Chasing Some Blue Sky

Homemade Cheese Its

2012-01-27T20:09:00.000-08:00

You are all pretty awesome. Seriously, I am truly amazed when I get e-mails asking if all is well or wondering why I've been missing because I'm completely humbled that you spend your personal time to head over here. And then of course my guilt kicks in and I feel bad that I haven't been in the kitchen that much recently. I have a good reason, yes I do. Working on a little project right now that has kept me out of the kitchen for the moment but hoping to back in full swing soon.

In the meantime I thought I'd share this phenomenal recipe for a little snacky snacky treat. I have to warn you though that these are crazy addictive. I can make a cheesecake or cupcakes and let them grow all kinds of mold just sitting in my fridge but heaven help me if I make a salty snacky type food. These are so salty, cheesy, can't stop eating them good. I'll admit to thinking cheez-its are pretty tasty especially floating on top of a hot bowl of tomato soup but don't buy them because they break the "no Cheez with a "z" rule. These homemade versions have all of the flavor and you use cheese spelled with an "s"...happiness indeed. I kid you not, I could have eaten just these all day and night for a week.

I made them a little thick(about 2mm) because I was in the mood for a chewier topping for my soup but roll them out thinner and they crisp up cracker style. I've made made them with both cheddar and parmesan and love them both equally.

Brooklyn would just like you know that these (without the salt topping) can and should be for dogs as well....from a dog who hates all cookies and biscuit type treats, that's saying something. Stuff one of these guys way far up in a Kong and puppies will leave you alone for at least 10 mins while they work to dig it out. I love these even more now.

Homemade Cheese Its

1 cup flour
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small squares
8 oz bag grated strong flavored cheese such as extra-sharp cheddar or parmesan
pinch of salt plus additional for sprinkling on top (optional)
Ice water

Combine all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until crumbly.
Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together.
Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and roll out to 1mm thickness Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, and, using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 25 minutes.
Test for crispiness; crackers may take a few minutes more to finish crisping.
Remove from oven when crisp and just starting to brown. Let cool and serve.

Chunky Knit Throw Knit in One Weekend

2012-01-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

Are you a member of Ravelry? If you have crushes on all kinds and colors of fiber, chances are you already know all about Ravelry. If not and you want to take up knitting or crocheting, Ravelry is like a candy store with a lot fewer calories. As of today, there were over 80,000 free knitting and crochet patterns and over 70,000 to purchase. Ravelry is not just about the patterns though--I use it to search a yarn I'm thinking about purchasing to see what other have made with the yarn, or how they paired the colors. If you do find a pattern you need to make, it's also quite fun to see what others have done with the same pattern. Before I started my Hexagon crochet afghan, I used Ravelry to peek through the thousands of others that were making it to see what colors I was drawn to. Some opted for muted colors, others had pastels and some had the bright rainbowesque colors that inspired mine. It's also much better than using a web search for the same purpose as Ravelry users will most often post a photo of their projects but may not have a blog to post the same photos.

I love yarn. Yep. I also love packages of Brown Sheep that comes across in the mail.

Like Pinterest though, you can spend so much time looking at all of the fabulous things to create that at the end of of the day, all you've done is just spend hours looking at a computer. To rectify that, I printed out no fewer than 25 must make patterns. Twenty-five patterns for a dedicated knitter is still probably over a year's worth of knitting. For this girl it's probably more like 20 years worth. I did cast on the Plain and Simple Pullover almost immediately, powered through all the way to where the knitting in the round splits into front and back, and then put it away for awhile. Yep, that's my style.

I think it's because I really like the brainless repetitive motion of knitting, which it ceases to be when you have to start counting stitches and paying attention to the pattern. I think that's why I make a disproportionate amount of afghans. They are brainless and you don't have to look at them so you can focus on how way sexy Alex O'Loughlin looks on this week's episode of Hawaii Five-O. So I have no fewer than 3 blankets started at one time.

I started this knit one months ago. I wanted a ruched throw inspired by the Anthropologie Cirrus Duvet I still love so much but since I made it 274 stitches wide it is SLOW going. It's one of my goals to complete for 101 in 1001. Hopefully. Love how it's puckering but sad how an entire episode goes by in which Hawaii is saved from the ridiculously high crime waves spreading across the islands but my blanket has only grown by three rows.

So yes, knitting is more about endurance and very rarely about the sprint. Unless you grab some size 50 needles that is. I just happened to be in need of some instant gratification so grabbed some 50s and some cheapo yarn.

Yes, confession time. I often choose acrylic yarns when I make a blanket. Wool is usually more itchy than a blanket should be and cotton has no stretch on the needles so isn't usually my first fiber choice for big projects. That leaves acrylic, but I think the yarn companies have come a long way from the days of squeaky and rough acrylic yarns. Besides, when you knit and crochet blankets, the $4 skein feels so much nicer to the wallet then the $12 skein, especially since most blankets use 10-20 skeins.

So enough blah blah blah right?

This blanket can absolutely be knit in one weekend. It was knit with 11 skeins of charcoal Charisma yarn from Michaels on size 50 needles.

The Charisma yarn was soft to the touch, the price was right, and truthfully, has even shocked me as to how soft it is when knit up on size 50s. It's smushy soft actually. Not sure how soft it would be at a tighter gauge.

I used a yarn winder to wind them into cakes just to ensure the center pull worked flawlessly--you don't want yarn rolling all over the chair or on the floor when trying to hold 3 strands together and the center pulls on purchased skeins always get tangled when I use them.

Charisma is recommended to be knit on size 13s so I held three strands together for the size 50 needles, cast on 45 stitches and knit in a 3x3 rib (3 k, 3 p, reverse for the back.) I have to say that size 50s is a lot like knitting with clubs. I never use straight knitting needles and will use my addi turbo circulars even for knitting back and forth as well as in the round. I like the relatively small range of motion required to move the little circular knitting needles as opposed to the long knitting needles so knitting on the 50s felt especially painful. But oh so fast. I cast on my stitches and had used up the first three skeins in almost no time. I used 6 more for the blanket and then two of the skeins to single crochet a border (twice around) with a size Q hook. It's a smaller little lap blanket but so gratifying to have a finished object in only one weekend.

The crochet flower accent is only one of oh so many free patterns available on Ravelry.

Brooklyn has agreed that it is indeed a super soft squishy blanket. Thank goodness because really, all blankets in this house belong to her.

Denver Broncos Cake Pops

2012-01-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

This entire season has baffled me....hire a not so winning coach, start Orton and replace him with Tebow, win the division with an 8-8 record and beat Pittsburgh in the first round of playoff games? Is it any surprise then that last night's game with decisions to keep the ball on the ground even through the 4th quarter while running plays that kept ball inbounds like they had all the time in the world was any less perplexing? Even still, with a new coach and new QB, they gave us a more exciting season then most of us expected. I say it was a good start to great things to come.

I do have to ask what on earth they feed those boys in New England. They had to have 6 inches and 100 lbs on each Bronco. It's probably pretty hard to defend against a receiver when you come up to his armpit.

With the end of football season (in my mind) comes the end of all obnoxiously delightful brightly colored football food. Not sure why I accept such crazy artificially colored foods during football season only, but it does seem essential. Something about team spirit.

We took this football season out with an orange and blue bang. Sister made blue and orange brownies and cookies and I got a chance to try out my new cake pop molds....

I am not the most patient when it comes to molding individually sized foods which is why I love these molds I purchased from My Little Cupcake. I'd considered ordering them awhile back when it was just the cupcake shape but when I saw the additional molds, I snapped up a set for me and my sister.

They make shaping cake pops so much easier. My little cupcake site also had an idea to make the pops out of a homemade cookie dough that omits the raw eggs. Yes please. There was a recipe on My Little Cupcake's blog but I opted to just use the recipe on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse mini morsels bag and omit the eggs and add an extra 1/4 cup of flour. If the recipe was good enough for Phoebe's grandmother....(if you get that Friends reference, we should knuckle bump here.)

Chocolate chip cookie dough was a little bit more difficult to mold in that the chips sometimes got caught in the crack as you were trying to close it, but aside from that, these molds were easy peasy and made the most perfectly shaped cupcakes and balls. Yes, I can roll balls but not this perfectly spherical and even in size.

Navy blue candy melts are not the easiest to find. I've never found anything but pastel blue from Wilton. Make N Mold makes the navy blue and I've only found them at Hobby Lobby and even then they are most often sold out. When I find them I do grab an extra bag or two as they are so intensely and perfectly navy blue.

When making the cupcakes you dip the bottom half first, add the stick and place upside down in an egg carton to let harden.

Then you dip the top and add your sprinkles. They really are that easy.

The blue candy melts are also pretty useful for making Bronco popcorn as well. All you need is big bowl of kettle corn drizzled with about one cup of melted white chocolate. Stir to coat, sprinkle with one cup of orange M&Ms or Reese Pieces, spread on baking sheet and drizzle with blue candy melts.

Yes, I picked out all of the orange M&Ms and Reese Pieces. When I was back in Denver I could sometimes find bags of Broncos M&Ms but no such luck here.

Denver is moving back to their orange jerseys next year which has most of us old school fans pretty excited. Maybe with the return of the orange jerseys we'll see a return of the Orange Crush. Sadly they didn't crush much last night.

BTW, have you had an Orange Crush soda recently? I haven't had once in forever and seriously, wow. I don't think that drinking a big glass of straight sugar would be as sweet as this. It's all about Bronco party requirements though and Orange Crush is mandatory, if only to look at.

First Peanut, now Chipmunk. We teach 'em young.

Brooklyn took the loss the hardest.

Panera Three Cheese Bread

2012-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Is there anything quite like the smell of freshly baking bread? Just a hint of the warm, inviting scent is enough for me to know that carbs will always be a part of my life. This bread is one of my favorites not just because it is just the perfect soft squishy bread, but also because it's one of my mom's staples. In the 5 days I was in Denver for Christmas, she made this recipe 3 times. No complaints here.

Yes the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of cubed cheese--that's what makes it so perfect. Mom has substituted other cheeses such as cheddar, gouda and jack, but my favorite version is still the one with the salty Italian cheeses in the original recipe. Seriously, I LOVE this bread. And I love it more when Mom makes it. But when a craving comes along and Mom is not around, it's a super easy bread to make. Everything can be thrown into the KitchenAid and then it's just shaping and baking so there's really no excuse to be without it.

Love this bread. Period. The end.

Three Cheese Bread

from Panera Bread

STARTER

1 cup (8.375 ounces) warm water (95-105° F)
2 teaspoons (0.25 ounces) fresh yeast
1 cup (4.875 ounces) all-purpose flour

DOUGH

3/4 cup (5.75 ounces) warm water (95-105° F)
3 tablespoons (2 ounces) honey
4 teaspoons (0.5 ounces) fresh yeast
1/4 cup plus one teaspoon (2 ounces) vegetable shortening
4 3/4 cups (23 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (0.5 ounces) salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) 1/2-inch cubes Romano cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) 1/2-inch cubes Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) 1/2-inch cubes Asiago cheese
starter (recipe follows)

TO CREATE THE STARTER, combine the water and yeast in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast fully. Add the flour to the bowl and stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Cover with a cloth and ferment the starter at room temperature for 30 minutes.

FOR THE DOUGH, combine the water, honey and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve the yeast fully. Add the shortening, flour, salt, cheeses and fermented starter. Mix on low speed until the dough is fully developed. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces weighing about 22 ounces each. Set aside any remaining dough and freeze for future use. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the dough on the counter or in a proofing basket and cover with a warm, damp cloth to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Form the dough into loaves, cover with a warm, damp cloth and proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Score the loaves with a sharp knife, spray with water and bake for 30 minutes, or until the crusts are a deep golden brown and the middle of the loaves is 190-200° F.

Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. If the bread was baked in loaf pans, remove the bread from the pans before cooling.

Quinoa 365 and Southwestern Quinoa

2012-01-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

I have fallen in love with a new cookbook I received recently. True love really. Cookbook # 80, Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming is chock full of so many wonderful sounding recipes, that I think I could actually go through it and just make every single recipe. I've tried quinoa as a plain rice bed type substitute and have to admit to not loving it--I am 1/2 asian after all. But making quinoa the center of the dish is pretty phenomenal and this cookbook showcases so many creative ways to add this protein packed little grain to your diet such as quinoa breakfast burritos, ranch house omelet, quinoa bean dip, cauliflower and broccoli bake with almonds, chicken broccoli casserole, quinoa crusted chicken breast, spanikopita frittata, mexican casserole, cheesy spinach and quinoa stuffed pasta, greek burgers and even whole chapters on muffins, cookies and cakes made with quinoa flour. My only criticism is that is has rather few photos and photos do make the cookbook.

I've already tried a few other recipes and they were pretty spot on in flavor. I'm not usually a casserole fan which I attribute to traumatic childhood interactions with green bean tatertot casserole. I do however like an occasional tuna noodle casserole (go figure right?!?) given that it is not made with any thing resembling a Campbells cream of mushroom soup. I haven't had tuna casserole in ages, so thought the tuna quinoa casserole might be a good first recipe to test the waters with this cookbook and it turned out to be a pretty tasty casserole--score one for the cookbook. The pina colada quinoa was also pretty tasty.

For recipe number three I went straight for the southwestern flavors and have to say it's been my favorite recipe so far. Not "healthy" tasty, but "I'd eat this everyday because it's so yummy" tasty. I did bump up the spices quite a bit because I like my southwestern food to be flavor packed, but all of the spices can be reduced to taste. The original recipe also calls for regular chili powder rather than chipotle, but I am a diehard chipotle fan.

Brooklyn also enjoyed reading this cookbook despite the lack of photos. She doesn't mind so much.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Quinoa 365

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups water

3/4 cup jarred salsa

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup cooked corn kernels
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 green onions sliced thinly crossways

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 avocado diced (optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar (optional)

Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the quinoa, lower the heat and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins and turn off heat. Cover and let sit for 6 mins - you'll know the quinoa is ready when you see the little white "tail" of the germ around the outside edge of each seed.
Add salsa, chili powder and cumin to quinoa and mix well.
Mix in cilantro, green onions, black beans and corn. Mix until thoroughly combined.
In a small bowl whisk yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic and lime juice. Drizzle over quinoa and toss.
Serve with avocado and cheese and garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

Or belated Christmas that is. Can you believe it's come and gone so quickly? Sad. And while I intended to take a slight break from blogging over Christmas, I didn't mean for it to be so long. I woke up sick on Christmas morning like I haven't been in years and spent a few days tucked under some blankets on my mom's couch. Kind of nice to have a few lazy days really. Apologies to the nice gent who got to sit next to me on the short flight that took me from my mom's couch to my own. Yes, I was one of those people you glare at at the airport but what do you do?

Funny thing about being single and being sick? I didn't realize I had laryngitis immediately because as it turns out, I don't talk much at home when I'm by myself. Not sure why that would be a surprise but it really had me thinking that I could actually be silent for the entire day if not for Brooklyn.

Other than a little sickness, Christmas was phenomenal. Colorado gave us some beautiful white snow. I do love snow.

I was remarkably restrained when it came to taking photos but I did capture the requisite Christmas eve shots of Peanut and Chipmunk...together again.

A one year old and a four year old so enthralled with their new Christmas "laptops." Still cracks me up.

And Christmas baking was a perfect time to try out some of the Pinterest pins that have just been sitting on my boards. Way too many pins, way too little time.

Loved the peppermint bark in the shape of snowflakes idea. Super easy way to crank out treats for all 18 of Brooklyn's Doggie Daycare caregivers.

Homemade Samoas cookies...these were awesome! My Girl Scout favs are actually the Tagalongs but Christmas is already a peanut butter treats overload in our house. If one can really overload on peanut butter.

And a couple of child friendly treats to make... Rolo Pretzel Turtles and Melted Snowman Cookies. Love Pinterest.

Hope your Christmas was as blessed and merry!

Greek Strata Frittata

2011-12-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

A strata is a breakfast casserole type dish that involves layering the ingredients and pouring an egg and milk mixture over and letting sit overnight before baking. A frittata is more like an open faced omelet with some extra hearty fillings thrown in. This dish is somewhere in between.

I had my sister, BIL and Chipmunk over for a "Las Vegas Christmas Eve" breakfast...yep, that's what we called it. We are all flying back to Denver this week for Christmas with the family but transporting gifts back there to open and then carry back to Las Vegas was obviously a bit ridiculous so we planned a brekkie and opened some gifts a bit early.

Most traditional stratas have 2-3 times the amount of bread crumbs but I liked the reduced amount of breads that left this in limbo between a strata and frittata. Less bread also meant more room to consume the most important breakfast carb of all--hashbrowns.

Greek Strata

drizzle of olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced

1 lb fresh spinach, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 cups cubed day old bread

1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

1/4 cup feta, crubmbled

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

4 large eggs

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup ricotta

1/2 cup milk

3 tbsp olive tapenade

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup shredded mozarella

1. In a large pan, sautee diced onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes

2. Add garlic and stir, cook for 1 minute

3. Add chopped spinach and cook until spinach has reduced substantially and lost most of its water. Add oregano, stir and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Cover bottom of buttered casserole with bread cubes. (I used an 8x10 dish)

5. Sprinkle chopped sundried tomatoes and crumbled feta over bread.

6. Add spinach to casserole dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle roasted red peppers on top.

7. Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cottage cheese, ricotta, milk, tapenade, salt and pepper and beat well. Pour over casserole and top with cheese

8. Remove strata from fridge 30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat oven to 325.

9. Bake strata for 40-45 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Orange Slush

2011-12-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

Amanda over at KevinandAmanda.com posted a pretty fantastic post today on choosing lenses and she covers a lot of the topics people ask when beginning to look at lenses for their DSLRs. If you are ever wondering what all of those numbers on the lens actually means, she explains that too...she even tells you how to say the lens name. Awesome.

The one thing she didn't mention about aperture was that the other reason for purchasing a lens with a lower number (like an f/ 2.8, 1.8, 1.4 or 1.2) is that it lets in more light. Bokeh is good stuff, but getting more light is pretty sensational too. Going from an f/4 to an f/2.8 (one whole f/stop) doesn't sound all that impressive until you also hear that this one additional full f/stop lets in twice as much light. Same from going from f/2.8 to f/2, and f/2 to f/1.4.

Melissa Jill also did a pretty great lens review series too if you are wondering what kind of images particular L series lenses produce. Her site is also great for just reading about how cool some peeps are. She has one of those sites that makes you wish you were friends with her--if I were a photographer I'd ~~stalk~~ attend each and every workshop she gives even if they contain the same material because, yep, she's that cool.

That's all really just a side note but wanted to share Amanda's post today for anyone that hadn't seen it--she does a great job of explaining the differences if lenses and aperture are new to you. Plus she has Bostons so that makes her pretty cool peeps too.

So, Orange Slush.

Yum.

When we were growing up, this was an adult drink at family holidays but it was so good that we'd beg for sips. Then we'd sneak drinks. We thought we were quite stealth actually. Now that we're old enough to drink this at will, we still just save it for the holidays. I've adjusted it quite a bit by removing 2 cups of sugar because I think the lemonade, OJ and Sprite add more than enough sweetness but if you like your drinks super sugary sweet, after making the tea, boil the remaining 6 cups of water, add 2 cups of sugar and stir until dissolved and then cool along before proceeding. I removed that step from the recipe below.

Along with Orange Slush at the holidays comes lights of course. This place has looked like Christmas for quite a few weeks now. I fear I'll be wrapping gifts in red and white paper forever because of the sheer abundance of it sitting in my closet. I added a bit of aqua to the mix this year.

Have you seen these cute little wine scarves and hats? Kitschy? Yes. Awesome? Oh yeah. I'd thought to knit a set myself at one point but Cost Plus World Market sells them for $3.99. You can't beat that and pretty cute way to gift wine I'd say.

Have you tried Saltines Toffee? Versions of the recipe are all over the web--I used a super duper easy recipe found at Make Life Delicious. So seriously easy that I thought it couldn't possibly work. It took me less than 15 mins to prepare and the entire tin was empty at the end of one work day.

What Christmas is complete without cutouts?

Or Christmas lights? In true Las Vegas style, the lights here are pretty spectacular. I'd liken it to Denver Zoolights back home, if they took all the lights in the zoo exhibit and then smushed them all together into just a small one block area. Is it any surprise that Vegas is over the top with lights? Me likey.

And Her Rotteness's Christmas photos. I take so many pictures of this dog that when she sees the camera she just comes over and sits in front of me. She'll do anything for treats, even wear this Christmas collar.

Orange Slush

1 1/2 c. whiskey
1 lg. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 lg. can frozen lemonade concentrate
8 c. water
3 tea bags

2 liters of Sprite

Heat 2 cups of the water and brew 3 tea bags for 4 minutes. Cool completely.
Combine tea, water, whiskey, OJ and lemonade concentrates and stir. Pour into large plastic bowl with lid or gallon ziplocs and freeze.
Stir occasionally to break up ice crystals. Freeze for at least 24 hours
When ready to serve add frozen contents to punch bowl or large pitcher, add Sprite and stir

Peppermint Cheesecake Cups

2011-12-04T13:21:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to try out Martha Stewarts oreo cheesecake cups for quite awhile. It's kind of funny to call it "Martha Stewart's recipe" when people have been adding oreos to various cheesecake recipes for ages, but this particular recipe is in her cookbook Cupcakes.

One box of Trader Joe's holiday peppermint Joe Joe's and and a package of Ande's mints peppermint crunch baking chips is all it takes to turn regular 'ole cheesecake into holiday peppermint cheesecake.

I topped these with a sprinkling of these Andes peppermint crunch chips I'd found. I'm not sure why they are called crunch since they are similar in texture to any other chocolate or white chocolate chip. They are pretty high on the peppermint flavor scale--just a little sprinkle on top along with the peppermint in the Joe Joe's and there is absolutely no need to add any peppermint extract to the cheesecake itself. Of course, if you can't find the Andes chips you can always omit and just add a few drops of peppermint oil directly to the batter.

It's chocolate, peppermint and cheesecake. What else is there to say?

Peppermint Cheesecake Cups

from Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Ingredients

22 peppermint Joe Joe's or peppermint Oreos-- 16 left whole, and 6 coarsely chopped
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt
Andes Peppermint crunch or Andes peppermint mints chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 F.
Line 16 standard muffin tins with paper liners.
Place 1 whole Joe Joe in the bottom of each lined cup.
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
Pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Beat in the sour cream and salt.
Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top.
Fill empty muffin tins cups halfway with water
Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes.
Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Greed, Gluttony and Trader Joe's Holiday Treats

2011-12-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

Have you been to a Trader Joe's yet this season to walk amongst all of the delightful holiday treats they have out? These things always get the best of me and my wallet. I feel like I should defend myself and say that I've actually been on a complete sugar fast since Thanksgiving and completely without any sugar cravings...but who am I kidding? I still completely gave in to the temptation of every dark chocolate covered fun treat screaming "take me home with youuuuuuuuuu." I've never been one to easily pass on holiday exclusive food items.

First, Trader Joe's Sea salt caramels. The bars above are in store year-round and year-round they end up in my cart each time I walk into a TJs. They are not Fran's Gray salt caramels, but beggars cannot be choosers and at $1.99 a bar, they beat out Frans in that area. The caramel is gooey and soft unlike the sea salt caramels I made a couple of years ago. While I still plan on making another go at it this Christmas season, looky at the seasonal box TJs sells during the holidays. I haven't tried them yet but I've never met a dark chocolate salt caramel I didn't like. Ounce for ounce, the bars are actually cheaper than the box but take another look at the seasonal box TJs sells for the holidays.

Trader Joe's really is good to us.

Don't ask why a single person would need a 30 oz toffee package except that it's quite obviously Christmas toffee and it has Big Ben on the packaging. Anglophiles will usually succumb to packaging that includes any hint of our emotional motherland. Almost two whole pounds of toffee is a heck of a lot though, so need to come up with a cookie, cheesecake or cake recipe to throw these into.

Chocolate covered Oreos, or Joe Joe's as these are called. These are one of my favorite treats in existence. When I lived in NY, there was a teeny tiny chocolate place in the city that I'd stop into every single time we were in the city just for a few dark chocolate covered oreos....heavenly. I know they are simple as heck to make, but not making them makes them all that much more special when I find them. Make sense? I haven't tried the peppermint ones yet but really they are just so fun to look at.

And the candy cane Joe Joes? Those I actually have a plan and a recipe for using up this weekend.

Cocoa drizzled Kettle Corn? How do you walk by that without grabbing a bag?

The obvious answer is that you don't.

And this it seems is not seasonal but my poor sad eyes have never noticed the blueberry vanilla chevre. Can such splendid food really exist? Apparently.

And finally, a wee little drink to throw off the winter chill. Who knew Pear Cider even existed?

My greedy stash probably doesn't cover half of the other holiday treats to be found at TJs...gingerbread men, gingerbread houses, milk chocolate covered stuff, white chocolate covered stuff, assorted chocolates, peppermint bark, peppermint chocolate marshmallows, cookies, taffy, peanut brittle, baking mixes and the ever so intriguing chewy eggnog cookie.

Yes, Trader Joe's is very, very good to us.

Orange Pumpkin Clovers

2011-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Happy December..can you believe it's December?!?! Vegas weather has finally turned truly chilly all day instead of just in the mornings, Brooklyn has become a desert princess and absolutely refused to step even an inch outside into the cold damp today and I wept tears of joy knowing that it absolutely had to be snowing somewhere within 30 miles of here. And I was right...I saw some snow blanketed mountains off in the distance as I drove to work. Magical snow covered mountains. Yes indeedy.

Is December too late to post another pumpkin recipe? Hopefully not, because I really thought these rolls were kind of fun. I'd cut this recipe out of Gourmet magazine a few years ago but like all recipes that are cut out, they go into a lovely binder to looked at when new recipes are added, but never utilized for making anything. This recipe is a rare exception...just took me 2 years to get to it.

These rolls are a basic soft dinner roll with the addition of some orange zest and some canned pumpkin. Truthfully, they were more pumpkin and orange in scent than in flavor, but there was a slight mellow zesty flavor to them and the pumpkin made them super soft and moist.

The original recipe called for making these rolls into clovers and I left those directions in place in the recipe below. While there's nothing quite like a nice chewy ciabatta crust, I prefer dinner rolls to be squishy soft. If I wasn't afraid of being deemed selfish, I'd steal the middle roll each time. And while clovers are much cuter than regular ole rolls, they have a lot more crust which isn't all that squishy and soft.

I used the last egg for a pie instead of a wash so no shiny tops here, but still a fun and different type of roll recipe.

Formerly fierce snow dog

Sun worshipping desert princess.

Orange Pumpkin Clovers
Gourmet Magazine February 2009

3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 pkg active dry yeast (approx 2 tsp)
1/4 cup warm milk (105–115°F)
1 tablespoon honey
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 large eggs, divided, plus 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon water

Butter muffin cups with 1 Tbsp melted butter.
Stir together yeast, warm milk, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)
Mix flour, salt, pumpkin, 1 whole egg, yolk, orange zest and juice, and remaining 5 Tbsp butter into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, dusting surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.
Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Roll half of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands into a 12-inch-long log (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap).
Cut log into 6 equal pieces, then cut each piece into thirds. Roll each piece into a 1-inch ball by cupping your hand and pushing dough against work surface as you roll in a circular motion. Put 3 balls side by side in each of 6 muffin cups.
Make more rolls with remaining dough in same manner. Cover rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough is about 1 inch above rim of muffin cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
Whisk together remaining egg and water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.)
Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes.

Lime Meltaways

2011-11-28T20:16:00.001-08:00

I think I confessed last year right around Christmas baking season that my Type A personality shines like rock star. I love to premake as many of the cookie doughs as possible and refrigerate them all because it's just so happy to bake cookies on a day when there aren't mixers and dishes cluttering the sink and dishwasher. Starting an early morning baking session with clean countertops, an empty dishwasher and refrigerated dough is happiness indeed. These lime meltaways are an ultra easy and perfect dough to make ahead and stash in the fridge or even the freezer and they bake up in almost no time at all. There's something about powdered sugar covered treats that can take you right back to childhood.

The recipe is mostly unaltered from Martha Stewart's original--I only added a second toss in powdered sugar because I found that coating the cookies while still warm was essential for the powdered sugar to stick, but also moistened it a bit so they cookies didn't look so white and powdery. The second coating just adds a dry layer of white powdered sugar.

Lime Meltaways
from Martha Stewart Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.
Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.
Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with 2/3 cup powdered sugar in a resealable plastic bag.
When completely cooled, add remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar to bag and toss cookies again. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

After the Coma

2011-11-25T22:30:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone already. A few pics for the family....

Sis did a phenomenal job on the bird--eighteen pounds is a lot of turkey. Sis also made an artichoke, brie and spinach dressing with a parmesan topping. Think spinach artichoke dip in dressing form.

I made a ~~pecan~~(lost the pecans somewhere in this kitchen) macadamia pie and a pumpkin swirl cheesecake with caramel topping. And while we are all too stuffed to grab dessert for a bit, someone else wasn't...

Dinner, schminner. Sometimes a girl just needs cheesecake.

Atta girl....as long as it's mommy's camera. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:10:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a beautiful and happy Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and the many blessings of His gracious provision. xoxo ~Mary

Pumpkin Mochi

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin mochi is probably pretty far from traditional Thanksgiving food, but in a country that celebrates being a melting pot of diversity, it only seems appropriate to throw in a more ethnic recipe for a national holiday such as Thanksgiving. My mom always made the full turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy Thanksgiving dinner each year and right there next to the corn casserole was always a big platter of her oft requested spring rolls. We grew up thinking they were supposed to be served at each holiday meal. My BIL requested that my sister make spring rolls this year because it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them and I would have to agree.

All that to say that a little less than traditional item is a fun thing to throw onto the Thanksgiving table. Mochi might never replace pumpkin pie, but is a great additional dessert to set next to the pumpkin pie. The butter and milk add an ultra creaminess to the chewy mochi.

And just like the chocolate coconut mochi I made last month, pumpkin mochi is super easy and quick to throw together.

Pumpkin Mochi

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour (Mochiko brand or other)
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs well beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 c sugar1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven and butter an 8x8 in pan
In a medium bowl whisk mochiko flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
In a large bowl whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients.
Pour into prepared pan and tap on counter to release air bubbles.
Bake one hour. Remove from oven cool completely before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Apple, Cranberry and Chestnut Dressing

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

While it turns out to be the one and only time a year many of us eat it, dressing seems to be an integral part of the the whole Thanksgiving experience. Growing up my mom made a phenomenal stuffing...that I ended up picking apart and just eating the bread parts since she made it with tons of pork sausage and celery. Sausage is more a apathetic passive dislike in my book, but celery? Shame on me because as much as I sing the praises of produce, I adamantly despise crunchy celery. Nothing apathetic in my anti-crunchy celery stance.

When it comes to making stuffing, I've opted for a sausage and celery free version. But it does have bacon so I haven't completely ruined it here.

You can definitely make stuffing with storebought cubed bread. It's also super easy to make and a great way to use up stale leftover bread. Cube and bake. Easy peasy.

Chesnuts are not as easy. Peeling these suckers are a pain. Just sayin.

I used fresh cranberries since I had leftover from the pumpkin bread. If you are not the biggest tart cranberry fan, I'd recommend the dried ones here...the tartness of the fresh ones is especially evident when there's no sugar in a recipe to cut the tartness.

If you like nuts, chopped pecans are pretty spectacular in the dressing as well and add a great crunch.

Apple, Cranberry and Chestnut Dressing

Ingredients

5 cups croutons
8 ounces bacon
1 cup shallots or onions diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced apple (I used granny smith)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup diced chestnuts
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh minced thyme
1 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh minced sage
2 -2.5 cup low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet cook bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel. Pour off all but 1 tbsp bacon grease
Add onions/shallots to pan with bacon grease and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook additional 2 minutes
In large bowl combine apple, cranberries, chestnuts, croutons, pecans and herbs. Crumbled cooled bacon into bowl.
Add onions and garlic to bowl and toss all ingredients. Add enough broth to soften croutons.
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Transfer dressing back to original skillet and pat down lightly, cover with foil and bake in 350 degrees for 20 minutes then remove foil for 15 minutes to crisp the top.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

I received a mini loaf of homemade pumpkin bread recently. As i bit into its super soft squishy yumminess, I realized that with making pumpkin caramels and trying out new pumpkin recipes, I'd completely neglected to make just a basic pumpkin bread this season. There's a lot to be said for those seasonal "must-makes" and cranberry pumpkin bread is one of mine.

I been experimenting with replacing veggie oils and especially shortening with coconut oil in baking recently and decided to make this loaf with organic coconut oil. I couldn't tell the difference honestly and since this recipe originally used shortening I was quite pleased that the coconut oil worked so well.

I love the fresh tart bursting cranberries, but of course when it comes to quick breads, nuts, berries and chips are usually optional and interchangeable. You could even opt for dried cranberries if fresh cranberries are too tart.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

1 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tsps to coat cranberries
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cups canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk

1.5 cups cranberries

Sugar in the raw for topping loaf (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF, grease and flour 8x5 loaf pan.
Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle, combine coconut oil and sugars and beat well. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
With the mixer on low, add the flour in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, and mix until just combined.
Wash cranberries, reserve a small handful for topping loaf, and toss remaining with 2 tsps of flour. Shake of excess flour and gently stir flour coated cranberries into pumpkin bread batter.
Pour into prepared pan and top with reserved cranberries and a sprinkling of Sugar in the Raw if desired.
Bake for about an hour or until tester should come out clean.
Cool pan on a rack for ten minutes, remove loaf from pan and cool completely.

Persimmon and Pomegranate Fruit Salad

2011-11-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for persimmons. A love affair really. If I lived far from an asian grocer, I'd probably have less of a love affair...I've seen persimmons at $1.50-2.00 EACH at the grocery store during the fall months. What kills me about that is that in the fall these same persimmons can be purchased at the asian grocery for $ 1....a pound. That's just crazy pricing difference.

Persimmons are hard to explain if you've never had one. I like the round tomato shaped ones because they are ready to eat when crisp and then ripen into some even sweeter treat. They never seem to last to the super soft sweet phase in my house though regardless of how much I buy because I eat them nonstop-- a shame really because I have tons of recipes that call for fully ripened persimmons.

And while I was picking up my weekly persimmon stash I came across some pomegranates at the asian grocer for $.69 a lb. Crazy right? So fully stocked on pomegranates and persimmons, I decided to throw together a fruit salad unlike regular 'ole fruit salads.

Not really a recipe I know, but fruit sure is fantastic to look at. Is there anything sexier than fresh produce?

Persimmon and Pomegranate Fruit Salad

3 crisp persimmons

1 half small papaya

1 pomegranate

1 small banana

1 cup orange juice

1/2 lime

1. Cook OJ over medium high heat until reduced by half (could probably use concentrate really but I never have that around) Add juice of half a lime. Allow to cool. If you like your food sweeter, you could add some honey as well.

2. Dice banana and add to OJ and coat to prevent bananas from browning

3. Dice remaining fruit, pour bananas and OJ over and toss

Pad See Ew

2011-11-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Pad see ew is a thai noodle dish that is often overshadowed by her more popular sister, pad thai. For those who are willing to branch out from ordering pad thai in restaurants, I think you'll find that pad see ew is a surprisingly great alternate noodle dish. While it shares rice noodles as a base, pad see ew noodles acutally tend to be the big fat noodles and uses a sweet soy sauce to get its distinctive flavor. I love using fresh noodles for this dish and while I had some in my fridge to make this dish, it seems I had them in my fridge for too long to make this dish. I threw out the molded fresh noodles and grabbed a bag of dried rice noodles. These are the skinnier ones that I use for pad thai, but aside from that similarity, the flavors are all pad see ew.

I will say that if you've had pad see ew in a restaurant or from a street vendor in Thailand, there is a flavor that is almost impossible for the home cook to replicate unless you are super duper brave or don't have an entire assortment of smoke detectors ready to go off at the slightest hint of smoke. When they make this in restuarants there is a slight charred flavor that is so absolutely yummy that I watched a street vendor carefully to see what it was. She actually set the entire pan of noodles on fire for a minute. I would like to go on record stating that I don't advocate anyone set anything on fire in their kitchen. But oh how pad see ew loves to be set on fire. Yum.

Pad see ew traditionally uses chinese broccoli as a veggie. I happen to always pick this up at the asian market when I know I want to make this, but my mom used an alternative leafy green (collard greens?) from the regular grocery store when she was in a pinch.

Chinese broccoli...

The other key ingredient is this sweet soy sauce available at any southeast asian grocers. I found out recently, that it was not at my local Korean grocer. This brand comes in a couple of options...I always grab the bottle with the blue top. The ingredient lists soy sauce and sugar, so it could probably be made at home.

I had some lighting issues with the preparation photos unfortunately, but it's very similar in process to many stir fries....make a sauce, cook chicken over high heat until browned, remove from pan, cook veggie, then egg, return meat to pan and add noodles and sauce. While it's missing the slight charred flavor, the sauce makes it rather close to the restaurant style noodle dish.

Not sure why it cracks me up each time I look over to see this whenever I'm cooking, but this one LOVES to sit at the table. All the time. I think she likes to read on the computer which is why I got her a NOOK for Christmas. And really I love to write things like that just so my father's eyes will roll back each time he reads things like that. I think the response that goes with it is "I wouldn't doubt it Mary." C'mon dad--you know you just said that.

It's nature and not nurture that has her believing she's human I'm sure.

Pad See Ew

8 ounces fresh wide, flat rice noodles (or half a bag of dried noodles)
coconut oil
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 chicken breast, sliced thinly
1 lb coarsely chopped chinese broccoli
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sweet dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar

If using dried noodles soak for 15 minutes in hot tap water and then drain. In large pan, boil water and cook drained noodles for 4-5 minutes until tender but al dente. Drain and rinse well with cold water and set aside. If using fresh noodles, add to bowl of warm water to separate noodles, drain and set aside.
Heat 1 tsp coconut oil and 1 clove of minced garlic in wok until garlic begins to sizzle. Add chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
Make suace by whisking together sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, low sodium soy sauce and vinegar
Add 1 tsp of coconut oil and another glove of minced garlic until hot and add chinese broccoli. Cook for 4-5 minutes until stalks are tender crisp (I know it's not traditional but I sometimes add a few tbsp of hot water periodically if it seems the pan is gettiing so hot it begins to smoke my poor little smoke detector infested kitchen)
Push to side of walk, add one 1tsp of coconut oil and last clove of garlic and let cook until garlic is light golden brown. Add lightly beaten egg and scramble in pan
Return chicken to pan, add noodles and sauce and toss, continuing to cook until all items are heated through (about 2-3 minutes).

Peppermint Patty Brownies

2011-11-13T20:21:00.001-08:00

I'd say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but then you might think I'm one of THOSE people that can't wait. Which I am of course. Unashamedly...give me lights and carols as soon as possible please.

Thinking about Christmas had me craving a little peppermint flavor and what goes better with mint than chocolate(except maybe rum and lime)? I have this recipe for peppermint patties/junior mints that taste identical to the store bought kind, so identical that it seems like too much work to create something that I can easily purchase. I adapted the peppermint patty recipe to top a brownie instead and have to say I love the combo. LOVE it.

I always buy this Simply Organic peppermint flavoring oil and it is crazy strong--like clear your sinuses strong. I'd start with 1/2 of a tsp and adjust to taste if you are using another brand.

Love these. Just in case I wasn't adamant enough above. So much so that I already packed them up for the office so I don't end up eating them myself.

Love this schmoo too.

Peppermint Patty Brownies

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips for brownies and additional half bag for topping
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon instant espresso
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp shortening

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8x8inch baking.
Melt together the butter, 1 bag chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler or bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and then add to chocolate mixture and stir gently, taking care not to over mix. Pour into prepared pan
Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely
Add sweetened condensed milk to a medium bowl and stir in peppermint extract.
Stir in powdered sugar and mix well
Spread across top of cooled brownies gently (no worries if some brownie crumbs get mixed in, the chocolate topping will cover this)
Melt together half bag of chocolate chips with shortening in microwave by placing ingredients in microwave safe bowl and microwaving at 50% for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir. Repeat microwave 30 secs and stir steps until chocolate is melted.
Pour over peppermint layer and allow to cool at room temp. Refrigerate brownies for 2 hrs before cutting.

Random Ramblings

2011-11-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile. Sometimes I get on these rolls with work and projects and everything else is cast aside for a bit. Just a warning that the remainder of the post will be just rambling without any cohesive theme or topic.

There has been a little extra TLC for certain little peanut in the house...thanks for the comments and e-mails. Brooklyn is doing okay now--or as okay as she can be considering that an entire series of tests couldn't diagnose exactly why she had a seizure.

Yes, my one and half year old peanut had what the vet called a seizure. I would have diagnosed it officially as "freaky crazy scary paralysis weirdness" which may be why I don't make my living as a vet. Girlfriend froze halfway up the stairs one morning, fell over on her side and slid all the way back down the stairs. Since the vet (and board certified radiologist the final bill told me) didn't find anything in any of the tests, we were told it was either a one-off inexplicable seizure, or the first in what could become epilepsy. Breaks my heart. It's just a waiting game now so hoping for no recurrences.

Seizures are exhausting.

In my defense, I did this to her before her seizure. Why she hates costumes so much I'll never know. Knowing how much she's hated them the past two years probably won't stop me from doing it again next year.

I am that mean to her.

There's been a bit of baking. I usually try not to indulge in the little one-use-wonders in the kitchen but there is a Williams Sonoma outlet about 30 mins from Las Vegas. For reals people. When the adorable little apple pie molds are a few dollars, it's hard to pass on. Pretty stinkin cute molds.

Tons of leftover Halloween candy means trying to incorporate it into baking. For the record, banana bread + Reeses Pieces = yum.

Spent a little time with a sweet little Chipmunk over the weekend.

Had a wonderful opportunity to volunteer photography services for a charity event last week. Never thought I was a cowboy-loving kind of girl.

I'd say I'm a cowboy-loving kind of girl now.

I'll admit that a little snowy mountain scene was not something I expected to see in Las Vegas.

And of course, the end of daylight savings. While sad to leave the office when it's dark, each night when I leave the office and walk out to the parking garage I'm greeted with this scene. Can't wait to see how Vegas does Christmas lights.

Savory Peach Chicken

2011-10-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

Intentions vs reality...it's the yin and the yang in my kitchen. My produce obsession invariably causes me to purchase way more produce than I know what to do with. Recently I purchased 6 lbs of ginormous "local" peaches because I was sad at missing the Colorado Palisades peach season and these peaches were just as big...and I was hoping just as flavorful, juicy and sweet. Not so much as it turns out. I then thought I'd make peach jam or even try my hand at canning peach pie filling with the less than exciting peaches.

Brooklyn had other plans. A fair amount of $$$$ handed over to the vet over the weekend and another emergency trip this morning...we played it rather chill in this house today with the little peanut sleeping next to me while I worked from home. Finding the motivation to make jam or pie was a little too ambitious after the emotional roller coaster of the vet visits, but I knew I had to use up at least some of the peaches.

I'd seen this recipe for peach chicken in Ellie Krieger's So Easy cookbook. I love her. If I had a billion dollars I'd hire a personal nutritionist to help me plan my meals. And unlike tons of other healthy recipes, hers are always spot on in flavor-I've never made anything I didn't love. Okay, except maybe those energy bars from a couple of years back. This peach chicken was delish though--juicy, fruity and perfect served with rice. It was a teeny tiny bit too sweet for me but that can easily be fixed by leaving out the brown sugar in the recipe.

I added one small red onion diced to mine because I love the crisp crunch of slightly cooked onions. These were not in the original recipe and are of course optional.

Braising pans are one of my favorites. Not sure what I love so much about it but even the shape is comforting to me along with the foods that long to be cooked in a braising pan.

Savory Peach Chicken
from So Easy by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 pounds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 small red onion (optional)
4 large firm-ripe peaches, cut into 1/4-inch slices, or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen peaches, (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and orange juice in a small bowl and set aside. When the chicken is browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add sliced onions and then the chicken broth, the soy sauce mixture, and the peaches to the pan. Turn the heat up to high and cook, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce is nicely thickened and the peaches soften. Add the chicken back to the pan with the sauce, turn the heat down to moderate-low, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
In the meantime, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over a medium-high heat stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Serve the chicken topped with the sauce and sprinkled with the toasted almonds.

Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

2011-10-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get a food craving that stays with you for weeks? Usually it's something I've had before, but in this instance, it was something I'd seen on a menu.

When my parents were here, I'd picked up a couple of pizzas one night on my way home from work. One thing about Vegas is it's definitely its own little melting pot. The number of people I've met that are Las Vegas natives is pretty small and it's quite fascinating to see where everyone is from. That translates into some pretty diverse food, restaurants and grocers. There's one grocery store here, Glaziers, that specializes in special request food items from other geographic areas. Walking through the store you can find some NY Peter Luger's steak sauce (so delish on sliced tomatoes and onions), TastyKakes from Philly, fresh(frozen) pastas and sauces from Brooklyn and even Lyle's Golden Syrup from England. Yes, this city is like a mini NYC with its food choices. All that to say that I've found some pretty great NY style pizza here with it's enormous floppy pieces that you have to hold with two hands. When I was picking up the pizza for my family I'd seen an eggplant parm pizza on the menu that I was so drawn to. While it's definitely not the type of pizza I pick up for Dad, I've been fixated on the idea since. Eggplant parm is one of my favorites and throwing it on a pizza couldn't be too shabby.

I started with homemade croutons in place of breadcrumbs. You could of course use Italian flavored breadcrumbs but I like the crunch and the fresh flavor that comes with homemade croutons. Add a bit of parmesan and dried basil along with the croutons before you pulse.

I choose to bake my eggplant but you can also pan fry them until golden after breading them. I've also seen pre-breaded eggplant at Trader Joe's all ready to throw into an eggplant parm. It's pretty intriguing actually.

Garlic oil is available at just about any grocery store but I like to make my own and keep it on hand for just about everything. It's pretty handy ingredient to have on hand.

Any favorite tomato/pasta sauce could be used instead of canned diced tomatoes.

This definitely isn't a pizza for the carb conscious...pizza crust plus breaded eggplant equals lots of yummy carbs. I loved this variation of eggplant parm--it seemed lighter without all of the additional tomato sauce and layers of cheese. It seems like the kind of eggplant parm that just goes better with iced tea or beer than a big glass of red wine.

Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

1 small eggplant
3 cups croutons
1/2 cup shaved or crumbled parmesan
1 tsp dried basil
2 eggs, beaten well
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb pizza dough
garlic oil
14oz can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil
8 oz mozzarella thinly sliced (or grated)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees f and lightly oil baking sheet
Add croutons, 1/3 cup of the parmesan and dried basil to food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs. Pour crumbs into shallow dish and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder
Beat two eggs well in another shallow dish
Thinly slice eggplant(I sliced mine less than 1/4 of an inch). Dip in eggs and then into crumbs, coating entirely. Lay on baking sheet. Repeat until all eggplant is coated
Bake on middle rack for 8 mins, remove from oven and turn eggplant. Return to oven and bake additional 7 minutes then remove from oven and set aside
Lightly grease another baking sheet (or reuse baking sheet from eggplant. Remove eggplant taking care not to stack the eggplant--stacking will cause eggplant to steam and make crumbs coating soggy)
Hand stretch dough. Lightly brush with garlic oil
Drain juices from tomatoes, crush tomatoes with hands and sprinkle across dough
Top with cooked eggplant. Tear basil into pieces and sprinkle across eggplant. Top with mozzarella slices and remaining 1/3 cup parmesan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve immediately

Butternut Squash Mac-N-Cheese

2011-10-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've been checking the weather on my iPhone for the past hour. I've refreshed it about 5 times because I can't believe what it's telling me. See, I turned off my A/C...for awhile I hope. Finally. And tonight I took Brooklyn out for a walk and realized it was freezing. I kid you not, grab your hat, scarf, mittens and snow boots cold. I loved it. I imagined that the snow might begin falling at any moment. I gleefully anticipated sleeping with the window cracked a bit tonight because nothing is better than fall nights under the down comforter, with a little fresh autumn air coming through an open window.

Yep, cold enough to make a big comfy pan of mac-n-cheese cold. I added a cup and a half of butternut squash to the recipe because squash is that fantastic. I also added a half cup of cubed cheddar because I love when I get a bit with just pure melted cheddar goodness.

Everything about butternut squash mac-n-cheese screams cold weather comfort food--perfect since the weather has turned truly chilly here in Vegas, even if my ridiculous phone insists that it's 64 degrees. This Colorado girl knows that 64 is hardly cold--64 degrees isn't jacket weather. I know I wrote about this just a few weeks ago but I cannot believe that anyone can really acclimate to a new climate in just one summer. Nope, iPhone must be wrong

Even if it's not, mac-n-cheese is a perfect meal even for 64 degree weather.

butternut squash mac-n-cheese

3 tablespoons butter, plus more(or oil) for casserole dish or pan
2 lb butternut squash
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Gruyère
1/2 cup cheddar--cubed smallish
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed with additional 2 tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees f. Poke outside of squash a few times with fork. Place on baking sheet in oven and cook until squash is tender and can easily be pierced with fork. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle (or can be done the day before and refrigerated until ready to use)
Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil.
Cut squash in half and use large spoon to scoop out cooked squash. Add 1 1/2 cups to large bowl and mash well.
Meanwhile cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour macaroni into a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Add to squash.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish (or grease a cast iron skillet) well
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour and spices. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. This is super duper important as it cooks out the grainy raw flour taste.
While whisking, pour in milk and whisk vigorously while heating. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese, and Gruyère and stir well. Pour over noodles and squash
Add cubed cheddar and stir again.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.
Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Lime Yogurt Loaf

2011-10-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

With all of the cinnamon and pumpkin deliciousness of the past month, I was kind of in the mood for a little break and what is a better break than a little citrus yumminess? Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Cake is one of my favorite go-to citrus recipes--it's tart, moist and I love that it uses yogurt. I mixed it up this time and made it with limes....and a little spinach. My obsession with putting spinach into any many foods as possible probably isn't surprising to anyone who knows me, but in this instance, it wasn't for the taste or the health benefits.

Nope, it was just for the color.

Spinach as it turns out, is a fantastic natural food coloring--it's eerily food-coloringesque in the photos right? I saw a phenomenal looking lime tart just recently (I don't recall the site) and she used a bit of spinach to just make the green pop a little. Genius. Even I would admit that spinach and lime flavored cake might be too out there. In this loaf though, the spinach adds the fun green color without even a bit of spinach flavor. Verily.

I bumped up the amount of lime zest to a full tbsp but if you like subtle lime, you could use 2 tsp. I also added lime zest to the glaze because I am a citrus glutton apparently. I think it was the perfect amount of lime.

Lime Yogurt Cake
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup yogurt, drained
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs
1 tbsp grated lime zest (3-4 limes)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove water
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp grated lime zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f
Grease and flour loaf pan
Add oil and spinach to a blender and blend 1-2 minutes
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup of the sugar, the eggs, lime zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Gently stir the spinach oil into the batter and ensure it's fully mixed in.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile cook the 1/3 cup lime juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the loaf is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove loaf from pan and cool on cooling rack. Place baking sheet underneath cooling rack and pour the lime-sugar mixture over the loaf and allow it to soak in.
For the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar, 1 tsp lime zest and lime juice and pour over the loaf and let harden.

Chocolate and Coconut Mochi

2011-10-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Mochi has a sweet chewiness that's difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't had it...it's kind of like a firmer chewy marshmallow. It might be an acquired taste, but it's definitely one of my favorite desserts and I love that it's becoming more mainstream and easier to find. Trader Joes sells mochi wrapped around ice cream, and almost every frozen yogurt shop has mochi as a topping option.

While mochi is traditionally thought of as Japanese, many Thai desserts use sweet rice flour. The flavors are so reminiscent of Thailand to me...the coconut and pandan flavored treats are available at markets each morning and afternoon and pretty impossible to pass up.

What my lazy self likes about mochi cake is how unbelievably easy it is to make--the ingredient list is pretty short. Most essential is sweet rice flour as it's what lends the chewy texture you associate with mochi. If you've ever had Thai sweet/sticky rice, you can probably see where the chewy texture comes from.

Probably the most popular and well known brand of sweet rice flour is Mochiko and it can be found in just about every asian grocer and some mainstream grocers. There's also a lesser known Thai brand available at most of the asian grocers as well...labeled "glutinous rice flour" and about half the price. I've found that they both produce the same quality mochi.

The japanese sometimes fill the mochi and it's called daifuku...also tasty but a little more work than making a mochi cake.

I only topped half of this mochi cake with chocolate as I was concerned the chocolate would overpower the flavors in the mochi. My fear was for naught though...the chocolate and coconut paired well together. I have a pumpkin mochi recipe that I love--I'm wondering if chocolate might pair with that as well.

Chocolate Coconut Mochi

1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
2 eggs
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract
1 2/3 cup glutinous rice flour or Mochiko
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
2/3 cup mini chocolate chip morsels

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, extracts and melted butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, sugar, and baking powder.
Pour the coconut milk mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir well. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes then top with chocolate chips and coconut. Bake additional 15-20 minutes until coconut is toasted.
Cool completely, then cut into squares to serve.

Santa Monica

2011-10-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

My parents are still in town and while we've done a bit of Thai cooking, not a lot of camera time has happened...at least not in the kitchen. I did of course have my camera for our trip to California this past weekend and actually decided to really try out my 70-200mm lens.

I've loved the few pictures I've taken with it, but this is not a light lens, and because it's so long, you really need distance between you and the subject. This sometimes felt right when trying to capture candid type photos, but made running far ahead of Chipmunk in order to capture her walking towards me quite the workout. This does move goal #33 Take photographs on a beach, over to the completed side. Thanks to my sister, brother in law, niece and parents for allowing me to repeatedly point in their direction and click away.

I could easily get used to watching the sun set over the water.

Boston Terrier Pumpkin Fun

2011-10-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

My parents both have fall birthdays so my sister and I schemed to fly them in to visit us and blogging(cooking really) has taken a back burner while they are in town. We're heading out to Cali this weekend for a bit-o-walking-on-the-beach-time. I'll leave you with this fun BHG site that has tons of free dog breed stencil just in case you haven't already found the site. Word of advice: pay particular attention to the eyes before you start just chopping pumpkin away.

Surely I won't be giving up my day job soon.

Yep, dogs on pumpkins. It's genius really.

Brooklyn says "peace out peeps." Have a great weekend all!

Cider-Braised Chicken & Vegetables

2011-10-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

This week's holiday recipe exchange theme is one-pot meals. I love one-pot meals. And this week's sponsor is Le Creuset. You know it...I love Le Creuset. It's such a vibrant colorful rainbow to look at, fantastic cookware and hand weights all in one.

I volunteered last week to make a dinner for someone at church who'd just had surgery. I'd seen this recipe for Cider-Braised Chicken in The Ski Country Cookbook awhile ago but just hadn't gotten around to making it. AND it just happens to be a one pot meal. Three birds with one stone isn't too shabby.

Cookbook # 79, The Ski Country Cookbook is exactly what you would imagine it to be...great hearty recipes for cold weather eating including recipes for oatmeal with orange marmalade and toasted pecans, wild mushroom, chicken and orzo soup, italian-style chicken stew and chilis.

This Cider-Braised chicken was tasty, or it was from what I could tell from the sauce and bite of the carrots. I took this opportunity to actually use bone-in chicken breasts. I know that bone in meats are extra flavorful and juicy and they actually look like a lot of fun to cook. I love the idea of throwing a skin-on, bone-in chicken down into a big dutch oven...that just feels cozy and rustic. I have a weird aversion to any meat on a bone so very rarely get to make something like this, but since this was for another family, I went for it. The skin was dark and crispy looking and looked so fabulous when added back into the cider and white wine mixture. Of course you can't tell that from the photos but I didn't think I should be plating and playing with someone else's food before placing it back into an aluminum takeout container for delivery.

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Le Creuset.

Cider-Braised Chicken and Vegetables

adapted from The Ski Country Cookbook by Barbara Scott-Goodman

2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, bone in

salt and pepper

3 tbsp Olive OIl

4 shallots finely diced

1 1/2 cups apple cider

1 cup dry white wine

1 tsp cider vinegar

3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 large potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1 inch dice

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup water

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper
In large dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken in two batches, skin side down and cook until skins crispy and brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside
Add shallots to pan and cook over medium heat until softened, about 1 minute. Deglaze pan by pouring in the cider and wine and bringing to a boil, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins
Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken to pan. Add carrots, parsnips and potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until vegetables are tender, about 25 to 30 mins.
Transfer chicken and vegetables to serving dish. Bring sauce to full simmer and add mustard and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined. Whisk cornstarch and water again and then add to pan, whisking well to incorporate. Cook 30 seconds until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken and serve immediately.

Apple Fritter Muffins

2011-10-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

There are two areas of the grocery store that I know to avoid if I happen to go shopping on an empty stomach...the deli with the chicken strips and fried potatoes, and the donuts. Why exactly are fried foods so tasty? I learned long ago to just walk the other way rather than try and fight the temptation.

Every so often though I give into the siren song of the apple fritter...crispy fried exterior, soft donut and cinnamony apple insides all wrapped up with a yummy sugary glaze. Rather than completely deprive this house of apple cinnamon goodness, I've combined all of the same flavors, minus the fried yumminess, into a muffin. I won't pretend it's healthy with the double dip into the glaze, but it has to be a bit healthier than it would be if it was tossed into a deep fryer.

Of course you have to start with the apples. I chose granny smiths, but you could probably use a sweeter apple and then reduce the sugar needed for cooking the apples.

After the apples are cooked, toss them with the 1/3 cup flour to prevent them from sinking during baking. It's important not to over mix muffins to keep them tender.

Let them cool for a bit before you dip in the glaze. You could reduce the dipping to just one time, but this is a scenario where double dipping is good. Yes, very, very good.

While it takes about an hour to let the glaze harden, it's so worth it. That crispy glazed topping makes it hard not to pull of the entire top and eat it first.

This muffin is definitely more muffin than it is fritter, but the apples, cinnamon and glaze are pretty satisfying even without the bath in the deep fryer.

***Updated with a couple of steps that were left out...sorry about that! :) ***

Apple Fritter Muffins

For the Apples:
2 large granny smith apples, 1/4 inch dice
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp water

1/3 cup flour

For the Muffins:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:
2 tbsp butter melted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line 14 muffin cups with muffin liners
In a skillet add add apple ingredients except flour and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour to coat apples (this prevents apples from sinking to bottom of muffins)
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt
In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly
Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Gently stir in apples until just combined
Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.
Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.
To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin top into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving.

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

2011-10-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's hard to stay away from pumpkin too long. This pumpkin comes in the form of a super crunchy biscotti perfect for dipping in a piping hot cappuccino.

Pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere, it's usually the first scent I smell when I walk into my office in the fall. I have to admit that I succumb the sweet, spicy temptation at least once a year...it's like of rite of passage leading to each fall. Sadly though, as tasty as it is, I prefer my coffee to be pure unsweetened coffee flavor, so that one pumpkin spice latte order each year is it for me. I have more than a little bit of envy whenever I smell a pumpkin spice latte, wishing I wanted to drink it as much as I love the idea of drinking it.

That pumpkin spice coffee scent is indeed one life's great scents.

The solution to this came to me a couple of years ago when I saw a posting for pumpkin biscotti on Southern Living. In this scenario, I get that wonderful pumpkin spice flavor, but my coffee is pure java flavor with a bit (or a lot) of milk thrown in.

Love biscotti.

I dipped some in white chocolate and drizzled others with the white chocolate. I think these are actually better without the white chocolate as it's a little too sweet with the drizzle. But the white chocolate ones look cuter and eating cute food is important.

With our first breath of cool air here in Las Vegas, it's time to transition back to hot lattes. I take lattes pretty seriously...given a choice between an espresso after dinner or a glass of wine, I am grabbing the espresso. I'm convinced that coffee is the elixir of heaven.

Since I spend a considerable amount of time making coffee in this house, thought I'd share this easy, espresso machine free way to make a latte or cappuccino at home. Granted, I understand that one of those $400 grinders grinds the perfect bean without altering the flavor and those thousand dollar machines are able to pull an espresso that cannot be replicated at home (YUM!) but this poor man's latte making makes a pretty tasty latte.

Remember the moka pot from the pumpkin spice protein shake post?(which by the way is a coffee addition to a shake and not a flavored coffee--it's obviously different...maybe) Yep, start by putting on a pot of espresso in the moka pot. While that is brewing, pour about 1/2 cup of milk into your cup. Skim and 1% foam really well. I've never tried 2%, whole or nut milks.

Grab one of those milk frothers (just $15 at a kitchen store or less if you can find one at TJ Maxx). Froth the cold milk--this takes under 30 seconds. Froth more for cappuccino, less for latte. I got carried away while taking photos, so we are making a cappuccino here. The best part is there is no machine to clean, all you have to clean is this little electric whisky thing by running it under water...yay!

Heat the milk in the microwave. Watch it the entire time...it inflates like crazy. I usually have to turn it off at 30 seconds and let it deflate a bit before finishing the warming.

This makes a crazy solid foam...no wimpy foam here.

Pour in your desired amount of espresso and stir. Not a Starbucks, but when you drink about 3-5 of these a day like I do, it's a pretty economical version to make it at home and goes perfectly with pumpkin spice biscotti.

Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp butter melted
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
1/2 bag white chocolate chips, melted with 1/2 tsp shortening (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl and whisk together.
In another bowl whisk together pumpkin, eggs, melted butter, extracts and pumpkin pie spice.
Slowly add flour to pumpkin mixture and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently mix in almonds
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. Lightly flour hands and shape each portion into long log the length of a full baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 300.
Cool log for 15 mins then transfer to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut into 1/2″ thick pieces, slicing at a slight angle. The interior of each biscotto will still be just a little moist
Place the biscotti with a cut side facing up on a half sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan and flip all the biscotti over so the other cut side is now facing up. Bake for another 10 minutes. Set all the pieces on a wire rack to cool.
Once the biscotti have cooled, drizzle with melted white chocolate. (To melt the chocolate, pop it in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds, then stir. Place back in microwave and heat in 15-second intervals and stirring in between until chocolate is melted. Alternately, dip 1/4/-1/2 of each biscotti in chocolate. Store in airtight container.

Cookbook # 78 Bar Americain; Chopped Apple Salad

2011-10-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

Where does the work week go? It seems like one day you're rolling over in bed on a Monday morning wondering how the weekend went by so quickly, and the next day, it's the end of the week and it's time to get ready for a couple of days away from the office. I can't believe tomorrow is Friday already, but I am definitely not complaining.

The weeknights go by in the same frenzied blur as the weekdays, but every once in awhile, I feel a little ambition to crack open a cookbook...a new cookbook in this case. Yes, it is the newest Bobby Flay cookbook, Bar Americain. It's not that I intend to pick up these new cookbooks, it's just that I belong to The Good Cook cookbook club. It's one of those clubs where you get a bunch of books free and then agree to buy a book or two in the next year. It usually turns out the be a phenomenal deal for a cookbook lover like myself...4 books up front for $1 plus free shipping (I got Dorie Greenspans French cookbook for just $1!) I buy one at half price when I sign up, and I have just one more cookbook to buy in the next year. I do that easily. But I digress...the book club just offered up cookbooks at $10 and I can't resist Bobby Flay cookbooks as it is, let alone newly released $10 cookbooks.

Oh is this cookbook just yummy...Roasted Corn Soup, Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Gratin, Smoked Chicken Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Crust, Brooklyn Hash Browns, Blackberry Souffle and Thin Apple Tart just to name a few. Bobby is a genius. Imagine the pain when my coworker asked if I went to the Bobby Flay book signing when he was at one of our properties a couple of weeks ago. That's why you should read memos really.

For a weeknight meal, I went with two of the easier recipes. In this case though, easy does not mean less flavor....grilled cheese with cheddar, goat cheese, bacon and green tomato and a chopped apple salad with pomegranate vinaigrette. The sandwich was a great combo of salty bacon and sweet green tomato with melty cheese to pull it all together. And the salad...I think toasted nuts in salad are just heavenly. Add into that the sweet popping crunch of pomegranate seeds and tart apples and the salad is a perfect light and clean weeknight dinner.

Chopped Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Adapted from Bar Americain by Bobby Flay

Ingredients

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey, or more to taste
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

6 apples cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups baby spinach, sliced
2 heads endive, thinly sliced
1 cup toasted sliced almonds
3/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

For the vinaigrette:

Directions

Whisk together the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

For the salad:

Combine the apples, spinach, endive, walnuts and blue cheese and half the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Serve and sprinkle remaining pomegranate seeds on top.

Baked Hot Chocolate

2011-10-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

When I saw that My Baking Addiction and Good Life Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange was starting and Scharffen Berger Chocolate, was sponsoring the first week, I was sold. Actually I was sold when I saw the recipe exchange was starting up in October and I did a little dance when I saw that chocolate was the first week's theme.

I knew that for the Scharffen Berger Chocolate theme week, this particular recipe needed to be made...again. It would also let me add another cookbook to my completed list...cookbook # 77 in this case: The Essence of Chocolate Cookbook from Scharffen Berger. I've actually made this recipe about a zillion times because it's that great and adapted it over the years to include vanilla, reduce the sugar and added different flavorings, but the core recipe is still Scharffen Berger's. Love this cookbook---but how bad can a cookbook all about chocolate really be?

Since this is only week one--it's the perfect time to join in the recipe exchange. In fact, you can join in any theme anytime during the entire week it's open and today is just day one of chocolate. What I especially love is that it's not a mandatory weekly involvement so if we get a little busy around the holidays, we can participate in the ones that we have time for. Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.

These little cups of chocolate are so rich and decadent that you'll probably want to share one with someone. Or not, but I'd recommend it. I thought it was a fluke when I couldn't finish the first time so I tried the recipe again because it is chocolate after all. The next time I poured a large glass of milk, and swore I'd power through it, but alas, I could not. It's that rich, but each bite is like pure chocolate heaven. The top is a crispy chewy and the cake gets progressively soft and gooey as you get to the bottom of the cup until it's like a spoonful of thick rich chocolate. It's similar to a molten chocolate lava cake, only with a lot less cake and a lot more molten chocolate lava. I know frozen hot chocolate has a big following, but I would argue that baked hot chocolate can definitely give the frozen or hot varieties a run for their money. And the best thing is it is so surprisingly easy. You look like a rock star chef just by melting chocolate and letting the mixer beat some eggs and sugar for 5 minutes.

Baked Chocolate Chaud

adapted from Essence of Chocolate by Scharffen Berger

10 oz semisweet chocolate chopped

6 tbsp butter

4 large eggs

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees .
Arrange four 1 cup ovenproof coffee cups in a baking or roasting pan and begin boiling water to pour around cups during baking.
Add water to bottom of a double boiler and set to simmer. Place the chocolate and chopped butter in the top of a double boiler melt, stirring until smooth. Remove from chocolate from heat, stir in vanilla bean paste and set aside, leaving the simmering water on the burner.
Stir the eggs and sugar together in the mixer bowl; set over pan of simmering water and whisk until warm to the touch.
Using whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Carefully fold the eggs into the chocolate mixture until it is light and smooth.
Spoon the batter into the cups and place on middle rack in oven. Pour boiling water into roasting pan to come about 1/3-1/2 way up the side of the cups.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until set and no longer shiny on top.
Carefully remove the cups from the pan and let cool on rack. The cakes can be served warm, at room temperature or covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. To reheat, bring to room temperature and place in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 5 minutes, or until warm.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or even melted marshmallows

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

2011-10-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last pumpkin post...for a little bit at least. I have quite an assortment of squashes begging to be cooked up.

This one's another savory recipe....and it feels pretty rich and decadent while eating it. I actually felt guilty after finishing up my bowl and then realized I'd just eaten a pretty healthy bowl of pumpkin, veggies and broth. It's based on the idea of the much-loved butternut soup classic, but with some southwestern flavors and heat.

Yes, tomatillos.

Actually roast the onions at the same time but I didn't add them to the photo.

For the pumpkin I chose the kabocha below which is one of my all time favorite squashes/pumpkins. I think kabocha is a general term for pumpkin in japanese, but it's been a really, really long time since I studied japanese. Regardless, I love the flavor and its availability pretty much all year long at the asian market. Slice it into pieces without removing the rind, toss with coconut oil, salt and pepper and roast. It is so fantastic that Brooklyn and I fight over the cold leftovers straight from the fridge.

For this recipe though, the pumpkin needs to be peeled and chopped. Not the most fun activity, but so worth the effort. Add a box (or 2 14 oz cans) of chicken broth and cook until the pumpkin is tender(about 15 mins).

I realized after I took the whole food processor step that it was unnecessary as I was going to blitz the entire soup with my stick blender.

Add the chipotle, tomatillos, tomatoes, onions and garlic to the cooked pumpkin and broth and then use a stick blender to puree.

Serve with yogurt, avocados and some tortillas on the side--I love these Trader Joes Veggie Flaxseed tortillas. Croutons or thick crusty bread would also be fantastic.

And since I've been on a "short version/long version" of the past few recipes, I'll continue. I'm guessing you could do a short version of the soup with 2 cups of canned pumpkin puree instead of using fresh pumpkin. Add it to the broth and the roasted vegetables, puree and cook for 10 minutes.

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

2 lb kabocha pumpkin (or any pie pumpkin)

1 lb tomatillos

1/2 lb tomatoes

1 head of garlic, top cut off

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1-2 canned chipotles plus sauce

salt and pepper to taste

avocado (optional)

Chips or bread for serving

Turn oven to broiler setting and set rack to middle row of oven.
Cut tomatillos and tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet. Add onions and garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast on middle rack for 10 minutes
Peel and cut pumpkin into 1/2 inch cubes. Add chicken broth and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until pumpkin is fork tender
Add roasted tomatillos, tomatoes (should slip out of their skins), and onions to pumpkin pan Squeeze individual garlic cloves out and add along with 1-2 chipotles and 1 tbsp sauce. (I used two and it was pretty spicy)
Puree with stick blender until smooth
Turn heat down to medium low and cook 10 mins to warm through and allow flavors to meld
Serve with tortilla chips, plain yogurt and avocado.

Hoover Dam Raft Tour

2011-10-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hoover Dam is just a short 1/2 hr drive from Vegas and while I've seen it before, I've never seen it from the backside canyon. Black Canyon Tours operates short 45 minute "postcard tours" that takes you down the canyon and into a raft on the back (front?) side of the dam--perfect for a view of the dam very few people ever see. I think they also offer a much longer rafting trip down the river as well.

Anyone who ever sat in a car waiting to slowly cross the dam over the dam road knows that this bypass bridge was needed and was finally completed about a year ago. Nevada and Arizona named the bridge together since it spans both states.... Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Not sure how interesting all of this is except I thought I'd share how cool it was that Arizona chose to name their portion of the bridge after Pat Tillman.

When I think of Hoover Dam I think of the 70s and I have no idea why.

Pumpkin and Sausage Ravioli

2011-09-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sage infused brown butter and squash or pumpkin is one of those perfect flavor combos...right up there with sea salt and caramel and chocolate. Since it is pumpkin frenzy time, let's get started.

Did you know that sometimes sausage comes fully cooked? My sausage naivety shows here. Fully cooked sausage does not crumble while it cooks so I just chopped it up fine before returning to the pan.

My pasta rolling skills aren't the hottest apparently but I just saved up all these excess scraps, cut them into mini noodles and let dry a bit. It's almost chicken noodle soup time and I think think/hope they'll be perfect in that.

Yep, A LOT of work. For an easier version(minus the sage brown butter), you could also slice the sausage, brown it up and then add the garlic, pumpkin, ricotta, herbs and spices. Add broth or milk to thin it out a bit and toss with penne or any other boxed pasta cooked al dente. Same pumpkin and sausage flavors and only 1/10th of the effort.

Missing my mom's chest high, 4 foot wide sage bush. My sad sage options now.

All the leftover scraps ready for chicken noodle soup sometime soon. Once they were dry enough to not stick together, they went into a baggie in the freezer.

I took pictures of the brown butter as well, but then deleted them all and reformatted my CF card so every single one is gone. To make brown butter, you just melt a stick of butter over med-high heat and then let it sizzle away as the fat cooks out all of the water in the butter. Watch carefully because it tends to go from regular butter to brown butter relatively quickly. When the butter is a dark amber shade, throw in 10-15 leaves of clean dry sage and let them sizzle. Serve ravioli with a brown butter drizzle and don't forget the crispy sage...it's the best part in my opinion.

FRESH PASTA

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water

Mound flour on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center.
Add eggs, salt, and water to well. With a fork, gently beat eggs and water until combined.
Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well.
Knead remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form a dough, adding more water, drop by drop, if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky).
Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes(I throw in the KitchenAid at this point with the dough hook because I don't enjoy kneading.
Leave in mixer bowl and cover with a plate. Let rest for an hour.

PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE FILLING

1/2 lb chicken sausage(removed from casing)
1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup ricotta
1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp chopped sage

a couple of grates of fresh nutmeg
salt and pepper

In medium skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage taking care to cook through
Add garlic and cook additional minute
Add pumpkin and ricotta and heat through. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper
Remove from heat and set aside while you roll out pasta

Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramel Sauce and Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2011-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a twist on the pumpkin sea salt caramels from last Sunday's Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramels. I saw a comment somewhere that that someone wished the caramels weren't so difficult to make. I don't think they are so much difficult as time consuming and precise, but I know candy making isn't for everyone. I only give it a go a few times a year because it is a little bit of an effort. But oh the flavors of the sweet and salty pumpkin...I hate for anyone to miss out so gave it a try as a caramel sauce. The caramel sauce is so much more forgiving since the final cooking stage doesn't require checking temperatures.

I opted to top pumpkin oatmeal cookies with the sauce because I really just wanted to try this pumpkin oatmeal cookie recipe as well--maybe a little pumpkin overkill if there is such a thing. Regular oatmeal cookies or cheesecake would love some pumpkin sauce as well or swirl it into homemade ice cream with some crumbled gingersnaps before freezing. For the easiest dessert ever, you can serve the caramel right over some store bought ice cream.

The only real candy making stage is the sugar/water/corn syrup cooking. Add all to heavy bottom pan, turn heat to medium/med low and let sugar cook without stirring. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can check the sugar mixture by dropping in cold ice water. Sugar syrup should hold together and be soft and squishy in your hands--soft ball stage. Slowly add pumpkin cream and whisk thoroughly. Let cook until desired consistency--whisking often.

Let it cool, ladle it in a fabulous jar and keep or give away. You'll obviously want to refrigerate. Much easier than the caramels, but all of the same Pumpkin and Sea Salt Caramel goodness.

The pumpkin oatmeal cookies were good but a little too sweet for me. I'd definitely make them again and experiment with reducing the sugar.

PUMPKIN SEA SALT CARAMEL SAUCE

1 1/2 c heavy cream
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup of water
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sea salt

In a saucepan, combine cream, pumpkin puree and spices. Warm to just before boiling and set aside.
In a second heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup and water. Turn heat to medium and let sugars boil until it reaches 240 degrees (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer).
Very carefully add the pumpkin cream to the sugar mixture and stir. Continue cooking on medium for 15-20 mins
As soon as it reaches desired consistency, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Stir vigorously so that butter is fully incorporated. Let cool and store in jar.

PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 sticks butter; softened
1 stick margarine
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cinnamon or white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper or generously grease individual sized cast iron skillets
Combine flour, oat bran, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice in bowl and whisk to combine and remove lumps
Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar in mixer bowl until light and fluff
Add pumpkin and egg and mix well. Beat in vanilla
Add flour mixture combine until all ingredients are incorporated.
Fold in white chips and dried cranberries
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets or spread cookie dough into skillets
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino...with Protein

2011-09-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am on a pumpkin mission...such a happy time of the year. Just a warning that every food post within the next couple of weeks will probably be pumpkin related.

It may not be entirely accurate to call this a frappuccino because truthfully, I've never actually purchased a frappuccino. And I'm pretty sure a frappuccino doesn't come in right around 200 calories with 100% of your daily recommended intake of about a zillion vitamins, along with calcium and other goodies. So this is really more protein shake with a little fall goodness mixed in.

The first ingredient is of course cold espresso. There are quite a few posts on the web about making cold brewed coffee for iced coffee. I tried it once but it wasn't strong enough and was missing that certain espresso flavor kick that I love. I think it's the bite from the acidity from brewed coffee, and when I have an ulcer I'll regret it, but I for now I prefer to start with brewed espresso. I also like espresso based drinks more than regular coffee...with an espresso base, you can add milk or almond milk and have a latte rather than an iced coffee with a bit of added cream. A moka pot is pretty cheap option to make espresso (10-15$ at TJ Maxx or Marshalls), doesn't take up counter space and makes a nice strong espresso.

I usually brew a pot at night and refrigerate. Then the next morning, you can have an iced latte or throw together this quick protein shake.

I love Spirutein protein powder. When I first moved to Vegas I had trouble finding my favorite Spirutein flavor (Exotic Red--fruity and so yummy with frozen fruit and ice blended in) and contacted the company asking where I might find some. Their customer service told me I could find it by calling around to all the stores in my area and asking them if they carried it. Really. And despite this horrific customer service model, I still love the product--that's saying something. Vanilla is much easier to find...I've found Vanilla Spirutein at Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Sunflower and just about any natural grocer I've ever been in. It has a higher sugar content than some other protein powders out there (8-9 grams) but I'd rather have a few extra grams of sugar than drink one of those shakes that make you hate each sip.

For a pumpkin spice shake you just grab a blender jar (or pitcher--I use a stick blender for everything) and add 1 cup milk (or nut milk), 1-2 "shots" of espresso, 1-2 cups of ice, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 3 tbsp canned pumpkin puree, and 1/8 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. You can add an additional sweetener if you like--I find the sweetener in the protein powder does the job.

Blend and enjoy. It is so good you'll probably forget that it's good for you, and saving 1000 calories is just a bonus. Just an FYI that the pumpkin, protein powder and pie spice are just as delicious mixed into oat bran for a warmer breakfast.

Pumpkins aren't just for eating though, they are for playing with as well. I found these pics of my little punkin from just last year. I can't believe this tiny little 2 lb dog in the pictures grew up to be my strapping and enormous 15 lb pup of today. Tee-hee. Sometimes you want them to be this small again until you remember how often you had to pull out the rug cleaner right?

Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramel Shortbread

2011-09-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to wait patiently for cool fall weather before jumping fully into the pumpkin baking spree, but Las Vegas weather isn't cooperating. Yesterday was something like 101 degrees, which while cooler than it has been, doesn't exactly have one grabbing a fleece to walk through the fallen leaves. The fall anticipation got the better of me today though and I put out the fall decor and grabbed the pumpkin.

I actually keep pumpkin in the house all year round for Brooklyn. Pumpkin is apparently just as delightful to puppies as it is to humans, and it's supposedly really good for them. I mix up some pumpkin with chopped boiled chicken and just a small bit of rice (or oatmeal) and stuff her Kongs with it before sticking them in a baggie in the freezer. Brooklyn loves having a Kong straight from the freezer and it keeps her little mind and body occupied for a good 1/2 hour.

Yep, pumpkin is magic.

For some reason though, I limit the pumpkin baking to just fall..as many of us do. It's odd because pumpkin is perfect any time of the year. Just ask Brooklyn. I was in a salt caramel mood so thought I'd give pumpkin caramel shortbread a try. Similar to the Millionaire's Shortbread I made last Christmas, it's just missing the chocolate topping. You could add it, or you could even top it with white chocolate.

I know that using a candy thermometer is the preferred method for making caramels. Everytime I cook the caramel to the temp recommended for soft ball stage I find my caramels too stiff and chewy. I keep the thermometer on the pan just for an indicator of temp. To actually check the caramel I use the ice water method....keep a bowl of ice water on the side, drop caramel into it to drop the temperature down, and roll caramel between finger and thumb to check consistency.

Or, you could skip the shortbread all together if you are just in the mood for a bit of pure salt caramel goodness. I topped with a Hawaiian red salt because it looked festive but any salt would work. These were outrageously delicious--exactly like what you'd expect a pumpkin caramel to taste like...pumpkin pie, spice, sweet with a hint of salty, buttery fabulousness. The fact that they make the house smell better than any candle or air freshener could do is just an added bonus.

Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramel Shortbread

CARAMEL

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup of water

4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in chunks

1 tsp vanilla

sea salt

CINNAMON SHORTBREAD

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 8x8 pan with parchment.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together.

Press about 1/2 to 2/3 of dough into prepared pan Prick with fork.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden on edges.

Remove from oven and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine cream, pumpkin puree and spices. Warm to just before boiling and set aside.

In a second heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup and water. Turn heat to medium and let sugars boil until it reaches 240 degrees (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer).

Very carefully add the pumpkin cream to the sugar mixture and stir. Bring to 220-240 degrees on a on a candy thermometer. I like to keep a bowl of ice water here and begin testing caramel consistency once it reaches 210 degrees since everyone has different preferences for caramel firmness. (Continue stirring occasionally through this--it may take 30-45 minutes to come to temp).

As soon as it reaches desired consistency, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Stir vigorously so that butter is fully incorporated.

Pour the mixture onto the shortbread. Let cool 30-40 minutes before sprinkling with salt.

Or.........skip the shortbread step completely to make pumpkin sea salt caramels. Instead, line 8 inch square pan with parchment. Butter parchment paper well. Pour completed caramel (after step 10) into prepared pan. Let cool 30-40 minutes before sprinkling with salt. Let cool completely then use knife or kitchen shears to cut into pieces.

Spinach Lasagna Rollups

2011-09-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to start with an IT project manager's view on the changes facebook made. I must admit that I am not a Facebook poweruser--ask any of my friends who'll tell you that I haven't updated a status in months. I pop on periodically to see what people are up to and respond to things like my my 20 year reunion invite.

So the Facebook changes. The outrage. The anger. It's hard not to run into the status updates when you pop on there. In the end though, I think we all might like the changes given a chance and once we learn them--it's very often the learning that's our real pain point. Experience as an IT PM tells me that users HATE changes to their user interface, their processes and/or their workflows. Experience tells me you can spend months defining the end users' requirements to give them a system that automates every workflow they wanted automated and some they didn't know they wanted automated, create GUIs that give them everything they want to see on a screen down to colors and logos and a system that will cut down on their processing or work time substantially. Essentially this is the system of their dreams that they've spent months dreaming and defining. Experience also tells me that after all the design, development, testing and bloodletting that gives them this system they wanted, they will freak out a little at go-live and request their old system back. I've even heard "we just want our green screens back." Huh? Seriously? But given time they come to like it, and most often even better than the old system. The point is really that we all generally dislike technology changes initially. Heck, I cursed Microsoft when Office 2007 came out. Ironically (or unfortunately?) my new job has me back on an older version of Office and I ~~plead~~ whine very often for an update. I make cases for how much more efficient I would be in 2007 or 2010 because while so painful to learn initially, the updates were worth the learning pain in the end. I suspect we'd find the same thing with many of the Facebook changes or Blogger changes(yep they upgraded their system too). Pinterest says their changes are coming next week. Granted, Facebook, Blogger and Pinterest don't seem to ask their end users for our functional requirements, but I'm guessing we wouldn't come to a consensus anyway. They make the changes they deem appropriate and they usually stink at first while we are getting used to it. But I would think that if Facebook or Blogger decided tomorrow to back out all code changes since 2009 and revert back to the old 2009 interfaces, there'd be an outcry over that as well...because we've come to like the improvements that have come with the updates. I think people love the ability to check in or update their status from their mobile device. Technology is dynamic and will always change what we are comfortable with, it's a given so it probably helps to just jump in and embrace it...we'll have to learn it eventually. If it was static, we'd all still be playing Oregon Trail on our Commodore's rejoicing that no one ever changed our Oregon Trail interface. User response to system changes hits a little close to home for an IT PM--can you tell? :o)

Spinach lasagna has nothing to do with Facebook but what's a post without a photo? I tried rollups this time because for some reason they looked easy. Turns out, I think a big pan with layers upon layers of goodness, is actually a little bit easier. But rollups still are awfully fun to look at and serve up and ricotta and spinach is a solid combination of flavors. Tons of spinach is the best part.

Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

1 lb. lasagna noodles --I used spinach
15 oz. part skim ricotta
1 c. shredded mozzarella
2 eggs
1/3 c. grated Parmesan
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
2 garlic cloves, mince
salt & pepper
3 cups favorite tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Cook lasagna noodles according to the package directions, taking a minute or two off the lowest recommended time, and adding salt and a splash of olive oil to the water to keep the noodles from sticking. You want the noodles to be pliable, but still al dente since they’ll be baked before serving.
When the noodles are done, remove them one by one and lay them out on a clean towel, side by side. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, shredded cheeses, spinach, . With a spatula, spread a noodle from edge to edge with a thin layer of the cheese, and then roll it up from one short side to the other. Place the roll-up seam-side down in a large casserole dish that has been light coated with olive oil. Continue until all the roll-ups are complete.
Pour sauce over the roll-ups, and cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles. Serve hot.

Homemade Butterfinger Bars

2011-09-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

These are outrageous. As in, I couldn't believe it was true so I had to try it, outrageous. Candy corn. You know the stuff--the sickeningly sweet holiday treat that tons of people must adore judging by the sheer volume that is in stores each year. I'm pretty indifferent in the "candy corn or no candy corn?" debates that happen but when I saw this recipe, I bought a bag because you have to try right?

I saw this on Pinterest btw, and I might just change my blog name to "Chasing all Things Pinterest," because that about sums up my life these days. I have recipes lined up, outfits to buy, and even a grown up Barbie Dream House to decorate with the ideas found on Pinterest. Love it despite its ability to make me feel uncreative and completely inadequate in all areas. That's just motivation right? To give credit where credit is due, here's the pin linking back to the original recipe.

So for these homemade butterfinger bars, you melt 1 lb of candy corn. Seriously. Who is the first person who thought that melting candy corn would be a good idea? Melt it too long and the sugar becomes a little stiff. I melted in 15 second bursts in the microwave and it still went from solid candy corn to melted orange goo in a blink of an eye. Bright orange goo. Mine was a bit stiff, but I threw the 1 lb of Peanut Butter in, mixed as well as I could, and microwaved for an additional 15 seconds.

Eventually it all stirs together and you press into an 8inch square pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Let cool.

The recipe calls for dipping in chocolate bark. I opted for real dark chocolate and there was no dipping involved, only spreading. 20 seconds to spread vs all that dipping. And since these are homemade, don't you want them to say "homemade" and not look just like the store bought kind? :)

I thought these tasted just like a Butterfinger, but truth be told, I don't think I've had a Butterfinger anytime in the last decade. I read a review that said that while the taste was spot on, the texture was slightly off--a bit chewy and not crunchy. As it turns out, I left mine in the fridge, and maybe because I zapped the candy corn longer than I should have(or maybe not), or probably just because they were cold, these turned out pretty crispy crumbly. Pretty crazy I tell you. Candy corn. Really. Who thinks of these things?!?!

Ahi Tuna Sliders

2011-09-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that sliders are becoming a big deal on menus these days. I'm not sure if it's the allure of miniature foods, or the ability to call a burger an appetizer and eat multiple ones that's the real appeal. My favorite are the tuna sliders and what I do know is that making them at home is almost as easy as placing an order in a restaurant.

Roughly cube the ahi before pulsing in the food processor. This ensures that the tuna evenly distributes and chops. A couple of quick pulses should do it. You definitely don't want to turn on the food processor and let it go to town on the tuna.

Add the good stuff. You could substitute any seasonings at this point, I'm thinking that adding cumin, green chile and garlic and salt would make some pretty phenomenal sliders as well.

I like them with sriracha, but you could also top with lettuce, asian cucumber slaw or whatever it is you like to top your burgers with. Easy peasy meal...I prep the tuna the night before and let it marinate all day. When I get home from work, I start the potatoes in the oven and when they are almost done, throw the sliders on to cook.

Ahi Tuna Sliders

1 lb ahi tuna steaks minced

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp of grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green onion sliced

slider buns

sriracha for topping (optional)

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and stir into the minced tuna. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. Shape into patties

3. Heat grill pan to medium high. Toast buns, remove and set aside.
4. Cook slider patties in grill pan for 2-3 mins, flip, cook 2-3 mins on 2nd side.
5. Serve with sriracha and oven baked fries

Goal # 47, Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

2011-09-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

I really didn't intend to go for so many "big ticket" items so close to kicking off my goals list, but Groupon had other plans. It's hard to pass up a 1/2 off balloon ride when it's on your list of things do and experience right? Thanks Groupon.

What can I say about the experience? Well, lesson one: they don't go nearly high as they appear to be from the ground. I kind of expected all of the Las Vegas tract housing to look more ant like. I'm pretty sure I could repel from this height. If I knew how to repel that it is.

Red Rock Canyon from the air

Lesson two: it's called a hot air balloon for a reason apparently. This might be an activity better scheduled for a cool autumn day because you can absolutely feel that hot, hot air each time the pilot hits the lever to shoot some fire up into the balloon. Even a 6 am September flight felt quite toasty oasty. But it is so very cool to look up and see this...

Lesson three: wide angle lenses are not appropriate portrait lenses, and portraits should not be shot from 9 inches away. There's not a lot of space to move around in those baskets.

Lesson four: balloons do not go very fast. If there is no wind, they don't move much at all. It's more like floating up in the sky while taking in the view. But oh the view. Outstanding.

All in all, so glad to have participated. I think I expected more of a rush like skydiving would bring, but it's really just a chillaxing, super mellow time. No blood pressure rising. No adrenaline released. Not even a tiny bit scary(if you are not afraid of heights). And when we landed in the desert field, we had a fruit and mimosa treat awaiting us. Not too shabby at all.

This holds 12 people. Fo shizzle.