Grilled Tequila Garlic Lime Flank Steak

Adapted from Guy Fieri's recipe found here.


Ingredients:
1 cup roughly chopped garlic (approximately 3 bulbs)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 8 large limes)
1/2 cup clear tequila
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak

Directions:
Combine the garlic, lime juice, tequila, soy sauce, peppers, cumin, and black pepper in a resealable plastic gallon bag. Add the steak and let marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove from refrigerator, let marinate at room temperature another 30 to 45 minutes.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Put marinade in small sauce pot and bring to a boil, then strain and reserve.

Place steak on the grill, cook for 4 minutes, turn 90 degrees, and cook for 3 minutes more (to create cross grill marks). Flip over and finish cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Remove from grill to a cutting board, and let rest, lightly covered, for 5 minutes. Slice against grain; serve immediately with reserved marinade.

Spiced Applesauce Cake

Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients:
For cake
2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (6 7/8 ounces or 195 grams) packed light brown sugar (updated weight)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped

For frosting
5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar
1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. I had no trouble getting my cake out of a nonstick pan by just buttering it, but if you don’t have a nonstick cake pan or are a little nervous, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that too.

Directions:
Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts (if using). The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. You can speed this up, as I always do, in the fridge.

Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Do ahead: We were impressed with how well this cake kept for three days but were unable to “research” if it lasted longer. Keep frosted cake in the fridge. If you’d like to bake the cake further in advance, I’d wrap it well and freeze it until the day you need it. Leave it out on the counter to defrost and frost it up to a day in advance.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Curry

Recipe courtesy of Family Circle.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 onion, sliced
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 15.5-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
5 oz. baby spinach

Directions:
1. Spray the slow cooker bowl with cooking spray and add in cauliflower and onion.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together tomatoes (with juice), water and curry powder. Pour mixture over cauliflower and onion in slow cooker bowl and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours.
3. Stir in chickpeas and baby spinach and add additional curry powder or salt and pepper, if necessary.

Spiced Red Wine-Poached Pears

Recipe courtesy of Ellie Krieger on Food Network.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry red wine, such as cabernet or merlot (I used Cote du Rhone)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 orange, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (1 by 3-inch) strip orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
4 firm, ripe pears

Directions:
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine wine, sugar, orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. While liquid is simmering, peel pears, leaving stem intact and being careful not to blemish the flesh of the pears. Slice 1/2-inch off the bottom of the pears to create a flat bottom. Gently place pears in poaching liquid, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to ensure even color, until pears are cooked but still firm. Remove saucepan from flame, uncover and cool with pears upright in pan.

Once cool, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours, turning occasionally, if desired. Gently remove pears from liquid and allow to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, reduce liquid by about half over a medium-high flame for 15 minutes, until liquid is thicker and slightly syrupy. Remove from flame and let liquid come to room temperature. Drizzle each pear with 2 tablespoons syrup and serve.

Pie Crust

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. My first attempt at making pie crust from scratch - used with my Quadruple Berry Pie recipe.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water

Directions:
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 5 seconds. Drizzle water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds. (Dough should not be wet or sticky.) Press dough into 1 large disk (for mini pies) or 2 small disks (for large pie), and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Best chocolate cupcake recipe ever, courtesy of Ghiradelli, found on Martha Stewart's site.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
5/8 cup whole milk
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter

Frosting:
6 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces white chocolate, melted (optional, for decorating)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.

To make the cupcakes, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, and white sugar. Whisk in the milk, coffee, and melted butter. Whisk in the dry ingredients. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake molds, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

To make the frosting, melt the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl, over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Heat the cream until hot. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Transfer to a bowl and cool to just warm. Whisk in the butter until smooth. Let sit until it reaches a spreading consistency, about 1 hour. Spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Fit a pastry bag with the smallest plain round tip. Fill bag with melted white chocolate, and use to write on cupcakes.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Fabulous birthday cake courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. Cookies in the picture are these Ginger Sugar Cookies.

The recipe below is for 4 10-inch layers filled with raspberry filling and coated in chocolate ganache.  
Ingredients:
Cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Special equipment: two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Ganache frosting
1/2 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 stick unsalted butter

Raspberry Filling
2 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
Cake Layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable.

Raspberry Filling:
Puree the raspberries in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pot with the sugar and cornstarch until mixture boils, stirring constantly. As it boils, it should quickly thicken.
Let it cool complete before spreading it thinly over three layers. Spread chocolate frosting over top and sides.

Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Buttercream Icing for Decorating/Writing:
I used about a fourth of this recipe, found on Leah Cooks Kosher: 
1/2 pound stick butter or margarine, unsalted and at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if your margarine is salted)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or flavored extract if preferred)
2 pounds (about 8 cups) powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
Food coloring, optional


One Year Ago: Leftover Turkey Soup
Two Years Ago: Turkey Waldorf Salad
Three Years Ago: Southwest Chicken Black Bean Soup

Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods.

Ingredients: 
1 cup raspberries
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
To make vinaigrette, combine raspberries, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a blender. Mix until smooth.

Cranberry and Orange Relish

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple.

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
16 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 to 3/4 cup orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, orange juice, and cranberries.

Cook until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in the marmalade to taste (depending on desired sweetness). Turn off heat. Stir in the pepper and cilantro just before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Onion Rolls

My first bread recipe, courtesy of Real Simple.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
kosher salt
2 0.25-ounce packages active dry yeast
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more, at room temperature, for the pan
6 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for shaping the dough

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

Place 2 cups warm tap water (105° to 115° F) in a large bowl; sprinkle with the yeast and let stand until foamy, 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs, 4 tablespoons of the butter, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the flour and three-quarters of the onions and mix until a sticky dough forms. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Punch the dough down. With well-floured hands, form the dough into 16 balls and place in the prepared pan, spacing evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining quarter of the onions. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Heat oven to 400° F. Remove the plastic wrap and brush the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Bake until the rolls are golden, 18 to 22 minutes (tent with foil if the tops brown too quickly). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Rosemary Pecans

Recipe from Real Simple.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups pecan halves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Directions: 
Heat oven to 375° F. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, cayenne pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Transfer the pecans to a rimmed baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake, stirring occasionally, until toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the rosemary and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

Recipe courtesy of Serious Eats.I made a few alterations based on what I had at home.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) jar salsa  

1 (14.5 ounce) can red kidney beans 

1 cups (1/2 of a 14.5 ounce can) pumpkin puree
3/4 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 tablespoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (at least 3 good shakes)
 

Directions: 

Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Saute the onion, green bell pepper, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Make room in the center of the skillet, add turkey, and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in salsa, beans, and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and cayenne.

Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Orange Flavored Frosting

Martha Stewart Cupcakes with Ina Garten Frosting.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature:
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature:
1/2 teaspoon orange zest:
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract:
1/2 pound confectioners' sugar, sieved:
Orange food coloring (or red and yellow), optional

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. In a bowl, stir baking soda into the boiling water; stir this mixture into chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until the mixture is light and pale yellow in color. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add flour and buttermilk, alternating between small amounts of each, and blend well.

Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to the batter, and stir well. Pour the batter into the paper cups, and bake until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake, about 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the oven, and allow them to cool briefly in the muffin tin before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

For the frosting, mix the cream cheese, butter, orange zest and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until just combined. Add the sugar and mix until smooth.
When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously.

Jack-o-Lantern Cheese Ball

Perfect for Halloween, recipe courtesy of Cooking Channel.

Ingredients:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons minced onions
1 teaspoon jalapeno, minced (without seeds, unless you want it spicy, then include the seeds)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons prepared salsa (your favorite kind will do)
1 nice-looking stem of a bell pepper (reserve the pepper for another use)
12 Doritos, original flavor, crushed
Black bean chips, for serving

Directions:
Put all ingredients into the bowl of a mixer, and blend thoroughly. Form into a pumpkin-like shape, and refrigerate until firm, about two hours. Before serving, roll the cheese ball in crushed Doritos. Arrange the cheese ball on a plate, and press the bell pepper stem into the top — it should like a mini pumpkin stem.

You can serve the pumpkin as-is, or break off pieces of black bean chips to form a Jack-o’-lantern face. The chip pieces should adhere to the pumpkin cheese ball if you gently press them onto it, but you can also stick them on using a very small daub of the cheese ball mixture on the back of the black bean chip features; this will act like glue. Serve the cheese ball with black bean chips, crackers or crudites.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Delish recipe courtesy of Food Network.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, plus a few for garnish

Frosting:
2 sticks butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
10 to 12 cups powdered sugar

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with 24 paper liners.

Mix the flour, soda and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix thoroughly. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix to combine. Add the dry mixture in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream, ending with dry mixture. Stir in the blueberries. Fill the prepared tins two-thirds full and bake 16 to 20 minutes. Cool.

For the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla, lemon zest and juice and blend until combined. Add the powdered sugar gradually until combined. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.