Tiramisu October 27, 2011

Tiramisu is one of my absolute favorite desserts ever.  I love the combination of the chocolate, cream, coffee, alcohol, and slight cookie flavors.  The creaminess of the cheese and the whipped cream mixed with the sponginess of the coffee soaked cookies is perfect.  I’ve made a few different variations of tiramisu but this one tops them all.  I usually use the typical marscapone cheese when making tiramisu.  It’s supposed to be amazingly creamy and perfect for this dish.  On my birthday, I ordered tiramisu from my absolute favorite restaurant here (oddly enough, an Italian restaurant) and it was so light and fluffy.  It didn’t have any marscapone heaviness and I enjoyed it so much more.  Well, this time, I decided to lighten mine up as well with whipped cream but also add some cream cheese.  Delicious.  Please be advised…this recipe is NOT for anyone on a diet…but it tastes amazing!

Tiramisu

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 pkg cream cheese
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 shots brewed espresso
3 shots Kahlua
cocoa powder to dust
36 ladyfingers

Whip cream cheese with sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy.  Add 1 shot of Kahlua and mix well.  Fold in whipped cream.  Combine cooled espresso and remaining Kahlua.  Layer ladyfingers on the bottom of dish and spoon espresso mixture over it.  Top with filling mix and cocoa powder.  Lightly soak ladyfingers in the espresso mixture and place on top of the filling.  Finish with another layer of filling and cocoa powder.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Whipped cream cheese with some extras....

Non-whipped cream

Whipped cream!

Served with Crema di Limonccello

 

 

 

 

Ravioli October 22, 2011

So, this was a dish that I originally made a week ago but forgot to post…Oops!  Now, I have tried again with more success.  The first attempt was a full-flavored butternut squash ravioli with spinach and parmesan.  Second attempt was goat cheese, prosciutto, and arugula with a tomato pesto sauce.  Both were incredibly yummy but the new toy that Nathan bought me today really helps.  We found a ravioli maker at the store today and so we of course had to make it again this evening.  The first ravioli attempt was lots of work but the second attempt with the ravioli maker went much more smoothly.  Both are very worth the effort–so much better than store bought!  Which ever recipe you choose, dinner will be tasty!

Ravioli Dough

1 cup white flour
1 egg
cold water

Mix the egg into the flour.  Add enough cold water to form a stiff dough.  Knead until smooth and elastic.  Roll very thin and cut into circles.  Add filling, seal, and boil for 3-4 minutes.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

1 cup butternut squash, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup  ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups frozen spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
parmesan to top

Mix well and fill ravioli.  Sautee spinach in oil and toss with cooked ravioli.  Top with parmesan.

Goat Cheese, Arugula, Prosciutto Ravioli

200 grams soft goat cheese
8 slices chopped proscuitto
3/4 cup chopped arugula
2 teaspoons garlic

Mix well and fill ravioli.  Top with red pesto tomato sauce and parmesan.  (Ok, this one really is SUPER amazing…)

Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin is one of the absolute best things about fall.  Last Sunday, we drove out to a small pumpkin farm and bought a few baking pumpkins and pumpkin champagne.  I decided that a good pairing for the pumpkin champagne would be a nice savory pumpkin chili.  Carolyn first introduced me to the idea of pumpkin chili.  Her recipe is very yummy but since I don’t have it, I had to improvise a bit.  First taste was rather perplexing and unexpected but we were hooked by the second taste and pumpkin paired amazingly well with the wine.  Granted the flavors are a bit unconventional but we ended up with a pretty tasty fall dish!

Spicy Pumpkin Chili

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can pumpkin
3 cups mixed beans (kidney, black, pinto)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons hot chili pepper
3 teaspoons garlic

Brown the ground beef with seasonings.  Add beef and other ingredients to a large pot.  Simmer for an hour.  Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Grandma’s Soft Molasses Cookies October 19, 2011

In the comfort food category…Grandma’s Molasses Cookies.  These spicy cookies will warm your tummy on the chilliest fall days.  I loved when Grandma made these when I was little.  They were just so yummy.  I loved the sugary coating and seeing if I could bite only on the cracks. One of my most vivid memories of my grandma includes sharing molasses cookies in her cold farmhouse kitchen.  These cookies are best fresh from the oven (as most are…) but they also stay fresh for a few weeks and are very tasty when slightly hard.

Grandma's very distinct handwriting...don't worry about giving Sylvia the dome lid, though. I'm pretty sure she already has it!

I used 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of sugar, and substituted half whole wheat flour.  These cookies hold up very well to the whole wheat and I’ve even made them with all whole wheat in the past.

These are just waiting their turn in my tiny oven…when baking they need lots of space to spread out.

Yum.

Saturday Morning Brunch October 16, 2011

I love weekends.  I love relaxing and taking time getting started with the day.  I pretty much always wake up early (thanks for those genes, Mom!) but I love just sipping coffee and taking the morning slow.  I also really enjoy doing a bigger breakfast on Saturday.  So, Nathan and I will often end up make eggs, pancakes, waffles, quiche, or another dish.  This week we made a sausage egg bake.  Nothing too amazing on my part, just very tasty Italian sausage.  I mixed up a fruit salad while it baked and Nathan made lattes.  Perfect lazy day brunch.

Egg Bake

1 pound hot Italian sausage
1/2 each red, orange, and yellow peppers, chopped
6 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon savory
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the sausage.   Add peppers and cook until softened.  Place in the bottom of a baking dish.  Combine milk, eggs, and seasonings.  Add to sausage and top with cheese.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Comfort Foods

There is something very comforting about chicken and potatoes.  Add warm rolls and a glass of wine and it just can’t get any better.  Carolyn taught me both the chicken and potatoes for this meal.  It’s one of the easiest and yummiest meals.  It was the perfect Sunday dinner on this beautiful fall weekend.

Roast Chicken with Rosemary

whole roast chicken
olive oil
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
1 large onion
2 large carrots

Wash the chicken inside and out.  Coat with olive oil and place in a large roasting pan.  Stuff with onions and carrots and top with spices.  Bake at 300 degrees for two hours or until temperature is 180 degrees.

Pan Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

4 medium potatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 sprig fresh rosemary
olive oil

Slice potatoes thinly.  Add to a skillet and top with olive oil, garlic, salt, and rosemary.  Cook until tender.

Add rosemary rolls, fresh from the oven…

Yum.

Chicken Enchiladas October 2, 2011

Well, after amazing French cooking over my birthday weekend, I felt rather inadequate to even attempt delicously buttery, flacky croissants or heavy, gooey cheese fondue (two of the culinary highlights of the weekend).  Ok, well actually, I’ve just been so busy with starting work that I haven’t had time to post.  Never fear–we did eat this week.  I can’t remember what, but I’m sure it was tasty….

Anyway, Friday rolled around and it was time to take the time to enjoy cooking again, rather than rushing to put something together.  Nathan and I came home from work and were able to take time and enjoy our cooking.  I have been craving the spicy, rich flavors of Mexico lately and so we decided on Chicken Enchiladas.  A little experimentation led to this recipe…

Chicken Enchiladas

1 chicken breast
2 T lime juice
1 T olive oil
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cilantro
1 tsp chipotle red pepper powder
1 c cottage cheese
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1 can chopped black olives
5 medium tortilla shells
mozzarella cheese to top

Bake the chicken breast with 1 T lime, oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cilantro, and 1/2 tsp chipotle powder.  When cooked, shred chicken and combine with cottage cheese, spinach, olives, and remaining spices.  Stuff tortillas with filling and place in a greased pan.  Top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream and serve.