Laura's Thanksgiving essentials: rosemary rolls, creamy mashed potaotes & bourbon pecan pie

Still have some holes in your Thanksgiving menu? Have no fear, the 3 Happy Eaters are here to help! This week, we'll each be sharing our favorite tried-and-true, must-have Thanksgiving recipes!

First up: three carb-o-licious staples from Laura.

[photo credit here]

This is a simple but impressive way to step up your bread game. My sister calls them Stick Rolls because of the delicious rosemary "sticks" sprinkled on top. These are definitely best served straight out of the oven, but make sure you allow 3-5 hours for the frozen rolls to rise. Make sure you get unbaked frozen rolls--the pre-baked ones will not work for this! Again, don't freak out over the amount of buter--just get organic and move on.

Rosemary Rolls (aka Stick Rolls)

bag of frozen, unbaked rolls (Rhodes is the brand I find at Publix)
butter, melted (depends on how many rolls you're making, but around 2 sticks--1 before cooking and 1 after cooking)
rosemary (I use dried bc lazy)
coarse sea salt

Spray a round pan (iron skillet, cake pan, whatever you have on hand) with nonstick spray, or rub with olive oil. Place rolls in pan an inch or so apart for room to rise. Cover with a clean dish towel and set in a warm-ish place (on top of an oven that's cooking your turkey, in the laundry room, etc) to rise for 3-5 hours.

When risen, brush generously with melted butter, and sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt.

Preheat oven and cook according to package (usually 350-400 for 10-15ish minutes). If you're so inclined, which I always am, brush again with butter upon removing from oven.

[photo credit here]

One of the most important dishes at Thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes. A friend of mine recently reached out to me for my go-to recipe because she felt like hers were just kind of boring. So if you, too, are looking for an easy way to spruce up this essential dish, look no further. (Disclaimer: if you're looking for a low-fat version of mashed potatoes, I don't wanna hear it. Stop counting calories and buy organic dairy products for "clean" fats that are actually good for you.)

PW's Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Makes a heaping 13x9 pan's worth. I usually halve it.

5 lbs potatoes (I use regular "baking" potatoes, but russet or gold are good too, whatever you prefer)
1.5 sticks of butter
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Peel and quarter potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add potatoes. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through (a fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, but they shouldn't quite be falling apart).

Drain potatoes in a colander. Dump potatoes into a large mixer bowl with paddle attachment, and turn on lowest setting for a couple minutes to let steam escape. When steam has slowed down, start adding the remaining ingredients. (If you're into the mash-it-by-hand method, do that until most of the steam has escaped.)

Keep the mixer on the lowest setting, and slowly add the butter and cream cheese in tablespoon-size cubes. (The hot potatoes will melt and incorporate them better in smaller chunks rather than whole sticks.) Then, the mixer still on the lowest setting, add the half-and-half and let run until incorporated. Add the seasoned salt and pepper, and mix until incorporated. You can turn the mixer up higher to mash the remaining chunks, but don't over-mix or it'll turn to paste.

At this point, you can pour into a dish and serve, or pour into a dish, top with MORE pats of butter and bake at 350 until heated through (helpful if you've made them ahead of time).

Pecan pie is almost as essential to Thanksgiving as the turkey itself. As I've said before, I'm not ashamed of pre-made pie crust. Go right ahead and make your own if you want, but I am all for the packaged stuff. There are zillions of pecan pie recipes out there, but this one is my go-to because chocolate and bourbon. Of course, it's from my favorite baking cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. I'm telling you: Christmas list that shiz!

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie
from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

1 pie crust (I've used both the in-pan version and the rolled up version, either work)
2 cups pecan halves, toasted (spread on baking sheet for 10 min at 350--don't skip this!)
3 eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup (I don't wanna talk about it)
3 Tbs sugar
4 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tbs butter, melted
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs bourbon
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Whichever crust version you go with, stick it in the freezer (in the pie dish) for a couple hours, or if you're lazy like me, just while you put together the other ingredients.

If you haven't already, toast your pecans. No arguing, just do it. Roughly chop 3/4 cup of them and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs until combined. Add the corn syrup, sugars, butter, salt, vanilla and bourbon. Whisk again until combined. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Take your pie crust out of the freezer. Spread the chocolate chips evenly along the bottom of the pie shell. Slowly pour the filling you just mixed together on top of the chocolate chips. Sprinkle/arrange the remaining pecan halves (not chopped) on top of the filling.

Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then loosely cover the edges of the crust with foil and bake another 30 minutes (keeps crust from burning) until knife stuck in center comes out clean (no clumps of filling).

Cool on wire rack and serve warm or room temp.


Give these recipes a try this Thanksgiving, your family will thank you!
    

    

Essentially homemade chicken pot pie

Even though it's somehow basically summer again outside here in Atlanta, last week was absolutely frigid. so naturally I made my favorite cold-weather dinner: chicken pot pie.

I love this recipe because you can be as complicated or no-frills as you want to be with it. I think the most important part of a recipe is that it should be reasonably doable on an average night. So I took a potentially complicated, exhausting recipe and made it just that. Here's how:

• Homemade crust? Sure, if you're into that kinda thing. Me, I don't have any kinda time for that business. Who wants to spend 5 hours making a (extremely temperamental) pie crust before even starting to cook dinner? Not this moi.

• Another potential point of debate: the frozen veggies. Look. Look. Listen. Listen. Look. Come on, who really likes celery? I find no shame in grabbing the organic Publix-brand frozen mixed veggies that come in the exact amount that I need. aka more of what I want for less effort. I pick that.

• Optional white wine aka an excuse to buy a bottle of white wine. Even if you're not into wine, it really does enhance the flavors, so don't skip it unless you really have to.

• Final point of flexibility: the protein. If you've got a leftover chicken breast or two that you can cook and chop up: go for it. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery and pull the meat off--sometimes it's cheaper than buying raw chicken, plus it's already cooked! Have leftover chicken from a roast? Use that. Lots of room for flexibility here.

Special Thanksgiving hint: this recipe is AMAZING with leftover turkey. Do yourselves a favor and set aside 2 cups of turkey so you can make this--it's WAY better than turkey sandwiches, I promise.

Okay, enough defending my choices. Just try it and you'll see for yourself. My family requests this over and over again, and it might just be what snags me a husband one of these days. It's that good.

Laura's Chicken Pot Pie

1 pie crust (if you get the two-pack from the store, freeze one for next time!)
1/2 stick butter
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
2 cups chopped or shredded chicken (or turkey!)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
splash of white wine (optional) (not really)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 tsp thyme (or to taste. I use dried/ground because lazy)

Preheat oven to 400.

(Cook your chicken and shred it up if you haven't already.)

Melt butter in a large skillet. Toss in frozen veggies and, stirring, cook until heated through (a couple minutes). Add the chicken and stir, coating the chicken in the remaining butter. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to coat. Cook over medium for a couple minutes (this helps the chicken and veggies stand up to the liquids).

Pour in broth, stirring constantly to deglaze (get the crispy stuff off the bottom) the pan. Let it return to a simmer and add a splash of white wine. Stir and let return to a simmer. Then add heavy cream.

Bring to a slow boil and let simmer for a few minutes until the mixture thickens a little to an almost gravy-like consistency. While simmering, add salt, pepper and thyme. I hardly ever measure these things (#YOLO) I just keep adding and tasting until I'm happy with it.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish or pie dish (at least 9-in). Unroll the pie crust and carefully place over the mixture, and press the edges into the side of the dish (so the insides don't boil out). Slice vents in the top of the crust.

Bake 30-40 mins or until golden and bubbly. Allow to cool just slightly before serving (because the inside will be at molten lava temperatures).


Make it tonight!
    

    

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

One of my favorite things is cake disguised as bread. I'm not sure the details of the classification system, but if I can get away with eating cake for breakfast (lunch, dinner, dessert, snack) then I am all for calling it "bread."

I really love quick breads (aka quick cakes) because they fall in this category of cake/bread perfection, and because you don't even have to use a mixer to throw it together.

Here's my favorite fall quick bread recipe, coming from my all-time favorite baking cookbook by Baked NYC. If you don't already have it, put it on that Christmas list pronto! Perfect for a potluck or Thanksgiving celebration or just because--it's so easy you don't really have an excuse not to make it.

The recipe makes two 9-inch loaves, but is easily halved if you just need one.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

3 1/4 cups flour, sifted (or not sifted if you're me)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg if you're me)
1/2 tsp ground allspice (cloves would probably be nice too!)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (aka one 15-oz can)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar (I used all white)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup water, room temperature
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease & flour your 9-inch loaf pans (I use butter).

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda and salt.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add the sugar and whisk again. Add the eggs, one at a time whisking well after each addition, and the vanilla. Add the water and whisk until combined (I wish I could tell you why you add rando water. It's going to seem watery and weird. but I promise it makes it moist and delicious. #science). Using a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips (yes, they'll mostly float to the bottom but don't worry).

Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined--try not to overmix.

Divide the batter between the pans (or pour it all in the one pan if you halved the recipe). Bake at the center of the oven for about 1 hour 25 minutes (depending on your oven. start checking it at 1 hr 15 min), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I was really worried that my edges were burning while the inside was finishing cooking, but it turned out perfectly, so be at ease and let it cook all the way through.

Let cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely. Or until your small group gets there and you can't wait any longer before diving into it.


Make this today! Your coworkers (book club, family, small group) will love you for it!

    

How to throw a dinner party without being Martha Stewart

Describe your perfect day.

This exercise was the icebreaker one week at the beginning of the small group bible study that Katie and I were in back in college. For some people this might be a tough assignment. But for me, it was easy, and my answer is still the same 4 years later: to spend the day cooking and getting ready for a dinner party with friends.

For a lot of people, the idea of throwing a dinner party is one of the most stressful things--pretty much the opposite of a perfect day! But it can also be so fulfilling to host a gathering where friends can enjoy each other around the table. Food brings people together.

In this post, I'm going to share with you some dinner party hacks from a get-together I threw recently that will hopefully empower even the most anxiety-ridden host, and save some dollars while you're at it! I'll even give you a whole menu of recipes!

Keep It Simple Stupid. This age-old saying definitely applies to stress-free dinner parties. Keep the guest list small, the menu basic, and the booze cheap. Simple does not have to mean boring or bad!

 

[photobooth fun. just like the college days.]

The Guest List
My friends make fun of me because I tend to "socially construct" get-togethers. I don't just invite every person I know every time, I'm very strategic about it. That might sound mean, but it relieves a lot of anxiety when you don't have to worry about people having a good time or getting along.

I usually aim for around 5 or so guests. There isn't a real science to it--that's just how many fit nicely around my table! I also find it to be a good size for everyone to be together in one conversation. and it's a typical serving size for most recipes, so you don't have to mess with doubling anything ($$$) or running out of food.

For this dinner party in particular, it was myself and four friends from college getting together to catch up. My fellow Happy Eater Amanda was among the mix. :)

[cheese on carbs. doesn't get any better.]

The Menu
Again, keep it simple! Don't have a hundred courses with a zillion complicated recipes. Italian is often a good direction to go--almost everyone likes it, it's fairly simple and it makes a ton! So here's a breakdown of what I served at my dinner party, with full recipes and everything!

It's always nice to have some kind of snacky appetizer while people are arriving and you're wrapping things up in the kitchen. A cheese tray is a simple and solid choice.

I had out a plate of sliced French baguette from the Publix bakery section with two wedges of cheese from the deli section: a Publix-brand brie and a Publix-brand aged sharp cheddar. Simple, cheap (yay generic brands!) and no cooking required! All you have to do is put it all on a plate and set on the table! If you're feeling adventurous, you can grab a pack of sliced salami and proscuitto (also found in the deli) to serve with the cheese.

For the main, I chose to make my dad's baked ziti (recipe below). It's simple and really easy to prepare in advance and pop in the oven when it's time go! oh, and it's also so delicious and makes a ton. wins all around. I started cooking it when I got home from work, assembled the baking dish, and stuck it in the oven to heat through when people started to arrive.

Along with the pasta, I had Amanda bring a Caesar salad (recipe below). Another reason to go Italian--a Caesar salad is much more simple than having to dice and chop lots of veggies because the lettuce and dressing are the stars of the show.

Lastly, I had a loaf of sliced White Mountain Bread from the Publix bakery and wrapped it in foil to heat up and serve with the pasta.

 [ice cream sammies. easiest, most impressive dessert!]

For dessert, one of my guests requested ice cream cookie sandwiches. Sounds intimidating right? Not the way I do it :) I had break-n-bake chocolate chip cookies that I had baked and stuck in the freezer the day before. When it was time for dessert, I pulled them out along with a pint of vanilla ice cream and spoons, and everyone assembled their own! Fun and delicious and impressive and yet nothing from scratch! You could even buy cookies in the bakery and skip the baking step all together! No shame.

The Booze
Yet another way that Italian wins is that wine is cheaper and easier than cocktails! Most likely at least one of your guests will ask if they can bring something, and wine is a great thing to request so you're not shouldering the cost of a few bottles on your own. We ended up with two bottles of red (including my fave, a $10 Mouton Cadet Bordeaux from Publix) and a bottle of white. We had a special treat because one of our guests brought his homemade limoncello--perfect for Italian!



Okay. So I've given you some time- and money-saving tips for throwing a simple, easy-going dinner party. Now it's your turn! I hope you feel empowered to go out and host your own. It's all about spending quality time with people you enjoy, so just breathe and break out another bottle of wine and everything will be great.

Let me know how it goes!

      

My Dad's Baked Ziti

1 jar of your fave spaghetti sauce (somewhere are 32oz)

1 box of ziti noodles

1 green pepper, chopped

1 lb of Italian sausage (I like using ground better than links)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Cook noodles to al dente.

Meanwhile, brown sausage in skillet. Remove from pan, and saute green pepper.

Heat sauce in saucepan until bubbling. Add cooked sausage and green pepper and heat through.

Grab a 13x9 dish. Put down a ladle of sauce and spread around the bottom of dish to keep noodles from sticking. Add half the noodles and spread evenly. Spoon half the sauce over top. Add the second half of the noodles. Spoon the rest of the sauce over top, then top with cheese. (You can stop here and stick in the fridge until you're ready to pop it in the oven!)

Bake uncovered at 350 until bubbly and heated through.

Amanda's Caesar Salad

Romaine lettuce, chopped

Your fave croutons

Diced avocado (her secret ingredient!)

Parmesan cheese

Your fave Caesar dressing (Amanda loves Brianna's)

Cooking hack: brownies edition

It's safe to say that my friends and coworkers would identify me as a baker. I love baking and find stress relief in it, and I even love the precision of it (the part that right-brained people hate!).

On weekends especially, you'll often find me trying my hand at some new and challenging recipe (like these French cruellers).

Whenever there is a potluck at work or a dinner party with friends, I'm automatically signed up to bring a dessert.

I've made dozens of cupcakes for parties and showers and the like.

When it comes to giving wedding gifts, I almost always go for a pretty cake stand or handy baking sheets.

But I have a confession to make. It's a dark secret. More specifically, it's a dark chocolate secret. and it's this:

These are hands-down the very best ever most perfectly delicious brownies I have ever had. and it's time for the world to know about it.

I know what you're thinking: "oh so you must doctor it up with your own fancy things, right?" Wrong. I wouldn't dream of messing with Ms. Crocker's perfection-in-a-box. I've tried my hand at dozens of from-scratch brownie recipes, and this box by far trumps them all.

This is the brownie for all people. Whether you like your brownies cake-y or fudge-y, whether you are into dark chocolate or not, these perfectly balanced brownies will make you roll your eyes at the ridiculous deliciousness of them.

Stop judging me! This is good news, y'all! I'm telling you that you no longer have to slave over melting chocolate and butter together, and you can stop searching for the perfect flour ratio. You can find this brownie mix at practically any grocery store and all you add are water, oil and 2 eggs. It's so cheap and takes no time at all!

I'm telling you, wooing your friends has never been easier. If you don't believe me, grab a box and try it for yourself. No matter your brownie proclivity, these will satisfy even the most picky palate.

Happy eating!

    

TGIFriday: Things to cook in August

It's August you guys! Can you believe that?!

I was trolling BuzzFeed this week and came across a glorious post on 31 things to cook in August, based on the yummy things that are in season as fall approaches.

I pinned the heck outta those recipes, here are some of my favorites to try soon!

blueberry hand pies, white peach gin fizz, grilled shrimp with cilantro, lime and peanuts,

creme fraiche galette with heirloom tomatoes, Mediterranean lamb burger]

Which ones catch your eye? Take advantage of the weekend and try them out for yourself

Happy eating!
   

    

Spicy pizza with bacon and arugula

To use up the last of the arugula, leftover from my baked sweet potato and salad dinners earlier in the week, I decided to make a salad-topped pizza. I also had leftover bacon. So of course that was going on it too.

When it comes to homemade pizza, I keep it simple, stupid. I don't want to make dough and then make a pizza. I want to make a pizza. So, no shame, I buy dough from the bakery at my favorite Publix.

Spicy pizza with bacon and arugula

1 lb pizza dough
4 slices of bacon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pizza sauce
a whole bunch of mozzarella cheese, shredded
couple handfuls of arugula, (VERY) lightly dressed (I used the leftover champagne vinaigrette)

Preheat oven according to pizza dough instructions (usually 400ish).

Let your dough sit out in a covered bowl (lightly greased with cooking spray) while you're makin bacon. Doesn't matter how you choose to cook your bacon, but I did mine in the pan until crispy.

Roll out your dough to desired thickness--about 12in circle in the end. Spread your sauce evenly over it, top with bacon and red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. Cover with cheese and bake according to dough instructions (usually 12-15mins) or until crust is golden. Let cool for a sec on a cutting board while you get your arugula ready.

Toss your arugula in a teeeeeeny bit of dressing, and place lightly on top of pizza. Slice and enjoy!

Reheat: if you reheat your pizza in the oven the next day, remove the arugula until the pizza is heated through so it doesn't get wilted.


Bon app!

    

Try this at home: Sun in My Belly's Hermes Salad

The best salad I've ever had was at Sun in My Belly, a lovely little restaurant in Decatur. I was taking advantage of a ScoutMob hand-picked deal for dinner for two (they've got one right now and it's almost gone! go get it!) and that included your choice of salad to start.

I chose the Hermes, and it changed my life forever. I would definitely not say that I'm a salad person, but I would eat this happily any/every day.

I decided it'd be really simple to recreate at home, so I decided to give it a go. Sure enough, totally doable and so delicious. I don't think they used gorgonzola as their bleu cheese, but that's what I had on hand from my baked sweet potato the night before.

Usually by the end of a salad I'm having to convince myself to keep eating it, but no so with this one. So even if you have a salad aversion, I dare you to give this one a try! The arugula is perfectly peppery and pairs beautiful with the bite of the bleu cheese and the sweetness of the roasted pears.

Arugula with bleu cheese, toasted walnuts, roasted pears and champagne vinaigrette

For the salad you'll need:
a plateful of arugula
a little bleu cheese (I used gorgonzola)
a handful of walnuts, lightly toasted (pop em in the oven for a couple minutes)
roasted pears, chopped (recipe below)
champagne vinaigrette (recipe below)

For the roasted pears:
2 pears, cored and halved
1 Tbs melted butter
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400. Cut each pear half into 4 lengthwise slices. Toss in the butter, sugar and lemon juice and spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20-30 mins, stirring them around every 10 or so minutes. They'll be ready when they're golden brown and slightly soft.

For the champagne vinaigrette:
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper

Combine mustard and vinegar. Then, whisking the whole time, slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify (mix oil and vinegar). Season with salt and pepper!

Now, assemble away! To your plateful of arugula, crumble some bleu cheese, sprinkle on some toasted walnuts, top with the roasted pears, and finally drizzle on the vinaigrette!

Bon app!

     

Stuffed baked sweet potato with bacon, arugula and gorgonzola sour cream

What do bacon, arugula and champagne vinaigrette all have in common? They're featured in three yummy dinner recipes this week! So get excited!

I bought a package of bacon and a bag of arugula at the beginning of the week, and ended up making three very delicious dinners out of them--some new, some recreations--and I'll be sharing those recipes with you guys this week! So head to the store and grab you some bacon and arugula and champagne vinaigrette and join me!

[you'll need: a sweet potato, bacon, gorgonzola bleu cheese, champagne vinaigrette,
sour cream, olive oil, parsley, arugula. beer optional (but not really).]

First up: a baked sweet potato!

I had never actually done a baked sweet potato before, so I didn't realize how...well..sweet and caramel-y they are! I popped one in the oven at 400 after washing and stabbing it a few times so it wouldn't explode, and let it bake for about an hour (keep an eye on it, though!).

While it was baking, I made the bacon. I fried three slices up in a pan, and set them aside to cool and be crumbled. **Special note: save your bacon grease! Keep a rinsed-out can in your freezer and pour your bacon drippings in there--it makes for a delicious fat for cooking things in later on! Like Amanda's butternut squash soup.**

Next, the gorgonzola sour cream. I was inspired to use it for this recipe by a restaurant in my college town of Rome, Georgia: Harvest Moon Cafe. They have a house-made sweet potato chips with a gorgonzola dip that is to die for--so from that I knew gorgonzola and sweet potatoes make a delicious pair.

I started with about 3oz of gorgonzola cheese, found in the deli section of my favorite Publix. I combined that with 2 tablespoons of champagne vinegar (spoiler alert: this will star in a salad dressing later this week!) and mashed with a fork until it was almost creamy. I stirred in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a third a cup of sour cream, as well as 2 teaspoons of dried parsley and salt and pepper to taste. I popped the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.

When the potato is all nice and baked through, I put it on a plate and made a slice through the middle, but not cutting it completely in two. I grabbed my arugula and put a couple handfuls in/on top of the potato, followed by a few spoonfuls of the gorgonzola sour cream, and topped it off with the bacon crumbles.

I poured myself a beer because I wouldn't want it to be too healthy, and voila!

Give it a try and let me know how you like it! and stay tuned for the next bacon/arugula/champagne vinaigrette recipe!

      

Kale pesto pasta. Heavy cream optional (but not really).

A short while back, I shared a recipe for salmon and kale quinoa and we learned all about those three fantastic superfoods with some fun videos!

But I found myself with half a bag of kale left, that needed tending to before it wilted/rotted in my fridge. I can't believe how fast it goes bad once you open that bag. So, I'm here to share with you a super recipe for using up all that leftover kale!

I took a recipe I found here and I've tweaked it (aka added heavy cream) into the deliciousness I share with you today.

Okay, that's actually a pretty glorified way of putting it. What really happened was that I made the pesto, but didn't make enough pasta, so it was a thick pesto mess. A couple days later I made more pasta to thin out the pesto, and went crazy and added a cup-ish of heavy cream. Then I felt guilty, so I diced up a tomato and threw that in there too. Never apologize for anything that happens in the kitchen, Eaters.

[pre-heavy cream and tomato additions. bad pesto-to-pasta ratio.]

Pasta with kale pesto cream sauce. and tomatoes.

2 lbs of pasta (yes, I realize that's a lot. I was going off of my leftover kale situation! i used whole wheat spirals.)
1/2 lb of kale, chopped and destemmed and all that jazz
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup deshelled pistachios
juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
1 cup(ish) heavy cream
1 tomato, diced

Salt a pot of water and bring to boil. Add kale and blanch for 2-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop it out and onto some paper towels. Let em cool a sec then use more paper towels to pat/squeeze dry. 

Toast the pistachios in a small saucepan/skillet situation over medium-low for a couple minutes, stirring to toast evenly.

Cook your pasta somewhere around here-ish.

Grab your food processor, and add the garlic and toasted pistachios. Pulse until coarse. Add the kale and lemon juice and pulse until mixture is nearly smooth (but still has that pesto-y bits to it). Scrape the sides and add the parmesan, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Pulse again, and while the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

At this point, you can put it in a tupperware with a little olive oil to save, or spoon it over your pasta and give it a good stir.

To make it a pesto cream sauce, heat 1 cup or so (depending on how liquid-y you want it) of heavy cream in a small sauce pan over medium. Bring almost to a boil, then pour over your pasta along with the pesto. Chop up a tomato and toss that in there too.

Happy eating!

   

You put the lime in the coconut... olive oil greek yogurt cake.

Happy Monday, eaters!

I'm really excited about this cake. Like, really, really excited. 

I'm one of those strange birds who doesn't really like icing on cakes. It actually really used to stress me out when I was younger. My mom was typically a no-to-light-froster on birthday cakes and when I found myself at a friend's birthday party with a store-bought, icing covered cake, I would get really stressed out... What if some poor soul handed me an end piece? It doesn't sound like such a dilemma now, but when you're 8 years old and the highlight of the party is the cake, and you've been waiting for it the whole party... waiting for a middle, only-on-the-top frosting piece feels like eternity. 

As it turns out when you are 26 years old, waiting for this cake to bake feels like an eternity. Don't get me started on how long it takes for it to cool...

Anyways!

This cake is first and foremost delicious, without any frosting. And secondly, it's quite lovely without any frosting.

I combined two recipes (found here and here) to make this one. I'm a big fan of using both Greek yogurt and olive oil in cakes- the Greek yogurt keeps things light but the olive oil adds a certain je ne sais quoi. This cake turned out incredibly moist, light and super fresh- perfect for the end of a Memorial Day cook out.

Coconut Lime Greek Olive Oil Cake

3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 tablespoons lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4  cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the topping:

Zest of one lime

1-2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp desiccated coconut

 

 

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease an 8-9" round pan. 

In one bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add olive oil, yogurt, milk, zest and lime juice. It'll look like you're making a key lime pie at this point. Really pretty and really great smelling. Add your coconut and whisk gently or use a spatula to fold gently into the mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together your flours, baking powder and salt. 

Slowly add your flour mixture to your wet ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until there are no clumps (you'll be able to see the coconut, but no lumps aside from that). 

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. 

While the cake is baking, prepare the topping. Combine sugar and lime zest in one bowl and mix together with a fork. Keep your sugar zest separate from your coconut for the topping. Mixing together just creates for a soggy mess. 

Once the cake is done and cooled, sprinkle the sugar zest and coconut on top of the cake and garnish with lime wedges. 

Until next time,

Supersupersuperfood dinner: salmon and kale quinoa

I can't remember how I first stumbled upon this recipe. I was probably in ESTJ-mode (as referenced in my veggie curry post) and wanting to really really get some good nutrition in my belly. This dish does exactly that, with three of the most healthy, whole foods you can get your hands on.

I should say upfront that this dish is not pleasing to the eye, hence the lack of photos in this post. But it is truly delicious, and it's a great way to get three superfoods into one meal. To make up for the lack of photos, I've included a video on each of the three--salmon, kale and quinoa--from the watchsuperfoods youtube channel. These videos are short, fun ways to learn about the major health benefits of certain foods!

First up, omega3-rich salmon:

Next, the vitamin-rich kale:

and finally, protein-rich quinoa:

Now that you know more than you ever could imagine about salmon, kale and quinoa, let me share the recipe with you!

Salmon and kale quinoa
recipe originally found here

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 medium onion, diced
7-8 leaves of kale, chopped (I can only ever find kale in bags, so I used half a bag, about 8oz)
4 cloves garlic, chopped (again, no shame in the jarred pre-minced stuff!)
3 Tbs olive oil (divided)
10oz poached salmon, flaked (see below for poaching directions)
32oz vegetable stock (or chicken, if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

First up, you need your salmon to be cooked. I poached mine--put in saucepan and fill with water over high heat until it boils. Then remove pan from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 mins. Remove fish and check to make sure it's done, especially with thicker filets. Then flake and set aside!

Next, start preparing the quinoa. This takes some time because (similar to a risotto) you add the liquid in small increments, letting it absorb each time. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and saute until transparent. Add quinoa and stir to toast, about 2 minutes (it'll start to smell nutty, don't let it burn!). Add 1 cup vegetable stock, stirring until stock is absorbed (this takes longer than you'd think, but be patient!). Once that is absorbed, add another 1 cup of stock. Continue stirring until absorbed. Add the rest of the stock in 1/2 cup intervals, letting the stock absorb each time. Remove from heat.

While the quinoa is taking its sweet time to absorb, work on the kale. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan with the garlic over medium high heat. Once it's sizzling, add the kale, turning to coat. It'll cook down a lot, so don't worry if it seems like too much. Keep stirring while the kale sautes, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once each part is ready, stir quinoa, kale and salmon to combine and add salt and pepper to taste!

 [Kale. and wine, of course.]

Like I said, it is not much to look at, but the salmon combined with the kale really helps take out the bitterness that turns a lot of people away from kale. It makes a bunch, so feel free to halve the recipe, or just eat it for a whole week like I did!

    

Do NOT drink this--but definitely bake with it!

When I think about must-haves in my pantry, the first thing that comes to mind is instant coffee granules. Before you crazy coffee-loving hipsters murder me, I promise you that it's not for drinking. However, instant coffee trumps regular coffee when it comes to one thing: baking.

When you want baked goods to have that coffee kick, instant is the way to go. You can make it super concentrated--almost like an extract or a syrup--and really intensify the flavor (whereas you'd probably have to use a whole bag of ground coffee to get the same effect).

Don't believe me? What if you heard it from an "expert"? Like maybe The Pioneer Woman? Or maybe Baked NYC? Ben & Jerry's? My favorite recipe from each of these includes instant coffee. Not just my favorite recipes, but ones that are requested over and over again by my coworkers and friends. Don't believe me? Give one (or all!) of them a try:

[Made these on-request for a shower or party of some sort. I've lost count.]

Pioneer Woman's Coffee Cake, Literally
Buckle up, coffee lovers. This one is for you. Not to be confused with the cinnamon-y crumbly stuff, this a literally cake that is coffee flavored. This is a HUGE hit at parties, people, either as cupcakes or a two-layer cake. The instant coffee granules in the frosting make a really neat presentation, and of course tastes delicious. Make it, right now.

[My coworkers love/hate me for these.]

Baked NYC's Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Muffins from their cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking (my FAVORITE baking cookbook of all time ever ever ever.)
I blogged about these during Banana Bread Week, and they're too good not to mention again here. The coffee isn't all that prevalent--it serves more to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. My coffee-abhorring mom will even eat them.

[Now THIS will seriously impress your friends.]

Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream from their ice cream cookbook, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book.
My aunt gave me this ice cream maker (no messy salt and ice!) last year, and I was skeptical at first. Won't it just make that nasty, icy stuff like in chemistry class? However, she also gave me the Ben & Jerry's ice cream cookbook, and I am here to tell you that it tastes even better than you can imagine. Coffee Heath Bar Crunch is one of the first recipes, and I've barely gotten past it because I want to make this one over and over. My friend Kate always requests it for her birthday. It'll blow you away how rich and delicious it is. (recipe here)
 

 [Chunks, not chips, are key in these.]

One last way I like to use instant coffee is in these Santa Ana cookies that I stumbled across when I had chocolate chunks and pecans to use up. The coffee adds a subtle but yummy depth to the batter!

Now go grab some instant coffee granules and bake your way to the bottom of the can!

    

 

Banana bread so good you'll slap yo mama

[spiced chocolate chip banana bread]

Happy Thursday, eaters! It's almost the weekend, which means you need to be thinking about what you're going to eat this weekend, right? ...Right?

Good thing we've been bringing you our favorite banana bread recipes all week so you can budget for some delicious banana-y goodness this weekend to impress your friends. What's your fancy: an extra kick in your morning muffin? What about a little sweet and buttery extra sumpin sumpin on top? Or is it all the chocolate chips? We three eaters just couldn't put enough chocolate chips in our banana bread this week.

Well, chocolate or no chocolate, this here recipe for banana bread is the absolute best I've found. I could make this in my sleep. This one's different for a few reasons: I use half whole wheat and half regular flour, but this recipe does NOT come out too dense, dry or cakey because of the whole wheat. I also use olive oil instead of oil and/or butter. It also has some added spices: ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Don't be afraid. Once you taste it, you'll be kicking yourself for not putting ginger in your banana bread before.

You'll need:

3-4 medium to large bananas

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

To be alone when you eat this otherwise you might slap somebody

 

Preheat your oven to 325 and grease a large bundt pan (or bread pan).

Peel and mash bananas in a large bowl. Add olive oil, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and beat until everything is incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the flours, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda and mix well. This is important. I know I'm always tempted to skip the "in a separate bowl" step, but don't. You want your baking soda to mix properly with the flour. I've found if you skip this step, there is some kind of dark magic about baking soda in banana bread (in particular)- if you don't mix it well in the flour prior to adding it to the bananas, you get disgusting pockets of bitter baking soda in your banana bread.

Once all your dry ingredients are mixed, slowly add and gently stir to your wet ingredients. I'd like to reiterate here something Laura said on Monday: don't over stir your batter. The worst thing banana bread can be is tough and dry. Now, add your chocolate chips at this point if that's what you fancy.

Pop that sucker in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour and it's done when you can stick a knife in the middle and it comes out clean.

[no mamas were hurt in the baking of this banana bread]

Enjoy, eaters!

Until next time,