Hand Pies for Pi Day! (3.14)

Well thankfully I was reminded that today was Pi Day!  And luckily it was in time for me to figure out what to make to celebrate-- Bourbon Peach Hand Pies from SmittenKitchen!  Here is the recipe...pictures soon to follow!!  P.S. 2 lbs of peaches is WAY to many for this recipe (at least for me)... I used 4 peaches but ended up only needing about 2.  I will figure out what to do with them later, or I will make these again because they look delish cooking in the oven!

For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:
2 pounds of peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bourbon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

One egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water (for egg wash)
Coarse sanding sugar, for decoration

1. To make the pastry: in one bowl, combine the flour and salt. Put butter in a separate bowl. Put bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Make an opening in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a fork, mix it up until the substance looks like coarse meal. Make another opening in the center. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the opening. Mix in the liquid with hands until you have big lumps. Remove the lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Mush the lumps into a large ball.  Be cautious to not overwork the dough. wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. The dough can be stored in the freezer at this point for up to one month.

2. Divide the refrigerated dough into two halves. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a circular cutter (or the lid to almond butter/PB if you don't have cookie cutters...that would be me), cut seven circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Do the same for the second half.

3. Make the filling: Peel and chop the peaches into small chunks (make sure they are quite small so they can fit in the peach pies). Mix in the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the bourbon and vanilla.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the peach mixture onto one half of each circle of dough. 


Brush a little cold water around the edge of the dough, and fold it in half, making a semicircle. Seal the pie, and use the back of a fork to make little notches on the edge, which are super precious.  Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Take pies out of the fridge and cut a small slit in each (so they don't explode) and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash to make them crisp in the oven, creating a nice golden flakey crust. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the pies, and bake in the oven. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and flakey, about 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven.  Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Lasagne and Sugar Drop Cookies: First Recipes from Joy of Cooking!

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently received the fifth edition of Joy of Cooking from Juli.  I was so excited that I read the entire thing cover to cover this morning on the couch.  I decided to make the lasagne for dinner and while making the meat sauce, I decided to make the sugar drop cookies.  (Yes, normally on a menu this reads "lasagna" but Lasagne is technically correct as lasagne is the plural form of lasagna in Italian and you use more than one noodle!).   I promised Juli that I would post all of the recipes from the book to the blog, so here are the first two!  Enjoy!!!

Lasagne:  First make the meat sauce and then cook the lasagne noodles and assemble the lasagne
Meat Sauce Recipe:
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil (I would use slightly less next time)
Add:
1 pressed clove garlic

1 lb. ground round steak
1/4 lb. ground lean pork
2 cups Italian tomatoes (I used strained because Matt doesn't like whole tomatoes)
1/2 cup Italian tomato paste
1/2 cup beef or veal stock (I used beef stock)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
Simmer the sauce uncovered about 1 hour.  Add 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh basil or oregano and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Lasagne:

Take 3/4 lb. Ricotta cheese, 1/3 lb. thinly sliced or crumbled Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 lb. grated Parmesan cheese.
Cook 3/4 lb. lasagne noodles al dente in salted water using about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the boiling water.  Stir occasionally.  Drain and separate the noodles.
Preheat oven to 350.

Spread a thin layer of the sauce, then a layer of pasta, in a baking dish.  Cover with a sprinkling of each of the three cheeses.  Spoon another layer of sauce over all then another layer of pasta placed crisscross and a layer of cheeses.  continue to build layers, reserving enough sauce to cover the final layer of pasta and enough Parmesan cheese to dust the top.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

Let stand briefly before cutting and serving.

Sugar Drop Cookies:

Preheat oven to 375.
Sift together:

• 2 and 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg)

Combine:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Add to this mixture and beat well after each addition:

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Add the flour mixture all at once and beat well.  Shape the dough into teaspoon size balls and dip the balls in granulated sugar.
Bake about 10 to 12 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Buckeyes

Ever since discovering the Smitten Kitchen, I've been dying to make the buckeyes...they just looked so scrumptious and not too difficult to make.  Fortunately, Karen's birthday provided me the perfect opportunity to try out the recipe!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (for me this was about 8 graham crackers--but I probably didn't crush them as much as I would have if I had been able to use my food processor)
Salt (just a sprinkle)
3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks or 5 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces dark chocolate (I used 72%), coarsely chopped

Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and peanut butter together until combined (you are supposed to mix with a mixer but I was at my house in Charlotte and did not have a mixer). Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix in. Add the sugar and butter, and mix. Scrape down the whole bowl well, then mix again. The mixture should be sturdy and a little dry — this is best for shaping. Set it aside while you prepare the coating. My mixture unfortunately was neither sturdy nor dry. I remedied this by putting them in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes to let them become a bit more sturdy and solid before dipping them in the chocolate.  Chef's note: when I made these again using my food processor, the mixture was much drier...I think that was partly because I was able to use more graham crackers, and also because the butter I used was normal butter, whereas the butter I used in Charlotte was olive oil Smart Balance, which made the centers a bit oilier (still delicious!)

Make the coating: Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 then 10 second increments, stirring before you start it again until it is completely smooth. Let it cool to just warmer than room temp. (I had chocolate leftover).

Make the candies: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop out about one tablespoon’s worth of filling and make it into a ball by rolling it between your hands. Place the ball on the prepared sheet and make all of the candies. I did this before placing all of the balls in the fridge to become more sturdy. Using a large skewer (or a fork if you don't have a skewer), dip each ball into the chocolate and roll it about so that almost the entire candy is coating, leaving a small circle uncoated. I followed smitten kitchen's directions and stuck the skewer in the side, angled the bowl I was using towards it and make sure it became submerged as I rolled the candy around.

Chill the buckeyes until they are set, about 30 minutes.

Everyone at Karen's dinner who tried them really liked them, so I think this recipe is a keeper.  

Next up, look for some recipes from the Joy of Cooking!  Juli gave me this tonight at dinner and I can't wait to try making some new recipes!  So excited for this great gift!  It's my newest pride and *joy* hehe :-)

Cooking for an awesome mom on her birthday!

Birthday girl with the Green Beans!

So as all of our followers probably know by now, all of the ladies who contribute to the blog love to cook. So when it came time to decide what to get my mother for her birthday it was a no-brainer... I was going to cook her a nice meal...and not just cook it for her, but let her help and learn how to do it herself!  We had some oldies but goodies that you have seen on here before, and also some new recipes.  For an appetizer, I made the always-delicious Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza.  We each had a slice to hold us over until the rest of the meal was ready.  We then had Rosemary & Garlic Veal (Chicken for Katie) with Haricots Vert and Shallots, the Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese, Pecans, Dried Cranberries, Celery and Shallots.  We finished off with a 100-calorie dessert of Grilled Peaches with Raspberry Yogurt.  The recipes are as follows: 

Rosemary & Garlic Veal:
2 tablespoons fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 veal cutlets [or 3 and one piece of chicken if you live with my picky sister ;) ]
Preheat the oven to 450
Combine Rosemary and Garlic in a bowl.  Slice a few 1/2 inch deep slits into the veal and stuff with Rosemary/Garlic mixture.  Then rub the rest of the mixture over the meat.
Spray cooking spray on to a baking sheet and place the meat on the sheet.  
Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Ours turned out to be a little bit dry so be very careful not to overcook the veal!

Haricots Vert with Shallots:  Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1/2 pound of haricot vert, trimmed and tailed (or green beans if you have them on hand and would rather use those...we used the "steamable" bags)
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 small shallot, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons diced tomato
Wedge of lemon

Steam the green beans. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot slices and saute them until they’re just translucent, not browned–about one to two minutes. Add the green beans to a bowl and then add the shallots. Stir together. Season with salt and pepper. Spread green beans and shallot onto a plate, throw the diced tomato over them and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the dish. Serve immediately.

pit the peaches

Grilled Peaches with Raspberry Yogurt:
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 peaches, pitted and halved
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1/4 cup sliced and toasted almonds


Place the raspberries and the yogurt into a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and the raspberries are completely broken apart.
Remove from the blender and refrigerate covered until serving.
Preheat a nonstick grill pan over medium high heat.

grill the peaches

Rub the agave nectar over the peaches so they are completely coated.
Place the peaches skin side up onto the preheated grill pan and grill for 4 to 5 minutes or until the peaches have caramelized and are tender.
Remove the peaches from the grill pan to serving plates.
Spoon some of the raspberry yogurt over each peach and sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve.

et voila!

Pasta with al Fresco Sauce!

This is SO easy and SO delicious.

All you need is:
- pasta
- cherry tomatoes (or any fresh tomatoes)
- garlic
- shallot
- salt/pepper
- basil (or any fresh herb.. dried herbs work in a pinch.. pun intended)
- white wine
- fresh mozzarella

Chop up the tomatoes, garlic, shallot.  Season.  When pasta water comes to a boil and you've started the pasta, heat the seasoned chopped ingredients on a skillet with extra virgin olive oil.  when the garlic and onion are cooked (a few min) cover with white wine. Let simmer until the pasta is ready.  I like pasta best when it is cooked al dente.  season the sauce to taste.  Before covering pasta with sauce I like to coat with some more extra virgin olive oil.  When pasta and sauce is plated add the fresh mozzarella!

Fennel, Prosciutto, and Pomegranate Salad

From SmittenKitchen (my absolute favorite!!!)

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups very thinly sliced fennel bulb
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
6 cups arugula (about 4 ounces)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into strips
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

fresh fennel from Trader Joe's!

Toss fennel and 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Mix together arugula, green onions, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl; toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.

Top the mixture with fennel, then place prosciutto strips across the top. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over.


I served this with the steak sandwich

Quick Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Tomato Relish and Pesto Pasta

Chicken Parmesan:
Ingredients:
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded 1/40inch thick
salt and black pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 cup shredded fresh mozzarella
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. tomato paste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450
Combine panko and Parmesan.  Place panko mixture, flour, and eggs separately in three shallow dishes. cut each chicken breast in half; season with salt and pepper.  Dredge cutlets in flour, egg and panko mixture.
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Saute chicken until golden, 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove cutlets to a baking sheet; top each with 1 tbsp. mozzarella.  Cook cutlets in oven until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Combine tomatoes, basil, vinegar, tomato paste, and the remaining oil for relish in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Serve chicken over pesto pasta, topped with relish.

Pesto Pasta:
Ingredients:
Pasta (about half a box)
3/4 cup homemade or purchased basil pesto
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions drain
Toss together drained hot pasta, pesto, and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Serve immediately.