... Mushroom Stroganoff

Wow.  I'm such a liar.  "I'm back"... really Taylor?  Four months later and here I am again...  maybe there's something with the number four with me.  Last time I blogged, FOUR months ago, I said it'd been FOUR years and FOUR months since I'd previously posted and here I am again...

This time, with a perfect Sunday evening meal.  A perfect Sunday evening meal when you've had a full Sunday of bike riding, brunching, admiring art (finally saw the Picasso exhibit at the Nelson Atkins museum... FOUR weeks before it leaves!), errand running and a little pampering for the pigs... it's nearly Spring in KC, gotta get those toes ready for sandal season!  So with all that, an easy, quick, and delicious recipe was just what we needed.

So I give to you, Mushroom Stroganoff.  I'm actually not sure if I've even had the more well-known Beef Stroganoff.  My husband makes Hungarian Goulash, but it's more tomato-based, not cream-based, and probably isn't even anything like Beef Stroganoff.  Who knows?  Probably you.  Not me.  But what I do know is that I. Love. Mushrooms.  So when I saw this recipe posted by Gimme Some Oven, it was immediately added to "the list."

And why not?  You start with onions and cook them down until they're soft and browned and you know it's a good thing that you're eating them with your husband because if there's any talking or kissing going on the rest of the night, at least you've eaten the same thing.  C'mon, don't tell me you don't think about that.

Then you add in mushrooms and garlic (and with FOUR (see, it's a thing!) cloves of garlic the same rules apply with the talking and the kissing) and you watch those babies cook down and the smells that are coming from the pan are earthy and lovely and you really just want to stop there and grab a fork, but you know what's coming next will be so good.

And before you know it, you've created this delicious hearty sauce, of sorts, that goes over egg noodles.  And aren't egg noodles just comfort food in and of themselves?  I can remember, as a kid,  when I used to just add butter to them because I didn't like tomato sauce or probably even mushrooms (what was wrong with me?!?!), but they were So. Good.  And then you grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and pour yourself a glass of red and settle in to enjoy the last few hours of the weekend.

Cheers to you... and comfort food... and Sunday evenings.  And please check out Gimme Some Oven's pictures, because they're WAY better than those above.

Mushroom Stroganoff
serves 4-6

1 pound wide egg noodles
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons flour
3 small sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried thyme)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Optional: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, extra black pepper

Cook egg noodles al dente in boiling, generously salted water according to package instructions.  (For optimal timing, Ali recommended (and I agree) actually adding the egg noodles to the boiling water at the same time that the vegetable stock is added to the stroganoff.)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, garlic, and mushrooms, and stir to combine.  Continue sauteing for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked and tender.  Add the white wine and de-glaze the pan by using a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  Let the sauce simmer for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable stock, Worcestershire, and flour until smooth.  Pour the vegetable stock mixture into the pan, along with the thyme, and stir to combine.  Let the mixture simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.  Then, stir in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream) evenly into the sauce.  Taste, and season with a generous pinch or two of salt and pepper as needed.

Serve immediately over the egg noodles, garnished with your desired topping.

Taylor's Notes:
I didn't actually have any brown bits to scrape when I added the dry white wine.  There was quite a bit of liquid from the onions and mushrooms that didn't really allow for that.  Although the brown bits are always delicious, I don't think it was that big of a deal.  I also had a little issue with my Greek yogurt in that I think I should have added it a little at a time, really stirring it into the mushroom mixture.  Again, not a big deal, but it didn't look as creamy as Ali's did.  

As always, I think this type of recipe just gets better with time, so next time (and there will be a next time, for sure) I may make the stroganoff and let it either sit and simmer for a while longer or make it a day in advance and then warm it on the stove before we're ready to eat it.  It's the same thing as with soups, stews, Hungarian Goulash... it always gets better when the flavors have time to mingle.  

 Enjoy!

... Chicken Verde Stew with Hominy

Hello, my name is Taylor.  It's been four years, four months, and seventeen days since my last blog post.  But I can promise it hasn't been that long since my last meal...

OMG, you guys!  How has it been so long??  I'm anxious to get back to posting about my favorite thing, food... so bear with me as I dust off the ol' blogging skills and try a few new recipes out on you.  

For my (re)debut, I made Chicken Verde Stew and you guys, it was everything I'd hoped it would be.  Warm for a super cold Kansas City night, filling, because well, we're trying to start watching our waistlines around here, and fun to make!  

I started by roasting Anaheim Chiles and Tomatillo Peppers - two things that I've never cooked with.  If this might be your first time, too, let me give you just a couple quick lessons learned from my experience.  First, depending on your oven, you may need more than 5 minutes to roast the Anaheim Chiles.  When I do it next time, I'll leave those babies in there just a minute or two longer to get a better char on the skin and make the skin easier to peel off.  

Second, do your research on how to buy Tomatillo Peppers.  After a quick Google search, I learned that you can peel back a little bit of the husk to make sure the flesh is firm and bright green.  Toss it back in the pile if it looks dried up or blemished.

And it certainly wouldn't hurt to throw a few extra into the bag just in case you accidentally pick up one or two that look like this one...

I'm pretty pumped to have stepped into the world of Tomatillos.  I love a good green salsa, so now I feel like I'm armed and ready to whip up some of my own.  

Here's another tip - make sure you prep everything in the recipe before you start cooking.  It seems like a no-brainer, and it's something I nearly always do.  Today, however, I had 'Friday Brain' or maybe 'I'm So Excited to Roast These Peppers Brain' that I didn't.  It's not the end of the world if you don't, obviously, but it'll make trying new recipes and cooking so much more enjoyable... and will also give you a minute to take a sip of your beverage of choice.  You know, if you like that sort of thing.  

So, chop all the veggies and get them into that pot.  I've spared you a picture of the raw chicken thighs because, well, gross.  And I think we all know what raw chicken looks like.  You're welcome.  

Before too long, you'll get this.  Look at that!  The peppers add a good bit of spice.  Nothing too hot, just a great bite and a little bit of heat.  The veggies and hominy make it almost feel a little bit like a chili and it's a little thicker like one, too, more than a soup.  I've never been a big fan of dark meat, but the thighs just have so much flavor and really take it up a notch from what I would imagine a regular ol' chicken breast might.  

Serve it with a dollop of sour cream, a side of chips (not shown because we tend to just take the bag to the table with us), and a cold Mexican beer and you've got yourself one heck of a dinner.  Shoot, there goes that whole waist-watching thing... 

Chicken Verde Stew with Hominy

serves 6

2 Anaheim Chiles

Cooking Spray

1 1/2 pounds Tomatillos

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1 (29-ounce) can golden hominy, rinsed and drained

6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream 

cilantro leaves (optional)

Preheat broiler to high.

Halve, stem, and seed chiles.  Place chiles, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil for 5 minutes or until charred.  Place chiles in a paper bag; seal.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  Peel and discard skins.  Arrange tomatillos on a prepared baking sheet, and broil 14 minutes or until blackened, turning once.  Combine the chiles, tomatillos, 1/4 cup cilantro, cumin, and oregano in a blender.  Add 1 cup broth; process until smooth.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons olive oil; swirl to coat.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper; saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in flour; saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add garlic; saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Place onion mixture in a large bowl.  

Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add half of chicken; saute 3 minutes.  Add browned chicken to onion mixture.  Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and 2 teaspoons oil.  Combine remaining 1 cup broth, tomatillo mixture, onion mixture, and hominy in pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. 

Taylor's Notes...

I didn't have a paper bag on hand to steam the chiles in, so I used a tupperware bowl with a lid.  Worked great.

I read a review on the original recipe that someone used white hominy instead of golden.  I had to buy two cans to get to the 29 ounces, so used one of each.  I liked the additional color it added - and actually, have no idea if the two taste differently or not.  Perhaps I should have tasted both before tossing them into the stew, but hey, if you ask me, it worked out!

Enjoy!

... Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I'm becoming quite a fan of quinoa.  My first foray was the Superfood Salad, which I've made several times since.  I also made a Mediterranean version... unfortunately (for you) I ate it too quickly to write a post about it.  I'll make it again soon... promise!  The beauty about these salads is that they're quick and easy to make, they're pretty darn inexpensive (I made this one for less than $10), and they're good for you.  Win. Win. Win.

This one takes great southwestern flavors - avocado, red bell pepper, cilantro, black beans - and blends them together in a terrific salad that would be perfect as an entree or a side dish.  The cumin-lime dressing really brings it all together.

I've also started making my own tortilla chips.  I go back and forth between corn and flour tortillas.  Corn is better for you, but you don't come home with an obnoxious amount of tortillas if you buy flour.  Either way you go, you follow the same simple steps.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Brush the tortillas with a little olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.  I like to add other seasonings to mine, too... a little cayenne pepper this time.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, but keep an eye on them because they'll brown pretty quickly.  They take a little (and I mean little) more time than opening a bag of store bought chips might, but just think of all the flavor combinations you can create!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad
serves 4-6

1 cup dry quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped into chunks
handful of cherry (quartered) or grape tomatoes (halved)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
small handful cilantro, diced
juice from one lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt, to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients.  Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt.  Whisk it until combined.  Adjust seasoning as necessary.

When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from the heat and fluff it with a fork.  Add black beans and toss to warm them through.

Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Taylor's Notes:
It's as simple as that.  What's so great about this recipe is that it'll keep in your refrigerator for a week... if you don't eat it before then!  

Enjoy!

... Potato Frittata with Feta and Scallions

I realize I've been a little M.I.A. lately.  It's partially because I've just moved (if 7 months ago qualifies) and I've been busy with updating the house, getting settled, and waiting for my new dining room furniture to arrive.  Now that it has (hip hip hooray!!), I've been enjoying entertaining friends and family.  Today I got to host my dad, brother-in-law, nephew, and Grandma and Dale.  As breakfast / brunch is one of my most favorite meals, I'd say this might turn into a bit of a ritual.

Somewhat traditional breakfast ingredients - potatoes, eggs, bacon - are taken up a notch in a delicious frittata.  While the potatoes are roasting, take a few extra minutes to add Cinnamon Brown Butter Puffs and fresh fruit to the menu.

I don't mean to brag, but check out that frittata!  It was pretty darn tasty, but I'm convinced that what made it so good was the skillet.  I was lucky enough to get to use my Grandpa Jack's cast iron skillet (thanks for the loan, Dad!).  Whether you have a well-seasoned, well-loved skillet or a new one, I have no doubt your frittata will be a success, too.

Potato Frittata with Feta and Scallions
serves 6-8

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more for roasting potatoes
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound bacon, thick-cut, cut crosswise into 1/4" matchsticks
1/2 bunch (about 3 or 4) scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk or cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a roasting pan or baking tray generously with oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons.  Peel potatoes, and cut them into 1/4" - 1/2" slices, then halve them lengthwise into half-circle shapes.  Pile them in the prepared pan, and generously season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Don't worry if they don't fall into one layer - the combo of some steamy / softer and some crisp-edged potatoes will work great in this dish.  Roast 30 minutes, or until potatoes are mostly cooked (they'll finish cooking with the eggs), tossing once halfway through.  Let cool slightly.

Cook bacon in well-seasoned 9" cast iron frying pan until crisp.  Scoop out with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Add additional tablespoon oil to the bacon drippings in the pan, and reheat it over medium heat.  Swirl the oil and drippings around in the pan and up the sides, being sure to coat it fully.

Arrange roasted potatoes in your skillet.  If there are pieces with browned undersides, flip the toasty sides up.  Scatter bacon, then scallions and feta over potatoes.  Whisk eggs with milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl, and pour over potatoes.  Cover skillet with foil and bake 20 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until puffed at the edges and set in center.

Serve right from the skillet in 6 to 8 wedges.

Taylor's Notes:
This is another winner from Smitten Kitchen.  It doesn't look like Deb has posted it on her website, but it's in her cookbook.  Buy it if you haven't already - you won't regret it.

I used small gold potatoes rather than the Yukon Gold, solely because my grocery store only offered a 5-pound bag of Yukon Golds and one girl just doesn't need that many potatoes.  I reduced the roasting time of the potatoes by 5 minutes, but other than that I followed the recipe.  And really, when it comes to recipes that come out of the Smitten Kitchen, that's exactly what you should do.

Enjoy!

... Berry Parfait

Summer has officially arrived (well, let's be honest, it arrived before it was actually 'official').  Although I try to watch what I eat most of the year, there's something about swimsuit season that really brings it home.  I refuse to give up desserts, though, no matter what time of year it is.  This one may not be entirely healthy, but it's certainly not completely guilt-inducing.  

Berry Parfait
serves 6 (individual) or 12 (in one pan)

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (1 1/2 sleeves of graham crackers, crushed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.  Press firmly in a 9"x13" baking dish (or individual parfait cups) and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cold milk
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed

Beat cream cheese with sugar and milk until smooth; fold in Cool Whip.

Topping:
Berries!  Berries!  Berries!  I used one container each of strawberries and blueberries.

Spread filling mixture over graham cracker crust.  Top with berries.  Add a dollop of plain Cool Whip and a sprig of mint as garnish.

Taylor's Notes:
I've mentioned Pinterest a time or two, yes?  This recipe is an adaptation of one I  pinned.  I've linked the original recipe there, but I left out the vanilla pudding aspect of that recipe.  To me, it seemed like a little too much and I chose to make the berries shine rather than have them coated with pudding.  To pudding or not to pudding... that is your choice.  

Enjoy!

... Salted Peanut Butter Cups

I think I'm in love.  I have been for a while, really, and it's one of those loves that will last a lifetime.  Taylor + peanut butter + chocolate... what a wonderful relationship we have.  So you have to know that when I came across this recipe for making my own peanut butter cups... and salted (!) no less, I was all over it.

{reference my notes below for an explanation of that glob of chocolate...}

I mean honestly, how can you look at that and not be in love?  Here's the problem, though.  These babies are so easy to make, with ingredients that you likely have on hand (or am I the only one who stock piles peanut butter and chocolate chips?), that you'll probably fall in love soon, too.  Hey, don't say I didn't warn you.

My friend Kerstin introduced me to these via the blog A House in the Hills.  It's a beautiful blog - check it out when you have some time!  The recipe on the blog, however, is vegan.  I'm absolutely not saying there's anything wrong with that, but I did tweak my version of the recipe and it's most certainly not vegan.  Here's my version...

Salted Peanut Butter Cups
serves makes 24 cups

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup peanut butter (I missed the 'crunchy' part of her ingredient... I recommend that you use it!)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
sea salt to sprinkle on top

Line a mini muffin tin with papers.  You certainly could use a regular size muffin tin, but I'm warning you, these babies are sweet and rich... More power to you if you can eat a regular size!

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and then stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar.  When it's melted and mixed, spoon the mixture into the muffin tins.

In a separate pan, combine the chocolate and milk.  Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted.

Spoon the chocolate over the peanut butter, filling the papers almost to the top.

Sprinkle with sea salt and then refrigerate.

Taylor's Notes:
Ok, like I mentioned, mine aren't vegan or good for you (well, not good in terms of healthy at least), but man... they are delicious.  Here are a few things I found... 

• The peanut butter mixture didn't set up on it's own (refer to picture above where the chocolate started sinking into the peanut butter).  I ended up sticking them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or so before I poured the rest of the chocolate on.
• I do think that actually using crunchy peanut butter may have helped that.  I suppose I'll have to make them again to try out that theory.  Darn.
• I made another half-batch of chocolate based on Sarah's notes.  You can tell how that affected the peanut butter to chocolate ratio.  You can definitely play with it based on how you like your chocolate and peanut butter to play together.
• These are best eaten right out of the refrigerator.  Actually, better yet, out of the freezer.  I served them at a party and the longer they sat out, they got a little soft and were kind of difficult to eat.  

Other than that, these are way too easy to make and I'm going to try to forget that I ever made them.  Yeah right.

Enjoy!

Side note... Baxter's face looked exactly like this the entire time I was making these.  He's a huge fan of peanut butter, too.  I'm sure he'd love chocolate as much as me, too, if I'd let him...

... Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

This may be one of the quickest and easiest pasta recipes to make.  And when you have a night full of catching up with an old friend planned, quick and easy is the best way to go.

A little pre-get together prep and you'll be well on your way to getting the scoop on what's been happening over the last couple months.  

Shrimp pasta is the perfect meal for spending the least amount of time in the kitchen possible.  They both cook up very quickly.  Keep your eye on those shrimp, as soon as they're pink, they're ready!

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

serves 4

vegetable oil

kosher salt

1 1/2 lbs linguine

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

5 tablespoons good olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)

2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

grated zest of one lemon

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic.  Saute for 1 minute.  Be careful, the garlic burns easily!  Add the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes.  Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and put it back in the pot.  Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Taylor's Notes:

I would add a little salt to this and / or a few more shakes of the red pepper flakes.  But, you know, I like it spicy so proceed at your own risk!  We had this with some crusty French bread and a nice red wine.  Hey, what's girls night without a little vino?  And, in case you were wondering, yes, I found this recipe on Pinterest.  I'm telling you, it's the best site since, well... I don't know what.  But it's good.  If you're on it, check out my 'foodie' board for recipes I'm planning to try and my 'check list' board for recipes I've already tried... and my comments about them :)  

Enjoy!

... Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

Besides the company I had and Beyonce's half-time performance, this was one of the major highlights of Super Bowl XLVII (or 2013 for those of you who, like me, can't keep track of all the Roman numerals).  It certainly kept us preoccupied during the black out.

I found the recipe on Pinterest and am so glad I did.  I know, Shock! Awe! Taylor made a recipe from Pinterest!  Not only was it quick and easy to put together, it was delicious and even "healthier" than standard nachos.  And that'll make you feel a little less guilty about chowing down on nachos while watching Beyonce rock it in a skin tight leather number.

Chicken and Black Bean Nachos
serves 6 appetizer portions

6 oz tortilla chips
1 can (16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 red onion, diced
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup light sour cream
chopped cilantro
salsa (either fresh or your favorite bottled salsa)
pickled jalapenos

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Arrange the chips in a single layer on a large baking sheet.  Spoon the beans evenly over the chips, then top with the cheese, chicken, and onion.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.  Remove.

Combine the lime juice, sour cream, and cilantro.  Spoon over the nachos.  Top with the salsa and jalapenos.

Taylor's Notes:
Hello Rotisserie Chicken!  It's been a while, but one of my favorite short-cuts is back and perfect in this quick and easy recipe.  The sour cream / cilantro mixture was really great on top, but you could certainly leave the cilantro out if you don't like that sort of thing.  

Enjoy!

... Mango Salsa

Look at this gorgeous color!  Doesn't it look like Summer?  Or at least Florida in the winter?  Regardless of the time of year or location you're in, if you can find a ripe mango you should make this salsa.

And then put it on fish like this...

Mango Salsa

serves 2-4

1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2 tablespoons minced red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients, except the s&p, and toss well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Taylor's Notes:

Again, Mom made this one.  It was the perfect topping for fresh caught Florida Grouper.  It was also great as a snack with tortilla chips the next day.  It'd be great on several types of fish, shrimp, scallops, even chicken.

Know what else is great?  This... for dessert.

Enjoy!

*Please excuse my use of Instagram photos... the food really was beautiful and delicious even without the filters...

... Hot Crab Cheese Dip

Vacation.  It's a wonderful thing.  Especially when it's spent in sunny Florida at the end of January.  I don't know about you, but I say 78 degrees is way better than 8 any day.  We enjoyed the beautiful weather by cooking at our home away from home one night and made this recipe as an appetizer.  It was delicious and I'll definitely make it again... if only to remind me of warmer temps in the middle of winter.

Hot Crab Cheese Dip
serves 8

8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons skim milk
4 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound lump crab meat, flaked
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, skim milk, scallions, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt in a bowl and mix well.  Fold in the crab meat.

Spoon the crab meat mixture into a shallow 6-cup baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until light brown.  Let stand for 5 minutes and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Taylor's Notes:
To be honest, Mom made this.  All I did was bake it and eat it.  But, boy, was it delicious.  It probably didn't hurt that we ate it on the deck of the house we rented for our family vacation in Key Largo, Florida while overlooking the ocean and enjoying the sunset.  I mean, I'm sure it'd be just as good if you ate it in your living room.  In the middle of winter.  Really, I'm sure it would.  

If I remember correctly, Mom made this early in the day and kept it in the refrigerator while we were out playing.  We set it out about 20 minutes before sticking it in the oven to bake.  

I just realized - only by looking at the photo - that we (ahem, I) didn't add the parsley before serving.  Oops.  #garnishfail

Enjoy!

... a Hot Chocolate Bar

Well, better late than never... I always say.  Or, almost always... Anyhoo, this Christmas (yes, I know it's currently February... don't judge), after driving around the Plaza to look at the lights, we headed back to my house for a little warm up.  Hot Chocolate is great for that.  Hot Chocolate with Bailey's or Peppermint Schnapps... even better.

It's a perfect idea for a big group and a lot of fun to see what add-ins everyone enjoys.  We had the aforementioned Bailey's and Peppermint Schnapps, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, candy canes, caramel bits, mini chocolate chips, and chocolate hazelnut Pirouettes.

Here's the most exciting thing... you don't need to wait until Christmas to enjoy it.  Hot Chocolate is great in February, too!

Hot Chocolate Bar
serves 4

4 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup sugar

In a medium saucepan, heat 4 cups of the milk over low heat, being very careful not to let the milk boil.  In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa, sugar, and the remaining 1/2 cup milk.  Add the cocoa mixture to the warm milk and continue to warm the cocoa until hot.

Pour into 4 mugs and garnish.

Taylor's Notes:
I tripled the recipe and it made enough for thirteen of us.  It's pretty rich, so you probably don't need more than a cup - especially depending on your add-ins - but hey, I don't judge.  Drink away.  

I made this a day ahead and kept it in the refrigerator until we were ready to enjoy it.  It heated up on the stove pretty quickly - in maybe 20 minutes or so - over medium heat.  Again, be careful not to let the milk boil.  Trust me, no amount of Bailey's can help burnt milk.

Enjoy!

... Spicy Thai Noodles

I've had this recipe pinned for quite a while now.  That's one of the downfalls of Pinterest... pin and forget.  Love 'em and leave 'em.  Until now.  Now I'm making a goal to actually make the recipes that I pin.  Viva la Pinterest!

The beautiful thing about most online recipes - and especially well-read food blogs - is that there are nearly always comments from readers who have made the recipe.  After reading several of them, I found myself tweaking the original recipe before I even started.  Here's the original recipe should you choose to follow it.  See my notes below for my changes.

Spicy Thai Noodles
serves 4

1 box linguine or angel hair pasta
1 - 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sesame oil
6 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons soy sauce
green onions, cilantro, peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, shredded carrots

Boil noodles.  Drain.

Chop green onions, cilantro, carrots, and peanuts.

Heat both oils and crushed red pepper over medium heat in a small pan (2 tablespoons makes this dish very spicy.  I use only 1 tablespoon or less of pepper.)  Strain out pepper and reserve oil.  To oil, whisk in honey and soy sauce.  Toss mixture with noodles.

Refrigerate overnight or until cold.  Before serving, top each individual serving with onions, cilantro, carrots, peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds.  Serve cold.

Taylor's Notes:
As I mentioned, there were several comments to the original blog post... and I loved reading them.  You can always find great information from other readers and often the blogger will add notes, too.  Like, for instance, you really don't need the vegetable oil.  Several people - even LeAna, the blogger, said that she now leaves it out.  I added 1/8 cup just to see how it'd be.  Silly me.  I should have listened.  It wasn't bad, but was definitely more oily than it needed to be.  So, lesson learned - leave it out.  The other great tidbit I found was to add rice wine vinegar and a little peanut butter (I used Justin's Almond Butter as I've quickly become addicted to it).  And finally, as always when chilies are concerned, add at your own risk.  LeAna warns you in the original recipe that the full two tablespoons add a lot of heat.  You know me, I love heat, so add as you wish.  I actually used a tablespoon and a half of Sambal Oelek, which is chili paste.  Since I used that, I didn't drain the flakes from the oil.  

A few other things I did on my own was use Udon noodles instead of linguine.  I also added shrimp.  Several other readers added chicken, broccoli, mushrooms.  I forgot the peanuts (bummer!  they would have added great texture).  As always, the beauty of cooking is being able to make it your own.  So go get in the kitchen and be creative!  Add what you like and leave out what you don't.  And by all means...

Enjoy yourself!

... Ravioli Gratins with Goat Cheese, Basil Pistou and Pine Nuts

My collection of Le Creuset cookware is growing!  How fantastic are these Mini Cocottes that my dad gave me for Christmas?  He's such a good guy.  He also got me the cookbook to go along with it and I have no doubt he'll be benefiting from this gift often.  He's no fool.

I've flagged nearly all of the recipes in the book, but this one was the winner when my sister and nephew were coming for dinner.  Lucky for me and Kate, Elliott doesn't eat much (he's only 3 months old, after all) which meant leftovers for us.  And those leftovers were just about as good as the first round, which is saying a lot coming from me.

The prep work was easy.  Throw a bunch of fresh basil, some garlic and a little olive oil into a food processor and, voila, you have basil pistou.  Which, we learned, is pesto sans the pine nuts.  You could certainly switch the two out in this recipe, but whatever you do, make it fresh.  I've found some great jarred pestos, but, as with most things, nothing compares to fresh.

The recipe is simple to assemble.  A few layers of four or five items, pop it in the oven, and out comes this...

A perfect single serving of pasta.  Now I'm off to choose a recipe just for Dad.

Ravioli Gratins with Goat Cheese, Basil Pistou and Pine Nuts
serves 4

3/4 cup crumbly fresh goat cheese
2 bunches of fresh basil
4 cloves of garlic
several drops of olive oil
1/4 stick sweet butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 lb of fresh cheese ravioli
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the basil pitou.  Rinse the basil leaves under cold water.  Gently dry in a clean kitchen towel.  Peel the garlic and take out the inner germ.  With a small mixer, mix the garlic with the basil and a few drops of olive oil.

Precook the ravioli for one minute in salted boiling water, taking care to drain them well.  Add several drops of olive oil to coat them and prevent them from sticking together.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly butter 4 mini cocottes.

Add to each, a layer of ravioli, a spoonful of crumbled goat cheese and one of the basil pistou.  Add one teaspoon of pine nuts and continue with another layer of ravioli, one tablespoon of cream, one of goat cheese and a last one of pistou.  End with a layer of ravioli, a tablespoon of cream and a generous amount of grated Parmesan.

Bake, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until the tops look crunchy and a deep golden brown.

Just before serving, add several fresh, roughly chopped basil leaves and a teaspoon of pine nuts scattered on top.

Taylor's Notes:
There really isn't much to say about this.  It's as simple as it seems and as good as it looks.  I'll definitely keep this one towards the top of the pile.  It's perfect for a small dinner party and ideal for people who only like leftovers one more time (ahem).  

Enjoy!

... White Four-Cheese Pizza with Basil and Garlic

Happy New Year, kids!  After a crazy busy Fall and Winter, I'm really excited to be back in the kitchen trying out new recipes.  Thanks to Santa, I have several terrific new cookbooks and I can't wait to share them with you.  First up...

This should come as no surprise considering how many posts I have based on Deb's recipes.  I love making pizza at home, so was thrilled to find her recipe for homemade pizza dough.  She gives instructions for both a rushed dough and a leisurely dough, but honestly who plans ahead enough for a pizza dough that takes more than 8 hours?  Not this girl.

So, pizza dough... check.  I'm a huge fan of white pizza (the whole not-a-lover-of-tomatoes thing I'm always talking about) and this recipe is my new fave.

Easy pizza crust, four cheeses, garlic, basil... You can't get much better than that.  

White Four-Cheese Pizza with Basil and Garlic
serves 6

for the dough...
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for counter
1 teaspoon table salt
olive oil, for coating bowl

Turn your oven on to warm (about 200 to 225 degrees) for 5 minutes, then turn it off.

Pour 1/2 cup warm water into the bowl of your electric mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let it stand for 5 minutes.  Add the flour, then salt, and mix with your dough hook at a moderate speed until the mixture starts to form a craggy mess.  Reduce the speed to low and mix for 5 minutes, letting the hook knead the mass into a smooth, elastic dough.  Remove dough and wipe out bowl.

Coat inside of mixing bowl with olive oil, place dough back in bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in previously warmed oven, and let it sit for 30 minutes, or until doubled.  Remove dough from oven (now is a good time to preheat it according to your recipe's instruction).

Turn the dough out onto a floured counter (if you want to roll it out), pizza peel, or prepared baking sheet, and let your recipe take it from here.

for the pizza...
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, then coarsely chopped
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  Brush 13x9-inch metal baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Mix remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and garlic in small bowl.

Roll out pizza dough on lightly floured work surface to 14x10-inch rectangle.  Transfer dough to prepared pan; brush lightly with some of the garlic oil.  Top with mozzarella cheese and goat cheese, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.  Crumble ricotta cheese over, then sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake pizza until crust is golden brown and cheese melts, about 18 minutes.  Drizzle remaining garlic-oil over pizza.  Let stand 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with basil.

Taylor's Notes:
The pizza dough was so easy, but mine didn't raise like Deb said it would.  I left it in the warmed oven for about 15 minutes longer than the recipe noted in hopes that it would raise a little more, but no luck.  I didn't notice that it made a huge difference in the taste of the crust - just might have produced a little smaller pizza.  Which, let's be honest, isn't a horrible thing if you're eating it by yourself.

For the pizza, I swapped out the Parmesan for Asiago and added a few toasted pine nuts for a little crunch.  The basil was a perfect addition - please don't leave it off!

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Cheers!

... a Baby Shower!

My sister is having a baby... there's no better reason to celebrate!  Two of our best friends siiisters and I hosted a shower for her and it couldn't have been more fun!  Thanks to Pinterest (I know, it's kind of an obsession), we found great baby (sized) brunch foods, a fun idea for a Mimosa Bar (hey, who says you can't toast the mother-to-be?), and some cute decorating ideas.

{clockwise from top alongside decorations: chocolate dipped strawberries, sweet elephant sugar cookies, silverdollar pancake stacks, mini cinnamon rolls, a make-your-own mimosa bar, 

grandma norma's fruit cups}

It was a great time with fun family and friends and Baby E was certainly spoiled!  We're all so excited for him to arrive!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are a piece of cake.  Be sure to wash your strawberries and let them dry completely before dipping them into melted chocolate almond bark.  We sprinkled ours with brightly colored nonpareils.  Set the dipped and decorated strawberries on wax paper to cool and set.

Connie's Cookies makes delicious and adorable decorated sugar cookies.  We've been a fan since we were kids, so it only made sense that we share the love with super cute elephants as a small gift for the guests.

Who wouldn't love a miniature stack of pancakes?  Skewer your favorite recipe with a couple of blueberries, drizzle with real maple syrup, and just try to not eat your weight in stacks.

Know what's better than a cinnamon roll?  Miniature cinnamon rolls that are just a little to easy to pop in your mouth.  Click here for a simple recipe that's sure to be a hit.

My sister may disagree, but I'd say that one of the most fun things at the shower was the make-your-own mimosa bar.  It was one-stop shopping for us where this was concerned and the stop of choice was Trader Joe's.  Fresh fruit - we chose strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries - fruit juice - peach, cranberry, blackberry - and Prosecco.  What combinations can you come up with?

And, in case that's just not enough, we also served Frozen Fruit Cups.  Grandma Norma always had these at the ready for me and Kate anytime we'd visit her.  They're perfect for kids and adults the same and, with a quick zap in the microwave, make for a perfect breakfast-on-the-go.  There's just something that makes your day go better when you start it off with sweet memories.

1 large (12 ounce) can frozen orange juice, thawed

2 cups sugar (absolutely optional - and is actually better without... at least as an adult)

1 large can apricots, chopped and drained

1 large can crushed pineapple, drained

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup water

6 bananas, chopped

Mix all ingredients and freeze in muffin cups, wine-sized small Solo cups, or, for a special occasion, darling pedestal cups.

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, the four of us are more than friends - we're siiisters.  Can't you see the resemblance?

{Lindsay, Taylor, Ashley, Kate}

And two of the four of us are pregnant (or were at the time of the actual shower!)  We got to welcome Ashley's baby, Bennett, to the family this weekend.  He joins his two brothers, Quinn and Owen.  Once Baby E arrives, he'll join his brother, Mason, and we'll have five - FIVE! - nephews... and we couldn't be happier!

How cute are they?!?  Love my siiisters!

... Chocolate Paradise Cake

Yum, yum, yes please, yum.  Translated: Chocolate, chocolate, toffee, more chocolate.  

A special cake.  A special celebration.  Happy Birthday, Mom!

Chocolate Paradise Cake
serves 12

Devil's Food Cake
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing pan
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.  Line the bottom of the pans with parchment and then butter the parchment.  Dust the pans with flour, coating the bottoms and sides, and then tap out the excess.

In a large bowl, sift together the 2 1/4 cups flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In another large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the 3/4 cup butter until creamy.  Add the brown sugar and continue beating for 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and continue beating until incorporated.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  The butter mixture will look separated and grainy, which is not a problem.  Beat in the sour cream and then add the flour mixture in 3 batches.  The batter will be quite thick.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, using a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly.

Bake the cake layers until a toothpick inserted near the center of each cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let the cakes rest in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Place a rack on top of 1 cake, invert the cake and rack, and then lift off the pan.  Peel off the parchment circle.  Repeat with the second cake.  Let cool completely.

Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 3/4 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 cup sour cream
pinch of kosher salt

Garnish
2 cups coarsely crushed English toffee
2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Serving
2 cups homemade or store-bought caramel sauce, warmed

To make the Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler or saucepan.  Place the chocolate and cream in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl placed over the pan, and heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts and the chocolate and cream are mixed together and smooth.  Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and salt.  Set aside to cool.  When cool, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the frosting until it is thick enough to spread and nearly double in volume.

To assemble and decorate the cake, using a pastry brush, brush off any loose crumbs from the sides and tops of the cake layers.  Using a serrated knife, trim the domed tops of the cake layers, making them level.  Place 1 layer on a cake plate, bottom-side up.  Cut strips of waxed paper and place under the edges of the cake to keep the cake plate clean while frosting the cake.  Spread the top of this layer with about one fourth of the frosting.  Top the frosting with 1/2 cup of the crushed toffee.  Place the second layer, bottom-side up, on top and gently press it into place.  Spread frosting all around the sides of the cake and then frost the top of the cake.  Using the remaining toffee, press it all around the sides of the cake.  Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift a healthy dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the cake.  Carefully remove the strips of waxed paper.

When ready to serve, slice the cake and serve each slice centered in a pool of warm caramel sauce.

Taylor's Notes:
This was a bit of a labor of love (would you expect any less from Nordstrom?).  My first double-layer cake and who knew how hard it would be to find English toffee not coated in chocolate?  Did you notice the chocolate shavings?  Yes, I'll admit it.  I shaved the chocolate from the Heath bars I bought so that the toffee would show up on the chocolate cake.  Labor.of.Love.  Totally worth it, though... Happy Birthday, Mom!

Enjoy!

Someone decided she should taste the cake early and helped herself while no one was looking.  Luckily she didn't take down the whole thing before getting caught.

{clockwise from top left : evidence, culprit, jealous bystander, super cute kiddo}