Baked Jelly Donuts

For Thanksgivikah this year, I wanted to make some jelly donuts to share with my family, but the idea of yeast and frying still scared me. Then I found this baked donut recipe online and tried it out!I didn't get a full 12 out of my batter, I probably put too much in each muffin cup, but they were delicious fresh. Not as good the day after when I was serving them - the jelly gets soaked into the donut. 

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 6 oz container of non fat organic vanilla bean yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon+ 1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 jar of your favorite jelly

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar together and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl stir together oil, lemon juice, sugar, egg and yogurt. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the hole. Gently fold everything together until combined. Place batter in a plastic baggie, seal and cut off the corner then pipe dollops of batter into a greased muffin tin. Each muffin cup should only be 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few moments and then flip over onto a cooling rack while still warm. Dip the tops of the donuts into butter and then sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar. Let cool slightly. Fit a pastry bag with the 1/2 round tip and fill the bag with jelly. Insert the tip into the end of each donut and pipe a squirt into each donut. Makes 12.

Plum Blackberry Galette

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.

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

For Filling:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for parchment
2 pounds mixed plums (about 8), halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges if large
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of coarse salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
6 ounces blackberries
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar

Directions:
For Dough:
Lay roughly three quarters of butter on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until hard, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, refrigerate remaining butter.

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add refrigerated butter and pulse to combine, about 10 times. Add frozen butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some blueberry-size clumps.

Add ice water and immediately pulse until just incorporated, about 10 times more. Squeeze a small amount of dough to make sure it holds together. Pulse a few more times, if necessary.

Empty dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Bring edges together to gather dough, pressing so it comes together into a mass. Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Roll out dough, still wrapped in plastic, to a 1/2-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days; dough can be wrapped in plastic, then in foil, and frozen up to 1 month.

Roll out dough to an 18-inch round on lightly floured parchment (parchment should measure at least 18 inches square; overlap 2 pieces, if necessary).

For Filling:
Combine plums, lemon juice, flour, salt, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Gently stir in blackberries and place in middle of pastry, leaving a 3-inch border. Dot top of fruit mixture with butter. Fold up edges of pastry to partially cover fruit; brush pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Slide galette on parchment onto a rimmed baking sheet (trim parchment to fit, if necessary). Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake galette 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until pastry is golden and juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Baked Turkey and Jack Cheese Chimichangas

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients:
2 spray(s) cooking spray
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
16 oz fat free canned refried beans
1 3/4 cup(s) fat free salsa
4 1/2 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, drained and diced
1 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp uncooked scallion(s), thinly sliced
1 cup(s) reduced-fat shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 item(s) (large) burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
1 cup(s) fat free salsa (Optional)
1/2 cup(s) fat free sour cream (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Add garlic, zucchini, pepper, and onion to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until softened. Add turkey to skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa, chili peppers, chili powder and scallions. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes; stir in most of the cheese (reserve about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top of chimichangas).

Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; fold in sides and roll up.

Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream, if desired.

French Onion Dip

 From my favorite, Alton Brown.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/onion-dip-from-scratch-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

White Chocolate Coconut & Banana S’more Bars

Recipe courtesy of Top with Cinnamon.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup white chocolate, chopped
2 large bananas
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square tin with foil, then spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray or oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, vanilla, salt and egg whites. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and sugar. Press into the lined tin.

Wrap the bananas in foil. Place the foil-wrapped bananas and the coconut base into the oven separately. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the coconut base is golden brown and the bananas are dark and starting to seep a bit.

Immediately peel the bananas into a bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Spread the mashed banana over the coconut base and sprinkle on the chopped chocolate. Spread the chocolate evenly to cover the entire base and sprinkle with marshmallows.

Turn your broiler on and put the oven rack on the top third of the oven. Place the pan under the broiler for less than one minute, just until the marshmallows are toasted. Watch them closely! Remove from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut s’mores bars into 12 or 16 squares. You could also make these s’mores over the barbecue by making the base in the oven ahead of time and roasting the remaining ingredients over the heat. Enjoy!

Berry Trifle with Pound Cake

Pound cake recipe from Martha Stewart. Berry Trifle recipe from Recipe Girl.

Ingredients:
Pound Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), sifted, plus more for pan
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Syrup:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Layers:
Pound cake
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups fresh blueberries
3 cups fresh strawberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until very light and fluffy, 7 minutes. Scrape down bowl and beat 1 minute more. Add vanilla, then gradually add eggs, beating well and scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add salt, then gradually add flour, beating well to combine and scraping down bowl as needed.

Transfer batter to pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 65 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 1 hour. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely on rack before slicing.

Prepare lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, bring sugar, lemon juice and water to a boil over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar completely. Let cool.

Slice cake into 3/4-inch slices. Then brush over both sides of each cake slice. Quarter each slice.

Beat cream cheese with sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add cream. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft whipped cream.

Arrange half of the cake pieces in the bottom of a glass serving bowl or dish (2 qt. size is sufficient). Spoon half the cream-cheese mixture over the cake in dollops; spread to the sides of the dish. Scatter half of the blueberries and strawberries on top. Repeat layering with cake, cream cheese and berries. Pile additional strawberries on top.

Cover and refrigerate until chilled (about an hour). You may also refrigerate overnight.

Marinade for Grilled Vegetables

Great marinade for grilled vegetables, courtesy of AllRecipes.

 Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Vegetables: I've used this on zucchinis, red peppers, red onions and potatoes

Directions:
Whisk olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss vegetables in soy sauce marinade. Marinate for about 45 minutes.

Rose Sangia

Amazing sangria using Rose wine, courtesy of (ironically enough due to my personal feelings toward the herb...) The Cilantropist.

Ingredients:
1 large orange
2 ripe yellow peaches
About 2 cups strawberries
About 1 cup raspberries
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup citron vodka
1 bottle Rose wine
1 1/2 cups ginger ale

Directions:
First wash all the fruits well. Then cut the orange in half, and cut the halves into slices. Next thinly slice the peaches (slice around the peach to divide into quarters, then pull each quarter away from the pit to slice again), hull and quarter the strawberries, and leave the raspberries whole. Place all the fruits in a large bowl, and add the sugar, triple sec, and vodka. Mix the fruit well, pressing it down in the bowl so it is mostly covered by the sugar/alcohol mixture. Soak the fruit, mixing occasionally, for at least 1 hour, but if you can soak it for 2-3 hours it will be even better.

To mix up the sangria, add the bottle of Rose wine, and the ginger ale to a large bowl, then stir in the fruit and alcohol. (Or if you have a drink dispenser, you can just add everything in there and swirl it around.) Mix well, and chill before serving. If you like, serve with ice, in glasses garnished with orange slices or fresh raspberries.

Skillet Matzo Brei with Cinnamon, Apple, and Raisins

 Fabulous Passover breakfast, from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:
5 matzos, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Fruit preserves, creme fraiche, honey, or maple syrup, for serving (optional)

Directions:
Place matzos in a bowl, and cover with water. Place a plate on surface to keep matzos submerged. Let stand for 5 minutes, and drain. Return to bowl.

Whisk eggs and salt together in a small bowl. Add to matzo. Add sugar, apple, raisins, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup oil. Gently stir until combined.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread matzo mixture evenly in skillet, pressing firmly into pan. Cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula, 1 piece at a time. (The mixture will break into 3 or 4 pieces.) Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Spoon onto serving plates. Serve hot or warm with toppings if desired.

Strawberry-Lemon Trifle

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. A great Passover addition!

Ingredients:
Lemon Curd for Passover
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons, freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon potato starch
8 tablespoons (1 stick) margarine, cut into 12 pieces

Passover Sponge Cake, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Margarine, for pan
Matzo meal, for pan
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup potato starch

Trifle
2 pints strawberries, hulled
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:
To make the Lemon Curd, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and potato starch in a medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until thick, about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in margarine, one piece at a time, until all of the pieces have been fully incorporated. Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl, and lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool, and store in the refrigerator up to 2 days.

To make the Passover Sponge Cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with margarine. Dust pan with matzo meal; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks on medium-high speed with 1/4 cup sugar until thickened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.

Place egg whites and salt in mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed with whisk attachment until soft peaks form. With machine running, slowly pour in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes. Fold egg whites and orange zest into yolk mixture. Sift potato starch over the mixture, and fold in.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes.

 

To assemble the Trifle, quarter the strawberries, and place in a medium bowl; toss with 1/2 cup sugar. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Add orange juice, and toss. Strain strawberries over a bowl, reserving juice. Place sponge-cake pieces in a 1 1/2-quart heatproof bowl. Pour reserved juice over cake; let sit 30 minutes. Spoon lemon curd over cake; top with strawberries. Enjoy!

Guacamole

Fabulous guacamole, courtesy of Alton Brown. As I am a tomato and cilantro hater, I leave those out from the original recipe and add in Red Pepper for color and texture!

Ingredients:
3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, red peppers, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Baked Plantain Chips

A healthier chip option, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:
2 pounds plantains or green bananas, scored, peeled, and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide plantains between two rimmed baking sheets. Toss with oil, then arrange in a single layer on sheets. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets and flipping plantains halfway through. Drain plantains on paper towels.

To store, place cooled chips in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Passover Crumb Cake

Another amazing Passover cake! Recipe courtesy of Susie Fishbein's Passover By Design cookbook.

Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup potato starch

Crumb Topping:
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, cut into small bits
3/4 (5.5-ounce) box vanilla cookies, crushed and crumbled (I used a food processor)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray a 9- by- 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, at medium speed, mix the sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar, oil, eggs, and potato starch until you have a smooth batter.

Pour into prepared pan and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, toss the cinnamon, butter or margarine, crushed cookies, brown sugar, and sugar. Use your fingers to pinch into coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cake and return to the oven to bake for an additional 35 minutes.

Eggplant Rollatini

Delicious recipe from Real Simple.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large eggplants (about 3 pounds total ), sliced lengthwise (about 16 slices total)
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce container ricotta
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)

Directions:
Heat oven to 450° F. Divide the oil between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Dividing evenly, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheets and turn to coat in the oil; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Bake the eggplant, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until soft and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes; let cool. Reduce heat to 400° F.

Meanwhile, in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch or some other 3-quart baking dish, spread ½ cup of the marinara sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ricotta, oregano, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Place about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on one end of a slice of eggplant, roll it up, and transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices and ricotta mixture.

Top the eggplant rolls with the remaining cup of marinara sauce and the remaining cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

Recipe courtesy of David Lebovitz.

Ingredients:
For the caramel praline (mix-in)
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon sea salt, such as fleur de sel

For the ice cream custard
2 cups whole milk, divided
1½ cups sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the caramel praline, spread the ½ cup of sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy duty 6 quart saucepan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or brush it sparingly with unflavored oil.

Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.) Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn. It won’t take long.

Without hesitation, sprinkle in the ¾ teaspoon salt without stirring, then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.

To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts) over the ice, pour 1 cup of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

Spread 1½ cups sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.

Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup of the milk.

Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens.

Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits, about the size of very large confetti. I also added in chopped up bittersweet chocolate chunks.

Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the crushed caramel and chocolate, then chill in the freezer until firm.