Polka-Dot Cookies

February 13, 2010 by

I have an obsession with polka-dots.  It’s really quite sad. So when I saw this recipe I knew I needed to make them for Valentine’s day.  My girls love pigs, and I thought the polka-dot them went quite well with them.

Polka-Dot Cookies

4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c plus 2 T unsalted butter, at room temp
1 3/4 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
food coloring (I used pink)
Sanding or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 2/3 cups of the flour, the baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, then beat in the vanilla. 
On low speed, add in the flour mixture.
Transfer half the dough to another bowl.
Beat in the remaining 1/3 cup flour and desired amount food coloring (if using) to one half.
Beat in the cocoa powder to the other half.
Shape into discs and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
Roll out doughs on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4″ thickness, cut out desired shapes.
(I did pigs, my girls favorite animal, and hearts for valentines day)
Cut small circles out using the wide end of a pastry tip or a doughnut circle cutter.
I also did some hearts as well.
Interchange the 2 doughs in the cookies.

 

Sprinkle with sugar, bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
Cool on sheets for 1 minute, then finish cooling on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
TIP: I use an offset spatula when lifting cut-out cookies- it’s a life saver (and cookie saver!)

SOURCE: Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook

Filed Under: Cookies

Italian Panini

February 12, 2010 by
Oh yum. Is there anything as good as a good sandwich? Okay, maybe some things are as good, but seriously, this sandwich is REALLY good. you. must. make. it. now.
Oh, and is it “Italian”? I don’t know, but I needed to give it a name! And it sounded all right to me.
 
ITALIAN PANINI
 
 
Here’s the guests for the party:
 
Artisan bread (Just be sure to use something that will hold up to a panini press)
Ham
Salami
Roasted Red Peppers
Red Onions
Pepperoncinis
Olives
Spinach
Mozzarella Cheese
Melted Butter or Olive Oil
 
Brush one side of bread slices with butter or olive oil.
Layer up with ingredients. Put on hot panini press (Or use a pan if you don’t have one)
Cook on medium high heat until bread is seared and cheese is melted.
 
 
 
 
Filed Under: Sandwiches / Wraps Tagged With: , , , ,

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 10, 2010 by

Great cookie recipe.  If you like alot of brown sugar flavor, you’ll love these.  The first batch I did overcook a little and they were a bit hard when they cooled, but I made sure not to bake the rest as long and they lived up to their “chewy” claim.

THICK AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes about 30 cookies

2 1/8 c flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined.  Stir in chips.
Form dough into balls and place on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheets. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month-shaped or not, but it will get quite hard so let it warm up to shape)
Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and pufy, 15 to 18 minutes. (Start checking at 13 minutes)
Frozen dough requires an extra 1-2 minutes baking time. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Store in airtight container.
Source: Cook’s Illustrated

Filed Under: Cookies

The Donut Nook – Reviewed

February 10, 2010 by

THE DONUT NOOK…donuts done right!

I recall going with my Dad to the Donut Nook when I was about 5 years old and helping pick which donuts to go in our box. The decor is still the same. There’s still that orange wallpaper, the old timers sitting around with their coffee and donuts, talking about life. And I love that it’s never changed.

I mean, ever. And I’m so glad.

My grandmother’s specialty was maple bars. Fresh made, with a warm maple icing. Those are good, but the Donut Nook…. well, they have Buttermilk Bars. My absolute FAVORITE donut in the entire world. 

Oh, and I can’t forget the toasted coconut donuts, made with either cake or raised donuts.

See how light they are?  Now, THAT’S a good donut.

You’re probably thinking, why not just go thru the drive thru at the big chain donut shop? What could possibly be so great about some old donut dump?

Because donuts made by a machine and donuts made by hand are no comparison. They are made fresh every day, by hand. And that’s a difference you can taste. And it’s not about all the funky trendy varieties they can do, it’s about doing something well, and doing it right. (All though, they do have plenty of variety)
Like… the Cherry Fritters…yum

And, seriously, you HAVE to have maple bars round here..

Donuts SHOULD taste like they are handmade. They should remind you of a time when more things were made by hand.

So the next time you pop out for a donut, take the extra seconds to try a REAL donut shop. And if you’re lucky and live in Vancouver, you get to go to the Donut Nook. Best at 5 years old, and at 30.

Autism rating: 5 stars

Very low key, no loud music, quick service.

Donut Nook is open:

Mon-Thurs 5:30 to 4:30

Fri 5:30 to 1:00

Sat-Sun 6:00 to 1:00

Donut Nook is located at
4403 NE St. Johns Road
Vancouver, WA 98661

Filed Under: Giveaways / Reviews, Uncategorized

Eclairs

February 10, 2010 by

Eclairs. I know what you’re thinking. Eclairs? Seriously, Holly?  Who makes Eclairs? Well…. I do. And soon, YOU will too. Just trust me, you CAN do it. AND, you’ll be glad you did. Actually, the ones you love enough to share them with, THEY’LL be glad too. I shared these with my daughter’s therapist, because I totally love them.  Now, I included the recipe for filling them with Vanilla Pastry Cream, which is quite yummy, but my personal favorite is filled with whipped cream or ice cream. Now, what are you waiting for? You’ve got Eclairs to make – for Valentine’s Day! Or…for Wednesday!

ECLAIRS
Cream Puff Pastry:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
In a medium saucepan combine margarine or butter, water, and salt. Bring mixture to boiling, stirring until butter or margarine melts.
Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously.  Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that doesn’t seperate. (It will come in pieces if you try-but should make a fairly good ball).
Here’s after adding the flour and stirring a bit, you can see it needs more stirring:
This looks pretty good here, you can see it’s pulling together nicely.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition for about 1 minute or until smooth.
Or, you can cheat and throw it in the mixer, adding an egg every minute or so. : )
*At this point, if you want just plain cream puffs instead of Eclairs, drop by heaping tablespoonfulls onto a greased baking sheet. (Makes 10). Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and golden brown.
But we’re not making cream puffs, we’re making Eclairs. So, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip, about a 1 inch opening (or you could do 1/2 inch for smaller eclairs).
Now, twist the top nice and tight, and hold with one hand.  This is where you’ll apply pressure, not in the middle. Trust me, that would be messy.  As you pipe, you’ll need to adjust occasionally, twisting more.
When you get to the end of each eclair, flip up slightly, releasing pressure BEFORE you’re at the end.

They should be about 4 inches long. (Unless you’re making smaller ones).

Pipe 12 Eclairs onto a large cookie sheet. Now, lightly wet your finger and smooth down any bumps or flips at the end.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.  Cool on a wire rack.
After cool, make the chocolate ganache icing.
GANACHE:
4 oz chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips-I use dark chocolate chips) about 1/2 cup
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 T unsalted butter
Melt the butter and cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Take off heat just before boiling, add chocolate, and cover. Let sit for a couple minutes to soften chocolate, then stir until smooth, shiny and delicious.
Carefully dip the tops of the Eclairs into the ganache, and lay out to dry. (Unless you’re doing the next step and adding the white chocolate hearts.)
And share some extra ganache with any cute cupcakes around the house.
Now, this is a little extra twist I came up with one day because I had some extra melted white chocolate lying around. You can use white chocolate, or candy melts, or almond bark, whatever, you could even use different colors if you’re feeling adventurous.
Using a small spoon, drop 3 tiny dots of the white chocolate on the still wet eclairs.
Now, take a toothpick and drag it straight thru all 3 dots.
See, isn’t that the cutest?!
Now, some people would say you should fill them BEFORE you do the icing, but I really prefer to do this step first, then add the filling later.  And sometimes we like them filled with ice cream, which is my favorite way, but if you want to do pastry cream, I’ll oblige.
VANILLA PASTRY CREAM:
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups light cream or half and half
4 slightly beaten egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream
Stir together sugar, flour, and salt in a heavy saucepan.  Slowly stir in light cream.  Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture is thick and bubbly.  Cook and stir for another minute.
Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks (this is called tempering- you’re slowly getting the eggs hot without scrambling them- Eclairs with scrambled egg pudding? Not good eats.)
Return all of it to the saucepan.  Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.    Remove from heat, add vanilla.
Put in a bowl and cover, making sure ENTIRE surface is covered with either plastic wrap or wax paper, if you don’t it’ll form a yucky skin. Again- not good eats.
Cool in fridge. Do not stir during cooling.
Now, beat whipping cream in a bowl until soft peaks form.  Fold into chilled pastry cream, chill well.
Next, cut the eclair horizontally just below the ganache. Either spoon the pastry cream in or pipe in with a pastry bag.
Filed Under: Desserts, Tea time

Reviewed- The Ultimate Fish Sticks

February 10, 2010 by
I am not a big “fish stick” fan. Frozen minced remnants of once was part of a fish. (I assume). But my sister Christy recommended these, and she has pretty good food taste, especially being the world traveller and all, so I decided to give these a go.  Christy and I both love to cook, but we both can appreciate a quick dinner when needed. She works long hours at Nike and has 4 busy kids and a hubby to feed.  Since I go to Costco fairly often (you know, they have the best baby wipes around : ) Last time I was there I grabbed a bag.

At $12.99 for 4 lbs I think they’re very economical.  The bag contains 60 “fish sticks” made from whole fillets of Wild Alaska Pollock.
No Preservatives, No Artificial Ingredients, Minimally Processed as the bag states.
They bake up in 11-13 minutes.  We used them in our fish tacos and I was surprised by how much fish was there. They are definetely more like a lightly breaded piece of fish than a “fish stick”.
We also liked that there wasn’t any greasiness to them. So, YES I reccommed these go in your freezer for those crazy nights. I think next time we’ll try them with lemon wedges and some baked steak fries. Yum!

Filed Under: Giveaways / Reviews, Uncategorized

Fish Tacos

February 9, 2010 by

This is one of my favorite meals.  The fish section can also be served for fish & chips. Just serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and baked steak fries. And the slaw pairs well with shredded chicken or pork as well.  In the pictures, you’re seeing the “Ultimate Fish Sticks” from Costco. (Review to follow) Overall, happy with the product and results. And definitely made dinner easier and quicker.

 

FISH TACOS

Fish:
1/2 c flour
1/2 T baking powder
1/2 tsp lemon zest
pinch cayenne
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c water
1 egg
1 1/2 lbs white fish (cod or tilapia) cut into 1 1/2″ by 3″ pieces

Combine all but water, egg, and fish in a bowl. Whisk in water and egg.  Dip fish in batter, fry in 360 degree oil. 
Source: Ina Garten

Slaw:
1 c cider vinegar
1 c sugar
1 c olive oil
1 T toasted caraway seeds
salt and pepper
1 head green cabbage, shredded
1 large or 2 small red onions, sliced thinly
2 bunches green onions, sliced

Boil vinegar and sugar together.  Combine with olive oil, caraway seeds, and salt and pepper.
Put cabbage and red onions in large bowl and pour dressing over it.  Place another bowl on top and place a weight on top to press the slaw (a #10 can or a few pumpkin cans work well).
Refrigerate for 24 hours. (I just do 6-8 hours sometimes, it still works well)
Before serving, add green onions.
Source: Michael Chiarello

For Serving:
Tortillas
Sour cream, optional
Chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges
Radishes, thinly sliced

Filed Under: Fish / Seafood, Mexican

Ham and Pasta Skillet Dinner

February 9, 2010 by

I found this recipe on mykitchencafe.blogspot.com which she found on a different website. I love how recipes evolve with each person. I made some small changes to it as well, and just love it.
We always have leftover ham after holidays and I love finding new ways to use those leftovers.  Simple, easy, quick, and not to mention delicious. Or, “Delish!” as my girls say.

HAM AND PASTA SKILLET DINNER

1 pound small tube or shell pasta (I used Orecchiette)
3 T olive oil
1 T butter
3 cups fully cooked ham, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c minced fresh parsley (or 2 T dried)
1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 T lemon juice
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions, but only to al dente, because it will continue to cook in the skillet and soak up the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter is melted.
Add pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, about 4-6 minutes.
Add ham, basil and oregano and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in broth and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half (it will look brothy at first, but have faith!)
Stir drained pasta into ham and vegetable mixture.  Add 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and toss. Sprinkle parsley and remaining cheese over the top of the pasta.  Serve immediately.

Filed Under: Pasta, Pork

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

February 8, 2010 by

Do you ever have one of those days where you can’t decide what to make for dessert?  This is the perfect solution, half moist chocolate cake, half rich cheesecake. Yum!  It makes quite a few, so I gave my husband a box of them to take to work to share. He turned around and ZAP! they magically disappeared! 

BLACK-BOTTOM CUPCAKES
Makes 24

16 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 3/4 c sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 large egg whites, room temp
2 T plus 3/4 c sour cream, room temp
1/3 c miniature semisweet chocolate chips
          (Don’t use regular, they’re too heavy and will sink to the bottom of the cupcakes)
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 c water
8 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners.
With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1/2 c sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl until smooth, about 30 seconds.  Beat in egg whites and 2 T sour cream until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
Whisk remaining 1 1/4 c sugar, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, flour, cocoa, and baking soda in large bowl.  Make a well in the center, add remaining sour cream, water, butter, and vanilla and whisk until just combined.  Divide batter evenly among 24 cupcake liners and top batter evenly with 1 rounded tablespoon of cream cheese mixture. 

Bake until tops of cupcakes just begin to crack, 23 to 25 minutes.  Cook in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.
Source: Cooks Country magazine

Filed Under: Cake / Cake Pops

Chicken Noodle Soup

February 8, 2010 by

This is one of my favorite meals. So simple, quick, hearty, and warming.  I like to serve it with biscuits or even just some crackers or toast.  I like to freeze leftover chicken or turkey, pre shredded, and have on hand for meals like this.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

3 quarts chicken broth
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 (12 oz) pkg “Reames” Egg Noodles (found in the freezer section-Safeway carries them here)
2-3 shredded cooked, chicken breasts 
1 tsp dried dill weed (optional)

Bring broth to a boil in a pot. Add celery, carrots, egg noodles, and chicken.
Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are tender.  Add dill weed if using, or just season as needed with salt and pepper. That’s it! See, wasn’t that easy?

And buy a few of these for your freezer, you won’t regret it!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey, Soups / Stews Tagged With: , ,