Happy New Year!Resolution: To blog more in the new year.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Soup and Bread
What a great dinner on a chilly Snow Day*...
Fresh loaf of French Bread. I tried to make a more traditional loaf shape this time around, but through rising and cooking, the loaf flattened out, more of a Ciabatta loaf instead of a French loaf. But still really good!
And hot Tomato Soup.
*Snow Day will be defined as a sunny, clear Monday that you have off of work because the entire region is still digging out of 20+ inches of snow we received from Friday night to Sunday early morning.
Fresh loaf of French Bread. I tried to make a more traditional loaf shape this time around, but through rising and cooking, the loaf flattened out, more of a Ciabatta loaf instead of a French loaf. But still really good!
And hot Tomato Soup. *Snow Day will be defined as a sunny, clear Monday that you have off of work because the entire region is still digging out of 20+ inches of snow we received from Friday night to Sunday early morning.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Baby It's Cold Outside
Make some soup! We treated ourselves to a big pot of Corn Chowder the other night. Very tasty, filling and totally hit the spot on a chilly day. This is my vegetarian version of the recipe. Use vegetable broth! That's it. Otherwise, I don't generally add any meat or seafood, just broth and veggies.
Butter, Onions, Potatoes, Spices. The recipe calls for 2 tsp of Cayenne pepper. That can be too much. I used 1 tsp this time and it was just right, but that still might be to hot for some folks.
Add the corn and broth.
When the soup comes to a simmer, I add the peppers. I don't like to overcook them, so I add them about half way through the cooking. Once the potatoes are tender, you're good to add the milk and cream, warm it up and serve it up.
We each had a large bowl of soup and there were about three larger servings for leftovers.
Butter, Onions, Potatoes, Spices. The recipe calls for 2 tsp of Cayenne pepper. That can be too much. I used 1 tsp this time and it was just right, but that still might be to hot for some folks.
Add the corn and broth. 
When the soup comes to a simmer, I add the peppers. I don't like to overcook them, so I add them about half way through the cooking. Once the potatoes are tender, you're good to add the milk and cream, warm it up and serve it up.
We each had a large bowl of soup and there were about three larger servings for leftovers.Thursday, December 17, 2009
Groove Is In The Caramel Deee-Lite!
Every year the Girl Scouts come around and start selling their goods. The old-fashioned classics of Trefoils/Shortbreads and the ubiquitous Thin Mints. But one of my top favorites has always been the Samoas, aka Caramel deLites! Well, now I don't have to wait for one time of year to have them thanks to this recipe shared by the Well Fed Network. They are pretty easy and really to taste like the original.
The first step is to make a shortbread crust. Once baked and cooled, you need to melt some caramels with milk and a pinch of salt...
...and then mix with some toasted coconut.
Spread the coconut/caramel mixture over the top of the shortbread and allow to set for a few hours. Then using a sharp knife, cut into nice bite size pieces. Don't make them too big as they are rich and sweet.
Then it's time to dip the bars in chocolate and/or drizzle chocolate on top. I wish I would have left the bars like this, but I did attempt the chocolate drizzle. My chocolate was starting to set up and get lumpy and kept blobbing out of the pastry bag. The final cookies are little sloppy looking, but they taste great!
Homemade Samoas Bars
Recipe from Well Fed Network
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.
Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 30 bar cookies.
The first step is to make a shortbread crust. Once baked and cooled, you need to melt some caramels with milk and a pinch of salt...
...and then mix with some toasted coconut.
Spread the coconut/caramel mixture over the top of the shortbread and allow to set for a few hours. Then using a sharp knife, cut into nice bite size pieces. Don't make them too big as they are rich and sweet.
Then it's time to dip the bars in chocolate and/or drizzle chocolate on top. I wish I would have left the bars like this, but I did attempt the chocolate drizzle. My chocolate was starting to set up and get lumpy and kept blobbing out of the pastry bag. The final cookies are little sloppy looking, but they taste great!Homemade Samoas Bars
Recipe from Well Fed Network
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.
Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping). Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 30 bar cookies.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Look out Campbells
The ubiquitous can of Cream of Mushroom Soup. A staple of many casseroles and quick dinners of my childhood. There was the Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Onion, Cream of Celery. They were virtually interchangeable when presented in a recipe. Favorite childhood dishes we find ourselves making today include the always popular Tater Tot Casserole. There's the Pork Chops in a Paprika Cream Sauce (I don't know if the dish has a formal name) and Beef Stroganoff. To say nothing of the Green Bean Casserole (which I'm a heathen and don't like.)
All of these recipes are pretty simple. Cook some meat or veg, dump the Cream of ____ Soup in the pan/pot, stir. Maybe you'll add some cheese or something else. Maybe not. Then you'll either simmer or bake for a while. Done.
Last night we decided to use some ground beef to make the Beef Stroganoff. The recipe from the 70's/80's that we use goes something like this: Brown the beef. Add some garlic powder and granulated onion. Stir in a little bit of flour and add a can of "cream of" soup, plus 1/4 cup of milk. Simmer. Stir in sour cream and serve over egg noodles. Easy.
We didn't have a can of "Cream of" soup. But that didn't stop us from playing around.
Here's our new version of the recipe:
*Brown the beef and 1/2 a chopped onion. Season with salt/pepper and some garlic powder if you like.
*When the beef is cooked and the onion is soft, drain the excess beef fat from the pan, add 2 TB of butter. When melted, stir in 2 TB of flour. Cook for one minute.
*Add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water or chicken/veggie broth. Stir and bring to a simmer.
*A minute before you are ready to serve, stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning. Warm through and serve over egg noodles.
Done. That is substituting a roux for a can of "cream of" soup. We could barely tell the difference! I really look forward to trying this with tater tot casserole in the future. If you want Cream of Mushroom soup, add some chopped mushrooms to the pan instead of onions. Celery...ditto!
Super easy and we didn't need a can of "Cream of" soup. I didn't happen to have milk either, but I did have dried milk. You could use heavy cream and add a little extra water or you could use Half & Half. The point is, this is a cream sauce, so you want some dairy in there. If you want, you can skip the milk and just use broth for a lighter version and maybe just enrich the sauce with a swirl of cream if you like. You can also use no-fat/low-fat sour cream.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Maybe a new favorite cookie???
I've grown tired of the common chocolate chip cookie. Perhaps because I've had too many that just are worth their weight in chips. Dry, brittle, crumby, etc...why bother. So when I have been choosing my cookies for consumption, the chocolate chip is usually towards the bottom of my list.
So, I was pleased to see the following recipe on Serious Eats the other day. Soft Molasses Cookies. Highly spiced. Chewy gooey goodness. This might be a new favorite cookie for me.
Butter and sugar creamed together, then add the molasses. Molasses is one of those ingredients that with the first sniff, I fly back to my childhood.
After the sugar, molasses and butter, you add spices, eggs and flour. Let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour.
Scoop the dough into balls and coat in granulated sugar.
Give them some space on the pan and place in a 350 degree oven.
Ten minutes later you are left with a soft, chewy, fragrant, spicy cookie. Mmmm!
Soft Molasses Cookies
from Serious Eats.
- makes 44 cookies -
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.
1 cup (2 sticks , 8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar, plus more for coating the dough
1/2 cup (6 ounces) molasses
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Procedure
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses while mixing at a slow speed, then the baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Stir in the flour. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
3. Shape or scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Roll them in granulated sugar and put them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
4. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The centers will look soft and puffy, which is okay. As long as the bottoms are set enough to lift partway off the cookie sheet without bending or breaking, they're ready to come out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
So, I was pleased to see the following recipe on Serious Eats the other day. Soft Molasses Cookies. Highly spiced. Chewy gooey goodness. This might be a new favorite cookie for me.
Butter and sugar creamed together, then add the molasses. Molasses is one of those ingredients that with the first sniff, I fly back to my childhood. 
After the sugar, molasses and butter, you add spices, eggs and flour. Let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour.
Scoop the dough into balls and coat in granulated sugar.
Give them some space on the pan and place in a 350 degree oven.
Ten minutes later you are left with a soft, chewy, fragrant, spicy cookie. Mmmm!Soft Molasses Cookies
from Serious Eats.
- makes 44 cookies -
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.
1 cup (2 sticks , 8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar, plus more for coating the dough
1/2 cup (6 ounces) molasses
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Procedure
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses while mixing at a slow speed, then the baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Stir in the flour. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
3. Shape or scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Roll them in granulated sugar and put them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
4. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The centers will look soft and puffy, which is okay. As long as the bottoms are set enough to lift partway off the cookie sheet without bending or breaking, they're ready to come out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
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