Angel in the Kitchen

Hibachi Chicken and Steak

2012-01-20T20:03:00.000-06:00

The hubby and I love eating at Japanese restaurants, and while the hubby always starts off with some spicy sushi, I save my appetite for the hibachi dishes.

That's pretty easy to do when I don't like sushi. You have now witnessed the full extent of my willpower.

It seems like it should be something that's pretty easy to make at home, so we decided to give it a try. This came pretty darn close for us, although it still might be missing something. Maybe some sake? Extra oil? Spatulas flipping through the air and volcanic onions? We'll have to give those a shot.

Hibachi Chicken and Steak
Serves 4-6

For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut it bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoons stir-fry or teriyaki sauce (I used a spicy apricot sauce, sort of like General Tso's)

For the steak:
1 pound sirloin, cut in bite-sized pieces
Salt, pepper, and Montreal Steak seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.

2. Add chicken, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is starting to brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon butter. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 2-4 minutes.

4. Add stir-fry or teriyaki sauce and toss chicken to coat.

5. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in another skillet or wok over medium-high to high heat. (You can go a little hotter with the sirloin, because you don't have to worry about cooking it all the way through like you do the chicken.)

6. Add sirloin, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning. Cook until sirloin starts to brown on all sides.

7. Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon butter. If you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and toss in some mushrooms.

8. Cook until sirloin is cooked through to desired doneness.

Broccoli Lo Mein with Chicken or Pork

2012-01-17T20:44:00.000-06:00

I love Chinese food, and easy access to it is one thing that I really miss since we moved to our itty-bitty community. Along with pizza delivery, grocery stores that are open past 4 p.m. on Sundays, and my sisters-in-law. Not necessarily in that order.

I've been cooking a lot more Chinese food at home as a result, although much of it still lacks the restaurant-style appeal. (Am I missing the MSG? Should I let it sit under a heat lamp for a few hours?)

I gravitate toward lo meins, especially, because like most toddlers, the little man loves him some noodles. Also, I hate making rice. And macaroni and cheese from a box. And Rice Krispie treats. But we've been through that before.

More so than any lo mein recipe I've tried cooking, this adapted one from America's Test Kitchen tastes more restaurant-style. But fresher and healthier. The sauce is light, yet still flavorful.

I used pork and broccoli in this version, but I can't wait to try this again with chicken, and maybe swap in some other veggies for some of the broccoli.

Broccoli Lo Mein with Chicken or Pork
Serves 4-6

6 ounces dried linguine
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound pork loin, cut in 1/4" slices
12 ounces broccoli florets
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper flakes, for sprinkling

1. Cook linguine according to package directions in salted water, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss with sesame oil.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high to high heat.

4. Turn on your range hood fan and open a few windows. (This is optional, but still recommended.)

5. Add half the pork to the wok and stir-fry until golden, about 2-4 minutes.

6. Transfer pork to a plate and repeat with remaining vegetable oil and pork. Again, transfer pork to a plate.

7. Add broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup water to wok. Cook, covered, until broccoli is just tender and water has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

8. Add scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

9. Return pork to skillet. Add sauce and noodles and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Double-Chocolate Cookies

2012-01-14T15:44:00.001-06:00

Jack has developed a taste for Ghirardelli dark chocolate as of late, especially the dark chocolate and caramel squares with sea salt.

He clearly has excellent taste for a 2-year-old. Don't even get me started on how he ate all my $18-per-pound Widman's Chippers over the holidays.

So we decided to make some dark chocolate cookies. With extra chocolate, naturally. They were delicious. And so rich that even I could eat only one at a time.

Double-Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen

1 11.5-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a small saucepan, melt together bittersweet chips and butter until smooth. Let cool slightly.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and eggs. Stir in chocolate mixture. Add baking powder, salt, and flour, and mix until well combined. Stir in semisweet chips.

4. Drop cookies into balls on baking sheets and flatten slightly.

5. Bake about 12-14 minutes, until cookies are shiny on the outside, but still soft on the inside.

6. Let sit on baking sheets 2-3 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Roasted Cauliflower

2012-01-12T20:15:00.001-06:00

This very simple, healthy, not-even-a-recipe recipe is something I made to entice my mother to have supper with us recently.

Yes, I have to shamelessly bribe her with vegetables.

I'm not a huge fan of steamed cauliflower, but when roasted, it takes on a much sweeter and more complex flavor. Needless to say, Mom loved this. I got to try a few bites, and we loaded some on the little man's plate. But the rest of the cauliflower went to Mom.

And when the little man (who eats in sprints) took a quick break from eating and left the room, the cauliflower mysteriously disappeared from his plate before he returned. Hmm ...

Roasted Cauliflower
Serves 2-3, or my mom

1 head cauliflower, cut in florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil and garlic, and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Cover and bake 15 minutes.

4. Remove cover, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F, and bake another 10-15 minutes until cauliflower starts to crisp up.

Beef Noodle Skillet

2012-01-10T20:45:00.000-06:00

This is a quick and easy recipe that we threw together after a long afternoon of sledding and snowblowing recently. It's not fancy fare, but it's tasty, filling, economical, and makes a ton of food. (It also reheats pretty well, if you don't cook the bejeezus out of your noodles.)

The idea for this recipe came from Everyday magazine, but as usual, I made some changes to suit our tastes and make it cook faster. (I was hungry.)

Beef Noodle Skillet
Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
Salt, pepper, and onion salt
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut in small chunks
1 large bell pepper, cut in small slices
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
12 ounces dried egg noodles (although you might not use them all)

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the ground beef, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onion salt. Cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes.

Transfer to a plate or bowl.

3. In the same skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

4. Add the potatoes to the pan and stir to coat with the rendered bacon grease.

5. Cover and cook until tender, about 12-15 minutes.

6. Stir in peppers, hamburger mixture, tomato sauce, and water.

7. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, cook noodles in boiling, salted water until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain.

9. Add the noodles to the skillet, starting with about half to two-thirds, and then adding more as needed. Stir well to combine.

10. Before serving, season to taste with salt, pepper, and onion salt.

Triple-Chip Scone Muffins

2012-01-07T20:46:00.000-06:00

Funny thing about this recipe. I'd pulled it out of a magazine years ago (yes, it was my own magazine), and it looked yummy. The little man and I liked the picture, so we decided to make them.

But the recipe was provided by a margarine company, and as a general rule, we don't keep margarine on hand. And to substitute butter just looked like ... a whole lot of butter for a batch of muffins. So we cut the butter in half. And then we changed a few other things, too. Like the amount of sugar. The amount of milk. The amount of chocolate chips. The baking time. So just a few things.

By the time we finished, the only components of the original recipe that remained were the flour and baking powder measurements.

But it worked! These aren't my usual jumbo-sized, gooey dessert muffins. In fact, the texture is much more like a scone than a muffin, and also scone-like in that they're not nearly as sweet as muffins usually are. But I think the lack of sweetness in the dough showcase the chocolate well, (although I'm glad we increased the amount of sugar from the original).

Triple-Chip Scone Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Jack chose Superman liners. So we could have a "daddy party." (Superman = Daddy and Cupcake liners = Party? Maybe?)

2. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in milk until just moistened, adding a bit more milk, if necessary.

3. Here's where things get a bit more complicated: The chocolate chips.

3a. First, pour your chocolate chips onto the counter.

3b. Count them.

3c. Sniff them for freshness. Maybe lick a few, for good measure.

3d. Form them into a picture. This was Santa.

3e. Heap your chocolate chips into a measuring cup. Jack likes to round up when it comes to chocolate chips. You know, for good measure. (Ba-dum.)

4. Fold chocolate chips into batter.

5. Spoon mixture evenly into muffin cups.

6. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until brown.

Serving suggestion: Serve in Superman liners with a cup of coffee in your favorite JLA mug.

Linguine with Shrimp and Scallops

2012-01-05T20:02:00.000-06:00

We stayed with my mother-in-law recently, and the hubby likes to make sure that we make plenty of yummy food for her in exchange for taking over her house while we're there.

Also, I usually eat most of the contents of her candy bowl. There, I admitted it.

This is a modified version of a Rachael Ray recipe, which we made because my mother-in-law loves seafood (especially scallops). This dish is sort of like the shrimp scampi that I make for the hubby, but with more lemon and less heat.

Linguine with Shrimp and Scallops
Serves 2-3

8 ounces linguine
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
1/2 pound sea scallops, muscle removed, and patted dry
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 lemon
1/2 stick butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup white wine

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions, and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

2. Meanwhile, toss shrimp and scallops with Old Bay seasoning and half a lemon, cut in slices. Set aside.

3. Melt butter over low heat and stir in garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Let bubble gently for 10 minutes.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, scallops, and sliced lemon.

5. Cook 5-6 minutes, turning once, until seafood is opaque and are cooked through. Add wine and the juice of the remaining half of lemon to deglaze the pan.

6. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

7. Stir parsley into garlic butter. Add to seafood mixture.

8. Stir in pasta and the reserved pasta water and toss gently. Let pasta sit for a few minutes until liquid is absorbed by pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

2012-01-03T20:32:00.002-06:00

But first up, a few notes!

I received the Liebster Blog award from The Daily Smash, and am very touched and honored. Check out her blog for some incredibly yummy-looking recipes, which have that "I'd actually make that!" appeal. Thanks again! (And I'll have to pass this on, yet, too.)

My peanut butter cup shortbread was recently featured on the Bizzy Bakes blog. (Say THAT five times fast.) This, too, is quite the honor -- thank you! Although I keep skipping past my recipe to stare at the cheesecake recipe beneath it. Damn you, New Year's diet!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I was looking to make some appetizer meatballs recently, and I decided to try this recipe, which was from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine.

Now, I liked the glaze. A lot. It definitely has some kick, even when using the lower amount of Tabasco, but it does mellow after it's on the meatballs.

However, the accompanying recipe for meatballs was the weirdest meat mixture I've ever had the displeasure of working with. In addition to three eggs, it also called for 3/4 a cup of broth, which I thought was strange. But hey, we'd try it. The meatballs were so moist that they were nearly impossible to shape or cook. As my friend Sally would say, those meatballs were a pile.

Moral of the story? Use your own favorite meatball recipe, and toss them with the glaze. From now on, I'll use the meatball recipe from my Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
Makes about 4 dozen

2 pounds ground beef, preferably 85% lean
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
3 tablespoons olive oil (or more, as needed)
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup peach preserves
1/2-1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Combine mixture thoroughly and form into uniformly sized meatballs.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook one-third of the meatballs until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.

3. In a blender, combine chili sauce, peach preserves, and Tabasco. Blend until smooth.

4. Heat sauce mixture in microwave or on the stovetop until hot. Toss with cooked meatballs, and serve immediately.

P.S. These looked saucier in person. Promise.

Brined Turkey Breast

2012-01-01T15:32:00.000-06:00

Brining a turkey has long been on my bucket list, and what better way to ring in the New Year and all its resolutions than by tackling something I've always wanted to try?

Okay, so I actually made this on Christmas Eve. Anyway, I haven't yet tried brining a turkey -- or even eating a brined turkey -- because there really hasn't been much of an opportunity for it. We've only hosted the holidays a few times. We typically need drippings for gravy. You don't want to try it and accidentally screw up the sole main course.

This is a Betty Crocker recipe, and I decided to try with a turkey breast. It's a good introduction to brining because it fits in the fridge and is just easier to handle. Plus, my dad was already planning to bring a ham, so there wasn't a lot at stake. If the turkey was awful, we surely wouldn't starve.

One problem I had was finding a turkey breast that wasn't packed in some sort of salt solution. We don't have access to a lot of fresh turkeys in these parts, so I ended up going with the salt-soaked variety. That made the outside pieces of the meat a bit saltier than I'm used to, but not terribly so. Overall, the turkey was incredibly juicy and was infused with great flavor, even if the skin didn't brown and crisp as much as I'd have preferred.

I wasn't positive if the end result was worth the extra effort, but my mother said it was amazing. She even took home leftovers. And Mom knows best.

Brined Turkey Breast
Makes 8-12 servings

9 cups hot water, plus more to cover turkey breast, if needed
3/4 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 4- to 6-pound bone-in turkey breast, thawed, if frozen
1 onion, cut in eight wedges
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 dried bay leaves
Salt and pepper
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup dry white wine

1. The day before, mix water, salt, and sugar in a large container or stockpot. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add turkey. Cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

3. Remove turkey from brine. Rinse it thoroughly and pat it dry before placing in roasting pan.

4. Fill cavity with onion, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. If necessary, tie some string around it to keep everything together.

5. Place turkey breast side up and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Combine butter and wine. Soak a 16" square piece of cheesecloth in the butter mixture and drape over the turkey.

7. Bake 90 minutes.

8. Remove cheesecloth from turkey. Remove onion and herbs, but leave them in the pan. Bake 30-60 minutes longer, or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees F in the thickest part of the turkey.

9. Let rest before carving.

Cheesy Olive Bread

2011-12-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

Belated happy holidays, from Angel in the Kitchen, the hubby, and the little man!

I hope you can tell who's who in this pic.

We've been busy, to say the least. But we had a wonderful Christmas, and it was so much fun now that Jack is getting old enough to understand more. Jack loves Santa. Jack loves carols. Jack loves Christmas cookies. And Jack loves opening presents.

We're all in withdrawal now.

But back to the food! I'm always on the lookout for easy bread recipes to go with soups and such, and I've been eying this Taste of Home recipe for the hubby. He loves mayo-based cheese breads, and this one looked especially ooey and gooey.

I don't care for mayo, and the spread was a bit too strong for me from that standpoint. But the hubby is a mayo fan, and he really enjoyed it.

Note that this makes a ton of bread, and it's pretty rich. And this is only half the recipe. I did leave off the onions and mushrooms, as per the hubby's wishes, but if I were a mayo and cheese spread kind of person, I think I'd prefer them on.

Cheesy Olive Bread
Serves 8-12

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 ounces canned mushrooms, drained and chopped
1 4.5-ounce can chopped olives
1/2 loaf (1/2 pound) unsliced French bread, halved lengthwise

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, scallions, mushrooms, and olives in a medium bowl. Spread on bread.

I actually had help with this part. Meet Kitty.

Kitty keeps Jack company while he's sleeping. Jack also sleeps with a second kitty, aptly named Other Kitty. Other Kitty did not join us in the kitchen this evening.

3. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. (Pop it under the broiler if it needs some help.)

4. Cut into slices to serve.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks

2011-12-28T16:36:00.001-06:00

This is a very quick, extremely economical, and tasty dish that the hubby really enjoys. I don't eat a lot of chicken drumsticks (I'm a white meat gal), so I had a reverse case of sticker shock when I picked them up at the supermarket. They're unbelievably cheap.

The hubby loves chicken legs, and we thought the little man might enjoy these, too, because he likes food on sticks. And this is food on a built-in stick.

This recipe came from one of those packets that you sometimes get in the mail where they give you a few free recipe cards and try to get you to pay exorbitant sums of money for the remaining recipe cards. (I fell for this once.) But I still sort through the freebies for something that catches my eye, as this one did.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Makes 12 drumsticks

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 tablespoon paprika (I used smoked paprika)
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
12 chicken drumsticks

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour vegetable oil over the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet (preferably 15 inches by 10 inches) and heat in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine Bisquick, paprika, Creole seasoning, seasoned salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper in a resealable bag or a paper bag.

3. Remove pan from oven.

4. Add drumsticks to bag, a few at a time, and shake to coat. Arrange on the hot baking pan.

I learned this trick a few months ago. Heating the oil beforehand helps start crisping up the bottom of the chicken immediately.

5. Baking chicken, turning once, until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Cup Shortbread

2011-12-26T16:24:00.002-06:00

I pulled this recipe out of one of my cooking magazines a few years ago, and it's been sitting around in my "recipes I'd really like to try" stack for a while. (It may have been
a Better Homes & Gardens holiday special, but I can't be sure.) Anyway, my holdup was that it looked pretty labor intensive, and I couldn't find a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter anywhere.

Four years later, I still haven't had much luck on the cookie cutter front. But a few weeks ago, I was at a craft store and I wandered into the clay aisle. I had never before been to the clay aisle. I'm still not even sure what it's for. But they DID have a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter.

It's a flower. But flowers can be holiday-ish, too, right? If they're drizzled in chocolate?

Peanut Butter Cup Shortbread
Makes 3-4 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
3 ounces finely chopped peanut butter cups
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined, and then beat in flour.

3. Add peanut butter cups, and gently knead the dough until it clings together.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Using a floured 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out pieces and place them 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.

5. Bake about 20 minutes, or until bottoms are just starting to brown. Cool completely on cooling racks placed over waxed paper.

6. Combine chocolate chips and shortening in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir until chocolate melts.

7. Drizzle shortbread with chocolate, or use a pastry bag. (Or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, in my case.)

8. Let chocolate harden before serving.

Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2011-12-23T16:14:00.000-06:00

I made these cookies for my sister-in-law, who loves chocolate and mint, to hopefully cheer her up after a hard week. They're like basic chocolate chip cookies, but you add a bit of mint extract and swap in chopped Andes mints and chocolate chunks for the chocolate chips.

You can substitute a 17.5-ounce sugar cookie mix, if you're crunched for time. You can also add a few drops of green food coloring, if you want to emphasize that these are indeed no ordinary chocolate chip cookies. (I only had green paste food coloring, and I didn't want my dough to turn Play-Doh green.)

Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mint extract, depending on how strong you want the mint flavor to be
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2-3 cups flour
1 cup Andes mints baking pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine brown sugar and shortening, and then stir in vanilla, mint extract, and eggs. Add baking soda, salt, and flour, and mix until well combined. Stir in Andes pieces and chocolate chunks.

3. Form dough into balls and flatten slightly, and place on baking sheets.

4. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to turn golden. Cool slightly before serving.

Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge

2011-12-21T16:01:00.002-06:00

The hubby loves fudge at Christmas, and he loves chocolate and peanut butter (you know, like most normal people), so it should stand to reason that he should love chocolate and peanut butter swirled together in fudge, right? Right.

There's no surprise twist to this story. The hubby does like peanut butter swirl fudge.

Okay, there's a bit of a twist. This Hershey's recipe was supposed to be two-tone fudge -- peanut butter on the bottom and chocolate on top. But even though I actually followed the recipe to the letter, there was no way this recipe was going to work without the peanut butter layer setting up first. And by then, the chocolate layer would have been too set up to spread out. So, I attempted to save face by swirling them.

And I think it's purty.

Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge
Makes 25 pieces

1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. In a medium bowl, place peanut butter chips. Add chocolate chips to a second medium bowl.

2. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, marshmallow creme, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

My saucepan seemed a wee bit too small, and my mixture almost boiled over. That would have been quite messy.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

4. Divide the mixture among the medium bowls with the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

5. Stir peanut butter chips until creamy.

6. Pour into prepared pan.

7. Stir chocolate chips until creamy.

8. Pour over the peanut butter layer.

9. Swirl mixture with a knife.

10. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until firm. Use foil to lift fudge out of pan, and cut into squares.

Rudolph Cookies

2011-12-19T15:49:00.001-06:00

I made these simple cookies for Jack to take to daycare recently, and they were a huge hit. They're quick, they're easy, they're super-cute, and they taste good. And they have red noses. What more do you need?

To make these even easier, go ahead and substitute a 17.5-ounce package of peanut butter cookie mix for the peanut butter, brown sugar, and egg.

Rudolph Cookies
Makes 24

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
24 red M&Ms
48 chocolate chips
24 pretzel sticks, cut in fourths

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Combine peanut butter and brown sugar. Add egg and mix thoroughly.

3. Divide dough into 24 balls and place on baking sheets.

4. Dip a glass in sugar and flatten each dough ball to about 1/2-inch thick.

5. Slightly pinch in the bottoms of each cookie to form the chins on the Rudolph faces.

6. Add the M&Ms as the noses, and the chocolate chips for the eyes. Poke 4 pretzel pieces into the tops to form the antlers.

7. Bake 9-11 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown. Let sit on cookie sheet until cookies are sturdy enough to be moved to cooling racks.

8. Let cool completely before serving.

Caramel-Pretzel Truffles

2011-12-17T14:46:00.007-06:00

These truffles could be one of my favorite recipes ever. And I don't say that lightly.

I must've seen a recipe like this at some point that registered in my brain on some level, because I recently had a dream about these (and they just sounded kind of familiar). Caramels wrapped around pretzels and dipped in dark chocolate. YUM. These are tough to beat.

In fact, just yesterday I visited a local candy shop and sampled a dark chocolate-covered caramel. It was good. But too simple. I longed for the missing pretzels inside it. (Maybe I should have said something?)

In my dream, I sprinkled these truffles with sea salt. In reality, I sprinkled a few of the truffles with sea salt, but I thought it took away from the appearance of the truffles. And because the pretzels have enough of their own salt, it didn't really add anything. You know, in case you were wondering.

Caramel-Pretzel Truffles
Makes about 4 dozen

1 package caramels (about 4 dozen), unwrapped
4 dozen pretzel sticks
10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon shortening

1. Using a rolling pin, roll caramels into large, flat squares, just a fraction of an inch thick (and a few inches square).

This is a great stress reliever. It's also hard work. My shoulders, arms, and hands ached for days. I'm clearly out of shape and need to make these truffles more often. I could have flexor carpi ulnaris of steel!

2. Break pretzel sticks into four pieces, and stack them in the middle of the flattened caramel.

It's a bit like stacking firewood. And you don't have to be terribly precise.

3. Seal caramel around pretzels, and roll into balls.

The caramel is terribly sturdy, so these can hang around for a while. They're not like most truffles, where they have to stay cool or they'll turn to mush. (This also makes them much easier to dip.)

4. Heat dark chocolate and canola oil over low heat until smooth. Dip truffles in chocolate and let set on waxed paper.

5. Heat milk chocolate chips and shortening until smooth. Add mixture to a zip-top bag, snip off a small corner, and drizzle milk chocolate over the truffles.

6. Let set until chocolate is firm.

Korean Steak

2011-12-15T19:35:00.001-06:00

Every once in a while I have to take a break from holiday baking to cook some real food for the family. This is a variation of a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com, and I've been anxious to try it because I really like Korean beef. The marinade has a longer list of ingredients, but it really does come together quickly.

I've read before that adding Asian pear to the marinade helps soften and tenderize the beef, but I'd never before seen an Asian pear in my grocery store. Luckily, kiwi can be used as a substitute (but just use a very small amount, like a fraction of a teaspoon). However, when I went to my supermarket to grab a kiwi, what should I find next to the kiwifruit, but Asian pears! (Actually, the sticker on the fruit said "Apple Pear," but the sign said "Asian pear.") I just grated up enough of the peeled fruit to make 1/4 cup of mush to add to my marinade.

I made a few other changes, as well, and I really liked how this turned out. My only complaint is that I typically like more vegetables in my stir-fry, so I think I'd add some next time. I served this with fried rice, in the meantime, and ended up sort of stirring it all together like a Korean beef-fried rice.

Korean Steak
Serves 4-6

Marinade:
1/4 cup shredded Asian pear
2 pounds thinly sliced steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds (I had to leave these out)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
5 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon sriracha

Stir-fry:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced lengthwise

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large zip-top bag. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but not more than 24 hours.

2. Before cooking, sprinkle meat with sesame oil.

3. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir-fry onion and beef (discarding the marinade) until beef is no longer pink, about 5-10 minutes.

Ghirardelli Thumbprints

2011-12-13T21:39:00.000-06:00

I found a recipe similar to this one in a Betty Crocker cookbook, and thought it would be the perfect use for one of my weaknesses: Dark chocolate and caramel Ghirardelli squares, preferably salted.

Alas, I could not find my salted caramel squares, so I had to add my own salt. Which wasn't exactly a hardship.

Alas alas, I also had to skip the nuts again. I didn't really miss them.

Alas alas alas, I should call these Square Peg Cookies. Unless you have square thumbs, candy squares don't fit so well in thumbprint cookies. So they don't look perfect. They're "artisan."

Ghirardelli Thumbprints
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped cashews
9 Ghirardelli squares with caramel filling, unwrapped and cut in quarters

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Beat butter and powdered sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and egg and beat until mixed. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt, until dough forms.

I loved how silky the dough was with the powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar. That's all. Thanks for letting me share.

3. Stir in cashews. (Again, I skipped this part.)

4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheets, at least 2 inches apart.

5. Press thumb in the center of each cookie to make an indentation, but don't push all the way to the bottom.

6. Bake 7-9 minutes. Quickly remake the indentations with the handle of a wooden spoon, if necessary.

I found this necessary. I also didn't think to use a wooden spoon, so I used to my thumb. Not my finest moment.

7. Move cookies to cooling rack, and add one piece of chocolate to each thumbprint. Let stand 3 minutes to melt.

8. If desired, use the tip of a knife to swirl the melted chocolate and caramel together. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Rogue Recipes: Cocoa Kisses

2011-12-10T15:11:00.005-06:00

I started my holiday baking recently, but I'm trying to do it in small snippets because it's tough to find an entire day to devote to the cause. And I was really, really excited to try this Hershey's recipe because I've been drooling over the photo for months. Chocolate kisses, wrapped in a chocolate shortbread dough, baked in perfect little balls, and then rolled in powdered sugar.

Perfect, right?

Except this is one recipe that did not turn out at all as planned. I think there was just way too much butter in the dough for this to ever work out.

Disclaimer: I can't eat nuts at the moment, so I didn't include the pecans in the dough. Would this have made all the difference? I think someone should give it a try!

Cocoa Kisses
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup finely chopped pecans
About 4 dozen Hershey's kisses, unwrapped
Powdered sugar for rolling/sprinkling

1. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Stir together flour and cocoa,and gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended.

2. Add pecans, beating until blended. (This is the step I skipped; instead, I added a bit more flour.)

3. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

5. Take 1: Mold a scant tablespoon of dough around each Hershey's kiss, covering completely. Shape into balls and place on a cookie sheet.

6. Take 1: Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set. Now, at the 10-minute mark, I peeked into my oven and was horrified to discover that instead of cookie balls, I had beach hats. (Some of which I sprinkled with powdered sugar, which then looked like sand.)

5. Take 2: Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Place balls in a mini muffin tin and flatten to create a crust. Add a Hershey's kiss to each.

6. Take 2: Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set. Now, I had little Hershey's kiss tartlets, with slightly browned tips on the kisses.

Both tasted great, but neither was ideal in looks. I had to hurry up and eat most of them so no one else would see them.

Let me know if you try these and get a better result!

Quick and Easy Caramel Rolls

2011-12-08T20:56:00.001-06:00

This Betty Crocker recipe has been a longtime favorite of mine, when I'm craving some warm, homemade caramel rolls, but I don't have the time to deal with actual dough. And I love the uber-creamy caramel.

No, these aren't the best caramel rolls I've ever had in my life. But they're still quite good, and they're definitely the best homemade caramel rolls I've had that only take a few minutes to throw together. I recommend serving alongside some bacon, as I recommend serving almost anything.

Quick and Easy Caramel Rolls
Makes 8 rolls

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream (either whipping cream or heavy cream)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 11-ounce can refrigerated soft breadsticks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine brown sugar and cream in an 8-inch round pan. (I use a silicone spatula so I don't scratch the pan's coating.)

3. Combine sugar and cinnamon.

4. Unroll breadstick dough.

(I put these on waxed paper for easier cleanup.)

5. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

6. Roll up dough from the short end, separate into rolls at the perforations, and place in pan.

7. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

8. Cool 1 minute, and then invert onto a plate and serve warm.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2011-12-06T20:08:00.001-06:00

This is another quick side dish/dessert that's great with a holiday meal. I've been served variations of this Jell-O salad at church functions and such over the years, and it's always been a favorite because of the contrast of the tart strawberries, the rich and sweet cream cheese layer, and the salty pretzels.

This recipe does test my patience, however, because of all the waiting in between layers. I tend to sort of make everything at once so it can all cool at the same time.

Also, try to make this salad as physically close to the refrigerator as possible.

Signed,

Has Much Red Jell-O on Floor
Hillsboro, ND

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Makes 12-16 servings

2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
2 1/2 cups cold water, divided
6 ounces strawberry-flavored gelatin
2 cups frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spread pretzels evenly in bottom of 9" by 13" baking dish.

3. In a small bowl, combine butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour evenly over pretzels.

4. Bake pretzel crust 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

5. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, whipped topping, and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth.

6. Spread evenly over pretzel crust.

7. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups cold water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add gelatin, stirring until completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Add remaining 1/2 cup cold water and strawberries. Let cool before pouring over cream cheese layer.

8. Chill overnight. Cut into squares to serve.

Spinach, Artichoke, and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

2011-12-03T20:08:00.002-06:00

The hubster and I were lucky enough to host a Thanksgiving potluck this year, which I love doing. We invite both sides of our immediate family, so we're the lucky ones who get to spend the holiday with all our favorite people. And we get the best of all food worlds. My dad's hamkey gravy. My mother-in-law's stuffing and pie. My sisters'-in-law cookie salad and sweet potatoes.

The hubby signed us up for mashed potatoes and corn. I said, "Wow, fun. Thanks." So he told me to make an appetizer, too.

This is my take on a Paula Deen recipe, the photos of which I've been drooling over for months. Plus, you can make this ahead of time and bake it right before your guests arrive, so it's a great recipe for entertaining.

I like regular spinach and artichoke dip, but this recipe has a little more zing and character because of the roasted red peppers and a little spice. My little brother really, really liked this one, and said it tasted like something you'd order in a restaurant.

That actually wasn't quite true. We ordered spinach and artichoke dip in a restaurant a few days later, and when I asked if it was as good as mine, both my brother and the hubby responded with a resounding, "No!" My brother said, "This is something nice and warm to dip the chips in. But yours actually had flavor." So there you go.

Spinach, Artichoke, and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
5 ounces baby spinach
1/4 cup half and half
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1/4 cup sour cream
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
Toasted baguette, pita crisps, or crackers, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 2-cup ovenproof dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.

3. Add artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. Cook about 2 minutes.

4. Add half the spinach, and cook until it wilts slightly, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Add remaining spinach. Cook until spinach is completely wilted, about 4-6 minutes.

6. Transfer mixture to a strainer and press lightly to release any excess liquid. Set aside.

7. In the same saucepan, heat the half and half over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and nutmeg. Cook until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

8. Add spinach mixture, pepper jack cheese, salt, and cayenne, stirring to combine. Pour mixture into baking dish.

At this point, if you're making the dip ahead of time, slightly cool the mixture, cover it, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Let the mixture come to room temperature before moving on to the next step.

9. Sprinkle the dip with the Italian cheese.

10. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with baguettes, pita crisps, or crackers.

And then go get a manicure. Quickly. Go!

(I'm happy to report that my nails are now a lovely shade of Gettin' Miss Piggy With It red.)

Pizza on a Stick

2011-12-01T20:38:00.001-06:00

We're lucky in that our little man has been a wonderful eater so far, for a 2-year-old. Sure, he requests inordinate amounts of ketchup and occasionally dips his sandwiches in his milk, but he loves to try new foods, enjoys his vegetables, and usually eats most of what we put in front of him.

And I finally (finally!) got him to eat homemade cookies recently.

My next obstacle? Pizza. He'll eat a few bites here and there on rare occasions (or when dipped in jalapeno cheese dip), but on the whole, my little guy rejects the notion of pizza. Which is weird. He loves lasagna. He loves sandwiches. Isn't pizza a little like an open-faced lasagna sandwich?

So this is my latest attempt: Pizza on a stick. I saw this idea in Food Network magazine when they ran a feature on state fair foods. Apparently toddlers, like fair-goers, appreciate any food that is served on sticks. So it seemed like it was worth a try.

And did it work, you might be asking? Yes, indeed. Jack thought the pizza sauce was ketchup and went through three bowls' worth, but he gobbled down his pizza ... until it fell off the stick.

Pizza on a Stick
Makes 8 sticks

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
Flour, for dusting
1 cup pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup chopped toppings, such as pepperoni, olives, and mushrooms
8 popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of oregano
Extra pizza sauce, for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface to about 12" by 16".

3. Cut in fourths, and then cut each quarter in half diagonally to make 8 triangles.

4. Brush each triangle with pizza sauce, leaving a 1/2" border around the perimeter.

5. Sprinkle with cheese and add toppings.

6. Slightly fold in the two far corners of each triangle, and then roll up the dough from the long side first, sort of like a burrito or egg roll. Press gently to seal.

7. Lay each roll on the baking sheet, and carefully insert popsicle or lollipop sticks.

8. Brush rolls with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder, oregano, and Parmesan cheese. Add any remaining toppings, as well.

9. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve with heated pizza sauce, for dipping.

Saltine Toffee

2011-11-29T20:57:00.001-06:00

This was one of my favorites treats when I was growing up, and it's perfect if you're starting to crave some holiday treats but you're not quite ready to dive into your holiday baking just yet.

This toffee takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and then a half-hour to set, and I think it's about the perfect combination of flavors and textures -- salty, crisp crackers, sweet and chewy toffee, and cool, rich chocolate. I can seriously eat an entire pan in one evening, which is why it's very dangerous for me to make this very often. (And I try to give as much of it away as quickly as possible.)

My mom used to make several pans of this in one sitting when I was in high school. We had a smaller kitchen with very little counter space, so Mom would just plop down onto the then-carpeted kitchen floor, adding crackers to all the pans spread out around her.

This being one of my favorites, imagine my shock when the hubby refused to eat it ... based solely on the presence of the saltines. (He actually referred to it as "white trash candy." Of course, he also won't eat something if it has "bake," "casserole," or "hotdish" in the name.) If you run into a similar marketing issue, just try to think of a more creative name for this toffee. Or try a slightly more exotic-sounding cracker, like a matzo cracker. (I once saw a similar recipe in a cooking magazine.)

Or just save all the toffee for yourself.

Saltine Toffee
Makes 18-24 pieces

1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or pan with foil, and spray the foil with cooking spray.

2. Spread crackers in even rows, so crackers are touching, but not overlapping. (The number of crackers depends on what size baking pan you’re using. I like a 9" by 13" or 10" by 15" pan).

3. In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar and butter over medium-high heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a rolling boil.

4. Pour mixture over crackers, spreading as evenly as possible.

5. Bake 5 minutes.

6. Let cool 1 minute, and then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

7. Let chocolate chips melt for about 1 minute before spreading evenly over toffee.

You can also sprinkle the toffee with nuts, crushed crackers, or sea salt at this point.

8. Chill 30 minutes to set toffee and chocolate.

9. Peel away foil. Using your hands, break toffee into pieces.

(I like to store my toffee in the refrigerator.)

Chicken-Fried Steak and Gravy

2011-11-27T20:56:00.002-06:00

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I recently received a few coupons to try Simply Potatoes, which are close-to-homemade, refrigerated potatoes. We decided to try the roasted garlic mashed potatoes first, because they're a family fave, especially with grilled steak.

But it's November in North Dakota, which typically means bitter cold, gusty winds, or both. Next option? Chicken-fried steak.

I absolutely adore chicken-fried steak, and I've recently converted the hubby, as well. But many restaurant versions are mediocre. The steak itself can be tough, the breading mealy or flavorless, and the gravy ... well, let's just say that flour, drippings, and milk aren't always enough. (Seasoning, people!)

I've had the same experience with the recipes I've tried, and believe me, I've tried plenty. But I keep persisting and trying to learn from my mistakes. And ... I may have finally found the perfect recipe! Upon tasting this, the hubby said, "Wow, this is fabulous, dear." And the little man had three helpings of dipping gravy.

I love this best served with garlic mashed potatoes (especially if they're a little lighter on the garlic), Texas toast, and corn.

Chicken-Fried Steak and Gravy
Serves 6

Steak
6 beef cube steaks, about 1 1/2-2 pounds total
Salt, pepper, and onion salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
2 cloves garlic, grated
Vegetable oil, for deep frying (I filled my pan about 1" deep)

Gravy
1/4 cup flour
4 cups whole milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add oil to a large, heavy pan and heat to 325 degrees F.

2. Meanwhile, sprinkle salt, pepper, and onion salt on one side of steaks.

3. Place 2 cups flour in a shallow dish. Add baking powder, baking soda, pepper, salt, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and stir to combine.

4. In a separate shallow bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, Tabasco, and garlic.

5. Dredge each steak in the flour, then in the buttermilk, and again in the flour. Place on a baking rack.

This lets any extra coating fall off the steaks, and also lets the coating sort of rest on all sides without the steaks getting mushy on the bottom. (This is key after frying, as well.)

6. Fry the steaks, a few at a time, about 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

You don't need to worry about cooking the steaks all the way through, because they'll be finishing off in the oven. (I use this same technique for fried chicken, because I hate a burnt crust.)

7. Place steaks on a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake about 15-20 minutes, while you make the gravy.

8. Drain all but 1/4 cup of the oil from the pan, reserving the solid bits. I pour my oil through a mesh strainer, so I can toss the bits right back in the pan.

9. Return the pan to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk 1/4 cup flour into the oil. Stir in the milk and chicken bouillon cubes, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer. Cook until thick, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and pepper.

10. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

Chicken or Turkey Noodle Soup

2011-11-25T14:56:00.000-06:00

As I'm writing this blog post, the thermometer is showing a whopping 2 degrees F outside, which is, by far, the chilliest it's been thus far this fall. That means ... soup!

I used this soup using uncooked chicken, but you can easily add leftover cooked chicken or turkey, instead. So this is a great use for some of that Thanksgiving turkey.

Chicken or Turkey Noodle Soup
Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
2 32-ounce cartons chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut in small chunks
1 12-ounce package frozen homestyle egg noodles
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil and butter in a pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add potato, carrots, onion, and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Cook about 4 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.

2. Add poultry seasoning and flour to vegetables. Stir until vegetables are coated, and cook about 1 minute.

3. Stir in chicken broth. Heat until boiling, and then add chicken, noodles, and thyme.

4. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until chicken and noodles are cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove bay leaf and thyme stems before serving.

Slow-Simmered Spaghetti Sauce

2011-11-22T20:58:00.000-06:00

While I was looking through the cookbook where I discovered the recipe for Michelle's Manicotti, I stumbled upon the basis for this recipe, which is a pretty basic, slow-simmered spaghetti sauce. I did make a few changes, and I absolutely loved the results. This could be the best meat sauce I've ever tried. So thank you, Ms. Marlene Paulsrud ... whomever you are.

This recipe calls for simmering the sauce for at least an hour on the stovetop. However, I let mine cook on low heat all afternoon long, because I love the aroma of a huge pot of sauce cooking all day. You could easily put this in this in the slow cooker, as well, for an even lower-maintenance option.

Slow-Simmered Spaghetti Sauce
Makes 8-10 servings

2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1 1/2-ounce packets Italian spaghetti sauce seasoning mix (I used one regular and one zesty)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 cups water
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
Additional salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, to taste

1. Brown ground beef and garlic over medium-high heat in a large pot. Season with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour.

3. Serve over hot pasta.

Potato and Sausage Soup

2011-11-19T20:30:00.001-06:00

Sundays tend to be soup days at our house, and we whip up a pot or two each Sunday morning. It's a great light lunch, it makes for good leftovers for early in the week, and the little man loves him some soup.

Good to the last drop!

This is an adaptation of a Taste of Home recipe. I like potato soup, and thought the sausage would be a different addition to it. It definitely makes the soup both more flavorful and heartier.

Potato and Sausage Soup
Makes 4 servings

3/4-1 pound pork sausage links, cut in 1/4" slices
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
1 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
1/2 cup water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup milk
Additional salt and pepper, to taste
Cheddar cheese, for serving

1. In a soup pot, brown sausage over medium-high heat. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings. Saute celery, onion, thyme, salt, and bay leaf until onion is tender.

3. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Gradually add brother and water, stirring until mixture comes to a boil.

4. Add potatoes; cover and simmer 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

5. Puree half the soup in a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender. (If you're transferring the soup to another container, you might want to let it cool a bit, first.)

6. Combine soup and sausage, and then stir in milk. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve with some shredded cheddar cheese.

Chocolate Gelato

2011-11-17T20:54:00.001-06:00

I first experienced gelato just as it should be experienced -- in a small, bustling Italian village, just as the sun was setting, and the after-dinner crowd was meandering around town. We had just played a band concert in the park, and it seemed as though everyone in town was milling about, although the only shops that were open were selling food.

I was craving ice cream, and gelato looked close enough to fit the bill. And, of course, I chose chocolate. And it was fantastic. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe I've built up that memory, but I couldn't get over how smooth and intense the flavor was.

This is an adaptation of a recipe I saw in Food Network magazine, and what's interesting about it is that there's no cream or milk in this recipe, beyond the milk content in the chocolate. I'm no Alton Brown, so I have no idea how this recipe still works out. But it does. Even thought it's basically sugar, water, chocolate, and Dutch process cocoa powder (which is prohibitively expensive 'round these parts, just FYI).

My taste testers for this recipe were two gelato newbies:

And what did they think?

Taster #1 said: "I really like the texture. And it's got a flavor kind of like tootsie rolls. Did I get any in my mustache?" OK, so my brother didn't really say that last part. Because he doesn't really have a mustache.

Taster #2 said: "It's cold! More, please."

They clearly have very sophisticated palates.

Chocolate Gelato
Makes 6-8 servings

8 ounces milk chocolate (I used Cadbury, which is my favorite)
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8-1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Finely chop chocolate.

2. Place chocolate and cocoa in a blender.

3. Bring water and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

4. Pour sugar water in blender. Cover and pulse 4-5 times, until mixture is smooth, but not foamy. Add extracts and salt, and pulse once more to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

5. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until very cold.

6. Whisk the chocolate mixture before transferring to an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer's directions. (Mine had to process about 20 minutes.)

7. Transfer to a container.

8. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.

Parmesan-Garlic Bites

2011-11-15T20:18:00.002-06:00

This is an adaptation of a Taste of Home recipe, and these tasty little bites are a quick addition to a soup or pasta meal (although quite a bit smaller than I'd envisioned). But they're still yummy. And cute. And very easy to make.

Note that I'd recommend using the good ol' grated Parmesan cheese in a can, rather than freshly grated. The fresh Parmesan cheese just kind of gums up the oil mixture, and doesn't leave the distinct little Parmesan flecks behind after the oil is absorbed into the rolls.

Parmesan-Garlic Bites
Makes 30 small rolls

1 12-ounce tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or spray it with cooking spray.

2. Cut each biscuit into 3 pieces. Roll each piece in a 4" rope and tie it in a knot, tucking the ends underneath. Place 2" apart on baking sheet.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden.

4. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients.

5. Brush warm rolls with seasoned oil mixture.

Pork with Pappardelle

2011-11-13T20:58:00.003-06:00

The hubby and I were watching Food Network while folding clothes one day, and we saw Aaron McCargo, Jr., making this recipe. It's one that I've always wanted to try, and although we often have different opinions about pasta, the hubby said, "That looks good. We should make that."

So, we did. And it was pretty quick and simple to throw together, after the pork was roasted. We did make some adjustments to the sauce, however, because I wanted mine a bit thicker and more tomato-y than the original.

And feel free to use leftover shredded pork, if you already have some on hand.

Pork with Pappardelle
Makes 6 servings

Pork:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 4-pound pork shoulder

Pasta:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded pork
1 pound dried pappardelle pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. For the pork, combine olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Spread all over pork using a pastry brush.

3. Set meat on rack on roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then cover with foil and reduce heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook about 4 hours.

4. Remove pork from oven and let stand until cool enough to shred, and then shred with your hands. Set aside 2 cups for sauce, and store the rest for use in another recipe.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

6. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook about 5 minutes.

7. Stir in tomato paste and crushed red pepper flakes.

8. After about 1 minute, add broth and pork, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, add pasta to water and cook 6-8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Remove pasta and place directly in sauce, adding some pasta cooking water to add moisture, if needed.

11. Cook, tossing pasta with sauce, another 2 minutes. Pour into a large serving bowl and top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Fudgy No-Bake Cookies

2011-11-10T20:18:00.002-06:00

These no-bake cookies are a long-standing favorite in the hubby's family, and I remember my mom making them when we were younger, too. This is my mother-in-law's recipe, which we eat most frequently when my sister-in-law, Patti, makes them for us.

We really appreciate that. We're not usually the people to whom others bring food, so when they do, we're thrilled. (Like two days after we returned home from the hospital with the little man, and Patti brought over pans of bars and tins of these cookies.) And she's surprised us with them from time to time since then.

This was my first attempt at making these cookies. I think I need a little more practice.

Fudgy No-Bake Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

1. Combine sugar, shortening, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan. Stir together over medium-low to medium heat, until mixture begins to boil. Let mixture continue at a low boil for 4 minutes, without stirring.

2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and oatmeal.

3. Scoop teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper.

The hubby says I should have heaped the cookies more. I'm such a noob.

4. Let set before serving.

Sticky Bun Bites

2011-11-08T20:54:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I explained away an absence in my posts with the justification that it's possible that the SD card that contained many of my photographs had been temporarily misplaced -- some might say "lost" -- and that if anyone found it, to please contact us.

The other week, my brother received a message from the school secretary in a nearby town, after someone had turned in the card at the school office. (Note that my brother was not in possession of the card when it was ... misplaced.) My brother is a fairly recognizable -- some might say "notorious" -- figure in these parts, so the secretary recognized him in a couple of the pictures. So essentially, my brother got a message that said, "There's an SD card here at the school, and it has some photos of football, you, and Mickey Mouse."

Thank you, nameless student with the eagle eyes who spotted our SD card in the gravel parking lot and then had the moral fortitude to actually turn in the card. The Short family vacation photos have found their way home!

And so have my recipe photos. (And why didn't the secretary mention these?)

This one such recipe, from Pillsbury. I made these one Sunday morning to feed my parents before they hit the road for the day, and the little man loved them, as well. He likes to eat these out of a paper cup in the car. A Mickey Mouse paper cup, if possible.

These harden up pretty quickly if you leave them uncovered, but they soften considerably if you store them in an airtight container. I actually liked these better the next day -- they're soft inside, and the outside tastes more like toffee than caramel.

Sticky Bun Bites
Makes 6 servings

1/4 cup butter, melted
Shortening, for greasing pan
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 12-ounce tube Pillsbury Grands! Jr. Golden Layers biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 12 regular-sized muffin cups with shortening.

2. In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Divide mixture among muffin cups (a little less than a tablespoon in each).

3. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a resealable bag.

4. Separate dough into 10 biscuits, and cut each biscuit into 6 pieces.

5. Place biscuit pieces in bag with cinnamon and sugar, seal, and shake to coat. Place 5 biscuit pieces in each muffin cup.

6. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

7. Cool 1 minute before inverting onto waxed paper and removing pan. Serve immediately, and store leftovers in a storage container.

The Hubby's Ultimate Grilled Cheese

2011-11-06T16:08:00.001-06:00

Food Network magazine ran a feature about grilled cheese sandwiches earlier this year, and one version they listed was actually a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich using sourdough bread.

Well hey, since they threw bacon in there, we had to tried it. So we tried the recipe as printed. And then the hubby suggested a few changes. So we tried it again. And then the hubby suggested a few changes. (Recipe critique and improvement is his specialty.) And then we had ... the hubby's perfect grilled cheese. (Mine is the hubby's version, minus the dressing.) We should totally take this sandwich on the national grilled cheese competition circuit.

The Hubby's Ultimate Grilled Cheese
Makes 4 sandwiches

8 strips thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons butter, plus more, as needed
8 slices sourdough bread
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
12 thin slices of tomato
4 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
A few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes

1. Cook bacon until crisp, and drain on paper towels.

2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add slice of bread and top with 3 ounces cheese, 2 strips bacon, and 3 tomato slices.

3. Spread 1 tablespoon dressing on a bread slice and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes. Press on top of the sandwich, dressing side down.

4. Cook until cheese melts and bread is golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.

5. Repeat for other sandwiches, adding more butter, as needed.

Michelle's Manicotti

2011-11-03T20:18:00.002-05:00

I have a confession. I don't like ricotta cheese. Which is proof that just anyone can be a food blogger, right? But there's something about the texture that I don't care for, especially when it's intermingled with a red sauce. (This is why I use cottage cheese in my lasagna.)

In fact, I tend to avoid most cheese-filled pasta. Most have ricotta, and even using cottage cheese as a substitute tastes a bit overwhelming to me. The exception is cheese tortellini, which seems to have a higher pasta-to-cheese ratio. Or perhaps I'm just overthinking this whole thing.

Anyway, I've given manicotti a fair shake -- both in restaurants and at home -- and it's just never really been my thing. But the other day, I was flipping through a church cookbook, looking for a specific recipe by a specific person, when I stumbled upon this recipe, by the specific person's daughter -- Michelle. Michelle is the office manager at the hubby's office, and we all adore her. And now we all adore her manicotti.

Michelle had the idea to stuff the manicotti with string cheese instead of a goopy cheese mixture. I think it was in the interests of being faster, but I much prefer the taste of this version, as well. And boy, are those shells a lot easier to stuff.

Depending on how saucy and meaty you want your manicotti, use anywhere between 1-1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, and 1-2 jars of spaghetti sauce. I think I'm .... about 1 1/2 pounds meaty and 1 1/2 jars saucy.

Michelle's Manicotti
Makes 6-8 servings

1 8-ounce package manicotti pasta
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1-2 26-ounce jars spaghetti sauce
14 pieces string cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9“ by 13” pan, or spray it with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, cook ground beef in a skillet with onion. (Optionally, sprinkle beef with onion salt.) Drain, if necessary, and then add spaghetti sauce.

4. Spread half the sauce in the bottom of the pan.

5. Run manicotti under cold water so you can handle it, and then insert a piece of string cheese in each manicotti tube. Place manicotti in pan (you’ll probably need to squeeze them tight).

If the manicotti tubes split, no biggie. Just put the split side on the bottom.

6. Top with remaining sauce.

7. Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes, or until heated through.

8. Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Apple Turnovers

2011-11-01T20:35:00.001-05:00

Apple turnovers are one of my favorite pastries, but it seems like it's tough to find a great one. (Although I still more than willingly eat the not-so-great ones.) So many of them have canned pie filling, which I don't particularly care for, or they leave kind of a funny feeling on the roof of your mouth, which probably means they've been sitting on the shelf for too long.

Or maybe I need to find a better bakery.

The good news is that apple turnovers are quite simple to make at home using store-bought puff pastry. And you can customize the filling to your tastes, just like I did mine. (And the little man did his, although more about that later.)

I think the best apples to use for this filling are apples that aren't terrible sweet, or too tart. (Or at least use a few of each to balance the other out.) Use the same type of apples that you'd use for an apple pie, because that's essentially what these are -- mini pies. I highly recommend the apples that grow on my parents' tree, if you can manage to get ahold of them. (I have connections.)

Apple Turnovers
Makes 9 turnovers

1 1/2 pounds apples (about 4 large apples)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 package puff pastry (16-18 ounces)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup powdered sugar
A few teaspoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1" pieces.

3. Place apples in a saucepan with water, lemon juice, sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until apples are very tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Remove apples from heat and stir in butter. Slightly mash apples into smaller pieces. Cool completely.

5. Stack puff pastry sheets together and roll into a 15" square. Cut into 9 even squares.

Correction: Cut into 9 uneven trapezoids.

6. Divide filling amongst the squares.

Wait a minute. Which of these things is not like the others ... what happened? Let's check the instant replay.

Jack decided to go the route of a makeshift pain au chocolate. Which worked pretty well, by the way.

7. Lightly brush edges of squares with beaten egg. Fold half of pastry square over to form a triangle. Use a fork to crimp the folded edges to seal them shut. Brush triangles with beaten egg.

Sealing them is important, but I sort of overfilled mine and had trouble keeping the filling contained. But my turnovers were fine. They didn't explode like, say, pizza rolls.

8. Using a sharp knife, cut three small slits in the top of each turnover, in case the turnovers just need to let out some steam.

9. Bake 15 minutes on two separate racks, and then switch each pan to the opposite rack. Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until turnovers are golden.

10. Let turnovers cool slightly. Combine powdered sugar and milk to desired consistency, and then drizzle icing over turnovers.

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

2011-10-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

I've been a bit under the weather lately, and what better cure for what ails you than a hearty, homemade soup?

Beef and barley soup is a longtime favorite of mine, although I've never found quite the right formula at home. My attempts have either tasted too strongly of wine, tomatoes, or salty beef broth, rather than a complimentary balance of all three. Enter Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips, which has about the most perfect beef and barley soup broth I've tasted. (This cookbook also gave me my favorite chili recipe.)

My mom stopped by while I was packing up the leftovers. She thought the soup was so terrific that after one taste, she took me up on my offer to send a few bowls back with her. And rumor has it, she ate it all in one sitting.

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
Makes 10-12 servings

2-2 1/2 pounds beef, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces baby portabello mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
6 cups beef broth (preferably low-sodium)
1/2 cup pearl barley
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the beef in batches, and season with salt and pepper before browning on all sides before transferring to slow cooker.

You want to get it a bit more brown than I did here. I nearly started my stovetop on fire shortly before this, so I was playing it safe.

3. Add the garlic, onions, mushrooms, and thyme to the skillet. Saute until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated before transferring to slow cooker.

4. Deglaze the skillet with the tomato paste and red wine. Allow wine to reduce by about 1/4 cup before transferring to the slow cooker.

5. Add carrots and celery to slow cooker, and then add broth and barley. Stir to combine.

6. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

World's Cutest Little Ghost Cupcakes

2011-10-27T19:53:00.001-05:00

Underneath it all, these are just basic chocolate cupcakes -- nothing outstanding. But these have got to be the cutest little Halloween treats that I've ever seen in my life. I saw these guys in Food Network magazine, and immediately wanted to make them for the little man to bring to daycare.

Because really, who better to appreciate my epicurean efforts than a passel of 2- and 3-year-olds?

What you need:

Frosted cupcakes
Small lollipops, unwrapped
Cornstarch
White fondant
Rolling pin
4" round cookie cutter
Black decorator gel

1. Prepare your cupcakes. I just made a basic two dozen, from a box. With (gasp), canned frosting. In little black and orange Halloween liners.

2. Place a lollipop in the top of each cupcake. I used Dum Dum pops, and they worked well.

3. Sprinkle work surface with cornstarch. Role out fondant to less than 1/8" thick.

I used storebought fondant, too. But you can certainly make your own, if you're a glutton for punishment.

Just kidding. I don't think it's that difficult. It's just time-consuming. And most people don't have that much time left to be consumed.

4. Using a 4" round cutter, cut fondant into circles.

I searched the house high and low for something that would work as a 4" round cookie cutter. After running out of luck in the kitchen, I used a clean decorative vase. My edges were a bit more jagged, but it worked.

Also, you can reroll the fondant scraps just as you would cookie dough. Just be sure to keep your work surface well covered with cornstarch in between.

5. Drape the fondant over the top of the lollipop. Shape the fondant into some creases and folds.

This was fun. And no two were alike.

6. Using the decorator gel, add some ghostly eyes.

See? Cute as can be. And be sure to make lots of friends, so they don't get lonely.

"Bridgette, you look amazing! Is that sateen?"

Sally's Oriental Coleslaw

2011-10-25T20:19:00.001-05:00

Asian salads are among my favorites because they typically have all these fun, crispy, crunchy, salty goodies, and dressings that are tasty but not all heavy and creamy. And my friend Sally's Oriental coleslaw is one of the best that I've tasted.

Fun, crispy, crunchy, salty goodies: Check. Dressing that is tasty but not heavy and creamy: Check.

Plus, it's pretty. (Just like Sally.)

This makes a big batch, so it's perfect for potlucks. You can pack the ingredients separately and toss together right before serving.

Sally's Oriental Coleslaw
Makes 10-12 servings

Salad
1 package beef-flavored ramen noodles, seasoning packet reserved for dressing
1 1-pound bag of coleslaw mix
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
3 scallions, sliced

Dressing
Seasoning packet from ramen noodles
1/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1/2 cup oil, such as vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Crumble ramen noodles onto a baking sheet. Toast in oven until golden, about 7-10 minutes.

Just for kicks, I threw in the almonds, too. Because I love me a toasted almond.

3. Combine coleslaw mix, almonds, sunflower seeds, and scallions in a large bowl.

4. In a small jar, combine seasoning packet, vinegar, oil, sugar, and dark sesame oil. Shake until well combined.

5. Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and the ramen noodles.

Mini Mummy Dogs

2011-10-22T20:30:00.008-05:00

I saw this recipe recently in a Pillsbury cooking magazine, and I fell in love with these little guys immediately. They're a perfect Halloween appetizer or snack, and not actually as tricky to make as I'd feared. (Never having wrapped a mummy in bandages before, wrapping them in dough sounded downright terrifying.)

Mini Mummy Dogs
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

1 8-ounce can refrigerated flaky dough sheet (crescent dough)
1 16-ounce package miniature smoked sausages
Ketchup or mustard

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Roll out dough sheet to a 14-inch by 11-inch rectangle. (This is a bit sticky.) Then cut in half vertically to make two 7-inch by 11-inch rectangles. (I find a pizza cutter works best for this.) Cut cross-wise to create 44 7-inch by 1/2-inch strips.

3. Use paper towels to dry the sausages, so the dough adheres to them more easily.

4. Wrap one strip of dough around each sausage to create a mummy effect. Press firmly at the ends to secure the dough.

There's no perfect method for this, and my mummies had a lot of variety. But try to keep a little bit of space open for the mummy's eyes, which will be dabbed on with ketchup or mustard.

Having been a history major and a classical studies minor in college, I can say with near-certainty that this wasn't a common practice in the ancient Egyptian mummification process.

5. Place the mummies on the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, so they brown evenly.

6. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until dough is golden.

7. Dab on some eyes using ketchup or mustard, and serve warm with preferred dipping sauce.

Witches' Broomstick Cookies

2011-10-19T21:02:00.003-05:00

I've never been much of a Halloween person, but I have to admit that having the little man around makes it a lot more fun. He doesn't quite get the whole concept just yet, but he's very excited about the pumpkins and other decorations, brings home loads of Halloween crafts from daycare each week, and has been practicing his trick-or-treating (or maybe just conning me into giving him extra candy).

We set out to make some Halloween-themed cookies over the weekend, and decided to make our take on a Betty Crocker recipe for these adorable little broomsticks. It's Betty's technique, but my cookies. The original recipe called for more of a basic shortbread-type of cookie. But my longtime love for Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream has lead me to associate chocolate and pretzels with peanut butter. So peanut butter cookies were a must.

The cookie batter is the same that I use for my not-quite-world-famous peanut blossoms, and with three ingredients, it comes together quite easily. (Although, for some reason, the little man needed two rolling pins, two spatulas, a bench scraper, a pastry brush, and an ice cream scoop. I didn't ask.) The rest of the process is admittedly more time-consuming, but worth the extra steps.

Witches' Broomstick Cookies
Makes 20

1 cup cream peanut butter (preferably Skippy)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
10 pretzel rods, broken in half
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
1/3 cup butterscotch chips or orange candy melts
1/2 teaspoon shortening

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine peanut butter and brown sugar until creamy, and then mix in egg until well combined.

3. Divide dough into 20 pieces and roll them into balls. (I apologize for the lack of photos. The little man was attacking my cookies with the aforementioned pastry brush, so I was in a hurry.)

4. Place pretzel rods on two cookie sheets. Press a ball of dough onto the cut end of each pretzel round. Press dough with the tines of a fork to look like bristles.

As much as a cookie can look like bristles, that is.

5. Bake 10 minutes. Let cookies sit on pans for about 15-20 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. (You need them to firm up so they can support themselves when you hold the pretzels.)

6. Transfer cookies to waxed paper.

7. In a small saucepan, heat chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons shortening over low heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly melted.

8. Spoon chocolate over the top half of the cookie and the lower half-inch or so of the pretzel rod.

9. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butterscotch chips or candy melts and 1/2 teaspoon shortening. Heat until melted, about 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds.

10. Place mixture in a resealable bag and snip off a tiny bit of one corner to use as a piping bag. Drizzle over chocolate mixture.

11. Let set before moving to serving tray or container.

Meatballs in Gravy

2011-10-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

This recipe, one of the hubby's most frequently requested, is very representative of our now-combined families. This is my mother-in-law's recipe for meatballs, combined with a version of my dad's legendary gravy.

The secret to the meatballs is crushed saltines. And the secret to the gravy? Cream of chicken soup. (I think I've mentioned on here before that my Grandma Erickson, my dad's mom, could accomplish extraordinary culinary feats with a can of cream of chicken soup.)

My gravy still isn't as good as my dad's, and I'm convinced that he's withholding some secret trick from me. (You know, aside from the whole "patience, young padawan" thing.) My tweaks to my dad's recipe are to add a bit of browning sauce and Worcestershire sauce, just to beef up the gravy a bit. (You don't get a lot of juice and pan drippings from meatballs.)

Another of my dad's little tricks? Use off-brand cream of chicken soup. Because it's not as chickeny as the more expensive brands, it picks up the flavors of your meat much better.

Meatballs in Gravy
Serves 6

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably 85% lean
3/4 cup crushed saltines
2 eggs
Salt, pepper, and onion salt
2 teaspoons canola oil

Gravy
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans water
Salt, pepper, and onion salt, to taste
1-2 teaspoons browning sauce
1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Slurry of cornstarch, flour, and water (about 1 part each cornstarch and flour to 2 parts water)

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, saltines, eggs, salt, pepper, and onion salt.

2. Form mixture into balls about 1“-1 1/2” in diameter.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and brown on all sides.

4. Remove meatballs from skillet and repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.

5. Reduce heat to medium and stir in soup, water, browning sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

6. Bring soup mixture to a simmer and return meatballs to pan. Cover and cook about 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.

7. Using a whisk, stir in slurry until gravy is of desired consistency.

8. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and onion salt.

Bacon-Wrapped Li'l Smokies

2011-10-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

This little snack/appetizer/side dish is a meat-lover's dream. These little guys are like pigs in a blanket, except that the blanket, too, is made of pig. (Speaking of meat-lovers' dreams ...)

You could serve these as an appetizer, along with a mustard sauce or barbecue sauce for dipping. They're perfect for entertaining, because they taste great even at room temperature.

I prefer them with brunch-type meal, alongside maybe a slice of quiche and a pastry or some fruit. I love brunch in general, and it only gets better with some pig-wrapped pig. (Oh, wait, I used all-beef smoked sausages.)

Just a note that you don't want to use thick-cut bacon here. It's ... I can't believe I'm saying this ... too bacony.

Bacon-Wrapped Li'l Smokies
Makes about 40 sausages

1 pound bacon, sliced in half
1 pound miniature smoked sausages
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil, and place a baking rack on top.

2. Wrap each sausage with half a slice of bacon.

3. Place seam side down on baking rack and sprinkle sausages with brown sugar.

You might notice that my baking rack is missing here. That is a mistake I shan't repeat.

4. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until bacon is cooked to desired doneness.

Hot and Spicy Ramen

2011-10-13T21:23:00.000-05:00

First off, let me just explain that I know I'll be getting flak about this post. Because it's ramen noodles, that easy-cooking staple of poor college students everywhere.

However, when you go to many a sushi restaurant, you can order a bowl of spicy ramen to accompany your cold sushi, and that's the kind of ramen that I'm talking about here. The noodles are more tender and flavorful, and the hot broth gives you a spicy kick all the way down to your toes.

So yes, this "recipe" starts with a package of ramen noodles, which cost approximately 29 cents at your local grocery store. But do away with that salty packet and flavor your own broth, and you've got an easy, restaurant-style ramen of your own.

Hot and Spicy Ramen
Serves 2

32 ounces chicken broth
1 package ramen noodles (seasoning packet discarded)
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sriracha or chili oil
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 cup cubed, cooked chicken or pork (optional)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Dash of sesame oil

1. In a medium saucepan, combine broth and noodles. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, and then stir to break up noodles.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add soy sauce, sriracha or chili oil, and ginger. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in a dash of sesame oil and garnish with scallions.

Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers with Tangy Dipping Sauce

2011-10-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

I've been doing a lot of baking lately to put together some of our families' favorites recipes, and I've been trying to balance out all that decadence with some lighter meals. Luckily, I have a wealth of cookbooks and cooking magazines at my disposal to give me ideas, such as this one from Cuisine at Home.

This recipe makes some genuinely crispy, oven-baked chicken fingers, and my little brother loved them. Of course, he drenched his with the homemade sauce, which tastes like a sweeter buffalo wing sauce.

Note that these are a bit time-consuming. Had I read through the recipe thoroughly, my dinner guests wouldn't have been subjected to those two extra episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while waiting for their food. (Of course, I also doubled the recipe.)

Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers with Tangy Dipping Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Chicken fingers
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound, total)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 egg whites
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil

Dipping sauce
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of celery seed
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice each chicken breast in four strips, lengthwise.

2. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and paprika in a dish.

3. Dredge chicken fingers in the flour mixture and place on a wire rack.

4. Add panko to remaining flour mixture.

5. Whip egg whites to soft peaks in a bowl, using a hand mixer. (I tried a whisk, and after a few agonizing minutes, I switched to the mixer.) Whisk in buttermilk and Tabasco.

6. Dip each floured strip in the egg white mixture, and then in the pank and flour mixture. Return strips to rack.

7. Heat oil in a large baking sheet for 5 minutes in the oven.

8. Arrange chicken in a single layer on the hot baking sheet. (This starts crisping up the bottom of the chicken right away, so it doesn't get soggy.) Roast for 10-15 minutes, flip strips over, and roast an additional 10-15 minutes, until chicken is crispy and cooked through.

9. Meanwhile, simmer all sauce ingredients except butter over medium-low in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and swirl in the butter. Serve sauce warm with the chicken.

Mom's Frosting

2011-10-08T15:15:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I've mentioned a time or six before that I'm not a fan of traditional frosting, which leads me to be not a fan of most cakes. But cakes are also kind of the norm for birthday celebrations these days, and every year, my mom asks me what kind of cake I want.

My request is simple: Cold yellow cake with whipped cream frosting.

But I think this request is too simple for my mom, who suffers from the feeling that she's not doing anything special for her favorite child. So every year, she adds a twists. (These are often excellent twists, like the year she found a way to distribute tiny morsels of cream cheese throughout my cake.)

This year, she topped my cake with a whipped creamy/cream cheesy frosting that was absolutely perfect. It's now my frosting of choice for any cake or cupcake, especially because it's so quick and easy to throw together.

Mom's Frosting
Makes enough for 1 cake or 24 cupcakes (with some to spare)

1 8-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I use fat-free Cool Whip)
1 8-ounce container whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 tablespoon, or more to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix ingredients until thoroughly combined and to desired consistency.

3. Top cake or cupcakes as desired. (Guess whose birthday these were for?)

Spicy Garlic Dipping Oil

2011-10-06T21:23:00.000-05:00

I've recently declared my newfound love for take 'n' bake bread, which isn't perfect, but has become a lifesaver in a town devoid of a bakery. Or even a grocery store with a real bread section. But what to do with all that tasty, fresh-baked goodness? Just what you'd do in a restaurant -- dip it in some equally tasty dipping oil.

You can buy ready-made dipping oil, but it's so easy to make at home, and you can add whatever you want. I like this combination, which is garlicky and slightly spicy.

Spicy Garlic Dipping Oil
Serves 4-6

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspooon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, for dipping

1. In a small pan or skillet, heat oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and pepper over medium heat, until bubbly and fragrant.

2. Remove from heat and cool.

3. Remove garlic, and then spoon into serving dishes and serve with warm bread.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

2011-10-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

And once again, I'm behind in my posts. It's been a busy few weeks with fall yardwork, the wedding of a couple of great friends, my Tigers in the playoffs (hey, watching baseball takes time), and this little goofball turning 2.

Isn't he getting big?

(That's me at the top of the slide. The hubby has been giving me Photography for Dummies lessons lately, including the importance of the bokeh effect in photos. I've discovered that I look my best when I'm bokeh-ed. I plan on taking all my photos that way from now on.)

Anyway, in belated honor of my little man's big birthday, we'll celebrate with meatballs, one of his favorites. These are basic meatballs without any crunchy stuff, no weird chunks of anything in the sauce, etc. Just tender meatballs simmered in a tasty sauce, and sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.

The pickiest of eaters being my father, of course, not my 2-year-old.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably 85% lean
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (or more, as needed)
2 24-ounce jars pasta sauce

1. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt.

2. Combine mixture thoroughly. You might have to get your hands dirty.

3. Form mixture into uniformly sized balls.

I use my cookie scoop for this. Even though it weirds me out a little bit, and the cookie scoop is obviously washed in between.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides.

You might have to do this in two batches. You want your meatballs to have elbow room to get nice and caramelized.

5. Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta sauce and cover. Cook about 10 minutes, until sauce is bubbly. Then reduce to a simmer for another 20 minutes or so.

6. Serve over cooked pasta.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

2011-09-25T14:26:00.012-05:00

Roasted chickpeas have become quite the fad in the past several months, and I've seem them with all manner of seasonings. They always look fantastic, but I've had little luck with the recipe.

But I kept trying, because I figured I had to be doing something wrong. On this fateful attempt, whilst transferring my chickpeas to dry, I noticed the skin peeling off some of the chickpeas.

Chickpeas have skin?

I know! I was surprised, too. I'm usually just dumping them into a pot of soup, so I don't handle them much. But as I peeled away the skin, out popped what appeared to be a shiny, new chickpea -- with a harder, nuttier texture.

And hurray, crispy roasted chickpeas!

You can use any seasoning blend that you prefer on these. I opted for a milder mixture this time around, but I think I'll go with something zestier next time, like a Cajun or Creole blend.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Makes about 1 cup

Chickpeas
1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoning blend, to taste
Kosher salt, for sprinkling (I used a smoked chipotle salt)

Seasoning blend
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine seasoning blend ingredients.

2. Rinse and drain chickpeas.

You're welcome for this helpful photo of how to drain chickpeas. I'm practicing with all these new lenses that the hubby keeps putting on the camera.

3. Remove skins from chickpeas, if you have the time and inclination. For most, you simply have to sort of squeeze the chickpea, and it pops right out of its skin.

The skins creep me out, in a haunted-house-"guess-what's-in-the-bowl"-game sort of way.

4. Lay the chickpeas on a few paper towels, and blot them with another paper towel to dry. It was such a nice, bright, sunny day in my kitchen that does not yet have blinds put on the windows, so I let my chickpeas soak up some rays to dry.

5. Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with your hands to ensure the oil is evenly distributed.

6. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring once, until chickpeas are brown and crispy.

7. Sprinkle immediately with seasoning blend and salt. Then serve 'em up!

These are addictive, so it shouldn't be any problem to eat them in one sitting. If you have extras, store tightly covered. But they don't seem to keep well for more than a couple of days.

Broiled Italian Sandwiches

2011-09-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

I work from home a few days a week, and now that we live in the same town where the hubby works, he comes home for lunch some days, as well. We've been cooking more, so we typically have a lot of leftovers, which I try to use creatively. (Chili omelet, anyone?)

But some days, I just get a hankering for something different, like a really good, hot sandwich. (Hence the idea for the recent pizza sandwiches.) Bread has been an obstacle for me, but I recently stumbled upon some lovely take 'n' bake ciabatta rolls. Along with some leftovers from the fridge, this sandwich was born.

Again, I apologize for the simplicity of this not-quite-a-recipe posting. But then I take back that apology, because this IS so simple and tasty. And it's just an idea -- swap out meats, cheeses, and veggies. Use your favorite dressing or none at all. Add some kettle chips or a cup of soup, and you've got a lunch to rival anything your local bistro or sandwich shop could serve.

I'm just guessing, of course. We don't have bistros in these parts.

Broiled Italian Sandwiches
Per sandwich (I have a hearty appetite, so I eat two):

Ciabatta roll
2-3 slices salami
1 slice fresh mozzarella cheese
1-2 thin slices tomato
Shredded lettuce
Italian dressing

1. Preheat broiler on low.

2. For each sandwich, slice your roll, place it on a baking sheet, and top bottom of roll with salami and cheese.

3. Get back to work. Preheating the oven takes far longer than the food prep here.

4. Broil sandwiches until cheese melts, about 3-4 minutes.

Stick close by, because broiled food can go from good to ugly in about 10 seconds. Like wingmen, you never, ever leave your broiler.

5. Remove sandwiches from oven, and top with tomatoes, lettuce, and a drizzle of dressing.

6. Add tops to rolls, and serve.

Oven Baked Beans

2011-09-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, the litte man and I road-tripped across the state for my cousin's high school graduation. In North Dakota, the standard graduation celebration is the afternoon open house. They're casual, laid-back, and full of food.

My uncle did the cooking for the open house, and he made a huge pot of baked beans that included a few varieties of beans. And the little man went nuts for them. (I may have mentioned once or twice or 641 times that he loves beans.) I typically make my baked beans on the stovetop, and they're quite BBQ-y and cooked down. These, on the other hand, didn't have any overwhelming flavors. And the beans still retained their shape and some firmness, so they were easy for the little man to pick up with his fingers. (For those who enjoy eating baked beans using silverware, that still works, too.)

When I asked my uncle for the recipe, he couldn't quite remember where he got it. He says he typically types a recipe name into a search engine and attempts the most popular recipe. (Hey, whatever works.) I found a similar version on allrecipes.com, and made some modifications to it to suit our tastes. And, because the recipe still relies on canned beans, everything bakes up really quickly.

Oven Baked Beans
Serves 6-8

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I typically use Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy)
A few dashes of liquid smoke
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 16-ounce can pork and beans, undrained
1 16-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2 1/2-quart baking dish, or spray it with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet, cook beef, bacon, and onion until meat is done and onion is tender. Drain any fat.

Please pretend there is bacon here. I didn't have any thawed, and the beans are still quite good without the bacon. Of course, as with most foods, they do taste best with bacon.

3. Combine all remaining ingredients except beans.

4. Add to meat mixture and mix well. Stir in beans. Pour mixture into prepared dish.

5. Bake, covered, for 1 hour or until heated through and bubbly.

Pizza Sandwiches

2011-09-08T21:09:00.001-05:00

The hubby and I frequent a locally owned sandwich shop that makes these chopped, griddled sandwiches that are fantastic. They cook the food -- a variety of toppings -- on a huge griddle, chopping the food as they go along. I think I've tried every variety of sandwich they offer, and I've never been disappointed. But my favorite is a pizza-style sandwich.

I was craving one of these the other day, but because the hubby and I no longer live in the bit cit-ay, I can't just run and get one very easily. But hey, it's a simple concept, so I figured I could try one at home using a cast-iron skillet and some basic pizza ingredients.

This is kind of a non-recipe recipe, because quantities vary so much according to personal tastes, the size of the rolls you're using, etc. But I have to say, I think my sandwich filling was even better than the sandwich shop's.

Unfortunately, my little coney rolls -- the closest bread I could find at my local grocery store -- couldn't compare to their crusty, chewy offering. Maybe that will be my next experiment!

Pizza Sandwiches
Makes 1 sandwich; amounts of ingredients vary, depending on size of rolls

Deli ham, chopped
Pepperoni, chopped
Green bell pepper, chopped
Mushrooms, chopped
Dried Italian seasoning
Pizza sauce
Crushed red pepper flakes
Sliced provolone or mozzarella
Crusty rolls

1. Heat a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat, and spray with cooking spray. (I prefer cast iron, so I can chop away without risking my pan's coating.) Add ham, pepperoni, and vegetables.

2. Saute until meat is starting to crisp, and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and top with a few tablespoons of pizza sauce. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Shape mixture in a similar shape as your roll.

4. Top with cheese.

5. Cook until cheese starts to melt, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

6. Top with halved roll, so that roll heats a bit over the mixture.

7. Using a spatula, scoop up the entire concoction, roll and all, so that mixture lands on the roll, cheese side down. Serve hot.

Chewy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookies

2011-09-06T21:08:00.000-05:00

I saw this recipe while flipping through a magazine, and it looked like a great, quick dessert option. The hubby loves chocolate cookies, the little man loves peanut butter, and I ... thought it needed some chocolate chips.

I was right. I usually am.

Just kidding.

Except when it comes to chocolate chips. Then I usually AM right.

This recipe comes together incredibly quickly, but I would highly recommend using a stand mixer. I figured the mixture would be too crumbly to stir by hand, so I tried a good-quality hand mixer ... and it just didn't quite cut the mustard. So I switched to the stand mixer, and voila!

You can omit the chocolate chips. Or add more. Or add something else, like peanut butter chips. Or peanuts. Go crazy! (Or go nuts. I'm flexible.)

Chewy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 box devil's food cake mix
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place cake mix, cream cheese, peanut butter, and egg in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 2 minutes. Beat on medium speed an additional 2 minutes.

3. Stir in chocolate chips.

You should probably also test some of the batter, in the name of quality control.

4. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on cookie sheets. Flatten with your hands or with a fork dipped in sugar. (With the chocolate chips in the batter, it's sort of easier to use your hands.)

5. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on cookies sheets for a few minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Grandma's Soup

2011-09-04T14:08:00.001-05:00

I apologize for the lag in postings. I had a half-dozen or so recipes ready to post, but then ... well, it's a long story.

On an unrelated note, if anyone happens to find an SD card that includes not only pics of delicious-looking food, but also my family's vacation photos from Florida, please contact the hubby.

My mom stopped by the other day, bearing gifts. (Even though we live only two blocks away now, and we see my mother almost every day, she still prefers to bring gifts when she visits. I'm sure the novelty of our close proxemity will wear off soon.) This time, her gift was a Taste of Home cooking magazine ... with a request. "Can you make me some soup like this?"

The next morning, the little man and I hightailed it up to our local grocery store, where the little man informed everyone we saw that we "got Grandma's soup." ("Got" is his catch-all verb.) We had to make a few ingredient substitutions, and then we added in some other stuff that we thought would be good, and then invited Grandma over for lunch to eat her super-healthy, Italian vegetable soup.

Grandma's Soup
Makes 6 servings

2 ribs celery, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 c. water
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14.5-oz. can chicken broth, plus 1/2 c.
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 c. small pasta (I used mafalda)
4 c. torn baby spinach (I used about 1/2 a package of frozen spinach)

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute celery, onion, carrot, zucchini, and garlic until tender.

2. Stir in the water, beans, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings.

And, of course, taste as you go along. Even the ingredients themselves. Jack lets no bean go untasted.

3. Bring to a boil, and then stir in pasta.

4. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 13-15 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add spinach during the last few minutes of cooking.

Saucy Pork Stir-Fry

2011-08-18T20:48:00.002-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for yummy stir-fries that I can make at home, and that taste even remotely close to the restaurant stir-fries that I crave. However, I'd also like them to be lower in fat than restaurant dishes, and not be loaded with sodium.

This is a pretty sauce dish, but the sauce is packed with flavor, so that's OK by me. The sauce has just a bit of sweetness and spice, and the tomato paste gives it an extra depth of flavor and a sort of heaviness (in a good way) that some stir-fry sauces lack.

This sauce recipe is based on a Cuisine at Home recipe, but I made several changes and substitutions and math errors, so I really have no idea what the original recipe was supposed to be like.

And did I mention the dish is saucy? If I'd had twice as many vegetables on hand, I would have added them, and there would have been plenty of sauce. So that's what I'm going to suggest for the recipe, and next time, I'll throw in a bunch of broccoli or something. There's plenty of sauce to soak up, so you might as well load the dish up with as many veggies as you can!

Saucy Pork Stir-Fry
Serves 4-5

16 oz. pork loin, cut in thin strips
6 Tbsp. lite soy sauce, divided
1 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 c. dry sherry
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
2 tsp. canola oil, divided
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
4 c. fresh vegetables, chopped (bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.)

1. Combine pork and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce in a dish. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the sauce.

2. Stir together 4 Tbsp. soy sauce, broth, sherry, cornstarch, honey, tomato paste, 2 tsp. garlic, 1 tsp. ginger, pepper, and cayenne for the sauce. Set aside.

3. Preheat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. oil.

4. Stir-fry pork until it's cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.

5. Remove pork from wok and set aside.

6. Add remaining 1 tsp. oil to wok. Add 2 Tbsp. garlic and 1 Tbsp. ginger and stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add veggies.

7. Return pork to wok and add sauce. Cook until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.

Easy and Light Fried Rice

2011-08-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

I really like fried rice, but I still tend to use it as a base for stir-fries rather than eating it on its own. So I like my fried rice to have a pretty mild flavor.

I've tried making fried rice several times at home, and while it looks so simple, it's been troublesome for me. I tend to to overdo it with the soy sauce, and my rice tends to get really, really salty.

This recipe had about the perfect ratio of rice to soy sauce to suit my tastes (and the lite soy sauce certainly helped), and is incredibly easy to make. And while I went pretty basic, you can certainly add any veggies that you like -- mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, etc. But if you add more veggies, you might want to serve the fried rice with some extra soy sauce on the side, just in case your spreading your flavor too thin.

Easy and Light Fried Rice
Serves 4

1/2 c. shredded carrot
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c. cold cooked brown rice
3-4 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/3 c. frozen peas

1. Spray large wok or nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add carrot, onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir about 1-2 minutes.

2. Stir in rice and soy sauce. Cook over low haet 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Move rice mixture to one side of skillet. Add eggs and pepper to the other side. (I added an extra quick shot of cooking spray to the side of the skillet before adding the eggs.)

4. Cook over medium-low heat 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until eggs are cooked. Add peas to rice and egg mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.

5. Heat through, and serve with extra soy sauce, if needed.

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2011-08-13T20:01:00.001-05:00

I got an unexpected delivery of zucchini from my mother-in-law the other day, and I was caught totally off-guard. Is it that time of year already? Not wanting this precious produce to go to waste, I tried something that I've never made before: zucchini bread.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a fan of zucchini bread. Or banana bread. Or anything of that ilk. I don't know if it's the texture or the spices used with them, but they've just never really been my thing.

But if you add chocolate, well, that's a completely different story.

This zucchini bread, based on a Food Network Kitchens recipe, is studded with dark chocolate chips, and also has some cocoa in the batter. The cocoa isn't overwhelming ... it still has a bit of zucchini-bread flavor, but actually has a taste and texture that's more like cake than bread.

And did I mention the chocolate chips?

This bread is tasty on its own, but would be incredible topped with some whipped cream. Or cream cheese. And maybe some more chocolate chips. I deserve a reward. I hit the treadmill today. For 10 whole minutes, too.

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves

2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temperature
2 c. shredded, unpeeled zucchini (8 oz.)
6 oz. dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9"x5" loaf pans.

2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

3. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high spped until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

4. While mixing, drizzle in the oil and beat until incorporated. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

5. Add the vanilla to the buttermilk.

6. Slowly mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, and then 1/2 the buttermilk mixture. Mix in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk, and then the last of the flour mixture.

7. Fold zucchini and chocolate chips into the batter.

8. Divide the batter between the two pans.

9. Bake until a toothpick in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 45 minutes for a glass pan and 55 minutes for a metal pan. (I tried one of each.)

10. Cool in pans on rack before removing loaves from pans.

Open-Faced Italian Chicken Sandwiches

2011-08-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

This super-quick, super-cheap, super-yummy dish shouldn't really count as a recipe, because it's so simple. And yet, it totally hits the spot. I saw the idea in a Betty Crocker cookbook, using turkey legs instead of chicken breasts, but I'm a white-meat kind of gal.

This chicken would make a great panini sandwich filling, as well. I think the key is garlic bread or Texas toast -- the garlicky flavor totally compliments the tomato sauce on the chicken.

And did I mention that you don't even have to thaw the chicken first? I throw my chicken breasts in straight from the freezer. The chicken is supposed to cook for eight hours, but who's gone for work for exactly eight hours? I figure that using frozen chicken helps keep it from overcooking while I'm gone. It's not that I'm lazy. Really.

Open-Faced Italian Chicken Sandwiches
Serves 4-6

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 6-oz. can Italian-style tomato paste
2 8-oz. cans Italian-style tomato sauce
½ c. water (more if needed)
½ tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices Texas toast, cooked according to package directions
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Combine chicken, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and Italian seasoning in slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours.

2. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred meat with two forks. Return to slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. You can also add more water to keep the chicken saucy. (I like a saucy chicken.)

3. Serve chicken on hot Texas toast and top with cheese.

Quick Taco Casserole

2011-08-09T20:16:00.000-05:00

Since the move, I've been commuting to work instead of the hubby. Luckily, my company is very flexible about my working from home a few days a week, which I love. I feel like I have the perfect combination of social interaction and alone time so I can focus, and our little family also gets a few more hours of together time on the days when I work from home.

The days when I commute can get a little hectic, though, because I return home right about the time when the little man is starting to demand his supper. (And let's be honest, I'm ready to demand mine, too.)

Meals like this are perfect for those evenings, because I can assemble this dish quickly the night before, and the hubby can just pop it in the oven when he gets home from work.

This isn't fancy cuisine, by any means, but as the hubby says, "It tastes good and it's warm." And the little man gobbled his right up.

Quick Taco Casserole
Serves 6-8

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 c. (8 oz.) taco sauce
3/4 c. water
1 4-oz. can diced green chiles (optional)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
12 white or yellow taco shells, or about 6 oz. tortilla chips, divided
2 c. shredded cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese, divided
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, and other assorted toppings

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 11x7-inch pan, or spray with cooking spray.

2. Cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until browned. Stir in taco sauce, water, green chiles, and taco seasoning. Cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes.

3. Layer half the broken taco shells or chips on bottom of baking dish.

I'm not quite certain why I felt this photo was important.

4. Cover with half the meat mixture and half the cheese.

5. Repeating with remaining taco shells, meat mixture, and cheese.

6. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

7. Let cool slightly before serving, and serve with toppings.

Dark Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

2011-08-06T20:23:00.000-05:00

The hubby and I recently had our families over for a house-lukewarming party. (We're not quite ready for an official house-warming just yet.) I was just going to skate by on dessert and doctor up some brownies from a mix, but ha, I didn't have any.

Did I mention that it was just a few hours before everyone was supposed to show up?

With limited time and ingredients, I flipped through a few cookbooks and discovered a version of these in a Hershey's cookbook. I made several adjustments, though, and wowza, were these suckers good. The crust is like a shortbread, and the addition of salt with the toffee makes the bars sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. And I love the dark chocolate with these. (I, like the rest of the civilized world, have been obsessed with the combination of dark chocolate and sea salt.)

I'm happy to report that these bars have already earned a permanent spot in the recipe rotation.

Dark Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
Serves 16-20

2 1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips, divided
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 3/4 c. (10 oz.) toffee bits, divided
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan or spray it with cooking spray.

2. Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Add egg and 1/2 tsp. salt; mix well. The mixture will be very, very crumbly, but it will come together. Stir in 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips.

4. Reserve 1 1/2 c. mixture. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan.

5. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crust.

6. Top with 1 1/2 c. toffee bits and sprinkle with fine sea salt.

7. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 c. chocolate chips over top.

8. Bake 25-30 minutes, or untili golden. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. toffee bits.

9. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

The Chili I've Been Dreaming Of

2011-08-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

It’s official; I’m a delinquent blogger.

Moving, kitchen packed up, blah, blah, blah. Had to unpack, couldn’t find the camera, yadda, yadda, yadda.

What it boils down to is that I’ve been neglecting my blog. But that’s done with, I assure you. We’ve only been the house for a few weeks, so we’re not exactly unpacked yet. (We might never be unpacked.) But the kitchen is fairly put together. I’m still missing various pots and pans and a half-dozen or so small appliances, but I can get by. I’ve actually cooked more in the past few weeks than the past several months, combined. (And we’ve probably had more dinner guests than in the past few years, combined.)

I really like my new kitchen. It’s very spacious and has a ton of counter space and double ovens.* And it’s YELLOW.**

Anyway, the chili. I’ve been on a quest for my perfect chili for quite some time now, because I like a thicker, meatier, more cumin-y chili that has lots of flavor but not a ton of heat. But everything I tried was too something. Too salty. Too thick. Too thin. Too chili powderish.

And then, I tried this. This is a recipe from Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips, and it’s perfect. And you can’t mess it up. I’ve followed the recipe to the letter. I’ve halved it. I’ve cooked it on the stovetop. I’ve forgotten to toast the spices. I’ve added beans. I’ve forgotten half the tomato sauce. And it always tastes amazing.

You can serve this chili with your choice of toppings. The little man likes his topped with plenty o’ black beans. I like mine with cheese. My brother likes cheese and jalapenos. We all like to use tortilla chips in place of a spoon.

You must try this chili.

*One oven is about the same as age me.
**Yes, the yellow paint was my decision. It’s a happy kitchen.

The Chili I've Been Dreaming Of (a.k.a. Ryan's Chili)
Serves 6-8

2 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. 85% lean ground beef
2 tsp. ancho chile powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tsp. cornmeal
2 c. beef broth
4 c. tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, beans, jalapenos, etc. for topping

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and crumble, and cook until brown. Transfer meat to slow cooker.

2. Add chile powder, oregano, cumin, 2 tsp. salt, and cayenne to the skillet and cook until spices are fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add cornmeal and stir until mixture thickens. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Transfer to slow cooker and stir in tomato sauce.

3. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours, or until chili is thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with toppings.

Baked Mostaccioli

2011-06-07T22:02:00.009-05:00

Now that the hubby and I have sold the house, life has sort of returned to normal. If normal means we can once again mess up the kitchen while we try to sort out the details of this moving debacle.

(And speaking of organizational nightmares, I got a new phone this week. It has a little Post-It notes app that just might keep me sane. Yay Windows Phone 7!)

I threw together this casserole the other night and left it in the fridge before tossing it in the oven after work. I'm a huge fan of pasta bakes, but the hubby typically says, "Meh." This one has a homemade sauce, and not as much sauce or cheese as I typically use. The hubby had two helpings and told me to make it again sometime. So it's healthier AND hubby approved.

Baked Mostaccioli
Serves 6

8 oz. uncooked mostaccioli or other pasta (I used rotini; that's 8 fewer ounces of pasta to pack up for the move!)
3/4-1 lb. lean ground beef
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
1 14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2/3 cup water
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 c. cottage cheese (I used 2%)
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11"x7" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Add ground beef to a large skillet or saucepan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, and brown over medium to medium-high heat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and marjoram; set aside.

5. Drain pasta. Spread 1/2 c. sauce in bottom of baking dish. Layer with half the pasta, sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Please pretend there is mozzarella in this photo. Thanks, The Management.

6. Top with cottage cheese mixture.

7. Layer with remaining pasta, sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

8. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Try to remember to take a picture before four servings have been eaten out of the dish.

Oops

2011-06-02T21:03:00.002-05:00

My goodness, has it been that long? Wow.

In the past month, the hubby, the little man, and I:

Finished the latest in a series of brutal, work-related deadlines. OK, so that was mainly me. But the hubby and the little man have to put up with me during those times. That's hard work, too.

Spent a week in sunny Florida! We ate a lot of good food. And the hubby hired a personal chef to spend the afternoon with me. But more about that another time. When I find the pictures.

Put our house on the market. The house always had to be sparkly clean. Kitchens get messed up pretty easily. For the past month, my kitchen has basically been for decoration only. It's been torture.

Sold our house! That just happened this week. I made bars to celebrate. I resisted the urge to throw the batter all over the kitchen, just because I could. Instead, I rebelled by leaving my towel on the floor of the bathroom. Ha! Take that, Mr. Home Inspection Man!

And now, I'm going to bed.

Jack's Two-Bean Soup

2011-04-25T20:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, more soup.

Yes, more soup with beans.

The little man is expanding his food horizons every day -- chips and hot sauce, steak with A-1 sauce, peanut butter and Chicken in a Biskit cracker sandwiches -- but he still loves his old standbys, including this soup. Especially because the pasta fits perfectly on his fingers. Pasta rings are a toddler's best friend.

I happen to be a big fan of this soup, too. It's perfect for lunch, alongside a sandwich. Plus, you can toss pretty much anything in here. And the bacon is totally optional; if I have some on hand, I toss it in. But I don't really miss it when it's gone. (And I always miss bacon.)

Two-Bean Soup
Serves 6

2 strips cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
1 tsp. vegetable or olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 c. chicken broth
1 can small white beans, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 c. small pasta, such as mezzi tubetti
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute vegetables in oil over medium heat until they start to sweat, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in bay leaf and seasonings.

2. Stir in tomato paste, and add broth and beans. Bring soup to a boil and stir in pasta. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10-15 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables are tender.

Melissa d'Arabian's Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs

2011-04-23T19:54:00.000-05:00

Because I'm constantly chasing after world's busiest little man, I don't get a lot of TV time anymore. If it weren't for the DVR, I probably wouldn't get any at all. I tend to watch little snippets of Food Network while folding clothes, and I fast-forward to get the gist of the recipe and what the finished product will look like.

This is the first recipe of Melissa d'Arabian's that I've tried, and I just couldn't resist because I love cooking with country-style pork ribs (although I prefer boneless). This is a hardy, tasty, and tangy recipe that gets a little bit of kick from crushed red pepper flakes and the vinegar.

Although I have to admit, it took me a lot longer to make these than it did on TV in fast-forward.

Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs
Serves 4

3 lbs. country-style pork ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 c. chicken broth

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

2. Pat the ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove the ribs and set aside.

3. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and reduce heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute.

4. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes.

5. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and then add the red pepper flakes and bay leaves.

6. Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach halfway up the sides of the ribs. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown.

7. Serve the ribs with the sauce on top.

Guacamole

2011-04-20T20:33:00.003-05:00

And I'm back! Although still busy and stressed and scared to mess up my kitchen for fear no one will want to buy our house because it looks like people actually live here.

But back to food. As often happens with me, I was reading a book the other day that inspired a food craving. Nothing strange, just some characters in my book sitting around, eating chips and guacamole. And boy howdy, I had to get me some.

This recipe is a spin on the guacamole served at Bar Abilene in Minneapolis, which I visited with a few friends during a girls' weekend out far too many years ago. (Why haven't we done this again???) The guacamole is all mashed together right at the table, so it's fresh and chunky and yummy. And you have just enough time to perfect it before cinco de mayo!

Guacamole
Serves 4

Pico de gallo
5 tomatoes, seeded and diced
¼ white onion, diced
1 serrano chile, minced (I removed the seeds)
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt

Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, flesh removed
6 cloves roasted garlic (drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil, and roasted at 350 degrees for 30 minutes)
1/2 c. pico de gallo
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
15 dashes green or chipotle Tabasco

1. Combine all pico de gallo ingredients in a bowl.

2. Mash the avocado and roasted garlic together in a bowl.

3. Mix in 1/2 c. pico de gallo and remaining guacamole ingredients. Serve with chips.

A little light housekeeping

2011-03-25T20:45:00.002-05:00

In an unexpected turn of events, the hubby and I are trying to get our house on the market. We're sort of committed to buying another. So while we're cleaning and repairing and decluttering, my posting will be sporadic.

More sporadic than usual, you ask? Why, yes, if that's possible.

I haven't sworn off cooking altogether or anything. We're just cutting some corners and trying to use up some of our food horde, and are reluctant to mess up the kitchen repeatedly. (The little man's "I only eat vegetables and toast for supper" phase couldn't have come at a more opportune time.)

We're also keeping a few convenience foods on hand for really busy nights where we don't want to break from painting or packing. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I recently received a coupon to try an Alexia product. I could only find a few varieties locally, but the waffle fries were downright amazing. Even oven-baked instead of fried. I'll be keeping these on hand regardless of the whole moving business.

If you have other ideas for good, healthy convenience foods or super-fast recipes, please send them my way! Oh, and boxes. Please send boxes.

Green Goodness Veggie Stir-fry

2011-03-08T19:50:00.000-06:00

The little man's gotta-have-it food of the week is ... broccoli. (Admit it. You're broccoli-green with envy, aren't you?)

My favorite way to serve broccoli is in any sort of stir-fry. We threw together this light dish to go with our Chinese crab cakes the other night, so the little man wouldn't stare down in his plate in disgust, wondering where his veggies have gone.

I also added in a few other veggies (a purging of the crisper, if you will), and threw in some frozen edamame just to see what the little man though. I mean, he loves beans. So he should love soybeans. Right? Right. (And he did.)

The sauce in this dish is very light -- it doesn't weigh down the veggies like a lot of stir-fry sauces, so you actually get to taste the veggies. I don't think it could stand alone as an entree in our carnivorous house, but it's a wonderful side, especially when serving other dishes with stronger flavors.

Green Goodness Veggie Stir-fry
Serves 4-6

1 tsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 head broccoli, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, cut in chunks
2 bell peppers, cut in chunks
1 carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks
1 c. frozen edamame
(Any other vegetables you like)
3/4 c. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
3 tsp. cornstarch

1. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine broth, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch in a small bowl.

2. Add veggies to wok.

3. Stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add sauce. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens.

Chinese Crab Cakes

2011-03-08T19:49:00.001-06:00

I suffer from extreme indecisiveness, which is one reason why I'm thrilled when the hubby picks up a cookbook and asks me to make a particular recipe. In this case, the hubby pointed to a picture of some Chinese crab cakes in a small cookbook with no apparent author, and said, "These look good."

Very well, then.

Not only was this my first time making crab cakes, but this was my first time cooking with lump crabmeat. This was an adventure for me, because according to the unnamed author of this cookbook, I should attempt to save myself some cash and choose refrigerated, special grade crabmeat for this recipe, which is cheaper than lump crabmeat and already flaked.

Now, crabs aren't exactly indigenous to North Dakota. So ... I don't really have much of a choice. My options were the canned crabmeat or the vacuum-packed, refrigerated, "exclusive" lump crabmeat. With the $1 per pound difference, well, I went for the good stuff. (I had pictured myself returning home with a plastic container full of fresh crabmeat. But Barefoot Contessa, I ain't.)

So in addition to being a recipe that I've never tried, it was quite the spendy endeavor. And did I mention that I don't care for seafood?

Luckily, the crab cakes turned out wonderfully. The hubby loved them. The little man loved them. I deemed my taste to be surprisingly yummy for something that includes seafood ... not overly fishy, and the sesame oil is a standout. Go team!

Chinese Crab Cakes
Makes 4 servings (2 cakes each)

1 lb. fresh or canned pasteurized lump crabmeat
1/2 c. plus 1/3 c. panko bread crumbs, divided
2 eggs
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. Chinese hot mustard
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1/2 c. sweet and sour sauce, for dipping (optional)

1. Combine crabmeat, 1/2 c. panko, eggs, green onions, sesame oil, ginger, and mustard in large bowl. Mix well, using a fork.

While you're doing this, you might also want to sift through the crabmeat for any shells. Now, my hoity-toity packaging said "virtually shell-free," but that's just not good enough for me.

2. Shape mixture into 8 patties about 1/2" thick. (This is about 1/3 c. of mixture.)

3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet.

4. Place remaining 1/3 c. or so of panko on a plate. Dip each crab cake lightly in panko to coat.

The cakes were very fragile at this point, but adding the panko to the outside not only makes the finished cakes crispier, but also makes the uncooked cakes easier to handle.

5. Add 4 crab cakes to skillet and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. (I had to crank up the heat to medium-high to get them as golden as the hubby wanted them.) Repeat with remaining cakes. Serve warm with sweet and sour sauce, if desired.

Ricotta-Orange Pound Cake

2011-03-06T12:50:00.000-06:00

I received a lovely loaf pan from my parents for the holidays, and was bound and determined to give it a try this weekend. The recipe I chose was one by Giada de Laurentiis that was featured in Food Network magazine.

I've made a few pound cakes in my illustrious non-career as an amatuer cook, but never one this perfectly moist. The orange zest gives the pound cake a bright flavor without being overwhelming, as lemon pound cake can sometimes be. While it certainly doesn't need it, I think this cake would be even more wonderful with a dollop of whipped cream.

My mother said the same thing. Of course, she thinks everything can be improved by a dollop (or six) of whipped cream.

Ricotta-Orange Pound Cake
Serves 10-12

1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c cake flour*
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 c whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c plus 1 Tbsp sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
2 Tbsp amaretto**
Powdered sugar, for dusting

*I didn't have cake flour on hand, but you can easily substitute every 1/2 cup of cake flour with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and nearly 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. The easiest way to get the correct measurement is to put 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a 1/2 cup measuring cup, and then fill that to the top with all-purpose flour.

**I might actually have some amaretto, but we break into the liquor cabinet so rarely that it's become quite the trek to get there. (Up the stool, across the counter, over the fridge, etc.) My almond extract, however, was three feet away, so I used about 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of that, instead.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with butter or shortening.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to blend.

3. Using a mixer, cream the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and amaretto or almond extract until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.

Jack's Minestrone

2011-02-25T21:04:00.003-06:00

This is Jack.

Light of my life, apple of my eye, the reason why I rarely get to cook on weeknights. Jack's a good eater, and he's also our resident flexitarian. He adores beans, veggies, and pasta; most meat or poultry receives a lukewarm reception, at best, and is usually outright ignored. (The exception? Duh, bacon.)

This is another soup recipe that combines some of Jack's favorite foods, and that's easy for us to reheat for him a few times during the week. I threw in some ground beef, because I am not a flexitarian, and I wanted soup, too. But I might just take a page from Jack's book (no pun intended) and leave out the ground beef next time. The soup is pretty hearty without it, and the broth is oh so tasty.

Jack's Minestrone
Serves 6

1 tsp. vegetable or canola oil

3/4 lb. ground beef (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 small zucchini, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

15 oz. tomato sauce

32 oz. chicken broth

2 cans small white beans, drained

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

Cooked pasta

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add hamburger, garlic, and onion, and cook until brown.

2. Add the veggies, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and the Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Cook about 2-3 minutes, or until veggies start to sweat.

3. Add tomato sauce and broth, and stir. Bring soup to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. You can use any size or shape. Smaller pasta, such as ditalini, is probably more traditional, but I use rotini or even cheese tortellini so it's easier for the little man to eat.

When making soups that include pasta, I usually prefer to cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup later, so the pasta doesn't absorb all the broth from the soup. (It's even more important to store them separately if you have leftovers, or you'll end up with some sort of mushy casserole concoction.)

5. Add beans to soup and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta to individual servings.

Italian Ham Bites

2011-02-07T21:42:00.000-06:00

The hubby is morally opposed to the concept of Super Bowl parties -- something about wanting to watch the game, yadda, yadda -- but we did have my brother and the hubby's sister over for supper and to watch the big game. (Because they actually watch the big game.)

I used to make these lovely little appetizers/snacks quite frequently, way back when the hubby and I used to entertain on a regular basis. I would spend weeks preparing menus of perfectly matched appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts.

But man, I've lost my touch. Our food theme this year was obviously something along the lines of "Things that taste good and hopefully provide some leftovers for the week." We had some Mexican. Some Cajun. And these adorable (and low-fat!) little Italian nibbles.

This is an adaptation of a Betty Crocker recipe, and aside from the taste (and the low-fat-ness!), the best thing about these is that you can easily make them ahead of time. In fact, these little guys need to sit in the fridge for at least a few hours before you slice 'em.

You can use any kind of deli meat with these, and I've tried several varieties, but the ham is still my favorite. Black Forest, if you've got it.

Italian Ham Bites
Makes 25 appetizers

5 slices deli ham
3 Tbsp. flavored, reduced-fat spreadable cheese
Fresh basil leaves
5 strips roasted red pepper, patted dry
5 pieces string cheese

1. Place ham on a work surface and pat dry.

Patting the ingredients dry is a common theme here. If your ham has too much moisture, the spreadable cheese won't stick. And if the ham and peppers have too much moisture, everything will be kind of soggy and slimy. We here at Angel in the Kitchen are not fans of soggy and slimy food.

2. If necessary, trim ham to be the same width as the string cheese, and about 4 or so inches high.

You don't want the bites from the ends of the rolls to have no string cheese, and you also don't want everything to be too hammy. We here at Angel in the Kitchen are not fans of too hammy.

3. Spread ham with 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. spreadable cheese.

I sometimes use flavored cream cheese, like garden herb. This time I used a few wedges of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese.

We here at Angel in the Kitchen are fans of Laughing Cow. And laughing cows. Okay, I'll stop.

4. Add a few basil leaves, or one ginormous basil leaf. Place a row of pepper strips across the bottom edge of the ham, and place a piece of string cheese above the peppers. Like so.

5. Starting at the bottom, roll everything up securely.

6. Repeat these steps for each roll.

I obviously made more than 5 rolls. Just making sure you're paying attention.

7. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

8. Unwrap rolls and place seam side down. Cut each roll into 5 pieces. Pierce with toothpicks if you want to be all fancy-pants. (These were for me, and I don't need no stinkin' toothpicks.)

Monster Cookie Bars

2011-02-03T20:53:00.000-06:00

I got this recipe courtesy of my friend Tashia, who was one of those incredibly awesome people you could only meet in college. She also has excellent taste in food, so when she recommends something, I'm always interested. (According to Tashia, she didn't create this recipe, but found it elsewhere on the interweb. So to the creator, thank you.)

Monster cookies are among my favorites, and I've tried a few other bar cookie versions, but they've always ended up too cakey. These bars are thinner and don't have any flour, so they end up tasting exactly like a monster cookie should -- peanut buttery and full of chocolate and chewy oats. But without the hassle of shaping and baking individual cookies.

Also, these bars are very versatile. I mean, if a recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups of oatmeal, that counts as breakfast, right? Right.

Monster Cookie Bars
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 c. oats (Tashia used half quick and half regular, so that's what I did, too)
1 c. M&Ms
3/4-1 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jelly roll pan or spray it with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Stir in eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, baking soda, and salt, until well blended. Stir in oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips.

3. Using your hands, press batter evenly into pan.

4. Bake about 20 minutes, or until golden. Let cool a bit before cutting into squares.

Hashbrown Casserole

2011-01-31T20:34:00.000-06:00

I got a hankering for this casserole recently when some coworkers and I -- a globally dispersed group -- were discussing the concept of cookie salad, which is a phenomenon that seems to be pretty specific to the Midwest. It's good standard potluck fare, and any North Dakotan worth his or her salt loves a good potluck. (I'm generalizing, but I'm also right.)

One thing led to another in my mind, and I was thinking about this potato dish, which I first tasted -- yes, here it comes -- at a potluck. My coworker Jo brought it, and it was a huge hit. She has since told me that it's a pretty common recipe from community cookbooks and such, there are several variations, and you can't mess it up.

Basically, you take frozen hash browns, add some condensed soup, sour cream and cheese, add something crunchy on top, and bake it into this yummy, cheesy pile. And really, who doesn't love a yummy, cheesy pile?

Hashbrown Casserole
Serves 8-12

2 lb. shredded hashbrown potatoes, thawed
1/4 c. butter, cut in thin slices
1 can condensed soup, such as cream of chicken or cream of celery
8 oz. sour cream (light works)
8 oz. shredded cheese (such as cheddar or Colby-Jack)
Onion salt and pepper
1 1/2 c. crushed potato chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. Combine hash browns, butter, soup, sour cream, and cheese until well combined, and spread evenly in dish. (I combined this right in the dish.)

3. Sprinkle with onion salt and pepper, and then top with crushed potato chips.

4. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

5. Let set a few minutes before serving.

Teriyaki Strip Steak

2011-01-27T20:42:00.000-06:00

The hubby loves sushi, but me, not so much. (Wait, that didn't come out right.) Luckily, most of the sushi places in the area cater to the cooked-meat crowd, and teriyaki steak is one of my favorite dishes to order when the hubby has the urge to dine on cold, raw fish.

But I feel a little like Goldilocks. One restaurant's sauce is too sweet and clingy. Another's is too thin and bland. Et cetera.

This teriyaki sauce, from America's Test Kitchen, is juuuust right. Actually, it's better than just right. It's perfect, and this really simple weeknight meal ended up being the best teriyaki steak I've ever had. Of course, I got to choose my own cut of meat, but the teriyaki sauce is definitely the star.

This will be my go-to teriyaki sauce from now on, and this dish will be part of our regular rotation.

Especially when the hubby picks up sushi.

Teriyaki Strip Steak

Serves 4

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 12-oz. strip steaks

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. vegetable oil

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and crushed red pepper flakes in a bowl.

2. Pat steaks dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, just until oil starts smoking. Add steaks and cook until well browned, about 5 or so minutes on each side.

You definitely want your steak on the rarer side for this dish.

3. Transfer steaks to a plate and tent with foil. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak.

4. Add soy sauce mixture to skillet. Simmer over medium heat until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.

5. Slice steak thinly against the grain. Pour sauce over the steak and sprinkle with scallions.

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart

2011-01-24T20:41:00.000-06:00

It's been so cold here lately that even Blogger froze up. I've been trying to upload a few posts all week, but my pictures won't load on my computer. Apparently it works fine on the hubby's, so I lured him away from his computer with some of this tart, and got to work.

This is an adaptation of a Gourmet recipe, and it's incredibly indulgent. The filling is almost like dark chocolate ganache, but flavored with some hazelnuts and -- you guessed it -- Nutella. The change I made was to sprinkle the top with a few tablespoons of chopped hazelnuts, rather than putting a cup in the tart filling. This was both because I wanted to preserve the lovely smoothness of the chocolate, and because I wanted the little man to be able to eat it.

This isn't your everyday dessert, but would be wonderful to serve to company or to finish off a dinner party. It was a perfect treat for the hubby and I today, because we've been trying to eat better but still allow ourselves to indulge once in a while. (We had the whole indulging vs. overeating discussion, so we each limited ourselves to a tiny sliver.)

And this baby's so good that even though it will break my heart, I think I need to find a new home for some of the leftovers, lest all my hard work be undone. Any volunteers?

Dagnabbit, I just can't do it.

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart

Serves 8-10

Crust

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. salt

Filling

10 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. Nutella

1/8 tsp. salt

2-3 Tbsp. toasted hazelnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and salt, and press crust onto the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Bake crust for 7 minutes, and then cool completely.

3. Finely chop chocolate.

This is hard work. I was too exhausted to use the treadmill after this.

4. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour cream over chocolate.

5. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth, and then stir in Nutella and salt.

It looks gloppy at first, but it all works out in the end. I promise.

6. Pour mixture over cooled crust and top with hazelnuts.

7. Let chill in freezer for 25 minutes, or in fridge for 2-3 hours. Remove sides of pan before serving.

Chicken, Potato, and White Bean Soup

2011-01-12T19:48:00.001-06:00

The little man's favorite food these days -- and probably for all time -- is chocolate. His second favorite? Forget chicken finger or grilled cheese or hamburgers, or all those perennial kid favorites. My little man likes him some beans.

I've made this soup several times, tweaking the ingredients here and there to find what I works best. And each and every time, the little man gobbles this up like it's his first meal in days. Beans first.

The soup starts with bacon, but pancetta would be a fine substitute, or even some ham. Or you can try it without the bacon altogether. Although I'm not sure why anyone would pass up the opportunity to make bacon. (In fact, we usually cook up the remainder of the package of bacon and keep it in the fridge for another of the little man's favorites -- BLTs. With mayo. And minus the L.)

Chicken, Potato, and White Bean Soup
Serves 6-8

4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. potatoes, cut into cubes
2 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 32-oz. container (4 c.) chicken broth, plus one 14-oz can
1 1/2-2 c. chopped cooked chicken
2 15.5-oz. cans small white beans, drained
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables start to sweat, about 4-5 minutes.

4. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.

5. Add the chicken and white beans and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Shredded Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

2011-01-09T13:03:00.000-06:00

We had back-to-back blizzards here the week of New Year's, and more than a week later, some of the roads are still glare ice. Needless to say, we stuck around the house for New Year’s Eve -- and had ourselves a little fiesta.

I’m a huge fan of enchiladas with red sauce, but even when we go to a Mexican restaurant with a huge variety of combo platters, I have difficulty finding my favorite combination: one shredded beef and bean enchilada and one cheese enchilada. (If you combine them all together, the cheese flavor gets lost.) Luckily, it’s quite easy to make these at home.

For the beef filling, I used my shredded beef taco meat recipe, which is so versatile. Plus, it’s easy to make a day or two ahead. And while I strongly encourage making your own enchilada sauce, I didn’t have the ingredients I needed on hand. But I did have enchilada sauce. Go figure.

Shredded Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
Serves 4

1 c. refried beans (I usually use fat-free)
2 large can enchilada sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
Pinch of sugar (seriously, just a tiny pinch)
8 8-9” tortillas (corn is traditional, but I prefer flour)
1-1½ c. shredded beef taco filling
6 oz. shredded cheese (I prefer Monterey Jack)
1 c. shredded cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese
The usual accompaniments for serving: lettuce, tomato, olives, sour cream, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat refried beans until they’re of spreading consistency. (I sometimes add a bit of water or broth to mine to make them a bit thinner.)

3. In a small saucepan, heat enchilada sauce to a simmer and add beef bouillon cubes. Stir occasionally, until bouillon is thoroughly dissolved. Add a pinch of sugar.

4. Ladle a bit of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. This helps keep the enchiladas from sticking to the bottom.

5. Heat each tortilla in the microwave for about 10 seconds. For the beef and bean enchiladas, layer some beans on the tortilla – however much you prefer. (Or leave them out altogether if you’re not a bean fan.) Top with beef.

6. Tightly roll the tortillas and place them in the baking dish.

7. For the cheese enchiladas, add beans if you prefer, and tightly roll tortilla. Place in baking dish, alternating with the beef and bean. Or however you want to arrange them.

8. When finished with all 8, top with enchilada sauce.

9. Spray the dull side of a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray, and cover the pan (spray side down). Bake enchiladas about 30-40 minutes, or until heated through. Immediately sprinkle with 1 c. cheese.

10. Serve with toppings.

Vanilla and Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

2010-12-31T09:48:00.002-06:00

After successfully cloning the hubby's favorite knoephla soup, I've decided to continue my recipe clone attempts. If I never have to leave the house for my favorite foods, I will have successfully attempted my quest to become a hermit.

Or at least I'll never be stuck without my favorites during a blizzard. (There was a 100-vehicle pile-up on the interstate near Fargo yesterday. Really.)

One of my favorite snacks is the cinnamon-roasted almonds that you can buy at state fairs and street fairs and craft fairs and pretty much any kind of fair. They're so yummy, but pretty pricey, and there's no reason we shouldn't be able to eat them anytime we want.

This is a Taste of Home recipe that got rave reviews online, so I decided to try it. Just a disclaimer: This isn't exactly like the cinnamon-roasted almonds at the fair, because the coating isn't as thick or crunchy. They do, however, have a stronger vanilla flavor that comes through when you're not distracted by all that candy coating.

I hope four cups gets me through the weekend.

Vanilla and Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

Makes 16 servings

2 egg whites

6 tsp. vanilla extract

4 c. whole, unblanched almonds

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease two 15" x 10" baking pans. (I just spread parchment paper on the bottoms. I don't like getting messy.)

2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Stir in vanilla extract.

3. Add almonds and stir gently to coat. Combine the sugars, salt, and cinnamon, add to the nut mixture, and stir gently to coat.

4. Spread evenly onto pans. Bake about 30 minutes or until amonds are crisp, stirring once during the baking time.

5. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Knoephla Soup

2010-12-29T11:16:00.001-06:00

When you're all stuffed up, nothing hits the spot like some chicken soup. Unless you're the hubby. Then nothing hits the spot like some knoephla soup.

If you've never tried knoephla soup, you: a.) Probably aren't German, and b.) Haven't lived.

Knoephla soup is a very simple soup that typically contains potatoes and knoephla, which are dumplings. This soup is a staple at a local diner, which sells it either by the generous bowl or the generous bucket. Yes, you can get your knoephla soup in a big ol' plastic pail.

However, the diner doesn't deliver, and I don't always feel like leaving home when I'm sick. So this is my attempt to replicate -- and perhaps even improve on -- the hubby's favorite.

This attempt was completely off-the-cuff; all I know is that the diner uses potatoes, dumplings, celery, and cream of chicken soup (because those little bits of chicken are unmistakable). I did swap out the celery for some carrot, because the hubby does not like celery and the little man loves him some carrot. And, because I'm the world's slowest potato-peeler, I used thin-skinned yellow potatoes (Klondike Goldust, to be exact) and left the skins on.

The results? Very, very similar to the hubby's favorite. In fact, I thought it was better. But I might be biased.

Knoephla Soup
Serves 6

2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 shallot, minced
1 carrot, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
Salt and pepper
Bay leaf
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 soup can of water
2 cans chicken broth
2 c. frozen or homemade dumplings
1/4 c. cream (either heavy cream or whipping cream)

1. Heat butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute shallot for about 1 minute, and then add carrot and potato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add bay leaf. Cook about 2 minutes.

2. Add soup, water, and broth, and stir well.

3. Bring soup to a boil, and then add dumplings.

I cheated-ed-ed and used frozen dumplings. But I used the time that I saved to reorganize my closet, so now the little man can store toys in his closet instead of my shoes.

Welcome to Angel in the Kitchen, where the little details make a difference.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until dumplings, potatoes, and carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

5. Remove pot from heat and stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Just a quick note that if you're reheating leftover soup, do so slowly and carefully, so the cream doesn't curdle.)

Pillsbury review and some housekeeping

2010-12-27T12:40:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my last post that we'd been inundated with illnesses and work deadlines, and I think I was just jinxing myself for more. Although my work deadlines are now on hold for the holidays, you can't swing a dead cat* in this house without hitting a sick human.

The hubby, little man, and I did not have the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving, unless you count the mozzarella sticks from the hospital cafeteria. (Which, at the time, were about the best thing I've ever eaten.) We had to cancel our family holiday portraits, so those of you on my Christmas card list might be receiving Arbor Day cards. And on the one day that I'd set aside for holiday baking, I woke up with the virus that the little man had earlier in the week.

Jack takes this "season for giving" thing very literally.

We left town for a week, and just returned ... to get sick again. I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

I do have some blog posts planned, because I have actually made a few edible dishes these past few weeks. But in the meantime, I wanted to belatedly post a product review for Pillsbury pie crusts. Pillsbury generously provided a coupon, information, and the following prize pack through MyBlogSpark.

I have to admit that I didn't try anything new and crazy with my pie crust, but as we do every fall, we visited my parents to help with their fall cleanup and their apple-picking. This also entails making a big pot of beef stew and an apple pie with the fresh apples and Pillsbury pie crust.

It feels odd posting a review of Pillsbury pie crust, because I've been a huge fan for years. I use them all the time for pies and other desserts, pot pies, empanadas, you name it. This isn't just an issue of laziness, although it is so much easier just to unroll that package; I honestly haven't had a pie crust that rivals the taste of texture of Pillsbury's.

And, as with the first apple pie of every fall, I'm convinced that this was the best apple pie that I've ever had. But I'm pretty sure I was right this time.

*Note: We do not actually advocate the swinging of cats, dead or otherwise. We like cats.

Tortellini al Forno

2010-11-21T21:25:00.008-06:00

It probably seems as though I'm not cooking as much lately, because I haven't been posting as much. In truth, I've been cooking a lot. But I'm having a recipe drought. I've made a few on-the-fly recipes that have turned out really well, but I wasn't expecting them to, so I didn't take photos. Meanwhile, I've had a slew of recipes with high expectations, lovely photographs, and ... well, meh flavor.

Perhaps I should blog these as what NOT to cook. You know, to save you some time, in case you've got the same cookbooks.

The other night, the hubby and I had an evening out with a few of our siblings, thanks to Jay at Pocket Jacks, his lovely fiancee Donna, and his adorably patient daughter, Macy. They hung out with the little man while we had a quick dinner out, followed by a movie. We ate at an Italian restaurant, and I ordered tortellini al forno, which is one of my favorite dishes. And the little man loved, loved, loved my leftovers the next day, so I decided to whip up a version at home.

Although it looks and tastes impressive, this dish is actually quite easy to make, especially if you use a jarred sauce. And because I broiled it instead of baking it, it just needs a quick zap in the oven.

Tortellini al Forno
Makes 6 servings

1 lb. ground beef
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, to taste
2 24- to 26-oz. jars cheese-flavored red pasta sauce (such as Ragu six-cheese or Classico four-cheese)
1/3 c. cream
1 22-oz. pkg. of refrigerated cheese tortellini (frozen will also work)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella or thinly sliced fresh mozzarella

1. Preheat broiler on low. Meanwhile, spray a large shallow pan or individual baking dishes with cooking spray.

I used these guys, whom I love.

2. Brown ground beef in a pot over medium-high heat, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Drain, if necessary, and then add pasta sauce. Cover and cook until bubbly, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in cream, and reheat sauce until bubbly.

3. Cook tortellini in salted water according to package directions.

4. Spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dishes. This will help prevent the tortellini from sticking to the bottom. Nobody likes a sticky tortellini.

5. Drain tortellini and add to remaining sauce in pot, stirring gently so as not to upset your fragile tortellini. Add tortellini to baking dish.

6. Top with cheese, and a bit of dried herbs, if you like the color. And I do.

7. Broil until cheese is melted and just starting to brown, about 7 or so minutes. (Watch it closely, because it can go from barely melted to brown pretty quickly.)

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

2010-11-08T21:45:00.000-06:00

Working on deadlines until all hours? Garbage disposal on the fritz? Baby cutting his first molars? Hubby has strep throat? You have a cold? Everybody's got the flu?

(Welcome to my past few weeks.)

Have a brownie.

If anyone is looking for me, I'm buried underneath a mountain of laundry.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Makes 18 brownies

Peanut butter swirl mixture
1/2 c. peanut butter chips
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg

Brownies
1 pkg. supreme chocolate chunk brownie mix (for 9x13 pan)
3 Tbsp water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of 9x13 pan with shortening. (I'm lazy. I use cooking spray.)

2. Melt peanut butter chips on the stovetop or in the microwave until melted. Stir in cream cheese, sugar, and 1 egg, until smooth. Set aside.

Note that this stiffens up very quickly when set aside. Be quick with that brownie batter, you.

3. Combine brownie mix, water, oil, and 2 eggs and stir until well blended.

4. Spread two-thirds of the batter in the pan. Spread peanut butter mixture over the batter.

5. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls onto peanut butter mixture, and swirl lightly with a knife to create that lovely marbled look.

6. Bake 30-34 minutes. Cool completely before serving, and store tightly covered.