Chocolate-Mint Wafers

CHOCOLATE-MINT WAFERS (Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com)

Imagine the Girl Scout's "Thin Mints" - only more substantial and surprisingly easy to make. This one is definitely a winner on all counts and will be added to my cookie arsenal for future use.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
Sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Form balls of dough (each equal to 1 tsp) and place on two baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in water, and flatten balls into 1 1/2-inch rounds (about 1/4 inch thick). Bake until slightly firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make chocolate coating: Place chocolate, peppermint extract, and remaining 1/8 tsp salt in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set each cookie on a fork, dunk in chocolate, then tap underside of fork on side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. I dragged a fork over the tops of the cookie to give them a little decoration.

Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Your family and friends will gooble them up... if you don't eat them all yourself.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

Rachael Ray created an empire on 30-minute meals. I am bitter about her success (to say the least) and posted about my feelings at least once - cleverly titled "Damn that Rachael Ray!" Tee-hee. Dinner doesn't have to be made in 30 minutes, it can be made in 15 with time leftover to make yourself a beautiful cocktail!


TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE PASTA


1 lb Dried Pasta, shape of your choice
Container of Cherry Tomatoes
1 small block of Goat Cheese, crumbled
1 bunch of fresh Parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper, to taste


Cook pasta in boiling water. Once drained, add tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and olive oil and toss to combine. Serve!



The heat from the pasta will soften the tomatoes and melt the cheese. It's simply fabulous. If you don't care for goat cheese, make a substitute of either fresh mozzarella cheese or a crumbled feta.

White Chili AKA Chicken Chili

I was never a fan of white chili, or chicken chili - until I decided to take matters into my own hands and fool around with a recipe of my own. What I came up with was creamy and flavorful and satisfying for a cold night, and completely changed my mind about chicken chili forever.


CHICKEN CHILI
(Be forewarned - this recipe will make enough to feed a freakin' army!)


1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, white and dark meat removed and shredded (or roast your own if you have the time!)
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
couple of grates of fresh nutmeg
1 carton of chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cans of Northern White Beans, drained but not rinsed
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped


Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion becomes translucent. Add in all dried herbs and spices - the cayenne pepper, oregano and cumin and cook for a couple of minutes longer to develop the flavors. Add shredded chicken, beans, peppers and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.


Just before service, turn off heat and gently stir in sour cream, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Eat as is, or serve with steamed white rice.




The beans add just enough starchiness to thicken the chili and the tiny bit of sour cream adds a nice richness that rounds out the dish. I added a bit more cayenne pepper - which ever so slightly added some gentle heat to the back of your throat. Next time, I will add some chopped carrot into the mix for a little more color and pizazz. YUMMY!

Suckered into it.

This Sunday will mark the Second-Anual Great Cookie Bake-off. I was going to skip it this year, since I've been feeling under the weather, but my niece pulled out the cute factor and totally tricked me into saying yes. (And, how could I say no and live with myself - I am so *into* children helping out in the kitchen!)

This year I have a new tool that will make cookie making even faster - if it doesn't blow out a fuse to the shared outlet - another KitchenAid mixer that Nathan acquired during one of his clean outs! Now, both kids can make their own batch of cookies at the same time. (God help me!)

On the docket this year: our usual family favorites - Jam Thumbprints, Cream Cheese Cookies, Russian Teacakes, No-Bake Buckeyes, Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters, Delux Sugar Cookies and Strawberry Cheese Cake Bars. And, what cookie escapade wouldn't be complete without some new recipes to try: Chocolate Mint Wafers (think Girl Scout Thin Mints!) and Petite Lemon Curd Cookies. There may be a couple of tricks up my sleeves as well.

Turkey-day Leftovers - - Swedish Meatballs made healthier

2 people.

18 pound fresh turkey.
4 1/2 hours cooking time.
Leftovers galore = PRICELESS

We're not totally glutenous...we planned for an entire week of leftovers when we bought such a large turkey for two people. Not only did we feast on hot open-faced sandwiches, but I also re-purposed some traditional items into entirely new dishes.
, meat
Who says that you need to roast the entire bird all at once? Before our brine experiment, I cut away one of the breasts and placed it in the fridge for the next day. Why? So that I could use the lean meat to make some homemade turkey meatballs! I just ground the meat myself in my food processor.

(Not Really) SWEDISH MEATBALLS

2 lbs ground turkey meat to substitute the ground beef in my meatball recipe.
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups half & half (the original recipe called for cream!)
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken, 99% fat free
black pepper
1 package of uncooked dried egg noodles
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish if desired

Follow meatball recipe in the link provided, substituting 2 lbs ground turkey in place of the ground beef, or make you own meatballs using your recipe...OR purchase a package of pre-made meatballs!

In a large skillet, sweat onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the half & half, sour cream and chicken soup, stirring to combine. Add already cooked meatballs and continue to cook in skillet for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles as directed on package.

Season meatballs and sauce with a few grinds of fresh black pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve over eggs noodles.


This dish satisfies that creamy texture I was craving - but still remained on the healthier side, since I used fat-free or low-fat ingredients and lean turkey breast meat in the meatballs. Be forewarned that the turkey meatballs will have a slightly different texture than beef or pork meatballs traditionally used in Swedish Meatballs. Plus, it was totally different than the other turkey meals we had after Thanksgiving!!! It was a total curve ball!

Dinner is served - a little late...

I hope everyone who reads this blog had a wonderfully chaotic Thanksgiving!

This year, Nathan and I decided that we wanted to keep everything low-key and instead of celebrating with family we made a tasty Thanksgiving meal for the two of us. We cooked (and ate) way too much food, checked out all of the Black Friday circulars, napped, played with the puppies and went to bed early. It was my idea of heaven!

The chefs over at Food TV have been telling us to brine our turkeys for years now - to ensure a moist, flavorful bird. Since we don't mind being Guinea pigs, I said "What the hell, let's do it!"

POULTRY BRINE

1 gallon of boiling water
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups honey
1 (5lb.) bag of ice
cooler, or other large vessel
raw turkey, cleaned with giblets removed

Once gallon of water is boiling, dissolve both salt and honey. Let cool slightly. Position turkey in container so the cavity is within your reach. Empty 1/2 of the bag of ice...carefully pour brine liquid over turkey (add additional water to fully cover bird, if needed) and follow up with remaining ice. Make sure that the liquid is in the cavity as well, or you will have a floating turkey. Cover and place in a cool, dry place and leave at least 12 hours or overnight.

Ready to roast: Drain liquid from container and remove bird. Thoroughly rinse bird removing any brine residue. Set in roasting pan, and pat dry with paper towels. Prepare bird as desired.

I like to think the brining worked, since we *kinda* took positioned our turkey a little too close to the top of the oven, thus giving it a little more color than we hoped. The breast meat still came out super moist and succulent. I'm pretty sure that if we didn't do the brine, it would've been as dry as sandpaper. Everyone has been asking "Is the meat salty?" and the short answer is NO. I don't really understand all of the science behind it, so if you are like me, you just gotta take my word for it. The brining process is a bit of a pain in the ass, to put it bluntly, so we may not do it again. I've read some bloggers who dry brined their bird with good success, so there's a possibility we may take that route next time.

The dogs waited on the couch patiently as we dressed the table.


Unfortunately, the turkey did not make a formal appearance at our table, since the table was a little small, and we had so much other food! It was a tad disappointing for me, since I purchased a beautiful new serving platter to place it on, and fresh herbs as a "bed" to ground the turkey and keep it in place. Oh well.

Leftover recipes to follow!

Thanksgiving menu 2007

I am cooking my very first whole turkey this Thursday, and I am waiting patiently (not!) with eager anticipation. Nathan and I have decided to break away from the family scene this year and have Thanksgiving dinner with just the two of us. We are planning some major leftovers to justify purchasing an 18 lb. bird for only 2 people! (You can see last year's Thanksgiving menu here!)

On the menu this year:

Deviled Eggs
Baked Artichoke Flowers (made with wonton wrappers)

Roasted Turkey with gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Homemade Stuffing
Steamed Broccoli and Baby Carrots
Individual Green Bean Casseroles
Cranberry Fruit Conserve
9-grain rolls

Pumpkin-Ginger Cheesecake Pie with fresh whipped cream

Note to self: pick up a new meat thermometer before Thursday.

Tell me your Thanksgiving menu!!! (Or post a link in the comments so I can check you out!)

SPICY Noodles with Veggies (out in the open!)

Thanks to Nathan, I love Korean food and all things spicy! He's half Korean, and when we started dating he brought me to a Korean restaraunt, opening up a whole new world of sights and tastes.

I rarely dabble into Korean food at home because it is just not the same, unfortunately. However, I've been holding onto this recipe because I thought it might have some potential...and I was right! It was simple to make, the ingredients were easy to find (with an easy substitution if you don't want to go to an Asian food store) and the meal was really, really tasty. But, he forewarned - it was HOT! Grab a glass of milk, a side of kimchee, some chop sticks and enjoy Korea, without the plane ride and language barrier.

SPICY NOODLES WITH MUSHROOMS AND CABBAGE

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tsp gochujang* 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 lb dried spaghetti (or soba noodles, if you want to keep it truly authentic)
10 oz. of sliced mushrooms - I prefer shiitake for the visual
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted until browned
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp garlic, finely minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, finely minced

In a small bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar and gochujang together until sugar dissolves and set aside. Prepare pasta as directed.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Take off direct heat, and add ginger and garlic. (If you keep your ginger in the freezer, like me - be prepared for some "spitting" when the residual water hits the oil!) Return to the heat and immediately follow with the sliced mushrooms, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms take on a darker brown color, approximately 6 minutes. Add cabbage, carrot and green onion, and saute until veggies become crisp tender. Add sauce and mix thoroughly, until heated through.

Add your noodles to the vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for a garnish. Serve immediately.

*Gochujang, a Korean spicy bean paste, is readily available in most supermarkets in the international food aisle. If you can't find it there - check out your local Asian Food Market. It retails between $4.00 - $5.00. You can substitute 3/4 teaspoon Chinese chile paste and reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup.

C & C Chicken

In pouring over various cookbooks and websites, I'm finding that one of the quickest and healthiest ways to add color and flavor to your food is to top it with a homemade salsa. To me, there is nothing better than fresh vegetables and fruits. Salsa is perfect because you are only limited by your own imagination, and what you have in your kitchen. I made mine with the slightest pinch of salt and maybe a tsp of olive oil to bind it all together. I'm totally eating the leftovers for lunch in a lettuce wrap!


CORNMEAL AND CORRIANDER CRUSTED CHICKEN with BLACK BEAN AND MANGO "SALSA"



...for the chicken:
4 slightly pounded boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp ground corriander
1 tbsp olive oil


...for the salsa:
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup corn (if using frozen, thawed)
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (or parsley, if you do not like cilantro)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste


Place cornmeal and corriander in a large plate and mix with fingertips. Dredge each chicken breast into the mixture until coated.


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken approximately 7 minutes on each side, until completely cooked through, and the crust turns a nice golden brown.


Meanwhile, mix together all salsa ingredients - tasting before adding salt for seasoning.


Serve by spooning the salsa over the chicken!


This meal took about 15 minutes to put together, start to finish - so it is the perfect "on the go" dinner. I also whipped up a batch of polenta made the cornmeal, chicken stock and milk (instead of cream and butter). No salt. And you know what?! It totally didn't even need it - - the salsa was the perfect compliment without being overpowering.

Times are a ch-ch-changin'

The past couple of times that I have gone to my doctor, my blood pressure has been high. Since I was either sick or in pain (or both), they didn't worry too much - but I was asked to return for a quick blood pressure check when I was feeling better. Last week, I did.

And the results were not pretty.

No more Creamy Beef Stroganoff...no more Mac and Cheese...no more Baby Back Ribs! No more of my absolute favorites!!! Whaaaaaaa! It really is hell on earth right now, but I have to keep reminding myself that it is time to take care of me.

This weekend marked the beginning of a newer, healthier Kat. I'm ready to give this low sodium/low fat/lower carb thing a try. I have to.