Pappardella

Nutrifact 5: To cook or not to cook: Vegetables

2013-02-02T14:40:00.005-05:00

I've returned...and this time as an RD. I passed!! I completed my bachelor's degree and internship and passed the exam...which are the qualifications for becoming a Registered Dietitian...but I'm not done yet! I'm currently working on my master's and plan to graduate in December.

Because of my frenzied studying the past few months before I took the exam, our dinners have mostly been taking advantage of the frozen section of the new Trader Joe's in town. However, I am now on here to write a blog post that has been insanely long in coming.

Have you ever wondered if those green beans are still as nutritiously wonderful after they're been simmering for half an hour? Should I be eating those carrot sticks raw? I'm here to share what I've learned about this topic so you can squeeze the most out of your vegetables!

Vegetables contain many wonderful minerals, water-soluble vitamins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. However, these can be lost if they are cooked certain ways, such as in water or for long amounts of time. I read a few research articles to try to understand this issue. As an RD, it is very important to me that what I say is evidence-based.

In 2008, a study was performed to determine what happens to carrots, zucchini, and broccoli when they are boiled, steamed, or fried. Interestingly, the antioxidant capacity of the vegetables increased after all three cooking methods. This is likely due to the softening of the vegetable's structure, allowing the antioxidants to be more readily released in our digestive tracts. However, boiling and steaming better preserved the antioxidants than frying. Also, all three methods reduced the amount of vitamin C in the vegetables. This is to be expected, however, because vitamin C is very sensitive to cooking.

In contrast, a 2012 study on the effects of cooking on kale discovered that this vegetable in the cabbage family loses most of its antioxidant activity after cooking (vitamin C, polyphenols, and beta-carotene in this case). They concluded that vegetables in this family may be best eaten raw or with little processing.

So now it was starting to get confusing...which vegetables should I cook and which should I not?

After a little more digging I found that, in general, the nutrient availability of vegetables increases after they are cooked for a short amount of time and with little or no water.

Now, I know there are some people who would want to have a chart on their refrigerator that says exactly which vegetables to eat raw and which to cook and how to cook them the best way. However, in my mind this is complicating things way too much.

My goal is to make eating healthy a simple matter.

In my opinion, the best way to eat your vegetables is to eat them. Too many people shy away from vegetables to tell them that the only way they should eat kale is raw.

Have fun with your vegetables! Buy different ones every time. Slice them up and try them raw. Saute them in a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast them with some grated cheese. Pop them in the microwave with a teensy bit of water. The point is to eat them and to eat a variety.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests the following tips for cooking vegetables:

-Clean your thick-skinned vegetables under running water instead of soaking them.
-Steam instead of boiling vegetables. Cooking vegetables in water causes their nutrients to leach into the water, which is then discarded.
-If you do prefer to cook vegetables in water, freeze the water for later use in soups and sauces and such.
-Microwave. This may sound strange at first, but microwaving your vegetables actually allows for a very short cooking time, which maximizes nutrient retention.

I agree with these suggestions. To make it even more simple...don't submerge and don't overcook. If you can remember these two pointers, you'll be golden!

So get out there and try some new veggies!

Home-Roasted Salsa: Preserving the Remnants of Summer

2012-09-17T20:04:00.001-04:00

It seems everyone has their own version of salsa. It's one of those recipes that, once made often and long enough, takes on the sacred status of a family heirloom.

I've made this one for a while now...developed in my mom's kitchen a few years ago simply by standing with the pantry door open, pondering my personal favorite qualities of a salsa.

Roasted. Medium spicy. Fresh. And different.

Home-Roasted Salsa
1/2 onion, layers separated (add more if you wish...I have to minimize the onion due to Ryan's dislike of it)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
15 medium smallish tomatoes (or whatever equivalent you care to use--these came from my garden)
3 jalapeños, seeded
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Cilantro, 2 handfuls
Cumin, enough to fit in the small part of your hand when cupped
Salt, 2 pinches

Sauté the onion and garlic until soft in a frying pan heated with a little olive oil. Remove into blender. Halve the tomatoes and blacken slightly in the frying pan with a little more olive oil.

(The way I started out doing this was on my mother's gas stovetop. If you have one, skewer the tomatoes without halving them and roast over the flame. Carefully.)

Remove into blender. Add the remaining ingredients. Blend, pulsing until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste and add adobo sauce if you want it spicier. Remember...it may get spicier as it sits in the fridge.

Now I made this batch with my new Ninja blender. Be careful...as it turned my salsa into tomato juice rather more rapidly than I expected.

Nutrifact 4: Detox Debunked

2012-09-16T15:08:00.000-04:00

Being a near-dietitian, I find it incumbent upon me to give this blog a healthy spin. There are many nutrition issues I would like to discuss at some point, but one that has been particularly on my mind lately is the Detox Diet.

First of all, let me just clarify that a diet does not entail weight loss. We are all on a diet. Whether it's a diet of McDonald's hamburgers or vegetable juices...it still classifies as a diet. Whatever you normally eat is your diet.

The detox diet comes in all shapes and sizes and everyone has heard of a different juice or smoothie or liquid fast that benefits your body in all kinds of miraculous ways! People usually grab hold of the idea as another elusive quick fix. This is just another example of how the world of nutrition can be extremely confusing. Well, the most recent Food and Nutrition magazine by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics included an article about Detoxification written by (who else?) an RD. (Registered Dietitian...which is what I will be in two or three months when I pass the exam!)

Robin Foroutan, MS, RD, delves into this difficult topic without fear. She starts by defining detoxification as "the biochemical process that transforms non-water-soluble toxins and metabolites into water-soluble compounds that can be excreted in urine, sweat, bile or stool."

This basically means that your body has a process that turns waste products from metabolism and external toxins into forms that can be eliminated from the body. The intermediate stage between the toxin's first form and the form that can is excreted is a free radical.

So this process can go wrong in two different ways. Either the body can't keep up with all the toxins entering the body, resulting in extra toxins getting deposited in the body's tissues. Or the body lacks enough enzymes to transform the intermediate free radicals into the excretable form, resulting in extra free radicals floating around.

So what is a toxin? When the word "toxin" is used in this sense, it generally refers to pesticides, food dyes, additives, and chemical preservatives that are in almost every single food we find on the shelves. Metabolic wastes are basically whatever is leftover after you have gotten everything useful out of whatever you ingested. This is normal. This is the very reason WHY we have an exit at the end of our digestive tract and kidneys that usher leftovers out of the blood and down the tubes.

For example, when you consume protein, you are consuming something that is made up of a bunch of molecules that contain the element nitrogen. Once our body digests these, ammonia is formed from the left over nitrogen. Our bodies can't do anything useful with ammonia and it is toxic. So the liver takes over and converts it to urea, which is much less toxic and can be excreted through the kidneys.

Look at you...learning nutritional biochemistry! :)

In general, the resiliency of our bodies allows us to eat strange diets for a small amount of time without suffering too greatly. One diet I would classify as strange is the juice diet. If you use this diet for a day or two to mentally prepare yourself for a healthy eating lifestyle change, it won't cause much physical harm. (Unless, of course, you have diabetes or blood sugar issues! Please do not attempt any new diet without consulting your doctor!) But basically a juice fast is doing nothing but drinking simple sugars (carbohydrates that are more quickly digested) without the benefits of the fiber that is in the whole fruit or vegetable. You will either suffer through a series of blood sugar highs and lows or you will have to drink a lot of this high-calorie substance to feel full.

Another detox diet is one containing herbal supplements. Generally the ones promoted for detoxification mean they enhance your body's own detoxifying system...meaning extra excretion. Think toilet time.

Another detox diet is only eating raw fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, many vegetables contain nutrients that are much, much more useful to the body after they have been cooked. (I have been asked about this topic recently and intend to make this my next Nutrifact!)

So the question is...does your body need help doing something that it is already designed to do?

It is my opinion that detox diets are a waste of time and money. However, increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume is never a bad idea and will help your body's digestive and excretion system maintain itself.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to bring them up. I would also appreciate any nutrition topic ideas that you would like me to discuss!

Sources:
http://www.foodandnutritionmag.org/defining-detox
http://nutrition411.com/component/k2/item/113-detox-diets-truth-or-fiction
My biochemistry notes

Two Ice Creams: Bailey's Chocolate Chunk and Roasted Banana with Nutella Flecks

2012-08-20T11:33:00.001-04:00

My dietetic internship may have been just stressful enough to keep me off of here, but I am not going to let graduate school take my blog away from me. Needless to say, I graduated! No, not back in May, but after the summer session. I have been thoroughly enjoying my couple weeks off before I jump back into the academic world.

What better way to celebrate summer but to make some decadent ice cream?

Bailey's Chocolate Chunk
Roasted Banana with Nutella Flecks

The first is a traditional custard-base flavored with Bailey's or whichever Irish cream you prefer...I used Ryan's...shhhh....

The second is more of an ice milk since it has no cream.

So here we go!

Bailey's Chocolate Chunk, adapted from She Makes and Bakes
Makes about 2 quarts

For the ice cream:
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 cup sugar, divided
Pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, Bailey's, milk, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for one minute.

Let me interject here. I'm not sure if I can think of a time I have made ice cream with this method without it boiling over. It just takes so darn long for the cream to heat up that I start getting lackadaisical about it and before I know it I hear the dreaded fizzing of cream burning on my electric cooktop. So, speaking from experience, here's what you do if that happens:
If the handles don't have cream bubbling over them, grab the pot and move it off the heat. If the handles are covered, then use hot pads or paper towels or your apron. Turn off the heat. Then take a super quick estimate of however much spilled over...mine's usually about 1/2 - 1 cup. Then use rags or paper towels to wipe up the mess before it hardens. The leftover scum will have to wait til the cooktop cools down. Then add half milk and half cream back into the mixture, use a different burner, and watch it like a hawk until it boils.

So while the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the egg yolks, the other 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla until thick and pale. After it has boiled for one minute, slowly pour a steady stream of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. This is called tempering. Once you have poured 2/3 of the Bailey's mixture into the eggs while whisking, slowly pour the egg mixture back into the pan and reheat over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and pour it into a large bowl.

Now, if you did a poor job of tempering, you'll have some scrambled egg bits in there and you'll want to strain it as you pour it into the bowl. Also, I like to set the bowl in an ice bath to help it cool down faster. Once it's cooled off for a bit (maybe stop and stir it a few times every so often), cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to cool for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Once the ice cream mixture is cold, churn it according to the manufacturer's directions. During the last few minutes of churning, sprinkle in about 4-6 oz chopped dark chocolate. Scoop the ice cream out of the maker and into a bowl. Freeze it for several hours or overnight before serving.

Alright, still with me? Just one more! This one was a little easier.

Roasted Banana with Nutella Flecks, adapted from Chocolate and Chillies

4 bananas (ripe but not overly ripe), sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 cups 1% milk (The recipe called for whole, but I only had 1%...it turned out great...and healthier)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coarse salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. While oven is heating, place the sliced bananas, brown sugar and butter in a baking dish. Toss well. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once, or until bananas are browned and cooked through.

Scrape the bananas into a food processor. Add milk, sugar, vanilla and coarse salt. Process until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and store in the fridge until chilled (about 3 hours or overnight). Once chilled give it a quick whisk and process according to your ice cream maker's instructions. While it is churning, heat up about 3/4 cup Nutella in the microwave just until melted. In the last few minutes of churning, drizzle it in! Freeze about 2-4 hours.

If it is in the freezer for longer than this, it will become rock hard due to its low fat content. So you may want to plan to let it sit out for about 30-60 minutes before serving.

Surprisingly, the Roasted Banana Ice Cream was everyone's favorite. I say surprisingly because the Bailey's Chocolate Chunk is richer and has a better mouth feel. But if I make a healthier option that people actually prefer?? I'd say that's a dietetic success.

Can you spot me?? :)

Wish me luck as I start classes on Wednesday and study for the RD (Registered Dietitian) Exam!

Bourbon Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Butter Roasted Pecans

2012-05-21T23:48:00.003-04:00

"Best ice cream I've ever had." Straight from my husband's mouth.

Needless to say, after purchasing an ice cream maker earlier this spring, I've felt inspired. This was the first batch I made and am proud to say I came up with the whole idea myself!

I used a trustworthy vanilla ice cream base from A Year in Chocolate by Jacques Torres, but changed up a few things and doubled the recipe (why not double your yield when going to all that effort??).

Here 'tis.

Bourbon Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Butter Roasted Pecans

Base
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
14 large egg yolks
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp bourbon (or more...)

Place 1/4 cup and 1 tbsp of EACH of the sugars in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks until well combined.

Prepare an ice bath by putting ice cubes and a little water in a large bowl and nesting another bowl inside it.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the rest of the sugar, milk, cream, and honey. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula. Once boiling, immediately remove from he heat.

Slowly pour about a third of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. (You may need someone to help you with this.) Pour the tempered egg mixture into the hot mixture, stirring constantly. Place over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until it gets to 182 F on an instant read thermometer, or until it coats the back of a metal spoon. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and bourbon.

Pour the custard into the bowl nested inside the bowl with ice water. Let cool, stirring frequently. Once thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator (I recommend leaving it in there all night), the ice cream base is ready to meet its (ice cream) maker.

Add-ins
10 oz of your favorite chocolate (I used 5 oz dark Valrhona and 5 oz milk Valrhona)
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter
pinch of kosher salt

While the base is cooling, you can make the Butter Roasted Pecans. Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss pecans with butter and salt and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant and nicely toasted.

When you are ready to freeze your ice cream, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over the stove or in segments in the microwave. Freeze the base in your ice cream maker according to its directions. Five minutes before it is supposed to be done, gradually drizzle in the melted chocolate. Next, gradually sprinkle in the pecans. Add these while it is still churning. In case that wasn't obvious.

Once finished, place it a freezer-proof, sealed container and freeze until it reaches your desired consistency!

I'll post next about my Peanut Butter and Honey Ice Cream that hearkens back to a childhood sandwich I actually never had!

In the Midst of It All

2012-04-18T23:18:00.000-04:00

Oh my! I even shocked myself with the date of my last post. For those of you who might not remember, I am in my dietetic internship right now and have been slammed with all kinds of homework and assignments! However, I had to make time to sneak on here and let you in on some of the things I've been making.

I recently decided that I have not cooked enough recipes out of my cookbooks. So I categorized them on my little cookbook bookshelf and am going through them systematically. So the first week I took the first book from each of the categories and made one of the first few recipes in each of them. The second week I took the second book...and so on. It's been quite fun!

Another change that has occurred is the addition of an extra flash to Ryan's camera. We've been experimenting with it...usually I just get frustrated and have him take pictures if it's right before dinner. But, if it can wait to be photographed until the next day, I try to take pictures in natural light when I get home from work.

As you can see, I've still been cooking! Recently, however, we've had so many things going on that I had not cooked dinner for two weeks. Seriously. We somehow had something going on every night. When I told Ryan I was going to make dinner this past Monday, he asked, "Are you sure our kitchen still works?" Yikes! Now you know why I haven't had time to blog, let alone do homework and exercise somewhat regularly. And housework. And yardwork. And...

Nevermind. Let's not think about those things right now.

These peppers smelled absolutely amazing toasting away in the oven. I ground them up and put them in a chili, which, unfortunately, very stubbornly refused to be photogenic and was eaten before I had a chance to try again in different lighting.

Blueberry Buckle! When I was little, I told my mom that when I grew up I would make blueberry buckle and bring it to her every day. Don't know how I got that in my head...but I did take her some of this!

Tip: Asian soups are amazingly tasty and surprisingly fast and easy.

Know what this is? Yep! Homemade Apple Strudel Bread! You know, like what Great Harvest sells? I think I made a little too much topping, but basically what I did was make a basic whole wheat bread dough. When it was all risen and ready to bake, I mixed some unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon, a little bit of brown sugar, and 1 chopped apple, spread on top, and baked it!

Well now you're somewhat caught up. I hope to get back on here very soon as I can't wait to tell you about the first ice cream I made in my new ice cream maker from Williams Sonoma...Bourbon Chocolate Chunk Roasted Pecan. Yes. And I made it up. So...that means you get the recipe!

Stay tuned!

Healthy and Quick: Fish Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Brown Rice

2012-02-24T17:35:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may not know, I am in my dietetic internship right now. I have three rotations, Food Service Systems Management (10 weeks), Medical Nutrition Therapy (10 weeks), and Community Nutrition (7 weeks). I just finished my sixth week of the FSSM rotation and I have had some wonderful experiences so far! I taught the nutrition portion of a diabetes seminar on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. I am also in the middle of planning a themed meal for the cafeteria in St. Joseph Hospital, where I am interning for the first two rotations. I get to do everything from planning the menu, to choosing the recipes, to ordering the food (waaaay more complicated to order an accurate number of portion sizes for 200 people), to briefing the staff, to carrying out the plan on the day of!

Anyway, all that to say, I've had a lot of interesting shift times because I have been shadowing everyone in the kitchen, from AM Cook (4:30 am-1 pm) to Tray Passer (7 am-5:30 pm) to PM Lead (12-8:30 pm). And sometimes I don't have very much time or energy (or neither) to make dinner. This meal is great for when you want a healthy dinner on the table in less than an hour.

Ryan commented that this curry was too sweet...but I'll tell you that's because I was trying to reduce the sodium and cut out some salt. So...it's up to you how much you want to put in. We also added crushed red pepper at the table.

Fish Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Brown Rice
adapted from Anja's Food 4 Thought

1 cup brown rice

1 lb white fish, chopped into chunks
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 sweet potatoes
3/4 tsp turmeric
2 cups low- or nonfat coconut milk

cilantro for garnish

Marinate the fish in the chili powder, salt, and lemon juice.

Cook the rice according to the package directions.

Peel and chop sweet potatoes.

While rice is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot (the one the curry will end up in). Fry the fish over medium heat for about 7-10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pot.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pot. Heat slightly and add the garlic. Add the tomato, sweet potatoes, turmeric, and salt to taste. (See...this is where my taste did not equal Ryan's.) Stir in the coconut milk and keep stirring until boiling. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the fish and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

By this time, the rice should be done! Serve with rice and cilantro.

By the way, kudos to Ryan for buying a new awesome flash and taking pictures for me when I get frustrated about not getting the result I want.

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Mint Dipping Sauce

2012-02-17T18:04:00.000-05:00

Now I'm going to warn you right away...I'm not going to share the exact recipe for this.

After reading a discussion about blogger plagiarism and consulting my own conscience, I decided not to copy recipes that are in a cookbook, not even if I include the name of the cookbook and author. If my source is online and free to all, then I will copy the recipe and link back to the original page. But I don't want to steal the results of someone's hard work from them. I will give the process and my opinion, but not the exact recipe. However, if I change the recipe significantly, I will write it out.

This may motivate me to develop my own recipes more often! But, unfortunately, when I do that, I usually don't make note of what I do and can't repeat it. Honestly, though, a food blogger who mostly posts recipes straight from someone else needs to learn how to experiment a little more and stop showing off their ability to follow a recipe. I'm talking to myself here. :)

Anyway, this was one of our favorite meals recently. Ryan and I teamed up in the preparation process...I made the shrimp and he made the sauce. The recipe came from Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce.

The end result was delicious, but coating the shrimp took forever. I dipped each of them in four ingredients...salt and pepper, corn starch, egg white, and coconut.

The rest is pretty simple...just fry 'em in some oil in a wok!

The sauce was basically a bunch of fantastic ingredients (including mango, mint, cilantro, limes, chili pepper, etc.) whirled in a processor until smooth.

Combine the two and magical things happen!

Tangerine Crème Brûlée and Mexican Chocolate Cookies

2012-02-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

Cliché alert.

I am way behind on posts!

And I have a huge stash of photos just waiting to be exposed (pun intended) to you.

Stay tuned for Coconut Shrimp with Mango Lime Sauce, Miso Chicken, Black-Eyed Pea Patties with Beer-Braised Turnip Greens, and Spinach, Lentil and Bacon Stew. I've gotta crank 'em out because I have lots more exciting things on the menu for this week.

The deal is...I have to make exciting dinners because I've been packing my lunch for the past four weeks and let's face it...I'm running out of ideas. And at 5 in the morning I can somehow decide that I can last an entire 8 hours on coffee, oatmeal and an apple. Not really working out for me.

Yes, I am currently interning in a hospital kitchen. Yes, there is a cafeteria full of wonderful things every day. But when it comes to feeding myself, I get stingy with my moolah.

Anyway, on to some delicious recipes!

This first recipe is entirely from Tartelette. To view the original post, please click here.

I copied the recipe here because I used two of her posts to make it and this just makes it easier for you.

"Tangerine Crème Brûlée Tartelettes

Kitchen Notes: The dough recipe was enough for four 4 inch fluted tartelettes and four 3 inch straight edged tartelettes, so I would say it makes between 6 to 8 tartelettes depending on your molds. You can replace the tangerine with orange or grapefruit, and leave the Grand Marnier out.

For the cocoa cardamom sable dough:
1 stick (115 gr) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (93 gr) powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 1 /2 cups (188gr) flour
1 tablespoon (10 gr) natural cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon (2gr) ground cardamom
pinch of salt

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the flour, cocoa, cardamom and salt and mix briefly to incorporate. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Do not work the dough while in the mixer or it will toughen up. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between the sheets of plastic. You will have extra dough that you can save for another use in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen, well wrapped for up to 3 months. Cut out 8 rounds two inches larger than your pastry rings. Fit the dough inside the rings with your fingertips and trim the edges with a sharp knife. Line the rings with small squares of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool."

"For the tangerine cream:
2/3 cup (120gr) sugar
3 eggs
6 egg yolks
3 tablespoons (30gr) all purpose flour
1 stick butter (115gr), melted and cooled
2/3 cup (160ml) tangerine juice
grated zest of 2 tangerines
2 tablespoons (20gr) Grand Marnier (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, whole eggs and egg yolks until pale. Add the flour and butter and whisk until incorporated. Whisk in the tangerine juice and zest. Place the mixture in a saucepan over medium low heat and cook until thickened about 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly without letting it boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Grand Marnier if using. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the cream to prevent it from forming a crust while cooling. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble:
tart shells
tangerine cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1/4 cup packed brown sugar for the brulee crust
tangerine slices and candied tangerine zest (use the recipe for candied kumquats, using tangerine zest instead)

Divide the cream evenly among the shells and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Top each tartelette with about 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixed and using a blow torch, caramelize the top of the tarts to create a sugar crust. If you do not have a blowtorch, set the tarts on a sheet pan under the broiler and broil them until golden, watching carefully to monitor that the edges don't burn.
Decorate with segments and zest of tangerines.

Candied Kumquats:1/2 cup (125ml) water
1 cup (100gr) sugar
2 tablespoons (40gr) light corn or glucose syrup
1 pint fresh kumquats, washed, patted dry, and cut in 1/8 inch thin slices

In a heavy saucepan, combine the water, sugar and corn or glucose syrup and bring to a boil over high heat. Let the mixture reach 234F. Add the kumquats, being careful not to overcrowd your pan and let the fruit become translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and place it, separating the slices, on a piece of parchment paper or silpat. Use as desired."

My notes: Her sugar mixture for the topping did not work well for me. So I used raw sugar instead. In fact, the tartelette in my photos is the only one that turned out. The others were ruined because I did not bake them long enough and so they did not come out of the pans easily. So, while baking beans are helpful, I would recommend taking them out of the tart shells for the last 3-5 minutes of baking or until the shells are done. Also, the candied tangerine turned out extremely hard and chewy. Not sure what happened there...perhaps it cooked too long.

Next up...Spiced Chocolate Sugar Cookies! These are from the book A Year in Chocolate, by Jacques Torres. One of my friends and I made these together and we were thrilled with how they turned out! I like to call them Mexican Chocolate Cookies, because that more accurately describes them, in my mind.

Makes about 4 dozen

1.75 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ancho chile powder ( I didn't have this so I used regular, but I'm sure ancho chile powder would be better!!)
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I know. Disappointing. But we went with it.)
1 cup (about 6 oz) chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment and set aside.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, chile powder, and salt. (We didn't sift.) Set aside. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the batter on low speed to soften. (I don't have a stand mixer, but since I was making it with another person, one of us acted as the stand mixer.) Add the brown sugar, raise the speed the medium, and beat until well blended. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and corn syrup and beat until blended. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and beat for about 3 minutes, or until a stiff dough forms. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped chocolate.

Spread the granulated sugar on a small plate. To shape the cookies, scoop up a nugget of the dough, form it into a 1-inch ball between your palms, and roll the ball in the sugar to coat evenly. (OK, we didn't do this either because the dough was so soft. We just dropped them on the sheets using teaspoons and then sprinkled sugar over them.) Leave about 2 inches between cookies.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until puffed and the tops are cracked. Remove and let cool on the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes, then transfer to the racks and cool completely.

This recipe was amazing and I will definitely make these again.

Alright...it's finally time to get ready for my Valentine's date with my hubby tonight!!

Pappardelle with Veal Meatballs

2012-02-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

The anniversary of this little blog came and went yesterday. There's something addictive about the melancholy yet celebratory nature of anniversaries. Ryan and I celebrate as many as we can. Two-year engagement anniversary coming up on February 6th. First date anniversary. First kiss anniversary. Wedding anniversary...obviously. :)

Anyway, in honor of this blog's one-year anniversary I made pappardelle again. I wanted to recreate a recipe I fell in love with quite a few years ago at a local restaurant, Portofino. The Veal Marsala Meatballs with Tagliatelle is to die for.

Here is what I did to the best of my ability without a recipe:

Pappardelle with Veal Meatballs
Makes 3 large portions or 4 medium portions

12 oz ground veal
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
pinch of kosher salt
1-2 tsp olive oil
1-2 tsp butter
10 oz pappardelle pasta
3 roasted red pepper slices from a jar, one minced and two sliced
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup red wine
shaved parmesan

Combine the veal, rosemary, garlic, pepper, salt, and minced red pepper in a bowl. Form into balls about 1.5" in diameter. Heat a large skillet with a small drizzle of olive oil. (Be careful to not let it smoke, as this destructs the flavors of the oil. Use canola oil if need be, as it has a higher smoke point.) Cook the meatballs in batches, about 2 minutes per side. (I was already roasting broccoli at 425 degrees, so I put the meatballs into a dish and into the oven for about 5 minutes to complete the cooking process. You can do this, or cook through in the pan.) Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Using the same skillet, add a small pat of butter, about a tsp or two. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the sliced red peppers and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to get up all of the meat bits. Reduce for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to the package's directions.

Put pasta in skillet and toss to combine. Serve with the meatballs and shaved parmesan.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Mousse with Bailey's Whipped Cream

2012-01-28T23:12:00.001-05:00

Do you ever feel that you are so close to something utterly fantastic, but it's just on the other side of a wall that contains a completely different maze than the one you're winding through? Have you ever been so speckled with jealousy to the point that you've stoppered the possibility of inspiration? It's like once you start emulating you feel much worse than simply sitting back and admiring.

I'm not talking about blogging...well yes in part...but not completely. I'm talking about life. If we don't get what we were expecting we have to turn around and realize we shouldn't have been expecting that thing in the first place.

Our culture just loves those who have it all, doesn't it? We idolize them. We perfect them. We copycat. And when we do, we want to tell everyone what we're up to.

But what if we keep it special? Secret. Like my mother who's provided countless beautiful meals to my family without a single picture or blog post. Or my dad who with a quiet passion has carefully impregnated our farm's soil with multiple native trees. Or my sister who sees the beauty in things before anyone else does and knows how to showcase it just so. Or my brother who lent me his imagination and let me run wild with it when we were kids...and now runs circles around me with his intellect. Or my sweet husband who lives drenched in joy and befriends with wholehearted compassion. No recognition. And yet...complete. Why strive for acknowledgement? Why not just...be.

Just saying. It makes things simpler.

Let's see. How to transition? Simple? Yes...this recipe is simple.

Chocolate Almond Mousse with Bailey's Whipped Cream
adapted from The Novice Chef

1 cup warm water
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
9.35 oz dark chocolate
6 tsp granulated sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 tbsp Bailey's or Ryan's

Make an ice bath with two large bowls. Fill the bottom of one bowl with ice and a little water. Set the second bowl inside.

In a sauce pan NOT on heat dissolve espresso powder in the warm water. Add extracts, chocolate, and sugar. Place over medium heat.

Stir until melted. Heat just until the chocolate is melted. Pour into the bowl over the ice bath. Whisk until you can't whisk anymore (took me about 20 minutes and it still wasn't as thick as I would've liked so I let it set up in the fridge after plating it). But don't over-whisk. You don't want grains.

Divide among four glasses. Refrigerate for about 12 hours. Before serving, beat the cream and Bailey's and top the mousse with the cream and some chocolate shavings.

Espresso Cookies

2012-01-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

For those of you who may not have realized by now, I am a dietetics student. As such I am required to be in an internship before I can sit for the RD (Registered Dietitian) exam. I attended orientation for said internship last week and have mixed feelings about my first day tomorrow. Yes, I suppose I am excited. But I know it will be a lot of work and a lot of time. Basically, I will be working full-time without pay while completing projects and assignments. Just glancing over my schedule gives me the chills...4:30 am shift coming up here in a couple weeks.

So I made these cookies for the potluck lunch at my orientation last week and they were a big hit. I've already had a couple requests for the recipe, so here 'tis!

Espresso Cookies
adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Cookie Book

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening (I know...disappointing...but it's only 1/4 cup)
1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp hot water
1 egg
2 cups AP flour
Coffee or espresso beans

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

In a small bowl, stir 2 tbsp espresso powder and hot water together until dissolved. Add to butter mixture with egg. Beat until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the rest.

Divide the dough into thirds. Shape them into 7" logs. Wrap each with plastic wrap. Chill about 2 hours or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375. Using a sharp knife (you may have to clean it several times while slicing), cut logs into 3/8 inch slices. (No, put that ruler away. Just use your best judgment.) Place cookies about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. (They WILL spread.) Combine 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp espresso powder and sprinkle over. Press 1-3 espresso beans into each cookie. Bake 9-10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Let stand for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then cool on wire rack.

The espresso beans make the cookie...please don't omit them.

I sprinkled the extra espresso sugar on my homemade Cappuccino.

Bûche de Noël (Yule Log)

2012-01-13T13:07:00.000-05:00

I have long desired to make one of these. There is something so captivating about creating a picture with food that doesn't look like food at all. And they are super fun to eat. Who wouldn't want to look like they were eating a slice of a tree trunk with mushrooms sprouting out of it?

So after being intimidated by the traditional Bûche de Noël for far too long, I decided to jump on it when we had my family and Ryan's family over for dinner during the Christmas season. To be honest, it wasn't that hard! It's just a lot of different components. The hardest part was rolling the cake, and even then, the cracks make it look more realistic. Just allow yourself lots of time and read the recipe a couple days ahead of time. This is a dessert that requires planning.

I started with a recipe from Alice Medrich's A Year in Chocolate (need I sing her praises again?). She provided the Chocolate Hazelnut Roulade and Coffee Meringue Mushrooms. But I also wanted bark.

So here we go.

Ingredients

Mushrooms
3 egg whites, at room temp
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar, preferably superfine (just blend regular sugar in a food processor)
1.5 tsp instant espresso powder
about 2 tsps unsweetened cocoa, for dusting
2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

Bark
4 oz chocolate

Cake
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and cooled, skins rubbed off
2 tbsp AP flour
6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2-3 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder* (see end of post)

Filling
1 cup heavy cream, cold
2 tsps instant espresso powder (A staple in my house! Never used it for straight up drinking, though. Instant coffee powder can be substituted if need be.)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1.5-2 tbsps sugar

Special Equipment
Pastry bag
Plain pastry tip with 1/2 inch opening
16x12 or 17x11" jelly roll pan, lined with parchment paper

I would recommend making the mushrooms the day before.

Mushrooms

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 200 degrees.

In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form with the beaters are lifted. On high speed, gradually add half of the sugar with all of the espresso powder, about 1 tbsp at a time. The mixture should stand in stiff glossy peaks when the beaters are lifted. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining sugar. Scrape the meringue into a pastry bag. Pipe pointed kisses about 1 inch high to make stems on a parchment lined baking sheet. Don't freak out if the tips bend or sag. Pipe domes to make caps. (don't stress over this part...trust me...they will turn out alright) Sieve a light dusting of cocoa over top and fan or blow on them to blur it and make them look authentic. Bake until crisp and dry, about 2 hours.

To assemble, place the chocolate in a small bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water. Immediately turn off the heat and stir the chocolate until melted and smooth. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the tip of each stem (remember those points on your kisses?) to create a flat surface. Spread a good amount of chocolate on the flat side of the mushroom caps. Allow the chocolate to set a little before attaching the cut surface of the stems. Set aside until hardened and glued together!

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a clean, dry food processor, combine the nuts and flour and pulse until finely ground. Set aside. (You can do this the night before.)

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (same technique as melting the chocolate above), stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Remove and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar until pale and thick. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture. Set aside.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating at high speed until stiff but not dry. Using a spatula, fold in about 1/4 egg whites and all of the hazelnut mixture into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites. Turn the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 10-15 minutes. (I set it for 12 initially and it was almost too done, so I recommend checking at 10.) Cool COMPLETELY in the pan on a rack.

I would recommend making your bark now. Tape two large sheets of parchment paper to the counter and spray with cooking spray. Melt the 4 oz chocolate as described above. Spread thinly on one of the parchment sheets. Sandwich with the other sheet, cooking sprayed side down. Roll it up and place in the freezer for several hours. When you are ready to decorate, just remove from the freezer and unroll. It should crack naturally.

Sieve a light dusting of cocoa over a sheet of foil a little bigger than the jelly roll pan, reserving the remaining cocoa. Invert the cooled cake on the foil (scary part!) and peel off the parchment liner.

To make the filling, whip the cream with the espresso powder and vanilla until it begins to thicken. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat until the cream holds a soft shape. Spread over the cake.

Starting at a short edge, roll the cake using the foil to help. If you've ever made sushi, those skills will come in very handy right about now. At first the cake will crack a lot. Don't worry too much...it cracks less as it gets fatter. Plus, as I said before, it looks like bark anyway. Wrap it all up in the foil and refrigerate until you decorate it just before serving.

Alright, now I decided to decorate mine about 2 hours before serving. I mean, who really takes the time to mess with that sort of thing when guests are over.

Unwrap the roulade and transfer to a platter.

Top creatively with the bark and mushrooms. You can sieve cocoa or powdered sugar over it for effect if you would like. Refrigerate until you serve!

*Alright, about that Dutch process cocoa powder. I can't find it anywhere in Lexington! It's not at Kroger or Fresh Market and I don't want to waste my time going to every grocery store. Any suggestions?

Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls

2012-01-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

I just realized to my chagrin that most of my previous (and upcoming!) posts are sweet. Eek! After I finish these up I will do my best to get back in touch with my healthificating tendencies. Although, I must add that there is a time for sweet indulgences in every diet. The important thing is that they are small portions and are not eaten on a regular basis.

With that said, let's go on to the rolls! Meyer lemons were on sale and so I jumped at the chance to experiment! I made these for brunch with a couple friends and I think they turned out quite tasty. It's a very different take on the typical cinnamon roll...and I must mention that I DID reduce the butter and sugar and they were still very sweet and rich! I also made half the amount of frosting and it still covered the rolls completely with extra left over for the half batch I froze.

First off, I have to show you how I cook. Usually, this is what it looks like. Saving trees, but killing computers.

That yummy dough you see up there is about to be rolled and sliced.

Here's the recipe:

Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls
adapted from Cheeky Kitchen

2 cups very warm water*
2 tbsp active dry yeast
2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk*
1/2 cup + 9 tbsp sugar, separated
2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 egg
5-5.5 cups AP flour
zest of 6 Meyer lemons
juice of 3 Meyer lemons
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar

*Alright, so if you're like me, you don't have nonfat dry milk laying around. So I combined 2/3 cup nonfat milk with 1 1/3 cup water and heated it up just a bit in the microwave. Worked like a charm!

In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water (or milk/water mixture) and yeast. Allow it to proof by setting aside for about 5 minutes. If a foam forms at the top, it's ready.

Whisk in the dry milk (or omit if you used liquid milk), 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Add 1/2 cup softened butter and egg. Slowly begin stirring in the flour, one cup at a time. Add just enough flour to create a soft, but not sticky, dough. (I ended up using about 6 cups) Knead the dough until elastic. Make into a ball, place in a large clean bowl, and drizzle a little olive on top. Cover lightly with a damp towel and let rise for one hour in a warm place.

Cut the risen dough into thirds. Use a rolling pin to spread it into a long, thin rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Melt 1/2 cup butter and use a basting brush to cover the surface of the dough, leaving enough butter for the other two dough sections. Sprinkle the zest of two lemons over the butter and then sprinkle 3 tbsp of sugar over that. Roll the dough up tightly. Now, the original recipe did not specify which way to roll it, so I just chose to roll it from one short side to the other, and that worked well for me. Slice into 1 1/2 inch rolls and put on a parchment lined baking sheet or a greased pyrex dish. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

I didn't realize how much this made, so I froze half of my batch.

Preheat the oven to 375 and let rolls rise again on top of the oven for 20-30 minutes. Bake for 16-20 minutes (less for baking sheet, more for pyrex dish), or until the tops are a light, golden brown.

While baking, make the icing. Beat together the lemon juice, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until very smooth. Frost the rolls right out of the oven with the icing.

Roasted Banana Cake with Browned Butter and Pecan Frosting

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

Banana Bread is one of those recipes that has many different possible outcomes. The same person making the same recipe often has a hard time getting the same results. That's why when they do hit on something that works, they stick with it. And then after a while, that becomes their own recipe, because that's the only one they make and people make a connection between the bread and the individual.

So, having a mother and a mother-in-law who both have unique and mouthwateringly delicious Banana Bread recipes, I decided to take a slightly different route with this dessert. Now, all Banana Bread should really be called cake when you see the ingredients. The fact that it is in loaf form is no excuse to eat more! :)

So I called mine cake and made myself feel guilty eating it. Oh well. Nomenclature has always been important in my family.

I found this recipe in Cooking Light, of course.

Here is what I made:

Roasted Banana Cake with Browned Butter and Pecan Frosting

2 cups sliced ripe banana (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
9 ounces cake flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
Baking spray with flour
Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine banana, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon butter in an 8-inch square baking dish. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes, stirring after 17 minutes. Cool slightly.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°.
Weigh or lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 9 ounces (about 2 1/4 cups) flour, soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine banana mixture, buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in another medium bowl. Place 1/2 cup butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs to granulated sugar mixture; mix well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with baking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
To prepare frosting, melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly. Combine browned butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread frosting over cooled bars. Sprinkle with pecans.

*I can't mention Banana Bread without giving a thank-you to my mom for every time she has let me cut into the middle of a loaf when it is right out of the oven and eat that yummylicious slightly underbaked center.

Gougères

2011-12-30T18:10:00.001-05:00

I'm finally on to posting about what I've been cooking this Christmas season. I've been experimenting with lots of new appetizers and hosted quite a few get-togethers. I'm getting a lot of practice entertaining!

I think I've got the food part down pretty well in terms of entertaining...although it's still a little difficult to plan a menu with more than three dishes that all work together. But the part that is most daunting to me is the whole role of being a hostess. Being relaxed, conversational, and happy while people are tearing apart the food you spent hours planning and preparing and tracking dirt all over the house you took all day to clean.

My problem is that I want everything to be perfect...except...I was reading this book the other day that said the whole key to being hospitable is being imperfect. If your house looks like a magazine, your guests won't be comfortable. They may be awed, but they won't be at ease. So I've been trying to take that to heart. It's hard to let things go, but I'm learning.

Anyway, these little puffs of goodness called gougères, which are baked savory choux pastries.

The recipe is from William Sonoma's Bride & Groom Cookbook.

Gougères

3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups grated Gruyère cheese (I used cheddar)
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the butter and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add all of the flour at once, quickly stirring with a wooden spoon until the batter is glossy and smooth and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. The dough will form a ball around the spoon.

Remove from the heat and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until thoroughly incorporated. (I had to use my electric mixer here.) Stir in the cheese, cayenne, and salt.

Use 2 spoons or a pastry bag without a tip (I chose the spoons as you can tell by the picture...next time I will use the bag to make them puffier.) to form 1" balls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the balls double in size and turn golden brown and a thin bladed knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly or completely before serving.

All Ryan could say was, "Yum!" before he popped another into his mouth! :)

Roasted Shrimp, Tomato, and Feta Pasta

2011-12-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today I bring you a recipe from from one of my fellow KY Food Bloggers, who adapted it from Ina Garten. It was absolutely delicious!

The only changes I made were omitting the fennel seeds and Pernod and using only one type of bread crumbs instead of two.

Roasted Shrimp, Tomato, and Feta Pasta
adapted from My Fiance Likes It So It Must Be Good and Ina Garten

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup madeira wine
14 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveiled - tails left on
5 oz. feta cheese crumbles
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
dried egg noodles

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil under medium high heat. Add celery. Saute for about 6-8 minutes, or until celery is starting to soften. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Stir in madeira wine and bring to a boil. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the liquid is half reduced.

Add diced tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer mixture for about 15 minutes.

Add shrimp to pan in an even layer, over the tomato sauce. Sprinkle feta atop the shrimp.

In a small bowl, combine both bread crumbs, lemon zest, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Scatter bread crumb mixture over shrimp. Place skillet in oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Squeeze lemon juice atop shrimp before serving.

Cook pasta while shrimp are in the oven.

Well, I'm caught up to Christmas now, but I have been cooking up a storm recently so be on the lookout for some new recipes! I'm also looking forward to experimenting with my Christmas present from my brother, Plate to Pixel, a book on food photography!

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate-Almond Bark

2011-12-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of my very favorite holiday desserts. Even Ryan, a self-proclaimed pumpkin- and ground ginger-hater, served himself some seconds. It's so different from all the other desserts you are eating right now. The graham cracker crust is topped with a simple but homemade pumpkin ice cream (without the use of an ice cream maker), whipped cream, and chocolate-almond bark. It can be served with a toffee sauce, but I find it quite delicious without.

The recipe is from Bon Appetit.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate-Almond Bark
Crust
12 whole graham crackers (about 7 oz)
1/4 cup sugar
7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 cup pure pumpkin
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
2 quarts premium vanilla ice cream

Whipped Cream
1.5 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar

Bark
Cooking spray
6 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

Crust Prep
Preheat oven to 350. Finely grind crackers in processor. Mix in sugar. Add butter, mix to blend. Press onto bottom and up sides of 10" diameter glass pie dish. Bake until light brown around edges, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling Prep
Whisk first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slightly soften ice cream in microwaves in 10-second intervals. Measure 1 cup ice cream and freeze for a different recipe or future eating. :) Spoon remaining ice cream into a large bowl. Working quickly, add pumpkin mixture and fold just until swirled into ice cream (don't blend completely). If ice cream begins to melt, freeze again until almost firm. Spoon ice cream filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.

*You can make the recipe to this point and freeze for two days before serving.

Bark Prep
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Stir chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (double boiler) until melted and smooth. Pour onto baking sheet. Using offset spatula, spread chocolate in an even layer into a 12x9" rectangle. Sprinkle with nuts. Place in freezer until hard, at least 30 minutes. Invert onto work surface and peel off paper. Coarsely chop. Place in a medium container, cover, and freeze. The bark can also be made 2 days ahead.

Topping
Using an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar in a medium bowl until peaks form. Spoon over pie and decorate with bark.

Simple Steak with Carrots en Papillote and Butternut Squash Risotto

2011-12-26T22:17:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm going to go back to a dinner that is a prime example of the necessity of flexibility in the kitchen. I was planning on making salmon en papillote (which means baking it inside a parchment pouch to trap all the flavors and juices!), but, much to my dismay, it smelled funny after I thawed it. If it smells too much like fish...think twice before eating it. :)

So I rummaged around in my freezer and found some small steaks (perfect portion size, actually). I had been planning on putting julienned carrots in with the salmon, but I just cut up a few more and put them in there with some soy sauce, a drop of honey, lemon slices, a little rosemary, salt, and pepper.

To make the pouch, tear off a square of parchment paper. Fold it in half. Draw a half heart on there and cut it out so that you have a heart-shaped piece of parchment. Put what you want to cook on one flap, fold the other side over, and start twisting/folding the edges together, starting at the dip in what would be the center of the heart. When you get to the bottom tip, twist the excess.

I baked my carrots at about 400 degrees for around 10 minutes.

Since the steak was literally a last-minute decision, I thawed it in the microwave, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and flashed it in the pan with a little olive oil.

The Butternut Squash Risotto was the recipe I planned for that did not go awry.

Butternut Squash Risotto
From Cooking Light
3 cups of 1/2" cubed butternut squash, divided
3.5 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
5 oz (about 5 slices) applewood-smoked (or other high quality) bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine 2 cups squash and 2.5 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Place mixture into a food processor or use an immersion blender to process until smooth. Return to pan, stir in broth, and bring to a simmer. Reserve 1/4 cup squash mixture. Keep pan warm over low heat. Heat a large dutch oven (guess what I got for Christmas?!?!) over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining squash mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring until each cup is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in reserved 1/4 cup squash mixture. Top with parsley and bacon.

For dessert we finished off with the chocolate pot pie from Jonathan's cookbook.

Here is the recipe.
Note: I did not make the "lid," so I did not include that recipe. I also quartered the ingredients so that it would only make two, and they turned out beautifully!

Chocolate Pot Pies
Makes 8
18 oz semi-sweet chocolate
10 oz butter
2 tbsp bourbon
6 egg yolks
4 whole eggs
1/4 cup sugar
vanilla ice cream
Chocolate sauce (I melted more chocolate and added a little bourbon to thin it a little)

Preheat oven to 400.
Brush the inside of 3 4-oz ramekins with butter. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (one pan set inside another filled with water) with the butter and bourbon.
Mix the egg yolks, whole eggs, and sugar for 2-3 minutes in a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the mixer bowl. Mix well enough to blend. (Or just blend with a hand mixer)
Fill each ramekin almost to the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The outside perimeter should be cooked with the inside still runny. Top each off with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

This recipe is a keeper! Be prepared to feel very indulgent!

Chocolate Crumble Pie

2011-12-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

Ryan's grandfather, or Vovo as they call him, recently turned 90 and this is what I brought to his church's potluck celebration.

I made it the day before, with my sister sitting in my kitchen and carrying on in enjoyable sisterly conversation. After I had distractedly gone through my cabinets a couple times I realized that my loose-bottom tart pan was MIA! My sister lovingly helped me go through every cabinet again and think through where it might be...but I've moved so many times that I can't think where it might be. I thought I would find it when I unpacked in our new house a couple weeks ago, but to no avail. That tart pan is still hiding and I just know it will turn up the day after I buy a new one!

Anyway, I had to make do with a springform pan, which did the job, but not beautifully.

People liked the pie anyway, or at least Ryan did. And sometimes that's all that matters. :)

Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Crumble Pie
adapted from Everyday Chocolate

Dough
7 oz or scant 1.25 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Generous 1/4 cup sugar (superfine if you have it)
1 egg yolk
1-2 tsp cold water (I ended up using more)

Filling
5 fl oz or 2/3 cup heavy cream
5 fl oz or 2/3 cup milk
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs

Crumble Topping
Generous 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup toasted pecans
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa

To make the pie dough, sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, rub in the butter, and stir in the sugar. Then add the egg yolk and a little water until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out and knead briefly. Wrap the dough and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375. Roll out the pie dough ad use to line a 9 in loose-bottom tart pan (if you can find it!). Prick the pastry shell with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with dried beans (at this point I couldn't find my special baking beans and have not found them to this day...I'm still convinced someone was trying to sabotage my recipe that day). Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and take out paper and beans. Reduce oven temp to 350.

Bring the cream and milk to a boil in a pan, remove from heat, and add the chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Beat the eggs and add to the chocolate mixture. Mix thoroughly and pour into the shell. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let rest for 1 hour.

Place the topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse to chop, or chop the nuts and chocolate then add to the other ingredients and crush in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the pie right before serving.

I managed to nab this shot with my phone when I set it out.

The Simple Things

2011-12-21T19:01:00.000-05:00

Will I leave this world regretting the recipes I never made? Or will my zeal to make as many as I can hasten that day? Is it bad that the main reason I'm looking forward to having kids is so that I'll have more people to cook for and can thus make more things? So many times I have to wait and wait to make recipes since I don't want to make them just for me and Ryan. I mean...if we ate everything I wanted to make, we would balloon up and float away. So I have to stick to the healthy stuff when it's just us two and then take joy in carting fattening hors d'oeuvres and desserts to whatever potluck or family gathering I go to.

The pains of a dietitian who loves to cook.

I feel as if I'm trying to make up for the past month of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I ate for lunch by making three different things a day since my last final.

So...I made a goal.

I will post every day (except Christmas Eve and Christmas...probably) until I am caught up telling you all about what I've been up to.

Hold me to it!

Whole Wheat Harvest Bread
adapted from Making Fresh Bread by Love Food

Makes one medium loaf or two extra small loaves

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp milk
1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp lukewarm water

Whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, oil and lukewarm water. Stir well with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together, then knead with your hands until it leaves the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter (or baking sheet to cut down on mess) and knead well for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Don't clean up the flour yet!

Brush a bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, put it into the bowl, and put the bowl into a plastic bag or cover with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubles in volume.

Spray a 6.5x4.25x3.25" loaf pan with cooking spray...or two extra small pans...which is what I did. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured counter, punch down with your fist and knead for 1 minute. With lightly floured hands, shape it into the appropriately sized rectangle(s) and flatten slightly. Fold it lengthwise into 3 and place in the prepared pan(s), seam side down. Put the pan(s) into a plastic bag or cover with a damp dish towel and let rise in the warm place for 30 minutes, until the dough has reached the top of the pan. You can clean up the flour now.

Preheat the oven to 425. Bake for 30 minutes (less if using small pans), until it has shrunk from the sides of the pan, the crust is golden brown, and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Fresh from the Farm: arugula, chard, and potatoes

2011-11-15T23:46:00.000-05:00

Last week was the final week of my CSA share. It's been fun learning about some new vegetables and some very interesting recipes have resulted. But I'm not sure if I will do it again next year. I still feel guilty about the many times I threw things out because they went bad before I could use them. And I cannot for the life of me figure out how to store greens without them going limp! Any suggestions??

Here I will share with you some recipes I made that featured the last pickings of the crop.

First up, Arugula Pesto Pasta
I got the pesto recipe from my CSA newsletter:
3 cups packed arugula (about 3/4 pound) washed well and dried
1/3 pine nuts, toasted golden and cooled (I substituted almonds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt (I used 1/4)
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil (I used 1.5 tbsp olive oil and the juice from half a lemon)
1/4 cup hot water (I used pasta water)

1/2 lb pasta of your choice

While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto. In a food processor, pulse together all ingredients except oil, lemon juice, and water until chopped fine. With motor running, add oil and lemon juice in a stream, blending until smooth. (Careful with this part! If your processor tends to shake a lot like mine, then it's probably ok to add the oil a little bit at a time, blending after each addition.)

Drain pasta, reserving some liquid, and place in bowl.

Stir 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water into the pesto to loosen. Toss with pasta, adding more water if needed. Combine with a meat, if you desire. I chopped up some leftover Italian-seasoned chicken to add.

Next comes the potatoes. The first thing I made with them was Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Salad. I have to say, I detest normal potato salad. Actually, my real issue is with the mayonnaise. No, it's not because it is unhealthy, because they have all those low-fat versions now. I have just never liked the taste. If I forget to ask for no mayo at a sandwich place, my lunch is ruined.

So anyway, I decided to make potato salad sans mayo. I forgot to write down the proportions, so please forgive me. It should be pretty easy to eyeball it.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Potato Salad
new potatoes
1 container crumbled blue cheese
3-4 slices bacon
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
small bunch of parsley

Heat a pot of water on the stove. Slice potatoes into consistently sized chunks. Boil until tender. Meanwhile, chop parsley and cook bacon. Crumble. Place potatoes in a bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar down the sides of the bowl and toss. (This allows for more even coverage and lets you use less.) Mix in blue cheese, parsley, and all but 1-2 tbsp bacon bits. Top with remaining bacon and serve warm or chill and serve cold!

I also got some delicious yukon gold potatoes and used them in another recipe provided by the newsletter. I thought it was good. Ryan thought it was good. But it looked...strange. Just a warning.

Chard and Potato Soup
2 tbsp butter
1 cup onion, chopped (I omitted this for Ryan's sake)
1 bunch swiss chard, trimmed, leaves and steams chopped SEPARATELY (makes 6 cups chopped leaves)
2 cups yukon gold potatoes, peeled, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
For garnish: 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1/4 cup swiss chard, 2-3 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add swiss chard stems (and onion, if using) and saute for 2 minutes or until softened. Add potatoes, chicken stock, and milk and bring to a boil. This is when it turns pink if you used any red swiss chard.

Simmer soup for 5 minutes. Add leaves (reserving 1/4 cup for garnish) and simmer 5 minutes longer or until potatoes are very soft and chard is wilted.

Puree soup with blender, food processor, or an immersion blender (greatest invention on earth!!). This is when it turns green. Season with salt and pepper.

For garnish, heat oil (or if using bacon, just use leftover grease) in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add swiss chard (be careful! it will splatter!) and fry for 1-2 minutes or until crisped. Drain on paper towels.

Garnish and enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake with Peanut Brittle

2011-11-13T22:13:00.001-05:00

We are going to go waaaaay back and take a look at a cake I made in September for my mom's birthday. I couldn't let this one slip by. It was a moist chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter filling, tangy frosting, and spectacular peanut brittle.

In case you're wondering..the camera connector cord thingy decided to take a vacation...hence the long break between posts.

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Year in Chocolate by Alice Medrich. I look back on the arrival of the book with fond memories as I received it in the mail the day I got engaged, February 6th, 2010. I thought I was meeting up with Ryan to go car shopping and he was a little late (getting ready to propose, I now know!), so I read it in the car while I was waiting.

Anyway, everything I've made from it has been wonderful. This particular recipe is called Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake.

First, you gotta make the brittle. As a side note, don't let the technicality of this recipe scare you. It's just simple numbers, a good chunk of time, and a little bit of patience.

Peanut Brittle
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Have the nuts, a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, a white plate, a skewer or spoon, a small bowl of water, and a pastry brush or paper towel ready at the side of the stove. Things are going to happen fast! Also spray a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.

In a 3-4 cup saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Stir gently (don't whisk, please) over medium heat until most of the sugar looks dissolved. Stop stirring and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and wash down the insides of the pot with a wet pastry brush or a wet wad of paper towel. Continue to simmer until it begins to color. Swirl the pot instead of stirring if it is coloring unevenly.

Use the skewer or spoon to drop a bead of syrup on the plate. When a drop looks pale amber, add the nuts and turn gently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until completely coated. Continue to cook without stirring until a drop of syrup looks reddish amber.

IMMEDIATELY scrape the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread as thin as possible. Let cool and harden. Break into shards or chop. Congratulations! The hardest part is done!

Cake
All ingredients should be at room temp.
1 1/4 cups AP flour
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
3/8 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
16 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Prepare two 8 inch round layer cake pans by lining on the bottom with a round of parchment paper and spraying it and the sides with baking spray. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 350.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together 3 times. Yes. 3 times. Set aside.

Combine sour cream with 1/4 cup water and set aside.

In a medium to large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter for a few seconds until creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and continue to beat (at high speed if you have an old school hand mixer like me or medium speed if you have a fancy schmancy stand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Next, break the eggs into a small cup, add the vanilla, and whisk to combine. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture gradually, taking 1.5 to 2 minutes, beating constantly.

Stop mixing and add one third of the flour mixture to the bowl. Beat on low speed only until no flour is visible. Stop mixing and add half of the sour cream. Beat only until blended. Repeat with half the remaining flour mixture, then all of the remaining sour cream, then the rest of the flour. Stop mixing each time you add something, then beat on low speed just long enough to incorporate the ingredients.

Divide the batter between the pans and spread evenly. Bake until the cake starts to shrink away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes before attempting the nerve-wracking flip. Then...flip each layer onto a rack and peel off the parchment (glad you put those in there now, aren't ya?). Turn the layers right side up and cool completely.

If you want to do this ahead, you can make the layers, wrap them tightly, and keep at room temp for 1-2 days or frozen for 3 months.

Filling
2/3 cup natural smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened

Beat the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter just until blended and smooth. When the cakes are cool, turn one layer upside down on a platter or on a cardboard circle. Spread the filling evenly over the cake. Top with the second layer, right side up.

Finally, make the frosting.

Frosting
5 oz semisweet chocolate
2/3 sour cream (If you try to get by with a normal 4 oz chocolate bar, this will get really tangy. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (put the chocolate in a small bowl and set in a pan of barely simmering water). Stir frequently until smooth. Or if you're a risk taker, microwave on medium for 2.5-3 minutes, stirring every now and then. Off heat, scrape the sour cream on top of the chocolate and stir just to combine. Use IMMEDIATELY to frost the top and sides of the cake. If it gets too stiff or loses its gloss, set the bowl in a pan of hot water for a few seconds to soften. Decorate the cake with the peanut brittle and keep at room temp. Hopefully it will be eaten without you having to throw it out in 3 days. Or you could do an experiment and freeze it.

Apple Cake...when to healthify and when to fatten

2011-10-30T23:28:00.000-04:00

When you are making a recipe, do you ever stop and think, "Gee this is a ton of butter" or "does this brown sugar really need to be packed??" I do. Every time I bake. But the important thing is...I don't always change it. Sometimes...it really just has to be that way.

Here are my personal rules about when to healthify and when to serve up the "good stuff:"

Healthify when...
1. Cooking for immediate family.
2. You've made that recipe a billion times and you know it inside and out.
3. No one will know who made what at the potluck anyways...what if you can get a little whole grain into 'em?
4. Making crumbles or cobblers. Normally the streusel can have a lot less sugar and butter.
5. Everyone knows you're a dietitian and thinks that whatever you make has zero calories.
6. You tell your husband what you are making ahead of time and he gets excited.

Don't healthify when...
1. You're making a really complicated recipe.
2. Birthdays and holidays.
3. Your husband will be telling everyone what you made.
4. You're having a bad day and a ruined recipe will push you over the edge.
5. You're cooking with friends and good intentions could turn into accidental addition of double instead of half the butter.
6. You tell your husband what you are making ahead of time and he gets excited.

Now this particular recipe I did not healthify, because my source had already done the work for me. Here it is...the perfect way to use up those last few apples if you got a bag of seconds from the orchard.

Apple Cake
adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Teenage Gourmet

6 apples
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

2.75 cups flour, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2.5 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. (I cut the top and bottom off, peeled the rest, used an apple corer/slicer, then used a knife to chop.) Toss with cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a different bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, OJ, sugar, and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry, then add eggs one at a time.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Pour half of the apples over it. Pour remaining batter over the apples and arrnage remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1.5 hours (mine was almost overdone at 80 min...good thing I caught it in time) until tester comes out clean.

Sorry again for the iphone photos...

As for those stuffed jalapenos, I can't find the recipe I used anywhere. But I can tell you that they were stuffed with 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, a little cayenne and then grilled. Hope that helps!

Adventures with Caramel

2011-10-23T16:22:00.000-04:00

Due to many requests and the fact that I took some of your advice in terms of kitchen colors, I decided to put of some pictures of our new kitchen! So here it is in progress! We are going to put white brick-shaped tile as the backsplash.

Unfortunately, we are going to have to get a really short fridge.

Ryan made this window himself! It used to be a plain old wall and now its a wonderful link between the kitchen and living room.

Now here's where I need some more advice from you all. We are painting our living room gray and going with a retro/modern feel with mustard yellow accents. The question is...should we have light gray walls in our kitchen as well...or paint mustard yellow on one or two walls? Opinions?

Check out some of the fun I've had with apples and caramel recently! I carved this apple in one of my food "labs" this semester.

Last Friday I got together with some of my friends and we made caramel apples and popcorn!

First, poke in some sticks.

Next, make some caramel. I used 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, and 3/4 light corn syrup, as recommended by Cannelle et Vanille. Warning: If you desire dark caramel, this recipe is not for you. I, on the other hand, think it's fun to see the beautiful jonagolds through the caramel.

Bring it to a boil and heat to 315 F.

Immediately dip the apples.

While they cool, you can melt some chocolate and drizzle that over.

If you have any caramel left over, make popcorn!

We girls can never have too much popcorn.

(Yes, these are iphone photos...Ryan's been taking his camera with him a lot lately. Hopefully I can commandeer it again soon!)

On a different topic, here are some of the recipes you requested. The only one I can't post right now is the stuffed jalapenos because I believe I found that in one of my cookbooks and I'm not home right now.

Fried Nutella Wontons: I didn't change anything in this one. It's really mostly just assembly. I substituted homemade raspberry jam for the coulis, though.

Baked Apple Donuts: Beware. These are dangerously addictive. Ryan and I made them disappear rather quickly between the two of us, so I would recommend a double batch.

Chocolate Chip and Brown Sugar Bundt Cake: To be honest, this was not my favorite because it was a little dry. I would recommend adding some applesauce for moistness.

Now as for the pasta, I made that one up. I did not make the pasta myself, unfortunately. I believe the sauce was a sage cream sauce based off of a Williams Sonoma recipe. When I get home I will check on that.

Thanks for reading and commenting! It's inspiring!