Gingerbread Doughnuts and Other Christmas Treats (Days 335-343)

Christmas week flew by and was filled with yummy treats in this house!  We had people over here and we gathered with family elsewhere.  I made dinners, desserts, appetizers, and breakfasts--basically, we feasted (and continue to do so)!  Here's a recap of some of our holiday feasts:

Day 335 (Saturday): We had my dad's concert tonight so we quickly ate some leftover pizza from the night before and then had my parents over for coffee and cookies and fudge.  For Christmas cookies, we had spritz (a Swedish cookie), gingerbread cookies, and chocolate fudge.  I just follow the fudge recipe that's on the Fluff container--it's name is accurate "Never Fail Fudge."  At least that's how it's always been for me!

Spritz
I triple the recipe, but then use 1 cup less of flour so the dough is easier to handle and press.

1 cup soft butter
2/3 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.  Squeeze dough into a cookie press (I use Pampered Chef) and press out onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Sprinkle with colored sprinkles and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Day 336 (Sunday): Today I made my roasted whole chicken for Sunday dinner and my sister-in-law was able to join us after watching Abby sing her Christmas song at church.  I love making big dinners--especially around the holidays.

Abby singing and waving at church.

Day 337 (Monday): Vegetarian Enchiladas
So, a while ago I started making vegetable tostadas which you can do grilled or roasted and use pretty much any variety of vegetables you like.  I started dinner tonight with that recipe in mind, but it ended up turning into vegetarian enchiladas.  First off, my tortillas were a little too big for the "tostada" idea, so they were better treated as a wrap.  Second, I had some avocadoes that were about to become overripe, so I decided to make an avocado-ranch sauce.  So when everything was said and done, I had some roasted eggplant, squash, and peppers.  I mashed up the avocadoes and mixed in a little ranch dressing and spread that on my tortillas, then topped it with the roasted vegetables.  I sprinkled in a little cheese, rolled the tortillas, and sprinkled more cheese on top.  Then they went back in the oven (400*) for a few minutes until the cheese was melted.  I served it with sour cream and my homemade salsa.

Day 338 (Tuesday): My parents and brother came over for dinner tonight and I remade my entire Olive Garden dinner experience consisting of Zuppa Toscana soup, salad, and homemade breadsticks.  It was delish!

Day 339 (Christmas Eve):

We went to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas Eve dinner.  I come from a Swedish family, so Christmas Eve is a huge deal--we have a smorgasbord of food!  I brought desserts including a bourbon spice cake, cherry cordial trifle, and a mint chocolate ice cream cake.  Christmas Eve morning I also made my homemade cinnamon buns for my family.  I didn't get any pictures of the desserts, but they are all Pampered Chef recipes and you can look them up here.

Day 340 (Christmas Day): After presents were opened, coffee was had by adults and Santa's leftover cookies were eaten by the children, we had a nice, big breakfast!  I made a kale and sausage strata and gingerbread doughnuts.  We went to my parents' house for Christmas dinner and I brought homemade jalapeno poppers for an appetizer.

Gingerbread Doughnuts
I follow a few blogs of my own, in order to stay "in the loop" with different cooking techniques, writing styles, and blogging trends.  I don't always get to read every post that comes my way due to lack of time. ("No, really?"  You might be thinking.)  But I had to read this recipe that came to me from The Texan New Yorker.  These doughnuts are absolutely divine and will now become a staple among our breakfast items!  This recipe makes 6 doughnuts and uses a doughnut pan which you can buy at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar (she called for dark, but I used light)
3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 sour cream
1 TB honey
1 TB molasses
2 TB vegetable oil
2 TB whole milk

GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
2-3 TB whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a 6-count doughnut pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, honey, molasses, vegetable oil, and milk.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined.  (Don't overmix or you will get a heavier doughnut.)
Spoon the batter into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag and cut one corner off.  Pipe the batter into the doughnut pan, being careful not to overfill the doughnut rounds.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.  Whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding more milk for a thinner glaze if desired.  Pour over the doughnuts.

Day 341 (Friday): Tonight we went to Via Italian Table to celebrate my parents' 30th anniversary.  It was a great time with great food!  And if I can take a minute to share a "proud mom moment"--a couple who sat near us came over to me when they left to tell me that my kids were very well-behaved and that I should be proud.  I was! :)

Day 342 (Saturday):

Smoked Gouda Burgers for family movie night!  I bought a variety of cheeses for a cheese and cracker appetizer Christmas day.  I used the leftover smoked gouda as inspiration for these burgers.  I cooked up some bacon and crumbled it and put it in the actual burger meat with a dash of hot sauce, some Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, a bit of mayo and a tad of stone-ground mustard.  I caramelized some onions to top the burgers with and melted the smoked gouda on top.  Those burgers were delicious!



Day 343 (Sunday): We had our 3rd floor tenants over for Sunday dinner today.  I made a rosemary-salt crusted rib roast, mashed potatoes, and broccoli au gratin.  One thing I love about hosting dinners around the holidays is that I seldom have to worry about dessert.  We just passed around cookies and more fudge and that definitely satisfies everyone's sweet tooth!

So-long Summer: Day 246

Yes, I still have the weekend to recap, but that will be for another post.  I have don't have a lot of time to write tonight, but I wanted to share the quick dinner I whipped up as a tribute to the end of summer.  Autumn is my favorite season, but I still get a little sad to see summer go.  This summer felt like it went by much too quickly since we spent half of it moving and working on our new house.  I already can't wait for next summer so we can spend more time relaxing at the beach! 

I brought the kids to the park this morning and met 3 other friends and their kids--we had a great time.  When Randy came home, we took the kids to a local park.  I haven't done the grocery shopping for the week yet so we had to run to Hannaford so I could pick up a few items for dinner.  For "Meatless Monday" I made a summer vegetable pasta with bruschetta. 

Summer Vegetable Pasta

1 zucchini, cubed
1 summer squash, cubed
1 pint grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb pasta of your choosing
4 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
few basil leaves, roughly chopped
salt, pepper

Start boiling the pasta water in a large stock pot.  When it comes to a boil, season it with salt and drop the pasta.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, drizzle the olive oil and add 2 TB of butter over medium-high heat.  When the butter melts, add the zucchini and squash.  Let cook for a few minutes until just tender.  Add the tomatoes and the garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook 1-2 more minutes.  Pour in the white wine and the lemon juice and bring to a bubble.  Reduce heat to low.  When the pasta is done cooking, add it to the skillet and add the remaining 2 TB of butter.  Toss and garnish with the chopped basil.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Day 219: Grilled Zucchini Paninis

I love using fresh summer vegetables!!!  And fresh off the grill, they taste even better!  For this recipe, I didn't rely solely on the grill.  I used a grill pan on the stove to cook the paninis.  This is because the cheese melts and you don't want that getting all over the grill--better to catch it in a grill pan on the stove.  But I did have Randy grill the zucchini outside and the chicken that I'll use in tomorrow night's dinner.

For 4 Grilled Zucchini Paninis:

Cut the ends off a zucchini and cut it in half.  Slice both halves lengthwise to make strips.  Brush the zucchini strips with olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper.  Grill for about 2 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, mix 8 oz ricotta cheese, the juice from 1 lemon, 2-4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, and a little salt and pepper.  Spread the mixture on 4 slices of hearty white or sourdough bread.  Layer on 2 strips of the grilled zucchini and top with another slice of bread.  Drizzle olive oil on a hot grill pan or panini press and grill the sandwiches, pressing down gently with a spatula.  Flip when ready.  Serve warm.

Day 218: Grilled Vegetable Tostadas (Meatless Monday)

In keeping with my meal calendar that I prepared a few weeks ago, one of my goals is to have a continual "Meatless Monday."  My reasons are because 1) it adds variety to the week's meals; 2) I can save a little on the grocery bill by not having to buy meat for every night of the week; and 3) it pushes my creativity in the kitchen.  This week we're having every meal prepared on the grill--Randy's early Christmas present.  So I came up with this grilled vegetable tostada idea.  I love it because you can really use whatever vegetables you like and you can make it in the winter too, if you roast the veggies in the oven rather than grilling them. 

I had Randy grill up some zucchini, summer squash, red pepper, and eggplant.  He also grilled the corn tortillas, as well.  He drizzled the veggies with olive oil as he grilled and then I seasoned everything with salt, pepper, and a few other southwestern seasonings when they were cooked and I could cut them into smaller pieces. 

We then took the tortillas and piled them high with the grilled vegetables, some cheddar jack cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.  They were so yummy!!!  Serve along with chips and salsa if desired.

Day 206: Spinoccoli Calzones (vegetarian)

For Wednesday (Day 206), Randy had asked me to make vegetarian calzones for a luncheon he was having at work.  Remember from my last post how I mentioned I had been up at 11:00 one night making a cake and the next night making calzones?  Bingo.  Here you go.  Randy wanted about 15 calzones to bring to work and the frozen dinner rolls I buy come in bags of 12, so I sent him with 16 vegetarian ones, and then made 8 of my easy sausage calzones for our dinner Wednesday night.  I had the sauce simmering in the Crock-Pot all evening on Tuesday night while I was in CT with the girls.  When I returned from our nice dinner (and after getting stuck in stopped traffic on the MA pike for 3 miles) it was time to make calzones!

You know how the sausage ones are made, and you just follow the link above.  The filling for the Spinoccoli Calzones (for 24) is as follows:

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
1 large or 2 small bunches of broccoli, chopped
1 cup of spinach, chopped
32 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
1 egg
salt, pepper
sprinkle of basil (dry or fresh)
sprinkle of oregano
sprinkle of parsley
1 egg + water for egg wash

Start with the onion and garlic and drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent.  Add the vegetables to cook just a bit until the spinach starts to wither.  Turn off the heat.  If your skillet is large enough, you can make the filling in the skillet, otherwise you can transfer to a large bowl.  Combine the vegetables with the ricotta, mozzarella, and egg and mix well.  Add in the salt, pepper, and herbs to taste.  Fill the flattened dinner rolls as usual and use the egg wash on top.  Baking is the same, in a 400* oven for 10-15 minutes.
Sorry there's no picture!  I baked them Wednesday morning and let Randy take them out of the oven before work.  Neither one of us remembered to capture any step with the camera!  Next time, since they were so delicious I will have to make them again...

Thursday was Day 207 and we had dinner at our friends' house right around the corner!  For dessert, I made my double chocolate cookies.  Yum!

Vegan Enchiladas & Brownies (recap Days 148-151)

Confession: I haven't felt like working on my blog AT ALL the past few days.  I haven't even felt like cooking or taking pictures!  Do you ever go through specific "modes" or "moods" in life?  I'm in an organizing/cleaning/packing mode.  At least during the day at school.  I just packed up my classroom (I had to switch rooms with another teacher in preparation for the new classroom arrangement for next year) and brought several things home.  I love to organize so I thoroughly enjoyed sifting through papers, separating items, deciding what I keep, what I toss, and what gets passed to my aunt who will start her first year teaching in the fall.  I know, I sound crazy.  I'm well aware that organizing is not a commonly loved activity.  I only wish this stamina would carry itself home.  It's been so beautiful out that I cleaned out our fairly large kiddie pool and filled it.  Now, the first thing I do when I get home with the kids is put on their swimsuits, hand them a freeze-pop, and stick 'em in the pool.  I sit with my feet in and a magazine in hand.  It's bliss!  Randy has also had the past couple weeks off from his night job, so we've had our evenings together.  We're spending that time watching "Lost" on Netflix and drinking wine.  So the time I normally spend folding clothes, organizing the house, writing my blog, and washing dishes, is now spent sitting on the couch.  Needless to say, things are piling up.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the time I'm spending with my husband and children! But with the last day of school tomorrow, I'm hoping that I can keep up my organizing craze and start packing up the house once school is out.  We're supposed to sign our P & S agreement for the new house tomorrow and I will take that as my "greenlight" to start the slow process of organizing and packing.  I am actually giddy at the thought of tossing/donating a whole bunch of stuff!

But back to the actual reason for this blog: food.  My cousin's fiancée just had a baby and they live a few streets away from us.  I wanted to bring them a meal and Jodi is vegan, so I needed to do a little research, first.  I found a recipe for Vegan Enchiladas which I thought would go great with my homemade guacamole.  I think every new mom deserves a sweet reward to help get through those sleepless nights, so I also made Vegan No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies.  But before I get to those recipes, let me catch you up on our week of dinners.

Day 148 (Monday): good ol' spaghetti and meatballs!

Day 149 (Tuesday): I made a big salad for Randy and I with some leftover chicken from Sunday.  We also shared a pizza with the kids.

Day 150 (Wednesday): salmon salad and an arugula salad with a homemade lemon vinaigrette, fresh parmesan cheese, and cracked black pepper.  I only ate the arugula salad and it was so tasty! 

And then there's today (Day 151-Thursday).  When I got home from school, I made the guacamole and the avocado sauce for the enchiladas.  I had already made the enchiladas and brownies the night before.  Abby and I walked down to my cousin's house to meet their beautiful baby!  Here are the recipes:

Vegan Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce
I got this recipe from a vegan blog (http://ohsheglows.com/) that was recommended to me by a co-worker.  The original recipe called for black beans and I used pinto instead.  Also, it gave a choice between using a sweet potato or a zucchini and I used both since I doubled the recipe so my family could try them also.  Instead of doubling the enchilada sauce, I used both enchilada sauce and tomato sauce.  Tomato sauce is cheaper than enchilada sauce, and it allows you to control the seasonings.  I added chipotle chili powder to mine for a more smoky flavor.  This is the single recipe and it makes 4 enchiladas.

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sweet potato (or zucchini), chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 handful of spinach, chopped
1 can of black or pinto beans, drained
1 32 oz can of enchilada sauce
cumin, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder--all to taste
4 whole grain tortilla wraps
creamy avocado sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350*.  Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato/zuchini  by boiling in water for just a few minutes.  In a large skillet, cook the onions over medium/medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Now add the sweet potato, spinach, pepper, and drained beans.  Cook for 5-7 minutes.  Add the enchilada sauce and seasonings to taste.  Stir well.
Ladle a thin layer of sauce on the baking sheet.  Then fill each tortilla wrap with about 1 cup of the mixture and place them seam-side down on or in the pan (whatever you are using).  Complete each enchilada and the pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Serve with creamy avocado sauce.

Creamy Avocado/Cilantro Sauce
1-2 avocados (depending on size)
2 TB of water
2 TB lime juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup fresh cilantro
salt, garlic powder, cumin, pepper--all to taste

Combine ingredients in the food processor and process until creamy.  Spread over baked enchiladas.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (No Bake!)
At first, I looked at a recipe from the same blog for Two-Layer Raw Chocolate Brownies.  However, I couldn't find all of the ingredients for the homemade vegan chocolate sauce, so I decided to change it to a vegan peanut-butter sauce, which led me to swap out the walnuts in the brownie for peanuts.  I also couldn't find raw cacao nibs, so I didn't use them.  I used a tad more cocoa powder.  Here's my (slightly more "user-friendly") recipe.

1 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup organic, unsalted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups dates
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsps vanilla
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Process the peanuts in a food processor until fine.  Add the seeds and dates and process until fine and sticky.  Add the powder, vanilla, and salt and pulse until combined.  Evenly press the mixture into an 8 x 8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.  Place in the freezer while you make the peanut-butter sauce or for 10 minutes.  Remove from freezer and pour the peanut butter sauce (recipe follows) over the brownies.  Return to the freezer for 20 more minutes.  (Overnight is fine, too.)  Remove from freezer and cut into squares.  These are so delicious!  I will most likely make more for myself soon!

Bethany's Peanut-Butter Sauce (vegan)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup vegetable/soybean oil
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
1/4 cup almond milk (plain milk is fine if you're not making a vegan version)
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and vegetable oil over medium-low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the peanut butter and almond milk.  Continue to whisk and cook for another minute or until all incorporated.  Remove from heat, add the vanilla and stir. 

I actually sprinkled finely chopped peanuts on top, but forgot to sprinkle them on before I took the picture!

Day 124 & 128: Luncheon Specials/Appetizers

Since I'm a little behind on my blogging, I thought I would combine some of my days to help catch up.  Today (Day 128) the kids are having mac & cheese, veggies, fruit, chips, and probably leftover cake for dinner.  They were babysat by my wonderful cousin.  Randy and I have been very busy lately, and I figure I'll just come out and say why: we're house shopping.  I haven't disclosed this information yet because we like to maintain a certain degree of privacy.  But I'm tired of cryptically saying that we have "appointments" all the time around dinner.  For those who have house-shopping experience, you know that it involves a lot of last-minute appointments and dinnertime house-viewings.  This is why I haven't had many new dinner recipes to share lately.  Luckily, my recent catering jobs and Noah's party will provide some new recipes to post on my blog!
 
Friday (Day 124) I provided some appetizer specials for a luncheon at school.  The menu included homemade hummus with vegetables, honey-mustard dip, lemon-grilled chicken with satay dip, spring veggie tartlets, fruit skewers, gluten-free fruit tarts, and chocolate-chip "snowball" cookies.

All of my business cards were picked up at the luncheon!  Time to print more...

Here are a few of the recipes from the teacher luncheon:

1. Homemade Hummus
I got this recipe from my mother, which may have come in her Vitamix Blender.  Here is the original recipe, but I should disclose that I doubled it and added more garlic! ;)

2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, 1 drained & 1 with fluid
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 TB olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
salt

Place all ingredients (except the salt) in a blender or food processor and mix well.  Add the salt to taste.

2. Spring Veggie Tartlets (makes 18 tartlets)
I came up with this recipe myself.  It was inspired by the idea of "finger" appetizers like the warm goat cheese & onion tartlets I make but wanting something with a different flavor, more reflective of spring.  These tartlets are served cold, so you can easily make them ahead of time.

1 box puff pastry
1 egg for egg wash
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2-3 oz plain Greek yogurt
1 TB onion flakes
1 TB fresh chives
salt, pepper
1/2 cucumber, sliced & quartered
chopped red onion (1/4 or less of the onion)
chopped yellow pepper
chopped broccoli

Preheat the oven to 400*.  With a circle cutter, cut 9 circles out of each sheet of puff pastry.  Place them in a mini-tart (mini-muffin) tray and gently press down.  Brush each tartlet with eggwash and bake for 10 minutes.
Mix the cream cheese, yogurt, onion flakes, chives, and salt & pepper to taste together for the spread.  When the tartlets come out of the oven, allow them to cool a few minutes, then press them down to form little cups if necessary.  Spread the cheese mixture on top of each one and top with a cucumber quarter-slice, some red onion, yellow pepper, and a little broccoli.  Refrigerate for a few hours and serve cold.

3. Noah's Chocolate Chip "Snowball" Cookies
I love these cookies!  They are not too sweet, which definitely helps bring out the chocolate flavor.  I got the recipe from a friend who made them for me and brought them to the hospital the day after I had Noah.  Childbirth definitely gives you a case of the "munchies" and I thoroughly enjoyed these cookies!  They always remind me of when Noah was born which is why I renamed them after him. :) 

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps vanilla
1 egg
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Blend the butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Add the egg and mix well.  Mix in the 2 cups of flour and salt.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Shape into 1 inch balls and bake at 350* for 13-15 minutes.

4. Gluten-Free Almond Fruit Tart
This was the first gluten-free recipe I've made!  The recipe itself doesn't make much.  I actually quadrupled the recipe to get 2 normal-sized (in my opinion) tarts.  For this (and other) recipes I made for this luncheon, I actually used a lot of low-cal or fat-free cream cheeses, mayos, etc.  This is not how I normally cook.  But I had to consider my audience. This recipe is probably one I would consider making again (with full-fat cream cheese).  The almond crust was really good (it is the only aspect of the recipe I took from the internet--the filling was my recipe)!
 
For the Crust:
1 cup almond flour
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 egg
1 TB butter, melted
3 TB honey
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease an 8" tart pan.  Blend the egg, butter, honey, and almond extract.  Add the almond flour and salt.  Spread over the tart pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool completely before inverting and filling.

For the Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
3 TB honey
1 TB apricot preserves
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1-2 TB milk

Cream/blend ingredients together and spread over a cooled crust.  Top with strawberry slices, kiwi slices, and blueberries.  (Add grapes, too, if you'd like!)

Day 106: Caprese Paninis

I do realize that this is the second post in 3 days with a "caprese" theme.  I like to reuse ingredients to help save time and money.  Tonight Randy and I both had meetings so dinner was leftover New York Deli Mac & Cheese from last night.  But for lunch, I made paninis in advance.  I didn't feel like making pesto for my usual panini since I had weekend full of bread-making and cleaning the house!  So instead, I drizzled balsamic vinegar on the bread and then layered tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil in between slices.
I then grilled the sandwich and used a cast-iron skillet covered in foil to add weight to the sandwiches so they would flatten.

This is one of those lunches that I can't wait for while I'm at work!!!

Day 49: Maple-Oatmeal Scones, Tortellini Soup, Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread

This morning I made scones again!  I actually haven't made this recipe in a while, even though it is one of our favorites.  Randy has requested that I attempt writing my own scone recipe for him, which will be a fun project for me to do in the near future. :)  For now, here's another Ina Garten inspired fool-proof recipe:

Maple-Oatmeal Scones
4 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oats, plus more for sprinkling
2 TB baking powder
2 TB sugar
2 tsp salt
1 lb cold, unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/2 maple syrup
4 eggs, beaten
1 egg + water for eggwash

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanillla

Preheat oven to 400*.  Combine the dry ingredients (stand mixer is good for this recipe) then add the diced butter.  Mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the buttermilk, syrup, and eggs and mix them with the dry ingredients.  When completely incorporated, dump sticky dough onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2-1 inch thick.  Cut circles out of the dough and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Brush with egg wash.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  When cooled, drizzle the glaze over the scones and sprinkles with additional oats.  (Makes 14-16 scones.)

For Ina's exact recipe, visit http://barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=188&S=0.

Tortellini Soup
This recipe is almost never the same when I make it.  I'm constantly changing amounts of ingredients or making minor adjustments as I go.  Here's how I made it tonight:

12-14 cups chicken broth
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 carrots, sliced
1 small bag of frozen corn
1/3 box frozen spinach (or 1 bag fresh spinach--I will probably do it this way next time)
2 bags of frozen tortellini
salt, pepper
shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the onions, garlic, and carrots in the broth over medium heat until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the corn, spinach, and tortellini and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.  Season again with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread (Ina Garten)
3 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 TB baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 lb melted butter
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 small jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the eggs, butter, and milk and mix until just incorporated.  Add most of the cheese, the scallions, and jalapenos, and mix together.  Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350* and grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Day 46: Eggplant Parmesan

This was another first-timer for us.  I mean, we LOVE chicken parmesan and have it on a pretty regular basis.  But honestly, we're not huge eggplant fans.  Randy and I both like the idea of eating more vegetarian meals.  However, neither one of us really like beans, lentils, or eggplant.  Mushrooms are okay.  Take all of those ingredients out of the vegetarian meal pool, and our options are limited.  That's one reason we don't feel obligated to COMMIT to having a vegetarian meal EVERY single week.  We do re-try things every so often because we realize that tastes can change.  So even though we don't like eggplant much, I figured, covered in sauce and cheese--how bad can it be?  And it was great!!!

The plan:

Boil a pot of water so it's pasta-ready.  Set a small saucepan with spaghetti sauce to simmer on the stove.  Wash and slice an eggplant.  Set up 2 shallow bowls: 1 with 2 eggs and a little water and salt and pepper, the other with seasoned breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt/pepper.  Heat a grill pan on the stove over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil.
Once the water is boiling, salt it liberally and drop the pasta.  Then start the eggplant.  Dip the slices in the egg, then the breadcrumbs.  Place on the grill pan and flip once dark brown grill marks appear.  Once done, transfer all the slices to a baking sheet.  Pour sauce over the cooked eggplant, and place slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on top. Place under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
Serve with pasta, extra sauce, and extra parmesan cheese!

Day 23: Red & Green Vegetarian Lasagna

This is a great make-ahead meal, and a fun diversion from the traditional lasagna.  I first made it when I was pregnant with Noah and wanted freezer meals to enjoy and take a little load off during the first few weeks of his life.  The roasted peppers and sun-dried tomatoes make a unique sauce.  I've adapted my recipe from Rachael Ray's.  It's pretty similar, only minor changes.

Red & Green Vegetarian Lasagna

8-10 sun dried tomatoes, oil-packed
extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
8 roasted peppers from a jar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 28-oz can tomatoes (crushed, diced, sauce--whatever chunkiness sauce you like)
fresh basil, chopped
salt, pepper
pinch of sugar
2 lbs spinach
1 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional--tonight we opted out)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
32 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg, + 1 egg yolk
2 boxes no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Get the onion and 2 garlic gloves cooking in a saucepan over medium heat with some olive oil.  Meanwhile, place the peppers and tomatoes in a food processor and puree.  Add the 28 oz tomatoes to the onion and garlic and then add the pepper/tomato puree, the basil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.  Simmer.  While the sauce simmers, wash out the food processor and put the spinach and remaining garlic in.  Pulse.  Add the pine nuts, if using.  Pour in the vegetable stock and pulse into a paste.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Add the parmesan cheese and with the processor on, stream in some extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 cup).  Transfer the pesto to a bowl and add the ricotta cheese and egg and egg yolk.  Mix.  Assemble the lasagna by starting with the red sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan.  Then layer the noodles, the green sauce, and continue alternating.  Top with the shredded cheese.  At this point you can freeze it, or you can bake at 400* covered with foil for 45 minutes.  Then remove the foil and continue baking another 15 minutes.

This is a meal I'm happy to give my kids!  Noah (8.5 months) ate the same size piece as the rest of us tonight!

Day 7: Mighty Minestrone & Cornbread

There are several different variations of this soup out there.  Here's a variation I made tonight:

Minestrone Soup
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves  of garlic, minced
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme, chopped
salt, pepper, dried oregano, red pepper flakes
15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine
4+ cups vegetable stock
water
1 lb ditalini pasta
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
more salt & pepper!
parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot, heat some extra virgin olive oil and saute the onion.  Add the garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme and season with salt, pepper, oregano, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  (It's helpful to rub the dried herbs between your fingers first to release more flavor.)  Cook down 3-5 minutes until the vegetables are soft.  Add the chickpeas, beans, and tomato paste and cook a few minutes until the paste smells sweet.  (The paste will literally smell bitter at first, and then it will smell sweet after a few minutes.)  Season with more salt and pepper.  Add the wine and allow alcohol to cook off.  Add the vegetable stock and about 3-4 cups of water.  Add the kale to wilt and bring to a boil.  Once the water starts boiling, add the pasta and reduce heat to medium for the pasta to cook (about 8 minutes).  Let simmer until ready to eat!  Sprinkle with parmesan freshly grated parmesan cheese when ready to serve.  (*Note, I've heard from many chefs on my favorite network, The Food Network, that adding the rind from parmesan cheese wedges to soups is a great way to season!  I do it in all of my soups now, and love the extra salty, nutty taste it brings to my soup!)

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
(Randy LOVES cornbread, and swears this recipe is the best he's ever had!  Courtesy of Chef Alex Gaurnaschelli)

1 1/4 cups cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425* and place 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the milk, buttermilk, and eggs to combine.  Add most of the melted butter, reserving about 2 Tbsp.
Remove the skillet from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 375*.  Coat the skillet with the remaining melted butter, and then pour in the batter.  Bake until center is firm, about 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Day 4: Spaghetti w/ Winter Greens

I offer this dish as proof of a QUICK and HEALTHY meal.  Contrary to yesterday's post, I actually can and often do prepare real food in a flash when needed.  Thursday nights we have lifegroup, so I need something quick, that will also feed my brother-in-law, Eric, who comes to watch the kids while we're gone.  The original recipe includes anchovies and capers, neither of which are very popular in this house, so I omitted them and added a teaspoon or so of Dijon mustard to the sauce to come close to the anchovy flavor.  The measurements here are not from the original recipe, either, they are the approximations I used tonight and I fed 3 adults and 1 child.

Spaghetti with Winter Greens
1/2 lb (or so) spaghetti
1 bunch escarole, roughly chopped
1-2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 squirts of Dijon mustard
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, nutmeg

Boil water for the pasta.  Once the water is boiling, add a bunch of salt.  (I LOVE Mario Batali's quote, "Salt it like the seawater." It really makes A TON of difference in the pasta flavor!)  Drop the spaghetti.  Once it's been cooking for about 5 minutes and has 5 minutes to go, start the sauce.  Add olive oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook for about a minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the greens to wilt.  Season the greens with black pepper and nutmeg and the zest of a lemon.  Right before you drain the pasta, add a ladleful of pasta water to the greens.  Drain the spaghetti and add it to the skillet.  Add the mustard and the lemon juice.  Toss until well combined.
Tonight I served it with ciabatta bread.  I drizzled the bread with extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkled one of my favorite herbs, rosemary on top.  I then stuck the bread under the broiler until golden brown.  I love serving different flavored breads, it adds a little something to the meal as a whole. :)