JennaDish

Crustless Veggie Quiche

Individual quiches fix many problems.  Hunger. Leftovers. 4 Different People with 4 Different Tastes.

Overeating. Plenty of cheese and eggs in the fridge but not much else for dinner.

Asparagus in which you've used the tips for another recipe. 

World peace.

From the base recipe, add man stuff for a heartier meal, like ham and hot sauce on the right.

Crustless Veggie Cheddar Quiche
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart

SERVES 4

Butter, for ramekins
Coarse salt
1 bunch fresh asparagus (or a 10 ounce package frozen broccoli florets)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
Ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter four 8-ounce ramekins (or a 9-inch pie dish); set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli; cook 1 minute. Drain well; transfer to a cutting board, and blot dry with paper towels. Chop coarsely.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli and cheese.

Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle mixture into ramekins, dividing evenly. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Mini Quiches

Pot lucks. At work.

That's the topic today.  Let's knock out some quick contemporary poetry here.

Ode to the Office Pot Luck Baby Shower
by Jenna Atkinson

Brownies, chips, pop
Chips, pop, dip
Brownies, paper plates
More pop and chocolate cake

Hummus, dip, chips
Salad, pretzels, fruit
Cool veggie tray, that's mod
Chicken Sliders? There is a God!

Forgot the potato salad?
No worries
Lemon cupcakes, blueberry studded
Did you just say your kitchen flooded?

Baby diapers, baby quiches
Gift cards, buttercream frosting
Ow! Did I just step on a fork?
Congrats to all, back to work

 

Make these mini quiches for a party or potluck.  You can try different fillings and cheeses. If you want to use refrigerated pie dough, you'll need a double crust (two pie dough rounds).  Roll it out a little thinner on a floured surface, enough to cut twelve 2 3/4" diameter circles in each pie crust, 24 all together.  Grease the insides of the mini muffin pan since the refrigerated dough won't be as buttery as the pate brisee (homemade short crust) that is called for in the recipe.

 

Mini Quiches
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart.com

1 bunch pencil asparagus, trimmed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour, for work surface
Pate Brisee (below) or Ready made double pie crust
3 ounces finely shredded Gruyere cheese
2 ounces cooked ham, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a mini muffin pan if using a ready-made pie crust. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cut 3 inches from the tip-ends of the asparagus; reserving remaining stalks for another use. Generously add salt to boiling water. Add asparagus and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes; Drain. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, heavy cream, eggs, yolk, and nutmeg. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pate brisee to slightly less than 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch round cutter, cut out 24 rounds. Fit rounds into a 24-cup nonstick mini muffin tin. If the pate brisee becomes too soft to work with, place in refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Divide half of the cheese, evenly between the lined cups. Top with ham. Divide milk mixture evenly between cups. Top each with 3 to 4 pieces of asparagus. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately remove quiches from muffin tin and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Pate Brisee

from Martha Stewart

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Semi-homemade. 

I kind of hate that term.

But that's what these are. 

Made these strawberry cupcakes from a Pillsbury Strawberry box mix for a baby shower.  Made the frosting from scratch.

The taste of both are smashing, I must say.  The cupcakes are light and flavorful and the frosting is so smooth and creamy.  Tasted better than the shortening-based frostings of many bakeries. 

Semi-homemade is a great idea if you want to make something a little more special but don't have the time or know-how for a full-blown, day-long kitchen project.

I doubled the recipe below to frost 24 cupcakes and had icing left over.

Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Compliments of JennaDish

from the Food Network

Makes enough to frost 12 or more cupcakes heavily, and more than 12 if frosted as in the photo - not edge to edge

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash Brown Crust

 

Look at the swirls of the scallions and the scraggly toasted hash browns running up the edge. 

This quiche could double as an art project.

Who wouldn't love a wall of crispy, seasoned hash browns, protecting a sea of baked eggs and creamy

goat cheese with scallions floating atop? 

Makes a pretty presentation for a brunch or gathering.

This recipe is from MarthaStewart.com where you unfortunately do not get much in the way of photos or

tips.  So here are a few ...

Squeeze excess moisture from hash browns with a lint-free towel, like the towel in the photo.  This is

better than paper towels which stick to the food.

The instructions call for wax paper, but my paper stuck to the crust and I had to painstakingly pick it off

portions of the bottom and sides before serving it.  It may be because I baked the crust the night before,

refrigerated it, baked the whole quiche the next morning, then refrigerated it a few hours before

serving.  Hot, cold, hot, cold may have been the cause.  So next time I will use parchment paper.

 

This dish came out of the oven about 7:30am, was refrigerated for about 3 hours, and was about room

temperature at that point.  You could heat it in the microwave for about 2 minutes to warm it up a bit

but it is fine served warm, not hot.

The taste was delicious.  If you don't want to use goat cheese, the same amount of cream cheese will do

the trick.  Other cooks have reported good results with the substitution. 

 

Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Crust
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart

2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for pan
1 package (1 pound) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
12 large eggs
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1 package (4 to 5 ounces) soft goat cheese, room temperature
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-by-2 1/2-inch springform pan with butter. Line the sides of the pan with strips of waxed paper (the same height as pan); brush paper with butter.

Squeeze excess moisture from hash browns. Mix in a bowl with butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pat into bottom and up sides of prepared pan, using a moistened dry measuring cup. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, goat cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until well combined; whisk in 11 remaining eggs. Pour into crust, and sprinkle with scallions. Bake until set, 45 to 50 minutes. Unmold quiche, and peel off waxed paper before serving.

Martha Stewart's Earl Grey Tea Cookies

 

Earl Grey Tea Cookies!  How Pride & Prejudice sounding!  

I wonder if they actually taste like Earl Grey tea?

Nope!  Not really.  But they are good, basic shortbread-type cookies.  Next to the Chocolate Anise

Biscotti on the left and the Iced Ginger Hermits on the right, they faded into the background.

But with hot tea, sliced oranges, other delicate tea cookies, they'd be much more at home.

 

 

Earl Grey Tea Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart's Cookies

MAKES 3 DOZEN SMALL COOKIES

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves (from about 4 bags)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Whisk flour, tea, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Put butter, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Divide dough in half. Transfer each half to a piece of parchment paper; shape into logs. Roll in parchment to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow the log and force out air. Transfer in parchment to paper towel tubes; freeze until firm, 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Dark Chocolate and Anise Biscotti from Joy the Baker Cookbook

 

 

I learned something today. I learned that dark chocolate is "synonymous with" semi-sweet chocolate.

I thought dark chocolate was dark chocolate and semi-sweet was semi-sweet.  Dang.  I was going to

correct Joy the Baker for offering up a Dark Chocolate and Anise Biscotti recipe, then listing semi-sweet

chocolate chunks in the ingredients list. 

 

 

I've only made biscotti once before, about 7 years ago.  I've avoided it for some reason.  I guess it was a

scary experience.  Wait.  I just remembered it was from a Mary Engelbreit's Cookies Cookbook.  So it

can't be that.  I am not askeered of Mary Engelbreit.

Anyway, Joy the Baker is an up and coming baker, blogger and cookbook author.  She's cute.  And she has

tattoos.  So....gosh I'm feeling really old right now.

 

Here's the Recipe Overview

 

 

Lightly crush anise seeds with mortar and pestle, or put in a baggie and use a rolling pin, or place it on

your driveway and run over it. Come back in the house and mix anise with dry ingredients in a bowl.

 

 
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs and mix thoroughly.

 

 
Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.

 

 
Mix in chocolate chips.  I used Enjoy Life Vegan Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.  I like them better than

regular chips. I have my reasons. 

 

 
Divide dough and place the halves on separate baking sheets. I actually used a scale to be accurate.

One half was about 12.5 ounces.

 

 

Shape each half into a log about 8 inches long and 1 1/2" tall.  The width may be about 2 inches. 

Beat an egg and brush lightly onto each half.  Sprinkle logs with sugar.  Bake awhile, switch the two trays

around in the oven, bake a bit longer.

 

 

This reminds me of a crocodile.  Remove logs from oven to cool until able to handle.  Cut in 3/4" to 1"

widths.  Note to self: 1" thick was a tad too wide for me.  Another note to self:  1 cup of mini chocolate

chips would have been enough vs. the 1 1/2 cups called for.  Either way.

 

 

Lay these biscottis cut side down on baking sheet and place back in oven to finish baking.  Let cool.

And yer done.

 

Dark Chocolate and Anise Biscotti
Compliments of JennaDish

from Joy the Baker Cookbook, 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN BISCOTTI (depends on size of logs - mine made less)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds, slightly crushed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks (I used Enjoy Life mini vegan choc chips)

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, anise seeds, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed to low, and add 1 of the eggs and egg yolk and beat until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. 

Add the flour mixture, all at once, to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until well combined.  Mixture may seem a bit dry, but that's ok. (Mine didn't.)  Add chocolate chunks and blend.

Divide the dough between the prepared pans,  If the dough is shaggy and crumbly, that's fine - just knead it together.  Shape dough into logs about 1 1/2 inches wide (high) by 8 inches long. (This is where I felt uncomfortable with the directions.  I think it could easily be about 10"-12" long by 1 1/2" wide).  Beat the remaining egg and brush over the logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake biscotti on both racks for 20 minutes.  Swap racks and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and baked through.  (Since I used my convection oven at 300 degrees, I probably didn't need to swap the sheets, but I did need to rotate them 180^o because the back browned more than the front). 

Let biscotti rest until cool enough to handle. (Careful, it looks sturdy but will break easily if you lift it by it's ends.)  Use a serrated knife to gently slice biscotti into (3/4" thick) slices. Flip cut side up onto the baking sheet and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Biscotti will still be slightly soft to the touch (mine eventually cooled to a very firm bite, so...less time?)

Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks. 

 

 

 

Martha Stewart's Iced Hermits

 Iced Hermits could also be called Iced Ginger Bars.

Crystallized Ginger. Raisins. Molasses.

Fun to make.

 

Fun to stack.

And fun to get a kid's eye view of.

 

Iced Hermits
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart's Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen small squares

For the Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for baking sheet
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/4 cups packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 cup chopped candied ginger, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup raisins

For the Icing

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar, plus more if needed

Make bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line bottom with parchment paper, and butter parchment; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cloves in a medium bowl; set aside.

Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add brown sugars; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and yolk, and molasses. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Mix in 1/2 cup candied ginger and the raisins.

Spread dough evenly onto prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until firm, 18 to 22 minutes. (Mine took only 18 minutes). Let cool completely in baking sheet on a wire rack.

Make icing: Put brown sugar, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla and confectioners sugar. If icing is too thick to drizzle, stir in more milk, a teaspoon at a time. If icing is too thin, stir in more confectioners sugar, a teaspoon at a time. Let cool slightly.

Drizzle bars with icing; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup candied ginger. Let stand until icing has set, about 15 minutes. Cut into 2-inch squares. Bars can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

 

Dear Alyssa

You made homemade roasted red pepper hummus at my request.  You even roasted your own red

peppers for it.  A first for you on both parts.

This was really nice of you, especially since you immensely dislike hummus and roasted red peppers.

You even took nice photos of the ingredients along the way.

Chickpeas, tahini, minced garlic.

 

Fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Roasted red peppers.

 

You even blended it to the right consistency. 

That's not as easy as it looks. 

A little too long and we would have had Hummus soup.  Not long enough and we'd have Chunky chickpea and tahini salsa.  

Good job.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Compliments of JennaDish 

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil, process until peppers are finely chopped.  Season w salt and pepper.  Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill.

 

Make Your Own Baked Shoestring French Fries

 

You may ask why I've tipped my bowl of french fries over on my outdoor iron table.  Here's the deal.  To take good pictures, at least without special equipment, you need natural light. 

At the time of the fry making, it was dusk.  There was a wee bit of daylight left, but only if I went outside.  And only if I could hold my camera perfectly still (because of the waning light).  Which can only happen if it's sitting on something.  Like a table. 

Plus, remember that this is my meal.  Fries are supposed to be hot, so I need to take a picture fairly quickly.  I'm not going to set up a tripod while my fries are getting cold. 

I have my priorities.

So the plan of action is.  Run outside juggling bowl of hot fries in one hand, camera around the neck,  using the other hand to open the door.  Look out for dog bolting through the door in excitement.  Step over annoying dog, put the camera on the table, tip the fries, take 2 or 3 pics for good measure.  Gripe at dog to move so you can get back inside, slide door closed while trying not to let the camera swing around your neck too wildly.  Eat.  Done and done.

 

Cut fries like this:  Wash potato and dry, cut in half lengthwise (on a secured cutting board), place one half cut side down, slice down the middle lengthwise and keep cutting 1/4" thick slices while keeping the potato together, lay half of these stacked slices on it's side (as in the above photo) and slice in 1/4" segments to make matchstick-sized slices.

Soak to rid some excess starch - 30 minutes or more

Dry well, using a spinner or colander, then paper towels.

Classic Baked Fries
Compliments of JennaDish

from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

3 large russet potatoes
3 tablespoons canola, vefetable, or grapeseeoil
Salt

Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch matchsticks.  Cover with cold water in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.  When ready to cook, dry the fries as thoroughly as possible by running them through a salad spinner and then blotting with a towel.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

Toss the potatoes with the oil and 1 teaspoon salt.  Spread the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake, flipping every 10 minutes, for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and crisp.  Remove with a metal spatula and toss with additional salt to taste.

 

Veggie Burger: Baked Falafel Burger with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

 

It's time to start trying some of my veggie burgers from my cookbook, Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lucas Volger. 

My first burger, the Baked Falafel Burger, was so tasty! 

Note to self: next time use canned chickpeas.  This recipe uses dry beans that are soaked overnight, but I still thought they could be a little softer.  Plus it will save time.

Look how pretty, though ...

 

Tip:  When assembling your finished, baked burger, make sure to include sliced tomatoes, pickles or similarly wet and tangy additions to mimick a regular burger, as the tahini sauce could render the sammy dry or pasty without it.

Baked Falafel Burgers
Compliments of JennaDish

from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lucas Volger

MAKES FOUR 4 INCH BURGERS

1 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed thoroughly (or use canned if no time to soak first)*
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chickpea or all-purpose flour, if needed

*Cover the chickpeas by 4 to 5 inches of water in a bowl and let sit for 24 hours.  Drain thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 400^oF.

Combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and juice, cumin, baking soda, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a food processor.  Pulse until coursely combined.  If the mixture is struggling to come together, add a bit of water, but no more than 2 tablespoons.  (The mixture will fall apart when cooking if there's too much liquid.)  If water is added, stir in the chickpea flour.  Adjust seasonings.  Shape into 6 patties (it will be fairly wet dough).

Place the patties on a liberally oiled baking sheet.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping them once halfway through, until golden and firm.

***********************************************

 

Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
Compliments of JennaDish

from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lucas Volger

3/4 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
1/2 cup tahini
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash hot sauce

Combine all ingredients, adjust seasonings to taste.

 

 

 

Orange and Thyme Grilled Shrimp

 Well, it's March and we will have a 70^o day here and there.  Time to dust off the grill.

Here's a nice grilled shrimp recipe Alyssa made last year for my birthday.

 

 

Look at the cute frog statue looking the other way.  Thank you Gab for the adorable birthday gift. 

I love it.

 

Orange and Thyme Grilled Shrimp
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart Everyday Food July 2008

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 pound large shrimp (about 24), peeled and deveined, tails on
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest, plus 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grates
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/3 cup light mayonnaise

In a shallow dish, combine shrimp, 1 teaspoon zest, 1/4 cup juice, garlic, oil, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or up to 8 hours).

If using 8-inch wooden skewers, soak in water 30 minutes before cooking. (We used metal skewers.) In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, remaining 1/2 teaspoon zest, remaining 1/4 cup juice, and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme; season dipping sauce with salt and pepper.

Heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Thread shrimp onto skewers, and grill, turning once, until shrimp are opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve shrimp with dipping sauce.

 

Zucchini Feta Pancetta Frittata

Love the name.  Super tasty.  Serve with grits or taters. 

Pretty Pancetta.

Tip:  I bought a 1 pound hunk of pancetta then took it home and thought, "What am I gonna do with all this."  So I froze it and I've used it twice since.  Freeze the whole hunk - it doesn't freeze solid so you can take it out and cut off a few slices as needed.

 

Zucchini Feta Pancetta Frittata
Compliments of JennaDish

MAKES 2 to 3 SERVINGS

1/3 cup diced pancetta
1 average sized zucchini, peeled and diced
6 eggs
handful of watercress, long stems cut
1/4 cup crumbled feta
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Turn on oven broiler.

In an oven-safe, non-stick skillet, pan fry pancetta over medium to low heat, remove to paper towel-lined plate.  Pan fry diced zucchini until softened, throw in pancetta, watercress, feta, then beaten eggs and cook on Medium Low a few minutes until set on the bottom.

Put skillet in oven about 8 inches below the broiler - not too close.  Let the frittata finish cooking and remove when it starts to brown on the top.

Remove from oven and let set a couple minutes before serving.

Vegan Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Finally found some vegan chocolate chips.  That means only one thing.  Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!

 

 

... and heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies ...

 

 

...and big, fat round chocolate chip cookies.

These are cakey cookies, which I love.

 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chips Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup almond milk (or nondairy milk of choice)
2 Tablespoons tapioca flour (you can sub arrowroot powder or cornstarch - I used arrowroot)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350^oF.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the sugars and oil for about a minute.  Add the almond milk and tapioca flour and beat vigorously until there are no clumps of tapioca left.  Mix in the vanilla.

Add half the flour, the baking soda, and salt and mix well.  Mix in the remaining flour.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, or lightly greased.  Space the cookies about 2 inches apart and flatten them down a bit with your fingers.

Bake 10 minutes for soft, chewy cookies, 12 minutes for crispier ones.  When they're done baking, let th cookies rest on the sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to finish cooling.

 

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Blondies

 

 

This may be one of the quickest, easiest desserts to throw together and bake.  And it's delicious - rich and fudgy, lots of peanut butter flavor - not too sweet.  Just a few tips to keep in mind... Oh yeah.  It's vegan.  No dairy or animal products used in the ingredients.

So here's the tip ...

 

 

FREEZE IT.

The blondie will be very moist.  And if you use a natural peanut butter that needs to be stirred, like I did, the oil from the PB will make an even more moist blondie.  After it cools, pop it in the freezer in the same pan you baked it in, well-covered with plastic wrap.  The blondie will become cold, of course, but will not freeze, and will take care of the oil issue.  I froze this for two days then served it at work - it absolutely did not taste frozen or "day old".

 

 

Peanut Butter Blondies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

3/4 cup peanut butter (see note)
1/3 cup oil (I used canola)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup peanuts

Preheat oven to 350^oF.  Lightly grease a metal 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together peanut butter, oil, and sugar.  Stir in the nondairy milke and vanilla. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Once you get the flour somewhat mixed in, it's easier to just use your hands to knead the dough until soft.  It will be very very thick and won't spread on its own.  Transfer dough to the baking pan and press it into place.  Springkle on the peanuts and lightly press them into the top.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes; the blondie edges should be just barely darkened.  The top will appear soft, and that's okay.  Remove the blondies from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

NOTE: The authors used a salted, no-stir creamy peanut butter but offer that a very well stirred natural peanut butter in which the oil has been incorporated should work as well.  You can use chunky PB also.

 

Sweet Wine Biscuits with Sesame

 

This recipe post is more of a report, not a ringing endorsement.  These cookies confuse me.  They taste OK, especially the sesame seeds.  But they just beg, "Improve Me," "Change Me."  Plus mine are tinged green inside...

I think it might be the olive oil.  Maybe I'll use walnut oil next time. 

 

Sweet Wine Biscuits with Sesame
Compliments of JennaDish

from Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar by Moskowitz and Romero

1/2 cup sweet port wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup white sesame seeds, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350^oF.  Line two medium-size baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together port wine, oil, sugar, and lemon zest until thick.  Sift in the flour, aking soda, and salt.  Mix until the dry ingredients are completely moistened and a thick dough forms.  The dough will be very sticky, so cover it with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

When ready to bake the cookies, pour the sesame seeds into a shallow bowl.  Scoop chilled dough into generous teaspoons, roll it into balls with lightly moistened hands, drop the balls into the sesame seeds, and roll to coat.  Place the dough balls on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart, and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the edges are browned.  Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.  Store in a tightly covered container.

Vegan Roll-And-Cut Sugar Cookies

I was very curious to find out what vegan sugar cookies would taste like and crunch like.  They are very good, very crunchy, and as I like to say, Not Cloyingly Sweet.

I sprinkled some with sanding sugar, and some with cinnamon sugar, since that's what Jillian requested.  The cinnamon sugar caramelizes just enough to crackle the top and look rustic. 

 

The sugar cookies make a better presentation.  My shapes included ribbons (as in pink ribbons), flowers, teapots, elephants, donut shapes, donut holes, and finally, the State of Ohio.  We live about where the bottom-most, left sprinkle is - not the dark sprinkle.  That's a rogue black sprinkle from another cookie.   

 

The dough is much softer than a regular sugar cookie dough.  I was able to push the dough in a Springerle form, but once it baked, you could barely tell the cookie had a design at all. 

The dough is also sensitive to overworking.  So the trick is to try to roll the dough out once, and be very efficient with how you use your cutters.  When you gather the remaining dough and re-roll it, it's those cookies that are a bit chewier.

 

My elephant, teapot and state of Ohio shapes turned out great, but the most crispy was the ribbon because the hole in the middle allows for more crisp edges.

Icing would also be nice.  Maybe next time.

 Vegan margarine on the left, vegan shortening on the right.  Whole Foods. 

 

 

Roll-and-Cut Sugar Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN COOKIES depending on the size of your cutters

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tesaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, slightly softened
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond, lemon, maple, or other flavor extract (I used lemon extract)
1/4 cup vanilla nondairy milk (I used vanilla almond milk)

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use electric beaters to cream together the margarine, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 4 minutes.  Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.  Beat in the vanilla extract, the flavor extract, and the nondairy milk to combine.  Beat in half the flour mixture until moistened, then carefully mix in the remaining flour mixture to form a soft dough.

Divide the mixture in two and pat into discs about 1" thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350^oF.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Lightly flour a large, clean work surface.  Roll the dough to a 3/8" thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.  If the dough seems too stiff to roll or cracks too much, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, then try rolling again.  Pull away excess dough and use a thin metal spatula to carefully lift cookies onto cookie sheets, leaving an inch of space between cookies.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies have just started to turn golden around the edges.  Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on sheets for 5 minutes before using that spatula again to transfer them to wire racks.  Use only completely cooled cookies for decorating or filling.  Store in a tightly covered container for softer cookies; store loosely covered for crisper cookies.

Cinnamon Variation: Brush dough cut-outs lightly with non-dairy milk and sprinkle withcinnamon sugar mixture (3 Tablespoons sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.  Bake until edges are golden, but not too brown.  Start checking at 6 minutes (although mine took 10+ minutes on convection setting).

Vegan Banana Everything Cookies

 

I'm not vegan, but I'm intrigued by the idea of making cookies out of ingredients that don't rely on animals. Allen likes to mispronounce vegan just to get on my nerves.  His version sounds like they are cookies from Las Vegas.

These are from a neat little cookbook called Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. Some of the vegan ingredients are foreign to me, so I started with a recipe that called for common cookie ingredients.

 

And just to prove I had a limited social schedule on January 15, 2012, the day I made these, I made 8 variations of Banana Everything Cookies. 

All had chopped pecans.  So my variable ingredients were cinnamon chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips,  bittersweet chocolate chunks ...

 ... or rolling them in crushed pretzels, or ground nuts/sugar.

Here's the basic recipe, then I'll reveal my findings.  The bottom line is, out of my 8 versions, 2 really shined.  This test kitchen method really helps you to learn, with one dough mix and one sitting, what works and what doesn't as far as combinations, so that you can learn those basic rules and transfer that knowledge to other similar recipes.

P.S. I did not use vegan chocolate chips because I just hadn't found them yet, and I don't think they make vegan cinnamon chips at all.  There is one maker of vegan white chocolate chips but you will likely have to order them online. 

Banana Everything Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN

1 very ripe medium banana (I used 1 small frozen ripe banana + 1/4 ripe fresh)
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar (I used raw sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla (whoops forgot this, and lived to tell about it)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon)
2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oats or old-fashioned rolled oats (I used the latter)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or cinnamon chips if you're not really vegan, or white chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350^o.  Lightly grease two baking sheets.

In a mixing bowl, mash the banana well.  You can use a fork for this, or your hands (I used a potato masher).  Add the oil, sugar, and vanilla and mix with a strong fork.  Add the flour baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until the dry ingredients are just moistened.  Add the oatmeal, walnuts, and chocolate chips and mix well.  It's actually good to use your hands for misxing when using oatmeal, that way you make sure that the oats get nice and moist.  If the dough is very slippery, you might want to add a few tablespoons extra flour - it depends on how big your banana was.

Clean your hands and roll the dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball.  Flatten it a bit in your hands and place each ball about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

******************************

*Variation 1: with cinnamon chips only
Very good, consider using less chips to allow banana flavor to come through. Careful to tuck in chips so they don't get burnt.

Variation 2: no chips, just pecans
More banana taste, but plainer and dryer.

Variation 3: no chips, but rolled in mixture of wheat germ, ground nuts, brown sugar
Much better than #2 but would be better with raisins for sweetness and texture.

*Variation 4: no chips, rolled in crushed pretzels
Very good, pretzels are better to roll in.  The salt helps, no raisins needed because you can taste the banana more.

Variation 5: with chocolate chips only
Very good but chocolate overpowers.  Hardly any banana taste.

Variation 6:  with cinnamon chips and bittersweet chocolate chunks
YUK.

Variation 7:  with only bitterweet chocolate chunks
Better than above but too bitter and no banana taste.

Variation 8: with chocolate chips, rolled in crushed pretzels
No, can't taste banana much, the salt is nice though.

Amish Friendship Bread

 

 

Came home from work and fixed dinner.  Looked at my sad-looking plastic bag of Amish Friendship Bread Starter that has been laying around a few days.  Read the bag and discovered that today is Wednesday.  Day 10.  Oh crap. 

 
This is the big day.  I'm supposed to add to the starter, and make 2 loaves of bread.  I have all the ingredients.  I even have the instant vanilla pudding.  I guess that means I should go ahead and do it.

Helpful Hint:  Since you have to keep the starter outside of the fridge, I kept it in an urn-type holder to keep it protected from getting thrown around on the counter.

 

 After mixing the batter and pouring in the pans, there are instructions that you can sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture on the top, or not.  So I decided to sprinkle it lightly on one and not on the other.  I can't stand overly sweet quick breads.

 You can taste the cinnamon-sugar with both versions because of the sugar-dusted pan...

but the big difference is what it does to the looks of the bread.  Crackled and rustic vs. smooth and pound-cake-like.  Again, both are awesome. 

These are the 4 additional (1 cup) starters it makes in addition to the bread.

 

Amish Friendship Bread

MAKES TWO 9” LOAVES and 4 cups of starter for friends

To be left on counter, not meant to be refrigerated.  Burp bag as needed.

Day 1 - receive the starter and do nothing
Day 2 - Mush the bag.
Day 3 - Mush the bag.
Day 4 - Mush the bag.
Day 5 - Mush the bag.
Day 6 - Add to the bag 1 cup each flour (I recommend unbleached, all-purpose flour), sugar (plain white) and milk (I used skim milk, but usually doesn’t matter). Mush the bag.
Day 7 - Mush the bag.
Day 8 - Mush the bag.
Day 9 - Mush the bag.
Day 10 - Follow these instructions:

1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups milk. Stir.
3. Measure one cup batter into four 1-gallon Ziploc bags and give to friends along with a copy of the recipe. (Keep one for yourself if you want to make bread again in 10 days.)
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (baked mine at 300 degrees on convection  setting)

5. Add to the remaining batter:

3 eggs (bringing eggs to room temperature is a generally accepted practice in baking)
1 cup oil (I used canola oil)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1 large (5.1 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding (I used French vanilla flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt (I used fine grain sea salt)

6. Grease 2 large loaf pans (my instructions say glass, but I used metal and turned out great)
7. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with 1/2 of this mixture.
8. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans.  Optional: sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the tops of the breads. (I lightly sprinkled one loaf, none on the other.  The big difference is that the sugared version cracks and looks beautifully rustic.  The unsugared loaf remains smooth and looks like a pound cake. Both taste great.)
9. Bake 1 hour (until golden brown and firm on top.  I added an extra 5 minutes.) Cool the bread  a few minutes.  Run a knife along the edge of bread and gently turn out of pan onto a cooling rack. 

If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the Amish know how to create the starter, so if you give them all away, you will have to wait until someone gives you one back. ENJOY!!

Here is a recipe for the starter that I HAVE NOT tried.  Got it from

Amish Friendship Bread Starter
This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you’ll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread.

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. 

Follow the 10-day instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread. The day you make the starter is Day 1.

Allen's Valentine's Day Apple Crisp

 
Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Allen loves apple pie, apple crisp, anything with cooked apples.  So....

 I dug out my heart-shaped pan and made some apple crisp a la mode.

Apple Crisp
Compliments of JennaDish

adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe

SERVES 4-6

4 tart apples (like Granny Smiths), peeled, cored sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant packets)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or slice almonds (optional-makes a crunchier topping)

Preheat oven to 375^o.  Grease bottom and sides of 8" square or heart-shaped pan with shortening.

Spread apples in pan.  In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients, cutting butter into dry ingredients with pastry mixer, butter knives.  Sprinkle mix over apples evenly.

Bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown and starting to bubble on the edges.  Serve with ice cream.

 

Homemade Chicken and Stars Soup

 

I've read so many different ways to make chicken broth.  

So many different opinions.  I normally prefer Martha Stewart recipes but ...

I found one that makes more sense to me.  And it's pretty quick.  

No simmering for hours or multiple steps.  Or using odd parts of a chicken I don't have.

It's more work than throwing some boxed chicken broth in a pan.

But sometimes you just want to have the good stuff.

The idea of this recipe is that cutting the chicken in 2" pieces and sauteeing it first before putting in the water, helps speed the process of getting all the flavor from the chicken.

For this job, a cleaver would be great.  I got this one at Wasserstrom Restaurant Supply in-store.  
Great deal.

Saute chicken pieces (reserving breast) and onions about 25 minutes.

Add water, whole chicken breast, salt and bay leaves, simmer another 20 minutes.

Remove chicken breast, set aside.  When cool, remove skin and shred or dice meat into bite size pieces.

Strain broth into a large bowl.

Return soup kettle to medium high heat.  Add onion, carrot and celery.  Saute 5 minutes.

Add thyme, broth and shredded chicken.  Simmer until flavors meld, about 15 minutes.

Add noodles or other pasta and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Adjust seasonings, adding salt if necessary and pepper.  Stir in parsley and serve.  

Flavored croutons are a nice addition.

 

Chicken Noodle Soup

Compliments of JennaDish

from The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson 

MAKES ABOUT 3 QUARTS, SERVING 6-8 

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions,cut into medium dice
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), breast removed and split; remaining chicken cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt
2 bay leaves
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups (3 ounces) hearty egg noodles (or 1/4-1/3 cup dry stars pasta)
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup mined fresh parsley leaves

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large soup kettle.  Add half of chopped onions and all chicken pieces (reserve breast).  Saute until chicken is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken releases its uices, about 20 minutes.  Increase heat to high; add 2 quarts water (already boiling if you are in a hurry) along with the whole chicken breast, 1 teaspoon salt and bay leaves.  Bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to low and barely simmer until chicken breast is cooked and broth is rich and flavorful, 20 minutes longer.

2. Remove chicken breast from kettle; set aside.  When cool enough to handle, remove skin from breast, then remove meat from bones and shred into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones.  Strain broth into a large bowl and discard any remaining chicken pieces and bones.  Skim fat from broth and reserve 2 tablespoons.  (Broth and meat can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

3. Return soup kettle to medium-high heat.  Add reserved chicken fat.  Add remaining onion, along with carrot and celery.  Saute until sofened, about 5 minutes.  Add thyme, broth and shredded chicken. Simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add noodles and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Adjust seasonings, adding salt, if necessary, and pepper, stir in parsley and serve.