Cinnamon Rolls

The smell of these cinnamon rolls baking on Christmas morning while we opened presents was wonderful. The recipe is aptly named "Clone of a Cinnabon". These cinnamon rolls, and the to die for frosting, are amazing! I don't have a bread machine and used my stand mixer instead. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in the bowl of the mixer. Mix in the sugar, butter (I think butter is better), salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix. With the dough hook, knead the dough into a large ball. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Continue with #2 in the directions. I also followed the advice of one of the reviewers of the recipe who suggested flipping the pan over after it comes out of the oven. This is essential! I turned the pan upside down onto a cookie sheet. The sugary filling coated the entire roll. Yum, yum, yum. And the frosting is so good! These are irresistible--I think I might have eaten half of them in two days. Enjoy!

Buche de Noel

For a challenge and treat, I decided to challenge myself and make a Buche de Noel for Christmas. We had Christmas dinner with some friends and I only had to make a salad and dessert so I had the time to try this decadent dessert. A few years in a row my parents bought a Buche de Noel from a little French Bakery and we'd have that with our Christmas dinner. It was always so delicious and beautiful! With meringue mushrooms and leaves it truly looked like a log in the forest. I was really worried about making the actual cake, or genoise, which needed to be rolled and stored in the fridge, then unrolled, filled, rerolled, then frosted. I found this Martha Stewart recipe and tried that. Well, the cake did not turn out. It was almost paper thin and rolling it was a major task. I may have overbaked it but something else was really wrong, I wasn't sure. But, determined to make the Buche de Noel, I tried this recipe. I was thrilled when the genoise turned out. An electric mixer with a whisk is a must. I beat those eggs like crazy! After it was rolled in the towel, I wrapped the entire thing in plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight. The filling in the Allrecipes recipe is basically just chocolate whipped cream, which is fine with me. Delicious and easy. However, the cake is already very rich so I recommend cutting the cocoa powder in the filling to 1/3 or 1/4 cup. The Allrecipes recipe doesn't include a frosting so I took a shot at Martha Stewart's. Well, once again I was met with failure (I nearly shed some tears over all that wasted butter). So, I tried a simple chocolate buttercream using this vanilla buttercream recipe, just adding cocoa powder. It's difficult not to eat the frosting with a spoon. It was easy to spread on the cake. I cut of the end of the cake for the top "branch" on the log. I shaved some milk and dark chocolate over the top and dusted the entire thing with powdered sugar for a snowy effect. For my first Buche de Noel, I think the overall result was pretty good. The dessert was very rich. I'm going do research over the next year and try another Buche de Noel next year. Send me any tips you may have!

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

Chicken with lemon curd? I know it sounds unusual but it is so delicious. My friend Kari (see previous post to find her baking blog) brought us this chicken with a "new baby meal" just after Myla was born. We gobbled it up and as soon as I was really cooking again, it was the first new recipe I tried. The original recipe is for a whole chicken but it works just as well (even better & easier) using leg quarters or drumsticks and thighs. The original recipe included a recipe for lemon curd but I'm not even including it. Make your day easier and just go buy it! You can usually find it next to the jams and jellies or in the baking aisle. This chicken is fantastic!!!

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Curd

1 (3-lb) roasting chicken (or 3 lbs of chicken pieces with skin on)

1 T chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup lemon curd

2 large lemons, halved

1. Preheat oven to 450. Remove chicken giblets and stuff, rinse with cold water and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Loosen skin with fingers (do this with the chicken pieces, too).

2. Combine rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub under loose skin, all over meat. (This gives the chicken such fabulous flavor).

3. Place chicken, breast side up, on broiler pan coated with cooking spray (or put chicken pieces in a greased or foil-lined 9x13 pan.) Pierce skin with fork. Brush chicken all over generously with lemon curd (I just spooned it on and spread it around, flipped the chicken pieces over and spread the rest). Arrange lemons around chicken (I skipped this step).

4. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake an additional 1 hour until thermometer registers 165. (For legs reduce both times - about 20 minutes at 450 and about 40-45 at 350, until juices ran clear and thermometer was about 165.) Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, let stand 10 minutes.

Banana Muffins

If you're looking for a new way to use those overripe bananas, here it is! This muffin recipe that I found on my friend Kari's awesome baking blog, is easy and delicious and even a little bit healthy, too (whole wheat flour and oats and bananas!). We love them for a mid-morning snack and they freeze really well, too! Enjoy!

Barbecue Chicken with Mustard Glaze

This recipe from Cooking Light is tasty, quick, and easy. You probably have all the ingredients on hand! My mom made this for us when she was here helping after Myla was born. We used chicken breasts and instead of grilling, we baked them for 20 minutes, brushed on the sauce, and then baked for 10 additional minutes. The spice rub and sauce makes the chicken so flavorful. Give this one a try!

Peach Raspberry Crisp

I've wanted to post this recipe before peach season was over and I think I'm a little late. But, keep it in mind for next year! This peach crisp is amazing and the addition of raspberries . . . delicious! The topping is very rich but wow, is it good! Obviously the above picture is before the topping and baking but I just love the color combination. I halved this recipe. As apple season approaches, try Ina's apple version of this dessert. Don't you just love Fall?! For another great peach dessert, try this peach blueberry crostata.

I'm Published!

Well, I do have my name in name in this cookbook. And, it's my mom's recipe that's published. But still, pretty cool, right?! Here's the story. Over a year ago my mom learned that Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated) was holding a recipe contest for the Best Lost Suppers. My mom suggested I enter her Chicken and Rice Dish. I submitted an online entry and totally forgot about until a few months ago I got a letter congratulating me because my recipe had been chosen among the 1,000 plus entries. Pretty exciting! Well, I just received my copy of the book in the mail and was pretty excited so I thought I'd better post it while I have some time on my hands (tomorrow is baby #2's due date and I'm just sitting and waiting!). Of course, being America's Test Kitchen, they tested the recipe and made some changes to it (specifically adding carrots and peas), but I like it just how I've got it on the blog. Give it a try.

4th of July Ice Cream Cake

Inspired by this recipe, I made an "ice cream cake" for a 4th of July dessert. I used an 8x8 pan, spread whipped cream in the bottom, layered the ice cream sandwiches, spread on more whipped cream, and then topped with strawberries and blueberries. Delicious! The only problem is the berries, of course, freeze right along with the whipped cream and sandwiches when you put the dessert in the freezer. But, I didn't mind. I mean, frozen berries, whipped cream, ice cream sandwiches--that's my kind of summer dessert! And, it took about five minutes.

Peanut Butter Brownies

Here's an easy way to make a box mix of brownies extra delicious! This recipe is adapted from Pillsbury. I had the bigger box of brownie mix so increased everything for a 9x13 size.

Your favorite brownie mix (for 9x13 brownies)
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
4 T butter

Prepare brownie batter. Mix peanut butter and honey together. Grease 9x13 pan. Pour half of batter in pan. Using 1/2 cup of pb mixture, drop teaspoonfuls evenly over the brownie batter. Spread remaining batter in pan. Bake according to box directions (I baked mine for about 30 minutes at 350). Let cool completely. Spread remaining peanut butter mixture over cooled brownies. Melt chocolate chips and butter together in microwave. Mix and spread over peanut butter. Let cool completely. Delish!

Barbeque Apricot Chicken

This recipe was in my email one day and I needed an idea for dinner and happened to have all the ingredients. Well, I used 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, and reduced my cooktime to 40 minutes. I suggest doubling the apricot jam to 2/3 cup. I found it to be quite tasty. This is an easy alternative to bbq chicken. I served the chicken with brown rice and roasted broccoli.

Roasted Broccoli

Last week I made this Ina recipe for roasted broccoli. I didn't have a lemon or basil, and I omitted the pine nuts, but it was delicious anyway! This is definitely going to be my new way of making broccoli. Broccoli is probably my least favorite vegetable. Back in elementary school, emboldened by a news report that President Bush (HW) hated broccoli too, and with the encouragement of my mom, I recorded myself singing "Decorate your tree with broccoli" and sent it with a letter about our mutual distaste for the green veg to the then President. I received a nice (form) letter and signed picture in return. I wonder if anyone actually listened to that recording. I actually enjoyed broccoli this way. Try it!

Fry Bread Recipe

Here's a better recipe for Fry Bread if you're going to make Navajo Tacos, which I've been making a lot lately.

1 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Pour milk over dry ingredients and stir with fork until clumps. Flour hands and mix (don't knead) into a ball. Separate dought into 4 pieces. Flour hands and shape into discs (thin). Cook 3-4 minutes per side in 350 oil .

This is easy and good, though not close to authentic, and much better than the original recipe I posted.

Baby Shower Treats

Recently some friends (thank you Christi, Taryn, & Tessa) threw a fabulous baby shower for me with dessert on the menu: fresh fruit, a chocolate fountain, and plenty of treats. It was so fun and the food was amazing so I had to post some of the recipes here. These darling cupcakes had the most delicious frosting. Here is the recipe they used for the cupcakes and frosting. This will be your new favorite buttercream!

Taryn used a Giada recipe to make these light and airy meringues. She left out the espresso powder--they were perfect with the mini chocolate chips! For another great meringue dessert, click here.

I love raspberry and chocolate together so these Chocolate Raspberry Bars were the perfect treat! It's another recipe from Giada.

These darling onesie-shaped sugar cookies frosted with royal icing were the shower favors. Too cute! Here are instructions from Martha Stewart. Taryn's trick for icing the cookies is to put the royal icing in squeeze bottles. Make your edge, then fill and spread. It works so well!While I'm drooling over desserts, here's a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cookies my friend Erin sent to me. Thank you Erin! These are delicious and different. They taste like mini strawberry scones. For added sweetness I topped them with a powdered sugar glaze. Erin also had the great idea of topping them with whipped cream. Yum! A fun summer dessert.

Lately . . .

We've had a couple of weeks of really good meals, if I do say so myself, even though I haven't been trying anything new. Here are some of the recipes from the archives that I've found especially satisfying:

* Chicken Katsu
* Cafe Rio Chicken Salads
* Steak Sandwiches (I used a london broil steak that was on sale and while it was still partially frozen sliced it very thinly. I added slices of provolone cheese when the steak and peppers and onion were still in the pan. It melted and was gooey and delicious!)
* Rice & Beans with Avocado (we never get sick of this)
* Chicken Tostadas
* Chicken Souvlaki with yogurt dipping sauce
* BBQ Chicken Pizza (with pineapple!) and Spinach Salad
* Orecchiette with mini meatballs
* Eggplant Tomato pasta
* Chicken Sandwiches with grilled pineapple (add honey mustard for more flavor!)
* Brown's Black Bean Salsa (this was especially requested for a Memorial Day BBQ)

Breakfast at Market Lunch at DC's Eastern Market

Last Saturday morning we drove to DC's Eastern Market to get breakfast at what is arguably the market's most popular vendor, Market Lunch. We went to the market about a year ago but the line for Market Lunch breakfast was so long that we didn't wait. We went earlier (about 9:00--they serve breakfast until noon on weekends) this time and waited only about twenty minutes. The wait is totally worth it. We ordered Blue Bucks (blueberry buckwheat pancakes) and french toast. The french toast is really good but the Blue Bucks are amazing! Please go try them if you need a Saturday morning outing in DC. Afterwards, you can stroll around the farmer's market or arts and crafts market. Market Lunch has a lot of other offerings on the breakfast menu, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and about a dozen varieties of Eggs Benedict, even one with crab cakes. It all looked delicious! But, for me, the Blue Bucks are a must. Here's a review of Market Lunch, including the address. A couple of notes: they only take cash, and try to obey the the seating rules (they're posted on the wall). The owner (you can see his picture in that review) was there keeping a close eye on people sitting at the table and kicked off a mom with two kids who hadn't ordered their food yet. Probably a little brutal but it keeps the system working and once you do get your food, there's a seat open for you. Have fun!

Ina Garten Potato Salad

I love potato salad and this recipe from Ina Garten is delicious! I did make a few changes. I halved the amounts, used red potatoes, used green onions (just the green part) instead of red, only used whole-grain mustard (but a full 2 Tablespoons to keep the mustard/mayo proportion the same) and added about a cup of cubed cheddar cheese (I love cheese in potato salads). The salad has a strong mustard flavor that I love and the dill adds a wonderful flavor! Also, Ina's method of cooking the potatoes makes perfectly done potatoes. Try it!

Lemon Meringe Cupcakes

First off, please do a Google Image Search for Lemon Meringue Cupcakes so you can see how cute these cupcakes can really be. My piping didn't turn out the way I wanted to but you get the idea. This recipe is from a little magazine called "Crazy for Cupcakes" that my mom picked up at the grocery store and sent to me. I bought lemon curd at the store and thought it was good and easier than making it, but I'm sure homemade would be better. Here's a recipe that might work. I made regular sized cupcakes but I think the presentation would be better in the jumbo size. I couldn't find a lemon cake mix so used a vanilla and added lemon juice and zest but I couldn't taste it at all. One of my problems with the piping was that I didn't beat the meringue enough, and I didn't work fast enough when I piped it on, all my squeezing kind of took the life out of the meringue, I think. But, they still were a great spring treat, and the meringue on top is much different than your normal frosting. Here's the recipe:

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

1 package lemon cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare
3/4 cup prepared lemon curd
4 egg whites, at room temp
6 Tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 9 jumbo muffin cups with paper baking cups.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks. Increase oven temp to 375.
3. Use serrate knife to cut off tops of cupcakes even with tops of baking cups (Do not remove paper baking cups). Scoop out small hole in center of each cupcake with teaspoon; fill hole with generous tablespoon lemon curd. Replace cupcake tops.
4. Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating while gradually adding sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Pipe meringue onto top of each cupcake, or spread meringue over cupcakes and use small spatula to create peaks.
5. Place cupcakes on baking sheet. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until peaks of meringue are golden.

Variation: This recipe also makes 24 standard cupcakes. Line muffin pans with paper baking cups; prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions. Scoop out teaspoon-size hole in each cupcake and fill with generous teaspoon lemon curd. Pipe or sread about 1/3 cup meringue over each cupcake; bake as directed above.

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

If you like lemon, this Ina Garten recipe will be a new favorite. Despite the two cups (!) of cream, the pasta is not very heavy (which may or may not be a good thing) but rather light and tangy. The lemon flavor was noticeable but not too strong because I used one very large lemon instead of three. Also, I opted to use baby spinach in place of the arugula, which I don't love. I really liked it with the spinach and the pasta was a great spring-time, vegetarian meal. And, all those veggies totally offset the creamy sauce, right?

Chicken Souvlaki with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

This recipe from Rachael Ray was a hit. I cut four chicken breasts into strips before marinating and then grilled them on a grill pan. The yogurt sauce is fantastic on the chicken and I cut a lot of fresh veggies for a side that were perfect to dip in the sauce. I also made this pasta salad to go along with the dinner. I happened to have goat cheese and used that instead of the feta and the heat from the pasta even intensified the goat cheese flavor so it was really strong, but I still liked it, very creamy and different. I don't recommend trying it with goat cheese but if you love feta, you'd really enjoy the pasta.

Strawberry Shortcake

We have been eating a lot of strawberries lately since they are now in season and on sale. I tried this recipe for the strawberry shortcake and loved it. I just used the shortcake part of the recipe, then added sugared strawberries, and fresh whipped cream. This is a biscuit-type shortcake not a fluffy cake-like shortcake but it is delicious. Grating the butter makes it so easy to incorporate and I used very cold, not frozen, butter and it worked fine. I also opted to skip the egg washing step. And, to make it easier, I just divided the dough into six portions and shaped them into rounds with my hands. Yummy summer dessert!