Buttermilk Chocolate Bread

I was on the lookout for recipes requiring buttermilk (since I had so much of it left over), and when I came across this recipe I knew I had to make it. This bread was really rich, and we very much enjoyed it. We couldn't decide if we should call it dessert bread or cake bread, but either description fits!

Buttermilk Chocolate Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup chopped pecans (I omitted)

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in pecans.

• Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

(Easy) Ratatouille

I LOVED the movie Ratatouille, and ever since seeing it I have wanted to try the signature dish, which of course is Ratatouille. This version of the recipe is not authentic, but that's OK. Also, I couldn't find eggplant so I substituted butternut squash. This dish turned out so amazing, you have got to give it a try! I served this with couscous and it went together surprisingly well.

Ratatouille on the Run (by Cheap Healthy Good)

Ingredients:2 Tbsp olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 large eggplant (unpeeled), diced (I used squash)
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces goat cheese

Directions:
1) Heat oil in big Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add eggplant, green bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, zucchini and basil. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low or medium-low and cover. Simmer until veggies are cooked through and tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.2) Take cover off pot and reduce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and season to taste. (You can make this 2 days ahead of time. Just remember to refrigerate.)

3) Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread ratatouille in 9-inch pie dish or an 8x8 Pyrex glass dish. Top with cheese, if you like. Bake about 20 minutes, until center is heated.

It's better than it looks

This dip looks rather disgusting, but it actually tastes really good! I sometimes make it for breakfast, as it's very high in protein and keeps me full till lunch. Don't be put-off by its unattractiveness - give it a try!

Cottage Cheese, Avocado, and Black Bean Salsa Dip

Ingredients:

1 can corn

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (16 ounce) container 1% fat cottage cheese

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced

2 roma (plum) tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes)

2 cups salsa

1 (13.5 ounce) package tortilla chips, if desired

Directions:

• Cook the black beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm and tender, about 10 minutes. Strain, and rinse under cold water to remove liquid and excess sodium. Set aside.

• Place the cottage cheese in a mixing or serving bowl. Peel, pit, and dice the avocado into bite size pieces, and add to the cottage cheese. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and dice into bite size pieces. Add to the cottage cheese along with the corn, black beans, and salsa. Stir until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

Shamrock cookies

My family is (very) Irish, and my mom had a celebratory dinner for St. Patrick's Day. I wanted to make a dessert, so I settled on making shamrock-shaped sugar cookies. Believe it or not, this was the first time I've made sugar cookies by myself (when I was little I frosted cookies, but I never made them from scratch on my own). These turned out really well (I received a lot of compliments on how great they tasted), and I had so much fun making them! My husband even helped me cut them out and frost them!

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients for cookies:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

3 cups all-purpose flour

Ingredients for frosting:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour until well blended. Chill the dough for 8 hours, or overnight.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thickness, refrigerating remaining dough until ready to use. Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
  

• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light and golden brown. Cool cookies completely before frosting. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Frost your cookies, and enjoy!

A calorie-heavy pasta dish :)

Sometimes you just want to indulge, and this recipe is a great way to do that. Is there anything better than heavy cream, cheese, and pasta? The only way I can justify eating this is if I eat a big serving of veggies on the side to balance out all those calories - so that's just what I did!

Giada's Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces fresh fettuccine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cups grated Parmesan
  
• 1 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Stir the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the pasta and toss. Add the Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

Notes: I made this a little lighter by halving the butter, and using a little less heavy cream (only because I didn't have it, but it really wasn't missed).

My new favorite restaurant!

March is a special time for foodies in Seattle - it's the time when 3 for $30 (aka Dine Around Seattle) happens. Participating restaurants offer 3 selections (appetizer, entree, dessert) for just $30/person. It's a great way to experience more expensive restaurants, and this year we had dinner at Cutter's Bayhouse. The Bayhouse is right next to Pike Place Market, and it has a beautiful view of the water.

We were seated quickly and while we didn't have a table along the window, we could still see the water and the ferries floating by. Here's a picture of all the different menu choices:We had complimentary focaccia bread, then for appetizers I had the fried cheese platter, and the husband had the salad. The salad was the hands-down winner - it was sweet, crunchy, and tangy.For dinner I had the steak, and the husband had the seafood fettuccine. The pasta was good, but the steak was out-of-this-world. It was truly unbelievable, and is probably the best steak I've ever had in my life. I still dream about this steak, that's how good it was.

We barely had room for dessert, but somehow we managed to eat it anyway. I had the Key Lime Pie, while the husband had the Volcano cake. Both were excellent.I can't wait to go back to this restaurant, and you can bet I'll be having that steak again. :)

Carrots & Chicken Crockpot Stew

Here's another great slow-cooker chicken recipe. The flavors meld really well, and if you add just a little bit of cooking liquid it keeps the chicken from drying out.

Slow-Cooker Spiced Chicken & Carrots Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 8 skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
  
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted if desired
• Couscous, for serving (optional)

Directions:

• Place carrots in slow cooker. In a bowl, toss together chicken, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; add to slow cooker. **Add several cups of chicken broth if desired, to keep chicken moist.** Cover, and cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours), adding raisins 15 minutes before cooking is done.

Irish Soda Farls

I had some extra buttermilk that I needed to use (from making creme fraiche), so I decided to give these traditional Irish treats a try. The farl is a triangular-shaped flat bread, and it was ridiculously easy to make. It was a little weird to put flour in the pan instead of oil, but everything turned out fine - the husband really enjoyed these!

Irish Soda Farls

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

• Preheat heavy based flat griddle or skillet on medium to low heat.

• Place flour and salt in a bowl and sift in baking soda. Make a well in the center, and pour in the buttermilk.

• Work quickly to mix into dough and knead very lightly on a well floured surface. Form into a flattened circle, about 1/2 inch thick and cut into quarters with a floured knife.

• Sprinkle a little flour over the base of the hot pan and cook the farls for 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Sweet Potato, Parsnip and Kasha Pie

I love trying new ingredients; I've only had parsnips once before and this was my first time trying kasha (buckwheat groats). The flavor of this pie was really interesting, and I ended up eating the leftovers for several days. The pie is delicious but it is a bit rich, so small portions served with veggies is probably your best bet.

Sweet Potato, Parsnip and Kasha Pie
recipe courtesy of Cheap Healthy Good

Ingredients:

Filling:
1/2 cup kasha
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
2 cups grated parsnips (about 8 ounces)
2 cups grated sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces)
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup provolone, grated (optional)

Traditional Pie Crust:
2 whole wheat pie crusts, thawed

Directions:
Wash, peel, and grate sweet potatoes and parsnips. Chop garlic, shallot, and fresh thyme.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Stir in kasha, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes (until water is absorbed). Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet; add grated veggies, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a little water if mixture starts to stick.

Combine kasha, cooked veggies, thyme and cheese.

Add filling to defrosted pie crust. Place second crust on top of filling, trim away excess, pinch edges and score top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, cool before cutting.

Don't let your meat loaf!

The title of today's post is something my mom would always say when someone would tell her they were having meatloaf for dinner. It's a totally lame joke, but that never stopped her from saying it, and unfortunately it pops into my head every time I have meatloaf, too. Oh well, it's harmless. :)

Growing up I used to hate meatloaf, but I can't quite put my finger on why. It just never interested me, and it seemed rather bland. This recipe is anything but bland - it's sweet (from the brown sugar topping) and it goes perfectly with roasted potatoes and broccoli.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Directions:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

Ingredients:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

• Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.

• In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.

• Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

Notes: I have changed the amount of milk in this recipe, and I substitute bread crumbs for the saltine crackers. Also, I put the brown sugar and ketchup on the top of the meatloaf as I like how it soaks down into the meat (which it can't do if it's on the bottom of the pan). I also omit the salt.

First Attempt: Aebelskivers

You may recall that one of my goals for this year is to make aebelskivers. To start I had to buy an aebelskiver pan; I went with this one. It's cast iron and very heavy, and it's also pre-seasoned which helps make it a little more non-stick.I read all of the reviews for the pan and knew that I needed to butter each well and to expect some sticking. I had no idea just how messy this whole process would be, and how much scrubbing I'd have to do to get the pan clean again.I just made the aebelskivers with regular pancake mix this time, as I wanted to get my technique down before trying to make an authentic aebelskiver. It was a rather time-consuming process but the aebelskivers tasted great and it's sort of fun to create these round pancakes. :)

Another delish crockpot recipe: Chili!

I love chili, and I was super psyched to find a vegetarian version for the crockpot. I've made this recipe at least 5 times, and it's still a personal favorite. It's especially great to have in the winter months, and I'll sometimes serve it with cornbread. I truly believe this is just as good as any meat chili - give it a try!

Meatiest Vegetarian Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

4 onions, chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed

4 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

6 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.

• Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Stir gently and cover. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Notes: Do NOT skip the sauteing veggies step; I skipped it once and the chili wasn't as good as normal. I leave out the tofu as I'm not a huge fan of the texture and there's plenty of protein in this meal from the beans. I also omit the salt.

Better than Sliced Bread - 'Cause it's Homemade!

I love making homemade bread. I find it incredibly relaxing, and what's better than the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house? For the past year I've mostly just made regular ol' white bread, but recently I have tried whole wheat loaves, and 1/2 white 1/2 wheat loaves. I'm probably going to stick with the white/wheat loaves because the texture is amazing and they're a bit healthier than all-white.

You can find thousands of bread recipes online, I encourage you to experiment till you find one you love. Also, I do all my bread-making in my Kitchenaid mixer - it's fantastic! The dough hook attachment is one of the greatest inventions ever. Note that the "speeds" in this recipe refer to the settings on the Kitchenaid.

Lovely White/Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
½ cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 packages active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water (105 F to 115 F)
2-3 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 cups wheat flour

Directions:

• Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 ½ cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

• Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly stick to the touch.

• Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

• Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf, and place in greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½-inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

• Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.