can be delicious, but they can be overkill for our small family (especially since one of us doesn’t eat solids yet).  Enter Cook’s Country’s Breakfast Casserole for Two.  We’ve made and enjoyed this before, and it’s definitely on the short list for Christmas brunch!

recipe from April/May 2011 Cook’s Country
makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.  Cook bacon in 8″ nonstick, ovensafe skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
2. Add half of bread to skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer to medium bowl and toss with toasted bread.
3. Whisk cream, eggs, salt, and pepper in another medium bowl until smooth.  Stir in bacon, scallions, and cheddar.  Add egg mixture to now empty skillet and cook over medium heat, using spatula to scrape bottom of pan, until eggs are just beginning to set, about 1 minute.  Fold in bread and lightly pat mixture into even thickness.  Bake until puffed and golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes.  Serve.

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookie Recipe – and a photography lesson

Yeesh.  We’ve tackled shutter speed, ISO, and now we’re on to aperture.  You think I’d be better at photography by now.  Honestly, I felt better at it after the second day.  Now that we’re on day five, I’m a bit muddled.  I’m hoping it’ll clear up as the lessons continue.

But first… a recipe.  This is a quick and easy, down and dirty recipe for when you’re craving something sweet but don’t want to pull out all the stops.  (How many more cliches can I use in one sentence, by the way?  And why do I always misspell sentence?)  It pulls together in about five minutes.  Next time, I’ll substitute Rice Krispies for the oats.  Because, you know, it’s too healthy as is.

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

recipe adapted from One More Moore

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients and drop onto wax/foil paper. Let cool until set.

Day 5: Understanding Aperture

Aperture refers to the physical opening of the camera lens.  A larger number means a smaller lens to view through; a smaller number is a wider opening.  Counter-intuitive, but true.  A low number (wide aperture) means a shallow depth of field; that is, one focal point is chosen and the background is blurred. A high  number (small aperture) makes the entire photo crisp and in focus.

I don’t have a fancy camera lens – I can only choose between two apertures for any given shot.  The two photos below show the same ISO and shutter speed, varying only in aperture.  Do I see the difference?  Yes.  Do I understand it yet?  Not quite.  But soon… hopefully… soon.

ISO 80 at 1/10 sec., f/3.5

ISO 80 at 1/10 sec., f/8

Pagache Recipe (and photography day four)

Day Four’s photography assignment centered around ISO.  I can’t say I completely understand it, even after fiddling around with it… but I did get some photos of a delicious pagache!

Pagache is a Polish stuffed pizza.  It’s a layer of bread, then a cheesy potato filling, topped with another layer of bread.  What’s not to love?  It’s a Cook’s Country recipe.  Their bread recipes are the only ones I’ll use any more – every time I try another recipe, it falls flat.  Well, not literally… but it certainly doesn’t compare.  So here’s the recipe… and keep reading if you want to hear my ramblings about the photography as well.  (As you can tell from the photo, I haven’t learned very much yet… but I’m working on it.)

Pagache (Polish Stuffed Pizza)

adapted from Cook’s Country Lost Reciepes
makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cups all purpose flour (extra quarter cup may be needed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise or instant yeast
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Mix water, oil, and sugar in large measuring cup.  Mix 3 cups flour, yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  With the mixture on low, add the water mixture.  After the dough comes together, increase hte speed to medium and mix until shiny and smooth, 5 to 7 minutes.  (Add remaining flour as needed if too sticky.)  Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, shape into a ball, and place into a greased bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.
2. Cover the potatoes with one inch of water in a large saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain, then mash until smooth.  Stir in cheese and 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper.
3. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400 degrees.  Roll the dough into a large rectangle (9 by 18″), with the short side facing you.  Spread the potato filling on the bottom half of the dough and fold the other half of the dough over ht filling.  Pinch the edges to seal and transfer to a 9×9″ baking dish.  Gently press down on the dough until it touches the sides of the dish.  Prick the top of the dough several times with a fork and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
4. Turn the pagache out onto a cooling rack.  Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush over the top.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Let cool 10 minutes.  Cut in half, and then into strips.  Serve.

And now… for the photography.

Day 4: Learning ISO

OK, like I said… totally stumped.  I think I’ll need a few more lessons before I understand this one!  I set up an experiment where I set the shutter speed on auto and manually controlled the ISO.  All of the photos looked about the same – but the shutter speed changed as I adjusted the ISO.  From what I can tell… a higher ISO correlates to a faster shutter speed.  And we want a fast shutter speed.  The drawback of a high ISO (according to my lesson anyway… I couldn’t tell the difference) is a grainy picture.

Scrumptious Sunday, Second Edition

On Scrumptious Sunday, I take a look back at my week’s worth of favorite recipes floating around on the internet and choose my favorites to share with you (and hopefully try out for myself in the near future).   Click on the photos for links to recipes.  Hooray for followthrough!

Baked Chicken Fajitas from Real Mom Kitchen

Crockpot Baked Potatoes from Skip to My Lou

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken from The Mommy Diaries

Baked Ziti Casserole from My Kitchen Addiction

Vanilla Pudding Sauce from Creations by Kara

Hasselback Garlic Cheesy Bread from Lauren's Latest

Broccoli Cheddar Soup from The Curvy Carrot

Cheesy Vegetable Bake – Recipe

This is a simple make-ahead supper, easy to pop in the oven when company’s over.  It’s actually the first meal I prepared after Bean was born.  (That’s right – I went four weeks without doing anything more than reheating.  Don’t judge.)

I made this when my sister-in-law and her daughter stayed for the weekend.   With eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and onions in the mix, I was nervous that my sixth grade niece would balk.  Perhaps she was just being polite, but she ate it.  (Disclaimer: She did pick around the eggplant and tomatoes.)

Cheesy Vegetable Bake

adapted from Real Simple
makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dry, small-shaped pasta
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled Feta
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small bowl.
2. Cut the zucchini, squash, eggplant, and onion into bite sized pieces and place on a baking sheet. Brush with the vinaigrette. Heat broiler on high. Broil until tender, 6 minutes per side.  Reduce heat to 350 if baking right away; turn oven off if freezing.
3. Place the empty pasta pot over low heat. Add the garlic and the remaining oil and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the drained pasta, vegetables, oregano, tomatoes, pasta sauce, Feta, black pepper,  and the remaining salt and toss.
4. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

To freeze: Assemble (but do not bake) the casserole. Cover tightly with two layers of aluminum foil. Store for up to 3 months

To reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Cover and heat in a 350° F oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and heat for 20 minutes longer.

Scrumptious Sunday

I think I’ll try something new.  Fingers crossed, it will stick!  I have a bit of a problem with “follow through,” though, so we’ll see… it’s so much fun to drool over other people’s culinary creations, though, that I think this may be a habit that will stick.

Thus begins a new series called Scrumptious Sunday, in which I scour the internet, sharing only the most appealing ideas. (Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?)  Click on the pictures for links.

Chewy Lemon Cookies from How Sweet It Is

Two-Minute Mug Brownie from The Family Kitchen

Ranch Dressing from The Curvy Carrot

Molten Chocolate Cake from Recipe Shoebox

Revolutionary Mac & Cheese from Macaroni and Cheesecake

Slow Cooker Recipes from Mama and Baby Love (a collection of make-ahead recipes)

Homemade Nilla Wafers from Fix Me a Snack

Cookie Packaging from My Kitchen Addiction (not technically a recipe, but still...)

Pudding Pie from Dinner: A Love Story

Cheese Stromboli (a.k.a. Pizza Pinwheels)

We’ve never eaten stromboli before, so I can’t say this is an authentic recipe, or could even officially be categorized as stromboli.  Over at Fix Me A Snack Cindy affectionately refers to them as Pizza Pinwheels, and we just might steal that name.  They’re fun to eat (particularly with ranch dipping sauce), but the name stromboli just sounds so official.  Pizza pinwheels it is!

Cheese Stromboli

(a.k.a. Pizza Pinwheels)

recipe adapted from Fix Me A Snack
makes 10 stromboli

Ingredients

• 1 pound pizza dough
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce
• 1/3 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• sauteed mushrooms

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Allow the dough to come close to room temperature so that it is easy to work with.  Shape into a 6×14 inch rectangle.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Spread on the olive oil then the sauce, cheese, and mushrooms.  Tightly roll up the dough and pinch the loose edge to adhere it to the roll.
4. Using a serrated knife, slice the log into 2-inch segments. Gently reshape the segments into circles and place 2-3″ apart, swirl side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8 minutes or until the dough starts to brown. Allow the stromboli to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Serve or transfer to a cooling rack. The stromboli can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month.

One Ingredient Ice Cream

When I heard about one ingredient ice cream, I was skeptical.  The basic gist: put a frozen banana in the food processor.  That’s it.

I figured we’d end up with a frozen treat – possibly tasty, possibly not so much – but I didn’t expect the texture or taste to be anywhere near the glory of  ice cream.

Three words that I don’t usually admit to: I was wrong.

It turned out to be creamy, similar to soft serve.  If someone offered me banana flavored ice cream, I’d laugh.  But somehow this turned out to be our new favorite dessert.

You’ll have to try it if you don’t believe me.

adapted from the kitchn
makes 2 small servings

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• Add-ins (optional – see below)

Directions

1. Slice bananas.  Freeze for at least two hours.
2. Blend frozen bananas and add-ins in a food processor.  Scrape down the sides as necessary until smooth, creamy, and lump-free.

Optional Add-ins

• hot cocoa mix (possibly just cocoa powder?  I’m not sure on this one…)
• chocolate sauce and peanut butter
• honey
• fudgesicle
• vanilla
• pineapple juice, coconut, and rum
• Nutella

My 50 Reasons (or the beginning of it, anyway…)

My 50 Reasons to Get Healthy through Eating and Exercise

(segment one of five)

1. I’ve heard that unborn babies can taste whatever their mothers eat, and develop their tastes accordingly.  I’d rather have my child develop a taste for broccoli than chocolate chip cookies.
2. Pounds creep on pretty easily.  Unfortunately, they don’t tend to slip off quite as quickly.  I’d rather have less to lose in the first place.
3. I’d like to have a high energy level that doesn’t crash.
4. I’d like to have a mood that doesn’t swing (any  more than my hormones are already making it, anyway!).
5. Exercise promotes better sleep – and I think I’ll need to be as well rested for our latest adventure as possible.
6. Paul loves to go on walks – much, much more than I do.  If I can learn to love walking as much as he does, we’d have nearly unlimited quality time together.
7. Back pain appears to be a plague later on in pregnancy.  Strengthening those muscles now can only help in the future!
8. If I run errands without the car (instead using a bike or walking), I can save some cash on gas.
9. I can get some “reading” in.  Walking or exercising on a machine is a great time to listen to a Playaway (similar to a book on tape).
10. Two words: love handles.

 

Pasties

We live close enough to Michigan’s upper peninsula that pasties are a well-known dinner item, but far enough away that I’ve never actually made one.  After paging through my Cook’s Country Lost Recipes magazine and seeing an easy recipe, I decided that it was about time.

The recipe wasn’t at all difficult.  Fill 8″ rounds of pie crust with a mixture of blade steak, potatoes, onions, and rutabaga.  I must admit, though, for all its ease, it wasn’t a quick process.  It doesn’t sound like it should take over two hours!  I partially blame the fact that it was my first time making the recipe, but by the time you make the dough, sautee everything, roll the dough, add filling, shape and close, add an egg wash, bake, do all of those dishes…  time adds up!  The original recipe, according to the magazine article, made 15 cups of filling.  I can see why.  It wouldn’t really take that much longer to make 15 versus six pasties – you might as well get more bang for your buck!

Don’t let my complaining stop you, though.  It was a fun project, and I’ll certainly be making it again in the future (though not on a weeknight!).  They were really tasty.  The recipe below has been changed to reflect our tastes – I replaced the rutabaga with more potatoes and cut back on the pepper to suit our tastes.  And though the recipe says it serves six, we somehow scraped together 7 pasties out of it.  Bonus!

Upper Peninsula Pasties

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Lost Recipes
serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
• 1-1 1/4 cups ice water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped medium
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 12 ounces blade steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg white

Directions

1. Process half of the flour and salt in a food processor until combined.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Add the remaining flour.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.  Sprinkle the ice water, 1/4 cup at a time, over the flour mixture.  Stir and press the dough together using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together.
3. Divide the dough into six even pieces.  Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a 5″ disk.  Wrap each disk in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about one hour.
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir int he potatoes and cook until softened slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cream, broth, and mustard and cook until thickened, about 30 seconds.  Set aside and cool to room temperature.
5. Stir the beef, salt, and pepper into the cooled potato mixture.
6. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to an 8″ round.  Place one cup of the filling mixture in the center of each round and gently pack it down.  Wet the edges of the dough with water and fold the dough in half over the filling, pressing to seal the edges.  Crimp the sealed edge with your thumb and forefinger.
7. Arrange the pies on the prepared baking sheets and brush with the egg.  Bake the pies until golden brown, 25-30 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Earthquake Cake

Not wanting to be late for dinner, my mom attempted to quickly assemble a cake that she’d just pulled out of the oven… a bit too soon, apparently.  While she got teased quite a bit by the rest of the family, I thought it actually looked pretty cute!

recipe from Kate’s mom

Ingredients

• 2 nine-inch cakes, just out of the oven
• 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
• about 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• milk

Directions

1. Make frosting by combining melted butter and powdered sugar.  Add milk until desired consistency is reached.
2. Overturn first cake onto cake platter.  Frost the top of the first layer.
3. Overturn the second cake on top of the first, unevenly, allowing it to break apart in several places.  Pull apart more if needed.
4. Pour remaining frosting over cake.

Trail Mix

My go-to lunchtime filler is trail mix.  It’s easy, it’s filling, and it’s tasty.  There’s no official recipe, but my typical ratio is three parts nuts, two parts dried fruit, and one part treat.  The easiest way to toss it together is to layer the ingredients to fill about 3/4 of an empty peanut jar or other container and give a few shakes.  The picture below is way too full to be combined – I ended up splitting this equally into two containers.  (I also added a few chocolate chips, but we don’t have to tell anyone else that…)

Trail Mix Ingredients

nuts
peanuts
almonds
macadamia nuts
pecans
cashews
sunflower seeds (not technically a nut, I know…)

dried fruit
dried cranberries
raisins (regular or golden)
dried cherries
dried apricots

treats
yogurt-covered dried fruit
chocolate covered raisins or peanuts
chocolate chips
white chocolate chips
M&M’s

other
Teddy Grahams
Cheerios
Craklin’ Oat Bran cereal pieces
Goldfish Grahams

 

Strawberry Banana Smoothies

For a long time, I’d feel guilty about drinking an entire smoothie.  They’re so good they seem like an unhealthy treat.  I’ve since gotten past that, as there’s not a speck of unhealthiness in a glass.

We never measure this recipe.  I’ve written the formal recipe below, but it can be summed up in two sentences: Blend ice cubes, fruit, yogurt, and milk until smooth.  A few tips and tricks that we’ve discovered over the years:

• Add more ice cubes for thicker smoothies.
• Add more milk for a thinner smoothie.
• Any frozen fruit can be used in place of the strawberries/banana.
• If you add a hefty amount of ice cubes to begin with, you’ll over compensate with the rest of the ingredients, and end up with double the smoothie you’d like to eat.
• If the ice isn’t hitting the blades of the blender, add more milk or give the blender a good shake or two (while it’s off, of course).

similar recipe found at squidoo.com
recipe makes 2 smoothies

Ingredients

• 5-10 ice cubes
• 5-7 frozen strawberries
• 1 banana, broken into chunks
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Layer ingredients in blender.
   
2. Blend until smooth.

Tapioca Pudding

Tapioca pudding tastes like childhood.   Serve warm or cold – a bowl of comfort either way.

Creamy Tapioca Pudding

from Cook’s Country magazine, June/July 2010

Directions

• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Minute tapioca
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

Directions

1. Combine milk, egg and yolk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and Minute tapioca in medium saucepan; let sit for 5 minutes. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in vanilla and scrape pudding into medium bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
2. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream and remaining granulated sugar until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
3. Gently fold half of whipped cream into pudding. Serve with dollop of remaining whipped cream.

Garlic Knots

recipe from Cook’s Country

Ingredients

• 10 garlic cloves, minced (total of 2 tablespoons minced garlic)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon plus 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/8 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Grease large bowl.
2. Cook garlic, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon water in small nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is straw colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Add remaining butter, stirring until melted. Let stand 10 minutes off heat. Strain garlic butter through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl; reserve garlic solids.
3. Whisk remaining water, 1 tablespoon garlic butter, reserved garlic solids, and yeast in liquid measuring cup until yeast dissolves. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add water mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 6 minutes. Turn dough onto clean work surface and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough has doubled in size, 40 to 50 minutes.
4. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down dough on floured surface. Roll dough into 12- by 6-inch rectangle and cut into twelve 6-inch strips. With flat hands, roll each strip into 12-inch ropes. Tie ropes into knots (see photos below), tucking tails. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and return to turned-off oven until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove knots from oven and discard plastic. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Return knots to oven and bake until set, about 5 minutes. Remove knots from oven and brush with 2 tablespoons garlic butter. Rotate, return to oven, and bake until golden, about 4 minutes. Brush knots with remaining garlic butter and cool 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. Serve warm.

Congo Bars

It’s as if a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie reproduced, and this is the result.  Take the best of each dessert – the taste of a cookie, the chewiness of a brownie – and roll it into one.  I’ve heard these called “Blondies” before, and the site where I found the recipe, Bakerella, calls them “Brookies.”  In the comments on that page, someone said during their childhood they called them “Good Bars.”  I think I agree with the last one!

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 pound light brown sugar*
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecan or walnuts

Directions:

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended.  Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition.  Add vanilla and mix.
3. Add flour and stir by hand until combined.  Stir in chips and then pecans.
4. Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

*I used my scale to measure, but if you were trying to use standard measuring tools, I’d try about 2 cups.

Tacos: Unfolded

I must admit, sometimes we get stuck in a taco rut.  Not that I don’t enjoy them – I do – but we always eat them the same way.  Flour tortillas, fixings rolled in the middle.  Until last week, that is.  Same ingredients – different look.  It’s some sort of cross between loaded nachos and a taco salad – and it’s delicious.

Ingredients:

• tortilla chips
• taco meat (we used leftover filling from beef empanadas)
• any taco toppings, such as: diced tomatoes, diced onions (red or yellow), lettuce, spinach, shredded cheese, refried beans, etc.

Directions:

1. Heat taco meat in a saucepan on medium heat until hot.
2. Layer tortilla chips, meat, and toppings.
3. That’s it!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe

Yet another dip recipe!  We seem to be on a roll this month, between guacamole, artichoke dip, white pizza dip…  This one was tasty, though not my favorite of the dips we’ve had so far.  Paul really liked it, so I’d make it again.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

recipe from Beantown Baker

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 – 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup loosely packed, coarsely chopped spinch leaves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• bread or chips, for serving

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine mozzarella cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, mustard, and pepper.  Stir in artichokes, spinach, and onion.
2. Spread evenly into a 9-inch round plate.
3. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 parm cheese over top of mixture.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. The top should be browned and the sides should be bubbling.

White Pizza Dip Recipe

This was a white dip, but there wasn’t anything very pizza-ish about it, aside from the pepperoni.  We brought it along to a gathering at my parents’ and people seemed to enjoy it, regardless of how un-pizza-like it was!

White Pizza Dip

recipe from Paul’s cousin; also found on Plain Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
• 1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
• 1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup (1 oz.) chopped pepperoni
• 1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
2. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.

Chunky Guacamole Recipe

How can something so healthy taste so good?  I suppose putting it on tortilla chips negates any healthy qualities… but I suppose it’s better than many other snacks you could go for.

Chunky Guacamole

from Cook’s Country

Ingredients:

• 2 thinly sliced scallions, green and white parts separated
• 1/2 minced jalapeno pepper
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp grated lime zest
• 2 tbs fresh lime juice
• 3 avocados, pitted, peeled, and chopped
• 3 tbs fresh cilantro leaves
• salt

Directions:

1. Combine white parts of scallions, jalapeno, garlic, and lime juice in large bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Add two-thirds of the avocado to bowl with jalapeno mixture and mash with potato masher until smooth. Gently fold remaining avocado into mashed avocado mixture. Gently stir in lime zest, green parts of scallions, and cilantro. Season with salt.

Bruschetta Recipe

This is one of the recipes we made for our Superbowl celebration.  It was only a party of two since Paul got home from a six day business trip in DC moments before the game began, but this snack made it feel a bit more festive!  I had to scale the recipe back a bit as the original recipe made 24 servings.  For the full recipe, see Our Best Bites.

from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup diced tomatoes (squeeze out seeds before dicing)
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp  olive oil, plus extra
• 1 dash kosher salt
• 1 crack black pepper
• 1 tbs chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil
• 8 slices of fresh baguette (1/2 inch each)
• 1 large garlic clove
• fresh mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine tomatoes, onions, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp olive oil in a bowl and mix to combine.  Add basil and gently toss to distribute.  Give it a taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Cover and chill.
2. Place baguette slices baking sheet.   Brush some olive oil on top.  Place in oven for 8 minutes until just lightly toasted.  Remove pan from oven.  Slice garlic clove in half and rub cut side down on each piece of bread.  Top with about a slice of fresh mozzarella and one tablespoon of the tomato mixture.

Meal Ideas: Eggs

I don’t have a list a mile long like I do for chicken, but there are a handful of egg-based recipes I’m eager to try.

• Frittata
• Strata
• Cheesy hash skillet
• Breakfast bake
• McGriddles

Meal Ideas: Pasta

Keeping with my meal ideas series, today’s focus is pasta.  Here are some delicious ideas that will be making their debut in our house in the near future.

• Fettuccine alfredo
• Macaroni and cheese
• Lasagna
• Lasagna toss
• Baked ziti with sausage
• All in one pot saucy pasta