Chicken Noodle Soup

Last weekend Dave wasn't feeling well, which was the perfect excuse for me to try a chicken noodle soup recipe. Personally, I love lots of noodles in chicken noodle soup and so I added more than was called for in the recipe, which soaked up the majority of the broth. My new and improved recipe solves this problem. The flavor is perfect though. Classic.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 7 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions 

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute carrots, celery and onion in butter until tender. Add broth, chicken and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add noodles; cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Add parsley.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Glazed Pumpkin Doughnuts

I've never made doughnuts before or even thought about it, but I had a request from my boyfriend's friend, Emmeline. I'm glad she did because these were really fun to make. Anything deep fried is usually easy, fun, and delicious in my opinion. The dough must be refrigerated for at least two hours if not more, and even then it's very gooey and hard to work with. I had to add a ton of flour just to keep it from sticking to my hands and the counter. Also I definitely do not own a doughnut cutter so I got creative and used the rim of a wine glass to cut a circle in the dough and the cap to a half and half carton to cut out the center. Don't worry if they seem flatter than they should be, they expand as soon as you drop them in the hot oil.  I'm not a huge doughnut fan, but Dave and Eric seemed to really like them. The consistency is more cake-like than a typical doughnut and the glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness. Next time I'd like to try blueberry cake doughnuts, they're my favorite!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• Oil for deep-fat frying
•  
• FROSTING:
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions 

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and butter. Add pumpkin and lemon juice; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to pumpkin mixture alternately with milk. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 5-6 times. Roll to 3/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. doughnut cutter. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden, about 3 minutes; turn once with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Combine frosting ingredients; spread over cooled doughnuts. 

 

 Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken Ranch Pizza

 I think making homemade pizza is so much fun. I came across this recipe awhile ago and never just never got around to making it before. I asked Dave if he'd be interested in Chicken Ranch Pizza and he said "Don't ask questions you know the answers to". I made the dough from scratch as well, which I've never done before. I usually just use the pre-made dough that comes in a tube. It turned out great though and adding the cornmeal to the pan/stone before baking really gave it that old world Italian look. The cheddar cheese isn't as stringy and soft as Mozerella, but the sharp flavor goes really well with everything else on the pizza. The only thing I did differently was add chopped onion and bacon, because when is food not better with bacon? This turned out to be a delicious and easy dinner for 2. Eventually I'll get to those healthy recipes I promised...

Pizza Dough Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast*
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup very warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• Cornmeal

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.
2. Lightly oil 1 (14-inch) or 2 (12-inch) round pizza pan(s).** Sprinkle with cornmeal. Shape dough into smooth ball. Divide and roll dough to fit desired pan(s). Top pizza as desired.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until done. Baking time depends on size and thickness of crust and selected toppings. 

Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken Ranch Pizza Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (shredded)
• Pizza dough (from recipe above)
• 1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 6 strips of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a pizza pan or medium baking sheet.
2. Place chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until no longer pink, and juices run clear. Cool, then either shred or chop into small pieces.
3. Unroll dough, and press into the prepared pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake crust for 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
4. Spread ranch dressing over partially baked crust. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Place tomatoes, onion, chicken, and bacon on top of mozzarella cheese, then top with Cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly                                         

       Source:  adapted from  Allrecipes.com                                            








               

Coffee Butter Almond Ice Cream with E.L.F.udge Cookies

A couple of years ago I got an ice cream maker for my birthday. I was so excited because I've always wanted one, but I've only actually used it a few times. It makes fantastic ice cream and you can really be creative with the flavors and add whatever you want to it. I made ice cream with my niece and nephew one time when I was babysitting. We made chocolate ice cream and I let them put whatever they wanted into it. It turned out verrrrry interesting. We almost broke the machine by putting so much candy in it. I've also used it to make apple cinnamon ice cream to accompany an apple pie I made for a dinner party.  Unfortunately not all of my ice cream endeavors have been successful.  Recently I attempted to make coffee flavored frozen yogurt for my boyfriend, Dave. I had a recipe and followed it exactly. Halfway through the mixing process I did a taste test. It was unbelievably awful. I made every attempt to salvage it by mixing in tons and tons of Oreos, Reese's Pieces, and even peanut butter. Anything to mask the flavor of this God forsaken frozen yogurt. I told Dave I was sorry but it just didn't work out and there was no way I could give this to him. He assured me I was just being too hard on myself. Against my better judgment, I brought it over for him to try. He made a face and said something like "I feel bad for all the Oreos and Reese's Pieces that had to die for this frozen yogurt". We came to the conclusion that the coffee and yogurt just didn't mix together and coffee ice cream would be much better.

My super awesome ice cream maker

Several weeks after the Frozen Yogurt Fiasco of 2010, I decided to bring out the ice cream maker yet again and try to redeem myself. I found this recipe for coffee butter almond ice cream and thought it sounded interesting. I made a few changes to the recipe, some by accident and some on purpose. I omitted the Almonds because I just don't like them, but I still added the almond extract to keep the flavor. I accidentally poured in way too much extract, but it didn't seem to matter much in the end. I also didn't read the ingredients list carefully enough and used regular espresso rather than instant. Since the powder was so fine it still mixed in pretty well. You can see it in the pictures but it wasn't noticeable in the texture of the ice cream. Finally, I added a bunch of crushed up Elf fudge cookies. mmmm mmm. This one turned great. Dave and his roommate, Eric both liked it a lot and Eric says he doesn't usually like coffee ice cream. Another success!  My brother, Lewie has requested grapefruit sorbet so that will be my next ice cream maker project, even though it doesn't sound very appetizing to me.

Ingredients 

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 Cup slivered almonds, roughly chopped

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 Cups whole milk, chilled

1 1/8 Cups granulated sugar

3-5 Tablespoons instant espresso powder (to taste)

3 Cups heavy cream

2 Teaspoons almond extract

1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Melt the butter in a 10 inch skillet. Add the slivered almonds and kosher salt. Cook over medium-low heat until almonds are toasted and golden, stirring frequently, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Strain. Chill the nuts.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk, granulated sugar and espresso powder until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and extracts. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped nuts to the mixture during the last 5 minutes of freezing. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture, If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. 

Source: Cuisinart

Spinach- Artichoke Ravioli Lasagna

My intention for this blog is to share with you all of my cooking endeavours; good and not so good. I was hesitant to include this recipe because I didn't feel very well after eating it. It tasted delicious and I wasn't feeling great that entire week so I'm chalking it up to a weak stomach, and not so much the cooking.

I was looking through my recipe collection trying to decide what to make for dinner that night and came across this recipe by Rachael Ray. She claims the prep time to be 20 minutes and it's a one dish meal. Sounded easy enough to me. I had to transport this meal and one dish meals are always best for that. An added bonus was that it calls for a ton of Ricotta cheese which I absolutely love. Believe it or not, I didn't even know Ricotta cheese existed until I was in my mid 20s when I made Manicotti for the first time. I have to admit I'm a bit food sheltered. My mom is a very picky eater and never made Italian dishes with Ricotta cheese. There are still a lot of things out there I've never tried. About a year ago I was helping my friend, Lindsay with dinner and she handed me an Avocado to cut up. Not only did I not know what it was, but I certainly had no idea how to cut it up. My friends joked that they were going to host a dinner party and include all the foods I've never tried. I think I've made substantial progress even in just this past year expanding my palette and trying new things.

I didn't change this recipe much, but there are a few things I would do differently if I were to make it again. First, definitely cook the garlic before adding it the Ricotta mixture, unless of course you like biting into a chunk of raw garlic. Also in the future I'd like to try making my own ravioli. It would definitely make it a little more time consuming but I think it would really make a difference in the taste and my overall sense of accomplishment. Rachael says to cook it for about 3 minutes at 425 degrees, but that didn't seem to be enough. Keep it in the oven for at least 10 minutes. This was definitely a learning experience and I think it could be really great the next time. Dave seemed to really like it. He went back for seconds which I took as a compliment.

I think later this week I'm going to try chicken ranch pizza. Hopefully I'll have it posted by the weekend! My sister has requested healthy recipes so I'll get working on that too. Also I've had a request for pumpkin donuts, so I'll try to figure that one out as well. Thanks for reading!

11/8/10 Update. Here are a couple tips from friends regarding my garlic troubles:

Lindsay Gainey "grate the garlic or press the garlic, it will blend in smoothly and give you the taste without the chunks. This is good for beginner cooks like myself who can't mince into small enough pieces."

Joe Moges "While you're mincing garlic with your knife, sprinkle a little sea salt on it and smear the garlic on the cutting board with the sharp end of the knife a few times and that will give it a paste-like consistency."

Thanks guys! I love getting new cooking tips and advice from my fellow foodies.

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) packages chopped frozen spinach
• 1/4 stick butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart milk
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 packages large fresh ravioli cheese, wild mushroom or spinach stuffed varieties
• 2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.

Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat broiler or oven to 425 degrees F.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave for 10 minutes on high.

While spinach defrosts, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Cut butter into small pieces and melt. Whisk in flour and cook a minute or 2 then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a bubble, as it begins to thicken, drop heat to low and season it with nutmeg, salt and pepper, to your taste.

Combine ricotta cheese, a little salt and pepper, lemon zest and garlic in a bowl.

Cook pasta to al dente, 5 to 6 minutes in salted water.

Remove spinach from the microwave and wring it completely dry in a kitchen towel. Open the towel and separate the spinach with your fingers. Pile up the sliced artichokes on your cutting board.
Drain pasta well. Ladle just enough white sauce in the bottom of a lasagna dish to lightly coat it. Top with 1/3 of the pasta. Top the pasta with a layer of half of the ricotta cheese dotted with half of the spinach and artichokes. Thinly cover the veggies with more white sauce then top liberally with grated cheese. Repeat these layers then top your lasagna with the remaining 1/3 of the cooked ravioli, the last of the white sauce and some grated cheese.

Place under hot broiler or into a preheated 425 degree F oven until sauce browns and bubbles, 3 minutes

Source: Foodnetwork.com