Posted: February 26th, 2010 | Filed under: Vegetables | Tags: cauliflower, parmesan cauliflower, Roasted cauliflower | 2 Comments »
Today it is cold and rainy and gray outside… and I spent my morning working out, getting my oil changed, getting the tires rotated, finding a new pair of jeans (never fun) and running other very boring errands. So now I’m sitting at home, hungry, studying, and ready for a warm lunch. So roasted cauliflower it is. And man am I glad I waited the thirty minutes for it to roast. Warm, with the bite of pepper and a sweetness in the cauliflower brought out through my favorite roasting process, no chalkiness - with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese… Thank you oven for making such a perfect lunch.
This makes a perfect side dish… or if you are me, a perfect small meal.
**Note: I have been buying blocks of good parmesan cheese for awhile and I have to say this – everyone should do the same thing. (If you ever use parm that is.) And here is why. A good block of parmesan costs anywhere between $5 and $10 dollars. It lasts for a long time, and with so much flavor in a good cheese, a nice fresh tbsp or so finishes off a meal nicely. So next time you are at the grocery store, consider spending a little extra for a lot of flavor.
Roasted Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
3 tbsp good olive oil
Fresh ground kosher salt and pepper
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut stems and leaves off of cauliflower head. Place cauliflower on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Grind a good amount of salt and pepper over the cauliflower. Roast for 30min tossing once. Take out of oven and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pop into the oven to melt the cheese for about a minute. Enjoy!
Posted: February 25th, 2010 | Filed under: Entree | Tags: apple cabbage coleslaw, apple cabbage slaw, bbq pulled pork, coleslaw, pulled pork, pulled pork sliders, sliders | 3 Comments »
So that party… well what is a party without something awesome in a mini size? Ok… so I guess I got that taken care of with the pies, but really, the more mini the merrier! (Not gonna lie… minis are also a great way to feed more with less… therefore spending less dough. Hey, in the economy you gotta be creative, right?) So sliders it was. And I love a good pulled pork, its easy, its so tasty, and it will convert anyone who wasn’t so sure about pork before.
Especially for a party I love anything that can be done in a crock pot and prepped right before serving. That way you aren’t spending all day messing with more than you need to. A good hostess is never a stressed hostess or a hostess that is stuck in a kitchen, making the crock pot/slow cooker every party’s best friend.
And I am not personally a fan of coleslaw. Never have been… probably never will be. (Please don’t send me your favorite aunt’s awesome family recipe that you just love. I don’t like it, I’m sorry… some people don’t like chocolate… now thats weird.) But I have wanted to try this slaw for a long time… its light, its fresh tasting, its perfect on a cute little pulled pork slider.
Thanks Aaron for slowly eating a slider for me… and Denise for making them all fit on the stands! You guys rock!
Pulled Pork Sliders
5 lb lean pork tenderloin
1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 dozen dinner rolls or slider buns
4 tbsp butter
Bring meat to room temperature and pre-heat slow cooker on low. Season the pork with a good amount of salt and pepper. (Remember, to each there own, but don’t over do the salt, pork is already a little saltier, and flavor is key, so, just do us both a favor and go easy on the salt, ok?) Place into slow cooker with 1/3 of the bottle of BBQ sauce and enough water to cover the meat. Let cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready remove from the crock pot and let the pork rest for about 15 min. With two forks aimed in opposite directions shred the pork. Cover in the remaining sauce. Take the buns and over a medium heat in a medium pan with a small pat of butter for every few buns heat the buns with the insides touching the warm butter until toasted.
Apple Cabbage Slaw
1 small head fresh green cabbage (shredded)
2 golden delicious or fuji apples (diced)
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Whisk all ingredients except for first two together in a large mixing bowl. Toss the cabbage and apple with the liquid. Adjust to taste. (A little extra pepper is great here.)
To assemble: Place pork and slaw on buns and serve with laughs and smiles until all of had some and everyone is partied out.
Posted: February 22nd, 2010 | Filed under: Pie | Tags: blueberry hand pies, blueberry pie, fried blueberry hand pies, fried hand pies | 2 Comments »
This weekend was exhausting… and super fun. On Wednesday I got a call from a friend… “Hey… I need help figuring out food for a party…” And let me tell you… for this couple, you just can’t say no. So on went my little food brain… think think, what can I make…. I love the challenge of menu planning – I do. Its fun.
And what was way fun was having said friend join me in making everything. Said friend was Jeremy – husband for soon to be surprised birthday girl Kelley. And man did he get into it in my kitchen. We had a blast! He wanted to learn and participate and help – and every time I just instinctually tossed in a little salt here, water there, Jeremy would catch me off guard by giving me an accusing stare and saying… “So what did you put in there… I want to learn!”
So learn he did. He learned how to make all kinds of things – my favorite being the Blueberry Fried Hand Pies. Yum. Fresh homemade filling, fresh homemade pie crust, cut and pressed to perfection. And Jeremy slowly but surely took over the hand pies! Before I knew it I wasn’t even allowed to touch them… because he was determined to do it. It was so fun! And I’m not going to lie… they were way delicious. So please enjoy… perfect for you next picnic, party, or Tuesday night.
Jordan was my lovely hand pie model. She is a doll and a half.
Happy Birthday Kelley – You are incredible and deserve every bite of pie you want.
(And stay tuned for more excellent recipes from the party.)
Blueberry Fried Hand Pies
Crust (Pate Brisee)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until mixture just comes together.Divide dough in half; shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Filling
5 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup cornstarch
Place all ingredients into a large pot over medium heat. Stir until berry mixture thickens – it will suddenly look like jam. This can take between fifteen and twenty minutes. Let it cool to room temperature before using as a filling.
Assembly
Roll out pie crusts until an 1/8 inch thick. Cut out circles with a large biscuit cutter. Dock the pie crusts with a fork. (AKA poke little holes in them.) Fill your circles with a small scoop of blueberries. Fold over and make a half circle, press pie with a fork to seal the edges. Fry over medium high heat in crisco until nice and brown. Drain over paper towels and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Serve with a smile and a wink.
Posted: February 20th, 2010 | Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: blueberry pancakes, Denton snow, fluffy pancakes, Friday morning, light and fluffy pancakes, Pancakes | 1 Comment »
About a week ago Denton was covered under a whopping 7+ inches of snow. It was record breaking snowfall. It was a Friday morning that everyone was closed until a little later in the day because we are Texans… and are afraid of driving on snow. (And lets face it, its just not safe for anyone when we do decide to drive on snow/ice.) This gave us a great excuse to have a lazy sleep in morning on a Friday. It was magical. It also included yet another pancake recipe. A very light fluffy pancake recipe… and some of those pancakes even had yummy blueberries. Like I said… it was magical.
Featherweight Pancakes
2 c flour
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 c whole milk
4 tbsp cooking oil
5 tbsp butter for the pan
1 c fresh blueberries (optional)
Assemble your ingredients and equipment. Preheat oven to 200. In the mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix with a whisk or mixer attachment. Add the eggs, milk and cooking oil to the dry ingredients. Mix until the ingredients are just combined. It’s OK if the batter is a little lumpy. You don’t want to over mix. Heat your griddle or skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on the griddle. Pour spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle. Try to keep the pancakes between 2 and 3 inches in width and leave at least 1 inch in between. This batter is quite thick, so it won’t spread much once you pour it onto the griddle. Place the blueberries on top of the cooking pancakes and wait for the bubbles. When you see bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancakes, it’s time to flip them. The second side always cooks faster than the first, so they’ll probably only need a minute to finish cooking.
Place the finished pancakes on the oven-safe serving dish. Keep them warm in the oven while you cook the next batch. Repeat the process until the batter is finished (adding the remaining butter to the griddle if necessary) and all the pancakes are cooked. Serve. Top pancakes as desired and dig in. We like a little butter and some maple syrup. Repeat until pancakes are all eaten and bellies are full.
Posted: February 13th, 2010 | Filed under: Pie | Tags: heart pie, heart shapped pies, pate brisee, pear raspberry pie, sweet pie crust, Valentine pie, Valentine's day pie | 3 Comments »
Even if it was the nine-hundred-and-ninety-ninth of July,
Even if it was August, even if was way down at the bottom of November, even if it was no particular day in January,
I would go on choosing you, and you would go on choosing me, over and over again.
Thats how it would happen every time, I don’t know why.
I guess I don’t know why I like you really, why do I like you? I guess I just like you. I guess I just like you, because I like you.
Awhile back Ryan picked up the book I Like YouI, by Sandol Stoddard Warburg, I like to read it around Valentine’s Day. Its adoreable, and it alone reminds me of the many reasons why I like Ryan so much. In his interest I’ve been baking more not cakes. He likes cake, he does. But he prefers pie, tarts, chocolate mousse, plenty of things that just aren’t cake. So in honor of my sweet valentine, here is my Valentine’s Day dessert, Pear Raspberry Pie – baked in small mason jars with a little heart cut out…
I hope you enjoy your day o love… and I hope if you aren’t in love with someone, you are at least spending time with someone.
Pear Raspberry Pie
Crust (Pate Brisee)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until mixture just comes together.Divide dough in half; shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Filling
Pate Brisee
All-purpose flour, for surface
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 pounds (about 6) ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, core removed, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) raspberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water, plus more for brushing
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or large round cookie cutter cut circles out to cover the tops of the mason jars. Using a small heart shaped fondant cutter cut small hearts out of the crusts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm.
Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add pears, raspberries, and lemon juice, and toss to coat. Spoon mixture into small mason jars, piling high in the center. Dot with butter. Press crust over the top of the jar. Brush lightly with water. Arrange hearts on top of each pie. (To help hearts stick, lightly brush each with water as needed.) Whisk yolk and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush each piecrust with egg wash, then sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack on the lowest third. Place pies on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until crust turns light gold, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake, rotating halfway through, until crusts are golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Posted: February 11th, 2010 | Filed under: Candy | Tags: brownies, chocolate caramel, chocolate mousse, death by chocolate, layered chocolate dessert, valentines day chocolate dessert, Whipped cream | No Comments »
Dear Chocolate,
I heart thee, and you heart me… even if my waistline does not agree.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Alyssa
This is a death by chocolate… its my upgraded version of something I started making when I was in high school… I love this. You’ll love this. Your valentine will love this. Enjoy.
Death by Chocolate
The Baked Brownie
adapted from Baked
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cocoa powder and spices (chipotle, cinnamon and cardamom), if you’re using them, together.
Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them int osquares and serve.
Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Chocolate Mousse
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, ideally 60% cacao, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
5 Tbsp. water
2 large eggs, separated
1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cold heavy cream
Combine the chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, water, and whiskey in a medium heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of gently simmering water, and stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.
In another medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, and salt. Whisk until the mixture lightens to a pale yellow color and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, and whisk until combined. Set aside for about 5 minutes, until just warmer than room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Detach the whisk and bowl from the mixer, and whisk the last few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape up any unbeaten whites from the bottom of the bowl. Using the whisk, stir about ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, to lighten it. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining egg whites until only a few white streaks remain.
In the now-empty mixer bowl, whip the heavy cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high, and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the mousse until no white streaks remain. Spoon into 6 to 8 individual serving dishes – I like to use teacups – or, if you’re feeling casual, mound it up in a single serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Chocolate Caramel
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
In a medium saucepan, heat sugar over medium-high until melted and brown at edges, 3 minutes. With a heat-resistant spatula, pull melted sugar toward center until all sugar is melted and caramel is deep amber in color, 3 minutes more.
Immediately whisk in butter, coarse salt, and pure vanilla extract (take care as mixture is extremely hot and will bubble).Whisk in heavy cream.Pour into a heatproof container and let cool. (To store, refrigerate, up to 3 weeks.)
Whipped Cream
2c heavy whipping cream
1/4c confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a deep mixing bowl, beat 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over cream; beat until soft peaks return. Do not overbeat.
Take each ingredient and layer Brownie, Mousse, Caramel, and Whipped Cream. Top with a light sprinkle of white sanding sugar… for just a little shimmer. I would also love to add a few toasted hazelnuts to this… but I have friends with allergies and a husband who likes his desserts “crunch free.” So try it and tell me what you think.
Posted: February 7th, 2010 | Filed under: Cookie | Tags: chocolate dipped, heart cookies, Shortbread, shortbread cookies, Valentine's cookies, Valentine's Day | 2 Comments »
I’m ready for Valentine’s day… I love holiday inspired desserts! I love the cookie cutters and the sprinkles and food coloring and sprinkles… and did mention the sprinkles? Sprinkles are fun. So this week will be filled with Valentine’s day worthy desserts. We’re starting with a tasty shortbread cookie. Now don’t get me wrong, I like a good sugar cookie just as much as the next person.. but shortbread is what I prefer. It is rich and buttery and crisp and soft to just the right degree. And can you really go wrong with anything dipped in chocolate? I think not. So here you go, my Valentine’s day Shortbread Cookies.
Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Hearts
From marthastewart.com
Makes 4 dozen 2 1/2-inch heart cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil or pure vegetable shortening
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until combined. On slow speed, beat in flour and salt until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 1/16-to-1/8 inch thick. Cut out hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet; chill for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the center. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie to make designs. Bake until just beginning to brown around the edges, about 18 minutes. (Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.)
In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oil. Dip half or one third of each cookie into the chocolate mixture. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to dry, or place them on a piece of parchment paper in the freezer for 10 minutes. Serve.
Posted: February 3rd, 2010 | Filed under: Entree, Turkey | Tags: italian sausage lasagna, lasagna, lasagne, quick and easy lasagna, quick lasagna | 2 Comments »
Last night… we, along with millions of others watched a very big night in television history for us… the premiere of the final season of LOST. And a few friends came over to share in the excitement… So in a hurried preparation I threw together dinner with a few things I already had on hand.
We had dinner, we chatted about LOST theories, and were generally nerdy… but well fed nerds. Dinner was quick and easy and I would like think that if I was a cute little mom that I would happily make this for my hungry family often. Its slightly healthy (?) maybe… and really easy. And I’m going to say something that some of you may not like.. but you will just have to get over it. I so admire the people who labor over lasagna… boiling the noodles, simmering sauce for hours, with tomatoes from the garden in the back yard and fresh herbs hand picked and chopped to perfection. I do, I envy you and the time you have to do your homemade lasagna thing. But I do not happen to have this kind of time… and I personally really like the jar of pasta sauce. Its cheap, its ready, and man, it can be seriously tasty!
So here you go, my mamasagna…
Mamasagna
1 pkg oven ready lasagna noodles
2 jars pasta sauce
3 c chopped baby spinach
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh ground salt
3 c mozzarella
2 lbs sweet italian turkey sausage
(I use sweet because we don’t do really spicy in the house… but I imagine spicy would be delicious.)
A little fresh ground parmesan
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a pan over medium high heat brown the turkey sausage until cooked all the way through. Set aside to rest before chopping into 1/2 inch pieces. In a small mixing bowl mix 1/2 c cheese, 1 c sauce, and the chopped spinach. Add in a few good grinds of salt and pepper. On the bottom of a 13×9″ casserole dish spread a few tablespoons of sauce. set your first layer of noodles down. Spread the spinach layer on the noodles. Cover with the next layer of lasagna noodles. Spread 1 c of sauce on top. Put your chopped sausage down with another 1/2 c of cheese. Layer another set of noodles. Pour another 1-2 c of sauce on top and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 45min or until bubbly and cooked all the way through.
(This also can be frozen for three months, defrosted overnight and cooked the same.)
