I got this genius recipe from Grilled Cheese Social. Now I'm a total convert to the concept of crissant grilled cheese. The texture is the perfect hybrid of a grilled cheese and a panino. Since croissants are basically all butter, you don't need to add any to the pan and it toasts completely evenly. I plan on making a lot more of these with different cheese and fillings.
Croissant Grilled Cheese with Pepper Jack & Apple Butter
1 plain croissant
a few slices Pepper Jack Cheese
1 1/2 tbsps apple butter
Slice the croissant in half and top with thinly slice some of that Pepper Jack. Then spread/smear apple butter over cheese slices. Add another layer of of the Pepper Jack and put the top piece of bread back on top. Heat a pan to medium low and stick the sandwich on about five minutes on each side. Press down on the sandwich a few times and It should start becoming even more flaky, golden, and crusty.
This is a pretty easy pasta dinner that is mostly thrown together in a skillet. It reminds me of my childhood addiction to Hamburger Helper, only this is much fresher and tastier. This recipe is adapted from Coupon Clipping Cook who used 2 turkey sausaged, but I like spicer and jucier sausage and recommend spicy pork or just some bulk italian sausage.
Bow Tie Pasta and Italian Sausage Skillet
1 ½ cup uncooked bow tie pasta
3 Italian sausages
½ bell pepper
½ onion
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 dashes salt
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can cut tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
2 tablespoons cut fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley)
6 thick slices mozzarella
8 heaping teaspoons ricotta
2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
Boil the bow tie pasta until it’s al dente. While the pasta is boiling, cut the onion and bell pepper in ¼ to ½ inch slices. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add the sausage; squeeze the sausage out of its casing into small pieces. Add sausage and olive oil to a pan over medium/high heat. Add the sliced onions and bell peppers to the pan and cook until softened. Add the cut tomatoes, water, red pepper flakes, pepper, oregano, and salt. Gently stir all of the ingredients in the skillet together. Add just 1 tablespoon of the parsley; reserve the other tablespoon for garnish. Toss in the drained al dente pasta, and gently stir the ingredients together. Add the slices of mozzarella on top of the ingredients in the skillet leaving space in between each slice. Add each teaspoon of ricotta cheese in between each slice of mozzarella. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, pepper, and parsley. Lastly, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Cover the skillet with a lid and let simmer until the mozzarella cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).
I have a new emersion blender in my life and now my bowl runneth over with pureed soups. This is a slightly more upper crust sweet potato soup I adapted from Saveur.
Pureed Sweet Potato Soup
5 medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
Salt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and chopped
1 rib celery, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup dry white wine
10 cups chicken stock
Freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425. Put sweet potatoes into a large foil-lined baking sheet for 45 min. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel and quarter sweet potatoes, then set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine, scraping any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot, and cook until alcohol has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
3. Add stock and reserved sweet potatoes to pot, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Working in batches, put vegetables and stock into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth, then return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
This recipe from the Kitchn is easy, flavorful, and not too heavy. I love squash in pasta, and how can you go wrong with garlic, sage, parmesan, and pine nuts? I subbed 2 bags of precut butternut squash and ground sage for fresh to cut down on the prep work.
Pan-Fried Farfalle with Butternut Squash, Sage, and Pine Nuts (adapted from the Kitchn)
(2) 12oz bags butternut squash chunks
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp ground sage
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)
Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss squash with onion, garlic, sage, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.
In a large pot, heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside.
As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. (Don't let it start smoking.)
Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.
(Repeat the last step with the rest of the ingredients. We split it into two because none of our pans are big enough to accommodate the entire recipe. It's very important that you not crowd the pan too much - you want the pasta to really pan-fry, not just steam up.)
This recipe from Frank DeCaro's The Dead Celebrity Cookbook is a deliciously crass celebration of a dead gay celebrity. How often can you say that about a breakfast food? These buns are a guaranteed kitchen success and are decadent they could even pass for a dessert.
Liberace's Sticky Buns
1 cup white raisins
1/4 cup light rum
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
3 packages crescent roll dough
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup whole pecans
Nonstick baking spray
Preheat oven to 325°. Spray two muffin pans with nonstick baking spray. Combine raisins and rum in a small bowl and warm in microwave on high for 45 seconds. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter and then stir in spices and brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a bubbling syrup. Put a teaspoon of syrup and a few whole pecans in each muffin cup. Unroll one package of crescent rolls on a piece of parchment paper. Pinch seams together to form one flat piece. Drizzle a quarter of the syrup over the dough. Sprinkle a third of the raisins and a third of the chopped pecans on it. Roll it jelly roll style. Cut into 1-inch thick pieces. Place one slice of dough, cut side up, in each muffin tin. Repeat with each package of crescent rolls. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately flip the buns onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Replace any nuts that may have stuck to the pan and serve warm.
I have made a lot of mac and cheese recipes and have become a bit of a mac and cheese snob in the process. This is the fastest and easiest way to make a respectable mac and cheese. It's as easy as the powdered stuff and SOOOO much better.
Best Ever Stovetop Mac and Cheese
1/2 pound elbow macaroni or corkscrew pasta
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon yellow or dijon mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.
If I could marry a dinner entree it would be the chicken pot pie. It's an amazing comfort food that has sophistication without being too fussy. This is a pretty easy recipe for even the most timid kitchen-goer. I like to use a large dish for the pies to assure a good ratio of pie crust to filling. You can use oven safe dishes or aluminum pie pans.
My Favorite Chicken Pot Pie
4 cups chicken broth
1 bouillon cube
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 large carrots cut in 1/2-inch rounds
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 tablespoons chopped chives
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 store-bought 2-pound rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 (7-ounce) bag frozen pearl onions
1 (9-ounce) box frozen peas
2 (9-ounce) packages store-bought rolled out pie dough
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan heat chicken broth and bouillon cube over medium heat until hot.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, chives and garlic, and saute until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir together until it becomes pasty and lump-free, about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot broth, heavy cream, sherry, chicken and frozen onions and peas. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
With a ladle, fill 4 to 6 ovenproof bowls, ramekins or aluminum pans with the filling. Place on baking sheet.
Sprinkle flour on countertop. Roll out dough to fit your dishes. Cut your dough larger than the tops of your oven-proof bowls. Lay dough over containers and crimp the dough around the edges. Make 4 small slits on the top. Sprinkle with salt and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
Posting my bookmarked cakes has really opened my eyes to the depth of my cake addiction. There is some therapist work to be done for sure. That said, nuts are the last category of my birthday cake I researched this year. I usually avoid adding nuts to cakes because their texture can get sort of chewy and weird. However, I love the idea of infusing nutty flavors in frostings, fillings, and cake. Here are a few recipes I dug up:
Peanut Butter Swirl Cake
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream
Mini Peanut Butter & Nutella Cupcakes
Soul-Saving Almond Cake
Flourless Almond Cake
Nutella Cake
White Chocolate Macadamia Cake with Raspberries and White Chocolate Buttercream
Nothing says salt of the earth like a vegetable in your cake. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or beets are some of the most natural and soulful dessert flavors possible. Here are a few I've had my eye on:
Alton Brown's 18-Carrot Cake
Zingy Orange Ginger Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cake with Cinnamon Ganache
“Don't Knock It Until You Try It" Beet Cake
For a more adventurous birthday cake, perhaps for someone who watches too many episodes of Top Chef, try some less expected herbs or spices. You can't throw a rock at a stack of gourmet magazines without hitting something with Cardamon these days. Cardamon is blowing up right now.
Black Sesame Matcha Cupcakes
Caramel Salt and Cardamon Cake
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting
Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
I'm tired of chocolate and vanilla cakes. I'm too old and have eaten too many cakes in my life to feign excitement for them. Booze, coffee, and tea add some richness while keeping the flavors accessible. Here are a few recipes that caught my eye:
Chai Cake with Honey-Ginger Cream
Lemon-Limoncello Cupcakes
Gin and Tonic cake with White Chocolate Earl Grey Ganache
Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
Iced Tea Cupcakes with Lemon Iced Tea Buttercream
Coconut Layer Cake with Coffee Frosting
Coffee and Donuts Cupcakes
Pecan Butter Frosting with Chocolate and Bourbon
Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Kentucky Chocolate Bourbon Cake with Caramel Bourbon Frosting
Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Chocolate Malt Cake
My birhday is a few weeks away and I am researching cakes. Those close to me know that I take birthday cakes very seriously. I feel like your birthday cake is a personal statement about who you are and what you want for the next year of your life. Many common birthday cake statements include: "I've lost interest in my life", "My idea of cake hasn't evolved since my 1st birthday", or "I only eat preprepared food from my local grocery store". Life is too short not to eat a good cake. Make a birthday cake change in your life. Use my research to find your inner cake. This is just the tip of the iceberg. More cake recipes are coming.
Triple-Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
Blueberry Cake with Lemon Meringue Frosting
Blueberry Cupcakes with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
Blueberry-Blackberry Cupcake with Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Blueberry Preserves & Blueberry Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream
White Cupcake Minis with Lime Cream Frosting
White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Lemon-Honey Cupcakes
Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes
Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes
Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Peach Cupcakes with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting
Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
Dulce de Leche Banana Cake
Banana Cupcakes with Creme Fraiche Frosting
Apple Bundt with Brown-Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Apple Caramel Cupcakes
Brown Sugar Brown Butter Cake with Banana Buttercream
Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Dark Chocolate-Orange Cake
3 years ago today Popmuse and I got hitched. We've been together 8 1/2 years and have a 2 year old daughter together, so celebrating 3 years of marriage feels small by comparison. Still, it's a night worthy of a babysitter and some rich food. See you tonight you ol' ball and chain!
Every food enthusisest should have their own spin on burger making. Mine is a flavorful suburban crowd pleaser. You can use any ground meat and it always comes out tasty. I prefer to make my burgers in a frying pan and finish them in the oven to melt some cheese and grilled onions on top. It also helps keep them warm until dinner time.
Bloghungry Burgers
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
shredded cheese (for topping)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Using 2 forks, pull apart meat and mix all ingredients until well combined. Form into 4 equal patties. Make a hole thought the center of your patties with your finger to help them cook through in the center and reduce burger shrinkage once cooked. Heat frying pan to medium high. Cook patties 3-4 minutes per side. Place cooked patties on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Top patties with grilled onions and a handful of your favorite grated cheese. Heat in oven until cheese melts and keep them warm until ready to serve.
Grilled Onions (for burger topping)
1 large onion
1 tbsp butter
splash of red wine or beer (optional)
Thinly slice onion into rings. Melt butter in a frying pan. Toss in onion and saute until soft and slightly browned. Deglaze pan with a splash of beer or red wine.
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