Napoleons

Posted on October 29, 2012 by sparecake

End of the month = Daring Bakers post! Our October 2012 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Suz of Serenely Full. Suz challenged us to not only tackle buttery and flaky puff pastry, but then take it step further and create a sinfully delicious Mille Feuille dessert with it! Most people went for Napoleons with the provided recipe, which made puff pastry surprisingly easy, if a bit time consuming.

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry:

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • scant 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 14 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pastry Cream:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks (reserve two egg whites for below)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Topping:

  • 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 large egg whites (from above)
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate

To make the dough, first cut the salted butter into cubes and set aside to come to room temperature.

Combine the larger amount of flour with the salt, and cut in the unsalted butter until only tiny pieces remain.

Add the cold water and stir together until the dough starts to hold together, then knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1/2 an hour.

Meanwhile, mix together the salted butter and smaller amount of flour, then shape into a 4.5″ square. Wrap in saran wrap and chill about 15 minutes until solid but workable.

Using the grid lines on the baking mat underneath the wrap.

Tapped the edges into shape once it was wrapped up.

Roll out the dough into a 6″ square, and put the butter on it like a diamond, with each point in the center of a side of the dough square.

Fold in the dough corners, stretching gently as needed to get the pieces to meet up in the center.

Turn the square seam-side down and roll out into a rectangle 1/4″ thick.

Fold into thirds and roll in the other direction, again until 1/4″ thick. Fold into thirds again, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least half an hour.

Repeat rolling out into 1/4″ thick and folding into thirds two times, then rewrap and refrigerate a second half hour.

Roll out and fold a further two times, then rewrap and refrigerate a final time, until needed. The dough can be kept in the fridge up to two days.

To prepare the pastry cream, first stir the cornstarch into 1/2 cup of the milk until dissolved.

Exciting, right?

Heat the remaining milk and the sugar in a pot over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk boils, then remove from the heat.

Beat the eggs into the cornstarch mixture, followed by the egg yolks.

Drizzle 1/3 of the hot milk into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly while you do.

Pour the cornstarch mixture in with the remaining hot milk and place on the stove, whisking constantly. The recipe I followed said to bring it back to a boil until it thickens, but I think cooking over low heat until thickened would have been better. I brought mine to a boil, it seemed to thicken a bit, and I took it straight off the heat as I was afraid the egg would cook, and in the end mine didn’t thicken up well. Cooking over low heat will give you a chance to thicken more thoroughly without fear of scrambled eggs.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat in the butter and vanilla until fully incorporated.

Cover with saran wrap, pressing it down onto the surface of the mixture to prevent air getting to it, which would cause a gross skin to form. Refrigerate overnight.

To make the Napoleon, first preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the dough to a 12X18″ rectangle and prick all over with a fork.

Cut into 3 even pieces, and transfer to parchment lined baking sheets.

Cover the dough with another piece of parchment, then put another baking sheet on top of the dough to weight it down. Do this in batches if you don’t have enough pans to make it all work at once.

From the bottom up, that’s the pan with 2 pieces, the pan with 1 piece, an empty pan, and a glass dish for a little bit of extra weight.

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the top pan and parchment.

Bake a further 10 minutes, until browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Cover one piece of the pastry with half the pastry cream, top with a second piece, cover with the remaining cream, and top with the last piece of pastry. Refrigerate while you make the topping.

This should look thicker, but like I said, my pastry cream didn’t thicken well, so half of it ran out the sides.

Melt the chocolate and transfer to a piping bag or plastic bag that you’ll cut the corner off of.

Whisk together the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy.

Stir in the powdered sugar, adding enough that drizzles of the frosting will stay defined for several seconds when dripped back in the bowl.

Take the pastry back out of the fridge, and quickly spread the icing over the top. Still working quickly, draw thin lines of chocolate the length of the pastry. I didn’t end up using even half the chocolate, I don’t think. Using a sharp knife, draw lines up and down through the icing and chocolate, creating a pattern.

The kind of mess I like!

Refrigerate several more hours to set, then cut into slices with a sharp knife and serve. Best eaten day of, but it’ll keep another day or two.

The pastry’s flaky, the pastry cream tastes great… just need to cook it over low heat next time and these will be the perfect Napoleons!

Napoleons

Puff Pastry:

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • scant 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 14 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pastry Cream:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks (reserve two egg whites for below)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Topping:

  • 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 large egg whites (from above)
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate

To make the dough, first cut the salted butter into cubes and set aside to come to room temperature.

Combine the larger amount of flour with the salt, and cut in the unsalted butter until only tiny pieces remain. Add the cold water and stir together until the dough starts to hold together, then knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1/2 an hour.

Meanwhile, mix together the salted butter and smaller amount of flour, then shape into a 4.5″ square. Wrap in saran wrap and chill about 15 minutes until solid but workable.

Roll out the dough into a 6″ square, and put the butter on it like a diamond, with each point in the center of a side of the dough square. Fold in the dough corners, stretching gently as needed to get the pieces to meet up in the center.

Turn the square seam-side down and roll out into a rectangle 1/4″ thick. Fold into thirds and roll in the other direction, again until 1/4″ thick. Fold into thirds again, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least half an hour.

Repeat rolling out into 1/4″ thick and folding into thirds two times, then rewrap and refrigerate a second half hour.

Roll out and fold a further two times, then rewrap and refrigerate a final time, until needed. The dough can be kept in the fridge up to two days.

To prepare the pastry cream, first stir the cornstarch into 1/2 cup of the milk until dissolved.

Heat the remaining milk and the sugar in a pot over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the milk boils, then remove from the heat.

Beat the eggs into the cornstarch mixture, followed by the egg yolks. Drizzle 1/3 of the hot milk into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly while you do. Pour the cornstarch mixture in with the remaining hot milk and place on the stove, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and beat in the butter and vanilla until fully incorporated. Cover with saran wrap, pressing it down onto the surface. Refrigerate overnight.

To make the Napoleon, first preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the dough to a 12X18″ rectangle and prick all over with a fork. Cut into 3 even pieces, and transfer to parchment lined baking sheets. Cover the dough with another piece of parchment, then put another baking sheet on top of the dough to weight it down. Do this in batches if you don’t have enough pans to make it all work at once.

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the top pan and parchment.Bake a further 10 minutes, until browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Cover one piece of the cooled pastry with half the pastry cream, top with a second piece, cover with the remaining cream, and top with the last piece of pastry. Refrigerate while you make the topping.

Melt the chocolate and transfer to a piping bag or plastic bag that you’ll cut the corner off of.

Whisk together the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy. Stir in the powdered sugar, adding enough that drizzles of the frosting will stay defined for several seconds when dripped back in the bowl.

Take the pastry back out of the fridge, and quickly spread the icing over the top. Still working quickly, draw thin lines of chocolate the length of the pastry.  Using a sharp knife, draw lines up and down through the icing and chocolate, creating a pattern.

Refrigerate several more hours to set, then cut into slices with a sharp knife and serve. Best eaten day of, but it’ll keep another day or two.

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Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad

Posted on October 26, 2012 by sparecake

Last week I was looking at a chicken recipe (I’ll post that at some point next week) and trying to figure out what to cook with it. My friend Alex suggested potato salad with coarse ground mustard, which sounded good. I had a dijon potato salad recipe bookmarked, which just required a change in mustard types to be perfect!

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon coarse ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 6 green onions, chopped
  • coarse salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Barely ground at all mustard? Sure, perfect!

Cut the potatoes into 1/4″ wide chunks. If you don’t cut super fast, put the sliced pieces in a bowl of water to keep them from browning. When halfway through cutting the potatoes, put water on to boil in the bottom of a steamer.

This is actually 3 pounds, I made a double batch.

Steam the potatoes for 15 minutes, until soft. Even with the double batch, mine were cooked in 15 minutes. While the potatoes cook, whisk together the oil, mustard, and vinegar, then stir in the green onions.

Place the steamed potatoes in a large bowl, and drizzle the oil mixture over them. Add salt and pepper, to taste, stirring everything together. Serve warm or cold.

Simple, and delicious! The 8 of us ate nearly all of the 3 pounds of potatoes as a side, so do consider doubling the recipe yourself, if you’ve got a lot of people to serve.

Whole Grain Mustard Potato Salad

Adapted from Bake at 350.

  • 1 and 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon coarse ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 6 green onions, chopped
  • coarse salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Cut the potatoes into 1/4″ wide chunks. If you don’t cut super fast, put the sliced pieces in a bowl of water to keep them from browning. When halfway through cutting the potatoes, put water on to boil in the bottom of a steamer.Steam the potatoes for 15 minutes, until soft. Even with the double batch, mine were cooked in 15 minutes. While the potatoes cook, whisk together the oil, mustard, and vinegar, then stir in the green onions.

Place the steamed potatoes in a large bowl, and drizzle the oil mixture over them. Add salt and pepper, to taste, stirring everything together. Serve warm or cold.

Posted in Cookout, Dinner | Tagged | 3 Comments

Slathered Turkey Burgers

Posted on October 24, 2012 by sparecake

A few weeks ago I was at the butcher’s with my mom, wandering the isles, and saw this Slatherin’ Sauce. I liked the name, and ‘sticky, sweet, and spicy’ sounded good, so we ended up with a bottle.

There’s pineapple juice somewhere in the ingredients list, which reminded me of some burgers my favorite people in Virginia make, which led to this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds ground turkey
  • Slatherin’ Sauce
  • 1 can of pineapple rings
  • 3 hamburger buns
  • a block of good cheddar cheese or cheddar jack
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat your grill to around 400 degrees. Slice enough cheese for 3 burgers, then just eat the rest of the block while you cook. Man I’d forgotten how good good cheese can be!

Mix about 1/2 of a cup Slatherin’ Sauce into the ground turkey, then shape into 3 patties.

Brush the tops with more Slatherin’ Sauce, then put on the grill. The burgers may be a bit loose, so be careful moving and flipping them. Once the burgers are on the grill, also place the pineapple rings on the grill, being careful not to let them slide between the bars. Sprinkle the pineapple with the brown sugar and cook until sear marks form on the bottom, then flip. Continue cooking until marked on both sides, then remove from the heat.

When it’s time to flip the burgers (when the bottoms are cooked), brush the new top with more Sauce, then, a few minutes before they’ve reached your desired doneness, top with slices of cheese.

Chumley’s too lazy to even investigate the grill. Typical.

Serve the cooked turkey burgers on buns, with a ring or two of pineapple and a drizzle of additional Slatherin’ Sauce.

My mother’s not a huge fan of bbq sauce, but even she agreed these were some really tasty burgers! If you can find the sauce, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Slathered Turkey Burgers

  • 3 pounds ground turkey
  • Slatherin’ Sauce
  • 1 can of pineapple rings
  • 3 hamburger buns
  • a block of good cheddar cheese or cheddar jack
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat your grill to around 400 degrees. Slice enough cheese for 3 burgers and set aside.

Mix about 1/2 of a cup Slatherin’ Sauce into the ground turkey, then shape into 3 patties. Brush the tops of the patties with more Slatherin’ Sauce, then put on the grill. Place the pineapple rings on the grill and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook until sear marks appear on both sides of the pineapple, then remove from the heat.

When it’s time to flip the burgers, brush the new top with more Sauce, then, a few minutes before they’ve reached your desired doneness, top with slices of cheese.

Serve the cooked turkey burgers on buns, topped with a ring or two of pineapple and a drizzle of additional Slatherin’ Sauce.

Posted in Cookout, Lunch | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Carmelitas

Posted on October 22, 2012 by sparecake

This is a pretty magical mess of gooey caramel and oats. I made it Friday, finished off the single remaining piece Saturday, and kind of want to make more today (I’m typing this Sunday).

This may not look fancy, but it’ll win you over with the first bite!

Ingredients:

  • 32 caramel squares, unwrapped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8″ pan. You really want to focus on the walls of the pan, rather than the bottom, as that’s what the caramel can reach.

Combine the cream and caramels in a saucepan over low heat. Man do I hate unwrapping individually wrapped candy! Cook, stirring frequently, until completely smooth. It will look exactly like this for ages:

You’ll turn around for one second, then OH GOD IT’S BUBBLING, DON’T LET IT BE BURNT!!

(It was fine.)

Set the caramel aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda.

Press half of the oat mixture into your greased pan.

Bake 10 minutes. There was chicken in the oven at 400, so I cooked this in the toaster oven, so it came out a bit browner than yours might, even at only 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cooked crust, then pour the caramel over them.

Drop the rest of the oat mixture over the caramel in little crumbly bits.

Bake another 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. I think I only baked another 6 minutes or something in the toaster oven, and it was DONE, but (happily) not burnt.

Let cool completely before cutting. (Haha yeah right, like that’s going to happen!)

If we’ve learned anything today, it’s that melty caramel is DELIGHTFUL. If we’ve learned anything else, it’s maybe that not only do you cook things for a shorter time in the toaster oven, but maybe you should also turn down the temp a bit? Whatever! Make this, and enjoy it, it will be a good day!

Carmelitas

From Lovin’ From the Oven.

  • 32 caramel squares, unwrapped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8″ pan and set aside.

Combine the cream and caramels in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth, then set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Press half of the oat mixture into your greased pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cooked crust, then pour the caramel over them. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the caramel. Bake another 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned, and let cool completely before cutting.

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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

Posted on October 19, 2012 by sparecake

The name should tell you pretty much everything you need to know, but I can summarize thusly: daaaaang! There are some good things going on here!

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • scant 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth, then beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, beating until the dough holds together.

Add the chips, beating just until they’re evenly mixed through the dough, then turn the mixture out onto a piece of wax paper.

Shape the dough into a log that’s a fairly consistent thickness.

Wrap the wax paper around the log and fold or clip the ends shut.

Refrigerate several hours, or in my case 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. While the oven heats, slice the log into approximately 1/3″ slices and lay on the lined sheet. If the slices crumble when you cut them, you can just press the bits back together and shape them into disks. I think using mini chocolate chips would cut down on crumbling a bit, as it happens mainly when you hit chocolate chips going between two cookies.

Bake 12-14 minutes. You don’t actually want them to brown, so don’t wait for that. Let them cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. If you try to eat them before the 5 minutes are up, they will crumble and be just burn-y all over your hands, but after the wait they will hold together much better.

Aaaand I was too busy eating cookies to take any more pictures, apparently! I love the peanut butter/chocolate combo.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

From The View From Great Island.

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • scant 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, mini chips if available

Beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth, then beat in the vanilla. Add in the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, beating until the dough holds together. Add the chips, beating just until they’re evenly mixed through the dough, then turn the mixture out onto a piece of wax paper.

Shape the dough into a log that’s evenly thick. Wrap the wax paper around the log and fold or clip the ends shut. Refrigerate several hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. While the oven heats, slice the log into approximately 1/3″ slices and lay on the lined sheet.

Bake 12-14 minutes. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Oatmeal Cookie Brittle

Posted on October 17, 2012 by sparecake

This is a pretty simple looking dessert, but don’t let that deceive you. I’ve eaten the vast majority of it myself over a day and a half, and I really like it!

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick salted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large jelly roll pan with nonstick foil or parchment.

In a big bowl, stir together the melted butter, corn syrup, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder.

Mm, slurry!

Stir in the oats until evenly mixed.

Spread the mixture over the prepared pan, spreading as evenly as possible.

Bake 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and look like they’ve firmed up a bit. Gently slide the foil/parchment onto a wire rack.

It spreads/evens some while it cooks.

Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the cooling brittle.

After 15-20 minutes, the brittle will have become crisp, although the chocolate will still be melty. You can start snapping of pieces then, or wait for the chocolate to cool and harden if you don’t want to make a mess. Yum!

It snaps easily into pieces for munching!

Oatmeal Cookie Brittle

Adapted from Cookie Madness.

  • 1 stick salted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large jelly roll pan with nonstick foil or parchment.

In a big bowl, stir together the melted butter, corn syrup, sugar, salt, vanilla, and baking powder. Stir in the oats, then spread the mixture over the prepared pan, spreading as evenly as possible. Bake 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and look like they’ve firmed up a bit.

Gently slide the foil/parchment onto a wire rack and allow to cool 15-20 minutes, until crisp. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and drizzle over the cooling brittle.

Break into pieces and enjoy.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Balsamic Chicken and Potatoes

Posted on October 15, 2012 by sparecake

Here’s a filling meal that cooks quickly enough you can do it on a weeknight. The only problem is that, at least when I did it, I got enough grease everywhere that a cleaner person might have then been cleaning the kitchen floor until bedtime… But maybe you’re a tidier cook than I?

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Place an oven rack in the bottom position and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper over the potatoes and toss to coat the potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 4-7 minutes, until the potatoes begin to soften. When you can pretty easily stab them, you’re at a good point. Pre-cooking like this means they won’t take so long later, and can mostly just be cooked with the chicken.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin down, and cook until the skin is crispy brown. It’s fine if the whole chunk of chicken isn’t cooked through, that’ll happen in the oven.

The main grease-flinging stage.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add the potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown.

Once the potatoes have started browning, place the chicken skin-side up on the potatoes, and put the whole thing in the oven. I had doubled the amount of chicken, so it didn’t all fit in the skillet at once, so I just put it all in a bigger pan. Cook 13-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken and potatoes cook in the oven, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the vinegar, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I ended up adding a bit more vinegar, to make it a bit tangier. When the chicken and potatoes are ready, drizzle with the vinegar mixture.

Yum!

Balsamic Chicken and Potatoes

From Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.

  • 1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Place an oven rack in the bottom position and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper over the potatoes and toss to coat the potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 4-7 minutes, until the potatoes begin to soften.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin down, and cook until the skin is crispy brown.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add the potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown. Place the chicken skin-side up on top of the potatoes, and put the whole thing in the oven for 13-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken and potatoes cook in the oven, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the vinegar, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the cooked chicken and potatoes.

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Healthiest Breakfast Ever, Maybe?

Posted on October 12, 2012 by sparecake

I mean… I’ve been told quinoa’s super healthy, anyways, haven’t really bothered to investigate…

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon butter, divided
  • 2 medium apples, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cold water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup fat-free skim milk (I used almond milk)

Got Jani to do the chopping for me!

Soak the quinoa in water (enough to cover) for 5 minutes.

Quinoa, what is in you that turns foamy?
Oh, and I only had red quinoa, but whatever color is fine.

Rinse and drain the quinoa using a mesh strainer, then put on a small pot with 1 1/2 cups of water over high heat. Bring to a boil, boil for one minute, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for ten minutes, until the grains all show a little screwy tail and all the water has been absorbed, then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. Melt 1/2 of the butter in the pan and add the chopped apples. Cook 5-10 minutes, until the apples have softened and lightly caramelized.

Combine the hot apples and quinoa in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining butter and the cinnamon, apple pie spice, brown sugar, and milk, and serve.

This is pretty filling, and pretty easy, although it requires several pots/pans. If you have leftovers, it reheats well if you drizzle a bit of milk over a small bowl of it and then microwave for 30 seconds. If you really wanted to boost up the apple flavor, I imagine you could cook the quinoa in apple juice instead of water.

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Cereal

From Eat Yourself Skinny!

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon butter, divided
  • 2 medium apples, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cold water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup fat-free skim milk

Soak the quinoa in water (enough to cover) for 5 minutes.Rinse and drain the quinoa using a mesh strainer, then put on a small pot with 1 1/2 cups of water over high heat. Bring to a boil, boil for one minute, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for ten minutes, until the grains all show a little screwy tail and all the water has been absorbed, then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. Melt 1/2 of the butter in the pan and add the chopped apples. Cook 5-10 minutes, until the apples have softened and lightly caramelized.

Combine the hot apples and quinoa in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining butter and the cinnamon, apple pie spice, brown sugar, and milk, and serve.

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Chocolate-Filled Vanilla Sandwich Cookies

Posted on October 10, 2012 by sparecake

I started going back to karate at the start of September, and told my sensei I’d bring some cookies at some point. My friend Jani gave me some ninja bread cookie cutters for my birthday, and it was immediately obvious what had to happen!

Ingredients:

Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cups softened butter
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • powdered sugar for rolling

Fudge Frosting:

  • 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 20 ounces semi sweet chocolate
  • 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. It looks like a lot of sugar, and the dough tastes sweet, but when they come out of the oven they’re not nearly as sugary as you’d expect.

Beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed until evenly mixed. Wrap the dough in saran wrap, and refrigerate at least an hour, or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll a chunk of the dough out on a surface ‘floured’ with powder sugar to 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick, leaving the remaining dough in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Thinner dough will keep its shape well, thicker dough leads to blobby cookies.

Cut out cookies in desired shapes and place on parchment-lined sheets.

Bake 6-8 minutes, then let cool on wire rack. Re-roll dough scraps as often as necessary, then move on to the next hunk of refrigerated dough until completely used up.

This recipe makes TONS of cookies!

When the cookies are completely cooled, make the frosting. Combine the chocolate, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then set aside.

Heat the evaporated milk in a small pan over medium-high heat until it just reaches a simmer, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then refrigerate until slightly firmed up. Spread between cookies to sandwich.

I was thinking about too many things at once, and ended up just heating all the frosting ingredients except for the vanilla at once, then stirring the vanilla in after. This lead to more of a play-doh texture than a spread-on-able frosting, as you should get from actually following the directions.

Whoops, I made chocolate Play-Doh.

If you’re using a non-symmetrical cookie cutter, be sure to flip half of the dough cut-outs, so that you have fronts and backs for your sandwiches.

Someone’s already lost a leg in battle!

They joke that lining up is the hardest part of karate. These ninjas have it down to an art!

Chocolate-Filled Vanilla Sandwich Cookies

Cookies from AllRecipes, frosting adapted from Martha Stewart.

Cookies:

  • 1 1/2 cups softened butter
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • powdered sugar for rolling

Fudge Frosting:

  • 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 20 ounces semi sweet chocolate
  • 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed until evenly mixed. Wrap the dough in saran wrap, and refrigerate at least an hour, or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll a chunk of the dough out on a surface ‘floured’ with powder sugar to 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick, leaving the remaining dough in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Cut out cookies in desired shapes and place on parchment-lined sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes, then let cool on wire rack. Re-roll dough scraps as often as necessary, then move on to the next hunk of refrigerated dough until completely used up.

When the cookies are completely cooled, combine the chocolate, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, then set aside.

Heat the evaporated milk in a small pan over medium-high heat until it just reaches a simmer, then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then refrigerate until slightly firmed up. Spread between cookies and sandwich.

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Apple Bars

Posted on October 8, 2012 by sparecake

The paper this recipe was from called them “apple brownies,” but with no chocolate and a very un-brown batter, I’m not sure that the name fits. What ever kind of appley baked good they are, they’re well worth trying!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped this)
  • 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2″ chunks

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8X8″ pan well. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and egg. I waited until now to peel the apples so they wouldn’t get a chance to go brown.

Stir the apple chunks and nuts, if using, into the sugar mixture.

Stir the flour mixture into the apple/sugar mixture until evenly moistened.

Transfer to the prepared pan.

Bake 40-50 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Mine was set at 45.

Let cool 30 minutes before eating.

While I was stirring everything together, it didn’t seem like a lot of batter for all that apple, but it filled out while baking. Also got a nice crisp top!

Apple Bars

From the September 13-19, 2012 issue of The Hippo.

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2″ chunks

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8X8″ pan well. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and egg. Stir the apple chunks and nuts into the sugar mixture. Add the flour mixture into the apple/sugar mixture, stirring until evenly moistened, then transfer to the prepared pan.

Bake 40-50 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Let cool 30 minutes before eating.

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