Banana Carrot Dog Treats

I am up and about early this morning because I have two dog-sitting jobs today!  Can I even call that a job?  Because I would have done it for free :)  Anyway, I figured I should use this time to post another recipe from my picture-less backlog.  And how appropriate that my post is for dog treats?

I like to make homemade dog treats; I like that they aren't from China and packed with weird things. Plus I like to bake for the ones I love, and I love no one more than my girls (sorry everyone else).  I had some black bananas and had to make either some banana bread, or some banana carrot dog treats!  The dogs won out.

These treats are made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal, and flavored with banana, carrot, optional brown sugar, and parsley (which also helps with bad breath!).  Some coconut oil and an egg hold everything together.  They get baked, and then left in the oven for 20 minutes to harden like store-bought dog biscuits.  I made big ones and small ones so that Poppy, Ginny and Delilah would all have proper sizes.  They loved them!  Then again, Ginny eats poop so we can't exactly take her word for it!  :)

Recipe:

banana carrot dog treats
from Homemade Dog Treats Now

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cook oatmeal
1 banana, mashed or pureed in a food processor
2 carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional; I left it in)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 egg

Instructions:

1) Grease baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir until well-combined.

3) Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface.  Press flat with your hands or use a rolling pin to roll dough to 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness.  Cut out using cookie cutters.

4) Place cookies on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Pull out the cookies after baking for a softer treat, or crack oven door and leave the sheet in there for 20 minutes for treats to harden.  Store in an airtight container in a refrigerator, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake

It's been a while, huh?  Don't worry, I am doing just fine. I had a great week off on vacation last week, but then I had a phone-tastrophe, and lost everything, from my photos to my contacts to my texts.  I have since come to terms with this disaster, but I have some bad blog news: this is not good news for you.  This means that I have lost pictures of the next few recipes to share, and also that I am sure that I will be forgetting some of them!  I use the pictures to remind me what recipe is next up to share, so we will simply have to rely on my memory.  I know of a few good ones, but the mediocre ones are hazy (maybe that's not a bad thing!).  I knew that this was the next one on my list though, so deal without pictures and use your visualizing skills!

Actually the more I remember, the more I think that this is a good post to have without pictures.  I sort of burned this cake.  But now you can just picture it perfectly browned, and not sorta black on the sides!

So, grapefruit cake!  My mom and Kenzie had brought me grapefruits from Florida back in February per my request.  I think grapefruits are one of my favorite fruits.  I ate all but one, which was getting a little soft and not perfect for eating, but perfect for baking with!  I know there are about a million recipes for baking with oranges or lemons, but why not grapefruit?  Where is the grapefruit love?  A little Googling led me to Smitten Kitchen (love her) and her grapefruit yogurt cake.  It uses both grapefruit zest in the cake, and the juice that you pour over the cake while it's still warm.  Mmmmm.  Plus there is a glaze with even more grapefruit juice that gets drizzled over the cake right before you go to town on it.  Sheer grapefruit perfection.  It's a super grapefruity, super moist cake that stays good for days, and you can even pretend it's breakfast food.  I did anyway ;)

Recipe:

grapefruit yogurt cake
from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (divided)
3 extra large eggs (not only did I use extra large, I used duck eggs! Fun fact)
1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest (approximately one large grapefruit)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
for glaze:
1 cup confectionary sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Instructions:

1)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.  Grease and flour the pan.

2) Soft together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, grapefruit zest, and vanilla.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

3) Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear.  Set aside.

4) When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan 10 minutes.  Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.  While the cake is still warm, pour the grapefruit juice-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.  Cool.

5) For the glaze, combine the confectionary sugar and grapefruit juice and pour over the cake.

Creamy Cauliflower Chowder

It seems kind of crazy to be posting about soup on a day when I left my doors and windows open all day, talked about opening the pool, and worse short sleeves and a skirt... but then again, two weeks ago today, I had a snow day.  #newengland, am I right?

I am sure it will be soup weather again in no time (although, as much as I love soup, I am not rushing it... I love when my house isn't 50 degrees).  When it happens, this soup will go into immediate rotation.   I love cauliflower anything these days, so I was intrigued by this soup.  I recently made a different roasted cauliflower soup, but it was totally pureed, and my favorite soups have some heft to them.  This one isn't pureed at all, so there are cauliflower florets, carrots, onions and celery.  Plus there's dried thyme, roasted garlic, and shredded cheddar cheese.  Are you drooling yet?  It's thick, hearty, and delicious, and it reheats well.

It might not be soup weather today, but if it was, this would be your dinner.  Set it aside for a rainy day; I'm sure it's coming!

Recipe:

creamy cauliflower chowder
from Two Peas and their Pod
serves 6

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 15-ounce cans vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place chopped cauliflower and garlic cloves on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place pan in the oven and roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender, stirring once.  Remove from oven and set aside.

2) In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3) Finely chop the roasted garlic cloves.  Add the garlic, roasted cauliflower, bay leaf, and dried thyme to the pot.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir.  Cook until flour disappears.

4) Pour in the vegetable broth and stir.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the milk and shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and chowder is creamy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Blueberry Pie with a Twist

Well hey there, April vacation!  Long time no see!  And the last time I saw you, you totally ruined my life, but this week is off to a great start already.  Only two days in and I've already gotten a sunburn, gone on two walks, seen some friends, been dog-sitting a precious pug, and had a cookout at my mom's.  Not too shabby, and my 5 days off haven't even officially started till tomorrow!

Anyway, let's talk about summer, because it felt like summer today.  I actually got a sunburn sitting in my backyard drinking coffee.  Heaven (minus the sunburn).  It makes me really look forward to actual summer time: sleeping late, beach days, and fresh local produce!  I recently used my last frozen blueberries to make this blueberry pie, and I am pretty sure that I have thought about the fact that I have no more blueberries fairly nonstop ever since.  I need more, and I need to pick them myself.  Let the countdown to summer begin.

If I was using my last berries, at least it was on this pie.  I was kind of intrigued by it for a few reasons.  First, the pie crust had confectionary sugar in it, which I thought was interesting because most pie dough isn't all that sweet.  Second, the pie filling itself had fun things like cinnamon, allspice, and even red wine in it - in fact, it recommends using blueberry wine if you can find it.  I used regular red wine, but it's definitely something to try out in the future.

I did make the mistake of using whole what flour like the recipe suggests. My family is very prejudiced against whole wheat flour and immediately decide not to like something when they know it's in there.  So I can't really tell you how this pie was.  I didn't have any and no one really raved over it, but I think it was from the pre-judging of the color of the crust!  Please do me a favor and try this pie out, and use all-purpose flour, and tell me how it went!

Recipe:

blueberry pie with a twist
from King Arthur Flour
makes 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients:
for crust:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
4 teaspoons buttermilk powder (optional; I did not have any)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons confectionary sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
5 tablespoons ice water
for filling:
6 cups frozen blueberries
1/3 cup fruity wine, blueberry if possible
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectionary sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
milk and coarse sugar, for brushing and sprinkling over top crust

Instructions:

1) Make the crust.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, buttermilk powder, salt, sugar, and baking powder.  Cut the butter into small cubes and work it into the dry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry blender or fork, or a mixer until the dough is unevenly crumbly.  Sprinkle in the ice water, mixing until the dough is cohesive.  Grab a handful; if it holds together willingly and doesn't seem at all dry or crumbly, you've added enough liquid.

2) Divide the dough roughly in half, making one half slightly larger than the other.  Shape each piece of dough into a disk.  Working with one disk at a time, roll the edges along a floured work surface as though the disk were a wheel in order to smooth them out.  Pat the disks until they are about 1 inch thick, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.

3) Prepare the blueberries.  Place the berries in a large saute pan, preferably 12-inch.  Add the wine.  Simmer the berries gently, over medium-low heat, until the liquid in the bottom of the pan is syrupy.  This will take about 45 minutes.  Remove from heat.  If needed, you can do this the day before and refrigerate the berries.

4) Remove both pieces of dough from the refrigerator.  Allow them to warm a bit and become flexible, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Flour your work surface, and roll the larger piece of dough into a 12-inch circle.  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch regular pie pan that is at least 1 1/4 inches deep.  Leave the edges hanging over the edge of the pan.

5) In a medium bowl, combine the blueberries and their juice, the spices, vanilla, sugars, salt, and lemon juice, stirring to combine.  Mix in the butter, then the flour.

6) Spoon the filling into the crust.  Roll the remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch circle and lay it atop the filling.  Bring the hanging edges of the bottom crust up and over the top crust, rolling and squeezing them together, then crimping decoratively.  Cut three slashes in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.  Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.

7) Bake pie for 30 minutes.  Lay a sheet of aluminum foil gently on top, covering the entire crust.  Bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and you can see the berries bubbling through the slits in the crust.  Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature, at least 5 hours.  I know that seems hard, but it helps everything to thicken up.  If you can't wait, just be prepared for it to be a little messier.

Pizza Roses

Because I am the coolest person ever, I threw a party to watch the Bachelor finale last month, and I made these pizza roses for dinner.  Get it?  As in, I could serve the pizza while  saying, "will you accept this rose?"  Hilarious, I know.  And the best news is that these were so delicious, and really not that hard!  You could make them for Valentine's Day, or a birthday, or just because you feel like having pizza roses. That could happen any day, really.

Because can we talk about how cute these are?  And they are just really delicious and very portable little pizzas.  Win win.

Being me, I made my own pizza dough, but you could easily use store-bought dough.  You can make your own sauce or use a jar - I was lazy and used a jar - and you can customize the toppings.  You could definitely add some fresh basil, or swap out the pepperoni for sliced tomatoes (I was out of tomatoes so I just made some without pepperoni for myself).  Add more cheese or less cheese or olives or pepper or mushrooms... I don't care!  Just make pizza roses!  Will you accept this rose?

Recipe:

pizza roses
adapted from Tasty
makes 6 - 8 roses

Ingredients:
1 pound pizza dough
approximately 65 pepperoni slices (you will need about 8 per rose)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2) Roll out pizza dough into a large, very thin rectangle.  Cover lightly in tomato sauce.  Cut into 6 - 8 long, thin strips.

3)  Place pepperoni along the upper edge of each strip of dough, making sure that the slices of pepperoni overlap each other.  Sprinkle the bottom edge with cheese.  See photo below for a visual (teacher talk!)

4) Roll the dough strips into coils and place in muffin tin with pepperoni facing up.

5) Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until pepperoni edges are crispy and the dough is fully cooked through.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing from tin and asking people to "accept this rose!"

One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

I went back on forth on whether to share this recipe or not, because it was not my most popular.  But I think it was my own fault and not the recipes, so here goes nothing.

I made this one pot spinach and artichoke mac and cheese for a pot luck at school.  Kenzie had made a similar recipe the week before and it was delicious.  I was looking for something that wouldn't take too long because my night was a busy one, and preferably something in a crock pot.  It was on a half day at work where I would not get a single break from the kids to run to the kitchen and put something in the oven, so it needed to be fairly self-sufficent.  After having Kenzie's mac and cheese, I got that in my head, and decided to try to make it the night before, and then heat it up in my slow cooker for the next day.

Yeah that was not my best idea.  It kind of dried it out and the noodles got a bit mushy.  The flavor was still good, but the texture was off.  Luckily I had eaten some the night before and got to experience it at its peak; the spinach and artichokes are a great addition to a cheesy pot of elbow noodles.  I was sure it would be a hit!  And then... no.  I ended up with tons left over.  I brought some to Gram, who has trouble eating anything but mush anyway.  She remarked that it would have been better with some hamburger.  "Um, it's mac and cheese," I explained, but then again Gram hates everything except her own cooking (and she doesn't cook anymore, so she hates everything except Cheetos).

I did give some to Christy, who liked it and had the Tupperware back to me within the hour, and ate plenty for leftovers (for about a million years).  I don't think was an epic fail.  Please redeem this dish for me.  Make it, don't dry it out, and then tell me if it went over better for you!

Recipe:

one pot spinach and artichoke mac and cheese
from House of Yumm
serves 6 and I doubled it... sigh

Ingredients:
14 ounces small elbow macaroni noodles
8 ounces shredded jack cheese
4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
14-ounce can artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained (squeeze out all the excess water)
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1) In a large pot, boil salted water and add in the macaroni noodles.  Boil while stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes until soft.  Drain water and return noodles to the pot.  Reduce heat to low.

2) Add in the milk, butter, and cheese.  Stir until well combined and the cheese is completely melted.

3) Add in the spinach and artichokes.  Stir until well combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and do not dry it out and turn everything to mush in a slow cooker!

Pan-Fried Orange Tofu

I am super excited about this orange tofu (the vegetarian version of Chinese orange chicken) recipe. Here's proof: I made it recently, obviously, since I am blogging about it now, but also, I went grocery shopping on Sunday and bought the ingredients to make it again. I very rarely make anything twice at all, never mind twice in one month!  But that's how good this is.

Now, before you judge me and skip the whole post because it says tofu, just hold on a second.  Yes, it's tofu, but it is probably my most favorite tofu recipe ever.  Plus, if you really cannot imagine yourself eating tofu, fine. Use chicken and make there moe traditional orange chicken. Just don't miss out on this sauce!!!!

Okay, so this is the most amazing orange sauce on the planet: sweet, savory, thick, healthy and amazing. Oh, and it's super quick too!  Totally doable for a weeknight (or even while you make another meal, like I did when I roasted a chicken).  Serve this baby over rice and I promise you, you will not regret it.  In fact, your stomach will growl and your mouth will water when you talk about it (or blog about it, in my case) and you will vow to make it for your dinner ASAP.

Recipe:

pan-fried orange tofu
from Crazy Vegan Kitchen
serves 2

Ingredients:
8 ounces firm tofu, cubed
2 2/3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided (vegetable is fine)
1 small red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 red chili, sliced
2 scallions, sliced
for juice:
zest and juice of 1 large orange
1 tablespoon Sriracha
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions:

1) Prepare tofu: heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and lightly sear tofu on all sides to create a crispy crust.  Do it in batches if your pan is not big enough or you will stew the tofu instead of searing it!  When all tofu is seared, set aside on a wire rack or plate lined with a paper towel.

2) Prepare orange sauce: in a bowl, combine all ingredients for suce and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

3) In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and saute garlic, onion and chili for 1 - 2 minutes.  Pour in prepared sauce mixture and stir well.  Once sauce simmers and thickens, add tofu and coat pieces in the orange sauce.  Immediately transfer to a serving dish and serve with jasmine rice.

Roasted Chicken with Veggies

Last month, Poppy threw up at my mom's house two days in a row.  I am fairly certain it's due to her trips to the neighbor's dumpster or her affinity for turkey poop, but either way, she had an upset stomach.  I decided to make chicken and rice for the dogs to settle all bellies.  I grilled my mother on how to prepare chicken and what cuts (do you say cuts of chicken or just beef?) I would find at the grocery store.  When I got there, I found that my cheapest option, surprisingly enough, was an entire chicken.  I was terrified, but I bought it anyway and started frantically texting my mom and Laura, and googling "how to cook an entire chicken for dogs," which shockingly didn't get me that much help.

I decided that even my two (no Ginny yet!) were not going to be able to eat an entire chicken, so I let Jesse know that I was roasting an entire animal and that he should come help.  Secretly I was super scared of actually having to cut the meat off the chicken, and I knew I wouldn't be happy to do that myself.  So inviting him was not purely selfless.

I used lots of information from The Kitchn, my mother, and LG, and this is what I came up with.  Apparently, you want to roast the chicken slightly raised off the bottom of the baking dish.  Of course I don't own a roasting pan (what do I roast besides brussels sprouts!?) and my cooling racks didn't fit in my baking dishes.  So I improvised; I had read somewhere that you can always rest the chicken on top of some vegetables, which will allow air to circulate a little bit better.  So I sliced up some potatoes and carrots and an onion, and tossed those on the bottom.  Then I had to touch the chicken - gag - and put it on the veggies.  Then everyone told me to "find the giblets" but I never did!  So thanks everyone for having me shove my hand inside a chicken's butt and neck.  Clearly there was a giblet thief for my chicken.

Then I stuffed it, and really, I don't know why people do that.  Does stuffing herbs inside a chicken really make it taste better on the outside? The jury is still out on that one.  Either way, I put herbs, garlic and lemons inside, which was unenjoyable.

Into the oven it went.  I am always so worried about giving people salmonella, so I was hoping that little white button thing would pop out and tell me it was done, but it didn't.  I ended up double checking with a meat thermometer, and I was good to go in about an hour and a half.  Then I handed Jesse a knife and realized he, too, had no idea what he was doing.  He had never carved a bird before either.  I have to admit that I have never liked him more than I did when I saw him dry heaving as he hacked the meat off the carcass.  I think we were both pretty scarred from the entire experience.

But in the end, I was proud of myself.  I roasted an entire chicken and used the meat to feed a human and two happy dogs.  I felt very grown-up.  Having a mortgage and knowing about 401Ks is grown-up, but nothing is more grown-up than roasting a chicken.  And Jesse said the chicken was juicy and delicious and the veggies were cooked perfectly. What kind of freaked me out is that the vegetables suddenly had a sauce on them... I had not made a sauce... but okay.  Most importantly, the dogs loved the chicken and rice, and there was no more throwing up.

Do you see how much I love my dogs?  I love them enough to roast a chicken for them.  This is why my heart is so heavy this morning.  I miss you, Daisy Mae.

Recipe:

roasted chicken with veggies

a Trust the Vegetarian original (what irony!)

serves 6

Ingredients:

4 - 6 pound while chicken

4 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, peeled and broken in half

1 onion, quartered

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 lemon, halved

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

1 small bunch parsley

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the potatoes, carrots and onion in the bottom of a large baking dish.  Put the chicken on top.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and then rub olive oil over it to ensure the skin gets crispy.  Generously salt and pepper the chicken.

2) Place lemon, garlic and herbs inside the chicken.  Place it breast-side up in the roasting pan.  Put the chicken in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 400 degrees.  Roast for 50 - 90 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.  Other ways to know when it is done: until it registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh, the juices run clear, and the legs and wings wiggle loosely.  

3) Transfer chicken to a cutting board and lest it rest 15 minutes.  Then carve and serve.

Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Potato Skins

I have proclaimed my love before for recipes that include both a main course and a side dish.  While lately - in the past few months - I have suddenly gotten a lot better about planning a main and a side together, it's definitely not my forte.  The way I grocery shop, I buy only what I need for recipes, so I may plenty of things that could be used for sides, but they have plans to be in the main course!  I've started to pick up other vegetables and think about sides lately, but I still love recipes that do all that for me.  I was exited when last month's Food Network Magazine had this broccoli soup recipe along with a side of cheddar potato skins (um yes please).  I added it to my grocery list ASAP.

I do have to say, though, that this soup was not my favorite.  It's not broccoli cheddar soup, it's just broccoli.  Broccoli is not my number one fave vegetable, and I think it has to be for this soup to be fully appreciated.  It's just very broccoli-y.  It doesn't even have vegetable broth to temper all that broccoli - it just has water and a couple tablespoons of half-and-half.  It's supposed to be have bacon in it, so maybe that's the flavor I was missing out on (I did cook some and crumble it on Jesse's bowl, and he did like the soup, so that could explain things; in fact I sent him home with all the leftovers), but for me, I have plenty of other broccoli soup recipes that I appreciate a bit more.  I will stick with broccoli cheddar and broccoli and cheese with noodles instead.  But if you try this with the bacon, I will be curious to hear what you and your family thought.

But the cheddar potato skins!  Oh these were great.  And they are much easier and faster than you would expect.  The secret is to microwave them for 8-10 minutes instead of baking them (that's how this meal can go from idea to table in under an hour).  Then you scoop out most of the flesh and use it in the soup (symbiotic relationship!), and bake them on both sides to crisp them, adding cheese to the top for the last bake.  They could not be simpler, but they were delicious and by far stole the show from the soup.

Recipe:

broccoli soup with cheddar potato skins
from March 2016 Food Network Magazine
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 medium russet potatoes
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
cooking spray
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head broccoli, florets chopped (about 6 cups)
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork.  Microwave until cooked through, 8 - 10 minutes.  Cook the bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-heat, stirring until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon.  Add the onion to the pot with the drippings and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Quarter the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh; set aside.  Arrange the potatoes skin side up on the baking sheet.  Coat with cooking spray.  Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

3) While potatoes are cooking, add the potato flesh, 6 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the pot with the onion, and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Add the broccoli and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.  Cook until the broccoli is tender, about 8 minutes.  Working in small batches, puree in a blender, or use an immersion blender.  Stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4) Remove the potato skins from the oven; flip and top with the cheese.  Continue baking until bubbling and golden.  Top each serving of soup with the bacon and serve with potato skins.

Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake

I don't like glazes. I have realized that, in many of the recipes that call for glazes of some sort, I skip it.  Maybe I am lazy, or maybe I don't think that adding a sweet and sticky sauce is necessary on an already-sweet dessert.  Either way, I skip it almost all the time!  Here's another time I skipped it.  But come on, does a coffee cake really need a cream cheese glaze?  I think not.  Especially when the coffee cake is so good on its own.

Coffee cake is Jesse's favorite, so I made it one night when we were having a baked potato bar.  Since cooking dinner wasn't going to take too much work, I decided it would be a good day to make a dessert, and I gave this a try.  I always have a big container of Greek yogurt in my fridge, and I love baking with it.  I think it keeps cakes and muffins extra moist (hate that word though) and gives them a little tang.  This cake also has a stripe of cinnamon streusel running through the middle of it which adds just the right amount of spice.  It's good for dessert, for a brunch, to have with tea or coffee... fine, have it for breakfast if you insist.

And if you want to add a cream cheese glaze to the top, go for it!  Glaze everything! Just don't make me do it :)

Recipe:

Greek yogurt coffee cake
from Two Peas and Their Pod
serves 10

Ingredients:
for cake:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperatures
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
for streusel:
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
for cream cheese glaze:
3 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk, or enough to make it a glazing consistency

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.  Set aside.

2) Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 - 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Add the vanilla and Greek yogurt.

3) In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.  Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

4) For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble.

5) Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife.  Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top.  Bake for 50 - 60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.  Let cake cool on a wire rack.  Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, on a serving plate.

6) To make the cream cheese glaze, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Slowly beat in the powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla and milk.  Beat until smooth and glaze-like.  Drizzle over cooled cake and serve.

Spinach, Mushroom and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ah, Friday night. I have one puppy on my lap, a little white dog next to me, and a big old hound in her dog bed.  All is right in my world.

And all is about to be right in yours, because I foresee spinach, mushroom and ricotta stuffed shells in your future.   I have made many different types of stuffed shells, usually just going with my old standby of spinach and ricotta stuffed shells.  These are very similar, but with the genius addition of mushrooms.  The fresh basil helps out too.  I would have to say these are my new favorite stuffed shells.  They also reheat great!  And stuffed shells are just such a great meal: built in portion control, tasty, filling, and customizable.

Shhhh don't tell anyone that I will be in bed before 11:00 on a Friday night.  Is this 31?

Recipe:

spinach, mushroom and ricotta stuffed shells
from Handle the Heat
yields 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:
20 jumbo pasta shells (about half a 12-ounce box)
1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce (or 3 cups homemade sauce)
1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
8 ounces chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup grated parmesan
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated mozzarella

Instructions:

1) Set an oven rack to the highest position and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain and run under cold water to cool.

2) Spread the marinara sauce in the bottom of a large broiler-proof baking dish.

3) In a bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, basil, mushrooms, parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Spoon the mixture into the shells and place them on top of the sauce.

4) Sprinkle the shells with mozzarella and bake until heated through, 10 - 12 minutes.  Then increase heat to broil and broil until cheese begins to brown, 2 - 5 minutes.  Serve.