June 9, 2023
by Ashley
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A friend shared a recipe for marinated olives with us once, that we loved. This is a version of that, with oregano instead of basil.
Ingredients
1 clementine orange, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pinches crushed red pepper
3 small jars or about 15 ounces of green pimento stuffed olives
3 tbsp fresh oregano
pinch of kosher salt
Slice the peeled clementine into small slices. Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix together. Pour into a jar and seal. Let sit in the fridge to marinate.
June 7, 2023
by Ashley
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This is one of the kids favorites. I halved the original recipe as we cannot eat a whole cake. I make this in a 9″ by 9″ square silicone cake pan.
Ingredients
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cups sugar
6 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2/3 cups water
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
Fudge Frosting
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 ounces baking chocolate
2 tbsp milk
Preheat the oven to 350oF.
Beat all ingredients (except for the fudge frosting) with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
Bake 40 – 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Frost with the Fudge Frosting recipe above by mixing all frosting ingredients together. Serve to your very grateful family or friends.
May 12, 2023
by Ashley
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Ingredients
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups all purpose flour
Jam
Beat the butter and sugar on high speed for 3 minutes. Separate eggs. Add yolks and vanilla to the butter mixture. Reserve the egg whites for another use.
Add the flour and salt into the mixture and mix until just combined.
Chill for at least 30 minutes. I have chilled for an entire day and let the dough warm up enough to roll into balls later.
Preheat the oven to 350oF. Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Roll out the cookies into 1 inch balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheets spaced a few inches away. Press down each ball to make a thumb print deep enough for the jam. Fill each indent with 1/2 tsp jam (of your choice).
Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
May 10, 2023
by Ashley
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Ingredients
1 package firm tofu
4 – 6 green onions
1/2 cup canola oil
1lb ground pork
5 tbsp chili bean paste
2 tbsp fermented black beans (rinsed)
2 tbsp ground chilies
12oz chicken stock
2 tsp white sugar
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp potato starch (mixed with equal parts water)
2 tbsp roasted sichuan peppercorns (picked through to ensure no pits in the berries)
Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes. Be careful not to break them. Slice the green onion in 2 inch pieces. Set aside. Prep the potato starch mixture and set aside. Heat the wok, add oil and pork and cook until browned. Turn down the heat to medium, add the chili bean paste and stir fry for about 30 – 60 seconds. Put in the black beans and ground chilies and stir fry for 1 minute. Pour in the stock, sugar and soy sauce. Stir. Add the tofu cubes, gently mix so not to break tofu much. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the potato starch mixture, to thicken sauce. Add the green onions and stir carefully. Sprinkle with the sichuan peppercorns.
Serve over rice. Goes really well with Cider.
May 10, 2023
by Ashley
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This recipe is from American Test Kitchen that we tried and loved. I made a few small changes but it is basically their recipe.
Ingredients
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup warm water
4 tbsp melted butter
1 egg yolk, egg white reserved
2 eggs
12 oz. cheese (mix of cheddar, provolone, Monterey jack, mozzarella) cut into blocks
Mix dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Whisk wet ingredients (water, butter, egg yolk and 2 eggs). Turn on mixer to medium speed and add in wet mixture carefully to the flour mixture. Mix for 8 minutes until the dough comes together. Let the dough rise in a greased bowl for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Test dough to make sure it has risen enough.
Roll out to 12″ x 18″ rectangle. Spread cubed cheese out leaving an inch on all sides. Roll dough carefully over the cheese and pinch ends to prevent the cheese from melting out. Roll log until 30″ long and then curl around folding tail under.
Rise again in a silcone cake pan (or greased cake pan) for another 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Brush with reserved egg white & sprinkle more crushed red pepper flakes over the top.
Bake at 350oF for 50 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking (25 minutes) and cover the bread with tin foil to prevent bread from burning.
Let rest before cutting into bread at least 45 minutes.
May 2, 2023
by Ashley
0 comments
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano)
8 tbsp cold butter, diced
Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a mixer. Add the cheese and mix to incorporate. Add the butter and mix until the butter has been distributed throughout the dough. (You could also use a food processor to pulse the dough together). Slowly drizzle in 1 to 2 tbsp of cold water, and mix until dough has formed a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (I typically use a silpat) and shape into a 12 inch long log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Preheat oven to 350oF.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silpat. Cut the log of dough crosswise into 1/2 or smaller rounds. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake until the crackers are very lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Store the crackers in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
Recipe is from Edible DIY book by Lucy Baker.
April 14, 2023
by Ashley
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Ingredients
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
3 cups water
2 tsp honey powder (or maple syrup)
⅛ tsp kosher salt
Blend together for 30 seconds. I used the batter button on my blender. Strain through a mesh strainer and use.
Primary use today was for overnight oats. Perfect amount for three overnight oat recipes.
April 6, 2023
by Ashley
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I got this recipe from the Living magazine. It is really good and easy to make.
1/4 cup pistachios
1 tbsp sugar
pinch Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp orange blossom water
1 tsp vegetable oil
8 large Medjool dates, cut lengthwise
1/3 cup dark chocolate (melted) – optional
Pulse the pistachios, sugar, salt and orange water together in a food processor until it becomes a fine paste. Add in oil, half teaspoon at a time, to achieve a butter like texture. Fill each hollow date half with pistachio paste splitting it evenly between the date halves. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the dates and let stand until chocolate sets. About 15 minutes. The original recipe calls for adding a small sliver of candied orange peel to these, which would be a wonderful addition, but we like them without as well.
April 4, 2023
by Ashley
0 comments
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes or sriracha
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, shredded
1 pepper, sliced thinly
4 green onions, sliced
3 eggs, beaten
Sesame seeds
Cooked Sushi Rice
In a large, high sided skillet, heat up the olive oil and add the turkey. Break it up in the pan and fully cook. Once the meat is cooked through, add the garlic & ginger and let cook 1 minute. Add oil, vinegar, soy & red pepper flakes and cook 1 more minutes. Add in veggies (cabbage through green onions) and cook until the cabbage has wilted and is cooked through.
In a separate saute pan, cook the three eggs omelette style (don’t fold over). Slide out onto a plate to cut into strips. Add the cooked cook into the egg roll mixture. Serve over rice with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
March 4, 2023
by Ashley
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I make chili a few times each fall and winter, and this is usually how I do it. Sometimes I sub in fresh tomatoes if I have some from the summer that need to be used. Sometimes I skip the green peppers.
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
4 lbs ground beef
4 cups chopped onions
2 stalks celery, diced
1-2 green peppers, diced
4 cans (28oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cans (19oz) red kidney beans
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 green onions, thinly sliced
8oz mild cheddar, shredded
Sour Cream
Corn Chips
In a large dutch oven, add the olive oil and cook the beef and onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked through. Add in the celery and green peppers and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and liquid, chili powder, brown sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Depending on the crowd, you can add a little cayenne pepper for spice. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or until the desired consistency.
Serve with a sprinkling of green onions, cheddar, sour cream and corn chips. Cornbread is also a wonderful additional to the chili with honey butter.