No TWD for me…

I’m going to have to take a break from Tuesdays with Dorie for awhile. I am having spinal surgery next week and don’t really know how long I will be out of commission. I’ll be back as soon as I can!

In honor of my Mom…..

I decided that today I would share some of my favorite recipes that have been passed down from my mom. My mom and I definitely share a love for good food and cooking. She is an excellent cook. One of my most special wedding gifts was a binder of her favorite recipes that she passed down to me. Here I will share some of my favorites (without pictures–sorry). I guarantee that these are all tried and true (and loved).

Vidalia Onion Dip

1 cup chopped Vidalia onion

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Bake at 350 degrees until warm and bubbling (approximately 15 minutes). Serve with crackers (I prefer Keebler’s Club crackers). I know this sounds kind of strange, but I promise, it is amazing! Everyone always wants the recipe.

Goat Cheese Salad

3/4 tsp. fresh thyme, basil, chives (snipped small)

1/3 cup bread crumbs

Take 1 small log of goat cheese and roll in above.

Cut into 4 pieces and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

Take 4 cups packed field greens. Add 2 cups sliced endive and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Dress greens with 3 Tbsp. olive oil; 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar; 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar; 1 Tbsp. walnut or salad oil.

Top with the warm cheese pieces.

Pete’s Baseball Sauce

This recipe was passed down from a family friend (great for bratwurst, sausage or grilled meat)

8 oz. can chipotle peppers in sauce

8 oz. lime juice

8 oz. molasses

4 Tbsp. cumin

1 cup chopped cilantro

Process in a food processor.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

Cream together.

Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 large mashed bananas.

Mix together 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake in greased loaf pan for 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees.

German Apple Pancakes

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in small oven-proof dish.

Mix together 2 large eggs and 6 Tbsp. flour and 6 Tbsp. milk. Add to dish.

Top with 1/2 cup apple sliced and tossed with 2 tbsp. brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Sausage and Cheese Strata

1/2 lb. sausage, browned

3/4 lb. Monterey Jack cheese; grated

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

8 sliced white bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

Grease 1 qt. casserole dish. Arrange 1/3 of bread crumbs in casserole. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese. Arrange sausage over it. Add remaining 1/3 of bread and cheese. Repeat–reserving last 1/3 of cheese.

Press layers down. Mix together eggs and seasonings. Pour over top. Drizzle with butter. Refrigerate overnight. Before baking let stand 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Salmont 3 Ways:

1. Grilled Salmon—mix together soy sauce and maple syrup—baste salmon and grill.

2. Slow Cooked Salmon–cut up carrots and onions. Place salmon on top. Bake at 225 degrees for 45 minutes.

3. Salmon in Parchment–cut out parchment paper to wrap salmon in. Place piece of salmon on paper. Top with 1 Tbsp. of marinade (I prefer an Asian fish marinade), slice of red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, zucchini. Wrap and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Pot Roast

5-6 lb. chuck roast

1 can coke

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients and bake for 3 1/2 hours covered at 325 degrees. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for an additional 1 1/2 hours.

Aunt Josie’s Barbecue

1 lb. hamburger

1 onion chopped

Brown these together and then add:

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. vinegar

2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

Flank Steak

1 1/2-2 lbs. flank steak

Marinade: 3/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 Tbsp. honey, 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger.

Marinade at least 12 hours, then grill after draining marinade. Slice thin and serve.

Comforting Shredded Beef

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 bottom round roast (4 lbs.)

salt and pepper

Heat butter and oil and brown roast on all sides.

Put roast in 2 cups beef stock and 1 cup red wine.

Simmer slowly, 3 hours, adding stock and wine as needed so there is always 1 cup liquid.

Remove beef from heat and shred.

Serve with buns.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix

Make cupcakes as directed on box until time to fill cups.

Mix together: 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, dash salt, 1 egg,  1 cup chocolate chips.

Fill cups 1/2 full. Add 1 spoonful of cream cheese mix. Bake as directed.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pizza

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cup flour

Put ingredients for crust together and make dough.

Press dough over bottom of 12-14 inch pizza pan

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Top with 2 cups mini marshmallows and 6 oz. chocolate chips.

Bake for 5-8 minutes or until chips are melted and marshmallows largely browned.

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte

It’s Tuesdays with Dorie time! This week some friends of ours, Chris (a fellow food blogger) and Megan invited us over for dessert and general hangout time. So I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to make this torte. I certainly could not have such a tasty treat lying around my house for just Aaron and I. Folks, I’m not gonna lie…….this was a tedious one to make. But the results were definitely worth it. And it really is not that complicated—just a lot of steps. And one good benefit—it requires minimum baking (just 10 minutes for the Oreo crust)—so it’s great for a summer treat without having to keep the oven on fr a long period of time.

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Small pinch of salt

2 ½ c. heavy cream

1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)

2 tablespoons whole milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

It’s Tuesday again!! This week’s recipe was chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker. I am not the biggest fan of figs, but I thought I would try it out anyway. Aaron LOVED the figs. Me, not so much. However, the cake was amazing!! I think I would like to try the cake again without the figs–or maybe half and half, so Aaron would be happy. I think Aaron might have been drooling over the cake—I could barely get a picture taken before he started eating it (so excuse the picture quality). He ate it for dinner.

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed (I used Mission)

1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal (I used Polenta)

½ c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 c. ricotta

1/3 c. tepid water

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 tablespoon, cut into bits and chilled

2 large eggs

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 ½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.

Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.

Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.

Stir Fried Beef and Snow Peas

I got this recipe originally from someone on the cooking message board that I frequent. I cannot remember who it was–I apologize. Come forward if you see this! It was excellent and healthy, which is always important!

Stir-Fried Beef and Snow Peas

Ingredients:

3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
3/4 lb boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into thin 2-inch-long slices
1/2 lb fresh snow peas, trimmed, or thawed frozen snow peas
1 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 T reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 T orange juice
1 t cornstarch
1 T water

Directions:

1. Spray a large nonstick wok or deep skillet with nonstick spray and set over high heat until a drop of water sizzles in it. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and stir-fry about 1 minute. Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in the soy sauce and orange juice; bring to a simmer and cook 20 seconds.

2. Stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 30 seconds.

serving size = 1 cup (recipe serves 4)

Steak Sandwich

I got this recipe by watching it on the Barefoot Contessa. Aaron was literally salivating over the TV, so a few days later I surprised him by making her steak sandwich. I had the hardest time finding the focaccia buns, but I finally found them at Whole Foods by going to the deli section and just ordering the bread (instead of a whole sandwich). They turned out perfectly. The sandwich was fantastic.

1 (12-ounce) 1-inch thick New York strip boneless beef top loin steak
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 yellow onions, sliced in rings
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe Mustard Mayo, recipe follows
2 mini focaccia buns, sliced in 1/2
1/2 cup baby arugula

Season the steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat until it’s almost smoking, then sear the steak on each side for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook the steak for about 7 to 10 minutes, turning once, until very rare in the middle. Remove to a plate, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Slice the steak into strips.

Using the same saute pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and saute for 10 minutes, until the onions are brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a tablespoon of Mustard Mayo on the bottom half of each bun. Place a layer the steak strips on top of the mayo, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with the caramelized onion rings. Place the baby arugula on top of the onion rings, and cover the sandwiches with the top half of the buns.

Mustard Mayo:
3/4 cup good mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 1 cup

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

Aaron and I are going over to a friends’ house tonight (as we did last Saturday) for dinner and a rousing game of Settlers of Catan—a board game. I know, we are dorks. I promise, it is really fun! We’ve played it with several of our friends in the past, in Chicago, Nashville and now, Los Angeles. Check it out—you won’t be disappointed. But it was my job to bring dessert. I turned to my trusted Dorie Greenspan book and found something to bring. I got a pic, but I’m never happy with how oatmeal based cookies look—but they taste amazing!!

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

From Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup peanut butter–chunky (Dorie’s choice) or smooth (my choice because it’s what I had—-don’t use natural peanut butter)

1 cup sugar

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 ½ cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips. If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours, or for up to 1 day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about ½ inch thick.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula–they’ll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Makes about 60 cookies

Storing: Wrapped airtight or piled into a cookie jar, the cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they’ll be good for 2 months.

Playing Around

: You can substitute soft, moist raisins for the chocolate chunks or just stir in some raisins along with them. If you’re really looking for crunch, toss in chopped peanuts too (salted or not). With or without the chocolate chunks, raisins and nuts, these cookies are great with ice cream or around ice cream.

Crispy French Toast

Back in December, Aaron and I stayed at the gorgeous La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, California. For breakfast Aaron had crispy French toast and the next day he starting asking if I could try to recreate this recipe. Now, I am not a big breakfast food person (I think it is because I don’t like maple syrup), but I decided to try to recreate the recipe for him. This was what I came up with. We served it for Christmas morning. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture because my family dug into it so quickly!

Crispy French Toast

3 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups corn flakes cereal, crushed to 1 cup
8, (3/4 inch thick) diagonally cut slices French bread
strawberry syrup
Fresh strawberries, raspberries and/or blueberries

1. Grease 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. In shallow bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, and salt; beat well.
2. Place crushed cereal in another shallow bowl. Dip each bread slice in egg mixture, making sure all egg mixture absorbed. Coat each slice with crumbs.
3. Place in greased pan; cover. Freeze 1-2 hours or until firm.
4. Heat oven 425 degrees F. Bake bread slices 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Serve with syrup and fresh berries. If desired, garnish with whipped topping.

Gorilla Bread

This post is way overdue! I was looking for something special and different to have on Christmas morning. I decided to make monkey bread. However, when I started looking for recipes, I came across Gorilla Bread—which looked even tastier! It was definitely a hit and I want to start making it a tradition to have Gorilla bread on Christmas morning every year!

T

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits (10 count)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. Cut the cream cheese into 20 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the nuts into the bottom of the bundt pan. Place half of the prepared biscuits in the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour half of the melted butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle on 1/2 cup of nuts. Layer the remaining biscuits on top, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar, pour the remaining butter mixture over the biscuits, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert.

Source: Paula Deen

LiveSTRONG with Corn Chowder!

I recently heard about a blog event called “A Taste of Yellow” which helps support LiveSTRONG Day  on May 13, 2008. LiveSTRONG is Lance Armstrong’s foundation which aims to raise awareness for cancer. Thankfully, I have not had too many personal experiences with cancer. However, as a pediatric nurse practitioner, I have had many patients who have succumbed to this horrible disease. I was very excited to participate in this event. The challenge was to make and blog about any type of yellow food. I have been meaning to make this corn chowder for awhile, so I thought it would be perfect. It tasted awesome!

Blanchard’s Corn Chowder

From the cookbook At Blanchard’s Table by Melinda and Robert BlanchardServes 8

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium yellow onions, chopped (I only used 2)

5 carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices (I only used 4)

5 celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch slices (I only used 4)

6 cups fresh corn kernels (about 12 ears of corn)

3 cups chicken broth (I wanted mine a little creamier, so I used 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup heavy cream)

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces (I used 1)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

**I decided to add some crab meat to my chowder so I used 1 tub of fresh, lump crab meat that I flaked into the chowder at the end and let simmer for a few minutes to heat

Melt the butter in a large pot. When the butter is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook just until tender, stirring frequently, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the corn and cook 2 minutes more. Remove 4 cups of the vegetables and transfer to a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet). Puree the mixture until fairly smooth and return it to the soup pot.

Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, add the peppers and simmer for 2 minutes (this is when I added the crab). Add the dill, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with more dill (and some good crusty bread!)

**This post is specifically dedicated to Zackerie and Gwendolyn–two patients I was recently with at their moment of death from cancer–whom I will never forget.