Homemade Soft Pretzels

Have you ever tried making pretzels?  I always thought they were too much work and not worth the bother.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I tried making my first batch a few months ago and we loved them so much (and ate them so quickly) that I made a second batch that same week.

Think you’re not a fan of pretzels?  That’s what I thought too, but my only frame of reference were those pretzels you can find at any mall.  These are (like most things homemade) significantly better. 

I used this recipe from Alton Brown.  I recommend weighing the flour and not just scooping it out of the bin.  Also, when he says to divide the dough into 8 equal pieces I did 12. 

 Recipe found here

Orange Pound Cake

I have another cake recipe for you this week.  This is another Cooking Light recipe (from January 2012).  It is meant to be a Grapefruit Pound Cake but since I had a whole bowl of lovely oranges and absolutely no grapefruit, I decided to make this into an Orange Pound Cake.  Check out my adroitness.


I followed the recipe as written but swapping 2 T grated orange rind for the grapefruit rind and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice for the grapefruit juice.  The cake is lovely (can you spot the pretty little bits of orange peel?) and delicious.   This makes a delicious, summery dessert and would be terrific with a few fresh strawberry slices.

Recipe found here

Texas Sheet Cake

I’ve had my share of Texas Sheet Cakes.  There really are recipes everywhere for this sort of thing.  Most families have their favorite recipes.  I had one.  That recipe called for plenty of butter (both in the cake and in the frosting) and way too much sugar for anyone’s good.  A few months ago I found this recipe and tried it.  Really good.  Really.  Very.  Good.  Less sugar and less butter-great!.  The cake was still really sweet – almost too sweet.  I left out the nuts (kids don’t like ‘em) and we found that we didn’t use all of the frosting.  Instead we set the extra aside and used it as an ice cream topping.  Next time I’ll cut the sugar down and omit the cinnamon.

Recipe found here

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I cannot remember how I came across this recipe but it was one of our busy-day favorites during the winter months.  Really nothing beats homemade lasagna that someone has lovingly worked on for hours but let’s be honest – that’s way too much work for a weeknight meal that most of my family members are going to devour in less than 8 minutes.  This recipe (for me) is a nice balance.  Not a lot of prep work, but a decent tasting lasagna (maybe a bit messier though) that everyone in the family enjoys. 

Link to recipe HERE

The last few times I made this recipe I added a few tablespoons of basil pesto in with the ricotta/mozzarella mixture.  It’s fine without it, but if you have some on hand then add it in!

What’s For Dinner?

Tonight?  Fish Tacos!  My sister shared a sauce recipe that she loves on her fish tacos.  She found it here, but I make mine a little different.  Here’s what I do-

First of all this makes a bit more sauce than we need.  So I cut the mayo amount in half but use the same amount of plain yogurt.  We don’t ALL like spicy food, so I don’t use all of the jalapeno or cayenne pepper (start with a bit and add it as you taste.  Stop adding them when you like it!)  I do like a bit more cumin and oregano so I sprinkle a bit more on than the 1/2 tsp.  As you can tell, I don’t do exact measurements when I mix up this sauce. 

For the fish, we tried some leftover baked tilapia one week and it was just okay.  Then I found this at our local Costco.  Big hit.  Huge hit.  Baked AND crispy.  I make a batch for dinner, the adults eat them as tacos and the kids eat them like chicken nuggets.

Add a package of corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, some pico de gallo and a couple of limes and you have a quick weeknight dinner!

Link to Fish Taco Sauce recipe

 Hi Cathy!  Your hubby said you were wanting some new blog posts :)  

Pesto Panini

Come to find out that this bread makes a mean panini.  So. Very. Good.  Add a little pesto, some fresh mozzarella and a few slices of tomatoes from your garden and you have an easy dinner.


Another version we had was with pesto and some leftover grilled vegetables (zucchini, onions, red peppers.)  They were amazing. 





For the kids I use the same bread, spread it with a little (usually leftover) spaghetti sauce, add some fresh mozzarella and call them “pizza paninis.”  They love them.





P.S.  I love my panini press.  It is one of my most-used kitchen tools in the summer.

Cheesy Enchilada Stack

My local grocery store has started doing something which I think is akin to brilliance.  Each week they feature two recipes, and in a certain section of the store they have stacked everything you need to create the recipe – including a paper bag w/ handles to tote it all away in. 


Just today as I was bagging some onions, I saw two shoppers stop and grab that brown bag and a copy of the recipe.  Now, the recipes they feature are often not much my style, but I think the idea is a great one, and a much-needed one.  Even when I am on my A-game with meal planning  I still have days – maybe once each month - when I have to make a quick dash to the store to get something for dinner.  And of course there are always those that wander the aisles of the grocery store searching for some inspiration as to what to make for dinner all week. 






This recipe was one that was featured a couple of weeks ago.  When I saw it I thought my kids would like it, but that I probably wouldn’t.  Some dinners are like that you know.  Anyway…  I loved it.  Kids loved it.  Grandparents loved it.  I made it once more the next week, tweaking a few things and we liked it even more. 

What I loved:  It’s a quick meal using things I usually have around the house.  It’s a great substitute for taco-night (which my toddler is NOT a fan of.)  The leftovers are great the next day for lunch.  It’s flexible ( try subbing in red enchilada sauce, use ground turkey or shredded chicken, add in some diced green peppers & tomatoes, swap the refried beans for some mashed up black beans….) 

There’s a version here and here

Here’s the original recipe that I used

This is MY favorite version:

Cheesy Enchilada Stack

1 lb lean ground beef (as lean as I can find)
1 (10 oz) can green enchilada sauce
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
8 oz shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (cheddar is fine if that’s what you have)
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles (mild)

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Brown ground beef in a skillet.  Remove from heat and drain off any fat.  Add 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce to the ground beef and stir.  Set aside. 

Layer 1:  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Place one tortilla on baking sheet.  Top with 1/3 of the beef mixture and 1/4 cup of the cheese. 

Layer 2:  add a tortilla to the stack and spread with half of the refried beans, half of the diced green chiles, 1/4 cup of cheese about 3 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce.  Spread evenly.

Layer 3:  add a tortilla, 1/3 of the beef mixture and 1/4 cup of cheese.

Layer 4:  add a tortilla and spread with remaining refried beans, remaining green chiles, 1/4 cup cheese and 3 –4  Tablespoons enchilada sauce.  Spread evenly.

Layer 5:  add a tortilla, remaining beef mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. 

Top with last tortilla.

Cover entire stack with foil.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is hot.  Remove foil.  Top with 3-4 Tablespoons enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.  Bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

To serve, cut the stack into wedges.

Baked Lemon Chicken with New Potatoes and Vegetables

This recipe is one of our family’s newest Sunday favorites:  Baked Lemon Chicken with New Potatoes and Vegetables.  For me, it is a perfect Sunday dinner.  It’s easy, it is flexible AND it’s delicious (the kids love it!)  Good combo. 


Even if you’re not a big fan of lemon, there’s a good chance you’ll like this one.  It’s not overly-lemony.  In fact, you are in control of just how lemony this meal will be.  I prefer to include every.  last.  bit.  of the lemon/olive oil mixture  - once everything is in the pan I pour the remaining sauce over the top.  This last time I also added some fresh thyme right as it came out of the oven.  Delightful!





The recipe calls for new potatoes, carrots and green beans.  Don’t have new potatoes?  You can substitute whatever you have.  The red skins on the new potatoes are lovely in the finished dish, but don’t make a special trip to the grocery store just for cute little red-skinned potatoes.  I also don’t usually have baby carrots on hand.  No biggie – cut up regular carrots.  This last week I also didn’t have green beans, so instead we opted for a spinach salad and roasted asparagus on the side. 









The asparagus was a quick add-on….  rinse and trim the asparagus.  put a square of foil on a baking sheet.  Add asparagus, add 2 tsp or so of olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Put the asparagus in the oven right along with the Lemon Chicken – just for the last 8-10 minutes or so.  Set the table, make the spinach salad, pull everything from the oven and voila!  Dinner is served.

Rustic Pan Bread (part 2)

My current favorite:  Rustic Pan Bread.  The recipe can be found here, although there are no “after” pics on that post.  I love, love love this bread.  So fast.  So easy.  No kneading. 




In these photos I topped the bread with some melted butter, rosemary, garlic powder and a pinch of kosher salt.  Next time I’m trying some thinly sliced tomatoes before baking, and a sprinkle of fresh basil when it comes out of the oven.

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

This stuff is amazing.  Rich.  Very rich.  But oh so good.  It doesn’t make a lot, so if you’re needing to serve more than 5 or 6 people then make a double batch.  I made the recipe as-is, and I would recommend reading some of the reviews – there’s a lot of great tips in there (for instance, how to properly whip cream without over-beating.) 


link to recipe for Heavenly Chocolate Mousse

In my opinion…

Isn’t there a Seinfeld quote to go with pretty much every situation? 

Kramer: “A hot bowl of mulligatawny would hit the spot.”
Elaine: “Mulligatawny?”
Kramer: “Yes, it’s a delightful Hindu concoction simmered to perfection by one of the great soup artisans in the modern era.”


That has to be one of my all-time favorite episodes.  Ever.

Last year on a visit to one of our favorite local eateries I decided to try a bowl of Mulligatawny.  It immediately became one of my favorite soups.  It’s thick and hearty, filled with chunks of vegetables, and has just enough kick to warm you up.





I’m currently on the hunt for a perfect mulligatawny.  This recipe comes close – it has a lot of nice qualities.  First of all, I love the flavor – all of those amazing spices- oh so yummy.  I also love the creaminess of the soup.  That comes from the cream of course, but also the rice and the potato.  As the soup simmers some of the potato chunks dissolve a little and the rice continues to soften until it all blends together into creamy goodness.  In fact, I think next time I’ll try omitting the cream and adding another potato (diced small) to see if that will do the trick.  A dairy-free soup is a good thing around here.

One more thing I love about this recipe is the fact that it uses cooked chicken.  I tossed some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot last night and left them alone for about 2 1/2 hours.  I pulled them out, cut them into chunks and then put all of that in the fridge – ready for today’s soup.  Another option is to use up the leftovers from that roast chicken you had on Sunday.  The amount of chicken in this soup can be flexible – it calls for 3 lbs, but you could do less.  I really wouldn’t add more than 3 lbs or you’ll just end up with more of a casserole consistency.





This mulligatawny recipe was originally found here, but I’ve made some tweaks so I’ll type it up below.


Mulligatawny Soup
(12 servings)

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garam masala
pinch of cayenne pepper (add up to 1/4 tsp if you like the heat)
3 lbs cooked chicken, chopped
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 large onions, chopped
3-4 carrots, diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced (white part only)
11 cups chicken stock (stock is best, but I used canned broth and it was great)
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
1 large (or 2 medium) potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup heavy cream
chopped cilantro (for garnish)

Combine minced garlic with all of the spices (cumin, cloves, curry powder, ginger, cayenne pepper, garam masala) and set aside.  In a large pot (and I mean LARGE) heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.  Add celery, onions, carrots and leeks and saute until veggies are crisp-tender (about 5-8 minutes).  Add garlic and spices and stir to coat the vegetables.  Continue to saute for another 2 or 3 minutes – the garlic and spices will become fragrant.

Add in all 11 cups of chicken stock and rice.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add potato chunks.  Simmer for another 10 minutes or until potatoes and rice are softened.  Add lemon juice and cream and heat through over medium-low heat.  Taste soup and add salt and pepper and additional curry powder and cayenne pepper if you would like. 
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Orange, Walnut & Feta salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Oranges are just so lovely and delicious right now.  I saw them all heaped up at the grocery store yesterday,  just calling my name.

Today for lunch I combined some orange segments with romaine, thinly sliced red onions, toasted walnuts and crumbled feta.  I tossed it all in a fresh citrusy vinaigrette.  It brought just a bit of sunshine to an otherwise cold and wintery day. 





Citrus Vinaigrette

2/3 cup fresh orange juice
2-3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (depending on the sweetness of the oranges)
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

In a bowl or a jar with a lid (I use a mason jar) add all ingredients except salt & pepper.
Shake (or whisk) to combine.  Taste, and add salt and pepper.

Shortbread Candy Bars

As promised, here is a recipe that will come in handy now that we all have bowls of candy (a.k.a. bribery ammunition) stashed somewhere in our homes.

This recipe is found on the last page of this month’s Everyday Food mini-mag (October 2010).  It’s also found online here.

First of all, has anyone else already tried this recipe?  I made one batch of the shortbread dough last night and tasted it before baking and found it to be incredibly salty.  Ew.  I tossed it out and started over this afternoon.  Instead of the 1 1/4 tsp of coarse salt I added a scant 1/4 tsp of regular salt and it was so much better.  I even think it would be fine without any salt at all.  My other shortbread recipes do not call for salt.
 
So here is the recipe (my reduced salt version):

Shortbread Candy Bars

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp regular salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (using the spoon/level method)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups assorted roughly chopped candy bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and salt on medium-high until light and fluffy (3 minutes).  With mixer on low, add flour in three additions and beat until combined (dough will be crumbly).
    

Press dough evenly into an 8-inch square baking dish.  Bake until golden brown and firm, 30-35 minutes.  (My pan was a little smaller than 8-inches and took about 38 minutes to bake.)

 

While shortbread bakes, chop your candy.  I used M&Ms:



Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups:



and Snickers:



When the shortbread is done, pull it out of the oven.  Scatter chocolate chips on top of shortbread.  Bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes until chips are soft.  With the back of a spoon, spread chocolate evenly over shortbread.



Scatter candies over top (I sprinkled the candies into their own rows, but you could also scatter them on all willy-nilly if you so choose.  I’m sure it will be just  as chocolatey and delicious.)



Let cool for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate briefly (mine took another 15 minutes) to set chocolate, then cut into 16 bars.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Donut Muffins

My sister is to blame for this next recipe. Yes. Blame.

They are little bite-sized muffins that taste like donut holes. Why not just make donut holes you ask? Well because these are just as good, they are quick to mix up using things you most likely have in your pantry AND (a big bonus) they don’t get fried in oil.

These are the perfect little bite of fall-esque goodness. Mix a batch up for an after school snack. Serve them alongside a mug of apple cider, or hot chocolate. One batch makes 24 perfect little muffins. You’re going to want to try these. Really.

Here’s the link:

Donut Muffins

Please don’t be tempted to leave out the nutmeg. These really need the nutmeg. If you’re making these and you’re out of nutmeg, call me and I’ll lend you mine. Oh and thank you Mindy for the yummy recipe!

Dinner for One

Recently I overheard someone say how it is more time consuming to cook healthy meals.  For the most part I disagree.  I know there are a lot of fancy-shmancy recipes out there that are healthy and quite complicated.  But cooking healthy doesn’t need to be complicated.  For me, it just takes a little planning.
For example – tonight’s dinner.  Hubby was working late and kids wanted spaghetti.  I didn’t want spaghetti.  I dug through my fridge and found some vegetables and some leftover chopped romaine. 
In the time it took me to boil the water for my kids’ spaghetti, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees and washed and chopped a few veggies (not having to peel anything was a big time saver.)
In the time it took me to put the pasta in the water, the vegetables got a quick toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
In the time it took me to cook the pasta I mixed up a quick balsamic vinaigrette and the veggies got a quick roast in the oven.
In the time it took me to drain the pasta and add the sauce, I had my salad plated and on the table. 

Need the details? 
I used: (1 serving) 4-5 brussels sprouts, 4-5 pieces of cauliflower, 8 asparagus spears, one small zuchinni
Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cut the tough little stem off of the brussels sprouts and slice each in half.
Slice the small zuchinni into 1 inch slices (if you cut a little on the diagonal you get nice long, pretty slices)
Chop the cauliflower into small to medium sized pieces
Cut about 1 inch off of the asparagus (just the last bit of the stem – it’s usually pretty tough)
Place vegetables on foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Toss gently with your hands.  I do like to keep my vegetables in little groups like this so that if say the asparagus is done first (which it is) then it is easy to pull out and set aside. 


Roast vegetables in oven for 8-10 minutes, possibly less.  It all depends on the size of your vegetables!  I did peek at about 5 minutes and used a pair of tongs to toss the vegetables a little.
Serve as a side dish (easy dinner = store bought rotisserie chicken + quick oven roasted vegetables) or atop a bed of chopped romaine for a delicious roasted vegetable salad. 

Poached Pears with Cinnamon-Vanilla Cream

Need a simple but impressive dessert? These babies are microwaved! I know – I was skeptical too.
Here’s a link to the original recipe. Of course I made a couple of changes. I didn’t have any vanilla ice cream on hand, but I did have heavy cream. I used 1/4 cup of heavy cream, with a bit (maybe 1/8 tsp?) of vanilla and a sprinkling of cinnamon to taste. I loved the addition of the cinnamon and we couldn’t get enough of the sauce so the next time I made these I doubled it.

Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki Skewers

Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki Skewers were a favorite with us this summer. We buy our top sirloin from Costco and it’s oh so good. Be sure to soak your wooden skewers in some water before grilling.

Serve with grilled or fresh pineapple, rice and a green salad.

Bacon Wrapped Hamburgers

We’re not big burger eaters, but when we do have burgers at home this is the recipe we use:

Bacon Wrapped Hamburgers

We use the recipe for the burger patties, but we don’t bother to do the bacon-wrapping part.  If you still need bacon on your burger then add it on top along with the lettuce, tomato & pickles.  Oh these are delicious.  And just look how lovely the ingredients are in the bowl.  (Do you find it at all strange that I have a photo of the ingredients, but not the finished burger?  Me too.)

Vegetarian Chili

I haven’t been in a soup-mood for quite some time. Months, actually. Something changed this week (uh, like the weather) and I’m starting to bring my soups back into the rotation. Vegetarian Chili is one of the first soups to make an appearance each fall; it uses some of those fresh garden veggies, and doesn’t have that heavy-made-from-loads-of-cream feeling. Oh and the leftovers are amazing!
Here’s two ways to get this dinner to the table quickly:
option #1: Prep all of your veggies earlier in the day. Mince and chop everything and put it in the fridge. (A friend of mine preps for dinner right after breakfast. I like to do it right after lunch.) Then when it is time for dinner heat your pot, toss in all veggies and saute. The rest is easy – open all of the cans and dump them in!
option #2: Make the entire soup that morning (or at lunch, like me). About 20 minutes before meal time, heat it up and you’re ready!


California Vegetarian Chili

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 cans (14-oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 can black beans, drained
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 Tbsp yellow mustard

Heat oil in a large (6 qt) kettle. Add garlic and veggies. Saute until veggies are crisp-tender.
Add all other ingredients. Stir well. Cover and simmer at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. Serve and garnish with cheese and/or avocados.

Out of the Habit

I admit it. I am totally out of the habit of blogging. Somewhere in June I got tired of photographing everything before I ate it. I stopped taking detailed notes about how much of this and that I tossed into the pot. For a weekly menu I just scribbled down a list of things I thought would be delicious, without concern for what day each meal would fall on. I did keep cooking. And I did take a few photos. A few.

Last year we had just a few bean plants in our garden. This year we had 16. I discovered that it was just about the perfect amount for our family. It was wonderful – we were able to have fresh green beans for dinner every three to four days. Here is our favorite way to prepare them:

green beans

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 Tbsp onion, minced

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

olive oil

kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

Pick beans, and trim the ends off. Cut beans to be similar lengths.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add beans, boil 5 minutes uncovered. Check for doneness. Cover pot with a lid and boil another 3-5 minutes until done. I’ve found bean “doneness” to be a personal preference. I like softer beans, but if you like your beans with a little crunch, then don’t boil them as long. The size of the beans will determine cooking time as well.

Drain beans and set aside (this will help them dry a little as well. You really don’t want to toss wet beans into hot oil. Trust me.)

Mince garlic and onion, and chop rosemary.

Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add beans, garlic and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently (don’t let the garlic & onions burn.) Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper (to taste). Toss to coat. Remove from pan and serve.