The Sweet Spot: January 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Three Great Pasta Dishes and One Photo :) Baked Ziti, Roasted Garlic with White Cheddar and Wine Sauce and Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

About a year and a half ago, we had a special friend come to visit to share about her ministry to poverty stricken and underprivileged women and children. She is a wonderful woman and I was so glad to host her presentation. Although she was speaking on poverty, we feasted on delicious foods. Only in the U.S are we so abundantly blessed. I had no idea how much it would bother me at the time to feel so blessed and see so many woman with so little. Mary's ministry helps feed woman and children but even more importantly it equips them to provide for themselves by helping them learn skills, get jobs, and even run businesses.

I had not planned to post any of these recipes just yet, but one of the women that came asked for the recipes. So... I thought I would just go ahead and post anyways. I only have a picture of the last piece of Baked Ziti, I didn't even get a picture of it when it was nice and hot and bubbly from the oven but you know,... what we don't do for friends, right? So you will have to just humor me a little and imagine the most delicious looking pasta dishes. Let's say they were crafted to perfection and styled on platters and dishes in a dreamy sort of way. And in a sense they really were. They were crafted with love and placed on the nicest dishes I could find. I really did want it to be a nice relaxing let me bless you occasion.

These were all new recipes for me from trusty sources which have been long forgotten because I had just scribbled the recipes down on paper. I feel bad I can't even give credit where credit is due. And really credit is due... These are all delicious recipes. Don't get me wrong, I make a lot of dishes and not all, in fact many don't get that stamp of approval. These recipes are keepers to be made over and over.

Baked Ziti

1 # cottage cheese
2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
1cup Parmesan cheese
Whisk these three together, set aside.
1# Ziti cooked 5-7 min then drained.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, add 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion and 5 cloves of garlic(crushed).Saute a few minutes then add one 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 t. oregano, 1/4cup chopped fresh basil(or 1-2 T. dry basil) and 1 t. sugar. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, heat 1c. heavy cream and 3/4t. cornstarch until thick (simmer 3-4 minutes). Now add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce and 6-8 oz. mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add Pasta and toss to coat.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella and 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 more minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.

Three Cheese Stuffed Shells
8 oz. Jumbo Pasta Shells cooked half the amount of time rinsed under cold water.
30 oz. Ricotta
8oz. Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
1/2c. Romano
1 lg egg
12 leaves basil
2T. parsley minced
salt and pepper
2T. olive oil
1/2 whole chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 # hamburger
1/2c. red wine
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute 1-2 minutes. Add meat and cook until done. Add red wine and cook 1-2 more minutes. Pour in the cans of tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to boil, reduce, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes. You can add some crushed red pepper now if you like.

In a separate bowl combine ricotta, 1/2 the parmesan, romano, egg, s&p,basil, and parsley. Stir well.

Grease a baking dish and spread some sauce in the dish. Fill shell with cheese mixture*. Place face down. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh mozzarella.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

* To fill shell pour the cheese mixture into a ziplock bag and snip the corner and squeeze into shells. A much cleaner and easier way to accomplish the task.

Pasta with Roasted Garlic, White Cheddar and Wine Sauce
8 oz. penne cooked.
11/2 t. butter
1/4c. roasted garlic paste* see instructions below.
11/2 T. flour
1/4c White Wine
1c. chicken broth
1c. shredded white cheddar cheese
1 head broccoli cut into florets and blanched until tender
1# boneless,skinless chicken breast, grilled or cooked on stove top( cut up).
s&p

Melt butter in pan. Add garlic paste then flour and cook until browned about 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine and broth. Cook 10 minutes until thickened. Whisk in cheese, s&p. Now stir in cooked chicken, broccoli and pasta.

* To roast garlic place 2 heads that had the tops cut off to expose the cloves in foil. Seal foil and Bake 350 for 1 hour. cool and squeeze garlic out of peels and mash with a fork. Well worth the extra work.

These are so delicious. I need to make them again soon.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Lemon Scones

So for years now, I have been collecting recipes, frequenting cooking blogs, and borrowing cook books from the library. As if I don't have enough already, I now have Pinterest and a 15 year old who quite often is finding me more recipes to add to my ever growing list and in fact these lemon scones came from her. Well, they came from one of her recipe sources and they are a winner. They are nice and lemony indeed. The glaze really brings out the lemon flavor not to mention the fact that I used Meyer Lemons. I did make an additional white glaze on top of what the recipe called for also, just because they looked too plain for my liking. I don't think it changed the taste much so you decide for yourself if you want the extra glaze. They are just prettier with it. I like pretty and I like lemon, so these really work well for me and if you like lemon and scones I bet they will work for you too :).
Please note that scones really are best right out of the oven. If you don"t need eight scones you might freeze the dough and bake the extras when you do need them. Of course, you need to make your discs and cut them into wedges first and then freeze. Have a friend over and make some kind of scone to go with your coffee or tea, it's simply irresistible :).

Lemon Scones
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. frozen butter, grated
1/2 c. lemon juice
2 t. lemon zest

Glaze 1: lemon juice (1 lemon) and powdered sugar mixed to make a glaze.

Glaze 2: 1-2T. cream, a little squeeze of lemon, and powdered sugar to make a white glaze.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater. (I like to use my food processor for this – fast and easy.) Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture. Mix in juice and zest. Form into 2 disks and cut each disk into 4 wedges, like a pie. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Cool. Mix the glazes and drizzle over scones.

Recipe adapted from: Alwayswithbutter.blogspot.com

Photographs by Cindi

Blueberry Scones for Lizzy

Whenever I use to hear the word scones, I use to think they would be too difficult to make. But... actually, scones really are not that difficult. The biggest trick I have learned is to keep the butter and the liquids cold (Oh, and if you are going to photograph them then make sure you cut them more evenly :)). This recipe really is a keeper. Every time I have made it and taken it anywhere I get requests for the recipe. Even right now, I am writing this post to give the recipe to some sweet ladies that attended a brunch I helped host. It has a delicious, tender, buttery-crumb with blueberries and just a hint of lemon. I really think these would be good with a lemon glaze instead of the sprinkled sugar just to switch things up a bit. Either way, you will not regret making these.

Ingredients:
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole
1½ cups (7½ oz.) fresh blueberries
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F. Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater or use a food processor. Place the blueberries in the freezer until needed.
Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dough holds together in a ragged ball. Add small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12-inch square again. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the surface of the dough, and gently press down so that they are slightly embedded in the dough surface. Using a dough scraper, roll the dough up to form a tight log. Lay the log seam side down and press the the log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar. (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.) Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: I always bake only what I need that day and freeze the unused portion because scones are best right after they are made. The dough freezes well, and you can pull it out of your freezer, pop it in the oven and have fresh scones any time you want. You might want to even make extra like I do to keep on hand.
Source: adapted from Annies- eats and Entertaining from Cook’s Illustrated, Spring 2009

Photographs by Cindi

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Whoopie Pies

America's Test Kitchen Whoopie Pies were a recipe I couldn't wait to try because I love both good tasting food and food that looks cute. What can I say, I love individual sized treats too. I made smaller sized whoopie pies so I ended up with more than just six as the recipe indicates. This picture does capture them well. They really were cute, and if you have a sweet tooth you may really like these.
These were quite easy to make but a little messy when trying to fill and sandwich the two cookies together. Next time I think I would use a pastry bag and pipe the filling onto one cookie then top it with the other.
Serves 6
Don’t be tempted to bake all the cakes on one baking sheet; the batter needs room to spread in the oven.
CAKES
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
FILLING
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
2½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
1. FOR THE CAKES: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
2. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, then half of buttermilk. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir.
3. Using ⅓-cup measure, scoop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake until cakes spring back when pressed, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool completely on baking sheets, at least 1 hour.
4. For the filling: With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Beat in Fluff until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate filling until slightly firm, about 30 minutes. (Bowl can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
5. Dollop ⅓ cup filling on center of flat side of 6 cakes. Top with flat side of remaining 6 cakes and gently press until filling spreads to edge of cake. Serve. (Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in air-tight container for up to 3 days.)

Chocolate Souffles

Sometimes a girl just needs something extra special. This definitely fit the bill. It's sweet, moist, and nice and chocolaty then you top it with whipped cream and it just doesn't get better than that. Souffles really are so easy to make. My daughter had some fun taking pictures for me. I hope you enjoy them and that you'll give the chocolate souffles a try. This would be a lovely Valentines treat..

Individual Chocolate Soufflés

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon powdered instant coffee

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Grease and sugar eight 6-ounce ramekins.

3. In large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Scald milk. Remove from heat and add powdered coffee, stirring until dissolved.

6. Stir together flour, cocoa and baking powder. Add alternately with milk mixture to butter mixture. Beat 1 minute on medium.

7. Divide batter evenly among ramekins.

8. Place ramekins in 2 8-inch square pans. Pour hot water in bottom of pans to 1/8 inch deep and place pans in oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

9. Remove pans from oven and let ramekins stand in water for 5 minutes.

10. Remove ramekins from water and let cool slightly.

11. You can serve in dish or invert onto dessert plates.

12. For topping: beat whipping cream and powdered sugar in small mixing bowl until stiff and spoon onto warm soufflés.

MMM....Thanks , Bakerella, for the recipe.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Someone Special

I was always on the look out for new recipes, except when it came to chocolate chip cookies. The Nestle' Toll House Cookies recipe seemed to be just fine. Why mess with it when there are so many other things to try? Then I came across this recipe found in the New York Times on someone's blog. The comments about it were so intriguing I thought I just needed to try it. These really are good. You just need to plan a day ahead because they need to be mixed-up and refrigerated for about 24 hours. It's well worth the wait.

One of my college-aged daughters called and said," Mom, would you make THE chocolate chip cookies for me tomorrow?" I knew exactly which ones she meant. So, I got right to it because she would be coming the next day. These cookies really are delicious. They could be sold in a bakery or just made for special people.

Now for the recipe.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours.When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Not Your Average Monkey Bread

Sunday is definitely my favorite day of the week. I love Sundays for a few reasons. It's the day we meet at church to worship and fellowship. It's the day my older children gather at our home for family meals and it's also the day I cook breakfast for 50 to 100 wonderful college students. Now you can see why I love it so much and yes, I do love cooking for that many students. I try to think of new recipes and use tasty, quality ingredients because I want them to feel special. This week we made individual egg souffles, a fruit platter and this delicious monkey bread. I believe the recipe came from the famous Pioneer Woman.I love her and her monkey bread and I hope you do too.

Normally, I would use a muffin tin and I did for the college students but at home I wanted to use my heart ramekins. After all, it's almost Valentines and these would be delicious for that special someone.I put a little butter in the dish or tin then sugar and cinnamon.

Now, I put my thawed frozen roll that I cut into thirds ( but in this case I actually added a little more because these dishes are a little bigger than the tins.)

Finally, I put more butter and sugar and then I sprinkled it with more cinnamon. Now it's time to bake them. After they are baked just pour sweetened condensed milk over the top of them and let them sit a minute if you can resist that long.

Ingredients

Frozen Bread Dough Dinner Rolls ( Cut Into Thirds)
Butter
Sugar
Ground Cinnamon
Sweetened Condensed Milk

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to muffin tins. Sprinkle in sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls (or cut dough into thirds). Place three into each muffin tin.
Top with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle on more sugar and cinnamon.
Allow dough to rise, if applicable, or just go ahead and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven and immediately drizzle plenty of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to sit for a little while to absorb sweet, sticky milk.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies With Caramel

Recipes, recipes and more recipes, which one to make today, hmm. This is always the dilemma. Today's recipe was in the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. It just looked like such a fun wintery, special occasion, kind of cookie to use my jar of Trader Joe's caramel sauce. I had been looking at that caramel in the cupboard for a week, contemplating how I might use it and then I came across this recipe. It was settled. These really are yummy if you like caramel and coconut. Next time I would drizzle a little chocolate over the top as well. I think that combination would really be great. My husband just loved these cookies and I hope you do too. I have a few ( as in hundreds :) ) tried and true recipes I will be posting soon.

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 oz. flaked coconut
large flaky sea salt
Trader Joe's Caramel Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugar with the mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flower and half teaspoon of table salt, and beat to combine.Press dough together in plastic wrap,then roll into one inch balls. Deep each ball into beaten egg, and roll in coconut. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, and press indent into each with your thumb. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove sheets from oven, and re-press indentations. Bake cookies until golden. 9-10 more minutes. Let cool. Then fill centers with caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt.

Enjoy!

xo,

Tina

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Apple Fritter Muffins

It was a blustery cold day. A day that called for a warm afternoon snack. My youngest daughter stumbled onto this recipe on Pinterest so we thought we would give it a try. It was a fun afternoon baking in the kitchen together and not only was it an enjoyable activity but these muffins really turned out delicious. I hope you enjoy them as well.

For the Apples:
2 large granny smith apples, 1/4 inch dice
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp water

1/3 cup flour

For the Muffins:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:
2 tbsp butter melted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line 14 muffin cups with muffin liners
In a skillet add add apple ingredients except flour and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour to coat apples (this prevents apples from sinking to bottom of muffins)
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt
In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly
Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Gently stir in apples until just combined
Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.
Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.
To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin top into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving.