In Other Kitchens

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and if you haven’t already made any special treats, here are a few great ideas to try!

• Sugar Cookies – I’d like to share my absolute favorite sugar cookie made for decorating – the recipe is courtesy of Drop In & Decorate, a fantastic program in which you host a cookie decorating party and give the cookies away to a charity or anyone who could use a smile! Last year I organized Drop In & Decorate at church for Valentine’s Day, and this year we will be using the same idea, just tweaked a little bit (people will bake and decorate heart-shaped cookies at home and bring them for packaging and delivery). I just love these cookies – Get the recipe here!
• Cookie Dough Truffles – Are you hooked yet? These have just been posted at Annie’s Eats and look absolutely fantastic – and the dough is safe to eat! (not that that ever stopped me before) – Recipe here
• Giant Chocolate Chip Heath Bar Cookies – Okay, so these aren’t specifically “Valentine’s Day” treats, but boy do they look amazing! Recipe here, by Anna at Cookie Madness
• Two-Bite Chocolate Cream Pies – So cute, and what a great ending these would be to a homemade Valentine’s dinner! Recipe here at Baking Bites
• Fortune Cookies – Honestly I would be more inclined to dip pre-made fortune cookies into the chocolate/sprinkles/etc. than to spend time making the cookies themselves. That said, if you have the time and desire to make these, and can actually pull it off, I think they would be quite a hit! Recipe here at Our Best Bites

I *do* plan to post some new recipes this week, but haven’t quite gotten around to making them yet. In the meantime, happy early Valentine’s Day!

Marinated Shrimp Pasta

This isn’t a low-cal meal, but if you want to make yourself feel better about eating it, it does contain quite a bit of olive oil, which is high in the “good” fats (monounsaturated). As per some of the reviews of this recipe, I decreased the amount of olive oil by half, as well as the salt content, and was happy I did.

The marinade is originally intended for grilling the shrimp, but I used the broiler instead and used the leftover marinade to toss with the cooked shrimp and pasta. It was delicious.

My intention was to serve this with a really good salad, but it ended up being a mediocre salad because the cucumbers I thought I had in the fridge turned out to be zucchini, which unfortunately doesn’t works quite as well in a salad.

Marinated Shrimp Pasta (Original recipe here)

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 lb (8 oz) linguine pasta

In a mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, parsley, hot sauce, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Pour marinade into a large resealable plastic bag with shrimp. Seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. During last 15 minutes, add lemon juice.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Remove shrimp from marinade, place on greased baking sheet, and broil 3-4 minutes each side, until done (shrimp can be grilled instead if desired). Pour leftover marinade into a small saucepan or skillet and boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine shrimp, pasta, and boiled marinade and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin

Can I just begin by saying that I love winter in Houston? Especially when “winter” is synonymous with “75 degrees and sunny”

JW and I much prefer pork tenderloin to pork loin, which tends to be drier and makes a whole lot more food than the two of us can eat. Pork tenderloin on the other hand, retains a bit more moisture and is still a good lean meat – plus we can *almost* finish the whole thing in a couple of meals.

What worked in this particular recipe was the cook time. What didn’t work, in my opinion, was the onions. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups minced onions. I’m not sure exactly what was intended here, but I discovered that “chopped” onions aren’t the same, even if you try to chop very finely. What would have worked a little better would have been to throw my onions in the food processor with all the other ingredients and puree it all until it was closer to a “rub” consistency. That said, I will probably just use a different rub/spice mixture next time so I don’t have to break out the food processor.

The cook time and method was great. The tenderloin was cooked to perfection, at least by JW’s standards (if there is any pink whatsoever in his pork, he freaks out, even though pork has been declared safe to eat now at 150 degrees), and still very moist and tender.

Now… I have to say here that although JW liked the pork, he raved about the couscous I served alongside it. The couscous which I dumped out of a box and took little to no effort on my part. I guess I’m glad he’s easy to please.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin (Original recipe here)

• 1 1/2 cups minced onions
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (1 lb)  pork tenderloin

Mix the first 11 ingredients and rub over the pork. Put on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.

Bake, uncovered, at 400* for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven, cover with foil and let set for 10 minutes. Slice into servings.

Crockpot Ratatouille

Here is the part of the post where I make some cute remark about the Ratatouille movie — except I didn’t see it, so just pretend that said remark is here.

Also here is the part of the post where I apologize for not having a picture. The fact is, I simply just forgot to take one, so I don’t have a photo to show you. But you can visit the original recipe here at Recipezaar where there are a few pictures there from others who have made this dish. I think they ended up looking better than mine did anyway.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, this is an easy and healthy dish that is chock full of vegetables and which JW said he would eat again. Translation: Success! You can vary the vegetables depending on what you like or don’t like. I, for one, would have loved to add a whole bunch of mushrooms to this dish. But that would result in my eating it all by myself, and I thought that might be a tad selfish.

I boiled some pasta (whole wheat in our case, but not necessary if you’re not crazy about it) and actually added it straight to the pot with the ratatouille, then we topped with parmesan cheese. But you could do a lot of different things with this. It would probably be great over rice, or even as a side dish.

This also makes A LOT. I halved the recipe and it was more than enough for us, plus I would have really had to cram it down to get it to all fit in my crockpot if I’d made the whole recipe. That said, the recipe says it freezes well, so it wouldn’t have been so bad.

Crockpot Ratatouille (Original recipe here)

• 2 large onions, cut in half and sliced
• 1 large eggplant, sliced, cut in 2 inch pieces
• 4 small zucchini, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into thin strips (orig. recipe called for green, I used red)
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Layer half the vegetables in a large crock pot in the following order: onion, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, green peppers, tomatoes.

Sprinkle half the basil, oregano, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper on the veggies.
Dot with half of the tomato paste.

Repeat layering process with remaining vegetables, spices and tomato paste.
Drizzle with olive oil.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours.

Refrigerate to store. May freeze up to 6 weeks.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Brownies

I thought I had a “favorite” brownie recipe, the one I always turned to, the one I thought was simply the best.

But these brownies blew that out of the water.

That’s all I’m going to say.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Brownies (Original recipe here)

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used regular, original recipe used mini)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and grease a 8×8 baking dish.

Combine the oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

Stir in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt then add in chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (make sure it’s just a tiny bit undercooked so it stays fudgy after it cools). Remove and cool in pan before cutting.

Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

JW has started a workout regime with a coworker of his who used to manage an LA Fitness. So lately he’s been asking for some healthier meals. I usually cook on the healthy side anyway, but I’ve tried to find some new things that are low in fat, sodium, and calories. This Mexican dish from Elly Says Opa (who adapted it from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless) fell perfectly into that category. It incorporates a lot of chili powder, which gives it a great flavor boost.

I highly recommend this recipe if you’re looking for something good, filling, healthy, and flavorful. It has a few steps, but is really very simple. You can eat it on its own, but we chose to make a stack-up taco salad of sorts, with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and guacamole.

Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1.25-1.5 lbs. total)
• 2.5 Tbsp. ancho chili powder, divided
• 1 medium onion, large dice
• 1 cup rice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, roots and wilted outer leaves removed before chopping (OR 1/3 cup cilantro OR 2-3 Tbsp. epazote or hoja santa)

Heat the oil in a medium-large heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with salt and 1 Tbsp. of the ancho chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown on each side, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the onion and rice to the pot. Stir for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining 1.5 Tbsp. ancho chili powder. Cook one minute, and then add the broth and salt to taste. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Cut the chicken breast into 1″ pieces.  Add them to the pot along with the beans. Re-cover and cook 12 minutes longer.

Sprinkle the green onions and test a kernel of rice.  It should  have no more than a hint of chalkiness at in the center, in which case you place the cover back on, remove it from the heat and let it stand 5-10 minutes.  If it’s not cooked, cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Fluff the mixture with a fork and serve with salsa for each person to spoon on al gusto.

In other news, Blade went back to the kennel and we picked up some foster puppies that we have named Melbourne and Diesel. They are about 8 weeks old now and once we’re through treating them for one or two things, they’ll be ready for adoption. The tentative bring-back date is Wednesday, but I’m skeptical that they’ll be ready by then. This is our first time puppy fostering, and although it’s a different kind of experience, it’s really not been too difficult – and not nearly as messy as I expected! Wood laminate floors help a ton

Plus these boys are super-cuddlers so they really steal your heart away. That helps a ton too.

Oreo Cream Cake

This cake is always a crowd pleaser. Who doesn’t like Oreos? The cake I used was adapted from this Chocolate Crazy Cake at Cookie Madness. You can use your favorite chocolate cake recipe, but I really do like this one. Top that with a layer of thick chocolate pudding, Oreo pieces, and a creamy vanilla whipped cream topping, and you have one heck of a dessert.

I’ve made this as a layer cake, which worked great, or as a sheet cake as pictured above. It just depends on what you want your finished cake to look like, and how much effort you want to put into it. The layer cake is really striking, but it takes a little more work.

Oreo Cream Cake

For cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark)
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Stir together flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together in a large bowl. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with whisk. Pour into ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool.

For assembling cake:

• 1 package Oreos, broken into quarters (you may only use 3/4 of the package)
• 1 box (4-serving size) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 1 box (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip

Mix chocolate pudding mix and ONE cup of milk with a whisk (this is half the amount called for on the box) until combined. Spread over cake.

Cover with Oreo pieces. The more you can fit on, the better!

Mix vanilla pudding mix and ONE cup of milk with a whisk. Let stand 2-3 minutes until thickened. Mix in cool whip with a whisk until combined and no yellow/white streaks remain. Spread over cake and top with a few remaining Oreo pieces if desired.

Premium Thin Crust Pizza

JW has been asking for a thin crust pizza for a while, so I decided to dig up some new recipes and see what I could find. This one really stood out because of the great reviews, and I was intrigued by the preparation and rising times. I used the quicker sponge method, but it can also be made as an overnight dough.

I – the person who does not like to knead – actually did knead this by hand, and for the recommended 15 minutes (I KNOW! Aren’t you impressed?) I wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible. I think it did take quite a bit more flour than originally called for in the recipe, but it really was very easy to work with, especially when it came to stretching it out.

I stretched it thin, but left some nice edge on the side. I prefer to use my hands to stretch so the edges don’t get too flat, which has been my experience with a rolling pin.

Speaking of rolling pins, mine has gone on the fritz and I haven’t bought a new one yet. When I told this to JW’s mom, she asked if I had whacked him too hard over the head with it

I brushed some olive oil over the edges and sprinkled with a mixture of garlic salt, Italian herbs, and parmesan cheese. It turned out a tad salty for me, so next time I may use garlic powder instead of the garlic salt.

Ready to go into the oven…

And here’s the finished product!

Do you see the mini pepperonis? Aren’t they cute?!

I really did like this dough. The only thing I wish I’d done differently is bake it on a pizza stone – which I normally do, but mine got apple pie juice on it, which bubbled up and then burnt, and if it had been more expensive I probably would have tried to clean it, but as it was I just threw it out when we moved. So the crust wasn’t as “crispy” as if I’d baked it on a stone, but I guess it means I’ll just have to try it again, eh?

Premium Thin Crust Pizza (Recipe found here)

• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (or more)
• 1 tsp sea salt

OVERNIGHT COLD RISE METHOD: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in 2 cups of flour and salt; mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Place dough in bowl dusted with flour cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

SPONGE RISE METHOD: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour; mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until foamy, about 1 hour. Blend in remaining water, flour and salt; beat well. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 15 minutes. Place dough in bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 to 3 hours (less if rising in a warm place).

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll dough out to half of its final size. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes (while you prepare desired pizza toppings). Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, or higher (higher temp will cook more quickly).

Stretch out dough over your floured knuckles and stretch or toss until desired size is achieved. Place dough on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal or a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread with desired toppings and bake on a pizza stone in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Happy New Year!

WOW, is 2010 as busy for you as it already is for me?? I know the holidays are supposed to be a big cooking and baking time, but I kind of checked out this year. I have to say, it was kind of nice! Haha

That said, I really am glad to get back into the swing of things. We had a great 2009, and I am looking forward to 2010.

We have been fostering a greyhound for the holidays, named Blade. He is quite a character, and has really made us laugh. He’s also taught us several things, namely to pick up our socks off the floor, keep the kitchen counter clean, and buy him plenty of toys. He goes back to the kennel this Saturday and we will miss him

The big Christmas news is that my gift from JW was a check made out to Greyhound Pets of America for the greyhound adoption fee of $285! So whenever we fall in love with that special dog, it can come home with us as my Christmas present

Here’s looking forward to a wonderful 2010!

Chili Verde!

So because my pictures were pretty horrendous on this one, I’ll send you over to the original site, Cooking Weblog, for better pictures and the recipe. David does a fantastic job of showing you step-by-step pictures and explains everything perfectly, so even if you’ve never cooked with tomatillos and frankly aren’t sure what the heck to do with them, you’ll feel right at ease.

Chili verde is essentially chunks of pork in a roasted tomatillo sauce. As for my own attempt, it turned out pretty good! I admit that I kind of screwed up a couple of steps (I put the 2 1/2 cups of water in with the marinate, not realizing I was supposed to add that after I’d seared the pork), but I forged ahead and ended up loving the result. The pork was really tender, and JW and I both loved the tomatillo sauce.

The only downside to this recipe was that it was a little time consuming. If you have three hours to prepare dinner, it’s perfectly fine and really pretty easy, but in the future I would like to try it in a slow cooker after making the tomatillo sauce, and cook it during the day while I’m at work. We will see.

All in all, tomatillos and I are getting along just fine!