Monthly Archives: July 2011

Triple Chocolate Muffins

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Wow, it’s been a long time since my last post – sorry about that. I’m just now getting back into my old routine and for some reason five days threw me. I suppose it could have been the time change too, or just plain laziness. I will make up for it though because I have several new recipes to share with you, like this one 🙂

M really likes the jumbo chocolate muffins with chocolate chips that Sam’s Club sells, so I figured these would be a tastier, smaller and cheaper option. Yes, these aren’t exactly healthy, nor a breakfast item but I know he would appreciate something easy to grab on the way to work. These are moist, chocolatey and not too sweet – probably a perfect accompaniment  to his morning coffee. I’ll make these again soon, thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk Muffins – adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles via Dorie Greenspan

  • 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups (9.6 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • â…” cup (4.67 ounces) sugar
  • â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ cups buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup semi-sweet chips or chocolate chunks
Directions –

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; or do this in a microwave. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough — a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Super Nachos

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Quick Post:  This came together quickly, but I wish that I had more pepper jack to add to the queso sauce. It really could have used another cup of shredded cheese. I would also add more seasoning to the meat because that was kind of bland too. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this as is, but it can be easily tweaked to suit our tastes. So, it wasn’t a complete flop, but a good starting point for me to doctor up. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Super Nachos – adapted from Food Network
  • 1 large bag of tortilla chips
  • Homemade Pico de Gallo or salsa
Beef and Bean Topping –
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dark chili powder
  • 1 1/2 ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce, giving you medium to hot heat level
  • 1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Cheese Sauce –
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3/4 pound pepper jack cheese, shredded, about 2 1/2 cups
Additional Toppings –
  • Sour cream
  • Chopped scallions
  • Chopped black olives
  • Diced pimento
  • Sliced avocado, dressed with lemon juice
  • Hot pepper sauces
Directions –

Arrange a mixture of 2 varieties of corn chips on a very large platter or use your broiler pan as a platter.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, onion and peppers to the pan and saute 2 minutes, then add meat and crumble with wooden spoon. Season meat with salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper sauce. Cook meat 5 minutes, then stir in beans and reduce heat to low.

In a medium sauce pot, melt butter and add flour to it. Cook flour and butter 1 to 2 minutes over moderate heat, then whisk in milk. When milk comes to a bubble, stir in cheese with a wooden spoon. Remove cheese sauce from the heat.

Pour cheese sauce evenly over the massive spread of chips and top evenly with beef and beans and the pico de gallo. UBER NACHOS! Serve immediately as is or, garnish with your choice of extra toppings from the toppings list

Peach and Raspberry Crumble

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Peaches and raspberries were on sale at Publix today and I immediately thought of this yummy looking crumble that Joy shared last week. The last crumble I made was her recipe so, I trust her judgment on these things because it was so darn good. I’m not even sure if I’ll like the combination because peaches and raspberries aren’t fruits I gravitate to, but I’m always up for trying new things. Plus, I love anything with a crumb topping.

Verdict: Sweet, buttery, crumbly goodness! If you love these fruits, make this soon. Oh, and don’t forget the vanilla ice cream! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Peach and Raspberry Crumble – adapted from Joy the Baker

  • 5-6 medium ripe peaches, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries (if using frozen, just thaw and drain)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place sliced peaches and raspberries in a square 8×8-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, oats, spices, and salt.  Add the butter and toss the mixture together with your hands.  Break the butter up into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of small pebbles and oat flakes.  This took me about 4 minutes.

Toss a generous handful (about 1 cup) of crumble topping into the peach and raspberry mixture.  Toss loosely with your hands.  Spread fruit evenly in the pan and top with the remaining crumble mixture.  Bake until fruit is juicy and bubbling, and the top of the crumble is slightly browned and crisp, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and serve with vanilla ice cream.  Crumble is delicious served warm and can be stored, covered, in the fridge and reheated in the oven or microwave for serving.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos and Tomatillo Salsa

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What do you do when you have lots of leftover roast chicken sitting in your fridge? You can make these for starters. I discovered this one over a year ago at Our Best Bites. They’re quick, easy and delicious and I don’t know why I haven’t shared these with you all before. These have some of my favorite flavors all rolled up in one package. I like to make my own tomatillo salsa for these because it’s so much more fresh and flavorful. It’s simple to make and always cheaper than store bought. I always omit the green onion cause M wouldn’t touch it, and I usually double this recipe because the leftovers are just as tasty.

Verdict: So good – or “yum” as my son put it. We enjoyed these with the leftover tomatillo salsa and our favorite tomato salsa. Oh, I used soft taco sized flour tortillas and we ended up with seven taquitos. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Tomatillo Salsa – Mom Makes

  • 8 to 10 small tomatillos, husked, rinsed and dried
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic with paper on
  • 1/2 small onion, paper off and cut into thirds
  • 1 jalapeno, stem cut and sliced in half from top to bottom
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 lime
  • cumin to taste
  • kosher salt to taste
Directions –
Turn on your broiler and while it’s heating, prepare your tomatillos, jalapeno, garlic and onion for roasting. Slice the tomatillos at the equator and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Add the rest of your prepared vegetables to the baking sheet and place under the broiler – about 5 or 6 inches from the heating element. I roasted mine for about 10 minutes, but if you prefer more char on yours you can leave them in a little longer. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Take them out and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack until they’re easier to handle. Take the paper of your garlic cloves in preparation for blending.
Using a food processor or blender, carefully place all the contents – including the juices into the work bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over all, sprinkle your cumin and salt, then add your cleaned cilantro leaves. Place the lid on and pulse until your desired consistency is achieved.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos – adapted from Our Best Bites

  • 1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
  • 1/4 C green salsa
  • 1T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 t cumin
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  • 1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
  • 3 T chopped cilantro
  • 2 T sliced green onions
  • 2 C shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 C grated pepper jack cheese
  • small flour or corn tortillas
  • cooking spray or vegetable oil
  • kosher salt (optional)
Directions –
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.
Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and roll them up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Molten Chocolate Cakes for Two

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This is a special treat for my friend and I while our husbands were playing poker next door. I figured we both deserved something extra special. I have made a lava cake before, but I wanted to try a new one that was perfect for two. I didn’t want to make any more than that cause we’d have to eat them all! 😉 Kidding – I love dessert, but treats like these are better in small amounts because they are so rich. Here’s hoping that these turn out as good as they look on the picture! Oh, and this recipe is scaled down for two, but the original recipe is for four. What’s great about that is you can make the full amount and cover the other two with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge. Use them within five days and let them sit out at room temp for 20 to 30 minutes, bake as directed and enjoy.

Verdict: These are amazing! Not too sweet and not too rich – perfect amount of chocolatey goodness. Make sure that you take these out when it still looks under cooked. You want it to look really soft in the center (the magic moment was at 8 minutes for me), just watch it carefully after 7 minutes. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I prefer the ice cream 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Individual Chocolate Cake – adapted from MarthaStewart.com

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • cocoa powder, for dusting molds
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (* I used a combo of semi and bitter sweet chocolate)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp all-purpose flour
  • Confectioners sugar, if desired for dusting finished cake
Directions –

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter the 2 – 4 ounce ramekins and lightly dust the inside of each with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Heat butter and chocolate in heat proof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water until chocolate is almost completely melted. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg, egg yolk, and sugar until light and thick. Slowly add butter mixture to mixer, add flour and mix until combined. Divide batter between ramekins. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Cook for 7 – 10 minutes – sides should be set and center soft.