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Simple Caesar Salad

April 16, 2008 By Steph 6 Comments

I love a nice fresh salad. It’s always nice to have a break from heavy meals during the week, and enjoy a light simple salad. I never really enjoyed Caesar Salad’s until I had one made right in front of me at a fancy restaraunt many years ago. Luckily I missed the part where the chef added the anchovies, or I probably wouldn’t have eaten it. Anchovies freak me out, don’t ask me why. My husband decided to wait until I devoured the entire salad before telling me what the secret ingredient was. I was glad, but ever since then, I can tell if it is a good homemade Caesar Dressing instead of a poor one. If I can taste the fishy anchovies instead of a nutty accent, then I’m totally turned off by the taste. But I believe it is essential in a good Caesar Dressing to have anchovies added in the mix. It adds a nutty flavor and if it is made just right, it will make the perfect addition. Here is a great recipe, I use a store bought rotisserie chicken (Costco-$4.99) and chop up enough chicken to top the salad. And homemade croutons are a must!

Chicken Caesar Salad

Dressing:
adapted from Great Food Fast
1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove
2 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped

Croutons:
Italian Bread, cut in 3/4 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Salad:
1 package romaine hearts
either 4 chicken cutlets, cooked the way you like or the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken

1. Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and salt and pepper, toss to coat. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden, 12-15 minutes. Remove the croutons from the oven and let cool.
2. Prepare the lettuce: Cut the romaine hearts crosswise into 1 inch ribbons; wash and dry.
3. Make the dressing in the blender, combine the lemon juice, mayonnaise, parmesan, anchovy fillets and garlic; blend until smooth.
4. Toss lettuce, chicken, dressing and croutons. Enjoy!

Filed Under: salads

Strawberry Muffins w/ Pecan Crumble Topping

April 14, 2008 By Steph 8 Comments

So, a while ago I won a wonderful cookbook from the delightful Tartlette. I was so excited to recieve the Sweet Melissa Baking Book! It is an awesome baking cookbook, and I want to make every recipe in this book. Melissa Murphy has an amazing Patisserie in Brooklyn, New York and I want to go there so badly. I’m sure everything is delicious, and one day I will make it there, for sure! So far I have made her Sweet Muffins, I chose to use fresh strawberries, and I’ve made her amazing Cinnamon Buns. Yum!!! I seriously devoured every bite and I can’t wait to make them again. For these muffins, I decided to add a pecan crumble topping to top them because I love that sweet crunch on my muffins. They were sooooo good, just like eating a gourmet muffin.

You will love them too. What I love about her recipes is that she gives you many different options of making them your own. Different fruits or different versions and I love that, because I can mix and match and make it according to my tastes. I hope you give these a try, because they are sooo worth it. These definitely are not low in fat, she uses cream and all the good stuff, but it’s worth every calorie!

Strawberry Muffins with Pecan Crumble Topping
adapted from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature ( I used 2% milk)
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup fresh fruit, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces ( I used strawberries)
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling ( I used a pecan crumble–recipe to follow)

Pecan crumble
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peal
1 tablespoon melted butter

Mix all ingredients until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12- cup muffin tin with muffin papers (or butter and flour the cups, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.)
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth – no lumps. Whisk in the heavy cream and milk until combined.
3. Add the zest to the flour mixture and with you hands, gently rub the mixture together, releasing the oils and breaking up the bits. Add the fresh fruit and gently toss with you fingers to combine. Make a well in the center of the bowl. Pour the butter mixture into the center of the well and, using a rubber spatula, gently pull the flour mixture into the center of the well until just combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup until full. Sprinkle pecan crumble (if using) evenly among muffin tops and gently press. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and sprinkle with sugar (if not using pecan crumble.) Let cool to warm.

The muffins are best eaten the day they are made, but they can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Defrost still wrapped at room temperature.

Filed Under: muffins

Sweet and Sour Chicken

April 11, 2008 By Steph 10 Comments

I’ve been trying to perfect this dish for years.  I’ve used and combined several recipes and added some ingredients, subtracted ingredients and it has eventually ended up like this.  It is delicious and tasty and exquisite all in the same bite.  Not so sweet that it makes your mouth pucker, but just sweet enough to be called ‘sweet and sour’ chicken.  I like to make my chicken a little crunchier, so I flour it and fry it in just a bit of olive oil before adding it to the sauce.  I think it adds a better texture this way. ÂAlthough you can omit the flour and just brown the chicken if you choose and let it finish cooking while simmering in the sauce.  I normally like to add a red bell pepper mostly for the flavor and color, but this particular time, I only had an orange pepper on hand, and it worked just fine.  There’s no need to go to a Chinese restaurant, just make it at home.  It is just as tasty if not tastier!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons flour seasoned with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits (reserve juice)
1/2 pineapple juice (use reserved juice)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup onion, sliced
Coat chicken in flour and fry in olive oil until browned.  Drain and set aside.  In same skillet, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, chicken broth and soy sauce.  Cook and stir until boiling.  Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Add chicken, peppers, onions, and pineapple.  Cook until heated through.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Filed Under: chicken, main dishes

Glazed Lemon Cakes

April 7, 2008 By Steph 15 Comments

These are delicious little lemon cakes with a nice, lemony glaze that is just the right sweetness for a sweet tooth!  And that is exactly what I have…a sweet tooth.  I have really been into lemon lately, and I was craving lemon very much this weekend.  I decided to give this recipe a try, and they turned out perfectly!  The cakes are very moist and just sweet enough, but when you bite into that glaze and get the fresh lemon flavor, it jumps out at you and just blends so well with the cake.  I will definitely be making these again!  If you love lemon like I do, give these a try and you will be in love!

Glazed Lemon Cakes
adapted from Martha Stewart’s Great Food Fast
6 servings
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for muffin tin
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for muffin tin
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons juice for the glaze
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice.  Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the buttermilk mixture.
3. Divide evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Set the rack over parchment paper.  In a small bowl, stir confectioners’ sugar with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice until smooth.  (I had to add some milk).  Pour over the cakes, spreading to the edges with a small knife.  Let set for 30 minutes before serving.
Buttering Muffin Tins
A pastry brush is great for coating muffin tins and other small baking pans with butter because it can reach into tight spots.

Filed Under: cakes, desserts

Porcupine Meatballs

April 5, 2008 By Steph 15 Comments

My husband first introduced this recipe to me after we got married 7 years ago. I really didn’t know a lot about cooking back then. I went away to college right out of high school and I basically lived on Mac-n-cheese and Ramen Noodles. I married at the ripe old age of 21 and hadn’t learned much more than that. When I met my husband, he was living with his Dad and they lived on Chicken Rice Bowls and Porcupine Meatballs. If you’ve never heard of Porcupine Meatballs, they are simply meatballs with rice mixed in with the meat and seasonings. They are very tasty and simple and take no time at all. These are a bit different than the average meatball, because they are actually ‘steamed’ in a pan of tomato soup. That is where a lot of the flavor comes from and it makes the meatball very tender. It may sound a bit odd together, but trust me that if you make this dish once, you will make it again and again. It takes 10 minutes to cook and seconds to devour!

Porcupine Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup instant rice
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley
2 cans tomato soup
3/4 cup water

Mix together rice, egg, cheese, and seasonings.  Add beef and mix until combined.  Place the tomato soup and water in a large saucepan that is placed over medium heat and mix until smooth. Roll meat mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Place meatballs in the soup, cover saucepan and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve meatballs with the remaining sauce.

Filed Under: beef, main dishes
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