Orange Brownies

I can officially say these are award winning brownies. kind of... So, my Aunt Janet puts together this big event every year called "The Games Party". It began at her house more than 20 years ago with family and close friends competing in multiple board games. It has since progressed into a huge ordeal that usually includes almost 200 participants. She now rents a hall to hold everyone. There is always a theme and each team of 8 is assigned to bring 4 pot luck dishes that relate to the theme of the year. This year's theme was Florida and my team was assigned to make desserts. Is key lime pie the first thing that came to mind? I'm pretty sure that's the first thing that came to everyone's mind, so I tried to think of a more original Floridian dessert. I figured anything orange or citrus would work, and low and behold I came across a very interesting Paula Dean recipe for orange brownies. I added a graham cracker crust, but other than that I stuck to the original recipe. The topping was a bit messy and goopy and in my opinion they didn't look so hot, but I had to bring something. I was running late as usual so there wasn't any time for other options. Our team didn't do so great in the games portion of the night, but we still had a lot of fun. I was shocked when I started getting complements on my brownies. Someone even asked me for the recipe and I found out someone else (who shall remain nameless), took an extra one home so his wife could try it. My brownies won third place overall out of 100 dishes! I was super excited about that. I think the "Girls Gone Wild" dessert beat me, but how could I compete with jello shots??

I looove my mixer! Thanks Mom! 

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure orange extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Glaze:

nocoupons

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

• For the crust: In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press  mixture firmly into bottom and sides of 13 by 9 inch pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

• In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, eggs, orange extract, and orange zest and beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven and pierce top of entire cake with a fork.

nocoupons

• Glaze:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Pour glaze over cake. Cool cake and cut into squares. 

Source: adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Lasagna

A few weeks ago Dave had the great idea to have a family style Italian dinner with me, him and the neighbors. I made lasagna, Erin made some kind of amazingly delicious Orzo salad dish (which I still need to get the recipe for) and Erica did a wonderful job of cutting up cucumbers and opening the veggie dip. The recipe I used was called "World's Greatest Lasagna".  I'm not sure it was the world's best, but it was pretty good. The best lasagna recipe I've tried so far. I made some modifications to the original recipe for next time though. I thought it could use more ricotta so I doubled it from 16 oz to 32 oz. So, if you prefer a slightly healthier version, stick with the 16oz of ricotta and one egg mixture. Definitely worth trying and like most everything I make, it's even better reheated. I think Dave and his room mate lived on the leftovers for a week. Next Sunday dinner is Mexican. My favorite. Can't wait!

Thanks to Dave for taking the pictures!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 32 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with eggs, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Chocolate Preztels

I hosted a book club/wine tasting night at my apartment on Tuesday. My second time hosting a get together at my new place and it was definitely a success. Lots of wine, lots of great people, and a good discussion about the book. Everyone brought a bottle of wine and I made wine scorecards so we could keep track of the ones we really liked.  I wish I had remembered to take pictures of everything else I made, but I was in a bit of a rush to get it all together before the guests arrived. I made sweet and sour meatballs, spinach and artichoke dip (big hit), an onion and garlic dip, and southwest egg rolls,which fell apart and I decided to not even serve. They tasted great, but I'll have to work on that recipe for next time. I did take pictures of the chocolate pretzels I made. They're really simple to make, super cute, and yummy. I've seen other variations of these using Hershey's Hugs or mini Resee's cups. You can also use the special holiday M&M's to for a more festive snack during Christmas or Easter, etc.

Ingredients

• 48 pretzel rings or mini twists
• 1 (8 ounce) package milk chocolate kisses
• 1/4 cup M&M's

Directions

1. Place the pretzels on greased baking sheets; place a chocolate kiss in the center of each ring. Bake at 275 degrees F for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is softened. Remove from the oven. Place an M&M on each, pressing down slightly so chocolate fills the ring. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Store at room temperature. 

  Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

I love casseroles and any type of one-dish meals. They're probably my favorite things to make and I don't have to make side dishes because your meat, starch, and veggies are all together. I have recently discovered an amazingly brilliant creation: the braid. It's basically a casserole rolled up into a giant crescent roll. It's so pretty and tastes great too. My first attempt using the braid was for a breakfast dish; bacon and eggs wrapped in crescent dough. It didn't look so good so I didn't bother taking pictures, but it was tasty. The chicken and broccoli braid turned out much better and it's one of my favorite dishes so far. Delicious! I also loved the fact that the recipe called for dill. One of my favorite flavors of all time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 egg white, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown. 

 

Source: Allrecipes.com 

Creamy Cajun Gumbo

This past Thanksgiving my family rented a house in Lake Gaston, NC for the week. Dave and I drove down for the weekend and had dinner with everyone at the Waterview Restaurant. We got the creamy cajun gumbo and it was outstanding! We've been talking about it ever since, so of course I had to at least try to recreate it for my blog. I think it turned out pretty good and Dave gave it rave reviews as well. I looked at their menu online and found out it's made in a Sambuca cream sauce. I didn't have Sambuca on hand, so I used anise extract instead. I made the sauce a bit too thick, but that can be prevented by not dumping a giant handful of flour into the sauce. I panicked when it looked too milky and thin. Add small amounts of flour and stir and wait before you add more. I would definitely make this recipe again, and next time I think I'd like to add some shrimp to the mix. The restaurant version had shrimp but i forgot to get that at the grocery store. ooops.

I usually don't measure anything or write anything down as I'm cooking so I will try my best to remember everything!

Ingredients

• 1 pound Hot Italian pork sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium chicken breasts chopped 
• 1 medium green pepper cut into short strips
• 1 medium onion chopped
•  2 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons of anise extract
•  1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 box of Penne pasta

Directions

1. Boil the chicken breasts and cut into small pieces
2. Cook the Penne pasta in boiling water for approximately 7 minutes, drain, and set aside 
3. Cook the sausage in a skillet until well browned, stirring often. Stir in the pepper, onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender. Add cooked chicken and stir in Anise extract. Simmer until cream sauce is ready.  
4. Heat the butter and heavy cream over medium heat in a separate pan, add garlic powder and cheese and stir until melted. Add 2 tablespoons of flour as needed to thicken the sauce. Stir until flour is fully dissolved.  
5. Pour Sausage, chicken, and veggie mixture into the cream sauce and mix well. Serve over Penne pasta. 

Stuffed Peppers

December was such a crazy month and I didn't get a chance to post much. I'm hoping to be more productive in the kitchen this month, considering I now have my very own kitchen! I just moved into my own apartment. Woohoo! so very excited about it. I decided that stuffed peppers would be the dish to christen my kitchen. My mom makes them  for me occasionally even though she hates peppers. I still think hers are better, but these turned out really good too. I used a mix of ground beef, veal, and pork. Next time I'd like to try Italian sausage. Mmmmmm.

I was so excited to use my kitchen for the first time and have Dave over for dinner but... things did not quite go as planned. I made the salad and started making the salad dressing and realized I didn't have any oil. I got resourceful and used cooking spray. That's kind of the same thing, right? It made the dressing super foamy and weird but it still tasted alright and Dave didn't seem to notice anything was off.  My mom came over to help me light my gas oven, so that I wouldn't accidentally blow myself up. As much as we tried, we couldn't light the pilot light and it didn't seem like the gas was working. so.. no oven. great....

The stove top still worked so I did most of the prep work there and then had to cook them in the microwave, which was upsetting to me, but I was starting to get over it and be thankful I picked a dish that would even work in the microwave. Dave called and was on  his way so I went to heat them up and.... The microwave wasn't working either. I almost cried. I thought for sure I would have to either cancel my dinner or figure out a way to cook them on the stove top. Turns out the microwave just wasn't plugged in, so once I figured that out it was smooth sailing. Dinner turned out great! The repairman came yesterday to fix the oven. He left a note saying it was working fine and that I just had to leave it on for a couple minutes and let it warm up. Didn't even have to light the pilot. Oops. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• salt to taste
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
• water as needed

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.
4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Source: Allrecipes.com 

Easy Stuffed Shells

I made this for dinner earlier this week . I wanted to try something Italian but really didn't have the time to make the sauce from scratch and let it simmer in the slow cooker all day. So this is a super simple and quick way to do Italian. I think it took me about 25 minutes to prep and only had to cook for 30 minutes. A delicious dinner in less than an hour! Dave gave this one a rave review. I'll definitely make it again!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
• salt to taste
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 box of jumbo pasta shells
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 jars of pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1-2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Saute garlic for 1 minute and stir in ground beef. Cook until well browned and crumbled. Season with salt and set aside to cool.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add  shells and boil for half of the time recommended on the package. Drain and cover with cool water to stop the cooking process and prevent the shells from cracking.
3. To the ground beef mixture add the cooked spinach and ricotta cheese. When the mixture is cool, add the beaten eggs. Spread 1 jar of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Gently drain the  shells and carefully stuff each one with the meat and cheese mixture; place shells in prepared dish. Lightly cover the dish with plastic wrap or a clean, damp towel to prevent shells from cracking.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Stir the basil and parsley into the remaining spaghetti sauce. Carefully pour or ladle spaghetti sauce over the shells.
6. Top with Mozzarella Cheese
7. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 

 Source : Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Persimmon Bread

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile. I have made some new things but haven't had as much time to post with my new job. I hope to get caught up and then start on some fun holiday recipes.

A consultant from my previous job brought in a huge bag of Persimmons last month. I had never heard of them, but after a quick search on Wikipedia, I found out that they're a berry grown primarily in China and Japan. He suggested that once they ripened I should cut the top off and eat the pulp inside with a spoon. I took a few to humor him, but had no intention of eating this weird fruit.

I didn't want to just throw them out so I did a search for Persimmon recipes and found one for Persimmon bread. The bread turned out really moist and the Cinnamon and Nutmeg flavors really stand out. I have a couple bread making hints; 1. after I spray the loaf pans, I sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar before I add the batter. 2. I know this sounds weird, but I add a couple spoon fulls of sour cream. It doesn't affect the flavor, but it makes the bread super moist. I made a loaf for Dave and his room mates and one for my friends Lindsay and Colin who just recently got engaged (Congrats again!). Colin asked me what a persimmon tasted like and I couldn't give him an answer. He couldn't believe that I never actually tried any of the persimmon before I added it to the bread mixture. I was a little curious but it just didn't look appetizing at all. It makes for good bread though.

Weird tomato-ish fruit = Persimmon

Add caption

Ingredients

1 cup persimmon pulp
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease three 6x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the persimmon pulp and baking soda. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken the pulp.
3. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until smooth. Mix in persimmon pulp and water alternately with flour. Divide batter into the prepared pans, filling each pan 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 
 Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com
 

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

Blueberry Muffins

When I first came up with the idea for my blog, my friend Eric showed me a cookbook his grandmother made for him and for all of her grandchildren. It's called Mimi Cooks With Family and Friends. Her hope was to share a special part of herself with her seven grandchildren and finally compile the multitude of family recipes she's saved over the years, some written in notebooks and even on the back of store receipts she says. I was so honored to be able to make some of these special dishes.

As I was a bit crunched for time this week, I chose a simple recipe to start out with; Blueberry Muffins. Eric told me when he visits his grandparents in Connecticut, their neighbor Bea Foster always brings over a fresh batch of these blueberry muffins. The recipe is super easy and I already had all the ingredients in the house (except the blueberries). The prep time was only about 5 minutes. I was a bit concerned when the muffins didn't rise much so I cooked them a little longer than I probably should have. Eric says the "Beacret" to these muffins is that they're supposed to be flat, that's just the way Bea made them. I was glad to hear I didn't do something wrong in the baking process. It's just a rather dense dough which keeps them from rising and also I think that maybe my baking powder is getting a tad old. It's probably been in my mom's spice cabinet since the early 80's. Maybe Bea needs to replace her baking powder too. Anyway, these muffins were still delicious! The cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top is the best part. Dave and Eric seemed to like them. They were all gone the next day. I can't wait to try some more of Mimi's recipes, especially the old authentic Italian recipes. I hear her meatballs are the best. Thanks again, Eric!

Ingredients

2 Cups sifted flour

1/2 Cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1-1 1/2 cup blueberries

Directions

Beat 1 egg and 1 cup of milk. Add oil and mix well. Sift dry ingredients into mixture. Dust blueberries with flour and fold in berries. Put in muffin pan. Sprinkle top with 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar before baking

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Source: Mimi Cooks with Family and Friends. Originally from Bea Foster.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is actually the first dish I decided to make when I came up with the idea for my food blog. Of course I consulted with my boyfriend/taste tester to make my final decision. The conversation went like this;
Me: "Any requests for dinner? I'm going to the grocery store at lunch. I was thinking homemade pizza or chicken enchiladas. What do you think?". Dave: "Oh my dear baby Jesus, enchiladas would be outstanding".

I've never made enchiladas before and chose an Emeril Lagasse recipe to start with. I've found his recipes to be a bit involved and complicated at times, but this one seemed simple enough. Every Emeril recipe I've tried has turned out amazing, and this was no exception. I made a few alterations to the original recipe; 1. The recipe calls for "New Mexican chili powder". I looked high and low for this stuff with no success. I even went to a grocery store with a HUGE International and Hispanic section. If anyone ever finds this so called New Mexican chili powder, please let me know. I would love to see if it actually makes a difference. I just used regular chili powder and added a dash or two of cayenne pepper. 2. I sprinkled the top of the enchiladas with additional shredded cheddar cheese. 3. I added two small cans of green chiles to the filling mixture.Also, the recipe calls for one onion chopped. I used a ridiculously huge red onion. I think red onions have the most flavor and I tend to incorporate them when a recipe is not specific about what type to use.

Anyone reading this, feel free to get me a Magic Chopper for Christmas. Thanks :)

My boyfriend and his roommate had started a power hour by the time the enchiladas were ready. Needless to say they didn't get eaten until much later that evening and then again for breakfast the next morning. I made enough for a family of 6 and they were completely gone by 11am the next day. I must admit that dishes like these are even better the next day. The picture was taken of the reheated enchiladas rather than fresh out of the oven since I forgot my camera that night. Dave was thoughtful enough to email me pictures of him eating them for breakfast. In his email he says "These things are so good it blows my mind". Just yesterday he asked for more chicken enchiladas in his life. Sorry, but it's on to the next experiment!

Dorje likes everything I make too! He's very impatient though.

    Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup New Mexican chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like things spicy)
• 16 ounces chicken stock
• 10 ounces tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
•  8 oz diced canned green chiles
• 1 onion, chopped
• 10 corn tortillas
• 1 cup cheddar cheese for garnish
• 1 cup sour cream, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make sauce: In a saucepan heat 3 tablespoons oil, add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until flavors are well-blended. Season to taste with salt.

Combine cheese, chicken, chiles and onion for filling. Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in a skillet until hot. Using tongs dip in tortillas, one at a time, to soften, and drain on paper towels. Dip each tortilla in sauce. On a plate fill with a generous spoonful of filling and roll up; place enchilada seam-side down in a baking dish and repeat until all ingredients are used up. Top with remaining sauce and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes. To serve, top with sour cream.

mmmm. Enchiladas for Breakfast. 

 

Source: adapted from Foodnetwork.com

Pumpkin Pie Bars

I am obsessed with all things pumpkin, and in the spirit of the season I've decided to try out several unique pumpkin recipes. I made these pumpkin pie bars for my sister's Halloween party this past week. They were very simple to make and turned out not only beautiful but delicious as well. These bars are for those of you with a super sweet tooth like myself. In fact they were almost a bit too sweet even for me. The consistency of the filling is a lot like pumpkin pie rather than a traditional cookie bar. The crust and the topping are what give it something a little different though. Soon to come, my Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Baked Ziti which happen to be two of my favorite recipes.

Although I did not alter the original recipe, in the future I intend to include my own unique recipes as well as my adaptations to other collected recipes. I also plan to include reviews from my very supportive boyfriend, family, and friends who will be my guinea pigs and food critics as I experiment with food and further my cooking experience.

Ingredients:
For the crust and topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butterscotch chips, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan.  Lightly grease the foil.  Combine the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl and toss with a fork.  Add the pieces of butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the oats and chopped pecans.

Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture and set aside.  Add the remaining crust mixture to the prepared baking pan and press onto the bottom of the pan in an even layer.  Bake the crust alone in the oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling.To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium speed until smooth and well combined.

Once the crust has been removed from the oven, pour the filling into the pan and smooth over the crust.  Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture and butterscotch chips, as desired.  Bake for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Slice and serve.

Source: Annie's Eats