I’m not the type of baker/cook who always gets the newest kitchen gadget. I buy the most practical utensils for my kitchen. I also wouldn’t normally just go out and buy something like this Madeleine pan that can only be used for making Madeleine, although had I known how easy (but delicious and impressive) [...]]]>

I’m not the type of baker/cook who always gets the newest kitchen gadget. I buy the most practical utensils for my kitchen. I also wouldn’t normally just go out and buy something like this Madeleine pan that can only be used for making Madeleine, although had I known how easy (but delicious and impressive) this dessert would be – I would have gone out and gotten the pan myself. But that is why you have a best friend. A best girlfriend who just thinks that you should own one since she knows that you’d love getting a surprise gift like this one. So, she went out and got you one!

I was about eight months pregnant at that time, and at that time, Mollie came to visit me and got me this beautiful little pan. I kept on wanting to finally take advantage of this – and I seem to always forget the one ingredient that you shouldn’t miss: a lemon! When I finally had a basket full of lemons, this was the first thing that I knew that I had to finally make. Light and fluffy like little sponge cakes, with a tiny bit of  crust on the outside… they were divine.  I added an extra teaspoonful of grated lemon zest, and I loved the extra lemony punch.

These little cakes weren’t extremely sweet, so perfect for breakfast but sweet enough to make breakfast feel extra special. Also, sophisticated enough for dinner. Since this recipe allows the batter to be prepared overnight, placed in the pan, and refrigerated, I decided to serve these for breakfast. What a perfect companion for a tall glass of hot tea. We all loved these madeleines (including my daughter who was holding on to hers pretty tightly) and I really wished that I would have tried this sooner. And I wish that Mollie was living closer to me so she could share this with me.

Ingredients
2/3 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. double-acting baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c. sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemon
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together at medium-high speed until they thicken and lighten in color, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in vanilla. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Cover the batter with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to create an airtight seal. Chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If your madeleine pan is not nonstick, generously butter it and dust with flour. Set the pan on a baking sheet for easy transportability. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them almost to the top. Don’t worry about smoothing the batter. It will even out as it bakes.

In the center rack of the oven, bake large madeleines for 11-13 minutes, and small ones for 8-10 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden and spring back when touched.

Remove the cookies by either rapping the pan against the counter or gently running a butter knife around the edges of the cookies. Cool on a cooling rack.

*Note-do not overfill the pans, a little batter goes a long way. The cookies will rise while baking. The recipe yielded 24 cookies for me. Also, my madeleines were done baking at 8 minutes, so make sure you check them.*

I love cooking using ground turkey breast, but I admit that it is tough to find a recipe that can turn them into a flavorful dish. I had been using this recipe for Mini Turkey Meatballs; they are awesome as a make ahead and keep in the freezer for busy [...]]]>

I love cooking using ground turkey breast, but I admit that it is tough to find a recipe that can turn them into a flavorful dish. I had been using this recipe for Mini Turkey Meatballs; they are awesome as a make ahead and keep in the freezer for busy nights. Recently I found some great looking pork sausages at my grocery and was looking for a recipe that combines both ground turkey and sausages, and stumbled upon this one. Perfect! I love that it also uses Asiago cheese and prosciutto. I thought, how can anything not be delicious with all of those flavors combined together?

And… I was right! These meatballs were so flavorful, moist, and just all around delicious.  I was very happy with the flavors punch from the Asiago cheese and prosciutto. The red pepper flakes added a little spice kick as well that I absolutely loved. The fact that the house smells amazing when these were baked is an added bonus. These are definitely my now go-to turkey meatballs recipe.

Ingredients
3 cups (1-inch diced) bread cubes from a round rustic bread, crusts removed
2/3 cup whole milk
2 lbs ground turkey (88% – 92% lean)
1/2 lb sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp good olive oil plus, extra for brushing meatballs
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
3 (24-oz) jars good marinara sauce, such as Rao’s
2 lbs dried spaghetti, such as De Cecco
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, Asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine.

With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked.

Pour the marinara into a large, low pot, add the meatballs, and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and place the spaghetti in individual bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and lots of sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s How Easy is that?

I’m probably the only food blogger left who hasn’t tried these wonderful buttery Soft Garlic Knots from King Arthur’s website. I made these amazing Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns a couple of years ago, and remember thinking that I was looking for some sort of garlicky addition to it. [...]]]>

I’m probably the only food blogger left who hasn’t tried these wonderful buttery Soft Garlic Knots from King Arthur’s website. I made these amazing Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns a couple of years ago, and remember thinking that I was looking for some sort of garlicky addition to it. I must say that if I were given the choices, I would always go for the garlic bread/toast/knots in the bread basket. These rolls were perfect for me: very tender yeasty crumbs with nice crust, slathered in garlicky goodness!

I skipped a couple of the ingredients listed in the original recipe, and adapted as written below – and they were perfect. My kitchen is slightly in the cold side (the granite counter top doesn’t help!), so it took me longer than an hour to get this to rise. Just like most yeasty type of breads, you just want to make sure you allow enough time for it to rise. Other than that, if you are one of the very few folks who hasn’t tried this amazing recipe, I would say make these now.

Ingredients
Dough
3 cups (12- 3/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) powdered milk
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) potato flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) olive oil
1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water (Add an additional 2 tablespoons water in the winter, or if you live in a very dry climate)

Glaze
2 to 6 cloves peeled, crushed garlic
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon Pizza Seasoning or Italian seasoning, optional

Directions
Whisk the dough dry ingredients together to prevent the potato flour from clumping when liquid is added. Stir in the olive oil and water, then mix and knead (by hand, mixer, or bread machine) to form a smooth, elastic dough, adding additional water or flour as needed. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, until it’s doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces, and roll each into a rope about 11 inches long; tie each rope into a knot, tucking the loose ends into the center. Place the knots on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes to about an hour, until very puffy looking.

For the glaze, whisk together the melted butter and garlic. Set it aside.

Bake the knots in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes. They should be set, but only very lightly browned. Remove the knots from the oven, and brush or drizzle them with the garlic butter. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning, if desired. Eat the knots warm.

Yield: 16 garlic knots

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

I live for the weekends! I get to eat breakfast sloooowly (well, maybe not that slow, but slower for sure)…. in my eat-in kitchen, next to my little daughter and hubby with my St. Bernard breathing on my elbow  In the summer, or spring when the weather is a little bit [...]]]>

I live for the weekends! I get to eat breakfast sloooowly (well, maybe not that slow, but slower for sure)…. in my eat-in kitchen, next to my little daughter and hubby with my St. Bernard breathing on my elbow  In the summer, or spring when the weather is a little bit warmer, I love to open the sliding door going out to the deck, and enjoy that morning breeze. Now, I just get to watch the sunshine from the inside, where it’s nice and warm!

One of my all-time favorite breakfast items is probably oatmeal. Yep, kind of hard to believe right? It sounds too healthy. I recall many years of eating instant oatmeal for breakfast at work and loving it. Red, on the other hand, doesn’t care for oatmeal very much. He claims that it has funny textures, whatever that means. I have, however, been wanting to try baked oatmeal at home, and I finally convinced him to try it. It uses two fruits that are favorites at my household, so I figured that my chance of winning over my audience (of two) is definitely higher than 50%. To my pleasant surprise, everyone loved it! We skipped the topping and I thought it was perfect on its own. Red describes this dish like a “warm, soft oatmeal cookie”, which was why he loved it. We polished this off, and Red actually requested that we make this again soon. How about that for a happy me???

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving
1 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray a 1 and 1/2-quart casserole dish with either butter or cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, toss together the oats, half of the walnuts, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another separate small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, milk, egg, half of the melted butter, and the vanilla.

Place the sliced banana pieces in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle about two-thirds of the fresh blueberries over the top of the bananas, then cover the blueberries with the oat mixture. Drizzle the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute the milk as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries and walnuts over the top of the oats.

Bake the oatmeal for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the oats have set.

Remove the oatmeal from the oven and drizzle the remaining butter over the top and serve. Add your fave toppings.

Yield: 2-4

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson as seen on The Curvy Carrot

As I am typing this, I’m still battling what feels like a never-ending cough. What the heck is going on with the air? It seems like everyone at work has also been taking turn of getting some sort of flu and cold. So maybe this week was my turn. I gave in and [...]]]>

As I am typing this, I’m still battling what feels like a never-ending cough. What the heck is going on with the air? It seems like everyone at work has also been taking turn of getting some sort of flu and cold. So maybe this week was my turn. I gave in and took some antibiotics that I used to swear off, just so that I can get some energy back. Enough about my depressing illness. I wanted to post this Stromboli recipe because if you love pizza, you would love this! I have never made this at home; and I’m surprised that it took me this long to try it. I was looking for something fun to put together, so I could also include my daughter, who’s still in the ahem… “wonderful” throwing stage at 18 months. This recipe, just like pizza, is soooo…. versatile, and you can basically use whatever filling (i.e.: cold cuts, cheeses and veggies) that you have available. What a great way to sneak some veggies into our meals. Plus, it pairs great with salad and or soups.

This dough for this recipe takes a little time to put together, so if you’re short on time, you can easily use store-bought pizza dough, which will cut the prep time significantly! If you have not tried making your own Stromboli at home, I highly recommend it!

Ingredients
For the Dough
2 cups (11 ounces) bread flour
1 tsp rapid rise or instant yeast
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the bowl
1 cup warm water

For the Stromboli
Olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced deli salami
4 ounces thinly sliced deli capocollo
4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
½ cup jarred roasted red bell peppers, rinsed, patted dry and sliced thin
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Kosher salt (optional)

Directions
For the Dough
Pulse the flour, yeast and salt in a food processor (use dough blade if possible), to combine. While the food processor continues running, add the oil and water through the feed tube and process until the dough is formed into a ball form, about 30 to 40 seconds. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 2 minutes then process for 30 seconds longer.

Turn the dough into lightly floured surface and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 5 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Gently deflate the dough with your fist and turn it out onto a unfloured work surface. Gently reshape the dough into a ball and cover with a plastic wrap lightly sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Let the dough rest 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes.

For the Stromboli
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Press and roll the dough into a 12 by 10-inch rectangle with the long side facing you. Layer the meat and provolone over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border at all of the edges. Top with the peppers and Parmesan.

Brush the edges of the dough with some of the egg wash. Starting from a long side, roll the dough tightly into a long cylinder, using the parchment paper to lift and roll the dough. Pinch the seam and ends to seal and roll the stromboli back into the center of the parchment paper, seam side down. Transfer the stromboli on the parchment paper to a baking sheet.

Brush the dough all over with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Cover loosely with lightly greased aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. (Keep an eye on the baking time to make sure it doesn’t over cook!)

Transfer the stromboli to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into 2-inch-wide pieces and serve warm.

Yield: 4-6

Adapted from The Best of American Test Kitchen 2008

I was fortunate to have had 2 weeks off from work this Christmas. I took full advantage of it by completely slacking off and threw our routine out of the window (to the horror of my daughter). Red and I sneaked in a trip out to East Coast visiting my sister, [...]]]>

I was fortunate to have had 2 weeks off from work this Christmas. I took full advantage of it by completely slacking off and threw our routine out of the window (to the horror of my daughter). Red and I sneaked in a trip out to East Coast visiting my sister, and we just hung out for about a week. I had big glasses of frozen margaritas for lunch a couple of those days, stayed in my pajamas the whole day for one full day (I would have stayed two days, but everyone was starting to complain), played too much video games (which I hadn’t played in YEARS!!), and ate very yummy food (and I didn’t cook a lot of it). My daughter saw her first live Sesame Street Christmas show, and her eyes lit up like I had never seen before. It was awesome.

Naturally, when I came back home, it was a bit overwhelming to get back to the daily grinds with stacks of laundry, mails to sort, gifts to unpack and put away -especially when I had zero motivation to do anything. I pulled this Slow Roasted Tomato Soup out of the freezer for a quick meal (because it’s too cold and windy to leave the house!), this Golden Brioche Loaves for breakfast, and Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. Then my daughter took a nap yesterday and I thought of the soft pretzels that I had during my trip from the famous chain pretzel store. I decided that this could be a perfect opportunity to make these pretzels. Chewy on the outside, soft and tender in the inside – these pretzels are great snacks, party-food, dessert (dust with cinnamon sugar) or even a quick or small meal (roll the dough around a hot-dog, and you’ll get a pretzel dog). I was surprised at how easy this recipe came together. There is a special feeling when enjoying these freshly baked pretzels out of the oven. I’m glad that I started the year on such a high note … carbs and all A final note on this, the pretzels are really best eaten fresh out of the oven. However, if they can be warmed up quickly in the microwave or toaster oven for about 10 seconds and you’ll get the same magic back!

Ingredients
2 cups warm water, 100 degrees to 110 degrees
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 large egg
Coarse or pretzel salt
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions
Pour warm water into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. In a small bowl, combine water and sugar, and stir to dissolve sugar. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.

Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about 10 times, or until smooth.

Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each), and wrap in plastic.

Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; 8 will fit on each sheet. Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda. Reduce to a simmer; transfer 3 to 4 pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.

Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for 2 days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.

Yield: 16 pretzels

Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook

It’s going to sound like a cliche, but I am pretty amazed of how fast time has flown by this past year! We’re basically on the last day of 2011. Pretty crazy if you ask me. I had a pretty busy year in 2011: my husband and I celebrated our first year as [...]]]>

It’s going to sound like a cliche, but I am pretty amazed of how fast time has flown by this past year! We’re basically on the last day of 2011. Pretty crazy if you ask me. I had a pretty busy year in 2011: my husband and I celebrated our first year as parents, so there were a lot of firsts (joy, laughter, lots of worries and questions and sleepless nights!) that went a long with that. Then, we relocated to a new city about 2 hours away for new jobs – and that really kept us pretty busy this summer and into the fall: the selling and buying of our home, moving, etc. Heck, we’re still unpacking from our move in September This blog however continues to become a source of my escape: I find so much joy in cooking and baking for my family and sharing the recipes with you. I also got to “virtually meet” a lot of very cool new blogger friends who inspire my culinary adventure.  I wanted to close the year with the round-up of the most viewed recipes of 2011. Thank you for being my loyal readers and friends to my blog – and those who take the time to leave me comments and feedback, that means the world to me! Wishing everyone a fabulous 2012!

1. Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew (pictures above)
2. Fried Mashed Potato Balls
3. Best Ever Hot Cocoa Mix
4. Frozen Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie
5.  Stove Top Pumpkin Mac-n-Cheese
6. Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
7. Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
8. Baked Chicken Taquitos
9. 4-ingredients Nutella Brownies
10. Cauliflower Gratin

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! I unexpectedly took a little time off from blogging because our family got a little sick just before Christmas break from a stomach bug, but we recovered just enough strength for a family visit for Christmas. I really just prefer more intimate and low [...]]]>

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! I unexpectedly took a little time off from blogging because our family got a little sick just before Christmas break from a stomach bug, but we recovered just enough strength for a family visit for Christmas. I really just prefer more intimate and low key Christmas celebrations. You’re probably thinking why the heck is she posting a WHOLE WHEAT (read: healthy) muffin recipe in the middle of the holiday season. Rest assured that these muffins didn’t actually taste “healthy” (you know, the tough texture, and bland flavors)! Tasty healthier treats like this are my favorite to make during holiday times to balance with all of the sweets and goodies that only show up in special occasions.

The combination of apple sauce, buttermilk, and canola oil really made these muffins moist, delicious, and had pretty delicate texture considering that it uses whole wheat pastry flour. I have to admit that whole wheat flour doesn’t work in all recipes, it’s not as easily substituted into recipes that call for all purpose flour. But I wanted to take a chance on this anyways since I needed a new whole wheat muffin recipe using apples (my daughter’s all-time favorite fruit, which thankfully can now be found all year long). I’m really glad that I tried these, because I really liked how they turned out (or I wouldn’t have posted it ) They weren’t very sweet, but definitely delicious, hearty and satisfying.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup natural applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.

Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Yield: 16-18 muffins

Adapted from Ellie Krieger as seen on Food Network