Amazingly Dangerous Cookies

This website has some crazy stuff: picky-palate.com. Go to it. 

But I'm warning you, it looks incredibly dangerous.

...Seriously.

Ham & Veggie Quiche

Dinner last night? Quiche. Easier than expected. And slightly healthier because I opted out of the traditional flaky, buttery crust. It was a pretty easy dinner and that's that. Read all about it...

What You'll Need:

• Red-skinned potatoes
• Ham steak
• Small zucchini
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cheese (your choice -- I used cheddar & mozzarella)
• Eggs (about 5)
• Milk (I used 1% with a splash of half & half)

Put it All Together:

• Set your oven to broil. Thinly slice enough potatoes to line the bottom of your baking dish. You're going to put these in the oven just until they get a little brown and crispy to act as a kind of crust. Don't use olive oil, or it'll be too greasy/slippery. I just sprayed the pan with cooking spray and then gave the top of the potatoes a good spray too. Sprinkle with S&P and some garlic powder.
• Cut up the zucchini into small chunks, put the pieces on a paper-towel lined plate and salt them. They just need to sweat out some of their water a little. 
• Dice about a third of an onion and cut your cherry tomatoes in half.
• I browned half of a ham steak on the stove before cutting it up, but I really don't think it had any redeeming factor for the whole dish. So you can skip that and just chop it up.
• Whisk 5 eggs with milk... probably about a cup to a cup and a half. (You know I don't measure, so...) Also add some half & half to make a little thicker. (I also whisked in a little mascarpone because I had leftover and can't let it go to waste!) Pepper too!
• On top of your browned potato slices, add ham, zucchini (dredge in some flour first! It will make the quiche less runny/watery!!), tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Pour egg mixture on top and then sprinkle some shredded mozzarella on top of that. 
• Bake at 350 for about an hour. 

*When the quiche has about 20 minutes to go, throw some asparagus (coated with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic chunks) into the oven as well. They make a great side... as well as a nice slice of quality bread. (I used a rustic loaf with pancetta and provolone -- courtesy of Eataly once again!)

(That first piece looks like a mess because I didn't let it cool enough before I cut it -- I just wanted to get the photo out of the way so I could eat it! "Patienncce, Iago...")

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A High Class Peanut Butter Sandwich

I recently started a new job behind the bread counter at Eataly. As a result, the amount of bread I have consumed in the past week has been kiiind of ridiculous. I thought I'd be able to resist, but when you have the opportunity to take free loaves of bread home... well... could you resist?

Right now I've got a semolina baguette with lots of seeds all over it, a bag of chocolate rolls, a cinnamon raisin loaf and one with pancetta and provolone baked right in. Sheesh. But the one that didn't last very long was the fig bread. Amazingly delicious. (Especially toasted for breakfast with a teeny bit of mascarpone spread on top instead of butter.)

One day for lunch I decided to make a grilled cheese on fig bread. Unfortunately I didn't have anything fancy -- I could have gone for some brie or jarlsberg, or even some gouda. All I had was slices of store-brand cheddar. So I thought to myself, "Well... What else goes with cheese?" And I bet your first thought would not be "Peanut butter, obviously." But think about it: Everybody loves those cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers. And that's how my sandwich was created.

Toast 2 slices of fig bread (of course, any bread would do if you don't have this amazing creation available to you) with cheese on top. Just enough so the cheese is melty and the bread is a little toasty. But before putting them together, add some peanut butter. I used natural crunchy (as always) and it made the sandwich a little messy, but what did I care? I was alone and didn't think twice about mopping up my peanut butter drips with the bread. Completely worth the mess.

So next time you have a craving for a peanut butter sandwich, try it with a slice of cheese. It'd be equally delicious on whatever bread you like and untoasted.

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Superior Meatloaf

3 Key Ingredients That Makes My Meatloaf Better Than Yours:

• Bacon. (Cooked and chopped and mixed right in AND right on top.)
• Barbecue sauce.
• Cheddar cheese (in the middle).

 Add these to your ground beef and you're all set. (Oh yeah... and don't forget 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, crushed garlic, diced onion, salt & pepper and some ketchup... there may have also been some paprika and crushed red pepper involved.) Serve with baked potatoes (with cheese and grape tomatoes -- sauteed mushrooms would have been a great addition, but unfortunately the boyfriend doesn't eat them so I rarely buy them, so when you make this meal have some for me) and broccoli.

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Not a Lonely Heart in the Bunch

You'll never find yourself like Miss Lonely-Heart on Valentine's Day with these treats -- no one can resist them. And they're so easy, they make do for a perfect last minute Valentine... or... since it's past Valentine's Day, they serve just as well as an impressive any time treat.

This was my edition of "Nutella Pop-Tarts." Last weekend Rachael made some s'mores pastry desserts that were just puff pastry wrapped around a graham cracker and a piece of chocolate with Fluff on top. (Genius, right?) I kind of combined the two ideas; instead of going through making my own dough and all that, like the pop-tart recipe called for, I decided to go with ready-to-go dough as well and added a few extra flavor touches. :D

What You'll Need:

• 1 package of pie crusts
• Nutella
• Raspberry jam or preserves 
• Egg
• Fluff
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter

Put it All Together:

• Spread out one of the pie crusts and cut out lots of hearts. Repeat with second sheet. (You can roll out the extras and get some more hearts out of it if you need to... They just might be a little thicker.)
• Place hearts on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. 

• Blob some Nutella on a heart and then a blob of Raspberry. Take another heart and put it on top, pinch sides down with a fork. Repeat until all your hearts are full.

• Brush the tops of the hearts with an egg wash.
• Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until their browned nicely on top.

They might leak a little bit if you leave them in a smidgen too long, but don't worry about it. The time between looking perfect and looking delicious is minuscule, but there's no taste difference. They'll be just as delicious. Top them with some Fluff for a super quick frosting. (I thought about doing a nice raspberry glaze, but was feel pretty lazy.)

Go make them! They're fantastic!

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Mascarpone & Basil Tomato Sauce with Chicken Sausage

You really can't go wrong with these basic ingredients, no matter how you combine them. But here's how I go about it:

What You Need:

• An onion, diced.
• Olive oil, a... dollop?
• A few cloves of garlic, chopped.
• 1 big can of crushed tomatoes with basil.
• 1/2 small can of tomato paste.
• Lots of fresh basil, chopped.
• Sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage.
• Mascarpone cheese!!

Put it All Together:

• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add onion to soften. Add half your garlic when onions are almost done. (If you add the garlic with onion right away it tends to get bitter.)
• Pour tomato sauce & paste in. Add salt & crushed red pepper to taste -- as well as a sprinkling of sugar. Simmer for a bit.
• Add chicken sausage, cut into chunks.

• Add the rest of the garlic and lots of freshly chopped basil, turn the heat down low, partially cover and let it "simmer" for about an hour. (More like stew together.) Mix every so often.

• Just before serving stir in a few tablespoons of Mascarpone cheese (don't be shy) until melted.

Would have been even better with some freshly grated Romano cheese on top, but, alas... I had none. Nonetheless, it was delicious and super easy. 

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Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Skillet

How amazingly delicious does this look?!

 

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Chinese Food Re-Invented

So, you know how when you get Chinese take-out and you end up with lots of leftover sauces? And they just sit and keep accumulating in your fridge... Because the next time you get Chinese you end up with more sauces and they just keep piling up.

Weeellll... Tonight I finally put them to good use. Last time I ordered out I went the "healthy" route: I had steamed veggies and chicken, but it came with an amazing spicy, garlicky sauce on the side. A lot of it. So I used the leftover sauce and invented my own Chinese dish!

Marinade for pork chops. You're probably thinking, "Wow! Why didn't I think of that??" (Or maybe, "Yeah. No duh. I always do that... Where have you been?" If so, then sshhh.) I poured the sauce over a package of thinly sliced pork chops and added a few soy sauce and duck sauce packets (as well as one hot sauce) and let it sit for a few hours in the fridge this afternoon. And I just cooked them up on the stove for dinner, making sure I poured all that saucy deliciousness over the top as I went. I served them with brown rice (cooked in chicken broth for a little extra flavor) and some stir-fried veggies:

In the same pan used to cook the pork, pour a little bit of vegetable oil and some sesame oil and add a sliced onion and a few sliced carrots and cook about halfway to desired softness. Crush a few cloves of garlic in and soy sauce; cook a bit longer. When the veggies are just about to your liking (I like them in between soft and crunchy) add some frozen peas and sliced purple cabbage. The cabbage gets soft very quickly so it really doesn't need to cook long.

And there you have it.  A delicious, and pretty healthy, re-invention of Chinese food -- with all the flavor.

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Know What You Eat

Trying to stay healthy? ...Yeah. Me too. I thought I was doing a good job, reaching for banana chips as a snack. Err... wrong. I just looked them up on nutritiondata.self.com. 3 oz = 441 calories!! and 29 grams of fat!! (25 grams of saturated fat!!!!!) I wish I looked that up before I ate so many. Yuck. I feel gross now.

I'll be looking more foods up on that site before I even buy them from now on. 

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Heeyyy Yoouuu Guyyysss!! It's Pizza Night!

Ah, yes... pizza. But don't pick up the phone for it -- or go to the freezer. It's so much more satisfying to do it yourself. Ideally, you should make it with a bag of fresh dough from a local bakery or pizzeria -- they usually have some at the grocery store. But, of course, dear Bravo (the grocery store around the corner from me) had none of these. My only option was Pillsbury dough in a can -- not bad, but not my first choice.

ANYWAY. Other than dough, you can pretty much do your own Pizza Night however you want. Whatever toppings you like.

Here's what I did -- after pre-baking the crusts for about 5 minutes, like the directions say. It's important -- you don't want to get stuck with soggy crust!! Spray your cookie sheet AND sprinkle a little flour over the top to prevent any sticking. (I used a regular crust for #1 and the thin crust for #2):

PIZZA #1: Barbecue Chicken.

• Pour about 1/3 of a bottle (depending on size) of barbecue (this one is amazing -- sweet, smoky and a little spicy) sauce onto your crust. Use a little less of this sauce than you would tomato sauce -- it tends to be pretty salty and very tasty.
• Add chicken strips on top. (Just cut up & brown chicken breast in a skillet with some olive oil, garlic, paprika & cumin... or whatever.)
• Dump more than half of a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
• Final touch: Thinly sliced rings of red onion.
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

PIZZA #2: Classic with Onions and Pepperoni.

• In a small pot, soften about 1/3 of an onion (cut into rings) in olive oil with garlic (I just used powder because I had no cloves!). Once softened, add half a can of tomato paste and about 5 tablespoons of crushed tomatoes (the kind with basil). This ratio can change depending on the thickness you prefer, but I found extra tomato paste was better for the pizza. Add some salt and crushed red pepper. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes then spread over pizza crust when ready.
• Add shredded cheese on top -- four cheese Italian blend was perfect. (I also added some of the leftover chicken since there wasn't enough to save for later.)
• Slice up some good pepperoni and spread over the cheese -- You know, an actual stick of pepperoni. 
• Bake in the oven around 400 until the cheese is melty and the crust is browned to your liking.

Perfect accompaniment for pizzas? Well, salad -- definitely. (I went the super-easy lazy route and just used a bag.) But more important than salad? The movie... ⚡

Homemade French Fries

This is the real deal. Potatoes; double deep fried.

2 - 3 lbs of potatoes (depending on how many fries you want to make - and any potato will do. They all have different textures)

canola oil

salt, pepper, old bay seasoning

2 paper bags

slice up the potatoes any way you want (I like mine in wedges; steak fry style)

fill a deep skillet with the oil and be sure to fill it high enough to cover the potatoes once they're in there.

Heat the oil on med high heat - you'll know its ready when you throw a drop of water in and it crackles. At this point carefully put the cut up potatoes in. you should have a nice rolling boil to the oil. Cook the potatoes until soft and a little golden - around 10 minutes.

Take the potatoes out and place in them in a paper bag. Roll them around gently to get rid of excess oil.

Turn the heat up under your skillet to high. When the oil is really hot, return the semi-fried potatoes to the oil, stirring frequently until they are a crispy golden brown.

Once they are done, take them out and place them in a second unused paper bag. Dump in salt, pepper and old bay seasoning (or whatever you feel like using).

Strain out your oil once its cooled and save it for the next batch of fries (and there WILL be a next batch of fries!)

Nutella Pop-Tarts

Seriously... Nutella Pop-Tarts. How amazing is that? I am going to be testing these out... maybe a nice, Valentine's Day treat? I'll let you know how it goes!

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Apple Honey Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

All I can say is: yum. The best part about this recipe is that you can mix and match everything in it. Different apples (pears?), different cheese, different breads.

I really didn't measure anything here (in the spirit of this blog)....

For each sandwich you'll need:

2 pieces of bread. I used some sort of healthy-nut-oat bread. It grilled up nicely.

On the outer side of each slice of bread, slather some softened butter. (NOT margarine)

on the inside lay down 4 or 5 THIN slices of granny smith apple

2 - 3 slices of swiss cheese (or gruyere or smoked cheddar or . . .)

drizzle honey over the cheese

salt and pepper (don't skip this - it really makes a difference)

assemble the sandwich and grill in a pan over med heat. (if you have a bacon press or another heavy frying pan, use it to press down the sandwich) If you're making a few of these, place the finished ones in a warm oven so they don't get too cold while the others are cooking.

Cheesey Cheese Delicious Cheese

Super duper (no measure) macaroni & cheese is, well, super duper easy to make. So easy I'm just going to tell you straight out:

Melt a chunk of butter in a pot (like 2 tbsp), add a few tablespoons of flour and whisk it together. It's okay if it's chunky. Pour some milk over and keep whisking. Add about 1/2 a bag of shredded cheese in too. (Or more... depends on how cheesey you like it -- I used about 3/4 of a cheddar & monterey blend.) Keep whisking! Add a bunch of pepper, a little garlic powder and a squirt of spicy brown mustard (trust me). Add more milk or more cheese to get the consistency you want.

Mix with pasta! And broccoli! And sliced grape tomatoes! And chicken burgers! (...Or whatever you want, that was just my dinner tonight.)

And, as usual... I was too hungry to take a photo before devouring. It happens. ;)

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Easy Peasy Rainy Day Lunch

It's easy peasy, but fear not, Pea Haters -- no peas included.

What You'll Need:

• 1 can (Well... half a can, but you can't only buy half) of Progresso Hearty Tomato Soup
• Some leftover brown rice (...or white, but you should be eating brown rice!)
• 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese
• Parmesan cheese 

Put it All Together (the easy part):

• Pour soup into your bowl, on top of your brown rice.
• Dollop the ricotta on top.
• Microwave for about 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and some pepper (I prefer freshly ground). 

And... well... that's it. Makes a plain can of soup a little more interesting. (That tomato soup is delicious on its own anyway -- my favorite.)

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