Feast From The East

This is yet another recipe from the "Looneyspoons Collection" cookbook.  It is a nice Asian beef-noodle salad with grilled siloin and a zesty sesame-orange dressing.  Only 340 calories per serving!  This recipe makes enough for 4-6 servings.

Dressing
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. hoisin sauce
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. grated gingerroot
1 t. orange zest
1 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. each salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

Salad:
8 oz. cooked and drained spaghetti
1# sirloin steak, grilled and cut into strips
2 c. broccoli florets
1. sliced red pepper
1 c. peeled and diced cucumber
1 c. grated carrots
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. chopped basil

Combine all dressing ingredients, whisking well.  Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing.  Serve.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake

Recently I bought the "Joy the Baker Cookbook."  I haven't made a lot of recipes out of it yet, but those I have tried are great.  So since it is that time of the month (no not that one)--the time to bake a birthday treat for my fellow staff workers....I thought I would give Joy's Texas Sheet Cake recipe a try.  For one thing, it makes a lot.  But I added a little peanut butter to the recipe and swirled it just to jazz it up.  I know, you shouldn't mess with Texas Sheet Cake.  But who can resist the pairing of peanut butter and chocolate?

For the cake:
1 c. unsalted butter
5 T.  unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c.  hot coffee
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
 1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with cocoa and coffee.  Mix well and take off heat,
In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the chocolate mixture.  Beat in 2 eggs and then the vanilla and sour cream.  Pour into a greased 15 x 10 jellyroll pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  

For the frosting:  Make this when the cake is just about done baking

1/2 c. butter
4 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
6 T. evaporated milk
4-5 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and milk.  Whisk in powdered sugar.  Add vanilla.

Pour this frosting over the cake as soon as you take it out of the oven.

For the peanut butter swirl:  Mix 1/2 c. peanut butter with 7 T. evaporated milk.
Drop by teaspoons over chocolate frosting.  Swirl into frosting.

Paula Dean's Best Blueberry Muffin You Will Ever Eat

Recently my daughter lent me a copy of Paula Dean's autobiography.  I must say it really was interesting reading...there is so much more to Paula than her on screen personality.  She included recipes in the book, and this is the first I have tried.  I am always looking for that perfect recipe for standard recipes (apple pie, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, etc.)  I was really happy with the result of these...light and tasty.  I think you could also just put the batter into a buttered (yes butter) 8 x 8 baking dish and have a fabulous blueberry coffeecake.  I will try that another day and let you know how it comes out!  For now, mix up some muffins and a nice cup of tea and enjoy!

2 c. flour
2 T. baking powder
1/2 c. sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. blueberries
brown sugar to spoon on top ( about 1/2 c.)

Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl.  In another bowl mix butter, egg and milk.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.  Stir in blueberries. 
Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Take out of the oven.  Sprinkle tops of muffins with brown sugar.  Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Cheeseburger Pizza

When my sweetheart and I began dating, he had an established habit of eating pizza every Friday night.  Of course, at that time, pizza meant take out.  Now that he has Susie in the kitchen he still gets his pizza on Friday night..but it is homemade and may be just a bit more unusual.  This week's pizza is basically all the flavors of a good cheeseburger on a pizza.

One recipe of my easy Pizza dough (found on the blog) or Boboli or whatever you like to use for your dough

1/2# hamburger
1/2 tomato
1 small onion, chopped
4 dill pickles, chopped
2-3 c. shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
ketchup
mustard
1 c. thinly sliced lettuce
1 c. slice mushroom
Roll out your pizza dough and place on pizza stone or pan.  Cook ground beef, onion, and mushrooms until the meat is cooked thoroughly. Spread ketchup over the entire crust, covering completely.  Take the mustard and squirt it in circles over the crust.  Place meat mixture on top.
Top meat with cheese.  Sprinkle pickles over the cheese.

If you are using my dough:  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.  Otherwise, follow directions on your own crust's baking instructions.  When the pizza is done, take out of oven and sprinkle lettuce all over the top.

Panera Bread's Lemon Chicken Orzo soup

Have you been to Panea and tasted their food?  Definitely yummy.  Here is a great soup from their menu.  Today I am recovering from the flu and cooked up a batch in YES only 30 minutes!

LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP (LOW FAT)

• 8 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces

• 1 medium celery stalk, sliced

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion (optional -- i do not like onion)

• 1/3 - 2/3 cups chopped spinach

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 tsp oregano

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

• 1 cup orzo

• Juice of FRESH lemon (about 1/4 cup)

 Place all of the ingredients except the lemon juice in a 4-quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the orzo is cooked al dente.

 Add the lemon juice, stirring well to mix.

Chop Til You Drop: Asian chopped chicken salad with peanut dressing

Tonight is salad night.  Once a week I like to have a nice big salad for dinner.  This wonderful dinner salad recipe is from (once again) the "Looneyspoons Collection"  cookbook.  I can't tell you how great this cookbook is.  I have yet to try a recipe from it that isn't fantastic. 

Dressing:
1/3 c. bottled peanut sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. sesame sauce
1 T. grated fresh ginger
Whisk together all ingredients.

Salad
3 c. chopped cooked chicken breast
2 c. chopped napa cabbage
1 c. grated carrots (I just chopped mine)
1 c. diced red pepper
1 c. bean sprouts
1/2 c. chopped green onions
2 T. minced cilantro
2 T. toasted sesame seeds

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.  Serve with dressing.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Today is my Dad's birthday.  For the first time, in a very long time, my mom agreed to let me bake some cupcakes to bring to his party.  This is a big deal.  So I had to come up with a recipe that would wow the family.  This recipes takes quite a bit of time.  The results, however, are fabulous.

This recipe came from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes" cookbook.

For the cupcakes:
3 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 c. sugar
4 large eggs
3 T. lemon zest
1 t. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk

Combine butter and sugar.  Beat well until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating well.  Mix in lemon zest and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk to the batter.   Put cupcake papers in pans and fill cups 2/3 full.  I got 20 cupcakes.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Cool completely

Filling/topping:

1 jar lemon curd

After cupcakes cool, spread 1 T. lemon curd on top of each cupcake.

Frosting:
1 1/2 c. sugar plus 2 T.
2/3 c. water
2 T. corn syrup
6 egg whites

Put 1 1/2c. sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.  Stir occasionally on medium heat.  Bring to a boil...do not stir once it boils.  Put a candy thermometer in the pan and allow mixture to boil until it reaches 230 degrees.

While the sugar mixture boils, put egg whites in a mixer bowl and beat until soft peaks form.  Beat in sugar.

As soon as the sugar mixture reaches 230...remove from heat.  Turn mixer on medium and slowly pour hot sugar mixture into egg whites.   Turn to medium high and beat for 7 minutes.  Pipe onto cupcakes.

Granola Breakfast Muffins

Remember a few days ago I posted a fabulous cookie recipe using Nature Path's Pumpkin Flax Granola?  Well, here is a way to use up the rest of the box!  The two recipes together use exactly one box of the granola.  These muffins are great for breakfast, or even as a side to a nice bowl of hearty soup.  Do not over bake as they will get dry.

2 1/3 c. granola
1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1/4 c. oil or applesauce
3 T. agave nectar or maple syrup
1/2 c. dried fruit:  cherries, blueberries, cranberries, etc.-your choice

MIx eggs, oil and yogurt, whisking well.  Add agave nectar or maple syrup, whisk again.  Add all the dry ingredients.  Divide into greased muffin pans.  Bake at 400 for 11 minutes.

Chocolate Dipped Heart Shaped Shortbread cookies

Shortbread Chocolate Dipped Hearts

I bake these every year for my sweetheart on Valentine's Day.  This weekend he was reminding me by telling me he had been thinking about them for the last 2 weeks...anticipating how yummy they are!
So today after work I came home and made a batch for him... love you Jeff:)

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
4-6 T. cold water
1 t. almond extract or vanilla
1 bag milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in water and extract until mixture forms a ball.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 1/4 " thickness.  Cut with a cookie cutter.  Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes.  Let cool.

Put the chocolate chips in a bowl.  Microwave 30 seconds.  Stir.  Repeat 2 more times.  Dip 1/2 of each cookie in the chocolate and place on a piece of waxed paper to dry.

Baked Angel Hair Pasta with Sausages and Tomato Artichoke Sauce

This is a nice little casserole that spins off the usual spaghetti dinner in a new and tasty way.  I used some chicken artichoke sausages that I had gotten at Costco.  The original recipe calls for mild Italian sausages.  Either way would work.   This casserole goes together and bakes in about an hour.

8 links Italian sausages or chicken artichoke sausages
2 T. olive oil
1 celery stalk, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. parsley
1/4 c. fresh basil
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 c. chopped canned artichokes
1/2# angel hair pasta
1 can tomato puree
1 can tomato paste
1 large can tomato sauce
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add celery, red pepper and garlic.  Cook until tender, then add in the puree, paste and sauce.  Stir well, and add basil and parsley.  Add in the artichokes.

Cook pasta til just al dente.  Mix with sauce and pour into a greased 9 x 9 casserole dish.

Saute sausages.  Place on top of the spaghetti.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Eata Fajita Salad

This is another entry from the "Looneyspoons Collection"  cookbook.  Honestly, everything I try from this cookbook is fabulous.  this is a warm fajita salad with a chili-lome dressing.  Yum!  Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  I made up this salad, without the chicken.  We just served it up on our plates and ate it with some chips and beef and bean burritos.
Great game day food.  Heck, great anytime food.

For the dressing:
1/2 c. sour cream
2 1/2 T. lime juice
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. each: chili powder and cumin
Mix all ingredients well.  Serve over the salad.

For the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
3 green onions, sliced
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, sliced
1/2 can black olives, sliced
1 large tomato sliced
1/2 c. salsa
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
Layer all ingredients on a plate in order, beginning with the lettuce.
The original recipe also calls for 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips and cooked.  (This addition makes it a great dinner salad.)

Crunchy Granola Cookies

I make my own homemade granola.  I give it away at Christmas for gifts.  I sprinkle it on my yogurt.  In the past two weeks, I have spotted two yummy sounding recipes calling for granola.  But a specific granola:  Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola .  So when I spotted a box in my local Safeway today, I picked up a box and decided to try the recipes.  I am sure I could substitute my own granola..but I wanted to stay true to the recipes the first time through.
That said, these cookies are DELICIOUS!  The only thing I didn't like was it only made 30 cookies..and my husband could munch through that many lickety split.  Next time I will definitely double the recipe.

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/3 c. Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola
1/3 c. raisins (optional)

Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg and vanilla.  Mix well.  Put in the flour, baking soda, granola, and cinnamon.  Mix just until ingredients come together.  Stir in raisins.

Drop by Tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 7- 9 minutes.