Baked Gnocchi with Sausage and Cheese

This is a family favorite!

1 lb. gnocchi, cooked al dente, drained
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 t. fennel seed
5 T. butter
5 T. flour
2 C. chicken broth
1 C. half and half
½ t. kosher salt
About ½ lb fresh spinach leaves (use a 9 oz. bag of spinach)
½ lb. Munster or Gouda cheese shredded

Place the cooked gnocchi in a baking dish (9 x 13” works well). In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and sausage. Saute until no longer pink; add fennel seed and cook another minute. Remove to a bowl; in same skillet, add butter and melt over medium heat. Stir in the flour; whisking until combined. Stir in the broth, half and half and salt. Cook another 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the spinach leaves and cook just until wilted. Add the cooked sausage to the sauce. Pour over the gnocchi, sprinkle on the cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in a preheated 375 oven. Serve at once. Serves 6-8.

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Black Bean Cream

This is supposed to be a side dish, but I think it's a great little snack. My little girl loves eat this for lunch!

2 lg. sweet potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 C. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 C. fat free sour cream
1 t. ground cumin
1 T. chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 425 F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil; lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Place potato slices in single layer; brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes, flipping potatoes over after 10. The potatoes should be slightly crisp. In a bowl, mash beans with a fork leaving some beans whole and others mashed. Mix in cumin, sour cream and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly divide bean cream on potato slices; garnish with cilantro. If you don't care for cilantro, the original recipe actually called for scallions instead of cilantro. I'm not a fan of raw onion, so I went with cilantro.

Zupa Toscana

This is one of my favorites!

1 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage, crumbled
1/2 lb. smoked bacon, chopped
1 qt. water
2 cans chicken broth (about 3 2/3 C.)
2 lg. russet potatoes, scrubbed, cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 med. onion, chopped
2 C. chopped kale or Swiss chard
1 C. heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces; set aside. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon, drain and set aside. Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until tender. Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Ranch Cheese Ball

This cheese ball is so easy and everyone will love it! Make sure you let it chill overnight!

2 8-oz pkgs. cream cheese
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
Slivered Almonds

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Combine cream cheese with ranch mix. Add cheddar cheese. Form into a ball and roll in slivered almonds. Chill overnight.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

The best way to describe this dish is YUMMMMM!!! This is kind of a labor intensive dish, but it is so worth it! I LOVED it! It's one of Giada De Laurentiis' recipes and I just made a few slight adjustments after reading the recipe reviews. I would suggest making the gnocchi dough 1 day ahead so it can chill in the fridge. It was much easier to work with when it was chilled!
6 to 8 servings

Gnocchi:

2 lbs sweet potatoes
2/3 C. whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 C. all purpose flour, plus 1/3 for work surface
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, about 40-50 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place ricotta in a strainer or some cheese cloth and allow excess moisture to drain into a bowl and set aside. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed. Add the flour, 1/2 C. at a time until a soft dough forms. You may need slightly more flour than the recipe calls for. Just continue to add flour 1/2 C. at a time until the dough is no longer goopy and a soft ball forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the lines of a fork (this is just for looks) and transfer to a large baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. The gnocchi will float when it is done. Drain gnocchi using a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet. After all gnocchi is cooked, saute in a nonstick pan with a little butter to create a slight crust on the gnocchi. Return gnocchi to the baking sheet and tent with foil to keep warm.

Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter:

1/2 C. unsalted butter (Make sure it is unsalted! If you use salted butter, do not add salt to the sauce.)
20 fresh sage leaves
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. maple syrup
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add sage leaves. Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt and pepper. The mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture and toss with the gnocchi. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse with Pecan– Toffee Crunch

We just had this dessert tonight and I thought it was so yummy and different! Be sure to prepare it one day ahead.

4 servings

Crunch:
Vegetable oil
1 C. chopped pecans
2/3 C. toffee bits
4 t. dark brown sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 T. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil, brush generously with vegetable oil. Toss nuts, toffee bits, sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and toss to coat. Place mixture in center of prepared sheet; pat to single layer. Bake until toffee bits are soft, about 15 minutes. Cool crunch completely on sheet. Transfer to work surface; chop coarsely.

Mousse:
2 C. chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
¼ C. sugar
5 large egg yolks
1 ¼ C. canned pure pumpkin
1 t. rum flavoring (optional)
1 ¼ t. vanilla extract
¾ t. ground cinnamon
½ t. ground ginger
¼ t. ground nutmeg
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. allspice
Whisk ¾ C. whipping cream, sugar, and egg yolks in heavy medium-low heat until thickened to pudding consistency, about 10 minutes, do not boil. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Mix in pumpkin, rum flavoring, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and allspice. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Beat remaining 1 ¼ C. cream in another large bowl until cream holds peaks. Transfer ½ C. whipped cream to medium bowl for garnish; cover and chill. Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Cover and refrigerate mousse at least 4 hours and up to 1 day. In each of 4 medium goblets, layer 1/3 C. mousse and generous tablespoon crunch. Repeat 2 more times. If necessary, whisk reserved ½ C. whipped cream to soft peaks and sweeten with 1 or 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar. Pipe or drop dollop of cream onto mousse in each goblet. Cover; freeze overnight.

Popovers with Sage Butter

I loved these!! They were so easy to make and so yummy!

1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 T. chopped fresh sage
2 C. flour
1 t. salt
2 ½ C. cold whole milk
4 large eggs

Stir butter and chopped sage in small bowl. Season sage butter with salt and pepper. Melt 5 T. sage butter in small saucepan. Transfer remaining sage butter to small dish. Preheat oven to 450 F. Using 3 T. melted sage butter, brush each cup of 12-cup muffin pan. Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk milk, eggs, and 2 T. melted sage butter in medium bowl to blend. Pour egg mixture over dry ingredients. Whisk until batter is smooth. Divide batter among muffin cups. Without opening oven door at any time, bake popovers 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F; bake until popovers are puffed and brown, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer popovers to platter; serve immediately with remaining sage butter.

Herb Brined Turkey

This was my first time cooking a whole turkey! I looked at several brine recipes and took what I liked from all of them and made my own brine recipe. I think the turkey turned out great. I made my own vegetable broth so I will include the broth recipe below. I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on something I could just make at home! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the turkey before we started cutting into it, so my picture isn't a great as it could have been! I used Alton Browns cooking method. He gives very detailed instructions, which I like. It makes it much harder to mess up!

1 gallon vegetable broth.

2 gallons of filtered water
1 T. olive oil
2-3 carrots cut into big chunks with skins left on
4-5 stalks of celery cut into big chunks
2 onions quartered
3 cloves of garlic with skin on
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss vegetables with olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast vegetables in oven for about 40 minutes or until vegetables are soft and caramelized. In a large pot bring 2 gallons of water to a boil and then add roasted vegetables and rest of ingredients. Simmer until liquid is reduced to about half, about 1 hour. It may take more time than that, I wasn't paying close attention to time. Strain out vegetables and allow broth to cool to room temperature or chill in the fridge.

Brine

1 gallon vegetable broth
1 C. Kosher salt or sea salt (I found that kosher salt was used most often in the recipes I looked at, but I did find one or two that called for sea salt. One cup of salt was used with either type of salt).
1 T. crushed dried rosemary
1 T. dried sage (I had fresh, so I used 1/3 C.)
1 T. dried thyme
1 T. black peppercorns
1 gallon of heavily iced water

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve salt. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in ice water. Wash and dry turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator over night. Yes it is possible to fit the bucket in the refrigerator. I just took one shelf out and it fit fine. You could also use a cooler. Let the turkey sit in the brine for 10 to 16 hours or up to 20 if you have a very large turkey. Remove the turkey, rinse off brine and pat dry.

Aromatics

1/2 onion sliced
1 apple sliced (If you use a red apple, don't be alarmed when your juices have a red tint. Just make sure your turkey is at the right temperature!)
1 cinnamon stick
1 C. water
In a microwave safe bowl, combine ingredients and cook for five minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Insert into the cavity of the turkey along with 4 sprigs of rosemary and 6 sage leaves.

Baking the Turkey

Preheat oven to 500 F.
Place turkey on a roasting rack and set roasting rack in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet. Tuck wings underneath themselves and make sure the legs are tied together. Usually they are already tied together with oven safe material. Rub the turkey liberally with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It's best to use a digital thermometer so you don't overcook the turkey. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the bird. I put mine into the bake side of the breast. Make sure the probe doesn't go into the cavity or bone. Next, make a large triangle out of foil and shape over the turkey breast. Remove foil and set aside. The foil will be used later to ensure the turkey breast doesn't get overcooked. It's just easier to shape it to the bird now, so you don't have to do it when the bird is really hot. Place your turkey legs first into your 500 degree oven. Cook at 500 degrees for thirty minutes. Cooking it at a high temperature initially will make help the skin brown and crisp. After 30 minutes, carefully place the foil over the turkey breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Set your thermometer to 161 degrees F. Do not open the oven door until your turkey reaches 161 F. Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil. The carryover cooking will raise the temp to 165. Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before removing the probe.

Tortilla Soup

This is one of my favorite soups! It's only about 2 weight watchers points for one cup. If you add a couple tablespoons of low fat cheeses, and three crushed tortilla chips, it's only about 4 points!

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded (Rotisserie chicken is best)
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 (4-oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 (15-oz.) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (15-oz.) can black beans drained and rinsed
32 oz. chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 bay leaf
Fresh Cilantro
Monterey Jack cheese
Sour Cream
Tortilla chips
Avocado

In a large pot cook onions and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent and tender. Add tomatoes, green chiles, corn, enchilada sauce, broth and spices and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and black beans and continue to cook for 20 or 30 more minutes. Garnish soup with cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, tortilla chips and fresh cilantro.

*Another option is to toss all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Black Bean and Chicken Chili

This is a family favorite!

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
4 (15-oz.) can Black Beans, rinsed
1 (4-oz.) can Green Chilies, diced
1 (28-oz) can Crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (14-oz) can Chicken Broth
1 1/2 C. shredded rotisserie chicken (you could cook and shred your chicken, but it's so much easier to use a rotisserie chicken!)
1 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 t. chili powder
2 dashes of hot sauce
3/4 C. salsa
Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese
Avocado
Sour Cream
Heat oil in heavy pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are transparent. Combine all other ingredients and simmer for 2-3 hours. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and chopped avocado.

Macaroni and Cheese with Crumb Topping

I've been looking for a really good macaroni and cheese recipe. I think this one is pretty good, but I think I might try a few more recipes. Addy loves this mac and cheese! I have made it with white cheddar and regular cheddar. Both are good.

12 servings

1 ½ C. fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
¾ C. freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 t. sweet paprika
8 T. butter, divided
6 T. flour
6 C. whole milk (I used skim and it was still good)
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. ground black pepper
4 C. grated white cheddar cheese
1 ½ T. chopped fresh parsley
1 lb. macaroni

Mix breadcrumbs, Asiago, and paprika in medium bowl. Melt 6 T. butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, then mustard and pepper. Cook until thickened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Mix in 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Cool sauce slightly and then add the rest of the cheese and fresh parsley. Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Cook macaroni in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain macaroni. Return macaroni to pot; mix in sauce. Season to taste with salt. Transfer mixture to prepared dish. Sprinkle with topping. Dot with remaining 2 T. butter. Bake until cheese is bubbling and crumbs are brown, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a great cheesecake!
12 Servings

Crust:
1 ½ C. gingersnap cookie crumbs
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap outside of 9-inch diameter springform pan with foil. Mix crumbs, butter, and sugar in bowl. Press mixture onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until slightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
3 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 C. sugar
1 C. canned pure pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
½ t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground allspice
Blend cream cheese and sugar in processor until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and spices. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Transfer filling to crust. Bake cheesecake at 350 F for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 F. Bake until center is set and edges begin to crack, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 6 hours. Cut around pan sides; remove sides. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce:
1/3 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
2 T. corn syrup
pinch of salt
1/3 C. cream
Melt butter in a sauce pan, then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved.

Cinnamon-Vanilla Syrup

This syrup is so good I could drink it and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

1 cube butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. half and half or cream
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon

Heat ingredients in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

I love these pancakes! They are pretty healthy, but you would never know it! You could use all whole wheat flour if you want and they would still be great.

1 C. unbleached all purpose flour
1 C. whole wheat flour
1 T. baking powder
2 eggs
1 C. canned pumpkin
2 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. plain fat free yogurt
2 T. butter, melted (optional)
4 T. sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
3/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

In a small bowl, combine the white flour, whole wheat flour and baking powder. Set aside. in a medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, yogurt, butter, sugar and spices. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Heat a nonstick griddle over low heat with a bit of vegetable spray. Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter onto the griddle and cook. Serve with Cinnamon Vanilla syrup or dusted with powdered sugar.

Apple-Almond Cheesecake

This cheesecake was the very first cheesecake I have ever made! The texture is pretty firm but creamy, and the flavor is wonderful if you like almond. I had never used almond paste before making this cake and it is quite expensive. I think I paid $7 for one 7 oz package (I divided the recipe by 2/3 and used an 8" pan) of almond paste! For this reason, I don't think I would make this cheesecake again, but I'm still putting it here just in case I change my mind! Make sure you use a food processor when mixing the filling. Otherwise the almond paste won't blend in smoothly.
12 Servings

Crust:
1 C. graham cracker crumbs
1 C. slices almonds, toasted
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 T. golden brown sugar
¼ t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Wrap bottom with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend, crumbling almonds slightly. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
1 ½ 7-ounce packages almond paste, crumbled
3 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs

Combine almond paste, cream cheese, and sugar in processor; blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs until just blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 F. and bake until center is set and top appears dry, about 45 minutes longer. Cool. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate over night.

Apples:
4 large Jonagold apples, peeled, cored, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
2 T. fresh lemon juice
4 T. unsalted butter
¾ C. golden brown sugar
¾ t. ground cinnamon

Toss apple slices with lemon juice in large bowl. Melt 3 T. butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add apples and sauté until golden and tender, stirring frequently, about 9 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to coat. Add remaining 1 T. butter. Stir until coated and glazed. Cool slightly. Run small sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Release pan sides. Arrange apples in concentric circles atop cheesecake. Brush apples with any juices left in skillet. Cut into wedges and serve.

Apple Syrup

I love this syrup with Cinnamon-Apple Pancakes, but I'm sure it's good on regular pancakes too!

1 C. Apple juice (I like Simply Apple)
2 C. sugar
1 cinnamon stick or dash of cinnamon

Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves. About 5 minutes.

Cinnamon-Apple Pancakes

I wasn't really a pancake lover until I had these!

Serves 4 to 6
2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
1 T. brown sugar, packed
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 3/4 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. fat free or light sour cream (you could also use plain yogurt in place of sour cream)
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 Granny smith apple, cored, peeled and grated

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Mix eggs, buttermilk, sour cream and butter together; add to flour mixture. Fold in apple. You may want to add more buttermilk if you feel the batter is too thick. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a greased hot griddle or non-stick pan. Heat until little bubbles form through the batter, then flip. Serve warm with apple syrup.

Rosemary Focaccia

I have made this bread for years and it's one of my favorites. This is the perfect bread to make on a rainy or snowy day when you just want to stay inside and read a good book.
Hint: I have made this bread with homemade mashed potatoes as well as with prepared instant potatoes. I find that the instant potatoes are easier and make a smoother dough. Homemade mashed potatoes tend to be lumpy no matter how much you mash them!)

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (about 2 or 3 T.)
1 T. honey or corn syrup
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
1 C. mashed potatoes
2 1/2 C. all purpose flour (sometimes I use bread flour)
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Pour 1 C. boiling water over rosemary sprigs in a small bowl and let sit for 20 minutes or until the water is lukewarm. Remove rosemary from water, chop finely and set aside. Add honey to water. Put yeast in a large bowl and pour rosemary water over yeast. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. Stir salt and 1 T. olive oil into yeast mixture. Add mashed potatoes, rosemary and enough flour to make a kneadable dough. Sometimes you may need more than just 2 1/2 C. flour, so just add flour 1/4 C. at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Slather the dough with olive oil and place in a bowl. Cove the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down and kneed for another minute. Add flour if sticky. Coat a 17 x 11 inch baking sheet with olive oil and stretch dough to edges. Drizzle a little more olive oil over dough if necessary and then sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and make small indentations with your index finger in the dough. Bake bread at 400 F. for 16-18 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly and cut into 12 pieces. Serve warm.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

I had this soup at Olive Garden and I really liked it, so I found this recipe on-line. You can find gnocchi in most grocery stores in the pasta section.

2 C. Rotisserie chicken(light and dark meat), cubed or shredded
4 C. chicken broth
2 C. half and half
1 stalk celery, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 C. fresh spinach, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 t. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz potato gnocchi
1 T. cornstarch(optional)

Saute onion, celery, garlic and carrot in olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper, and thyme and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer. Add half and half and chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. If you would like a thicker soup, you could bring the soup to a boil and add cornstarch dissolved in 1-2 T. water. Add spinach and cook for another 1 -2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Pecan Lace Cookie Cups

These Pecan cookie cups were served with ice cream at mine and Matt's wedding dinner. Matt was so nervous about speaking in front of everyone, that he couldn't enjoy the food. I have been trying to find this recipe for a long time so I could recreate our wedding dinner! I'm so excited to have it now and what's even more exciting is that they are really simple to make!
Makes about 18 cookie cups.

Cookie Cups:
¼ C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 C. sugar
2 T. light corn syrup
1/3 C. flour
1 C. coarsely ground pecans
1 t. vanilla extract

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine. Using a 1" cookie scoop, spoon the cookie batter onto the parchment and space 3" apart. They spread out quite a bit. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let them sit for 1 minute. Working quickly, gently remove each cookie from the cookie sheet and mold over the underside of a muffin tin. It only takes a couple minutes for the cookies to cool and set. You can then place them on a wire rack to cool completely. These store well in an air tight container for about a week.

Artichoke, Fresh Mozzarella and Salami Sandwiches

I thought this was a great sandwich! I'm not really a sandwich person, but this one was good. Make sure you plan ahead and refrigerate the sandwich for at least 4 hours. It really makes a difference (I tried it immediately after making it and the again the next day and it was better the next day!) Oh, and if you can't find olivada or it's too expensive, you can just get the green olive and blend them in the food processor with a little olive oil and garlic.

This recipe makes 4 large sandwiches.
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
½ C. chopped drained oil-packed sundried tomatoes
½ C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ C. chopped fresh basil
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
4 5-inch diameter or 6-inch long Italian rolls, split in half lengthwise
12 oz. fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained and sliced
6 oz. salami, thinly sliced
8 T. green olivada

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide artichoke mixture among bottom halves of rolls. Top with cheese, then salami. Spread top half of each roll with 2 T. olivada. Place on top of salami. Press sandwiches lightly to compact and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate sandwiches at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

This was originally a cake recipe, but I thought it would be fun to make cupcakes instead and change the frosting a little.

Cake:
2 C. sliced ripe bananas
1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar
1 T. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 1/4 C. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 C. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. butter, softened
1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine banana, brown sugar, and 1 T. butter in a baking dish (8-inch is good). Bake for 35 minutes, stirring after 17 minutes. Cool slightly and mash. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Combine 2 1/4 C. flour, soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine banana mixture, buttermilk, and 1 t. vanilla in a separate bowl. Place 1/2 C. butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. add eggs; mix well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Place a cupcake liner in each cupcake tin and fill half way with batter. You should get about 24 cupcakes. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:
1/2 C. butter
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 C. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized glass bowl. Place the browned butter in the refrigerator until it is just barley solidified and about room temperature. This will take about 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes. Remove from the fridge and add the cream cheese. Beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Let the frosting chill in the fridge for about 1 hour before frosting the cupcakes.

Smoky Corn Salsa

I was surprised at how good this salsa was! It has so much flavor! I love it!

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, quartered, seeded
2 ears of fresh corn, husked
1/4 to 1/2 (depending on how much you like) red onion cut into chunks
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. cumin
1 t. fresh lime juice
2 t. bottled chipotle hot sauce
1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Brush bell peppers, corn, and onions with some olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Grill vegetables until well charred in spots, turning occasionally with tongs and removing pieces as they brown, about 10 to 15 minutes for bell peppers and corn and maybe a little less for the onion. Cool slightly. Cut bell peppers and onions into 1/3 inch pieces. Cut corn off cob.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cumin; sauté until garlic begins to sizzle but does not brown, about 30 seconds. Pour into large bowl; mix in lime juice and hot sauce. Mix in vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool completely and then mix in cilantro.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Bites (A happy mistake)

So last night I was trying out a cake recipe. I was actually trying to make cupcakes. Anyway, I thought this batter would be so good and it was...the only problem was that my cupcakes sunk in the middle A LOT. I almost threw them away, but then I remembered something I saw on the food network that I have actually been wanting to try, but I just hadn't gotten around to it. They took cake and crumbled and smashed it up, then mixed in some frosting. They rolled it into balls, put the balls on popsicle sticks and dipped them in chocolate. I have to admit that I'm usually not a fan of cake. This is because a lot of time, cake can be dry and crumbly. This recipe is a perfect solution to that problem!

Frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C seedless strawberry jam
1/3 C. chilled heavy whipping cream
Beat cream cheese and butter together in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, then jam. Beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.

Cake:
1 1/2 C. cake flour
1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour one 9-inch cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream; beat 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating to blend after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides, then turn out cake onto rack and cool completely. Crumble and squish cake together until it is about the same texture as cookie dough. Mix in about half of the frosting. Less or more depending on what you like. Scoop the cake mixture into balls using a 1" cookie scoop. You can roll it into balls, but I thought the cookie scoop did a good job of getting it to the right shape. Chill in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, melt one 4 oz bar of dark chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals. I have learned in the past that cheap chocolate doesn't work well for dipping. I like the Lindt chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, dip the cake balls in the chocolate. I used a fork to hold the cake and spooned the chocolate over the top and jiggled the cake until it was evenly coated. Place the cake bite on waxed paper to set. Repeat with the rest of the cake bites. After the chocolate is set, you can drizzle leftover frosting over the top. I filled a plastic big with frosting and cut a tiny hole in one corner. Chill and then serve. Or you could freeze them so you can have one whenever you want!

Lemon and White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Strawberries

In the past, whenever I heard the word mousse, I thought "too hard and time consuming to make". Well I was wrong! I decided to be adventurous today and make this mousse and it was really easy! Don't be intimidated my the lemon custard. It's really simple and really good.

5 large egg yolks
½ C. sugar
½ C. fresh lemon juice
4 t. finely grated lemon peel
Pinch of salt
¼ C. plus 2 2/3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1 3.5-ounce bar high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
5 C. sliced hulled strawberries

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in medium metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture is very thick and thermometer inserted into center registers 160 F. to 170 F, about 6 minutes(I used a glass bowl, so it took more like 12 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Cool lemon mousse base to room temperature. Combine ¼ cup cream and white chocolate in another medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is soft and almost melted. Remove bowl from over water and stir until white chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool white chocolate mousse base to room temperature. Beat remaining 2 2/3 cups cream in large bowl until firm peaks form. Divide whipped cream between both mousse bases, folding in 1 cup at a time (about 3 cups for each).
Layer scant ¼ cup lemon mousse in each of 8 parfait glasses or wineglasses; top with 2 T. strawberries. Layer scant ¼ C. white chocolate mousse over strawberries. Repeat layering 1 more time. Spoon strawberries over top of each parfait, if desired and serve.

Peanutbutter Cream Cheese Brownies

These brownies are really good! The first time I made them I thought it would be fun to use nutella. I think nutella is the best thing ever, and honestly, I could eat a whole jar myself! Anyway, the hazelnut flavor didn't come out as much as I would have liked. I made them again recently and used peanut butter and I think they are better this way. They are actually pretty darn good either way you choose to make them!

Brownie Layer:
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ C. unsalted butter, diced
½ C. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
½ C. flour
¼ t. salt
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 F. Spray 9-inch square metal baking pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line the pan with parchment paper leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Stir chocolate and butter in medium saucepan over low heat until smooth; cool 10 minutes. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed, then beat in flour and salt. Spread batter in pan.

Cheesecake Layer:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 C. Natural peanut butter
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. sugar
2 large eggs
2 T. heavy whipping cream
2 T. flour
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
Beat together cream cheese, pb, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in cream, then flour. Transfer 1/3 cup cheesecake batter to small bowl and reserve. Spread remaining cheesecake batter over brownie layer. Microwave chocolate in a small bowl for 10-second intervals until chocolate begins to melt, then stir until smooth. Mix chocolate into reserved 1/3 cup cheesecake batter. Drop chocolate batter by heaping teaspoonfuls on top of the cheesecake layer. Using a wooden skewer or knife, swirl chocolate batter in figure-eight pattern through white cheesecake layer. Bake brownies until edges of cheesecake layer are puffed and center is set, about 36 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on rack. Cover; chill at least 1 hour. Lift the brownies out of the pan and cut into 25 squares. The parchment paper makes it really easy to remove the brownies from the pan, so I would definitely recommend using it. Serve cold.

Stuffed Red Peppers

I have been participating?(I don't know if that's how you would put it)in a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets for a few months. It's great because you get a whole laundry basket full of fruits and vegetables for only $15. Supposedly the value of the produce is around $35. Last week I got five beautiful red peppers in my basket. Red peppers are usually about $2 a piece so I was really excited to get them. I decided the best thing to do with these peppers was to make stuffed red peppers, but I couldn't find a recipe that appealed to me, so I just made one up. I was pretty happy with the results.

4 large red peppers (or any other color)
2 T. olive oil
3 scallions sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno with ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t. chili powder
2 medium sized tomatoes chopped, about 2 cups
1/2 C. chopped zucchini
1 carrot grated
3/4 C. corn (I grilled mine, but you could certainly use canned or frozen).
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
2 C. Mexican blend cheese
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Set oven to 350 degrees. Wash red peppers, cut off the top and remove ribs and seeds. If the peppers don't sit up straight, slice just a tiny bit off the bottom without making a hole in the bottom. You just want to cut off just enough to help it sit up straight. Save the tops of the peppers. Place the peppers in a buttered glass 8x8 baking pan and set aside. In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, and cumin. Cook on medium heat for 3 to five minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, and corn. Cook until the vegetables are softened. About 5 minutes. Add the black beans, salt and pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Fill each pepper with the vegetable mixture. Top with cheese, about 1/2 C. cheese for each pepper. Place the top of the pepper over the cheese to prevent the cheese from browning too quickly. Bake for about 40 minutes. You can remove the top of the pepper after about 30 minutes if you like the cheese to crisp on top. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and serve.

Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I changed this recipe quite a bit from the original and the cupcakes turned out really good! I love the flavor of orange and chocolate together. So I added orange zest to the cream cheese filling. I also thought the cupcakes needed some sort of frosting, so I added a ganache topping.

Filling:
1 8-oz package cream cheese
Zest of one orange
1 T. orange juice
1 large egg
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 t. salt
½ t. vanilla extract
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in medium bowl. Add zest, juice,egg, sugar, salt , and vanilla and beat until almost smooth.

Cupcakes:
1 C. flour
3 T. sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. coarse kosher salt
1/8 t. baking soda
¾ C. plus 2 T. sugar
½ C. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted, warm
1/2 C. whole milk (you could replace 2 T. of milk with orange juice)
Preheat oven to 350 F. line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in vanilla and chocolate; beat a high speed 5 seconds. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk. Beat on high for 5 seconds to blend. Divide batter among cups, filling 1/3 full. Using tablespoon, hollow out center of each cupcake. Place 1 heaping tablespoonful cream cheese filling in each center. Top with just a little more batter. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted into center (but on cream cheese filling) comes out clean. About 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.

Ganache:
2/3 C. cream
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 t. butter
Heat cream in a small pot until just simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and butter until smooth. After cupcakes are cooled, dip tops in ganache and let set.

Brown Butter and Walnut Tuile Cups

These little cookie cups were really yummy. You have to work very quickly to get the cup shape, but they are worth the effort. They would be great with some caramel ice cream and chocolate sauce! If you have a silpat mat, it would be a lot easier to use than the parchment. As much as I love parchment, it was hard to work with in this particular recipe.
7 T. unsalted butter
2 large egg whites
½ C. sugar
Pinch of salt
½ t. vanilla extract
2/3 C. minus 1 T. flour
¼ C. finely chopped walnuts
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange four ¾-cup custard cups upside down on work surface. Stir butter in saucepan over medium heat until nutty brown and milk solids are dark brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Carefully pour browned butter into small bowl and cool slightly. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; whisk until moisture is foamy, about 1 minute. Add warm browned butter, leaving dark brown milk solids behind in bowl; whisk until blended. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour and whisk until blended and smooth. Crop batter by scant tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 4 inches apart. Using small offset spatula, spread each to 5 inch round. Sprinkle generous ¼ teaspoon finely chopped walnuts over each. Bake tuiles, until evenly golden all over, about 11 minutes. Working quickly and using wide metal spatula, carefully lift each tuile from sheet and immediately drape over custard up and press to mold to cup, making cookie bowls. Cool until tuiles are set. Carefully remove tuiles from cups and place on rack to cool completely. Repeat procedure with batter and walnuts on cool baking sheets, making total of 12 cookies bowls.

Warm Chicken Sandwiches.

I got this recipe from Bon Appetit. There are a few things I did different, and a few things I would change. The recipe calls for ciabatta rolls. I couldn't find them so I just got some kaiser rolls. I will deffinetly get the ciabatta rolls next time. I think this sandwich would be best with a moist hearty bread like ciabatta. I didn't have foil, so I couldn't wrap the sandwiches. I'm sure this would have made the sandwich less crusty and dry.

4 ciabatta rolls, halved horizontally
3 t. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
Whole grain mustard
8 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded, divided
12 ounces sliced white mushrooms
2 T. chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 C. shredded roast chicken
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
Preheat oven to 400 F. Pull come bread from ciabatta rolls to form slightly hollow centers. Drizzle ciabatta rolls with olive oil. Spread roll bottoms with whole grain mustard. Sprinkle roll bottoms with half of Fontina cheese. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add chopped shallots and pressed garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add chicken; sauté 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain. Spoon chicken mixture, then spinach over roll bottoms. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with roll tops. Wrap each sandwich tightly in foil. Bake sandwiches until cheese melts, about 20 minutes.

Mediterranean Salad

I love this salad. It has all of the textures I love! It's crisp, crunchy, creamy, and juicy. I really think the polenta croutons make the salad, so don't leave them out!
1 package (18 oz) fat-free, plain precooked polenta
Olive oil cooking spray
2 pints grape tomatoes. I actually used a yellow tomato from my garden and some cherry tomatoes.
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 C. canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 head romaine, torn (about 6 cups)
20 basil leaves or less if basil is too strong
4 oz fresh part-skim mozzarella, cut into small cubes. I use mozzarella pearls. It's cheaper and easier!

Heat oven to 400°. Halve polenta lengthwise, then halve each piece lengthwise. Slice crosswise 7 times (to yield 32 triangles). Coat a small baking sheet with cooking spray; evenly arrange triangles; coat tops with cooking spray. Place tomatoes on a small rimmed baking sheet; spray with oil and toss. Place both sheets in oven for 10 minutes; remove tomatoes from oven and stir. Return to oven and cook until croutons are toasted on 1 side and tomatoes are wrinkled and brown in spots, about 20 minutes more. Remove tomatoes. Flip croutons; return to oven for 20 minutes more. Pour vinegar over tomatoes; transfer to a bowl. Mix in beans, salt, pepper and pepper flakes; set aside. Divide romaine and basil among 4 plates. Pour tomato mixture over greens; top with croutons and cheese.
Note: I find that it's hard to find polenta at the grocery store, so I just make my own.

Polenta:
3 C. water
1 t. salt
3/4 C. plus 2 T. cornmeal
Boil water and salt in medium pot. Add cornmeal in a slow steady stream, whisking vigorously. Once all of the cornmeal is added, reduce heat to medium low and cook until the mixture is creamy and no longer has a cornmeal taste to it, about 30 minutes. Whisk the mixture often while cooking. Pour onto a buttered cookie sheet and spread to the edges. It will be a thin layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until the polenta is firm. I like to cut mine into triangles and then follow the crouton directions in the recipe.

Delicious Pasta Salad

This has been a family favorite for years. We just love it! The only thing I do differently with this recipe is use a different shape of pasta than the recipe calls for. The recipe calls for shell pasta, but I think farfalle pasta just looks prettier. I'm all about making my food look pretty!

2 C. farfalle pasta(measure dry then cook and cool)
4 C. cooked chicken(I use a rotisserie chicken. It's fast and easy)
2 C. water chestnuts(drained)
2 C. celery, chopped
2 C. seedless grapes, halved
2 C. unpaired apples, cut up
2 T. chopped green onions
1 1/2 C. slivered almonds

Mix the above ingredients. Then mix 1 cup Kraft coleslaw dressing and 1 cup mayonnaise together in a small bowl. Pour over salad, mix and chill.

Layered Brownies

This recipe comes from a Bon Appetit magazine and these brownies are soooo good! They take some time to make though, so I would save this recipe for a special occasion. Make the brownie, and caramel layer a day ahead. The caramel needs about 8hours to set up. I like the recipe for the most part, but I did change the candied pecans. I like a little sweet and salty. I'm adding my version and the Bon Appetit version so you have to option of sweet and salty or just sweet.

Candied Pecans (My version):
3 T. light corn syrup
1 1/2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 C. pecans
Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl. Add pecans and coat well with sugar mixture. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 325 F., for 20 minutes. Stir the nuts every 5 or 10 minutes. Spread out on parchment paper or foil and let cool. Coarsly chop and set aside. These nuts are also great for salads!

Candied Pecans (Bon Appetit):
½ C. sugar
¼ C. water
1 C. pecan halves, toasted
Lightly butter baking sheet. Stir sugar and ¼ cup water in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until sugar syrup is light golden, occasionally brushing down sides of skillet with wet pastry brush, about 8 minutes. Add pecans and stir until syrup coats pecans, about 1 minute. Immediately pour pecans out onto prepared baking sheet; spread in single layer with heat proof spatula. Cool completely. Coarsely chop nuts.

Brownies:
½ C. unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ C. plus 1 t. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ T. all purpose flour
1/8 t. slat
½ C. plus 1 T. sugar
2 large eggs
½ t. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray and line with Parchment paper. Leave an overhang of about three inches on each side so that you can easily remove the brownies from the pan (I think parchment is the greatest thing ever, but you can also use foil). Combine ½ cup butter and bittersweet chocolate in medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Whisk cocoa powder, flour and salt in small bowl. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Pour butter mixture into sugar mixture; whisk until blended. Transfer brownie batter to prepared baking pan; smooth top (layer will be thin). Bake brownie until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 18 – 20 minutes. Allow brownie to cool slightly, then gently press down on edges to form flat, even layer. Cool completely in pan on rack.

White-Chocolate Caramel:
Tip: This caramel isn't difficult to make, but be sure that you can give it your full attention. I had to make it twice because the sugar water turns the amber color pretty fast. It tasts burnt and bitter if you wait for it to turn the deep amber color mentioned in the recipe. I just waited until it was golden-amber colored, about 5 minutes instead of 8. Also, have your cream measured and ready before you start cooking the sugar water mixture.
3 T. water, divided
¾ t. unflavored gelatin
4 ½ T. sugar
Pinch of salt
6 T. heavy whipping cream
4 ounces high-quality white chocolate (Lindt is good), finely chopped
1 ½ T. unsalted butter, diced, room temp.
Spoon 1 tablespoon water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over and stir to blend. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tablespoons water, sugar, and pinch of salt in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil until syrup is deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 8 minutes. Slowly add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Reduce heat to low. Stir to dissolve and caramel bits. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. Add gelatin mixture; stir until gelatin dissolves. Add white chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in butter. Pour caramel on top of the cooled brownie; spread evenly to cover completely. Chill uncovered until caramel firms slightly. At least 8 hours or overnight.

Semisweet-Chocolate Ganache:
2/3 C. heavy whipping cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 t. butter, room temperature
Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Cool until mixture is slightly thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes. Pour ganache on top of caramel layer; spread just to edges. Sprinkle chopped candied pecans evenly over the top. Chill uncovered until ganache is firm enough to cut, about 4 hours.

Using parchment as aid , lift brownie out of pan; place on work surface, Fold parchment sides down. Using sharp knife, Cut brownie into 1 1/2 x 2" bars, or bigger if you like!

Caprese Ravioli

A few years ago I got a little ravioli maker and a good old fashioned pasta roller. I am constantly on the lookout for good ravioli recipes so there will probably be quite a few more ravioli recipes on this blog in the future. Anyway, making ravioli CAN be time consuming, but the great thing about it is that you can make a big batch and freeze what you don't cook. I like to make my own pasta dough, but you can just buy wonton wrappers and use those instead. I found this ravioli recipe in one of Jamie Olivers cook books, but I changed it a little to make it my own. The ingredients in the filling are similar to the ingredients in caprese salad, so that is where the name came from. Caprese salad is a simple, but delicious Italian salad that consists of fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Ravioli Dough:
2 C. flour
1 t. salt
2 T. butter
1/2 C. boiled water
In a food processor pulse flour,salt and butter together. Slowly add boiled water while pulsing until all of the dough collects on one side of the food processor and forms into a ball. Kneed the dough until smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for about 10 minutes. Cut the dough into four pieces. Run each piece through your pasta maker until very thin and about 5 inches wide and 12 inches long (maybe longer). You can also roll it out, but it takes a lot of work! You just want the dough to be 1/16th of an inch maybe a little thinner.

Filling:
8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls or chopped fresh mozzarella
About 6 or 7 sundried tomatoes, chopped fine
5 fresh basil leaves chopped fine
3 slices of cooked bacon, chopped fine
1/3 C. grated romano cheese
Combine all ingredients. Brush your 5 x 12 sheet of pasta with water or an egg wash. Place 12 mounds (about 1 T. each) of filling on your sheet of pasta dough making sure to get at least 1 piece of mozzarella in each mound. Lay another sheet of pasta over the top and press around the edges of each mound and cut into squares. Repeat with the rest of the pasta dough and filling. If you are using wonton wrappers, brush water on one wonton, put the filling on top and then put another wonton over the top and then press around the edges.
If the pasta is fresh, cook in boiling, salted water for about 3 minutes. If it's frozen, cook for about 7 minutes and drain. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top with fresh ground pepper, romano cheese and fresh basil.

Puffy Apple Pancakes with Apple Syrup

When I was young, my mom would make German pancakes (or puffy pancakes) every now and then and we just loved them. The best part was watching the pancakes puff up really big. About a year ago I found a recipe for Austrian Apple pancakes in one of my cook books. Austrian Apple pancakes are similar to German pancakes except they have apples on the bottom. I think the recipe I have is good, but sometimes I have trouble getting the apples out so I changed the recipe a little and gave it a new name!

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 C. butter, divided (I only had two table spoons of butter, so I used two table spoons of coconut oil as well and it added just a hint of coconut flavor that was really good!)
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. lemon juice
3 eggs
3/4 C. milk (I used Evaporated milk)
3/4 C. flour
1 T. sugar
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Saute apple in 2 T. butter in a 10" oven-proof skillet over medium heat until golden and almost tender. Add lemon juice and cook for a minute longer. Today I added about 1/8 C. of brown sugar to the apples and let them cook for about a minute. Melt 2 T. of butter (in my case, coconut oil) in the microwave. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk, flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until smooth. Pour batter over apples in the hot pan and spread; do not stir. Place skillet in oven and bake until puffed and golden, 18-20 minutes. Pull out of the oven, loosen the edges with a rubber spatula and turn over onto a plate. WARNING! After loosening the edges with a spatula, don't forget that the handle of the pan is still really hot like I did! Very stupid and painful! Adding the brown sugar to the apples creates a syrup, so you really don't need to add syrup unless you love it like I do!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

I found this recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine and it is so simple, yummy and healthy! I have been trying to cook at least one vegetarian meal a week for the past few years and this is a great one! It's not that I don't like meat, I actually love a good steak. I have just found that meat can be pretty expensive. I like to stay within my $55/week food budget, so going vegetarian once or even twice a week saves me some money!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 t. ground cumin
5 t. olive oil, divided
1 T. fresh lime juice
2 C. coleslaw mix (I just shred my own cabbage and add some grated carrots)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 C. crumbled feta cheese (I guess you could use monterrey jack cheese if you don't like feta, but I LOVE feta cheese!)
Bottled hot sauce

Mix beans and cumin in a small bowl and slightly mash the beans. In a separate bowl mix 2 teaspoons of olive oil and lime juice. Add the coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss together. Season the slaw with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the tortillas in a single layer and put some of the bean mixture (1/4 of the mixture) on one side of each tortilla. I like to add my feta cheese at this point because I like it a little soft and gooey. Cook for one minute and then fold the tacos in half. Continue to cook until golden brown. Remove from the heat and fill the tacos with the slaw and top with a little hot sauce.

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart

I LOVE dessert. I could probably eat dessert three times a day and still be ready for more if I didn't have the slightest bit of self control. The richer the dessert the more I love it! I also appreciate that dessert always looks beautiful. I totally agree with the saying that we eat with our eyes. I defiantly do! I thought it only fitting that my first recipe would be a dessert. Cream cheese pie. My mom made cream cheese pie for us every valentines day when I was younger and it has always been one of my favorite desserts. I decided to change a few things this time. Instead of the traditional gram cracker crust, I made a phyllo dough crust and I cooked it in a tart pan instead of a pie pan. I also put strawberries on top instead of cherries. I was pretty happy with the results. I think the phyllo crust added a nice crunch, but I still love the gram cracker crust as well!

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Tart

Phyllo crust:
20 phyllo sheets
1/4 C. melted butter
3 T. granulated sugar

Spread a thin layer of melted butter on the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 inch tart pan with a pastry brush. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the pan and press the sides. Spread another thin layer of butter on top of the phyllo sheet and then sprinkle with sugar. Repeat this step with the rest of the phyllo sheets alternating the direction the sheets are laid so that the edges are even. Trim the excess phyllo dough with a sharp knife and pierce the dough with a fork (I forgot to do that and it puffed up quite a bit). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crispy. Set aside and let cool.

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

Combine ingredients until smooth and pour into cooled crust. Chill the tart for at least an hour. Top with sliced strawberries ( I let my strawberries macerate in a few table spoons of sugar for about 15 minutes before I put them on top of my tart).