Banana cream pie is something that I have never had before now, but I have always thought it sounded amazing.  Don’t you?  How could you not be immediately hooked by such a title?  To be perfectly honest though, I never even knew what it consisted of.  I assumed it was some sort of banana pudding-y base with mounds of cream on top.  I am sure that some people or restaurants pass off such a creation as banana cream pie, but now I stand corrected.  

You start with a classic pie crust, and layer pastry cream with sliced bananas.  This particular version from Dorie Greenspan uses a brown sugar pastry cream flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg – way to go, Dorie!  The topping does consist of a gigantic mound of whipped cream – yummmmmm.  The original recipe calls for mixing a couple tablespoons of sour cream into the topping.  I tasted it before and after, and I wasn’t crazy about the addition of the sour cream.  I don’t think it added much but did just cut the sweetness of the topping.  Personally I think the pastry cream and banana slices would pair nicely with the sweeter whipped cream, so next time I will omit the sour cream altogether.  

You definitely need to be a fan of bananas to enjoy this, because banana most definitely plays a starring role.  As it should be of course, given the name of the dessert.  I expected this to be a mess once cut into but it actually sliced beautifully.  Unfortunately the light was gone by the time this was sliced, but it was also devoured so rapidly I’m not sure I could have taken a picture if I had tried.  I’m submitting this recipe to Flavor of the Month hosted by Bake at 350, since the “flavor” for July is pie.  Enjoy! 

Banana Cream Pie
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Ingredients:
For the crust:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 tbsp. very cold water 

For the pastry cream and filling:
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

3 ripe but firm bananas, plus extra for garnish (if desired)

For the topping:
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions: 
To make the crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Add in the butter and toss with a fork to combine.  Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Mix in the water on low speed just until the dough comes together.  Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425° F.  Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Roll out the dough into a thin round large enough to fit a 9-inch round pie plate.  Carefully transfer the dough to the pie plate, trim the edges and use your thumb and fingers to crimp the edge.  Cover with a piece of foil or parchment paper, and fill the pie plate with baking beads (dried beans or rice works too.)  Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is nearly set.  Remove the foil and baking beads and bake the crust uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until it is completely baked and light golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

In the meantime, make the pastry cream.  Bring the milk to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well blended and thick.  Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about ¼ cup of the hot milk to temper the eggs so that they don’t curdle.  Then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream.  Put the pan over medium heat and, still whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil.  Allow to boil, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes before removing from the heat.  Whisk in the vanilla extract.  Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the custard is smooth and silky.  Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard and refrigerate until cold.  

When you are ready to assemble the pie, peel the bananas and cut them diagonally into ¼-inch thick slices.  Whisk the chilled custard to loosen it, then spread about a quarter of it over the cooled pie crust (this will be a thin layer).  Top with a layer of banana slices.  Repeat, adding a thin layer of pastry cream and the remaining bananas, then smooth the rest of the pastry cream over the last layer of bananas.  

To make the topping, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream just until it starts to thicken.  Beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until the cream holds firm peaks.  Spoon the topping over the pie filling and spread to cover the edges of the custard.  Garnish with extra banana slices, if desired.  Slice and serve (this pie is best eaten the day it is made.)

Source: adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (pie crust from Williams Sonoma)

In case you didn’t know, July is National Ice Cream Month.  What a spectacular idea!  A whole month devoted to ice cream, one of my very favorite desserts!  Unfortunately this month I have been so busy in my kitchen with other goings on, I have not made a batch of ice cream all month (though I did make a wonderful sorbet.)  But, I love ice cream so very much that I couldn’t let this occasion pass without doing something to celebrate.  I decided to finally give coffee ice cream a try, and oh, what a good decision that was.   I’ve made a LOT of ice cream, but I think this has to be in my top three favorite flavors.  It is just perfect.  The coffee flavor is spot on, balanced perfectly with some sweetness, and unbelievably creamy.  I am entering this recipe in for the Ice Cream Social Challenge hosted by Scotty Snacks, Savor the Thyme, and Tangled Noodle.  Even though July is almost over, I highly encourage you to indulge in this particular ice cream bliss.  It is ideal for enjoyment any day of the year :)

Coffee Ice Cream
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Ingredients:
1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
1½ cups whole coffee beans
Pinch of salt
1½ cups heavy cream, divided
5 large egg yolks
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. finely ground coffee or espresso powder

Directions: 
Combine the milk, sugar, coffee beans, salt and ½ cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once the mixture is warm and just begins to bubble, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.  

After steeping, return the saucepan with the coffee mixture to the burner over medium heat.  Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.  Once the coffee mixture has become warm again, slowly pour the mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.  Return the egg-coffee bean mixture to the saucepan over medium high heat. 

Cook the mixture, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula or spoon (about 170-175° F.)  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Press on the coffee beans in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible, then discard the beans (I used a heavy-bottomed drinking glass to do this.)  Mix in the vanilla and ground coffee or espresso powder.  Chill the batter over an ice bath, or in the refrigerator.  Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Source: adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Known to some as seven layer bars, known to others as “magic bars”.  I think another fitting name would be “should-have-brought-one-to-work-because-I-can’t-stop-thinking-about-them” bars.  These babies are seriously, seriously addictive.  I gave the majority of my batch away but the few that I kept at home did not last long.  What makes them even more dangerous is that they consist of ingredients usually found in a well-stocked pantry, and they take next to no time at all to prepare.  Look out.  

I suppose mine should actually be called six layer bars because I omitted the nuts.  Though I am starting to appreciate nuts more in other capacities, I just cannot let them interrupt all the wonderfulness that is these bars containing chocolate, white chocolate, and butterscotch chips – I’m sorry, but nuts just have no business here.  Go make these today – you won’t be sorry!  (Or maybe you will be, because then you won’t be able to stop eating them.) 

Seven Layer Bars
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Ingredients:
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
5 oz. graham crackers
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (if you must)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup butterscotch chips
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions: 
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.  In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and golden.  Remove from the heat. 

Place the graham crackers in a large zippered plastic bag.  Using a rolling pin, crush the graham crackers to achieve a mixture of crumbs, bits and chunks.  Meanwhile, place the stick of butter in the prepared baking pan and put it in the oven to melt, about 6 minutes.  When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the oven.  Add the graham cracker crumbs and toss lightly with a fork directly in the pan until all the butter is absorbed and the crumbs are evenly distributed over the bottom of the pan.  In order, sprinkle the (nuts), chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and toasted coconut over the graham cracker crumbs.  Pour the condensed milk evenly over the entire dish.  

Return the pan to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.  Remove the bars from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board.  Using a sharp knife, cut into bars of your desired size. 

Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated

I am always looking for new soup recipes to try.  I know it’s still the middle of the summer, but I find soup to be a wonderful meal year-round (we do have air conditioning, after all!)  I loved this meal because it was a bit out of the ordinary from the things I usually make, and a welcome change.  The soup is a tomato base thickened by the addition of rice and chopped veggies.  Coconut milk is mixed in to lend a muted tropical flavor, and the cilantro adds an earthy brightness.  Not only was this delicious, it was a fairly quick weeknight meal, and healthy too!  All good things.  This time I used smaller shrimp because that was all I had on hand.  Next time I will either use larger shrimp, or not cut the smaller ones in half.  Otherwise, this is fantastic and I can’t wait to have it again!  I made a half batch which yielded about three servings, but next time I think I’ll make a full batch and have the leftovers for lunches.

Brazilian Shrimp Soup
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Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup long-grain rice
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 ¾ tsp. salt
1 ¾ cups canned crushed tomatoes
5 cups water
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 ½ lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and cut in half horizontally
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup cilantro, chopped

Directions: 
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.  Add the rice, red pepper flakes, salt, crushed tomatoes, and water to the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the rice is almost tender.  Stir in the coconut milk.  Return the mixture to a simmer, then stir in the shrimp.  Simmer just until the shrimp cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the pepper, lemon juice and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Liz’s Cooking Blog

Since discovering during my holiday baking last year that, 1) I actually do like biscotti, and 2) it’s really fun and easy to make, I have been experimenting with various flavors and recipes.  Almond biscotti seems to be the “classic” flavor, so I decided to give it a try this time around.  I must say, it tasted fantastic!  The almond extract provides a delicious sweetness and and sliced almonds add to the texture.  I only wish that they had risen a bit more, but I think I may have slightly underbaked them.  I attribute this to being in someone else’s kitchen, and I definitely look forward to making this again on my own turf.  Biscotti always make a wonderful gift for coffee or tea drinkers, and my mother-in-law certainly enjoyed the batch I brought over to her.

Almond Biscotti
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Yield: about 24-30 cookies 
Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup yellow cornmeal
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1½ tsp. almond extract
¾ cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched 

Directions: 
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth.  Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy.  Beat in the almond extract.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they are incorporated.  The dough will be sticky.  Scrape down the paddle and bowl, add in the sliced almonds and mix just until blended in.  

Scrape half of the dough onto one side of the baking sheet.  Using a rubber spatula or your fingers (I like to cover my hand with lightly oiled plastic wrap), form the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1½ inches wide.  The log will be rectangular, with a bumpy and uneven surface.  Form a second similar log on the other side of the baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch.  Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.  

(If you turned the oven off, return it to 350° F.)  Using a long serrated knife, cut the logs into 1-inch thick slices.  Turn the slices so that they stand on their sides, and return the sheet to the oven. 

Bake the biscotti for another 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden and firm.  Transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. 

Source: adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Here in Indianapolis we have a wonderful local gourmet pizza place called Bazbeaux Pizza.  They have a lengthy menu with lots of fantastic signature pizzas, topped with unique combinations of ingredients.  It is one of those restaurants that always sounds great to me.  Every time I have ever been, I have ordered something new because they have so many yummy options on the menu, and I’m doing my best to try them all :)  Last time I went, I decided to try their Greek pizza since I have been on a bit of a Greek kick lately.  Not surprisingly, this pizza was phenomenal – maybe the best I’ve had there.  And even though it was only a few weeks ago, I’ve been craving it ever since.  I decided to take a shot at recreating this fabulous restaurant find at home.  

Oh.My.Gosh.  I never would have thought I could come this close to the real thing, especially on my first attempt, but honestly this was every bit as good as what I had in the restaurant.  I started out with my favorite pizza crust, and then just looked at their menu to be sure I didn’t forget anything.  I used my new favorite homemade pizza sauce, layered with fresh spinach, topped with a blend of cheeses close to what Bazbeaux uses, and finished off with black olives, red onion, and feta.  I also added a few fresh herbs from my garden for color.  I always look forward to going to Bazbeaux, but I won’t be ordering this again since now I can make it just as well at home!

Greek Pizza
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Ingredients:
½ batch perfect pizza crust
Olive oil
Homemade pizza sauce
Fresh baby spinach leaves
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
Sliced black olives
Chopped red onion
Crumbled feta cheese
Chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, or whatever you like)

Directions: 
Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F.  Allow the stone to heat for at least 30 minutes.  In the mean time, cut a round of parchment paper the size of your pizza stone.  Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour.  Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust.  Brush a light coat of olive oil around the outer edge.  Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce over the crust.  Layer with fresh baby spinach leaves.  Sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese, and then Romano cheese.  Top evenly with black olives, chopped red onion, and crumbled feta cheese.  Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, if desired, and season with salt and pepper.  Once assembled, carefully transfer the parchment round and pizza to the preheated baking stone and return to the oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Source: Annie’s Eats original

I don’t know about you, but I have found store-bought pizza sauce seriously lacking.  I think the taste can be too overpowering and the seasonings just aren’t quite right.  I’m really glad that I discovered this recipe – it’s so simple that it is nearly as easy as opening a jar, but the flavor is so, so, so much better.  Not only is the taste great but I much prefer the chunky texture of this sauce (although you can alter the texture to your liking).  I have made this many times now, and find that it goes very well with a huge variety of pizza toppings, or as a dipping sauce for calzones.  Stay tuned for a couple recipes coming soon that incorporate this delicious sauce!

Pizza Sauce
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Ingredients:
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried marjoram
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Allow to cook for at least 15 minutes.  Once finished cooking, remove from the heat.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, use a potato masher or immersion blender to break up the chunks of tomato.  Alternatively, simply leave it as is if you prefer a chunkier sauce.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Source: adapted from Scraping the Skillet

I am thrilled that so far, my little man is a very un-picky eater.  In fact, he eats just about anything and everything we put in front of him (and some things we don’t – including bugs.)  However, I know it may not stay this way, so I thought I should be prepared and have a good recipe for chicken strips in my repertoire.  This recipe is very simple and requires few ingredients.  Chicken pieces are first seasoned in a brine, then coated in flour, dipped in melted butter, coated in a cornflake crumb mixture and baked.  These tasted fabulous as you might imagine, although next time I may try dipping in egg whites rather than melted butter to make them a bit healthier.  I am sure they would be great dunked in any number of condiments – ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, or my personal favorite, honey mustard.  Whatever your sauce of choice, these are bound to be a hit, and definitely better than bugs :)

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips
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Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1/4 cup table salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup flour
7 tbsp. butter, melted
2 cups finely crushed Corn Flakes cereal

Directions: 
Dissolve salt in 1 quart cold water.  Add the chicken to the brine, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes Remove the cutlets from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400° F.  Place an oven-safe baking rack on a baking sheet.  Place the flour and butter in separate bowls.  Place the crushed cereal flakes in a shallow pie plate.  Dip the chicken pieces in the flour, then the butter, then the crushed cereal, shaking off excess in between each step.  Place the coated chicken strips on the prepared baking rack.   

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Serve with your choice of dipping sauces. 

Source: adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles 

Last week I was looking for a dessert to go along with a dinner I was taking over to some friends.  Since the meal was a very filling one, I wanted something simple and light for dessert.  These cupcakes seemed like a perfect option, and they were great!  Incredibly quick and easy to make, and tasted just like a traditional angel food cake – sweet, light and airy.  A garnish of freshly whipped cream and seasonal berries made them truly heavenly!  This recipe yields quite a lot of cupcakes so there are plenty to share with others and keep some for yourself.

Angel Food Cupcakes
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Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
12 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions: 
Adjust oven racks to the two lowest positions.  Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.   In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the vanilla and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft-medium peaks form.  Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden.  Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit, if desired.  

Source: adapted from About.com

I’m always happy to find new unique ways to prepare boneless, skinless chicken breasts since chicken is definitely my preferred source of protein.  And I must say, this is definitely a fantastic new variation – I love it for many reasons.  First and most importantly, it tastes amazing.  Second, the combination of spices gives it a really interesting flavor that is very different from most things I eat on a regular basis.  Also, you’ve gotta love any dinner that requires such minimal prep time and then comes out so fabulously tasty (and healthy!)  This will be a staple in our house for sure.

Now, if you are like me, you may look at the ingredient list and think that these spices might sound like an odd combination or something you might not enjoy.  I had this recipe marked to try for a long time but continually passed over it when menu planning because I was unsure.  Finally I decided to just give it a go, and really, I could kick myself for not trying it sooner.  I previously had a fear of curry after ordering a dish in a restaurant that was so heavily seasoned I couldn’t even eat it.  Also, I love cinnamon but I’m not sure I have ever used it in a savory dish before.  I almost omitted it, but then decided to try it.  Again, so glad I did because though the cinnamon itself was not overtly noticeable in the finished meal, it definitely lent a great depth and complexity to the taste.  Ben and I were both very impressed by how juicy the chicken was – it was just as good as if it had marinated all day long.  My only issue was that I ended up with more veggies than could fit in my baking dish.  I’m sure this simply depends on what size dish you use, and I do think there was just the right amount to eat with the chicken.  This could be made very easily in a Dutch oven, and then you could avoid using separate dishes for browning and baking the chicken.  I may try that next time.  Enjoy!

Braised Chicken
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Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cumin
4-5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, combine the garlic, paprika, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, cumin and olive oil.  Whisk together until well combined.  Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook until just golden brown on both sides, a few minutes per side.  Once browned, remove the chicken to a plate.

Toss about a third of the sliced peppers and onions onto the bottom of your baking dish.  Lay the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.  Brush the tops of the chicken pieces with the spice-olive oil mixture.  Distribute the remaining peppers and onions around and on top of the chicken pieces, and top with the chopped tomatoes.  Brush the remaining spice-oil mixture on top of the veggies.  Pour the chicken broth into your baking dish around the edges.  Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven to bake for 1 hour.  After 30 minutes of baking, remove from the oven, flip the chicken pieces over, toss the vegetables, and spoon some of the cooking juices from the bottom of the dish over the top of the chicken.  Return the dish to the oven to bake for 30 minutes longer.  Remove from the oven, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve. 

Source: adapted from Kayotic Kitchen via Pioneer Woman
(Note – I can no longer find this recipe on either of these sites to link to the original recipe, but I found it through my Google Reader.)

I love almost all fruits, plums included, but somehow plums just don’t demand my attention the way various berries, fresh peaches, etc. do.  I decided since plums are coming into season that I needed to give them fair consideration and immediately thought of this sorbet from David Lebovitz.  I wasn’t entirely sure what plum sorbet would taste like, since plums don’t have a flavor quite as distinct or identifiable as something like peach or strawberry.  I was even more skeptical when I threw the plums into the saucepan to cook after I saw that the ones I bought didn’t appear to be quite as ripe as I had thought.  But, cooking the fruit made all the difference.  After cooking, the plums were an absolutely gorgeous magenta color (like that seen above) and the intoxicating sweet smell coming from the pan assured me this was going to be good.  Then I threw the raspberries into the mix and wow!  This made for a fabulous frozen treat.  The mellow tartness of the plums was nicely complimented by the sweet, bright berries.  The thick fruit puree lends a nice creamy texture to this sorbet.  This recipe has definitely heightened my appreciation of plums, and the amazing change that takes place when they are cooked.  I think I need to do more experimenting with them!

Plum Raspberry Sorbet
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Ingredients:
1 lb. plums
1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 tsp. kirsch (I omitted)

Directions: 
Slice the plums into 8 wedges each and remove the pits.  Place them in a medium saucepan with the water.  Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the sugar and raspberries.  Let cool to room temperature.

Puree the fruit mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, pressing it through with a spoon to retain as much of the strained puree as possible.  Stir in the kirsch (if using).  Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Source: adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

My first time browsing through Baking Illustrated, I saw this coffee cake and knew I wanted to make it.  It has pretty much been hanging out in the back of my mind ever since.  A couple of weeks ago I finally had the first free weekend in what feels like ages, and I decided it was time to give this a try.  The really cool thing about this recipe is that there are several variations on both fillings, shapes and toppings, and I cannot wait to try all of them!  For this first try, I went with the horseshoe shape and a combination cream cheese and apricot filling.  It was fabulous!  It seemed just like the sort of thing I have ordered at bakeries before.  Very cool to know I can make it at home!  

The dough is light and tender, and the filling is tasty but not overwhelming so that you can really appreciate the delicious cake component.  The only thing I will do differently next time is to loosely tent some foil over it about halfway through baking.  I was not happy with how deeply browned the top was, although it tasted fine.  Just a note as well – the dough really takes quite a while to rise, so don’t worry if you don’t see results quickly.  I tend to get stressed I don’t see quick results, but it does expand eventually, it just needs some time.  The original recipe yields two coffeecakes, but I just can’t see needing two so I have reduced the ingredient quantities to yield enough for one.  Also, the cookbook claims that the cream cheese filling is too soft for use with the horseshoe shape, but it only leaked out a bit during assembly and not at all during baking, so I think it is okay to use in combination with a fruit filling.

Yeasted Coffee Cake with Apricot Cream Cheese Filling
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For the dough:
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. warm water
1/4 cup sugar (1¾ oz.)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. milk
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour (10 1/8 oz.) 
3/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch pieces  

Ingredients:
For the apricot filling:
1 cup dried apricots
1½ tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
1½ tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp. rum (optional) 

For the cream cheese filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened but still cool
2 tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
½ egg (I just beat it lightly with a fork and add about half)
¼ tsp. vanilla extract 

For the egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tsp. heavy cream or whole milk 

Directions: 
To make the dough, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; stir to dissolve.  Add the sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla.  Mix at the lowest speed until well combined.  Add about 1½ cups of the flour and the salt, mixing on low speed until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute.  Increase the speed to medium-low and add the butter pieces one at a time, beating until incorporated, about 20 seconds after each addition.  Replace the paddle with the dough hook and add the remaining ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour; knead at medium-low speed until soft and smooth, about 5 minutes longer.  Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough tightens up slightly, about 2 minutes longer.

The dough will be too soft to pick up with your hands, so scrape it into a straight-sided lightly oiled plastic container using a dough scraper (I just used a spatula).  Cover the container tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, 3-4 hours.  Press down the dough, replace the plastic and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 or up to 24 hours.  Alternatively for a quick chill, spread the dough onto a lightly oiled baking sheet, about 1-inch thick, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, to make the apricot filling, combine the apricots, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until the apricots are soft and the water has nearly evaporated, 16-18 minutes.  Off the heat, mix in the orange zest, orange juice, and rum (if using).  Blend until smooth with an immersion blender (or, transfer to a food processor/blender and blend.)  

To make the cream cheese filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a mixer at high speed until smooth, 2-4 minutes.  Add the lemon zest, egg and vanilla extract.  Reduce the speed to medium and continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once, until incorporated, about 1 minute.  Scrape the mixture into a small bowl and chill thoroughly before using.

When you are ready to shape the coffeecake, remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and turn it onto a lightly floured work surface.  Shape the dough evenly into a 6 by 5-inch rectangle.  

Roll the dough evenly into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle (the dough should be about ¼-inch thick.)  As you roll, straighten the sides of the dough occasionally with the dough scraper (your hands also work just fine.)  

Spread the apricot filling over the dough in a thin layer, leaving a thin border around the edges.  

Straighten the sides again once more.  Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese filling over the apricot filling.  

Using both hands, roll the dough up evenly lengthwise.  Pinch the dough securely to seal the seam.  Do not seal the ends of the roll. 

Place the roll in a semicircle on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet.  

Using clean kitchen scissors, cut 2/3 of the way into the dough at 2-inch intervals.  

Gently lift and separate the cut sections and flatten them slightly.  Cover with plastic wrap and proof until slightly puffed, 1½ to 2 hours.  (After this final rise, the unbaked cake can be refrigerated overnight and baked the next morning.)  

For the egg wash, beat the egg and cream in a small bowl until combined.  Brush uncut surfaced with egg wash.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350° F.  Bake until deep golden brown and/or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the cake reads 190° F, 25-30 minutes.  (Cover with foil halfway through baking if necessary, to prevent over-browning.)  Slide the coffeecake onto a wire rack and cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated

I have a tendency to overbuy ingredients sometimes.  In this case, I bought an extra rotisserie chicken when I made the pineapple chicken salad for Andrew’s birthday party.  And because that version was so delicious, and because I was itching to make some more honey wheat sandwich buns, I thought more chicken salad would be just the right thing.  So I looked back through my recipes marked to try and this one immediately jumped out at me.  This is a fantastic variation on chicken salad.  I loved the little spots of sweetness provided by the dried cranberries, and the chopped pecans really added a depth of flavor.  Though I normally don’t love celery, I think it’s flavor is barely noticeable in chicken salad but it does contribute a delicious crunch to the texture.

One great thing about this recipe is how quick it was to prepare.  I think it took me all of 15 minutes to prep and mix up a batch.  I substituted half of the mayo from the original recipe with plain yogurt to cut the mayo taste, and I thought the balance was just right.  I gave it a quick taste-test immediately after mixing and felt it was slightly bland and needed a little something extra.  I threw in a bit more shallot and that really seemed to do the trick.  You could certainly use pre-chopped pecans from the store, but I prefer to buy pecan halves and chop them myself because (1) I LOVE using my chef’s knife, and (2) I think the pre-chopped pecan pieces are too small for my taste, and I like being able to control the size of the pieces myself.  All in all, this made for several days of very tasty lunches for us.  Yum!

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
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Ingredients:
4 cups of cubed cooked chicken
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (I skipped toasting them)
1 rib celery, finely diced
2-4 tbsp. finely minced shallot
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Mix well until thoroughly combined.  Adjust shallot and seasonings to taste.  Transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to allow flavors to meld.  Serve.

Source: adapted from Une-Deux Senses, originally from Smitten Kitchen

These buns are just plain awesome.  You need to make them today.  Personally the name (and the pictures) is all the convincing I need, but in case you need to be persuaded – they are also easy to make, soft but sturdy enough to hold up against whatever you want to pile on them, and nicely flavored.  The honey wheat taste makes for a delicious sandwich, and we all know how much better homemade bread is than the tasteless stuff you can buy at the store.  The two can’t even be compared!

I made a double batch of these for Andrew’s birthday party and received lots of compliments on them.  I was slightly frustrated because the original recipe did not indicate a quantity, and I ended up falling short and having to buy some store-bought buns as well (but I made sure to indicate a yield below).  I made a few minor changes to the original recipe including a different shaping method, as well as adding some honey to the butter brushed on the tops of the buns as I do with my favorite dinner rolls.  I also sprinkled some sesame seeds on top for looks.  I have a feeling I will be making these a LOT!  

Honey Wheat Sandwich Buns
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Yield: 9-10 sandwich buns

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk, warmed
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
2 cups bread flour, plus 1/4-1/2 cup more for adjusting as needed
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey plus 1-2 tbsp., divided
2 tbsp. butter, melted
Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
Measure out the milk in a liquid measuring cup.  Add in the instant yeast and stir to dissolve.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour (2 cups), wheat flour and salt.  Mix briefly on low speed to combine.  Add the yeast-milk mixture, egg, and 1/4 cup of honey to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed just until a dough has formed.  Switch to the dough hook.  Continue kneading on low speed with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and tacky but not sticky, adding extra flour 1-2 tablespoons at a time as needed until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and has the desired consistency.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2-2 hours.  

Once the dough has risen, transfer the ball to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate the dough.  Divide the dough into 9-10 equal sized pieces (if using a kitchen scale to achieve uniform size, make 3.25-3.5 oz. pieces).  Form each piece of dough into a flattened round, 3.5-4 inches in diameter.  Transfer the shaped rounds to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.  

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Combine the melted butter with 1-2 tablespoons of honey and lightly brush the tops of the rolls.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.  Bake for 14-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until golden brown and baked through.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: adapted from Good Things Catered

I love chocolate cookies and am inclined to try nearly every recipe for them that I happen upon.  So of course, when I was flipping through Baking Illustrated and saw the title “Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies” I knew it was only a matter of time until I tried them.  Recently I started my residency, and so far I am really enjoying it.  One of my best friends also started her residency, but she has the misfortune of having to do a surgical internship first.  And not only that, but she has started out on the worst of the worst rotations.  I know that she barely has time to sleep, let alone eat or cook, so I decided to bring some meals over to her and her husband throughout the month to make sure she’s getting some food and to let her know I’m thinking of her.  Last week I brought her some pasta e fagioli, Italian bread and salad.  But of course, I think dessert is the best meal of the day so I needed to bring something sweet and I thought these cookies would be perfect.  And they really were!  

These most definitely have the best texture of any chocolate cookie I have ever made, and they really are deliciously soft and chewy.  The only thing I would consider changing about them would be to make them larger.  I guess I just prefer super-sized cookies – although they are so irresistible, I ended up eating about five of the small ones…maybe I better keep them this way :)  My friend was of course grateful and loved the cookies as well.  I love to brighten people’s days with sweets!

Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies
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Yield: 42 cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz.) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a mixture of semisweet and dark because it’s what I had on hand)
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed (10 1/2 oz.) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz.) granulated sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk together; set aside.  

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until completely melted and smooth; remove from the heat.  (Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth.)  In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and instant coffee granules; stir well with a fork to dissolve; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds.  Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds.  Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds.  Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overbeat.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 ¾-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just began to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking.  Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.  Cool the baking sheets before baking more batches with the remaining dough. 

Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated

My motivation behind trying this dish runs back to a few months ago.  We had just purchased a new car (yay!) and were leaving the dealership.  Since it was already pretty late for dinner and we were nearby, we decided to head to Cheesecake Factory as a mini-celebration.  We sat down and looked at the menu, I took maybe one sip of water, and then Andrew had a mega-meltdown and we ended up having to leave the restaurant with no dinner.  (Hey, I can’t blame him – sitting through all the lengthy signing ceremonies at the dealership made me cranky too.)  The meal I had planned on ordering was Louisiana chicken pasta – it sounded fabulous!  I was so bummed I didn’t get to try it that night.

Just a couple of weeks later, Tara posted this knockoff recipe on her blog.  I took that as a sign that I definitely needed to taste this dish!  It did take me a while to get around to this one, but I’m glad I made it.  Now, if you are a healthy-food only person, navigate away from this page quickly.  This is pasta with pieces of fried chicken and a cream sauce – so yeah, not even kinda healthy.  However, I really think this dish could be lightened significantly, and I actually think I would prefer it that way.  This was delicious, but the time it took to bread and fry all the chicken pieces was just not worth it to me.

I’ll most definitely make this again, but with several adaptations.  Next time, I will only use one chicken breast.  I used two this time and ended up with a HUGE amount of chicken pieces.  If I had used it all, it would have been like chicken with a few pieces of pasta so I saved half of it to make salads with the next night for dinner.  And not only will I use less chicken, I will skip the frying entirely.  Instead I think I will just season the chicken with Cajun seasoning and sauté it to save time and calories.  I will increase the veggies a bit, as I would have enjoyed more of those. Also, I think the cream sauce could be lightened by replacing more of the heavy cream with half and half or whole milk.  I have reflected all of these future changes below, but if you are interested in the real version, check out the link below.

Louisiana Chicken Pasta
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Ingredients:
For the chicken:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning

For the pasta:
8 oz. bowtie pasta
Kosher salt 

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water 
3 scallions, chopped 

Directions:
To cook the chicken, heat a small amount of butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkle of Cajun seasoning.   Add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.  

Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.   Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and heat the butter and olive oil until the butter has melted.   Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan.  Mix in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper.  Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes.  Add the half-and-half and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add to the skillet once the cream mixture has started to bubble.  Allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and chicken pieces to the pan.  Stir well to combine and cook at medium-low heat just until the chicken is warmed through.  Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning if necessary to suit your tastes.  Stir in the scallions.  Serve immediately and top with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired. 

Source: adapted from Smells Like Home, inspired by The Cheesecake Factory

I rarely eat hot dogs, but maybe a month or so ago, totally out of the blue, I had a major craving for a hot dog.  I bought turkey hot dogs which I usually really like, and they were good but they just did not satisfy my craving.  I gave in and bought the real deal, ate one for lunch and it was delicious!  Then, maybe a week later my issue of Bon Appetit arrived in the mail with an article titled, “Around the World in 80 Dogs”.  This just kept the craving rolling because as I read through the article, I saw so many variations that sounded really great.  Then my only problem was which to try first.  I ended up trying this, their Spanish variation on hot dogs.  The grilled dogs are topped with shredded manchengo cheese and then a relish made of roasted garlic, roasted red pepper and parsley.  Yum!  Just as you might expect from the description, these were very tasty and a unique spin on a plain old hot dog.  I am looking forward to trying several of the other varieties described in the article.

Manchengo Cheese and Garlic Hot Dogs
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Ingredients:
For the relish:
2 large heads of garlic, top 1/2-inch cut off
5 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup roasted red pepper from a jar, drained and diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley
Coarse kosher salt

For the hot dogs:
6 grilled or toasted hot dog buns
6 grilled all-beef hot dogs
2 oz. Manchengo cheese, grated (I used a lot less than the full 2 oz.)
Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
To make the relish, preheat the oven to 400° F.  Place each head of garlic, cut side up, in the center of a square of aluminum foil.  Drizzle each with a teaspoon of olive oil, and enclose in the foil.  Place the packets on the oven rack.  Roast until the garlic is tender, about 45 minutes.  Open the packets and let cool for 15 minutes. 

Once cooled, squeeze the garlic cloves into a small bowl.  Mash enough roasted garlic to measure 1/4 cup.  Transfer the 1/4 cup to a bowl.  Mix in 3 teaspoons olive oil, red peppers, and parsley.  Season with coarse salt and pepper.

Place a hot dog in each bun.  Top each grilled hot dog with shredded Manchengo cheese, the garlic relish, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Serve.

Source: adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2009

Now that we have reached the one year mark and Andrew has gotten the hang of chewing and is tolerating more textures in his food, I have started feeding him just about anything he is able to manage with only two teeth.  If at all possible I let him try the foods that we are eating, but in the case of long, thin pastas at least some adaptations need to be made.  This is a simple version of a meat sauce that takes little time to prepare, and is a great way to incorporate red meat and veggies into your little one’s diet.  I transferred the cooked spaghetti to a cutting board and used a chef’s knife to cut up the noodles to ensure that there were no pieces too long mixed in to his food.  This seemed to work well.

As you can see, he LOVED this meal!  This was very popular and I have a feeling I’ll be making it often for him. 

Baby’s First Spaghetti Bolognese
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Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
3/4 cup sliced button mushrooms
5 oz. lean ground sirloin
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of brown sugar
1 bay leaf
2 oz. spaghetti

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan and saute the garlic and onion for 2 minutes.  Add the grated carrot and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add in the remaining oil and saute the mushrooms for about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the ground sirloin in a separate skillet until browned.  Add in the cooked vegetables along with the tomatoes, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and bay leaf.  Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes; remove the bay leaf.  Cook the spaghetti in unsalted water according to the package directions.

Puree the meat sauce using an immersion blender for a smoother texture.  Chop up the spaghetti into short lengths and stir into the sauce.

Source: adapted from Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel

This is a recipe that I have had bookmarked for a loooong time.  However, I had no success whatsoever in finding real lo mein noodles in the grocery store.  I looked at my usual grocery store, which is normally great for finding somewhat unusual or less than mainstream ingredients, but no luck.  I looked at Whole Foods several times, where Elly said she found hers – no dice.  Then one weekend we were visiting our families and I stopped at the local grocery store for a few random ingredients, and there was a prominent display of Asian ingredients including lo mein noodles.  Score!  I am especially thrilled to have found them because oh.my.gosh.  This was a GREAT dinner!  I’m definitely going to be stocking up.  

I know there are versions of lo mein recipes out there that call for regular spaghetti noodles, but I just love the real thing too much to bother.  The noodles are soft and really absorb the sauce well, plus they are delicious!  You could certainly alter the veggies mixed in to suit your taste but I loved the combination of mushrooms, bell pepper and snow peas.  I also think water chestnuts would be a nice addition for some extra crunch.  This is a quick meal as well, great for a weeknight.  We’ll be making this often!

Chicken Lo Mein
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Ingredients:
6 oz. lo mein noodles
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup snow peas
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions: 
Bring a pot of water to boil.  Cook the lo mein noodles according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.  In the meantime, make the sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Whisk well and set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned and cooked through.  Add in the vegetables, each a few minutes apart, starting with the onion and bell pepper and ending with the mushrooms.  Cook just until tender-crisp.  Add in the garlic and saute just until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the sauce to the pan, and then the cooked lo mein noodles.  Toss the mixture well to coat everything.  Drizzle with the sesame oil and toss once more.  Serve immediately. 

Source: adapted from Elly Says Opa!

I know it sounds cliche as ever, but it seems like just yesterday I was posting about the birth of our first child.  I feel like I blinked my eyes and here he is, one year old, walking around the house climbing on everything and chattering up a storm!  It has most definitely been the best year of my life, and I can’t wait to see what this year brings.  

In addition to cooking and baking, another hobby of mine is homemade greeting cards and invitations.  I like making invitations in particular because I think they can really help set the tone for an event.  With these, I tried to incorporate the main colors for the party (blue and green) as well as the beach theme.  I was so happy with the way they turned out!

This was my first experience ever decorating a cake with fondant.  I felt a fondant cake would be the best way to easily incorporate the beach theme into the cake itself, so I did a very small trial run the week before the party using store-bought fondant.  Then for Andrew’s party I used homemade marshmallow fondant (recipe at the end of the post).  This is something I had been previously super intimidated by in the past, but working with fondant is essentially like working with play-dough.  It’s really not that complicated.  I was also amazed at how easy it was to make on my own.  As long as you have a stand mixer, you’re set!  Although I do hope to take formal cake decorating classes eventually, I’m glad I was able to figure this out on my own (with great advice from my friend Chelle – thanks, girl!)

Edit: I forgot to mention how the fondant actually tasted.  I have never been much of a fan of the taste of fondant, so I am probably not the best person to judge.  I thought this definitely tasted better than the store bought kind, but still not something I want to be snacking on :)  However, my friends who actually do like fondant really liked the way this tasted and said this was the best they’ve had.  So, there you go!

Overall I was thrilled with how the cake looked in the end.  The palm tree looked much better initially, and then really began to sag throughout the day so I just gave up on it.  This may seem like excess pictures of the cake, but I wanted to show the various decorations I put around the sides.  I thought the coral and the school of fish were so cute.

And the smiling octopus :)  I plan to do a step-by-step post very soon with instructions for decorating with fondant, so stay tuned for that.  Have no fear, it’s really not bad at all!

I made a strawberry filling for the inside of the cake which was delicious.  I can’t wait to try some of the other variations on the same recipe such as raspberry or pineapple filling.  Yum! 

I decorated the house with two dozen blue, green and white balloons and blue and green streamers.  We had beach-type music playing on the stereo such as Beach Boys, Bob Marley and Jack Johnson to set the mood, and leis for the guests to wear.  Since we had around 25 guests, I tried to keep the menu fairly simple and casual in keeping with the theme of the party.  I never got a shot of the whole spread, but our menu was as follows:

Lava Flows (virgin – these were for the under-age guests, and essentially just a smoothie.  I loved them! recipe to come)
Pina Coladas (for the adults :) )
Grilled Shrimp Cocktail
Tropical Fruit Salad
Veggie Tray with Dill Dip
Deviled Eggs
Pineapple Chicken Salad and Spicy Shredded Pork served on Honey Wheat Sandwich Buns (recipe to come)

For favors, I made beach-themed sugar cookies decorated with royal icing.  They were definitely a hit!

I packaged pairs of cookies in little cellophane bags for easy transport and to help keep them fresh.  I love individually packaged treats! 

And of course, the best part of a baby’s birthday party – the smash cake!  I kept it simple with a plain vanilla cake recipe and my favorite vanilla buttercream.  (Fondant is not messy enough for this usage – we needed good smear action!)  I combined blue and white frosting in the same pastry bag to create the swirled color effect to resemble ocean waves.  I didn’t work too hard on this since after all, it was made to be destroyed! 

He certainly seemed to enjoy it :)  We had a great time and I’m already looking forward to next year’s party!  

Marshmallow Fondant
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Ingredients:
Vegetable shortening, for greasing bowls
16 oz. bag plain marshmallows, regular sized (I used jumbo and they worked fine as well)
2 tbsp. water
1-2 tsp. clear flavoring (I used vanilla extract)
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, divided
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Using the shortening, grease a large microwave-safe bowl, the bowl of the stand mixer, a spoon/spatula (or two), and the dough hook.

Add the marshmallows and water to the prepared microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 60 seconds.  Stir with the greased spatula/spoon.  If not all the marshmallows have melted, microwave for 30 more seconds.  Stir in the flavoring.

Reserve 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar and add the rest to the bowl of the stand mixer, along with the salt.  Create a well in the center.  Pour the marshmallow mixture into the well and turn the mixer on to the lowest setting.  When the mixer sounds strained, turn the speed up one setting.  Turn off the mixer once all the sugar has been incorporated.  If the fondant is sticky, add the reserved sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it is no longer sticky.

Turn the fondant out onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Rub a bit of shortening on the outside of the ball.  Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap, place it in a Ziploc bag and let rest for at least 2-3 hours.  Keep the unused portions covered when not in use.  If the fondant becomes stiff, microwave for 20 seconds at a time until it becomes pliable.  

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride 

This is the last of my vacation cooking posts.  I just had to make this cobbler in order to take full advantage of the local ingredients.  Fresh South Carolina peaches – YUM!  So, I made this for dessert one evening.  It is simple to throw together and the most time-consuming part is peeling all the peaches (despite the fact that I use all the little tricks, this never seems to go well for me).  However, it becomes completely worth it once you take the first bite of this dessert.  The biscuit topping has very little sweetness, but it doesn’t need any because the peaches provide that component of the flavor.  Normally I am all about the fruit in a dessert like this and the biscuit is really secondary, but these biscuits are really, really good.  The fruit filling is fresh and perfectly juicy, and a bowl of this along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is simply divine.  

My final tip for vacation cooking is this – plan ahead!  Vacation is for relaxing, so you do not want to be menu planning or stressing over what to feed 10 people once you arrive.  I planned my menu in advance so there was not much thought required once we arrived.  Not only that, it allowed me to bring any minimal equipment I needed to take with me, as well as some staple ingredients (olive oil, red wine vinegar, etc.) and spices to avoid having to spend more money on such things at the high-priced grocery store at our destination.    

Fresh Peach Cobbler
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Ingredients:
For the filling:
2 1/2 lbs. ripe but firm peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt

For the biscuit topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

*Note – this recipe can be doubled easily by baking in a 9×13- inch baking dish and increasing the baking time for both the peaches and the assembled cobbler about 5 minutes each.

Directions: 
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat the oven to 425° F.  For the filling, peel the peaches and then cut each into 8 wedges, removing the pits as you go.  Gently toss the peaches and sugar together in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times.  Drain the peaches in a colander set over a bowl.  Whisk together 1/4 cup of the drained juice with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl.  Toss the peaches with the juice mixture and transfer to a 8-inch square glass baking dish.  Bake until peaches begin to bubble around the edges, about 10 minutes.  

Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit topping.  In the food processor, combine the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Pulse to combine.  Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses.  Transfer to a medium bowl; add the yogurt and toss with a spatula until a cohesive dough is formed.  (Be careful not to overmix.)  Break the dough into 6 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.

After the peaches have baked 10 minutes, remove the peaches from the oven and place the dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2-inch apart (they should not touch).  Sprinkle each mound with the remaining sugar.  Bake until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16-18 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes; serve. 

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, March 2008

This baked ziti is one of several meals that I served during our vacation.  It seemed like an obvious choice for feeding a crowd, as I have yet to meet anyone who would turn down a delicious hearty meal of cheesy baked pasta, salad, and bread.  This is the second time I have made this recipe, but I am sure I will be making it frequently in the future as well.  It is most definitely a crowd pleaser, and great for entertaining – once it is in the oven you can focus on other things in the kitchen, or even better, your guests!  My only alteration to the original recipe was to add some turkey Italian sausage and some onion.  I’m sure it would be great without the sausage as well, but I think it adds a lot of flavor, not to mention makes the dish even more filling and therefore able to feed more people.

If you are looking for some easy meals to serve to a crowd, here are the things I cooked for dinner during our vacation:
Shrimp scampi with salad and garlic bread (for the non-seafood eaters, the sauce minus the shrimp still makes a delicious light topping for pasta)
Grilled chicken fajitas with chips and salsa (normally I would make my favorite salsa, but in the spirit of vacation and relaxing, I used store-bought)
Chicken gyros with Greek salad (though all the meals were a hit, this was definitely the favorite – and for good reason!)
Baked ziti with Caesar salad and garlic bread 
Steamed shrimp (I made this for only Ben and I, because though it is very easy, it is not the most economical for a group of 10)

Baked Ziti
Ingredients:
1 lb. whole milk or 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
Table salt
1 lb. ziti
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
20 oz. turkey Italian sausage
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
5 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
1 tsp. sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes.  Drain the pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Crumble in the turkey sausage and cook until nearly browned.  Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is softened and the sausage is completely browned.  Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper.  

In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream.  Transfer the mixture to the now-empty stockpot over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella.  Stir to combine.  Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.  Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the pan and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer.  Cool for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve. 

Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, March & April 2009

In case you are still searching for a tasty red, white and blue dessert for your Fourth of July get-togethers, look no further!  Berry shortcakes are the dessert I always make when I need something delicious fast.  Whenever I find out I’m entertaining guests at the last minute, this is usually my go-to dessert.  These shortcakes require few ingredients and minimal effort.  I normally make them with just the strawberry sauce as traditional strawberry shortcake, but tossing on a few blueberries gives them the extra little something to make them just right for the Fourth.  I took the theme one step further and cut a star shape out of the top half of each cake to make them even more festive.  (Because this is a very crumbly cake, I chilled them in the refrigerator for a bit to firm them up before cutting out the stars.)

The shortcake is light and crumbly, with just a hint of sweetness.  It is the perfect accompaniment for the light, sweet whipped cream and fresh berries.  This dessert could be adapted in many ways.  If you are a shortcake lover, you may opt not to cut out the star shape and simply leave the top half in one piece for more cakey goodness.  For another fun personalized dessert option, you could simply crumble up the shortcakes and assemble individual trifles in dessert glasses.  Or, use different fruits if you aren’t going for the red, white and blue – I’m sure this would taste great with just about any fruit.

Berry Shortcakes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
For the shortcakes:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup heavy cream

For the berry topping:
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
Blueberries (optional)

For the whipped cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

Directions: 
To make the shortcakes, preheat the oven to 400° F.  Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.  In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt with a fork.  Pour in the heavy cream and stir together with the fork until almost all of the dry ingredients have come together to form a dough.  Gently clump the dough together with your hands and transfer to a work surface.  Form into a 6-inch round log.  (The dough can seem very dry and crumbly, but just do your best to keep it together, and avoid kneading as much as possible.)  Slice the log into 6 equal rounds and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.  (Even if the dough seems like it is not sticking together, just gently squeeze it into the disc shape.  It will fuse together during baking.)  Sprinkle the tops of the rounds with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  

To prepare the berry topping, transfer about one third of the strawberries to a mixing bowl.  Add in the confectioners’ sugar, and mash together with a fork until the mixture is mostly liquid.  Stir in the rest of the quartered berries.  Chill until ready to assemble the shortcakes.

To make the whipped cream, combine the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Mix on medium-low speed until frothy, and then increase the speed to medium-high.  Whisk until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. 

To assemble the shortcakes. slice each one in half horizontally.  If desired, use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut a star out of the top portion of each cake.  Transfer the bottom half of each cake to a serving plate, top with the strawberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.  Arrange the cake stars and blueberries on top.  Serve immediately. 

Source: significantly adapted from Cook’s Kitchen Handbook