A crazy week!

Well I did have intentions on trying out the Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie, chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker, but then on Friday of last week we found out we were going to become parents….PUG parents!  Saturday morning we brought home our first baby, Toby the Pug.  He comes from a rescue outside St. Louis and he has kept us insanely busy!  I didn’t really eat for the first 3 days we had him, I was very anxious and stressed out (yeah I lost 7lbs in the last week, not good!!)  and the meals we’re having this week are super easy i.e. hot dogs, crockpot meals, frozen pizza, etc.  At least I am actually eating again!  Hopefully I’ll get back in the kitchen soon!  I really want to make the next TWD recipe so I will schedule time for that over the weekend!  Check back next Tuesday for the chocolate peanut butter torte!  And to tide you over until my next blog entry (which may not be until next Tuesday!), here’s a picture of my baby.  Yeah, you wouldn’t be cooking much either if that little face was staring you down every second you were home!

check out how the other TWD bakers did this week over on the blogroll!

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Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche…revisted

I’m revisiting another recipe that I’ve made before. I’ve calculated the WW points using e-tools and taken some new pictures. It was a quick and easy dinner for a Thursday night (Office night!!) and I served it with spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. Best part was I got to use one of my new tart pans for the first time. Loved it!! The 11 inch was the perfect size for the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust.

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche (from Weight Watchers online)

6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup red onion(s), chopped
1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 large egg(s)
2 large egg white(s)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan (I used my 11 inch) or a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate until ready to use.

To make filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl and add ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

Serves 8

WW pts per serving = 6

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A Spinach Salad

I know I said we weren’t really trying any new recipes this week but I lied!  Tyler requested I buy a bag of spinach last weekend and since we’d gone 4 days without using it I figured it was time I took matters into my own hands.  So I got a recommendation for what to do with this salad from another blogger and was led to this tasty looking recipe!  I made a few changes to lighten it up (removed the bacon grease from the dressing) and Tyler and I think it’s a winner!

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing (original recipe courtesy of Alton Brown)

8 ounces baby spinach
2 large eggs, hardboiled
4 pieces bacon cooked and chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 T EVOO
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, EVOO, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms, sliced onion, and blue cheese to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Approx WW pts. per serving = 4

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Another Amazing Bruschetta Recipe

This was a delicious bruschetta recipe!  So glad I remembered that I had seen it awhile back.  I just typed in “bruschetta” in my google reader search and it came up, even though I hadn’t actually bookmarked it.  Love that Google Reader!  I whipped up the mixture fairly quickly and managed not to burn the toasts too bad.  I didn’t rub them with garlic because I don’t really “get” how you do this.  I’ve tried but….nothing happens.  So I just drizzled the toasts with EVOO and called it a day, I thought they tasted great and my friends agreed.  I took the filling and toasts to the first meeting of our cooking club and let people assemble them themselves.   Our next meeting is in June and we will be learning to make risotto from the group members that already know how to make it.  I’ve never made it so I’m excited.  Also on our list of ideas: making fresh pasta, making our own sushi, trying local ethnic restaurants, fondue night.  It will be great!  I will absolutely be making this recipe again, it was SO good.  The arugula really gave it a kick!  Our local grocery store was out arugula but SuperTarget had it, what would I do without Target?

Bruschetta with Arugula, Smoked Mozzarella, and Tomatoes (as seen on Cara’s Cravings, originally from Epicurious)

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of arugula (about 1/4 pound), coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and
spun dry
1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, chopped fine
2 tomatoes (1/2 pound total), seeded and chopped fine
12 diagonally cut 1/2-inch-thick slices of Italian bread (about 1 1/2
loaves)
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:
Chop the arugula fine and in a bowl stir it together with the mozzarella, the tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Grill the bread on a rack set 4 inches over glowing coals, turning it once, until it is golden. (Alternatively, the bread may be toasted on a rack in a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat, turning it once.) Rub the toasts with the garlic on one side and brush the same side with half the oil. Spoon the arugula mixture onto the oiled sides of the toasts and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over it.

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TWD: Carrot Cake

Carrot cake was a challenge I knew I could handle! Unlike the marshmallows last week this recipe gave me very few headaches, and it turned out wonderfully. Now as much as I love a huge slice of carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting, I only let myself join TWD on the condition that I would not use it as an excuse to gorge myself on sweet baked goods. So I opted to make cupcakes that Tyler and I could easily transport and pawn off on our co-workers and one mini-cake for us to split.

I had actually seen this recipe featured awhile back on Nemmie’s blog and I bookmarked it for later use. I love what she did with her mini-cakes! Unfortunately I dropped the pan while I was testing for doneness and my cake collapsed a bit and ended up lopsided. So I wasn’t able to cut it in half and turn it into a mini-layer cake. I just covered it with frosting instead. SO VERY DELISH! I think the toasted coconut on top really adds the perfect touch! I opted for pecans instead of walnuts and I also omitted the raisins. I know Tyler and I would have just picked them out. Everyone we shared the cupcakes with has just raved about them! They taste so delicious, the cake is perfectly moist and the frosting is just gooey enough.

The only real “problem” I had with this recipe was that the cupcakes sank a bit in the center, which I read other people had happen with their cupcakes as well. The frosting covered it up though so no big deal.

To see how other TWD participants fared with this week’s challenge, head on over to the blogroll.

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater) (I bought julienned carrots and ran them through the food processor a few times to chop them up, saved me a ton of time!)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and had no problems)
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)
I also added 1/2 T of vanilla for some added sweetness

Since I made cupcakes I just put liners in the cupcake pan, I made two batches of 12 cupcakes each. I baked my cupcakes for 25 minutes and tested for doneness with a toothpick. For my mini-cake I sprayed a ramekin with non-stick spray and filled it 3/4 full with batter, baked for 25 minutes. Cooled 5 minutes in the ramekin, then I removed it and let it cool all the way on a cooling rack with my cupcakes.

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract. (I added the vanilla with the lemon juice)

If you’d like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:

Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.

Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:

This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it’s good plain, it’s even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:

The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it’s firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

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Menu Plan Monday (April 21, 2008)

Not trying many new recipes this week, decided to stick to what I know to save time. Monday night my new cooking club is meeting for the first time, I’m excited! It’s basically just a group of other newlyweds that want to learn new skills and figure it’s cheaper to teach each other than take classes It should be a lot of fun! The weather is improving and I’d like to spend more time outside and less time in the kitchen!

Monday: Julia-cooking club appetizer night. Making bruschetta with smoked mozzarella Tyler- spinach salad with grilled salmon.

Tuesday: chicken orzo salad w/goat cheese

Wednesday: slow cooker beef stew

Thursday: broccoli-cheddar quiche

Friday: Chick-fil-a baby!

See what’s on the menus of other food bloggers by going to the weekly roundup post here.

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Pine Nut Pasta

Oh sweet mercy this pasta was so so so good!  The toasted pine nuts truly made the dish, they are small but packed with so much flavor!  Kind of high in WW points, but worth it!  Tastes great reheated for lunch the next day too!

Spinach-Feta Pasta with Pine Nuts (adapted from recipezaar)

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta (I used campanelle)
1.5 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz crumbled low fat feta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 T toasted pine nuts
fresh spinach to taste (I used 5 big handfuls, I love the stuff!)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Heat olive oil in large deep skillet or wok, add garlic and saute over medium heat for about 30 seconds, being careful not to let garlic brown.  Stir in cooked pasta.  Stir in feta and Parmesan cheese and cook for 2-3 minutes, until feta cheese just starts to melt and pasta and cheese is thoroughly melted through.  Stir in spinach and continue to heat until spinach barely starts to wilt.  Take pasta off heat and stir in the pine nuts.  Transfer to serving dish and serve.

Serves 4

WW pts per serving = approx. 8

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A Fluffy Flop

Well I tried to make this week’s recipe for TWD! 2 attempts at sweet, fluffy, vanilla marshmallows and neither of them turned out I had never worked with egg whites before so I think that’s where I went wrong. (I was allergic to eggs as a kid and have never seen someone make meringue before.) The first time I clearly undermixed them (didn’t realize I was supposed to mix them until white and fluffy, I misinterpreted “firm but glossy”) and the second time I *thought* I beat them long enough but after about an hour the mixture separated in the pan. Bummer. I decided at that point that I wasn’t going to try again, it was late, I was out of gelatin, and I don’t really like marshmallows anyway, so I cleaned up the kitchen for the second time and called it a night. I am eager to see how everyone else did with this challenge. I will definitely give meringue a try again, I’d like to make a lemon meringue pie sometime this summer. I enjoyed the challenging aspect of this week’s recipe, I just wish I’d succeeded! I did go out and buy a candy thermometer, using a 40% off coupon at Michaels it was a great deal! I love getting new kitchen tools

I did take a couple of pictures of my “layered” marshmallows, and Tyler was brave enough to try them. He said they tasted like wet sugar, lol.

Here you can kind of see the gelatin layer on the bottom.

Here you can see what it looked like in the pan.

To see how other TWD participants fared with this week’s challenge, head on over to the blogroll.

Recipe for those that want to give it a whirl!!

Marshmallows (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours, pp.404-405)

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows

Ingredients:

About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar (I don’t think anyone ever figured out where that 1 T of sugar goes!)

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet — choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high — with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup — without stirring — until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy — don’t overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won’t fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They’ll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you’ll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you’d like — into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they’re cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you’ve got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table — it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don’t cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week — they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they’ll still be very good.

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A WW winner

Love this recipe! Hallelujah! I actually didn’t make it since Tyler is the “stir-fryer” in this household, but I chopped up some stuff and “supervised” and ate it and oh my it was delicious! This is from the “15-minute dishes” portion of the cookbook. Can’t wait to have it again

Stir-Fried Beef and Snow Peas

Ingredients:

3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
3/4 lb boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into thin 2-inch-long slices
1/2 lb fresh snow peas, trimmed, or thawed frozen snow peas
1 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 T reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 T orange juice
1 t cornstarch
1 T water

Directions:

1. Spray a large nonstick wok or deep skillet with nonstick spray and set over high heat until a drop of water sizzles in it. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and stir-fry about 1 minute. Add the water chestnuts and stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in the soy sauce and orange juice; bring to a simmer and cook 20 seconds.

2. Stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 30 seconds.

serving size = 1 cup (recipe serves 4)

WW points per serving = 2 (wow!!)

I had mine over brown rice and Tyler had his over some leftover whole wheat spaghetti we needed to use up.

Source: Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites, 2008. p.251

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Menu Plan Monday (April 14)

I am optimistic that I will spend more time in the kitchen this week actually cooking our meals instead of scrounging around or ordering take-out! I’m also optimistic that spring weather will return here in Kansas and we will have NO MORE SNOW until at least November. One can only hope! As always I will post the new recipes I try if they actually turn out. Tyler is about to make the beef and snow pea stir fry from last week’s menu plan Monday since I didn’t get around to buying the ingredients for it until today!

Monday: beef and black bean chili 4 WW pts per serving

Tuesday: pecan crusted salmon and mashed cauliflower (anyone have a good recipe for this side dish they can recommend? I’ll probably just wing it if I can’t find a good one.)

Wednesday: Happy hour with my friends, so I will be eating crappy bar food

Thursday: *new recipe, will be seriously modified to be WW friendly!* spinach and feta pasta with pine nuts

Friday: eating out or homemade pizza

Saturday: haven’t thought that far ahead

See what’s on the menus of other food bloggers by going to the weekly roundup post here.

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