Tag Archives: cooking

Brioche Buns

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Yum – hamburgers with caramelized onions, chipotle Gouda, avocado, and tomato…so good. Up until today, I have never caramelized onions before, but it couldn’t be easier. If you have 15 minutes, onion and olive oil – you’re golden! Just be sure to stir them around every once in a while so they brown evenly. My house smells amazing and I am going to have to make these every time we make hamburgers now – for the smell alone! 😉 Oh, and if that wasn’t enough to make these burgers special, I made brioche buns. These are light, fluffy and slightly sweet buns enriched with eggs, butter and sweetened with honey. The dough is pretty sticky but so light and pillow soft. These burgers had so many flavors going on – sweet, salty, savory and spicy. I am so hooked on caramelized onions now, I’m going to have to find more ways to use them. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Brioche Buns  –  adapted from Home Cooking in Montana
  • 2/3 cup warm milk
  • 1/3 cup warm water
  • 3 TBS honey
  • 2 ex-large eggs, room temp.
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 cups bread flour(+ more, if needed)
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 TBS unsalted butter, softened
Topping:
  • 1 egg yolk, for brushing( you can mix the yolk with a bit of water, if you like)
Directions:
1. In the bowl of a mixer add the flours(3 cups first), yeast and the salt. Whisk to combine and add the sliced soft butter.
2. In a glass measuring cup, combine milk, warm water, eggs and honey. Whisk to combine and add it all to the dry ingredients.
3. Place a kneading hook and turn on mixer. Mix on low scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the flour. Increase the speed to medium. Knead for 8 minutes…the dough should be tacky and look pretty sticky. If you feel the dough is sticking to the sides too much add 1 TBS of flour at a time until the dough gathers around the hook and slaps around the sides of the bowl. It may still stick a bit to the sides, but not overly. Don’t be tempted to add too much flour or the buns will be dry.~ I probably added another couple of tablespoonfuls of extra flour.
4. Continue kneading for an additional 2 more minutes… for a total of 10 minutes.
5. Scrape the sticky dough that clings to the sides of the mixer bowl and then form all of the dough in a ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until at least doubled in bulk and is nice and puffy… 1 to 2 hours.
6. Plop the soft dough unto a floured countertop… sprinkle a bit of flour on top as well. Using a dough scraper, divide dough into 8-10 equal parts. With floured hands form balls and place on lightly oiled parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet as they will rise some more.
7. Flatten the balls down a bit( to about 1 1/2-2 inches or so) and brush with egg yolk. Cover loosely( with oiled plastic wrap) and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours… or until nicely puffed.
8. Pre-heat oven to 400 deg. F with rack in center. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 10-15 minutes(depending on the size of the bread buns…mine took about 11 minutes.)

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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Quick Post: This bread is so moist and rich and no one would ever know that there is zucchini in it unless you told them 😉 Sneaky, right? My kids love it, too. M on the other hand wont touch it because he knows there is zucchini…oh well, more for me! The original recipe calls for this to be baked in a 9×5 inch pan, but I wanted to make a taller loaf, so I baked it in a smaller 8×4 inch loaf pan. That’s why mine doesn’t have a dome on top – it baked completely flat because it couldn’t rise higher than the loaf pan. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread – adapted from Inspired Taste

  • 1 1/2 cup shredded raw zucchini
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (*I used espresso powder)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup  light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a loaf pan (8×4 or 9×5) with nonstick cooking oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract and coffee granules for about 2 minutes.

Add the shredded zucchini to the dry ingredients and then in batches add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; use a spatula to incorporate everything until just mixed.  Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for 55 – 65 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the bread and then be removed clean.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Chicken Enchiladas – His Fave…

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Out of all the dinners I can think of, this has to be his most requested. I don’t understand why, I mean – they are really good – but it’s chicken. Not beef…weird. He doesn’t even want to try any other kind of enchilada – which bums me out because I love variety and trying out new recipes. Like, I would love to make cheese enchiladas…I haven’t had those in years! Anyway, these are more work than my average dinner, but they are so good. This time I’ve roasted my chicken instead of picking up a rotisserie chicken at Sam’s. I figured I could use the practice because Fall is around the corner and I love roasted chicken.

See the extra toasty bits on the tortillas? That is my favorite part – for some reason it’s sweeter there, and the salty/sweet combo is my fave! These turned out to be a little spicier than I remember – but I didn’t remove any of the seeds or ribs from the jalapenos I used. I used 10 medium sized flour tortillas,  so this could easily serve 6 to 8 people. I suppose you could halve the recipe, but he leftovers are just as good especially if you warm them up in the oven. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa – adapted from Food Network

Tomatillo Salsa:
  • 1 pound tomatillos, husked
  • 1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 jalapenos
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
Enchiladas:
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock, store bought
  • Chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1 roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 large flour tortillas
  • 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:

Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized – this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn’t burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dishand smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Warm up the tortillas in the microwave. Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it then place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish with cilantro and tomato.

Simple Roasted Chicken

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This is great practice in roasting for me – Fall is just around the corner! I love  Fall because of all the warm, comforting recipes I can make again. The chicken smelled amazing about 10 minutes in and only took about 70 minutes to cook to the 160 degree mark. Once the bird is out of the oven, it continues to cook (“carry-over cooking); so you want to take it out early or it will be toast!
Verdict: Moist, tender, delicious! Trussing the chicken does make a difference and using the probe thermometer makes this a worry free method of cooking the whole chicken. I’m not one to eat the skin, but it was nice and crispy and perfectly browned. Don’t throw the carcass away – there is a lot of great flavor and meat remaining which is perfect for making homemade chicken stock. I’m going to collect a few more for the freezer before making some. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Roast Chicken – 
  • 1 – 3.5 pound chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved (*rolled and pierced with the knife)
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
  • a hand full of cilantro
  • 1 TBSP softened butter
Special equipment:
  • kitchen twine for trussing (*not completely necessary, but it ensures even roasting and nicer presentation)
  • probe thermometer
  • half sheet pan
  • heavy duty foil
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap a half sheet pan in heavy duty foil.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of cilantro, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Insert a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the breast (*it’s the easiest, fool proof way of knowing when the chicken is finished cooking*)

Roast the chicken until a thermometer reads 160 degrees, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Linguine and Clam Sauce

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Quick, easy and flavorful! My favorite kind of meal. I only had 1/4 cup of white wine so I used enough of the drained clam juice to make up the difference. I also added lemon zest to brighten up the flavor, besides – lemon and seafood are best buds 😉 I didn’t have heavy cream and used half and half instead. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Linguine and Clam Sauce – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 1 pound linguine
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 – 10 ounce cans chopped clams, juice reserved
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • zest of one lemon
  • lemon slices for garnish
  • 2 TBSP flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook the linguine according to package directions. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the garlic and clams and stir together and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the white wine, scrapping the bottom of the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce is reduced. Add one more tablespoon of butter and stir to melt. Reduce heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Stir in the parsley and pour in the cream. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir well and taste for seasoning, adding a splash of clam juice in if the sauce needs thinning. Cook over low heat for 3 more minutes or until heated through. Pour the sauce over the cooked linguine, toss to combine. Top with freshly grated parmesan and enjoy!

Parmesan Baked Tilapia

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Quick Post: This dinner couldn’t be easier, and it was so tasty. I modified this a little with the addition of lemon zest for the butter/cheese mixture. Mine cooked perfectly in 10 minutes plus the 2 minute broiler time. Watch your fish carefully and adjust the cook time as necessary. I had one really small piece of fish that I added to the baking sheet 5 minutes into the cooking and it came out perfectly. We enjoyed this meal with a green salad, but you could serve it with rice, pasta or steamed veggies. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Parmesan Baked Tilapia – adapted from How Sweet Eats
  • 4 tilapia filets
  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup grated/shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • zest of one lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • lemon slices for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pat tilapia dry (if frozen, it should be thawed first) with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Lay on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 10-12 minutes. While fish is baking, mix butter with garlic, lemon zest and parmesan cheese.

Remove fish from oven and gently flip. Spread about 1/2 tablespoons of butter mixture on the fish, and heat the broiler in your oven. Set fish under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes, or until cheese gets golden and bubbly.

Serve with lemon.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

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Mmm…these smell wonderful while baking – but don’t all breads? That smell will never get old to me – it’s always so comforting. Anyway, this is another brand new recipe for us to try; and I spent a lot of time finding it so hopefully it tastes as good as it looks. This makes two 8×4 inch loaves, so once they’re completely cool I’ll wrap and freeze one. I have found that freezing and thawing bread doesn’t affect the taste or texture at all – I love that.

Verdict: This loaf is so good. Not too wheaty and not at all bitter from the wheat flour. It has a nice texture and chew and it’s my favorite mostly whole wheat loaf I have made so far. I love the dark crust of this bread and the texture of the toasted oats on top. I hope my family enjoys it as much as I do because I’m always looking for more ways to give them foods with more nutrition and fiber. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Oatmeal Wheat Bread – adapted from Epicurious

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) plus additional for topping
  • 1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F)
  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (from 3 packages)
  • 1/2 cup mild honey
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 cups white whole-wheat flour
  • About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • Vegetable oil for oiling bowl and loaf pans
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Heat milk in a 4-cup measuring cup and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add water, melted butter and honey – stir to combine. Set aside to cool to about 105 degrees before adding to the flour mixture.

Stir together whole-wheat flour, unbleached flour, yeast, salt  in a standing mixer bowl. Add oat mixture, stirring with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Using your dough hook, knead adding more  flour a tablespoon at a time (if needed – I used 5 more TBSP) to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic – about 5 to 7 minutes (dough will be slightly sticky). Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Lightly grease loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.)

Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla

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Quick Post: I’ve never made quesadillas for dinner for anyone but the kids – these just looked and sounded so good. Instead of just pounding, seasoning then grilling my chicken, I marinade – always! This was a simple meal to prepare and I would make these again, thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning (recipe below)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pineapple, sliced
  • Butter for the griddle
  • Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
  • 6 – 8 medium tortillas
  • jalapeno, seeded and sliced
  • barbecue sauce
Directions –
1. Place your chicken pieces in a zip top bag. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and Cajun seasoning until well combined. Pour over chicken, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. Preheat your grill to medium heat – grill the chicken for 7 minutes on each side or until done. Paint the cooked side with barbecue sauce after flipping.  Before the chicken is completely cooked, place your pineapple slices on the grill for about 5 minutes a side until you get nice grill marks. Set the cooked chicken and pineapple aside while you assemble the quesadillas.
3. Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.
4. To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges.

Cajun Seasoning – adapted from Food.com
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt (optional)
1. Pour all seasonings into a small, air tight container – shake well to combine.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

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Quick Post: The best thing I can do for my husband is to have something ready for him in the morning – the less he has to think, the better. Hopefully the cinnamon-sugar coating wont make too much of a mess 🙂 These turned out ok  – a little dry, but that could be due to the small amount of oil in these. The flavor isn’t all that great either – they’re a little bland, but the sugar and cinnamon topping is a nice treat. I bet these will be perfect with our morning coffee though. M likes his sweet, flavored creamers and I prefer half and half with vanilla sugar; and eating one of these wont compound the sweetness of our morning joe. I’ll have to try PW’s french breakfast puffs soon – they’re similar to these but probably much more decadent 😉 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins – adapted from Baked Perfection
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (*I used Greek yogurt)
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions –


Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper cups.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix with light strokes until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix; batter will not be smooth.

Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in one or two of the muffins come out clean, 12-15 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, melt 1/2 stick butter and place in a bowl just large enough to hold a muffin. Combine ½ cup of sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small, shallow bowl. As soon as the muffins are done, dip them one at a time in the melted butter and then roll in the sugar mixture. Set on a rack to cool.

Sub Rolls

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I have been on the lookout for a recipe like this for some time. This dough was not easy to work with at all because it was so sticky, and these rolls wont win any beauty contests, but hopefully it was worth the mess. While handling it try to have some olive oil or flour on your hands and work surface to make things a little less sticky. This dough did come together quickly and the rise time wasn’t too long either, so from start to finish it should take less than three hours, and most of that is just your rise and bake time.

Verdict: These came out light colored, but they did bake through all the way. It’s hard for me to resist leaving loaves in longer than the recommended amount of time when this happens. There is hardly any fat in this recipe – only 2 teaspoons of olive oil, so they probably aren’t meant to be any darker than this. The interior was nice and light with big bubbles and a thin, crisp crust and they held up well to our sandwich filling. Overall, I’m happy with how these turned out but I’m sure I’ll find an excuse to try a new recipe soon. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Long Loaves – adapted from Cookistry

  •  2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup semolina flour
  • 4 cups (18 ounces) bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions –
1. In a bowl of a standing mixer, combine all dry ingredients and pour the wet over top. Mix until a rough dough is formed, then knead with the dough hook for 5 to 7 minutes. Dump the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temp for 50-60 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
2. Lightly flour your work surface.  Turn out the dough and divide it into 4 roughly equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 12 inches long. Place 2 logs on each baking sheet. They’re look a little narrow, but they will grow impressively.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. If it seems to be sticking, flour the surface a bit – rice flour is nice for this but regular flour is fine. Slash the loaves as desired, and cover them with plastic wrap again. Let rise for another 10 minutes. They should be doubled in size – maybe a little more.
4. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through the baking time. Let the loaves cool completely on a rack.