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Showing posts from October, 2008

Blackened catfish

Alright, so I think this falls under both technique and really good fish recipe. I think you could easily use this for chicken, if you wanted blackened chicken, you just might want to increase the cooking time in the oven until the chicken is done. Another product of having too much time on my hands, and Food Network almost constantly on my television. From Guy Fieri 2 tablespoons paprika 1 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets 2 tablespoons canola oil 2 tablespoons butter 4 lemon wedges On a plate, mix together the paprika, cayenne, thyme, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper for the blackened spice mixture. Dredge the catfish fillets in the spice mixture and set aside. Heat a large cast iron fry pan or saute pan over high heat until it is "white hot." Add oil to

Reese's Peanut Butter Cake

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From: Annie's Eats I made this cake for a friend's birthday this past weekend, and it was a big hit with everyone. I had to take lots of pictures of it, because it was the most impressive-looking cake I think I've ever made. For the cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 ½ cups sugar 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (optional) For decorating: 1 ½ - 2 batches peanut butter frosting (below) (I made a double batch and had about 1.5 cups leftover) miniature Reese’s cups, halved and/or chopped For the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9×2” round cake pans, dust the insides with flour (I used cocoa powder), tap out the excess and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper (don’t skip the parchment paper. I only used parchment

White Bean Dip

I made this to bring to a World Series party tonight, and served with pita chips. I guess it's the same basic recipe as hummus, but with different beans. It was nice to have something just a little different. I'm sure you could play around with it and add other flavors as well, such as sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, different herbs, etc. Ingredients: 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 cloves garlic (I just used one large clove) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup olive oil (I used less than this) 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves Salt Freshly ground black pepper Directions: Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl. Serve with pita chips or veggies.

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

These are also known as Black-Bottom Cupcakes, from David Liebovitz's "The Great Book of Chocolate." Smitten Kitchen and Annie's Eats have also posted this recipe with nice photos. See my notes at the bottom regarding the debate between regular-size muffins and mini-muffins, paper cups versus no paper cups, and filling to the brim versus filling to 90%. Yield: 12 full-size or approximately 48 mini cupcakes For the filling: 8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped For the cupcakes: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup water 1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Make the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, granulated

pasta e fagioli soup

This is from Recipes from the Night Kitchen, another great cookbook I got from the library. Sally Nirenberg opened a soup restaurant (the Night Kitchen, duh) in the early 80s in Brookline, MA, and then collected her recipes into this book. She tells little stories in the margins and has photos and drawings and I love it... I think I need to buy this one. Anyway, this soup was delicious. Here are her margin notes: There are many versions of Pasta e Fagioli, Italian Pasta and Beans. Southern Italians make it differently than Northern Italians, and Italians in America make it yet another way. This is the American-in-America version, a synthesis of them all. Feel free to experiment with different kinds of beans and different shapes of pasta, but don't leave out the rosemary, it is especially wonderful here. [I totally left out the rosemary... somehow we don't have any! I quadrupled the basil, though, using one of the pre-pesto cubes I froze in the ice-cube tray during basil season

Pumpkin Pancakes

From Allrecipes.com I was in the mood for pancakes and pumpkin and this is a great way to have both. 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground allspice (I didn't have any--all I had were cloves and cinnamon so used a 1/4 t of cloves and an additional 1/4 t of cinnamon) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I was out so I used fresh ginger) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups milk 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 egg 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons vinegar *I also added a dash of vanilla In one large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a second bowl, mix the wet ingredients and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix just enough to combine. Grease a hot griddle with oil or butter and pour 1/4 C of batter per pancake. Use more if you like l

Chicken and spinach lasagna

I saw this recipe a long time ago and stuck it on the back burner because it was still so hot outside. It's not hot anymore, and this smells really good baking in my oven right now. And easy to make. From Annie's Eats 1 chicken breast salt and pepper 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil ½ large onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1 (24-oz.) jar pasta sauce 8 oz. ricotta cheese 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 9-12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (depending on size of dish) 2 cups spinach, chopped ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese Place the chicken breast in a large non-stick skillet and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat until cooked through. Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Add 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pasta

Butternut Squash with Blue Cheese and Pecans

From Nigella Lawson (I can't remember which cookbook). I remember she cooked this recipe on Rachel Ray last year around Thanksgiving. I made myself watch the show b/c I love Nigella but Ms. Ray's t.v. persona makes me nutty. We were strolling through the farmer's market this weekend and lots of vendors were selling squash and this recipe came to mind. Yum-o. (Seriously? Did I just write that?) 4.5 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes 1 T o.o. 1/4 C. maple syrup (my addition) 1 C blue cheese, crumbled 1C pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (I used walnuts this time but both are good) Preheat oven to 450. Toss butternut squash cubes with o.o. and maple syrup and dump into a baking dish. Roast for 30 - 40 minutes until done. Toss with chopped nuts and blue cheese crumbles and serve. We ate it as a main course but it would be a lovely side dish with pork or chicken.

lentils and yellow mung beans

The dal obsession escalates: I took "The Indian Vegetarian" out of the library, and this is the first one I've tried. The topping, specifically the browned onions -- made easy by my new birthday iron skillet from Kelly, hooray! is beautiful! -- is what made this flavorful, and even more might have been better; the beans are kind of bland. But it's good. The author says this dal is "considered light and easy to digest" and was one of her family's favorites. It was good topped with plain yogurt and would be better topped with raita. 1 c dried pink lentils (I used red; are those the same?), picked over and washed 1 c dried yellow mung beans (I used split), picked over and washed 6 c water (this is what I used, but I had to boil it for a long time -- next time, I'll do less) 5 fresh serrano or dried red peppers (I used crushed red pepper) 1 t salt, or to taste 1 T peeled and minced fresh ginger 1/2 c loosely packed finely chopped cilantro (I used mint, w

Potatoes with bacon and onions

Okay, so I made this to go with the steak. And mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as the ones on the television, but they were really good so I didn't care. Adapted from this recipe on Food Network. 3 pounds baby Yukon potatoes 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning 3/4 pound bacon, diced 2 yellow onions, diced 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons Parmesan In large stock pot add potatoes, cover with water and add salt. Set heat on high and boil until fork tender. In a large saute pan over medium heat cook bacon and saute onions until caramelized. Remove bacon and onions from pan on to a paper towel to absorb grease, keep warm on platter, and leave remaining fat in pan. When potatoes are fork tender, drain, and with a clean kitchen towel, palm smash the hot potatoes to approximately 1/3-inch thick. Reheat fat in saute pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat to

Peppered Steak with Cabernet Balsamic Sauce

I turned on the television the other day randomly and watched the chef on the screen make this steak. I usually could take steak or leave it, but this one looked good. The steak is easy to put together, and so is the sauce. I didn't actually have any sauce, because it had a lot of garlic and I was afraid of exacerbating the ever-present heartburn. But Ernie said it was really good, so I trust him. This recipe can be found on Food Network . 2 pounds flank steak or tri-tip, cut into 8-ounce pieces 4 tablespoons black peppercorns, lightly cracked 2 tablespoons kosher salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup red onion, minced 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar Cut flank steak into 8-ounce portions and lightly tenderize with mallet. Dust with crushed black pepper and kosher salt. Press salt and pepper into steak with the palm of hand. Transfer steaks to a baking dish and place in the

Spaghetti and meatballs

After a brief hiatus of eating a lot of random stuff, I'm cooking again. I've been craving spaghetti and meatballs since Wednesday, so I got off my rather large behind today and actually made it. This is bubbling away on the stove right now, and I've tasted both the sauce and the meatballs and they are GOOD. The recipe calls for beef and sausage...I think you could substitute turkey and it'd be just fine. From the ever-wonderful Simply Recipes , which always has the recipe I need when I'm craving something. Sauce 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves chopped garlic ½ chopped sweet yellow onion 1 cup very finely chopped carrots 1 cup chopped crimini brown mushrooms 2 28-oz cans Italian plum tomatoes (get San Marzano brand if possible) ¼ cup chopped fresh basil ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 3 Tbsp tomato paste concentrate in tube ¼ cup grated parmesan-romano cheese blend Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon) ¼ cup red wine Meatballs

Spinach and Cheese Squares

I made this for a pot-luck dinner tonight. It was intended to be an appetizer, to be cut in squares. However, the dish I used was a tad bit smaller than the dish called for, so they ended up fairly thick. (I used an 8x8" instead of 9x9", which doesn't seem like much but does make a difference.) I ended up just serving the dish as a side, and people used a large spoon to scoop out portions. It went over well. I would recommend using a larger pan if you want to cut into clean squares for apps. Otherwise, I could also see making this again as a side dish, or even serving larger pieces as a main dish, with soup or a salad. 16 oz. cottage cheese 2 large eggs 4 egg whites 1/4 c. chopped green onion 2 oz shredded sharp cheddar 3 Tbsp butter, melted 1 tbsp. flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp granulated garlic 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 1 oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 350. In a lar

Spinach & Blue Cheese Stuffed Portobellos

If I tell you where I got this recipe they might send their mafia after me b/c I changed some of the ingredients. Serves 4 6 portobello mushrooms (4-5") olive oil salt 1 pkg baby spinach (or thawed frozen chopped spinach) 3 T bread crumbs 1 T butter 1 medium onion (small dice) 2 medium garlic cloves (minced or pressed) 2 oz crumbled blue cheese (or goat cheese) 1/2 C toasted pine nuts (or walnuts) pepper cooking spray Place rimmed baking sheet inside oven and preheat oven to 400. Prepare mushrooms by wiping caps clean and scraping gills out. Cut off stems and reserve. Turn 4 mushrooms cap side up and score cap in a crosshatch pattern 1/2" apart. Brush olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt. Place mushrooms gill side up on preheated baking sheet and roast in oven about 8-12 minutes. Turn caps over and roast an additional 8-12 minutes until caps are golden brown and liquid has evaporated. Once mushrooms are done, set aside and set oven to broil. While mushrooms a

Broiled Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad

Courtesy of Mark Bittman and Gwen who gave me one of his cookbook's for my birthday (additional thanks to Alissa who got me a subscription to Cook's Illus--yummy portobello recipe to come next week) Okay, this is not so much a recipe as it is a way to use up some yummy late summer tomatoes from the farmer's market. EVOO for brushing and spraying 6 plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise (I used heirloom) S&P 6 oz blue cheese of your choice 1 large head of Bibb or Boston lettuce, leaved pulled from core intact (I used mixed greens) 1/4 C vinaigrette (make your own or from a bottle - I used light bals. vin. by Newman's Own) 1/4 C chopped fresh chives or parsley for garnish (I didn't have any and it still tasted good) Adjust oven rack so it is 4" from broiler. Turn oven on to broil. Brush/spray baking sheet with EVOO and put tomatoes cut side UP on sheet. Smoosh a little if they don't stay level. Sprinkle withh S&P and crumble blue cheese and fl

Breakfast casserole

I found this recipe on Mandajuice , and adapted it slightly based on what we had in the house. I think it'd be good with turkey sausage, if that's what you wanted to use. And you could certainly add more veggies -- if I make this again, I'll add green peppers, and maybe even tomatoes. This fed four of us for two days in a row, and there's still some in the fridge that will probably feed me for a few more days. So it makes a lot. But it was easy and then I didn't have to cook breakfast on Sunday when we had Richie and Sylvia here. One 2-pound bag of thawed hash brown potatoes (the cubes, not the strips) 1 lb of breakfast sausage 1 onion 1 package mushrooms 2 cups of cheese 1 dozen eggs 1/2 a stick of butter Salt Pepper Combine chopped onions, mushrooms, potatoes and half a stick of butter in a large nonstick skillet and cook until brown, turning as infrequently as possible so as to avoid smushing the potatoes. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and preheat your oven to 350

Pumpkin cream cheese muffins

Yesterday I swung through Starbucks for some hot apple cider and a muffin on my way in to do some freelance copy editing. They had pumpkin cream cheese muffins, and I snagged one of those -- because it's fall and now I want to eat pumpkin all the time. Or maybe I'm pregnant and that's why I want to eat pumpkin all the time. In any case, today I made these muffins. They're fantastic. The recipe makes a whole lot of muffins, but you won't mind. from Annie's Eats For the muffins: 3 cups flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. ground cloves 1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 4 eggs 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil 2 cups sugar 2 cups pumpkin puree For the filling: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar For the streusel topping: ½ cup sugar ¼ cup and 1 tsp. flour 4 tbsp. butter, cubed 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until smooth. Form

Sour cream coffee cake with chocolate and nuts

I needed a cake to take to a coffee I'm going to tomorrow (even though I'm not drinking coffee) and this one, which I stumbled upon a few days ago, fit the bill. This cake is not quick, I have to say. It requires a lot of bowls, and has a lot of different steps. It's worth it, though. Recipe from Bake or Break Chocolate mixture 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1 cup pecans 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Break chocolate into 1-inch pieces. Place in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until chocolate is finely chopped. Add nuts, sugars, and cinnamon. Pulse until nuts are finely chopped. Cake batter 1 & 1/4 cups sour cream 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 & 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm 1 & 1/4 cups superfine sugar, divided into 1 cup and 1/4 cup 4 large eggs, separated 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extr

Smoothies

This isn't much of a recipe, but I've finally figured out a good combination of flavors, so I thought I'd share. I've been making smoothies with my immersion blender, trying different combinations of ingredients. I make them right in the container that came with my immersion blender. Start with vanilla soy milk (about a cup or so, depending on how much smoothie you want) Add a few chunks of frozen banana. Add a few chunks of frozen mango (Trader Joe's has bags of frozen mango chunks year-round) Add a few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt. Blend. Add more soy milk if it's too thick. I like the vanilla soy milk for the smooth texture and the sweetness of the vanilla. I don't drink soy milk, but I like it for smoothies. I also found the the yogurt makes a big difference. The smoothies taste a little bland without it - it adds a nice tangy-ness. I've also tried frozen raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, etc, but the mango and banana is my favorite combinatio