Recipes by Amanda's Cookin

Katie Kinser's French Bread

2009-12-03T09:53:00.000-06:00

I made this a while ago. I found the recipe at Rachael's fabulous blog, La Fuji Mama. This is a simple bread and it browns beautifully. Rachael also makes a wonderful 1 hour bread that I will hopefully share next week!

Note when I made this bread, I had some pretty dull knives. Therefore my cuts look terrible. I've since bought a few and my cuts come out much nicer :)

Thanks Rachael, this is a great recipe. :)

Katie Kinser’s French Bread
Makes 2 large loaves

[printable recipe]

1 1/2 Tbsp. or 2 packets (1/4 oz./7 g each) dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 cups hot water
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
5 – 6 cups all-purpose flour

1. Dissolve yeast, warm water, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine hot water, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, salt, and oil. Add 3 cups of flour to the mixture in the large bowl/mixer and mix well. Stir in yeast mixture.

3. Add 2 – 3 cups more flour and mix until well blended. (At this point your dough will still be quite sticky). Leave in bowl and let rise for 1 hour, mixing a few strokes a couple of times during the hour.

4. Divide dough into 2 (or 3 if you want smaller loaves) pieces. Roll out each piece on a floured surface into the length desired then roll up length wise like a jelly roll.

5. Put on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down, and tuck the ends under. Slash the top diagonally across the top every couple of inches with a sharp knife. Brush with egg white. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let loaves rise 30 more minutes.

6. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-11-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

I Nutella. So do my youngest 2 boys. I love hazelnuts anyway, so pairing it with cocoa and making it into a wonderful spreadable treat is literally icing on the toast. ;)

I also love peanut butter. And peanut butter cookies are a big time favorite around this house. So why not combine the two? I am certainly not the first to think of doing this, I found that out after doing a quick internet search which revealed several posts about these beauties.

Below is my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe that I have been baking for years. It's soft and chewy and everyone here adores them. I adapted it by simply substituting some of the peanut butter with Nutella. These are a perfect addition to your holiday gift baskets!

These were really delicious and you could definitely detect the Nutella flavor. I will be trying these again, using even more Nutella and less peanut butter, to try and get a deeper flavor. However, I did notice that because Nutella has a thinner consistency than peanut butter, it did make the batter a little wetter than when I just make peanut butter cookies. Therefore, I might add a bit more flour to counteract that with the higher Nutella content. I'll let you know! If you beat me to it, let ME know. :)

Soft Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies

[printable version]

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.

Combine shortening, Nutella, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (using a cookie scoop works great) 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

2009-11-30T08:26:00.000-06:00

Several weeks ago, my daughter and I had lunch at Olive Garden. We had the standard soup, salad and bread sticks that I remember from my Corporate America days. Olive Garden was just down the street from work and we went there at least once a week. I couldn't help but notice as I watched waiters and waitresses pass by with plates of food, that there dishes actually look (and smell) pretty good! Honestly, I've never ventured away from my soup, salad and bread sticks.

So I hit their website. I was actually on a quest for some of the desserts that I saw on the menu. Instead, I ended up printing out quite a few different pasta dishes. One of them was the Tuscan Garlic Chicken. I found this to be absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, my picky family wasn't really on board. :-p The hubby won't even touch white sauce, and this is definitely in that category. However, if you like white sauce, you'll love this dish.

This does not take a long time to prepare either. So if you are looking for something different to try that doesn't take hours, give it a go!

Tuscan Garlic Chicken
recipe from Olive Garden

[printer friendly version]

4 each (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 tablespoon
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package directions
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lb whole leaf spinach, stemmed
2 cups heavy cream
1 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

MIX 1½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.

HEAT 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp (2-3 min). Add more oil for each batch as necessary.

PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

HEAT 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for approximately 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp flour, wine, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in parmesan cheese.

COAT cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.

Cranberry Orange Spiral Cookies

2009-11-24T16:00:00.000-06:00

So pretty aren't they? :) These lovely cookies are easy to make and taste great. Just the right amount of sweetness! I did substitute almonds for the pecans as that's what I had on hand, and I added a little almond extract to the filling. I was a bit short on filling, so some of the dough is plain, but the cookies are still wonderful, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee!

I found this recipe in this massive book called 400 Sensational Cookies by Linda Amendt. These Cranberry Orange Spirals are actually featured on the cover, but I didn't even notice that until after I made them! I had gone through the entire book one night and bookmarked a BUNCH of recipes, and chose to make this one first as they seemed perfect for Thanksgiving. Since this one went so well, I will definitely be making more from this great book!

I'll give you the correct recipe below and just jot my notes and adjustments under the step by step photos. Hope you make them, they are wonderful!

Chop the nuts up small, you don't want them cutting and poking through your dough.

Chop the dried cranberries up small too. Sneak some in

your mouth while no one's looking. I'll never tell. ;)

Place your chilled dough rectangle on your flour dusted parchment paper.

I buy the parchment sheets from King Arthur's flour. It's so much nicer than

arguing with that stupid roll from the grocery store!

Roll your rectangle out to roughly 12x9 inches.

Add your mixed filling to the dough. See the pink arrows?

That's the area of dough I left filling-less because I didn't have

enough. There should be plenty if you use the measurements

in the instructions. :)

Use your parchment paper to help get the rolling part started. The book

says "use the parchment paper to fold the edge of the dough over onto

itself and roll up the dough, shaping it into a log.

There. Isn't that nice?

Now roll it up into the parchment and chill it for 3 hours or more.

Once you slice it, you should see these beauties staring back at you.

Notice how I used the rimless baking sheets? That makes it easier

to slide the sheet of parchment off the hot sheet and onto the cooling

rack when they come out of the oven. You will not be removing the

cookies from the parchment right away.

Cranberry Orange Spirals
from 400 Sensational Cookies

[printable version]

Cookies:
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
2/3 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup orange marmalade

(Amanda's Note: I used the right amount of cranberries but only 1/3 cup of finely chopped almonds and 1/3 cup orange marmalade as that's all I had left. I also added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the filling ingredients. Because I was short, I had to adjust how much of the dough received filling. No matter, even the unfilled cookies were great.)

Cookies:
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (mixer at medium speed). Add egg and beat well. Beat in orange zest and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed or with wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just blended.

Shape the dough into a flat rectangle. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

Using confectioner's sugar or flour, lightly dust a piece of parchment paper and rolling pin. Unwrap chilled dough and place on parchment, roll into a 12x9 inch rectangle of uniform thickness.

Filling:
In a bowl, combine the cranberries, pecans and orange marmalade until well blended. Spread cranberry mixture evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Starting with long edge, tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style to form a log. Tightly wrap in parchment paper and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Baking:
Preheat oven to 375 F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the chilled dough log and using a sharp knife, cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden (mine were 9 minutes). Immediately slide parchment paper onto a cooling rack. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes before removing from the parchment and placing directly on cooling rack.

TWD: Rewind: World Peace Cookies

2009-11-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

For Tuesdays with Dorie we've baked out of order for the month of November. I've made 3 of the 4 picks, but alas, I will not be posting the Chocolate Caramel Chestnut Cake chosen by Katya of Second Dinner. I'm sorry Katya, but with the rush of Thanksgiving, work I have to complete before heading out of town, and the cost of some of the difficult to find ingredients for this one, it will end up being a rewind for me some time in the future. It looks delicious and I will try it. Dear readers, to see the marvelous cake I am referring to, head over here to Katya's blog.

So instead, I went on a cookie baking spree this past weekend. Check in later tonight for Cranberry Orange Spirals and Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies. Today however, I have Dorie's World Peace Cookies.

There's been quite a bit of hype over these cookies, seems they are quite popular around the internet and blogosphere. You can read about the origin of the name on Dorie's site, and there's also a link to the recipe there.

These cookies are deeply dark and chocolately, with just a hit of saltiness. Very tasty and worthy of a glass of milk for dunking. They are simple to make and tasty to eat.

Alas, I think they are good, but am afraid that all the hype about them raised my expectations far too high and I honestly don't see what all the fuss is about. :-/ Don't get me wrong, they are good, I only wish I hadn't read all about them first.

Cherie’s Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-11-23T11:00:00.000-06:00

The other day I was innocently reading blogs when I came across a post on my friend Barb's blog, Barbara Bakes. She's been doing something called 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies where every week for 12 weeks she posts a new cookie recipe. This particular recipe came from Barb's neighbor.

They are dangerously good. I mean that with utmost sincerity.

If you have no self control, don't make these. Or better yet, make them with a candy bar you don't like (is there such a thing??). I made mine with Snickers, Milky Way and Midnight Milky Way. Luckily for me, my kids don't like the dark chocolate Milky Ways, so I was FORCED to eat those myself. :) (Aww poor me)

The recipe was a little sparse on notes or directions, so I am adding my two cents into it below. Pay close attention to the cooling section or your masterpieces will fall apart before your very eyes. Darn, broken cookies, better eat those... oh don't worry though, I've heard that if you break a cookie, the calories fall out (snort).

Cherie’s Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from Barbara Bakes

[printable recipe]

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup creamy (or chunky, if you prefer) peanut butter
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 package Reeses peanut butter chips
1 bag mini size Snickers and/or Milky Ways

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Cream butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add eggs. Stir or whisk together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed butter mixture and mix well. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Roll into balls or use a cookie scoop.

Below are a few suggestions on how to use the candy bars. I used the tiny snack sized bars and cut them in half. I placed the cut side down on top of the rounded cookie and pressed down gently.

Adding the snickers can be done anyway you like. You can place the dough balls on your cookie sheet and press a Snickers mini, whole or cut in half, into the ball and bake. You can chop the Snickers into pieces and add it to the dough, roll into balls, flatten with fork and bake. You can roll into balls, flatten pretty thin and wrap the dough around a whole Snickers mini and bake. If you have mini muffin pans, you can fill it with dough balls and press a mini Snicker into it and bake. Or any other combination you can think of.

However you decide, bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes (mine took 11.5 minutes).

Remove from oven and leave cookies on cookie sheet for 2 minutes to rest. Slide parchment with cookies onto cooling rack and let cool for ten minutes. Remove from parchment to cooling rack to cool completely.

If you try to eat these cookies while still warm they may fall apart. Allow them to cool completely and they'll be fine.

Baked Manicotti With Prosciutto

2009-11-22T10:55:00.000-06:00

This recipe intrigued me because it used no boil lasagna noodles instead of manicotti shells. Stuffing manicotti makes for very messy business, so using the no boil lasagna noodles seemed much easier. This is a wonderful dish, perfect for Sunday dinner or get together with friends or family.

Admittedly, while I was making the sauce to go with this recipe, I was unimpressed. I worried it wouldn't be very flavorful, but I was wrong. It was absolutely scoop-up-what's-left-in-the-dish terrific.

I honestly don't remember where I first saw this recipe, but got the final version from Recipezaar. It originated from America's Test Kitchen.

Because this recipe is a little more involved, I've included step by step photos below, the printable recipe is available below also. Don't worry though, it only LOOKS difficult, but it's actually really easy to put together and makes for an impressive meal!

After quickly cooking the no boil lasagna noodles, place them on clean kitchen

towels, single layer. Place a piece of prosciutto on each one.

Combine ricotta, 1 cup parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs. Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture onto bottom 3/4 of each noodle on top of prosciutto, leaving top 1/4 of noodle uncovered.

Starting from the end with cheese, roll into the noodle into a tube shape.

Earlier in the instructions you make the sauce and place about 1 1/2 cups into your baking dish.

Arrange the rolled manicotti in baking dish seam side down.

Top evenly with remaining sauce, covering each noodle completely.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack until the sauce bubbles. Remove, sprinkle with cheese, adjust oven rack to top, and broil until cheese browns. Let the manicotti set about 15-20 minutes before serving.

Baked Manicotti With Prosciutto

[printable recipe here]

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (in juice)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 cups ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles (1 1/2 packages)
16 slices thinly sliced prosciutto

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sauce: Coarsely chop tomatoes in a blender or food processor to make 1/4 inch chunks. You may have to do this in several batches to make the pieces relatively uniform. (I just bought diced canned tomatoes).

In a large saucepan, heat the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in large saucepan over medium heat until garlic is just barely starting to brown (1-2 minutes). Add tomatoes and salt; cook until sauce thickens slightly (about 15 minutes). Add basil and salt.

Filling: Combine ricotta, 1 cup parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs. Set aside.

Assembly: Cook noodles until just pliable (this only takes about 20-30 seconds!). Place in single layer on clean kitchen towels. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of sauce in the bottom of 9" x 13" baking dish; spread evenly. Place 1 slice of prosciutto on each noodle. Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture onto bottom 3/4 of each noodle on top of prosciutto, leaving top 1/4 of noodle uncovered. Starting from the end with cheese, roll into the noodle into a tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, covering each noodle completely.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack until the sauce bubbles (about 40 minutes).

Remove manicotti from the oven and adjust the oven rack to the highest position. It should be about 6 inches from the heating element. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup parmesan cheese evenly over the manicotti. Do not replace the foil. Broil until cheese starts to brown. Cool 15-20 minutes before serving to allow the manicotti to set.

This recipe can be prepared through step 5, covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Bulldogs - Division Champs, Super Bowl runners up

2009-11-20T11:14:00.000-06:00

As we head into yet another weekend, it feels strange to me that football season is over for my boys. I've been to countless games over the last few months, not one Saturday without one. How odd that tomorrow there won't be a game and we'll have to wait until next August to get all geared up again. It was a heart pumping season, and if you read my post last week, you know that my 12 year old's team won the division championship and marched proudly into the Super Bowl last Saturday.

While they didn't win the title, they played a Helluva game and I couldn't be more proud. The score was 0 to 0 all four quarters. The other team didn't score until the last two minutes of the game.

The final score was 0 to 8 and our team was given a huge trophy for Super Bowl runners up.

Each boy received an individual trophy as well as personalized dog tags commemorating the date and accomplishment.

Above - 3 of my 4 kids - my daughter, Kristen (15), son, Tracy AKA TJ (12), and youngest Dominic (10).

The event leading up to the game were lots of fun. Everyone met in the parking lot of the park where the boys usually practice. Everyone lettered up their cars and we all drove down to the game together, tooting our horns at every stop light.

This little guy was one of the best cheerers (word?) all season. Always yelling and hollering out his brother's name. He made this fun bull horn to cheer through. Isn't he cute??

This is me (on the right, with the double chin, UGH) and Colleen, our fabulous team mom. She rocks.

My hubby's truck

The boys had a fabulous record, losing only one game all season aside from the Super Bowl. My thanks and kudos go out to our three wonderful coaches as well as Colleen, the best team mom a bunch of rowdy boys could ask for. What a fabulous season! Go Bulldogs! See you again next year. :)

Pioneer Woman book signing tonight

2009-11-19T08:25:00.001-06:00

If anyone happens to be going to the Pioneer Woman book signing tonight at Old Orchard Barnes & Noble in Skokie, IL I will be there! I will be wearing a white Bulldogs hoodie. :)

Here's the info on the book signing if you weren't aware:

Hope to see you there!

Thanksgiving Cookies: Turkeys, Leaves & Pumpkins, Oh My!

2009-11-17T19:00:00.001-06:00

So I said I would write a post about these a few days ago. I got to thinking, what the heck am I going to write? I have a bunch of totally cool pictures, but I don't feel confident enough to give a tutorial on these, and the recipes aren't mine either. Hmm. So I thought I would just share some things that worked for me and provide you with the recipes I used and give a little link love to the person who shared it with me ;)

So first off, this is going to be an obsession with me, I can already see it. Between my craft blog and this food blog, this is definitely right smack dab in between. Because they are edible, any royally iced cookies will be posted here. But I'm warning you now, I will probably find every occasion and holiday to make these. So feel free to zoom on past the decorated cookie posts if I start to bore you LOL This blog certainly certainly won't be dedicated to cookies, but they are just too dang fun not to make them when an occasion arises. :)

So on with the post. When in WalMart a few days before Halloween looking for a clown wig, I noticed some cute cookie cutters hanging on the wall. By now I had already fallen in love with decorating cookies after making the football jersey cookies for my boys' football teams. So I just HAD to get the cookie cutters. :) It was a three pack including a turkey, leaf, and a pumpkin. I had another leaf shaped cutter at home, and also a bunch of alphabet letters, and so this post was born.

The sugar cookie recipe as well as the icing recipe I used comes from my Florida friend, Leslie, of The Hungry Housewife (p.s. don't google that, you mind end up with an eyeful if you click to the wrong site bahahaha!). Leslie gives a bunch of great tips for making these cookies, so click over to her site and bookmark that link to refer back to. Great stuff. The recipe is also listed at the end of this post.

Another great link is The Baker's Banter from King Arthur Flour. If you follow that link, you will find a very cool way to turn parchment paper into small piping bags for making fine lines. These work really great and it's perfect for details. Not only because of the small lines and dots you can create, but also because it only holds a small amount of icing, so I don't feel like I'm wasting putting a bunch into piping bags. I used these little bags to make the lines on the pumpkins, the eyes on the turkey, and the dots on the alphabet letters. Fabulous.

Now I'm sure that decorator tips are great and all, but when you only have one and you are trying to decorate with a bunch of different colors AND you don't want to mess with couplings and switching the tip from bag to bag, you might do what I did. I just filled the disposable bags with the colored icings and snipped the end of the tip off the bag. Overall it does a great job. While the piping tip is definitely more precise, this method certainly worked fine for me.

Also, I wanted to mention that Leslie had pointed out that outlining all your cookies first and coming back and filling the centers afterward (we are talking about with the same color, so outline in red, fill in red for example) can leave visible border lines because those borders dry before you get back to them. So instead, she suggested piping the border and filling the center immediately. Again, this is only if you are outlining and filling with the same color. She was so right. When I made the jersey cookies I did this with the colored ones and they were great. When I made the white jerseys, I outlined them all first then came back and tried a flooding method I saw on a different blog using these fun icing bottles. Na da. Ended up with border lines. Not doing that again.

When I filled my centers in, I just basically kept going around the inner border of the outline, working my way inward, until I reached the center. Then I gently tapped the cookie against the side of the cookie sheet, or you an pick it up and shake it side to side a little to make the icing spread out. If there are any bubles, pop with a toothpick and shake again. You can also use a toothpick to spread the icing out, you just have to work quickly so the icing doesn't dry before you fill all the gaps. Do one cookie at a time, that's key.

Something else fun that I experimented with was blending colors on the leaves. These could be so much better, but not bad for being a newbie! The trick is to add the secondary color(s) right away while the base coat is still wet. Then just drag a toothpick through it and swirl around.

Even if you don't want to mess around with Royal Icing, which is really easy, you should still try this cookie recipe. Very yummy, overall winner, and even fun to decorate with canned frosting! You can still use Royal icing to top the cookies, and sprinkle with jimmies, nonpareils, or colored sugar too. Just remember you have to add those right away before the icing sets.

And so I give thanks to my friend Leslie, she answered several questions and provided two great recipes from which I yielded these yummy treats. My family thanks you too. :)

Oh and sorry for all the pictures. I couldn't decide which ones to use, so I just used them all! LOL Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Cut Out Sugar Cookies
from The Hungry Housewife

[printable version - includes both cookies and icing]

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract or a mix of both
3 cups ap flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and the extract and beat to incorporate. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined.

Divide the dough into 2 portions and roll to 3/8" thick in between 2 sheets of parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

Remove the dough and cut your desired shape. Place the formed cookies back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Take the scraps and re roll them to 3/8" in the parchment paper and re chill before cutting out again.

Preheat oven to 350 30 minutes before baking the cookies. Bake your cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet (resist the urge to add parchment. These don't make a mess, but the parchment can cause spreading) for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your cookie. (Mine were done in 9.5 minutes)

Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Cool completely before icing.

Royal Icing Cookie Glaze

6 oz (3/4 cup) warm water
5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 1/4 pounds powdered sugar

*If your meringue powder does not have any vanilla flavor in it, you can add a teaspoon of CLEAR vanilla.

In a mixer bowl, pour the warm water and the meringue powder in and whisk for about 30 seconds until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and whisk for another 30 seconds. Pour all of the sugar in at once and place on the mixer.

Using your paddle attachment, on the lowest speed, mix slowly for 10 full minutes.

Icing will be thick and creamy (like Elmer's Glue). Cover the bowl the a damp cloth to prevent drying and crusting.

If you find the icing too thick, you can thin it by adding in water by the Tablespoon.

TIP: To test, lift your paddle attachment. Watch the ribbon of icing fall back into the bowl of icing. It should disappear before the count of 10. If it doesn't add a little water at a time until it does.

TWD: Cran-Apple Crisp

2009-11-17T04:00:00.000-06:00

First off let me just say this.

WOW.

Sooo good. Ok now let me get the formalities in here:

The Cran-Apple Crisp was chosen by Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef (I love her blog, you will too!) for the week of November 10th. Because we can bake out of order this month, I'm just now posting it this week. You can find the recipe here on her blog or on page 422 of Baking From My Home to Yours. There. :)

Now on to this fabulous dessert. First off, it was a tad sweet, but I think that's because I used Fuji apples, which by nature are more sweet than tart. The recipe itself doesn't specify what type of apples to use, but personally I think if you are going to use a sweeter variety of apple, it's better to cut the sugar back.

I am making this again for Thanksgiving. I'm actually making it for dessert for the night before Thanksgiving when we head to out of town to see family. I plan to bring all the ingredients and make everything there since it's so danged easy to throw this together! Since I'm not sure if they have a food processor, I will probably make the topping ahead and bring it with. Dorie says you can make it up to three days in advance.

Just for the record, I'm not big on cobblers and crisps, but this particular dessert has such great flavor, and the topping sweetened with chewy coconut is divine. I loved this, perfect warm paired with vanilla ice cream!

Very easy. You must try it. You must. Go. Now. And make it. You'll thank me :)

You can see everything I've baked from the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group by clicking here.

Crockpot Beef Stew & Buttermilk Rolls

2009-11-16T08:33:00.001-06:00

Here we are, smack dab in the depth of autumn. Warm breezes have switched gears and cool winds are picking up. The sun hides behind clouds more often and the leaves have all fallen from the trees. The farmer's markets and pumpkin patches have closed yet again and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This is the time of year that we begin to think about stews, soups and lots of warm, fresh bread. Comfort food at its finest!

Recently I was visiting my friend HoneyB's blog, The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch, and found a recipe for Crockpot Venison Stew. While we do live in the heart of hunting country (which was very apparent this weekend as men stood in line at WalMart to get their hunting licenses), we are not hunters. In fact, I've never had venison before. However, we do buy our beef by the side and that means plenty of beef stew meat in the freezer.

I'm always on the lookout for a different way to make beef stew, I've posted a few different ones already:

Beef Stew with Green Peas
Beef Stew with a Mexican Twist
Chipotle Seasoned Beef Stew

So I decided to try HoneyB's recipe, following it pretty closely. I of course changed out the venison for beef and substituted the beer with port wine. I did change the method a little, just combining and tossing things instead of just layering. The results were delicious! There was a bit of a kick to it, though I wasn't able to put my finger on what it was.

Everyone enjoyed it, a definitely winner in this house. :) I also made some buttermilk rolls, which you'll see below the stew recipe.

Take the first 11 ingredients and toss them in a bowl until evenly coated. Then dump them into the slow cooker.

I combined the paste and garlic, then added the broth and wine and whisked until smooth.

Next, whisk together flour, salt and pepper, then dredge the meat in the flour mixture. Brown it on all sides in oil.

Place the dredged meat over the top of the vegetables in the slow cooker.

Add broth mixture and finally the bay leaf.

Cook it on low for 7.5 hours. Discard the bay leaf before serving.

Crockpot Beef Stew
adapted from Grumpy's Honeybunch

[printable recipe here]

2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold or red potato
2 cups cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 cup (1-inch) cubed onion
1 cup (1-inch-thick) slices celery
1 cup (1-inch-thick) slices carrot
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound venison tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup brown ale (such as Newcastle) - I used port wine instead
1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth

Place first 11 ingredients in a bowl, toss to coat. Dump into slow cooker. Set aside bay leaf.

Combine the tomato paste and garlic. Add the broth and wine or beer to the tomato paste mixture and whisk until smooth.

Combine flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish; dredge ~~venison~~ beef in flour mixture. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add ~~venison~~ beef. Cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning frequently. Add ~~venison~~ beef to slow cooker. Pour beer (or wine) and broth mixture over venison. Cover and cook on low 7 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaf.

These buttermilk rolls were easy and tasty. What's beef stew with some sort of fresh bread? :)

Buttermilk Rolls
from Alicia's Recipes

[printable recipe here]

3 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chilled lard, butter or margarine
1 package dry active yeast
1/4 cup warm water, 105-15 degrees
2/3 cup lukewarm buttermilk
1 to 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Sift dry ingredients together into large bowl and cut in lard until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir to dissolve; add buttermilk, pour into a well in flour mixture, and stir until dough comes together. Knead on a lightly floured board until elastic, about 5 minutes. Let rise in a buttered bowl, covered with cloth, in warm draft free area, about 3/4 of an hour, doubled in size. Punch down, turn onto board and knead 1 minute. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls, place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1/2 hour. Meanwhile preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush rolls with melted butter and bake 15 to 20 minutes until browned.

Thanksgiving Cookies

2009-11-13T08:23:00.000-06:00

Sorry I don't have a post ready for these. I will have these to you next week. I'm afraid I have a boatload of crafts to do today, so food blogging will just have to wait. *pout* Below is a preview of the cookies I made last night, will post them sometime next week!

If you haven't already, stop by my craft blog! I'm always making something :) If you like what you see, become a follower or subscribe to see what I'm up to! There's also a link to my Facebook fan page there, and there's one here for Amanda's Cookin' fan page (look on the right side bar).

(If you are reading this in email or a reader, click here to go to Amanda's Cookin' , then look on the right.)

Also, wish us luck! Tomorrow is the Super Bowl game for my son's football team! They won the division championship last weekend and we are rooting for them to win the overall championship tomorrow!

GO BULLDOGS!

Stir Fried Spicy Beef

2009-11-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

I love stir fry. This particular dish is one of our absolute favorites. You can add other vegetables to it if you like, but the simplicity of it is what I like best. The beef takes center stage in this dish. Remember when you stir fry it's a super fast process. To stir fry successfully you must have all of your ingredients measured out ahead of time and at the ready. There is literally no time in between steps to chop, slice, or measure.

This recipe comes from a You Tube video series called Cooking with Kai. There are no written instructions with his series, you just have to take notes, though he does give you measurements. I've written it out for you. :)

I use bottom sirloin for this and all stir fries. Sliced thin against the grain it works perfectly. You can also use flank steak and even top round steak, just make sure you slice it thin. Another tip is to slice the meat when it's partially frozen as it's much easier to slice through and gives you nice straight cuts.

Stir Fried Spicy Beef

1 pound beef, sliced thin (sirloin or flank work well)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 dried chilies, broken in half
6 green onions, sliced diagonally, 2" long
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Marinade:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons rice cooking wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine marinade ingredients and stir into beef. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

Place wok over high heat, add canola oil. When oil is hot, add the beef and stir fry quickly for 1-2 minutes, browning beef on both sides. Remove beef from wok to a warmed platter.

Add 2 teaspoons of oil to wok. Add garlic, stir fry for ten seconds until fragrant. Add the chilies and stir fry 5 seconds, then add green onion, stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add the beef back into the wok. Add in the hoisin and soy sauce (and sugar if you like) and stir fry to coat beef and vegetables in sauce. Serve over hot steamed rice.

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Football Jersey Cookies, Royal Icing & Division Champs

2009-11-10T22:16:00.001-06:00

I've mentioned recently that two of my boys play football. One of them (Dominic, 10 years) is done for the season, so the coaches hosted an end of season party for the team. I decided to make football jersey shaped cookies, and to go a bit further, thought I would finally try my hand at decorating with Royal Icing.

My other football son (T.J., 12 years) is still playing. In fact, as I type this (which won't be when this posts by the way) he is at practice. See T.J.'s team won their playoff game over the weekend, giving them the title of Division Champs! Go Bulldogs! WOOT! The "Super Bowl" game will be played this weekend and we can't wait! Totally psyched!

Since I was making cookies for Dominic's team, I doubled up the batch and made them for T.J.'s team too. It worked out great, I handed them out right after they won the Division Champ title, so they were very pumped and these were a nice treat to go home with.

I decorated Dominic's with a few different colors, while T.J. wanted his to be white to match their actual jerseys. I also made some footballs and helmets for the coaches and flags for the team moms.

I found the cookie dough recipe on Leslie's uber awesome Hungry Housewife blog. Very simple dough, refrigerate for a while and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake 'em up, mine were done in 9 1/2 minutes. They were a bit puffy, but I think that was because I used parchment paper, even though Leslie said not to... I somehow missed that. :-p

All was well though, the cooled off and "relaxed" a bit, taking away that puffiness.

I mixed up Leslie's icing too and followed her instructions, though I didn't have the right tip (#3), it still worked out really well. I tinted the icing with paste food coloring. Then they had to dry for a few hours.

Then it was time to pipe on the numbers etc. This was my first time, so I was pretty happy with the results, even if they weren't perfect.

I can see a LOT of cookies in my future. This is a dangerous mix of cooking (this blog) and crafting (my craft blog), so I am certain these will not be the last decorated cookie to cross these pages. :) I'm already totally excited about making some Thanksgiving cookies!

Get Leslie's cookie and icing recipe here

To end this post, I want to celebrate my two youngest boys. Dominic and T. J., I'm so proud of you boys. You are dedicated sport nuts and great team mates. Good sports and all around rockin' kids. I love you both. :)

TJ on the sidelines while defense is on the field.

TJ After winning the division championship.

What a rockin' number!

TJ talking to his big brother, Tony (Tony is my oldest, he's 17, no pics of my daughter in here, she's 15)

Coach holds up the trophy!

TJ on the field.

Big brother. Tough to get a picture of him.

Love their shirts "If you want to run with the big dogs, you can't play like a puppy". he he

Dominic at the end of season party

Dominic at his last practice of the season

At the end of season party, playing catch with team mates

Dominic was awarded Best Defensive Player

And last but not least, our adorable mascot Spike. Here he's dancing at half time to "Who Let The Dogs Out"

Spike hanging with the cheerleaders!

Thanks for listening :)

GO BULLDOGS!!

TWD: Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

2009-11-09T20:00:00.000-06:00

Tuesdays with Dorie is a little all over the place for November. :) You see, for this month, due to the craziness of the holidays, our gracious blog event host is allowing us to pick from all four of this month's picks and make them on any Tuesday of the month. Last week I made the amazing All In One Holiday Bundt which I will definitely be making again for Thanksgiving. :)

This week I made the Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies which was chosen by Pamela of Cookies with Boys. You can find the recipe on her blog or on pages 76 and 77 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours.

I had been meaning to make these for several days. It's been a bit crazy here this past week. My 10 year old son had the flu, though thankfully that is over with. Our 12 year old son was in the playoffs for football, and my ten year old had his end of season football party, so I was busy making football jersey cookies (posting this week!), and we went to 12 yo's football game which they won and are now the division champs! Woohoo! He goes to the "Super Bowl" next weekend. Phew! Then today it was shampoo the carpet day, so luckily this was a REALLY easy recipe to put together and I was able to sneak them out without any issues.

I did what the book said, which was to bake 12 cookies on a baking sheet, however I used a standard baking sheet and these cookies really spread. Therefore, my first batch ended up square because they had nowhere else to go but into each other. :-/ The flavor however, made me forget all about that, man these are good!

So I pulled out the big flat baking sheets and just to be safe, I only baked 6 at a time...

and the results were perfectly round, crack topped beauties! I did have a couple of them stick to the spatula as I was removing them, so if you make these make sure you clean off your spatula between batches.

Big hit. Very big hit. Wowsers!

These are super good, and they are awesome when still warm. My youngest son can be seen here enjoying one after school. Mmmmm. :)

These are a wonderful cookie for the holidays, do not hesitate to try them!!

Chocolate Brownie Bars

2009-11-08T10:25:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure why, but this recipe is named Chocolate Bar Cookies. I've renamed it Chocolate Brownie Bars because this is a brownie in every sense of the word, and a rich and delicious one at that! Everyone gobbled these up, it's good I got my camera out before the kids came home from school!

You could probably just make one 13x9 pan of these, but the instructions said to use 2 8x8 square pans. I wanted to make sure I did the recipe right, so I followed as closely as I could. I only own one 8x8 pan, so I used a 9" cake pan for the other.

I did not add the nuts, instead I stirred in extra chopped chocolate, probably why they were so rich! You could probably substitute the shortening with unsalted butter, but I made them with the shortening. These are dense and chocolatey, and the best part is they cut CLEAN, no jagged pulled edges like when you try to cut regular brownies when still warm.

This is a definite keeper, so try it today, you'll thank me. :) Really.

I found this recipe on Annie's Recipes. They run a giveaway each month for anyone who makes one of their recipes and uploads a photo. Check that out here.

Chocolate Bar Cookies

1 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and flour 2 8x8 square pans.

Cream shortening in mixer for about 3 minutes. Add sugar and eggs, alternating and beat well.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or in a glass dish over simmering water. Blend melted chocolate into sugar mixture, stir in salt and vanilla.

Whisk together flour and baking powder then stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pan before cutting into squares or rectangle bars.Comments

Notes: You can substitute chocolate chips for the nuts.

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Amanda's Espresso Chocolate Pie

2009-11-04T20:20:00.002-06:00

This is a very fun post for me. :) I have a ton of recipe print outs, bookmarks, cookbooks and magazines. The other day I picked a few different pies and cakes and asked my daughter to pick which one I should make. She chose a recipe from an old Taste of Home magazine called Cappuccino Chocolate Pie. Well, that particular recipe used chocolate chips, corn syrup, a packaged graham cracker crust, Cool Whip and two boxes in vanilla pudding. While I'm sure it would have been tasty, I opted to revamp this recipe and make it my own by using more ingredients from scratch.

I'm branching out more and more now, making recipes my own, and like with my Chocolate Dappled Pumpkin Cake, I changed the original recipe so much that this pie is a whole new recipe of its own now.

My first challenge was to find something that could replace the boxed pudding. I found several different vanilla pudding mix recipes, but none of them were "instant". So I had to change the list of ingredients to compensate for that. The remaining substitutions were fairly easy... semi sweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips, butter in place of corn syrup, whipping cream instead of Cool Whip, and a homemade crust instead of a ready made one.

NOTE: In this recipe I refer to "homemade pudding mix", which I list below. I have also done the math so that you don't have to make an entire batch of pudding mix like I did, you can use the measurements for one serving. I have not tried this pie using the smaller measurements, but I can't imagine there would be any problem with it.

This pie is good (if I do say so myself). It passed the "daughter test" with flying colors. She loved it, a big thumbs up. :) I highly recommend keeping this pie refrigerated, but bringing it out about an hour before serving to make it easier to slice as the chocolate layer gets rather firm in the fridge.

NOTE 2: I noticed that my crust crumbled a little, but that was when I tried to cut the pie when it was still cold. So be sure to wait until the pie has been sitting at room temp for a while before trying to slice.

And my last comment: I used more coffee than the original recipe did, so I felt a more appropriate name would include the word "espresso" rather than "cappuccino". ;)

Amanda's Espresso Chocolate Pie
recipe by me! ;)

CRUST
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (24 squares)
3 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

CHOCOLATE GANACHE LAYER
6 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

WHIPPED CREAM LAYER

2 cups cold whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon clear vanilla (regular will work!)

ESPRESSO LAYER
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 cup homemade vanilla pudding mix (see recipe below)*
2 tablespoons of ground instant coffee (see note)**
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, whipped until thick and pale

chocolate curls for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9" springform pan.

Make the crust. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt. Add the graham cracker mixture to the melted butter, using your fingers to combine until evenly moistened. Pat crumb mixture into bottom of springform pan and halfway up the sides. Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set crust aside to cool while you make the pie filling.

Make the ganache. Place chopped chocolate and butter in a double boiler, or in a glass or metal bowl over simmering water, and stir occasionally as it begins to melt. Once chocolate is almost melted, slowly add the cream and vanilla. Stir over heat until smooth and completely melted. Poor ganache into the crust and spread evenly. Set aside.

Make the whipped cream. Stir the clear vanilla into the whipping cream. Sift the powdered sugar over the whipping cream mixture and, using the whisk attachment, beat on medium high until stiff peaks form. Reserve 1 1/2 cups for the filling and refrigerate the rest until needed.

Make the filling. Beat cream cheese in mixer with paddle attachment until smooth. Gradually add the milk and brewed coffee, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Turn off mixer and use whisk to combine smaller pieces of cream cheese with the milk. Combine the pudding mix and ground instant coffee then whisk into the milk mixture. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream into the milk mixture. Pour filling mixture into a medium saucepan. Turn flame on medium low and slowly add the whipped egg, whisking in as you cook. Mixture will thicken quickly, so whisk continuously until you have a very thick custard. Do not allow mixture to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Whisk the pudding in the pan, then run it through strainer into a bowl. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the pudding so that a skin does not form. Refrigerate the pudding for about 30-40 minutes to cool. When cool, whisk again to make pudding smooth and pour into pie shell on top of ganache. Top with whipped cream.

Refrigerate pie for at least 4 hours (overnight is best) to allow filling to set. To serve, remove pie from the refrigerator about an hour before serving to make it easier to slice.

* to replace the 1 cup of pudding mix in the pie recipe, combine 6 tablespoons of dry milk powder, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Run through a food processor.

** instant coffee comes in crystals. Place the crystals in a sandwich bag, squeeze the air out and seal it, and roll the jar over the bag grinding them up. You can also grind it with a mortar and pestle. One tablespoon of crystals will yield about half of a tablespoon of ground instant coffee.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Mix
makes 8 cups of mix

3 cups instant nonfat dry milk
4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cornstarch

Combine milk, sugar, salt and cornstarch in a food processor and process until uniform. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Store mix in airtight canister or a closely covered jar.

To prepare pudding: Stir the mix in the canister before measuring out 1/2 cup mix into a pan. Add 2 cups milk AND 1 teaspoon of vanilla and cook over low heat, stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Continue stirring for 1 minute, remove from heat and pour into individual serving dishes. Pudding will thicken further as it cools.

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Garlic-Marinated Chicken Cutlets with Grilled Potatoes

2009-11-03T18:30:00.001-06:00

I somehow ended up on Martha's site the other day looking for recipes on the grill. Yes, yes, I know it's fall people, but I love my grill and use it whenever I can, even in the snow! I printed off oodles and oodles of different recipes, but settled on this mouth watering marinated chicken as my first pick. I am so very glad that I did! Not only did I savour every morsel at dinner that night, I had it for lunch the next two days and used the rest to make a chicken salad. This marinade is so simple it's almost embarrassing. With only four ingredients this marinate gives the chicken an amazing flavor that you will absolutely love.

I will admit though, after cooking from Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I've learned a few things. One of those lessons include drying off the meat before cooking it, and if marinated, to wipe off the excess marinade first. Other than that, Martha's instructions are pretty much dead on. Instead of oiling the grates of my grill, which has melted a few brushes in the past, I brush a little olive oil on the dried chicken so it won't stick. I also marinated my chicken in the refrigerator most of the day, and then an hour and a half before cooking it, I placed it on paper towels and brought it to room temperature.

As for the potatoes, I've also learned to dry those, so after patting them dry they went into the foil packet as described below. I was really surprised at how perfect they were!

Try this. You'll thank me. And when the snow flies, just keep a shovel near the door and scoop a path to your grill like I do ;)

Garlic-Marinated Chicken Cutlets with Grilled Potatoes
(I halved this recipe)

3 pounds baby red new potatoes, halved or quartered if large
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grates
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish, if desired
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds chicken cutlets (about 12)
1 tablespoon butter
Grilled asparagus, cut on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups)
2 tablespoons Vinaigrette

Heat grill to medium. Fold two 4-foot-long sheets of aluminum foil in half to make two separate double-layer sheets. Place half the potatoes on each double layer. Form two packets, folding foil over potatoes and crimping edges to seal. Place on grill and cook, turning over once, until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Leave potatoes from one packet wrapped in foil to keep warm. Open second packet to let potatoes cool; reserve for Potato Salad. Raise grill to high; lightly oil grates.
Meanwhile, make marinade: In a large baking dish, whisk together oil, garlic, vinegar, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken; turn several times to coat. Let marinate at room temperature 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Lift chicken from marinade and grill until browned and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Cover half of chicken with foil to keep warm. Reserve other half for Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad.

Remove warm potatoes from foil; transfer to a medium bowl, toss with butter, and season with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, toss asparagus with Vinaigrette. Serve the grilled chicken with potatoes and asparagus. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

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TWD: All in One Holiday Bundt Cake

2009-11-03T05:00:00.002-06:00

This month the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group is a bit more flexible than usual. Normally we all post the same thing as each other each week. However, because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the recipe schedule is a bit more flexible and we were allowed to choose from each of November's recipes this week. I chose the All in One Holiday Bundt Cake, which was chosen in the rotation by Britin of The Nitty Britty. You can find it on pages 186 and 187 of Baking From My Home to Yours or on Britin's blog .

First off, I WILL make this cake again. It's delicious and moist and absolutely perfect for the holidays. I will be traveling for Thanksgiving and think I will bake this the day before we leave and ice it when we get there. It's fabulous and I am so glad it was chosen! It's full of chopped pecans, fresh cranberries and flavored with spices and pumpkin. Absolutely yummy.

Second, this version, while it tasted scrumptious, is an ugly duckling. I had to piece it back together and hide it with maple glaze.

I think I underbaked it. The recipe says to bake it for 60-70 minutes, and I only baked for 60. It stuck to the inside of my bundt pan and I was heart broken. It's definitely "over" moist, which leads me to believe it could have benefited from a longer bake time. Or I could just say that I need a new bundt pan. That would be a great excuse to go get one eh??

Aren't chopped cranberries pretty??? :)

Savory Beef Brisket - It's Brisket Revisited

2009-11-02T08:06:00.000-06:00

Almost two weeks ago I posted my favorite brisket recipe. In that post I stated my fear of trying new brisket recipes. I mean really, if ain't broke, why fix it, right? That day, my food blogging friend and TWD baking bud, Megan of My Baking Adventures, posted a comment that struck my interest. She said "I have a go-to brisket recipe that I've made so many times I have it memorized. I know I should branch out and try something new.... but.... I can't! I stick with the same one because it always works and everyone loves it."

Me too! So it seemed that Megan and I had the same problem. We were chicken. So I wrote to her and asked if she'd be up for a challenge that would take both her and I out of our comfort zone. We decided to each try a different recipe for brisket and report our results on our blogs. So when you're done here, be sure to hop over to Megan's and see what she cooked up and how it worked for her!

I chose one of the recipes I've had in my binder for a long time. I had pulled the page out of a Better Homes & Garden magazine and stored it away for future use. I did alter a couple of minor things, but nothing that would affect the flavor really. I'm giving you my adaption of the recipe below, the original one can be found here. I also had to chop everything in half as I used a 3 pound piece of meat, that's plenty for us.

THE VERDICT: It was pretty good. Here's my thoughts. If I'm going to cook something all day, it needs to knock my socks off. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it wasn't great. The meat was nice and tender, the vegetables were perfect, but the flavor was kind of bland. Maybe I just had my expectations set too high, who knows. Everyone ate, everyone enjoyed it, including me, but it needed something. I'm glad I took this challenge with Megan, it's made me a bit braver to try something different. I do plan on trying the recipe Megan did, it sounds delicious!

I will probably take this particular recipe and make it my own, but I will have to try some other recipes first. ;) This makes a nice starter recipe that you can make your own with herbs and other flavors you enjoy. Perhaps not refrigerating this overnight had something to do with the bland taste, but I'm not into 2 day recipes.

The first step is to brown some onion and garlic in oil in your baking pan.

Do this, stirring occasionally for ten minutes. Mine got nice and brown.

Put the brisket in the pan, over the onion mixture, and poor the broth mixture over the top. Now it bakes for 2 hours, covered.

Remove it from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots, then bake uncovered for another hour.

Remove it from the oven and cover it with foil, let it rest for 30 minutes. Then you separate the meat and vegies from the juices and refrigerate for a bit. After that, reduce the pan juices by boiling gently on the stove top, return everything to the pan, add thyme sprigs and cover with reduced juices. Bake again. Then make a roux and a gravy from the juices.

Savory Beef Brisket
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

1 3 lb. beef brisket
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. ground ginger
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cups red wine, such a shiraz
7-oz. of beef broth (1/2 can or almost one cup)
1 lb. carrots, peeled
6 medium red potatoes
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Trim excess fat from brisket; set brisket aside. In a roasting pan with cover over medium heat on the stovetop, cook chopped onions and garlic in hot oil until onions are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ginger; cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Season brisket with salt and pepper; place brisket on onion mixture. Add wine and broth. Cover with foil or pan cover; roast for 2 hours.

Remove cover; add carrots and red potatoes. Roast, uncovered, 45 to 60 minutes more or until carrots are just tender.

Remove brisket from oven. Cover; let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer meat and vegetables to storage container. Cover and refrigerate meat and vegetables for 30-45 minutes. Place pan juices in a small saucepan. Place in refrigerator.

Before serving, preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Remove fat from pan juices; discard fat. Place saucepan of pan juices over medium heat and boil gently, uncovered, about 20 minutes until reduced by about 1/4 cup. While brisket is cold, slice off any excess fat. Slice meat against the grain; slice carrots diagonally in 2-inch pieces and cut potatoes in half. Return brisket and vegetables to roasting pan. Add herbs and reduced pan juices. Cover and reheat in oven for 45 minutes. Transfer brisket, potatoes, and carrots to platter. Discard herb sprigs.

For gravy, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add flour and stir until smooth; stir in pan juices. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Serve with brisket. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

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We're on Facebook - become a fan!

2009-10-30T20:57:00.000-05:00

I'm trying my hardest to stay in this century, so I've gone ahead and taken the plunge and created a fan page on Facebook for this blog. Would you be my pal and become a fan? Pretty please?? ;0)

Click here for the Amanda's Cookin' Fan Page on Facebook

Apple Cider Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

2009-10-29T11:38:00.000-05:00

I've made this Apple Cider Pound Cake twice already. That's a total of 4 pound cakes. Originally when I made this I cooked the caramel too long, even though I followed the instructions, so my adapted instructions below reflect that. Funny thing is, the caramel on the original batch looked ok, but after spreading it on, it hardened and I ended up peeling it off in one big sheet. I then made the caramel again and was successful, though the pictures were less than satisfying, so I made it again.

This time we ate one (with much satisfaction I might add) and gave the other one to my neighbor. She said it disappeared the first day and that one of her teen boys had actually stashed 3 pieces so he could have them the next day! Ha ha ha, I'd say that was a success. He has already requested that I make it again. :)

The apple cider flavor is clear in this fabulous pound cake and the caramel topping is... well... icing on the cake! You could very easily skip the topping and eat this plain, or you could whip up some cinnamon butter to slather on. No matter how you slice it, it's a party in your mouth. :) Try this pound cake. You'll love me for it. :)

Things I adapted include the cooking level and time for the glaze, using butter instead of margarine, and baking in two loaf pans instead of a tube pan, which of course altered the baking time.

Apple Cider Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze
slightly adapted from CDKitchen

CAKE
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
3 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CARAMEL GLAZE
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two loaf pans.

For pound cake, soften butter and shortening. Gradually add sugar, beating for 1 minute. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 1/2 minutes after each addition.

Sift together flour, salt, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, cloves and cinnamon. Blend together cider and vanilla. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with cider mixture. Stir until well-blended. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 50-60, or until done. Cool cakes in pans for ten minutes, then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

For glaze, stir together sugar, buttermilk, baking soda, corn syrup, butter, vanilla and cinnamon in medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-low heat. Boil for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until candy thermometer registers 185 degrees.

Place a piece of waxed paper underneath the cooling rack that your cakes are on. Pour glaze on top of pound cakes and using a frosting spatula, gently spread glaze out to the sides and allow it to drip down.

Cake will keep in a covered container or cake plate for 2-3 days.

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Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting & Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping

2009-10-27T19:52:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to make you drool. It's only fair, because when I found this cake on Smitten Kitchen, my drooling reflex jumped into action totally against my will. As my British dad would say, I was losing my gravy. ;) So what else could I do but head into the kitchen and make this incredibly rich, fantastically delectable, never enough adjectives, the neighbors can't have any, cake. I'm serious. The neighbors never saw this.

To be fair though, I did give them mini cakes. :) See this recipe is for a triple layer cake that calls for 3 round cake pans. I only have two, so instead of baking two, cooling them, then washing a pan and baking another, I baked the rest of the batter in a cupcake/muffin pan. I turned them upside down and frosted them, then topped them with the chocolate glaze. Good golly. Holy cow. Ay carumba! This is an amazing cake, but I must say that this is definitely better suited to a special occasion. It's terribly rich (in a good way) and because of its fabulous presentation, it works well for birthdays or other celebratory events.

You must try this cake. The peanut butter cream cheese frosting reminds me of the best apple dip ever and the chocolate cake is so moist that you have to be careful when you handle the layers.

Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Makes an 8-inch triple-layer cake; serves 12 to 16

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, soybean or vegetable blend
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanut brittle (I skipped this)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cakepans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine them well. Add the oil and sour cream and whisk to blend. Gradually beat in the water. Blend in the vinegar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and be sure the batter is well mixed. Divide among the 3 prepared cake pans.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely. (Notes from Deb that I completely agree with: These cakes are very, very soft. I found them a lot easier to work with after firming them up in the freezer for 30 minutes. They’ll defrost quickly once assembled. You’ll be glad you did this, trust me.)

4. To frost the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or large serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup cup of the Peanut Butter Frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the next layer. Place the last layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. (Deb note 1: Making a crumb coat of frosting–a thin layer that binds the dark crumbs to the cake so they don’t show up in the final outer frosting layer–is a great idea for this cake, or any with a dark cake and lighter-colored frosting. Once you “mask” your cake, let it chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm, then use the remainder of the frosting to create a smooth final coating. (Deb note 2: Once the cake is fully frosting, it helps to chill it again and let it firm up. The cooler and more set the peanut butter frosting is, the better drip effect you’ll get from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze.)

5. To decorate with the Chocolate–Peanut Butter Glaze, put the cake plate on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Simply pour the glaze over the top of the cake, and using an offset spatula, spread it evenly over the top just to the edges so that it runs down the sides of the cake in long drips. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze and frosting to set completely. Remove about 1 hour before serving. Decorate the top with chopped peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Makes about 5 cups

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces seimsweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

1. In the top of d double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm.

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TWD: Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte tweaked

2009-10-26T21:07:00.002-05:00

This week's recipe is available online from our gracious host, April of Short + Rose. If you own the book, Baking From My Home to Yours, you can turn to pages 284 and 285 to get the recipe instructions.

This dreamy torte originally called for dried sour cherries, Kirsch, and cherry jam. I had none of the above, so I substituted the following:

dried strawberries, I used a scant cup instead of a full cup as I was concerned about the sweetness compared to sour cherries

grenadine, no alcohol in this as it's a simple syrup made from pomegranates, so no flambe for me.

red raspberry preserves, this was the closest I had to cherry jam.

I also chose to mix semi sweet and bitter sweet chocolate, though the recipe indicates you can use either one. I had 3 ounces of bittersweet and 8 ounces of semi sweet squares, so this torte became a pantry torte allowing me to use up several ingredients I already had on hand. Always a frugal bonus!

The results were nothing short of fabulous. The brownies had a subtle strawberry flavor while the mousse topping was to die for! It does take some time, so this would make a fabulous holiday dessert. Another winner from Dorie!