Buttermilk Biscuits (Martha Stewart)

Happy New Year!

To ring in 2009 I decided to venture into uncharted waters and make something brand spanking new and made buttermilk biscuits. This recipe was from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook but you can also use this recipe which is nearly identical- just brush the biscuits generously with buttermilk before baking. I don't have a pastry blender so I used forks to mix the dough and eventually grew impatient and used my fingers! And as you can see, I made my biscuits in snowflake shapes. 

These biscuits were very flaky and tasty, I would definitely bake them again! Thanks to everyone's help in 2008, my baking has really come a long way!!!!!!!

New Year's Day brunch!

Winter Treat (all homemade): Hot Chocolate, Whipped Cream & Marshmallows

Marshmallow recipe was originally found in Martha's holiday issue but I noticed a few mistakes and found the recipe on-line (where it made more sense)- except 2/3 cup of water isn't listed in the ingredients at the top & she didn't mention to dust the marshmallows with confectioner's sugar before cutting them out. I figure after making these 5 times I should have the method perfected! The biggest bear was pouring out the marshmallows into the baking sheet and then cleaning up. These are sticky!!!!!!!!

The hot chocolate recipe is courtesy of December's Bon Appetit. It originally calls for peppermint extract but I made just plain hot chocolate and boy is it yummy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Donkeys for Tim

Donkeys for Tim! 

These were made with Martha's butter cookie recipe & my very first attempt at royal icing! This cookie is looking a little damaged after being attacked by wax paper. They were even tastier the next day!

Martha's 4th of July Blueberry Pie

Not bad for a 1st attempt!

As I was flipping through Dorie's book, the picture of the blueberry pie happened to catch my husband's eye. it's amazing how an image can resurrect so many memories! Just by seeing the picture he was transported back to his grandma's house in Pennsylvania- coming to visit and she would have a fresh blueberry pie waiting. I found out it had been several years since he had had freshly baked blueberry pie and I realized then that I knew what my next baking task would be. Mind you, the closest I've gotten to making my own pie was watching my Mom. So I did the best I could, realizing this was going to be a learning experience for me!

For whatever reason, I decided to make Martha's blueberry pie instead (from the Baking Handbook) and pretty much followed all of the directions except for the crust. The top layer of the 4th of July pie had stars cut out from the rolled crust and I knew that was pushing it for me (and I didn't have a star cut out anyway). The crust ended up being the hardest part for me. Especially rolling it out. Looking at the pictures, you can see how thin the crust was on the bottom (ignore the shadow on the left side of the pan). While I was rolling out the crust sections of it just kept breaking off (and I was determined to show the crust who was boss so I kept sticking it back together). I wonder if the problem was, the food processor just wasn't big enough to really give the crust a chance to get together.

Okay, so maybe the crust was a little thin on the bottom

Fresh blueberry filling! Nice & sweet!

Overall, my husband was very happy with how the blueberry pie turned out. Could it have been better? Absolutely. Could it have been worse? Even more absolutely. Either way, if someone had told me 1 year ago that I would be making a blueberry pie for our anniversary, I would have laughed. :-) 

Happy 1st Anniversary honey!!!!!

Chipotle Pork Posole (MS-Everyday Food)

I went out last night for dinner & drinks with a friend after our final exam. My husband (whom I will now refer to as the cilantro king of atlanta) elected to make this soup for himself & boy am I glad he did! I was lucky enough to have some of the leftovers for lunch today. Unfortunately, we have no picture evidence of this fine soup (that's how fast it was devoured). Un-be-liev-able I tell you. Can't wait until he makes this again :-)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb) halved crosswise

coarse salt & ground pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo

2 cans (14.5oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cans (15.5oz each) hominy, rinsed & drained

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

lime wedges for serving (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Season pork with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on all sides, 6-7 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate, and set aside (reserve pan). Place onion and garlic in pan; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, 4-5 minutes.

Add chiles, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, hominy, tomatoes, pork, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 145 degrees, 3-4 minutes.

Transfer pork to a work surface, and shred with 2 forks; return to pan. Top soup with cilantro, and if desired, serve with lime wedges.

Chicken Tostadas (Everyday Food- MS)

We had these on Sunday with unbelievable homemade salsa (recipe will show up in a future post!). They are the cover recipe from the April issue of Everyday Food and were really unbelievable. There was so much flavor from the vegetables & according to the magazine there are 472 calories per serving. We had these with a side of cilantro-lime rice (recipe also in that issue or you can check out Hornedfroggy's yummy blog here)

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers (ribs & seeds removed), thinly sliced (we used a red & green pepper)

1 box (10 oz) frozen corn kernels

1 cup prepared fresh salsa (our recipe is from Viva la Vida)

2 tbsp olive oil

coarse salt & ground pepper

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (we used perdue)

4 6" corn tortillas

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 450. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. On foil, combine onions, bell peppers, corn, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt & pepper

Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken, stir to combine, and continue to roast until warmed through, 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken and vegetable mixture to a serving bowl, discarding foil (reserve sheet).

Arrange tortillas on sheet. Dividing evenly, brush with remaining tablespoon oil; top with cheese. Bake until edges are golden and cheese is melted. 5 to 8 minutes.

Dividing evenly, top tortillas with chicken-vegetable mixture and remaining 3/4 cup salsa. Serve with cilantro-lime rice if desired.

Quick Meat Sauce (MS Everyday Food)

We are big macaroni eaters (mostly because of my Italian heritage and my husband is glad he married into it) and enjoy having homemade gravy. I like to make my Mom's recipe and freeze the leftovers in batches and my husband also likes having Giada's around as well. Well, we were all out of both and didn't have the time required to make our favorite homemade sauces. Luckily, I stumbled on this recipe and we decided to give it a shot! It was yummy and took just the right amount of time for a weeknight dinner. The recipe also calls for using the sauce with fresh fettuccine- we had fresh raviolis from the DeKalb Farmer's Market and Publix Greenwise Italian pork sausage which you see pictured. 

Serves 4

Prep time: about 10 minutes

Total time: about 25 minutes

Ingredients:

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground beef chuck (we used a leaner cut)

1 cup dry white wine

1 can (28oz) whole peeled tomatoes in juice, chopped

1/2 teapsoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pork and beef; cook, breaking meat up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano and red-pepper flakes; cook until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Double-Chocolate Brownie Cookies (Martha Stewart Baking Handbook)

I made these cookies just to see how they compared to the yummy brownies also from Martha Stewart. The name is true- they are very brownie-esque and just eating one cookie will fill the chocolate craving you had. Enjoy! I used Ghiardelli chocolate and did not use any nuts in my version. 

Makes about 30: Like brownies, these cookies are dense and fudgy beneath their crackly exteriors. Use your favorite nuts in place of the walnuts, or omit them altogether. They dough can be shaped into balls and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to three weeks; freeze on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag.

9 oz semisweet chocolate chopped into 1/4 inch chunks 

3 oz unsweetened chocolate- coarsely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (about 3 oz) chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, melt 5 oz semisweet chocolate, the unsweetened chocolate, and the butter. Stir until smooth. Set mixture aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat chocolate mixture and sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, and mix until completely combined. Beat in vanilla. Add the flour and salt, and beat until just incorporated. Stir in remaining 4 oz semisweet chocolate and the nuts (if using).

Shape 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into 1 1/2 inch balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are set and centers are still a bit soft, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies (Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook)

Holy fudgy, dense, chocolatey brownies! Make sure you have a huge glass of milk ready!

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
8oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter/pam an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on two sides. Set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat; let cool to room temperature about 10-15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, lift brownies out of pan and onto the rack. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into 2 inch squares. Brownies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.