PSA

the next time you make tacos, add a few tablespoons of dill relish to the meat mixture near the end of it's cooking time. just trust me. do it.

peanut sesame noodles

last night, some friends came over and we had an impromptu dinner and movie night. i made my own version of this. it's a keeper! i had almost everything on hand, including some leftover rotisserie chicken that dear amanda so expertly shredded. here's my version!

for the peanut sauce:
in a blender, combine and blend until smooth:

1/2 cup natural (no sugar added) peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger (i used pureed ginger from a tube)
1 tbsp fresh garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp sriracha hot pepper sauce

1 lb spaghetti or linguine, broken into thirds and cooked in heavily salted water
1 rotisserie chicken, picked over and shredded

cook the pasta until al dente. drain and rinse well with cold water. add chicken and pour sauce over. toss well. serve cold or at room temp.

asian chicken spinach pasta salad

...can anyone suggest a more interesting name? anyway, this salad is delicious, filling, and healthy. you cook the pasta the night before, and marinate it with the shredded rotisserie chicken in one batch of the dressing. then right before serving, dress the salad with another batch of the dressing and toss with the salad/chicken. adapted from this recipe at nobiggie, which is a great blog i just discovered.

the dressing: make two batches of this, keep one in the fridge until the next day

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (i think rice wine vinegar would be good too)
1/3 cup sesame oil (YUM! this makes it spectacular, IMO)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp (or more) freshly grated ginger

combine batch #1 in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly. combine batch #2 and stick in the fridge. make sure you taste and adjust your seasonings!

the salad, pt. 1: prepare the night before

1 box bowtie pasta
breast meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

the salad, pt. 2:

1 bag spinach
1 small bag snow peas
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 bunch green onions, chopped

assemble! :

cook the pasta until al dente- mine was just right at around 7 minutes in the water. drain and rinse well. combine in a large zip top bag with the shredded chicken and one batch of the dressing. marinate in the fridge over night.

the next day, combine all your fresh ingredients in a large bowl and add the pasta/chicken mixture. toss with your second batch of dressing.

convert-you carrot cake

(for an 80's themed birthday party!)


...so named because if you don't like carrot cake, this will make you a convert. it made me a believer in the goodness of carrot cake! it's adapted from this recipe. i made it gluten-free for a friend's birthday just by substituting gluten-free all purpose flour. easy peasy! (disclaimer: i'm no expert on GF stuff so just changing the flour might not make it 100% GF.) i'm sure that the oil could be reduced- this cake turned out very moist. i didn't want to risk it, but next time i'm going to try cutting it by at least 1/4 cup.

* 4 eggs
* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 2 cups all-purpose flour or GF all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 3 cups grated carrots
* 1 cup chopped pecans

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 4 cups +/- powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup milk +/- (as much as needed)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* pinch of salt
* 2 tbsp lemon juice

-Preheat oven to 350'. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
-Beat together eggs, oil, and sugars. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots and pecans. Pour into pan.
-Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

-For Frosting: Whip together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in sugar, lemon juice, salt and vanilla. If it's too thick, add milk. Beat until it's at the spreading consistency you need. You can stretch this frosting out by adding more sugar and milk.

my perfect brownies

these are fudgy and rich and i can't make them again anytime soon because they're dangerous. my jumping-off point was the recipe on the back of the box of unsweetened Baker's chocolate.

3/4 cup unsalted butter
5 squares unsweetened baker's chocolate
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup white flour
1 packet starbucks via instant coffee
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

-preheat oven to 350'.
-in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate together for two minutes. stir until melted.
-stir in sugar and eggs, the remaining ingredients.
-pour into an 8x8" pan lined with parchment paper. bake 30-33 minutes.
-let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

excellent with coffee ice cream.

cutout sugar cookies

these are absolutely the best sugar cookies i've ever tasted. the recipe comes from my husband's cousin, alicia.

1 cup butter, room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour

preheat oven to 300'.
beat together the butter and sugar, then add in the egg yolks and vanilla.
add the flour and beat until combined.
divide in half and roll out to 1/4" thick.
cut out and bake 15 minutes. ice when cooled.

icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup water (maybe less)

decorate!

i don't understand why these are so good when there isn't much sugar, no salt, and no leavening. but they are fantastic.

jam-filled muffins

these are rich, buttery, and delish! adapted from Prudent Baby

2 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
heaping 1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
jam, jelly or curd of your choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Whisk together dry ingredients.
Melt butter, then slowly whisk in milk.
Add eggs and beat until well blended.
Add liquid to dry and mix until all dry ingredients are moist. Batter will be thick.
Fill 12 cups of a muffin tin a little less than 1/2 full, then make a small well in each cup. No need to use muffin cups or to grease the pan!
Add a heaping tsp of your favorite jam, jelly, or curd.
Cover jam with the remaining batter.

bake 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Work a knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen from cup and gently lift out each muffin.

eggnog pumpkin pie with pecans & brown sugar on top!

i made two of these delicious pies to take along to the two thanksgiving dinners to which we were invited. i've made eggnog pumpkin pie before, but saw this topping on bakerella and adapted it to use what i had on hand. i used marie callender's frozen pie crusts (shame on me) and they were tasty! beau found some 'pumpkin spice' flavored eggnog, and that's what i used. this recipe makes two pies.

1 large can pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups eggnog
scant 1 1/3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cinnamon
scant tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract

either prepare your pie crusts or take them out of the freezer to thaw, and preheat the oven to 375.

in a large bowl, beat all the above ingredients. i gave my custard mixture a taste and adjusted the spices and salt. you might want to try doing that too. i think i added extra salt and cinnamon. if you have pumpkin pie spice, try using that. i didn't have any. anyway, once the mixture is well-blended, pour evenly between two unbaked pie crusts. bake for 30 minutes.

meanwhile: in a medium bowl, combine:

2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp agave nectar (bakerella used maple syrup; i didn't have any)
1/8 tsp kosher salt

after the pies have baked 30 minutes, sprinkle this mixture evenly over both pies. bake an additional 20-30 minutes or until pies are puffed and still a bit jiggly. cool several hours and serve either at room temp or chilled.

at-home mocha (single serving)

this is SO yummy. the hubby bought me several tins of peet's dutch cocoa, and i adapted my recipe based on the one on the side of the tin.

1 tbsp dutch cocoa
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
sprinkle of cinnamon & nutmeg
1 packet starbucks via (instant coffee)
1/4 cup water

combine above ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. whisk until smooth. add in 1 cup of milk and a few drops of vanilla. heat until almost boiling. enjoy!

things to take on an extended trip, pt. 2

http://www.gentsupplyco.com/All-In-One-Cook-Prep-Set mixing bowls, measuring spoons & cups that all nest together.

http://www.gentsupplyco.com/Non-Stick-Serrated-Knife-For-Top-Chefs might be a good little knife.

things to take on an extended trip

now that we've become semi-nomadic, i'm learning a few things about what to take if we'll be away from home for a month or two or three. here's a list of pantry staples that are a pain to buy and easy to bring along. i made the mistake of not bringing any of this with us, and i have it all at home. in addition to wasting a lot of money, i now have enough cinnamon to last until the apocolypse.

bring your own:

salt & pepper
baking soda
baking powder
spices & herbs
flour
sugar
cocoa powder
vegetable/olive oil

good knives(!!!)
kitchen scissors
french press/coffee grinder
mixing bowl
hand mixer
spatula
microplane
measuring cups/spoons

that's all i can think of for now.

kelly's creamed spinach

i humbly declare that i made this tonight without a recipe. it was barely enough to serve 3 people so next time i'll be making more for sure.

1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 oz neufchatel cheese or cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
10 oz. bag spinach
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter

heat a skillet to medium heat. melt 1 tbsp of butter, then add the onion. saute a few minutes until the onion is beginning to become translucent, then add the garlic. after a few more minutes of sauteing, add in the cream cheese, whipping cream, parm, and salt and pepper. stir well until combined and the cream cheese is dissolved.

in a larger skillet, melt the other tbsp of butter and add the spinach. cook until wilted and add to cream mixture. serve and enjoy!

serves 2!

brown sugar oatmeal cookies

...or should i call these 'apple golden raisin brown sugar oatmeal cookies'? because that's what they are. and they're delicious.

2 sticks butter, softened (all i had was salted)
2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick-cooking)
1 cup golden raisins
1 tart apple, peeled and chopped

preheat oven to 350' and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy and lightened in color. add in the eggs and vanilla.

in another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda & powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.

add in oats, raisins, and apple and beat again until just combined.

with a medium-sized ice cream scoop or disher, scoop out 12 cookies per sheet. use your fingers to slightly press down the dough balls.

bake pans separately for 10-12 minutes or until set but not too browned! makes about 3 dozen good-sized cookies.

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins 2.0

4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 small can (15 oz.) pureed pumpkin
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

preheat oven to 400 degrees. prepare muffin tin with paper liners.

beat eggs together in a large bown with sugar, pumpkin, and butter. beat until smooth and combined

in a medium sized bowl, combine flour, soda, powder, spices, and salt. blend into pumpkin mix. after thoroughly mixed, fold in chocolate chips.

fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way. bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes.

wicked good chocolate chocolate chip cookies.

these are dangerous. i had the husband take half of them to some friends today because i would eat them all by myself over the course of a day otherwise.

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 325 degrees. cream together the butter and sugars. beat until fluffy. add in the eggs and vanilla and beat again until light and fluffy.

in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, powder, soda, and salt.

add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. stir in the chocolate chips.

line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, put 8 balls of dough on each sheet. bake each sheet for 10 to 12 minutes. cookies will look puffy.

makes about 30 big cookies.