Happy Memorial Day

We wish you a happy and safe Memorial Day!

We are grateful for the men and women who bravely and sacrifically protect and defend our country.

We are headed to a family picnic - slow cooker bbq chicken sandwiches, chips & salsa, and lemon white chocolate cookies are our contributions. Looking forward to a day full of good food and even better company!

Baker’s Delight: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are pleased to welcome back Sarah Pulliam Bailey with this guest post! These would be great for you weekend and summer picnicking!

Chocolate chip cookies provide the ultimate comfort food. If you’re serving chocoholics, consider baking double chocolate chip cookies, which offers a rich, moist, chewy dessert.

The cookies did not turn out terribly even because I was in a hurry and grabbed rounded spoonfuls of dough, which made them puffier. If you prefer more uniform, flattened cookies, you could roll the dough up on parchment paper in a log, refrigerate for two hours, and cut individual cookies. You could also substitute white chocolate chips for peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts. Some of the reviews suggested using 1 tsp. of baking soda and 1 tsp. of baking powder, so consider experimenting. The recipe takes about 30 minutes and makes about 3 dozen cookies.

 

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(Adapted from allrecipes.com)
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1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of vanilla
2 cups white chocolate chips or chunks (12 oz. bag)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl (I used my KitchenAid), cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir the mixture into the other bowl. Fold in white chocolate chips. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (9 minutes was perfect in my oven). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. If you have a smaller kitchen, consider investing in a tiered cooling rack.

Gluten-Free Goodness: Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies

These tasty little morsels are full of chocolatey goodness and they are made with coconut flour. I don't have lots of knowledge of or experience baking with coconut flour, but I know that it soaks of moisture, so a little goes a long way! These also contain walnuts, so they are more healthful and protein packed than your average brownie (we could all use a few more "healthy" brownies in our life, right?!).

I made these for a holiday brunch and topped them with a bit of vanilla custard and strawberries. Though they would be delicious with some whipped cream, icing, powdered sugar, or even just plain.



DOUBLE CHOCOLATE WALNUT BROWNIES
(from elanaspantry.com)
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1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (73% cacao)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar (maple syrup or honey, if preferred)
1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (73% cacao)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in food processor and pulse until the consistency of coarse sand. Pulse in coconut flour, salt, and baking soda until combined. Pulse in eggs, agave, grapeseed oil, and vanilla.

Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pyrex dish. Sprinkle walnuts and remaining chocolate chips over batter. Bake  for 25-30 minutes. Cool and serve.

Optional: Top with fresh strawberries, vanilla custard, whipped cream, homemade icing.

Market Fresh: Strawberries

I'm so excited that it's strawberry season and grill season! I combined the two into a Balsamic Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad. This was so delicious and so summery and the colors are stunning! This will definitely make a frequent appearance on our summer menu!



CREAMY BALSAMIC GRILLED CHICKEN STRAWBERRY SALAD
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1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. herbs de provence
1 tsp. salt
1 Tb. heavy cream
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders

Combine first five ingredients. Place chicken in a bag or container and pour marinade overall. Marinate for at least 1 hour. Grill until chicken is fully cooked - juices will run clear.

Salad:
1/2 lb. baby spinach
1/2 lb. strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1/4 c. feta cheese (blue or gorgonzola would also be great!)
1/4 c. pecans, chopped

Arrange on a platter or in a salad bowl. Top with grilled chicken. Drizzle dressing over all.

Dressing:
3 Tb. olive oil
3 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. heavy cream

Combine all ingredients and shake or whisk well to combine.

Baker's Delight: Banana Cupcakes

I first made this recipe a few years ago and really enjoyed it! Recently, I was asked to provide banana cupcakes for an open house and I remembered these. And so, I returned to the recipe and adapted it - these were the result. The honey cream cheese frosting is fabulous - not too sweet but oh so wonderful. These also make wonderful mini cupcakes - a batch makes 24 regular cupcakes and a lot of minis.  



BANANA CUPCAKES
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network)
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3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer cakes to a rack and cool slightly. Cool completely before frosting.

To frost the cupcakes: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in   the honey. Spread the frosting over the muffins. Sprinkle with the walnuts if desired.

Simple Supper: Hawaiian Rice

This recipe is one of Jeremy's top favorite meals! The original recipe only called for green peppers. I've added mushrooms, carrots, onions, colored peppers, and even once a little fresh spinach. So, use whatever veggies you like. If your rice and chicken are already cooked, then this meal comes together super fast!



PINEAPPLE CHICKEN AND RICE
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3 cups cooked rice
1-1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard (yellow or a mix of yellow and Dijon)
1/4 cup white wine, chicken broth, or pineapple juice
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 green pepper seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the honey, mustard, and wine. Stir to combine. Add pineapple and veggies. Allow the sauce to heat through and the veggies begin to cook for a few minutes.

Lightly grease an 8x8 pan. Spread the rice in the bottom. Top with the chopped chicken. Pour the sauce over everything. Sprinkle with paprika. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until everything is heated through.

Off The Shelf: May Magazines

Well, our month has not gone quite as planned so this will be a shorter review and it's later than we intended (my fault completely!). It's wonderful to see the spring and summer recipes featuring seasonal vegetables and fruits! Perhaps inspiration will once again return to kitchens everywhere.

FOOD NETWORK (Alaina)- This wasn't my favorite issue of Food Network but still, they have so many recipes and so much variety. The Jumbo Maple Pecan Scone, Poppy Seed Potato Salad, Stawberry Blondies, and Sage Limeade were a few of the recipes that looked interesting and tasty! 

However, my kids are big fans of chocolate milk and it is definitely a treat. So, I decided to make the Salted Chocolate Milk. The homemade chocolate syrup could be used as a sauce for all kinds of desserts. This was rich and delicious! The salt was a wonderful addition that brought out the chocolate goodness. This totally made me feel like a kid again!



SALTED CHOCOLATE MILK
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1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups cold milk
Kosher salt

Make the chocolate syrup: Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool completely.

Spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the chocolate syrup into each glass. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and a generous pinch of salt. Stir until the syrup and salt dissolve.

COOKING LIGHT - (Stephanie) I never know each month whether or not I'll find many recipes I'm excited to try within the pages of Cooking Light. This month's issue had several tasty sounding recipes. As I'm trying to learn to enjoy shrimp, I was pleased to find a couple new shrimp recipes: Shrimp Cobb Salad and Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli. There was also a section with assorted muffin recipes--Bacon-Cheddar Corn Muffins, Cherry-Wheat Germ Muffins, Tuscan Lemon Muffins, Pistachio-Chai Muffins--don't those sound interesting and delicious? I also thought the Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream sounded yummy.

I decided to try the Strawberry-Avocado Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips. I love fresh salsas and the flavor combination in this one intrigued me. I enjoyed this, though unfortunately forgot to buy fresh cilantro and jalapenos, so I used dried instead. If you're looking for a quick, seasonal snack, give this easy recipe a try.



STRAWBERRY-AVOCADO SALSA WITH CINNAMON TORTILLA CHIPS
(from Cooking Light, May 2011)
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2 teaspoon canola oil
6 6-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup finely chopped, peeled ripe avocado (about 2)
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
2 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced seeded jalapeno
2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
3/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To prepare chips, brush oil evenly over one side of each tortilla. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over oil-coated sides of tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 12 wedges; arrange wedges in a single layer on two baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes until crisp.

Combine avocado, strawberries, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt; stir gently to combine. Serve with chips. 12 servings.

Baker's Delight: Baked Breakfast Cheesecake

In about 30 minutes you can have a crust-less, breakfast cheesecake on the table. And while cheesecake definitely isn't for every breakfast, this lightly-sweet version makes a simple, special breakfast treat. I served this topped with fresh strawberries and bananas, with a spinach frittata to round out the meal.

The recipe calls for using a springform pan. If you don't have one, just butter a pie dish (this will be more difficult to serve, but won't effect the flavor at all). I actually halved this recipe and used a 7-inch pie pan and it worked great.



BAKED BREAKFAST CHEESECAKE
(from River Cottage Every Day)
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21 ounces of cream cheese or ricotta cheese
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 Tablespoons quick oats or flour (I used gluten-free quick oats)
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges, plus 1 Tablespoon juice (I used 1 Tblsp oj concentrate instead)
3 Tablespoons raisins (optional)

Serve with fresh fruit or fruit compote

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Beat the cheese with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the melted butter, oatmeal, salt, sugar, eggs, orange zest and juice, and mix well (you can mix all in a food processor if preferred or use a hand mixer). Fold in raisins, if using.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, until just set, with a slight wobble in the center.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with fruit. Serves 10

On the Side: Chicken-Apple Sausage

A few months ago I purchased a pound of ground chicken for the purpose of making homemade chicken sausage. But I couldn't get it made in time, so I froze the meat until an opportune time. An opportune time arrived in the form of a long weekend with my husband and I dug out the recipe I'd planned to make. Served alongside some eggs and asparagus, these sausages were delicious. And since you're making them yourself and know all the ingredients included, they are certainly healthier than your average sausage.



CHICKEN-APPLE SAUSAGE
(from The Simple Art of EatingWell)
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2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium sweet apple, peeled and diced
1 pound ground chicken
1 Tablespoon of finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 tsp dry)
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add apples and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Wipe out the pan.

Add chicken, sage, sugar, fennel (if using), salt and pepper to the bowl with the apples and onions. Gently mix to combine.

Generously coat the pan with cooking spray and heat over medium. Using a 1/3-cup measure, scoop 4 portions into the pan, flattening each into a 3-inch patty. Cook until the patties are browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Coat the pan with cooking spray again and repeat with remaining sausage mixture.

Weekend Fare: Sweet Potato Egg Cups

I found these egg cups on a blog I read occasionally, Everyday Paleo. I decided to give them a try for Jeremy and I's Easter brunch. As per my usual, I changed the recipe by adding a few more ingredients and making it more my own. The taste was amazing. I did have trouble removing these from the muffin tin so they weren't as pretty as I'd hoped. However, if you want a fun presentation for a brunch or fancy breakfast, this is definitely a recipe to consider.



SWEET POTATO EGG CUPS
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3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1/4 cup butter, melted
sea salt to taste
12 eggs
4 slices of bacon, diced
4 mushrooms, diced
3 green onions, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease thoroughly a muffin tin.

Mix the grated sweet potatoes with the melted butter. Using your hands, press the grated sweet potatoes into each muffin cup making sure the bottom and sides are completely covered. Press down firmly creating a potato "basket." Bake the sweet potatoes for 25-30 minutes.

While potato baskets are baking, cook the diced bacon, drain and set aside. Lightly saute the diced mushroom and green onions in olive oil.

Remove potato baskets from the oven, place a few bacon pieces and some of the mushroom mixture in the bottom of each (make sure not to overfill, just a little bit of goodies!). Top with an egg. Return to oven and bake until the egg whats are set, but yolk is still slightly runny, about 10 minutes. Garnish with additional green onions, if desired.

Just Desserts: Sour Cream Strawberry Custard

I stumbled across this recipe when flipping through a Rachael Ray magazine and jotted it down to try sometime. With a couple days off this weekend and the possibility of springier weather, I decided to give it a try. And Yum!!! Jeremy said this was better than ice cream or vanilla yogurt (both of which he is quite a fan). I say, this recipe is delicious and simple, coming together in about 15 minutes.

And, I'll let you in on a little secret, I cut back on the sugar. I put 4 Tablespoons of sugar in the custard and 2 Tablespoons of sugar on the strawberries. I also used 1/3 cup heavy cream and 2/3 cup 1% milk in place of the half and half. And I subbed in about 1/3 cup plain yogurt in place of all sour cream. I've included the original recipe below, but feel free to mess around with it as it suits your needs.

This makes a perfect dessert during strawberry season. It's elegant enough for company, but easy enough just to whip up a batch for the family. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!



SOUR CREAM STRAWBERRY CUSTARD
(from Every Day With Rachael Ray, May 2010)
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1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (such as Knox brand)
2 1/2 Tablespoon cold water
1 cup half and half
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 cups sliced strawberries
3 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half and half with the 6 Tablespoons of sugar, stirring until the sugar has melted. Whisk in the vanilla and the softened gelatin, then whisk in the sour cream.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, toss the sliced strawberries with the 3 Tablespoons of sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Cover and refrigerate.

Top the custard with the balsamic strawberries. Serves 4.

Kids in the Kitchen: Chicken Strips

My boys absolutely LOVE helping me cook and it's a great bonding activity! Recently we did a kids' pick night. We pulled out all of our kid cookbooks and each boy chose a recipe. We went to the store for the ingredients we needed which they also really enjoyed! The menu was Crunchy Oven-Baked Chicken Toes, roated asparagus (my choice), ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins), angel food cupcakes, and cherry punch. They helped with each part of the dinner and very proudly told my husband what was for dinner when he got home. It was a great evening!  

The chicken toes were so delicious and the dipping sauce (so sorry it isn't pictured!) was excellent. The boys loved helping to get the chicken ready for the oven - the messy hands were a fun bonus for them. :)



CRUNCHY OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN TOES!
(adapted from Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids)
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1 c. corn flakes cereal, any brand
1 c. plain bread crumbs
2 Tb. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
3 Tb. oil
1/3 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 lb. chicken breast tenders (you can cut these into 2 inch pieces but we left them as whole tenders)
1/4 c. honey mustard (I make mine with mayo, honey, and dijon)
1/4 c. barbecue sauce

Make the breading: Pour the corn flakes into a pie pan or shallow dish. Crush the cereal up with your hands. Mix in bread crumbs, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and allspice.

Drizzle the vegetable oil evenly over the breading. Toss and turn it to mix the oil all through the bread crumbs and crushed-up corn flakes.

Pour the flour into another shallow dish, and the beaten eggs into a third dish. Coat (dip) the chicken in flour, then eggs, and then in the special crunchy breading. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet coated with nonstick spray.  Place the chicken in the oven and cook until crisp and brown all over, about 20 minutes (until juices run clear).

Mix together the honey mustard and barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Enjoy with your chicken toes!