Experimental Cookies

I'm moving on Thursday for the summer to be in SC with Olivier so I'm packing and trying to use up my pantry. I noticed that I had flour, sugar, oatmeal, raisins, and butter in the fridge. So, what else could I make other than oatmeal raisin cookies!? However, I only had whole wheat flour and I didn't have any baking soda since I had already packed it with the rest of my spices. Here's what I did...and I'll include what you can do if you do have baking soda. ;)

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (if not baking soda then up to 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (if no baking soda then 1/4 cup ginger ale or other soda*)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. You can make these are bars in a greased 13x9 or as drop cookies - I did cookies.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar, until smooth. Beat in the egg then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda (or soda), cinnamon and salt: stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in the quick oats and raisins. Spread evenly into the prepared pan or drop in 2 Tablespoon scoops for big chewy cookies.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are starting to brown. Let cool in pan before cutting into bars or let cool on wire rack for cookies.


*No, I didn't add soda just because it's called baking soda...the bubbles from carbonation provide leavening for the dough. Any carbonate beverage would work, but I happen to think that the clear color and ginger taste of ginger ale makes it perfect. I always keep it on hand for tummy aches anyways. :P

I promise

I will be working on my blog all summer to make it better. I have changed the background a few times and have been playing with fonts. I want to reformat it all and make it more professional looking. I may even host my own website, we'll see how far I feel like going. I used to design websites in college but haven't done it in a long time. I certainly like the ease of blogger posting so I'll see what all I can change behind the scenes yet keep the ease of posting. :)

Wish me luck and keep checking back to see what's been changed. This morning it had cute pics from old blogs as a border and now...monkeys. :p

Shrimp and Leek Pasta

This pasta is inspired by a dish my mom used to make with crab meat and a super spicy creamy sauce. It is deceivingly rich for being so light and fresh.

1/2-3/4 pound pre-cooked shrimp de-veined and shelled
2 large leeks
2 tbpsns butter
1 tbspn olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tspn salt
bay leaf
1/2 tspn basil
1/2 tspn white pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 pound linguine

Bring water to a boil for the pasta.
Slice the leeks in half vertically and then slice into thin slices. Soak in water for 10 minutes to remove the sand, tossing occasionally. Drain the leeks and then place into a 12" frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Saute until bright in color and fragrant. Add the flour, white pepper, basil, and bay leaf and stir well. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Your pasta water should be ready now so cook your pasta according to your package instructions. Back to the pan with the leeks, the sauce should thicken nicely and then reduce to low. Add the shrimp and stir in to combine. Cover and let sit on low heat until your pasta is ready. Drain your pasta and toss to combine.

This dish tend to make 5-6 servings for me which I eat throughout the week for lunches. I make mine super spicy by upping the white pepper to about a tablespoon...hotness!

That's a Healthy Meataballa!

I am trying to make healthier recipes since most people are gaining 10 pounds just by looking at the recipes I make. :p

I was watching Alton Brown the other night and he was doing an episode on meatballs and he baked them. I'm all for baking but I had always pan fired mine in oil so I thought I'd try my own healthy version. And what could be healthier than baked fat-free turkey meatballs!?

Healthy Meataballas

1 pound ground turkey
1 Tbspn Italian seasoning
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn onion powder
2 Tbspns parmesean cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Combine in a bowl and mix up with a fork or your hands until just combined...over mixing will make them chewy. Then shape into 2" balls and place in a 9x9 square baking dish. I made 15 balls with my meat but it may vary based on ball size and if you have exactly 1 pound of meat or not.

Place the baking dish in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the balls are white and firm to the touch. If you need to sacrifice one to check if they are done then please do so, I don't want anyone getting the turkey flu! (but seriously, make sure they are cooked through)

You can serve these in any dish due to their subtle flavor but I like to move them into marinara sauce (recipe follows) and eat meatball subs and meatballs with spaghetti.


Ignore the eggplant roasting underneath...that's another meal... :p

Shortcut Marina Sauce

This sauce takes no time and is much less work than making it totally from scratch. The sugar is necessary due to the short cooking time. Canned tomatoes can be really acidic and the sugar helps to tone that down quickly. Otherwise, you'd need an hour of higher heat to break it down.

2 tbpsn olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large 15 oz cans pureed tomatoes
1 tspn oregano
1 tspn basil
1 tspn onion powder
1 tspn salt
1/4 tspn pepper
2 tspns sugar (white or brown)

Put the olive oil in the pan over medium heat and add garlic, cook until lightly colored and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and all seasonings, bring to a boil over medium heat. Drop the heat to low (simmer) for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary - careful not to burn your tongue!



I add the meatballs at this point and let cook for 15 more minutes over medium-low heat. This way they absorb flavor and if you misjudged the "doneness" earlier, then they are done for sure now.

You can serve it as a meatball sub or over pasta as seen here! For meatball subs, I toast french bread, slather on meatballs with sauce and top with shredded mozzarella. For pasta, I used regular spaghetti and topped with parmesean. :)

No Name Pasta Dish

I don't usually name things, I usually leave that up to the people eating it so I'm open to suggestions. :) How about Italian sausage, tomato, spinach, pasta thingy? :p

1 lb Italian sausage out of casing (2-3 links)
1 c grape tomatoes sliced in half
2 c spinach (fresh)
2 Tbspn olive oil
1 Tbspn Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb pasta (I used whole wheat which blends nicely with the strong flavors in the dish)

To start, get your pasta water boiling since that takes a while on most stoves.

Put your olive oil in a 12" frying pan over medium high heat and add the sausage. Break up the sausage as it cooks leaving small lumps for texture. Once browned, add the slices tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Let cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes cook down a bit and release their juices - see pic.




Add the spinach, yes, it looks like a lot but it cooks down to near nothing as seen in the pics below. Turn your heat down to low or simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until reduced. Taste and season with salt and pepper.





Drain your pasta and dump into the frying pan with the sausage mixture and mix to combine. Plate and top with parmesan or romano cheese.




Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls!

I have been famous around friends for making these cinnamon rolls and yet, I hadn't made these in over a year. Why on earth was I depriving myself?! :p These cinnamon rolls won me a perfect 10 at an Iron Chef competition between Chemie Grad Students a few years ago, so they must be good. ;)

I added some optional additional ingredients if you want something a little different. I say, give the orange a try sometime, it's really good - but so's the basic roll. ;)

Dough:
* 1/4-ounce package yeast (I use the double acting stuff)
* 1/2 cup warm water (not more than 120F)
* 1/2 cup scalded milk (again, not more than 120F)
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg
* 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
* 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, plus more for pan
* 1/4 cup sugar (your choice, brown, white, or raw)
* 2-3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Optional for filling
* 1/2 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans (I don't, but to each their own)

Icing
* 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
* 1/2 cup softened cream cheese
* 1-2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 tspn vanilla extract
Optional for icing
* 1 tspn orange juice
* 1/4 tspn orange zest


In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside to proof. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1/2 to 1 hour - depends on your yeast and how warm your kitchen is. (I heat my oven to 150 and let it rise in there since my house is freezing.)

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface or stretch with your hands into a 15" by 10" rectangle. Spread softened melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 2-2.5" slices.

Butter a 9x12" dish with leftover butter and place rolls cut side down into dish leaving a little space in between. Let them sit covered in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise again. (I, again, use my oven.)

Preheat your oven to 375F and bake rolls for 20-30 minutes until lightly golden brown. Make up icing while they back, just dump it all in a bowl and stir like crazy until spreadable consistency, adding more sugar to thicken if needed.

I ice my rolls directly when removed form the oven so that the icing melts on them and sticks to the roll better. Cover leftover rolls in pan with plastic wrap and stash in the fridge. They last up to a week in the fridge. To reheat, place in microwave for 15-25 seconds. Gooey and yummy!!

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

A nice break from banana bread. :)

I saw this on Allrecipes.com and thought, hmmm, how bad could it be?
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Oatmeal-Cookie/Detail.aspx

I altered the recipe, of course, and I think it came out really well. I copied the recipe and edited in my changes below.

* 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup shortening
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 cup mashed bananas (3-4 medium bananas)
* 1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Cream together the shortening and sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, banana and oatmeal. Mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients, mix well and drop by the teaspoon on a max paper coated cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes or until edges turn lightly brown. Cool on wire rack. I froze half in a large freezer bag and kept the rest for snacks during the week. They are great with a glass of milk, lactose free of course. ;)


I know the pic is dark but it's all rainy and tornado-ey outside so my kitchen is dark.

Why I made changes:
I lowered the temperature because I made my first batch at 400 and the bottoms were burnt :( at 375 then were nicely brown on the bottom but were moist on top. I reduced the sugar because I don't like things too sweet but feel free to mess with it. I thought about leaving it out all together and using honey as a sweetener but haven't done that yet.

Also, for you peanut butter lovers, I could see this working well with a 1/2 cup peanut butter if you add 2 tablespoons or water or milk to then think it back out.

Mushroom Ravioli Sunday

When Sabine, my mother in law, came to visit, she made raviolis with me using won-ton wrappers from the vegetable section of grocery stores. We made raviolis with pesto and ricotta in them but I couldn't resit the urge to make mushroom stuffed ones.

1 package won-ton wrappers
1 15 oz carton riccotta cheese
8-10 small mushrooms, preferably a non-button mushroom for more flavor (I used creminis)
salt
pepper
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water



Won-ton wrappers!

Chop the mushrooms super fine with a sharp knife as seen here.

Blend them into the ricotta and add salt and pepper to taste. I know, it doesn't look like a lot of filling but you don't need much for each ravioli.

Lay out the wont-tons on the counter and add a 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the center of each sheet. Brush egg was on 2 of the 4 sides, two sides that meet at a "T". This is important to make the wrapper stick and egg wash doesn't stick to egg wash so only do two sides that will touch plain wrapper. Press the ravioli closed from the center point outward making sure to remove any air that may be inside.



Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour or until firm. Then transfer to plastic bags.



To cook, place in boiling water* and watch them closely. It should only take a few minutes, maybe 3 for them to be done (they should turn translucent and taste just barley gummy). *Make sure that water is at a rolling boil before you put them in, since they are frozen and they will lower the temperature of the water.

Serve them with whatever sauce you like or plain. You can float them in broth as a soup if you use a filling that suits that too.

Other filling suggestions
ricotta and pesto (mix 1/4 cup pesto into ricotta cheese) - Sabine
Italian sausage and parmesan cheese - Samantha
shrimp or crab and cream cheese - Chinese restaurants
spinach and cheese (make sure the spinach is cooked but drained dry)
anything you can think of...as long as it's dry, holds shape, and tastes good to you :)

They can also make dessert raviolis with a fruit, cream cheese, or chocolate filling when fried and topped with powdered sugar.

Cincinnati Chili

So, this isn't your typical chili. This chili was made famous in Cincinnati, as the name suggests, and has a Moroccan flavor to it. It's a unique blend of spices and you might really like it, even if you don't like chili. If you want to lighten it up, you can substitute the ground meat with ground chicken, ground turkey, or just use kidney beans or pinto beans in place of meat. It is traditionally served over pasta, which works really well but you could use rice or any grain that you wanted or eat it as a stew.

Note: traditionally this chili has chocolate in it but I left it out for obvious reasons...plus I think it's weird.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 pounds ground beef (chicken, turkey, or beans okay too)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 bay leaf
1 cup or small 10 oz can beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
shredded Cheddar cheese
cooked spaghetti for each serving

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 6 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Then add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, beef broth, tomato sauce, and red pepper. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1/2-1 hour stirring occasionally.

It is the best if you now refrigerate overnight to develop the flavors but with the smell in the house, I can't wait! Remove the bay leaf. Reheat gently over medium heat. Serve over hot, drained spaghetti. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and raw onion if desired (I don't but I could see it).

No pictures because it was too yummy to stop and take a pic!

Special thanks to Kevin for introducing me to the idea and thanks to allrecipes.com for giving me a start on the recipe for which I adapted.

Yummy Almond Pastry Dessert

I came up with this as an excuse to use up a sheet of puff pastry in my freezer as well as a good reason to eat almonds. :)

1 sheet puff pastry
1/2 c sliced almonds
1/2 c sugar
1 egg beaten (egg wash)
1 tspn vanilla
1 c whipping cream

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Place the puff pastry on a sheet of wax paper cut to fit your baking sheet. Cut the puff pastry into any shape you prefer but keep them to under 3"x3". I did rectangles of approximately 2"x3". Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on almonds, making sure to cover each one and making sure that they are flat (only 1 layer of almonds). Sprinkle tops lightly with sugar. This will make them candy coated when they are done. Put into preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and sugar has melted to the almonds. Meanwhile, beat up whipping cream with whisk until soft peaks form. Add in rest of sugar to the cream and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks.

Let the almond pastry cool completely. This will harden the sugar on the almonds and allow for the cream not to melt.

Place an almond pastry on a plate and top with a heaping spoonful of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Me making the pastries

Pastries!

Olivier's dessert

My dessert

Check this out!

I found this website that lists just about every food blog. It's worth a browse and you never know, you may find a new favorite! One of mine is on there: La Tartine Gourmande.

http://www.foodblogblog.com/

Also, I found this site that has recipes from around the world on it and so far the ones I checked with people, check out as authentic.

http://www.recipehound.com/

Special Apple Crisp

I think all of us recognize an apple crisp, sliced apples covered with a crumbly topping and typically served with ice cream or whipped cream. I wanted to make a similar dish that is still a crisp but much prettier for presentation at a party. So, I called on my good friend, puff pastry. :)

1/2 packet, 1 sheet of Puff Pastry (thawed)
5-6 apples peeled and sliced (I used Fugi apples)
2-3 Tablespoons sugar + more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 375F.

Put the sliced apples into a 9x11 baking dish or a 9x13 or 9x9 would work too, depending on the size of your apples. Toss the apples with hands in the sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch then added the water and stirred around with a spoon (I didn't want to get cornstarch on my hands). I placed my puff pastry on the counter and sliced it into 8-12 even slices, depending on the size pan you chose (mine needed 9). If you're using a 9x9, just make sure you have an even number since it's a square. ;) Weave the slices to cover the apples. So, lay out the horizontals first across your pan and then alternate lifting every other slice and lay down a vertical slice. Repeat until pretty lattice is made. Trim any edges that are sticking out because they will only stick out further once they puff. Sprinkle with some white sugar to make it sparkly when it's cooked and cinnamon if you like. Place in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, again, depending on what pan you chose and how your oven keeps heat. Pull it out and check that the apples are softened, they sit in a bubbly gooey sauce, and the pastry is a light golden brown. Let cool to near room temperature, or as long as you can wait to dig in. Serve plain or with your favorite dairy accompaniment. :p


Here's the crisp before it bakes up.

After baking, see the gooey sauce. :)

Top view of lattice.


Warning! The smells during cooking are intoxicating so be ready to invite the neighbors if the windows are open!

Silly Doggies

These pictures were taken over the period of a week or two and just showcase the silly girls that I have. :)


Abbey tried to get on the recliner and I think it'll be the last time, it opened when she laid down and scared her.

Mya was laying on the couch and Abbey decided that she wanted on too. Somehow, this was where Abbey chose to sit. :p

In this one, Abbey was sleeping and Mya decided that she needed to snuggle, as Mya generally does, and laid right next to Abbey on the couch and then smushed her. Abbey was not amused but stayed there for hours.

Paprika Steak and Sweet potato/spinach mash

I made this tonight for dinner. It was inspired by two people, 1 Sabine who made me paprika steak once a LONG time ago and Shelley who made a similar sweet potato dish inspired by Wegmans. :) If you don't like sweet potato dishes because they're always loaded with sugar, give this one a try! Also, if you don't eat steak, you could do this same dish with thin sliced chicken breasts (or tenders) or firm tofu for those vegetarians.

1 eye of round steak think cut (if you can afford better, please do!)
1 large sweet potato (or two small)
2 cups of spinach
1/2 yellow onion
2-3 Tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon basil (if fresh tablespoon)
olive oil
butter
salt
pepper

Heat up water to boil the sweet potatoes while peeling then slicing them into 1" chunks. Salt the water and put those babies in to boil until more than fork tender ~ 20 minutes (the sweet potatoes will start to rise during cooking). Chop up an onion and toss into a medium heat frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in it. Let onions sweat and start to become translucent. Stir in a teaspoon of salt, pinch of pepper, garlic, and basil. Add the spinach, it may seem like a lot now but just wait a few minutes. :) When the spinach is all wilted, remove from heat and place in a large bowl for mashing later on.

Put the paprika on a plate, in a baggy, or small bowl (whatever your preferred coating method is) and coat the steak with paprika until it's covered all over. Put the same frying pan form the onions (empty now) back on the heat with a tablespoon of butter. Add the steak and cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Strain sweet potatoes and add to mashing bowl. If you timed the potatoes right, you shouldn't need a big strong man to smash them. ;) I like mine chunky so I don't smash too much, just until most of them are mashed and then stir with a spoon. Taste them...do they need salt? If so, add it, if not then you're done!

Enjoy!



PS: I put this one down as a meal because I feel they go well together...should I do that or always list separately??

Pizza

It's my first post of this blog that contains food! Yay!

I made pizza dough with Sabine when she was here visiting and didn't bake it up until tonight. It was yummy! I followed the basic idea from the recipe here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pizza and edited the recipe by substituting 1.5 cups wheat flour for the all purpose flour and then edited the water as needed. We also left out the sugar/honey and were careful not to add the salt until the flour had been worked in so that the yeast was at it's full potential. We set the dough in a greased baggy in the fridge for two days then I took it out this morning and put it in a greased bowl with a towel over top to sit out all day. Granted, it's cool here so I could let it sit out all day, you people in SC...don't let it sit out that long. When I got home, I pulled the dough out and pressed it into a pizza pan in a somewhat round shape.

I topped the dough with a sauce made from small diced tomatoes simmered with oregano, basil, and garlic (pretty similar to the website recipe) and scooped it out with a slotted spoon to top the pizza with. I'd say I used half a cup or so...you don't want it too moist or your dough won't cook properly. I then topped this one with prosciutto and slices of mozzarella rather than shredded for that homemade look. I preheated my oven and the put in my pizza for 9 minutes (my oven isn't the hottest thing ever...) and then checked the crust...it needed another 2 minutes and then was perfect! Here's the results!


I served my pizza with a side of spinach salad. I sliced an avocado and made a little vinaigrette dressing. Basically, 1/4 lemon juice, few tablespoons olive oil, dime size of Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste. The mustard helps to emulsify the dressing so that you don't have to be as careful with the measurements plus it adds nice flavor and a hint of spiciness.

Bon appetit!

New Blog!

Here's the new cooking blog. It took a lot of time to come up with the name but that's okay, it took me that long to find appropriate grocery stores, my pots and pans, and learn my way around my new kitchen in Urbana anyways. :)

I plan to post recipes, small tidbits about my life, and hopefully food related advice, pictures, and other foodie stuff. I'll start with posting things that I've been making recently (or for a long time) and go from there. I'll also welcome any and all suggestions on foods to try (specific recipes or just general notions) as well as comments or critique on recipes that I post.

Warning: I don't measure nor do I write things down so my first few blogs may measure in handfuls, pinches, or simply say "to taste" although I'll try my best to estimate.