Monthly Archives: September 2011

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

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I think he’ll forgive me for having to eat leftovers… I decided to surprise him with some extra decadent cookies and I know he didn’t mind being the taste tester of these. See, I’m torturing myself now because it’s been nearly a month since I’ve eaten any dessert; and so far I’ve remained strong 😉 Oreos are a weakness of mine, so imagine how hard it was not to eat the Oreos while I was chopping them up! It was rough, but I know I’m in much better shape than I was four weeks ago – that’s what is keeping me motivated to abstain from all things sugar. I guess making these was the ultimate test.

Verdict: He definitely enjoyed being the guinea pig and seeing all those smirks from him while he asked what “those” were when he came home were totally worth it. I made 32 medium sized cookies and bake them for the 10 minutes. Make sure that you let these cool for at least 7 minutes before moving to a cooling rack; but they’re pretty soft, so move them gently. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies – adapted from Sweet Eats

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (10 to 12) crushed Oreo cookies
Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and crushed oreos. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, roll into balls or scoop with an ice cream scooper and set on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Turkey Chili Mac

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Tonight was my chance to make a meal that I know my husband would not appreciate, and I haven’t made a dish like this since March. It makes a lot of food and it’s so cheap and a great meal for using up my pantry staples. This time I used organic ground turkey instead of the usual lean ground beef. The turkey wasn’t much more expensive than the beef, but I knew I wanted to make this as lean and healthy; so I chose it. The texture of the turkey is less dense than beef when cooked and I didn’t need to drain any fat off. I forgot to add the brown sugar to offset some of the acidity of the tomato, but we remedied that by adding ketchup to our bowl of chili mac. Personally, I love to add ketchup to any macaroni and cheese recipe because it gives a subtle sweetness and tang to the meal. M doesn’t get it, but the kids appreciate a healthy squeeze of ketchup too 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Turkey Chili Mac –
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pounds lean ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper to season the turkey
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 or 5 mini bell peppers (*or one large bell pepper)
  • 1 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 TBSP brown sugar (*I forgot to add this)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese

Directions –

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add ground turkey. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, onion powder. Once the meat is no longer pink, pour into a bowl and set aside.

2. Saute the peppers, onions and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, onion powder, coriander, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and brown sugar and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with garlic, elbow macaroni, and 2 cups water. Stir to combine, cover and keep at a high simmer for about 10 – 14 minutes or until juices are absorbed and macaroni is tender.

4. Stir in cheddar and season with freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt and add if needed.

Peanut Butter Pie with Oreo Crust

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Quick Post:  This is a combination of the two peanut butter pie recipes I’ve tried before. Those who tried it really enjoyed it – I only had a tiny “quality control” taste. M and I agreed that it was a little salty, (I left it out of the recipe for you) so I wont add any extra salt next time. Despite the slight saltiness it is light, creamy, peanut buttery and the crust is always a hit. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pie III – 

Crust –

  • 1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Filling –
  • 1 (8-inch) graham cracker pie crust
  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
Direction:
To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and toss with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened (the mixture will be quite wet).  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.  Refrigerate for about 15 minutes so the crust is firm, then bake until set, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Blend in peanut butter and vanilla.  Fold in whipped topping.  Spoon mixture into prepared pie crust.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until firm.

Banana and Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake

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Quick Post: Another morning, another healthy breakfast! I’m having fun experimenting with all these new breakfast recipes and here’s another one I found but I have modified slightly to make it more substantial with the addition of oats. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Banana and Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake – adapted from Natural Noshing
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 3/4 to 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup soaked oats
  • 1 1/2 TBSP unsalted peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 TBSP ground flaxseed
  • dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. The night before soak  1/3 cup oats in 1/3 cup of water with a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until combined. Pour into glass and enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs

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I have posted this teriyaki chicken marinade recipe two other times here but each time we’ve eaten it in a different way. The first time using thighs and serving with rice and veggies, the second time as a grilled chicken sandwich and now as kebabs! I marinated the chicken for over 20 hours and it makes such a difference. The flavors penetrate all the way into the meat and keep the chicken moist and tender. This is a double batch of what I normally use because I had about 3 pounds of chicken and about the same weight of bell peppers and mushrooms. We had friends over so there weren’t too many chicken leftovers and everyone enjoyed this – it’s always a hit with company! Thanks for reading, enjoy.
Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs  –
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2  TBSP honey
  • 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2  cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 – 3 inch piece of ginger, sliced thin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast – pounded thin and cut in 1″ chunks
  • 1 pound of crimini mushrooms
  • 3 bell peppers, cut into a large chunks
  • fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into rings (*I didn’t marinade these)
  • 15 to 20 skewers – *soaked for at least 3 hours
Directions:
1. Place your diced up chicken in a sealable container and pour half of the marinade over all and refrigerate overnight.
2. Marinade your diced peppers and cleaned mushrooms for at least 6 hours, and while those are marinating, soak your bamboo skewers.
3. Pull your chicken and veggies out of the fridge and start skewering them – I always keep the meat separate from the vegetables. I skewer about four or five pieces on each stick with a good amount of space in between to ensure even cooking and caramelization. Make sure you choose chicken pieces that are roughly the same size for the same skewer – again for even cooking.
4. Place the chicken on the grill over medium heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating them once. Place the veggies on the grill for 5 to 7 minutes or until done and charred nicely.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

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Quick Post: This breakfast requires a little more time than the average, so it’s perfect for the weekend. Mine took at least 15 minutes for the liquid to absorb. My husband commented: “It looks like you’re killing your oatmeal”, to which I replied “I’m supposed to.” There is no oat texture left in this when it’s done and the bananas get all mushy, so if you have texture issues – fear not! The addition of walnuts helps cut the near slimy-ness of this oatmeal. After I took the pictures, I thought to add raisins which also helped add textural interest and a little sweetness. I can tell you that this is filling, but I’m not full – to me there is nothing worse than feeling full and bloated; especially in the morning when there is things that need to be done.
Banana Bread Oatmeal – adapted from The Edible Perspective
    • 1/3 cup rolled oats (*you can use 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup steel cut for a chewier texture)
    • 1 large egg, whisked
    • 1/2 banana, thinly sliced
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (*or cow’s milk if you’d prefer)
    • 1 TBSP ground flax meal (*I bought flax seeds and ground them up in my blender)
    • 2 TBSP pure maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a small pot, over medium heat, whisk the oats, cinnamon, sliced banana, water + almond milk together. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Stir a few times while cooking, until almond all the liquid is absorbed – about 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in flax meal and continue cooking for 1 minute. Temper your egg – In a small bowl, whisk your egg quickly and add about 1/3 cup of the hot oatmeal mixture slowly; being careful to avoid scrambling the egg. Slowly add the egg/oatmeal back into the pot and stir until thoroughly combined. Let cook, without stirring, for 2 more minutes then pour into a bowl and top with nuts and maple syrup. Enjoy!

Banana and Peanut Butter Soft Serve

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I am so surprised at how good this is and my kids loved it – even my husband thought it tasted good. It’s not too banana-y or peanut buttery. The texture is smooth and creamy, like a nice custard style ice cream. This was a good fake out dessert because ice cream is my absolute favorite  – I miss it! It’s been about four weeks since I have had any “real” dessert, but I was pleasantly satisfied with this treat. I added the chocolate chips mostly for visual interest, I gave the chocolate chips to my kids because the soft serve didn’t need anything. My son wants me to make this again soon – score 2 for mom! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Banana Soft Serve – adapted from The Novice Chef

  • 2 to 3 frozen bananas, (*cut up before freezing for easier processing)
  • 1 heaping spoonful of natural peanut butter
  • optional: top with granola, slivered almonds or any of your favorite toppings
Directions:
1. I used my food processor for this, but you could use a blender to make it too. Place all the banana in the work bowl and pulse until nice and smooth. It took a little while at first, but once the peanut butter was added it

Pizza Sauce

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Quick Post: I found this on Tasty Kitchen awhile back and it sounded, well – tasty. I like the use of maple syrup as a sweetener and red wine as a flavor booster. Red wine and tomatoes go together really well, and white wine or vodka for that matter. This was a rich sauce and so easy to prepare. I didn’t heat it up on the stove, but chose to use the microwave instead ( fewer dishes to clean later). I used about half the batch on this pizza and I’ll freeze the rest for the next pizza night. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Pizza Sauce – adapted from Cooking for Seven
  • 1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
  • 1-2 tablespoons dry red wine (optional but very good)
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small microwave safe bowl . Whisk together until well combined. Microwave for 45 seconds to heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.


Pizza Dough

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M requested a new pizza dough so this is what I decided to try. It wasn’t as good as this one, but I’m pretty partial to it. This had a nice texture and chew, it was really easy to work with; but there was nothing remarkable about the flavor. It’s just a good basic recipe, but my search for the perfect dough for him isn’t over. He really loves California Pizza Kitchen’s dough. I have to admit, it’s really good – so if I am able to find something that comes close it would be my new favorite. I doubled this recipe and ended up with four 11 ounce balls of dough, two are stashed in the freezer. I made one pizza Margarita and one barbecue chicken pizza (a la CPK, his fave – of course). The kids and I enjoyed the new (to them) pizza margarita and M happily ate four of his – pizza night is always a hit in this family 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Pizza Dough – adapted from Food Network
  • 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
Directions:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.

In a food processor, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and process until the mixture forms a ball. (The pizza dough can also be made in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and starts to climb up the dough hook).

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).

Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Pizza Margarita –

  • 1 – 11 ounce ball of dough
  • 1/3 cup of pizza sauce
  • 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella
  • 10 leaves of basil
  • Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, olive oil for drizzling (optional)
Directions – 
*Preheat your oven to 475 about 15 minutes before you make your pizza. I use a pizza stone and place it on the lowest rack of my oven.

1. On a piece of parchment paper, shape the pizza dough into the desired diameter. I use a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Work from the inside out, and gradually move your hands away from the center of the dough. You could also do this with a rolling pin – I happen to love using my hands for the job. Once you’ve achieved the size you want, take a fork and poke the tines all over the surface of the dough.

2. Spread the pizza sauce all over, making sure to leave about an inch around the circumference. Next, take your torn mozzarella and place on top of the sauce. Because it’s fresh mozzarella, you can leave lots of empty space because this type of mozz melts beautifully and spreads itself nicely when heated. I love the stuff!  Top with basil leaves, a sprinkle of cheese and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

3. Carefully transfer the pizza – still on its parchment paper to an upside-down sheet pan. I use it like a pizza peel to move it to the stone in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Using the sheet pan again, remove the pizza from the oven and place the parchment paper and all onto a cooling rack.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

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Quick Post: This is what I came up with while searching for school snack ideas for my kids’ lunches. These don’t have any oil and they’re a great recipe to use for overripe bananas. I had four small ones for this, but probably could have used the recommended three. The kids request these moist, chocolaty mini muffins – score 1 more for mom! 😉
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins – adapted from Handle the Heat
  • 3 large bananas
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line a muffin tin with baking cups and set it aside.
In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher then mix in the sugar, egg and applesauce. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder over the banana mixture. Mix lightly with a rubber spatula to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter should be just moistened but still a little clumpy. Don’t overmix!
Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop or spoons, divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake them for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer them to a rack to cool. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.