PW's Spaghetti with Artichokes and Tomatoes

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Last week I prepared another of Pioneer Woman's recipes and it was not only yum!, it was easy, and great left over. I had a busy day and threw it together in about 25 minutes -- after racing in the door at about 5:30.

The only thing bad about it was my husband confessed he does not like artichokes. Twenty-five years married and I never knew. He never said! So, I guess I'll save this one for a night when he's not home. All the kids liked it, including my son's girlfriend, and Faith especially. I really enjoyed it as well -- the leftovers, too.

I did not have fresh herbs to sprinkle (well, I did, but didn't think cilantro would go too well) and did not really think it made a difference. The sauce was creamy and tasty without. I think my tomatoes were chunkier than hers (I use this brand), but I was o.k. with that. As the recipe states, salt to taste and I did have to add a couple times, so keep tasting and salt as needed. I doubled the recipe for six and had lots of leftovers, but I don't think one recipe would feed six adults.

Spaghetti with Artichokes and Tomatoes
serves 5 to 6

2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ whole medium onion, finely diced
1 can artichoke hearts (I used quartered), drained
1 can diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 Oz.)
1 cup heavy cream
½ cups chicken broth (more as needed)
½ t. nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 T. Fresh Chives (or Other Herbs) Chopped

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.

Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

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Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks


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Loosemeat Sandwiches

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Every mom needs a few good budget-minded, simple dishes that she can whip up in a snap. For me, this sandwich is one of those. When I buy my meat (lately on a monthly basis), I always buy an extra 3-plus-pound package of ground meat and divide it up into 1-plus-pound portions. I can make some quick burgers for lunch, some taco meat for Walking Tacos, or Loosemeat Sandwiches. If your kids like simple flavors (and no vegetables spoiling their meat) this sammie is for you. It's just meat and seasoning -- the raw onion is completely optional. And it's so quick and easy, it often is a substitute dish for whatever was on my menu that just didn't happen.

The recipe came from Rachel Ray, but it is apparently a regional dish from Iowa, and Maid-Rite claims theirs as number one. I have never been to Iowa so I can't say whether our Loosemeat is true Loosemeat, but it tastes good by my standards. I eat mine with chopped raw onion, as does my husband and one of the kids. Two of the kids top their sandwiches with BBQ sauce, which is probably a major Loosemeat faux pas, but I cannot account for the tastes of my offspring. ;-)

Loosemeat Sandwiches
serves 6

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1 T. vegetable oil
1¼ lb. ground chuck
1 cup chicken stock (or bouillon cube dissolved in water)
1 t. sweet paprika
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper
6 hamburger buns
½ yellow onion, chopped finely

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and meat. Brown meat, breaking up with the back of a spoon. Add chicken stock. Season with paprika, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Cook 15 minutes. Pile meat on buns and top with chopped onions.

Serve with tater tots or oven fries, and a Wedge Salad or Cabbage Slaw. Add a chocolate malt for a real diner treat.

Source: Rachel Ray

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Crispy Baked Teriyaki Chicken

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When I saw this recipe for baked chicken at Annie's Eats, I put it on my list of recipes to try. I knew my kids would love it. I wasn't certain about my husband, however. Sometimes he balks at chicken -- he's just a beef kind of guy. But I'm trying to keep him alive a little bit longer, so I force-feed him boneless, skinless chicken breast quite often. He loved this recipe. I had him at the dipping sauce. He poured it on his white rice and even dipped his spicy broccoli in it. I did not follow the recipe exactly, but we liked it anyway. I did not want to purchase the Japanese alcohol -- just another thing to store away -- so I used what I had on hand and it was wonderful. I wouldn't change a thing. I have posted it the way I made it and I think it's more user-friendly for the average home cook. I upped the quantity on the sauce because I knew the kids would use it for more than dipping. And they did. I also upped the quantity on the chicken for our larger family. Posted as I made it.

Annie's picture is much better than mine, and I did not get the sauce in the pic, so pop over there to see how pretty it actually is.

Crispy Baked Teriyaki Chicken
serves 6-8

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For the sauce:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice
6 T. sherry
6 T. sugar

For the chicken:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 t. garlic powder
2 t. salt
½ t. pepper
2 large eggs
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Nonstick cooking spray

To make the sauce, combine the soy sauce, orange juice, sugar and sherry in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 6 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a second bowl, lightly beat the eggs together with a few tablespoons of water. Place the panko in a third shallow bowl or pie plate. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut the chicken breasts into halves so that you have twice as many thin pieces. Lightly season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture to coat both sides. Shake lightly to remove any excess. Then dip into the eggs and shake gently to remove any excess. Finally place in the panko, turning to coat well. Transfer to the prepared wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken pieces are in place, spray lightly with cooking spray (this kitchen tool comes in very handy).

Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden. Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with the teriyaki dipping sauce.

Serving suggestion: steamed white rice and Broccoli Arrabiata

Source: modified from Annie's Eats

Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter Thingies

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I'm in the mood for something sweet, how 'bout you?

College boy was home last weekend and I was trying to think of something sweet that I could send back with him. Since I had sent those Nieman Marcus Chocolate Chippers the week before, I was thinking that these Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter Thingies would be nice. What do you think of that name? I saw them at Stephanie's Kitchen, and she calls then Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites, which is no better than Thingies, if you ask me. So, Thingies they are.

There is one major difference between Stephanie's Bites and my Thingies -- peanut butter. Because of my son's allergies, I don't ever cook with it. So I subbed Sunflower Butter with perfect results. I've talked about Sunflower Butter before -- I get it at Trader Joe's and it's made just for people with nut allergies, so there's none of that "made in a facility with peanuts and tree nuts." It's perfectly safe.

About the recipe -- I thought the sunbutter part of the little Thingie was very sweet -- too sweet, so I would cut down on the sugar next time. If you're willing to keep them in the refrigerator, which I did, I think they would be great with some natural peanut butter, with no sugar at all. As long as you refrigerate the natural peanut butter, it stays hard. I am posting the recipe just as I found it, however, and you can adjust as you like. There's no science involved here -- just wing it.

Chocolate, Pretzel, Peanut Butter Thingies
makes about 45 sandwiches

1 c. peanut butter
2 T. softened butter or margarine
1/2 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
waffle-shaped pretzels
1 bag good quality chocolate (I used Hershey's milk chips)

Using a mixer, combine peanut butter and softened butter and beat until smooth. Add the sugars and stir to combine. At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go (I did not roll these into balls -- I just plopped a scoop onto each pretzel -- I guess they would be prettier if I had, but what the heck). If not, add more sugar until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball and set on a cookie sheet. Roll all the balls and then sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour (I skipped the freezing step, too. I was in a hurry -- no harm, no foul.).

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate. When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely. Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

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Source: Stephanie's Kitchen

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Chicken and Artichoke Saute

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One of the dishes that we so enjoyed this week was this Chicken and Artichoke Saute over mashed potatoes. It was very similar to this dish that we enjoyed a few weeks ago, but slightly different. The thyme created a different flavor, and we all really enjoyed the tastes and textures with some creamy mashed potatoes. I omitted the olives, because I was afraid it would be too much flavor for the kids. I don't think it was missing anything, so I would leave them out again. I cut my chicken breasts into tenders to make it easier to eat -- if you want to do that, just slice each boneless breast into four long, thin pieces. I would probably add more chicken broth next time -- there wasn't as much sauce as we would have liked -- so I have noted the increase below from 1/2 cup to 1 cup.

Chicken and Artichoke Saute

serves 6

4 T. flour
1 T. dried thyme
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
3 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans artichokes (canned in water), drained and halved
2 red peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved (I omitted)
4 T. dry white wine
1 c. chicken stock
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Place the flour, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Flour the chicken a few pieces at a time. Remove the chicken to a plate, shaking off any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large pan over moderate heat. Add the chicken and saute for about 5 minutes on each side (do not crowd the pan -- you made need to cook it in batches), moving around occasionally, until golden brown. Continuing cooking for 10 minutes or until the juices run clear when they are pierced. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Pour off any excess oil from the pan, leaving just a film, then add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds, stirring. Add the artichokes and red peppers, and saute for 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the peppers are tender. Stir in the black olives. Add the wine and allow to bubble, stirring, until it has evaporated. Stir in the stock, lemon juice and lemon zest, bring to the boil and cook until reduced by about half. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken back to the pan to heat through in the sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Source: Taste of Home Cooking

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Recipe Review -- Breezie's Clam Chowder

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I've had this recipe for clam chowder on my list of recipes to try for weeks. I really enjoy New England style clam chowder and I have to say that the only things that could have made this soup better were a frosty night and a jar of thyme. Our weather was not exactly perfect soup weather -- it was warm and humid out -- but with the air conditioner on, we could pretend. And the thyme -- I had a jar three days ago, but I have no idea what happened to it! I can't really say, however, that I missed it.

This soup recipe was wonderful. It was not exactly a "breeze" to throw together, and it made an awful lot of dirty dishes, but it was worth the effort. It also made a lot of soup. If you don't have a crowd, or are not prepared to eat leftovers, pare it down. I made the whole batch and will send some home with my in-laws.

The recipe came from Barb's brother "Breezie." The only change I made was in the preparation of the clams. One grain of sand can ruin a whole bowl of chowder for me, so I take extra care to get the sand out. My modifications are in italics.

Breezie's Clam Chowder

1/4 lb. bacon (4 or 5 slices), diced
6 ribs celery, cut thin
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 T. butter
1 qt. chicken stock
black pepper to taste
1/2 t. thyme
5 or 6 potatoes, diced (I didn't peel them before dicing, just washed them well)
3 cans (6.5 oz each) minced clams
1 package Louis Kemp "crab," sliced
8 T. butter
6 T. flour
1 qt. milk
T.
1/4 c. cold water

Dice and blanch bacon in 2 cups boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Open clam cans and pour them into a mesh sieve, allowing juice to drain into a bowl. Place clams in a colander and rinse them with cool water, discarding any dark bits. Drain.

Saute celery & onions in 2 T. butter for 10 minutes over medium heat. Don't allow to brown.

In large soup pot, add bacon, celery & onions to chicken stock. Add clam juice (pour from bowl very slowly being sure to leave sediment in the bowl), pepper and thyme. Bring to a heavy simmer. Add potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are cooked but still firm.

In another pot, melt the stick of butter and blend with flour. Add 1 qt. hot milk; stir and until thickened to make a bechamel sauce. Add drained clams, crab, and the bechamel to the soup. Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Make a slurry with the cornstarch and ice water and add to the soup. Bring to a boil and stir until soup thickens. Lower the heat and simmer until ready to serve.

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Recipe Review: Marsala Burgers

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I hope I caught you before you went to the grocery store, because if you have any gaps in your weekend menu, you should really consider making these burgers. I saw these burgers at Smells Like Home and I immediately knew I would have to make them. Doug really enjoys anything "Marsala" and he also loves a good burger -- what a winning combo. And they did not disappoint, in any way.

They were very simple to make, even though the ingredient list is a little long for a hamburger (I think the best thing is to not think of this as a hamburger -- it's really much more). I will tell you that I'm not certain the rosemary really adds much flavor, so if you don't have it leftover from another dish or growing out in the garden, don't bother. I added more mushrooms than called for because if you're going to buy 8 oz. of mushrooms and the recipe calls for 2 oz. what are you going to do with the rest? So I ended up using about 6 oz. and used the others up in a salad. We ate every mushroom that was in the pan -- I would use all 8 oz. next time. I did not use all the Marsala that was called for -- more like 1/2 cup -- but everything else was the same. Doug and discussed that we didn't even feel the need to put these burgers on bread -- they could absolutely stand alone.

Tara's picture was much better than mine (I think I need some new plates, don't you?) and she apparently used a white cheddar where I used an orange cheddar, but it was all good.

Marsala Burgers

4 burgers

1 lb. ground beef or ground chuck (give or take a few ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
6 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used Button)
1/2 c. sweet Marsala
1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth
1 fresh rosemary sprig
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
crusty French bread baguette

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
Shape the ground beef into 4 oblong patties, about 4 inches long each. Drizzle the patties with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; repeat on the opposite sides.

Cut the French bread into pieces a little shorter than each of the patties and set aside.

Brown the patties in the skillet on both sides until the burgers are medium rare. Transfer the burgers to a plate and keep warm; leave the juices in the pan.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil, if necessary. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the Marsala. Simmer until the Marsala reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and the rosemary sprig. Simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Return the burgers to the skillet. Cook burgers until they are medium, turning to coat, about 1 minute. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1 slice of cheese to the top of each burger and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt, about 2 minutes.
When the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the pan and place on the French bread. Top the burgers with Marsala sauce and then the top of the French bread. Serve hot.

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Recipe Review -- Bella Bruschetta Salad

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I have, today, another new recipe that we recently enjoyed. I love a salad for dinner -- one big bowl and you're done. Most salads aren't hearty enough for a supper, though. And most wouldn't entice my kids. But this one did. The cheese, pepperoni and bread filled us up (at least until snack time), and the flavors of pizza made it an all-thumbs-up recipe. Of course, college boy wasn't home and he wouldn't have touched it. But everyone else loved it. I made this recipe just as it was posted at Mennonite Girls, except I used my house cheater dressing. That's half Marzetti's Sweet Italian -- from the produce department -- and half Girard's Olde Venice. Both I can get at my grocer. I also threw in a handful of pepperoncini -- we like it spicy!

Bella Bruschetta Salad

4 cups torn romaine lettuce, or mixed lettuce
8 roma tomatoes or 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1⁄4 cup chopped basil
1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese
2 cups sliced pepperoni stick
1⁄2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pepperoncini (optional)
4 cups cubed baguette or French bread stick
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing (see note above)

Toss together lettuce, chopped tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, pepperoni, and pepperoncini. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Add bread and toss with dressing.

Source: modified from Mennonite Girls Can Cook

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Recipe Review -- Annie's Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

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I get great pleasure from finding a dish that tastes great and is cheap. Yes, I said CHEAP! It satisfies this inner need to not only feed my family, but to know that I could still feed them if we were poor. I am very fortunate that I don't actually have to scrimp to buy food, but it's good to realize you could do it if you had to. And since I am actually trying to save for a little vacation, it's nice to come in under budget on groceries once in a while.

This dish is not ramen noodle cheap, but it's pretty darned inexpensive considering it's also pretty healthy. I made it pretty much the same as Annie, but I admit to drinking half the beer that was supposed to go in with the beans. The beans didn't miss it one bit. I skipped the salsa on top, but I won't next time. Some diced fresh tomatoes would have been just as good. I tossed some sliced cabbage, minced cilantro and green onions with lime juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper for a side. It was yummy.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Ingredients:
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 T. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. ground cumin
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
12 oz. beer, or 1 ½ cups water
1 (10-oz.) package frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese
sour cream and salsa, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside. (My springform pan is a 10-inch and so I didn't need to do this. Obviously, skip it if they already fit.)

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5-7 minutes.

Add beans and beer to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and sprinkle evenly with some of the cheese. Repeat three times, using all of the remaining cheese on the top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Remove sides of pan; garnish with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Source: Annie's Eats
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Boston Cream Pie

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I hope that you'll forgive my lack of decent recipe posts lately. I'm feeling very summery -- not that I'm not cooking, but that's about all I'm doing. That and reading. I guess I'm saying I'm being lazy these days. But that's what summer is all about. Right?

Maybe you'll forgive me with this post. This recipe is a gem. I can't claim it as my own, but I did find it for you didn't I? And I tested it for you, didn't I? Trust me. It's a gem -- in the summer, winter, spring or fall. The recipe, which I swiped from Smells Like Home, apparently originated at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. Or at least that's what Tara said. All I know is this was an awesome cake/pie/dessert. The cake (you know I love scratch cake) was dense and moist and the cream was rich and vanillay (o.k. that's my word). It's a wonderful version of that age-old recipe. Like Tara, I doubled the custard. I couldn't fit all of it on, and as you can see from the picture it was oozing out when I cut it, but I think it needs more than one recipe. So I doubled it in the instructions and you can eat the leftover custard (pleeease don't waste it).

For a lower fat version, see my comments below. With the alternate ingredients there was no discernible difference between the lower and higher fat cream pies.

Boston Cream Pie

White Cake

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. shortening
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 c. buttermilk or sour milk
4 egg whites (reserve egg yolks for filling)

Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350º degrees F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add shortening, butter or margarine, vanilla and buttermilk or sour milk. Blend on low speed of mixer then beat on 2 minutes on medium speed. Add egg whites and beat 2 additional minutes. Pour into cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for ten minutes; remove from pans.

Cream Filling

2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
3 c. milk
4 egg yolks
2 T. butter
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Gradually add milk and egg yolks; blend well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat; blend in butter and vanilla. Pour into a bowl through a sieve. Chill. (I poured my cream into a 13 x 9 pan and placed a piece of wax paper directly onto the pudding; then I placed it in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Don't forget about it!)

Place one cake onto cake plate. Spoon as much pudding as you can onto one cake layer (eat the rest!); carefully top with remaining layer. Prepare Cocoa Glaze.

Cocoa Glaze

3 T. water
2 T. butter
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Combine water and butter in small saucepan. Bring to full boil; remove from heat and immediately add cocoa. Stir to blend well (mixture leaves side of pan and forms a ball). Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth – whisk if necessary. (You will need to beat the mixture very well for it to liquefy. I added a few more teaspoons of hot water to get it just right.) Pour onto top of cake allowing some to drizzle down sides. Chill thoroughly before serving.

* For a lower fat version, substitute 4 T. low-fat mayonnaise for the shortening, and low-fat buttermilk (or low fat soured milk) in the cake and use 1% milk in the pudding. Use 1 T. butter in both the pudding and the glaze. Add more hot water if needed in the glaze.

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Over Easy

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Tough stuff, I know. Actually this was tough stuff for me. My husband has been putting up with messed up eggs for almost 24 years. He likes them over easy, and I almost always break the yolks trying to flip those suckers over. Or I overcook them. Poor guy never gets them just right.

Until now.

Voila.


Perfect over easy eggs and I didn't even have to flip.

The Farmer's Wife taught me how. Go see how she did it. Apparently you can teach these old dogs new tricks.

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Orange Blueberry Scones

I'm still on a scone kick and I haven't tried all the recipes on my list -- it's the summer of scones I believe. This recipe is wonderful, but decadent. It has considerably more butter in it than the other two recipes I've recently tried. And as soon as you bite into them, you taste it and feel it. They are so tender and flaky. Oh yum! Better save these for special occasions. Originally this recipe was a dried cranberry scone recipe, but my source subbed with blueberries and I did, too. They would likely be good with dried cranberries or even dried cherries, but with blueberries, they were perfect. I halved the recipe and made a couple other minor changes, but the basic scones I kept the same.

I made these first thing in the morning, but you could start the night before and get your dry ingredients measured in a bowl and zest your orange and dice your butter. Then you just have to throw everything into the mixer and bake. If you are not safe with electric appliances first thing in the morning (except to press "brew" on the coffee maker) make these and freeze them in plastic freezer bags. Reheat on a cookie sheet in the oven (350 degrees F) for 10 minutes.

I'm sorry, but even if you click on the pic, you can't taste them!

Orange Blueberry Scones

12 scones

2 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. grated orange zest
12 T. cold unsalted butter, diced
2 eggs
1/2 c. cold heavy cream
3/4 c. blueberries

1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
2 t. freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 2 cups of flour, 2 T. sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the cream into a measuring cup and add eggs. Whisk with a fork and then, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the blueberries and 2 T. of flour, add to the dough, and mix by hand -- very gently.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead gently it into a ball. Cut dough into two equal size pieces. Flatten, with your hands, into a round about 1 inch high. Repeat with other half. Cut each round into 6 triangles. Place triangles onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until scones are lightly browned on top. The scones will be firm to the touch.

Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

Source: Smells Like Home

A Greek Repast

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I saw some Chicken Gyros at Annie's Eats a couple weeks ago and I've been patiently waiting to try them. My kids were actually very anxious to try them also (a good anxious, not nervous anxious). So I put them on the menu last week and they were a huge hit. My kids all enjoyed them, I enjoyed them, and my husband positively enjoyed them, declaring the dinner to be in the "Top Ten" ever.

This was a very easy recipe also, especially since I subbed the strained yogurt with 2 % fat Greek yogurt. I've told you how much I love Greek yogurt, and it was a beautiful thing in the tzatziki sauce -- it was rich and creamy, but melted over the hot chicken and became part of the meat and bread. Yum! I made only one change to Annie's recipe. I sliced the chicken into strips (my chicken breasts were very large and I sliced each into about 8 slices) and marinated them that way. I think more surface area for the marinade made them super tasty and they were easy to serve because I didn't have to slice the breasts at the last minute. I grilled them, which made for easy clean-up.

I also had this Greek Salad from the Mennonite Girls on my list of recipes to try, and so I made it with the gyros. It was a good match. I modified it just a tad.

Chicken Gyros

For the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. low fat plain yogurt (or use Greek yogurt and skip the straining steps)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin

To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible.

Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. (If desired, slice chicken breasts into 1-inch strips). Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler (or on the grill). Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. If using whole breasts, cut into strips.

Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Greek Salad

1 bunch romaine or loose leaf lettuce, chopped
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c chopped green onions
12 pitted ripe olives
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/3 English cucumber, sliced
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1/4 c fresh chopped basil

Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Shake dressing ingredients in tightly covered container. Toss salad ingredients.
Pour dressing over top and toss to coat.

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One Bowl Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies

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I'm a nut for coconut. So much so, that I'm not even going to apologize for that awful play on words. I can remember loving coconut even farther back than I have a memory (which isn't all that far -- I have an awful memory). I know when I was a little girl that Mounds candy bars were in my Top Five Favorites. And my brothers always passed off their coconut nests to me at Easter. I always seem to be the only one in the family who loves it. Which is why I almost didn't make these blondies. My kids are very lukewarm on coconut, and I just don't get it. It's not really a texture thing, and how could it possibly be a flavor thing? I'm stumped. They were definitely not lukewarm on these blondies, however. They were all over them.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 c. light brown sugar
1 large egg
11⁄2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with baking spray.
In a medium bowl,
stir together the melted butter
and brown sugar until smooth;
beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.
Slowly add flour and salt until blended,
then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan
and smooth even with a rubber spatula.




Bake blondies for 25-30 minutes,
or until set in the center but still soft.
Do not overbake.
Cool completely before cutting into squares.


Use a bench knife for cutting --
straight down and straight up --
you'll get much better edges.

Source: Brown-Eyed Baker

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Homemade Buns

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For years I've been searching for a great bun dough recipe. I go in spurts trying different recipes and then getting frustrated that none are soft and tasty. A couple weeks ago when I planned slider burgers for dinner, I hunted for another recipe -- it's hard to find tiny little buns at the grocery store. I'm so glad that I didn't give up because I finally found one that is really a keeper. The buns are soft, but not doughy, and very tasty. We enjoyed them with the slider burgers and again this past week with Italian sausage. Both times the buns held up -- didn't fall apart like homemade buns often do. This dough seems to have the perfect balance! The recipe came from King Arthur's flour.

Beautiful Burger (or Sausage) Buns

3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water*
2 T. butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 t. salt
1 T. instant yeast


Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients—
by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough.

Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces.
Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across
(for hot dog or sausage buns, shape into thin logs instead of rounds).
Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet,** cover,
and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.

If desired, brush buns with melted butter.
Or brush lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water),
and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden.
Cool on a rack.
(I brush them with melted butter when they come out of the oven so they stay nice and soft.)

* On a humid day use the lesser quantity and during drier weather, use more.

**I like to place the buns close enough that when they bake,
they will touch and get those nice, soft sides --
you might have to experiment a little to see how close they need to be.
My experience is about 1.5 inches apart.


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Atsa Spicy Pizza Sausage

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I tried this pizza sausage recipe a few weeks ago and have had the picture on my computer since. Though not my recipe, it's worth re-posting because it's goooood. I had never made sausage before, but how easy it was! I really liked buying my own lean ground pork (if your grocer doesn't have any you can ask your butcher to grind a couple lean pork chops) and white meat ground turkey. It was nice to know exactly what was in my sausage meat. The recipe came from myrecipes.com and received a five-star review. I divided the recipe into thirds and that was plenty for one pizza night. I stored the other two-thirds in the freezer. The sausage would also be yummy cooked with some peppers and onions and placed on Italian rolls.

This was all sausage and half red onion and red peppers --
the onion and pepper side was really yummy.

Atsa Spicy Pizza Sausage

1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. fennel seeds
1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1 t. salt
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned,
stirring to crumble. Drain.

Note: The sausage can be frozen in zip-top plastic bags for up to 3 months.


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Recipe Review -- Bavarian Pot Roast

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Those girls over at Mennonite Girls Can Cook are some awesome cooks. It would really be much easier to just get an invitation to dinner, but short of that, I'll take their recipes. Good stuff -- everything we've tried so far.

This Bavarian Pot Roast, however, was over-the-top good, at least for this German girl. I prepared it on Sunday and we had Doug's parents over. Since we had company, I didn't get any pictures, so you'll just have to trust me. It was reeaallly good. Everyone enjoyed it, even the kids.

We had plans to attend Mass at 2 in the afternoon, so I started it in the morning. It was simple to put together, and it cooked for several hours before I stuck it in the refrigerator while we went to Mass (it probably would have been fine sitting out, but I'm kind of neurotic about food-borne illness, so I didn't take any chances). When we came home, I put it back in the oven, and then while I baked the bread, I put it on the stove on med-low.

The roast was cooked perfectly, and the vegetables were just right. The secret "wow" to this recipe, however is not the carrots, nor the beef -- it's the pickles and the gravy. I can't really describe it, I'm sorry. All I can say is, it's wonderful. Doug and I, and his parents, love a German dish called Rouladen. Rouladen is very time consuming to prepare, and this roast tastes just like Rouladen, without the work. Maybe that's why it tasted so good -- it was easy! This recipe will most definitely become a family favorite for us. I made it exactly the way the recipe is written, except I used two smaller bottom round roasts (buy one get one at Giant Eagle last week), probably totaling 3.5 pounds, and I doubled the carrots because we like carrots.


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Recipe Review -- Appetizers

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I have a really good Shrimp Scampi pizza recipe with pictures to post tomorrow, but, in the meantime, I thought I'd let you know how the appetizers went over on Christmas. Since it was just for family, I tried three new recipes and two of them were huge hits!

The first is Alton Brown's shrimp cocktail. I used this recipe for the brining and cooking method, but resorted to bottled cocktail sauce (I bought the zesty) instead of fussing with homemade. These were the best shrimp cocktail we have ever eaten. Buying raw shrimp and cooking them yourself is always better than buying precooked shrimp. But, I believe this method is really superior to boiling. And it could hardly be easier. I bought precut and deveined shrimp (shells on) and all I did was thaw, rinse, brine, rinse, season and cook. The prep work was just a few minutes worth, and the cooking was just two minutes on each side. Then they chilled for about two hours. A squeeze of lemon juice and a dunk in the sauce, and yum! They were firm (not like mushy precooked frozen shrimp) and tasty (I used some Old Bay seasoning) and so good. We could easily have eaten several pounds!

The other recipe that was a huge hit was Paula Deen's Bacon-Wrapped Breadsticks. I had a little problem finding the breadsticks (as in, I didn't). I looked at three stores and finally settled on Pepperidge Farm Sesame Sticks. I don't know what the difference would be, other than size, but we loved them, so I wouldn't change a thing. Obviously I had to cut the bacon way down ( a quarter slice for each sesame stick), but I didn't change the baking time or anything else. I made a big platter of these that was devoured in minutes (I'm really not kidding). I wouldn't fix these every day since the calories were likely way over the top, but on special occasions, they are a really yummy treat.

The third appetizer I made was Paula Deen's Baked Cheese Spread. In all fairness we ate the other two appetizers first and no one was really hungry for the spread. In fact, they hardly touched it. I'm going to heat it up tomorrow and see what happens when we're hungry. I'll let you know.

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Recipe Review: Rye Bread

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I love rye bread. I have buttered rye toast almost everyday for breakfast. Pretty boring, huh? Peach does, too -- like mother, like daughter.

So, when I bought a box of organic rye flour a few weeks ago, I really wanted to find a good reliable rye bread recipe. On Thursday, I made a batch of this recipe that I found at allrecipes.com. Good stuff. I halved the recipe because, one, I wasn't sure I would like it and didn't want to waste ingredients, and, two, we can only eat so much bread before it goes stale.

I made the bread in rounds -- I like rounds for dinner, but they have their drawbacks when toasting. It had a really good texture, firm, but not dry. Flavorful, but not too sweet. The rye flavor was not quite as strong as I like it -- maybe more caraway next time, and I may play around with the rye to white ratio. I'm going to try it again this week.

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Reubens, Oven, or Not

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This picture has been on my desktop for weeks now, and I almost trashed it without writing a post. But they were such lovely sandwiches, and my husband enjoyed them so much, I decided they deserved their day in the sun.

The impetus for this sandwich recipe came from here, because I thought an oven baked reuben sounded healthier, and less messy. As I got into it though, I ended up using butter to keep the sandwiches from sticking (because using cooking spray just seemed wrong), and I had to flip the sandwiches to get them browned on both sides. Next time I'll just use my electric skillet, unless I have more than five or six to make at once.

As I said, my husband really enjoyed these sandwiches. I think he said, at least four times, "that's a really good sandwich." Reubens are a guy's sandwich I think, but I enjoyed mine too. The kids ate them too, one with meat and cheese only, one with no sauerkraut, and one with the works.

Reubens
serves 6

1 cup sauerkraut, drained
1 cup Thousand Island dressing
12 rye bread slices
6 Swiss cheese slices
1 pound thin sliced corned beef


Lightly butter each slice of bread on one side.
Spread dressing evenly on the other side of each bread slice.
Layer bread slices, dressing side in, evenly with cheese,
sauerkraut, and corned beef.
Top with remaining rye bread slices, butter side up.

Heat a large skillet and place sandwiches in skillet.
Cook until golden brown on one side and then flip.
Cook until golden brown on the other side and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm.


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