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!

falafel from a box

I know, I know - something from a box! I picked up a box of falafel mix a little while ago in anticipation of throwing together a quick dinner, and it came in handy a few days ago. I mixed them up, cooked them and served them on warmed flatbread with homemade tzatziki, tomato and avocado. I don't have a recipe for the tzatziki - just seeded, finely chopped cucumber, plain yogurt, salt, pepper and dill.

a dinner from Dad

Isn't it great when someone else cooks?! My dad made a regular crockpot roast, but added a package of taco seasoning, which really kicked up the flavor. We had it with onions, also from the crockpot; mashed potatoes; corn with paprika, butter and parmesan, and the last of his homegrown summer tomatoes, sprinkled with salt, oregano and a little bit of olive oil.

Fall = pumpkin!

Fall is my favorite time of year ~ I love everything about it ~ cooler weather, cute sweaters, tons of fall festivals and . . . everything pumpkin! The following is a recipe that started with Cara at http://carascravings.blogspot.com/ and made its way around my favorite cooking message board a few weeks back, and it's fantastic! I brought it to work, and everyone loved it.


An important tip: make sure there aren't any lumps when you're making the cream cheese mixture. I should have, because you can see a few of them in the photo. They don't hurt the eating, just the presentation:)

Pumpkin-Spice Cheesecake Brownies

Brownie Batter:

3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter:
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves


Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan. Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon. In separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients. Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan, and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl the batters together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.

this little piggy...

I found some great, thin pork cutlets at the food store last weekend, and decided to roll them around some long grain wild rice and saute. Not bad! There's no recipe, really - just roll the pork (you also could use chicken) around a tablespoon or so of rice, and roll up, starting at the thin end. I dipped the rolls into buttermilk, then dredged in pan searing flour and sauteed. We had it with green beans sprinkled with a bit of salt and parmesan, and roasted acorn squash.

going bananas

Many of the girls who frequent the cooking message board I visit can't wait for their bananas to turn mushy for this very reason - banana bread! I used a recipe from that board this time around (thanks to the nestie who shared it - I can't remember who it was!), and it is delicious. Very tasty, and a bit sweet (you probably could cut the sugar a little, I may try this again with whole wheat flour and less sugar to make it a little more figure friendly;). There also is a recipe in this month's Cooking Light that I'd love to try - it has coconut inside and on top and a lime glaze that soaks in while the bread sits. yum!

Banana Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter or margarine. Beat the egg slightly, and mix into the creamed mixture with the bananas. Mix in sifted ingredients until just combined. Stir in milk and nuts. Spread batter into one greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees until top is brown and cracks along the top, about 40 minutes.

This recipe also recommended adding vanilla and cinammon - I'm out of both!! Bad baker!

Greek + American = one great dinner

This past weekend I got a hankering for some homemade baked macaroni and cheese, and came across some delicious-looking tzatziki sauce at the store, so our dinner of chicken gyros and mac and cheese was born!

Jean's baked macaroni and cheese

7 tablespoons butter

7 tablespooons flour

salt and pepper

a dash Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon mustard
3 1/2 cups milk

12 ounces of shredded cheese, whichever's your favorite

3 cups elbow macaroni

Melt butter over medium heat, then whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time, making sure that it's smooth. Stir in salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add cheese; let mixture come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring frequently to preven milk from burning. Cook macaronis for about six minutes - you want them a bit firm. Combine sauce and elbows and bake for about 30 minutes at 350.

-I top mine with bread crumbs before it goes into the oven, and put a few squirts of Frank's Red Hot sauce when it's plated.

Easy chicken gyros

one pound chicken tenders

salt, pepper, oregano

a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice

lettuce, tomato and onion

pita bread

tzatziki sauce - I bought premade this time, but it's very simple to make - basically just plain yogurt, cucumber and dill

Toss chicken with spices, saute in a little olive oil. Squeeze some lemon juice over the chicken while it's cooking. Warm pita in the oven. Fill pita with chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion and sauce, fold up and enjoy!

what's for dinner?

There's a great pizza place nearby that's known for its super thin-crust pizza, but they also make a delicious chopped antipasta - I'm always looking for new things to do with salad and this one's so easy. Tonight I used romaine and iceberg, cucumber, green pepper, red and yellow tomato, carrots, salami and turkey, and tossed it with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, garlic powder and parmesan. We also had grilled cheese made with munster on whole grain bread and my dad's delicious homemade bread-n-butter pickles on the side. simple and delicious ~ perfect for a Monday!

woo hoo for healthy muffins!

I'm always on the hunt for healthy muffins - I love to make a batch on Sunday, have a few during the week and freeze the rest. I've made these a couple times now - they taste great fresh as well as frozen. Enjoy!

Whole-Wheat Pecan Muffins

(Source: I believe this is from Cooking Light - but I'm not positive!)

Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons stick margarine or butter, melted

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and the next 4 ingredients (flours through salt) in a medium bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Combine buttermilk, sugar, margarine, almond extract, and egg whites; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 161(28% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 0.6g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 4.1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 80mg; SODIUM 200mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.1g

Variations

Well, just one variation for now - this time I used chopped almonds on top instead of pecans and mized in about a half cup of prunes (next time I'll probably try raisins). I also make less than 12 - there's nothing worse than a skimpy muffin! They also are great with a drizzle of honey.

As my friends and family know, I love to cook and bake! I've come across some pretty great food blogs in my constant search for recipes, so I decided to create my own, which hopefully will inspire other foodies as the ones I read inspire me. enjoy!