Berry-berry Streusel Bars

The meeting I was supposed to go to tonight got canceled...thankfully. But, that means I know have these streusel bars sitting on my counter.....

I wanted to make something easy and quick, and this was pretty simple. They are still cooling but they smell delicious!



Berry-berry Streusel Bars
from Bon Appetit: Fast Easy Fresh

Crust:
1.5 cups old-fashioned oats 
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:
1 12-oz. package frozen blueberries, thawed
2/3 cup raspberry jam
5 tsp all purpose flour
1.5 tsp minced lemon peel

For the crust: preheat oven to 375. Mix the first four ingredients together. Add the butter and rub into mixture with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press half of the mixture into a buttered 9x13x2 glass baking dish. Bake crust until lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

For the filling: Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Spread the filling over the crust and sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over fruit. Bake until topping is golden, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan.

My phone is now not letting me send pictures to my email. I will have to edit this later.

Bourbon Stuffed Peppers

I've mentioned on here before that I've been to some Tastefully Simple parties (and am going to another one this Friday). I've bought some of there dip mixes and glazes, etc. I've been dying to try their Bayou Bourbon Glaze, and had a recipe planned for WEEKS. Sunday, I chose an all new recipe to use it in all-together. I went to the product's website, where they have tons of recipes you can use their products in and chose one that sounded more appealing. I went with stuffed peppers because I love the. Simple as that. One thing I do regret is not conferring my dinner plans with Mum. She made chili. I wanted her food, she wanted my food. Luckily there are leftovers.


Bourbon Stuffed Peppers
from here

4 -5 green bell peppers
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic™
1 Tbsp. Onion Onion™
3 Tbsp. Bayou Bourbon™ Glaze
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups cooked rice
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Cut tops off each pepper; remove seeds and set aside. In a large pan, brown ground beef and drain. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese; simmer for 2-3 minutes. Fill each pepper with mixture. Place in an 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Top each pepper with cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings. 


There was enough mix to fill 5 peppers. I also didn't have Worcestershire sauce like I thought I did, and I used Cheddar Jack cheese because I had it on hand. I also didn't have a charged phone to take photos. They looked good though...promise!


I have my dessert in the oven right now, and once it comes out I will snap a photo of it and it will be posted!

Rigatoni with Butternut-Gruyere Sauce

I am on a roll with using leftovers in my cooking. Today, I used up the leftover pureed squash I had for a pasta recipe that sounded super yummy. I did make one slight mistake when I was cooking, I set my herbs aside and never added them into the sauce. I never even noticed until I was cleaning up. Oh well! It was good regardless. I am saving then dessert I was going to make tonight for tomorrow to bring to a meeting I'm going to.

I have also decided today that they should have a channel that plays nothing but Alton Brown all day. I'm watching him on the Cooking Channel right now and he is eating lutefisk, which is making my pasta in belly not settle so well. I'd like to say that I'm adventurous in my appetite, but I'm not sure I could ever eat lutefisk, or haggis, or headcheese.

Let's go back to discussing really yummy foods...like butternut squash and gruyere cheese. Today, while grocery shopping I discovered smoked gruyere. How have I never seen this before??? I buy gruyere a few times a year and have bypassed the smoked gruyere somehow. I bought some just to try it and ended up putting it into my sauce. I'm not sure I can eat regular gruyere ever again...

Rigatoni with Butternut-Gruyere Sauce
adapted from here

1 medium, or 1 pound butternut squash (I used leftover pureed squash)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, diced
olive oil
kosher salt
2 cups milk or cream
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 cup fresh sage, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds and stringy parts. Reserve seeds for roasting if desired. Drizzle halves with olive oil and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and roast at 350 degrees until very fork tender, about 1 hour.
2.  Once squash is done, cook pasta according to package directions and drain well. Preheat large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Saute over medium heat until translucent. Scoop roasted squash away from the skin and add to skillet. Add butter and milk. Heat through. Remove from heat and add sage, parsley and cheese. Mix until cheese has melted. Serve with crusty bread.

My sauce was thinner than this recipe calls for, just because the squash was pureed beforehand, but if you let the sauce sit for about 10 minutes it thickens up (I learned this when I was packing up leftovers). I also sprinkled some shredded smoked gruyere on top, and the bits with a lot of it on it were the yummiest. Oddly enough, and not planned at all, a recipe I'm planning on making later in the week calls for gruyere. I'll have to go buy some more as I used up quite a bit today, but I have a little leftover. The leftover cooking continues!

Lasagna Roll-ups

Yesterday, I made Butternut Squash Lasagna for Thanksgiving. The recipe can be found under my September archives. I decided to cook the entire box of lasagna noodles, just in case I wanted to make the lasagna bigger, and if not, then I would use them for roll-ups. The roll-ups won that battle.

I looked up some recipes trying to find one that incorporated what I had in my fridge. After reading many that required spinach (that I wish I had) and Italian sausage (which isn't my favorite), I decided that it would be easy enough to wing it. I crossed my fingers and got to work.

I started with the noodles

And topped them with a yummy cheesy mixture

Followed by some ground beef

And some marinara

Rolled them up tight

Baked them

Put one on a plate and ate it!

Lasagna Roll-ups

6-8 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
7-8 oz. ricotta cheese (i used fat free ricotta)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella + some to top
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 lb of ground beef
marinara sauce

1.Preheat oven to 325.
2. Brown ground beef in a skillet over med-high heat.
3. In a bowl, mix together cheeses, eggs, oregano, garlic and onion powder.
4. Lay out lasagna noodles. Top with heaping spoonfuls of cheese mixture, ground beef, and marinara sauce. Roll up and place in a glass baking dish with marinara sauce on the bottom.
5. Top with more marinara and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over rolls and bake for another 10 minutes.

I wish I had added in more garlic, either fresh minced garlic or cooked the ground beef in garlic. Other than that they were awesome. While I waited for them to cook I snacked on a warm Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin.

Can't beat a day of easy no-fuss cooking and relaxation!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

So today is using up leftovers day...except I mainly used non-Thanksgiving leftovers. For this recipe, I didn't use any Thanksgiving leftovers. I wanted to use up the rest of the bananas I had after my attempted Banana Cream Pie....which ended up more like Banana Cream Soup. Oh well, next time, I will perfect it.

I started by mashing some bananas with some melted butter

Then added vanilla, egg and sugar

Then sprinkled on some baking soda and salt from an elephant

Mixed in some flour

Folded in some chocolate chips

Which all magically mixed together and turned into muffins!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

3 or 4 mashed bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1.5 cups of flour
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tin.
2. Mix mashed bananas with the melted butter.
3. Add vanilla, sugar and egg and mix until incorporated.
4. Sprinkle baking soda and salt on top of mixtures and stir it in.
5. Add the flour and mix well.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Pour mixture into muffin cups, filling cups 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

I am not a huge banana fan, but apparently this week banana was just calling my name. At least I did not have 2 failed banana dishes. These were delicious and my kitchen smelled wonderful...until I made lasagna roll-ups and masked the banana scent.

Pizza Bites

I was waiting for the perfect time to make these. They looked so fun and yummy over at Annie's Eats, but then again, everything she makes looks delicious. There's not much to say about these other than they are super easy and super delicious. They were gone in about 3 minutes once I set them on the table for the game today.

Pizza Bites

from: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
½ batch pizza dough (enough for 1 pizza)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan.  Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces.  Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni.  Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed.  Place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

I had marinara sauce to serve with them, but forgot it at home. They were great either way!

Chicken Enchilada Rollups

Game day. That really means finger food day to me. As much as I enjoy watching the Patriots, football isn't my sport. I'm more of a basketball and hockey girl. I saw this recipe over at Annie's Eats and wanted to try it. I have a similar recipe I've been using for a couple of years, so I wanted to compare. My recipe has no chicken and is a basic mix of cream cheese, sour cream, salsa and cheese. I think I kind of like mine better. Jaime and Tyler really liked these, so I was happy I made them. They are delicious, I think I just prefer the more basic one.

Chicken Enchilada Rollups 
from: Annie's Eats

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, pepper jack, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Handful of cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained well
4-6 8-inch tortillas

Directions:Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and let cool.

In the meantime, combine all of the remaining ingredients except tortillas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until well blended.  Once the chicken is cool, transfer to a cutting board and chop or shred into small pieces.  Add the chicken to the filling mixture and stir well to incorporate.

Spread a thin layer of the filling mixture over a tortilla, leaving a small border clear around the edge.  Roll the tortilla up tightly into a spiral.  Place the rolled up tortilla on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into 1- to 1½-inch thick segments.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownie Bites

Today is Sunday which means Patriots and baking! At the last minute, I decided I'd go to the Legion to watch the game, which meant bringing food. I had already planned on making these brownie bites today, so I added in a couple of finger foods which will be posted after.

The brownie bites came out nothing like I had hoped, though they were delicious. I am not going to post pictures because I will attempt this again and get it right. People raved about them at the bar though, which made me feel better. If you click on the source link you'll see what I was trying to make.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownie Bites
from: Bakers Royale

Prep: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover both mini muffins pans with bake spray.
Brownie Portion

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour

Instructions:

1. Place butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over simmering water. Stir frequently until mixture is melted.
2. 2. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each is incorporated before adding the next.
3. 3. Stir in flour and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture is glossy about 1 minute.
   

Pumpkin Mix Portion

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1/2vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spices
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup of sugar, plus two tablespoon
• 2 tablespoon flour

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients and beat until blended.

Assembly:

1. Fill mini muffin pans 2/3 of the way up with brownie mix. Reserve 1/3 cup of brownie and set aside. Next gently pour a spoonful of pumpkin mix on top. Place small dots of reserved brownie on top of pumpkin mix then using a skewer or a toothpick, lightly swirl brownie dot into pumpkin mix.
2. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes. Start checking for done-ness at 10 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean the brownies are ready.
3. Allow Pumpkin Swirl Brownie Bites to cool in pan for five minutes on a cooling rack before removing.

I think next time I'm going to make them in a 9x9 pan and make them into squares. The bites are too small, and everyone ate several of them. 

Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Blue Cheese and Mushrooms

I really slacked on blogging this weekend. I have 5 (yes 5) recipes to post. I also slacked on photos, and the few I took aren't so great. Oh well.

I made dinner on Friday night. I haven't eaten at home on a Friday in maybe over a year. I had to go to the high school to watch WA Idol, and perform in the faculty act. We did a parody of the show 'Glee' and did a dance routine to "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. It was pretty fun. I decided to make a pizza since it was quick, and it came out terrific! It just consisted of me caramelizing some onions and sauteing some shiitake mushrooms.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese
from: Bon Appetite: Fast Easy Fresh cookbook

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp light brown sugar
8 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
1 14-oz. baked pizza crust
2 cups crumbled blue cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender about 10 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over the onions. Reduce heat and saute onions until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
2. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450. Place crust on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle blue cheese and thyme over crust. Top with onions, then mushrooms. Bake pizza until crust is crisp and topping is heated through, about 15 minutes.

I used regular white sugar when caramelizing my onions and added some balsamic vinegar in the last 5 minutes.

Chinese Stir-Fry Scallops

Let's chat for a moment. I came home from work today with no idea of what to make for dinner and being $10 away from a free turkey at Shaws. I rummaged through my new Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh cookbook (so awesome) and my bookmarked website recipes...and my recipe binders and books...and the last one I looked at was the winner. I almost made pizza, but decided to save that for Friday night. I wrote down my shopping list for tonight, Friday and my Sunday dessert and off I went to get my supplies (and my free turkey!).

Chinese Stir-Fry Scallops
from Use Real Butter

1 lb. fresh sea scallops
1 tbsps Chinese sherry
1 tsp cornstarch
4 tbsps Chinese black bean sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsps water
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 or 5 slices of ginger
2 stalks green onion, fine chopped

Mix together the scallops, Chinese sherry, and cornstarch in a bowl until the scallops are evenly coated. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the black bean sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high flame. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a minute and add the scallops and scallions to the pan. Sauté for about a minute (those scallops cook fast and the saddest thing in the world is an overcooked rubbery scallop). Stir in the black bean sauce mixture. Stir stir stir for a minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

I used rice wine in place of the sherry, as I couldn't find (nor have any idea what is) Chinese sherry.  I served mine over brown rice and added some steamed peas for a little something extra on the plate. Delish!

Before I go, I have to mention that I am wayyy excited that it is clementine season. There is a box sitting on mum's counter waiting to be devoured. I forget about clementines til I see them again in the fall...one of my favorite seasonal foods, along with mini cadbury eggs....

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I finally got around to making cookies, which I am vigilantly watching on the cooling racks because my cat loves them. My goal for the rest of the night is to plan out my dinner for tomorrow and Sunday, and plan out my contributions to the Thanksgiving dinner. My family has been asking for the Butternut Squash Lasagna, so I'll probably do that, and I'm thinking Caramel Apple Cheesecake.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
from an Ocean Spray ad in Everyday with Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar (I used light)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 6-oz. package of dried cranberries (this recipe is from Ocean Spray, so they call for their brand)
2/3 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well.

3. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Yield - 3 dozen cookies. (The recipe said 2.5 dozen, but I made 3 and used tablespoonfuls. It makes a lot.)

I haven't made cookies in such a long time, so I was pretty excited about these. They are simple and great for snacking.

In the time it has taken to me to fully update this post, they have cooled completely and I stored them in a ziploc bag....which had to be moved to on top of my fridge because my cat was trying to claw it open. He is currently destroying a white pillow by sprawling out on it and shedding his dark gray fur all over it. Oh pets....

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Pasta

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. Today was long, exhausting, and just full of anxiousness. I was looking forward to this dish, but not really looking forward to cooking it. I just want to melt into my couch and watch the cooking channel all night. But, I am so glad I made this and didn't just veg out and eat a sandwich or something, because this is amazingly delicious. I keep saying that I am going to eat healthier, but I just cannot forgo pasta. But this has roasted red pepper in it, which is a veggie, and veggies are healthy. Problem solved!

Back to reality and my unconditional love for all things carb. The recipe even calls for an optional addition for 1/4 cup of cream if you want a heavier, creamier sauce. I obviously added it, and even thought (just 1/4 cup??). I know. It's bad. But one day, my rich Italian boyfriend will love me for my love of cooking pasta dishes. Oh wait, this is reality right....?

I got this recipe from Annie's Eats, where I've gotten a lot of recipes lately. This girl is a doctor and amazing cook...and a mother.... and I thought my life was busy.

The goodness

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup roasted red bell pepper (fresh or jarred)

1 cup basil leaves

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. penne pasta

¼ cup heavy cream, optional

Directions:

Place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped.  Add Parmesan, red pepper, basil leaves, salt and pepper.  Pulse until well combined.  With the motor running, add olive oil through the feed tube and process until incorporated.  Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and return to the pot.  Add the pesto to the pasta and stir to combine.  Stir in heavy cream if desired for a creamier sauce.  Heat until warmed through.  Serve immediately.

I wish my kitchen could smell like garlic and basil all the time....and balsamic vinegar....and freshly baked cookies....

A girl can dream!

If I find motivation, I will bake cookies tonight....but don't get your hopes up.

Not So Good, But Oh So Good Foods

As I am sitting here, relaxing, looking up recipes on various blogs, I got sort of hungry. Earlier I had a cup of Trader Joe's Biryani, which just wasn't cutting it. I am supposed to get some real Indian food tonight, so the frozen Biryani wasn't feeding my need for Indian food. I rummaged around for a snack or small meal, and then went rummaging through Ma and Pa's fridge too. Then, I came across these in their freezer:

Yep. Stuffed Clams. Frozen stuffed clams to be exact. Everyone has those beloved foods that should really be avoided. I'm talking about the process, packaged, box, most-likely-so-unhealthy-but-totally-super-delicious foods. This is one of them. I haven't had them in YEARS, but ate them frequently as a child. I have never read a nutrition, or ingredient for that matter, label for these, and probably never will. There are plenty of other foods like this that I have enjoyed, and still enjoy, on a somewhat regular basis.

One of those being Ramen noodles. Seriously, don't tell me you've never eaten or don't like ramen noodles. They were a staple in college, and it is my firm belief that I was never hung over in college due to ramen noodles (and DP Dough, a place that delivered $4 calzones til 4 a.m.). Now that I have discovered real cooking, ramen is still in my life. There are some great recipes for soups and pasta that use ramen noodles.

Another food of this nature is Kraft Mac & Cheese. I probably eat this once a month...maybe a little less than that, and still love it. I often add peas and corn to my mac & cheese, or shrimp or lobster if I have it, and I like it cold. For years, I would never eat any food that should be served warm cold. The thought of cold pizza disgusted me (til I tried when I was, shall we say, a bit tipsy) and eating a cold pasta dish other than pasta salad was out of the question. To be honest, I don't remember the first time I ate cold mac & cheese, but it was glorious.

My tastes have changed over the years. When I was a child I ate almost nothing but fruits, veggies, pasta and seafood. Chicken occasionally, but beef, pork or steak...never. Other than hot dogs (which is a mix of mystery meat and god only knows what else), there was no meat in my life. Oh wait! I also LOVED fried bologna. Nowadays, I see a steak and my mouth waters, I will knock someone out to be first in line for a pulled pork sandwich and I even eat raw beef. Funny how children have such opinions of foods they have never tried. The only foods I still don't like to this day are raw tomatoes (though I will eat them if needed), plain mayo (mixed into dips and whatnot is fine), and mustard. Also, prime rib makes me gag. To see all that fat and people eating it is just not right.

I think I am done with this rant.

Tex Mex Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

After the cheesecake adventure, I had planned an easy and quick dinner due to the fact that I was going to see the high school's performance of The Phantom of the Opera (which was incredible!). I decided to make Tex Mex chicken tenders that I saw in Rachel Ray's magazine.

Tex Mex Buttermilk Chicken Tenders
from Everyday with Rachel Ray

4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. poultry seasoning
2 tsp. grated lime peel
2 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 lbs. chicken tenders

1. In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning and lime peel. In a shallow bowl, combine the buttermilk with half of the spice mix. In another shallow bowl, combine the flour and remaining spice mix. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper.

2. Using tongs, dip the tenders into the buttermilk, then coat with the flour mix; repeat for a second coating. Working in batches, add the chicken tenders to the skillet and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on a rack.

I served them with some sliced up russet potatoes that were baked with some monterey jack cheese and green onions. You just slice some potatoes, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, brown them in a skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, then either transfer the skillet to the oven (if it oven proof) and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. Or, transfer them to ramekins as I did.

The Lineup

Mix them all together with some lime

It will look like this...

No pictures of the coating, but definitely some frying

Very simple dinner

I would add more chili powder to the mix next time, as I was hoping the tenders would have a kick to them, and they didn't. The texture was great, nice and thick, and the chicken was cooked perfectly. It was very juicy.

For now, I am signing off and checking the newest additions to my favorite websites Tastespotting and Foodgawker (why won't it let me add in a link???).

Pineapple Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Most of you should have noticed by now that my blog looks different...it even has a new title. The old title was from when I made an account long ago (that I never used, nor remembered setting up) and doesn't really describe what this blog is all about, which is awesomeness, magic and food. As I am very much a "recipe reader", I use cookbooks, magazines and blog posts to guide me, hence the new title. I still want a customized blog, but this will do for now. In the past few days I've been busy planning and hatching culinary ideas in my head. It all kicked off today.

Today is a special day. Not only is it Veteran's Day (thanks to all who serve!), but it's Sarah Beth's First Cheesecake Day. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert, and while I am not much of a heavy chocolate lover, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory is my favorite. But I am determined to force my taste buds to branch out and try things I never would have tried (a good example would be the paneer I ate for the first time earlier this week -yum!). I am not one for carrot cake, but this recipe sounded too good to pass up.

Amazing.

Pineapple Carrot Cake Cheesecake
from Pennies on a Platter

For the cheesecake:
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs

For the carrot cake:
3/4 cup veggie oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
8 oz can crushed pineapple, packed in 100% juice, drained well, reserve juice
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 350˚F and grease a 9- or 9 1/2- inch springform pan.
For the cheesecake batter, in a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Mix in the flour, eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated and no lumps remain.  Set aside.

To prepare the carrot cake batter, combine the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and spices.  Stir into the egg mixture and mix well.  Add the pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.  Stir until just combined.
 
To assemble the cheesecake, pour 1 1/2 cups of the carrot cake batter over the bottom of the prepared pan.   Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese batter over the bottom layer of carrot cake, using up 1/4 of the batter and reserving the rest for the top layer. Top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter.  Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife.
Bake for 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through.  Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.  When the cake is cold, prepare the Pineapple Cream Cheese frosting.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
Using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla and pineapple juice. Beat until smooth.  Add additional juice or sugar to desired spreading consistency.   Frost the top of the cheesecake.  Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

I used about 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice in my frosting, as I wanted it a little thinner and more pineapple-y. I also topped my cake with more walnuts and coconut. The carrot cake was perfectly moist, which was due to the pineapple, that you can't even really taste.

Ohhhh cheesecake....

Carrot cake....

All baked up....

This mixer of mine caused me to want to do a sort of Julia & Julia thing. I got a new cookbook last night and it is magical.

I know that is a completely unoriginal idea, but a) I don't care and b) it's fun (and I don't care). This cookbook is categorized with "whisk ratings" from 1 to 4 whisks based on the difficulty of the dessert. I plan on starting with the 1 whisk desserts and making all of those, then moving on to the two whisk desserts and so forth. I will do most of my baking on Sundays when I have the most time, it'll be Sunday Sweets.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

What a day. Not only was I trying to finish grades and it was just crappy weather, but I come home to find out that a cousin from England died in a motorcycle accident today. R.I.P. Steven, you were the coolest British guy I know.

I had planned on making these muffins for the Alumni meeting tonight...but I never really planned anything for dinner...tonight or Wednesday night. I guess I was just too excited about baking and corn chowder (which was just as excellent today at lunch as it was last night fresh out of the pot!). Good thing Mum doesn't mind me mooching off of her every once in a while. She supplied me with some steak, corn and a baked potato. Thanks Mum!

Now, I am new to pumpkin things as of last year. I just never really tried anything pumpkin flavored, and was always freaked out by it as a child. Other than pumpkin seeds...which doesn't count. These are DELICIOUS. I wish I had made 80 of them.

I prepped the filling for it yesterday, as I was limited on time between work and the meeting tonight, and the filling needs to thicken up in the freezer for at least two hours. When I took it out of the freezer today it wasn't really all that hard...which might have been from using waxed paper and not plastic wrap to wrap it in.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
from Annie's Eats

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:
For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

Naturally, the one muffin I cut into for the filling photo has the smallest amount of filling out of all the muffins.

I have already had 2 and will definitely have more at the meeting. So much for healthier eating....

Post #2: Margarita Cupcakes

Let me start this post off with expressing my disappointment. I was so super excited to use my new mixer and to make these cupcakes, only to be let down by the frosting. The cupcakes came out great, but they would have been fantastic if the frosting had worked out.




Beautiful, just beautiful.


This is only picture you will see of my cupcake adventure today. It's a horrible picture at that, but the way the frosting turned out is a bummer, and they do not look pretty.

Margarita Cupcakes
recipe from here

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 limes, zested and juiced
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:
2 cups sugar
8 large egg whites
Pinch fleur de sel (coarse salt)
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2-4 tbsp. tequila

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325˚ F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a fork to blend. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together, though it may take a long time!) Stir in the lime juice and tequila and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.

Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.

Frost the cooled cupcakes with the buttercream. Garnish with lime zest and lime slices as desired.

When the recipe says that the frosting may take some time, it literally means just that. I had my electric mixer going for 45 minutes and it still didn't thicken up enough. No frosting is worth that unless it's made with pure gold or diamonds....and this frosting was not.

They are still good though. They are very lime-y and tart, which is nice for me, since I am not much of a sugar person...plus the tequila makes it better. I brushed the top of the cupcakes with tequila also before frosting them.

Corn Chowder

Today was a long day of festivities and food. I woke up at 7:30 (seriously daylight savings? seriously?) and couldn't fall back asleep. So I decided I might as well start my day by showering and grocery shopping. I prepped some stuff for my muffins I'm making tomorrow and then headed off to Bernie's Benefit Fundraiser. I won a lovely Christmas decor basket. Then, when I got home...it was cooking time! I am separating this into two posts so each recipe has it's own post. Tonight I made Corn Chowder and Margarita Cupcakes.


Corn chowder has so many ingredients....



But it's worth the smell of sauteing veggies and garlic.


And so worth this.

Corn Chowder
adapted from here

5 strips thick cut bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1/4 cup all–purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like some heat)
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
6–8 ears corn (I used a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen Sweet White Corn)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I used Trader Joe’s Just Chicken)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Green onions, sliced for garnish (I used both the white and green parts)

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp; remove bacon with a slotted spoon and allow to drain. Reserve for garnish.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, jalapeño and thyme to the bacon drippings and cook until the vegetables are soft; about 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour, chipotle seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and stir to coat well.

Cook vegetables, flour and seasonings for 2 minutes; stir frequently.

Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a rapid boil. Allow soup to boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down. This process will help thicken the soup.

Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add in the cooked chicken. Simmer until the corn is soft and chicken is heated through; about 10 to 12 minutes.

Stir in the parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon and green onions.

I added in shrimp (thanks to a brilliant idea from Jaime who somehow knew I still had leftover shrimp from Erin's birthday...I think she sneaks into my fridge every night while I sleep.)

This was the first time I've ever eaten corn chowder, so I have no basis for comparison, but it's pretty awesome.

As a bonus to this post, I finally took some (horrible quality) pictures of sushi and things from last night's dinner. Behold....food from Karma.

Karma 3 Layers. Scallop and crab meat with spicy mayo topped with white tuna and special sauce. NEW FAVORITE.

Oysterssss. Still the best oysters I've had of all the places I've tried them. Better than Union Oyster House and Cedar's Steakhouse at Foxwoods.

Special Volcano Roll and Spicy Salmon Maki. Volcano roll is spicy tuna tempura topped with the crab and scallop mix with spicy mayo and cheese. And there's asparagus hidden in it. Spicy salmon maki is pretty self-explanatory.