September 2011

Tuesday Things.

1. I’m currently up to my elbows in butter and flour because I’m busy making the croissants we discussed on Friday. These better be the best darn croissants I’ve ever tasted considering the amount of work they take and the fact that I’ve made 4 different flavors. Also, butter gloves are a good look on me. Let’s make this a thing. 2. And while I’m busy dragging myself out of my comfort zone, these are next on my list. 3. We emotionally ate these ice cream crepes on Sunday. They were as fantastic as they look. 4. I spent four hours last week looking for a new pair of boots and the only pair that will fit over my calves is $328. Joy! 5. I’ve put my “did Tony Soprano really die?!” obsession on hold for the moment while I ponder how long Vincent Chase’s marriage will last. BECAUSE IT’S ALL REAL LIFE. 6. This is Bella after puppy school graduation. She’s still adorable but getting past the stage where you want to squeeze her to death and exploit her all over the internet. 7. I took the hottest hot yoga class I have [...]

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Brown Butter Whole Wheat Soda Bread.

Brown Butter Whole Wheat Soda Bread {slightly adapted from bon appetit} makes 2 circular loaves 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 3/4 cups buttermilk 1 egg white, beaten Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, making sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking continuously until golden, about 3-5 minutes. The minute you see little brown specks form at the bottom of the saucepan, remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, salt, pepper, seasonings, baking soda and powder, brown sugar and garlic together. Pour in buttermilk and butter and stir with a fork to bring together. Dough will be fairly sticky. Set dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until dough is silky and no longer sticky. Divide in half, and form into two [...]

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White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies [adapted from the giant rainbow cookies] makes about 18 cookies 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled 6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup white chocolate morsels/chunks 1/2 cup peanut butter morsels Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add butter and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl, and heat in 30 second increments until melted. Let cool completely. Mix the flour, oats, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the cooled butter/peanut butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to bring it all together. If necessary, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk, but I did not need this. Fold in white chocolate and peanut [...]

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Almond Joy Scones.

Almond Joy Scones [adapted from these scones {in which post I use waaaay too many italics}] makes 16 scones 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 2/3 cup almond meal 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup cold butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into small pieces 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon coconut extract raw turbinado sugar for sprinkling 3 ounces of chocolate, melted Preheat oven to 425. In large bowl combine flour, almond meal, sugar, coconut, baking soda, powder, and salt.. Cut in butter until it forms coarse crumbs with the flour mixture – I actually use my hands to combine and mash the butter in. Stir in buttermilk, coconut extract and vanilla extract. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Divide dough in half and pat into 7-inch round circles.. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges, or use a round biscuit cutter. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar Bake at 425 for 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, then drizzle with melted chocolate.

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White Bean and Parmesan Baked Orzo.

White Bean and Parmesan Baked Orzo serves 4+ 1 cup of whole wheat orzo pasta 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 cup of sliced mushrooms 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 cups of raw spinach 1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese fresh herbs for garnish, such as cilantro, parsley and basil Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions, lessening the cooking time by 1-2 minutes since the pasta will bake. While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions and peppers and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes more, tossing occasionally. Add in garlic and spinach, and stir until spinach wilts, then turn heat down to low. Add in white beans, drain pasta and add pasta to the mix, then toss to combine. Turn off heat, add half of the grated parmesan, and toss once more. Spray a baking dish (mine was 6 inches in diameter and almost 3 in height) with non-stick spray. Spoon orzo mixture into the [...]

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Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle.

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle [peanut butter mixture layer from this peanut butter pie recipe] 1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes 1 large box (5-ounce) of instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled (this will most likely call for 3 cups of milk, nothing else) 1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped (I used Dove chocolate peanut butter Promises) 2 cups heavy cream 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your desired level of sweetness 1 cup of creamy peanut butter 1 cup of powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk 8 ounces of whipped cream cheese, at room temperature In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to an separate bowl and stick in the fridge until ready to use. I did not even clean the bowl of my electric mixer and just began mixing the peanut butter mixture. Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to the bowl and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides a few times until mixture is creamy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined, then [...]

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Tuesday Things.

1. I know I told you last week that I don’t love oatmeal, but that was a bit of a lie. I do like oatmeal – Quaker flavored instant oatmeal that is. It was my staple breakfast for probably over 10 years as a kid, my favorites being peaches and cream and strawberries and cream. So, so good. I even used to eat it DRY. Yes, like straight out of the package. I love normal food. 2. Another totally underrated snack is tortilla chips with cheese melted on them in the microwave. And no, I don’t mean tortillas cut into triangles and baked in your oven… though I can make do with those in a pinch. Crispy, out-of-the-bag tortilla chips. Grate your cheese, pile it on top, zap for 30 seconds, eat. Welcome to my teenage world of food. 3. A few weeks ago in yoga one of the instructors was playing Lucia Micarelli, to which I had to stop mid-downward facing dog (this should tell you *just* how calm my mind really gets) and find out exactly what music was playing right that very instant. I’ve since downloaded every piece by her and it’s all I’ve been listening [...]

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Greek Pizza.

Greek Pizza makes one pizza 1 batch of your favorite pizza dough 1/2 batch of crazy feta 1 head of garlic, cloves removed and peeled 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup fresh dill 3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese 1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, chopped 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives 1/2 red onion, sliced 3-4 campari tomatoes, cut into wedges 1 roasted red pepper, cut into slices Prepare your pizza dough as instructed. While dough is rising, prepare the crazy feta (or do this before hand – your preference). As I roasted the garlic for the crazy feta, I also tossed the loose garlic cloves listed above in the ingredients list in a tiny bit of olive oil and “pre-roasted” them for 15 minutes. I also took this time to squeeze out the moisture in the artichokes with a dish towel. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Once your dough is ready, roll into your desired shape and brush with olive oil. Top with a bit of fresh dish, then layer on mozzarella cheese, artichokes, olives, red onion, red peppers, tomatoes and crazy feta. Scatter the semi-roasted garlic cloves over top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cheese is [...]

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End of Summer Chicken Skillet.

End of Summer Chicken Skillet serves 3-4 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 slices of bacon, chopped 1/2 red onion, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 10 small yukon gold potatoes, quartered 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 ears of grilled corn, cut off the cob salt & pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Tenderize meat (by pounding it with a tenderizer or skillet) and pat completely dry with a paper towel. Set aside. Chop potatoes and vegetables (except for garlic) and add to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Heat a cast iron (or oven safe) skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add chopped bacon and cook until almost crispy and fat is rendered. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Add vegetables and potatoes to skillet and cook for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove veggies and potatoes from skillet. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until golden on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. [Note: if the skillet is drying up feel free to add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil [...]

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General Tso’s Chicken.

Can’t believe I almost forgot to tell you about this general tso’s chicken. Where is my brain? It’s our new favorite chicken dish. Our new favorite dinner. It’s much lower in sugar than any other homemade general tso’s I’ve tried. It’s the only way I was able to stick a piece of broccoli in my mouth… covered in delicious sauce. It’s a party in your mouth, seriously. I am in love. You can find the recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog. Let me know what you think!

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