Tasty Surprises

I love surprises. Ok, no I don't. I am a planner, but this kind of surprise is always welcome. One of John's coworkers brought him two pints of black raspberries yesterday. YEH!  

John wanted muffins. I wanted cake....Tony Horton (p90x) wanted us to have neither. So, as with all good marriages, we had to come to a compromise. Black Raspberry Coffee Cake. Cake that tastes a lot like a muffin.Sorry Tony, but you are out-voted. We'll do an extra workout to make up for it. 


ahahahah... That was a lie.

(If you are wondering why I cropped the picture this way; the cake is sitting beside the kitchen sink. My sink was full of dirty dishes. I like to keep my mess to myself... )

I actually didn't change the recipe very much at all, so, Thank You Saveur for this lovely gift. And, if anyone else wants to surprise me with berries... or peaches.... or really anything.. I promise I will share whatever I make with it. 

Black Raspberry Coffee Cake

 Recipe slightly adapted from Saveur

For the topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp chilled butter 

1/3 cup Dark Chocolate chocolate chips

For the Cake:

1 cup All purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled (I used salted butter... because I like it better... )

1 1/4 cups fresh black (or red) raspberries

Method:

1. Topping: In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and butter. Using a fork, mix throughly, butter will be crumbly, and then add chocolate. Stir well to combine. 

2. Cake: Preheat oven to 375 F. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.In a seperate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. 

3. Pour batter into a lightly greased 8" spring form pan. Sprinkle raspberries over cake and then cover with the topping. Bake until well browned, around 40 minutes. Serve Warm. Or cold. With coffee. Or chocolate milk. Or, don't serve it at all and keep it for yourself.

 

Fancy Pants Spaghetti

Break out your dress pants- this is not your ordinary spaghetti dinner. This is nice-bottle-of-wine,-impress-your-guests,-and-have-some-good-bread-on-hand-to-sop-up-the-goodness-when-your-plate-is-empty kind of spaghetti. (Because while it may be a fancy dinner, you have to be yourself...)

Like a lot of our dinners, this was a challenge to ourselves. Could we make spaghetti and meatballs from scratch and would it actually taste better than what I used to make from a jar..... Of Course, it was. That's why it became our Fancy Pants dinner. And, the good news is that it cooks the same in Europe and the US. Yeh!  (Some recipes will be given US/Europe methods in the near future now that I have made them in both places)

The recipe is a big blend of several that I found and pulled into one big, good, meal. Feel free to make any adjustments that you like for the sauce or meatballs. I know everyone has their own favorite things in Spaghetti- throw in some mushrooms, more celery, more zucchini, less carrots- make it your own Fancy Pants meal.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 lb. Ground Beef (Or ground turkey, or a mixture of beef and sausage. Up to you!)
1/2 Freshly grated Parmesan
4 Tablespoons freshly chopped Parsley
1 Whole Egg
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Pepper
Dash of Herb D'Provence (or italian seasoning)

Sauce:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large Onion (chopped)
3 cloves Garlic
1 stalk Celery (chopped) 
2 small Zucchini (chopped)
2 small Carrots (chopped)
Salt and Ground pepper to taste
1 32oz can Crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can Diced tomatoes
2 Bay Leaves
Herb De Provence to taste


Methods
Meatballs: 
Drop everything in a large mixing bowl and mix well by hand. Using a medium sized cookie scoop, spoon out and form by hand. Place onto a cookie sheet, and refrigerate for an hour or two so flavors will blend. While they are in the fridge, start on the sauce.


Sauce:
In a large casserole pot, heat Olive Oil. Add onion, cook until translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables to the pot, saute until tender crisp. Add tomatoes and spices, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for around 45 minutes before you.....


- Cook meatballs until just browned on the outside. I will either 1- fry them in a large skillet or 2- grill them. Once they are browned on the outside, they can be placed in the sauce to finish cooking. Let cook for around 45 minutes more. 

- While sauce is finishing, fill a stock pot with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Drain and serve with a few meatballs and sauce!

A Non-Celebrity Endorsment

Have you ever used something in the kitchen that you were just SURE would be a total gimmick and never ever do what it claimed it would? (That was a total rhetorical question... of course you have! Everybody has!) The better question is- Did it work? Odds are-No. Yet the handful that do work keep us going back to the kitchen tool aisle to see what else might work.

Now, I did not want to try out this pizza pan. I had been using a cookie sheet for a long time to bake pizzas and they always turned out the same- taste great but the crust was always just a little doughy. John was the one who decided that we needed this pan. You know, one with all the holes in the bottom. And the dumb thing works. It makes pizza that is, the only way to describe it, AWESOME. Crispy crust, well done cheese, and a perfectly even cook. Worth every little pink penny.

So, go get one! And then make this crust and top it with all of your favorite ingredients. Then, open the drawer full of take out menus and throw away the pizza place ones. You won't need them any more. Promise.

From one non-celebrity to another,

 Stacey


Basic Pizza Crust

1 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil

Method
Dissolve yeast in 1 1/2 cups warm water. While that is sitting, mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. With the dough hook attachment on your mixer, slowly blend in the olive oil. Dough will be very crumbly at this point. Finally, mix in the water and yeast. Dough should form into a large ball.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a clean mixing bowl and put in dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
*Makes enough for 2 pizzas. The dough will keep for up to 6 days in the refrigerator.

*If you want to make pizza immediatly, do not cover and refrigerate. Lightly flour your countertop and kneed for 10 minutes. Split dough in half and refrigerate what you don't use for the next time!

Full sized Appliances!! Oh My!

Well, we are moved, still lacking a lot of furniture, but I am LOVING my new kitchen and John is LOVING his big ol' GRILL! We have had so much fun cooking in a space big enough for two people and a dog. It's a much happier experience for everyone involved- John and I aren't walking on top of each other and Sadie has more surface area for crumbs to drop. 

The cookies for today were an idea that came to me in France but couldn't try them out because Craisins and dried cherries are a little hard to find there.  (Especially the Craisins.)So, they are the first recipe I decided to try out in my new oven. (Other than the brownies I made after we had a rough moving day... We needed some comfort..)

Oatmeal Cher-Craisin Cookies
Original recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, softened

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar (I use 1/3 dark, 1/3 light. I love dark brown sugar)

1 Egg

3/4 Cup All-purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Salt 

1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats ( I use a combination of Old Fashioned Oats and Quick Oats )

1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Craisins

1/4 Cup Dried Cherries

Methods

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

- In a mid-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. 

- Add baking soda, salt, oatmeal- blend slightly. Add fruit and chips- blend well. 

*Dough can be chilled at this point but personally, I think they turn out better if you don't.

- Spoon them onto a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges. 

Eat and ENJOY! 
picture to come.. as soon as I figure out how to upload from my phone to blogger or it stops raining and I have enough light to take a good picture... ha!

The End of Boxed Brownies

When we first moved here, there was a huge learning curve with baking. The flour is different, they have different types of sugar, no chocolate chips, no cocoa powder, no vanilla extract (that is any good...) It took me 6 months to make a decent chocolate chip cookie. But, once I made that perfect cookie, it all started to come together.

My husband has said that necessity is the mother of invention and he is very right. Most people would think I am crazy for craving things like cheesecake and brownies in the land of pain au chocolat and croissants filled with almond cream (to. die.for. ) but I did. We both did. Something about a brownie, warm from the oven, just felt like home. So, one night several months ago, I decided to try making brownies from scratch. 

I know what you are thinking- "Brownies from scratch?!? Just open a box of Betty Crocker!" And to that I say, "Betty Crocker I do not have!" (Mixes don't exist here unless you want to pay about 7 euros ($9.50) for a single box.) 

These brownies were so amazingly good that I will never make a boxed mix again. I promise. And, if you try them too, I bet ol' Betty will be out a few more customers.

 

Best Brownies

Ingredients

1 Cup/215 grams Sugar

1/2 Cup/75 grams Flour

1/3 Cup/ 32 grams Cocoa Powder (I use Hershey's.)

1/4 teaspoon/ 1 gram Salt

1/4 teaspoon/ 1 gram Baking Powder

1/2 cup/105 grams Butter, melted

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

70 grams Chopped Dark Chocolate (about one good handful of chocolate chips)

Method

In a small mixing bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt with a whisk. 

Add melted butter,eggs, and vanilla- mix well. Pour in chocolate chunks and again, mix well. 

Pour batter into a lightly greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes depending on how gooey you like them! I tend to lean on the gooooooey-er side of things.

What's a Buckle?

Anyone who has ever moved knows the absolute joy of cleaning out the cabinets that last week in the apartment/house. Using the last of your sugar, flour, butter, pasta, tomato sauce, cereal, and whatever is left in the freezer, then trying to find a way to piece it all together into a meal or a dessert. Over the weekend I made brownies (which I thought I had blogged but evidently haven't. Soon!), blondies (also coming soon to a blog near you!), and oatmeal raisin cookies. While doing the Freezer Check, I realized that we still had some frozen blueberries and not enough of everything else to make these muffins. 

What to do What to do? I can't waste blueberries. I love them too much. And, any excuse to try a new recipe is always welcome. So, the search began! Combing the web for a recipe that used the blueberries without using something that I didn't have to begin with (no extra shopping!) or didn't have enough of. After going here and here and several of my other regular places,  I landed on this recipe for a Blueberry Buckle and while I had no idea what a "buckle" is (unless it's on my belt) it was the only one that met all the criteria.

Oh. My. Word. I don't even care what a buckle is now. All I need to know is it tastes soooooo good with a morning cup of coffee.

Blueberry Buckle
Recipe slightly modified from Allrecipes
1/4 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour ( I used: 1 1/3 cup ap flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/3 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Milk
2 cups blueberries
Topping:
2/3 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/3 cup cold butter

Methods
In a small mixing bowl, cream 1/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in the egg. Add flour, baking powder and salt to bowl. Mix slowly and gradually add the milk. Dough will be very thick. Very gently, fold in blueberries so as not to crush them.
Pour into greased 8 inch square pan.
In a small bowl, mix sugar cinnamon and flour. Cut in the butter until it resembles large crumbs. Sprinkle over dough in pan.
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes.

That Dorie.. She's good.

When you start looking at food blogs online, there are a couple of names you are sure to run into- David Lebovitz, Dorie Greenspan, and Pioneer Woman, just to name a couple. And, I have to say, they are quite good at what they do. But that Dorie. She might be the cream of the crop. 

I know.. I sound 80 years old when I say that. I'm probably the closest to a 50's housewife you'll ever meet... I also say "shoot", "my goodness", and "oh dear" a lot. But really, this could go into a whole other post. 

In the winter, I think we all love the taste of a warm muffin in the morning. With a hot cup of coffee, I really don't think there is a better breakfast. (but I am a little partial... ) Since I know we all love a good, wholesome muffin, I am always on the lookout for new recipes. This recipe was posted this summer and has just been waiting around for a frosty winter morning. After our recent trip, I decided it was time to try it out.

Leaning tower of muffins! Yuuummmmmmy!

Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

-can also be made as a loaf

Ingredients

Topping-

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped Pecans (or other nut)

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

    - Mix together in a small bowl

Muffins

2 Large Eggs

3/4 cup Applesauce

1/2 cup Melted Butter -let cool for just a few minutes

1/3 cup Oil 

1/4 cup Buttermilk or whole milk

1 1/4 cup Flour  - I split this and used 3/4 cup Whole Wheat and 1/2 All purpose

3/4 cup Sugar

2 Tbls Brown Sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 cup of Dried, diced Fruit. ( craisins, raisins, apricots, apples, figs. I used Apricots and raisins)

1 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal

Methods

-Heat oven to 350 F. Line your muffin pans.

-Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, butter,oil,vanilla.

-In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. Add one spoonful of flour mixture to the fruit, toss to coat. 

-Stir oatmeal into the large bowl with the flour mixture. Pour liquid mixture into dry mixture. Stir carefully, just until everything is mixed. Add fruit, stir again, gently so as not to over mix.

-Pour into lined muffin pans, add topping. 

-Bake for about 20-22 minutes, until golden brown. 

Eat! And, try to stop after one or 2... 

Recipe adapted from here!

The Ugliest Soup That You Will Ever Love

There are some foods that just don't look so good.. but taste amazing. This is one of them. But, once you taste the delicious blend of spices combined with the nutty flavor of chick peas.... you will fall in love. 

While it simmers, the whole house fills with the smell of cinnamon, cumin, and garlic leaving you to drool until it is finished. It is the favorite soup of the season for us this year- unanimously. (Which is a feat in and of itself coming from the meat eating side of this duo- John)

 yummy.

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Recipe : David Leiberman, foodnetwork.com

1/4 cup EVOO

1 medium onion, chopped

6 to 8 garlic cloves 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 heaping teaspoon Paprika 

1 (14.5 oz ) can chopped tomatoes

3 (15 oz) cans chick peas

1 quart veggie or low sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon sugar

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent; lower heat if browning starts to occur. Add spices and saute a minute or so. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, and sugar. Season with a couple pinches of salt and 10 grinds fresh pepper. Stir well. Chickpeas should be just covered with liquid. If level is shy, add some water so the chickpeas are just covered.

Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to low and gently simmer for 45 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. (I used the emulsion blender and pureed the entire soup, including the spinach) Stir in the spinach and let heat through until wilted, just a couple minutes. Season again, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Serve soup, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, if desired. 

 

Chicken Noodle Soup

I think in the world of blogging I could quite possibly make a name for myself as the Soup Queen. I love soup whether it is cream or broth based, vegetables only or with some meat, super smooth or a rich stew; you name it more than likely I will love it. 

One soup that everyone should probably have in their bag of cooking tricks is chicken noodle. And no, I do not believe that opening a can of Campbell's Chicken and Stars counts.

The mission I gave myself several weeks ago was to create a chicken noodle soup that was really rich, really hearty, and could cure the common cold. Mission accomplished with the soup below. (Ok.. I haven't tested it on the cold yet. I'll let you know the next time one of us is sick how it goes.) The best part- it's really simple! 

Chicken Noodle Soup

 Ingredients:

2 medium carrots

2 or 3 celery stalks

2 or 3 shallots

1 garlic clove (2 if it's really small)

1 tbls real butter

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

pinch or two of dried basil

9 cups of water

1 chicken boullion

1 whole rotisserie chicken 

1-2 cups of uncooked noodles

2 tbls flour  

Method:

1) Start by chopping the carrots, celery and shallots. 

2) Melt butter in a large stock pot on medium heat. Add carrots, celery, shallots to pot. With a garlic press, press garlic into the vegetable mixture. Stir well and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes. 

3) Add water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, basil and boullion to the pot. Now, this might sound a little strange but it will make your soup amazing- Take the whole chicken and put it in the soup! Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. 

4)Remove chicken from the pot and remove all of the meat. Add the meat back to the pot then add the noodles. 

5) Put flour and a small amount of water in a rubbermade container with a TIGHT lid. Give it a really good shake to mix and then pour into soup pot. Stir well, replace lid and let soup simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

Enjoy! We will be having the leftovers tonight!

Ps- the cornbread is amazing too! Made with polenta due to the lack of cornmeal in France... still oh-so-good. Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Oookies

 No, that is not a typo. I promise, that is the real name. Along with the names chocolate oatmeal cookies, no bake chocolate cookies, cow pie cookies.... and I know I am forgetting something... If anyone else knows  a name for these delicious little guys let me know! John gave them the name of "oookies" when he couldn't read my handwriting on the recipe and it is now the official name for them around our house.

These cookies are my wonderfully spoiled husband's favorite. (He knows he's spoiled. It's ok if I say it.) I haven't made them so often since we've lived in France just because of our lack of the key ingredient- peanut butter. I was feeling sorry for him this week though so we bought some peanut butter at the store (small jar, big price, not so great pb. BUT it works for cooking!) and I whipped these babies up. 

Now, some people have problems with these cookies, my mom being one of them. I have tweaked this recipe so much, watched it, studied it, and perfected it to the point that I think everyone will be able to succeed. And, I will admit, they taste pretty darn amazing. 

You will need:

1/2 Cup of butter

3 Cups of quick cooking Oatmeal

1/2 Cup of milk

4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

2 Cups of White Sugar

1/2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Smooth Peanut Butter

Method:

First, cook the butter, milk, and sugar in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and let boil for just 15-25 seconds.

Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, oatmeal and cocoa powder. Stir well so there are no lumps of cocoa, peanut butter is completely incorporated, and the oatmeal is coated well. 

Allow mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes. Stir again, should be slightly thick, not runny at all.

Drop by the spoonful onto wax paper or aluminum foil. Allow to cool. 

Eat. Until they are gone. Which won't be long.....

Winter Dinner

 I have wanted to share these recipes with you for several weeks now but until this week I couldn't get the rain to stop on days when I was cooking so I could take pictures. ( I think you can tell that I don't like the rain. It hinders my plans.) 

The Cheesy-Chive muffins on the right side have quickly become a go-to side item for our winter soups. They are mild in flavor and bring out the flavors in just about any soup.The original recipe is for a loaf but I didn't bring my loaf pans to France. (I also didn't bring muffin pans, pie plates, or a round cake pan. Not sure what I was thinking.. ) They taste the same, I'm sure. Also, I use a combination of cheddar and gruyere cheeses . Whatever cheese you use, make sure it has a pretty strong taste. What's the point of the cheese if you can't even taste it, right?

The Corn Chowder is really delicious too. I have tried 2 or 3 different recipes this winter and thus far, this is my favorite. The original recipe calls for roasted poblano peppers, which we don't have in France, and some jalapenos that you are also hard pressed to find here. I didn't have the poblanos but the jalapenos were amazing. Just that little bit of heat- yum. I will be trying the complete recipe in about 3 months when we had back to the states.

Since I haven't changed anything (other than a lack of peppers) about either recipe, I am just going to add the links. Enjoy guys!

Cheesy Chive Bread
Southwestern Corn Chowder
and, thanks to Susi and Rebecca for these wonderful recipes! 

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes. These are really as amazing as they sound. I found a recipe for these on one of my favorite food blogs,  Serious Eats. While their articles are pretty good, "Photograzing" is my favorite section. I have found a lot of really awesome recipes through this part of the website and I'll be sharing a few more of them with you later on. 

I know I have already posted once today, but I am soooo far behind on the blog and it's raining today so there's really not so much to do. (I have a feeling that in about 4 months the craziness of my life is going to hit me like a brick...) So, last night I made a batch of these and sent them with John to work. And, they have met with French Approval. 

There is a reason that I send things I make with John to work. The French make the best test subjects! They are very picky about their desserts, they have no problem telling you the absolute truth about what you made, and if they like it- they reeeaallllyy like it. 

Nutella Choc. Chip Cookies

Adapted from justjenn

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup AP Flour *If you are using American All Purpose Flour- cut back to 2 cups.

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar  minus one Tbls

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/4 cup Nutella ( I add a bit more than this.. i.e. a "heaping" 1/4 cup)

1 Cup Chocolate chips

Methods

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, the sugar and the brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla until combined.

3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture until combined. Dough will look almost too thick.

4. Then mix in the chocolate chips and the Nutella. The original recipe says to just swirl it through. I like it to be a little more "mixed". Dough looks a little funny at this point but I promise it bakes perfect. 

5. Drop by the spoonful onto the baking sheets and bake for about 8-10 minutes. After taking them out of the oven, cool for a minute, and move them to cooling racks.

Rain.

Today is my Monday. Yesterday was a holiday in France so John was off for a long weekend. Don't get excited. We didn't do anything fun this weekend. It rained. And rained. And rained. I don't think I have ever seen it rain like this here. John, Sadie and I were all completely stir crazy and it's France so OF COURSE nothing was open. My biggest pet peeve about this country, besides the lack of public restrooms, is the fact that nothing is open on the weekends!

Anyways. Since we didn't have anything to do, I cooked.

Saturday: I made bread pudding and a chickpea curry. ( not sharing that recipe..I will be finding a new one! But the bread pudding... oh man. It. Is. Gooooood.) 

Sunday: Nothing too special.. some homemade biscuits. 

Monday: I was really running out of things to do.. So, I made Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookies, Corn chowder, and Cheddar and Chive quick bread muffins.(Recipe for both later!) 

Today: No rain!
Tomorrow: More about our trip! All pictures are edited so get ready!

Make this!

It will make all of your salads taste better. I promise. 

This is the other recipe that I knocked out of the "To Try" folder on Wednesday. My basil was starting to look a little crazy and I had a couple of shallots that needed to be used as well. It is so good. That's all I can say for it. If you don't believe me... make it and prove me wrong. Or, believe me and make it. The point here is that you must try this salad dressing. 

I am already dreaming of my next salad.

Basil Vinaigrette
 And I didn't change a thing, it's just that perfect Simplyrecipes.com

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Basil leaves
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Mix all ingredients well and allow to sit for at least a couple of hours in the fridge. So good. Enjoy! 


- This can be mixed in a food processor. I don't have one of those, so I didn't use it.
 

Lime Mascarpone Blondies!

I have a huge folder of recipes in our online bookmarks. John has made me divide them into categories because they were becoming.. unruly. (And everyone thinks I am the organized, ocd, neat-freak. HA!) They are currently divided into Baking, Dinners, To Try, and To Try When We Get Back to the US. (Ok. So maybe I am all of the above things.. but he is too! Only about different things.) Unfortunately, my "to try" folder just won't shrink. It keeps growing and growing and growing which means that I just have to keep cooking. Rats. I just hate that. 

This morning I decided to knock a couple of recipes of the list. 

Really, I had too much time on my hands. When that happens, I cook. or bake. or clean. or walk the dog. Today, I chose the bake option. I had a lime and some marscarpone cheese that needed to be used soon so I pulled this recipe out of the folder and tadaa! Oh My Word, good. Make these immediately. It will make your Wednesday much better.

Lime Mascarpone Blondies
adapted from Simplyrecipes.com 

1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour


- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour a 9x9 baking dish. 

- In small mixing bowl, whisk together butter and sugar. 


- Add egg and vanilla, whisk to combine. 


- Add lime juice, zest, and mascarpone cheese. Mix well, making sure there are no lumps of cheese. 


- Add remaining ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt;stirring well to combine. Batter should be smooth. 


- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Take that Martha!

Yes, you read correctly. I have beaten Martha Stewart at her own game. I have made a better cookie.

I found this recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies for about 6 months ago and have made them several times. They are pretty good. The original recipe is ok... probably one of the better oatmeal raisin recipes I have found but it needed work. They came out too cake-like. I like my ORC chewy and slightly soft. So, whenever I made them I would think of the changes I needed to make for the next time. Then "the next time" came along and I would forget to make the changes. Does anyone else do that?? Or is it just me?? 

This weekend I made them. Twice. I finally remembered to make the changes. And, they are amazing! The perfect cookie. Now, it is up to you! If you want to feel like a domestic goddess and -slightly- better than Martha, make these cookies! It's a nice little ego boost.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
adapted from Marthastewart.com

1/2 cup (1 stick in the USA) Butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 2/3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream butter and brown sugar with mixer.
- Add egg and vanilla, mix well. 
- Next, add salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Mix well with a large spoon. 
- The oatmeal and raisins are mixed in last with a large spoon. Drop by the rounded spoonful on a baking sheet, bake for about 8 minutes or until slightly brown on top. 


Sorry, no pictures today. I will update this post with one later!

Banana Banana Bread

Quick recipe for you today since we are on VACATION this week. Woohooooo! I say that, but we aren't really doing anything this week. John and I went to Italy this morning, going to go into the mountains later this week, and then the beach. Oh, and a dentist appointment for me. Hurray! Love those. Really, I don't hate the dentist but I am not looking forward to this one. At all.

I made this bread the other day because we had a few bananas that were... well... brown. We just didn't eat those Cheerios fast enough I guess. It is moist, tender and sans nuts. John says it tastes like a bread form of banana pudding. What more do you need to know? 

Banana Bread
adapted from allrecipes

2 cups all purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 medium bananas

Method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 in loaf pan. (I made muffins because I didn't bring a loaf pan to France... )
- Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and bananas, mix well. 
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add banana mixture to this until well incorporated.  
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. (about 60 minutes)
- Let loaf cool for 10 minutes, turn out onto wire wrack to complete cooling. 

 

Simple, fantastic Couscous

Now that everything is finished with the Paris trip and we are busy planning our other trips for this year.... and praying we don't deplete our savings in the process.... I thought I would share a FANTASTIC summer salad recipe with you. Great for Labor day cookouts, casual dinners, and picnics!

Chick Pea and Couscous Salad
Serves 6 ( I mean, it makes a LOT of salad!)

1 1/2 cups cooked couscous
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 whole green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chervil ( You can use Parsley... but it won't taste same.. I promise.)
Salt and Fresh Black pepper
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 or 2 limes, juiced. 

- Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. All of the ingredients can be adjusted to taste. 
-Eat while warm! It just isn't as good cold.  

Enjoy! Halfway to the weekend! Yeh! 
 

Cherry Cobbler for 2

This recipe is an adaptation of a Momma Connie recipe. It is incredibly simple but I promise, it is one of, if not THE, best cobblers you will ever eat. My Mom usually makes it with peaches but cherries have been in season here recently so that is what I made. You can make it with any fruit that you have on hand. 

Cherry Cobbler for 2
*Ok.. really, this should be more than 2 servings. John and I are pigs and we love cobbler. But I doubt that you can get more than 2 servings either..


In a small mixing bowl add
- 1/2 cup Self Rising Flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- blend these two before adding
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Mix well, no lumps. 


Next, Make a Simple Syrup with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. To do this- add the water and sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until dissolved. Once it is dissolved, remove from heat and add about 1 1/2 cups -pitted- (very important!) fresh cherries and a few zips* of lemon zest. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes while you....


Melt 1/4 to 1/3 cup of butter in a small baking dish. (Mine is 7x5 inches) 
Preheat oven to about 350 F.


Ok, in your baking dish with butter, add the flour-sugar-milk mixture. Next spoon in your fruit. If you have extra syrup, don't feel like you have to add it. It's ok to have extra. 


Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until top is a golden brown. 
Serve with homemade whipped cream or ice cream if you prefer. 


* A "zip" of lemon zest is what I call one piece of zest as it comes off with a zester. A few of these will usually equal about 1/4 of a teaspoon. Sorry, I make up my own words.