Taste My Kitchen

Raspberry Cheese Tartlets

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:41:00 +0000

It’s been well over a month since I have posted. I considered back logging all of the various recipes I have tried in the last month, but that’s too boring for me. So, today – I give you a delish mini treat…

These were fun to make. I was a little nervous about the shells. After they were in the oven for 5 minutes, they looked like they were rising into muffins so I pulled them out and re-mashed them around to make little cups. Popped them back in the oven for the remaining 15 minutes and they turned out great.

Filling:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tartlets/Cups:
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Mini Muffin baking pan

Fresh Raspberries

1. In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
2. In another bowl, beat the butter, flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch until smooth. (May have to mash around with your hands to get a dough like texture.) Roll into 1” balls. Place in greased muffin cups and press into the bottom and sides. If they begin to rise too much and are not shaped like a cup, remove from the oven and reshape while still raw.
3. Bake at 325 for 22 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack.
4. Pipe 1 tablespoon cheese filling into each tart shell. Garnish with raspberries. Cover and refrigerate until you serve.

Inspired by Taste of Home recipe.

Lemon Pound Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:55:00 +0000

This is a cream cheese recipe that I got from my True Grits cookbook (thanks Lauren!). This cookbook has some truly amazing southern recipes with cute tales from the writer. Click here if you want to check it out.

The cake was very rich, tart yet sweet enough to satisfy. I could have done without the icing. By the way - baking is a dangerous hobby for someone as clumsy as me! I bought some new gadgets (mini grater and lemon zester) to use while making my lemon pound cake and I also injured myself with one of them. Proof below - Ever zested your finger? It was a lot of fun. It was like peeling a potato except it was my thumb :( Luckily, I was just zesting for decoration, so the cake was already in the oven at this point.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese

3 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
6 eggs

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 powder sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Cream the butter in a mixer bowl until light. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla. Mix well.

2. Beat in the eggs 2 at a time. Add the flour and salt, beat until creamy. Spoon into a greased (and powdered if you prefer) 10-inch tube pan.

3. Bake at 350 for an hour and 10 minutes or until cooked through.

4. Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove and place on cake dish.

5. Mix powder sugar, milk and lemon juice in small bowl. Drizzle over the top and the sides of the cake.

Cajun Chicken Linguine

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:28:00 +0000

Creamy, full of flavor pasta dish. This is by far my favorite.

Ingredients:
4 thin sliced chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
salt
xtra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small red bell pepper, choppped
1 small green pepper, chopped
5 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
2 green onions (white and green parts of the onion chopped and separated )
1 1/2 cup of Half and Half
2 fresh basil leaves - or 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp minced garlic (I use jar kind, can use fresh if you prefer)
1 package linguine (12 oz should be enough for 4 people)
For topping - fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Directions:
1. Prepare the pasta according to package.

2. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with Cajun seasoning and cook in small amount of olive oil. Remove and set aside. (Best to use a large pot because you'll eventually have all ingredients - even the pasta - in this one pot.)

3. Add about another teaspoon of EVOO, heat and cook the peppers, mushrooms, garlic and white portions of the onion until tender.

4. Once vegetables are tender, return chicken to pot and stir in Half and Half and basil. Add salt to taste. Cook over low heat for about 4 minutes.

5. Add linguine and toss to coat. Sprinkle cheese and chopped green onion on top of each serving.

Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:30:00 +0000

Just a few shots of some yummy cupcakes I made for a friend's birthday. Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate frosting and an extra jolt of chocolate on top. Those cute purple candies are M&M's Premiums - three layers of chocolate - white, dark and milk. I liked the color because it matched the pink and purple paper I bought, but they were also a nice flavor addition to the cupcakes. If you want to see all of the new Premiums, click here.

Cinnamon Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:27:00 +0000

I needed a challenge today. It's Labor Day and I didn't want to turn on the work computer and hammer away on a media plan, soooo I decided to go through my recipe binder. This binder contains all of the challenging recipes that I have yet to try. After digging through, I found "the one" for the day - Cinnamon Rolls. When I pulled this recipe from Cooking Light back in January, I never expected I would wait 8 months to actually make these. By the way - there's nothing "light" about this so I'm not sure why it was published in that magazine.

This is an ALL DAY adventure, or at least for me it was. I made the dough from scratch with yeast and all. First time to ever use yeast. I enjoyed making these, but if you plan to try make sure you have some down time around your house. There's a lot of prep and wait and prep and wait. It's well worth it once you taste your very own sweet rolls!

I've detailed the recipe below as my version. This originally called for cardamom but I wanted to use cinnamon. The original also recommended a lime glaze, but I tried it and I prefer the regular glaze. I noted below how to make the lime in case you wanted to taste it for yourself. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Dough:
1 package dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
¼ cup warm water
½ cup light sour cream
1/3 cup plain sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
2 1/3 cups all purpose flourFilling:
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon (add more if you like)
2 tablespoons butter, meltedGlaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water OR lime juice

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes.

2. Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl. Stir until blended well. Stir yeast mixture into sour cream mixture.

3. Add 2 cups of flour to the large bowl with the other mixed ingredients. Stir to form soft, tacky dough. (I was shocked at how gooey this substance was. Be patient, it will thicken up.)

4. Spread some flour on the counter to prevent sticking and lay your dough on the flour. Add flour to your hands also and begin to knead until smooth and elastic. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Keep adding flour if you need to.

5. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place your ball of dough in the bowl. Cover and set aside for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size. To check, gently place two fingers in the dough. If the indentation remains, it has risen enough.

6. Prepare filling by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

7. After dough has risen, divide into two equal portions. Work with one portion at a time and roll out the dough into a rectangle that is approx 12x10”. Brush generously with butter and sprinkle half of the sugar mixture on top. Beginning with the long side, roll up the dough. Pinch seam to seal (NOT at the ends – on the long side). Repeat with other portion of dough.

8. Cut each roll into 1-inch slices. (Mine are slightly smaller.) Spray your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and place rolls in dish. Cover and set aside for 25 minutes to allow the rolls to rise.

9. Preheat oven to 350. Bake rolls for 25 minutes or until light brown.

10. Mix water or lime juice and powdered sugar for the glaze. Remove rolls from over and drizzle glaze on top.

Turkey Bacon and Egg Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:05:00 +0000

Here's a snapshot of the current breakfast of choice in our house. We don't eat much beef or pork, and I was really starting to miss bacon!!! I saw the turkey bacon at the grocery store last week and thought I would give it a shot. I've had it in restaurants plenty of times before, just never thought to buy it.

The hardest part about buying a new product is convincing the man of the house to try new things. His first comment when he saw the TB - "This looks funny." Well, yeah - it's not REAL bacon, it's meat from a turkey. He was still willing to taste it as long as I cooked it extra crispy. Hence the nickname "Crispy". Everything must be crunchy for him...guess we all have our certain preferences :)

After the first sandwich, my number one customer has been requesting this often! So here's a picture of breakfast this morning - a nice, juicy turkey bacon and fried egg sandwich on wheat bread with a dab of light mayo. (I tried to make this healthy!)

I plan to start using TB in any recipe calling for the real thing. I think it's an excellent substitute.

Fun with Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:16:00 +0000

I picked up some chocolates on Friday while grocery shopping with no set plans to use it. After a quick search through the fridge and the pantry, I decided to whip up some sweet treats. I found peanuts, captain crunch, strawberries, peanut butter, graham crackers and some marshmallows....

I had so much fun with this. At one point, I was laughing (can you say sugar high) and eating melted chocolate off of my hands.

Chocolate covered strawberries - I LOVE these. Super easy to make and always impressive for parties or dinner. I've made these several times and they are so much better when they come fresh from your kitchen as opposed to store bought. Just melt a bag of small chocolate morsels on LOW heat until smooth. Wash and dry berries and dip in the chocolate. Lay strawberries on wax paper on a large tray or plate and pop in the fridge to cool.

I only had milk choc, but you can definitely play with this by creating swirls or tuxedos with white chocolate.

Open-faced Smores - Spread some melted chocolate on a graham cracker and top with a marshmallow. If you can't eat them all while warm, you can chill in the fridge. The marshmallows won't keep long, but the choc covered grahams will be delish!

Peanut-Peanut Butter Bites - Warning: I have no exact measurements for you, I just threw this together. Pour some unsalted peanuts into the remaining melted chocolate (take off the burner). Spoon out a small amount onto wax paper. Add a little bit of peanut butter and then top with another spoonful of the peanut mixture. This way, the PB is in the middle. Place in the fridge to cool and harden. (I also added some caramel to the top of a few of these.)

The chocolate covered Captain Crunch wasn't camera friendly, but it was yummy.

Eggplant Lasagna (No Noodle!)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:52:00 +0000

So, I recently read the 5-Factor Diet book by Harley Pasternack. It's all about healthy living, flourless bread and telling you why every other diet in the world won't work or give you energy like this one. I got some good ideas, found a few recipes to try and learned a lot about fiber. The trick to this plan is to eat 5 meals a day. Smaller portions of course, just spread out over time. I can't do it. I thought I could, but it just doesn't fit into my work schedule. However - I have learned some great new snacks to keep on hand each week at work.

Eggplant Lasagna is the first recipe I decided to try. I was very skeptical, almost cancelled cooking tonight all together for a Five Guys Burger and fries....but I cooked anyway and it was excellent!

As with most other recipes I share here, it's up for some experimenting. Could add some other cheeses, possibly some ground turkey and maybe even do it with zucchini instead of eggplant. No zuc for you Jen R - I know how much you love it ;) Anyway, first try was pretty much straight from the recipe. Here are the details:

This recipe on makes 2 servings, so you’ll need to adjust. I found a HUGE eggplant and used only one vs two smaller ones.

Ingredients:
2 small eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise (OR 1 LARGE eggplant, sliced)
1 cup tomato sauce (I used Hunt's canned)
1 pound tomatoes, thinly sliced (I used Roma - about 5)
1 cup nonfat ricotta cheese, softened
3/4 cup shredded nonfat mozzarella cheese (more cheese=better)
Salt and cracked black pepper
Cooking oil spray
2 tablespoons dried basil (eyeball it)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (used oregano)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper. Place them in a nonstick baking pan and roast for 15 minutes. (I baked the slices for 12 minutes with EVOO and salt/pepp)

2. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray and cover the bottom with eggplant slices. Ladle some of the tomato sauce over the eggplant and top with some of the tomato slices. Sprinkle the tomato with basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Spread ricotta over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Repeat the layers, ending with mozzarella. (Spreading the Ricotta was touch. I sort of just lobbed spoonfuls on top and once it was warm, smeared it around.)

3. Bake for 20 minutes. Then place under the broiler until the cheese turns golden.

Not the greatest picture, but I had to include at least one!

Nutrition facts per serving: 315 calories, 34g protein, 45g carbohydrate, 2g fat

Mom's Smash Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:06:00 +0000

Ok, this is one of those really bad for you but oh so good recipes. My Mom has made these for as long as I can remember. For some reason, I never have written it down which means I call her about once a year when I think about it. Well, now I have an easy place to find it and so do all of you. It's very easy to throw together and good to have around the holidays or pot luck gatherings.

Thanks, Mom!

Ingredients:
1 stick margarine (or butter if you prefer)
3 eggs
1 8ox package of cream cheese (I use the reduced fat kind)
1lb box of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 box yellow cake mix (chocolate would be good too)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt margarine, mix with one egg and the cake mix. Mash "crust" into a 9x11 square glass or metal pan. I think glass works best for this recipe. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and two eggs until creamy. Add vanilla and mix well. Pour cheese mixture over cake "crust" and bake for 35 minutes or until top turns tan.

Caribbean Shrimp Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:30:00 +0000

In this heat, it's always great to serve a cold salad. It took me several tries to get this dish right. I found the recipe in Cooking Light at the beginning of the year. It was a one of the winners from the annual contest and once you try it, you'll know why. Of course I changed the recipe slightly to suit my tastes, but this one is pretty close to the original. It's a good combination of sweet, tangy and spicy.

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked shrimp (bite size pieces)

5 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (find in Asian food section)

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced garlic (I buy it already minced and keep the jar in the fridge)

baby romaine or fresh spinach

1 cup chopped peeled mango

1 cup julienne cut radishes

1 cup diced avocado

1 cup diced, seeded cucumber

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (could also use sunflower seeds if you don't find pumpkin)

Combine shrimp, 2 tablespoons wine vinegar and chili garlic sauce. Toss and chill. For salad dressing :Combine remaining vinegar, oil, lime juice, paprika, cumin, garlic and dash of salt. Stir with a whisk. Place a good amount of greens on each place and top with shrimp mixture, mango, avocado, cucumber and radishes. Drizzle salad dressing on top and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds.

I usually serve with a glass of Pinot Grigio. Delish!

Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Work has been busy, but I have been cooking! I also have some fun new recipes to share. I'll be uploading new pics and recipes tonight, so check back soon.

Simple Strawberry Shortcake (with Pound Cake)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:03:00 +0000

Seems strange to call this shortcake because it doesn't have shortcake in it, but I wasn't sure what else to name it. This dessert will take you 10 minutes tops and is a great summer treat.

What you need:

1 Sara Lee pound cake
(You can these in the freezer section near cool whip or get one from the bakery.)

Fresh strawberries

Fat free cool whip

Slice the strawberries.

Place half of the slices in a food processor to create a sauce.

If you don't like the tartness, add a small amount of sweetener to the sauce.

Slice the pound cake, top with sauce, sliced strawberries and cool whip.

For a layered version, line the bottom of a dish with the pound cake, drizzle sauce, place sliced strawberries and a layer of cool whip. Repeat and end with cool whip on top.

Kat's Moussaka

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:32:00 +0000

My friend Katarina makes a delicious potato Moussaka. One lazy Sunday, I was cleaning up the kitchen and someone knocked on our door. It was Kat with a huge chunk of cheesy, meaty, potato goodness.

I did a little research to learn more about the dish and found out it can be found in many different countries with many, many recipe variations. Katarina is from Slovenia and makes hers with ground beef, cheese and potatoes. In Greece, this dish is made with eggplant, tomato and ground lamb. And, in the Arab world, Moussaka is a cooked salad of tomatoes and eggplant. Of course, I had to tweak this slightly because Chris only eats poultry and seafood. So, I made mine with ground turkey.

Ingredients:
1 package ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.
Cook onions in the EVOO. When tender, add ground turkey.
Cook until meat is done. Add tomato paste, garlic powder and paprika.
Add 1/3 cup of water to create sauce and cook down until barely any sauce.
Once cooked, and sour cream and stir.
Line the bottom of a baking dish with potatoes.
Add half of the meat mixture on top and sprinkle cheese over meat.
Repeat and end with a layer of potatoes.
Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
Remove and add cheese to the top.
Broil for 6-8 minutes until cheese is brown.

thin slices...

Thanks for the recipe Kat! It was so yummy. Chris has requested that we have your Moussaka often!

Pineapple Chicken with Green Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:49:00 +0000

Stir Fry meals are pretty easy. We love fruit in this house. I have never added pineapple to any of our stir-fry meals, until now. And let me tell you, this was yummy...if you like pineapple of course.

I love the smell of Jasmine rice and highly recommend using it with any rice dish. I discovered a rice cooker about 2 years ago and it is WONDERFUL! I was never able to perfect rice on the stove top, so it was a life saver for me. Plus, its so convenient to throw the rice on while you are prepping the rest of the meal. With a rice cooker, you don't have to watch it and if you have a good one- the rice will be cooked to perfection.

There's ginger in this recipe. If you don't use ginger on a regular basis, I have a trick for you! I learned this from Rachel Ray You can peel your ginger root and freeze it. Then, when you need it - pull it from the freezer. It still holds all its flavor and is also very easy to grate when frozen.

Ingredients:
Jasmine Rice (see bag for serving sizes - I use one cup uncooked for two people)
1 can pineapple chunks in their own juice
5 tablespoons of the juice
4 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger
1 teaspoon peanut oil
2 - 3 cups fresh green beans (or frozen steamers)
2 chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
Sesame Seeds

Mix pineapple juice, soy sauce, honey, sugar and ginger.
Add chicken to the sauce and marinate for 20 - 30 minutes.
Put the rice on and cook as directed.
Once chicken is marinated, drizzle oil in a wok or deep pot.
Add chicken and marinade to the wok.
When chicken is cooked through, add green beans and pineapple chunks.
Put a serving of rice and top with the chicken, green beans and sauce.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Peanut Butter Cookies with a Kiss

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:40:00 +0000

This is a traditional peanut butter cookie recipe. My mom used to make these and I am a big fan of peanut butter and chocolate. These are best when warm and served with milk!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups self rising flour

Preheat oven to 350.
Blend egg, margarine, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
Add flour and mix.
Chill the dough in fridge for about 15 minutes.
Once chilled, roll into small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.
For a criss-cross pattern, use a fork to press down the balls.
Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
Remove from oven and place a Hershey's kiss on top of cookie, pressing down gently.

These will be soft when you first pull them out of the oven, but they'll firm up after cooling.

Peach Cobbler - "1 Cup" recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:59:00 +0000

This is a simple recipe for a winning dessert. Many people refer to it as the "1 cup" recipe because you use one cup of flour, sugar and milk. I have always liked cobbler. I think my favorite part is the melting ice cream scoop on top. Takes 5 minutes to throw together. Then all you have to do is pop in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes and serve.

The below recipe is from the cookbook Confessions of a Kitchen Diva by Claudine Destino (she calls it "Magic Peach Cobbler"). I picked this book up the last time I was in Mississippi visiting my family and have found several recipes I enjoy.

You'll need:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar (sub splenda for a lighter dish)
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
4 cups fresh peaches (I used two cans of peaches in light syrup and drained the juice. I should be ashamed! I live in GA and have access to the fresh ones, but it's just so easy to open the cans. If you use fresh, you can sprinkle with a little sugar or sweetener.)

And of course, Ice Cream (If you haven't tried Edy's Light Ice Cream - you should. It's 50% less fat and 30% fewer calories than regular ice cream. Sort of guilt free...)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Melt butter and pour into baking dish.
3. Mix sugar, flour and milk and pour into the butter.
4. Add the peaches on top of the mixture in the baking dish.
5. Bake about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. (I like mine crispy, so I baked it a little longer.)
6. Remove and serve with ice cream.

Spicy Shrimp and Gazpacho with Avacado

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:12:00 +0000

I found this recipe a while back on Rachel Ray's site. It took a few tries to get it right and I have added and removed a couple of ingredients from the original. It is definitely packing some heat from the peppers and hot sauce. The addition of avacado mellows out the spice.

Here's my version...

Ingredients:
¼ cup lime juice
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 2 tblspns of adobo sauce from the can
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as Tony’s
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (see note below for shrimp)
One can of diced tomatoes
½ can Ro-tel tomatoes (tomatoes and peppers)
½ small Vidalia onion, chopped
½ cup peeled cucumber, chopped
2 celery ribs from the heart, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (sub fresh parsley if you don’t like cilantro)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 to 3 teaspoons Tobasco, depending on how hot you like your gazpacho
1 avacado diced
Salt
1 bag Tostitos (serve with meal)

1. Thaw shrimp. I buy Kroger frozen medium shrimp with the shell on. They are already deveined and you can thaw them in room temp water. Make sure not to thaw in warm water or it will start to cook the shrimp. Of course – fresh shrimp are always best!

2. In your food processor or blender, add the two peppers, two spoons of the adobo sauce, lime juice and grill seasoning and half of the olive oil you have set aside. Blend until smooth. Once shrimp have thawed (or if fresh) peel and marinate in this sauce. Set aside for 10 minutes or so. (Note: Adobo sauce can be found in your international isle next to the Mexican items. This is very spicy sauce, so only use 1 spoon full if you can’t handle a lot of heat.)

3. Don’t rinse your food processor (the small amount of sauce remaining will add some flavor to your gazpacho). Place the tomatoes, ro-tel, onion, cucumber, celery and cilantro into your food processor (may need to break in half depending on the size of processor – you don’t want it to overflow.) Blend until thick – decide how chunky you want your soup. Slowly stream in the Tobasco and Worcestershire and mix until blended. Pour into bowl, add the avocado chunks and stick in the fridge.

4. Your shrimp should be nice and marinated now. The lime juice may have cooked the shrimp slightly which is ok. Heat pan on the stove and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil until warm. Add shrimp and cook through.

Serve shrimp in the soup or on the side. I also like to serve with tortilla chips.

Click here for the original recipe.

Chicken Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:28:00 +0000

This is one of our household favorites. I discovered my love for Thai food when we moved to Atlanta in '05. Coming from small town Louisiana, I had never tasted Thai food before. Take it back! I just remembered when I was 12 and in New York with my uncle, he took us to a Thai place and I loved the Thai tea. That lil memory was tucked away! OK - Back to present day, we went to a spot called Surin the first week in Atlanta with some family. I had no idea what to order and was honestly intimidated by the menu of items I had never heard of. However - I found something I ended up loving and that's when the experimenting began. We went back to that place many times. I tried to make some of our restaurant faves at home and after 3 long years, and learning that fish sauce makes me gag - I finally created a Thai-like curry that we love (no stinky fish sauce needed).

Ingredients:
Rotisserie Chicken - meat pulled from bone
1 Cup Fresh Snowpeas - Trimmed (chopped if you like)
1 Red Bell Pepper sliced in long, thin strips
1 Can Coconut Milk
2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
Jasmine Rice (follow directions on bag)

Directions:
1. Bring Coconut Milk to boil in a saucepan and reduce heat to low
2. Add curry paste and whisk until mixed completely. Don't leave any lumps or you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise later!
3. Add brown sugar and salt to the sauce and mix. Keep on low heat. (Taste sauce and add more curry paste for a spicier dish. We like it hot at my house, but I know others may enjoy a more subtle spice.)
4. In a separate, larger pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and add the
5. Snow Peas and Red Pepper. Stir often for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the sauce to the vegetables in the larger pot.
7. Add the chicken that you have pulled from the bone and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Serve over warm Jasmine rice.

I usually serve this dish with Edamame and Chung's Frozen Vegetable Eggrolls. For those of you that don't know, edamame is a Japanese term used to describe young soybean pods that have been boiled in salt and water. It's typically served in Japanese and Chinese restaurants, but super easy to prepare at home. You can get it in the frozen section with the other vegetables in most stores. Just open the package, put the pods in a microwave safe bowl, cover with water, add salt and heat for about 10 minutes. Before serving, drain the water and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Icing and a Raspberry Truffle

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:20:00 +0000

I have been waiting all week to make these cupcakes. I found the recipe on another blog (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody) and these tiny treats looked amazing! I have never made cake batter or icing from scratch and always thought it was just too advanced for me. Well, I proved today, that is definitely not the case. I am starting to really love baking! (Besides - I have a ginormous sweet tooth and having all these sweets at home makes me happy.)

I also learned about "Dutch" processed cocoa vs. regular unsweetened. Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. This process gives it a more mellow flavor and a richer, darker color. I could not find Dutch CP at my local store, but I did find substitution instructions online. Here's what to do: For every 3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, ADD a pinch (1/8 teaspoon) baking soda.

This recipe was enough to fill 2 mini cupcake pans and one regular size cupcake pan. You'll see in my pictures below that I made mini cc's and regular ones. Hopefully, my coworkers will enjoy these tomorrow - because I can't possibly leave 50 cupcakes in this house...

Here are the details:
(Note - I changed a couple of ingredients but noted original recipe for you)

Devil’s Food Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
11 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (or regular unsweetened powder and baking soda)
2 large eggs1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups warm water

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and flour mini cupcake pans.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix to incorporate.
3. Beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the cocoa powder and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides with a spatula.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
6. Beat in the vanilla.
7. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the warm water in two additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix at low speed for 30 seconds. Pour batter into prepared pans.
8. Bake cupcakes for 13-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and remove cupcakes from pan. Let cool on wire rack. When cool, frost with Raspberry Jam Buttercream.

Raspberry Jam Buttercream
1 cup unsalted margarine, at room temperature
6-8 cups powdered sugar
½ cup seedless raspberry jam

Place butter and jam in a mixing bowl.
Cream butter and jam until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. If frosting gets too thick you can add a little milk to thin it out.

Raspberry Truffles
2 pints fresh raspberries, cleaned and dried
5 ounce semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup seedless raspberry preserves (original recipe called for jam)

Place chocolate and raspberry jam in a heat proof bowl.
Bring cream to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate and jam and let sit for about 3 minutes.
Whisk together chocolate mixture. If it is still a little lumpy, put in microwave for a few seconds and whisk again.
Put ganache into a piping bag fitted or even an plastic bag(with a tiny hole cut out).
Pipe chocolate ganache into fresh raspberries.
Let sit in fridge for about 15 minutes. Top frosted cupcakes with raspberry truffle.

What's cookin'?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:35:00 +0000

This week, I'll be cooking up some of my favorites and also trying out a couple of new ones. Here's what's on the menu for the week:

Chicken Curry
Kat's Potato Moussaka
Grilled Shrimp and Fiery Gazpacho
Sesame Pineapple Chicken with Green Beans

Chocolate Raspberry Delights (mini cupcakes)
Do-it-yourself Donuts
Peach Cobbler

Chicken 'Zini

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:14:00 +0000

A twist on an American classic, Tetrazzini, by subbing out some cheeses and eliminating a few ingredients. So its only appropriate to shorten the name of the recipe to 'Zini. Oh and by the way, the dish is named after the famous Italian-born opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. Some say it was first created in California and others will argue New York. All I know is Chicken + Pasta + Cheese = Goodness.

What you need:
1 small package Spaghetti (break in half for shorter noodles)
Rotisserie Chicken (pulled from bone)
3/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 a Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
Velveeta Cheese (small package cubed or you can get the Velveeta crumbles)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Boil pasta until tender.
3. While pasta is boiling, heat EVOO in large pot and add onions. Saute until tender.
4. Drain pasta, add to onions.
5. Add part of broth and Velveeta cheese. Stir until creamy. You may not need all of the broth. Just eyeball it and don’t make it soupy. This should be very thick like a casserole.
6. Pour into large baking dish and top with shredded cheddar.
7. Bake in oven for 6 to 10 minutes.

And then there was the taste test...She is gonna' love this picture.

I think she liked it. Had fun Lauren! Thanks for eating my food :)

3 Step Creamy Lime Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:49:00 +0000

This has to be the easiest dessert ever! I mentioned before, and I'll say it again - I don't normally make my own sweets. I usually just go for pre-made desserts. My taste buds have been begging for a Key Lime Pie - a fresh, homemade pie not a frozen one...event though, those are pretty good. In my search for the easiest creamy Key Lime recipe, I learned that actual "key" limes are a hard to find. Word on the streets (err the internets) is that unless you are in South Florida, you won't get an authentic key lime.

I did my research and thought I'd share the scoop on the rare KL. The fruit is smaller and has a higher acidity than a regular ole green lime. It's yellow when ripe but usually picked when green. The key lime is valued for its unique flavor - more tart and bitter than your average lime. The name comes from its association with the Florida Keys. Seems obvious, but I never knew that until now.

Sad to say, I made my pie with bottled lime juice and not key lime. Hence the name "Creamy Lime Pie". To make this super sweet pie, you'll need:

- 1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk

- 3/4 cup lime juice

- 1 container fat free whipped topping

- Graham Cracker Pie Crust (can even find this in reduced fat too)

Directions:

1.Whip the SCM and the lime juice until thick.

2. Add in the entire container of whipped topping.

3. Mix on high until creamy and pour into your pie crust.

Pop in the fridge for a couple of hours and voila - a yummy pie. Oh and don't forget to lick the bowl. I'm still on a sugar high :) No sleep for me tonight!

Click here for recipe source

Fun with Baking (pre-blog)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Here are a few pictures of my past baking projects...

This was a birthday cake I baked and iced for my boss, Jen last year. Today is her birthday -Happy Birthday, Jen!!!

Helped my friend Kat surprise her boyfriend with a strawberry cake on his birthday. We miss you Kat!

Some divine chocolate cupcakes and brownies for a party at KiKi's house - AKA Keefe...

Need chocolate NOW

Grandma's Vegetable Soup w/Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:01:00 +0000

I can thank my Grandma for my interest in cooking. My first memory of cooking is being in her kitchen on Lake St John learning how to make buscuits. Probably couldn't make a tasty buscuit from scratch today without calling her for tips - and I have called her for tips on many, many meals over the last several years. One of my favorite Grandma Handed-Down Recipes is Vegetable Soup. I LOVE this soup and cornbread - love it.

This week, I added some rotisserie chicken and it was so good. Chris said it tasted better than ever just because I added chicken...I beg to differ. It always tastes fabulous to me :) My recipe is a quick and slightly tweaked version of Grandma's. It can be made with or without the chicken and you could even add some roast if you prefer.

Here's what you need:

2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes (sliced or diced - I prefer sliced)
1 Can Whole Kernel Sweet Corn
1 Can Green Beans
1 Can Lima Beans (Some call them Butter Beans)
- You could add black eyed peas, kidney beans, etc. Any vegetable you like.
1 Vidalia Onion
1 Potato
2 Celery Stalks
Handful Carrots
Rotisserie Chicken
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat both cans of tomatoes in large dutch oven (just a big pot) on high.
Fill one empty can with water and add to tomatoes. (I usually add two cans of water to make it soup-y)
Chop onion, carrots and celery and add to the pot. Allow celery, carrots, onions and tomatoes to cook until tender but not too soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste. (I like it with a lot of pepper - enough to make your nose run.)
While that's cooking - pull chicken from the bone and set aside (I only used half of the meat for the soup and saved the other half for another recipe)
Cube one large potato and set aside.
Add green beans, lima beans and corn to the pot and cook about 3-5 minutes.
Add potatoes and cook until tender (not mushy).
When the potatoes are almost ready, add the chicken.
Once the chicken has soaked in for a few minutes, it's ready to serve.

Best served with warm cornbread!

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:16:00 +0000

I don't bake every night or every week for that matter. But occasionally, I get in the mood to make some sweet treats. Tonight, it was Banana Nut bread. Found a recipe in Southern Living and tweaked it to my preferences. Next time, I will try it with Splenda to see if I can get it less fattening with the same taste!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (or margarine), softened
1 (8 ounce) package Fat Free cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 4 medium - try to get very ripe)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice, fresh

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer, until creamy.
2. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
4. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.
5. Stir in bananas, chopped walnuts, and vanilla.
6. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. (or 1 larger loaf pan)
7. Sprinkle pecans over batter before baking.
8. Bake at 350º for 1 hour, or give it the toothpick test – stick a long toothpick (wooden skewer) through the center. If it’s clean when you remove it, the bread is ready. If there’s batter on the toothpick – bake it a while longer.
9. Shield with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary.
10. Cool bread 10 minutes.
11. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes before slicing.
12. Stir together sugar and orange juice. Drizzle evenly over warm bread.

TASTE TEST - I think he liked it! (He went back for seconds, thirds and took the last slice!)