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I know, I know! Both of us have been bad about posting over here, partly because, well you know: LIFE. It gets in the way of things!
But also because both of us have been kindly asked by the ladies of Aiming Low to present some of our easiest peasiest recipes….and we have been more than happy to oblige them. So if you’d like, you can check out Daisy’s risotto and Katie’s chocolate oatsies….we promise to be back soon with some new things on this page! Do any of you dear readers have a bread machine? I have one as a wedding gift and I’ve really been enjoying using it. That said, I’m always on the lookout for a good sandwich bread recipe, which is the one thing I haven’t really perfected. If anyone has any machine-compatible recipes I’d love it if you could share. Homemade bread makes your house smell amazing and can really elevate even a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With a bread machine the best part is that it takes no more effort than tossing in the ingredients and turning the machine on! Our favorite bread-machine bread is one that we use for toast for weekend breakfast and it is from an old cookbook I have, Electric Bread. In this machine, we make 1 large loaf, medium crust, as follows: Oatmeal Bread 1 1/4 cup warm filtered water (tap water can kill your yeast) 3 cups of white or white whole wheat bread flour 1 1/2 tsp of dry milk 2 tsp salt 2 tbsp butter 1/2 cup of rolled oats 2 tsp fast rise yeast OR 3 tsp active dry yeast Add to bread machine in ingredient order & enjoy! Before you get all indignant with me, telling me how you hate mayonnaise, I’ll make a confession: I hate mayo. It is however, a necessary evil because it is a key ingredient to some of my favorite foods, namely deviled eggs, egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad and chicken salad. My husband would vehemently disagree (he hates all salad things of that nature that use mayo as a binder) but hey, to each their own. If you don’t like mayonnaise, move right along. Lawyerly Disclaimer: If you want to serve this to someone with an egg allergy, immunodeficient, is pregnant, nursing or a small infant/child you should also move along and skip this one because it does contain eggs that are raw. BUT if you are like me and use mayo occasionally on a turkey sandwich or are a deviled egg fiend like myself this recipe is right up your alley. If you love mayo then walk don’t run to whip up a batch and die in heaven. (I apologize for not having any photos, but I’m having some technical difficulty. If I can, I’ll come back and add them!) Homemade mayo has SO much more flavor than commercial mayo, and a little goes a long way. This recipe makes about a half a cup, give or take, and it can store in the fridge sealed up for up to one week. You’ll either need an arm of steel (whisking, whisking and more whisking) or a whisk attachment to your stand, hand or stick mixer. I used my stick mixer. You will need:
Growing up my Mom made the best chocolate chip cookies ever. No matter where we lived and what school I went to, my Mom’s cookies reigned supreme. They were the perfect amount of chewy and tasty and my friend’s mom’s would ask for the secret recipe. Mama would always tell them “It is on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip bag.” And then they would make them and sure enough, it was never to the same result. Turned out my Mom forgot to tell them about the “changes” that seem minor but really aren’t. Before we get there though we should mention a few other things: Chocolate chip cookies are like mattresses: everyone has a different preference. Some like thick and chewy, some like crispy and flat. To add nuts or not to add nuts? Milk chocolate or semi-sweet? These are answers you have to come up with for yourself, but in the meantime, it is important to note the following:
Click for more juicy details on Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Primer I know I’ve ranted and raved about a lot of recipes in the past, but internet, go make these now. Unless you’re allergic to peanuts, in which case, stop reading now (and I’m sorry). As soon as I saw the ingredient list, I knew these would be incredible, and dudes. They are. They have absolutely zero redeeming nutritional value (except you know, peanuts have a lot of protein…), but they are AMAZING. They’re also really versatile and easy to personalize, add or subtract candies you want and make them yours. You won’t be sorry. The original recipe is from Oxford House (magazine?), but I’ve made a number of changes and when I make it again, I’ll make more. I’m done trying to tell you how good they are, now I’ll just show you. Ingredients
Directions 2. Crush up the Nutter Butters. I used a mini food processor and it worked like a dream. A double lined baggy with a heavy spoon and a lot of hitting will certainly work too. Combine crumbs with butter and press into the bottom (and a little up the sides) of your prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
It’s going to look pretty much exactly the same when it comes out of the oven, just FYI. 3. While the crust is baking, roughly chop your candies. 4. Combine sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and vanilla in a bowl.
Mix until well combined and creamy. Resist the temptation to lick the beater. Or not. Whatever. I don’t judge.
5. When the crust comes out of the oven, sprinkle with the candies, chocolate chips and coconut.
The original recipe says to “drizzle” the sweetened condensed milk/peanut butter mixture, but it doesn’t drizzle. It glops. Just try to glop it evenly. I know it doesn’t look all that gorgeous, but the smell. Oh my God the smell.
6. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. It won’t really brown because, well, it’s brown to begin with, but the milk stuff on top will start to harden a little. It’s really your discretion, there aren’t eggs, but if you take it out too early, when it cools, it may not hold it’s shape well. I kept mine in for 28 minutes and this is what it looked like.
7. This step is important. You are going to want to eat it right now right now right now. But no. You have to let it cool, in the pan, until it’s room temperature. I cooled mine overnight. When they’re completely cool, carefully lift the aluminum foil out of the pan and cut. I recommend SMALL squares, these are about exactly as rich as you’d expect them to be. And then? Enjoy.
(If you’re curious about what I’d do differently, next time I’ll add more chocolate chips (I only did a cup this time, hence my 1.5 cup recommendation in the ingredients), a little more coconut (it’s not a pronounced flavor, but it is a good balance) and I might consider replacing some nutter butters with oreos to get a little more chocolate flavor.) But even made exactly as is, they are possibly the best cookie bar I’ve ever eaten. Seriously. Go make these now, you won’t regret it. Ahem. Yea. Um. Hi? So, the great irony of my really inexcusable absence here is that I have done more baking in the past 5 months than in the last few years. Which means that I really have no reason for not posting any recipes. Except, uh, I was perfecting them. Yes, that’s it. Clearly. Since summer is approaching, it’s time for one of my favorite summer treats- strawberry shortcake. I know many of you like those really terrible sponge things you buy at the grocery store, but until you’ve had a biscuit-based strawberry shortcake, you haven’t lived. It’s something altogether different and wonderful. This recipe is one I’ve used forever. It’s a small variation on the Bisquick recipe and has never failed me. My only warning is to make sure you have a thickish cookie sheet to bake on because the bottoms can burn. They’re still salvageable if you saw off the bottoms, but let’s face it, no one wants to perform surgery on their shortcake. So, let’s go. Shortcakes
Directions: 2. Mix all the ingredients together: beware- if your melted butter is really hot, it’ll mess up your milk. So I usually mix the milk into the bisquick a little before adding the sugar and butter. But don’t over-mix. It’s a delicate balance. Or just melt your butter a little early so it isn’t so hot. That’ll work too.
The dough will be sticky (and also, in case you wondered, really tasty…)
3. Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. I line mine with aluminum foil or parchment paper, but that’s because I’m lazy and can go longer without washing them this way. 4. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Don’t overbake, but make sure the centers are set enough that they aren’t gooey later. (Of course, I didn’t manage to take a picture of them finished. See, despite my absence, nothing has changed.) Fruit! To get the berries/fruit to give off the juice that makes this dessert so good, you need to add sugar and let it sit for a while in the fridge. You can sweeten to your taste, I usually use around 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, depending upon how much fruit I have and I let it sit for at least 2 hours. The longer you let it sit, the more juice there’ll be. And trust me, the more juice, the more deliciously wonderful. Serving! And here’s where I promise to blog more. Coming soon, red velvet cake, cake balls and maybe, if you’re lucky, my four layer chocolate cake with almond filling and chocolate ganache. Maybe, I said.
Bruschetta in any form is tasty, but when we lived in Europe my Mom didn’t have access to fresh mozzarella cheese so she came up with this easy “American” version instead. It whips up quickly and is best when you make it with fresh tomatoes and basil, which are the mainstay of the dish. The combination of toasty bread, cream cheese and the bite of the fresh onion and basil with the tomatoes is just divine! A plate of these will be gone in no time, which is good because if they sit around too long they tend to get a little soggy from all the delicious toppings. It is also a vegetarian appetizer, which is always nice to have on hand and it tastes just as good with light cream cheese (just make sure it is onion or chive) than full fat. They couldn’t be easier or more festive!
Lasagna is one of those dishes that is so awful when it isn’t done well (and most people have been subjected to bad lasagna) that a lot of home-cooks decide not to attempt it. Lasagna really isn’t that hard, even delicious lasagna, it just requires some prep work. It isn’t a dish to rush home from work & whip together- it takes about a half an hour to get all the ingredients ready to go, about ten minutes to assemble it, an hour to bake, and another ten minutes of resting. So: make lasagna when you have time & prepare – and you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful dish that will feed a very full table. Feel free to change ratio’s depending on your family preferences – less ricotta, more ricotta, more sauce, less sauce. Remember: homemade lasagna is a little messy- see the above pan. It is delicious, but rarely is it a gorgeous centerpiece. It is homestyle comfort food!! Now, a few principles of my lasagna: yes, I put ricotta in it, but the ricotta is mixed with milk and one egg for creaminess & spreadability – it stays moist, and doesn’t dry out. I use REGULAR noodles, none of that “no-boil” nonsense, which in my opinion renders a lasagna that isn’t tasty. Finally, sometimes I make it with ground beef, other times turkey. It is yummy both ways! Some lasagna rules of thumb: 1. Don’t over cook the meat – it is going in the oven for another 45 minutes. As soon as it is done, take it off the heat. 2. Don’t over boil the noodles – they will also be in the sauce and cheese in the oven and will get mushy. Boil until al dente & remove. 3. Again. Don’t over cook the meat & noodles. I can’t say this enough. 4. Reserve a small amount of sauce until the very end – it goes on top of the final cheese layer & prevents the foil from sticking to the cheese/top. That is why my lasagna looks a little messy, the final sauce dollop is rarely even and beautifully centered – but it does its job! 5. The recipe calls for nine wide noodles. I always boil ten, in case one rips. Trust me, the one time you only boil nine, one of the noodles will be rendered useless and you’ll kick yourself. Boil an extra! 6. When in doubt, make extra filling. The worst lasagnas are over cooked or skimpy on the filling. It is better to have a little left over at the end than to run out after the second layer. You will need, in addition to tin foil & one 9 by 11 baking dish:
Things have been woeful around these parts lately, but that isn’t to say cooking hasn’t been happening & new recipes are not on the horizon. In the meantime, we wanted to share with you that as of late we’ve been finding many tasty (and healthy!) recipes in both Fitness magazine & Cooking Light- great resources for new taste combinations that are often done in 30 minutes or less. Additionally, my cookbook favorites -some old, some new- include: Silver Service (macaroni & cheese: the end) Good Eats: The Early Years (part 1 of a trilogy that will inspire any home chef!) Ad Hoc at Home (cannot wait to try the scallops recipe!) Back to the Table (turkey shepherd’s pie and homemade biscuits…) Electric Bread (honey whole wheat is just so good!) Joy of Cooking (1965 or 1975) (The older versions are SO MUCH better than the new ones- scourt eBay, Amazon or your local bookstore for a well-worn copy rather than splurging on the new, not-as-good one!)
What about you? Where do you find your cooking inspiration? King Cake…better late than never, eh? This recipe is an adaptation of an Emeril recipe & it turned out quite well- tasty, tasty! This recipe has two rising cycles so be sure to plan in advance when you are making this & make sure your oven is clear to allow the dough to rise in peace.
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Get all of your ingredients prepped & ready to go and set it all up on a big, clean work station with a 9×11 baking dish. Lightly mist the baking dish with olive oil. You’ll want your meat browned and seasoned, your sauce simmered for about 10 minutes with the spices, garlic and basil in it, your ricotta mixed with the egg & milk and your cheeses grated. (Please. Grate it yourself. It really does make a much, much tastier dish.) 
