Stuffed Peppers

I have been a part of a food swap for about 6 months now, and I am already running low on ideas.  As I was frantically looking for an idea, I realized no one had made stuffed peppers yet, win! Stuffed peppers are a perfect, hearty meal for relatively little cost. They are pretty adaptable and can honestly be made with whatever you want. To make vegetarian, sub in beans or just omit the ground beef all together.
Ingredients (this makes 10 stuffed peppers)
10 peppers
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3 onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
2.5 lbs ground beef
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 can diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon each of basil, oregano and parsley (dried)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

5 cups cooked rice
½ cup grated Parmesan
Cut off top of peppers, removing the seeds and membranes. Dice the edible parts of the tops of the peppers.

 

Add the whole peppers to a pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from water and set aside.

 

Add the butter and olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, diced peppers, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef, stirring to break up the meat.

Cook until browned. Add the Worcestershire, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree, stirring to combine.

 

Season with oregano, basil, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and parmesan cheese.

 

Stuff peppers with mixture, sprinkling with more parmesan cheese if desired.

 

Because I made these for a swap, I froze the peppers at this stage.

 

To cook, thaw completely then bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.

I hope they like them!

Homemade Pancake Mix

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with store-bought pancake mix. However, are you aware of how easy it is to make your own at home? This recipe makes 16 pancakes; you can store the dry mix in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
Continue reading Homemade Pancake Mix

Liberté at Sofitel Philadelphia’s Chestnut Ravioli

I am lucky to live in such a food city. Everywhere around me, there are restaurants that deliver seemingly effortless food with beautiful presentation. Twice a year, center city hosts Restaurant Week, with pre fixe meals at many restaurants around the city. Recently, Center City District and Philly Homegrown compiled a free recipe book of meals offered during Restaurant Week. I would love to take the time to make each and every one of these recipes, but for now, I’ll start with Liberté at Sofitel Philadelphia‘s Chestnut Ravioli. The chestnut ravioli is served on top of a sweet potato puree, drizzled with a sage cream sauce, and topped with pancetta and crispy sage. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect winter meal?
Ingredients:
Ravioli –
 2 lasagna sheets of fresh pasta (in Philly, try By George in Reading Terminal)
 1 handful of sage leaves, chopped
 4 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites)
 6 ounces chestnuts, cooked
 2 tablespoons maple syrup
 Salt, to taste
Sauce –
 1 handful of sage, chopped
 1 pint heavy cream
 2 ounces white wine
Sweet Potato Puree –
 1 large sweet potato
 1 tablespoon butter
Garnish –
 4 slices panectta or bacon
 sage leaves
 olive oil

Begin to preparing your chestnuts. Using a paring knife, cut an X into the flat side of each chestnut. There are a few layers in a chestnut so don’t be afraid to cut pretty deep into the chestnut.
This is so while cooking, air can escape and the chestnuts wont explode. Add the chestnuts to a pot of unsalted boiling water. Boil for 15 – 20 minutes.
Remove the chestnuts from the water and allow to cool enough to be handled. (They will begin to peel back after being removed from the water.
When cool enough to touch, peel the shells off of the chestnuts.
Take 1/2 of the chestnuts and roughly chop.
Add the other 1/2 of the chestnuts to a food processor (I used a magic bullet) and blend until finely chopped.
Add the egg yolks, chopped sage and maple syrup to a medium bowl, mixing to combine. Add all of the chestnuts to the mixture.
Place one lasagna sheet on a floured surface. Add about 1 teaspoon of the chestnut mixture 6 times, spread evenly apart. With the reserved egg whites, brush around the filling.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the second lasagna sheet a bit more so that it is slightly larger than the first piece. Carefully lay the sheet over the first one making sure that there are no air bubbles. Using a ravoli stamp, press down around each filling.
Use a knife to cut around the ravioli stamp. Inspect the edges of the ravioli to make sure they are sealed (you can just use your fingertips to seal any edges that need to be closed). Set aside.
To make the sweet potato puree, peel a sweet potato and add to salted boiling water. (You can cut it into smaller pieces to make it cook faster… I honestly don’t know why I didn’t. Weird.)
Cook until fork tender (about 10-15 minutes). Pour out the water and add the sweet potato back to the pot over low heat. This will remove the rest of the water that might still be in the sweet potato.
Use a ricer to mash the sweet potato. Add the butter and mix to combine.
Add the puree to a plastic zip lock bag and set aside.
To make the sauce, add the white wine to a small pot. Bring to a boil. Stir in the cream and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the chopped sage and cook until the cream reduces by half.
To make the garnish, add the pancetta to a saute pan over low heat. Place a smaller pan on top while the pancetta cooks so that it can’t curl up.
When the pancetta is crispy, remove from heat. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the sage leaves and cook until crispy.
Bring a salted pot of water to a low boil. Add the ravioli and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain.
To assemble, take the zip lock bag of sweet potato puree and cut off one of the lower corners. Pipe two thin parallel lines of sweet potato puree onto a plate. You want them about ravioli width apart. Add the ravioli in between the two lines and spoon the sauce over the ravioli. Top with pancetta and crispy sage leaves.
I’m pretty sure I used every pot and pan in my place to make this dish. As I was making it, tasting each part, I was a bit worried about how this would all turn out. Chestnuts, sweet potatoes, cream, sage and pancetta?
The flavors were FANTASTIC. Wow. It was a lot of work but I am so happy with how it turned out.
My sweet potato puree was a bit too chunky for my liking, but oh well.
This recipe is usually an appetizer, but I thought I’d make it into a meal by adding 3 to a plate instead of one.

Champagne Risotto Primavera

I still have some prosecco sitting around after New Years Eve that I don’t want to go to waste. It’s already open so there’s really no way to save it. I usually use leftover wine in my risotto, so why not use sparkling wine instead? After all the food I ate in the past week, I thought I should probably incorporate some vegetables into my risotto as well. I adapted a Weight Watchers recipe to incorporate the sparkling wine.
 
Ingredients:
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 zucchini, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup uncooked arborio rice
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup champagne, prosecco, or other sparkling wine, divided
  • 1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • fresh parsley, chopped

Continue reading Champagne Risotto Primavera

A Look Back at 2011

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Eve! I have just come back from a wedding to ring in the new year, the perfect way to end 2011. This past year has been filled with many wonderful people, experiences, and of course, food. As I continue to progress in my cooking, I have a few blog-centric goals for 2012:
1. I hope to become more comfortable making up my own recipes more often.
2. I want to further develop my photography; I have made leaps and bounds from where I began, but I still have a long way to go!
3. Despite my love for pasta and baked goods (which is going nowhere), I hope to make more healthy choices in my ingredients during the year.
Looking back at the posts I created during the year, I wanted to share some of the most popular recipes on my blog in 2011 (by page views).

10. Jalapeno-Ginger Butternut Squash Soup
9. Hummus & Vegetable Pizza
8. Garlic & Rosemary Smashed Potatoes
7. Creamy Asparagus Soup with Prosciutto
6. Green Bean Casserole with Mushrooms
5. Mushroom Mac & Cheese
4. Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Bacon, Egg & Toast Cups with Spinach
2. Salted Caramel Brownies
annnnd the most popular recipe of 2011 is:
1. Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
It is so fitting that my most popular post was a pumpkin recipe 🙂
Many thanks to everyone who checks in on this blog every now and then! I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

Rose-Scented Berry Prosecco

New Years Eve is a great time to add a little bit of glitz and glamor to your life. I, naturally, feel the need to do that to my drink. This is actually a take on a local restaurant’s delicious champagne option. I hope I remember it correctly, but when I first had this drink at Farmicia in Old City Philadelphia I fell in love. It’s such a girly drink so I had to save it for a special occasion.
Ingredients:
Rosewater
Blueberries
Prosecco

Add about 1/2 teaspoon rosewater to the bottom of a fluted glass. I apparently do not own any champagne glasses (who knew?) so I actually made mine in the martini glass with a bit more rosewater.
Add blueberries or any berry of your choice to the glass. If you’re using a traditional glass, three should be plenty.

 

Open your sparkling wine and pour into the glass, filling to the top.
Enjoy 🙂
I absolutely love the smell of rosewater. The taste can only be described as what you’d expect a rose to taste like (sorry). The berries add a nice little touch too; I love saving them for last!
I’d suggest adding rosewater to taste. I am very fond of it, so I might have a heavy hand with it. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and work your way up.

Have a wonderful New Years!

Spice Rubbed Salmon with Lemon-Garlic Spinach

If you’re like me, you can never have too many salmon recipes. If I could, I’d eat salmon every day, so I prefer some variety with how it’s prepared. Cooking Light had a recipe that incorporated some really interesting spices: coriander, cinnamon, cumin and paprika. I was excited to see how this would turn out. The recipe also pairs the salmon with a wilted spinach, one of my favorite sides.
Ingredients (this makes one serving)
Salmon:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon paprika
a pinch of ground cinnamon
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 5 oz salmon fillet
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
Cooking spray
chopped cilantro, for garnish
lemon wedges
Spinach:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large handfuls uncooked baby spinach
zest from one lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
the juice of half a lemon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the spice rub, combine the salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, and pepper in a bowl.
Rub the mixture evenly over the salmon.
Thinly slice your onion. Add the onion to a baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Add the salmon on top of the onions. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until flaky.
When there is about 5-10 minutes left on the salmon, prepare the spinach. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add one handful of spinach.
Cook for one minute, stirring. Add the remaining handful of spinach and cook for 4 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently.
Add lemon zest and salt. Stir in juice and remove from heat.
Serve the salmon with the onions and spinach.
Sprinkle salmon with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.
You’d think all of those powerful spices would overwhelm the salmon. Not at all. The flavor was fantastic!
I can’t even describe it. But my taste buds did a little dance.
The lemon added a nice tanginess to the spinach, which was a great contrast to the sweet caramelized  onions.
I think the next time I make this, I will check the salmon after 15 minutes of cooking. The salmon was slightly overcooked for my liking. Past that, this recipe is a definite keeper!

Grilled Rosemary Swordfish with Vegetable Couscous

I apologize for the lack of posts! Like many, I’ve spent the past week doing a whole lot of eating, but not necessarily cooking. My parents gave me a nifty panini pan for the stove which also doubles as a grill pan. I wanted to test it out, so I decided to try Cooking Light’s Rosemary Swordfish on Vegetable Couscous.
Ingredients (this makes one serving so multiply as needed):
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil’
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 (5-ounce) swordfish steak
  • 1/2 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 zucchini, diced
  • 3 Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
  • the juice of one lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 uncooked couscous
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Grilled Rosemary Swordfish with Vegetable Couscous

Sugar Cookies

I am always so excited to make sugar cookies. To be more precise, I’m actually really excited to decorate the cookies. (Mind you, I’m awful at it. A 6 year old would beat me by a mile in a cookie decorating contest). But it is so fun to see the cookies transform from flour, sugar, and butter into cute little Christmas trees, snowmen, and candy canes. I used a traditional sugar cookie recipe from Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 11 1/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
10 tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons skim milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorations:
Cookie cutters
Sprinkles
Other edible decorations

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl, stir with a whisk.
Add sugar and butter in a large bowl, beating with a mixer until combined.
Add vanilla and eggs.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Mine looked very very crumbly. So if yours looks like this, don’t panic.
Add the mixture to a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly.
Refrigerate for an hour. Unwrap the ball after an hour. Preheat the over to 375. Split the dough in half, rolling out out half of the dough on a floured surface.
Using any cookie cutter you have, cut out shapes and place on a  cookie sheet two inches apart lined with parchment paper.
Repeat with remaining dough. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until lightly browned along the edges. Cool on pans for 5 minutes then remove and place on wire racks.
When completely cooled, prepare the icing. Combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk stirring until smooth. I added the icing to a squeeze bottle (like a ketchup bottle) but you can also add it to a ziplock bag and cut off one of the bottom corners to make piping easier. Decorate the cookies however you like.
Allow to dry overnight.
Hehe. Aren’t they fun? You can use whatever you want. I happened to be a bit, well, sprinkle happy.
Oh yeah, they taste pretty darn good too 🙂

Snickerdoodles

I am back in cookie baking mode. This time around, I’m going the more traditional route. First on my list, classic snickerdoodles.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Continue reading Snickerdoodles

Review of Serve from American Express

I have a confession to make. I am always (and I mean always) the girl at the table of 6 who has to use a card. It’s not like these group dinners are sprung upon me, but for some reason I never have the foresight to go to an ATM beforehand. So when it comes to splitting the check, my friends and I have to write a novel on the back of the check showing how we want everything broken down and on which card. Servers must hate seeing us seated in their section. Apparently I’m not the only cash-less jerk out there because American Express now has a service, appropriately named Serve, that helps eliminate the 14 credit cards at the end of a meal. I was given the opportunity through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program to try out Serve (and obviously I’m the perfect candidate).
The even better part is that Serve is hosting a contest to win $100 deposited into your very own Serve account! Stay tuned for a chance to enter this contest!

So, what is serve?
Serve is basically a digital source of funds that you can easily transfer to and from friends, family, or anyone else. Need to pay an electrician? If they have Serve, you just transfer the funds right over. Did the holiday shopping for your parents? Request the exact funds needed and it will transfer from their account to yours. For me personally, this tool is best used for my sorting of bills when out with friends.
It’s best to think of this service as a prepaid card. You can link it to a credit or debit card, or just deposit money into it using MoneyPak.To send and receive money, it works like an e-mail. Through your Serve account, just send the money to the recipient’s e-mail account they used to set up their Serve account. The recipient then confirms the transfer and it is finished! You receive a confirmation e-mail, and they receive their funds. (Note: the money transfer must be accepted within 7 days) To receive money, the sender can e-mail you through their account, or you can request an amount by sending a request to their e-mail.
Because it is a part of the American Express family, your money is protected by American Express’ technology and security. Even better, Serve sends you a card that can be used anywhere American Express is accepted.
Serve has an app for  iPhone, Microsoft phones, and Androids, allowing you to make these transfers while sitting in the restaurant. Transfers can also be done online by signing into www.serve.com. Lastly, Serve can also be used through the prepaid, reloadable card.You can even withdraw cash from ATMs (for a fee starting in January).
Signing up for Serve is free. Services included in the free account include:
  • Person-to-person money transfers
  • Purchasing online and in stores with the Serve card
  • Reloading your account through a checking account
  • The first ATM withdraw a month
Getting cash from an ATM after using your first free withdraw a month will cost you $2.00, plus whatever the ATM might charge you for using it. If you want to fund your Serve account with a credit card, you’ll be charged 2.9% of the amount transferred plus $0.30 for each transfer.This card is also perfect for college kids that need money transferred. You can make sub accounts that you can control how much money goes in and when.
There are plenty of other really cool features (including using it to track collections/donations, donating to charities, etc) within Serve, so be sure to check out the site. Their “How Serve Works” section is particularly helpful.
How was my experience?
I went out with my boyfriend, my sister, and her boyfriend. My sister and I each signed up for a Serve account (which is free, plus they give you $10 to start!) and headed out for dinner.
I did some research beforehand to make sure our restaurant choice accepted American Express, in the off chance that our cards would arrive in time for us to use them. This was surprisingly easy! I had about five restaurants in mind, and all accepted Amex. (You can tell I don’t have an Amex card myself…) I ended up choosing one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia: Koo Zee Doo.Koo Zee Doo is a Portuguese BYOB in the city run by a husband and wife. David Gilberg is the chef while Carla Gonçalves makes the desserts and amazing bread brought to your table. The restaurant has an open kitchen so you have the opportunity to actually watch the chef prepare your meal (which I love). Koo Zee Doo is the phonetic spelling of the Portuguese word for “cooked” and also refers to a traditional Portuguese dish Cozido á Portuguesa that is a meat and vegetable dish found throughout Portugal.
The menu is awesome, ranging from the tame (Steak topped with a fried egg) to adventurous (braised chicken gizzards). They also offer a 5 course chef’s tasting menu that I have not tried (yet).  I know this is a review of Serve, but I had to mention how wonderful this restaurant is. If you are ever in Philadelphia, I strongly suggest checking this place out.
As expected, our meal was wonderful. The food is served family style, so the four of us got two main dishes (the steak I mentioned as well as their special of the day: Lamb Stew) and two appetizers (braised chicken gizzards and Potato & salt cold croquettes). Despite being way too full, we had to try some of the amazing desserts as well (a chocolate hazelnut bread pudding and a coconut tart with chocolate whipped cream).
After our meal, we began the fun that is check deciphering. This bill was easier than most because of the family style serving, so we basically cut the check down the middle for each couple. My sister transferred the appropriate funds to my account while we sat at the table and I was able to accept and see the money in my account before paying.My card had amazingly come in the mail, so I just handed the server the one card which paid for everyone.  I think Serve works best when using the card in tandem with the transfers. If the card had not come, my sister would have still transferred the money to me, but I would have had to use a separate card and the actual charge would have been on that separate card. The server, unbeknownst to her, had just dodged a bullet of dealing with two to four different credit cards with our scribble on the back of the check. The only criticism I have is that your name is not printed on the front of the card. When the popularity of this card picks up, I think that might make it very difficult to easily determine which card is yours.
Giveaway: So here’s the part you’ve all been waiting for. You can win $100 to be credited into your own Serve account! (You obviously would need to sign up for Serve to receive the $100. Click the link below for official rules for this giveaway) To enter, just comment below by midnight on 12/25/11.
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a $250 stipend to try Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive a $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found here: https://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/4622317-win-serve-dollars-giveaway-official-rulesGood luck!

Double Chocolate Soufflés

As I’ve mentioned before, I cannot help myself from making a million desserts in December. There is something about the last month of the year that makes me want to bake my little heart out. Oxo has decided to help my cause by asking me to check out their new and improved Egg Beater. I am a huge fan of Oxo products (bowls, containers, apple corers; you name it, I have it). So I knew that their egg beater would find a happy home in my kitchen. Oxo also sent me an extra egg beater to give away to one of lucky reader. Details will be below!

 

The egg beater has a non-slip grip handle for ease of use. The beaters are removable and  then entire base can be detached and is dishwasher-safe (a must in my kitchen. I’m way too lazy to clean dishes after cooking). The beater itself has managed to improve upon its predecessors by adding a steel bridge at the bottom that can rest on the bottom of the bowl. This allows the beaters to be slightly in the air without causing arm strain.Note: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Jill J;you have won! Check your e-mail 🙂
Photo courtesy of oxo.com


Their website had a great video that shows all the features so I wanted to include that hereas well.

So I really wanted to test this bad boy. I decided to not only test it’s ease of use, but it’s ease of cleaning by making a recipe that uses the egg beater in more than one step of the process. How about a chocolate souffle topped with a warm fudge sauce and some freshly made whipped cream? (Not going to lie, the whipped cream was an afterthought because my souffle collapsed. Sigh. Still learning…)
Ingredients:
   Souffle:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 large egg whites
   Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powered sugar

 

This recipe requires a bit of oven preparation. Take out the top rack of your oven. Position the other rack as low as possible. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Spray six 8-ounce souffle dishes (or ramekins) with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons (or 1 teaspoon per ramekin) of sugar and set aside.

In a large saute pan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, and the salt over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk or the Oxo egg beater. Add 1 1/4 cups milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add 3 ounces chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

 

In a medium bowl, add the egg whites (reserve one egg yolk!) and beat using your egg beater until stiff peaks form. This took a good 5 minutes for me.

Once the egg whites are beaten, the chocolate mixture should have cooled. Add the vanilla and egg yolk to the chocolate mixture and stir.Fold in 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture.

Once combined, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

 

Spoon the mixture into the ramekins. Sharply tap the dishes two or three times on counter to even out each mixture in the ramekin. You want them to be about 3/4 full so that they can puff over the top of the ramekin. If you are making these ahead of time, you can cover the ramekins at this stage and freeze until you’re ready to bake them.

 

When ready to bake, place them on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven (which is at 425) on the bottom rack. Immediately reduce the temperature to 350 degrees (keep the souffles in the oven and don’t open the door, the temperature will slowly lower over time). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the side comes out clean.

The sauce can also be made ahead of time if you so wish. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, and 1 tablespoon flour, stirring well with a whisk.

Gradually add 1/2 cup milk stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir. Remove from heat, add 1/2 ounce chocolate and stir until smooth. Spoon over warm souffles.

 

To make the whipped cream, add the heavy cream to a bowl. Using the egg beater, beat the cream until peaks are just about to form. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar and beat until peaks form. Add a dollop of the fresh whipped cream to the souffle and serve.

 

So my souffle came out puffy and happy and I was so excited!

But as I started adding the chocolate sauce, it began to deflate. Sigh.

So I topped it off with the fresh whipped cream and called it even.

Souffles are notoriously difficult to make, but I wanted to at least give it a shot. Who honestly cares if it deflated though? It still tasted wonderful! I think even a collapsed souffle still looks pretty darn nice as well, no?

 

So if you’re still with me, you can win your very own Oxo egg beater to beat and whip until your heart’s content.
How to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and feel free to leave me a comment below with any questions, comments, or complaints 🙂

Note: I received both a free egg beater for myself and for the giveaway through Oxo’s Blogger outreach program. All opinions and photos with the exception of the egg beater photo are mine.

Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce

Have you ever bought a bunch of ingredients just because they sounded good? I try to stick to a list, but this time I couldn’t help myself. I found fresh spinach spaghetti and it just sounded so wonderful, I had to buy it. I wanted to make a simple but flavorful dish so I was pretty happy to find salmon as well. I already had heavy cream and parsley in my fridge so this recipe for Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce was the result!
Ingredients:
  • 1 package fresh spinach spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 8 oz fillet of salmon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • freshly grated Parmesan

Continue reading Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear

With the holidays fast approaching, we all need more quick appetizer recipes for when friends and family come to visit. This one for Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear from Southern Living intrigued me: pear, pancetta, honey, and goat cheese. I was interested to see how these flavors would all play out together. Because this can be served cold, you can do most of it ahead of time, pop it into the fridge, and bring it out right before you need it. Note: I only made 6 servings but naturally this can be expanded to fit any number of people.
Ingredients:
  • 6 thin slices pancetta (I just asked the butcher to slice it thin, but not as thin as proscuitto)
  • 1 anjou pear
  • 1/4 (2-oz.) package goat cheese, crumbled
  • Cracked pepper
  • Honey
  • Thyme leaves and sprigs
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the pancetta slices on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil.
Cook the pancetta in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp.
Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Use an apple corer to core your pear. This was surprisingly easy (I have no clue why I thought this would be a battle).
Slice the pear into equal sized slices. I got 6 slices, plus the top and bottom of the pear.
Add the pancetta on top of the pear. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and some chopped thyme. This is where you can stop and pop these in the fridge if you are making them ahead. Right before serving, drizzle with a bit of honey.
It’s quite pretty, isn’t it?
But… how does it taste? I actually really liked this! It’s flavorful, different, and easy to eat with one hand (crucial for a get together where most are walking and mingling).
The pancetta was a wonderfully salty contrast to the sweetness of the pear and honey, the goat cheese added a nice creaminess and the thyme added little pops of flavor that brought the whole appetizer together.
There were some awesome textures in this as well. Overall, a definite keeper!

It’s My Birthday & I’ll Make Cake Pops If I Want To

This year has flown by. I can’t believe we are about two weeks away from Christmas already! Which means I have a weekend of celebrations upon me, it’s my birthday!
I have been intrigued by cake pops for a while now. I have no idea how a little ball of cake could keep my interest, but I have been looking for an excuse to try these out. I wanted to focus on making the actual cake pop so I used the best from-the-box cake mix there is: Funfetti of course!
Ingredients:
Cake Mix
Eggs
Water
Vegetable oil
12 oz frosting
Assorted candy coatings
Wax paper
Lollipop sticks
Styrofoam, or a pop stand
Assorted sprinkles

Bake the cake according to box directions. Allow to cool. While its cooling, prepare to make the cake pops. Set out two cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Gather the lollipop sticks and place near the cookie sheets. Set out a large mixing bowl.
Finely crumble the cake in a large mixing bowl.
Add the frosting to the crumbled cake and mix to combine (This gets realllly messy, which is why I don’t have a photo). Roll the cake into balls and place on the wax paper. I got I think 28 cake balls from one box of candy, but I think I made them a bit big. Oops.
Pop in the refrigerator overnight, or for a few hours. To decorate, melt the candy coating according to directions in the microwave. (This was surprisingly more difficult than I expected. I managed to burn one of the batches!) Be sure to use somewhat deep bowls. You want enough melted candies so that you can completely submerge each cake pop in it.
When the candies are smooth, take out a few cake pops. Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into the candy coating.
This will work as a glue to keep the cake pop in place. Stick the lollipop stick into a cake ball Repeat with remaining cake balls. Allow to set (I left mine overnight, but if you return it to the fridge for maybe 30 minutes I think that would be just fine).
Take a cake pop and submerge in the melted candy coating. Do not swirl the cake pop, or they might fall off!
boooooo
Be sure to coat the entire cake ball. Remove from the candy coating by pulling straight up.
To remove excess candy coating, hold the cake pop over the bowl and tap the wrist holding the cake pop gently until some of the coating falls off. Place the completed cake pop into a cake pop stand or into some Styrofoam to set.
You now have a cake pop! If you want, you can add sprinkles or other decorations.
Soo… mine turned out so lumpy; and drippy. They are more like cake lumps, not cake balls. Who cares? They were delicious!
Here’s some of my “birthday-themed” cake pops:
and here’s some of my Christmas-y cake pops.
These cake pops take quite a bit of time, but I was pretty giddy with the results!

I made these over three days because I was making them during the week, so you can most certainly make these ahead of time. Just place the dried and finished cake pops in an air tight container or back in the fridge.

I hope all my friends like them!

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