Making brown sugar

Recently, I started making a recipe of apple crisp only to find my cupboard bare of brown sugar.  I didn't have time to run out to the store, so instead I decided to try making my own.  After all, brown sugar is just regular sugar and molasses--both of which I had.  It ended up being so simple and it turned out great.  It took a bit of whisking until the molasses really spread throughout the sugar, so don't panic if you start out wondering whether the two will mix properly.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 scant Tbsp molasses

Whisk together until mixed well.

Chicken and Spinach with White Wine Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz pasta
16 oz chicken breast, cooked and sliced
6 oz fresh spinach
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated

Fill a large pot with water and place over medium-high heat to boil.  Once water boils, add pasta and cook to desired tenderness.  Meanwhile, pour olive oil in a separate pan over medium heat.  Add garlic, pepper flakes, and thyme and stir for about a minute. Stir in butter and once melted add the flour.  Gradually add wine, using a whisk to work the liquid and flour mixture together.  Add bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Bring wine to a boil and let simmer until sauce starts to thicken. The sauce does not need to get too thick, but a slight thickness will help it coat the noodles.  By now, the noodles should be about done cooking.  Drain the noodles and add them to the pan with the wine sauce.  Toss to coat noodles.  Add sliced chicken and fresh spinach to the pan.  Cover the pan and let it sit a couple minutes until the spinach wilts.  Toss together and serve with Parmesan on top. Serves 4.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

My journey with brussel sprouts started about a year ago when my neighbor brought me a large stalk of them she had purchased at the farmers market and couldn't finish off. At the time, I had no idea what to do with them. Enter Google. :)  So many recipes I found seemed to want to cover them with sugar or a creamy sauce, but I really wanted something that would show off their actual flavor (since I didn't know what that was).  I decided to stick with a more basic recipe and just roast them...and they were fantastic!  I was delighted to see them back out at the farmers market last week.  Whether you buy them by the stalk or pre-cut, I hope you enjoy them as much as me.  Don't be afraid to let the outer leaves get nice and dark.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut large sprouts in halves or quarters.  Toss in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.  Spread onto a baking sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes or until you see the outer leaves start to turn dark and crispy, giving the pan a toss every few minutes to turn some of the sprouts over.

Hip Paddies

This recipe comes from my husband's aunt and I was in love at first bite. Others must experience this phenomenon as well because these bars disappear quickly wherever I bring them!  It can be a bit tricky to spread the first layer of dough in the pan but as you spread the dough it will warm up and stick to the pan instead of clumping together.

Chocolate:

1 can sw. condensed milk

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Dough:

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp soda

1 1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Heat sweetened condensed milk, butter and chocolate chips until all chocolate chips are melted.  Add vanilla and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and brown sugar; add egg and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Press 2/3 of dough mixture in greased 9 x 13 pan.  Pour chocolate mixture on top.  Sprinkle on remaining dough mixture in clumps.  Add 1/2 cup nuts if desired.  Bake for 25 minutes. 

Stuffed Portabellas

This is a great recipe that is very adaptable to your tastes and creativity!  If you don't want to make homemade bruschetta (see my recipe here), try the pre-made mix from Trader Joe's.

2 large portabella mushrooms
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup raw spinach, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup bruschetta
1/3 cup mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and brush with a dry cloth to clean.  In a frying pan, saute spinach with garlic and a bit of olive oil.  Once spinach is wilted, transfer to a bowl and mix in the ricotta cheese, salt and pepper.  Lay mushroom caps upside down on a baking sheet and fill with cheese/spinach mixture.  Top with bruschetta and mozzarella.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Frozen Yogurt

Who doesn't love a little frozen treat at the end of a hot summer day?  This recipe for frozen yogurt is spectacular. I found the recipe on EatingWell but opted to decrease the sugar a bit since the fruit adds so much sweetness on its own.  If you are planning ahead, it sets up nicely after freezing for a few hours but you can certainly still eat it right away if you can't bear to wait!  You can buy fruit in a frozen package, but I think it is most flavorful if you chop up fresh fruit and freeze it yourself.  I used peaches in the batch below.  Be patient if it seems to jam up in your blender/food processor, if you help it along by mixing it around it a few times it will blend nicely.

16 oz fruit, chopped and frozen
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix ingredients in blender or food processor. Store in freezer. Serves 4.

Mickey Oreos

Alright, so this isn't exactly a recipe...but it is food related and too cute not to share.  My sister had a Mickey themed party for her one year old so I volunteered to make some Mickey Oreos.  I dipped mini Oreos in chocolate and attached them to a big Oreo. I threw them in the fridge for a bit to help the chocolate firm up nicely. Then I dipped the big Oreo in red chocolate (Candy Melts from a craft store) and finished them off with a couple sprinkles for his buttons.

Frozen Mocha Dessert

This recipe came from my aunt and has been a family favorite for years.  It is smooth, rich and oh-so delicious! I use lite cool whip and 1/3 less fat cream cheese and it still turns out great.  If you will serve it in the evening you may want to consider using decaf coffee.

24 Oreos, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
16 oz cream cheese
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 Tbsp hot water
2 Tbsp instant coffee
12 oz cool whip or 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Mix most of the crushed Oreos (reserving a small handful for the topping) with melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Chill in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the dessert. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it becomes fluffy. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and add it to the cream cheese mixture. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Remove pan with crust from the freezer and pour cream cheese mixture over the crust. Top with crushed Oreos and chill in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Guacamole

I LOVE guacamole!  Until about a year ago, we used to make it with the store-bought seasoning packets when I finally realized it wouldn't be that hard to make it from scratch.  After experimenting for a while, this has become our winner recipe.

• 3 avocados
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 small tomato, diced (optional)

Peel and remove pits from the avocados, saving one of the pits.  Mash avocados in a bowl until there are no large chunks left.  I usually use a potato masher or a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Place the pit in the bowl with the guacamole and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  The pit will help keep the guacamole from browning as quickly.

Baked Apple Chips

These are such a great snack!  They disappeared so fast that I'll be making a double recipe from now on! They are easy to make but require a lot of baking time. Baking them in the oven doesn't quite compare to using a dehydrator if you have one, but this was a decent substitute to satisfy me.  Mine turned out a bit chewy in the flesh and crispy on the edges, and that is fine with me.  If you really want them crispy I'd suggest turning them over after the 2 hours and putting them back in for additional baking time.

2 apples
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp gr. cinnamon
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Core apples and slice paper thin (use a mandolin to slice the apples if you have one--it will make the job go quickly). You do not need to peel the apples. Technically, you don't even have to core the apples if you don't have an apple corer, but I prefer not to be eating the seed bits. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out apple slices in a single layer. You may need two baking sheets depending on the size of your apples and your baking sheet. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over apple slices. Bake for 2 hours or until golden and edges are crispy. Let cool and enjoy! You can store any leftovers, but be warned they will lose some of their crispiness in a Tupperware.

Caramel Corn

This caramel corn is such a tasty treat!  The coating has great flavor and the baking method makes it deliciously crunchy.  A large bowl of this disappears quickly whenever I make it!

10-12 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


Put the popped popcorn in a roasting pan, removing any kernels that didn't pop so that you don't crack your teeth on them later. Put the roasting pan in the oven and preheat to 250 degrees (this step is not essential, but it helps to get the popcorn warm while you make the caramel so that you can coat the popcorn without the caramel cooling off too quickly).  In a medium size sauce pan, heat the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup on medium heat.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add salt and baking soda, then stir until mixture becomes foamy.  Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn.  Stir to coat the popcorn with the caramel sauce as evenly as possible, but don't worry if it doesn't look even because it will spread more thoroughly as you continue to bake and mix it.  Return the roasting pan to the oven and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees, removing the pan to stir every 30 minutes.  Lay out a long sheet of wax paper on a flat surface. When popcorn has finished baking, spread it out evenly to cool on the wax paper, breaking up any large clumps. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Tortellini Soup

I got this recipe from my mother in law and I love it because it is so simple yet so delicious!  It is also extremely forgiving if you want to use more or less of a particular ingredient to fit your needs or tastes.  For instance, I have added more tomatoes and tortellini to make it stretch farther when we have company.  I also don't worry about it if the bunch of spinach or bag of tortellini I buy differs in size from the recipe.

2 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
6-8 oz tortellini
14 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
10 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, saute minced garlic in oil for 1-2 minutes (careful it can burn fast).   Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.   Add tortellini for recommended cooking time.  Add spinach and basil, cook until wilted.  Serve with Parmesan cheese on top. Serves 4.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers to order and I'm amazed I've never tried making it at home until now.  I read a variety of recipes before deciding how I wanted to make it and let me tell you there are some opinions on making Bruschetta! Apparently, some feel strongly about everything from how you pronounce it (Brushetta or Brusketta) to the bread you use to whether you mix the garlic in with the tomatoes or rub it onto the bread.  I say do whatever fits your taste!  I really enjoy the flavor of garlic so I mixed my garlic into the tomato mixture but if you want a lighter touch of garlic you can simply rub a clove or two on the toast while it is still hot so it melts into the bread.

Normally, I would have made this with Roma tomatoes but I was enticed by the beautiful color of the Kumatos at the grocery store and decided to try those this time.  I toasted some fresh homemade bread that my husband made.  It was wider than most baguettes or French loaves and we used 10 slices so if you use a skinny loaf you'll probably need closer to 15 slices. I also like to really load on the tomatoes so if you like less topping then you'll need more toast slices.

• 5 small tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 10-15 slices of baguette, French or Italian bread

Chop tomatoes and place in a mixing bowl.  Combine tomatoes with minced garlic, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Slice 10-15 pieces of bread (15 if your loaf is narrow, 10 if your loaf is wide).  If desired, brush lightly with olive oil or melted butter. Toast for a few minutes in the oven. Remove toast from oven and top with tomato mixture.

Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

I made this quiche for breakfast with some lovely friends this morning and it turned out great!  The texture was nice and light. It was so flavorful--the perfect savory dish to go with a tall glass of orange juice. I started with this recipe as a guideline but made changes to fit my own tastes: Spinach Quiche.  I love that you can be flexible with this recipe--you could use whatever types of veggies and cheese you prefer.  I combined some muenster with Kraft's triple cheddar shredded cheese.

9-inch pie crust
2 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp minced onion
6 oz spinach, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay unbaked pie crust out in a 9-inch pie dish. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and minced onion and cook for 1 minute.  Add chopped mushroom and spinach and saute 3-5 minutes until spinach is wilted and mushrooms start to brown.  Add most of the cheese, reserving 1/4 cup for later, and mix well.  Pour vegetable and cheese mixture into the pie crust. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste and pour over the vegetable mixture in the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top.  Return to oven and bake another 30-40 minutes until the top is golden and the eggs are set.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 servings at 241 calories per serving.

Roasted Chicken II

Laugh if you must...but the roasted chicken was so delicious and the sale price on whole chickens was so good that we made it twice!  I wanted to try using less butter so I thought I'd let you know how it turned out.  The second time I only used 1/4 cup butter (instead of 1/2 cup), putting 1 Tbsp inside the chicken cavity and cutting the rest into 1/8 inch thick pads to spread over the outside of the chicken.  It was still juicy and moist but the skin did not get as golden.  If you are going to avoid eating most of the skin anyway, then it probably won't make much difference for you to use less than the 1/2 cup.

This time I added some small potatoes to the dutch oven and they turned out wonderful!  I'm sure it helped that they were fresh from the farmers market, but they were also cooked to perfection and literally melted in your mouth.  My husband even went crazy for them and he is not much of a baked potato person.

Roasted Chicken

This week I endeavored to roast my first chicken! I started with this recipe for Juicy Roasted Chicken and made a few changes based on some other research I did.  The recipe is heavy on butter, but having just watched Julie & Julia, I was reminded how much butter really does make everything taste delicious. So I decided not to skimp on it this time and my, was it tasty! The flavor was excellent but even better was the tenderness of the meat--so moist it fell off the bone.  After seeing the amount of butter drained off in the bottom of my pan, I will definitely try reducing it to 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup to see if it still produces the same tender, juicy result.

I used a dutch oven and I kept the lid on until the last 15 minutes when I removed the lid to let the skin get a little more golden.  After removing the chicken from the dutch oven, I moved the pot to the stove and mixed some water and flour with the leftover butter and drippings in the pot to make a gravy.

Ingredients:
1 3-4 lb whole chicken
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
salt and pepper

Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.  Truss the chicken if desired (if you don't know how to do this--look up an instructional video).  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Salt and pepper the entire chicken liberally,  inside the cavity and the entire outside of the chicken. Sprinkle onion powder and parsley over the chicken, inside and out.  Cut celery stalk into 4 pieces and stuff inside chicken cavity with 3 Tbsp butter and the garlic clove.  Cut remaining butter into small pads and spread them over the outside of the chicken, rubbing into the chicken slightly so they stay in place.  Place chicken in roasting pan or dutch oven and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.  Turn down oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook an additional 20 minutes per pound of meat or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.  Let the chicken rest about 15 minutes after taking it out of the oven so the juices can settle.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love Italian food and I've been searching for a good meatball recipe.  This has been adapted from a few different recipes I read. It has just the right amount of spices for me and the meatballs stay nice and moist. I hope you enjoy it as much we do!

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork or turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs or oats
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper to taste

Sauce

• 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes (you can use 1 can of diced if you prefer chunky sauce)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine

Combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form into balls the size of golf balls.  Heat olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) in a skillet on medium heat and brown meatballs on all sides.  While meatballs are browning, combine sauce ingredients in a large pot on the stove and begin to simmer the sauce on low heat.  Add meatballs to the sauce once they are browned.  Let sauce and meatballs simmer covered for about 2 hours.  Serve over 16 oz of cooked angel hair pasta.  Serves 8.