Ok, so today I'm not going to be posting any recipes, I'm on a bit of a time crunch, but I did want to make sure that I did my daily dose of blogging. I promised to try and keep it up, so I'll at least put something on here that's hopefully useful. A lot of people ask where I get my inspiration for recipes etc. I would have to say I do a lot of perusing on the web for different recipe sites and good recipes. I figured that I'd share some of those sites with you. The nice thing is alot of them have options for searching for specific recipes or guidelines, for instance, those with allergies to nuts or gluetin, can search in advanced search at Epicurious for recipes with out nuts or wheat product, a handy little tool for those of us who have to cook for specific diets. It was especially useful for when my son was allergic to eggs. Do you know how hard it is to bake things with out eggs in them? Anyhow, a lot of specialty grocery stores have alternative options for those with special diets and often time have cook books there or recipes for those looking for ways to make healthy and well rounded meals. So I'm putting down a few links of my favorite sites for recipes. Hope it helps inspire you on your way to becoming a creative cook!
http://www.epicurious.com - Probably my absolute favorite all around site
http://www.mrbreakfast.com - Great breakfast site
http://www.recipezaar.com - Good all around site, most recipes are user donated.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Macadamia Nuts + White Chocolate = Bliss
Ok, I'm going to take a poll out there in cyber land... What is your favorite cookie? I would have to say hands down it would be for me, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. The way the chocolate and nuts meld together in a symphony of delicious flavors with buttery cookie thrown into the mix? Who can top that? My mouth is watering as I think about it! So this past summer I decided to make cookies for a trip out to Seattle. I didn't have any chocolate chips, but I did have some choped macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. It hit me! I can try making a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, the only problem was I didn't have a recipe for them... what to do, what to do? I figured I didn't really have a whole lot of extra time to search for the perfect recipe, I'd have to make one up on my own and just go with it. The brilliance of my plan was all in simply using the Nestle toll house chocolate chip cookie base recipe for my base. So I did, and the results were super yummy! So by popular demand, I'm posting my recipe with an added bonus, you can add some shredded sweetened coconut for an added flair on the tropical! :) Hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we did!
Jen's white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
1 C softened butter
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs Vanilla (again I prefer Mexican Vanilla)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 C white chocolate chips
1 C Chopped toasted macadamia nuts
1/4 C shredded sweetened coconut (optional)
Prep:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix together thoroughly.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter,sugars and vanilla. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture beating well until entirely incorporated. Mix in white chocolate chips, nuts and coconut (optional). Drop by rounded Tbs onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes. (I found that 11 min in my oven is perfect) Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Cookies should be soft and chewy, not crispy. If crispy they are over cooked, unless you like them that way! :) They should be a very light gold color when they are done, and may look like they aren't finished cooking, however the cookies will continue to cook as they cool, so unless it's super doughy don't worry. Serve with milk and enjoy!
Jen's white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
1 C softened butter
3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs Vanilla (again I prefer Mexican Vanilla)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 C white chocolate chips
1 C Chopped toasted macadamia nuts
1/4 C shredded sweetened coconut (optional)
Prep:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix together thoroughly.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter,sugars and vanilla. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture beating well until entirely incorporated. Mix in white chocolate chips, nuts and coconut (optional). Drop by rounded Tbs onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes. (I found that 11 min in my oven is perfect) Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Cookies should be soft and chewy, not crispy. If crispy they are over cooked, unless you like them that way! :) They should be a very light gold color when they are done, and may look like they aren't finished cooking, however the cookies will continue to cook as they cool, so unless it's super doughy don't worry. Serve with milk and enjoy!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tackling Creme Brulee...
Most people love a good creme brulee. They are impressed by the presentation as well as the flavor, but what makes a good creme brulee exactly, and why can't some people seem to get the proper balance of egg to cream ratio? I think creme brulee is just about one of my absolute favorite desserts in the whole wide world. There are millions of recipes for it out there and it can be a bit overwhelming muddling your way through them all. Once you find a recipe, how do you get it to turn out just right? While I've had no formal training in the matter of cooking, I do consider myself to be a pretty good cook. (so does my work as I'm the chef there! lol!) The very first time I tried making creme brulee, it was a complete and utter disaster! I didn't heat the cream up properly, and the water bath was much too full. It was runny and nasty! So, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect! I kept at it until I figured out the perfect way of making this tasty little dish. Thanks to my talented mother who provided me with the recipe that I gently tweeked (yes, recipes are mostly just for inspiration, not set in stone!) I was able to produce a yummy and beautiful dessert. I'll share my tips and recipe with you, however the secret to a really good creme brulee is in the vanilla you use! Shhhh! Don't tell anyone! ;) And as I said before, if it doesn't turn out the first couple of times, don't lose heart, just keep at it, and practice makes perfect!
Jen's Favorite Creme Brulee
5 egg yolks
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream (also known as 2 C)
1 Tbs Mexican vanilla*
Prep:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a heavy sauce pan, heat cream over medium heat until edges bubble and thin film is visible on the surface. While the cream is heating, in a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until light yellow in color (do not over mix... very important!!!). In a slow steady stream add hot cream to egg mixture whisking lightly to fully incorporate the cream into the egg mixture. (This of course may require a second set of hands to help keep the cream from being dumped into the eggs.) Once cream and eggs are mixed, stir in vanilla*. Prepare a water bath. (For those of you who've never heard or used a water bath, take a cake pan or pyrex casserole dish and add about 1/2" of water to the bottom of the dish.) Ladle custard mix into ramekins (or for those of you who don't have ramekins, the small round glass pyrex bowls work too). Carefully place the ramekins into the water bath. Bake for 45 min or until set (may be longer or shorter depending on your oven and altitude). Remove from water bath and immediately chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours. (This can be made a day or two ahead of time.) When custard is completely chilled, it should be set and not wiggle much to the touch. Spread a thin layer of sugar on top of the custard all the way to the edges. Sugar layer should not be too thin or it will burn the custard, and you want to make a nice carmelized top. Using a kitchen torch, carmelize the sugar on top until golden brown and there are not any "sugary" spots left. Chill. (If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can use the broiler in your oven. Make sure the top shelf is at the highest point so the sugar layer is as close to the burner as possible. You will have to watch very closely so as to not burn the sugar or custard. Immediately remove and chill for 30 min. minimum.) Serve with fresh berries (personally I think raspberries are the best but really all berries taste amazing with this) and enjoy! DON'T think about calories, it's dessert folks! :)
*Just a quick side note on the vanilla. In my opinion Mexican vanilla yeilds the best tasting creme brulees. You can purchase it at most local mexican groceries or on line. My absolute favorite mexican vanilla can only be purchased in Mexico, and is called Azteca, it has a yellow label with the chicen itza pyramid on it. If anyone goes there, please get me more! I'd be happy to pay you back for them, the vanilla is amazing! You can get the Monin extract right on line and it's not very expensive. In fact a large vanilla usually costs less than the large vanilla extract you can get at Costco or Sam's Club, and you get more. Just search on line at google or whatever search engine you perfer for Mexican vanilla or Monin.
Jen's Favorite Creme Brulee
5 egg yolks
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream (also known as 2 C)
1 Tbs Mexican vanilla*
Prep:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a heavy sauce pan, heat cream over medium heat until edges bubble and thin film is visible on the surface. While the cream is heating, in a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until light yellow in color (do not over mix... very important!!!). In a slow steady stream add hot cream to egg mixture whisking lightly to fully incorporate the cream into the egg mixture. (This of course may require a second set of hands to help keep the cream from being dumped into the eggs.) Once cream and eggs are mixed, stir in vanilla*. Prepare a water bath. (For those of you who've never heard or used a water bath, take a cake pan or pyrex casserole dish and add about 1/2" of water to the bottom of the dish.) Ladle custard mix into ramekins (or for those of you who don't have ramekins, the small round glass pyrex bowls work too). Carefully place the ramekins into the water bath. Bake for 45 min or until set (may be longer or shorter depending on your oven and altitude). Remove from water bath and immediately chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours. (This can be made a day or two ahead of time.) When custard is completely chilled, it should be set and not wiggle much to the touch. Spread a thin layer of sugar on top of the custard all the way to the edges. Sugar layer should not be too thin or it will burn the custard, and you want to make a nice carmelized top. Using a kitchen torch, carmelize the sugar on top until golden brown and there are not any "sugary" spots left. Chill. (If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can use the broiler in your oven. Make sure the top shelf is at the highest point so the sugar layer is as close to the burner as possible. You will have to watch very closely so as to not burn the sugar or custard. Immediately remove and chill for 30 min. minimum.) Serve with fresh berries (personally I think raspberries are the best but really all berries taste amazing with this) and enjoy! DON'T think about calories, it's dessert folks! :)
*Just a quick side note on the vanilla. In my opinion Mexican vanilla yeilds the best tasting creme brulees. You can purchase it at most local mexican groceries or on line. My absolute favorite mexican vanilla can only be purchased in Mexico, and is called Azteca, it has a yellow label with the chicen itza pyramid on it. If anyone goes there, please get me more! I'd be happy to pay you back for them, the vanilla is amazing! You can get the Monin extract right on line and it's not very expensive. In fact a large vanilla usually costs less than the large vanilla extract you can get at Costco or Sam's Club, and you get more. Just search on line at google or whatever search engine you perfer for Mexican vanilla or Monin.
Baked Eggs... A little piece of Heaven!
Ok, so for my job I usually make breakfasts, although on occasion (that seems more common these days), I have to make lunches or dinners (alright, usually it's dinners). I made a version of the following once with smoked salmon from a cook book and it was amazing! I LOVED it with the salmon, however some people think having fish for breakfast is a bit weird. Isn't it all about the flavor people? So I decided to tweak the recipe a bit and make it more "vegetarian friendly" and no salmon, altho I highly recommend it that way! Last spring we had a Ladies' Brunch for our church, typically I'll make this dish in individual ramekins, however I figured on a much larger scale I'd try making it in a 13x9 pyrex dish. Of course the cooking time had to be varied considering the large size of the dish itself. So, with that being said, you can make these baked eggs either individually (which I recommend for time's sake and smaller servings) or you can make it like a casserole. My father in law loves this dish. When he was out visiting us last time, I made it for him the first day he was here for breakfast. Needless to say, he requested it every morning for breakfast during his stay here! He even went out and bought his own ramekins to make it at home for himself! LOL! So per several requests for this recipe, here goes! Hope you all enjoy them as much as we do!
Vegetarian Baked Eggs:
4 ramekins
4 eggs
8 Tbs heavy cream
3 stalks of scallions (green onions) chopped
1 bag of frozen spinach thawed
1 bag shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Prep:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line each ramekin with a layer of thawed spinach (squeeze excess juices and water out). Sprinkle a generous layer of the chopped scallions. Add a generous layer of parmesan cheese (about 2 Tbs) over the scallions and create a little "basket" to hold the egg in (that means an indentation in the middle of the layers). Break the egg carefully into the "basket" not breaking the yolk. Pour 2 Tbs of heavy cream over the egg and add salt and pepper to taste. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 20-25 min. or until yolk is set.
Vegetarian Baked Eggs:
4 ramekins
4 eggs
8 Tbs heavy cream
3 stalks of scallions (green onions) chopped
1 bag of frozen spinach thawed
1 bag shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Prep:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line each ramekin with a layer of thawed spinach (squeeze excess juices and water out). Sprinkle a generous layer of the chopped scallions. Add a generous layer of parmesan cheese (about 2 Tbs) over the scallions and create a little "basket" to hold the egg in (that means an indentation in the middle of the layers). Break the egg carefully into the "basket" not breaking the yolk. Pour 2 Tbs of heavy cream over the egg and add salt and pepper to taste. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 20-25 min. or until yolk is set.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Cook it and forget about it...
I don't know about you, but life as a busy mom sometimes keeps me from actually preparing a proper meal... corn dogs in the microwave, or chicken nuggets, pb&j, are always quick and well loved by the kids, but come on, do you really want to eat that EVERY day for EVERY meal? Of course the kids would answer yes if I let them, but honestly, do you want them eating it all the time? I know that between running my kids to and from school, work, house keeping, church responsibilities and outside activities, it doesn't leave a lot of time for creative cooking, or even for making dinner for that matter. Sometimes its nice to just throw everything in a crockpot and forget about it, until the deliciously tantalizing smells fill the air, and your mouth begins to water as you wonder how long you have to wait until it's ready! So for this section, I've decided to add some of my favorite, simple crockpot recipes for those of you who like to cook it and forget about it. Hope you enjoy!
Jen's BBQ Crockpot Chicken:
1-2 pkgs of chicken, boneless skinless (you choose the cut, I like thighs, more flavor in my opinion)
1 bottle honey bbq sauce
1 medium onion chopped
1 can cola
Prep:
Throw all ingredients into a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice or on it's own with warm corn bread.
Savory Chicken:
1-2 pkgs bone-in chicken thighs skinless
1 pkg spaghetti sauce mix
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large can sliced black olives
red wine
Prep:
Layer chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle package of spaghetti sauce mix over the chicken. Pour in the entire contents of the diced tomatoes, juices and all. Fill diced tomato can with red wine and pour over chicken. Drain olives and add to crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. To thicken sauce: combine 3 TBS cornstarch with 3 Tbs of cold water, mix until completely dissolved, pour into crockpot and stir until sauce is thickened to desired consistency. Serve over rice or rotelle noodles.
Burgundy Beef:
1 - 2-3lb Beef roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg onion soup mix
2 cans baby potatoes
red wine
Prep:
Place potatoes on bottom of crockpot, top with beef. Sprinkle onion soup mix over all ingredients, pour in mushroom soup. Fill can of mushroom soup with red wine and pour over ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally. To thicken sauce follow above method. Serve with fresh french bread. Yum!
Jen's BBQ Crockpot Chicken:
1-2 pkgs of chicken, boneless skinless (you choose the cut, I like thighs, more flavor in my opinion)
1 bottle honey bbq sauce
1 medium onion chopped
1 can cola
Prep:
Throw all ingredients into a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over rice or on it's own with warm corn bread.
Savory Chicken:
1-2 pkgs bone-in chicken thighs skinless
1 pkg spaghetti sauce mix
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large can sliced black olives
red wine
Prep:
Layer chicken on the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle package of spaghetti sauce mix over the chicken. Pour in the entire contents of the diced tomatoes, juices and all. Fill diced tomato can with red wine and pour over chicken. Drain olives and add to crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. To thicken sauce: combine 3 TBS cornstarch with 3 Tbs of cold water, mix until completely dissolved, pour into crockpot and stir until sauce is thickened to desired consistency. Serve over rice or rotelle noodles.
Burgundy Beef:
1 - 2-3lb Beef roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg onion soup mix
2 cans baby potatoes
red wine
Prep:
Place potatoes on bottom of crockpot, top with beef. Sprinkle onion soup mix over all ingredients, pour in mushroom soup. Fill can of mushroom soup with red wine and pour over ingredients. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally. To thicken sauce follow above method. Serve with fresh french bread. Yum!
Adventures in Chicken...
Ok, so I saw the movie Julie and Julia not too long ago. Absolutely loved it, very clever and well done, and the humor was definitely the icing on the cake. Of course, for those of us "foodies" it hits close to home. So with that being said, I watched one scene in which Amy Adams (Julie) is going through her list of recipes for the day and talking about sauteeing mushrooms. She mentions that it's best not to overload the pan in order to properly brown them. Well of course that got my wheels turning and I decided to put a spin on that alone. I made grilled chicken with a Creamy mushroom sherry sauce. It was to die for. Even my husband said, "Wow, this is really good." And for those of you who know my husband, compliments are few and far between, so I knew he truly enjoyed this dish. With that being said, I have decided to share my creation with you. I'd recommend serving it on top of polenta or at least with some fresh french bread for dipping in the sauce. Be creative and have fun!
Jen's Grilled Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sherry Sauce:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (grilled, we used the george foreman grill)
1 - 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1 box sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabello, but use what ever you feel like)
4 large shallots minced
1/2 C Sherry
1/2 cup salted butter (remember from the movie, butter IS your friend!!!)
Prep:
In a large sauce pan, saute shallots in 1/4 C butter (or 4 Tbs) over medium heat until soft. Add 3/4 of a box of mushrooms, enough to cover bottom of pan but not overlapping. Saute until mushrooms begin to release their juices. Pour in Sherry and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer. Add remaining 1/4 cup of butter and gently whisk into sauce until fully melted. Add grilled chicken and simmer for another 5-10 min until sauce begins to thicken. Serve with sauce spooned over chicken and enjoy!
Jen's Grilled Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sherry Sauce:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (grilled, we used the george foreman grill)
1 - 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1 box sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabello, but use what ever you feel like)
4 large shallots minced
1/2 C Sherry
1/2 cup salted butter (remember from the movie, butter IS your friend!!!)
Prep:
In a large sauce pan, saute shallots in 1/4 C butter (or 4 Tbs) over medium heat until soft. Add 3/4 of a box of mushrooms, enough to cover bottom of pan but not overlapping. Saute until mushrooms begin to release their juices. Pour in Sherry and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer. Add remaining 1/4 cup of butter and gently whisk into sauce until fully melted. Add grilled chicken and simmer for another 5-10 min until sauce begins to thicken. Serve with sauce spooned over chicken and enjoy!
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