Happy Birthday Jeff!

Tonight we should be posting the treats that Jeff would bring for Wednesday Treat Day tomorrow and while I did actually make some, that post will have to wait until tomorrow. Today is Jeff's birthday, so we have a few things to talk about instead!

You may have noticed that last Friday we didn't post anything. I took Jeff to Baltimore for an early birthday gift and we did a couple fun things around town. We went to the Inner Harbor first so we could do this...

We rode the ducks! This is like a half boat/half truck that tours you around some historic sites in the city and then goes for a swim through the harbor. Unfortunately, we didn't get any more pictures as it started to rain just as we got on!

After running around, I took him down to Arundel Mills for a surprise adventure. We spent some time walking through shops for awhile and then I finally took him to where we were going for dinner - Medieval Times.

This is a live action horse show with dinner service - they kept it very dark though, so none of the food pictures came out. You don't really come here for the food, it is more about the experience. With the menu being a hot vegetable soup, garlic bread, roasted half of chicken, spare ribs and potatoes, I started to wonder what I really got us into when they announced that you are to only eat with your hands and that there will be no utensils! It was such a memorable experience though and they served Jeff a special slice of birthday cake which was nice.

If you were with us last year for his birthday, you will remember I made a Mickey Cake. This year we went a bit different! I don't claim to be a good decorator, so bear with me on the looks! I made a Devil's Food Cake filled with a ring of homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and frosted with a peppermint spiked Swiss Meringue. Sorry that the background is dark - it is actually pretty light in color, but something funky happened and I didn't get a chance to look at the pictures before I moved on for the other ones!

Because of the cake and filling, I didn't really want to do a heavy buttercream frosting - so I went with a much lighter meringue. I didn't know if it would end up being too weird - but we both really liked the different combination. I didn't do a crumb coat as I was afraid I would run out of the meringue, so there were a couple dark spots peaking out of the stripes. It did end up making plenty though, so I could have done one.

I do think that I over-beat the meringue a little as I couldn't get the sharp points to the peaks I was hoping for on top. Since I don't have one of those nifty little torches (hint hint...) I had to set this under the broiler for just a minute, ala baked Alaska, to get some color on top.

Since the cake is pretty solid as an ice cream cake, I couldn't get a good read on how the texture would be at room temperature. As my slice defrosted though, I could tell the cake was quite moist and it had a rich chocolate taste. We both love chocolate paired with mint, so the inside filling was a perfect match for us. I used the awesome cake pans that I made that peppermint cake with to get the ring of ice cream inside. I won't tell you how many servings Jeff ate today, but suffice to say I think he really enjoyed it.

I left dinner up to whatever Jeff wanted tonight- he requested anything with shrimp. Since I know he likes things spicy, I chose a recipe for Chipotle-Spiced Shrimp. This is a super-fast recipe to throw together - after heating some garlic and butter in a skillet, some large shrimp, a hot chipotle chili powder and salt are mixed in. When they start to turn that luscious pink color, dry vermouth, fresh lime juice and a touch of sugar are added and the shrimp quickly finish cooking. Right before serving, the zesty sauce is perked up with another pat of butter and some fresh cilantro. I served the tender shrimp with the rich buttery juices over some brown jasmine rice I had started earlier. Besides the rice, the dish took no more than about 10 minutes - perfect meal to throw together if you are running behind!

Recipes
Devil's Food Cake
Swiss Meringue
Chipotle-Spiced Shrimp

Filling lasagna with a southwestern kick...

We're getting ready for a big cool down this week - they even say there could be an early frost in a few days! Woo! I wanted to make a comfort food type dish for dinner tonight and lasagna is one that we have recently become quite fond of since we started our journey into trying different foods. Though I confess that I never ate it growing up. While we have done several before, the filling for this one is quite different.

Inside the layers of this Black-Bean Lasagna is a combination of jalapenos, onions, crisp red bell peppers, garlic, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro and of course black beans. We first roasted the jalapenos under the broiler and removed the blackened skin to add a depth of smoky-hot flavor. Seasonings in the form of cumin and ground coriander bring a southwestern spunk to the filling. This lasagna is not as saucy as some because a chipotle salsa is used in lieu of a tomato/marinara sauce. The salsa I used was pretty chunky and thus it was hard to get a semi-even layer while trying to spread it out, so I might puree it just a little next time. With 4 jalapenos and chiptole salsa, I was expecting this to be almost too hot - but it was actually not too bad! While it was still quite spicy, it was a very enjoyable heat. I got 8 hearty servings from this, so I can't wait to have this for lunch tomorrow! A very time involved recipe, but worth the effort!

Recipes
Black-Bean Lasagna

Finally using some beef...

Nine new recipes this week, not too shabby - but not as much as we have been doing! The slow down was a nice change of pace. Looking back on the recipes, the standouts for us were the Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies, Spinach and Cheese Bites, and Roasted Asparagus with Orange Vinaigrette. There is a special day coming up this week, check back and see what happens!

I've been waiting to use up some top round we bought a few weeks ago when it went on sale. Since we were already busy most of the morning with grocery shopping, I didn't want to spend too much time in the kitchen tonight - so we went with a recipe for Orange Beef Stir-Fry. I waited until this morning to take the beef out of the freezer so it would still be pretty firm when I got to it - this makes it easy to get thin slices. If you didn't freeze the meat already, stash it in the freezer for around 15-30 minutes and that will accomplish the same thing. I took the time to make brown jasmine rice, but you could use white to get this dinner on the table faster. I prefer to steam broccoli, instead of boiling as the recipe called for, but do it how you prefer - just take it to crisp-tender. The beef is coated with cornstarch, seasoned and goes for a quick fry in a hot skillet. The cornstarch on the beef will help thicken a killer sauce made from fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar. For how quick and easy this is, Jeff and I were surprised at how much we liked it - the tangy sauce paired with beef was not too sweet and almost had us licking the plate clean!

Recipes
Orange Beef Stir-Fry

Spiced snack cake....

We picked up a big bag of carrots at Costco and I had to get some of them used up before they started to turn bad (they come in 10 pound bags... too much for us!) I thought about a carrot cake or quick bread, but came up with something in between... a snack cake!

Carrot-Ginger Snack Cake turned into a light and moist cake with gentle sweet bite from crystallized ginger. If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, you could use plain whole wheat flour- but the cake will be a little more dense. Sometimes baked goods with applesauce will turn out rubbery, but we were quite happy with the texture even though I used no oil or butter. Very fall-ish flavors with the use of ground cinnamon and nutmeg and a deep rich sweetness from brown sugar. Plump golden raisins scattered throughout added a nice chewy texture to the squares. I thought about maybe doing a light frosting like we did with the Harvest Pumpkin Bars we made last year, but we both thought it was just fine as is. If you felt like dressing it up, maybe a light sifting of confectioners' sugar on top?

Recipes
Carrot-Ginger Snack Cake

Just wait until the end to tell them what's in it!

I love when I'm able to include an ingredient that Jeff says he can't stand, but actually quite enjoys eating when he does not know it is there. With tonight's dinner, Spinach and Cheese Bites, said ingredient would be cottage cheese! I've used it before in other dishes and he would tell me how much he liked dinner that night - and then I drop the bomb "hey... did you know there was a whole tub of cottage cheese in there? Hee hee!" Then I get the look of "ugh, I don't like cottage cheese!" Is there an ingredient that you often use for your loved ones that they say they don't like, but really love the dish as long as you don't tell them you used it?

The cottage cheese is whisked together with eggs, egg whites, green onions and sharp cheddar. After a bit of flour to bind, melted butter for richness and seasonings to spice things up are mixed in, a large amount of spinach is folded in and then poured in a square baking dish. Adorning the top is a shower of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and then it bakes away until bubbly and golden. I let them cool to almost room temperature which allowed for very clean cuts. We both liked the creamy texture which helped to bring the sharp cheese flavors to the front. I did take a little piece out to try while they were still very warm, but I thought it tasted best at room temperature. Next time, I might warm up some fresh minced garlic in the butter instead of using granulated for a bit stronger flavor. Since these could easily be done ahead of time, I bet these would be fun cut into small cubes to be passed around at a party.

Recipes
Spinach and Cheese Bites

Couldn't wait for it to cool down!

When we were at the market, asparagus was on sale and looked half-way decent, so we picked up a large bunch as they were pencil thin. I thought I was going to use the same recipe for roasted asparagus that we were so happy with last time, but I came across one for Roasted Asparagus with Orange Vinaigrette and had to try it. Fresh orange zest, orange juice, some chopped shallots and a dash of sugar infuses the crisp tender asparagus with bright sweetness. This was so good and is on par with the other recipe as far as flavor goes. I might add another half tablespoon of orange zest next time though, just to punch it up a little. If your asparagus are as thin as the ones we used (my favorite!) you may want to adjust the time and cook them a bit less so they stay more crisp than mushy.

I was running behind on getting dinner started tonight, so I couldn't wait for the recipe, Garlic-Cheese Grits, to cool down enough before serving it. The texture was super creamy right out of the oven, but if you let it cool down more, it will firm up and you would be able to cut it out instead of spooning it out as I did. As the quick-cooking (not instant) grits bubble away, garlic is heated up with olive oil just until aromatic, but no color is taken on to remove some of the bite. Once the grits are thick, the garlic oil mixture, sharp cheddar and nutty Parmesan are stirred in. A splash of cayenne pepper sauce is also included in the mix to bring some heat. This is poured into a baking dish and cooked until the top turns golden and crusty. If you can find it, be sure to use an extra-sharp cheese to enhance the plain flavor from the grits. I like both textures, creamy or firm, but if you prefer the creamy - you can always skip the baking and enjoy it right out of the pot!

Recipes
Roasted Asparagus with Orange Vinaigrette
Garlic-Cheese Grits

Trying to please with more than one shortbread...

When Jeff walked into the kitchen this morning and spotted this sitting on the counter, his first words were "Boy... with 5 sticks of butter, Paula Deen would sure be proud of you!" You guessed it, another busy round of baking for Wednesday Treat Day for Jeff's co-workers. I usually buy butter at Trader Joe's, but since it is not convenient anymore, we just started buying it at Costco... today's treats certainly made a dent in the new butter supply!

I wanted to give options this time, so this time I made a few different flavored shortbreads.

The first one, Tweed Cakes, started out as a basic shortbread - but with the addition of chocolate covered toffee bits, the texture changes and the plain butter flavor takes on a caramelized twist. Instead of being more crisp, these golden cookies turn more chewy as the toffee melts into the rich dough. With the dark bits of chocolate showing through, these cut very clean - the trick is do use a sharp knife while they are still warm. If they cool much, they will start to crumble as you slice.

I made two more, but basically used the same recipe with one having more spice. The recipe, Chocolate Shortbread, has a slightly different baking method as you chill the dough for at least 2 hours, while the one above can be baked right away. These ended up being thicker than the Tweed Cakes and had that classic texture of being tender, yet still very crisp. Dutch-process cocoa adds a deep chocolate tone and compliments the delicate butter flavor. While one is straight-forward in taste, the other has a more complex profile as I spiced up the flavor with cinnamon, ancho chili powder and black pepper. While you can't tell them apart - if you smell the dark colored pieces side-by-side, the aroma is definitely different. You don't taste much heat at first bite, but it slowly creeps up on you and is very addictive. To help the dough to be even and smooth, I used the flat bottom of a large measuring cup to press it into the pan. For both recipes, I used a fork to prick the dough in several places to keep it from puffing up - I was going to try and make a design, but glad I didn't bother as most of them just closed up as the dough baked.

As the nights begin to get colder, Spicy Mulligatawny certainly warmed us up this evening with the use of hot madras curry powder and crushed red peppers. Mulligatawny translates to "Peppery Water" and is an Anglo-Indian dish. If you don't handle heat well, I would definitely halve the spices here. After a quick cook of chopped chicken breast, sweet Braeburn apples, onions, carrots, celery and red bell peppers are added and cooked until they begin to soften. Flour and spices are stirred in and briefly toasted before chicken broth, mango chutney and thick tomato paste are mixed in. Once it comes to a boil, the heat is reduced and the soup simmers for only 10 minutes, but this is enough time to allow the flour and tomato paste to give some body to the broth. Another dimension of heat comes from the bite given off from the ground ginger. The sweet mango chutney and chopped apples help balance the heat, but don't let that fool you - it is still quite spicy.

Recipes
Tweed Cakes
Chocolate Shortbread
Spicy Mulligatawny

Hey... that's my basil, not yours!

While we were at the farmers market getting pears on Saturday, I also had to pick up a couple things in anticipation of tonight's dinner. I needed a bunch of basil as we have been going through a lot of it in the past couple weeks. The little plants I started just could not keep up, but I noticed that maybe it was not only me picking away at the leaves this morning! Hmph!

I had some ricotta leftover after making the pizza earlier last week, so I leafed through the stacks of recipes and found one that looked good. I ended up choosing a recipe for Pasta with Spinach-Basil Sauce. After picking up the fresh local spinach and basil at the market, we were ready to go as everything else in the recipe is pretty much a staple. The two leafy greens go for a quick dunk in the same water I end up using to cook the pasta which allows them to keep their vibrant color. Like frozen spinach that you thaw, you need to get rid of the extra water they picked up during the dunk. I used to use a towel, but that was just messy - so I like to use a potato ricer instead, as I have found it works so much better at getting the water out. Processed with shallots, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg you will notice this mixture will be extremely thick - but don't worry, we will fix that in a minute. Once the fettuccine is cooked al dente, place a measuring cup under a colander to catch the pasta water. After adding the hot pasta, you thin out the sauce to your liking with that water. The bright flavor shines through the light - but still creamy and cheesy coating, that grabs onto the long strands of pasta. The quick nature of this dish is perfect to throw together for a fresh and fast weeknight dish.

Recipes
Pasta with Spinach-Basil Sauce

Yes, cookies are still good when made without butter!

First week in September was a busy one with 13 new recipes! Our favorites were the Simple Chicken and Oat Groat Soup, Basil and Three-Cheese Thin-Crust Pizza, and Edamame and Barley Salad. After a couple last minute additions, we got the grocery shopping done this morning for the week ahead, but I don't think we will reach 13 recipes again!

Since we just made muffins the other day, I wanted to make something a little different for snacks this week. I went with a cookie recipe that is a little unusual as it has no butter or eggs. Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies are big, soft, thick and kinda chewy cookies made with mashed ripe bananas, natural peanut butter, honey and Lyle's Golden Syrup which imparts a more unique sweet flavor. With the use of rolled oats and whole wheat flour, they are hearty and pretty healthy! A generous amount of dried cranberries in each bite bring another dimension of the chewy texture, but also add some sweetness. I used a strong Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzey's that added just enough spice to the background without overpowering the mild peanut and light banana flavor. When you form them, wet your fingertips if you find them to be sticky when you flatten them.

Recipes
Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

Another way to use up maple sugar...

When we went to the farmers market this morning, I had to pick up a couple fresh pears as this was the first weekend I noticed them. I already had a recipe in mind that I have been saving for awhile now, but just didn't get around to making it.

Maple Nut and Pear Scones are not as rich because some of the butter is cut with cream cheese to lighten them, but that doesn't mean they have no flavor. While using cream for the liquid is more traditional, I like the addition of buttermilk which lends a subtle tang. The maple flavor comes in two parts here; I first used maple sugar, instead of granulated, which lent a more deep rich flavor, while maple extract is added with the buttermilk for an additional kick. When you add the buttermilk, do it slowly as you may not need the full amount to moisten the dough. Even with the changes to make them lighter, these are still quite flaky and tender. The flavor from the toasted pecans was a good counterpart to the Bartlett pears, but walnuts would also be a great pair if you don't care for pecans.

I've been asked a few times now why we never post about savory dishes on Saturdays. As I've mentioned before, a couple years ago we pretty much rotated through a set of recipes and never strayed far as we were pretty picky. Since we have decided to expand our choices in what we eat, each week I normally make new or different (I can't believe some foods we have begun to enjoy!) recipes Monday through Friday. Sundays are usually set aside for leftovers, but we often do make something new then too. Saturdays are the one day where we always have basically the same dish for dinner and there is really no thought involved. Jeff says this is just our little ritual to keep us sane! We've posted it a few times as sometimes we add or swap out ingredients, but it is basically the same.... here's another view of our Saturday Chickens Salads.

Recipes
Maple Nut and Pear Scones

Pilaf and Orange Chicken...

For tonight's dinner, I started off by making a Multigrain Pilaf with Sunflower Seeds. This recipe uses pearl barley again for a second time this week! Sunflower seeds are first pan-toasted with canola oil and salt until they turn golden. After removing the seeds, butter and oil warm up together to cook thinly sliced leeks until tender. Water, broth, pearl barley (I rinsed and toasted the barley just as we did the first time) and a brown/wild rice blend are stirred in and allowed to simmer. After 35 minutes of the mixture slowly bubbling, juicy golden raisins and bulgur are gently stirred in and left to cook another 10 minutes. The original recipe calls for dried currants, but I had to substitute with golden raisins as I didn't get a chance to pick any up this week. I'm not sure if the ratio was off or something, but I still had quite a bit of liquid left over that I ended up draining off. The toasted seeds and some chopped fresh italian parsley are stirred in and it's ready to go. Textures from the crunchy seeds, chewy grains and soft raisins paired with the mild onion flavor in the leeks was a pleasure to eat.

I wanted a light protein dish that I could quickly prepare as the pilaf was going to take awhile between the prep and long cooking time. I decided on the recipe, Orange Chicken, as I love sweet sauces with chicken. To hasten the cook time, chicken breasts are first pounded thin before being seasoned and dredged in flour. A bit of butter and oil are melted together again, but this time we heated them until the butter turned golden and a nutty aroma emerged. The chicken is added and cooked until a rich brown crust on each side appears. The chicken is removed and kept warm while white wine and orange juice are poured in to loosen up the tasty bits left behind. The tender chicken pieces are thinly sliced while the sauce quickly reduces to half the amount originally added in. With the tangy sauce being drizzled over the warm slices, I could see serving this over a salad, but paired with the pilaf, it was a very filling combination.

Recipes
Multigrain Pilaf with Sunflower Seeds
Orange Chicken

From muffins to soup and finishing with a bannock... but what's a bannock?

We really liked the Spiced Zucchini Bars with Cranberries and Pecans, so I was looking around for another sweet dish to try and use up the rest of the leftover zucchini from tonight's dinner. This time I opted to make some muffins!

Cranberry and Zucchini-Lemon Muffins have a deep golden base, but the tall crowns remain a light blonde with the colors of red and green streaking throughout. These are a bit different than your normal sweet muffins as the outside is more dry with the insides remaining moist from the shredded zucchini. They kind of reminded me of a moist cornbread in texture. The flavor from the lemon zest went well with the dried cranberries and zucchini, but I would probably increase it to a full tablespoon for a bit more punch. With these muffins being mildly sweet, they would be a good mid-morning or late afternoon pick-me-up snack.

Two parts to dinner tonight - let's start with the Simple Chicken and Oat Groat Soup. While I have used steel cut oats before (weekend morning oatmeal!) I have not cooked with the whole oat groat before. The soup begins by simmering the oats just until tender, about 45 minutes - be sure to watch the time on these as you don't want them to turn mushy. Onion, celery and carrots form the base flavors, with zucchini and garlic added in when they begin to soften. The plump chewy groats, chicken broth, chopped chicken, green beans, fresh thyme and fire roasted tomatoes are then added in and go for a quick 10 minute cook so the flavors can meld together. Green peas and fresh basil are added in and then the soup is ready to serve. Because of the oats, this soup is very hearty with a variety of textures and flavors from the vegetables to keep it interesting. I can't wait to make this new favorite comfort dish in the dead of winter for a heart-warming soup to keep us going in the frigid cold.

To go with the soup tonight, I made some funky Cheese-Onion Bannocks. These are savory Scottish oatcakes (think mini scones) that can be quickly prepared as most of the work is done in a food processor. After a quick saute of onions cool down, the flour and rolled oats called for in the recipe are processed until coarse. Try not to process too long as you want the oats to retain some texture. Butter, Parmesan and the cool onions are then pulsed in. This dry mixture is then hand mixed with a couple egg whites and water. Once combined, the sticky mixture is divided, formed into rounds and cut into small triangles. Baked until golden, the oatcakes are dense, chewy and just dry enough to be eagerly dipped in a warm soup. At first bite, they may seem a little plain - but as you chew, the sweetness from the onions and the sharp nutty cheese flavor start to reveal themselves. The serving size is small, so you may want to plan on 2 or 3 per person.

Recipes
Cranberry and Zucchini-Lemon Muffins
Simple Chicken and Oat Groat Soup
Cheese-Onion Bannocks

Clearing the sinuses....

For tonight's dinner, we took a ride on the spicy side with a recipe for Dirty Rice. The original recipe called for white long grain rice, but I used brown jasmine instead as we have a huge bag to go through from Trader Joe's. The mildy floral rice gains quite a bit of flavor as the grains slowly cook away in a combination of chicken broth and a couple bay leaves. Since brown rice takes awhile, you are left with plenty of time to prep the rest of the ingredients.

I didn't have much luck finding the chicken and apple sausage the recipe had listed, but to keep the spicy theme going, I picked up buffalo style chicken sausage from Costco and used that. Since we've never had them before, we grilled a couple for lunch the other day to make sure we would like the flavor and they were very good! Garlic, onions, crisp celery, roasted red bell peppers and a spicy Cajun seasoning mixture (recipe included in the linked title below!) are added with the chunky pieces of sausage and thoroughly heated through. Once the fluffy rice is done, the two mixtures are combined with some fresh parsley. While this does not have the traditional gizzards and livers most recipes out there include (I can't imagine myself using them... ever!), Jeff and I both very much enjoyed the dish for what it was. Though, since we used the buffalo chicken sausage, it was almost too spicy for us - but the endorphin rush from the heat was fun!

Recipes
Dirty Rice

Crunch all around... from sweet to savory!

Another round of baking today for the weekly Wednesday Treat Day we have started at Jeff's new office. We've done some heavy items for the past couple of treats, so I thought we would go a little lighter with some crisp biscotti.

For this recipe, Lemon-Ginger Crunch Biscotti, I wanted to add another layer of texture to the dough so I added in some stone-ground yellow cornmeal. As with most of the other biscotti recipes we use, this had no addition of butter, so they come out with a bit more crunch. I found the lemon colored dough to be a little sticky, so I ended up having to dust a little more heavily with flour to be able to roll them into logs. These biscotti have an enticing lemon flavor as two full tablespoons of fresh zest along with a tablespoon of juice are added in. Finely diced pieces of crystallized ginger are found throughout each piece which bites back with a gentle sweet heat. Since I'm a sucker for lemon and white chocolate, I added a drizzle of some melted chocolate on top after they cooled - just enough to tantalize the tastebuds!

Tonight's dinner, Basil and Three-Cheese Thin-Crust Pizza, has quite a few steps and requires some pre-planning - but you could easily do some of the steps ahead of time. To start the pizza off, we had to get to work on making a Spicy Pizza Sauce. This recipe will replace any other sauce I used before - I will have to find a reason to make it again... and soon! Onions and minced garlic start the base flavors and are enhanced with a bit of white wine. Hearty tomato paste, oregano, black pepper, crushed red pepper and fire-roasted crushed tomatoes are mixed in and allowed to simmer until thick. When removed from the heat, a small shot of balsamic vinegar is added which intensified and brought a rich depth to the spicy sauce.

The dough is then made by hand and allowed to rest in the refrigerator before using so it can be stretched thin without tearing. Since the dough can get quite thin, a thicker rim of crust is made by turning over a small amount of the edge onto itself to hold in the sauce. Olive oil is brushed on to give the crust a little richness - I made sure to give the rim a good brush to help the golden color come out and get crisp. The dough is then slid onto a firey hot pizza stone and quickly pre-cooked before adding the toppings. After a generous layer of the spiced sauce, a cheesy combination of mozzarella and ricotta is scattered on top - this does get a little messy though, as it is more of a wet mixture. A shower of nutty Parmesan is then added before the return trip to the oven. The dollops of cheese melt together and the crust turns a rich color with a snap to it. Right before serving, slivers of just-picked basil leaves are scattered on top for a burst of freshness. While I loved the texture of the dough, I thought it could been a bit more flavorful - though, I'm used to our favorite nutty whole-wheat pizza dough so I shouldn't compare. Sadly, there will be no leftovers for lunch tomorrow as there was no way Jeff and I were going to leave any pieces of this awesome pizza behind!

Recipes
Basil and Three-Cheese Thin-Crust Pizza
Spicy Pizza Sauce
Lemon-Ginger Crunch Biscotti

Updates on the house....

Before we get started with tonight's dinner, we have a couple updates to share. Before we moved to Phoenix, and while living there, everyone told us to be wary of the rattlesnakes, scorpions and other scary things (wild piggys!) In the time we lived there (just over 2 years) we never saw one of the things people warned us about. So, since moving out here we've seen a snake and today we found a tiny little devil hiding in the garage... Scroll down if you can't stand to see bugs!

Ugh, what next? We looked on-line and some places told us to look around for any egg sacks, but we didn't see anything. Jeff has never seen a Black Widow before, so it freaked him out a little - does this mean there are lots more hiding away (exterminator time?) or maybe just one decided to live with us.

After that fiasco, we went and signed the contract for the kitchen renovation. This means we ordered the cabinets, picked out the counters and finalized what demo work will be done - woo! The cabinets will take about 5 weeks, so we have some time left before we will be without the major appliances. I'm anxious to get things going, but I don't think it will hit me until we actually start having things torn out. I'm not sure how much we will be able to update the blog when this starts, but we'll see how creative we can get with cooking dinner and snacks! I may do a bunch of stuff ahead of time to freeze and reheat in the toaster oven.

Now, for tonight's dinner, we added another new grain to our diet - Pearl Barley! I've been wanting to try this for awhile and finally came across this recipe that jumped out at me - Edamame and Barley Salad. After doing some looking around, I did a few things different that I will definitely try with other grains.

After rinsing, I toasted the grains in a dry skillet until they were lightly golden - they released a very nutty aroma while doing this. Here is the difference between the pale grains versus the ones we toasted until golden.

In the recipe, it says to cook the barley according to package directions - which means 1 cup barley to 3 cups water. Boil, reduce, cover and simmer till done (45 minutes). After doing some looking on-line, I decided to use another method - Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil, add barley (do not cover) and simmer for 45 minutes. Drain, let sit 10 minutes and fluff with a fork. This worked wonders! The grains were separate, fluffy and not sticky at all. I found the flavor to be much more upfront and enhanced from the earlier toasting. I can't wait to try these methods with Quinoa and Bulgar.

Once cooked, the barley is mixed with roasted red bell peppers, onions, cilantro, fresh mint and edamame. This combination is then tossed in a light and tangy dressing simply made from olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon and chunky cracked black pepper. Colorful, fresh tasting and pretty filling - this would be a great make-ahead dish to enjoy later in the day.

Recipes
Edamame and Barley Salad

Lazy morning breakfast....

Well we are being pretty consistent now - 11 new recipe again this week! We had a hard time choosing the highlights as this was a really tasty week! Here are a few that were especially good - Peanut Butter Graham Squares with Dark Chocolate Drizzle, Cheddar, Broccoli and Pasta Bake and we couldn't forget the Thick Mint Brownies! The recipe sections to the left have been updated - you may need to hit refresh to see the additions.

I got up a little early this morning so I could get a head start on making Jeff some pancakes for breakfast. Blueberry-Ricotta Pancakes with Chunky Blueberry Sauce was a great way to start off a lazy Sunday morning. Since I was using frozen wild blueberries, the pancakes were able to keep their golden color, instead of changing all purple, because the blueberries were sprinkled on top after you pour the batter into the pan. Since these are made in smaller batches, keep them in a 200 degree oven while you make the rest to keep them warm. These pancakes were puffy and light, with a mild lemon background, and were made even better with the addition of a thick chunky blueberry sauce we made to pour on top. The ricotta kept them moist, but didn't leave any aftertaste - since Jeff "says" he does not like ricotta, I made sure to wait until he finished to let him know... He actually really likes ricotta, but just has this thing about saying it... who knows?

The intense sauce is simply blueberries (I again used frozen wild blueberries), honey to sweeten, fresh lemon zest and lemon juice to enhance the flavors. If this mixture gets too thick when it cools, you can gently reheat it in the microwave to loosen it up.

Recipes
Blueberry-Ricotta Pancakes
Chunky Blueberry Sauce

Cake... do you need to have a reason to make one?

Whole cakes are one baked good I don't make often enough as it sometimes seems like a bit too much for just 2 people. I would normally make half of the recipe or just make some cupcakes, but I thought I would give in today and make a full cake - why? No reason... just because!

I've had this recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting in my to-try piles for some time, so I finally picked it out this morning. There are many different recipes out there, but I noticed this one is a little different as it has almost double the amount of cocoa that others called for. In this one, it also calls for using "cool" butter instead of softened. This is achieved by taking butter right from the refrigerator, cutting it into cubes and letting it sit for roughly 5 minutes in your mixing bowl before you start beating in the sugar. With softened butter, this mixture would have gotten very creamy, but you will notice that it will be more crumbly until you start adding in the egg yolks.

To lighten and add some lift to the cake, egg whites that have been beaten until soft peaks are gently folded in to the batter. When you divide the batter into the baking pans, be sure to gently tap the bottoms to remove some of the air bubbles. With cakes, I like to twist my pans back and forth so the edges of the batter go up the sides a little - I find this helps reduce the "bump" in the middle so you don't have to cut it off to level the cake. I also bake most all recipes at 325 which aides in keeping them level.

I thought the layers might be a little thin, but when you add in the creamy thick frosting I think the right choice was sticking with the 9" pans and to not use a couple 8" instead. The cake is moist with just a hint of chocolate flavor in the background - I'm glad we went with a recipe that calls for more than a tablespoon or two of cocoa. Don't make this expecting a rich chocolate cake though; the cocoa adds just a depth of flavor. The frosting is simply softened cream cheese and confectioners' sugar mixed with a splash of vanilla. Keeping the frosting for only the filling and top ensures a thick layer, but it also gives a striking contrast to the rich vibrant red color. If you have an aversion to food coloring, you can leave it out - the cake will just be a lighter brown color. For a bright white frosting, use clear vanilla if you can find it. It almost looked a little plain, but grating a brick of chocolate with a microplane over the top solved that!

Recipes
Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Quick healthy dinner...

What a dreary day! The storm formally known as "Ernesto" has been giving us rain all day long - but nothing really too heavy yet. The high today didn't even go above 60 - brr! It's going to take awhile to get used to this again after living in Phoenix for a couple years. Since any outside plans were not going to happen, I ended up making another batch of the new hamburger rolls. I was going to make the recipe we used to use to compare them, but Jeff said not to bother as these were better. Although, picking a recipe where I would be kneading for awhile probably was not the brightest idea after doing weights this morning... really sore arms now!

We are spicing things up for dinner tonight with the recipe South of the Border Couscous Salad. I used whole wheat couscous that I had in the pantry, but I think Quinoa or Bulgar would work just as well. The nice thing about couscous is that it takes just minutes to cook and you can flavor the cooking liquid however you like. I used vegetable broth, water, a bit of granulated garlic and a dash of cumin for some smokiness. The combination of black beans, fresh corn, cilantro and a mildy hot jalapeno bring the "South of the Border" twist to this salad. To brighten the flavors in the dish, fresh lime juice is added at the end, along with a couple splashes of olive oil to keep the grains moistened and separated. Healthy, clean tasting and pretty filling, we both had only good things to say about this salad. Since it comes together so quickly, you could easily prepare this in the morning to give some time for the flavors to mingle and have lunch or dinner waiting for you when you come home.

Recipes
South of the Border Couscous Salad

Breakfast or dessert... you choose!

As you have seen, I make the majority of the snacks in the house - all sorts of biscotti, cookies, muffins and granola bars. If we won't go through them fast enough, we like to freeze them so we can have them as needed because most items tend to thaw pretty quick. For something a little different, I made individual sweet breads (easy to freeze!) that both of us really enjoyed today.

Studded with chocolate chunks and dried fruit, Chocolate-Cherry Breakfast Bread is not too sweet to have in the morning, but would also be nice to have as an after dinner treat. A double shot of chocolate flavor in these chewy rolls comes from cocoa powder in the dough in addition to the chopped bittersweet chunks. In the recipe you may notice there is a variable amount to the flour - how much you use will use depends on the humidity and how you measure out your flour. I would always start start out with the least amount and slowly add enough, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the dough feels tacky. You do want to use enough so that you can knead without it sticking to your hands. If you don't have access to instant yeast, you can always make this with active dry. Just proof the yeast with a pinch of sugar, using the water called for in the recipe, for about 5 or 10 minutes.

Tonight for dinner, I made a Cheddar, Broccoli and Pasta Bake. To keep down the amount of dishes, I added fresh broccoli into the pasta midway thru the cooking time so I didn't have to do it separately. When you cook the pasta, you don't want to let it go all the way as it will finish cooking in the oven - so drain it a littler earlier than you normally would. While you could add all of the sharp cheddar as you mix the ingredients together, I saved half of it to scatter on top to create a gooey cheesy top. The eggy filling was a nice compliment to the tender broccoli and pasta. The bite from the cayenne pepper sauce was subtle, but it added just enough heat to keep it interesting.

Before adding the ingredients into the pie dish, a layer of panko breadcrumbs is added to the pie dish. This adds a crunch to the outside and also allows for easy removal of the pieces. A little more panko, mixed with a touch of olive oil, is also scattered on top for an additional crunch. I think one of my favorite parts was the ends of penne that stuck up out of the pie and got a little crispy!

Recipes
Chocolate-Cherry Breakfast Bread
Cheddar, Broccoli and Pasta Bake

Fresh, colorful and full of flavor...

After the brownies yesterday, we thought it be best we kept tonight's dinner leaning more towards the lighter side. To start us off, I made a side of Broccoli, Cranberry, and Apple Slaw. This combination of broccoli slaw (which is a mixture shredded broccoli, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower), sliced granny smith apples, dried cranberries and toasted pecans should be made ahead of time so it has plenty of time to marinate with the dressing. Sweet and tangy, the dressing consists of rice vinegar, sugar, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and cracked pepper. With a plethora of vibrant colors, this salad was very fresh and light with a satisfying crunchy texture... we liked this so much I will probably end up making it again before the week is over!

For a different and fun twist to tonight's dinner, I also made some Cornmeal-Carrot Skillet Cakes. These involve mixing shredded carrots with a savory thick pancake-like batter. Mild green onions, sharp cheddar and cornmeal each bring a unique flavor that marry together very well. As they cook in the skillet, the cheese begins to melt and stays a little gooey in the center, but helps the outside get a nice golden crisp crust. A little puffy, these cheesy little cakes end up being just bigger than silver dollar sized. These are perfect for a quick weeknight meal as they come together in a snap and only take a few minutes per side to cook.

Recipes
Broccoli, Cranberry, and Apple Slaw
Cornmeal-Carrot Skillet Cakes