I'm so glad that Candee has had some time to post and so sorry that I have been neglecting the blogosphere world! Between trying to close on a house and Hurricane Sandy, things have been less than normal here. I've still been cooking, but have all my pictures saved on a card until now when I can finally post :)
I have been really into cooking fast meals lately since our day-to-day life has been a little hectic!
I had a coupon for Johnsonville Fully Cooked Dinner Sausages, and went through some recipes on their website to see if anything struck my fancy.
1 package of Johnsonville Fully Cooked Chicken Sausage
Put it All Together!
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic to the pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Slice sausage into pieces about 1/2 of an inch thick.
3. Add orzo to the pan with the onion and garlic, for about 4 minutes or until the orzo turns slightly brown.
4. Then add the chicken broth, chicken sausage and Italian seasoning. Mix ingredients until combined and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
This was a quick and easy weeknight dinner that was packed full of flavor! Enjoy it!
Happy Saturday sweethearts! Today I'm here to share some delicious chocolate chip muffins from mybakingaddiction.com that I made this morning!
If you have been watching the news lately, you will know that the storm of the century is on it's way.....and some of it's most powerful winds and rains will be hitting in our area. I decided to make these muffins as a peace offering for Sandy, hehe. I don't think that these will disappoint-they are light, sweet, chocolatey, and the perfect golden color.
INGREDIENTS: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 stick of butter, melted and COOLED (preferably unsalted, but I used salted and there wasn't an overpowering salty taste) 2 eggs 2/3 cup milk 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and either line or grease a 12-muffin pan. 2) Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. 3) Whisk the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. 4) Create a well, or hole in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir just to combine. 5) Fold in your chocolate chips. 6) Transfer the batter into the muffin liners, and bake for 17-20 minutes. 7) Take your muffins out of the oven and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notice how "cooled" is in all caps in the ingredients list above-at first, I didn't let the melted butter cool off enough before mixing it with the eggs, milk, and vanilla, and ended up with a lumpy, curdled mess. ): Even the second time I put the wet ingredients together, I ended up with some lumps in the mixture, and I let my butter cool off for at least 7 minutes! 2 of those in the fridge! So, I have no idea what that was all about. However, the muffins ended up coming out great after 18 minutes baking in the oven. All bumps in the road aside, the muffins were easy and definitely a recipe I'd create again!
Happy Friday Sweethearts! Today I'm going to share a recipe I found through BethanysLife on YouTube, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate! This was inspired by Starbucks' annual line of fall drinks, salted caramel mochas, hot chocolates, etc. Ever since my aunt recommended the drink to me last winter, it has been my favorite thing to get at Starbucks(when I'm there....which is about every three months or so). I love the mingling flavors of salty and sweet, and since those two flavors are the foundation of many of our posts on Savory and Sweethearts, I thought this Recipe to Reality would be more than appropriate.
First, start off by making your hot chocolate. You can get fancy and break out your saucepan and make it yourself, or just use a mix like I did. On a side note, I'll take this opportunity to share my fool-proof hot chocolate combination:
1. Hot Chocolate mix-two tablespoons should do the trick, or follow the directions on your packet
2. Add milk, and some vanilla coffee creamer- I think this brings out the chocolate flavor a little more, similar to how you put vanilla extract in chocolate cookies.
Okay, back to the recipe! Add your whipped cream....it takes practice to get it looking "professional", but jut try holding the can at an angle on its side and bringing it around the mug. Next, drizzle your carmel sauce artistically, and sprinkle with some granulated sugar.
Now you've reached the most important part-your sea salt. All I have to say is-tread lightly. A little goes a long way since sea salt packs quite a punch. Make sure that you are strategically placing the topping in various places on the whipped cream, in an effort to avoid getting an overwhelming amount of salt
in one sip.
And you're done! This takes almost no time to make, and once you've made it twice you won't even need to refer to the recipe! Although I admit it tastes very little like the Starbucks version, it is still an amazing fall/winter drink that I highly recommend you try!
My crockpot and I have been getting to know each other this autumn.
One of my very best work friends gave me her old crockpot two years ago and I'm finally utilizing it!
I wish it had a timer feature, but because it doesn't, I try to pick recipes that need to cook for many, many hours while I'm at work.
This was my very first pot roast and I'd say it was very successful. The roast cooked on low for 10 hours and was extremely tender. I only wish I seasoned the meat before adding it to the pot!
A 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, not drained (I used the garlic and oregano ones)
1 can condensed beef consomme
1 cup V-8 juice
Put it All Together!
1) Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet. Season meat with salt and pepper and brown the meat on all sides (about 10 minutes).
2) Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, celery, and onion to the 4-5 quart crockpot. Season with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Place beef on top of the veggies, and add the liquids- tomatoes, beef consomme, and V-8 juice.
3) Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4) If you want when you serve the beef, whisk a little flour into the leftover juices to make a gravy. I made some rice to serve as a bed for my roast.
The best part of this meal was the way the apartment smelled when I came home from work! A great way to save some time on a weeknight meal!
This fresh, light, healthy salad could double as a main dish or a side!
This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine Fast Magazine and is a great choice for a light dinner on a warm day.
Here's What You'll Need!
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs. lime juice
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 minced chile pepper
1 scallion, minced
Put It All Together!
1) Rinse quinoa in running water and drain. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 1 and a 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp. of salt. Bring quinoa to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover until all the water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender but not mushy (about 17 minutes).
2) In a medium-large bowl, mix the oil with the lime juice. Add the bell peppers, cucumber, cilantro, chile, scallion, and quinoa. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
My husband was pleasantly surprised by the amount of flavor this salad packs. He was expecting it to taste like health food, but instead he really enjoyed the fresh flavors of the veggies with the nutty quinoa.
It was also much easier to go to the gym after eating this...as opposed to chili...lol!
Well, New York has truly said its farewells to summer and has welcomed autumn with open arms.
The leaves in the Hudson Valley are truly a stunning sight at this time of year.
Golden yellow, crisp orange, and deep reds are all around.
With these gorgeous leaves comes cool weather which makes it the perfect time for soups and stews.
Here's another delicious soup to add to your collection.
This recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse and was found through Food Network Online.
Serves 8
Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes Here's What You'll Need!
1 14 oz. can dark red kidney beans
1 14 oz. can cannellini beans
1 14 oz. can chickpeas
3 tbs. olive oil
1 8 oz. container of diced pancetta
1 large yellow onion
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large potatoes, cut into chunks
Salt
Pepper
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used ones with garlic and oregano too)
2 quarts chicken stock
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. Italian seasonings
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. elbow pasta
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
Parmesan cheese for serving
Looks like a ton of ingredients, but so easy to make and so flavorful!
Put it All Together!
In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and the pancetta to render the fat. Cook until crispy, about 3 minutes.
Saute the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and potatoes for about 3-4 minutes or until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, and cannellini beans along with the chicken stock.
Add the herbs-rosemary, thyme, Italian seasonings, bayleaf, red pepper flakes, as well as more salt and pepper.
Cook for 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are tender) and then add the handfuls of spinach and allow to wilt. (If you want, add some elbow pasta in about 8 minutes before soup is done)
Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread and get ready to warm yourself up from the inside out.
I am a huge fan of very hearty soups, so if you like your soup with more broth just add less of everything I added!
Looking forward to more soups and stews as fall leads us to winter :)
Long time no blog! Sorry that I have been neglecting my posts, I have had a few busy weekends! Nonetheless, today I am here to post about a super easy recipe I recreated this week-Bakerella's Nutter Butter Balls! I found these delicious treats through Pinterest (follow us here) and when a window of opportunity presented itself on Wednesday, I jumped at the chance to make them! The best part is that they are no bake! This is my first experience with a "no bake" recipe, and I was a little hesitant at first, especially working with an ingredient like cream cheese, which can be pretty iffy when left out at room temperature for too long. However, I was surprised at how easy the process was, and grateful for not having to wash so many dishes and utensils!
The overall process was super easy-
1) Start by using a food processor or the back of a spoon to finely crush all but 5 Nutter Butter cookies from the package.
2) Combine the 8 oz. of cream cheese with the cookie pieces. I found that it was easiest to use my hands, even though it got a little messy. Simply use a kneading motion to combine the crumbs and the cream cheese. It should take a little elbow grease, but I think that this is the best way. It's almost like creaming butter with sugar, except doing it without the help of a standing mixer.
3) Using your hands, form the mixture into little balls about 1 inch in width and place on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. I ran into a little trouble as I reached the bottom of my bowl because I hadn't incorporated all of my crumbs with the cream cheese. So, some of the balls ended up falling apart a little, but it didn't bother me so much.
4) Melt your chocolate in a small bowl. I really don't like semisweet chocolate, and was unable to find any milk chocolate baker's squares, so I used about 3/4 of a bag of milk chocolate chips.
5) Coat the balls in the melted chocolate. I used my hands and looking back realize that it was probably not the best idea. Try your luck placing the ball on a spoon and into the chocolate, rotating it to coat the bottom and top.
6) Place the newly coated balls back onto the wax paper, and leave them to set in the refrigerator.
Once your desserts have been left in the fridge for about 2 hours or so, they are ready to eat! Just make sure that you store them in the refrigerator to prevent running into any problems with spoiled cream cheese or melty chocolate.
I thought that these treats were great, easy for anyone to make (like many of my recipe to reality posts) and would satisfy any peanut butter-chocolate craving! Plus, it only took me 15 minutes tops to create them, so they would be perfect for anyone scrambling for something to bring to a last minute party. Since they are small, they are a great after school treat as well!
My husband lovingly refers to me as a "Pastatute".
Now, I know what you're thinking! Put it out of your mind!
The nickname refers to the fact that I love pasta more than any other dish out there!
Whenever I am asked the question: "If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" My answer is always: pasta.
It is incredibly versatile and can be the foundation for a myriad of flavors.
Also, my mom's pasta with meat sauce is unbelievable! Even though it's slightly morbid, every time I have her pasta I can't help think that it is the meal I'd want to eat before I die.
So, that sums up my feelings about pasta.
You may be thinking, "Well, I don't see that many pasta recipes on her blog!" That's because I try not to make it that often, because of course, it's full of carbs!
But this tortellini recipe was too good to not share ^_^
4 oz. chopped pancetta (Basically Italian bacon. Sometimes you can find at butcher counter. Boar's Head also sells pre-cut pancetta cubes which is what I used)
3 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tbs. tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas
2 tbs. fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Put it all Together!
1) Boil a pot of salted water, big enough to hold the pound of tortellini and cook according to directions.
2) While you are waiting for water to boil, start making the sauce. Add olive oil and pancetta to a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Allow pancetta to crisp up, about 3-4 minutes.
3) Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and let the flavors meld together, for about a minute or two.
4) Take a cup of the pasta water and add that to the pancetta, garlic, and tomato paste and allow to reduce by half (about 3-4 minutes)
5) Add the heavy cream and frozen peas and reduce heat to simmer. Allow sauce to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
6) Drain your tortellini when they are done cooking, and combine with the sauce. Stir to coat, season with fresh parsley and Parm!
This recipe is quick, easy, and most importantly, delicious! A perfect weeknight meal!
Last Friday Jasmine and I got together and baked up a STORM! Her recipe of choice was some delicious oatmeal cookies. I chose to whip up some Mallow Brownie bars for a Labor Day BBQ I was attending!
I found these decadent treats on Nichi's blog, The Mandatory Mooch. They are extremely easy to make despite their intricate appearance. They are so delicious and definitely will not fail to impress anyone's taste buds.
One of my favorite quick desserts has to be box brownies. I know, I know, probably not worthy of a "food blog" discussion, but just having access to a delicious treat that only takes a few ingredients you are bound to have around your home is a relief when you finish the last box of Oreos. Thus, when I saw that brownies were included in this recipe, I was extremely excited to make it! Another incentive was that I had all of the ingredients for the rest of recipe, and I'm sure many of you will be in the same boat!
The actual process was a piece of cake, no pun intended. When the brownies were almost done, I took them out of the oven and dumped a bag of mini marshmallows on top. I allowed it to bake for another 3 minutes (I let the brownies bake prior for about 25 minutes) so that the sugary topping had developed a sort of hard shell, but had not completely melted.
While the bottom layers of the dessert were cooling, I started on the top chocolate layer, which involved chocolate, peanut butter, butter, and crispy rice cereal. Although I ended up having only half a bag of chocolate chips (the recipe called for 1 full bag) everything actually ended up coming together fairly nice. I also used Simply Jif peanut butter, which has about a 1/3 less fat than the regular kind included in a popular lunch box staple.
Once I finished melting everything together, I poured the chocolate mixture on top of the brownies and spread evenly with a spatula. Once everything was visually appealing, the brownies went into the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
A little while later, the treat was ready to eat! They cut evenly, and there was no problem with any liquidy chocolate left on top. Everyone at the party I brought them to loved them, and they were gone within 10 minutes! They actually remind me of chocolate Rice Krispie Treats. All in all, I though these brownie bars were a hit and I will totally be making them again! If anyone is going back to school, these are a perfect cure for the end of summer blues that everyone is sure to face in the coming weeks. (:
My husband and I first tried Indian food about 2-3 years ago after we were both curious to expand our palettes. We had to ask the waiter for recommendations since we weren't familiar with the cuisine, but after taking my first bite I knew I was in love! I remember saying, "I have never tasted anything like this!" We were both completely blown away by the exotic spices and couldn't get enough.
Chicken Tikka Masala & Coconut Curried Veggies
If you have never had Indian food before, I'd recommend getting Chicken Tikka Masala. Tikka means that the meat has been marinated in yogurt and cooked on a Tandoori grill, and Masala refers to a common spice used in Indian cuisine. The dish is served in a tomato based sauce full of rich Indian spices. This is my husband's absolute favorite dish, and while I try to be adventurous and try other dishes, I always have to take a bite of his as well! When I found this recipe to make an Indian style dish at home without the inconvenience of using a ton of spices, I was very excited to try it. The recipe comes from the Food & Wine Annual Cookbook of 2011. Total Time: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes Servings: 2-3 Ingredients
2 lbs of butternut squash in 1-inch cubes
1 lb of brussels sprouts, halved
1 large red onion cut into slices
1 cup of canola oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless, chicken thighs
Warm naan for serving
The first thing I did was preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Autumn Veggies!
I decided to buy the pre-cubed butternut squash since the squash is so difficult to break down and I'd prefer to keep my fingers, thank you! I took the squash cubes, the halved brussels, and onion slices and mixed them together in a bowl with 1/2 a cup of canola oil, salt and pepper. I also added a little Vegeta spice mix to my veggies. Then I spread them out on a baking sheet.
In the same bowl, I combined the yogurt, ginger, garlic, curry powder, the other 1/2 cup of canola oil, and salt and pepper. I decided not to use Greek style yogurt, just because I'm not a big fan. Also, I found the Madras curry powder right in the spice aisle of my local supermarket, you shouldn't have to go to a specialty store.
Coated Chicken Ready to Bake!
Next, coat the chicken in the yogurt and spices mixture and lay the chicken on top of the veggies.
The recipe suggests cooking the chicken and veggies for a total of 60 minutes, but I found that both the chicken and veggies were done after 40. I set a timer for 20 minutes and turned the pan halfway through cooking. I also drained some of the juices halfway through cook time.
All done!
After 40 minutes I was left with golden brown chicken and caramelized veggies. Feel free to serve with naan bread or over rice. We chose to keep it low-carb.
This recipe can also be prepared the night before and baked the next day.
My husband, who is more of a meat and potatoes guy, ate all of his veggies and even had a second helping! We both loved the sweetness of the squash, with the slight bitterness of the brussels. The Madras curry spice was warm and inviting, and we didn't have any leftovers!
Can't wait to make this again...maybe in the fall or winter!
The first few steps of this recipe are very basic and easy. If you are a tried and true baker like what I would want to call myself, you would probably understand why simply creaming butter and sugar, then adding eggs and all of your various flavorings is more of a habit than anything else.
Now, this wouldn't be a true "post" if I hadn't put my own spin on this wonderful recipe. First, I added about a 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the batter for a bit of kick. Now, my second twist really amped up that minty flavor I was going for. The original recipe said to stuff the cupcakes with mini York Peppermint Patties-I, however, spooned out the peppermint filling of the candies and baked it inside the desserts instead. For the technique I used to get access to the filling, watch my Sweet Tip #2 below. If you are reading this and the thought popped into your head, "I'm not going to take apart 18 peppermint patties!" than I highly recommend that you stuff these treats with the whole candy instead, or add more extract. I am saying this because, well, the author of this recipe intended these to be chocolate cupcakes, and well, even with my addition of the peppermint extract, the candies inside were what really added the flavor I was looking for.
To get the filling in the cupcakes, I used an ice cream scoop to place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into my tins. Then, using my fingers I placed about a teaspoon of filling into the cupcake. Then, push it down into the batter so that it is not as clearly visible as it was before. Finish off with about a teaspoon more batter on top to seal things off.
After being in the oven for 17 minutes, my cupcakes were done. I enjoy more of a cake kind of texture, but for my savory and sweet hearts out there who want a moist cupcake, I would shoot for about 14 to 15 minutes in the oven.
As you can see in the pictures, the peppermint filling ended up spilling out of the cupcakes! However, the unsettling first impression you receive from these cupcakes can easily hidden by frosting. I also chose to let these babies sit a little to set as well as cool - I was definitely not content on letting the filling mix with my icing!
This delish Hint of Mint buttercream frosting also came from Bakingdom.com as well.
Here is a minuscule problem I ran into during this process, and I am sure I am not the first.....I didn't have any heavy cream on hand! Ironically, I ran into a similar problem a few days prior while baking with my cousins, and found a substitute that worked just as well as the suggested ingredient. If you ever find yourself without heavy cream, just beat flour and milk together in loo of the desired amount in the recipe. In my opinion, it is easiest to just eyeball it, but you should have a good bit more milk than flour.
After a splash of green food coloring, the icing is complete! I think the consistency of it is wonderful, light, airy, and a perfect companion to the chocolate cupcakes. A small change I made to the frosting is the addition of more peppermint and vanilla extract than the recipe called for. When I first tasted it, I really couldn't taste any mint! However, after alternating splashes of the two flavors I was able to find a happy medium of the flavor that is a significant part of these tasty candies. I do have one complaint with this icing...I felt like it was too buttery. I don't know whether it was because I undermixed, or because I used salted instead of unsalted...all in all though, this frosting is too good of an opportunity to pass up. If you choose to recreate this recipe, I suggest using 1 1/2 sticks of butter. If the consistency ends up being off, than it is a good idea to add more sugar and a little less liquid.
Here are the final cupcakes! I think that this recipe was consistently easy to make, and I was able to get lucky with the various changes I made to the batter. As Jasmine and I learned a few posts ago with our Buttermilk Blueberry Raspberry Breakfast Cake, while baking, it is difficult to just add in ingredients as you please, which is the case when cooking. To pipe, I used a freezer bag equipped with a medium sized opening to frost the treats. After realizing that a plastic bag really wasn't doing the trick (my Wilton kit was with Jasmine, as she was taking a class), I ended up smoothing the cupcakes over with an icing knife. I also garnished them with pieces of the candies that were left from my filling. These cupcakes were a hit with my family, and I personally could not get enough of them! And I will let you in on a little secret - I usually do not eat what I bake! Although I am payed many positive compliments on various treats I bring to parties or share with family and friends, I usually do not end up personally liking tastes of my creations. Anyway, long story short, if I like them, than you'll LOVE them! I will definitely be making these candy inspired cupcakes again!
