Ziti with Roasted Cauliflower & Red Onions

It is getting a little bit more difficult to get dinner done at a reasonable time lately. By the time I am able to cook dinner and have it on the table, it is almost 8:30PM. So I am really looking for easy recipes that I can make quickly during the week. This pasta recipe looked great in the magazine I ripped it out of and only took 40 minutes to cook. There was only one ingredient that I didn't have handy--fresh sage--so I substituted it with ground sage. As I was reading through the ingredients I noticed it called for raisins. Raisins in pasta? I was going to skip the raisins at first but decided to give it a try. I am glad I did because it really gave the dish a nice sweetness. Also, I love onions so I used 2 red onions instead of one. As for the cooking time, I roasted the veggies for 30 minutes before adding the raisins since I like my cauliflower browned with a little crispiness to them. I then served the pasta with chicken drumsticks. For the drumsticks, I marinated them with seasoned salt and garlic powder. I browned the chicken in a pan with olive oil and then baked them, in a separate pan, with the veggies. Total cooking time was only 40 minutes...perfect! I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Ziti with Roasted Cauliflower & Red Onions

Recipe from Womans Day

Serves 6

Veggies with sage, salt and pepper before going into the oven.

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1⁄2 lb), cored and sliced  1⁄2 in. thick

1 red onion, cut into 1⁄2 in.-thick wedges (I used 2 red onions)

1⁄3 cup fresh sage, roughly chopped (I substituted this with ground sage)

2 Tbsp olive oil (I used 4 Tbsp)

Kosher salt and pepper

 1⁄2 cup golden raisins

1 box of whole-grain penne

1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan (1 oz), plus more for serving

Directions: Heat oven to 425ºF. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower, onion, sage, oil, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper; roast for 15 minutes. Add the raisins and toss to incorporate. Continue roasting until the vegetables are golden brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Add the vegetable mixture and Parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve with additional Parmesan, if desired.

My veggies 30 minutes later.

Pasta is served!

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

I went to the farmers market this weekend with my hubby. While we were there he picks up some brussels sprouts and says "Kenny brought some in the other day for lunch and they were actually really good." So I ask him to put them in our cart so I can try and make a recipe I had just ripped out of Cooking Light magazine. Honestly I never made nor was I interested in making brussels sprouts before. They never really caught my attention but when I saw this recipe and then when my hubby commented on the ones he had, I had to give them a shot. This recipe was really easy and quick to make. Plus, I had all the ingredients I needed at home already. Since we are still trying to cut the carbs for dinner, I served the brussels sprouts with a piece of salmon that I marinated in Italian dressing and then sauteed. I would definitely make these yummy little veggies again with a couple of modifications: more onions and I would quarter the brussels sprouts instead of halving them as the recipe calls for.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Recipe from Cooking Light magazine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 slices center-cut bacon finely chopped 

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 

1 1/2 cups presliced onion 

1/3 cup fat-free

Lower-sodium chicken broth 

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

Directions: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook 7 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; drain.

Add thyme and onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and Brussels sprouts; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with bacon.

Bacon is browned and the rest of the ingredients are prepped and ready.

Everything tastes good with bacon!

Delicious and Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fy

Usually what I do on Saturday's is take out 3 or 4 recipes that I want to make for the week. Then head out to the farmer's market or grocery store to get any ingredients I am missing for them. This has been my routine now for the past couple of months and it works for me. Sometimes I don't get to make all the recipes I pulled out on Saturday because of stuff that comes up or if we get home too late. Although I love to cook, when it's past 8PM, I don't even want to think about making a recipe that will take me over an hour. You may laugh at me but I cannot go to bed knowing that I have a dirty kitchen. I like all my dishes cleaned, put away, floors swept and breakfast and lunches made before I head to bed. I know, I am strange but I blame this on my mother. She is the exact same way. So when I got home yesterday and it was already 7PM, I wanted to make something quick and easy. Let me just say that this recipe for beef and broccoli was not just super easy but really, really good. I am not a big Chinese food fan but if I do order it, I usually order the beef and broccoli. This recipe is better than any Chinese restaurant beef and broccoli I have ever had so it is definitely a keeper. Enjoy! 

Just before serving, I sprinkled some sesame seeds on top of the dish.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Recipe from Food.com

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided

1/2 cup water, plus

2 tablespoons water, divided

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb boneless round steak or 1 lb charcoal chuck steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

4 cups broccoli florets

1 small onion, cut into wedges

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

hot cooked rice (I used brown rice)

Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions: In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth. Add beef and toss. In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm. Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes. Return beef to pan. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Serve over rice.

Before I started cooking, I prepped the veggies and beef.

Veggies right before I take them off the stove.

Penne alla Vodka

I remember, way back in the day, when my roommate Cathy and I would go all the way to NY just to get Penne all Vodka from this great restaurant. That was the first time I ever tried it and I loved it ever since. Every time I go to an Italian restaurant and see it on the menu, I have to try it. Well, I wanted to try and make my own. I have tried a couple of recipes but none really compare to the original dish I fell in love with. Well, I may have finally found it with this recipe -- it is great! My friend Nancy gave me this recipe which is a friend's of hers. So, thank you so much Nancy and Linda for the great recipe. Enjoy!

Vodka Sauce
Serves 6

Ingredients:
Olive oil
3 - 4 slices of Pancetta - chopped
3 cloves of garlic, min½
½ small onion
½ stick butter
½ vodka
28 oz whole plum tomatoes (put thru a blender)
⅓ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Hot pepper flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese

Directions: Lightly coat bottom of pan with oil, brown pancetta, add onion and garlic saute for a few minutes. Add and melt butter, then carefully add vodka, cook until it bubbles and evaporated about 3/4 of the vodka. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for at least 35 minutes (a little more is nice too). Add heavy cream, cook for 10 minutes more. Toss over pasta with cheese. This sauce will be enough for one box of penne pasta. The sauce will thicken as it cools so keep that in mind.

Once the sauce was made, I added the cooked penne and tossed it all together.

Here is the Penne alla Vodka with fresh parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and served with chicken.

Beef Stew

It is a rainy day out and I don't feel like going to the grocery store. So I need to make a dinner with ingredients that I already have at home. Lucky for me, I bought veggies and wine to make a beef stew last week. I love this recipe. I made it a couple of months ago and it is just so great. I always like the second time I make a recipe because I now know how to tweak it to make it just how I like it. For example with this recipe, I added more veggies to it then the recipe called for. Also, a friend at work told me about adding a little orange juice to the stew to give it a little extra zing -- and it did! This recipe is also great because it goes right into the slow cooker after you prep it and it is done. So, I hope you enjoy it!

Hearty Beef Stew
Recipe by Woman's Day magazine
Serves 8 - Prep 30 minutes - Cook time 4 hours (low)

Ingredients:
½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3-4 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (I used 2 extra carrots)
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp peppercorns
1 bottle (24 oz) hearty red wine such as Burgundy
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp orange juice

Directions: Stir 3 Tbsp of the flour, and the salt and pepper on a plate. Toss beef pieces in mixture, shaking off any excess. Melt butter with oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary, add beef and cook about 10 minutes, turning frequently, until browned on all sides. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add carrots, celery, onion and peppercorns to same skillet. Cook about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring ofter, until onions and carrot begin to brown. Pour in wine and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir tomatoes, broth and orange juice into skillet and bring to a boil. Stir in remaining flour and the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, about a 1 minute, until mixture has thickened. Return beef to skillet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer beef and wine mixture to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on Low, 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender. Serve with egg noodles, brown rice or veggies.

Beef cut into small pieces and then browned.

All the vegetables cooked and ready to go into the slow cooker.

We are watching our carbs so for dinner, I served the stew with sauteed spinach.

Sauteed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter

We had some friends over this weekend and I wanted to make a special yet healthy dinner for them. I had some chicken breasts that I defrosted and wanted to use them for this meal. So I found this recipe in my binder --  which I tore out of the Cooking Light magazine -- that looked perfect. I love when I find a recipe that has everything, or almost everything, that I need for it already at home. The only ingredient I had to improvise with was the fresh sage. I couldn't find the fresh stuff at the grocery store so used the ground sage I had at home already. I am sure that it would taste even better with the fresh sage but this recipe was still delicious with the ground sage. I served it with a baked potato and a spinach salad. I also made two loaves of french bread for dipping into the sauce and salad. I unfortunately forgot to take pictures of the meal! I am so disappointed about this but since this recipe is a keeper, I will take a picture of it next time I make it. Enjoy!

Sauteed Chicken with Sage Browned Butter
Recipe by Cooking Light
Serves 4-6. Total prep and cooking time, 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 sage sprigs (I substituted 1 tablespoon of ground sage for the fresh sage)
1 tablespoon  minced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Directions: Place each breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Add butter and sage sprigs to pan; cook over medium heat until butter browns. Discard sage. Add shallots and thyme; cook for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; cook for 30 seconds. Serve with chicken. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.

Sugar Cookies

I am not a big fan of sugar cookies unless I buy them from the store. Only because whenever I try a recipe at home they just don't taste so great. However, one my favorite websites, Craftzine.com, featured the best sugar cookie recipe. I had to try it. Plus, I had all these great cookie cutters that I found at tag sales last summer that I wanted to use. This recipe was super easy and was hands down, the best sugar cookie recipe I have ever made. They even featured the icing recipe which offered the best consistency for making thin lines. You will see the cookies I made below with an example of this! Enjoy.


Amanda's Amazing Sugar Cookies
Makes 7 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until combined, then beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Slowly beat the flour mixture in with the butter mixture until combined to form a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or until well chilled.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of about one-eighth inch. Cut out cookie shapes from the dough. Space the cookies about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the sheets and cool completely before icing. Ice as desired.


Amanda's amazing icing
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 drop lemon juice
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon milk, more or less as desired
Food coloring, if desired
Flavored extracts, if desired

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and corn syrup. Whisk in milk to make a thick, spreadable icing. If coloring the icing with liquid food coloring, you might want to add a little less milk as the coloring will dilute the frosting. For different flavors, add drops of vanilla, almond or lemon extract. For shinier icing, use a little more corn syrup and a little less milk. The frosting will keep, tightly covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Here are the cookies, cut and ready to go into the oven.

Aren't these hilarious?!

Apple Dumplings

We are heading out to our friend's house and I need to make a quick and easy dessert. I would also like it to be a bit lighter of a dessert than say a cake or brownies. So I flip through my binder and find a recipe for Apple Dumplings. Perfect! This dessert was so easy to make and it looked great when plated. My only dilemma while making them was that I didn't have a tool to core the apples so it took a little longer for this step. I would highly recommend you get a tool to core the apples before you make this recipe. I have a tool I bought at IKEA to do this but in addition to coring the apple, it also slices it into wedges -- which wouldn't work for this recipe. Although the apple dumplings looked and tasted great when I made them, they would have looked even better if I could have kept them as one piece. You will see in the picture below that after they were baked, the two pieces separated a bit. Either way they still came out great. Enjoy!

Apple dumpling with caramel sauce and a side of vanilla ice cream.

Apple Dumplings with Caramel Sauce
Serves 6
Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients:
8 apples (I used Braeburn apples)

½ cup of dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sheets of puff pastry dough
½ cup orange juice
1 egg
1 cup caramel sauce (next to chocolate syrup in the grocery store)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°F. In a bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside. Peel and core all six apples -- try to keep them in one piece or if you do not have a coring tool, cut in half and core. Drizzle the peeled and cored apples with orange juice to slow the apples from browning. Start with one sheet of puff pastry and cut into 4 squares. You will then only need half of the other sheet of puff pastry or you can make 8 apples instead of 6 to use it all. Place an apple in the center of each square and pack with sugar mixture. Pull up all four corners of the puff pastry to the top of the apple and press together to seal them. Place on an ungreased baking pan. Once all the apples are wrapped in puff pastry and on the baking sheet, lightly beat the egg and brush it on the puff pastry. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Once they are baked, pour some caramel sauce on a plate and place the apple dumpling on top of sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Here are the apples peeled, cut in half and cored. I then took 2 pieces and stuffed one side with the sugar mixture and then placed the other half on top. I then put this on the puff pastry square -- making sure to keep the pieces together. 

The stuffed apple wrapped and ready to go into the oven.

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is so different from anything I have ever made that I had to give it a try. Plus, I love Mexican food. I did make a couple of tweaks to it though. After reading the recipe through, I felt like it was missing something. So I did a little investigating on other Mexican Lasagna recipes and got some ideas on how to make this recipe even better. It came out great and is definitely a recipe I would make again. And the best part is that it is a healthy dish. Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

Recipe adapted by Disney Family

Serves 10.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, grated

1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 14-ounce can corn, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 corn tortillas, quartered
½ cup mild red enchilada sauce
1 ¼ cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, cumin and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are heated through, about 3 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese with oregano. Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the baking dish. Top with about half the vegetable mixture and all of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat with one more layer of tortillas, vegetables, spread all of the enchilada sauce over the entire lasagna and top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil. (Here's a cooking tip, to avoid having the cheese stick to the foil, spray the foil with cooking spray and then place on top of lasagna.) Bake the casserole for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

Here are all of the packaged ingredients and the diced veggies ready to be used.

First layer of ingredients: tortillas, veggie and cottage cheese mixture.

Tortillas down and ready for last layer.

Finished dish. 

Pollo Asado

We are heading to our friend's house for dinner and I need to bring a main course to share with six people. I made this Pollo Asado recipe back in December and loved it so much that I want to make again for our friends. We are all foodies and I know they will definitely enjoy this simple yet flavorful recipe. By the way, I unfortunately was rushing to get this meal done that I forgot to take pictures. :(

Pollo Asado
Recipe by Latina (with some modifications by me)
Serves 4. Total cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients:
8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. dried oregano
⅓ cup lime or lemon juice
⅓  cup orange juice
8 ½ lb. chicken pieces, well trimmed of all fat
2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into large 2- to 3-inch chunks
I added: 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks and also baby carrots

Directions: In large bowl combine garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, and oregano and mix well. Add lime and orange juices and stir well. Add chicken pieces, turning them over so that they are well coated with marinade. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. (I recommend you marinate this overnight. I put all the chicken into Ziploc bags with the marinade and placed them in the refrigerator. When possible I would give the Ziploc a shake to get marinade all around chicken.)

Assemble equal amounts of chicken pieces onto two large roasting pans or baking dishes. Place potatoes between chicken pieces and drizzle with any remaining marinade. Cover with aluminum foil and prick foil in two or three places with knife tip. Bake in preheated 400°F oven 1 hour and 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake another 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes. Serve with vegetables or rice.

Oatmeal Cookies

I personally have never been too crazy about oatmeal cookies as I prefer chocolate chip, but this recipe may have changed my mind forever. I didn't want to bake all of the cookies at once so I made a cookie log with the dough -- I got this idea from my sister-in-law (thanks Mari!). This way we could easily slice and bake when our little hearts craved some homemade cookies. Then the rest I can refrigerate for another day. This recipe is definitely a "keeper" and I may even add some walnuts to my next batch!

Anytime Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe by Martha Stewart 
Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt
1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tablespoons), room temperature
⅔ cup packed light-brown sugar
⅓ granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup golden raisins

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt into a bowl. Beat butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla, then flour mixture. Mix in oats, then raisins. Using a 1 ¼ inch ice cream scoop (or 1 tablespoon), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each scoop about 2 inches apart. (You can also make a cookie log like I did -- pictured below. Rip an 18 inch long sheet of parchment or wax paper and lay flat on counter. Pour batter into center of paper and form it into a log. Then roll it up and refrigerate. Then slice and bake when ready.) Bake until edges are golden, about 14 minutes. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.

Cookie log ready to go in the refrigerator.

Once the cookie log has chilled for an hour, it is ready to be sliced...

...and baked.

Chicken Adobo with Bok Choy

I remember when I got my first slow cooker (AKA crock pot) as a gift from my mom. I was really excited for the gift but also really nervous to use it. I mean, isn't that crazy to leave this little "oven" on all day while you're at work? No way -- I was just too nervous about it. So what I did was test it one Saturday when I was home all day. Ever since that first test, I love this little thing. Nothing beats coming home to a deliciously scented kitchen with a meal just waiting to be served.

Well, this recipe is from my all time favorite celebrity, Martha Stewart. It was featured in the February issue of Real Simple and let me tell you, it really is simple! This was my first time using or eating Bok Choy and it is great. Give it a whirl because this recipe is a "keeper"!

Chicken Adobo with Bok Choy
Recipe by Martha Stewart (with some modifications)
Serves 4. Total cooking time 4-8 hours

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 bay leaf
black pepper
8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 ¾ pounds)
2 tablespoons of olive oil (my modification)
Salt and pepper (my modification)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cup long-grain white rice (I used brown rice)
1 large head bok choy, cut into 1-inch strips
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions: In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a large pan, heat olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each chicken thigh and brown on one side -- do not cook the chicken through. This step will only take 3 minutes and is just to give the chicken a light crust and some color.) Place the chicken on top of the onion mixture in the slow cooker and sprinkle with the paprika. Cook, covered, until the chicken and onions are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total recipe time). Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions. Ten minutes before serving, if the slow cooker is on the low setting, turn it to high. Gently fold the bok choy into the chicken and cook, covered, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

I just placed the lightly browned chicken on top of the onion mixture.
It is now ready to cook for 5 hours on high.

Sliced bok choy ready to go into the slow cooker.

Ready to be served.
(I molded the rice into a little dome and placed the chicken adobo around it.)

Madeleine Cookies

I always see these delicious little cookies at Starbuck's and wondered how difficult it must be to make them. However after some investigating, I found a recipe that looked easy enough to make. Also since Santa bought me the madeleine pan from Williams Sonoma this past Christmas, I had to give them a shot. This recipe is delicious and the madeleines came out so beautiful! This is definitely a "keeper" recipe.

These scrumptious little cookies are so delicate and beautiful to make.

Madeleines
Recipe by 101 Cookbooks
Makes 2-3 dozen madeleines
Special equipment: A madeleine baking pan

Ingredients:
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (6 ounces)
2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter (for greasing pan)
¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
a pinch fine-grain sea salt

⅔ cups sugar
zest of one large lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar
a bit of extra flour for dusting baking pan

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Melt the 1 ½ sticks of butter in a small pot over medium heat until it's brown and gives off a deliciously nutty aroma, roughly 20 minutes. Strain (using a paper towel over a mesh strainer) - you want to leave the solids behind. Cool the butter to room temperature. By doing the butter first you can complete the rest of the steps while it is cooling. While the melted butter is cooling, use the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to grease the madeleine molds - get in there and make sure you get in all the ridges. Dust with flour and invert the pan tapping out any excess flour. Put the eggs with the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until thick - you are looking for the eggs to roughly double or triple in volume - approximately 3 minutes. Continuing to mix on high speed, slowly add the sugar in a steady stream. Whip for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and ribbony. Now with a spatula fold in the lemon zest and vanilla (just until mixed). Sprinkle the flour on top of the egg batter, and gently fold in. Now fold in the butter mixture. Only stirring enough to bring everything together. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each mold 2/3 -3/4 full. I use a small cup filled with batter to keep things clean and manageable, it is easier than using a spoon. Bake the madeleines for 12 - 14 minutes (7-10 minutes for smaller cookies), or until the edges of the madeleines are golden brown. Remove from oven and unmold immediately. Cool on racks and dust with powdered sugar.

I was so excited that I forgot to take pictures of the first batch. This is the third batch -- which is just a couple of cookies short -- before it goes into the oven.

Savory Turkey Sausage Breakfast Rolls

My dream is to own a Bed & Breakfast one day. That would make me so happy to be able to make guests feel welcomed while serving up a delicious gourmet breakfast. I once stayed at a great B&B that did just that – beautiful dining area, wonderful 3 course breakfast and cozy rooms. Ever since then, I have had it in my heart that I want to do that too one day. Of course you would need to pick a location that you would really enjoy opening a B&B and calling home. Needless to say, that is the part I am still working on. However, until then I have been collecting breakfast recipes whenever I see them. How cool would it be for a food magazine to do a special “breakfast issue"? Well, today I decided to try out this recipe by Jimmy Dean. They have the new Turkey Sausage Crumbles which I have seen in the supermarkets but finally bought so that I can make this recipe. These sausage rolls came out really good but you definitely need a little something else to go with it so, I made some scrambled eggs to complete the meal. Enjoy!

Savory Turkey Sausage Breakfast Rolls
Recipe by Jimmy Dean
Makes about 12-16 rolls

Ingredients:
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread dough
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage (I used sage powder since I couldn't find the fresh kind)
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces Jimmy Dean reduced-fat turkey crumbles, cooked
¾ cup shredded Gruyère cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
Cooking spray

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Find lengthwise seam in dough. Beginning at seam, gently unroll dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 13 x 8 inch rectangle; brush with butter, leaving a ½ inch border. Combine sage, salt, and sausage. Sprinkle sausage mixture evenly over dough, leaving a ½ inch border; top with cheese. Starting with a long side, roll dough up, jelly-roll fashion; press seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Cut 1 (½ inch-thick) crosswise slice from each end; discard (I actually took these end pieces and flattened them out and topped with any sausage mixture that escaped the other rolls). Slice roll crosswise into 12 (½ inch-thick) pieces; arrange in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden.

Here is the dough rolled out, buttered, topped with sausage mixture and cheese.



Cut into ½ inch pieces and placed on a sprayed baking pan.



After 26 minutes, they are ready to be served.

Banana Bread

I was standing in my kitchen and saw some ripe bananas in my fruit basket that I didn't want to go to waste. Since I was heading out to spend some time with family, why not bring along some banana bread for them. So I am looking around my cabinets to see what I can mix into this. Mmm, coconut and almonds sounds good. I made them banana bread before with coconut and walnuts and they loved it but since I have no walnuts on hand, almonds should do. This loaf came out great but if you don't like almonds or coconut, just skip that mix-in. Enjoy!

Banana Bread with Coconut and Slivered Almonds
Recipe by Gold Medal Flour (with slight modifications)
Makes one large loaf

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup butter or ½ cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 ½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
½ cup buttermilk (No buttermilk? Use a ½ cup of plain yogurt or sour cream or mix ½ cup of regular milk with ½ tbsp of lemon juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup, if desired (I used ½ cup of slivered almonds and ½ shredded coconut plus some extra for the top of loaf)

Ready to go in the oven.

Directions: Heat oven to 350°. Grease bottom and sides of a loaf pan. In large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer (I used my Kitchen Aid) on medium speed until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and 1 cup nuts and coconut (if using) just until moistened (Careful not to over mix). Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle some coconut and slivered almonds on the top of the batter. Bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf pan; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.




Pizza Night

Today was one of those days where I just didn’t feel like cooking but I also didn’t want to spend the money to buy anything. Plus, I love to cook so I should able to make something quick and easy...like what though? Aha – pizza! It's 2PM and if I want to have dinner ready in time, I need to start making the dough ASAP. I discovered a great new blog recently that featured a pizza dough that that looked quick and easy. The pizza dough recipe I have been using lately is good but didn’t really have any impactful flavor to it. I gave this new recipe a whirl and it was great – definitely a keeper. It paired perfectly with our favorite toppings of mozzarella and pineapple. Actually this recipe made enough dough for two large pizzas. This great blog also featured another recipe for a Mexican pizza which I want to try with the other half of dough...maybe next week.

Pizza Dough
Recipe by A Couple Cooks
Makes 2 large pizzas

Ingredients:
4 cups white flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 ¾ cups warm water
Kosher salt (I used 1 Tbsp regular iodized salt)

Directions: In a food processor (I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a dough hook), combine flour, 2 teaspoons yeast, ½ tablespoon olive oil, and salt. With the food processor on, slowly (I mean slowly, like over 30 seconds) start pouring in 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups of warm water. Stop adding water when the dough form a single ball. If you add too much water and the dough gets sticky, just add a bit more flour. Leave the food processor on for about 10 more seconds to knead the dough a bit. Place the dough ball in a floured bowl, cover it with a towel, and allow it to rise for about an hour. After an hour, reform the risen dough into a ball. Divide it into two equal parts and either freeze it or allow it to relax for immediate use (See info below). To stretch the dough, gently press it out on the counter into a circle shape, about half the size of the final pizza. Then drape the dough over both of your knuckles and rotate it around, allowing it to stretch itself to a larger circle, about 10 inches in diameter. If the dough starts to resist stretching, put it down and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes, at which point it will stretch more easily.

To freeze: Place each dough ball in a zip-top bag and put in the freezer. The morning that you are going to use the dough, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw. About 30 minutes before making the pizza, take it out of the baggie and allow it to relax on the counter, covered with plastic wrap. To use immediately: Cover each dough ball with plastic wrap, and let them sit on the counter for another 30 minutes to relax.

The final product.

Fast & Easy Mid-Week Appetizer: Guacamole!

I bought a couple of avocados last weekend at the farmer's market which I wanted to use for my tasty guacamole recipe. This is my own spin on the classic although; all guacamoles pretty much consist of the same ingredients. I like my guac chunky and with a kick so here it is. Enjoy!

Guacamole
A Heart for Cooking original recipe
Makes enough for 4 people (or 2 greedy ones like my husband and me)

My chunky guacamole ready to serve.

Ingredients:
2 avocados
2 limes
1 lemon
½ cup chopped red onion
1 ripe, medium chopped tomato
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Tabasco

Directions: Peel and seed the 2 avocados into a large bowl. Take one of the limes and roll it against the counter with the palm of your hand to soften the lime and make it easier to juice. Squeeze the lime over the avocados and then gently mash the avocados, leaving some chunks. Next add the red onions, tomatoes and the remaining lime and lemon to the avocado mixture and stir together. Mix in the cilantro and add as much salt and fresh pepper to your liking. I then add 3 splashes of Tabasco and mix again. This can now be covered and refrigerated until ready to serve with tortilla chips or added to your favorite dish.

Spinach & Mixed Berry Salads

So I usually make breakfast and lunches for my husband and myself and wanted to make a spinach salad for tomorrow. We went to Costco last weekend and bought huge containers of strawberries and blueberries and I wanted to use them up before they went bad. So what to make but a berry salad! I originally got this idea from a salad I had at Panera Bread this past Summer. It had berries and pineapple chunks in it and was yummy however; it is not available during the winter. So, here is my own version of it which I prepare and package up the night before.

Packaged and ready to go.

Spinach & Mixed Berry Salad
My own recipe which is inspired by Panera Bread
Makes 2 salads

Ingredients:
4 cups of baby spinach
1 cup of strawberries, quartered
1 cup of blueberries
½ cup candied walnuts
2 slices of goat cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette

Directions: In two large Tupperware containers, divide 2 cups of baby spinach in each. Top each salad with half of the strawberries and blueberries. Place one slice of the goat cheese on each salad and then close Tupperware containers and place in refrigerator. I then divide the ½ cup candied walnuts into two plastic baggies and seal. I don't put these on the salad until I am ready to have my lunch since they tend to get a little soggy if I refrigerator them on the salad. I then divide the vinaigrette into little containers so that I don't have to take the whole bottle in my lunch bag. Viola -- lunch is ready!

Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

I am heading to a baby shower tomorrow and need to bring a dessert. I decided to make cookies but wanted to make something different that I haven't made before...how about shortbread? I went ahead and made a basic recipe which a friend gave me a while back with some of my own tweaks incorporated -- like dipping them in chocolate with pink sprinkles! My friend Erika knows she is having a baby girl and I had some pink sprinkles in the house -- it was perfect. These came out great and the extra chocolate that was left over I spread onto wax paper and made into shapes -- I can use these as toppers to cupcakes or a cake another day.

Shortbread Recipe
My original recipe

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of cake flour
1 cup of room temperature butter
½ cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ sprinkles of your choice

Directions: Mix butter and sugar in an electric mixer or by hand until well combined. Add vanilla and mix again until smooth and fluffy. Add all the cake flour and mix until completely combined. Take a 20" long sheet of wax or parchment paper and lay flat on a counter. Pour all of the dough into the center of paper and shape into a rectangle. Fold over half the paper and smooth the rectangle out until it is about a ½" thick and about 3 inches high. Fold over the sides and top of wax paper and mold into a smooth edged rectangle and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. When you are ready to bake the cookies, take the dough out of the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350°. Cut the dough into ¼" slices and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the edges are almost browned. You don't want the cookies to brown too much instead keep there light color. Remove the cookies from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Let cookies cool completely before dipping into chocolate.


After mixing all the ingredients together, I molded the shortbread into a ½" thick rectangle.



Once the dough is chilled, dice it up into ¼" thick slices.

To make the chocolate dipping sauce, place the chocolate chips in the microwave for one minute and then mix with a metal spoon. If it is not melted enough, put in microwave for another 30 seconds and mix again. You can then start dipping the cooled cookies in the chocolate and place on a waxed sheet of paper. Sprinkle your topping choice on the chocolate part before it dries.

Finished cookies.

Pear Frangipane Crostata

I needed to bring a dessert to our friends house for a potluck dinner tonight. So, I was browsing through my binder which contains printed recipes that catch my attention on-line or either that I rip out of my magazines. This recipe for a Pear Frangipane Crostata looked yummy and I have never made anything like this before. Plus, I had all the ingredients I needed at home already -- minus the almond paste which was super expensive ($6 for a 7 ounce tube!) I made my own pie crust for the first time which really wasn't hard to make if you own a food processor. The Crostata came out great and we served it with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. This recipe is a keeper!

Perfect Piecrust
Recipe complements of Ladies Home Journal magazine
Prep: 15 min

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
12 tbsp (1 ½ sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup chilled shortening
1 Tbsp white vinegar
½ cup very cold water

Directions: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 10 times or until mixture is coarse crumbs and some of the butter is pea-size. (Alternately, combine in a bowl using a pastry blender or a fork.) In a measuring cup, combine vinegar with ½ cup cold water. While pulsing processor, drizzle in just enough water mixture to form dough, 5 to 8 tbsp. (Dough may be slightly dry but will hold together when you pinch it.) Halve dough, wrap in plastic wrap and press into disks. Chill 1 hour or until ready to use. May be frozen for up to 2 months.

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Pear Frangipane Crostata
Recipe complements of Ladies Home Journal magazine
Prep: 35 min, Start to finish: 1 hr 15 min

All assembled and ready for the oven.

Ingredients:
4 oz almond paste
2 eggs
4 tsp cornstarch

⅛ tsp salt
1 single crust of Perfect Piecrust (see recipe above)
3 pears, cored, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp apricot preserves
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions: Heat oven to 375° with rack in the lower third. In a food processor, combine almond paste, 1 egg, cornstarch and salt until completely blended. Roll crust on flour-dusted parchment into a 12- to 13-inch circle. Spread almond mixture in the center, leaving a 2-inch space around the edge. Toss pears with lemon juice and arrange on top of almond mixture. Gently fold over crust edge,pleating, just covering edges of pears. Transfer crostata, on parchment, to a baking sheet. Whisk remaining egg and brush edge of crust with a little egg wash. Bake until crust is deep golden and pears are soft, about 40 min; cover crostata loosely with foil for the last 10 min to prevent over browning. Heat apricot preserves and brush over pears. Sprinkle with almonds and serve warm or cooled. Makes 6 servings.

All dressed and ready for the party.

3-Course Meal

For three years while our dining room was being renovated, we really didn't have too many people over for dinner. Honestly, who really enjoys eating a nice dinner on their lap? So now that our dining room is done, I just love having people over for dinner. Since it was a holiday yesterday and I didn't have to work, we had some friends over for a dinner. We had a three-course meal -- for starter I made a Roasted Pear Spinach Salad and two loaves of homemade french bread, for the main course it was Beer-Can Roasted Chicken with sweet potatoes and onion and for dessert a Creme Brulee with berries on the side. I used three different recipes, two which I found in the magazines I was reading this week (Better Home and Gardens and Martha Stewart Living) and one from on-line. The salad and chicken recipes are definitely keepers but I may have to try a different Creme Brulee recipe next time. Here they are:

Roasted Pear Spinach Salad

Recipe by Stonewall Kitchen Winter Celebrations cookbook

Ingredients: (original recipe calls for ciabatta bread and blue cheese but I made my own french bread. For full recipe click on link above)
1 teaspoon butter 2 pears
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces baby spinach

Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet with butter. Core pears and cut each into 8 wedges; toss with sugar and place on baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake 15 minutes until soft and browned on undersides. Transfer to waxed paper to cool. Place almonds on an ungreased baking sheet and toast 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in half of the cranberries and set aside. Meanwhile, in blender, combine the remaining cranberries, vinegar, honey, and mustard. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. With blender running, add ⅓ cup oil in a slow steady stream. In a bowl, toss together the spinach, half the almond mixture, and vinaigrette to taste. Divide greens among tumblers; top with pears, toasts, and additional almond mixture. Serve immediately.

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Beer-Can Roasted Chicken with Fig-Jam Pan Sauce
Recipe by MarthaStewart.com
Prep: 15 minutes Total: 1 hour 20 minutes, Serves 4 to 6

Chicken before adding the sweet potatoes and then going into the oven.

Ingredients: (I unfortunately could not find fig jam so substituted it with Apricot Jam. Also, I added sweet potatoes and onions to this recipe)
1 whole chicken (about 4 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Coarse salt
1 can stout, such as Guinness
1 small bunch fresh thyme
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fig jam
My additions: 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes and one medium Spanish onion thinly sliced

Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Rub skin with butter, and season with salt. Pour out ½ cup stout from can; reserve. Poke holes in top of can using a church key. Place thyme in can, and set in a large ovenproof skillet (I used a roasting pan). Place chicken over can, balancing legs to keep it standing like a tripod. Toss the sweet potatoes and onions in olive oil and spread on the bottom of the pan with the chicken.

Carefully transfer chicken to oven, breast side first. Roast for 20 minutes. Baste with pan juices. Roast, basting twice, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 155 degrees, about 25 minutes more.

Carefully remove skillet from oven. (Steady chicken with 1 hand, using paper towels or mitts to protect your hand.) Let chicken rest (it will continue to cook) until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 10 minutes, then remove from can. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, discard can, and pour pan juices into a cup; skim fat. Return juices to skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in reserved ½ cup stout, and bring to a simmer, scraping up brown bits. Mix together water and flour. Whisk into skillet. Boil for 1 minute. Whisk in jam. Simmer until thick, about 2 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce.

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As for the Dessert recipe, since it is not a keeper in my book, I am not going to display the entire recipe however, it is available here.