Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Taco Soup




A hearty soup, perfect for winter. I got the idea from work... but I'm a meat-eater so this recipe uses the good stuff. :-) No soy crumbles here! Also a good alternative to a traditional chili if you're sick of the same 'ole! Super easy, filling, and well-rounded meal you can throw in the crock pot before work!

Taco Soup via Food Network:

Mexican Rice



Not Spanish rice... but Mexican rice, via Eva Longoria. Who knew she could cook?! I bought her cookbook awhile back and so far the things I have tried out of it have been good. This was a good accompanamient to my chicken enchiladas, a classic side. I would prefer a little more fluffy, less sticky, next time. Need to work on that textural aspect! I did leave out the chicken, there was plenty of chicken in my enchiladas that went with this. In my opinion, the best Mexican/Spanish rice is Cuca's in Redlands... preferably the downtown Redlands one. The most light and fluffy. It tastes like the use a peanut oil, maybe we will try that next time.  :-)

Mexican Rice via Eva's Kitchen:

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie



This was my Superbowl contribution to the potluck spread. It was delicious! So easy to make. Put this together quickly in the morning, let it cool all day, and took it to the party at 3ish. It was even better at a cooler room temperature after it sat for awhile. Big hit!

Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie via All Recipes:

Monday, February 6, 2012

Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies



Made these instead of the traditional sugar cookie this week for my work Christmas party. They're more of a crisper shortbread as opposed to the regular sugar cookie. DELICIOUS! Big hit at the Christmas party. I would definitely made a double batch if you are entertaining a large crew. You can never go wrong with Smitten Kitchen. :-) Merry Christmas!

Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies via Smitten Kitchen:

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Dr. Chung's Salty Sweets!



Search no further for the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe! This is my new-found favorite thanks to one of the docs at work that spoils us with these sometimes. The neverending chocolate chip cookie quest has come to an end. I LOVE salty/sweet! The recipe calls for sea salt, I used fleur de sel which also worked great. Any coarse, flaky salt should do the trick!

Dr. Chung's Salty Sweets via Dr. Chung:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Turbinado sugar
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces chocolate (with a serrated knife, cut chocolate into rougly 1/2-inch chunks)
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set rack in the middle of the oven. Cream the butter and the sugars on medium-high speed until light, 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times during the process. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda, and salt in another bowl. Mix with a whisk. With the machine on low, slowly add almost all the flour. Reserve just a bit of the mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the last but of the flour along with the chocolate. Stir with a spatula just until combined.

Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out mounds of dough making sure there is about 2 inches between each cookie. Do not crowd them. There is no need to press the dough down. Sprinkle each mound with a bit of sea salt.

Bake sheets, one at a time, until the cookies are lightly golden on the edges and a bit gooey in the center, about 12 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove sheet from oven and allow to sit undisturbed for 2 minutes. Then carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack, Repeat with remaining sheets.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies with Fleur de Sel



These are REALLY good! I've noticed a lot of people are not as keen on this whole sweet/salty concept as I seem to be... but I have to say, the salt makes ALL the difference! And yes, I did use fleur de sel. And yes, it did cost $10 for salt. And yes, I did go to three stores before I found it. (Thank you Whole Foods.) And YES, it makes ALL the difference. Don't skimp on the salt! These cookies are AMAZE!

Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies with Fleur de Sel via Orangette:

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Red Velvet Sheet Cake



I really should call this my Pink Velvet Sheet Cake... because that is what happens when you are running low on food coloring. The taste was all the same, but I really do love that deep, red color that normally comes along with a decent red velvet. This was also the first time I have tried a red velvet sans cream cheese frosting. This one is a little less traditional in that it uses more of a classic buttercream. But that's what Ree told me to do, so I tried it out! It does work. I have yet to be disappointed by the Pioneer Woman! 

Red Velvet Sheet Cake via the Pioneer Woman:

Friday, November 4, 2011

Chicken Enchiladas



I had a hankering to get busy in the kitchen this past weekend. It was the Jets first real season game against the Cowboys and a festive meal always gets me in the right mood! I decided on enchiladas, spanish rice, and red velvet cake... recipes to follow. :-) The enchiladas were tasty, creamy, and not too heavy.

Chicken Enchiladas via Epicurious:

Monday, October 31, 2011

Neely's Lime Bars



I'm such a sucker for lemon bars, so I had to try these out. Just a little twist on your classic lemon bar: lime curd swapped for lemon. They turned out heavenly. I think just a little less sweet than your normal lemon bar. I brought these to work for my last week at Summerlin Hospital and they were a hit! They're good for making ahead as well. Just refrigerate them and pull them out a little ahead of time to bring to room temperature before serving. Wait to dust with the powdered sugar just before serving.

Neely's Lime Bars via Food Network:


Monday, September 19, 2011

Chocolate Sweetheart Pie



I made this for a work bbq at a friend's house... afterwards I was wishing I would have made two! It disappeared so quickly! It's rich, but just sweet enough. Who knew Eva Longoria could cook?!

Chocolate Sweetheart Pie via Eva's Kitchen:

6 servings
1 store-bought refrigerated, 9-inch pie crust
8 oz. 60% semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 inch pie plate with the piecrust, gently pushing it into the edges of the pan. Place in refrigerator until needed.

2. In a heavy saucepan, heat 6 oz. of the chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly, until just melted. Stir in the corn syrup and 1/2 cup of the cream. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Place the pie shell on a baking sheet and pour the chocolate mixture into the pie shell. Bake until a knife inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let stand on a wire rack until completely cool: the center of the pie will sink as it cools.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, place the remaining 1/2 cup of the cream, the sugar, and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream onto the center of the cooled pie. Top with strawberries.

5. Place the remaining 2 ounces of the chocolate in a small dish and microwave on high power just until melted, 30-60 seconds, stopping and stirring every 10-15 seconds. Remove from the microwave, and stir until completely melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the strawberries. Serve at room temperature.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes



If you have any problems with self control, do not even bother making these cupcakes because you will be sorry. I ate three in one day! :-( I couldn't stop myself! The combination of recipes I used to make these little treasures is a bit on the Sandra Lee-esque vibe for me... but they ended up being way too delicious for me to leave out of my blog. The meshing of chocolate and coconut is a perfect match. The devil's food cake is a subtle chocolate flavor and the buttercream with the coconut is divine. I actually even now prefer this over the classic coconut cream cheese frostings. Watch out Sprinkles! Oven Philosophy is in the house!

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes via Cupcake Blog:


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies



I've been meaning to make these for awhile now... like back when they were all the rage on the food blogs. But it took me this long to actually get around to it. In theory, it was a good concept. I did get a lot of good feedback. They seemed well received at work... they were just a little too much for me! First off they are huge! It literally takes 2 already massive heaps of dough to sandwich the oreo. They were pretty rich too. Even with my sweet tooth, I could only finish about 1/3 of one in a sitting. Still though... they're pretty to look at, and people seemed delighted with the little surprise inside. Gotta try everything once!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies via Very Culinary:

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Chicken & Dumplings



I got a craving that I probably shouldn't have acted on last week... and this was the result. This was the delicious, hearty, calorie-filled, amazing result! In hindsight, this probably would have been a more appropriate meal for winter time, but what can you do! A craving is a craving. Luckily I had a lot of help in the consumption process. Everyone was a fan, and once again the Pioneer Woman has yet to let me down. Now I hear about her new show that's coming out on Food Network and I can't hardly wait!

Chicken & Dumplings via The Pioneer Woman:

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Momofuku's Crack Pie


This was made by special request for my Dad. I guess he read about it on the Good Food blog and was interested. To be honest, how could you not be with a name like this? I'm not sure if it quite lived up to the name, but it was good. Maybe I need to make a trip to New York so I can have a true comparison. Adding that to the list! Butter and brown sugar and cream, oh my.

Momofuku's Crack Pie via Good Food:

Sunday, August 14, 2011

7-Up Cupcakes



7-Up cake... a classic. You know I had to switch it up a little and make it into cupcakes. Never can just go by the right recipe! Plus you know my cupcake theory: helps with portion control! So I didn't change any of the ingredients, I just made the bundt cake into cupcake form. This recipe is actually pretty big. It made a dozen regular size cupcakes plus 6 more jumbo cupcakes for me, even a little extra to spare. I would up the ingredients in the glaze recipe, maybe even double it. It seemed kind of scarce. And please, please! DO NOT substitute some other lemon-lime soda for 7-Up. This is 7-Up cake folks! Cheers!

7-Up Cupcakes via Food.com:

Monday, August 8, 2011

Chilaquiles & Mimosas!



This was a really impromptu post-work breakfast that was amazing as usual! After work mimosas are the best, and they really make for an excellent daytime sleep. This is a low-fat version of chilaquiles and therefore super diet-friendly! I'll include the brands of items I used, or you can substitute if you want a more fatty version. Delicioso and guilt-free!

Chilaquiles & Mimosas via The Flick of My Wrist:

For One (ME!)

Mimosa:
Barefoot Brut Champage & OJ (The less OJ the better!)

Chilaquiles:
1 egg + 1/4 cup egg whites, scrambled together (EggBeaters brand)
1/4 cup low-fat grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used the Lucerne brand from Safeway)
1/4 cup Jimmy Dean low fat turkey sausage crumbles
2 La Tortilla Factory Fiber & Flax Corn Tortillas, cut into strips
Salsa to top (I used La Victoria Cilantro Medium)

Fry tortilla strips in a frying pan with Pam until crispy. Add sausage crumbles until warmed through. Pour scrambled eggs over tortilla/sausage mix and let set omelet-style. Top with grated cheese once the omelet portion is no longer runny. Top with salsa after chilaquiles are plated.


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Chewy Sugar Cookies

                          

Besides these being SO cute... these are delicious! I love a good, plain, chewy sugar cookie. These definitely fit the bill. I already have a great sugar cookie recipe on here, but I wanted to try a different recipe to test out the most amazing sugar ever that I got from the Peppermill in Vegas. Is this not the most beautiful rainbow turbinado sugar you have ever seen?! I immediately had to have it when I saw it sitting on the table. Luckily, the waitress let me purchase a 5 pound bag from their kitchen, score! This is simplicity at it's best, enjoy. :-)

Chewy Sugar Cookies via Food Network:

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Golden Crunch Cupcakes


Let's just start off with with a note to myself that not ALL cake recipes should be turned into cupcakes. I thought I could pull this one off, but it turned into the mess of all messes under the broiler in my beautiful muffin pan. It is currently soaking, but may be permanently ruined. Do not make my same mistake! I'm sure this would have been devine as a cake. The topping probably would have been nice and thick too. Some day I will learn. Despite my pan disaster, the taste was all there. The cake portion of this recipe is also near perfect, delightfully light and fluffy. Let me know how it goes as a cake!

Golden Crunch Cupcakes via Not Without Salt:

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Swordfish Kabobs with Avocado Butter



Swordfish is my all time favorite fish, has been for as long as I can remember. I'm not a big fan of cooking fish myself, but when I saw the avocado tag-teamed with the swordfish in this recipe I just could not resist. This turned out great even on my indoor Cuisinart grill. This is a perfect summer dinner recipe. Avocado butter is to die for! You can make the butter ahead, it keeps in the fridge just fine... no gross browning like guacamole.

Swordfish Kabobs with Avocado Butter via Nestle USA:
http://nestleusa.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/fishin-in-the-garden-marinated-swordfish-with-avocado-butter/

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Lemon Roasted Vegetables



I'm always looking for a way to gussy up some normally plain veggies and lemon zest has been on my mind as of late! Perfect pairing. The original recipe for this was just for lemon roasted potatoes, but I thought I would switch it up a bit and add some less starchy items to the mix. I did use some red potatoes, along with red and yellow bell peppers, and leeks. You can stick with just the potatoes like the recipe, or switch it up with your favorite veggies. This is a great pairing for a fish or chicken dish.