I think this potato salad from Bon Appetit was made for someone very special's baptism:) It is so good, I'm thinking I'm going to make some this weekend. Bear in mind, it has a way of disappearing very quickly.
5 pounds Yukon potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise, divided
3/4 pound bacon slices
2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain potatoes; return to same pot. Place over very low heat just until excess moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Transfer hot potatoes to large bowl; Cool 10 minutes (minimum). Mix in 2 cups mayonnaise, low fat variety optional.
Cook bacon in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cool bacon; crumble coarsely.
Mix remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise, cheese, green onions, parsley and half of bacon into potatoes. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Can be made 2 hours ahead.
Friday, May 29, 2009
M+M Cookies
I have always loved M+M cookies, but if you have ever tried to swap out M+Ms for chocolate chips in the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, then you know it just doesn't work. Somehow the M+Ms aren't sweet enough to compensate for removing the chips. This recipe makes perfect M+Ms cookies.
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter (or shortening if you use it)
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (I sometimes still add a few chocolate chips if I have some laying around)
In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.
Drop dough onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter (or shortening if you use it)
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (I sometimes still add a few chocolate chips if I have some laying around)
In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.
Drop dough onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.
Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese
Mmmm, I'm going to have to try this recipe for Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese from Cooking Light soon.
Lettuce Salads?
This summer we are going to be on lettuce overload because we've planted a garden with lots of lettuce (and other good things, too) and we've also signed up for a crop share which starts next week. I'm really excited about the challenge of incorporating even more veggies into our menu but also know that I'm going to need to get pretty creative to use what we have.
Last night we had the sort of meal that I think will be more common than not this summer. I threw together what we had around the house with some fresh lettuce from the garden. It was tasty.
Chicken, Pear and Green Bean Salad
Two grilled chicken breasts (cut into bit sized pieces)
Sliced ripe pear
1 c. or so of steamed grean beans (so they are still very crunchy though)
Fresh picked lettuce
Toss with this dressing that I posted the other day.
Do you have a favorite lettuce salad that's a little out of the norm that you could share?
Last night we had the sort of meal that I think will be more common than not this summer. I threw together what we had around the house with some fresh lettuce from the garden. It was tasty.
Chicken, Pear and Green Bean Salad
Two grilled chicken breasts (cut into bit sized pieces)
Sliced ripe pear
1 c. or so of steamed grean beans (so they are still very crunchy though)
Fresh picked lettuce
Toss with this dressing that I posted the other day.
Do you have a favorite lettuce salad that's a little out of the norm that you could share?
Salmon with Lemon, Spinach, and Tomatoes
I concocted this recipe after having something similar at one of my fav Italitan restaurants at home. Because it's home grown, the measurements aren't that precise...
2 pieces salmon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1/4ish cup chicken stock (more if you like less lemon flavor)
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
Fresh spinach - cleaned and de-stemmed
Chopped Tomatoes (I usually use 2 plum tomatoes)
A little flour
Olive Oil
Heat olive oil over medium heat in pan on stove. Salt and pepper salmon and then dust with flour, both sides. You can skip the flour dusting but it makes the sauce a teensy bit thicker. Lay salmon in pan skin-side down and cook for a couple minutes and then flip. I always remove the skin and the fatty stuff at this point. Cook for a couple more minutes and then flip back to the original side and finish cooking. Remove salmon and set aside. Add the white wine and lemon to the pan and let cook down a bit. Then add chicken stock to taste and garlic and simmer for a couple minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cover until it wilts to your liking. I usually add the salmon back in for a minute to warm it up. Serve the sauce over the salmon. Mashed potatoes make a great side or you could serve it with/over pasta. Enjoy!
2 pieces salmon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1/4ish cup chicken stock (more if you like less lemon flavor)
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
Fresh spinach - cleaned and de-stemmed
Chopped Tomatoes (I usually use 2 plum tomatoes)
A little flour
Olive Oil
Heat olive oil over medium heat in pan on stove. Salt and pepper salmon and then dust with flour, both sides. You can skip the flour dusting but it makes the sauce a teensy bit thicker. Lay salmon in pan skin-side down and cook for a couple minutes and then flip. I always remove the skin and the fatty stuff at this point. Cook for a couple more minutes and then flip back to the original side and finish cooking. Remove salmon and set aside. Add the white wine and lemon to the pan and let cook down a bit. Then add chicken stock to taste and garlic and simmer for a couple minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cover until it wilts to your liking. I usually add the salmon back in for a minute to warm it up. Serve the sauce over the salmon. Mashed potatoes make a great side or you could serve it with/over pasta. Enjoy!
Orange Pineapple Muffins
FINALLY I'm posting something after way too long of an absence:) I made these muffins 2 weekends in a row, once for brunch with friends and once when my parents were in town and they were quite tasty. The recipe calls for a mini-muffin pan, which I used, and they were the perfect little bite.
I got this recipe from the Joy Of Baking website: http://www.joyofbaking.com/muffins/OrangePineappleMuffins.html
Muffin Batter:
1/2 cup (50 grams) pecans, toasted and chopped (I skipped the pecans)
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt ( I used sour cream)
1 teaspoon pure orange extract (I used vanilla extract in one batch and almond extract in another and was glad I did b/c I think they might be a bit too orange-y for me otherwise)
1 tablespoon orange zest (1-2 oranges) (I used 1 orange)
1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) can crushed pineapple, drained
Orange Glaze:
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh orange juice
I made the glaze with confectioners sugar and a couple tablespoons of OJ.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Toast the pecans for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool and then chop into small pieces.
Grease, or spray with a nonstick spray, 36 miniature muffin tins. Set aside while you make the batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk to combine, the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the sour cream, orange extract, and orange zest. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. *Note - I read on the website that it's very important not to overmix the batter because that can make the muffins dry - this may be common knowledge but I wasn't aware:) Fold in the toasted pecans and drained pineapple.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. (Length of baking time will depend on the size and color of the muffin tins used, i.e. dark colored pans will cook the muffins faster than lighter colored pans.) *Note - I did not bake for 15 minutes, more like 12 because I used a dark pan. Also mine didn't really brown on top.
While the muffins are baking combine the glaze ingredients (sugar and orange juice) in a small cup.
Remove the muffins from the oven and place on a wire rack. While the muffins are still very warm, brush them with the orange glaze.
Makes about 3 dozen miniature muffins
I got this recipe from the Joy Of Baking website: http://www.joyofbaking.com/muffins/OrangePineappleMuffins.html
Muffin Batter:
1/2 cup (50 grams) pecans, toasted and chopped (I skipped the pecans)
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt ( I used sour cream)
1 teaspoon pure orange extract (I used vanilla extract in one batch and almond extract in another and was glad I did b/c I think they might be a bit too orange-y for me otherwise)
1 tablespoon orange zest (1-2 oranges) (I used 1 orange)
1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) can crushed pineapple, drained
Orange Glaze:
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh orange juice
I made the glaze with confectioners sugar and a couple tablespoons of OJ.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Toast the pecans for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool and then chop into small pieces.
Grease, or spray with a nonstick spray, 36 miniature muffin tins. Set aside while you make the batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk to combine, the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the sour cream, orange extract, and orange zest. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. *Note - I read on the website that it's very important not to overmix the batter because that can make the muffins dry - this may be common knowledge but I wasn't aware:) Fold in the toasted pecans and drained pineapple.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. (Length of baking time will depend on the size and color of the muffin tins used, i.e. dark colored pans will cook the muffins faster than lighter colored pans.) *Note - I did not bake for 15 minutes, more like 12 because I used a dark pan. Also mine didn't really brown on top.
While the muffins are baking combine the glaze ingredients (sugar and orange juice) in a small cup.
Remove the muffins from the oven and place on a wire rack. While the muffins are still very warm, brush them with the orange glaze.
Makes about 3 dozen miniature muffins
Thursday, May 28, 2009
What's the Difference: Cream
I thought this was an interesting article about the different types of cream used in baking and cooking. I try to follow directions, but there are times I've had to do a little mix and match depending on what is in the fridge. In essence, the article says:
The real difference between all these kinds of cream have to do with their fat content:
Half-and-Half: 12% fat
Light Cream: 20% fat
Light Whipping Cream: 30% fat
Whipping Cream: 35% fat
Heavy Cream and Heavy Whipping Cream: 38% fat
Creams with more fat will whip up better into a stable whipped cream, and they will also resist curdling when used to enrich soups. Creams with lower fat content are better used in beverages or for pouring over desserts.
If you can't find the specific cream needed for a recipe and are looking to substitute, it's always a safe bet to go for a cream with a higher fat content than the one called for.
If a cream with higher fat is not an option (or you're hoping to cut calories from a recipe!), try the cream with the fat content just below the one called for before experimenting with lighter creams.
The real difference between all these kinds of cream have to do with their fat content:
Half-and-Half: 12% fat
Light Cream: 20% fat
Light Whipping Cream: 30% fat
Whipping Cream: 35% fat
Heavy Cream and Heavy Whipping Cream: 38% fat
Creams with more fat will whip up better into a stable whipped cream, and they will also resist curdling when used to enrich soups. Creams with lower fat content are better used in beverages or for pouring over desserts.
If you can't find the specific cream needed for a recipe and are looking to substitute, it's always a safe bet to go for a cream with a higher fat content than the one called for.
If a cream with higher fat is not an option (or you're hoping to cut calories from a recipe!), try the cream with the fat content just below the one called for before experimenting with lighter creams.
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