pizza pizza

Homemade bread goes stale quickly, as there aren't any preservatives used to make it. In an effort to savor every last bite of my first loaf of homemade Italian bread, I drizzled a little olive oil over the top, mixed ricotta cheese with Italian spices, salt, pepper and chopped ham, and spread the cheese mixture on the bread for a quick pizza. A couple minutes in the broiler and voila!

I also made one with sauteed carrots and spinach for a veggie pizza, which was just as good.

homemade bread!

Now, I know making bread from scratch is commonplace for some people, but definitely not for me! I've made quick breads before, but never one with as many steps as this. This is from "The Bread Bakers's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart, which is a beautiful, step-by-step guide to making whatever kind of bread you can imagine.

I'm not going to post the recipe because it's three pages long - if anyone really wants it, leave me a comment and I'll pass it along when I have a couple hours to spare ;)

Rachel Ray strikes again!

It's been a while since I posted any updates, and these delicious little cakes are a great place to start! Rachel Ray's pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling - on my! They are just perfect for fall, though I have a feeling I'll be making them year-round.

The recipe made a lot of filling - I love a lot of icing so I piled it in, yet there was still some leftover.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake

I hate to say it, but yum-o!

Confession: I love to watch Rachel Ray (mostly to make fun with my husband!) but rarely make her recipes. But she made one the other night that I thought about for days, so I made it tonight. It doesn't necessarily look pretty, but it's fantastic!

What I did differently: I didn't have as many mushrooms as the recipe calls for - I just had a carton of sliced white ones. I cut everything pretty much in half so I wouldn't end up with a ton of sauce. Also, I pan fried my chicken with Wegman's pan searing flour.

Chicken with wild mushroom and balsamic cream sauce
Salt
1/2 pound orzo pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
12 white mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan.

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots.Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.

To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.

Roasted brussel sprouts
Cut sprouts in half, lay cut-side down on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil. Drizzle olive oil over the top (to keep them from getting too crispy) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 until the cut sides start to brown, about 20 minutes.

something simple

I had a craving for meatballs the other day, and as part of my effort to eat as healthy as I can during the week, decided on turkey meatballs. I prefer beef meatballs, but the turkey ones are good - they just need a little extra sauce! We had them with whole wheat fusilli; a quick homemade gravy of garlic and onion sauteed in olive oil, tomato sauce and tomato puree, oregano, salt, pepper and a dash of white wine (sorry, no measurements! just threw stuff in and simmered until it tasted good!); and garlicky green beans.

instant dessert!

I came across an article about homemade crusts in Martha Stewart magazine and all of sudden, had to have a pie! I made a quick graham cracker crust and - because I had to be at my parents' for dinner within the hour - filled it with ready-to-eat cheesecake filling. I topped it with sliced nectarines, peaches and toasted almond slivers. (The crust was the best part, if I do say so myself!)

Crumb crust, from Joy of Cooking

1 1/2 cups fine crumbs made from graham crackers, chocolate or vanilla wafers or gingersnaps

6 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinammon

Mix together with a fork or pulse in a food processor until all the ingredients are moistened. Spread the mixture evenly into a 10-inch pie pan or a 10- to 12-inch springform pan. Using your fingers or the bottom of a drinking glass, firmly press the mixture over the bottom of the pan and 1/2 inch up the sides. Freeze for 20 minutes or bake at 350 (make sure to grease your pie pan) until the crust is lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 10 to 15 minutes.

mango madness

I just love mangoes - sliced, in desserts, in smoothies. I had a little extra heavy cream on hand, so I whipped it up, stirred in cinnamon and a little vanilla and spooned it over a sliced mango. Delicious!