Tuesday, November 23, 2010
No Knead to Fear: No Knead Bread
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Carrot Risotto
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Homemade Tomato Soup
Monday, November 15, 2010
Hot Fudge Mondays
Ever have those days when you have a chocolate meltdown? A chocoholic without her fix is a dangerous beast, indeed. Suffering from the delirium of Monday withdraw, I opened up a stark kitchen cupboard. Behold!! …oh wait, it’s just cocoa powder. Feeling limited by the unsweetened brown dust, I racked my brain for ideas. It landed on hot fudge. I gathered the six ingredients needed for the recipe and the race to stuffing my face was on. In about 10 minutes, I had hot fudge the consistency of molasses and almost the taste of my grandma’s old fashioned chocolate pudding. Still warm, I ate a few spoonfuls. With a gooey chocolate smile, I concluded that Hershey’s would be proud.
Being a babysitter for years taught me that there is no greater 6-year-old bliss than dumping fudge on a mound of ice cream. Being a college student taught me there aren’t too many cheaper ways to go about making something chocolate. Plus, its utility isn’t too shabby either. Put it on ice cream or brownies, use it to make chocolate milk or hot chocolate, eat it plain [what I have commonly been caught doing], make a molten lava cake with it, etc. You can add different flavorings like bourbon or some other extract flavor to add variety. It’s a great alternative if you are in between grocery trips and have a hankering for chocolate.
[Sorry for the lack of pictures. If I end up with something to put the fudge on I will certainly update. But for now, I keep my secret stash hidden in the back of the fridge in a mysterious unmarked jar.]
Hot Fudge
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2 T flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup milk
3 T butter
1 tsp vanilla
Instructions:
1. Whisk together dry ingredients, make sure you get all the clumps out.
2. In a saucepan, heat milk, butter and vanilla over medium heat until butter has melted.
3. Add in dry mix, whisk until bubbling. Constantly stir until thickened, about 5-7 min.
4. Store in cool place.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Taste Tripping: The Miracle Berry Experience
Sunday, November 7, 2010
A Comfortable Combo: Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Leeks
Leeks, kin to the garlic and onion family, taste like a mild onion-tinged cucumber. They look like giant green onions. When cooked in butter they melt into a silky texture. Overlooked and undervalued, leeks are seldom appreciated outside of creamy potato soup recipes. Goat cheese is soft white cheese, softer even than even cream cheese, but with a tarter, milkier finish. Tonight, I would combine the smooth buttery quality of leeks with this soft, milky goat cheese as a stuffing for chicken braised in white wine and broth.
My first bite had already relaxed my mouth into a creamy grin, as this rich dish enveloped me senses with a soft blanket of warm, comforting flavor. Each bite entailed a heaping forkful of cheesy stuffing oozing from a juicy, tender chicken breast alongside a velvety mushroom risotto. This meal was cozy. A classy comfort food, it made you slow down, snuggle up, and melt into a couch afterwards. It was the perfect transition into a lazy movie night because I was so full. But I only ate half my chicken breast! Seconds for dinner tomorrow night? It’s better than any frozen dinner us college kids can afford.
Chicken Stuffed with Leeks and Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 leeks, rinsed and chopped
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
1 tsp thyme
½ cup goat cheese
2 large chicken breasts; cut for stuffing
2 T olive oil
½ cup water
¾ cup white wine
1 cup broth
Instructions:
1. In a skillet, melt butter over medium high heat until bubbly.
2. Add in leeks and garlic, cook until soft about 8 min.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Let cool.
4. Mix in goat cheese.
5. Stuff with goat cheese and leeks, secure with toothpicks.
6. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.
7. Sear chicken on all sides until lightly browned – about 5 min a side.
8. Add water, white wine and broth. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 min or until chicken is cooked.