A brownie by any other name… Love brownies. Love their shiny, flaky top that shatters into micro-thin shards that shower onto your fingers as you eat. Love their dark, gooey center. Their “chocolate nirvana” flavor. Sometimes can’t deal with the bake, wait to cool, cutting into squares messiness and fuss of brownies. Want something I can enjoy within 5 minutes of its exit from the oven. Every time I make these cookies (which, truth be told, is quite often), I think of a former colleague, Ana, who left King Arthur last year in order to be a full-time mom to her 2-year-old twins. The test kitchen bakers loved Ana. Ana still visits occasionally, 2-year-olds in tow. And when she does, she’ll invariably nose out any chocolate, and treat us to her classic reaction: “Perfect! These cookies are basically brownies: flat, round, 2 ½” brownies. First task: Combine the chocolate and butter. Melt in the microwave till softened… …then stir till smooth. Stir the chocolate into eggs and sugar, which you’ve beaten together. Buy vs.
Vanilla Latte Cookies November 3, 2011 | Print | E-mail | Filed under 12weeksofchristmascookies, cookie Now that Halloween is over (and we’re halfway through the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies!), are you already planning for Thanksgiving? I know some who are already knee-deep in planning, and others who haven’t even thought about it yet. 1 cup unsalted butter, softened2/3 cup powdered sugar1 Tbsp instant espresso1 tsp vanilla1 vanilla bean, split and scraped1/4 tsp ground cinnamon2 cups all-purpose flour Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add in the flour, beating until combined. Roll the dough into 1″ balls. Bake about 12 minutes or until the edges are set. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight storage container, or freeze for up to 3 months. Leave a Reply
Spinach Crepe Spirals with Cream Cheese, Pine Nuts, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Garlic and Lemon Zest Recently I was invited to an early Thanksgiving event and I needed to bring a dish for the buffet. I wanted to make something that could be put together the night before, because I am barely coherent in the morning and I needed to leave my house at 10AM. These Spinach Crepe Spirals are perfect, because I could make the crepes the day before, spread with filling, roll them up, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. The next morning just slice and place on a serving tray, and you’re good to go. I have been making these appetizers since the 1980s and they were served on the side of an asparagus salad at one of my UCLA Culinary School banquets in 1995. I haven’t made these lately, so as I was making the crepes I decided to taste test one just spread with some butter and rolled up. Print Recipe Makes 4 dozen appetizers 1. 2. 3. 4. Note: The recipe can be made ahead to this point. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Artisan Bread (in Five Minutes) So this recipe has been floating around for a long time, gracing the blogs and the tables of many a foodie. Personally, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, what is the point of making bread if you aren’t going to knead it, fuss over it, watch it rise, punch it around… Making homemade bread is about technique, timing, and experience. To make the dough, you mix everything in a bowl. The longer the bread stays in your fridge (up to about two weeks), the more flavourful it becomes and the larger the air holes will be. The “five minutes a day” thing really only refers to the active time once the dough is prepared (i.e. cutting off a chunk, flouring it, and slashing it). Artisan Bread Adapted from ”Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François 1. 2. 3. 4.
Grilled Egg and Cheese Recipe Are you guys as obsessed with grilled cheese sandwiches as I am? I am a true grilled cheese lover. And adding a egg just blows all other grilled cheeses out of the water. Technically this recipe isn’t a grilled cheese at all, just a single slice of bread with cheese fused to it’s outsides, but it’s cheese and it’s grilled so I’m not going to argue technicalities. What do you call egg-in-toast? I actually love eating the little cut out of toast, so I don’t think of them as leftovers at all. How is everyone’s 2014 going so far? Grilled Egg and Cheese Recipeserves 11 tablespoon butter1/4 cup shredded cheddar (I like a fine shred as opposed to a coarse one, when it grills up it’s lacier and crispier)1 slice thick toast, a hole cut out1 eggIn a non-stick pan, over medium-low heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter, swirling the pan to evenly coat. PS – Some other obsession worthy grilled cheeses: Pierogi Grilled Cheese, Classic Grilled and Crab Rangoon Grilled Cheese.
Roast Chicken There’s nothing simpler than roast chicken. And there are few things more delicious. You can use this basic recipe and change it up however you like: different herbs, different citrus fruits, different seasonings. You can even have a different attitude and see how that affects the flavor of the meat! Just kidding. The Cast of Characters: A whole chicken, butter, lemons, rosemary, and salt and pepper. And the will to make roast chicken. Throw the buttah into a bowl. Zest up at least two of the lemons… And throw the zest into the bowl with the butter. My question of the day: Where would the world be without lemon zest? I’m so glad we had this talk. Strip off a bunch of rosemary leaves… And chop them really finely. Finer than this. Don’t be like me. Throw the rosemary into the bowl, too. Add some salt and pepper (I didn’t do this. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy aluminum foil and plop the chicken right in the middle. In other news: Whole chickens crack me up. And I don’t want to know why.
Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets Chunks of all white meat chicken breasts coated in breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese then baked until golden. An easy chicken recipe your whole family will love. What can be more kid friendly than chicken nuggets, even the pickiest kids like them. Serve them with ketchup, bbq sauce or whatever you like to dip your nuggets into. Kids love finger foods or anything you can eat with toothpicks so when my daughter was young I would make her a dish of bite sized goodies she liked such as tomatoes, olives, pasta, etc. and served them with toothpicks and she always cleaned her plate! Once I'm in breading mode I usually make breaded zucchini sticks as well and bake them all at the same time along with some pasta and a salad for a complete meal. Double these for more or make half for less servings. Ingredients: Preheat oven to 425°. Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.
Friday Night Bites | Bourbon Cocktail Meatballs Hubby LOVES a great cocktail meatball! If he could enjoy these little nuggets of joy everyday, I am sure he would. Recently on Pinterest, one of my social media addictions (smile), I came across this recipe and immediately pinned to make and share on my weekly series – Friday Night Bites. I essentially doubled the sauce recipe, altered a few measurements and added a bit of garlic powder. We had plans last weekend to get together with one of our neighbors for wine and appetizers. We enjoyed a mini progressive wine and appetizer get together. The Bourbon Cocktail Meatballs were the hands down favorite. Bourbon Cocktail Meatballs 1 Pound Frozen Meatballs (I used the party meatballs from Trader Joe’s) 1 Cup Ketchup 1 Cup Brown Sugar ½ Cup Bourbon Whiskey 2 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice 2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder In a medium sauce pan, combine all of the ingredients except the meatballs. Place the frozen meatballs into the sauce and combine.
How to Make an Amazing Apple Pie After all that Sprinkles stuff, I'm finally back to the last of the Gold Rush BBQ tutorials! And the timing couldn't be better for this one, with the 4th of July just around the corner. Pin It I love pie. Are you intimidated by the pie crust? Yes, vodka. How to make an Easy, (Practically) No-Fail Pie Crust 4 cups flour 1 1/3 cup butter or shortening 2 t salt 2 T sugar Enough water and Vodka, Ice cold First, let me note that this is a double pie crust recipe (top and bottom). 1) Stir together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pin It Yes, I buy the incredibly cheap giant container of vodka in a plastic bottle. 2) Time to mix the wet and the dry. To mix, add the ice water/vodka mixture to the dry ingredients, only a couple tablespoons at a time. Ta da! Pin It Divide the pie dough in half and roll out on a floured surface. I'll let you use store bough pie crust if you must, but the filling is where I'm really a stickler. Pin It You'll want about three pounds of apples for one pie. Pin It
Skinny Mashed Potatoes Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite things to eat on Thanksgiving, but this year since I am pregnant and on a really strict low carb diet (for my diabetes) real mashed potatoes are out (bummer). I recently started researching alternatives to some of my favorite dishes because there is NO way my plate will be without a big ole pile of mash potatoes. I came across this recipe that uses cauliflower instead of potatoes. Hmmm not a big cauliflower fan so I wasn't sure. ***BEST MOCK mashed potatoes I have ever had! What you will need: 1 head of cauliflower 1 tablespoon of cream cheese1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic1/2 teaspoon of salt5 or so dashes of pepperChives for garnish Directions:Wash and cut cauliflower into small pieces. These were seriously unbelievable!
Pita Bread I love foods that puff when you cook them. Give me a great souffle, a perfectly risen cake, or one of these extremely yummy little pitas, and I am a happy girl. I haven’t done a bread recipe on here in a while, and pitas have been on my to-cook list for months. So when I found myself with some leftover yeast after making a batch of soft pretzels, I figured it was as good a time as any to give these a try. What totally cracked me up about this recipe is that it demonstrated how completely uneven my oven’s temperature is. The pitas in the center were puffed and lovely, as you can see. The pitas on the left side of the oven were flat, white, and barely cooked through. That oven is going to be my failsafe excuse for any and all baking disasters from now on. Ok, I’m done. Pita Bread INGREDIENTS 2 1/4 cups flour, plus more for kneading 1 cup warm water 2 tsp active dry yeast Pinch of sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp canola oil Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Makes six large pitas.