Ugly Empanadas

I was super excited to try this recipe, but they really didn't turn out all that well. I used a premade, frozen pizza dough and had a very hard time working with it (it was overly sticky but also seemed strangely dry in spots). Instead of folding the dough over like you're supposed to for empanadas, I ended up just making 3 large ones by putting two dough layers together. These didn't look very pretty, but they still tasted alright. I'd probably give this recipe another try, but next time I'm going to make my own dough!

Empanadas

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package refrigerated pizza dough (about 1 pound)
• Flour for the work surface
• 1 16-ounce can refried beans
• 1 1-pint container fresh salsa
• 1 8-ounce package shredded Cheddar
• Sour cream

Directions:
Heat oven to 400° F. Spread 1 teaspoon of the oil on a baking sheet. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each into an 8-inch round on a lightly floured surface.On half of each round, spread some of the beans, then top with 1½ tablespoons of the salsa and 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Fold over the other half of each round, covering the filling, and press the curved edge with your thumb to seal. Lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with the remaining oil, then transfer to the baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Bacony Bok Choy

I've made this recipe several times, and each time I'm reminded how much I love bok choy!! It's such a tasty vegetable, and I really should incorporate it into more recipes. I've had this dish as both a main entree (serve it over rice), and as a side dish.

Bacon-y Bok Choy
Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

2 pounds baby bok choy

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions:

• Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and drain the fat, reserving one tablespoon of the grease in the skillet. Add the olive oil, onion, red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onions are starting to be tender.

• Add the bok choy, and place a lid on the pan. Let cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid; cook and stir until the bok choy is tender but still crunchy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the bacon, and season with salt. Serve piping hot!

My new favorite cookie recipe

I hate white chocolate. I hate milk chocolate. The only chocolate I like is dark chocolate. That was all true until I met this recipe. I wasn't excited to be cooking with white chocolate, but this recipe truly changed my mind. And it's not just me - my husband took the cookies to work with him and they were gone super-fast. And I took some to my work and my boss loved them too! I will be making these cookies again, in the very near future. Pumpkin is good year-round, not just at Thanksgiving!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients:1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups flour
2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
12 ounces white chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Gradually add in the white and brown sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add in the flour mixture. Stir in the chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes, still on the sheets. Transfer the cookies onto wire racks.

Note: The original recipe calls for pepitas, but I left those out. The cookies tasted great without them.

Lemon Souffle

Remember that goal list of mine? Making souffles was on that list, and I recently tackled that goal. I chose a lemon souffle recipe, and while it was fun to make I wouldn't do it again. The lemon flavor was just way too strong - next time I'm going to try a chocolate one instead. If you do try this recipe, I recommend cutting it down to just one lemon.

Lemon Souffle
Ingredients:1 egg

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup castor sugar or superfine sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

3 egg whites

5 tablespoons castor sugar or superfine sugar

3 egg yolks

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• Whisk the egg in a medium saucepan, and mix in the 1 lemon's zest and juice, 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch. Set over medium heat, and cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low, and continue whisking for another minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Divide between four 6 or 8 ounce ramekins. Set aside.

• In a medium glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites with an electric mixer. When they are able to hold a soft peak, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and continue mixing until stiff. Whisk the remaining 4 tablespoons of sugar into the egg yolks along with the zest and juice of the remaining lemon. Fold a couple of spoonfuls of the egg whites into the yolks to lighten them up, then fold in the rest of the whites. Spoon into the ramekins over the lemon curd, and run a finger around the inside of each rim.

• Place the ramekins onto a baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Veggie Pot Pies

I recently made two different veggie pot pie recipes, and both were quite good. The first one was a broccoli quiche, and the second was a more standard veggie pot pie with double crusts. I would make both of these recipes again, and probably would even serve these to guests.

Broccoli Quiche (recipe courtesy of CHG)
Ingredients:
6 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup broccoli (frozen and defrosted or fresh)
1 1/2 cups milk, heated gently until just warm
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
frozen pie shell

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 325º and set the rack in the middle. Set out the frozen pie crust to thaw.

2. Beat the eggs with a fork or whisk. Stir in the milk, and add the cheese, broccoli, salt, and cayenne. Stir until well blended.

3. Put the pie crust on a baking sheet and pour in the egg mixture.

4. Bake for 30 to 40 min, or until almost firm (it should still jiggle just a little in the middle) and lightly browned on top; reduce the oven heat if the shell’s edges are darkening too quickly.
Notes: Cooking time was a lot longer than stated. I had to cook for almost an hour, and then pour off a little of the remaining liquid before serving. I also ended up raising the temperature to 375 for the last 15 minutes.

Veggie Pot Pie (courtesy of vegweb.com)
Ingredients:
1 frozen (2 layer) pie shell or fresh dough
1 to 2 potatoes, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
variety of veggies, chopped
2 cups veggie broth
garlic powder, to taste
cumin, to taste
tarragon, to taste (I used thyme)
cornstarch or flour, as needed
milk, optional
bouillon cubes, to taste, optional
sliced cheddar to cover pan in 2 layers
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed

Directions:
1. Thaw pie shell and take one of the two shells out of the tin without it breaking. Cook potatoes, carrots, and variety of vegetables until they about 3/4 cooked. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.2. To make sauce, heat broth in large kettle. Add spices and lower heat. Slowly add cornstarch or flour until slightly thickened. Add milk and use veggie bouillon cubes here (I omitted). Add sauce to the cooked veggies and stir to coat.3. Layer 1/2 cheese on bottom of lower crust. Spoon in veggies and sauce, then add spinach on top. Add rest of cheese on top of that, and close it up as best as you can with the top shell.4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the crust is brown.

6th Anniversary Part 2

We spent the entire weekend celebrating our anniversary, including going to the Space Needle for dinner! We had both been up to the observation deck as children, but neither of us had been back since then. Several people told me they thought the Needle was overrated, but I totally disagree! We had a lovely time, and I'm so glad we went! It's definitely a special occasion type of place - pricey, but certainly an experience!

We started our meal with complimentary bread and lavendar/sea salt butter.
We both got drinks: a chocolate martini for me,
and the special Bahama Smokin' drink of the night that included dry ice. It was certainly a spectacle!We shared the crab cake appetizer, and I think even Gordon Ramsey would have approved. They were fresh and tasty, with a shredded apple to compliment the flavor.I had the Copper River Salmon, which was a 1st for me. I honestly don't think it tasted that different from regular salmon, but it was perfectly prepared and I ate every bite. Except for the bites that I shared with the husband of course - as a good wife should. :)Speaking of The Husband, he had the bone-in ribeye. His steak was excellent, and they definitely don't skimp on portions!
Check out our dinner views:
Tip: If you plan on celebrating anniversaries/birthdays, I recommend signing up for the Space Needle "Celebration Club" - they email you a coupon that you can use for dinner. Our coupon was for a free entree, which is a fantastic deal!

6th Anniversary

This weekend my husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. I seriously cannot believe we've been married that long, it's gone so fast! On our actual anniversary I made a special dinner - Giada's bolognese sauce and pasta (one of our faves) and homemade creme brulee! The dessert was much easier than I expected, and it was so rich and creamy; I will definitely be making it again! I think I prefer eating it without the sugar topping - I guess the custard base is more to my liking!

Creme Brulee
Ingredients:

6 egg yolks

6 tablespoons white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (150 degrees C).

• Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
• Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil.
• Remove the cream from heat immediately. Stir a little of the cream into the egg mixture and whisk, then stir the egg mixture back into the remaining cream and whisk. Skim the foam off the top with a strainer.

• Pour into single serving heat-proof containers, and put the containers into a casserole dish. Pour water halfway up the sides of the containers.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15-30 minutes (custard is done when it slightly jiggles in the center). Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to broil.

• Sprinkle white sugar on the tops of custard. Place dish under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn. Enjoy!
• Notes: I made a few changes, so don't be surprised when you check the original source recipe and see that I didn't follow it exactly.