Yes, We Cook!

Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Cookies

Eileen Devlin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:00:24 +0000

So I went with this recipe because I wanted to use what I had on hand – and we ran out of the chocolate hazelnut drops. Holy crap these were so good! Definitely not your average chocolate chip cookie. Add these to your gourmet cookie box collection – that’s my goal, you know!

Heaven’s ingredients:

1 c butter, softened

scant 3/4 c superfine sugar

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

2 tsp orange extract

2.5 c flour

generous 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

salt

1.5 tbsp each superfine sugar and ground cinammon

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat your butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until well combined then beat in egg yolk and extract. Sift together your flour and pinch of salt into the mixture and add the chocolate chips. Stir until thoroughly combined. Keep in mind the batter may be somewhat crumbly.

3. For the coating, mix your tbsps of sugar and cinnmmon. Scoop out dough by tablespoons and form into balls and roll them in the coating. Place on your cookie sheets spaced well apart.

4. Bake for 12-15 mins and let cool on cookie sheets for 5-10. Then transfer to wire racks with metal spatula. Makes 30.

Guaranteed to make your kitchen smell so delicious!

Enjoy these as much as I have =D

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Southwest Steak (Dinner)

Eileen Devlin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:03 +0000

I love Mexican food. When I was pregnant I literally ate tacos almost everyday for the first 3 months. Funny that I never really branched out from that until much later. I wanted to grill steak but not necessarily do a carne asada (although that is muy delicioso) so I found the following recipe and am sure glad I did! I also wanted to make a side of rice and salad to go with this so keep reading!

Southwest steak:

1/4 c lime juice

1/4 c bottled steak sauce

1/4 c salsa (whichever level of spiciness you prefer)

1 tbsp canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 lb boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 in thick

1. For marinade, in a small saucepan combine all seasoning ingredients and bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 mins, stirring occasionally; cool.

2. Place steak in a resealable plastic bag and set in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over steak and place in fridge 8-24 hrs. (Mine sat for about 19-20 hrs) Turn bag occasionally.

3. When ready place meat on grill and cook to desired doneness, turning once halfway through grilling.

4. Thinly slice, as Rick Bayless says (sorry just saw a recent tweet), ALWAYS against the grain!

Your Red Rice side:

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 sm onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 c long grain white rice

1 tsp achiote powder (this you can find in a Mexican store, I found a Mexican seasoning at a local farmers market which was wonderful! Just make sure what you end up using isn’t just a plain chile powder or something like that)

1 bay leaf

2 c canned crushed tomatoes (***I used ones with sweet onion in them***)

2.5 c low sodium chicken broth

1. Heat oil in med saucepan over med-high heat and add onions and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes.

2. Add rice, seasoning powder, and bay leaf and cook until rice is opaque, about 2 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to boiling. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer until liquid evaporates and is just below level of the rice. Simmer, covered, on low for about 20-25 mins. Yields 4-6 servings.

Tomato with Avocado Salsa:

1/2 lg avocado, diced

2 tsp fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp salt

1 medium Anaheim or poblano pepper, seeded and ribs removed, finely chopped

2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro

1 lg tomato, cut into 5 slices

1.25 tsp fresh lime juice

In a medium bowl, stir together the avocado, 2 tsp lime juice, salt, pepper and cilantro. Be sure the avocado is coated with the lime juice to prevent discoloration.

For each serving, place avocado mixture over tomato slice(s). Sprinkle with additional lime juice.

And here you have it!

Oh yeah. . .don’t forget your warmed up tortilla (I used whole wheat) and additional leafy greens! The meat came out so incredibly tender – it was perfect. The avocado/tomato had just the right amount of tang and the rice had really good flavor (I believe the crushed tomato with sweet onion did the trick). All in all – this was a very delicious and satisfying meal for that Mexican craving.

Nutritional Information:

Southwest Steak:

Calories: 200

Total Fat: 9 g

Cholesterol: 69 mg

Protein: 25 mg

Carbohydrate: 5 g

Fiber: 1 g

Sodium: 385 mg

Tomato with Avocado Salsa:

Calories: 49

Total Fat: 3. 5 g

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 67 mg

Carbohydrate: 5 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 1 g

Sorry, I do not have the information for the red rice side as this was not made available.

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Ham, Spinach, and Gruyere Bread Pudding with Kale and Potato Hash

Eileen Devlin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:00:53 +0000

It was time to do brunch again and I really wanted to do something different. ZenChef inspired me as he has used Gruyere in tarts before. If you like to branch out in your cheeses Gruyere is also wonderful as a dessert cheese and melts well for sauces and fondues (just a side note if you didn’t know this already!). So here you are. . .

For the Bread Pudding:

4 large egg whites

4 large eggs

1 c skim milk

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp fresh minced rosemary

4 c whole grain bread (I left the crusts on) cut up in 1 in cubes

5 c chopped spinach wilted

1/2 c chopped jarred roasted red peppers

1 c diced ham steak (5 oz)

3/4 c shredded Gruyere

1. Preheat oven to 375 and prep your 2-2.5 qt baking dish. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk and then add your seasonings; whisk.

2. Toss your bread, spinach, peppers, and ham in a large bowl. Add your egg mixture and toss well to coat. Transfer to baking dish and press down to compact. Cover with foil.

3. Bake for 40-45 mins; uncover and top with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes more. Cool on wire rack. Makes 8 servings.

For Kale and Potato Hash:

8 c torn kale

2 tbsp horseradish

1 med shallot, minced

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp salt

2 c cooked shredded potato

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Place kale in large microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Wilt – about 3 mins. Drain and finely chop.

2. Mix the rest of the seasoning ingredients and add potato and kale.

3. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Evenly layer your hash and cook until potato is crisp and golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. (The ingredients above yield 4 servings so I doubled the recipe.)

Sunday brunch!

To offset the two dishes we whipped up some buttery pancakes and made homemade whipped cream topped with strawberries (sigh). This was delicious!

Nutritional Information:

Bread Pudding:

Calories: 276

Carbohydrates: 25 g

Protein: 21 g

Fat: 10 g

Cholesterol: 169 mg

Fiber: 3 g

Sodium: 746 mg

For Kale and Potato Hash:

Calories: 240

Carbohydrates: 30 g

Protein: 6 g

Fat: 12 g

Cholesterol: 0

Fiber: 5 g

Sodium: 244 mg

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(New and Improved) Apple Muffins

Eileen Devlin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:37:23 +0000

Not too long ago I made an apple streusel muffin that was very good. Well. . .I came across this recipe and decided to try it since I needed more homemade breakfast goods on the kitchen counter. Let’s just say the first apple muffins are now complete history. I believe, yes, I believe my husband ate 3 out of the dozen the first day. These are so moist and satisfying and for being low-cal I fell in love!

Your supplies:

3/4 c plus 2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/4 c chopped pecans

1/2 tsp ground cinammon

1 c each flour and wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c canola oil

2 large eggs

1 c natural applesauce (= 2 small individually packed applesauces)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 c lowfat buttermilk

1 golden delicious apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 and prep your muffin pan. In a small bowl mix the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and pecans. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl mix together flours, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl mix remaining 3/4 c sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each. Then add applesauce and vanilla. Whisk in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with buttermilk. Gently stir in apple.

4. Fill your muffin pan and sprinkle with sugar/pecan topping. Tap the pan to remove any air bubbles (did not know this previously!). Bake for 20 mins and let cool on wire rack for 15. Enjoy!

sorry about the flash - took this with my phone :-p

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 219

Total Fat: 8 g

Protein: 4 g

Carbohydrate: 35 g

Fiber: 2 g

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Chicken and Noodles

Eileen Devlin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:59:47 +0000

(Oh I have so many things to post. . .) I know everyone has their own version of this dish as it is comfort food at its finest. I loved the fact that with this recipe you made the noodles yourself, which was surprisingly, not difficult! Feel free to vary the recipe and let me know how it goes.

You’ll need:

1/2 c all purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/2 large beaten egg

2 tbsp fat free milk

3 c fat free low sodium chicken broth

1 c diced cooked chicken (about 6-8 oz)

1.5 c no salt added frozen mixed veggies (or choose your own fresh)

1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/3 c water

3 tbsp flour

1. For the noodles, mix first 3 ingredients until you form a ball. Lightly flour a cutting board and kneed the dough for about 1-2 mins. Cover with a dry dish towel and let rest for 15 mins.

2. Roll the dough out to a 9 x6 in rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into strips about 3 in long and 1/2 wide. Cover with dish towel and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, stir together the broth, chicken, veggies, and seasonings (not water and flour). Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add the noodles; cook for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the water and flour together and stir into the mixture. Cook for a few more minutes until it has thickened a bit. Serves 3 (1.5 c servings)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 235

Total Fat: 2. 5 g

Cholesterol: 40 mg

Sodium: 328 mg

Carbohydrate: 29 mg

Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 22 g

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Chocolate Hazelnut Drops

Eileen Devlin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:26:56 +0000

Hello. My name is Eileen and I am a chocoholic. . .I once again hit the jackpot with these cookies. Hazelnuts are my favorite nut and although I think almost anything is good drenched in dark chocolate – this combination is incredibly satisfying. But that’s just my opinion. Feel free to form your own once you’ve made these

Supplies:

1 c softened butter

scant 3/4 c superfine sugar

1 lightly beaten egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 c flour

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa

1/2 c ground hazelnuts

1/3 c semisweet chocolate chips

4 tbsp chocolate and hazelnut spread

salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line your cookie sheets with parchment.

2. Mix your butter and sugar with a wooden spoon and then beat in yolk, and extract. Stir together flour, cocoa, and a pinch of salt, add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. Scoop out tablespoons of the mixture and shape into balls. Place on sheets and use the dampened end of a wooden spoon to make a hollow in the center of each cookie.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes and let cool on the sheets for 5-10. Then transfer to wire rack to cool completely and fill the hollows with the spread. Makes about 30.

Let me count the ways. . .

Incredibly decadent :9

Yeah, I wasn’t counting calories with these.

Enjoy!

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Chipotle Chili and Southwestern Drop Biscuits

Eileen Devlin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:53:11 +0000

After a pretty gluttonous weekend I have returned to doing my low-cal thing. I’m not a die-hard fan of chili but I thought I’d give this recipe a try. I’m glad I did because it definitely hit the spot for cold weather comfort food! I wanted to pair it with something and biscuits sounded appealing. The chili was great as it was hearty enough with the beans and other veggies in it without being “heavy”.

For the Chili:

8 0z extra lean ground beef or turkey (or even ground chicken)

1 c chopped onion

1.5 tsp ground cumin

2-14 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained, cut up

1-15 oz can red beans, drained and rinsed

1.5 c coarsely chopped red and or yellow sweet pepper

1/2 c water

2-3 tsp chopped canned chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce (I love spicy so I used 3)

1 tbsp snipped fresh oregano

1/4 c shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

1. Lightly coat an unheated large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat and cook your meat and onion. Stir in cumin and cook for about a minute more. Add tomatoes, red beans, pepper, water, and chile peppers. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 mins and then stir in oregano.

2. Serve with cheese and a dollop of sour cream (this offsets the spiciness very well)! Makes 4-1.5 c servings.

For biscuits:

1 c all purpose flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

2 tsps baking powder

1-2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1-8 0z carton light sour cream

1/3 c fat free milk

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet. Stir together first 5 ingredients.

2. Whisk together sour cream and milk and then mix with flour mixture. Drop 1/3 c sized dough mounds on sheet and bake for 14-16 mins. Makes 8 servings.

The biscuits were okay. They definitely needed to be buttered (of course I go low fat and use the zero calorie ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’ spray). I’m not sure what I would have done differently for these – maybe added some reduced fat cheese? Alternately, you can serve the chili with lime wedges and baked tortilla chips which would work just as well. But the chili was very good!

Nutritional Information:

Chili:

Calories: 398

Total Fat: 14 g

Cholesterol: 57 mg

Protein: 27 g

Carbohydrate: 40 g

Fiber: 10 g

Sodium: 1030 mg

For biscuits:

Calories: 138

Total Fat: 3 g

Cholesterol: 10 mg

Protein: 4 g

Carbohydrate: 23 g

Fiber: 1 g

Sodium: 191 mg

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Bob’s Crash Hot Potatoes

Eileen Devlin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:25:52 +0000

So after a bit of a hiatus (s0rry about that), it is time to post again. Hope you are all having a good week I think I will start off with a side dish this time (but it doesn’t have to be by any means). Here’s something simple for those of you in eskimo-esque climates. Bob inspired me as I was wanting good ‘ole steak and potatoes – so you can thank him later. However, this was simply wonderful! Our guests the past two weekends have been raving about this still!

You’ll need:

desired amount of red potatoes (apparently these taste best)

garlic (Bob used this for his blog pictures but I went with straight bacon-cheese potatoes)

butter

bacon

shredded cheese (I used sharp)

sour cream

1. Boil your potatoes until tender.

2. Wrap your baking pan with foil. Place your potatoes and smash them until open. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with desired ingredients. I knew bacon was going to be a big hit so I topped each potato with a pat of butter, uncured bacon and shredded cheese.

3. Bake at 450 for 25 minutes. You can smell the magic by then. Serve with a side of sour cream – absolutely fantastic.

oh yeah. . .

The first weekend I made these along with Van’s baked macaroni and cheese and steak. That was a great night Thank you both for your dinner ideas – they made me look good!

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Sorry for the lack of posts

Van Santos — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:45:19 +0000

Hi All,

Sorry for the lack of posts, life has been very busy for the last two weeks. I really miss getting into the kitchen and working some magic, however, I simply haven’t had the time or energy due to a wide range of issues. You know… work… school (I’m getting a masters)… life in general…

That said, I am making a public promise right now. Moving forward, I will make it my duty to post twice a week. I deserve it, the site deserves it, and the constant experimenting will continue my growth in the kitchen.

I hope you have enjoyed everything thus far and, again, sorry for the lack of posts.

Van

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Van Santos — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:06:51 +0000

My mother makes the type of Macaroni and Cheese that I love… It’s one of those childhood comfort foods (along with Meat Pie and Hashbrown Casserole) that cannot get enough of. With the fear of ruining a bunch of childhood memories in my head, I decided to venture out and try another recipe…

This one from Alton Brown with just slight changes.

All The Stuff

Needed:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon powdered mustard

3 cups milk

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 large egg

8 oz cheddar, shredded

8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh black pepper

For the Topping:

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup panko bread crumb

Steps to throwing together this masterpiece.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Mix in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes.

Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Mix in egg.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Breadcrumbs going on...

Throw on the Cheese!

Remove from oven, let sit for ten minutes before serving.

Baked and Ready to go.

A very enjoyable dish, one that is the perfect comfort food… but it does not replace the childhood memories.

The paprika add a subtle flavor and panko breadcrumbs create a texture that I never would have associated with Mac and Cheese but really enjoy.

One last item with this dish – the longer the dish sits, the better it tastes. After having the Mac and Cheese hibernate in the fridge overnight I found even more pleasure in eating the leftovers the next day. It looks as the flavors permeate the dish and grow in intensity with time.

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