Sunday, April 29, 2012

NRW 17: Baked Potato Slices

New Recipe Week 17: Baked Potato Slices

I got this recipe from my very near and dear friend Dr. Goldi Jacques-Maynes. She's the one who's talking me into gardening and I've always looked to her for her wonderful home healthy cooking. She's a very strong proponent of the 100-Mile Diet especially from your own home sources. I love seeing her chickens in their amazing coop and all her yummy planter boxes with beautiful rows of green, red, yellow, purple, orange and every color you can eat! There's nothing like going out your back door and picking your dinner fresh!

This year she's growing potatoes so I thought this recipe would be wonderful to mark her talking me into growing some too! It's very simple, the outcome is wonderful and oven warmth spreads through the house. This is definitely a cooler day recipe!



Baked Potato Slices
Serves 2

2 Russet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

-Scrub & Clean the Potatoes, then slice very thinly along the width but not all the way through.
-Drip Olive Oil over Potatoes and season with S&P.
-Bake @ 425 for 1.25 to 1.5 hours.
-Let cool a little before eating.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Coffee Cozy

I'm a coffee nut, especially for local coffee roasters. So when I came across this DIY coffee cozy, I had to make it.

I made 3 of them with left over scraps from other projects so it took a while to cut all the pieces. The project probably took about 3 hours! Here's a pic of the project mid-stream:


After all the time & effort, these turned out great. I enjoyed making them and I'm excited to give them as gifts!



Sunday, April 22, 2012

NRW16: Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Rolls

New Recipe Week 16: Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Rolls

Another Pinterest idea, these Asparagus rolls were so yummy, I ate 3 like nothing. I did only put one stalk in each roll, so next time I'll bump it up to two. I left out the egg, extra cheese and spices cuz you really don't need them and I wanted to keep it on the healthier side. You do need to either steam or blanch the veggies first, but then the bake time is only 8 minutes, so total cook & prep time is only 20 mins which makes these a super quick side dish that you'll love!



Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Rolls
Serves 4

1 pkg. Crescent Rolls 
1 lb Asparagus (woody stems removed) 3 oz. Goat Cheese
4 Slices Prosciutto (Halved)


-Steam: Asparagus for about 7 mins., remove  & dry with paper towels. OR Blanch: In a pot of boiling water, add Asparagus for 4 mins, remove, drain & dry with paper towels.
-Un-wrap Crescent Rolls and place a Half Slice of Prosciutto, a Crumble of Cheese and then 2 cooked Asparagus Stalks.
-Roll up the rolls, starting from thicker side rolling in towards thinner side.
-Place on lined baking sheet and Bake @ 425 for 8-10 mins. 
-Serve Immediately.




Friday, April 20, 2012

Peanut Butter Nut Eggs-Oat Ball Variation

So to get ready for the Sea Otter Classic Cycling Festival, I made a batch of my Peanut Butter Nut Eggs but as Balls, and without the chocolate covering, which the original recipe has them as.

These were perfect for a day walking all around in the sun and even better for the recovering athlete. I was also pleasantly surprised on how well they traveled (never fell apart in my baggie!) You could stuff a bag of these in your jersey pocket and I'm sure they'd still keep form, especially if you shape them into bars...Enjoy!

Oat Balls (Originally from Sunday Baker)
~2 dozen 2 inch Balls

1.5 C Rolled Oats
1 C Crushed Pretzel Pieces
1/2 C Hazel Nuts
1/4 C White Chocolate Chips
1/3 C Cranberries
1/3 C Peanut Butter (Natural & Creamy)
1/3 C Honey
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Vanilla

-In a food processor, pulse Oats, Pretzels, Nuts & Chips until grainy (corn meal consistency).
-Add in Cranberries and pulse until also grainy.
-Add in PB, Honey, Cinnamon & Vanilla, pulse until combined.
-Scoop out about 2 Tbsp dough and roll by hand into a ball, set on cookie sheet lined with wax paper, repeat with remaining dough.
-Freeze for about 1 hour then place in bag or container and refrigerate or eat!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Happy Birthday to my Honey!

Yesterday was Anastasio's Birthday and we celebrated properly with a babysitter and romantic dinner night out for the two of us at Oswald's in Santa Cruz!

But before our evening began, I wanted to celebrate with the baby too, so I made a birthday cake for the mister. This Chocolate, Cheesecake & Nut Crumble recipe comes from the Brown Eyed Baker. I choose this, instead of one of my basic cakes, because I really don't like cake very much so I thought I'd try something different.

This came out really moist and only slightly rich, which was perfect! I used neufchatel cheese (less fat) instead of cream cheese, and pecans & hazelnuts instead of walnuts. Other than that, I followed the recipe as is, oh ya, the other exception was the eggs:

One very important and common mistake in baking is that when butter or cream cheese is suppose to be at room temperature people often forget that the eggs also have to be at room temperature. This is because you want the eggs to blend well into the butter/cheese so you want them at the same temp. Otherwise a cold egg mixing into a warmed (room temp) butter/cheese won't completely blend and will not get as fluffy as it can be!

Definitely a keeper!



Maiyo Helping with the Candels




Sunday, April 15, 2012

NRW15: Mozzarella Sticks

New Recipe Week 15: Mozzarella Sticks

We've been eating a lot of cheese sticks lately, so much so that I started getting tired of them. So I decided to try and make fried mozzarella sticks for the first time. They came out pretty darn good!


Fried Mozzarella Sticks
Serves 2

Mozzarella Sticks:
3 sticks of String Cheese (cut in half)
1/2 C. Panko-Style breadcrumbs
1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Egg
1/4 C. Flour
Oil for frying

-Place the Flour & Bread Crumbs in two separate, shallow bowls.
-Add the Italian Seasoning, Salt & Pepper to the breadcrumbs and mix well.
-Place Eggs in another small bowl and beat lightly.
-Drop a piece of Cheese into the Flour and roll it around until it is well covered. Shake off the excess Flour and dip the Cheese into the Egg mixture then into the Breadcrumbs until well coated. Repeat with the remaining Cheese Sticks.
-Once all of the Cheese Sticks have been breaded, freeze uncovered until the breadcrumb coating is firm.
-Pour enough Oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot to come to a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat oil until it reaches a temperature of 350°. Fry the Cheese Sticks in batches, being careful not to overwhelm the oil, until crispy and browned on the exterior, about 5 minutes.
-Drain on paper towels & repeat with remaining Cheese Sticks.

Dip:
1/4 cup buttermilk (1/3 C. Milk with 1 Tsp. White Wine Vinegar)
2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese (Softened)
1 Tbsp. Plain Yogurt
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Ea. Basil, Shallots, Parsley & Mint (chopped fine)
Salt & Pepper to taste

-In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

NRW14: Chicken Saltimbocca

New Recipe Week 14: Chicken Saltimbocca

Always looking for a new way to make chicken breast, I had this recipe from Epicurious.com in my recipe box for a couple of years. It's pretty similar to what I've already made many, many times before, but distinct in it's own way.

It came out petty good, my only comment is that the sauce was too tangy so I'd probably omit the lemon next time around.


Chicken Saltimbocca
Serves 2

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
4 Fresh Sage Leaves
4 Salami Slices
1/2 C Flour

1 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. White Wine
2 Tsp. Flour
1/2 C. Chicken Broth


-Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap on work surface. Using mallet, pound chicken to 1/3-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
-Place 2 sage leaves atop each chicken breast half. Top each chicken breast with 2 prosciutto slices, pressing to adhere.
-Spread 1/2 cup flour on plate. Turn chicken in flour to lightly coat both sides.
-Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, prosciutto side down; cook 4 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to platter and cover to keep warm; reserve skillet.
-Whisk wine with remaining 2 teaspoons flour in small bowl. Add broth and lemon juice to same skillet; bring to boil. Add wine mixture; whisk until sauce thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Very Moist Zucchini Bread

My favorite veggie bread use to be pumpkin bread until I found this zucchini bread recipe last year. It really just blows every other sweet bread recipe out of the water. The moistness is mouth pleasing, the sweetness is just right and the density is perfect.

I like the sweetness of this bread though you could lessen the amount of sugar if you want, but don't skimp out on the crumb topping as it really completes this bread. This recipe makes two loaves, we usually eat one right away and freeze the second for a later time (though it doesn't last very long cuz we love it too much!) I made only a couple of small changes to the original recipe found here at Allrecipes.com


Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 Loaves

3 C Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
3 Tsp Cinnamon
3 Eggs
1 C Vegetable Oil
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
3 Tsp Vanilla
3 C Zucchini (Grated)

Crumb topping (Combine all in bowl):
1/2 C Oats
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Flour
1/4 C Butter (Melted)
1 Tsp Nutmeg
  
-Prepare two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. (Butter & Flour or Non-stick Spray)
-Sift Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Soda, & Cinnamon in a bowl. 
-Beat Eggs in a separate bowl then mix in Oil, Vanilla, and Sugars. 
-Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and mix well.
-Stir in Zucchini until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. 
-Bake for 15 min @ 335 then remove from the oven and top with crumb mixture. Bake for an additional 50 min, or until tooth pick test clean. 
-Cool for 20 min. Use a knife to release sides of bread from pan, remove and completely cool on rack. 

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Peanut Butter Nut Eggs


There have been countless number of recipes on how to make homemade Reece's Peanut Butter Eggs around the interwebs this Easter season. While I'm addicted to those yummy evil candies, I really didn't want to make them at home cuz I'd eat the whole plate in one sitting.

SO instead, I came up with a healthier version (heavily adapted from Sunday Baker) than the typical peanut butter, sugar & more sugar recipe.This one has Peanut butter, rolled oats, nuts, honey and other yummies that  give it a consistency close to the regular ones, but not as super sweet. Unfortunately, I can eat a whole plate of these in one sitting...at least I don't feel as guilty!




These were also super easy and quick to make (except for the refrigeration periods) and would be fun to do with kiddos, especially the molding part. And they came out tasting fantastic! I must say, I out did myself this time:-)


Peanut Butter Nut Eggs
Makes 18-20 Candies

Filling:
1 C. Rolled Oats
1/2 C. Broken Pretzel Pieces (put pretzels in a baggie & smash)
1/4 C. Hazelnuts
1/4 C. Pecans
1/4 C. Peanut Butter (Natural & Creamy)
1/4 C. Honey
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/4 C. White Chocolate Chips

-In a food processor, process Oats, Pretzels & Nuts until they are a cornmeal consistency.
-Add Peanut Butter, Honey & Vanilla and pulse until combined.
-Add White Chips & pulse until they break into small pieces and are combined into the mixture.
-Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop, form a ball and place in your hand, add another 1/2 scoop of filling and form into egg shape. Place on wax sheet and repeat until all filling is shaped.
-Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes.

Coating:

1 C. Milk Chocolate Chips
1 Tbsp. Shortening

-In a double broiler, over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water, melt Milk Chips & Shortening.
-Working quickly, but one at a time, place an Egg in the melted Chocolate and coat entirely, using a fork to turn over.
-Lift egg out with fork & let chocolate drain a little, then place back on wax sheet. Repeat with remaining eggs, then chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or freezer for at least 30 minutes


Sunday, April 1, 2012

NRW 13: Sweet & Spicy Salmon

New Recipe Week 13: Sweet & Spicy Salmon

This recipe is from my ever-trustworthy food site Epicurious.com. Not a huge fan of salmon, Anastasio brought some home this week and so I was pressed to find a recipe that would be flavorful enough for me. This one definitely hit the target although it did need some lemon juice to top if off.


Sweet & Spicy Salmon
Serves 4

1/4 C Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 lb Salmon Fillet (with skin)
1/2 Lemon (sliced)

-Line rimmed baking sheet with non-stick foil or coat foil with nonstick spray. 
-Whisk Chili Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Ginger in small bowl. 
-Place Salmon Fillet, skin side down, on prepared sheet and spoon chili sauce marinade over and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
-Broil salmon without turning until browned in spots and almost opaque in center, 20 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet.
-Serve with Lemon Slices.