Chocolate Loaf Cake

December 3, 2010 by
 
Do you like chocolate? Then here, make this.  Then go hide and eat it.  Yep, that pretty much sums it up. : )
 
CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE
Recipe from Nigella Lawson
 
CAKE:
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 T vanilla
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup boiling water
 
SYRUP:
1 tsp cocoa
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 oz dark chocolate (from a bar) cut into splinters, for garnish
 
Mix the flour, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream in the food processor until very smooth.  Add the boiling water through the funnel while running.  Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
Line a loaf pan with sprayed foil. 
Pour batter in pan, bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until cake tests done.
When cake has about 10 minutes left, put the cocoa, water, and sugar for the syrup in a small saucepan and boil for 5 minutes, to make a thick syrup.
When cake comes out of the oven, while still in the pan, pierce a few times with a small paring knife. 
Pour the syrup over the warm cake.
Cool completely then remove from pan using the foil, then remove the foil.  Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chocolate splinters.
Filed Under: Cake / Cake Pops

Best Ever Chili

December 1, 2010 by
I know the name of this dish is making quite the claim, but my mom insisted upon it, and since she gave birth to me I think she should be allowed her way every now and again. : )
This is, to me, a perfect fall and winter dish.  My hubby doesn’t like most chili dishes, but even he had extra helpings.  I made it for our Pumpkin Potluck this fall and when I was pouring it in our large crock pot, I thought I made too much…  Well, let’s just say it got taken care of. : )
BEST EVER CHILI
Recipe by My Stained Apron
8 oz bacon (thick sliced)
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes*
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 T paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp chili or chipotle powder
1 T cumin
1 T oregano
Chop bacon and cook in a large pot.  Drain off excess fat.
Add onion and garlic and cook a few minutes until softened.
Add pork and beef and break up with a wooden spoon.  Cook until no longer pink.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Simmer 1 to 3 hours (You can also put in a crockpot at this point instead of simmering on the stovetop).
*If you don’t like chunks of tomato in your chili, puree them first.
For serving: 
shredded cheddar cheese
Corn chips
sliced green onions
sour cream
lime wedges
cilantro
Filed Under: Beef, Pork, Slow Cooker

Chicken Pot Pie (or Turkey)

November 29, 2010 by
 
 
I heart this dish.  I really, really do.  It started off as a Martha Stewart recipe, and I’ve changed it around a bit over the years.  I’m not sure how closely it resembles the original recipe now, but this is definitely how I make it every time now.  Sometimes I bake it inside a pumpkin like Martha’s recipe if I’m feeling extra adventurous.  This is the perfect way to use leftover turkey as well.  No matter how moist and perfect your turkey can be, when it comes to using the leftovers it just needs a little boost to taste worth saving.  By cooking it in a super flavorful sauce you wouldn’t even guess that it’s leftovers. 
But you can also use chicken, as I do regularly.   
 
CHICKEN (or Turkey) POT PIE
 
Crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 T dried Thyme
10 T cold unsalted butter
3 T ice water
1 egg yolk
 
Filling:
6 T butter
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 lg onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
12 oz mushrooms, quartered
3 celery stalks, chopped
6 T flour
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or leftover turkey)
2 T dried Thyme
zest of 1/2 a lemon
 
Make the crust. Combine the flour, salt, and dried thyme in a bowl. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until pea size lumps.  Add the ice water and egg yolk, mix in with a fork.
Wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour.
Make the filling. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. 
Add the potatoes and onion, cook until browned and softened.
Add the carrots, mushrooms, and celery.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring.  Stir in the chicken broth and milk.
Bring to a simmer, then add the shredded chicken or turkey, thyme, and lemon zest.
Pour into a casserole dish.
Roll crust out larger than dish, loosely drape over pan. (This is a fairly soft dough, so I roll it out on a floured sheet of plastic wrap- putting another sheet of plastic wrap on top of it, then roll out. This makes transferring and removing the crust easier.) Cut a couple of small slits in crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. If you want a shinier crust, brush with a beaten egg prior to baking.

 
 
Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey

Grateful

November 25, 2010 by

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and my kitchen looks like a small tornado has hit.  One apron has all ready been destroyed…
I feel so grateful for all of my blessings. 
Even the dirty laundry, I have clothing to wash.
The muddy paw prints on the floor, we have a beloved dog.
My hubby’s dirty socks, I have a hubby I love dearly.
The endless doctor’s and therapy appointments to take my daughter to, we have access to great care for our sweet Amelia.
The messy fridge, we have plenty to eat.
Well, you get the idea.  Even though we have a child with special needs, it is always apparent that many have more difficult challenges.  And I can’t imagine my life without even the less pleasant or difficult challenges I’ve had.  I’m so thank full for my family, my friends, and my faith. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Filed Under: Ramblings

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

November 22, 2010 by
 
This is why I LOVE when friends share recipes. You get recipes you know will turn out well, no tweaking required.  I’ve had this one for years, a friend shared it with me and it didn’t take long for me to try it out.  And it’s made appearances fairly often in our house since, especially in the fall.  These muffins are super moist and I love anything with dried cranberries.  I store dried cranberries in the freezer all our dried fruit, actually.  Along with all nuts and seeds.  They keep much longer.  One of my favorite snacks is dried cranberries straight from the freezer. (Try it, you’ll see what I mean!)  And make these muffins soon, it’s the perfect season to enjoy them!
 
PUMPKIN CRANBERRY MUFFINS
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
15 oz can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup dried cranberries
 
Whisk together flours, sugar, nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix together the eggs, pumpkin, canola oil, and milk.
Add to the dry mixture along with the cranberries and stir together just till combined.
Spray 18 standard or 12 large muffin cups with cooking spray and spoon in the batter.
Bake for about 20 minutes (25 for large muffins) at 350 degrees.
 
Filed Under: Bread, Quick & Muffins, Pumpkin Tagged With: , , ,

Gingersnap Pumpkin Cream Pie

November 19, 2010 by
I’ve had a pumpkin cream pie recipe in my pile of recipes to try for a couple of years now.  I finally decided to try it, but I decided to do my own twist on it.  I love gingersnaps.  I don’t make them very often, I always seem to make them spicier than most people like. (Ironically, I think green bell peppers are hot!)
So I buy a huge tin of Pepparkakor, Swedish gingersnaps, every Christmas season. Yum!
And my little Lucy goose loves them too : ) I think this is a great use of them.  I actually prefer 2 cups of cookie crumbs instead of the 1 1/2 cups, since I really want to taste the gingersnaps more, but I assumed most of you would like it this way.  If you prefer, you could also just use a pre-made graham cracker crust.

GINGERSNAP PUMPKIN CREAM PIE
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnaps (you could also use graham crackers instead)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:
1 lg box vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
15 oz can pure pumpkin puree*

FOR SERVING:
whipped cream
pumpkin seed brittle, optional

Combine the gingersnap crumbs with the melted butter and press lightly into a 9 inch pie pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Let cool.
To make the filling: Mix the pudding mix, milk, and cream until thick, about 5 minutes.
Add the vanilla, spices, and pumpkin. Mix until well combined.
Pour into the prepared crust and smooth out. Store in the refrigerator.
When ready to serve top with whipped cream and pumpkin seed brittle, if using.

*The large cans of pumpkin (about 30 oz) are a lot of the time either the same price or even cheaper than the smaller 15 oz cans.  Save some money and buy the big ones.  Schedule something on the menu to use the other half, or freeze for later use. 

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Pie, Pumpkin

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

November 17, 2010 by
 
I love candy-making.  What I don’t love is modern recipes obviously written by someone who doesn’t understand what they’re doing.  I’ve seen some recipes for pepita brittle around, but they all say to cook until “amber in color”.  What does that mean? If you’re making candy, you need to have an accurate thermometer or understand how to test the stage your candy is in. And none of the recipes I’ve seen call for more than 10 minutes cooking time.   Brittle takes a lot longer than that to cook.  Otherwise you’ll have a flabby slab of chewy not-so-goodness.  So don’t be intimidated by the process, it really is very simple. Just use a thermometer and take your time.  (I love my frying/candy thermometer- it’s always accurate and easy to read, unlike the old glass style that fog up).  Oh, and this would be a wonderful substitute for those who can’t have nuts!
 
PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE
2 cups sugar 
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 T water
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups pepitas (These are the little green raw pumpkin seeds that have the outer white hull removed, You can find them locally in the bulk section at Winco, otherwise look for stores that carry Mexican ingredients)
 
Toast the pepitas over medium to medium high heat in a large dry skillet. Cook until they crackle and snap, turn golden brown, and become fragrant. It should take 5-10 minutes.
While hot, toss the seeds with 1 tsp of the salt and the cinnamon.
Line a large cookie sheet (about 12″ by 16″) with greased parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and the water in a large pot. Cook on medium to medium high heat, stirring often. When it starts to get amber in color check with your thermometer, you want it to reach 300 degrees, the hard crack stage.  It should take about 20 to 25 minutes to reach that temperature.
Working quickly, remove from heat and add in baking soda and remaining tsp salt, then the toasted pepitas. Stir together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula and spread out on prepared cookie sheet.
Let cool completely.
To break into pieces, either lift up a corner and it should snap off (continue to use hands to break pieces up)
Or hit with a small hammer, the handle end of a knife, whatever.  It should crack into pieces pretty easily.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or so. (If it isn’t going to be eaten quickly I separate layers with wax paper so it won’t stick together.
Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Pumpkin

Review.. and Giveaway!

November 17, 2010 by

When CSN Stores recently gave me a gift certificate to review a product, naturally I had a hard time picking something, as they have everything from Briefcases to spatulas to curtains!  I finally decided on the Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker from cookware.com and LOVED it!

It is definetely one of my new favorite kitchen tools.  I don’t love yogurt.  And my hubby? He REALLY does not enjoy yogurt.  EVER. NEVER, EVER.  But after I made some homemade we were both not only eating it plain, I am using it in all kinds of recipes.  We now use it in place of sour cream even.  Now, usually, you wouldn’t be able to substitute yogurt without noticing.  But this yogurt is so creamy and delicous that you don’t care.   This maker is incredibly easy and I loved that it has glass jars instead of plastic.  I also bought an additional pack of jars so I can have one batch in the making while the other jars are stored in the fridge. You can even get an extra tier to add to the top if you want to be able to make 2 batches at once.

And CSN Stores is giving me a $20 gift certificate to use at any of their 200+ online stores to give to one of you lucky duckies!  (If I were you I would get the yogurt maker!)
To enter, just leave a comment on THIS post by midnight on Friday the 19th with your email so I can contact you if you win. So, what would you get if you win?
Winner will be announced this weekend sometime. Good luck friends!
Winner is… #2! I’ll send you the info, congrats! Thanks for the comments everyone!

Filed Under: Giveaways / Reviews

Garlic Green Beans

November 15, 2010 by
Simple.  Delicious.  I love green beans.  And the way I love them most is when they are prepared very simply.  I have many memories of standing barefoot in the garden with my Dad when I was a young girl, eating vegetables raw, straight off the plants.  I swear I can still feel the warm dirt inbetween my toes and the sun on my back if I close my eyes.  So I suppose maybe that’s why I still love vegetables best either raw or without alot of “dressing up” done to them. I make these for every holiday, and on many days inbetween.
GARLIC GREEN BEANS
Recipe by My Stained Apron
1 pound green beans
2 T unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Blanch the beans. Wash, then trim ends. Either leave whole or cut in 2 inch lengths.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add green beans.
Boil no more than 5 minutes. ( I like them pretty firm, so about 3 minutes is all I do)
Imediately drain beans and put in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
Melt butter in a pan over medium high heat, and add garlic. (careful, garlic burns easy and fast, so don’t add it until just before the beans!)
Add green beans (drained first) and toss.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
*Holiday make ahead tips: You can blanch the beans a day ahead of time and store in the fridge. 
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

November 12, 2010 by
It’s that crazy time of year.  I know you all know what I’m talking about. (And if you don’t, I WANT YOUR SECRET!) : )
Holidays, family get-togethers, Christmas gifts to make and shop for, decorating, and so on.  It’s also my favorite time of the year.  I love the feeling of giving and gratitude in the air this time of year.  But still, things can get a bit hectic, so a meal like this one comes in awful handy.  My mom made “baked potato bar” night in our home often, and it was always a big hit.  We could each pick what we wanted on our potato and and you won’t find a cheaper ingredient!  So do what I’m doing tomorrow night- make this and give yourself a break!
SLOW COOKER BAKED POTATOES
Wrap potatoes in foil and put in slow cooker.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until soft when pierced with a knife.
Serving suggestions:
chopped chives, red onion, or green onions
ranch dressing
sour cream
crumbled cooked bacon
shredded cheese
chili
butter
steamed chopped broccoli
a big garden salad makes a good accompaniment
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Filed Under: Meatless Main Dishes, Slow Cooker Tagged With: ,