More baking for the co-workers...

Busy day in the kitchen today as it is Tuesday, the day before Wednesday Treat Day at Jeff's office. I decided to make two recipes as there would be more people than normal there tomorrow and I needed an excuse to use a new display piece I got for Christmas.

The first recipe, Coconut Cupcakes, uses coconut twice - once inside the cake and then on top of the icing. The cupcake itself crowns nicely and has a light texture, with a hint of almond. They are frosted with a soft cream cheese icing and then a showering of coconut covers the top. I was tempted to toast the coconut a little, but I decided I wanted to keep them clean and white. I love the flavor of toasted coconut though, so I might do that next time.

The second, Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze, has a batter similar to the above, but uses cake flour, no almond extract and of course has mashed bananas. I found that since I filled these a little fuller, the tops spread out and then crowned which allowed some of the sides to touch together. Next time I would reduce the amount in each cup to make 20 cupcakes, instead of 18, to fix that issue. They have a pleasant banana flavor and since the liquid is buttermilk, the cupcakes stay pretty tender. A simple chocolate glaze coats the tops evenly and sticks just enough so it does not drip down and is not heavy. I used bittersweet chocolate, but you could substitute with semisweet if needed.

I loved the combination of flavors going on in tonight's dinner. Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Pineapple Chutney uses a quick (albeit not too authentic) jerk seasoning that includes spices most people would probably have in their cupboards. It does call for apple-pie spice, but since I did not have that I substituted 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom. I then took the needed measure amount from that and will save the rest in case I need it again! After searing the pork, it is baked until slightly pink in the center, so it stays very juicy. The fresh chutney adds a tropical sweetness and refreshing pair to the pork which is just a touch spicy. It was quick to throw together, and I'll get to have the rest of the fresh pineapple for a snack tomorrow!

Recipes

Coconut Cupcakes
Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze
Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Pineapple Chutney

Cookies to fill up our packs...

Since living in Arizona, we have been going hiking in the mountains as often as we can. This time of the year is the best time to do this, because during the day it is not 120 degrees outside. I've been looking for a tasty, but sturdy cookie that I could make to take along for some energy during the hikes. Today's cookie is the one!

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Granola Cookies are thick, sturdy and crunchy cookies loaded with granola, dried fruit and peanut butter flavor. For extra crunch, I did use chunky peanut butter, but it would work just as well with smooth, as chopped peanuts are also added in later. For the granola, I used our new favorite Apple-Cinnamon version that I have been making for the last couple months, but feel free to use store bought. If your granola does not already have dried fruit, add in about 1/2 cup of your favorite kind if desired. I got about 34 cookies and I made them just about the right size to easily pack for hiking.

Tonight's Dinner,Tomato Goat Cheese Strata, is more of a cross between a savory bread pudding and a strata. This dish is pretty quick to throw together, and since the bread does not need to sit and soak overnight, it would be good for a last minute meal. The sourdough bread soaks up so much flavor from the tomatoes and the layers meld into a densely textured pie as the eggs firm up. Goat cheese brings an earthy and creamy addition to the top layer.

Recipes
Tomato Goat Cheese Strata
Crunchy Peanut Butter and Granola Cookies

Some new items we picked up today...

And the first week of the new year has gone by quickly! We made 9 new recipes this past week with the highlights being the Mocha Angel Food Cake and Marbled Rye Bread.

During our weekly grocery shopping trip I grabbed a couple new items we will be having/using this week. They are both from Trader Joes, the first being a new kind of snack.

Papadums, Tandoori Masala style, are thin and very crispy chips. These are made using Fava Bean flour with a variety of indian spices. The chips have a spicy bite and have an aromatic curry-like mix of flavors. They are quite addiciting and have a decent protein count per serving.

The next is a salsa we will be using in an upcoming dish for dinner. I'm excited to try this one as I have never really been a big fan of salsa before, but this one looks pretty promising!

The Netflix DVD of the night will be Unleashed with Jet Li and Morgan Freeman. I remember seeing the previews of this and it looked fairly interesting. I got the menu finalized this morning for this week and have quite a few things planned - I can't wait to get started!

Are they finally ripe?

I mentioned a few months ago that we had some palm trees along with a lemon tree planted in the backyard. I was suprised to see we had fruit for the first season, so I have been waiting and waiting for the little green bulbs to blossom into brilliant yellow oval fruits.

Now that they have reached their peak, I guess we need to figure out what to do with them all! I'm not sure what to start with... Mini lemon meringue pies? Lemon Cookies? Lemon Curd sounds awfully good. Fresh Lemonade might have to be the first since it is pretty easy. So much to choose from, but I'm not complaining!

I figured tonight's Netflix selection would take longer in the queue to arrive as I thought this DVD just came out. I hope that Kronk's New Groove with David Spade and John Goodman can live up to the the original movie which we really enjoyed - Emperor's New Groove.

I'm expecting this upcoming week to be pretty busy so I will be spending tonight getting the menu done and the grocery list ready. Stick around and see what's happenin' from our kitchen!

Adding a new grain to our diet...

The highlight of tonight's dinner is a product we have never used or eaten before. Quinoa, a grainlike product, is very rich in protein, iron and fiber. Pronounced “keen-wa”, it is technically a seed from a plant somewhat related to spinach. Quinoa is fast to prepare and has quite an interesting texture. When cooked, the grain explodes out to release a soft and creamy inside, while the coating dispurses into tiny, crunchy, spiral bits. To ensure you get the best flavor, I would recommend toasting the grain, before cooking, to bring out a roasted nutty taste.

Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pistachios and Dried Pineapple has many different flavors and textures involved. Dried pineapple brings a subtle fruity sweetness and remains fairly soft. For some additional crunch in the salad, chopped pistachios are first toasted to bring out the nuttiness, and they have a slight sweetness that compliments the pineapple. Toasted sesame oil lends moisture and ties all of the flavors together. Adding chunked grilled chicken breast makes this a filling main dish, but if you left that out, it would be a great side dish.

Recipes
Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pistachios and Dried Pineapple

Having sweets from Dinner to Dessert...

For Christmas, I was given a new tube pan that I had been wanting. It comes in two pieces and is *not* non-stick. The last pan I had, worked fine and was non-stick, but I just felt I could get better results and height where the cake could climb up the pan better. Since you have to scrap the sides to loosen the cake anyway, the old pan was pretty ugly as the coating had started coming off from knifes and metal spatulas.

There are many varieties of Angel Food Cake recipes out there, some plain, or some with a lot of add-ins. Since it is such a light cake, we enjoy it most when it is served without a sauce or some sort of frosting. Most base recipes are pretty much the same, so I started there and made some changes to punch up the flavor. So today to test out my new pan, I made a Mocha Angel Food Cake.

This airy, tall, and fluffy cake has a slight hint of coffee, but the reason I used it was to heighten the chocolate flavor. I used dutch-proccess cocoa, as I find it adds a deeper, more rich flavor. I would suggest using superfine sugar because I think it mixes with the egg whites a little easier. You can use regular granulated, but if you have a food processor, take a few minutes and grind your own superfine! When you are ready to beat the egg whites, make sure that the bowl and beater are clean of any fat or grease as they will hinder the volume. Also, plan ahead and have your egg whites at room temperature to ensure they will triple in volume.

When cooled, you could dust with cocoa or powdered sugar, if desired, but I just placed a dollop of whipped cream and a chocolate covered espresso bean. To really let the flavor of this cake shine, simple is best when garnishing in my opinion!

The dish for dinner tonight, is something I would probably not usually serve. I couldn't figure out if I should do this as a dessert or just have a bit of fun at dinner. Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Split Sandwiches are a fun way to make dinner a bit different. This is a pretty sweet tasting sandwich, so if you don't like things pretty sweet - you might not like this. When I was preparing this, I was not sure if this combination would be something we would even like. As we took our first bite, we kind of looked at each other and we both said "huh! this is actually pretty good!" I loved how the banana softened a bit and melded with the chocolate and how the sticky peanut butter melted into a sweet creamy base. It was also super quick to throw together, which is another plus for this!

Recipes
Mocha Angel Food Cake
Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Split Sandwiches

New look to an old favorite...

We have tried a fair amount of lasagna recipes over the past few months, but tonight's recipe was just a bit different than the rest. Chicken-Ham Lasagna called for no-boil noodles originally, but I have found that we don't like the texture as much as when we use just regular dried pasta. This has several layers of tender diced chicken and thinly sliced salty deli ham. Instead of a red sauce, this uses a sharp white sauce flavored with a fair amount of parmesan and a pinch of cayenne for some heat.

This is definitely not a dry lasagna and I would recommend letting it sit for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting it to help keep its shape. I served some steamed broccoli and toasted rye bread on the side. This lasagna is one recipe where I just can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Very Good!

Recipes

Chicken-Ham Lasagna

Time to break it in...

I have been a big fan of Nick Malgieri for awhile now and when I saw his new book a few months ago I had to have it. I finally had some time to go through it over Christmas and today I picked out a cookie recipe to make. Since Jeff has not been into work for the last couple weeks, we have not been doing the weekly treat day for his co-workers. Since he went back to work and tomorrow is Treat Day Wednesday, this was a perfect chance for me to make the cookies.

This recipe had me interested as it has a whole lot of Corn Starch in it. I've never made a cookie with that in it and could not wait to see how the resulting texture would be. This recipe for Alfajores resulted in a crisp buttery cookie, flavored with lemon, that is sandwiched with homemade dulce de leche. After sandwiching them, you spread the leftover filling over the sides and roll them in shredded coconut. I was a little nervous as I have never made dulce de leche before and the whole baking in the oven kind of threw me off. It looked like a disaster waiting to happen about 20 minutes in, but I stuck with it and I swear it just magically turned into this sweet, smooth, thick layer of a soft caramel colored mixture. I did this part before making the cookies since I was not sure how long the whole process was going to take. If you are going to assemble the cookies shortly after baking, I would do it this way. Otherwise, go ahead and make it after the cookies are done.

I still have some leftover filling that I will need to find something to do with (other than eat it with a spoon that is... which was so good!)

Sandwiches were on tap for dinner tonight. To make the Pressed Cuban Sandwiches with Garlic Dijon Butter, I used one of my favorite appliances in the kitchen. Ever since we bought The Griddler at the beginning of last year, I have found so many uses for it. The sandwiches were a breeze to cook up using this instead of trying to do them in a pan on the stove. Roasting the garlic adds so much more flavor than using it in the raw state. Jarlsberg cheese, thinly sliced ham and turkey are layered inside of a hoagie roll, then pressed ala panini fashion to toast the bread and melt the velvety cheese. Next time I would make more of the spread as it was pretty thin and we loved the flavor it gave.

Recipes
Alfajores
Pressed Cuban Sandwich with Garlic Dijon Butter

Recreating a favorite...

I was looking for a fun recipe to made today as this was the last day of Jeff's vacation... back to work tomorrow!

I can remember as a kid getting Whoppers to munch on when I went to the movies. I have not had them for years and I remembered seeing a recipe for a candy which is pretty close. Chocolated Malted Milk Balls has the right taste, but the inside texture is a little different. It is more light and airy, rather than the dense candy inside of a Whopper. This turned out not to be a bad thing, as it kind of popped in your mouth as you ate it. It starts out as a typical meringue, but powdered sugar, cocoa, and malt powder is folded in to get that familiar flavor. After being pipped into little blobs (not perfect circles, but close enough for me!) and dried out in a low temperature oven, they are dipped into chocolate to get that snappy shell coating.

Tonight's dinner, Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, quickly climbed over other wrap recipes we have tried to become one of our favorites. This is a light and quite healthy dish with grilled chicken, bean sprouts and fresh mint. Sriracha in the marinade and dressing packs a nice heat and has a great contrast to the cool mint. Chopped peanuts and bean sprouts lend a pleasant crunch since these are wrapped in soft, tender, and buttery boston lettuce leaves. They are a little messy to eat so have a napkin handy!

Recipes
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chocolated Malted Milk Balls
Marbled Rye Bread

Can we call it a success?

One of my goals for this year is to get more involved in bread baking. I enjoy working with the dough and the anticipation of waiting to see if it comes out how you would like it to. One of the breads I have yet to tackle is Jeff's favorite kind- Rye Bread.

I have been looking at a specific recipe, Marbled Rye Bread, for the longest time but it just seemed really daunting and I would just pass over it. So let's start the New Year by diving in head first!

Working with two doughs, one remains light while the other is darker in color. Since I did not have any caramel coloring at home, I had to use coffee and cocoa so the darker rye is not as dark as I would have wanted. After kneading, the dough was supple and a little tacky. After resting, each dough is cut into 4 and then rolled into oblong pieces. 2 pieces of each color were stacked together, alternating colors. They are then rolled in a batard (torpedo) fashion and allowed to proof in loaf pans. After baking for about 20 minutes, I rotated the pans and the smell of fresh bread poured out of the oven. These gave off such a warm molasses aroma. Finally, they were done and now we had to wait a couple hours to take a slice. Here is what we ended up with.

A light egg wash gives a dark golden shell which, when cut into, yields a softer type bread that is great for hearty sandwiches. Caraway seeds are scattered throughout to lend a unique flavor to this rye bread. It is a big recipe to type up, so I'll try to get it posted within the next day or so.

The DVD from Netflix tonight will be Sliding Doors. I actually think I caught the end of this the other day on TNT while on the elliptical, but I'm not sure. I got the menu planning done for the week and I am anxious to get started. Stick around and see what we come up with for the first week of 2006!

Recipes
Marbled Rye Bread

For this last night....

I can't believe how fast this year went by. It is already the last night of 2005. I have had so much fun with this blog since starting earlier this year and I hope to continue this journey well into 2006. In total, we have added at least 170 of the new recipes that we tried since we started the blog and will continue to add each week. The to-try pile of new recipes seems to swell each week, but my goal will be to try to keep reducing it as we can. I also have quite a few new cookbooks that would like some attention too.

Happy New Years! Have some Gummy Bears, pretzels and candy coated sunflower seeds on us!

I am excited for this new year to come and see what different foods we try and what new things we can create. Looking back since we started the blog, we have tried so many things I never thought we would eat and enjoy (especially this and that) since we were both very picky eaters at one time. My hope is this continues as well!

We will be staying in tonight with entertainment from Netflix as usual. So... I did not pick this one, Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill, and I don't know what to expect. I only know this is in the comedy genre, so if this is a dud I'm sure we will be able to find something fun until the ball drops!

If you are going out tonight, please take care and have a safe evening. We will leave you with the final sunset here in Phoenix for 2005 with many more to come in the prosperous New Year.

Chunky or smooth - I still love you....

Oh peanut butter, how do I love thee?

Well... today I love you with bananas! This snack cake, Frosted Peanut Butter Banana Bars, is a very moist and tender cake with chunks of peanut butter chips throughout. A rich layer of frosting, kicked up by peanut butter, helps bring both flavors together. The banana flavor is more dominate than the peanut butter, but you can definitely taste both. Throwing the peanut butter chips into the flour, before adding it to the wet ingredients, helps keep them suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom. The recipe for the frosting makes a bit too much for 1 cake, in my opinion, as I could cover the sides as well as the top and still have some leftover. I'm sure you could find something to use up the extra with! If I had some extra cookies or something I would use it there!

If you need a speedy pasta dish for dinner, this one came together quite fast. Linguine and Spinach with Gorgonzola Sauce uses fresh pasta which only takes a couple minutes to cook. The cheesy cream sauce should be started before you cook the pasta as it takes about 7-10 minutes to finish. The rich sauce is defined by the sharp blue cheese flavor and evaporated milk smooths it out into a creamy coating for the fresh pasta. Next time, I would coarsley chop the baby spinach as it did not wilt much and some of the pieces were quite large. Sliced grilled chicken would be an excellent addition if you did not want a veggie-only dish.

Recipes
Frosted Peanut Butter Banana Bars
Linguine and Spinach with Gorgonzola Sauce

A little sour, kinda salty and just plain good

Since we try so many new and different recipes, I am always on the look out for recipes that I would repeat and that would be guest worthy. I am leary of trying out new recipes on guests because I want to make sure it is something that works and then I can work out any kinks beforehand.

The dish we had tonight is definitely something I would make again for guests. I would probably serve this either as a brunch item or dinner as it seems a little heavy to me for breakfast. Bacon, Gruyère, and Ham Strata is filled with toasted sour breadcubes that keep their shape well and do not turn to mush. A generous amount of cheese gives the top coating a nutty flavor and crispy bacon lends a nice saltiness. To give the ham a little boost in flavor, I did brown it a bit before adding it to the mixture. I find this adds an extra depth of flavor it otherwise would not have.

Recipes
Bacon, Gruyère, and Ham Strata

Mixing sweet with some savory

I am a big fan of blueberries. If you took a peak at inside our freezer, you would find it has at least 3 bags of wild organic blueberries from Trader Joes at all times. I usually have at least 1/2 to 1 cup a day with yogurt or in a smoothie. It is not often that I use them in savory dishes, but tonight was a wonderful execption.

Turkey with Blueberry Pan Sauce starts off as a winner as it uses very little dishes. After searing a couple turkey tenderlions, they are baked in the oven in the same skillet just until no longer pink in the middle. They are moved to a covered plate to keep warm while you prepare the sauce. The same pan is now used again so you can get all the flavor from the bits and pieces left behind from the turkey. Blueberries are cooked down with balsamic vinegar until they release their exquisite juices and become thick. The vinegar cuts the sweetness so it does not overpower the tender turkey. This combination worked so well.

To serve along side, I made a Mixed Salad with Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette topped with Toasted Walnuts. The vinaigrette was quite a unique combination of flavors. I was a little disappointed that I could not dectect any vanilla, but even without it the taste was quite pleasant. I changed the recipe a bit by adding some extra-virgin olive oil and using a couple different vinegars. I used an immersion blender to combine and the dressing was very smooth. Slightly sweet from the pears and a bit of spice from cayenne had me going for another serving. I will have to find a use for the leftover vinaigrette as we both thought it made the salad.

Recipes

Turkey with Blueberry Pan Sauce
Mixed Salad with Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette and Toasted Walnuts

Twistin' some dough....

One of my favorite snacks to make is homemade pretzels. They freeze and reheat well. I was flipping through my to-try pile and came across this recipe that I found some time to make them today. We prefer to have a softer crust on our pretzels with a good chew to them. This recipe, Soft Pretzels, lived up to its name. I did make some small changes to the recipe though.

To help the dough rise in our cold kitchen today, I turned the light on in the oven before I started preparing the dough. By the time it was ready - the light had heated the inside up to 82 degrees! After the dough had risen enough (gently poke 2 fingers into the dough, if the marks stay - it is ready) we cut up the dough and started rollin' and twistin'. They are quickly dunked in simmering water, coated with an egg glaze, then sprinkled with salt. These would also be very good topped with cinnamon sugar, which I will have to do next time. Baked until a deep golden brown, we finished them with a brushing of melted butter and enjoyed a couple fresh out of the oven.

Dinner tonight, Broccoli-Noodle Casserole, used a pasta I had yet to try. I found a whole wheat egg noodle the other day and used it here. This is a white sauce, noodle, broccoli combination that is topped with a couple cheeses. If you go through the ingredient list, this is actually a pretty darn healthy dish. As usual, I used mostly low-fat items (not fat free though, as I find the texture suffers quite a bit.) If you don't have time to blanch some broccoli, you could always use frozen, but I find I like the texture better when I use fresh. Also, if you have a picky eater or do not like the look of cottage cheese, feel free to puree it before adding it to the white sauce. Cayenne added just enough heat to make it interesting and you don't taste the nutmeg, it just adds that little "something".

Recipes
Soft Pretzels
Broccoli-Noodle Casserole

Surf-N-Turf

One of the first things I thought of to make when I spotted these Cappuccino Chips was working it into a batch of fudge. The recipe is pretty much the same one that I use for Cinnamon Fudge. It keeps the same rich and creamy texture as the cinnamon fudge, but it has a very distinct Cappuccino flavor with a coffee aroma. If you can find these and love coffee, this is an execllent way to change up fudge. Next up for these intense chips are some cookies that were suggested I think!

We don't often have steaks, but they looked quite good in the store today. I picked them up and came up with a nice change of pace for dinner. Since I had some shrimp in the freezer leftover from another recipe, it was destined to be a Surf-N-Turf night. Rosemary Shrimp Scampi Skewers served with Classic Steak House Rubbed Steaks and baked potatoes hit the spot after dealing with the crowd at the stores today.

The shrimp soaks in a zesty marinade and is then threaded onto spears of fresh Rosemary. Despite there not being any rosemary beside the spear, the shrimp pick up quite a bit of that woody flavor. After a quick run on the grill, the shrimp curled into succulent tasty bites and we gave them a quick shower of fresh juice from a slice of lemon. The steak was rubbed with a variety of spices and then grilled to a medium-rare. As the title implies, it does remind me of the flavor you would typically get from a steakhouse steak.

Recipes
Cappuccino Fudge
Classic Steak House Rub
Rosemary Shrimp Scampi Skewers

One day to splurge....

We hope everyone is enjoying their time with your loved ones today. I woke up bright and early this morning with lots of energy and got started with new recipe for breakfast. Normally I would do something tried and true but this looked so good we had to try it.

Sour Cream Buns is a twist on cinnamon rolls. This dough is quite easy to work with and since it only has to do one rise before baking, it allows you to enjoy these sticky, sweet and cinnamon scented treats. They look just like normal rolls as you set them into muffin tins, but you will slowly start to see a change as they rise. When I set the pan and closed the door, I started to watch the timer drop second by second, anxiously awaiting for it to go off. I was enjoying the sweet cinnamon smell waft through the kitchen and finally the timer beeped. I opened the oven and was surprised to see how they expolded into tall swirls of sweet bread.

I love to unravel cinnamon rolls and eat from the outside in. These very tender and light rolls fit the bill and have just the right amount of a brown sugar/cinnamon stripe throughout. A drizzle of sweet icing caps them with just enough to keep you licking your fingers (or fork) clean.

One other thing we do every Christmas Day is to make outrageously large caramel apples. Since we keep on the ligher side of food during the year - this is one day we tend to go a little heavy handed on the treats. One tip - I place the apples in boiling water for just a few seconds to melt any waxy coating is left on and polish them with a dry towel. Sometimes the caramel tends to slide down if we don't do it this way. I used the caramel from the Caramel Apple Bar recipe we made earlier in the year. Caramel, M&M, Peanuts and Chocolate coat the apples.

Recipes
Sour Cream Buns

To you and yours...

We wanted to take a moment to wish you a Merry Christmas or whichever Holiday you choose to celebrate! Miss Kitty wanted to send you wishes as well, but she was too busy being sneaky trying to find her presents this morning. She has even learned to stick her tongue out as us! Geez! Miss Kitty was so excited to hear that her buddy for Weekend Cat Blogging 29, Kiri at Eat stuff, finally found his way home after being lost! Welcome Home!

We will be hanging around the house tonight snacking and taking it easy. Netflix is bringing some laughs with Beauty Shop starring Queen Latifah. Have a safe and fun evening tonight! If I can wake myself up tomorrow morning, I'll be making a special treat... so if you are around check back tomorrow night and see how it comes out!

A few of my favorite ingredients...

Quick note - I've updated the recipe sections with a new format. You may need to hit refresh to see the changes. Please let me know if any of the links do not work for you. Thanks!

In addition to the packages of goodies we sent out in the mail, we also gave packages to our neighboors. When I was making dinner tonight, the doorbell rang and Jeff went to go answer. Boy were we surprised when it was one of our neighboors and they had this huge basket for us!

How nice! We didn't expect anything in return - if you read this, thank you so much! It was filled with chocolate bars, lots of different kinds of pretzels (I wonder if they work for the Synder pretzel company.. hee hee!), a nice ornament and even a pair of tickets to go to the movies!

During this time of the year, there are two flavors that when paired, really spike my interest. Chocolate and peppermint are such a dynamtic combination and I love anything that includes them. I came across a recipe for an ice cream cake, I just knew I was going to make it... it was just a matter of when. Forgive what is underneath the cake - I had to improvise as I do not own cake plate (I know... I know.. I just never get around to buying one!)

When I saw the picture and recipe for this Peppermint Ice Cream Cake, I immedietly knew I was going to change it a bit because I had special baking pans that were just aching to be used. They have been waiting in the cupboard for far two many years and while I have used them before - it was quite some time ago. They create a tunnel inside the cake where you can stuff whatever you want inside. Here is what they look like so you can get an idea of how the cake ended up with a secret tunnel.

The cake texture itself reminds me of a cross between a chocolate cake and a brownie. I was happy to see the cake rose pretty high, even with the special indents in the pan. Instead of trying to spread the frozen layers with the softened ice cream, I turned the baking pans over and filled them with ice cream as a template so it would fit perfectly inside the cake. I also used lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream to cover the cake instead of the premade stuff that was suggested. It is the Holidays after all, a little indulgence is good! The frosting has a hint of peppermint and the crushed candies give a nice crunch and burst of additional peppermint flavor. Thank god this is frozen because I swear I could eat the whole thing in one sitting... you know... so it would not go bad or anything!

Dinner tonight has more of my favorite ingredients. Bacon, potatoes, and cheese - how could this go wrong?! Individual Potato-Bacon Frittatas would be great to make ahead for a quick breakfast on the go. Layered veggies, bacon, and cheese are envolped in seasoned beaten eggs that swell into these tasty little muffins. I wish I would have made a double-batch as I would love to have extra ones in the freezer.

Recipes
Peppermint Ice Cream Cake
Individual Potato-Bacon Frittatas

Trying a new combination...

I mentioned before when we made the Apple Cinnamon Chip Granola Squares that I thought it would be good with different mix-ins. They were on my mind today so I thought I would try them again. I replaced a couple of the spices, the dried apple/cinnamon chips, and added dried pineapple/flaked coconut.

Pineapple-Coconut Granola Squares is something I was not sure would taste all that good in a granola bar, but we were quite suprised as we took our first bite. The two flavors, although subtle, lend a sweetness and chewy texture without overpowering each other. The bars are quite hearty, thick and are a filling snack.

I served Chicken Cordon Bleu with simple seasoned steamed carrots and the Asiago-Black Pepper Drop Biscuits from yesterday as dinner tonight. I pounded and rolled the chicken early this morning and let sit in the refrigerator as I find they hold together much better this way. I dipped/breaded right before placing in the oven. The chicken is stuffed with Prosciutto and Cheese, rolled up, dunked in a garlic/butter sauce, then dredged in seasoned breadcrumbs. Instead of using regular breadcrumbs, I like to use Panko breadcrumbs in dishes like this. I recently found that Trader Joe's started carrying them and I could not wait to try them out since I ran out of my other stash. Panko, also known as Japanese breadcrumbs, is more coarse and produces a crunchier texture I think for baked meats.

Recipes
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Pineapple-Coconut Granola Squares

Kickin' up the heat...

I think we've found a new biscuit recipe that ranks right up with our favorite Sour Cream and Cheddar Drop Biscuits. Asiago-Black Pepper Drop Biscuits carry a bite from the black pepper and a pleasant sharp flavor from the Asiago. Using buttermilk helps keep these biscuits tender and since there is no rolling involved it comes together in a snap. If you would like a more shapely biscuit, you could always bake them in muffin tins.

To go along with these, we had Chipotle Meat Loaf that is made with Turkey. Using ground turkey breast and lean ground turkey help to keep this extremely moist and tender, but without the greasiness that can sometimes occur when using ground beef. I ended up using about 2 1/2 chipotle chiles in adobo because if it is going to be spicy, we like it really hot. Cumin lends a slight smokey flavor and the addition of oats and breadcrumbs helps hold the loaf's shape. To give this a bit more spice, I added a chopped chipotle pepper into the tomato mixture that is spread on top halfway through baking. Meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow, anyone?

Recipes
Chipotle Meat Loaf
Asiago-Black Pepper Drop Biscuits

Calm in the kitchen

Ah.. the calm after the storm of baking. Now the wait begins to hear how the goodies arrived. We're hoping for the best! I believe all of the recipes should be posted in the round up, there are a couple that do not really have recipes - but if you need any instructions on them feel free to e-mail me.

I was looking for a satisfying and comforting meal for dinner tonight. Spaghetti Pie looked like it would fit the bill. Cooked whole wheat spaghetti lays out a solid platform for a mixture of sour cream, cream cheese and green onions. Next, we browned lean ground sirlion and allowed it to gently simmer in some spiced tomato sauce. The beef is then layered on top of the sour cream.

A mixture of sharp white cheddar and parmesan is scattered across on top and then baked until brown and bubbly. If allowed to sit and cool for a few minutes, this cuts fairly clean and the layers are exposed. Tender noodles, a creamy and tangy center topped with the spicy and cheesy beef mixture warmed and filled this tummy. Looking forward for lunch tomorrow with the leftovers!

Recipes

Spaghetti Pie

All mailed off and taking it easy...

We got all of the packages mailed off this morning and now it is time to relax! We avoided the mess at the main Post Office and went to a Hallmark Store a couple miles away that has a Post Office inside. It was completely empty! Have to remember that next year!

Here's some of the goodies just before we started packing the boxes.

As far as the recipes are concered, I have posted quite a few and have linked them in the goodies name in yesterday's post until I can get them into the main recipe page. You may have to hit refresh to see the changes. Keep checking back if you don't see the title linked - I should have all recipes up by Wednesday.

Tonight's dinner, Soba-Edamame Salad with Flank Steak, was a healthy and quick meal. I love the nutty flavor and texture of Soba Noodles, but if you have none on hand you could always use Spaghetti. This uses leftover flank steak from a recipe we made last week which allows this to be thrown together in a snap. Cooking the noodles and edamame together makes for less dishes too. The soba drinks up the ginger and chili garlic sauce in the dressing which gives it heat and subtle bite. To ease the prepartion of ginger root, I keep mine in the freezer and use a microplane to grate it.

Recipes
Soba-Edamame Salad with Flank Steak