New Recipes in the New Year

Yo! What's up? So not that its a big deal, but one of my intentions for 2010 is to bake AND make something new each week. I have plenty of recipes to try but I'm always looking for more inspiration. If you have any recipes you've seen/flagged/noted but haven't tried yet, let me know and I'll give 'em a whirl.

Spiced Cranberry Sangría

Makes 2 1/2 quarts-

By dressing up classic Spanish sangría with Spiced Simple Syrup and tart cranberries, Chef Jose Garces has created an ideal cocktail for a winter holiday celebration. Chef Garces serves this with an apple chip garnish for a more elegant finish, but even without it it’s delightful.
What to buy: If you can’t find a Tempranillo rosé, a less earthy Grenache rosé is a suitable substitute.

For the fruit:
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 Granny Smith apples, large dice
1 cup Spiced Simple Syrup (sugar & water -2 c each, cinnamon sticks & cloves- or other spices you desire)
3/4 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup ruby port wine

Combine all ingredients in a 3-quart container with a tightfitting lid.
Cover and refrigerate at least four hours or preferably overnight.

For the sangría:
"1 750-milliliter bottle Tempranillo rosé"
1/2 cup ruby port wine
1/2 cup Cointreau
1/2 cup cranberry juice

Add all ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir to combine.
Refrigerate until chilled, and serve over ice.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

The better-for-you chocolate chip cookies! I made these last night using a recipe from Slice of Feist via the Crepes of Wrath, which had been adapted from the Chicago Sun Times. You follow?

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 3/4 cup granulated sugar


• 3/4 cup brown sugar


• 2 eggs


• 2 1/4 cup flour (I used about 2 cups white flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 cup chocolate chips


• A dash of milk, approximately 1 tablespoon
  

Instructions

Combine sugars and oil. Add eggs. Add vanilla and remaining dry ingredients. Add milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes: I was afraid these would taste like olive oil, but they didn't! The cookies were chewy and tasty and heart healthy (well, at least a little healthier than the butter/margarine/shortening variety). This will probably become my go-to option for chocolate chip cookies because now I can eat more with less guilt.

Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna

My co-worker and I have been talking about making food for the freezer lately so I've been searching for a new lasagna to try and found this. Thank you Martha! I will probably adjust a bit but I like the thought of adding proscuitto and such an easy recipe too.

This weeknight lasagna is fast, thanks to no-boil noodles, frozen spinach, and jarred sauce; chopped prosciutto elevates the dish.
· 2 package(s) (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach , thawed and squeezed dry
· 1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta
· 1 clove(s) garlic , minced
· Coarse salt and ground pepper
· 2 1/2 cup(s) jarred tomato sauce
· 4 ounce(s) thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
· 6 no-boil lasagna noodles
· 1 cup(s) (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make filling: In a medium bowl, stir together spinach, ricotta, garlic, teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside. In another medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce and prosciutto.

2. In an 8-inch square baking dish, spread cup tomato sauce. Layer 2 noodles, 1/3 filling, and 1/3 remaining tomato sauce; repeat twice. Top with mozzarella. Bake until browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

My new favorite frittata

I've made many a frittata but this is my new fav...such an easy and delicious way to make eggs for a crowd.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 6 thin slices of pancetta (3 ounces) – or cubed (available at T-Joe’s)
3. 1 leek, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4. 1 cup baby spinach – I used a bit more
5. 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
6. 8 large eggs, beaten w/ splash of milk
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper
8. 3 ounces fresh goat cheese (approx. 1/2 cup)

Preheat the broiler. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add the pancetta and brown over moderately high heat, about 3 minutes. If you’re using slices, transfer the pancetta to a plate and let cool, then crumble it and add back to skillet.

Add the leek to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and sauté until spinach is nearly wilted, about 1 minute.

Season the eggs with salt and pepper and whisk in splash of milk and the goat cheese. Pour egg-mixture over the veggies in the skillet and use spatula to combine all ingredients. Bake on medium to low heat for about 15 minutes ( *While cooking run spatula around the edges of the pan to assure frittata isn’t sticking), until the frittata is nearly set. Place on middle rack under broiler just for a few minutes to complete cooking process and brown the top.

Slide the spinach and goat cheese frittata onto a cutting board or serving tray, cut it into wedges and serve at once. Serves about 4.

Tater-tot Casserole

Ok this sounds soooo bad but yet I really want to try it..perhaps tonight! Going to make a few minor adjustments to class it up a bit starting with fresh green-beans I just got at the market....also going to definitely use turkey and low sodium soup to keep it healthier...going to put meat and beans both down then cover with soup and tots and lastly I'm going to put under the broiler the last few minutes to really get those tots crispy! Mmmmmm, we'll see how it goes!


TATOR TOT CASSEROLE

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 (16 oz.) pkg. French style green beans
1 can mushrooms (or fresh) - optional
1 pkg. tater tots
1 can cream of mushroom soup - or any other cream variety you like
1/2 C milk
1/4 C water


Brown ground meat. Put in a 9 x 13 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cover meat with cream of mushroom soup mixed with milk and water. Top with green beans and tator tots and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Untested Breakfast Recipes

Mmm, these are some of the recipes I've flagged, but not yet tried.

Carrot Muffins
Strawberry Coffee Cake
Apple Tart
Homemade Bagels
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cake
Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles (which I've both had and made a variation of after being introduced to them by Joe)

Some of my favorite breakfast foods to eat or bring when staying at someones house are banana bread and strawberry bread. At home we usually do waffles or buttermilk pancakes (recipes from Joy of Cooking) or Anthony makes really tasty egg sandwiches.

I'll post a few other favorites like danish puff and my sister-in-law Margaret's confetti egg casserole. Photo from here.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

I initially wanted to make Camby's chocolate zucchini bread, but didn't have unsweetened chocolate bars on hand. Unsure how to work around that essential ingredient, I turned to Google for similar recipes...and I found this from Penzeys Spices. Very, very delicious.

(Source)

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup room temperature butter (1 stick)
  
• 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 3/4 Cups white sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1/2 Cup milk mixed with 1/4 tsp. white vinegar (i.e., sour milk)
  
• 2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
  
• 4 TB. cocoa powder
  
• 1 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 Cups peeled and finely grated zucchini - 3 small zucchini
  
• 1 Cup chocolate chips
  
• 1/4 Cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°. Line 2 standard muffin pans with papers. In a large bowl, mix butter, oil and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Blend well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir by hand to combine. Add grated zucchini and half the chocolate chips and stir well. Spoon the batter evenly into the pans, filling each paper 2/3 full. Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips and nuts on top and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

NOTES: I don't use cupcake papers; I just grease and flour the muffin wells. Extra chocolate chips makes these extra delicious.

Enjoy!

Greek salad dressing and the salad, too

This salad dressing is the root cause of why practically half of the meals I consumed in August either involved Greek salads or had me wishing I had a Greek salad in front of me.

I found it at a random TV station's Web site that popped up during a Google search for "Panera greek salad dressing recipe." Their recipe makes two cups, but since I half it and only make one cup at a time, I'm posting my halfsies recipe along with my modifications and secret ingredient. The original recipe is available at the link above.

Jennifer's WBIR Panera Greek Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1 teaspoon oregano
  
• 1 teaspoon basil (I used dried, but you could do fresh, too)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Squeeze of lemon juice (Secret ingredient that MAKES this dressing. Not sure how much I actually squeeze in here. Maybe about a small wedge's worth)
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking.

For the salad itself, I go with romaine lettuce, kalamata olives, red onions, grape or cherry tomatoes and feta. If you like cucumbers, those would fit in nicely as well. The salad is best tossed with the dressing so everything is coated. Drizzling the dressing on top just doesn't cut it. Enjoy!

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

I flag a lot of recipes in google reader, which means I always have a virtual recipe file. The only bad things is I often I have more recipes flagged than I've made. Here are some of the ones I've been wanting to make:

Cuban sandwich
bean and bacon soup
orzo pasta salad
cranberry walnut salad
roast chicken and bread salad
mustard roasted chicken and veggies
raspberry lemonade
healthy lasagna
baked lemon pasta
Pastor Ryan's bread

baked goods
peanut butter layer cake
sour cream lemon cake
creme fraiche quiche
lemon drenched lemon cake
double chocolate peppermint cookies
snickerdoodles
lemon blueberry tart
perfect panna cotta
strawberry sour cream scones
rhubarb cobbler
peanut butter chocolate fudge
strawberry rhubarb crumble
caramel pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake
mint brownies
chocoholic torte
blood orange tart
pita bread
prosciutto Gruyere Dijon puffs
s'mores brownies
strawberry country cake
pretzels
vanilla vanilla cupcakes
peach brulee

The sick part is I have at least 20 more recipes I didn't post here. Oy, I better get cooking and baking!

Simple Broccoli Recipes?

Did anyone by chance try any of these recipes? I made the broccoli bow ties for the second time (the first time I accidentally put in 2 T of salt, not 2t of salt). We were pretty underwhelmed. Anyone have a broccoli recipe that is really tasty?

Great ham sandwiches

Ham Sandwiches...coming from someone who doesn't even like ham, I LOVE these sandwiches! They are so easy to make and freeze great so you can keep them frozen for a dinner or lunch in a pinch. The recipe sounds a little odd to read but trust me they are good!

1lb chipped ham- I order good baked ham shaved
1/2lb american or cheddar cheese shredded or in small chunks
1 small onion chopped
6 hard boiled eggs (cooled and chopped)
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup chili sauce
My mom also adds pepper flakes for flavor

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Spoon into buns & wrap each sandwich individually in foil & keep in freezer till ready to eat. Heat sandwiches (still in foil) in 350 degree oven 15-20 min or until hot.

Reuben Dip

I'm making this dip for a little work pot luck tomorrow. I'm not quite sure how reubens are connected to St. Patrick's Day (they seem German to me), but I won't let that stop me!

Ingredients
1 can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
6 oz. shredded swiss cheese
6 oz. cubed or shredded corned beef
8 oz. block of cream cheese
2 Tablespoons Thousand Island dressing

Directions
Drain and rinse sauerkraut. In a crockpot, mix sauerkraut with swiss cheese and cream cheese. Add corned beef and Thousand Island. Cover and heat on low, stirring occasionally. Serve with crackers or cocktail rye bread.

Asparagus Lasagna Review

Though we are into a new month, I finally got around to making this asparagus lasagna. I made quite a few tweaks, which are noted. We had it with grilled salmon and salad, and it was really tasty. The lemon zest really makes this a light and fresh dish, perfect for spring.Asparagus Lasagna
4 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed (I used two bunches)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, heated
1/2 cup water, heated
7 ounces mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet (I used low fat ricotta)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, or to taste
6 (7 by 6 1/4-inch) sheets instant (no-boil) lasagna (next time I'll use cooked noodles. I've given no boil a fair shot and I just don't like them).
1 2/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup heavy cream (I omitted, you'll see why later)

Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut the tips off each asparagus spear and reserve them. Cut the stalks of asparagus into 1/2-inch lengths.

In each of 2 large shallow baking pans toss the asparagus stalks with half the oil, and salt to taste coating them well, and roast them, shaking the pans every few minutes, until they are crisp-tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set them aside. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees F. (since I only used 2 bunches of asparagus, I used one pan to cook asparagus. I then used that same pan to bake the lasagna)

In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour, and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the broth and the water in a stream, whisking, simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, and whisk in the cheese, zest, and salt, to taste, whisking until the sauce is smooth.
Arrange 1 sheet of pasta in each of buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dishes, (I only used one dish) and spread each sheet with 1/4 of the sauce. Top the sauce in each dish with 1/4 of the reserved roasted asparagus, and sprinkle the asparagus with 1/3 cup of the Parmesan. Continue to layer the pasta, sauce, asparagus, and Parmesan in the same manner, ending with a sheet of pasta.

In a bowl beat the cream with a pinch of salt until it holds soft peaks. Arrange the reserved asparagus tips on the pasta, spoon the cream over the pasta and the asparagus tips, spreading it with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan on top. (Since I reduced the amount of asparagus and made this in one pan, I skipped the cream and just used the remaining top to cover the lasagna)

Bake the lasagna in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, or until it is golden and bubbling, and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Inactive time: 10 minutes. Photo from here.

Really Good Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Over the last three weeks, Laura and I took a cake decorating class. While it turned out to be a bit of dud (teacher wasn't overly awesome and neither of us felt particularly compelled to become super awesome cake decorators), I got a really good recipe for buttercream frosting.

Buttercream Frosting
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (Wilton brand)
4 cups (approx. 1 pound) sifted confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Yield: 3 cups

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar is incorporated, add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Refrigerate leftover icing in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

The clear vanilla extract makes a very white looking frosting, as opposed to the off white/yellowish color you get from the recipe on the back of the powdered sugar box that uses dark vanilla.