My Baking Adventures

Guess where I’m going in 2 days -

Go ahead, guess – I’ll wait.

DISNEYLAND!

Ok, so I’m probably a little old to be so excited about this, but really, I like an escape from reality. And where else can you get a more surreal experience than the Magic Kingdom?

Besides, eating your way through the park is always fun!

I’m also excited because after we arrive into Anaheim on Monday, we are headed to my brothers house – and then he is taking us out on his boat – which will be a total blast!

So amidst laundry, packing, and getting the dogs ready for the kennel, today is also the day I got to choose the recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays! Woo-hoo!

When Lorelei asked me for my selection, it didn’t take me long to decide on chocolate cookies. I didn’t want something lengthy or complicated. And, as everyone knows, I am a certified, card carrying chocoholic.

These cookies did not disappoint. Chewy chocolatey bliss.

I did leave out the cherries – because believe it or not, I don’t like fruit and chocolate together. But that’s the beauty of cookie dough – mix, match, add in or leave out. The only other change was not to take the slice-and-bake route described in the recipe. I used my medium cookie scoop, placed the dough on the baking sheets, and chilled them until I was ready to bake – which was several hours later, so the dough was nice and firm.

I hope everyone enjoyed them as much as I did!

Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies – Sweet Melissa Patisserie

1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
8 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried sour cherries
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, mixing well. Stir in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour in three batches, mixing just until incorporated after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Refrigerate the dough for a few hours until firm. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Roll out into 2 uniform logs about 12 inches long. Refrigerate it until firm enough to slice, about 1 hour.

Position a rack in the top and bottom thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Cut the logs into 1 inch slices and place 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough looks just baked. The cookies should be tender, so do not overbake.

Earlier this week, (insert tongue-in-cheek here) I inadvertently offended  Katrina, from Baking and Boys. You can read the original story here, but the condensed version is this: I posted a short list of blogging friends’ likes and posted only her dislike. It wasn’t intentional, obviously, but my brain works in strange and mysterious ways…….

She was quick to send me an email reminding me that she likes many things, most notably chocolate.

So to make it up to her, I am offering her these:

Chocolate Doughnuts!

They aren’t doughnuts in the deep fried sense, but doughnuts that are baked, ergo much healthier.

And yes, I’m sticking to my claim that chocolate doughnuts are healthy.

I got the recipe from Tracey, from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures - but it came from “The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread”, which I actually have a copy of.

How is it that I missed this recipe?

One note: I followed the recipe as is (I know, a rarity for me), but I did quarter it and still came out with a stampede of mini muffins – but they freeze well – and that makes the kids very, very happy.

Chocolate Doughnuts – The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate, grated
3/4 cup very hot water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 2 mini bundt pans (each with a 6-cup capacity) (I used a mini muffin pan) with nonstick spray and coat with superfine sugar, if available; otherwise, use regular granulated sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a second medium bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and grated chocolate. Pour in the water and whisk until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted completely. Add the butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and stir until moistened. Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 prepared mini bundt pans. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of a doughnut comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn the doughnuts out onto a rack to cool.

While I have come to the conclusion that there wasn’t any way to photograph this attractively, I have also come to the conclusion that the combination of bacon, Brussels sprouts, potatoes and onions has become my childrens’ favorite side dish.

All I can tell you is that if you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, try this recipe, and get back to me. You’ll never feel the same way about those little cabbages again.

Bacon and Brussels Sprout Hash - Tyler Florence

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices thick-cut bacon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pints Brussels sprouts, cut in 1/2
1 pound fingerling potatoes, split down the middle
1/2 pound red pearl onions, peeled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped

Set a large saute pan over medium heat and add a 2 count of olive oil. Cut bacon into long strips and add to pan together with thyme. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes to render the fat then strain and set aside. Add Brussels sprouts, potatoes and pearl onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly browned. Add chicken stock and steam for 3 to5 minutes until liquid has evaporated and vegetables are tender. Add balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Cook until balsamic has reduced then fold in fresh parsley and bacon.

In doing my part to save the environment (insert eye roll here), I canceled my subscriptions to Bon Appetit and Gourmet. I just never have the time to sit and leisurely page through each issue, so the magazines stack up and inevitably get thrown out.

But I discovered that I can scroll through Epicurious once a month and bookmark any of the recipes that I find interesting.

Like these – I don’t know why, but the thought of a cheddary biscuit sounded so appealing to me.

And I was not disappointed at all – perfectly cheesy, with a nice tang from the buttermilk. The only problem with them is they are highly additive. I exercised extreme restraint by only eating one, then tucked the rest of them into the freezer for another day.

Every time I walk past the freezer, I can hear them calling my name.

Must resist. Must resist.

The recipe says it makes 12 – sure, if your muffin pan is king size. I made half the recipe and the yield was 11. The only other change I made was to brush buttermilk over the dough instead of melted butter. And instead of using the food processor, I cut the butter into the flour by hand.

I’m headed to the freezer now……

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits - Bon Appetit, June 2009

Yield: Makes 12

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted (this is for the cups and the tops of the biscuits)
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush 12 large (1-cup) muffin cups with some of melted butter; reserve remaining butter for brushing on baked biscuits. Using on/off turns, mix next 4 ingredients in processor. Add 1/2 cup cubed chilled butter. Using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms. Transfer to large bowl. Add cheese; toss to combine. Add buttermilk and stir just to blend (batter will be sticky). Divide among prepared muffin cups, about 1/2 cup for each.
Bake biscuits until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Brush tops with remaining melted butter. Cool 5 to 10 minutes, then remove biscuits from pan and transfer to rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Isn’t it funny, when you are preparing a recipe, you think of certain blogging friends?

Specifically, when I am making a recipe with onions, I think of Katrina. Who absolutely HATES onions.

When I’m making ice cream, I think of Wendy. Who LOVES ice cream.

And when I’m making a vegetable/vegetarian recipe, I think of Kelly. Who (you guessed it) is a vegetarian.

Kelly, this one’s for you. Sauteed zucchini with ricotta cheese, baked into a savory pastry shell.

Similar to a quiche ~

Perfect.

I’ve had a piece for lunch every day. And no, I don’t get tired of it. Sabrina loved it too, but the men of the house? Forget it.

Now, a disclaimer: this was supposed to be a double crust pie, but as you can see, I only did a single crust. Next time I’ll try the double crust.

Zucchini Ricotta Pie -  adapted from The Modern Baker

One 10 or 11 inch tart pan with removable bottom

2 ½ lbs. small, firm zucchini, shredded on the largest grating blade of a food processor
1 ½ tsp salt
1 batch Olive Oil dough for a double crust pie (recipe follows)
3 tbs. olive oil
1 medium white onion, halved, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
12 oz. whole milk ricotta
4 large eggs
1 tbs. chopped fresh marjoram, oregano or flat leaf parsley
¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a bowl, toss the zucchini with the salt and scrape it into a colander. Set the colander over the bowl and let the zucchini drain for 1 to 2 hours. Rinse the zucchini, then firmly squeeze out any excess water, a handful at a time.

While the zucchini is draining, roll out one half the dough and line the tart pan. Roll the remaining dough into a disk about an inch larger that your tart pan. Slide it onto a floured baking sheet, cover it with plastic wrap, and set it aside while preparing the filling.

After the zucchini is squeezed dry and you are ready to start cooking the filling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the oil and onion in a wide sauté pan. Place over medium heat and cook until the onion starts to sizzle. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onion is translucent and wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and stir everything together. Increase the heat to high and cook until the oil starts to sizzle again. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is wilted and reduced in volume, about 20 minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl and season it with salt and pepper.

Add the ricotta, eggs, marjoram, and cheese, stirring after each addition.

Scrape the filling into the prepared bottom crust and smooth the top. Slide the top crust onto the filling and sever the edge of the top crust, pressing it firmly into the edge of the bottom crust with a fingertip protected by a folded towel. Use the point of a knife to cut several vent holes in the top crust.

Bake the pie until the crust is s deep golden color and the filling is set, about 30 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack.

Olive Oil Dough

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup olive oil
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times.

Add the oil, eggs, and egg yolks. Pulse repeatedly until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Don’t over mix of the oil might separate from the dough and make it impossible to handle later on.

Invert the food processor bowl over a floured surface to turn out the dough. Carefully remove the blade and transfer any dough on it to the work surface. Press the dough into two ½” thick disks without folding it over on itself.

One of my favorite things about Ina Garten is her simple approach to recipes. I’ve said this before, but she doesn’t make anything that so unusual that it requires trips to 2 different stores to gather  ingredients.

Last weekend, as I was browsing through one of Ina’s books, I came across a recipe that I haven’t made in at least a year. Broccoli and bowtie pasta may look mundane – but looks can be deceiving – or at the very least, don’t judge a recipe by my substandard photography skills.

Really, though – just look at some of the ingredients: lemon, cheese, garlic and pasta.  As Ina herself would say, “How great is that?”

Broccoli and Bowties - Ina Garten

Kosher salt
8 cups broccoli florets (4 heads)
1/2 pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta (I used Rotini)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup toasted pignoli (pine) nuts (I left these out)
Freshly grated Parmesan, optional (not optional in my house!)

Cook the broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Remove the broccoli from the water with a slotted spoon or sieve. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
In the same water, cook the bow-tie pasta according to the package directions, about 12 minutes. Drain well and add to the broccoli.
Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat the butter and oil and cook the garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and lemon juice and pour this over the broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Season to taste, sprinkle with the pignolis and cheese, if using, and serve.
To toast pignolis, place them in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat and cook, tossing often, for about 5 minutes, until light brown.

Having spent the majority of my life in Southern California, I ate a lot of Mexican food.There were so many great places to go – and I’m not talking about Taco Bell, either. (Although that was fun during college!)

Seeing as how I no longer live in Southern California, I really miss that good Mexican food. Oh sure, there are places here, but it’s just not the same. And since the kids love it as much as David and I do, we are always on the lookout for new dishes to try.

This recipe, from Tyler Florence, is an oldie-but-goodie. I’ve been making it for several years now, but this past week, with all the activity that ensued, I was a bit pressed for time. So I decided to shake things up by making the enchiladas into a casserole instead of rolling them one by one.

First, I lined the dish with corn tortillas:

Mmmmm – just look at that filling – and for my vegetarian friend Kelly, you could leave out the chicken and add pinto beans. I didn’t have any on hand, otherwise I would have thrown them in along with the chicken:

I layered the filling with shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses:

And ended the casserole with a final layer of tortillas:

I did leave off the enchilada sauce – all I had was green and no one seemed too enthused about it covering the entire dish. So I wrapped the casserole tightly with foil and baked it for about 15 minutes.

Ta-Da!

Leftovers? Yeah, right.

Chicken Enchiladas - Tyler Florence

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend (I used Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning)
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced (The only kind I can get are painfully hot, so use at your own risk)
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Or, how I narrowly avoided being named Worst Mother of the Year.

Last week, while I was holding a major pity party for myself with all the illnesses going on through the house, I made a peanut butter dessert for myself.

I’ll give you a moment to absorb that information – because as most of you know, Sabrina is deathly allergic to peanut butter. And we have a pretty strict “no baking with nuts” rule in the house.

However, peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite dessert combination. I would eat it every day if I could – and I was willing desperate enough prepared to go through the whole sanitizing procedure after baking with it.

I started with Ina Garten’s recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars – which I scaled down to about 2 servings. (see, all that math practice is paying off, isn’t it?)

I spread half of the batter into a small ramekin:

Then, instead of jelly filling, I heaped on the Nutella:

Then I covered the Nutella with the remaining peanut butter batter:

I opened every single window in the kitchen, and turned all the ceiling fans to high while it baked, so the smell of the peanut butter wouldn’t bother her.

The anticipation was killing me – I could hardly wait to dig in. But not in front of Sabrina, of course, that would be mean and uncalled for.  I waited until she was in the shower, then danced waltzed sashayed my way into the kitchen and savored every bite of my creation. Ok, ok,  I shared some of it with David. But for the most part, it was mine.

It was bliss, I tell you. Absolute bliss. The world was a better place because of that dessert.

I plan on repeating it next month as well.

And by the way, these bars are amazing if you make them with jelly. They’re one of my dad’s favorites.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars - Ina Garten

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam (I used Nutella)
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I left these out)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don’t worry if all the jam isn’t covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Well – this certainly is exciting news! Guess who chose our recipe for this weeks Sweet Melissa Sundays?

If you guessed Melissa Murphy, you are CORRECT!

She chose her most popular recipe from the bakery – Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds.

I almost didn’t make these, I was going to take the week off – but I was having an in-depth conversation with Sabrina and just mindlessly started putting the dough together. Thank goodness it wasn’t a complicated recipe, or who knows what I would have ended up with!

I did make just one change to the recipe – most noticeably the lack of almonds. I’m sure they are delicious, but……….. not in this house.

Instead of going the slice-and-bake route, I used my mini-size cookie scoop and dished the dough out onto a baking sheet, while we finished our conversation. It was getting late – so I left the dough overnight, and baked the cookies the next morning.

I was lucky enough to get one as I ran out the door with T-Rex, who was on her way back to the vets’ office. If I was really thinking ahead, I would have taken some of the cookies with me – but I only made 1/4 of the recipe, which yielded 12 mini cookies – and after the kids mowed through them, I think there were 2 left.

Like I said – if I was thinking ahead – which I wasn’t.

In my opinion, you can never have enough good chocolate chip cookie recipes in your arsenal, so visit the SMS website to get a copy of the recipe for these. They are well worth the time!

Coming up next week: Butterscotch Cashew Bars.

I’ve been meaning to share this delicious pie/calzone hybrid for some time now – but I don’t want to talk about the disappearance of the first set of pictures.

From the crash that shall not be mentioned.

So I just had to prepare it again (oh, snap!), in order to show it off. The recipe comes from Rao’s – Recipes From The Neighborhood – and by far, I think this is the second most-used cookbook I own (the first would be Dorie’s book).

I don’t know exactly how to describe this – it isn’t a pie like a Pizza Rustica – it seems to be more like  a calzone. The recipe didn’t call for cheese, but that didn’t stop me from adding some – in my world, if there’s crust, there must be cheese.

Anyways, it’s a wonderful thing – pizza dough wrapped around a spinach garlic filling – and to quote Ina Garten, “How great is that?”

So first, roll out your dough:

Then place your filling in the middle:

Add formaggio (a necessity in my house):

Seal it up – and make sure those edges are sealed, otherwise you will get a spinach explosion – not that I would have first-hand experience with that:

You can use a regular oven, but I prefer to use the pizza oven on the barbecue:

I photographed it when it was room temp, so the cheese wouldn’t try and escape:

FYI – this freezes well – which makes the kids happy when they ask, “What’s for lunch?”

Spinach Pie - Rao’s – Recipes from the Neighborhood

¼ cup olive oil, plus 2 tbs. for the dough
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 bunches spinach, steamed or 3 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
Salt and pepper
2 tbs. golden raisins, soaked in water to cover (optional – I left them out)
2 tbs. pine nuts (optional – I left these out too)

1 lb ball pizza dough

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat ¼ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach, salt and pepper to taste, raisins and pine nuts, if desired, and toss until the spinach is thoroughly coated and flavorful. Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander and let drain.

To make the pies, divide the dough into 8 pieces, and roll each piece into a 4 to 5 inch circle. Divide the spinach mixture equally between the dough pieces. Fold the dough over the mixture to form a half-moon, and seal the edges with the tines of a fork.

Transfer the pies to a large rimmed baking sheet, and brush the tops with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden. Remove from the oven, cut into slices and serve.