Lasagna

Well I never would have imagined this, but guess what I have become?  I have become the woman who brings other families lasagnas when something bad happens.  This is shocking to me for a number of reasons.  First of all, if you had told me two years ago that I'd be bringing dinner to anyone, I wouldn't have believed it.  Secondly, and most importantly, I hate lasagna.  Or at least I used to.

I'm sure you remember my old posts ranting about the people who bring lasagnas.  We unfortunately frequently had bad things happen in my family growing up, and lots of people were kind enough to bring food.  We looked forward to some people's (Tammy and her Olive Garden stuff, Courtney's mom and her ham and her soup, etc.) but I always dreaded the lasagnas.  Part of it was the meat.  The other part was just the sheer number of them.  I think when something bad happens, people want to bring something hearty, filling, and easy to heat up again, and thus the lasagnas.  I know I've told the story before, but one time there were literally 7 lasagnas in my freezer.

Meat sauce!  Yikes.

I have since given up my intense hatred of lasagna.  I realized over the last couple years that I just hate the traditional hamburger, sausage and red sauce lasagna.  I like Mexican lasagna, the white sauce and vegetarian lotsa green lasagna, summer lasagna, and I have made lasagna roll-ups more times than I can count.

So, imagine my panic when a friend's father passed away and I offered to cook him dinner, and he asked for lasagna.  And when I offered the above recipes, he said, "make it with meat.  Hamburger."  YIKES.  And thus I became the woman who makes meat lasagnas for people.

I resorted to the Pioneer Woman for this one.  She never steers you wrong when it comes to comfort food.  Plus she called this recipe The Best Lasagna. Ever.  That sounded promising.

The recipe was discomforting, I won't lie.  There was hamburger and sausage in there.  Hot breakfast sausage, nonetheless!  And you make a meat sauce with it.  Yeesh.  Then there's dried basil and parsley - not fresh - and it calls for cottage cheese rather than ricotta.  Oh, and it asks for the fake parmesan cheese.  You know - the one that comes in a container that is nowhere near the refrigerator, and it smells like feet and has no resemblance to cheese?  And sliced mozzarella cheese that you just lay over the top.  Sounds bizarre, doesn't it?!  Put all these ingredients together and you get.... what my I have been told is the best lasagna ever.  I know, I didn't see that coming either.  I made two lasagnas, one for my friend and one for my family.  My mom declared it the best lasagna ever, and Rach agreed.  All traces of it were gone and taken to work the next day.  My friend agreed that it was a great lasagna and his mom even asked for the recipe.  I can't tell you my opinion because I didn't go anywhere near that meaty casserole, but for all you carnivores out there, if you are lasagna people, this may be the next recipe you need to try.

Recipe:

lasagna
from the Pioneer Woman 
serves 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound hot breakfast sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 ounce) whole tomatoes
2 cans (6 ounce) tomato paste
4 tablespoons dried parsley, divided
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 cups lowfat cottage cheese
2 whole beaten eggs
1/2 cup grated (not shredded) parmesan cheese
1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
1 package (10 ounce) lasagna noodles

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat until browned.  Drain half the fat.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, 2 tablespoons basil, and 1 teaspoon salt.  After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.

3) In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt.  Stir together well.  Set aside.  Cook lasagna until a dente.

4) To assemble: arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary.  Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles.  Spread evenly.  Cover cottage cheese with a layer mozzarella cheese.  Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

5) Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture.  Sprinkle top generously with extra parmesan.

6) Either freeze, refrigerate for up to 2 days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, to until top is hot and bubbly.

Poppy Seed Bread

Buttery, almond-flavored bread, studded with poppy seeds and topped with a sweet crusty glaze... what's not to like?

I was intrigued by it as soon as it popped up on Pinterest.  Plus I made the mistake of buying a giant container of poppy seeds once.  I think I have only made a couple recipes with them, but really I don't see why, because even though they get stuck in your teeth, they're awesome little guys.

This recipe makes two loaves of bread, which I was a little nervous about because we don't always eat tons of baked goods in my house, but I needn't have worried.  One entire loaf was gone by the next morning!  I will confess to cutting slices of it long after you would have expected it to be totally stale; it lasted longer than I thought it would; maybe the glaze locked the moisture inside?

The weird thing about the recipe is that it calls for almond extract, vanilla extract, and butter extract.  No idea what butter extract is, but I don't know why anyone would use fake butter when you cam just melt the real deal and use that instead.  That's what I did.

Oh and did I mention how easy this bread is?  Here are the instructions: mix all ingredients together.  I so love it when recipes say that.  It really gives you no excuse not to make it.

One last note - don't skip the glaze.  Besides my hunch that it keeps the bread fresh longer, it adds such a great texture contrast with that great crunch, not to mention the fact that it tastes great.  It's made with more of the 3 extracts, sugar, and orange juice.  Amazing.

Recipe:

poppy seed bread
from The Girl Who Ate Everything
makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:
for bread:
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/8 cups cooking oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon butter flavor extract (or melted butter)

for glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavor extract (or melted butter)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans, or 6 small loaf pans.

2) Mix all of the bread ingredients together.  Pour into pans.  Bake for 50 - 60 minutes for large loaf pans and less for smaller pans.

3) For the glaze, pour all ingredients into a small saucepan and let cook on stove on medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Remove bread from pans and pour glaze over warm bread.  Use knife or spatula to bring the glaze that has run off up and over the warm bread until it stays on.

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Our last day of Christmas vacation - which by the way got extended by 2 snow days and was thus a full gorgeous 2 weeks - a bunch of the Compounders decided to go play ice hockey.  They all trekked down early, and Mom, Rachael and I drove down to watch (hey give me credit for hiking home in the snow... I was exhausted).  I thought it was a perfect day to cook up something warming and hearty.  My mom had been asking for a beef stew lately... well, you know me and meat, but even I have been known to eat a beef stew (especially Gram's!) every now and then (mostly picking around the beef).   I also figured this would be a minimal-meat-touching meal.  I decided to get the Pioneer Woman's recipe; she really knows her stuff when it comes to comfort food.  I have a new respect for her amazingness.  More of her recipes coming soon.

It was pretty funny telling my family that we were having stew for dinner.  They all tried to guess what strange type of stew I would be making: lentil?  Quinoa?  I got to say, "no, beef," and watch them all burst into grins.

Browning the beef wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't too bad either.  Then you cook the onions and garlic in the same pan, add some water and beef bouillon, and flavor it with all sorts of interesting things like worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beer (a whole can!), paprika, and even a little sugar.  Carrots and potatoes round out the stew. It simmers for 2 hours, getting all rich and thick and far more complex-tasting than you'd expect.

The end result?  Everyone loved it. My mom said it was the best beef stew ever!  Besides the fact that my family kept yelling that they "loved the meat,"they all agreed the broth was really excellent too.  I wouldn't have minded a bunch of other vegetables, but the carrots and potatoes were delicious in there anyway.  All the leftovers were gone by the next day, and in fact I have already been begged to make this again so many times that I bought the ingredients yesterday.  More beef stew is in our future.

Recipe:

beef stew with beer and paprika
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 pounds stew meat
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12-ounce can beer
4 cups beef stock (or 4 cups water and 4 beef bouillon cubes)
2 cups water (additional, if needed)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 whole carrots, washed, unpeeled, and roughly sliced (I peeled mine)
4 whole new potatoes, quartered
minced parsley (optional)

Instructions:

1) Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown.  Cut pieces in half.  Set aside.

2) Add diced onions to the pot/  Stir and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute.  Pour in beer and beef tock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Add beef back to the pot.  Stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  The liquid should cook down to a thicker state.  If it gets too thick or reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

3)  Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.  If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water to replenish the liquid - I did not have to).  Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

4) Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread.  Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

I brought these peanut butter pretzel truffles to Allie's birthday party.  We had been shopping all day (unfortunately) and got back without that much time before the fiesta.  I wanted to make something easy, quick, and glorious, so I was looking around some blogs on the drive home and came upon these.  They looked amazing, had the whole sweet-and-salty thing that I like, and didn't have to bake so they could be quick.

They were pretty easy actually, and quick considering I never waited for things to cool like I was supposed to.  You basically mix together crushed pretzels, peanut butter, confectionary sugar, and a little butter. That gets rolled into balls - about 2 dozen - and they get dipped in chocolate.  I didn't bother tempering it, but I thought about it.  In the interest of time, and since they would get decorated with peanut butter sauce, I decided I didn't care if they weren't super shiny.  Once they chill (I put mine outside for about 5 minutes; that was the day of the snowstorm and it was about -10 degrees so that chilled them real fast) you mix together peanut butter, milk, and confectionary sugar and use that to decorate the truffles.  Voila: you have peanut butter pretzel truffles.

The end result?  Rave reviews.  And I mean rave.  Allie Snapchatted me the next day pictures of herself devouring the few leftover truffles.  During the party, her boyfriend's dad ate so many that he had to hide from his wife; he even dropped a piece on my boot when he was complimenting me on them, and said he would have still eaten it. They just have a little something for everyone: do you like salt?  There are pretzels.  Do you like chocolate?  They are coated in it.  Are you a peanut butter lover?  It's in there twice.  Basically anyone who walked by them had to grab one, and everyone who ate them loved them.  You can't beat that.

Recipe:

peanut butter pretzel truffles
from Annie's Eats
makes 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients:
for the filling:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectionary sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups crushed pretzels

for coating:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

for the drizzle:
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon milk
4-6 tablespoons confectionary sugar

Instructions:

1) To make the filling, combine the peanut butter, confectionary sugar, butter and pretzels in a medium bowl.  Mix well with a spoon until evenly combined and all ingredients are incorporated.  Roll the mixture into small balls, about 2-3 teaspoons worth each.  You may need to clean your hands between batches to keep the mixture from sticking to your palms.  Place on a baking sheet lined with foil, parchment, or wax paper.  Transfer to the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.

2) Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and heat until melted and smooth.  Temper if desired.  Dip chilled peanut butter pretzel balls in the chocolate, gently shaking off the excess.  Transfer back to the lined baking sheet.  Chill to let chocolate fully set.

3) To make the peanut butter drizzle, combine the peanut butter and the milk in a small bowl.  Microwave briefly, about 15 seconds.  Add in the confectionary sugar and whiz until the mixture is smooth.  Adjust consistency as need with additional sugar/  Drizzle over the coasted truffles.  Let set before packaging or serving.

Key Lime Pie

To be honest, I wasn't even going to post this recipe because the ingredients aren't exactly something you'll run into at the grocery store.  But then Mark messed up my plans by adding it to his favorite recipe list in his guest post.  I figured I couldn't keep it a secret, even if one of the biggest ingredients came from Sanibel Island!

When we were in Sanibel, we bought a key lime pie at Jerry's.  Alex said it was his favorite, and it was our first night and we still had the whole lovely week stretching ahead of us.  Then I felt extra zealous and bought the ingredients to make my own, assuming we'd finish the one we bought and need fresh pies quickly.  I picked up cream to make whipped cream, a graham cracker crust, eggs, condensed milk, and a bottle of key lime juice.

We ended up not eating the whole pie until the last day; plus I got the flu halfway through the week and never made a single thing in the kitchen.  But I refused to throw the ingredients away - at least the ones that would travel well.  I put the juice and the can of milk in my suitcase and brought them home (please note, Mother dearest, that I did not try to carry them in my carry-on!  My mom ran into some security snafus when she tried to bring peanut butter with her! :) )

I made two pies on New Year's Day, one for us and one to bring to Mark's family party.  I was a little nervous, since it was at his Aunt Kelly's, and she's a caterer!  Mark's mom cut the first slice, and after she took a bite, she said, "oh wow! Very lime-y."  That made me nervous.  But then she kept eating it.  And then she ate a second piece.  Mark and his dad had two pieces, too.  And by the time I went to grab my plate, the whole pie was gone!  Everyone agreed that it was great, and that while the first bite is indeed very "lime-y," it is truly a delicious, tart-but-sweet key lime pie.  I got similar reviews at home.

So I'm sorry if I got you craving key lime pie.  I doubt you'll find the juice at grocery stores around here.  But if you're desperate, feel free to ship a bit of Florida home ;)  Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice delivers!

Recipe:

key lime pie
from the back of Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice bottle

Ingredients:

9-inch graham cracker pie shell (or make your own like I did: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons sugar; mix them together, press it into a plate, and bake for 7-10 minutes)
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice
whipped cream and lime slices, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice.  Blend until smooth.

2) Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

3) Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating.  Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.

Reuben Pigs in Blankets

Yup, pigs in blankets.  With hot dogs.  Real hot dogs.  I'm trying, I really am, to make some meat every now and then for my family.  I can't say that I want to do it often, since after spending time making food, you want to eat it yourself, and I don't want to eat meat.  But still.  I wouldn't call it a New Year's Resolution, but it's a goal.  Hence these pigs in blankets.

My December issue of Food Network Magazine had a whole section of different kinds of pigs in blankets, and I thought that would have minimal meat touching.  I thought the Reuben ones sounded interesting - although not so good for me, because I don't like hot dogs or sauerkraut.  I also felt like it would be Nick's dream snack, so I refused to even tell him about it.  I made it as a surprise one night when we were watching some sort of sporting event (probably football... it's always football).

These are pretty easy, but make sure you have a nice big work space.  You have to be able to roll out the crescent dough, spread sauerkraut and relish on top, add a hot dog, sprinkle it with shredded swiss cheese, and then roll it back up.  Then they get sprinkled with caraway seeds - real reuben style.  I bought mini hot dogs but then let them rot in the fridge before I remembered I wanted to use them, so Kenzie picked up regular-sized ones and I just cut them up (which was gross).  They are served with thousand island dressing.

The final result?  I tried one and wasn't a fan, but that was expected.  Neither was my mom, but she isn't big on sauerkraut either.  I made a double batch and most of them went.  They were pretty flavorful, and it seemed like people were eating more of them than they planned (I was told they were addictive).  But I think I will stick with healthy vegetarian snacks from now on!  All you carnivores out there, you might end up being pretty popular during the next football game if you bring these with you.

Recipe:

Reuben pigs in blankets

from the December issue of Food Network Magazine

makes 24 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons pickle relish

1 8-ounce tube crescent roll

2 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

24 beef cocktail franks

1 large egg, lightly beaten

caraway seeds, for topping

thousand island dressing for dipping

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degres and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine the sauerkraut and relish in a small bowl; set aside.

2) Unroll the crescent dough and pinch the seams together with your fingers.  Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then slide each half crosswise into 12 strips.  Spread about 1 teaspoon of the sauerkraut-relish mixture on each strip of dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border on one short end.  Sprinkle with the cheese.  Place 1 frank on each strip of dough and roll the dough around the frank, pressing lightly to seal.

3) Transfer to the baking sheet seam-side down; brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with caraway seeds.  Bake until the dough is golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Serve with thousand island dressing.

Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Kenzie, I apologize ahead of time for this post.  And for the soup.  I know it combines all your worst ingredients ;)

So.  Lentils and mushrooms!!!  Mmmmmmm!

But in all seriousness, despite the fact that this soup includes Kenzie's worst nightmares, it was soooo good.  No one else in the house would eat it, besides me and my mom.  Everyone hates mushrooms, and as I said, Kenzie also hates lentils.  But that was totally okay with me and Mom: we got to eat it in peace all by ourselves for the next few days.  I was happy to bring it to lunch at work - it almost made going back after our two-week break acceptable :)

This was the first recipe I made when we got home from Florida, and I was feeling climate shock.  It was perfect soup weather (since we were snowed in and enjoying 2 snow days).  We were in need of a nice healthy and hearty soup, full of goodness like mushrooms, carrots, onions, celery and lentils, and flavored with tomato paste, garlic, and thyme.  It ends up tasting a lot like a stew - and with those big meaty mushrooms, I swear you won't miss the meat.  My mom didn't.  And she usually does.  We both seriously loved this soup.  In fact I am currently craving it.  Make it soon.... just not if you are having Kenzie over.

Recipe:

hearty lentil and vegetable soup
from Main Street Cuisine
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly cut into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-ounce package white mushrooms, cut in half or quartered
1 cup lentils
4 carrots, thinly sliced
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 carton vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1) In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add minced garlic and continue to sauté another 1-2 minutes.  Raise heat to medium-high, adding mushrooms and stirring another 3-4 minutes.

2) Add lentils, carrots, celery, vegetable broth, water, tomato paste, and dried thyme.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pot and let simmer for 20 minutes.

3) Taste soup and adjust seasonings with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Vegan Chili

Now before you freak out, no, I'm not suddenly a vegan.  But the vegans have some really great recipes that vegetarians can totally work with.  Sometimes - like in this case - the recipe doesn't have any weird vegan ingredients, and is simply just a super delicious vegetarian food.  Other times it may call for weird stuff like vegan ricotta or fake cheese, and you can just use the real deal.  I've been pinning lots of vegan recipes lately with this in mind!

A friend from high school recently had a baby who has lots of food allergies.  Because she's nursing, she has to be on a super strict diet; she is gluten free, vegan, and even has to be careful about which fruits and vegetables she eats!  I've shared a few recipes with her and kept an eye out whenever she posts recipes herself, because it looks like we have similar tastes.  One day she asked for the best vegan chili recipe, and one of her friends posted this one.  I checked it out and thought it looked awesome - and it is.

I think this might be my favorite chili of all time.  All those delicious vegetables: mushrooms (I left them out to avoid the whining but I want them next time!), two different types of beans, onions, carrots (I love carrots in a chili!), celery, and tomatoes (I left out the sundried ones) combine for a healthy, hearty chili.  The sauce is complex for your average red chili sauce; there is a little sugar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and even some soy sauce in there.

Best of all, it's healthy and filling: one serving gets you 375 calories, 15 grams of fiber and 21 grams of protein.  Well then of course my family and I topped it with cheese and sour cream and I served it with rice, but hey, baby steps!  And really the most important part is that my family really liked it; that is really saying something, because these people love chili and they love meat.  They have a recipe that is their go-to chili, and despite the meat, even I have to agree it's good.  That's why I was a little nervous serving this to them... but it was a success either way :)  Even the leftovers were devoured  quickly.  This is a definite make-again.  I know you're doubtful, but try it.  It's only 2 steps!

Recipe:

vegan chili
from Colorful Palate
serves 8

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions
2 carrots
3 celery sticks
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup cooked pinto beans
2 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup sugar
dash red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:

1) Place the oil in a big cooking pot.  Add the carrots, celery, and onions, and cook for about 7 minutes or so until all the vegetables are tender.

2) Add all the rest of the ingredients and cook until everything is piping hot.

Guest Post #4: Rachael

It's time for another guest post!  Introducing Rachael, my youngest sister.  Rach is fairly easy to please - she only really seems to hate mushrooms and eggs (well, and all Mexican food, which is bizarre).  She also likes healthy stuff and is more apt to eat quinoa or soba noodles than the rest of the family.  However, she's sort of a quiet influence on the blog; she doesn't often complain or rave about things.  I was pretty excited and interested to hear her thoughts actually!  Since it was her birthday yesterday, I thought she'd be a perfect guest poster.  I would have had her post last night, but she was too busy being the birthday girl.  So happy belated birthday, Rachael, and welcome to her guest post!


Please introduce yourself!  
I'm Rachael, Bridget's youngest sister.

What do you think of Bridget's cooking?
I think Bridge's cooking is  pretty awesome. I hate to cook. I love to eat - WINNING.
I like that she is always in the kitchen or on the treadmill these days. It is nice to see her with something other than a book in her hand. 

What do you wish Bridget would change about her cooking?
I wish Bridget would change the quote "BYOI" or "buy your own ingredients". When I get a meal cooked for me i don't want to have anything to do with it - except maybe set the table. :)  I also don't like her famous quote - "Cookers aren't cleaners".  However - she does usually end up doing it all in the end.

I wish Bridget would make more chicken. I understand that all raw meat is gross -- but i miss the protein and the energy it gives me when I eat it. I don't miss red meat at all - so you can keep not making that.

ALSO LESS MUSHROOMS!
LESS MEXICAN.

MORE ITALIAN FOOD OF ANY KIND.

What have been some of your favorite all-time recipes that Bridget has made?
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup!!
Vegetarian steamed dumplings with soy sauce
Chocolate crinkle cookies
bagels
baked ravioli

What were your top 3 recipes from 2013?
MINESTRONE
carrot cake
English muffins

Sugar Cookies

Okay it's my last Christmas cookie post.  Promise.  But I wasn't joking when I said I went into a Christmas cookie baking extravaganza the week before we went on vacation.  Besides the gingerbread cookies, and experimenting with royal icing, I also made these roll-out sugar cookies.  We decorated these with royal icing too, even though there is a frosting recipe attached, which I will post.

This recipe came from my dad's old boss (in fact the recipe is handwritten in Dad's handwriting on an index card, and is titled "Jeff Melvin's X-mas cookies" - I had to ask my mom who Jeff Melvin was.).  Apparently it was his grandmother's recipe, and I can attest to the fact that his grandmother must have been a great baker.  These sugar cookies are really good; crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside, sweet but not too sweet, buttery and delicious.  Top them with royal icing, and you've really got something amazing on your hands.  Or, in your hands, I guess.  Hopefully.

Recipe:

Jeff Melvin's X-mas Sugar Cookies
from Jeff Melvin's grandma :)


Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups flour

Instructions:

1) Mix butter and sugar.  Add milk and soda mixture, and well-beaten eggs.

2) Add vanilla, salt, cream of tartar, and 3 cups flour.  Mix.

3) Add 2 cups flour, and more if necessary.  Chill overnight, or at least 2 hours.

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out onto floured counter.  Cut into desired shapes.  Bake for 10-12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.

Frosting:
Whip 1/2 pound butter.  Add 2 pounds confectionary sugar.  Mix and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add boiling water 1 teaspoon at a time until spreadable.
*frosting recipe can be cut in half and still have lots left, as my mother's handwritten note says!

Royal Icing

As part of the Christmas cookie extravaganza, I decided to try a new frosting recipe and technique.  I've heard a lot about royal icing, and I have been intrigued.  It's absolutely gorgeous: so shiny and matte at the same time, and leaves you lots of room for creativity.  But at the same time, I have been scared to try it out.  I am not so good at decorating or making anything look pretty - as you know; but the night that Rachael and Sam decorated my gingerbread cookies with buttercream, I decided to try it out with their help, as well as my mom's.  I mostly was in charge of making the frosting and doling out supplies while they decorated, and that worked perfectly!

So here's the deal with royal icing: it's pretty awesome.  It makes such lovely cookies, and it also keeps them fresh for longer so you can make them pretty far ahead of time.  Right there you have two big reasons to try it out.  Another reason is that it's fun to decorate with.  Mom, Sam, and Rachael decorated all my gingerbread that night and liked doing it so much that I made a new batch of cookies the next day, and this time Susie and Maggie joined my mom in using it all night.

One last reason: it's easy.  It's only 3 ingredients: powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water.  You mix it up and then separate it into however many colors you want.  Pipe the thick-ish icing onto the outside of all the cookies; this ends up being the barrier.  Then add more water to the icing so that it gets really thin, and you flood the cookie with it, using a toothpick to spread it out evenly.  That's it!  We found that sprinkles sometimes sunk in too much, but edible pearls were gorgeous.  We even got creative, using different colors on one cookie, adding spots, etcetera!  And by we, I really mean they, because I was not so good at the decorating, but I did a heck of a job keeping the frosting ready and dyed and doled out to everyone!  It was a pretty fun weekend.  Two batches of cookies, tons of frosting, and lots of holiday spirit :) One more cookie recipe to share with you next time if gingerbread isn't your thing.  Whatever cookie cutter recipe you use, this icing is definitely something to try out.

Recipe:

royal icing
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
5 tablespoons water, plus more for thinning

Instructions:

1) Combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 5 minutes).  This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating.  Add water a very small amount at a time, and stir each addition until fully incorporated.  Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping.  If you aren't sure, test out a small amount.  If you have any trouble piping, it is still too thick.  Add a little more liquid and try again.

2) Once you have reached the appropriate piping consistency, tint your icing if desired with gel coloring.  Add the coloring a very small amount at a time - you can add more but you can't take it away!

3) Using a pastry bag, pipe a border around the edges of each cookie.  Let stand so the icing will set.  Make sure to keep any icing not in use covered at all times so that it does not begin to harden.  Any time that a bag of icing is not in use, stand upright, tip down, in a very small amount of water.  this prevents the icing in the tip of the pastry bag from hardening up and clogging the tip.

4) Once the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate bowl or container.  Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl.  If you go too far and now the icing is too thin, stir in a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it again.

5) When the icing has been thinned for the desired consistency, let stand about 5 minutes to allow the air incorporated during the thinning process to bubble up to the surface.  Give the icing a gentle stir, popping the bubbles but not incorporating new ones!

6) Transfer the thinned icing to a squeeze bottle or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner, and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie.  If it does not completely spread to the edges on its own, use a toothpick to help it along.  If any small air bubbles arise at this point, you can pop them with a toothpick and they should disappear.  Allow to set at least 8 hours or overnight, uncovered.

Swedish Gingerbread Cookies

Right before Christmas, I was feeling in need of some holiday spirit.  We went away for Christmas this year, and while that was an absolutely perfect idea for us, it did feel a little strange to not be buying and wrapping presents, decorating the house, and doing other Christmasy things.  Mark helped me and my mom feel a little spirited when he took us to Christmas by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge Village one Friday night, and then the next day, I began my Christmas cookie extravaganza.  I made two different types of cookies, two different types of frostings, and we decorated and baked for the whole weekend!  It was actually a lot of fun, and I have lots of cookie things to share, but for today, all I'll do is give the recipe for the best gingerbread cookie you've ever had: Swedish gingerbread cookies.

This is another one of the handwritten recipes from our orange recipe files.  It's in my aunt Betsy's handwriting, but other than that, I have no source, nor any idea on what makes it Swedish.  It's a pretty easy recipe; the dough does need to be chilled though, so keep that in mind if you're trying to rush!

The combination of flavors of ginger, molasses, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves makes for a sweet, spicy, warm-tasting gingerbread cookie that is definitely going to be your go-to gingerbread cookie recipe from now on.  This makes a lot of cookies (after all, there is almost 4 cups of flour in there!) but the number will obviously depend on the size of your cookie cutters as well as how thick you roll the dough out.  It made 2 trays of cookies for me, ranging from tiny little angels to big gingerbread people, and most of them had been devoured by the next day!

Note: Rach and Sam decorated these ones with a buttercream frosting.

Recipe:

Swedish Gingerbread Cookies
from my Aunt Betsy

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange peel
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon water
3 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Instructions:

1) Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and mix well.

2) In separate bowl, mix orange peel, molasses and water together.  Beat into mixture.

3) Mix flour, baking soda, and spices and beat into mixture.  Form a ball and chill until cold.

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll cookies out and use cooke cutters to cut into desired shapes.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.

Guest Post #3: Mark

If you really wanted to know what my darling fiancé Mark thinks of my cooking, you'll have to ask him in person.  He'd talk your ear off in real life, but in writing, he's a man of few words.  

The good news about Mark is that he likes almost everything.  He is into eating healthy and loves things like quinoa.  He really only hates eggs (this is new) and ground chicken (which I also hate), and he is always willing to try the weird things that I create.  He's a great sport, and for that reason, he will be a well-fed husband!  Love you, Marky!

Please introduce yourself!  
Mark Ajemian, famous local celebrity.

What do you think of Bridget's cooking?
She is a very good cook, who tries to make healthy but tasty foods and meals.

What do you wish Bridget would change about her cooking?
Add a little more spice and protein.  Some of her meals can not be spicy enough or not have enough protein, which will make you hungry soon after.

What have been some of your favorite all-time recipes that Bridget has made?
tortilla soup with black beans, quinoa salad with watermelon and feta, baked falafel with tzatziki

What were your top 3 recipes from 2013?
key lime pie (recipe soon to come!), Olive Garden minestrone soup, French onion soup with braised short ribs.

Cheese, Olive and Buttermilk Herb Bread

I pinned this bread a long time ago, but never got around to making it.  Finally when we had the Moriartys over for dinner a few weeks ago, Kenzie made spaghetti and meatballs, so I decided to make this to go with it.  I knew that Anne really loves olives (apparently Jim hates them but I didn't know that then!) and the pictures of it made it look so beautiful.  I was weirdly excited to try it out.  I feel like I make plenty of sweet quick breads, but there aren't too many savory ones out there.

This bread has a lot of flavor; there are 2 types of cheese, green olives of course, and lots of herbs like parsley and thyme.  It also called for sun dried tomatoes, but I didn't add any since none of us are too keen on them.  You also put an egg wash on it so it gets that beautiful golden brown shine.  While it's baking, the whole house smells amazing, and when it's done, I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful loaves of bread I've ever made!  Don't you agree?

As for the taste, it's amazing.  Very flavorful.  As I said, Jim hates olives, but even he ate more than one piece and just picked out the olives!  We ate the loaf pretty quickly - and it's soooo good while it's still warm.  It's a very delicious savory quick bread!

Recipe:


cheese, olive and buttermilk herb bread
1) Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter a large loaf tin and either line it with buttered parchment paper or dust with flour. Set tin aside.

from Sugar & Everything Nice

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup green olives, sliced
8 pieces sundried tomatoes, sliced thinly (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup mixture of spring onion and Italian parsley
2 teaspoon thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (or use 1 1/4 cup less 1 Tbsp fresh milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes before using)
Egg wash (optional) made from 1 egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoon water
Extra thyme springs and sea salt, for topping

Instructions:


2) Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, pepper and mustard powder into a large bowl. Whisk to incorporate the dry ingredients. Add both cheeses, olives, sundried tomatoes, spring onion, parsley and thyme and stir them thoroughly together.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the oil and buttermilk until they are well combined.

4) Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir together to form a thick, sticky batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly.

5) Brush the top of the batter with the egg wash and then srpinkly some thyme leaves and sea salt onto the loaf.

6) Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. If the top starts to burn, place a piece of foil to cover the top of the loaf and continue baking. Leave in tin for 5 minutes before turning ot onto a wire rack.

7) This loaf is best served on the same day. Wrap left overs tighly and store in fridge. Gently reheat in oven if serving left overs.

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

Happy New Year!  Bring it on, 2014!

You know how much I love desserts with wow factor, and I have found that few cookies have it.  Cookies are great and bite-sized and delicious and fun to make, but rarely do people look at them in awe - except, of course, for these chocolate raspberry rugelach (and actually another recipe I will be sharing later this month!).  They are rolled up cookies, with raspberry jam and finely chopped chocolate and pecans peeking out, and are shiny and sparkly with coarse sugar sprinkled on top.  They are pretty but also delicious; the dough is a cream cheese-based dough, and the raspberry and chocolate seem to please all the dessert types, those who like fruity and those who like chocolate.  Add the pecans in there and there is something for everyone!

I made the dough the day before; it has to chill for 2 hours and I made them too late at night to do much of anything after that.  The next day, I rolled thirds of it out into a circle (okay, fine, into a sort-of-circle) and coated it with jam, then cinnamon-sugar, then chocolate, then nuts.  Then I used a pizza cutter to separate it into 16 slices, and rolled each one up from the bottom.  A quick egg wash and a sprinkling of sugar, and just under a half hour in the oven, and you have rugelach!  A little extra work, sure, but a great cookie to make at the holidays.  Just looking at them makes you feel festive.

Recipe:

chocolate raspberry rugelach  
from Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients:
dough:
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

fillings:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons pecans, toasted and finely chopped (walnuts and almonds work as well)
1/2 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or miniature chocolate chips

glaze:
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
coarse or sanding sugar, for sprinkling, or additional cinnamon-sugar

Instructions:

1) Make the dough: in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until they are light and fluffy.  In a medium bowl, combine the salt and flour, then pour flour mixture into the mixer.  Beat on a lower speed until the flour just disappears.  Scrape dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape as best as you can into a flat packet.  Wrap well in plastic and chill in fridge for two hours or up to three days.  The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

2) Prepare the baking sheets: line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

3) Prepare the fillings: heat your jam in a small saucepan until it simmers.  This will loosen it, so it will be easier to spread thinly.  If your jam has seeds, you can push the warm jam through a fine-mesh strainer to remove them.  Set warm jam aside.

4) Grab 4 small dishes.  Stir together your cinnamon and sugar in one and set it aside.  In your second dish, put the pecans.  In your third bowl, put the chocolate.  In the last one, whisk together the egg yolk and water until it is smooth.  While you're getting organized, you'll also want to take out a rolling pin, flour for the counter, a small offset spatula or butter knife for spreading the jam, a knife or pastry wheel for cutting the dough, a spoon for the dry toppings, a large pier of waxed paper to help set the fillings, and a brush for the egg wash.

5) Assemble the rugelach: divide your chilled dough into thirds.  On a well-floured counter, roll the first third (the remaining two can go back into the fridge until needed) into a large, thin circle about 12 inches in diameter - but please, no need to trim the edges or fuss if it is slightly larger or smaller.

6) Spread two to three tablespoons of jam thinly onto the dough.  Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar, 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate, and 1 tablespoon chopped nuts.  Use your piece of waxed paper to gently press the toppings into the dough so that they don't spill out once rolled.  You can set the paper aside for the remaining batches.  Use your knife to divide the dough into 16 wedges.  Roll each wedge tightly from the outside to the center.  Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheet - keeping the pointed end of each rugelach tucked underneath - and space them 1 inch apart.  Pop the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.

7) Bake the rugelach: before baking, brush the rugelach with the egg yolk wash.  Sprinkle with coarse or sanding sugar or extra cinnamon-sugar.  Bake the rugelach for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown.  Transfer the rugelach to cooling racks while they are still hot - this is important because the jam that spills out will harden as it cools, making the cookies harder to remove from the paper.  Serve cooled or lukewarm.