Gingerbread Cookies

Recipe courtesy Martha Stewart
Makes about twenty-four 6-inch gingerbread people






Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured molassesRoyal Icing



Directions:
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Add flour mixture; combine on low speed. Divide dough in thirds, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (a French nonstick baking mat). Set aside. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut into gingerbread people shapes. Transfer to prepared baking sheets.

Cut out desired decorations and place on cookies. Press currants into dough to create eyes and buttons. To create hair, roll a piece of dough into a ball and pass through a clean garlic press. Attach hair to heads. Bake until crisp, but not darkened for about 20 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks.

Decorate with royal icing.

Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie

One of my Thanksgiving Dessert recipes!

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2006



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Caramel Sauce, for garnish, recipe follows
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the pecan pieces and the chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pie shell.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together. Pour the filling over the pecans. Bake until the filling sets, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Cut into individual servings and serve with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Caramel Sauce:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup whole milk

Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a deep amber color, 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Add the cream (be careful; it will bubble up), whisk to combine, and remove from the heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, then add up to 2 more tablespoons, until the desired consistency is reached. Let cool until just warm before serving. (The sauce will thicken as it cools.)

Cafe Ronda

So last night, Justin and I went to an amazing Tapas place on the Upper West Side. It was my official-just-the-two-of-us-birthday-dinner. Justin was in charge of planning the evening. The night before (of course) he finally decided to look for a place. He came up with the wonderful idea of tapas, since we went once for a friend's birthday last year and enjoyed it greatly. Unfortunately, J lacks my skills at restaurant research. So, I helped him out. I found 3 great looking options and then finally picked Cafe Ronda. Somehow, just by looking at the website structure of all 3 places, Mike came with the same conclusion as I had. Looks like his system works! Here are some pictures of what we got taken on Justin's cell phone, so that is why they're dark and not as good as they should be :)

Cafe Ronda

The scene

First tapas of the night: On the left, Grilled corn on the cob with cotija cheese and ground red pepper. On the right, tuna croquette with raisins and guacamole. This was our favorite dish of the night - surprisingly spectacular!

Yummy cheese plate with 3 cheeses, apples, grapes, candied pecans, and membrillo pate.

Justin sipping on sangria - we tried a red, white, and rose.

Far back: Chicken and Cheese Empanadas. To the left, Argentinian chorizo flambeed with wine, dates, and onions. To the right, Kofte Meatballs sauteed with white wine, sumac onions, and parsley.

Dessert: Coconut Flan and Flourless Chocolate Cake.

All in all, an A+ for food, drinks, and ambiance!

Mexican Fudge Brownies

My friend Nicole (Mike will remember her as the girl who made the rice crispie treats on the wine trip this past summer) is pretty much Martha Stewart. Everything she bakes comes out scrumptous. She made these brownies for us this weekend (I have leftovers for Heroes night!). She upped the cinnamon/pepper quotient in her recipe, but here's the official one she sent over.

MEXICAN FUDGE BROWNIES
(adapted from a Recipezaar recipe)
makes 20 brownies

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
6oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 to 1 cup white sugar (to taste)
4 eggs (or 3 eggs and 1 white, for less cholesterol)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
Pinch of cumin
6oz. semi-sweet chocolate, for topping

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, microwave together the butter and unsweetened chocolate on low-medium power. Heat for about 2 to 4 minutes, then stir to melt chocolate (do not overheat, and do not let any water get into the chocolate mixture)
3. Let chocolate mixture cool slightly. Stir in white and brown sugars.
4. Stir in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
5. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and spices.
6. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stir to combine.
7. Taste to check spiciness of brownies. Add more spices if necessary (especially cinnamon). Note that flavors will slightly intensify after baking.
8. Pour batter in pan, bake for 25-30 minutes until center is just set (do not overbake). Remove from oven.
9. Microwave semi-sweet chocolate in a small bowl. Spread melted chocolate over brownies and refrigerate 1 hour to set. Enjoy!

Tuscan Tomato Soup

So, I bought this soup cookbook from Williams-Sonoma a few months ago and with the weather getting so cold, I finally decided to give it a shot! The first soup I decided to try (the picture in the book made Justin go "oooh! I want that!") is the Tuscan Tomato Soup!

Tuscan Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
6-8 slices French bread, one inch
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, then diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus 6-8 whole leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, turning once, 10-15 minutes total. Set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and stock, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches, leaving a little bit of texture if desired, and return the soup to the pot. Return the soup to medium heat and reheat gently. Add the chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each warmed bowl and sprinkle with a spoonful of Parmesan cheese. Ladle the soup on top and garnish with a basil leaf.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Foodporn

So, Mike has noted that I need to work on my foodporn (aka food photography). This is true! I will attempt to up my picturetaking skills and make my food look purdy. For now I added a picture of the mac n cheese from foodnetwork.com :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

Had to post this recipe too! It's my favorite new fall dessert recipe and has been a big hit all around! :) I got the idea because I tasted the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake at Starbucks and thought it was soo good that I wanted to try to make it (or something similar). This recipe comes from epicurious.com.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (one bag)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Beat dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture alternately with milk. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake loaf cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature.) Top with vanilla frosting - yum!

Carebear's Kitchen Open for Business!

In this blog, I will post recipes that I've tried out and pictures of their outcomes! Exciting, right??

My first recipe is what I made for dinner tonight (unfortch I didn't take a picture of the result :( ). I made Macaroni and Cheese, but was looking for a "healthy" version. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com from the healthy cook, Ellie Krieger.


Macaroni and 4 Cheeses

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, Jack cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.


Nutrition Information
Nutritional analysis per serving
Calories 395
Total Fat 11.5 grams
Saturated Fat 6 grams
Cholesterol 35 mg
Sodium 545 mg
Carbohydrates 55 grams
Protein 18 grams
Fiber 3 grams

I divided everything above in two since I was making a smaller portion. I also added in some cut veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, snap peas) which were a nice addition to the recipe.

My thoughts: The butternut squash made for an interesting sauce, but I would have liked more cheese.