Author Archives: E

Belgian Waffles

Breakfast, Desserts Leave a comment

waffles*Photo is of eggnog waffles with cranberry syrup. See modification after the full recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ c all-purpose flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ Tbs sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ¼ c milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¾ c oil

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Then add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil. Mix until batter is smooth.

Pour ¾-1 cup of batter onto pre-heated waffle iron and cook for about 4 minutes.

Variations:

Lemon Poppyseed Waffles:

For lemon poppyseed waffles, reduce the milk to 2 cups (use skim to avoid curdling). Add 2 tsp poppyseeds and 2 Tbs lemon juice as the very last batter ingredient.

Serving suggestion: Serve lemon poppyseed waffles with blueberry syrup (see syrups).

Eggnog Waffles:

Follow the primary recipe, but replace the milk with eggnog.

Serving suggestion: serve eggnog waffles with homemade cranberry syrup (see syrups) and dust with cinnamon powdered sugar.

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Italian Stirato “Stretch” Bread Recipe

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This is quite possibly the easiest and most delicious bread recipe I have at the moment. I use recycled parchment paper — My apologies for the blending of colors in the photo 😉 This is a “no knead” bread, and requires very little hands on time. Most stretch recipes need to proof for 12-18 hours. When I don’t have that kind of time, this recipe is a good compromise, as it has a 4 hour rise time. (Or you can certainly let it go longer if you want to — that won’t hurt anything!) Due to the shortened rise time, the loaf may be a little “flatter” – but I actually like this for sandwiches.

Here’s what you need:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dry active yeast

1 1/2 c warm water

Here’s what you do:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the water, and stir with a wooden spoon until dough becomes formed enough to mix by hand. Continue to work ingredients together until combined. The dough will be slightly sticky. Cover the dough in the mixing bowl, and let it rise for 4 hours. I cover mine with a tea towel, and place it in my oven with the oven light on to proof , as this creates a “just warm enough” area for the dough to rise. (Thanks Julia Child!)

After 4 hours, free hand the dough onto a parchment lined baking stone.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and cover the loaf with a tea towel until the oven is ready.

Once the oven has reached 450 degrees, remove the tea towel, and cover the loaf with an upside-down roasting pan — I’m actually not 100% sure why you are supposed to do this step, but- I do it because I’ve read that you “should.”

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the roasting pan and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown, and cooked through. You will know it is done if you tap it with your finger, and it sounds hollow.

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Quiche Lorraine Inspired Sandwiches with Lightly Dressed Greens on Italian Stretch Bread

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For these sammies, I’ve used a dairy free adaptation of Quiche Lorraine. You can freeze and re-heat the leftovers, (except for the greens.)

Here’s what you need for the “quiche”

1/2 lb thick sliced bacon cut it lardon style strips (or cubed)

1 medium yellow onion

6 eggs

1/2 cup chicken stock (or broth)

salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Cook the bacon over medium heat, remove from pan once done

Dice the onion, and saute in leftover bacon grease, remove from pan once done.

Line an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish with parchment paper. (You can also use a pie pan if you’d like.)

Spread the bacon and onions over the parchment lined dish

Whisk the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the bacon and onions.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the eggs are cooked through.

Cut into 6 portions, place on stretch bread (see Italian Stirato “stretch” bread recipe – or use whatever style roll/bread you prefer)

Top with greens, lightly dressed with the following:

Dressing for greens:

This is a slightly modified dressing recipe from Emeril Lagasse.

1/8 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients together and slowly add enough to lightly coat your favorite greens in a mixing bowl. Save reserve dressing for leftovers.

*Serving suggestion – I serve this with kettle style potato chips that I “dress up”  by adding about 2 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp dried rosemary. I mix the chips in a large bowl by hand, being careful not to pulverize the chips in the process.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Bourbon Caramel Glazed Devil’s Food Cake with Mocha Icing Recipe

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Some people say less is more, but not me! I say more is more, and with this cake — you definitely want more!

Here’s what you need for the cake:

I mix the ingredients in my KitchenAid mixer with paddle attachment in this order: (Or you can do it by hand. — If using a mixer, you may want to stop from time to time in order to scrape down the sides of the bowl.)

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp Canola oil (Or vegetable oil, or XLOO — Whatever you prefer.)

1 cup = 1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup brewed coffee — cooled.  (I brew extra in the morning and save it for the cake.)

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Once ingredients are mixed well, pour the batter into a lightly oiled 9″ round cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until you can poke the center with a toothpick, and have out come out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Here’s what you need for the icing:

Combine in mixer with whisk attachment:

 1/4 cup brewed coffee – cooled

2 TBSP Meringue Powder (or powdered eggs – both are found in most grocery store baking aisles and are fairly inexpensive.)

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

Once the cake has cooled, frost it accordingly. You may need to stir the icing again before hand, as it is a hard-set icing.

Here’s what you need for the caramel sauce:

Combine in small sauce pan on medium heat:

1/4 c brewed coffee

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp bourbon

1 tsp vanilla

Simmer on medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

remove from heat and add:

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk. (I use skim, but use what you like.)

Once you have blended the cocoa and milk to the mixture, put it back on medium heat for about 2 more minutes. It will likely bubble a bit — this is fine, just be careful to stir it to avoid having it bubble over the pan.

Remove from the heat, and let it sit for about 5 minutes to cool and thicken.

Once it has cooled, drizzle the sauce over the top of the cake, and save the rest to drizzle over individual pieces.

Enjoy!

Cherry Peach Cobbler with Pecan Biscuit Topping

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Here’s what you need for the filling:

1/2 cups cherries (I used a 12 oz bag of frozen cherries, thawed.)

2 cups sliced peaches (I used a 16 oz bag of frozen peaches, thawed.)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp Kirsch (Or any cherry flavored brandy)

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Here’s what you need for the biscuit topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans (sub for almonds if you’d like, or leave them out if you don’t want to include nuts)

2 Tbsp cornmeal

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup milk (I use skim)

2 – 4 Tbsp canola oil or XLOO. Use 2 tbsp if you like the topping more dense and biscuit like, use 4 if you prefer it to be more cookie like. — I’ve made this before without any oil, and it is a little crunchy, but still tastes great! Make it how you prefer it.

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place fruit in a medium sized mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine all other filling ingredients. Once blended, add the mixture to the fruit, and lightly stir to coat the fruit pieces.

Pour fruit mixture into an ungreased 8″ x  8″ square baking pan.

Make topping:

In medium mixing bowl combine all of the biscuit topping ingredients starting with a spoon or fork, and when a dough starts to form, finish mixing it by hand. Once the ingredients have formed a solid dough, break off “tablespoon-ish” size pieces, and place them on top of the fruit mixture. Do not cover the fruit completely. place on the middle rack of the oven.

Baking times will vary depending on the fruit. — If you use fresh, it should only take about 40 minutes to bake. If you are using frozen, for some reason, even when I think the fruit has thawed completely, it takes much longer to cook. Check the cobbler at 40 – 50 minutes. You may need to let it bake for 60 minutes. You will know the cobbler is done when you can lift a section of the biscuit topping slightly with a butter knife, and it does not still look doughy. Let it cook until the dough is thoroughly done, and the top is golden brown.

Top with strawberry ice cream (or any flavor you prefer.)

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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*I am calling this recipe dairy free, although I did not factor in the chocolate chips which have a slight amount of dairy in the ingredients. However, you can substitute them for carob chips, or any type of “chips” you’d like.

This is a chewy-er cookie, especially for the dairy free recipes which sometimes can end up like hockey pucks (although the edges are crunchy- and delicious!) I recommend storing them in Tupperware to keep them on the softer side. The recipe will make about a dozen cookies, but can be easily doubled.

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs canola oil or XLOO. (Extra light olive oil will give them more of a buttery flavor.

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Here’s what you do:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

I use my KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment. However, you can mix the, by hand.

Some people are big advocates for mixing dry and wet ingredients separately. I don’t for this recipe, and I think the end result does not suffer. I add the ingredients in the order they are listed above, and mix until combined and smooth.

Drop heaping tablespoons (silverware tablespoons, not measuring tablespoons) onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, allowing some space for the cookies to expand during cooking, about an inch and a half should do. The picture above is an industrial sized tray that takes up the entire length of my oven, so you will want to put fewer cookies on a standard sized tray.

Bake for about 9 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers don’t deflate if you poke them with your finger. (Not an exact science, but — it works.) Let them sit on the tray for a couple minutes to solidify theor shape before transferring to a wire cooling rack

Enjoy!

My Grandmother’s Applesauce Recipe

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Growing up, my favorite thing about fall was always my grandmother’s applesauce. With grocery store varieties containing ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and dyes, this recipe is great alternative with just two ingredients, apples and sugar. Here’s how to do it:

Peel core and slice 1/2 a peck of apples. (I get a mix from an orchard near my house) cut the slices into halves or thirds, and toss them into a stockpot or Dutch oven as you go. I turn the heat on low, and keep it on as I prep and add the apples. Now comes the sugar.(Just plain, white, natural sugar.) My grandmother always said there is no set amount, “you just go by gosh, and by golly.” I’ve come to fill a small tea cup (as you see in the picture) but you can always add a small amount, and more to taste as you go along.

There is no need to add any liquid, the apples will break down naturally, just keep them on low heat. At this point, I put a lid on the pot and let them cook, stirring occasionally. After about 30-45 minutes or so, (depending on how chunky you like your sauce) it is ready to enjoy. You can add a teaspoon of cinnamon if you’d like. My grandmother was never a big fan of that, and wanted to let us add our own cinnamon, only if we wanted to.

It will last about 3 weeks in the refrigerator, if you have any left by that time! If you want to make extra, it keeps very well in the freezer, and is sure to please adults and children alike!

 

(*I posted this previously on another blog for a school project, and wanted to post it again here.)

Easy, Tender, and Juicy Pot Roast Recipe

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A lot of people feel intimidated about making a pot roast because the meat can end up being tough and stringy. I buy bulk “bundle packs” from my local butcher, and some of them include 3lb chuck roasts. I have tried several different ways of making them, but this is my #1 way to make it. Spoiler alert, I boil it (and it is delicious!) I do not sear it or roast it, and most times I plop the roast in the pot frozen. (Cooking frozen meat is fine, as long as you let it cook a little longer, and check the temperature with a meat thermometer.) It really can’t get any easier.

Here’s what you need:

A roast. As stated, I use chuck roasts, but I have also used top round and other cuts. Use what you have or like. The chuck roast is a fattier cut, so a three pound roast is a decent size for 3-4 servings (in my opinion.)

A stock pot that will hold your roast.

 Stock. I make my own when I can, but I also buy organic stock in bulk to have on hand. I use 4 cups of stock, (it doesn’t have to be beef stock either, I use vegetable stock, or chicken stock too, it’s just extra flavor.) Then add enough water to cover the top of the roast.

I like to add something acidic to tenderize the meat, and I switch it up often. Try a shot of bourbon, or half a cup of red or white wine. You could use a little vinegar, but proceed with caution as it can overpower a dish pretty quick. Have fun, and again, use what you have when you can!

Add a teaspoon or so of salt. Some stocks are saltier than others, so use salt sparingly as you can always add more, but you don’t want to overdo it. – Add some pepper too.

Other things to add – Here’s where you can get creative. You can slice up an onion and add some sage and garlic (I just smash the garlic cloves and toss them in the pot), or try mushrooms, an apple or red pepper. Most people add carrots and potatoes. I say roast the carrots in the oven, and make the potatoes separately. Pot roast with mashed potatoes is a no-brainer in my book. (And, you can make gravy out of the leftover stock – I’ll add the recipe & detailed pics sometime this fall.)

Here’s what you do:

Put all of the ingredients in to your stock pot on a large burner on your stove top. Let it come up to a boil on medium high heat (or just below the highest setting.) Once it has gotten to a good rolling boil, start to decrease the temperature little by little. (I usually do laundry or homework in-between checking.) Bring the roast down to the lowest setting you can where it will simmer. If you go too low, turn it back up. Keep the lid on it and check it periodically  to make sure it isn’t boiling too high. Add water as necessary to keep the roast just covered while cooking.

It will take a good 2-3 hours of cooking, but I start it in the morning and let it go slow and low all day. I think it’s better than any scented candle you can buy!

Sweet Onion, Mustard Seed and Dill Seasoned Rice

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Rice is one of my favorite side dishes because there are so many different things you can do with it, and not feel like you are just serving rice “again” if you make it a few times during the week. (It may wind up with it’s own section on this blog.)

Because cooking times and liquid measurements vary so much, use the package instructions as your guide.

This recipe is based on using 2 cups of dry rice.

Here’s What You Need:

Rice

Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock, or water. Any of the 3 will be delicious, I personally use chicken stock for a little extra savory flavor. You can also use half stock and half water.)

1 Vidalia (or other sweet variety) onion. If you really like onion, use a large one. If it’s not your favorite, use a small one.

A drizzle of olive (or canola) oil

1 tsp whole mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

Dried dill – enough to sprinkle on top (See the picture above)

Here’s What You Do:

Heat your oil on medium heat in a large sauce pan

Dice the onion and saute it in the oil until translucent (about 10 minutes should do it.) Add a sprinkle of salt, and if it starts to brown, reduce your heat.

Add your stock (or water) to the onions, and add the bay leaf with it. Bring it up to a boil, and add your rice.

Add the mustard seeds, cover, reduce heat, and cook according to the package instructions.

Sprinkle a little dried dill on top before serving, and enjoy!

White Balsamic Vinaigrette Roasted Chicken

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I used to buy whole chickens from my local butcher shop and hack them apart myself. (Thanks Julia Child!) Then I realized I buy them from a butcher shop, and there are services that butchers provide, like butchering chickens… (Not my finest “a-ha” moment.) The glaze for this recipe is enough for a 3 (ish) lb chicken, I use fryers, because that is what my butcher sells. You can use this on a whole chicken, or pieces, and it can be easily doubled for a larger bird.

Here’s What You Need For The Vinaigrette Glaze:

2 lg cloves of garlic minced

½ c olive oil

3 TBS White balsamic vinegar

1TBS brown sugar

1 tsp oregano (and/or basil, parsley & rosemary- Whatever you like the best)

Salt & Pepper

Here’s What You Do:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees (It might seem high, but I’ve found this to be the best temp for crispy skin and juicy chicken!)

Lightly whisk (or stir with a fork) to combine the ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle a little bit of the glaze in the bottom of a large roasting pan to keep the pieces from sticking as they cook. Spoon the glaze over the chicken. It should balance out to about 2 TBS per piece. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes per pound, or until it reaches the temperature of 165 degrees.