I made cupcakes! Hot Chocolate & Bailey's

Last night I had a craving. A craving for sweets. And since I've had nothing on the brain other than cupcakes lately, naturally I looked for a cupcake recipe. I was hoping to find something to use up my leftover mascarpone, and possibly some of the little bits of liquor left in the cabinet. I settled on Kahlua cupcakes from How to Eat a Cupcake. I knew I was VERY low on Kahlua, so I decided to use Bailey's instead. The batter was so perfect - thick but light. I think it was the most perfect batter I've ever made. The Bailey's flavor sure was strong though! I went ahead and put it in the cupcake cups. Unfortunately, I filled them way too full, and instead of baking in 25 minutes, it took closer to an hour to bake them all the way through!!! I had intended to frost them with Tiramisu Cream, but by the time the cupcakes were done, it was almost 11:00 pm, and I didn't want to disturb the neighbors with my mixer. I just stirred together some Cool Whip and the leftover mascarpone and smeared it all over my warm cupcake. Mmm...heavenly. Just like hot chocolate with Bailey's with whipped cream on top. :) The Bailey's flavor was still really strong after baking. I like it, but I think I might tone it down if I tried it again. And of course, I wouldn't fill my cupcake liners so full! :)

No pictures, sorry...roomie still has the camera and won't be back til later today. :(

Kahlúa Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup Kahlúa
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Insert 24 liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add egg yolks and beat for 4 minutes.
3. In a small bowl mix water and Kahlúa.
4. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternating with the Kahlua mixture. Mix on medium speed until ingredients are completely combined.
6. With clean beaters and a large bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks. With a rubber spatula, fold the meringue into the batter.
7. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

Ravioli in Balsamic Brown Butter

Well, I didn't get much cooking done this weekend, seeing as how I was stuck in bed for most of it. Quite a pity, since here in San Diego, we had summer weather, and the rest of the population was at the beach catching rays. What a waste of a weekend. :( My throat was too sore to eat much of anything, and even if I had been able to eat, I wasn't capable of standing long enough to cook. So, I didn't do much cooking until last night, when I figured I was well enough to cook some ravioli, which was also soft enough for me to eat. The other problem is that my roommate borrowed my camera for the next three days, so I can't post any new pics on my blog. But, you can look at my friend Andrea's pictures, who's recipe I borrowed, since mine looked pretty much the same anyway! (Andrea's photo)

I made Ravioli in Balsamic Brown Butter, and like Andrea suggested, I used half butter and half olive oil. It looks delicious, but I wasn't really all that impressed. Mike and his friend thought it was great though. I just felt like it was missing something. I suppose if I had served it with a salad like I had intended to, it would have balanced the meal out a bit better. Anyway, tasty recipe, but not one I'm likely to make again. Next time I make ravioli, I'll just serve it with my homemade marinara sauce.

Wasabi Salmon and Crabby Potatoes

I've realized that this is really the only way Mike will eat salmon anymore. Everytime he hears I'm making it, he gets whiny and says he wants it with wasabi and soy. So, I've gotten pretty good at it. Here's what I do...


Heat sesame oil in a skillet. Put the salmon fillets in the skillet and pour a bit of soy sauce over the top. Top each fillet with as much wasabi as you can handle. ;) Then, sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. I cooked these until they were cooked about halfway through, then put them under the broiler to cook the top. I served them with a bit of soy sauce drizzled over the top.


For the potatoes, make mashed potatoes as usual, and add imitation crab and wasabi. Mike bought a different brand of imitation crab this time, and though he usually LOVES the stuff, he didn't care for it this time. I thought it was totally bland, and couldn't taste it in the potatoes at all. Dexter and Chloe loved the crabby pieces though. :)

I served the salmon and potatoes with our favorite, edamame sprinkled with sea salt. Yum!

**On a sad note: While I was eating, my lips were stinging really bad. I'm starting to think that soy sauce and/or salt is causing my strange lip reaction (swelling and cracking). This is very sad to me, because I LOVE soy sauce and I always like my food salty! This would be a devastating blow if this is the case!

Menu 2/7-2/18

Yes, you read that right. I am going to attempt to shop for an entire week and a half. We'll see how that goes!

I am going grocery shopping tonight, so I want to cook simply. I also have to cook the salmon that I intended to cook last night, since it's ready to eat NOW.

Thursday: Wasabi Salmon with Crabby Potatoes and Edamame (no recipe...I make this up as I go along.)
Friday: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas with salad on the side (and Cilantro Pepita Caesar dressing!)
Saturday: I'll be wine-tasting all day, so I need something easy. In fact, I MAY not cook that night, so I need something super easy or something that isn't too perishable to save for next week. Ravioli in Balsamic Brown Butter with a salad
Sunday: Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Chicken
Monday: Gym night...need a lighter meal: Tilapia Francaise with steamed broccoli and Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries with Horseradish Sauce
Tuesday: Veggie Lasagna with French bread (I'll try to healthy it up a LITTLE bit)
Wednesday: Gym night again...need another lighter meal: Pan-Seared Scallops on Linguine with Tomato-Cream Sauce with French bread
Thursday: Valentine's Day - going out for dinner!
Friday: Garlic Cheddar Chicken with baked or mashed potatoes and peas
Saturday: Having a party...we will be BBQing burgers, sausages, Boca burgers, and I will serve finger foods and I think I'm going to make Buffalo Chicken Dip to serve with carrots and celery
Sunday: Cheesy Baked Mushroom Tortellini with salad and bread
Monday: Gym night again, need a lighter meal! Lemon Parmesan Risotto with Shrimp served with a side salad

Also this week, I am planning to make cupcakes (recipe is mine for now!) and Mix-and-Match Applesauce Granola. I am going to try making the granola with a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract and see how that turns out.


Now, the challenge is that I need to keep my grocery trip within a budget. So, if I notice things getting a little too pricey, I have to slow down. I color-coded my shopping list by meal, so I know which ingredient goes to which meal. That way, I can skip the items that are for the meals I plan to make at the end of my list. I'll give you an update tomorrow on how I do!

Vanilla Beans are here!!!

Thanks to my friends, I have discovered that there is a wealth of affordable vanilla beans on ebay!!! I made my first purchase two days ago, and my beans arrived today!!!!!!! Only $6.94 for 11 beans - including the cost of shipping! I am SO excited to get started on my baking with vanilla beans. Cupcake Hero, here I come...

cupcake anxiety

I'm getting anxious. Still no word from Mr. Cuppycakes...

Chicken & Asparagus in White Wine Sauce with Twice-Baked Parmesan Potatoes

Last night's dinner was simple, yet very tasty! I made Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce from the Cooking Light 2008 cookbook. It was so simple, I was afraid it wouldn't have that much flavor, but I actually LOVED the mild, buttery flavor of the chicken.

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used two and just sliced them in half horizontally to make four thin breast slices)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. (I skipped this step since I had cut the breasts in half, making them 1/4-inch thick already.) Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, broth, and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes. Add asparagus; cover and cook 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and juice. Serve asparagus and sauce with chicken.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, about 5 asparagus spears, and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 289(25% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 4.2g,mono 2g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 43g; CHOLESTEROL 114mg; CALCIUM 59mg; SODIUM 648mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 4.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.5g
Barbara Seelig-Brown , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007 Stress Free Cooking

Twice-Baked Parmesan Potatoes

My menu originally said to buy pre-made mashed potatoes and just flavor them, but that sounded like cheating to me, so I planned to make my own mashed potatoes. Once I realized how simple the chicken was, I decided to church up my potatoes a bit. I baked them at 400 degrees for an hour. I let them cool a bit, then cut a slot out of the top and hollowed them out, making little potato canoes.

The inside of the potatoes were SO soft and perfect - I can't believe I haven't baked potatoes in SO long! I mashed them with butter, Parmesan cheese, fresh chives, salt & pepper, and buttermilk, since it was the only dairy product I had available for moisture. Once the mashed potato mixture was ready, I refilled the potato canoes with the mashed potatoes, and topped them with a bit of Parmesan cheese. I put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until the cheese was melted and golden. Voila - I had perfect twice-baked potatoes!

This meal was SO easy and SO yummy. I'm definitely making it again!!!

Dexter really liked the chicken, too.

Really, tofu.

Show me your best tofu recipes! We have a ton of firm tofu in the fridge, and I have NO idea what to do with it.

Night off from cooking

I was very fortunate last night. We were invited over to Troy's girl's house for dinner. She had bought us some Tortilla Soup from her favorite store, Ranch Market. OMG, it was SO good! It was thick and satisfying and spicy. I loved it! She also baked us some fresh brownies from scratch. This girl rocks...she's a painter and she can cook! I found myself a new friend to bake with. Woohoo! :) Tonight though, I'm back to cooking dinner at home. I'm making Chicken & Asparagus in White Wine Sauce. Which reminds me, I think I need to stop at the store and buy some more white wine. It just doesn't last long in my house! I'm serving it with mashed potatoes on the side. I suppose I should come up with something for Troy to eat instead of chicken...Hm. Tofu, anyone?

How do you cook tofu?

Beef & Beer Chili with Quesadillas and Salad

Yet another recipe from my Cooking Light 2008 cookbook! I opted to cook this chili in the crockpot while we were out watching the Superbowl, rather than cooking it on the stove for 15 minutes. Seriously, can flavors REALLY mingle in 15 minutes? I think not. Anyhow, the house smelled SO good when we got home after the game! I cooked mine without the meat so that our veggie roommate could have a bowl. I took out a bowl's worth for him, and then added seasoned meat and let it cook for another hour or so. This chili was EXCELLENT!!! And the quesadillas rocked, but I'm pretty partial to quesadillas. I never met one I didn't like!

Here's me about to partake in a delightfully tasty meal.
And here's Mike...completely satisfied after finishing his bowl of chili.


Beef & Beer Chili

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped red onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 small) (I left this out because we don't really like bell pepper)
8 ounces extralean ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (19-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (such as Budweiser) (I used Stone Levitation Ale...a local IPA)
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I forgot this at the end...I'm sure it would have been excellent though)

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (I just put all the ingredients directly into the crockpot and skipped all this next stuff.) Cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt; cook 1 minute. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through beer) to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cornmeal; cook 5 minutes. Stir in juice. My chili was still pretty runny, so I mixed some cornstarch in a cup with the chili broth and then added it to the pot. It thickened instantly. We like it hot, so I added some cayenne, several shots of Tampico hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and more salt and pepper.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 261(20% from fat); FAT 5.7g (sat 2.1g,mono 2g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 18.3g; CHOLESTEROL 30mg; CALCIUM 74mg; SODIUM 799mg; FIBER 8.3g; IRON 3.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.3g

Jackie Mills, M.S., R.D. , Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2007



Quesadillas

I sprayed each tortilla with cooking spray, and set them sprayed side down on a baking sheet. I topped half of each tortilla with Monterey Jack cheese, chopped roasted red peppers, and cilantro. I folded each one in half, and put them in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes. Yum!

Troy made us a salad, and we topped it with Cilantro Caesar dressing.

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells w/Garlic Roasted Green Beans

Here is one recipe that the boys at my house totally drooled over. I think that this got the highest rating of the week! The best part was that I made my own sauce, so we have plenty more for another meal this week!!!

Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells
recipe from Cooking Light (2008 Cookbook) - photos from my kitchen

Ingredients

2 cups Basic Marinara, divided
Cooking spray
2 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
24 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread 1/2 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine ricotta and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl, stirring well. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling into each pasta shell. Arrange stuffed shells in prepared dish; spread with remaining 1 1/2 cups Basic Marinara. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I topped mine with mozzarella and Parmesan and popped it in the oven for 5 more minutes to make it look tastier. I gotta have my cheese!!!

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 4 stuffed shells and about 1/3 cup sauce)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 329(27% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 4.8g,mono 3g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 19.6g; CHOLESTEROL 67mg; CALCIUM 377mg; SODIUM 552mg; FIBER 4.2g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.4g

Bruce Weinstein , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007



Basic Marinara

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onion (about 3 medium)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 (28-ounce) cans no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

Preparation

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 7 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

After simmering for an hour or so, I taste-tested the sauce, and found it needed more seasoning. I added fresh basil, onion powder, garlic powder, more balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. I also added some bean stock (I found this tip on Culinate. The bean stock is supposed to add a heartier, meatier flavor, as well as thickening up the sauce.)

To store in the freezer: Ladle room-temperature or chilled sauce into plastic containers or zip-top plastic bags. Seal and freeze for up to four months. Consider freezing the sauce in one-cup increments (two servings' worth). That way, you can pull out exactly as much as you want for future meals.

To thaw sauce: Try one of three methods.

1. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Place frozen blocks in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Place frozen blocks in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at HIGH one minute at a time, stirring after each increment until thawed.

To boost taste: Long stints in the freezer can dull the taste of tomatoes. To perk up thawed sauce, add one-half teaspoon finely grated lemon rind or one teaspoon balsamic vinegar while reheating.

Yield

About 12 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 50(32% from fat); FAT 1.8g (sat 0.2g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 1.3g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 28mg; SODIUM 270mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 0.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8g

Bruce Weinstein , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007

Green Beans

Place trimmed green beans on a baking sheet with a chopped shallot. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Add 5 thinly sliced garlic cloves; toss. Bake at 400 for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and drizzle with lemon juice.

Superbowl Cupcakes

Well, I'm a little embarrassed to post my cupcakes after seeing the incredibly cute ones CB made, but since I have pictures, I suppose I might as well go for it.

I finally decided to install Picasa on my computer at work so I can resize pictures. Thus, I will be able to BU from work!

I used the recipe from Hungry Girl for Red Velvet Insanity Cupcakes. I liked them because of the beautiful red color! I felt like I was cheating a bit, since I was using box mixes, but I only used a cup of each, and then used my own ingredients. Still, not my favorite way to do things. I used regular sugar rather than Splenda, because I HATE the taste of fake sugar. The frosting was delicious!!! And the cupcakes were SO moist, and very chocolatey and red. I was a little disappointed because the minute I took them out of the oven, the nice smooth tops settled a bit and got wrinkly. :( Fortunately, the frosting covered that up, but I was still kind of sad.

I think they looked pretty cute...superbowl colors (I liked the powder blue...I still had to represent my Chargers!) They were VERY popular at the party. I was watching...several people at 3 of them! Mike said they were MUCH better than the blue velvet cupcakes I made 2 weeks ago.



HG's Red Velvet Insanity Cupcakes

Red HOT!

These cupcakes are so moist, so delicious, so RED, and so completely guilt-free, that writing extra words to introduce this recipe would be a complete and total waste of everyone's time. So here ya go... HG's Red Velvet Insanity Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

For Frosting
6 tbsp. Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
6 tbsp. Cool Whip Free, thawed
1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) (I used regular sugar)
(I added blue food coloring)

For Cupcakes
1 cup Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Devil's Food**
1 cup Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Classic Yellow**
Two 25-calorie diet hot cocoa mix packets
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) (I used 2 eggs)
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (I overdid the chips...more chocolate!)
1/2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) (I used regular sugar)
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
Place half of your chocolate chips (2 tbsp.) and the contents of both cocoa packets in a tall glass. Add 12 ounces of boiling water, and stir until chips and cocoa mix have dissolved. Place glass in the freezer until mixture is cold (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together marshmallow creme, cream cheese, and 1 tbsp. Splenda until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Place bowl in the fridge to chill until cupcakes are ready to be frosted. Once the cocoa in the freezer has chilled, give it a stir, and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the cake mixes, egg substitute, remaining chocolate chips, red food coloring, 1 tsp. Splenda, and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix batter for about 2 minutes (until smooth and blended). Batter will be thin, but don't worry, your cupcakes will puff up once baked! Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups, and spray lightly with nonstick spray (or simply spray the pan with nonstick spray). Evenly spoon batter into the pan. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Cupcakes will look shiny when done. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, evenly spread the frosting over them. Enjoy! MAKES 12 SERVINGS


Serving Size: 1 frosted cupcake
Calories: 134
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 266mg
Carbs: 25g
Fiber: 0.75g
Sugars: 11g
Protein: 3g

POINTS® value 3*

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

My friend Beth asked me if I had made these yet. I forgot that I hadn't posted about them! I actually did take a picture, but I accidentally deleted it off of my camera. :( But, I'll tell you about them anyhow!

I used 1 lb ground turkey, and mixed it with buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot). I just poured it in until the meat was a nice bright orange color, but not too soft and squishy. Maybe 1/4-1/3 C? Then I added a bit of blue cheese crumbles to the meat mixture. I didn't over do it, since I didn't want the burgers to fall apart. I also added some bread crumbs to help the mix stick together. I salted and peppered it, then shaped it into patties. Mike grilled them, and then we served them with Ranch dressing (bleu cheese would probably be even better), more bleu cheese crumbles, and lettuce. Mike and I both loved them, and he doesn't even like turkey burgers! I'll definitely be making these again. And hopefully, I'll keep the picture next time! :)

Note to self: Must try Chicken Nachos

My friend April RAVES about these Chicken Nachos, so naturally, I must try them. I'm saving the recipe for future use....

Nachos craving!

So, if I had to eat three foods for the rest of my life and I wouldn’t gain weight or be unhealthy, they would be: french fries, pizza, and nachos. I can’t even tell you how much I am craving nachos this week!! Tonight in honor of the UK football game, I am going to make chicken nachos. I have never made them before but I can’t wait to get home and do it! I’ll update with the recipe and pictures this evening… : )

Update: I have now made the nachos…and YUM!!!!!! These are so good. I know that there are probably countless ways to make chicken nachos. I followed a recipe on allrecipes.com and added a few things to it. We are loving these! Definitely not an every week thing but a good treat for a middle of the week football game!

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 green onions, sliced, white parts and tops separated
3 tablespoons canola oil (I used olive oil)
1 shredded, cooked, whole chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup salsa
1/2 (12 ounce) package tortilla chips
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
1/2 large tomato, diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the garlic and white parts of the green onions in canola oil until tender. Mix in shredded chicken, salt and pepper. Toss until well coated with oil. Stir in the salsa.
Arrange tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over tortilla chips. Top with Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend and tomato. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onion tops before serving.

Notes: I heated the chips for 5 minutes before cooking the nachos to avoid sogginess. We also added jalapenos, fat free sour cream, and I added about a teaspoon of taco seasoning to the chicken mixture. Mmmm…

Cupcake Challenge

I have decided to enter this month's Cupcake Hero challenge. As you probably know by now, CB has gotten me hooked on cupcakes (or at least cupcake recipes), and when I saw what the theme was this month, I jumped on it. :) You can go wrong with cupcakes made with booze! Stay tuned for my entry for the challenge!


Also, mainly for my own reference...CB shared a link with me for cupcake mailing supplies, if I decide to venture into mailing out cupcakes. :)
BRP Box Shop

Grilled Chicken and Tapenade Sandwiches & Veggie Skewers

This was my second menu meal of the week. Once again, Cooking Light had my whole plan laid out for me in advance. One thing I love about San Diego is that we can grill all year-round, even though this is more of a summer meal.

Game Plan:
1. Prepare topping for sandwiches
2. While topping stands:
Prepare vegetable skewers
Grill chicken and vegetables
3. While chicken stands:
Add cheese and remaining ingredients to topping.
4. Once slightly cooled, cut chicken into thin slices and assemble into sandwiches.

Grilled Chicken and Tapenade Sandwiches
recipe from Cooking Light 2008, pictures from my kitchen

Robust olives, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese convey Mediterranean flavors.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups diced seeded tomato (I didn't bother seeding)
2 tablespoons finely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used regular parsley)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
5 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
4 (2-ounce) ciabatta sandwich rolls, halved

Preparation

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons oil; toss gently to combine. Let stand 15 minutes.

Prepare grill.

Brush chicken evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from grill. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

Add cheese and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to tomato mixture; stir gently to combine. Arrange sliced chicken evenly on bottom halves of rolls. Top each serving with one-fourth of tomato mixture, and cover with top halves of rolls. Serve immediately.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 369(30% from fat); FAT 12.3g (sat 3g,mono 7g,poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 33.2g; CHOLESTEROL 79mg; CALCIUM 63mg; SODIUM 815mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 2.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.1g

Jennifer Martinkus , Cooking Light, JUNE 2007

Vegetable Skewers

Cut 2 zucchini, 1 red bell pepper (I used yellow squash instead because Mike hates bell peppers and they aren't my fave, either), and 1 red onion into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Thread vegetables alternately onto 4 skewers, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill 15 minutes or until crisp-tender and lightly charred. Brush evenly with 1 T balsamic vinegar before serving. (I forgot to do this part. :( )

The veggie skewers were delicious!!! Seriously, the best zucchini I've had in ages. The sandwiches were REALLY good too, but the ciabatta bread was a little dry. I'm not a fan of dry bread. It started cracking towards the end, but the flavor was great. I really liked this recipe! And obviously, Mike enjoyed his meal, too!

Cuppycakes! A review.

Tonight I got home from the gym, and I literally squealed in delight when I saw the package waiting for me from CB! I opened it up, and there were four perfect little cupcakes, along with frosting for them! They were packaged so adorably...perfect little pastry boxes and little cupcake cups wrapped up and nestled snugly in their little spaces. Turns out, I had successfully passed the application process for becoming a cupcake taster for Mr. Cuppycakes, so my next step in the race to be the next great taste tester was to post a review of these delectable delights. I just happened to have 3 other people here to compare notes with, which worked out wonderfully. Everyone was super excited to try them!

First I did the sniff test, since I wasn't sure what flavor they were. My suspicions were correct...they were cinnamon cupcakes, along with cinnamon frosting! They had a wonderful, spicy aroma. They looked perfect, like little bits of heaven.

CB even packaged the frosting, which I believe to be cream cheese flavored with cinnamon sugar, in a little baggie for easy frosting capability. I carefully frosted each one, and we all settled down with our apple cinnamon flavored tobacco, tea, and cupcakes.

The verdict:
Very delicious! All 4 tasters agreed. The flavor was excellent, and the texture was great - it was very fine and light. I personally thought they were a tad bit dry, but I am very much a fan of super moist and filled cakes. Everyone else thought they were perfect as-is. The frosting was also delicious, I definitely liked it. It was also spice flavored. We thought it seemed like more of a glaze, and not quite so much like cake frosting. I liked it that way, but Mike prefers it thick and fluffy.

Overall I think the cupcakes were a success, though if I were making them, I would probably give them a filling.

Thanks, CB, for an awesome tasting challenge!

I'm Famous!!!!

I have now been added to the Foodie Blogroll, after being inspired by such famous friends of mine, CB and Lorena. Check out the cool little apple on the right side of my blog. There are SOOOOO many awesome foodie blogs over there - check 'em out! This Blogroll is especially designed for people who have a passion about food. If you have a blog about food, whether you cook it, or just like to talk about it, this blogroll is for you! It will be our way to create a community of Foodies!

Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Halibut

Tonight I made my first menu-combo of the week. I made Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Halibut, Red Potatoes with Herbed Vinaigrette, and Steamed Broccoli. The cookbook is so cool, it even tells you what order to do things in!

I halved the recipe, from 6 servings to 3. I think that I would not have halved the first 5 ingredients though...there wasn't really enough coating for the fish.

Game Plan:

1. While oven preheats:
Cook Potatoes
Prepare Fish

2. While fish cooks:
Finish potatoes
Steam Broccoli


Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Halibut
recipe from Cooking Light 2008
- I halved the recipe
1 C panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 T chopped fresh basil
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1/2 t onion powder
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 T flour
6 halibut fillets
3/4 t salt
1/4 black pepper
2 T olive oil, divided
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish (I used waxed paper). Combine egg whites and egg in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish (I used waxed paper). Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture.
3. Heat 1 T oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 fish fillets; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 1 T oil and remaining fish (I didn't need to because I halved the recipe). Bake at 450 for 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.


Red Potatoes with Herbed Vinaigrette

Place 1 1/2 pounds quartered red potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water; bring to a boil. Cook 8 minutes or until tender; drain. Cool. Combine 2 T white wine vinegar, 1 T EVOO, 1/4 t salt, and 1/4 t black pepper in a large bowl, stirring well. Add potatoes, 1/4 C sliced green onions, and 2 t chopped parsley to mix, toss.



Overall, this was pretty good. Light, healthy, and pretty tasty. I wasn't overly impressed. Mike and Troy liked it, but there was no overwhelming reaction. We couldn't figure out if the potatoes were meant to be served hot or cold. They would be good either way though. I like this recipe, but I don't think I'll put it into my rotation.

Man Pleasing Meal - Brandied Chicken, Potatoes, and Slow-Roasted Tomato Salad

I found some recipes for a man-pleasing meal in the latest issue of Cosmo, from Nigella Lawson's new cookbook, Nigella Express. This meal sounds SO tasty, but not really all that healthy. So, my dilemma...to make it or not to make it? The salad sounds excellent...it's just the chicken and potato recipes that aren't the lightest. I might have to try this though...Valentine's day, maybe?

Brandied Bacony Chicken

1 chicken, 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.
2 strips bacon
1/4 C brandy

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about four minutes. Stuff the strips into the cavity of the chicken. Pour the brandy into the still-hot frying pan with the bacon fat, and let bubble for a minute, then pour over the chicken. Roast for 45 minutes in a roasting pan, breast side up, until the juices run clear between leg and body. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

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Potato and Mushroom Gratin

3 baking potatoes, thinly sliced
1 1/2 C milk
3 T white wine
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 t. oil
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, finely sliced

Preheat oven to 425, and butter a baking dish. Combine potatoes, milk, wine, salt, and pepper in a saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let simmer while you slice mushrooms. Put butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook three minutes. Stir mushrooms and their juice into potatoes. Pour into dish. Bake 45 minutes til top is crisp.

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Slow-Roast Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Mint Salad

1 lb cherry tomatoes
2 T olive oil
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Halve the tomatoes, and place them cut side up in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, thyme, and sugar.
Put them in the oven and immediately turn it off. Leave the tomatoes in the oven for a few hours.

8 to 10 C arugula or spinach leaves
1 C soft goat cheese
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 T freshly chopped mint

Arrange the arugula or spinach on a large dish, then dollop the cheese over. add the tomatoes. In the dish the tomatoes had been cooking in, whisk together the oil and lemon juice, and pour over the salad. Scatter with mint.

Things I want

I was looking at the Baking Bites blog, and I found something I want. And I don't even eat pancakes, except on rare occasions. But how cute are these?!!??! I would so love to have a brunch with my girls, or a special breakfast with the hubs. :)

William-Sonoma Stack & Fill Pancake Molds

Must try....

Oh wow, this looks SO good. I have been browsing other Daring Baker's blogs, and I am finding some yummy-looking recipes!!!

Pear, Gorgonzola, and Pancetta Pizza
http://home-gourmets.blogspot.com/2008/01/hhdd17-oh-excitement.html

Lemon Meringue Pie

Once again, it is time for the monthly Daring Baker's Challenge!!! This month's selection was Lemon Meringue Pie. I was very excited, since my friend Lorena had just made an LMP, and it sounded delicious. Mike was thrilled too, since he had been hoping for a lighter dessert after all the heavy holiday treats.

Things went pretty well, although once I got my pie crust dough made, I realized I didn't have a pie pan! So, I used a round casserole dish instead. It worked okay, but the sides were too tall, and the pretty fluted edges I had made ended up melting down in wrinkly lumps in the pan. So, it ended up being an ugly crust, but it sure tasted good.

My lemon filling came out perfect...no problems at all. My meringue worked perfectly as well, but even though I attached the edges to the crust, it pulled away, and the pie started getting really weepy. I got worried and started texting Lorena and my other DB friends to see if they had had similar problems. They told me that as long as I chilled it right away, it would most likely be okay. My only problem was that I was taking the pie to a football party in an hour, so I didn't have much chilling time. I kept it in the fridge for a while at the party, and it ended up setting up in time for everyone to eat it. It was sort of an ugly pie once you cut into it, but it tasted okay! I think I've decided I'm really not a fan of meringue, however, so I'll probably opt not to use it on pies other than for challenges!

Lemon Meringue Pie

(Source: "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver)

Daring Bakers Challenge #15: January 2008

Host: Jen (Canadian Baker)

Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:

3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces

2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt

1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:

2 cups (475 mL) water

1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch

5 egg yolks, beaten

1/4 cup (60 mL) butter

3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:

5 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar

1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:

Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:

Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Weekly Menu 1/28-2/2

I decided to go back to my cookbooks this week, rather than use only blog recipes. I was browsing through my latest Cooking Light annual cookbook (2008), and I discovered that in the index, there is a Menu page that gives you entire menu selections, not just one course! I'm going to try to use as many of these recipes as possible.

Monday - Garlic & Herb Oven-Fried Halibut; Red potatoes w/Herbed Vinaigrette; Steamed broccoli
Tuesday - Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/Blue Cheese
Wednesday - Crisp Salmon w/Lemony Spinach and Potatoes
Thursday - Grilled Chicken Tapenade Sandwiches; Grilled Vegetable Skewers; Cubed Cantaloupe drizzled w/Port
Friday - Chicken & Asparagus in White Wine Sauce; Parmesan Chive Mashed Potatoes
Saturday - Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells; Roasted Green Beans & Garlic
Sunday - Beef & Beer Chili; Jack & Red Pepper Quesadillas; Salad w/Cilantro Dressing

Stay tuned for recipes and results! :)

Vanilla Bean Mousse!!!!

A few weeks ago, while we were driving in the car, Mike suddenly came up with this brilliant idea for dessert. He wanted something very light and airy, some kind of whipped treat in a very light crust, made with a vanilla bean. I told him that it sounded like he was looking for a vanilla mousse. We figured that a phyllo dough crust would probably be what he was imagining. Mike started doing some research on mousse, and told me that I needed to buy unflavored gelatin. So, I bought some, since I noticed that vanilla beans were on sale (if you can call $9.99 per bean a sale...).

My dear friend Clara helped me come up with a couple of recipes, and I did some research on my own. I ended up combining several recipes in order to come up with an actual vanilla bean mousse.

My phyllo dough didn't turn out so hot...I didn't roll it out thin enough, and the cups were too small, so it was very thick and doughy at the bottom. But, the corners were good, and we really dug it. :) It came out SO light and fluffy and flavorful, and it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. On top of that, it was fat-free! Can't beat that!!!


If you are going to use phyllo dough, be sure to bake it in advance so it can cool a bit before you are ready to pour the mousse into it.

FAT-FREE VANILLA BEAN MOUSSE

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 T water
2 t unflavored gelatin
1 C fat-free half & half
4 T sugar, divided
1 vanilla bean

2 large egg whites
1/8 t cream of tartar

PREPARATION

Pour 2 T water into small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Stir over very low heat just until gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Stire in fat-free half & half, and 2 T sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over very low heat until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes (do not boil). Transfer gelatin mixture to large bowl. Set bowl in another large bowl filled halfway with ice water; stir until mixture is cool, about 5 minutes. Discard vanilla bean.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 T sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into gelatin mixture. Divide mousse among 4 wineglasses or phyllo shells. Chill until mousse is softly set, at least 4 hours and up to one day. Serve mousse cold.

The verdict: Mike loved it. He was totally satisfied with the result, and thrilled that I had made his dream. :) I thought it was excellent as well. It tastes so rich and wonderful, yet it is so light and weightless to eat!