Three-Chip Blondie Cupcakes

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Susan

My son’s class has a bake sale tomorrow.  I’ll admit that I’ve given serious thought to whether or not I should take the easy way and go to the grocery store bakery, pick up something and send it in or whether I should be SuperMom today and bake from scratch.   Thanks to a high-energy breakfast bar and a little too much coffee this morning, SuperMom wins.  Deciding that there will be plenty of chocolate choices—I’m opting for a neater, easier on the white shirt choice—that is still rich and gooey and appealing to both the kids and the grownups (for whom a couple of these will be reserved).  This makes a bake sale quantity, you can halve this recipe.

Three-Chip Blondie Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits (or chopped Heath Bar)
1 cup butterscotch chips


Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat or whisk the butter and sugars together until smooth.  Beat or whisk in the eggs and vanilla.  Gradually stir in the flour mixture.  Fold in the three cups of chips.  Divide the batter (which will be really thick) evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake until the centers are just set and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 25 minutes.

Posted in Cookies, Dessert | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Pan Fried Lamb Chops with Garlic and Herbs

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Susan

In the late 80s and early 90s I used to go to a lot of cocktail parties in conjunction with my job.  I remember that every now and then I was thrilled to be offered little tiny lamb chops.  They were passed on a platter, and you just took one, held it like a lollipop and munched away.  They were delicious, and surprisingly,  not messy at all.  This recipe is how I imagine they were prepared.  I buy my lamb chops at Costco—they are good and more affordable than those at my grocery store.  They are also a little bit (but not much) larger than those I was served at that long-ago party—and I don’t serve them as an appetizer—they are a centerpiece main course.  For a light spring dinner, serve these with roasted red potatoes and asparagus.

Pan Fried Lamb Chops with Garlic and Herbs

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 lamb chops (buy a rack and cut into singles)
¼ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons, fresh thyme, chopped
Freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt

Preparation:

Whisk together the olive oil, mustard, garlic, rosemary and thyme.  Dry the chops with a paper towel and lay them in a glass dish.  Pour the oil mixture over and let marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Remove the lamb chops from the marinade and salt and pepper them lightly on both sides.  Sauté them for a minute or two on each side, until they have a nice brown outside, but are still pink inside.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Posted in Lamb, Main Course | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Asparagus Caesar

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Susan


Asparagus could be the mascot for spring as far as I am concerned.  It is one vegetable upon which my whole family agrees—we love it and could eat it every day—especially at the height of its season in the spring.    Here is one of my favorite ways to prepare asparagus—light flavors that dress it up, but don’t hide the fresh flavor.

Asparagus Caesar

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground pepper
Paprika

Preparation:

Snap the ends of the asparagus and using a vegetable peeler, pare the bottom 2 to 3 inches of each spear.  In a large skillet place an inch or so of water (enough to just cover the asparagus) and bring to a simmer.  Put the asparagus in the simmering water and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, until just tender.  Transfer the asparagus quickly from the skillet to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking (and this will also keep the nice green color).  Once it is cool, drain thoroughly and dry on paper towels.


Lightly butter a serving dish.  Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and add the lemon juice to the butter.  Arrange the asparagus in the serving dish and drizzle the butter over.  Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over, and top with a few grinds of fresh ground pepper, a pinch of salt and a light dust of paprika.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  10 minutes before serving, warm the asparagus in the oven until the cheese melts and it is warm.

Posted in Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Chicken-Stuffed Biscuits

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Susan

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend who is originally from Pakistan—which explains this particular combination of spices in the filling.  She is a really wonderful cook in all ways—and she is especially good with meat dishes.  This one was served to a big group at a brunch recently, and adults and kids alike kept going back for more.  This filling is good by itself, with rice, on toast—you’ll see, it is very versatile.  You can also make these with pie-dough (which is what I have pictured here…and what I had on hand).  I just rolled out the dough and used a 3-inch cookie cutter, filled, folded them in half and ended up with a basket of nice 2-bite pieces that make good finger food while watching a game or a movie.  You can also re-warm these and they hold up pretty well.  My son took them to school for lunch one day and asked that I make them again soon—no better recommendation than that!

Chicken-Stuffed Biscuits

Makes 30

Ingredients for the chicken:

1/4 cup olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
5 – 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, washed, dried and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 medium onion, sliced thin
5-6  cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
salt to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriander or ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
1-½ cup flavorful tomatoes (cherry, Campari or plum) diced
2 tablespoons fat free plain yogurt
15-20 count frozen biscuit dough (not the pre-cooked ones, you need dough you can roll out!)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-2 tablespoons flour

Preparation of the Chicken:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.   Add the cumin seeds and cook them until they start to turn light brown and give off their lovely roasted aroma. Add the onions and garlic, and cook on low heat until light golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and the salt, pepper, paprika and coriander or cilantro. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring the chicken frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pan and the spices don’t burn. Continue to cook until there is almost no liquid in the pan, just the chicken and bubbling oil, this takes about 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in the fresh spinach leaves, diced tomatoes and yogurt. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, literally almost shredding. If the chicken begins to stick to the pan, add a little water to deglaze and continue to cook until it is done.   The chicken can be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to make the biscuits.

To assemble the biscuits:

Thaw the frozen biscuits.  Roll the dough pieces until they are about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Cut each circle in half.
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the cooked (almost shredded) chicken mixture onto each semi circle, fold over, and press a fork along the open ends to seal shut.

Brush or spray a small amount of oil on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place the prepared biscuits about an inch apart. Brush each biscuit with a little of the beaten egg mixture and cook for 15 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees, checking every five minutes or so—until they are puffed up and golden brown.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Susan

Since my family is originally from Texas, I have always loved Tex Mex.  Every time I eat a dish with an extra kick to it, I think of my Dad—who loved it too—mopping his brow after a really spicy bite and saying, “it hurts so good!”  Tex Mex is a great choice for the budget, it is easy to prepare and everyone seems to like it.

In the grocery store’s ethnic food aisle, you can buy everything you need to make enchiladas using prepared products and that’s fine and quick.  But I really prefer to make things from scratch to avoid extra salt and preservatives with long scary names.  This recipe is easy.  You can make the sauce ahead and then whenever you want enchiladas, you can make just as many as you want—which is the way to do it because these taste really great fresh—good leftover—but really good freshly made.  For variety,  you can also change the filling, using ground beef or cheese instead of chicken, and you can also use your imagination with garnishes—black olives, avocado, chopped tomatoes, chopped red onion would all be good to look at and good to eat.

Chicken Enchiladas

For the Sauce

Ingredients:

2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes in juice, drained
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation:

In the food processor, place the tomatoes and the jalapeno peppers and puree.  In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil and then sauté the onion until it is golden brown.  Add the tomato puree to the onion and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture is thick (like applesauce).  Add the chicken broth and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes.  It will be a little soupier now, and that’s the way you want it.
Taste and add the salt (using less if necessary) and the heavy whipping cream.  Keep warm.

For the Enchiladas

3 cups shredded chicken (I use either leftover roasted chicken or a rotisserie chicken)
1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
12 corn tortillas
½ cup sour cream
½ cup green onion, sliced
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Cooking Spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  On a baking sheet, place 4 tortillas at a time and spray both sides lightly with the cooking spray (I use olive oil spray).  Place in the oven and warm for 3 minutes.  In a medium bowl stir about a cup of the enchilada sauce into the chicken and set nearby.  In the bottom of a 9 x 13 rectangular ceramic or glass baking dish, spoon about 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Remove the tortillas from the oven, and working quickly, prepare the enchiladas by placing a portion of the chicken on the tortilla, rolling it up, and placing it seam side down into the sauce.  Continue heating the tortillas and rolling them until completed.  Spoon additional sauce over to cover, and sprinkle the Monterey Jack cheese evenly over all.  Heat in the oven for about 15 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the cheese is nicely melted.  Garnish with the green onion and fresh cilantro and serve, passing the sour cream separately.

Posted in Chicken | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Fried Okra

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Susan

My grandmother taught me to love fried okra.  She lived on a ranch in Texas her whole life and was a really gifted home cook.  I loved to hear her stories of cooking for the ranch hands that she and my grandfather would hire at key times during the year.  She would describe their property as “small,” my grandfather was a horse and cattle trader and never had too much livestock on hand at any one time.  So I guess it was small by Texas standards–but 1200 acres seemed big to me and I marveled at how she ran the house, a huge vegetable garden, a smoke house, a salt house, the chicken coup where she raised the chickens and harvested the eggs, milked the cows and made her own butter, cooked three meals a day and still managed to fill an armoire full of the most beautiful hand-stitched quilts you have ever seen. I’m embarrassed to think myself busy when I consider what she got done in a day…

Anyway, her cooking was a study in delicious simplicity—good, fresh ingredients cooked perfectly—and I remember it to this day.  Here is how she made her fried okra—a five-minute wonder of a side dish.  I don’t think she used olive oil, probably bacon drippings or shortening, but the essential taste is the same.

Fried Okra

4 to 6 servings

1 pound fresh okra, washed, dried and cut into ¼ inch rounds
½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the cornmeal in a medium bowl, add the okra rounds and toss with your hands to coat.  Transfer the okra to a dry colander and shake off the excess cornmeal.  Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the okra.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and slowly sauté, turning with a spatula occasionally, until the okra is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Posted in Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments