These are probably my favourite sandwiches. I had it at a sandwich shop years ago and have been sticking with it ever since. These are the sandwiches we had at our picnic when we got engaged and many other times before and since then. These are a really balanced sandwich, I prefer a slightly more bloomy brie cheese, a goat or an aged would be perfect. I'm very of the belief that you shouldn't bother putting cheese on things unless you can really taste it. Its high in calories and fat which is totally worth it if you can taste it. Brie really adds a savory note to this sandwich that brings it to a meal without feeling hokey. It's great on a bagel, ciabatta, plain old bread or a even a wrap. I hope you love it like we do. To class it up a bit, it pairs wonderfully with a light rose or crisp white wine.
Turkey Apple Brie Sandwiches
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 Slices Bread, or 2 buns/bagels/wraps
Half an apple, thinly sliced - I like gala apples for this
1/2 cup sprouts - we use radish or alfalfa
4-6 slices turkey
6 thin slices of brie, enough to cover the sandwich
Miracle Whip (or Mayo) as desired
Directions
Spread miracle whip on two slices of the bread.
Lay turkey slices on top of the miracle whip and the sliced apples on top of the turkey in a thin layer.
Lay brie on other two slices of bread, sometimes I like to toast the bread for just a minute to get some warmth on the bread to make the brie a little "gooey".
Add sprouts to one side of the sandwich as desired, I used about 1/4 cup on each. Feel free to use lettuce as well or in place of sprouts.
Close sandwich and serve!
You can also panini this sandwich and have it warm with a light side salad or potato salad for a full sized meal.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Spicy Ginger Simple Syrup
I've been seeing a ton of simple syrup recipes lately in the name of cocktailing and decided to get in on the action. I love the flavour of ginger. Not as a backdrop, as a full fledged spicy front runner. I like ginger beer, but the good stuff isn't always easy to find. So with a bit of this syrup, and some seltzer or soda water (and some dark or spiced rum!) this makes for an excellent cocktail. Simple syrups are super easy to make and keep well in mason jars. I put mine in the jar while hot and close it, as it cools it seals itself in to help preserve it for a little while.
Ginger Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
3/4 cup ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 cup dark brown sugar
Directions:
Put all three ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over Medium - Medium High heat.
Once boiling, reduce to a light simmer and let simmer for 30 minutes. I reduced mine until it was about 3/4 cup worth of syrup.
Strain into mason jar while still warm, leaving a few pieces of the sliced ginger in the jar with the syrup.
The resulting syrup is spicy and sweet and not too thick, makes for an excellent addition to a Pimm's Cup or a Dark and Stormy.
Ginger Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
3/4 cup ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 cup dark brown sugar
Directions:
Put all three ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over Medium - Medium High heat.
Once boiling, reduce to a light simmer and let simmer for 30 minutes. I reduced mine until it was about 3/4 cup worth of syrup.
Strain into mason jar while still warm, leaving a few pieces of the sliced ginger in the jar with the syrup.
The resulting syrup is spicy and sweet and not too thick, makes for an excellent addition to a Pimm's Cup or a Dark and Stormy.
Balsamic Fig & Onion Jam
I've been on a bit of a canning binge this week and wanted to do something different than I usually do. A new Italian Store opened in Calgary and I was fairly intrigued by the fresh figs. They have a pretty short time that they're in season and I tend to buy a lot of onion fig spread for sandwiches and cheese toppers. I have pretty good stock of balsamic on hand and chose to use a mixture of regular and an infused white one but you can definitely use all of just one type. Since I had it already this didn't cost me more than the figs (About $15). If you don't have balsamic kicking around you're probably looking at another $10-40. Even accounting for this, the jam's cost is under $2.50/jar. Way less then the store with nothing in it you don't know about! Once canned it will last up to a year and makes great gifts or is just good to have on hand. I couldn't find a recipe for this that had everything I wanted to I kind of combined three different ones and canned it based on my (limited) canning knowledge.
Ingredients:
1.5 - 2 pounds Figs
2 Cups diced red onion (one medium/large red onion)
1 tsp grapeseed oil
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup White sugar
2/3 cup Balsamic (good quality)
1/2 cup White Balsamic (I used an Orange Vanilla infused one)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Fresh Ground black pepper
Directions:
Prepare figs, wash and lightly wipe with a paper towel to remove any dirt. Cut off the stem and quarter the figs. Set aside.
Saute the diced red onion in the grapeseed oil, you can't use more oil than this if you're planning on canning the product as oil is a great home for botulism to hide and no one wants that! Add the salt to sauteing onions to help draw out some of their water. I let the onions cook out for about 5 minutes then added a bit of the balsamic and let them cook in that for another 5 minutes, caramelizing in the balsamic a little bit.
Add the figs, sugars, lemon juice, remainder of the balsamic vinegar's and pepper to taste - I added about 1 tsp.
Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer to reduce, this will take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes. Continue stirring to prevent it scorching to the bottom of the pan. After that point the figs should be really soft and should easily crush under the spoon. It should have been reduced by about a third.
*However, you can pick the consistency you want between very thin and more of a dip, or thick as a spread. I made mine more of a spread, it will coat a spoon.
Save about 1/2 cup of the liquid in the pan and put it aside. You can add this back in to loosen the mixture after blending.
I used my immersion blender to blend the mixture into a spread consistency. You can decide if you want to add back some, none or all of the reserved liquid here. I did end up adding back in all the liquid and letting it simmer for another 5 minutes. If you don't have an immersion blender you can transfer it to a blender to mix it and puree, do this in batches so your blender doesn't overflow. Even if its only half full, hot liquids will expand a ton in the blender.
Once the mixture has reached a consistency you would like to can, remove it from the heat and process. I had a little short of 2lbs of figs but I think if I had had the full 2lbs I could have made 12, 4oz jars - I only got 11.
*Here are some basic canning directions, for a little more in depth on the process, use this site as a guide.
Bring a large pot of water with canning rack to a boil and let boil for 2-5 minutes before starting.
Ensure your jars and lids are sanitized and fill with the mixture. Wipe rims of jars to ensure a good seal. Place lids on jars and tighten gently.
Place jars in boiling pot on the rack and lower in to pot, boil for 15 minutes.
Remove from pot, let rest and cool.
Ingredients:
1.5 - 2 pounds Figs
2 Cups diced red onion (one medium/large red onion)
1 tsp grapeseed oil
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup White sugar
2/3 cup Balsamic (good quality)
1/2 cup White Balsamic (I used an Orange Vanilla infused one)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Fresh Ground black pepper
Directions:
Prepare figs, wash and lightly wipe with a paper towel to remove any dirt. Cut off the stem and quarter the figs. Set aside.
Saute the diced red onion in the grapeseed oil, you can't use more oil than this if you're planning on canning the product as oil is a great home for botulism to hide and no one wants that! Add the salt to sauteing onions to help draw out some of their water. I let the onions cook out for about 5 minutes then added a bit of the balsamic and let them cook in that for another 5 minutes, caramelizing in the balsamic a little bit.
Add the figs, sugars, lemon juice, remainder of the balsamic vinegar's and pepper to taste - I added about 1 tsp.
Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer to reduce, this will take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes. Continue stirring to prevent it scorching to the bottom of the pan. After that point the figs should be really soft and should easily crush under the spoon. It should have been reduced by about a third.
*However, you can pick the consistency you want between very thin and more of a dip, or thick as a spread. I made mine more of a spread, it will coat a spoon.
Save about 1/2 cup of the liquid in the pan and put it aside. You can add this back in to loosen the mixture after blending.
I used my immersion blender to blend the mixture into a spread consistency. You can decide if you want to add back some, none or all of the reserved liquid here. I did end up adding back in all the liquid and letting it simmer for another 5 minutes. If you don't have an immersion blender you can transfer it to a blender to mix it and puree, do this in batches so your blender doesn't overflow. Even if its only half full, hot liquids will expand a ton in the blender.
Once the mixture has reached a consistency you would like to can, remove it from the heat and process. I had a little short of 2lbs of figs but I think if I had had the full 2lbs I could have made 12, 4oz jars - I only got 11.
*Here are some basic canning directions, for a little more in depth on the process, use this site as a guide.
Bring a large pot of water with canning rack to a boil and let boil for 2-5 minutes before starting.
Ensure your jars and lids are sanitized and fill with the mixture. Wipe rims of jars to ensure a good seal. Place lids on jars and tighten gently.
Place jars in boiling pot on the rack and lower in to pot, boil for 15 minutes.
Remove from pot, let rest and cool.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Homemade Baked Beans
My soon to be Mother in Law makes great homemade beans for all of our events so I wanted to make them for her and Sean's Dad when they came over for dinner. We served them with Slow Baked Ribs and Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts. A lot of the recipes I found were using canned beans which seemed kind of counter intuitive for "homemade". I found this one and it was originally by Alton Brown, who happens to be one of my favourite cooks. Anyone remember Good Eats? Loved that show! These beans ended up being a hit and I will continue to use this same recipe until I'm the one bringing beans to all our parties. These end up having a lot of great flavour and just an underlying bit of heat, nothing crazy. I hope you love these as much as we do! While you need to have a full day for this recipe to cook, the prep time is fairly quick. Since I made ribs and roasted veggies to go with this I was able to do them all in the same oven over different points in the day. The bacon cooks down most of the way and just adds an extra layer of flavour.
Homemade Baked Beans
(Adapted Slightly from Here)
Ingredients:
1 pound dried navy or pinto beans
1 pound thick bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 - 2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs in, chopped (Depending on heat preference)
1 Can garlic tomato paste
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 Tbsp Blackstrap molasses
2 Cups Beef stock
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp Five Pepper Blend (from Epicure) crushed in a Mortar & Pestle
2 tsp salt
Directions:
Soak beans overnight (8-12 hours) in a large bowl placed in the fridge, make sure beans are covered with cold water,
The next day (or 8-12 hours later) preheat your oven to 250 º F.
Choose a large oven safe pot, such as a dutch oven (I used a 5.5 qt dutch oven). Place over medium heat on the stove. Once pot is slightly heated add in chopped bacon, onion and jalapenos.
While the onion mixture is cooking (5 minutes), drain the beans over a bowl or measuring cup to save the "bean liquid".
Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are getting soft and stir in tomato paste to coat everything. Let this cook out for a minute so caramelize and add additional flavour. Then the brown sugar and molasses.
Add beans to pot, Save 2 cups of the bean liquid and top up with the 2 cups of Beef Stock for a total of 4 cups of liquid. Adjust this depending on your remaining bean water.
Increase stove heat to high and allow to beans to come to a boil, add cayenne, peppers and salt and stir to combine. Cover pot with lid and move from stove to oven, Cook in oven for 6-8 hours until the beans are soft.
Homemade Baked Beans
(Adapted Slightly from Here)
Ingredients:
1 pound dried navy or pinto beans
1 pound thick bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 - 2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs in, chopped (Depending on heat preference)
1 Can garlic tomato paste
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 Tbsp Blackstrap molasses
2 Cups Beef stock
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp Five Pepper Blend (from Epicure) crushed in a Mortar & Pestle
2 tsp salt
Directions:
Soak beans overnight (8-12 hours) in a large bowl placed in the fridge, make sure beans are covered with cold water,
The next day (or 8-12 hours later) preheat your oven to 250 º F.
Choose a large oven safe pot, such as a dutch oven (I used a 5.5 qt dutch oven). Place over medium heat on the stove. Once pot is slightly heated add in chopped bacon, onion and jalapenos.
While the onion mixture is cooking (5 minutes), drain the beans over a bowl or measuring cup to save the "bean liquid".
Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are getting soft and stir in tomato paste to coat everything. Let this cook out for a minute so caramelize and add additional flavour. Then the brown sugar and molasses.
Add beans to pot, Save 2 cups of the bean liquid and top up with the 2 cups of Beef Stock for a total of 4 cups of liquid. Adjust this depending on your remaining bean water.
Increase stove heat to high and allow to beans to come to a boil, add cayenne, peppers and salt and stir to combine. Cover pot with lid and move from stove to oven, Cook in oven for 6-8 hours until the beans are soft.
Blueberry Muffins
Blueberry muffins are one of my favourite types of muffins (except maybe a chocolate chip sparkle Muffin, to make an appearance another day). I love the freshness of the blueberry and it really keeps them from being dry. Now muffins aren't the best thing for you out there but this one is a little better. I halved the butter and used Apple Sauce in it's place which alone saves almost 300 calories. You can also use 1/4 cup of Applesauce in place of one of the eggs, for a total of half a cup. I don't recommend taking out all the fat, you do need some for flavour and texture. I also lightened this up with 1% milk instead of whole milk. The addition of lemon zest just balances out the blueberries a bit, it's not super evident. If you want it to be, add more and a bit of juice. These are a great go to breakfast of morning snack if you're short on time.
Blueberry Muffins
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I always use 1%)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 tsp vanilla
Lemon Zest to taste (I used about half a lemon's worth)
1 Pound fresh blueberries (more or less, 2 cups)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan.
Measure out the dry ingredients and Lemon Zest in a large bowl and whisk together.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, apple sauce and vanilla together, continue whisking lightly when pouring in the butter to keep eggs from cooking at all and getting clumpy.
Add wet ingredients to dry bowl and mix together lightly - not all the way. Only mix until almost combined. Fold in blueberries slowly, finishing the mixing.
Scoop batter into the muffin cups, filling pretty close to full, some of mine were over and they still turned out fine.
Bake until risen and lightly browned 25 to 28 minutes or when a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes or so and then transfer to a wire rack.
Blueberry Muffins
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I always use 1%)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1 tsp vanilla
Lemon Zest to taste (I used about half a lemon's worth)
1 Pound fresh blueberries (more or less, 2 cups)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan.
Measure out the dry ingredients and Lemon Zest in a large bowl and whisk together.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, milk, apple sauce and vanilla together, continue whisking lightly when pouring in the butter to keep eggs from cooking at all and getting clumpy.
Add wet ingredients to dry bowl and mix together lightly - not all the way. Only mix until almost combined. Fold in blueberries slowly, finishing the mixing.
Scoop batter into the muffin cups, filling pretty close to full, some of mine were over and they still turned out fine.
Bake until risen and lightly browned 25 to 28 minutes or when a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes or so and then transfer to a wire rack.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Spicy Smoked Ketchup *Canning Recipe*
We went to this restaurant in Calgary (Wurst, you must go) that serves smoked ketchup that they make themselves. We ordered more fries just to eat this ketchup, it was so good! While I didn't get their recipe (although I did try with no luck to buy a bottle) I found this one online. We've only tried smoking things a couple times but figured, what was the harm in throwing some veggies on to smoke next time? This recipe does require a bit of prep work but the end result is so worth it. Ours came out way spicier than I had planned on, but its really good and has that underlying smoky flavour. I would add less chili powder next time and not forget the Worcestershire, which I was sad I forgot. You really can't judge the flavour of this until after the cooking/canning process. It definitely combines nicley, tones down the spice (a bit), and ups the smokiness.
Classic store bought ketchup has sugar 3 ways in it among other types of additives, this one has a very light undertone of sweetness but is tomatoes first. Boiling this in the jars helps preserve it for 6 months or more. This recipe will make close to 7 jars, you could use it as a marinara type sauce as well for dipping or for pizza sauce too.
Spicy Smoked Ketchup
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
14 Roma tomatoes
900 mL tomato sauce (I bought Hunt's in a tetra pack, no salt)
1 large yellow onion
4 small shallots
2 jalapeno peppers
2 heads garlic (leave whole)
2-4 Tbsp Chipotle Chili or chili powder (2 for mild, 4 if you like it spicy)
1 tsp Sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 ½ Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg (or a few grates for fresh grated)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
Hickory chips (soaked in water for about an hour, any chips will work)
Directions:
Cut tomatoes and jalapenos in half length wise and scoop out seeds and insides. I used a grapefruit spoon for this, the ones with the teeth on the end. I use these for a lot of things, eating grapefruit isn't one of them.
Peel and slice the shallots and onions into rough chunks.
Peel the garlic down to the last couple layers of "garlic paper skin". Cut off the tops of the cloves but leave it in "head" form.
Arrange tomatoes all either face up or down, onion, shallots, jalapenos and garlic heads in a grill basket.
We have a little smoker box from Williams Sonoma we put the chips in and light up over the burner. We then place the veggies on the side of the grill that is turned off. You can smoke the veggies however you're used to smoking or try something new!
About halfway (45 mins) through smoking turn the veggies over so the opposite side of the tomatoes are facing up. It took about 90 minutes for our veggies to be smoked with this method.
Some before and after smoking pictures below.
While smoking, measure out the spices so they're ready to go. Ensure you have 6 - 8 "1 Cup" jars and lids sanitized and ready to go as well. Ours made almost 7 jars.
Remove the veggies from the grill and cool till you can touch them.
Squish the garlic heads until all/most of the garlic "pulp" is removed into a bowl.
Remove the skins from the tomatoes, the skins should be blistered and remove easily.
Transfer the veggies to a food processor or Vita-Mix and add all of the remaining spices and other ingredients you measured out earlier. Depending on the size of your container you may need to do this in two batches. If you need to do that, try to divide the spices and liquids between the batches. afterward, stir all the batches together in a large bowl or put it all back in the processor or vitamix (if it will fit) to help the consistency between them.
Process until smooth. We did 2 batches on the "Sauce" setting in our vitamix. I poured it all in together and did it one more time on the sauce setting as one batch.
Pour into jars and seal with lids (always use new lids) and secure rings on the jar till just slightly tightened. Place in canning pot and boil for 20-30 minutes. The ketchup will probably be a little darker when it comes out from the cooking.
*More info the canning process Here. Tomato products need a little longer than other canning recipes.
Before:
Canned:
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Spinach Pesto Pasta with Turkey Sausage
This recipe was in my Food Network Magazine a few months ago in the quick weeknight cooking section. I chose to cook it because it had a low calorie count (about 470/serving) with a lot of flavor while still being filling. I usually just adapt it to what we have in our pantry at the time. I've made it a few times both pretty close to the same, but different than the original. Quite often we double the recipe so we have food for the week as it keeps really well in the fridge. To reheat, I add a small splash of water before putting it in the microwave for a couple minutes on medium heat.
Spinach Pesto Pasta with Turkey Sausage
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
10 ounces pasta, penne or rigatoni
4 cups spinach (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh basil (or 2 tbsp dried basil)
1 tablespoon olive oil, you may need more if you like your pesto looser
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping if desired
3 Hot Italian Turkey Sausages (about 3 ounces each), with the casings removed
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a good bit of table salt to the water once at a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook as directed. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
Meanwhile, pulse the spinach, the basil, 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, olive oil, pine nuts, the lemon zest, lemon juice and the red pepper flakes in a food processor until fairly smooth. Scrape down the sides; add the parmesan and pulse until smooth. Set the pesto aside.
Form the sausage into nickel-size patties or chunks, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic to the skillet and cook until the sausage is just cooked through, about 2 more minutes.
Add the pasta, pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to the skillet. Toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed; season with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Spinach Pesto Pasta with Turkey Sausage
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
10 ounces pasta, penne or rigatoni
4 cups spinach (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh basil (or 2 tbsp dried basil)
1 tablespoon olive oil, you may need more if you like your pesto looser
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping if desired
3 Hot Italian Turkey Sausages (about 3 ounces each), with the casings removed
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a good bit of table salt to the water once at a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook as directed. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
Meanwhile, pulse the spinach, the basil, 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, olive oil, pine nuts, the lemon zest, lemon juice and the red pepper flakes in a food processor until fairly smooth. Scrape down the sides; add the parmesan and pulse until smooth. Set the pesto aside.
Form the sausage into nickel-size patties or chunks, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic to the skillet and cook until the sausage is just cooked through, about 2 more minutes.
Add the pasta, pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to the skillet. Toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed; season with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Oven Risotto
I love risotto, it really combines so many delicious things into one dish. This one was in my Food Network Magazine, but I added a few things (chicken and more broccoli) to it to make it into a bit more filling dish that hits all the spots. The worst thing about risotto is all the stirring and adding of liquids. That's what makes this one great! It starts off the same as a normal risotto, but once you add ALL of the warm chicken stock and give it a quick stir you just pop it in the oven and stir it once more in the middle of the cooking time. So easy. We pretty much always have the ingredients on hand to make this and it takes less than an hour to pull together, making it a great weeknight (or weekend!) meal. There are a few dishes with this one so you may want to cook it in exchange for someone else to do the dishes!
Broccoli Cheddar Oven Risotto
(Adapted From Here)
Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock (I used Low Sodium)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
1-2 bunches broccoli, cut up (Cauliflower is also great, or a mixture of both)
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups arborio rice (I don't always use Arborio, basmati works just fine)
1/4 cup dry white wine (A cheap pinot grigio works great)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup hot water - you don't need this until the end of cooking
Directions:
Move your oven racks in to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, you'll cook the the risotto on the bottom rack while roasting the broccoli on the top rack.
Preheat to 425 degrees F.
Bring the chicken broth to a low simmer in a saucepan. Toss the broccoli with the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large ovenproof skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. You'll want it to have a lid. Add the cut up chicken to the pan once its heated up and sear on all sides of the chunks, mostly cooking through. This will finish up over the remainder of cooking. (You can also cook the chicken through, remove it and add it back in at the end of cooking.)
Add the chopped onion with the chicken and cook, until slightly softened, this will take about 2 minutes.
Add the rice in on top and stir to coat, let the rice "toast" for 30 seconds or so before the next step.
Pour in the wine and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the hot broth, salt, and pepper to taste; bring to a boil.
Cover and set on the bottom oven rack. Place the broccoli on the upper rack. Bake, stirring the rice and broccoli once about 10 minutes through cooking.
It's done once most of the liquid has been absorbed in the rice and the broccoli is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the rice and broccoli from the oven. Add 3/4 cup hot water, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese to the rice and stir until creamy (add a little more hot water to loosen, if necessary).
Stir in the broccoli and serve.
(Adapted From Here)
Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock (I used Low Sodium)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
1-2 bunches broccoli, cut up (Cauliflower is also great, or a mixture of both)
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 cups arborio rice (I don't always use Arborio, basmati works just fine)
1/4 cup dry white wine (A cheap pinot grigio works great)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup hot water - you don't need this until the end of cooking
Directions:
Move your oven racks in to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, you'll cook the the risotto on the bottom rack while roasting the broccoli on the top rack.
Preheat to 425 degrees F.
Bring the chicken broth to a low simmer in a saucepan. Toss the broccoli with the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large ovenproof skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. You'll want it to have a lid. Add the cut up chicken to the pan once its heated up and sear on all sides of the chunks, mostly cooking through. This will finish up over the remainder of cooking. (You can also cook the chicken through, remove it and add it back in at the end of cooking.)
Add the chopped onion with the chicken and cook, until slightly softened, this will take about 2 minutes.
Add the rice in on top and stir to coat, let the rice "toast" for 30 seconds or so before the next step.
Pour in the wine and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the hot broth, salt, and pepper to taste; bring to a boil.
Cover and set on the bottom oven rack. Place the broccoli on the upper rack. Bake, stirring the rice and broccoli once about 10 minutes through cooking.
It's done once most of the liquid has been absorbed in the rice and the broccoli is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the rice and broccoli from the oven. Add 3/4 cup hot water, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese to the rice and stir until creamy (add a little more hot water to loosen, if necessary).
Stir in the broccoli and serve.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
I love jalapeno poppers, classic ones, baked ones, pretty much jalapeno and cream cheese together are always a perfect match. I would say that these ones are probably hotter than a standard popper from the freezer section in the grocery store. But they're fresh and they don't have any unknown ingredients in them, plus they're so customizable.
I love Rachael Ray. She's most definitely my cooking idol (except for her distaste to baking, but hey its not for everyone). She got me hooked on these types of poppers, I make them quite a bit, I like to take them camping in a foil tray and heat them up on the grill or over the fire. The can get a little mushy if they get too hot though, adding the breadcrumbs on top will help this out a bit.
Kitchen Tool Tip - I use a grapefruit spoon (The kind with the little teeth on the end) to scoop out the insides of the Jalapeno. It gets it all. I like it hot and if I miss any of the seeds or white part, I notice. A lot. That's up to you though.
I also usually only use about half the tops in the recipe.
I top them with more cheese - why not? They're still better than the breaded, fried ones! And if you miss the breading sprinkle some bread crumbs on top with the cheese.
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
12-20 Jalapenos, depending on size - the below will fill 14 large jalapenos.
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
1 cup shredded cheddar (or something else if you like).
1/2 cup shredded cheddar for topping if desiered
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional:
3 Tbsp toasted panko
3 strips chopped, cooked crisp bacon
Directions:
Cut the jalapenos into little boats as pictured below and chop the tops up. You can also cut them directly in half lengthwise to get a few more out of the recipe.
Mix the chopped jalapenos, cream cheese, greek yogurt, salt and pepper together in a bowl till well combined. (Add other mix ins here if you'd like, except panko) Spoon into a freezer weight zip top bag (sometimes the sandwich ones pop). Cut the corner off of the bag and "pipe" into the jalapeno boats.
Smooth out the tops (I use an offset spatula) and top with cheese.
You can stop here and refrigerate for later or pop them into a 400º F preheated oven and cook until the cheese on top starts to melt, some times a minute under the broiler helps crisp up the top cheese if you'd like.
I love Rachael Ray. She's most definitely my cooking idol (except for her distaste to baking, but hey its not for everyone). She got me hooked on these types of poppers, I make them quite a bit, I like to take them camping in a foil tray and heat them up on the grill or over the fire. The can get a little mushy if they get too hot though, adding the breadcrumbs on top will help this out a bit.
Kitchen Tool Tip - I use a grapefruit spoon (The kind with the little teeth on the end) to scoop out the insides of the Jalapeno. It gets it all. I like it hot and if I miss any of the seeds or white part, I notice. A lot. That's up to you though.
I also usually only use about half the tops in the recipe.
I top them with more cheese - why not? They're still better than the breaded, fried ones! And if you miss the breading sprinkle some bread crumbs on top with the cheese.
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
12-20 Jalapenos, depending on size - the below will fill 14 large jalapenos.
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
1 cup shredded cheddar (or something else if you like).
1/2 cup shredded cheddar for topping if desiered
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional:
3 Tbsp toasted panko
3 strips chopped, cooked crisp bacon
Directions:
Cut the jalapenos into little boats as pictured below and chop the tops up. You can also cut them directly in half lengthwise to get a few more out of the recipe.
Mix the chopped jalapenos, cream cheese, greek yogurt, salt and pepper together in a bowl till well combined. (Add other mix ins here if you'd like, except panko) Spoon into a freezer weight zip top bag (sometimes the sandwich ones pop). Cut the corner off of the bag and "pipe" into the jalapeno boats.
Smooth out the tops (I use an offset spatula) and top with cheese.
You can stop here and refrigerate for later or pop them into a 400º F preheated oven and cook until the cheese on top starts to melt, some times a minute under the broiler helps crisp up the top cheese if you'd like.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Dinner (3 Recipes!)
Since this Friday was a holiday, I thought we could up the ante and do a fancier dinner. Sort of our own Easter dinner to ourselves. We've had a pork tenderloin in our freezer for a month or so and I decided this would be a great time to use that. Stuffed pork tenderloin is usually my go to, and today was no different. I wasn't feeling quite ambitious enough to make stuffing from scratch so we bought a "Stovetop" box. Totally ok! We had an abundance of carrots in our fridge from my random decision to start Juicing this week and roasted Cauliflower is always a good side and goes with pretty much everything. I like to use one or two spices that are the same in each dish to tie it all together. The bonus with this dish is that you can cook everything together in the oven at one temperature for the same length of time.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
1 pound Pork Tenderloin, (1 or 2 pieces)
2 Cups (one box) prepared stuffing
1 Tbsp butter - Melted
1 Tbsp olive oil
Fresh or dried Thyme Leaves
Dried Onion Flakes
Salt
Pepper
Garlic clove - Grated
1 Tbsp Roasted Red Pepper (I used Epicures dried)
Roasted Carrots
10 - 14 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp butter - Melted
1 Tbsp oil
Fresh or dried Thyme Leaves
Dried Onion Flakes
Salt
Pepper
Garlic clove - Grated
Roasted Cauliflower
See Recipe here
I left out the cheese and chickpeas this time.
Directions:
Pork - Preheat oven to 425 º
First, you have to open your pork up to pound it out a bit thinner. Do do this you slice it length wise down the middle until almost through, about 1/4 inch left. Then, slice each half length wise down the middle leaving the same amount of space till the bottom. Cover with saran and pound out with a meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. If you have two pieces, do this to both. Having 2 makes it a little easier to wrap up because its more of a sandwich than a jelly roll.
Mix last 8 ingredients under pork together. Brush onto inside of the pork. Leave a bit for the top.
Season inside of pork with salt and pepper if desired on top of butter mixture.
Spoon stuffing onto one side of pork spreading to about 1/2 inch away from edge of meat, you can pile it up.
Layer other piece of pork, inside down, on top of the stuffing. Tie together with kitchen twine or use toothpicks. If you have one piece of pork you will roll up like a jelly roll and secure together.
Place in roasting dish, (wait to put in oven with vegetables) cook in preheated on bottom rack for 15-20 minutes and place on top rack for last 5-10 minutes of cooking. Temperature should register 160º.
Let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 2-6 depending on loin size.
Carrots
Mix all ingredients together in a dish, coating carrots. Spread on baking sheet with cauliflower and roast on top rack of oven for 20 minutes, switching with pork for last 10 minutes.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
1 pound Pork Tenderloin, (1 or 2 pieces)
2 Cups (one box) prepared stuffing
1 Tbsp butter - Melted
1 Tbsp olive oil
Fresh or dried Thyme Leaves
Dried Onion Flakes
Salt
Pepper
Garlic clove - Grated
1 Tbsp Roasted Red Pepper (I used Epicures dried)
Roasted Carrots
10 - 14 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp butter - Melted
1 Tbsp oil
Fresh or dried Thyme Leaves
Dried Onion Flakes
Salt
Pepper
Garlic clove - Grated
Roasted Cauliflower
See Recipe here
I left out the cheese and chickpeas this time.
Directions:
Pork - Preheat oven to 425 º
First, you have to open your pork up to pound it out a bit thinner. Do do this you slice it length wise down the middle until almost through, about 1/4 inch left. Then, slice each half length wise down the middle leaving the same amount of space till the bottom. Cover with saran and pound out with a meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. If you have two pieces, do this to both. Having 2 makes it a little easier to wrap up because its more of a sandwich than a jelly roll.
Mix last 8 ingredients under pork together. Brush onto inside of the pork. Leave a bit for the top.
Season inside of pork with salt and pepper if desired on top of butter mixture.
Spoon stuffing onto one side of pork spreading to about 1/2 inch away from edge of meat, you can pile it up.
Layer other piece of pork, inside down, on top of the stuffing. Tie together with kitchen twine or use toothpicks. If you have one piece of pork you will roll up like a jelly roll and secure together.
Place in roasting dish, (wait to put in oven with vegetables) cook in preheated on bottom rack for 15-20 minutes and place on top rack for last 5-10 minutes of cooking. Temperature should register 160º.
Let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 2-6 depending on loin size.
Carrots
Mix all ingredients together in a dish, coating carrots. Spread on baking sheet with cauliflower and roast on top rack of oven for 20 minutes, switching with pork for last 10 minutes.
Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs
This was my very first pin on my "Appies" board on Pinterest, it's been a long time coming! I finally got the chance to make these for our Easter dinner appetizer. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with how they turned out. I changed the recipe a bit to fit what I had around the kitchen, but not too much. The hardest part about these is peeling those eggs. Any tips would be much appreciated. If you want to pipe the filling in with a star tip (like I tried to do) you're going to want to really crumble that bacon or it will get stuck in your star tip and you will have to jab it out dangerously with a knife. Otherwise a zip-lock bag will work just fine (I switched). I put this recipe into a calorie counter (just to see!) and they're about 75 Calories/half. You can certainly knock that down with less bacon, but why? Its Easter!
Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs
(Adapted from here)
Ingredients:
12 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1 dash rice vinegar
3/4 cup light Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp Bacon Mustard (Or Dijon)
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
6 pieces bacon, crispy and chopped or crumbled
paprika for topping
Directions:
Cut the peeled eggs in half, lengthwise
Scoop out the yolks and place in mixing bowl
Mash the egg yolks till crumbly with a fork
Add the miracle whip, vinegar and mustard to the mashed egg yolks and stir until well combined, add more mustard if the mixture needs to be looser.
Mix in 3/4 of the jalapenos and bacon, setting aside 1/4 of each for topping.
Put the mixture in a zip-lock bag and cut a small part of the corner off of the bag
Fill each egg hole with the mixture
Sprinkle with paprika and remaining bacon and jalapenos
Chill until ready to serve
Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs
(Adapted from here)
Ingredients:
12 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1 dash rice vinegar
3/4 cup light Miracle Whip
1 Tbsp Bacon Mustard (Or Dijon)
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
6 pieces bacon, crispy and chopped or crumbled
paprika for topping
Directions:
Cut the peeled eggs in half, lengthwise
Scoop out the yolks and place in mixing bowl
Mash the egg yolks till crumbly with a fork
Add the miracle whip, vinegar and mustard to the mashed egg yolks and stir until well combined, add more mustard if the mixture needs to be looser.
Mix in 3/4 of the jalapenos and bacon, setting aside 1/4 of each for topping.
Put the mixture in a zip-lock bag and cut a small part of the corner off of the bag
Fill each egg hole with the mixture
Sprinkle with paprika and remaining bacon and jalapenos
Chill until ready to serve
Bacon and Potato Frittata
My mom bought me a new piece of Le Crueset to add to my collection for Easter, a tarte pan! I wanted to try it out with a baked frittata for Easter Brunch. This was a recipe I pinned pretty recently, it has a lot of good for you ingredients to fill you up first thing in the morning or into the afternoon. It was a bit heavy in preparation though, so I would recommend precooking the bacon and potatoes or at least having everything cut up and ready to go if you want it early. It took a little over an hour from start to finish. It turned out great, especially for the first frittata I've ever made. It served 4 nicely but could probably be stretched to 6.
Bacon & Potato Frittata
(Adapted slightly from here)
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
4-5 leaves chopped fresh basil
3+ Tbsp grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small shallot, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 - 2 handfuls chopped Spinach
1/4 cup Roasted Red peppers (if desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º
Whisk together first 3 ingredients in large bowl, salt and pepper to your taste levels. I would say a heavy pinch or two.
Cook bacon over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer bacon to a separate dish and pour off most, leaving 1 Tbsp or so of fat in the pan.
Add potatoes to hot pan and fry over medium-high heat until golden, about 5-7 minutes, stirring. In last 3 minutes, add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan stirring in. In last minute, add the spinach to wilt slightly.
Place all ingredients in tarte pan, covering with the egg mixture. Salt and pepper the top.
Place in preheated over for 20 - 25 minutes, depending on dish size.
Cut and serve in wedges.
Bacon & Potato Frittata
(Adapted slightly from here)
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
4-5 leaves chopped fresh basil
3+ Tbsp grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small shallot, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 - 2 handfuls chopped Spinach
1/4 cup Roasted Red peppers (if desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º
Whisk together first 3 ingredients in large bowl, salt and pepper to your taste levels. I would say a heavy pinch or two.
Cook bacon over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer bacon to a separate dish and pour off most, leaving 1 Tbsp or so of fat in the pan.
Add potatoes to hot pan and fry over medium-high heat until golden, about 5-7 minutes, stirring. In last 3 minutes, add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan stirring in. In last minute, add the spinach to wilt slightly.
Place all ingredients in tarte pan, covering with the egg mixture. Salt and pepper the top.
Place in preheated over for 20 - 25 minutes, depending on dish size.
Cut and serve in wedges.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Shrimp & Bacon Salad
Ok, there's a lot more ingredients in here than just those. But you cook the shrimp in the bacon grease and its pretty much amazing. I loved this salad. I didn't make the dressing from the orginal post, but I probably will next time. I may or may not have forgotten to pick up those ingredients. So we just used a bit of Renee's Dill and Cucumber Yogurt dip on the side. I find with an avocado in your salads they have a nice "built in" dressing from those, so you don't need one as much. Throw in a splash of that feta brine and you're pretty set. This salad hits every craving you might have, but I mostly found I wanted more bacon after... That could just be me though!
Shrimp & Bacon Salad
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients
1/2 cup corn kernels frozen or shaved off a cob.
3 strips of bacon, diced
10 large shrimp, peeled with tails on or off
4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup crumbled goats feta (whatever kind you have is fine!)
Directions:
1. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the corn kernels and let cook until they start to get a little toasty around the edges, around 6 minutes, stirring off the bottom to help prevent sticking. Transfer the corn to a dish and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the bacon. Fry for about 5-6 minutes, stirring until crispy or to your liking. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease in the skillet. My bacon didn't have a lot of fat so you may want to drain a bit off if you don't want to drown your shrimp in it. (Here comes the best part!)
3. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes per side (depending on size). Remove shrimp and prepare your salad.
4. Assemble your salad by tossing together the lettuce, toasted corn, bacon, shrimp and avocado.
5. Top with crumbled cheese and dressing if desired.
Shrimp & Bacon Salad
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients
1/2 cup corn kernels frozen or shaved off a cob.
3 strips of bacon, diced
10 large shrimp, peeled with tails on or off
4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1/4 cup crumbled goats feta (whatever kind you have is fine!)
Directions:
1. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the corn kernels and let cook until they start to get a little toasty around the edges, around 6 minutes, stirring off the bottom to help prevent sticking. Transfer the corn to a dish and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the bacon. Fry for about 5-6 minutes, stirring until crispy or to your liking. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease in the skillet. My bacon didn't have a lot of fat so you may want to drain a bit off if you don't want to drown your shrimp in it. (Here comes the best part!)
3. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes per side (depending on size). Remove shrimp and prepare your salad.
4. Assemble your salad by tossing together the lettuce, toasted corn, bacon, shrimp and avocado.
5. Top with crumbled cheese and dressing if desired.
Tomato Basil Soup
This is a recipe I've been making for quite a while, I finally decided to take some pictures and add some ingredients. You may have seen it back on my Italian Evening post a year or so ago. Its a decent tomato soup recipe and filling enough to accompany just a salad or a nice grilled cheese. I also really like that it can be done in under an hour, less if you're in a crunch. You can add more layers of flavour to the soup just by buying some more intense ingredients. I used a Tomato basil tomato paste and I used a whole can and I bought tomatoes with basil already in there and mashed them myself. That way you can really get the basil freshness, even if your basil isn't that fresh (mine was not).
Tomato Basil Soup
(Adapted slightly from Here)
Ingredients
Salt and pepper
2 tsp dried thyme leaves or 2 Tbsp Fresh (Chopped)
1 large fresh bay leaf
3 tbsp - 1 small can tomato paste
1 box (946 mL) low sodium chicken stock
32 ounce can whole or crushed tomatoes (I Bought Eden Whole Roma tomatoes with Basil)
A few leaves basil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups 1% milk (or whatever you have)
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Once the pot and oil are warm, add onions, garlic, carrot, salt, pepper, thyme, bay and cook partially covered to soften 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will really be able to smell the thyme and onion, such a great kitchen smell.
3. Add tomato paste and stir 2 minutes to let it caramelize a bit, it was in a can. Add the stock, tomatoes and tear in basil leaves. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes, *Remove and discard bay leaf.
5. To make the béchamel sauce to thicken the soup, melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk, season with salt and pepper, and let thicken to coat a spoon. Stir béchamel into soup to combine. **Don't tell the real chefs, but you can do this in the microwave! Melt butter in the microwave, add flour and stir, microwave the paste another 10 seconds, add milk and microwave in 30 second bursts on medium high, whisking in between until thick. It takes a couple minutes.
6. Let soup simmer another 10 minutes or so to thicken and serve with your favourite salad or sandwich (or both!). I served mine with a basic Kale Salad topped with sunflower oil, lemon juice and a few crumbles of goat feta.
Tomato Basil Soup
(Adapted slightly from Here)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Grapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, grated
1 carrot, finely dicedSalt and pepper
2 tsp dried thyme leaves or 2 Tbsp Fresh (Chopped)
1 large fresh bay leaf
3 tbsp - 1 small can tomato paste
1 box (946 mL) low sodium chicken stock
32 ounce can whole or crushed tomatoes (I Bought Eden Whole Roma tomatoes with Basil)
A few leaves basil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups 1% milk (or whatever you have)
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Once the pot and oil are warm, add onions, garlic, carrot, salt, pepper, thyme, bay and cook partially covered to soften 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will really be able to smell the thyme and onion, such a great kitchen smell.
3. Add tomato paste and stir 2 minutes to let it caramelize a bit, it was in a can. Add the stock, tomatoes and tear in basil leaves. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes, *Remove and discard bay leaf.
4. Purée soup with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and back to the pot when smooth.
5. To make the béchamel sauce to thicken the soup, melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk, season with salt and pepper, and let thicken to coat a spoon. Stir béchamel into soup to combine. **Don't tell the real chefs, but you can do this in the microwave! Melt butter in the microwave, add flour and stir, microwave the paste another 10 seconds, add milk and microwave in 30 second bursts on medium high, whisking in between until thick. It takes a couple minutes.
6. Let soup simmer another 10 minutes or so to thicken and serve with your favourite salad or sandwich (or both!). I served mine with a basic Kale Salad topped with sunflower oil, lemon juice and a few crumbles of goat feta.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
M&M Cookies
My absolute favourite candy or chocolate treat is m&m's. I honestly don't eat anything else chocolate wise at all. You put them in a cookie and I am so in! I love this recipe because it bakes up light and cakey very fast. Around 15 minutes from fridge to belly, you do have to let them set up in the fridge for a couple hours before baking. Which is always a problem for me, I would have got 30 cookies out of this recipe but the dough is just so good! I only got 29. I used a small cookie scoop for them, about an inch across. If you use a larger one, you'll probably get around 15-18.
They're also great because you can do the recipe, make the cookie balls and put them in the fridge and bake them anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days later, or up to a month or two if you freeze them. I like to take the un-baked cookie balls to parties to bake right after the meal so that they are fresh for my friends and family and that way, no one will ask you where you bought them. I recommend buying m&m's in bulk (In Canada anyways) as they're quite expensive in larger amounts otherwise. I always get Sean to bring them back from Houston for me. 2 kg for $8! That's less then half of here, case closed for buying in bulk.
These particular ones made it into a Birthday Cookie Basket for one of my best friends, Jason. He loves cookies, and I hope you do too! In case you're wondering the other treats that made the box were; Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirls, Ginger Snaps and Banana Bread.
M&M Cookies
(Adapted slightly from here)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate M&M's, you may want 1/4 cup extra to add one here and there to the cookies.
Directions:
To a large mixing bowl, if you have an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and mix together on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 2 minutes. The colour will gradually get lighter and that's key to a little bit fluffier cookies.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix in slighty by hand to avoid flying flour, then with the mixer on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Add the chocolate chips, M&Ms, and combine by hand to avoid cracking those pretty shells.
Using a cookie scoop (Large or Small) or your hands, form equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Small scoop - 30 Cookies, Large Scoop - 15 Cookies
If you feel like you need some extra M&M's in each cookie, press them into the tops now.
Place mounds on dish or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you don't chill the dough for long enough, the cookies will spread out like little pancakes. No one wants that! (But if you do, that's how)
2 Hours later!
Preheat oven to 350ºF, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment. I highly recommend investing in the Silpats, parchment never covers the baking sheet well enough and eventually you'll balance out the cost.
Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart, small cookies 15 per sheet, large cookies 8 per sheet and bake for 12 minutes, switching racks halfway through, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly under cooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Cookies will firm up as they cool - allow to cool for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.
Store in an airtight container for about a week, they won't last that long! So you can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
They're also great because you can do the recipe, make the cookie balls and put them in the fridge and bake them anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days later, or up to a month or two if you freeze them. I like to take the un-baked cookie balls to parties to bake right after the meal so that they are fresh for my friends and family and that way, no one will ask you where you bought them. I recommend buying m&m's in bulk (In Canada anyways) as they're quite expensive in larger amounts otherwise. I always get Sean to bring them back from Houston for me. 2 kg for $8! That's less then half of here, case closed for buying in bulk.
These particular ones made it into a Birthday Cookie Basket for one of my best friends, Jason. He loves cookies, and I hope you do too! In case you're wondering the other treats that made the box were; Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirls, Ginger Snaps and Banana Bread.
M&M Cookies
(Adapted slightly from here)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate M&M's, you may want 1/4 cup extra to add one here and there to the cookies.
Directions:
To a large mixing bowl, if you have an electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and mix together on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 2 minutes. The colour will gradually get lighter and that's key to a little bit fluffier cookies.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix in slighty by hand to avoid flying flour, then with the mixer on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Add the chocolate chips, M&Ms, and combine by hand to avoid cracking those pretty shells.
Using a cookie scoop (Large or Small) or your hands, form equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Small scoop - 30 Cookies, Large Scoop - 15 Cookies
If you feel like you need some extra M&M's in each cookie, press them into the tops now.
Place mounds on dish or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you don't chill the dough for long enough, the cookies will spread out like little pancakes. No one wants that! (But if you do, that's how)
2 Hours later!
Preheat oven to 350ºF, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment. I highly recommend investing in the Silpats, parchment never covers the baking sheet well enough and eventually you'll balance out the cost.
Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart, small cookies 15 per sheet, large cookies 8 per sheet and bake for 12 minutes, switching racks halfway through, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly under cooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Cookies will firm up as they cool - allow to cool for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.
Store in an airtight container for about a week, they won't last that long! So you can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps - Slowcooker
With my recent avoidance of bread and cheese products I was looking for a recipe I could make for my parents that wouldn't scare them off as too healthy. (Shhh, don't tell them) I had pinned this one quite a while ago and while I don't use my slow cooker very often, today was a good day to use it. There's definitely something nice about doing the prep work in the morning (when you're still feeling pretty gung ho) and then dinner just being ready when you need it to be.
I modified this recipe to my parents tastes and what I had on hand. They don't enjoy things too spicy so I used I mild roasted salsa instead of something too hot. I also cut out the chilies. I still used the hot sauce, Cholula is our houses only brand these days and added a little extra seasoning in the way of onion flakes, roasted garlic flakes and some salt and pepper. Nothing too crazy. But half way through the house smelt amazing! The chicken still maintained its structure pretty well at the end of 5 hours, but shredded easily. Since I was a couple hours early, I left it on keep warm until dinner - stirring every half hour or so. It also left me some time to make a quick dessert.
Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
1 jar salsa, I used Mrs Renfro's Roasted Salsa, fairly mild
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic flakes
2 tbsp Cholula hot sauce
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
Avocado Salsa Ingredients:
2 large or 3 medium avocados, diced into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 diced tomato
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
For Lettuce Wraps:
2 large heads iceberg lettuce for crunchy shells,
- Butter lettuce for easy wrap shells
1. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and arrange the chicken strips in the bottom of your slowcooker.
2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion.
3. Shake over hot sauce of desired amount, followed by lime juice.
4.Cover with Salsa.
5. Set for 5 hours on low and walk away and enjoy your free time!
6. When the chicken is done, remove each piece into a bowl, shred apart with two forks and place back into the slow cooker. Stir to combine with the sauce.
7. Peel and chop the avocados and toss with the lime juice, red onion and tomato. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Prepare the lettuce - For iceberg cut head in half across to make two bowl shapes, pull two leaves off to make a cup. For butter lettuce, remove as close to stem and use two leaves for each shell.
9. Fill with a scoop of chicken and a scoop of salsa and feel free to top with any other desired toppings, cheese, extra salsa or tomatoes.
I modified this recipe to my parents tastes and what I had on hand. They don't enjoy things too spicy so I used I mild roasted salsa instead of something too hot. I also cut out the chilies. I still used the hot sauce, Cholula is our houses only brand these days and added a little extra seasoning in the way of onion flakes, roasted garlic flakes and some salt and pepper. Nothing too crazy. But half way through the house smelt amazing! The chicken still maintained its structure pretty well at the end of 5 hours, but shredded easily. Since I was a couple hours early, I left it on keep warm until dinner - stirring every half hour or so. It also left me some time to make a quick dessert.
Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
1 jar salsa, I used Mrs Renfro's Roasted Salsa, fairly mild
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic flakes
2 tbsp Cholula hot sauce
1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
Avocado Salsa Ingredients:
2 large or 3 medium avocados, diced into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 diced tomato
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
For Lettuce Wraps:
2 large heads iceberg lettuce for crunchy shells,
- Butter lettuce for easy wrap shells
1. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and arrange the chicken strips in the bottom of your slowcooker.
2. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion.
3. Shake over hot sauce of desired amount, followed by lime juice.
4.Cover with Salsa.
5. Set for 5 hours on low and walk away and enjoy your free time!
6. When the chicken is done, remove each piece into a bowl, shred apart with two forks and place back into the slow cooker. Stir to combine with the sauce.
7. Peel and chop the avocados and toss with the lime juice, red onion and tomato. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Prepare the lettuce - For iceberg cut head in half across to make two bowl shapes, pull two leaves off to make a cup. For butter lettuce, remove as close to stem and use two leaves for each shell.
9. Fill with a scoop of chicken and a scoop of salsa and feel free to top with any other desired toppings, cheese, extra salsa or tomatoes.
St Patrick's Day Green Pea and Prosciutto Soup
In our quest for new food and solely based on the fact it was St Patrick's day, I found a green pea soup recipe. I wanted something green (that wasn't beer) for dinner. Because why not! This soup is really simple and you probably have everything you need for it in your pantry and fridge/freezer. I added the prosciutto to the original recipe because I had some extra and bacon and peas go together so well. If you don't have Crisco shortening you can use 1 TBSP of oil or butter instead. If you want it to be even more green, use water instead of stock. This soup was really filling and had great flavour, I may add asparagus if I made it again just for a different taste going through it.
St Patrick's Day Green Pea and Prosciutto Soup
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients
1 medium sweet or white onion
1 Tbsp Crisco Vegetable Shortening
2 garlic cloves, grated
4-6 Slices thin Prosciutto
500 g frozen green peas - I used green giant Spring Sweets
2 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable stock - I used Kitchen Basics
Bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Chop the onion and slice the prosciutto into thin ribbon like slices.
Heat the Crisco in a soup pot and add the onions and 1 - 2 slices worth of the prosciutto, stir and cook out onions till translucent. Grate garlic over pot.
Add the frozen peas, stock and bay leaf. Cook for about half hour.
Take out the bay leaf and blend the soup with a hand blender or remove to a blender. Once blended (pour back to pot) and add salt and pepper to taste.
Fry remaining prosciutto to add some crispiness and cook off a bit of the fat, a couple minutes.
Top soup with crispy prosciutto!
St Patrick's Day Green Pea and Prosciutto Soup
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients
1 medium sweet or white onion
1 Tbsp Crisco Vegetable Shortening
2 garlic cloves, grated
4-6 Slices thin Prosciutto
500 g frozen green peas - I used green giant Spring Sweets
2 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable stock - I used Kitchen Basics
Bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Chop the onion and slice the prosciutto into thin ribbon like slices.
Heat the Crisco in a soup pot and add the onions and 1 - 2 slices worth of the prosciutto, stir and cook out onions till translucent. Grate garlic over pot.
Add the frozen peas, stock and bay leaf. Cook for about half hour.
Take out the bay leaf and blend the soup with a hand blender or remove to a blender. Once blended (pour back to pot) and add salt and pepper to taste.
Fry remaining prosciutto to add some crispiness and cook off a bit of the fat, a couple minutes.
Top soup with crispy prosciutto!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Blueberry Rolls
I tried making these before, with a different recipe that used jam instead of actual blueberries. It turned out pretty bad, they got way too brown, didn't rise right and I ended up needing to add almost a cup of extra flour.
This one wasn't anything like that! The dough came together really nicely and was simple to make. The one major thing I changed in the recipe was I used fresh blueberries. It says explicitly not to, but I had a really nice pint of them and I wasn't going out to buy frozen ones with them in front of me. The reasoning was that they didn't release juice the same. That does depend on the berries. I let mine sit for a good half hour with the sugar and cornstarch on them (the entire time it took me to make the dough and roll it out) and the amount of syrupy juice was amazing, even in that small amount of time. If you only have frozen, or want to use frozen go ahead! But I wouldn't go out of your way to buy them if you have fresh ones or there's a good deal at the grocery store.
Blueberry Rolls
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
Rolls
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2.5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg
Filling
1 pint (11 oz) blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon Glaze
Juice from 1 large lemon
Zest from lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk
Directions:
1. Filling first! Combine the blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir together, don't worry if you mash up a blueberry here and there, it adds to the juice. Let sit while you prepare the dough.
2. Dough! In a large bowl or electric mixing bowl, put the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed.
3. Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm. Most yeast can only deal with about 105º, so if you go over that let it cool a bit before adding it. I did mine for 1 minute on power 6 in my microwave, stir is together once it comes out, the butter may separate.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, I added slowly to my mixer while it was going. Add the egg at the end. You may need a bit more flour here depending on your dough. It is ready when it cleans the sides of the bowl and is shiny and stretchy.
5. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough a couple times to ensure everything is mixed in well. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rest for 5-15 minutes.
6.After resting, roll the dough out in a rectangle, mine was around 16 inches by 10 inches. I find it helps to get a rectangle quickly if you sort of shape the dough in to a rectangle instead of a ball. Pour the sugared blueberries on top and evenly disperse them on the dough. Roll the dough up from the long edge so your roll will be the longest it can be.
7. Cut into even pieces, I made 9, and place in greased or parchment lined pan, I used a 9x9 square. Loosely cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow to rise in an oven you've preheated and turned back off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise. You won't want to refrigerate these now, they won't puff back up.
8. After the rolls have doubled in size, about 2 hours, take out of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Cover them about half way through with loose aluminum foil or they will get quite brown and crispy.
9. Before serving, mix all of the glaze ingredients together. For a thicker glaze add more powdered sugar or less lemon juice or vice versa for thinner.
10. Glaze right before serving, ideally when they are still warm (not hot) right out of the oven.
This one wasn't anything like that! The dough came together really nicely and was simple to make. The one major thing I changed in the recipe was I used fresh blueberries. It says explicitly not to, but I had a really nice pint of them and I wasn't going out to buy frozen ones with them in front of me. The reasoning was that they didn't release juice the same. That does depend on the berries. I let mine sit for a good half hour with the sugar and cornstarch on them (the entire time it took me to make the dough and roll it out) and the amount of syrupy juice was amazing, even in that small amount of time. If you only have frozen, or want to use frozen go ahead! But I wouldn't go out of your way to buy them if you have fresh ones or there's a good deal at the grocery store.
Blueberry Rolls
(Adapted from Here)
Ingredients:
Rolls
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2.5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg
Filling
1 pint (11 oz) blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon Glaze
Juice from 1 large lemon
Zest from lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk
Directions:
1. Filling first! Combine the blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir together, don't worry if you mash up a blueberry here and there, it adds to the juice. Let sit while you prepare the dough.
2. Dough! In a large bowl or electric mixing bowl, put the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed.
3. Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm. Most yeast can only deal with about 105º, so if you go over that let it cool a bit before adding it. I did mine for 1 minute on power 6 in my microwave, stir is together once it comes out, the butter may separate.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, I added slowly to my mixer while it was going. Add the egg at the end. You may need a bit more flour here depending on your dough. It is ready when it cleans the sides of the bowl and is shiny and stretchy.
5. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough a couple times to ensure everything is mixed in well. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rest for 5-15 minutes.
6.After resting, roll the dough out in a rectangle, mine was around 16 inches by 10 inches. I find it helps to get a rectangle quickly if you sort of shape the dough in to a rectangle instead of a ball. Pour the sugared blueberries on top and evenly disperse them on the dough. Roll the dough up from the long edge so your roll will be the longest it can be.
7. Cut into even pieces, I made 9, and place in greased or parchment lined pan, I used a 9x9 square. Loosely cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow to rise in an oven you've preheated and turned back off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise. You won't want to refrigerate these now, they won't puff back up.
8. After the rolls have doubled in size, about 2 hours, take out of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Cover them about half way through with loose aluminum foil or they will get quite brown and crispy.
9. Before serving, mix all of the glaze ingredients together. For a thicker glaze add more powdered sugar or less lemon juice or vice versa for thinner.
10. Glaze right before serving, ideally when they are still warm (not hot) right out of the oven.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Jalapeno Cheddar Bagels
I've made bagels a couple times now but have really stuck to the simple starter recipe for Everything bagels I posted a while ago. I really like the Jalapeno Cheese Bagels at Tim Hortons, they have a great kick and a nice cheesy balance to them. Its pretty much the only thing I still go there for. So I of course decided I could make them myself. I found this recipe a long time ago and figured I would give it a try. It's a fairly in depth recipe for bagels, with a sponge starter and you have to leave them in the refrigerator overnight before cooking, so they're not an instant gratification type thing, although no bread really is. If I make them again (which I probably will) I think I'll add another cheese to the mix. Some parm or an Asiago. The cheddar is great, but its only one note and just having that extra sharp saltiness I think would put them over the top! If you want to stick to just cheddar, you may want to up the salt in the recipe.
Before you get really excited and want to make these right away there's a couple things you should be prepared for. I have a 5qt standard kitchen aid mixer, there's no way you can make these in it unless you half the recipe. Mine was dancing all over the counter before I decided to take out the dough and knead it by hand. It takes about 10 minutes to do it by hand and mixing the jalapenos and cheese in isn't a cake walk either. There's definitely something about kneading dough that's extremely therapeutic though. I'd highly recommend it over a stress ball. Plus in the end you have bready, cheesy goodness if you have any stress left.
The next thing is these take hours. Don't expect to start making them early in the morning for a brunch treat. The sponge needs to set up for 2 - 3 hours, the dough needs to sit in balls for half an hour, bagels for half an hour and overnight in the refrigerator. There's not a ton of active time but there's quite a bit of waiting time.
That's all though! Time to make bagels!
Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels
(Adapted slightly from Here)
Ingredients
Sponge:
1 teaspoon instant yeast
4 cups flour, I used AP - bread is probably a bit better
2½ cups water, at room temperature
Dough:
½ teaspoon instant yeast
3½ cups flour
3 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1½ cups minced jalapeño peppers, Seeded if desired (About 10 peppers)
To Finish:
1 Tablespoon baking soda
2½ Litres water
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
Directions:
1. Sponge: Stir the yeast into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the water, stirring until it forms a smooth, sticky batter, sort of lumpy with air holes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 - 3 hours, or until nearly double in size and collapses when the bowl is tapped on the counter.
2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl a couple hours later add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and brown sugar. Stir until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 1/2 cup flour to stiffen the dough.
3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes. Add the Cheddar cheese and jalapeños during the last two minutes or so of kneading, and knead until evenly distributed. The dough should be firm, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour left over in lumps. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems sticky or tacky, add more flour to achiever the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
4. Divide the dough into equal pieces, I cut the dough with a knife into 14 equalish balls and evened them out to make a 15th ball. Roll into balls like you are making dinner rolls (or a snowball!)
5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Line 2 sheet pans with silpats or parchment. Proceed with shaping the bagels: Push a hole through the center of the roll with the end of a wooden spoon or spatula and stretch out the hole to an inch or so in diameter, try to make sure the ring is fairly even.
7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to head to the refrigerator overnight by doing a “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room temperature water. The bagels are ready to go in when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days if you're holding off on baking them.
If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until it floats. This time can vary, mine was about 30 minutes.
9. The next day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the better), I used my 3.25 Qt braiser since I can fit 4 bagels in it comfortably, and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit, they should float. After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. Sprinkle the bagels with the grated cheese as soon as they come out of the water.
11. When all the bagels have been boiled and topped, place the pans on the two middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are only baking one pan at a time, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 8 minutes.
12. Turn the oven to a low broil and place each pan in separately for 3-5 minutes to finish off some browning and cooking.
12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes.
Before you get really excited and want to make these right away there's a couple things you should be prepared for. I have a 5qt standard kitchen aid mixer, there's no way you can make these in it unless you half the recipe. Mine was dancing all over the counter before I decided to take out the dough and knead it by hand. It takes about 10 minutes to do it by hand and mixing the jalapenos and cheese in isn't a cake walk either. There's definitely something about kneading dough that's extremely therapeutic though. I'd highly recommend it over a stress ball. Plus in the end you have bready, cheesy goodness if you have any stress left.
The next thing is these take hours. Don't expect to start making them early in the morning for a brunch treat. The sponge needs to set up for 2 - 3 hours, the dough needs to sit in balls for half an hour, bagels for half an hour and overnight in the refrigerator. There's not a ton of active time but there's quite a bit of waiting time.
That's all though! Time to make bagels!
Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels
(Adapted slightly from Here)
Ingredients
Sponge:
1 teaspoon instant yeast
4 cups flour, I used AP - bread is probably a bit better
2½ cups water, at room temperature
Dough:
½ teaspoon instant yeast
3½ cups flour
3 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1½ cups minced jalapeño peppers, Seeded if desired (About 10 peppers)
To Finish:
1 Tablespoon baking soda
2½ Litres water
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
Directions:
1. Sponge: Stir the yeast into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the water, stirring until it forms a smooth, sticky batter, sort of lumpy with air holes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 - 3 hours, or until nearly double in size and collapses when the bowl is tapped on the counter.
2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl a couple hours later add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and brown sugar. Stir until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 1/2 cup flour to stiffen the dough.
3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes. Add the Cheddar cheese and jalapeños during the last two minutes or so of kneading, and knead until evenly distributed. The dough should be firm, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour left over in lumps. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems sticky or tacky, add more flour to achiever the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
4. Divide the dough into equal pieces, I cut the dough with a knife into 14 equalish balls and evened them out to make a 15th ball. Roll into balls like you are making dinner rolls (or a snowball!)
5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Line 2 sheet pans with silpats or parchment. Proceed with shaping the bagels: Push a hole through the center of the roll with the end of a wooden spoon or spatula and stretch out the hole to an inch or so in diameter, try to make sure the ring is fairly even.
7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to head to the refrigerator overnight by doing a “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room temperature water. The bagels are ready to go in when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days if you're holding off on baking them.
If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until it floats. This time can vary, mine was about 30 minutes.
9. The next day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the better), I used my 3.25 Qt braiser since I can fit 4 bagels in it comfortably, and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit, they should float. After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. Sprinkle the bagels with the grated cheese as soon as they come out of the water.
11. When all the bagels have been boiled and topped, place the pans on the two middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are only baking one pan at a time, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 8 minutes.
12. Turn the oven to a low broil and place each pan in separately for 3-5 minutes to finish off some browning and cooking.
12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
In interest of trying to be a bit healthier and work on our meal planning, this recipe is a good way to use up some extra and left over ingredients in your fridge. This recipe was in my Food Network Magazine back from November. I picked it because it was under 500 calories/serving. It obviously varies depending on your noodles and what you add in, but I like to keep things around there for our dinners - leaves room for wine! So feel free to add what you want and take out what you don't. If you cut up your veggies when you buy them this is even easier to throw together.
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 bunch broccoli
1 8oz package Rice or Egg noodles (Egg have way more flavour, but more calories)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water
5 cloves garlic, sliced thin or grated with a microplane
1 pound chicken, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 red chile pepper, Sliced and seeded (or keep the seeds for more heat)
1 red pepper, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl - do not drain the water. Add the rice noodles and return to a boil. Take off heat and let soak until ready to use.
Combine the sugar and water in a Wok or large skillet over medium high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook until it is dark amber, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the carrot and red pepper for 30 seconds before the chicken. Add the chicken and fish sauce and cook while stirring until chicken is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the red chile pepper and season with salt and pepper.
Drain the noodles and add them and the broccoli to the wok, stirring to coat all of the mixture in the sauce. Let simmer together for another minute and serve.
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 bunch broccoli
1 8oz package Rice or Egg noodles (Egg have way more flavour, but more calories)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water
5 cloves garlic, sliced thin or grated with a microplane
1 pound chicken, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 red chile pepper, Sliced and seeded (or keep the seeds for more heat)
1 red pepper, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl - do not drain the water. Add the rice noodles and return to a boil. Take off heat and let soak until ready to use.
Combine the sugar and water in a Wok or large skillet over medium high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook until it is dark amber, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the carrot and red pepper for 30 seconds before the chicken. Add the chicken and fish sauce and cook while stirring until chicken is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the red chile pepper and season with salt and pepper.
Drain the noodles and add them and the broccoli to the wok, stirring to coat all of the mixture in the sauce. Let simmer together for another minute and serve.
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