Chicken Parmesan Bake December 23, 2011

I don’t have a picture this dish, but it was sooooo good and easy that I had to share it with you before I can make it again and snap pictures of it!  If your family enjoys Chicken Parmesan, I cannot imagine them not likeing this recipe!  I found it during a VERY short visit to pinterrest.  I liked the site.  Just didn’t want to waste too much time sitting at my computer looking at all the fun things I could make, bake and create, or so I think I could.  The recipe comes from Food Wishes.  You can find it here along with some great pictures and a video of how to put it all together.  You can also find the recipe below.

Chicken Parmesan Bake

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste (I omitted)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 and pounded them to about 1/2 inch thickness)

2 cups marinara sauce

1/4 cup chopped basil (I used some dried basil)

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated (I would leave out half next time, it seemed a bit too salty to my taste)

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Put olive oil and garlic in a 9×13 size dish or pan.  Place chicken on top.  Spread marinara sauce on top.  Sprinkle with half the mozzorella and half the parmesan cheese.  Place croutons on top and add the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes (or until your chicken is cooked through).

Recipe from Food Wishes

Kettle Corn! December 19, 2011

This was one of those spur of the moment recipes.  It was a Sunday night, hanging out with the fam and my bro, Tyler, waiting for the frozen pizza (yes I do pull out the prepared frozen pizzas occasionally!) to come out of the oven and my bro asks, “Can I have kettle corn?”  I hesitate a moment…and another moment or two, jump on the internet, find a recipe for kettle corn and respond back to him, “If you make it, you can have it.”  And so he went to it, with my help of pulling out the ingredients and supplies.  I will take the blame for the unpopped first batch.  Maybe I took the wrong pan out or told him to pour the kernels in before the oil was ready, so when he stareted the second batch, I SHUT MY MOUTH!  Which is hard for me to do while in the kitchen….SORRY sorry sorry to anyone I have pushed around in the kitchen.  I’m pretty good about keeping my mouth shut anywhere else, BUT the kitchen is my domain :)  So anyway, the second batch of kettle corn turned out beautifully!  Thank you Tyler for this idea, something I have never thought of making myself!

We started out with a recipe from Allrecipes.com and then I jumped onto Savory Sweet Life to get some tips for the second batch.  A few tips from a pro :)  1.  Use a pretty large pot to make room for the popped kernals, with a lid of course (and not a dutch oven).  2.  Heat the oil very hot (400 or so), if you think it’s hot enough, wait another couple minutes (test it by throwing 3 kernels in, when they pop, pour in the sugar, let melt a few seconds and add the remaining kernals.  3.  Shake shake shake!!!

Kettle Corn (I’d suggest reading the tips above before making.)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (can also use butter, shortening, etc.)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat to b/t 300-400 degrees.  Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid.  Once popcorn starts popping, pick it up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes.  Remove immediately from heat and transfer the popcorn immediatly into a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt, serve and enjoy!

Recipe adopted from Allrecipes.com and Savory Sweet Life

I’d love to hear about your kettle corn experiences, or really any of your baking/cooking experiences!

Soft Garlic Knots December 13, 2011

I want to apologize to the Comcast guy who was hookin’ up some internet over here las week.  Why?  Because it smelled AMAZING in my house from these Soft Garlic Knots!  You know how it is walking into someone’s home while they are cooking or baking something and sometimes if YOU are the cook/baker, you don’t always get hit with that great aroma because you are in it the entire time, but not while baking these Garlic Bread Knots.  It was soooo strong!  It took a lot of self control to wait until supper to eat one!

These are great rolls to serve with your favorite Italian dish.  They are still good nuked up the next day for leftovers.  Still have some a few days later?  Grill up some burgers, split the knot in half, butter it and toast it up on the grill.  Makes a great hamburger bun!

A note on the recipe:  my dough seemed very wet.  I made this in my bread machine and added some flour while it was mixing the ingredients together.  I think it could have used more flour.  if you use a bread machine, I would suggest checking it 5-10 minutes after you start it.  I think because of this my  rolls don’t look like distinct knots, but they still tasted awesome!

Soft Garlic Knots

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 cups bread flour

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. instant yeast

1¼ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup milk

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. lukewarm water

For the glaze:

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp. melted butter

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients.  Add the olive oil, milk and water.  Mix until ingredients have formed a dough.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a 10-inch long rope and tie into a knot.  Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center.  Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center.  Transfer shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic or press it through a garlic press.  Mix with the melted butter and Italian seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Brush the glaze onto the shaped rolls.  Bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.

 Recipe from Annie’s Eats

No-Knead Harvest Bread December 10, 2011

I have been enjoying this bread for the last month or so.  After eating it the first few days after baking it, I decided to freeze the remainder.   I really love the cranberries, raisins and walnuts that are in this bread!  It adds a nice flavor and crunch to whatever sandwich you make with it!  My fav:

Turkey Apple Brie Sandwich.  Not much of a recipe but here’s what I do:  Layer some thin slice of apple (or spread some apple butter down which is very tasty also!), turkey and top with slices of brie.  Broil it for a bit until the brie starts to melt.  My other fav:

Carrot Apple Brie Sandwich.  Spread some honey mustard on the bread, top with shredded carrot, thin slices of apple and top with Brie.  Broil till cheese starts melting.

As for the bread, it is really pretty simple.  It just has to sit for quite a few hours or overnight before baking, so don’t expect to eat it just a couple hours after mixing up the ingredients.

No-Knead Harvest Bread

3 1/4 cups Lancelot Hi-Gluten Flour or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 cup King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1 3/4 cups cool water

3/4 cup dried cranberries (might have been a bit too much in my opinion, reduce to liking)

1/2 cup golden raisins (same as cranberries)

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix the flours, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl.  Stir, then use your hands to mix and form a sticky dough.

Work the dough just enough to incorporate all the flour, then work in the fruit and nuts.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours; it’ll become bubbly and rise quite a bit, so use a large bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and form it into a log or round loaf to fit your 14″ to 15″ long lidded stoneware baker; 9″ x 12″ oval deep casserole dish with cover; or 9″ to 10″ round lidded baking crock.

(Since I don’t have a lidded stoneware baker or deep casserole dish with cover, I used a large bread pan (or possibly 2 if they are smaller).  I would suggest reducing the  baking temperature to about 350-375.  Place tinfoil over the top and bake about 30 minutes, remove for 5-15 minutes as directed below.  I highly suggest using a thermometer to check the center temp for doneness.)

Place the dough in the lightly greased pan, smooth side up.

Cover and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until it’s become puffy. It should rise noticeably, but it’s not a real high-riser.

Place the lid on the pan, and put the bread in the cold oven. Set the oven temperature to 450°F.

Bake the bread for 45 to 50 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, until it’s deep brown in color, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F. Remove the bread from the oven, turn out onto a rack, and cool before slicing.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Chip Pie & a Great Pie Crust! December 6, 2011

I’ve been using a pie crust for a year or two now and haven’t been the happiest with it.  So when I went to make this pie, I wanted to find a new pie crust.  I ended up trying Barefoot Contessa’s Perfect Pie Crust – and that it was!  I didn’t want to wait to give the crust a try so I used my crust scraps, sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon and baked them for about 10 minutes and then…ate, them all!!!  So good!  Flaky, not too bland, a nice touch of sweetness.  I was very happy with the results.

The recipe makes 2-10 inch crusts – I halved it for 1 crust, but you may be able to freeze half the dough for another day.  The only tricky part of halving the recipe is the shortening.  For the full recipe, you need 1/3 cup, which is 5 1/3 T – take half of that for one crust.  It is doable, you just gotta think about it!

The Chocolate Chip pie was wonderful!  It is great at room temp (tastes like cookie dough!) and also warmed for a few second in the microwave (gooey and chocolatey!).  It is pretty rich, so you don’t need a huge piece and a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream adds a nice touch to the pie.  Enjoy it any way you want or try it all different ways until it’s gone!

Perfect Pie Crust

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.  (I used a pastry blended which worked fine) Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Recipe from Food Network

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 (9 inch) pie shell

Preheat oven to 325.  Combine cooled melted butter or margarine and sugar, eggs, pecans, flour and chocolate chips; mix well.

Pour the mixture into the unbaked pastry shell and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour. Let cool and serve.

Recipe adopted from Allrecipes.com

Two More Pumpkin Recipes December 2, 2011

So it’s already December, and I am now sharing with you the remaining two pumpkin recipes I made and enjoyed this fall.  Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup (for, of course a yummy Pumpkin Spice Latte).  I recommend both recipes.  The bread was delicious and and the Pumpkin Spice Latte was warm and sweet, perfect for a chilly afternoon.

I should mention, the only issue I had with the Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup was that there ended up to be leftover spice/pumpkin mixture in the bottom of my coffee mug, so I ended up straining the milk/syrup mixture before adding it to the coffee so that I wouldn’t get as much of that gritty stuff toward the end of my drink.  It worked pretty well.  I have a tiny little sifter-like thing that I received as a gift that is perfect size for this task.

Pumpkin Bread (makes 3 7×3 in loaves)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe adopted from allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes

1/3 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep syrup from burning.

Let mixture cook together until it becomes syrup-y and begins to coat the spoon (for about 10-15 minutes), then remove from heat.

Refrigerate in a heat-proof container. The syrup will thicken a bit in the refrigerator, but will become syrup-y again when heated.

To make pumpkin spice latte, heat syrup with milk (about 2 cups of milk and 2-3 tablespoons of syrup, depending on how much milk or creamer you want to use and how pumpkin-y sweet you want your latte. I usually use about 2 tablespoons syrup + 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream to cut down on the sugar.). Pour into a blender or whisk until frothy, for about ten seconds (to make it thick and prevent the pumpkin from settling on the bottom). Pour into cup and stir in about 1/2 cup or more of strong, hot coffee.

Recipe from Bakegirl