Dill Pickles

I LOVE dill pickles. I'll eat them straight from the jar and I love them piled on sandwiches and burgers. I always ask for extras at restaurants. So I was excited when I came across this recipe to make my own. This is the time of year when pickling cucumbers are cheap and plentiful at our local farmers' markets, so I wanted to share this now! I enjoyed these, though I added too much garlic. I love garlic, but I'll definitely scale back on it next time.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

For the brine:
3 cups water
6 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tbsp. kosher salt

minced garlic
fresh dill
cucumbers, cut into spears

Directions:
Combine all brine ingredients in a pitcher. Stir well to dissolve salt.

Put several sprigs of fresh dill in the bottom of each jar. Pack half full with cucumber spears. Layer with more sprigs of fresh dill. Finish filling the jar with cucumbers. Sprinkle some minced garlic on top. Pour brine into the jar until it is full and pickles are completely submerged. Put the lid on and allow to refrigerate at least 2 days before eating.

Source: Annie's Eats, adapted from Delicious Meliscious

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Poblano and Cheddar

My husband and I have discovered that we love poblano peppers, thanks to our trip to Philly last fall. Now we seek them out and have been finding more uses for them. This chicken was a great one! I did overdo the paprika and cayenne a bit when making my crust, so be careful. Ours ended up pretty spicy. I'll definitely be more careful next time. This is a really flavorful way to have chicken though. If you like poblanos, definitely give it a try.

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Poblano and Cheddar

Serves 2

2 chicken breast halves

1 poblano pepper

1/3 cup shredded or sliced sharp cheddar

1 egg, beaten and mixed with a Tbsp of water (buttermilk would also be great here)

1/3 cup cornmeal

salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne to taste

Preheat your broiler and then broil the poblano for a couple minutes, turning it once the skin has blistered and blackened. Alternatively, you can put the pepper right on your stovetop gas burner. After all sides of the pepper look charred, put it in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to let the pepper cool.
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place a rack/cooling rack on top of it. Spray the rack with cooking spray.
When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skin off (it should come off easily at this point) and dice the poblano. Slit a pocket into the chicken breasts. Stuff the pocket with the diced poblano and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Combine the cornmeal with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper to your tastes. Carefully dip the chicken breasts into the egg wash, and then dredge in the cornmeal mixture.
Place the chicken on the rack and spray the top with cooking oil. Bake about 20 minutes or until done, turning once in the middle of cooking.

Source: Elly Says Opa!

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

These cookies are fantastic! They are rich, so you can't eat but one or two at a time, but they are so delicious. I've made them for work a couple of times and gotten rave reviews and recipe requests. I highly recommend trying these, you won't regret it...especially if you love peanut butter and chocolate! It's kind of like a peanut butter smore! I definitely recommend using a tart shaper if you have one to make the cookie cups...it makes it super easy. Luckily I got a Pampered Chef one for Christmas! Enough about my tart shaper though...go make these cookies NOW!

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

24 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped

mini marshmallows (I used 5 per cookie)

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. water

mini M&Ms

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until well combined. Divide the dough evenly between 24 wells of a mini-muffin pan (I usually have a bit left over, but do so to leave room for the candy). Make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until almost done. Remove from the oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until it is flush with the top of the dough. Top each cookie with 3-4 mini marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven and bake 2-3 minutes more, until the marshmallows have puffed up. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing them. (This is important! I tried removing them while still slightly warm – not a good idea.)
Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth. Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens a bit to your desired consistency, then drizzle over the tops of the cookies. Sprinkle with mini M&Ms before the glaze hardens.

Source: from Annie's Eats, who says cookies adapted from Picky Palate, ganache from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Our new favorite side dish

I never thought I liked asparagus. My parents would try to serve them to me when I was growing up, and I just thought they were gross. They had a stringy texture and the flavor was just too strong. Turns out it wasn't the asparagus...it was just the way my mom prepared them and the size of the asparagus available in my small hometown grocery store. My mom always steamed them and put a little butter on them. Turns out I prefer them roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper (and sometimes a little garlic powder). I also only like the petite asparagus...they have a milder flavor than their thicker stalked counterparts and don't get as stringy. Luckily, the grocery store I generally shop at (Harris Teeter) almost always has the petite ones. We've made these a lot in the past few months (especially if there is a good sale) as a side dish. If you've never much worked with asparagus, here's a tip...remove the woody ends by bending the asparagus...they'll snap at the appropriate place. Give them a try even if you don't think you like asparagus...you might surprise yourself!

Roasted Asparagus

1 lb thin asparagus, washed and woody ends snapped off
Extra Virgin Olive oil (a tablespoon or two)
salt
freshly ground pepper
garlic powder (optional and to your liking)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (easy clean up!). Toss prepared asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder (if using). Roast in the oven for 10-20 minutes depending on how done you prefer them (I lean towards 20...I like them a bit crunchy). Enjoy!

Source: me!

Truffle Pie

This pie is OMG good. So rich and chocolately. The fresh cream is so great and the pie is really easy to put together. I've served this for a dinner party and taken it to a potluck. It is a winner and definitely one I'll make time and time again.

Truffle Pie

Ingredients:

Truffle Filling

2⁄3 cup heavy cream

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust

Whipped Chocolate Filling

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

1  1⁄2 cups heavy cream

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy cream

1⁄4 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

Garnish

1  1⁄2 ounces milk chocolate

1  1⁄2 ounces white chocolate

1  1⁄2 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate (this is the only kind I used)

Directions:

1. For the truffle filling, in a saucepan, bring 2⁄3 cup cream to a simmer. Place the 6 ounces chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then gently whisk until smooth. Spread truffle filling over the bottom of the prepared piecrust. Freeze for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for the whipped chocolate filling, in a double boiler or a microwave set on low power, heat the 6 ounces chocolate chips with 1⁄2 cup of the cream until the chocolate is just melted, stirring often. Let cool to room temperature. In a chilled bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup cream until thick. Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until soft peaks form (tips curl). Spread the whipped chocolate mixture over the truffle filling in the crust. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Just before serving, for the topping, beat 1 cup cream on medium speed of an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners’ sugar and whip until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Using a grater or vegetable peeler, make pieces or shavings of milk chocolate, white chocolate, and semisweet or dark chocolate. Garnish pie with chocolate pieces. Serve immediately.

Source: Recipes from the Road by the Deen Brothers, obtained through thenest.com

Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I LOVE THESE COOKIES! So does my husband. I don't know that I can find a recipe that tops these. They are just great. I first made them for New Years lunch and they were a hit. I've since made them for a work party and just because and they turned out perfect every time. I recommend you go make these cookies NOW!

Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (I recommend the parchment paper). Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Cover dough and chill for 2 hours (this will help make the cookies more uniform but is not necessary). Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool completely on baking sheet (I usually let mine cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to wire racks).

Source: allrecipes.com

Halloween Treats...a little late

My department at work goes all out for Halloween with everyone dressing up and having a good time. This year we did trick or treating at each other's cubes so everyone brought in treats. I decided to do baked treats instead of buying candy and made Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini Muffins, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Yellow Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Icing. They were a hit!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Mini Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 (6 ounce) package butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Sift together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, butter, and pumpkin in a separate bowl. Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture. Stir in the butterscotch chips; pour into each cup of the muffin pan to about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes.

Source: ...and a cookie for dessert

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 c. shortening (I subbed butter)
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar + milk and let stand for 5 minutes, which is what I did)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin pan with paper liners (can also be done in 2 round cake pans or one 13x9 pan). Let butter and eggs stand at room temperature for 3o minutes. Stir dry ingredients (except sugar) together and set aside. Beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add vanilla and sugar, beating until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir pumpkin into buttermilk, then add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pur into prepared pan(s). Bake 35-40 minutes for 13x9 pan, 30-35 minutes for 2 round pans or cupcakes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla
approximately 6 cups powdered sugar (I only used about 3 as I don't like super sweet frosting)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually add additional powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

Source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, courtesy of my friend Gina

Yellow Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting

I shamefully admit to using a boxed mix for the cupcakes. I had one that needed to be used. I did make the frosting though.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder (I used a mix of regular and Hershey's special dark cocoa)
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternate adding sugar and milk until you reach desired consistency. Stir in vanilla.

Source: my mom