Dinner with Friends

Last night we had some friends over for dinner. This is the first time we’ve really been able to have people over since Drew was born so I wanted dinner to be extra yummy.

On the menu:

marinated strip steaks
cheddar mashed potatoes
ceasar salad
garlic cheese bread

I had seen this recipe for garlic bread on Giada at Home and decided to change it up just a little. It was so delicious and so easy. I will definitely be making my own garlic bread from now on using this recipe. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Cheddar Garlic Bread

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or coarsely grated

6 ounces butter, at room temperature

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (1 pound) loaf italian bread

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a food processor, combine the cheese and butter. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the garlic and parsley and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.

Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices and serve.

I was also very excited to get out my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker yesterday and try a new recipe from a cookbook I bought the other day, The Perfect Scoop. I have only made ice cream twice before so I decided since I was going to be serving this to friends, I would start with a simple recipe. I chose the cheesecake ice cream but at the last minute decided to make it Oreo cheesecake ice cream. It turned out so well! I’m so glad I decided to add the Oreos. Here is the recipe.

Cheesecake Ice Cream
(I doubled the following amounts)

8 oz (230 g) cream cheese
1 lemon, preferably unsprayed
1 cup (240 g) sour cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) half-and-half
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
Pinch of salt

Cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Zest the lemon directly into a blender or food processor, then add the cream cheese, half-and-half, sugar, and salt, and puree until smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The Perfect Scoop, p. 62-63

*After removing the ice cream from the ice cream maker, fold in 10 (if doubling the recipe) crushed Oreo cookies. Place the ice cream in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

 

I am very excited that my parents are coming up today. My dad has a conference to go to near where we live and my mom is staying all week. She is SO excited to see the baby and I’ll be very glad to have some help with him all week. I find myself not getting much done each day because I’m so busy with him. I never knew it would be so hard to run errands in between a newborn’s eating schedule!

Anyway, since my parents will be here I decided to make this recipe since they love sweet quick breads. I normally make them banana or pumpkin bread, but since I had some poppy seeds in the cabinet, I decided to make something a little different. It was really simple to make and the glaze really makes it taste great. You know I had to sneak a piece this morning before serving it to my family! I think this is one of those breads that will get better the second and third day as the glaze soaks into it.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Recipe:

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour, sifted

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)

3 tablespoons (30 grams) poppy seeds

13 tablespoons (184 grams) unsalted butter, softened

Lemon Syrup:

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2 1/2 inch) (20 x 10 x 7 cm). Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper. Set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds until combined. Add the softened butter and half the egg mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about one minute. This aerates and develops the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating about 30 seconds after each addition. This will strengthen the structure of the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You may have to cover the bread with buttered foil after about 30 minutes if you find the bread over browning. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with about half the hot lemon syrup. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes then invert onto a greased wire rack. Brush the remaining syrup onto the bottom and the sides of the loaf. Reinvert the bread so it is right side up and then cool the bread completely before wrapping. Store at least overnight before serving to allow the lemon syrup to distribute throughout the loaf. Makes 1 loaf. Source: Joy of Baking

I’m Going Bananas!

Someone save me from the bags of ripe bananas in my freezer! I almost always have at least one banana left over from a bunch that just doesn’t get eaten before it’s too brown. I feel bad just throwing it away so that is how I have to come to have several bags of overly ripe bananas in my freezer. Every time I open the freezer door, there they sit and I always intend on making something with them. But we all know what often happens with the best of intentions. They normally turn into regular banana bread or muffins, but I wanted to make something a little different this time. I’ve had chocolate banana bread on my mind this week so today I set out to find a recipe. Joy of Baking has never steered me wrong with a recipe so when I found this one on their website I decided to give it a try. I didn’t have any white chocolate chips so I subbed semi sweet instead which just added to the rich chocolaty flavor. This is a very moist bread and a great alternative to regular banana bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe:

1/2 cup (55 grams) toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (I omitted)

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (30 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (85 grams) white chocolate chips (I subbed semi sweet chocolate chips)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ripe bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish:

Turbinado or Demerara sugar (omitted)

Preheat ovento 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

 

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.  Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse brown sugar (optional). Bake until bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Makes 1 – 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Read more: “Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe With Picture – Joyofbaking.com” – http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ChocolateBananaBread.html#ixzz0DGt3N4Ft&A

Chai-Spiced Bread

I came cross this recipe in my stash last week. You know the stash. That pile of recipes you’ve got clipped from magazines and online recipe sites or scribbled down on an envelope by Aunt Betty. Some people have their stash organized into a binder or even in a Word document or online recipe folder but me, I’ve got the aforementioned sort of stash. I often find recipes in my purse or a book I was reading and that usually reminds me that “hey, I intended to make this last year”.

Well the same thing happened with this recipe. I was organizing my cookbooks on my bakers rack the other day and found this recipe neatly folded up with a bunch of other recipes and stuffed between two cookbooks. A co-worker of mine made this last year and brought it into work. As I recall I had already eaten breakfast that morning but when she came in bearing baked goods, well I just couldn’t resist. It was so yummy that I asked her for the recipe. She brought a cookbook in a few days later and copied it for me. And somehow it ended up um, temporarily misplaced in my stack of cookbooks.

Well it turns out this really is the recipe that almost didn’t happen. I was so excited that I had all the ingredients to make this bread that I baked it soon after I found the recipe. Once it was cooled I went to make the frosting, which I think is essential, and realized I was out of powdered sugar. It was late so I decided I would pick some up the next day. And then I forgot. And then I forgot the next day. So I put the bread in the fridge so it wouldn’t go bad before I actually got around to making the darn frosting. Well I remembered today! I made the frosting tonight and the bread was finally complete. And it is so good! Such an easy quick bread and perfect for Fall.

Chai-Spiced Bread

prep 15 min total time 3 hrs 55 min
makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Bread

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup prepared tea or water (any black tea will work)
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 5 teaspoons milk
Additional ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease bottom only of 8×4- or 9×5- inch loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs, tea, 1/3 cup milk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla on low speed until all ingredients are well combined (will appear curdled). Stir in remaining bread ingredients just until moistened. Spread in pan.

3. Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not under bake). Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool 30 minutes.

4. In small bowl, stir powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 teaspoons of the milk, adding more milk by teaspoonfuls, until spreadable. Spread glaze over bread. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook, page 150

Breaking News! I Made Bread!

I know, I can’t believe it either. Let me start out by saying, I am not a bread baker. I’ve done it once, but I have still always been a little afraid of baking with yeast. I always feel like it’s a lot of work, only to possibly end up with a disappointing result. So basically, I don’t trust myself with yeast. : P When I saw this recipe, I thought “hey, maybe I could do that”. I’ve been stuck inside today thanks to the monsoon that is outside my door, so I figured what better day to try it out.

I wish blogs had a virtual smell feature so that you could smell my house right now. ::Sniff:: Ahh, nothing better than the smell of fresh bread. It was killing me to have to sit here and smell it while it baked in the crock pot. Yep, I said crock pot. That’s why I decided to try this recipe. I thought it would be easy. And it was! I do think that I would probably turn it on low after an hour and a half-two hours. You can see mine got a little um, toasty, on the bottom. But other than that, it tastes amazing! I’ve already had two slices.

Thanks to Jenn for posting this recipe.

See you in 3 hours little bread loaf

Classic White Bread
101 More Things To Do With A Slow cooker
Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring
10-15 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 envelope (.25 ounce) of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup lukewarm water
1tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl combine yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow yeast to foam, about 5 minutes.
Add egg, oil, lukewarm water, salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on low.
With a wooden spoon, stir i remaining flour.
Place dough in greased 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours. Remove stoneware from cooker and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

 Mmmmmmmmmmm! That was the sound I made this morning when I took my first bite of this blueberry bread. Ok, so it wasn’t my first bite. I taste tested it last night after I baked it to be sure it was good. But it was even better this morning than I remembered. I guess something about it sitting over night and soaking up that sweet lemony glaze. Normally I don’t eat stuff like this for breakfast. That’s normally the one meal of the day I reserve for being healthy (ha). But well I had some blueberries just sitting there, staring at me, waiting to have something done with them so I thought, what the heck. I had already done muffins and pie so when I saw this recipe, my heart skipped a beat and my mouth watered all day just thinking about it. The recipe went together very quickly and the results were amazing. It’s not an overly sweet bread and sort of has the taste and consistency of pound cake but with little bursts of blueberries mixed in. So I guess it’s not too bad for breakfast and it would be great as a treat with coffee for dessert. But DO make the glaze for it. I considered skipping that part but it only takes about 5 more minutes to do the glaze and it really adds something to the bread.

Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe:

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use the real stuff, not the bottled kind–you will be able to taste it in this recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm). Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/3 cup (66 grams) of sugar and the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf.

Source: Joy of Baking

 

Breakfast or Dessert?

I’m pretty sure this recipe might be on the list of the seven deadly sins. But in this case if it’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right. Really, it could be more of a dessert with all it’s brown sugary yumminess, but I decided to make this for breakfast today. From the minute I saw Tyler Florence make this on his show, Tyler’s Ultimate, I knew I wanted to try it. I mean, what could be bad about french toast, apples, and a brown sugary glaze. This recipe is a little time consuming as far as prep goes, but the results are totally worth it. As soon as it started baking, my house filled with the smell of apple pie and caramel apples. I wish I could capture that smell in a candle so I could enjoy it every day without all the calories that come with it. This would be a great recipe for brunch or even breakfast on Christmas morning. The original recipe calls for cranberries, but I left those out because my picky husband doesn’t like them. I think those would be a great addition though.

Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans

(with my alterations in italics)

French toast:
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 loaf challah bread, cut into 1 inch-thick slices (I used french bread)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup light brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling, divided
4 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I omitted)
Confectioners’ sugar, garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a flat dish, crack eggs and add milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whisk until well combined then lay challah slices in mixture to coat and absorb it all, turning occasionally.

Set a 10-inch skillet, seasoned cast iron if you have, over medium heat. Add the butter and 1 cup sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 8 minutes. While the sugar is melting, peel apples, core and cut into halves. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the heavy cream. Sprinkle in the pecans, dried cranberries and gently press in the apple halves so there is a flat surface. Lay soaked slices of challah over the top so it is completely covered – you should be able to arrange the large slices and small slices so there are no gaps. Sprinkle the top with some brown sugar and place into the preheated oven. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and puffy.

When done, allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes then invert onto a large plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, and serve.

Chef’s Note: FYI – if your cast iron skillet is not seasoned, the cranberries will react with the skillet and turn black.

*I don’t have a cast iron skillet so I used a pie dish to bake this in. I melted the butter and sugar in a pot on the stove and then poured it into the pie dish before assembling.

Source: Food Network

French Toast

Another yummy weekend breakfast, french toast. To be honest, it hasn’t always been a favorite breakfast food of mine. I think because all I ever had was bland and soggy french toast. But my recipe is a little more flavorful than most of the ones I’ve had before. Pair this with some sweet and juicy strawberries, syrup or powdered sugar and you’ve got a delicious breakfast.

French Toast

3 whole eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 slices of french bread, 1/2″ thick

1-2 Tbsp butter

Whisk the first four ingredients together in a shallow bowl until combined. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Melt the butter on the hot griddle or pan. Dip both sides of the bread slices into the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and place onto the hot griddle. Cook on each side until golden brown.

(Don’t be like me and almost burn them. Keep the heat on medium or medium low : P )

Cream Biscuits

I never met a biscuit recipe that I could make…until this one. Honestly, you would think someone raised in the south where homemade biscuits are served with almost every meal, would know how to whip out some biscuits like nobody’s business. But no, there have been many a biscuit casualty in my kitchen. That’s why I was so thankful when I tried this recipe and they actually turned out! Seriously, these are the lightest, fluffiest, melt in your mouth biscuits I’ve ever eaten. And I can’t believe how simple they are. Of course, leave it to Paula Deen to come up with a fabulous biscuit recipe. If you have tried and failed at biscuit making, or have been too afraid to try, give these a shot! The key is to not handle the dough too much or they will become tough. Oh, and make sure your counter and your hands are well floured. This dough is really sticky!

Cream Biscuits (with my alterations)

2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. (I do 450 degrees)In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cream until the dough forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with additional flour. Fold the dough in 1/2 and knead 5 to 7 times, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to your hands. Gently roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter coated with flour, cut dough into biscuits. (I skip the rolling out part. I just pinch them off and form them by hand) Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray, leaving at least 1-inch between each biscuit. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. (Bake 11-12 min at 450)

Me: 1 Pizza Dough: 0

Over the past year I have faced and conquered many of my cooking fears. I made my own meatballs, made my first homemade cake AND frosting, had my first experience with yeast bread, and roasted a whole chicken. Not too shabby for a girl whose weekly grocery list used to include hamburger helper and frozen skillet meals just a couple years ago. One thing I had not yet tried though was pizza dough. I figured what better night to try it than Super Bowl Sunday. I had seen this recipe a while back on Amber’s blog and it looked so simple. And really, it is. If you can turn on a food processor, you can make this pizza dough. Not only is it so quick and easy, it’s so good too. I may never buy store bought dough again! I’m really happy to be able to mark this one off as another kitchen fear conquered.

Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
(Source: EatingWell.com)

To make 12 ounces dough:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann’s RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

To make 1 pound dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann’s RapidRise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water (120-130°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.
3. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack;preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired(we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately