Chicken Schwarma and quinoa salad

Matt actually requested I write down this recipe because he liked both things.

Chicken Schwarma 
I got the original recipe here http://www.thechunkychef.com/amazing-chicken-shawarma/ but tweaked it a little, of course. Which is why I am simultaneously awesome yet can never replicate anything I do...most of these measurements were eyeballing it with a half tablespoon measuring unit, some of the spices I did a little less, so I estimate those to be about a tsp.)

2 chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
Lemon juice (didn't measure, but maybe 1-2 tsp)
2 tbsp olive oil

Let marinade about 30 min. Grill. I also grilled red onions, and a mix of red, yellow, and orange mini bell peppers.

Cucumber quinoa salad
1/2 c uncooked quinoa (then cook it per directions - I rinsed it and then cooked it about 20 min. With twice as much liquid)
1 cucumber
1 red, orange, and yellow mini bell peppers each
Handful of black olives sliced
A couple marinated artichoke pieces, cut up.
Feta would be good, but I didn't have it in hand
A very small amount thinly sliced raw red onion

2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp mayo
Lemon juice
Salt
Cumin
About 1/2 garlic clove pressed

Mix all together and do seasonings by taste. Mix dressing with the salad mixture. I also made additional sauce/dressing to dip the chicken in. It was good.

Coconut Cream Pie

I have attempted and failed coconut cream pie on various occasions. Scrambled egg custard, gelatinous custard from using corn starch. But today. Today I got it right folks! By combining two recipes (this and this), I got just what I wanted for my husband's birthday. A pie sturdy enough to hold its shape when cut, but creamy and not gelatinous.


Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1/3 c. flour
3 cups of liquid (I did 1 can of coconut milk + enough whole milk to equal 3 cups)
2/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla (optional, I forgot it, and honestly, I don't think it needed it)
1 c shredded finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I found mine at WinCo) 

sweetened shredded coconut to toast for the top

Whipped cream for topping

1 baked pie shell, 9 or 10″ 

Directions

1. Scald the milk in the microwave or on the stove top to almost boiling. Microwave works best as there is no chance of burning the milk.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the flour, sugar, salt and coconut.
3. Over medium low flame slowly add 1 cup of the scalded milk, whisking constantly.
4. As you notice the filling beginning to thicken, add another cup of the scalded milk continuing to stir constantly until it begins to thicken again.
5. Add the final cup of scalded milk, stirring constantly. Continue to cook over medium low heat until mixture begins to slightly thicken.
6. At this point remove from heat and pour about a half cup of this mixture onto the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly. Don't just dump it in. Do it gradually while stirring fast to keep it from scrambling the egg. This is called tempering.
7. Pour the egg mixture immediately back into the pot, continuing to constantly stir.
8. Cook for an additional three to five minutes until the filling reaches pudding consistency and remove from the flame. The mixture should just be beginning to boil at this point.
9. Stir in vanilla if you are using it. (I didn't)
10. Cool for about 40-60 minutes before pouring into the baked pie shell/s.
11. Chill the pie/s completely for several hours or overnight.
12. We just used the real whipping cream in a can when we cut up the pie. 
13. I toasted the sweetened coconut in the oven under broil, but you really have to watch it (literally with the door cracked open) because it goes from normal to burnt quickly!

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So, pie crust was always one of those baking things that seemed so finicky. Add JUST enough ice cold water to get it to form. But it always seemed too crumbly. Anyway, this recipe changed my pie making world. I use it for all my pies, and if for some reason I don't, I end up disappointed. The fat to flour ratio is pretty high, and this always gives me a nice flakey crust.

Melanie's Grandma's Pie Crust

makes three to four 9" crusts (depending on how thick and big you are doing) 4 cups flour 2 cups crisco 1 tbsp sugar 2 tsp salt

1tbsp vinegar 1 egg 3/4 cup water

Mix 1st four ingredients with a pastry cutter, knives or fork. In a separate dish beat remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry. You may not need the entire amount of liquid. I usually have a little left over. Stir until moistened and (gently) with hands work into balls. Chill 15 minutes. Can be left in fridge for 3 days.

(cover edges of crust with tin foil when baking. Remove foil from edges 10 minutes before baking is completed.)

When I roll it out, I always roll it between two large pieces of parchment paper or freezer paper. It makes getting it into the pan SO MUCH EASIER than trying to fold it in fourths and then unfold it like I used to.

For the cream pie I formed the crust, chilled it, poked holes in it, and baked it with foil and beans in the bottom. 400* for 15-20 min. take the foil and beans out after about 10 min. so it can get to a light brown.

Pumpkin bread

I made some yummy pumpkin bread, but of course I seriously altered the recipe, so I am writing down what I did.

2 C Pumpkin puree
1 C white sugar
2 C brown sugar
1 C oil
2/3 C milk
4 eggs

3 1/3 C flour (I did 2 C white AP and 1 cup wheat berries ground into wheat flour which would approx. make 1 1/3 C wheat flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinammon
some grated nutmeg (not to exceed 1 tsp)

mix the two sections in separate bowls, add the dry ingredients to the wet. Grease two 9x5 pans and cut out parchment paper for the bottom of the pans. Separate the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350 for 45-55 min. and test with a toothpick.

Chana Masala

I kind of had a loose recipe, and I didn't measure out exactly, but I'm writing down as much as I remember doing to hopefully replicate it somewhat closely again since Matt said it was one of my better attempts at Indian Food. How was that for a run-on sentence. =)

Chana Masala
a little oil
1 onion, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garam masala
lots of salt (TO TASTE!)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
About 1-2 Tbsp garlic ginger paste
1/2 cup water
cooked chickpeas
1 medium potato, peeled, diced, and boiled to soft

chopped cilantro to garnish

1. Cook the onion, add the garlic, add the spices when soft.
2. Add the tomatoes and water and ginger paste.
3. Let simmer for an hour or so.
4.  Add the chickpeas and the potato. Salt to taste. Add any more spices that you think it's lacking. Add cilantro just before serving.

Served over basmati rice with naan.

Mongolian Beef (with broccoli)

Ingredients: (I usually half all of this for just 2 of us)
For the meat:
1 lb. flank steak
1/4 C cornstarch
2 Tbsp oil
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For the sauce:
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated finely or minced
1 Tbsp or about 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 C soy sauce
1/2 C water
1/2 C brown sugar
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes- depending on how hot you like it. You can leave it out all together to be more like broccoli beef as well.
2 green onions, sliced
2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with a little water
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1-2 heads of broccoli, cut to florets - you could also just slice up an onion and stirfry it if you don't want broccoli with this.

Directions:

1. Slice the steak against the grain thinly (1/4 in. or thinner). Tilt the knife blade at a 45 degree angle if you want a wider cut. Toss the steak slices with cornstarch and let the beef sit for 10 min. This is very important. Do not skip.
2. To make the sauce: In a small sauce pan, heat 2 tsp oil, add garkic and ginger and stirfy 10 seconds, add soy sauce and the rest of the sauce ingredients except cornstarch. Bring it to a boil and then turn down very low while you do the rest of your prep. You will add the cornstarch slurry later.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the broccoli in and blanch. Meaning, right after you get it submerged in the water, dump it all out in a colander.
4. Heat 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a wok and heat over medium high. Stirfry the broccoli for 1 min. and remove.
5. Turn the sauce back up to a boil and add the cornstarch slurry. Stir till it thickens, take off the heat.
6. Put a 1-2 more Tbsp oil in the wok and heat again. Cook the beef. It will cook quickly. Don't over cook it.
7. Add back the broccoli and stir in the sauce. Serve over rice.

Scottish Meat pies

I've been working on meat pies for a long time and this is the closest I've come in both pastry and filling to a meat pie from a Scottish festival. Adapted from this recipe.

Dough:
2 1/2-3 C flour
1 C water
1/2 C lard/ shortening

Bring water and lard to a boil, pour into a metal mixing bowl. Add 2 C flour and mix with a spoon and when you have a glob, dump it onto a floured surface. It will be hot, so be cautious. Knead in about 1/2 C more flour, or until it is not sticky, but not dry.  I think I did 2 1/2 C total. Maybe a little more. Cover till ready to use so it doesn't dry out.

Filling:
1 lb ground meat -- I did beef, but you could use lamb
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 small onion grated or chopped finely
1 C oats (I used quick cooking oats) or bread crumbs (I may even like this better than the oats)
1/2 C beef broth
fresh grated nutmeg
Salt - depends on your taste preference
pepper (liberal)
white pepper - dash

Directions

Roll out the dough half at a time (keep other half covered). Roll it thin, but not too thin. The bigger pies don't need a paper thin crust.

I only have 4 ramekins, so I did four ramekins and the rest were smaller pies in a muffin tin.  (I think I prefer the muffin tin pies because they cook faster and cool down faster for the boys.) I cut a circle out of dough big enough to press into the ramekin, filled it with the raw meat mixture, and the cut a smaller circle for the top. I pressed the top and bottom edges together well and cut two slits in the top for steam.

Put in a cold oven and set to 350* cook for about 40-45 min.  The crust should be golden. If the bottom is not golden, cook it a little longer. You don't want under done crust.

Mexican Rice

I adapted the recipe from here.

1 can tomatoes (I had fire roasted with garlic)
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1/2 jalapeno (I used a canned rather than fresh since they seem to have more heat)
1 C long grain white rice
oil
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed (I used 1 since the tomatoes had garlic)
1 C chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt
lime* optional
cilantro* optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Puree tomatoes and jalapeno in blender or food processor
3. Rinse rice under cold water in a fine mesh strainer till the water comes clean. I didn't do this and it was fine, but it does make for fluffier rice.
4. Heat  a little oil over medium heat in and oven safe saute pan or dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. I didn't have this, so I just did it in a pot and dumped it into a 9x13 pan when I was done sauteing.
5. Cook the onions till translucent. Add rice and garlic. Cook till rice is light golden, just a few min.
6. Stir in pureed tomatoes and broth. 
7. Put in the oven (either in the oven safe saute pan or 9X13 baking dish), cover tightly, and cook for about 30 min. or till tender. I checked mine around 20 min. and it seemed like it needed more water, so I added a few tablespoons.

Stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro if you so desire. I didn't, but I'm sure it would be good.

Moroccan Stew

1 pound Stew Meat or meat of your choice--or leave it out all together and go vegetarian!

3 T Olive Oil

1 T Cumin

1 T Cinnamon

1 T Coriander

1 T Paprika

1 tsp Pepper

1-3 tsp Salt 

1 bunch fresh Thyme

4 Bay Leaves

6 cloves Garlic

1 T Red Pepper Flakes or 1 to 2 tsp of Cheyenne Pepper

1 large Onion

1 bunch of Celery

2 Zucchini

1 Butternut Squash

2 large Potatoes

3 bell peppers (use different colors)

1 large can of Crushed Tomatoes

1 quart Beef Broth

1 quart Vegetable Broth

1.5 C Lentils

2 cans Garbanzo Beans 

1 large bunch of Parsley

1 small cup of Plain Greek yogurt

Chop all veggies in large pieces. Chop parsley roughly, reserve a bit for garnish. Chop thyme and garlic roughly. In a large stock pot, brown your stew meat with salt and pepper and olive oil.  Remove to another bowl. Add dry spices to pot, stir until your house smells amazing (approximately 1 minute).  Add garlic, onion and celery and cook till onions are starting to become clear.  Add the rest of the veggies, thyme (you don't need to remove it from the stem, but don't forget to fish them out later), bay leaves (fish them out later, too) and crushed tomatoes.  Cook for a few minutes.  Add broth, stew meat and lentils.  Bring to boil and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until lentils are soft.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Add beans and parsley.  Cook for 10-15 more minutes until potatoes and squash are desired softness/firmness.  :) 

Garnish with large dollop of yogurt, sprinkling of parsley and a little paprika.  Serve with warm, crusty bread.

This makes a TON of stew...  The good news is, it only gets better as it sits.  

Cinnamon Craisen Cranberry Sauce

Oh boy. I combined a couple recipes from food network and it turned out delicious!

Cinnamon Craisen Cranberry Sauce
1/2 bag fresh cranberries
1/2-1 granny smith apple, skinned and sliced into pieces about the size of the cranberries
1 C cranberry grape juice (or other cranberry juice)
1/2 C sugar
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
1 ish C craisens

Into a med. sauce pan, combine everything but craisens. Heat on med. until cranberries start to burst, add craisens. Lower temps for another 5 min. or so or until it starts to thicken. If it looks too watery, add a few more craisens. It does thicken up upon standing off heat.

The cinnamon makes is so yummy! I bet it would be good with some walnuts in there also.

Sept. Recipe Exchange Favorites: Breads

We have a church recipe exchange once a month. This month's theme was bread. I'm posting my favorites so I can have them easily accessible.

Artisan Bread Loaf (I loved this one. Probably my fav. Great crumb)

By:  Ruth Judd

Recipe:

3 cups (430g) flour 1½ cups (345g or 12oz) water ¼ teaspoon (1g) yeast 1¼ teaspoon (8g) salt olive oil (for coating) extra flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal (for dusting)

Two medium mixing bowls 6 to 8 quart pot with lid (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic) Wooden Spoon or spatula (optional) Plastic wrap Two or three cotton dish towels (not terrycloth) 

Process: Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F).

Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size. Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned. 

*I used the baking directions from a similar recipe and put the loaf on a baking stone that had been preheated in a 450 degree oven. Right before I placed the loaf on the stone I sprinkled some cornmeal on the stone. I baked the loaf for 20 minutes, and had a pan with a cup of hot water under the stone to steam the loaf while it baked. Try the other method as well though. Each will make a great loaf.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bread (Not overly sweet, which I liked)

By:  Melissa Smith

For the bread:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1/2 milk (or buttermilk)
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg

For the glaze:
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a mixing bowl, fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Add vanilla and lemon zest and mix together. Alternately add the dry ingredients with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix well. Fold in the blueberries.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling and whisk together.

Prepare a loaf pan by coating with cooking spray. Spoon about half of the batter into the pan, then spread the filling over the top. Spoon the remaining batter on top of the filling; you may want to drop by spoonfulls to get an even distribution as it will be hard to spread over the filling.

Bake bread for about 55-65 minutes, checking for doneness after 55 minutes. While bread is cooking, prepare lemon glaze. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil lemon juice and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat. When bread is done, remove to a cooling rack and spoon on warm glaze. Let cool 10-15 minutes in the pan then remove the loaf to a cooling rack to cool completely. Resist the urge to cut into the loaf while it is hot, it needs time to set up.

Overnight Rolls (Crescent Rolls I'll probably use for Thanksgiving this year)

By:  Marci Preece

1 ½ c. warm water, divided                                    ½ c. shortening

1 TBS. yeast, (1 package)                                2 eggs

Pinch of salt                                                     1 tsp. salt

1 cup canned evaporated milk                  1 tsp. baking powder

6 cup flour                                                       ½ tsp. baking soda

½ cup instant mashed potato flakes               ½ TBS. sugar

1/3 cup sugar

In a small bowl add ½ cup of warm water, yeast, and ½ TBS. sugar.  Set aside to dissolve.  In a large bowl (or your electric mixing bowl) mix warm milk, 1 cup warm water, 2 cups flour, instant potato flakes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add yeast mixture and remaining 4 cups of flour.  Knead well.  Crisco a large bowl and place dough in it.  Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and place in the fridge overnight.  Remove from fridge and flour the counter top very well.  Flour dough, and roll out.  There are many ways you can shape these.  Use a pizza cutter to cut strips and tie into knots.  You can also separate dough into 2 balls and roll out like a pizza.  Cut into slices and roll from wide end to the tip for crescent shapes.  Place on cookie sheets and let rise three hours.  Preheat oven to 400.  Brush with butter and bake for 10-12 minutes (or brush with melted butter after they are cooked).

Rocky Road Ice cream

I just made rocky road ice cream tonight and it turned out really well. Like, Matt said he would have thought he was eating premium store bought ice cream if he hadn't seen me make it. So I figured I'd write it down.

Rocky Road Ice Cream
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4-1 C. coco powder (depending on how dark you like your chocolate)
1 C. heavy cream
1 3/4 C. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. mini-marshmallows

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix sweetened condensed milk and coco powder until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 min. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and mix in cream, milk, and vanilla. Put in the fridge and let it get cold.
2. Pour into ice cream canister and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Stir in nuts and marshmallows in the last few minutes.
3. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 5-6 hours (it will be too soft to eat right out of the ice cream maker).

3 hour French Bread

This was the second time I made this, and I decided it was definitely a good enough recipe to keep and link.

I got the original here. That link has lots of helpful photos, so I suggest you go there. I do add some sugar because I just can't fathom using yeast without sugar...

3 Hour French Bread - makes 2 small loaves
2 tsp active dry yeast*
1 1/2 C. warm water
2 tsp sugar

2 tsp kosher salt
4 C. bread flour

1. Proof the yeast in the warm water with the sugar in a large bowl (I do this in my Kitchen Aid). Wait 10 min. for it to foam up.
2. Put 1/4 cup of bread flour on your clean counter top and reserve. Add the flour, mixed with the salt, to the yeast mixture 1 cup at a time with a paddle. Once the dough comes together in a mass, switch to the dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Dough should clear the sides but stick to the bottom. If it is too sticky, add 1 T of flour at a time. If too dry, add 1 T of water to dough to adjust. After 2 minutes, let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
3. Turn the mixer on again and mix for 3 minutes. Take the dough out and place on the 1/4 cup of flour that we reserved flour We’ll use it now. As you knead the dough by hand, incorporate more flour as you need. You might not need it all. Knead by hand until the dough is very satiny, smooth, tight and formed into a nice, compact ball.
4. Place this dough in a large lightly oiled bowl (I use Pam spray). Turn dough over so that all sides have a thin coating of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Dough should almost double in size.
5. About 1 hour into the rest stage, preheat your oven to 450F (convection 425F). Place your pizza stone, inverted baking sheet or covered cast iron pot into the oven to heat up.
6. Cut the dough into half – you’ll shape one half at a time (keep the other piece under wraps) Pick up the dough – stretch it out until it forms a big rectangle. On your counter top dusted with flour, fold each long side in toward the middle, slightly overlapping.
7. Now do a little “karate chop” lengthwise down the middle of the bread and stretch out the long ends again. Fold over in half lengthwise and pinch all sides shut. This is important – you want to make sure that all ends including the short ends are pinched tightly to create a seal. This allows the bread to rise & expand up and out evenly. If the bread looks a little lopsided, you can try to fix it by letting it rest 5 minutes and gently stretching it out again. Just don’t knead the dough again – you’ll pop all the beautiful gas that took 1.5 hours to create!
8. Turn the bread over so that its seam side down. Cover the loaf with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with the other dough halve. Leave the loaves to rest on your well-floured pizza peel or cutting board for 30 minutes. After resting, take a sharp paring knife and make 3-4 shallow, diagonal slashes on the surface of the loaf. This allows the steam in the bread to escape so that it expands evenly during the baking process.
9. When you are ready to bake, remove your baking vessel. Carefully slide the gorgeous loaf into or onto your baking vessel. I like baking one loaf at a time. The most important equipment to have is an instant read thermometer to measure temperature of the bread.

If you are using pizza stone or inverted baking sheet: You can probably fit both loaves on it at the same time if you wish. -> Get a 1/2 cup of water ready next to the stove. Open the stove, put your bread in the oven and throw the water on the oven floor. Immediately close the oven door. This creates your steam. -> Bake 20-25 minutes. Check temperature of the bread – internal should be 190-210F. Remove and let cool before cutting into it.

If you are using a long cast-iron pot or covered baker: -> Before closing the lid on your pot/baker, put 1/4 cup of water directly in the pot. Cover immediately. Put pot in oven. -> Bake 10 minutes. Remove lid of pot. Bake another 14 minutes. Check temperature of the bread – internal should be 190-210F. Remove and let cool before cutting into it. Repeat with other loaf. (For convection ovens- bake 8 min covered, 10-12 min uncovered. Check temperature of bread) To re-crisp the crust, put in 375F oven for 5 minutes. Eat one loaf, share the other loaf with a friend!

*I have tons of active dry yeast, so I always use this and proof it with the water and sugar before adding the other ingredients. If you have the instant or rapid rise yeasts, you can follow the directions on the link.

Homemade Falafel and Pitas

I've been in a bit of a funk lately with dinner, so when someone posted a falafel recipe on a blog I watch, I decided I wanted to make some. I just love that stuff. I modified the recipe, so in order to remember what I did, I'm going to write it down. Matt said it was the best falafel and pita I've ever made. Boom.

Falafel: makes enough to stuff about 3 full pita rounds (6 halves cut open)
1/2 C dried bread crumbs
handful flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp (just shook it in?) turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 lg. egg
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp olive oil

Place everything in a food processor; process mixture until smooth. Divide mixture into 16-18 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Heat additional olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties, and cook until patties are browned on both sides. I had to add oil every time I put a new batch in the pan.

Salad with a dill sauce: (I know falafel is usually served with cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, but I didn't have cucumbers nor did I have tahini. This worked out really well and complimented the falafel well)
Romaine Lettuce, chopped thinly
2 Tbsp (ish) mayo
3 Tbsp (ish) sour cream thinned with milk to a yogurt consistency*
a generous amount of dried dill
a splash or two of lemon juice

Mix it all together.

*Or just use plain yogurt! I just didn't have any on hand.

Pitas: Makes 8 whole pita rounds. I've made these 3-4 times now and I have vowed to never buy store pitas again. They are soooooo much better! The original recipe is here.

Ingredients
1 1/8 C. warm water (about 110*)
3 C. AP Flour
1 tsp salt (I always use kosher in baking)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1. Preheat oven to 500*.  Place all ingredients in bread pan of bread machine, select Dough setting and start. Move on to step 2 after machine beeps and is done.

2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surgace. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife or dough cutter, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-7 in. circle. Set aside on a lightly floured counterop and cover with a tea towel until you put it in the oven.

3. Place 2-3 pitas on a wire cookie cooling rack. Place rack directly on the oven rack. Bake 4-5 min. until puffed and top is beginning to brown.

4. Remove from oven and immediately place on a plate and put a damp kitchen towel over them until soft. Onve pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge to fill the pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Glorious. Stuff the halved pitas with the salad a falafel and enjoy!

A better burger bun

I've made buns before, but I tried a new recipe today (see a trend?) and it was FABULOUS. It's pretty much a King Arthur's Beautiful Burger Bun recipe, but I used bread flour instead of All Purpose. Oh, and since I didn't have instant yeast I proofed mine in warm water with the sugar. The result was super delicious.

A better burger bun- 8 buns

3/4 C. water
2 Tbsp butter
1 large egg
3 1/2 C. bread flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp yeast

Directions

1. If using active dry yeast, proof it in the water with the sugar and add the rest of the ingredients after it bubbles. If using instant yeast, just add all the ingredients at the same time.
2. Knead by hand or mixer. (If using a mixer, know mine was a stickier dough and did not clear the sides of the bowl. I had to scrape it down a couple times.) Form it into a ball if it isn't already.
3. Place it in a greased (I used spray) bowl and cover it for 1 hour or until double.
4. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a 1"(ish) thick and about 3 in. across.
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise 30-60 min. or until very puffy.
   
6. Lightly brush with an egg wash.
7. Bake at 375* for 12-15 min. or until golden.

A better flour tortilla

I have used the same tortilla recipe for about 8 years now, but I've always felt they lacked in the texture department. After having fresh tortillas in the store that had great texture but horrible taste, I set out to find a better tortilla recipe. I ended up mixing my original recipe with a recipe I found online (can't find it now or I'd link it).

I've made these a couple times with minor variations in cooking technique, but tonight's tortillas were the best so I'm set to type it up now. =)

Flour Tortillas-makes 8 large tortillas
Ingredients:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt (I'm sure regular salt works fine, but I always cook with kosher)
1/4 C vegetable shortening

3/4 C warm milk

Directions:

1. Mix together first 4 ingredients, cutting in the shortening with a pastry cutter or two knives or forks.
2. Add the warm milk a little at a time until completely incorporated.
3. Flour a workspace and dump out dough. It'll probably be a little sticky, so flour your hands and have a little extra flour on the side. Hand kneed the dough for about 5 min.
   
4. Put in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let it sit for about 15-20 min. If it's too tough or rubbery, let it sit a few more min.
5. After 20 min. cut the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll these pieces into balls.* Flatten into a disk and roll into tortillas. It's okay if they're not quite as large as you want them. Cover and let sit another 5-10 min.**
   
6. Warm up a cast iron skillet (or a non-stick pan, but honestly, they cook better on cast iron) Keep it dry-don't add oil or anything. Once the pan is nice and hot, slap your tortillas on about 30 seconds on each side (more or less depending on how hot your pan really is). If your pan is hot enough, they'll start to puff up and get big bubbles. Keep the cooked ones warm under a clean kitchen towel until you're ready to eat. them

*If you used a stand mixer to knead, you may need to let them sit for another 10 min. at this point. If your dough is ever too elastic or rubbery, just let it sit a bit longer to relax.
**I have stacked them in between pieces of wax paper and put them in a ziploc in the fridge for a couple hours. It worked just fine after sitting a couple hours, but the next day the final product was a little brittle and not quite chewy.

Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna

I whipped this up last night on the fly. Nothing too fancy, but it was good.

Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna-8X8 pan so about 4-6 servings
1 small container ricotta cheese
1/2-1 can artichoke hearts
a couple good handfuls of fresh spinach (2 cups?), chopped thinly
a couple handfuls of shredded mozzarella (plus some to top)
some fresh parmesan (if you have it)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
fresh nutmeg to taste (I grate it on the small side of my cheese grater.)
fresh ground pepper to taste
salt to taste
Red sauce
1 egg

8-9 lasagna noodles, depending on the type you use

Directions

1. Combine all filling ingredients except the egg. I don't pre-cook the spinach. I always add the egg last so I can actually do my spices "to taste". Add the egg and mix well.
2. If you're using the noodles you pre-cook, you only need 8 noodles because you'll have to cut off the long end to fit the pan. I just used the pieces I cut off to make up the last noodle. So, cook or don't cook the noodles, depending on the type.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, place 3 noodles on the bottom. Spread a layer of filling, sauce, 3 more noodles, repeat till you've used it all up. End with noodles, sauce and top with the reserved mozzarella.
4. Cook for 30-40 min. on 350* covered and then uncover another 10 min. or so to brown the cheese on top.
   

Ideas for vegetable packed main dishes

A friend asked for some help coming up with veggie packed main dishes that her kids would eat.

Here are some of my favorites:

Veggie packed chili:
Chop an assortment of veggies into smallish cubes (carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, corn, hominy)

Saute the veggies until tender (add zucchini a little later than the others since it cooks quickly) and add to canned chili or homemade chili. I have a recipe for homemade if you want that.

Broccoli, Cheese and Rice dish (serves 6-8 as side or 3-4 main)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen, chopped broccoli (or equivalent fresh broccoli, chopped)
1 (7 oz) box long grain and wild rice mix
1 Tbsp butter
salt to taste
2 Tbsp. flour
1 C. evaporated milk
1 C. cheddar cheese
*You can also add cooked chicken to make it heartier...*

Lightly coat a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. If using frozen broccoli, microwave for 5 min. and drain. If using fresh, just chop it up. Add to baking dish. Prepare rice according to package. Add to baking dish. Suate onion and add to dish. Melt butter in the onion pan and stir in salt and flour. Add milk gradually, stirring to mix well. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 min. Take off heat and stir in cheese until melted. Add cheese sauce to dish and stir. Bake at 350 for 30 min.


Chicken and Broccoli Braid
This is good, though I don't always add the dill. You can change the chicken to broccoli ratio so there is more broccoli and less chicken. You can also use pizza dough if you don't want to use the crescents. I have another variation that uses cream cheese and you roll them into individual bundles if anyone's interested.


Summery Baked Tomatoes
While I've never tried this, I just saw it today and it looks delicious.

Taco Salad (a suggestion, but if you need a recipe, ask) or Something like Cafe Rio Salad


Cold Tortellini Salad-serves 8
16 oz cheese tortellini, cooked to al dente, drain and rinse

Optional additions:
1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 can pitted black olives
Your choice of type and amount of chopped: broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, red or green onion, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, feta, or parm. cheese

Dressing:
1/4 c. olive oil
3/4 C. balsamic vinegar
garlic salt to taste

Add veggies and cheese to cooked pasta. Combine dressing ingredients and mix into salad. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss again before you serve to see if you need to add a bit more dressing.


Cold veggie pizza

Easy Bean and Rice burritos with Veggie add ins

Vegetable Quesadillas - serves 2-3
1 Zucchini, cubed
1/2 Onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 garlic clove pressed or diced
fresh lime juice from 1 lime
Taco seasoning packet (not necessarily the whole thing...I just make my own concoction, so I don't know how much you'd need of this...to taste) or your own mixture of chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and salt
Cheese (mozz. is low fat but not high flavor. I don't mind using it. You can use a mexican blend, asedero cheese, cheddar or Colby or Monterrey jack. Whatever you love.)
Large flour tortillas (I use burrito sized, but soft taco sized would work for kids)
A drizzle of oil to saute veggies

Directions:
Saute the onion and bell pepper. Just before they are tender, add in the zucchini and garlic. Sprinkle seasonings and lime over the top, adding a little more oil if necessary. Season with salt to taste. Take off the burner.

Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, top with veggies, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Fold over and cook on a cast iron pan (med. heat) until cheese melts and tortilla's toasty.

Shredded zucchini and egg:
Shred zucchini and saute. Pour scrambled eggs over top and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover to help melt. Serve with veggie sides and rolls or bread.

June Daring Baker: Bakewell Tart/Pudding

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

I'd never heard of this, but was excited to make it since the hosts' pictures looked so tantalizing. I as I was making it, I thought it was going to turn out perfectly. By the picture you can tell that it didn't quite turn out perfectly!

When it finished cooking I thought back to where I went wrong since the top got a little too brown and the frangipane was the wrong consistency (and the middle was not quite done). As I thought about it, I realized I did a few things wrong:

1. The pie pan I thought was 9" was really larger...9 1/2 or 10 in. Oops.
2. I totally forgot to put the flour in the frangipane! My 18 mo. old was "helping" me cook, and I just got too distracted. Plus I can always use my "I'm 9 mo. pregnant!" excuse since pregnancy seems to make me very forgetful in the kitchen.
3. My crust seemed waaaayyy too dry after adding the amount of water in the recipe, so I added an extra Tbsp. I think that made it too wet. It didn't taste bad, I think it's just not quite what it should have been.
   
4. I rolled the shortening crust a little too thin since my pan was too big.
   

Despite my errors, the taste of this was actually quite good. It got pretty brown (though it didn't taste burned), so next time I think I'll check and cover it the last 10 min. if needed. Also, I think doing smaller tartlets (like Audax's) would help with the middle not being done...

I made some low sugar blueberry jam. I just used the Ball no-sugar pectin recipe and added 1 cup of sugar to the whole batch. It worked nicely. I think a tarter jam could have worked well too. Cranberry, apricot, etc. I wouldn't mind trying it again, especially if I were to do mini-tartlets. I think that would be quite nice.


Bakewell Tart...er...Pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability (My homemade stuff didn't need any warming)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Jasmine’s notes:
• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.
• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.
• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.
Annemarie’s notes:
• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Jasmine’s notes:
• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.
• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Annemarie’s notes:
• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).

White Chocolate Blondies with Goodies

I got the base of the recipe from Picky Palate's White Chocolate Butterfinger Blondies, but I made a number of modifications since I didn't have butterfingers on hand! I made these for a funeral today and one of the people in charge of the food hounded me until I got her the recipe! I was in such a rush to get them to the church on time, I didn't get a picture. Matt said he really liked them too.

White Chocolate Blondies with Goodies
1/2 C. butter
1 1/2 C. white chocolate chips

1 C. white sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
2 C. flour (I used 1 C. wheat and 1 C. white with good results)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 C. coconut
3/4 C. chopped walnuts

4 eggs
4 Tbsp sour cream

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350* F
2. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Stir in white chips until melted and smooth. You may have to nuke it a little after you add the chips to help them melt.
3. In a large bowl add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and sour cream. Pour into the dry ingredients along with the melted white chip mixture. Mix until just combined. Incorporate the semi-sweet chips, coconut, and walnuts.
4. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish lined with foil that's been sprayed with cooking spray (for easy clean up. You don't have to do that. Just remember to spray your dish regardless.).
5. Bake for 30-35 min. or until toothpick comes clean from center. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool before cutting.
   

June Daring Cook: Dumpling/Potstickers

This month's challenge was hosted by Jen from Use Real Butter. Thanks for a great challenge! I really enjoyed this one.

I've made potstickers before, but this challenge was still great since I've never made my own wrappers before. Final results: Matt and I loved how the wrappers turned out. We didn't love the pork filling recipe, but it wasn't bad.

I was a little over ambitious and also made vegetable sesame pancake sandwiches (as found at The Dumpling House in NYC). I made that all from scratch as well. While the dinner was quite successful, between the two things it took about 6 hours of cooking after I got home from church!

I steamed the dumplings in a metal basket lined with cabbage leaves.
That worked nicely except I put a few too many in at once and they kind of stuck together.

Here is our whole dinner. The sesame "pancake" bread worked really great after I added a whole lot of extra flour! It was liquid goo after the first rise so I added flour until I could actually handle it. Part of the problem was attempting to do it in the bread maker like the recipe says. Just didn't work the flour in well enough for some reason. I should have just used my KitchenAid.

Final product was really great though. We stuffed it with yellow squash, red onions, zucchini, and carrots. The sauce on it could have used a little help, but it was still good. We served the dumplings with soy sauce and a Chinese red chili sauce.

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

pork filling:

1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.