Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Posted: January 31, 2009 Filed under: Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert 2 Comments »Alton Brown is a genius. These cookies are great. I was surprised by the use of bread flour, but they were great, so I will trust AB!! I found this recipe through another nestie that I chat with on the Nest. Thanks to Bridget over at http://crumblycookie.wordpress.com/, for her cookie comparison, I was able to finally get the puffy, chewy, not too cakey cookie I have been searching for. Her comparison is great and she explains the reasoning behind the 4 cookies she compared. I was always a Nestle Forever Fan, but now I am in LOVE with The Chewy by Alton Brown. They were huge, chewy, &very very tasty. Check out Bridget’s blog for other great recipes. She was also a great help to me when making pound cake. She takes the time to explain each step and the reasons behind some of the methods or ingredients. She is a great help in the baking world!! THANKS Bridget!
*Chilling the dough is very very key to not getting cookies that spread*
**KEEP YOUR EYE ON THEM IN THE OVEN..they can over bake very very easily!!**
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
2¼ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)-I used my large scooper by Pampered Chef..a 1/4 cup measuring cup works great too.
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer
Directions:
Heat oven to 375F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough ( I did for at least an hour), then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Lighter Shrimp Tacos
Posted: January 29, 2009 Filed under: Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Mexican, Vegetable 3 Comments »I love finding recipes that are old favorites lightened up, but still taste great. This is one of those recipes!
I found in Self Magazine and on Epicurious.com. This recipe is much lighter than most shrimp taco recipes, doesn’t use a thick creamy sauce and heavy oils, and is high in flavor. We are trying to use more and more veggies in our cooking and this recipe does just that. We also topped ours with some mixed greens and a bit of lower fat cheese. It was a perfectly lighter meal
I apologize for no picture. Every once in awhile I forget and tonight was one of those nights. SORRY!
ENJOY!
Marinade
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced red onion
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk or Cajun seasoning
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 16 shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails removed
Corn relish
- 2 ears corn (or 1 cup canned or frozen and thawed)
- Vegetable-oil cooking spray
- 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- Lime- or lemon-pepper seasoning
Tacos
- 4 low-fat whole-wheat tortillas
- 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 green onion, chopped
Combine marinade ingredients with 1/4 cup water and season with salt. Add shrimp; refrigerate 1 hour. To make relish, cut corn kernels off cob. Lightly spray a sturdy skillet with cooking spray and heat over moderately high heat. (Avoid Teflon pans, which should not be used when cooking at such high temperatures.) Stir-fry corn until golden brown. Pour corn into a bowl and add remaining relish ingredients; season with salt. Remove shrimp and reserve marinade. Lightly spray the same skillet with cooking spray and heat on high until very hot. Toss in a few shrimp at a time and cook until just opaque; remove shrimp. Pour marinade into pan, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes; lower heat and simmer until thick. Put 4 shrimp on each tortilla; top with corn relish and marinade sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion.
French Bread Rolls
Posted: January 28, 2009 Filed under: Appetizer, Breads, Side dish 9 Comments »A great recipe found on Epicurious.com. These were easy to whip up and rose perfectly in our warmer weather here. It is suggested that during cooler months or months with the air conditioner on, put near the dryer and run the dryer on high for a few minutes. Let dough rise in the same room. The warmth will help the dough rise perfectly. Or use your oven on the lowest setting. Warm the oven for a couple minutes and turn off. Once dough is mixed, pop the bowl in there to rise. Works very well.
I did brush the tops with an egg wash as suggested and they came out looking great and tasting crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups bread flour
Directions:
This can easily be done in a Kitchen Aid mixer with bread hook.
1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
Butter Tarts
Posted: January 27, 2009 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert, Holiday Recipe 4 Comments »What could be better than butter in tart form??? NOTHING!!
I needed something new for H’s lunches and while I love making cupcakes, cookie, or bars, I wanted something totally new. I saw this recipe on Joy of Baking and knew I had to try it. I did add toasted walnuts like they suggested and they were perfect! The perfect blend of pastry, nuts, and butter, plus there wasn’t much work to put them together..SCORE!
ENJOY!
Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry):
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 – 60 ml) ice waterButter Tart Filling:
1/3 cup (70 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (215 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60 ml) light cream (half-and-half) (10% butterfat)
1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (toasted and chopped) (optional)
Directions:
Pate Brisee: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.
After the dough has chilled sufficiently, place on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and cut into 12 – 4 inch (10 cm) rounds. (To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards).) Gently place the rounds into a 12-cup muffin tin. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up the dough. Next, make the butter tart filling.
Butter Tart Filling: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla extract. Stir in the cream. If using nuts and/or raisins, place a spoonful in the bottom of each tart shell and then fill the unbaked tart shells with the filling. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the pastry has nicely browned and the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 12 – 4 inch tarts.
Garlic and Herb Cornish Hens
Posted: January 26, 2009 Filed under: Chicken, Herbs, Italian, Low Carb 3 Comments »I love Cornish game hens and they are very cheap and simple to make, but taste very good and make for an impressive meal for company. I found these at the local supermarket for a buck a piece and grabbed up a few of them.
Adapted from About.com
This serves 4-6, I cut it in half for just the two of us.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
- 4 small game hens
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, basil, thyme-I used dried Italian Mix
- 8 whole basil leaves
- 1 small clove garlic, very thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Heat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a large baking dish or roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Wash hens and pat dry. Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper and arrange in the baking dish.
Mix butter with the chopped herbs. Separate some of the top skin of the birds. Push small amounts of butter mixture under the skin of the breasts, then tuck a few thin slices of garlic under the skin of each breast. Carefully slide one small whole basil leaf under the skin of each breast.
Pat any remaining butter over the outside of the hens and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Roast for 1 hour, or until the hens are nicely browned and juices run clear.
Serves 4 to 6.
YAY! Blogaversary!
Posted: January 26, 2009 Filed under: Random Thoughts about cooking 9 Comments »YAY BLOGAVERSARY!
Today is my blogaversary! One year ago I started this little blog and I cant believe how far it has come! I wasnt even sure at first if I would keep it up, but 260+ recipes later and over 75,000 hits with 300 subscribers, it is still going strong. I have found over the year of cooking/baking just how much I love to cook and bake. It isnt just for myself either, but for my husband, family, friends, coworkers, etc…I love trying something new, creating a great baked good, or redoing an old favorite and sharing that with all the people around me!!! There is something so special and so thrilling about creating a great meal and dessert for someone. I put my heart and soul into this and love doing each and everyday. I mean what an amazing hobby that I get to do EACH AND EVERY DAY! I love it and I love making myself work even harder in the kitchen to create bigger and better dishes!
Thanks to my loyal readers! Without all of you this blog wouldnt be what it is today! THANKS!
Thanks to the wonderful girls on the Nest. You have inspired me to no end and challenge me each and every recipe to try harder. Plus the daily laughs and good times make my day bright. Thanks What’s Cooking Ladies…
To my wonderful husband who puts up with all the new, crazy, inventive dishes I have him try. He is amazing to try each and every one. Even though he hasnt like them all, he does try them and give me a positive note about them and always makes me feel like the best cook/baker in the world. He never stifles my excitement in the kitchen!
And to my mom and brother who have taught me so many cooking skills that I can one day share with my kids and future family. My mom was and still is a great cook and hostess and my brother is an amazing cook….should be chef!! I would so eat at his restaurant…maybe one day he will open one..
And also to my sister, who shares her love of cooking with me..she cooks for a great husband and 2 great kids and she is always sharing kid friendly recipes with me!! THANKS!
Well…what will the next year bring?? What will I come up with next?? To me it doesnt matter as long as I am having fun doing it…I get my greatest joy sharing cookies, pastas, salads, brownies, etc…with family and friends and cant wait to do more entertaining this year….
Now that my first year is over, I wanted to share just a few of my favorites with you all..
ENJOY!
Baked Brie
Tomato and Mozzarella tart
Blondies
Cream Filled Cupcakes
Reese’s Cupcakes
Roasted Chicken
Jerk Chicken Pasta
Lemon Curd
All the FUN Tasty Tool Events
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Baklava
Orange Chip Cookies
White Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookies
And onto another year of fun in the kitchen……….
Lemonade Award
Posted: January 24, 2009 Filed under: Random Thoughts about cooking Leave a comment »Awww thanks so much, Le Petit Pierogi and Adventures in my freezer, for honoring me with the Lemonade Award, refreshing like lemonade!!!
And of course there are some rules that come attached to this great award:
- Add the logo in your blog.
- Add a link to the person who gave you the award.
- Nominate 10 other (refreshing…like lemonade) blogs of your choice.
- Don’t forget to add links to those blogs in yours.
- Also leave a message for your nominees in their blogs, informing them about the award.
So here are my ‘nominees’:
The French Kitchen
Cookie is Medicine
Daily Deliciousness
Erins Food Files
Kalyn’s Kitchen
And anyone else who hasnt gotten this award yet…seems like several several people have already..
ENJOY!
Cream filled cupcakes
Posted: January 23, 2009 Filed under: Cakes/Cupcakes, Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday Recipe 13 Comments »I found this recipe (that is SUPER close to the cream filled cupcakes by Hostess.YUM.) in the Food Network Magazine, page 107 of the Feb.March 09 issue. Lulu’s Cupcakes as they are called by the chef, LuLu’s Bake Shop of Boston, are a bit time consuming with all the steps, but each step is pretty easy and the filling….WOW so good! I was very surprised to find they taste very very much like the Hostess cupcakes, but as all homemade baked goods are, they are even better!!!
These will definitely be on our cupcake rotation from now on. The chocolate cupcake was a deep rich flavor while the filling gave it a great vanilla creamy taste..and the ganache on top..PERFECTION!
ENJOY!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 11/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 11/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
For the Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 cup marshmallow creme
For the Ganache and Icing
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 21/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in two 12-cup muffin pans.
Prepare the cupcakes: Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla. Using a mixer, beat in the eggs, then mix in the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside.
Prepare the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.
Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier (do not overfill). Dip the cupcake tops in the ganache. Chill for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip; pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.
Layered Enchiladas
Posted: January 22, 2009 Filed under: Mexican, Turkey 5 Comments »HOLY GOODNESS! Thanks Ally from Culinary Infatuation! This was great and so easy to put together. There is a number of steps, but I did most of the prep ahead of time and assembled right before baking. Makes it so much easier! These are wonderfully gooey deliciousness!
Sorry the picture sucks..It is in layers, but it was so soft they were hard to keep together even after it cooled. But it still tasted GREAT!
I cut this back for just the two of us. I used a loaf pan and it was the perfect size for us. I have included the original recipe here which fits a 9×13 pan.
ENJOY!
Risotto Cakes
Posted: January 21, 2009 Filed under: Appetizer, Quick, Side dish 5 Comments »Whenever I make risotto, it always makes a ton. So, I decided to try making risotto cakes that I have been hearing about. I topped it with a lemon aioli, but any would work well. They were great and a great use of my leftover risotto. I used my basic risotto recipe the other day for our dinner.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
Leftover Risotto-I used basic risotto Any leftover risotto will work.
Panko or Bread Crumbs
Egg
Flour
EVOO for frying in pan
Directions:
Form risotto in to several patties. In three plates, add flour to one, egg beaten in other, and bread crumbs to the final plate.
After forming the patties, I quickly dipped them in the flour, then egg (let excess drip off), and then into bread crumbs. Once all were done, I refrigerated them for a couple hours to keep shape for easy frying.
Once firm, heat oil in pan. I used about 6 tbsp. Once warm drop patties into oil and fry about 3-5 minutes (or until golden brown) on each side. Let drain onto a paper towel while finishing the other patties. I served slightly warm with a bit of lemon aioli on top.
