Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

This past weekend was the busiest weekend I've had in a long time. Friday night was my sister's bachelorette party, that I helped host (we all spent the night out of town). Then Saturday (after 4 hours of sleep), I came back to help with her lingerie party, that I also helped host. After her lingerie party, we drove 2 hours to go to a an engagement party for my cousin. Then on Sunday, my sister had a tea. She was really nice to have most of her parties in one weekend to save me from having to travel so much, so I wanted to make something nice for her and the guests.

One reason I love these cookies so much is because of the creativity of using a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make boobies and booties. I did not come up with the idea... not really sure who did. I've seen several of these cookies online, and they looked easy enough to make. The only down side was that the cookies took several forevers to ice. It's because I used so many different colors of icing. The lingerie party was a "hot and spicy" theme, so I wanted to incorporate the colors we were using at the party. I'm glad I did, though because they turned out really cute.


I've been following the Bake at 350 blog, and really wanted to try Bridget's sugar cookie and royal icing recipes. I'm so glad I did because these will be my go-to recipes from now on. I feel like I say that every time, but I really think I've found my favorite recipes. The dough really behaves nicely when rolling out, and it tastes amazing when cooked (and raw, too)! I also love how the butter does not have to be softened before making the dough. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to make a recipe and then I read that the butter needs to be softened. Arg! That's so frustrating!
The icing recipe was really easy to make. I added almond flavoring because I wanted the flavor to match the cookies.

These cookies freeze really well, which is nice since they take two forevers to make. I baked the cookies a week before I was able to ice them. I layered them in zip top bags with wax paper between layers and placed them in a tuperware box. Then I placed them in the freezer. When I was ready to ice them, I took them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the bag for at least 2 hours. Then I placed them on the counter so I could ice them.
These are even supposed to freeze well after icing them. I haven't tried that yet.

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (I used bleached)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar (Bridget uses vanilla that she's stored vanilla beans in. I need to try that)
2 sticks cold butter (I cut into small cubes)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

Roll onto a floured surface about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Make sure they don't get golden. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes about 3 dozen (3-inch) cookies.


Royal Icing

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons meringue powder
scant 1/2 cup water
1 pound (about 4 cups) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
few drops of clear extract (I used almond)

Directions:
Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy (about 2 minutes).

Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine (Do NOT skip the sifting!).

Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired. (This helps keep the icing shiny.)

Increase speed to high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form. (You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat.

Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings.

This "stiff" icing is perfect for outlining and even for building gingerbread houses and monogramming. To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding."

This will cover 2-3 dozen 3.5-inch cookies in 2 colors.

Source: Bake at 350

Pepper Jelly-Glazed Carrots

A co-worker has been staying with us for the past couple of nights, and I was excited to be able to entertain a hot dinner for her. Tonight I made the Mushroom Chicken Bake that I make frequently (If you click on the link to the chicken, please excuse the picture of it... I really didn't know much about photography at that time. What am I saying? I STILL don't know much about photography. I just like to play with it), and I served it with these carrots and some garlic bread. I was really pleased with how these carrots turned out. Aubrey said they were the best things since sliced bread, and my co-worker really enjoyed them, too! I used the pepper jelly that I made during Christmas. I made a couple of changes to the cooking time and amount of ingredients, which I will include in this entry. For the exact recipe, please click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:

1 (1- pound) package baby carrots
1 (10.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 (1/2 pint) jar red pepper jelly... so that would be 1/4 pint (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
Combine carrots and chicken broth in a skillet over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring often 10-12 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender and broth is reduced to 2 Tablespoons.

Stir in butter and red pepper jelly, and cook, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes or until mixture is thickened and glazes carrots.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Source: Southern Living

Peppered Pork Medallions in Tangy Mushroom Sauce

I'm a big fan of pork tenderloin. When cut into medallions, pork cooks super quick, which is perfect for a weeknight dinner. I love the tanginess the balsamic vinegar adds to this recipe, and the sauce thickens nicely to resemble a creamy gravy. The only change I would make to this is substituting fresh thyme for the dried thyme. I didn't think the dried "thyme" had enough "time" to soften up.

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
Sprinkle both sides of pork slices with pepper and salt. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until browned.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix broth and flour until smooth. Add broth mixture and remaining ingredients to skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center and mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 200 calories; 7g fat; 70mg cholesterol; 310mg sodium; 5g carbs; 28g protein

Source: Eat Better America

Espresso Ice Cream

I had extra half-and-half left over from making my last ice cream recipe, and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I found another recipe. Aubrey doesn't like the flavor of coffee (he is really missing out), so I'll be enjoying this all by myself. I don't have ground espresso, so I bought Starbucks Via just for recipes such as this one. My only regret is that I bought the caffeinated kind. Next time I'll buy decaffeinated so I won't have trouble sleeping. Or maybe I can eat this for breakfast. That will get me off to a good start.
I really like the crunch of the chocolate covered espresso beans in the ice cream. I didn't chop them like the recipe says. I just put them in the ice cream whole since they were small enough.


Ingredients:
3 cups half-and-half
6 egg yolks (I used large)
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 Tablespoons ground espresso coffee beans
1 Tablespoon coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces (1/2 cup) chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped

Directions:
Heat the half-and-half until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed. Slowly add the hot half-and-half until combined. Wipe out the pan and pour the mixture back into the clean pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5-10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon.

Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla, and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Mix in the chopped espresso beans, spoon into a container, and allow to freeze for a few hours. Soften slightly before serving.

Source: Barefoot Contessa

Chicken Cacciatore Risotto

Risotto is one of my favorite things to eat. There are thousands of different ways to dress it up, and this recipe uses ingredients that dress it up in style. According to my Food Lover's Companion, cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. Maybe that's why Aubrey loved this dish so much (he loves to hunt). The book also says that cacciatore is "prepared 'hunter-style' with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, various herbs and sometimes wine."

Aubrey helped me stir the risotto while I shredded the chicken and chopped the parsley. Risotto is a funny little dish because you have to continually stir from the beginning until the end. Emeril said on one of his shows that you can't even stop to answer the phone. Or was it answer the door? I don't remember, but you get the point. So bring over a chair and have a seat and stir, stir, stir.

I'm definitely going to make this again and again. Aubrey said that I need to put a star by this in my recipe book. He also had seconds and raved about it while helping me clean up the kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup arborio rice
3/4 cup red wine
3 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella)
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, minced

Directions:
Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the chicken and cook 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 1 Tablespoon of the butter to the skillet. When melted, add the shallot, and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock and diced tomatoes to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer continuously.

Add the rice to the skillet, and cook, stirring continuously, until the edges are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the red wine, and stir continuously, until it is mostly absorbed.

Working 1-2 ladles at a time, add the chicken broth/tomato mixture to the rice, stirring constantly, until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. After about 12 minutes, add the peppers and mushrooms to the rice mixture.

Continue adding liquid until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 20 minutes total. Taste to check doneness. When cooked to al dente, add 1 more ladle of chicken broth, and remove from heat. Stir in the remaining Tablespoon of butter, Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley.

Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, and add to the risotto. Divide evenly among serving plates, and top with more cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4 as a main dish

Source: Pink Parsley

Beef Enchiladas... or are they Burritos?

If you know me well at all, you know that I love Mexican food. I was excited to find a recipe for beef enchiladas. Or are they burritos? I always thought that burritos were made with flour tortillas and enchiladas were made with corn tortillas. The original blog calls these enchiladas, so I had to look up the definitions in my Food Lover's Companion book that I call my "Food Bible." According to this book, I was correct with the flour and corn tortilla theory, but I also read that the enchiladas are commonly topped with a tomato-based salsa and sprinkled with cheese (which these were). Sooo... I think these would be correctly called enchiladas or burritos; whichever you prefer. Or maybe I should re-name them as "Enchitos."

Regardless of the correct name, I think the taste was out-of-this-world amazing. It makes a lot for 2 people, so we had leftovers for a few lunches and suppers. The leftovers were just as good as they were when they were first cooked.
Don't let the length of the ingredients scare you. You probably have most of it in your pantry already.

Ingredients:

"Enchitos"
1 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 cups rice (cooked)
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded cheese (divided)
10 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Red Sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup salsa
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

To make the enchilada sauce, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the onion, chili powder, oregano, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, tomato sauce and salsa. Mix well and then stir in the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice. Cook and stir until the liquid is evaporated. Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans, hefty 1/4 cup ground beef mixture, and 1 tablespoon of cheese down the center of each flour tortilla. (side note: I heated my tortillas in the package for 30 seconds to make them extra flexible.) Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 13x9-inch baking dishes. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Top the "enchitos" with red sauce and with the remaining cheese.

Place into the oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted.

Source: BlogChef

Chicken Tequila Burgers

I love experimenting with different types of burgers.... beef, turkey, chicken, and whatever else I may try in the future. This burger didn't let me down. The lime zest really heightens all of the flavors, and I topped it with a spoonful of pico de gallo to give it a little "juice."
I think next time I'll give these to Aubrey to throw on the grill. I think a little flavor from the charcoal grill will be a nice touch.

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
3-4 Tablespoons cilantro
Zest of 1/2 of a lime
1 ounce tequila
Dash of soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Hamburger buns

Directions:
Preheat broiler.

Line a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil. Combine the garlic, jalapeno, chicken breasts, cilantro and lime zest in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the chicken is uniformly ground. Mix in the tequila, soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and panko. Pulse a few more times until the ingredients are well blended.

Form the mixture into 4-5 patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Broil the burgers for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking to brown both sides. Check for doneness before serving. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

Source: Annie's Eats
originally from Cara's Cravings

Arepas with Chicken and Avocado Filling

I'm a huge fan of arepas. Eating these took me back to when I was in Venezuela several years ago. These are very popular in Venezuela. Arepas are made from masarepa blanca or white corn meal. The taste resembles cornbread. Aubrey told me that it smelled like cornbread in the house while these were in the oven.
My only issue with this recipe is that the recipe seemed to call for too much water. I probably used half of the amount while making these so I could form them into patties with my hands. Maybe I used the wrong kind of meal???
The filling was so delicious. I used rotisserie chicken breasts, and Aubrey and I munched on another avocado while cooking. He makes an amazing dip for the avocados (maybe I'll share the simple dip recipe on a later date).


Ingredients:

Filling

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded into bite size pieces
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into small chunks
2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 scallions, sliced thin
juice of half a lime
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Arepas
2 cups masarepa blanca (precooked corn flour- white corn meal can be subbed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups warm water (I used about 1 cup)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Filling
Mix all of the ingredients together and adjust seasonings to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Arepas
Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Whisk the masarepa, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Gradually add the water and stir to form a dough. Using a generous 1/3 cup of dough, form eight 3-inch rounds, each about 1/2-inch thick.

Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until simmering. Add 4 of the corn cakes and cook until golden on both sides, about 4-6 minutes total. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, and repeat with remaining oil and corn cakes.

Bake until the corn cakes sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Split the cakes open using a fork or paring knife as you would an English muffin, and stuff each with a generous 3 Tablespoons of filling. Serve immediately.

Source: Pink Parsley

Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I'm a big fan of sun-dried tomatoes, but a little bit goes a long way. Aubrey snatched one out of the jar and ate it just to find that out. He said that eating them is like drinking straight liquor... you just can't do it.
I'm also married to a man that loves meat, so if I make this again (which I probably will) it will be with a piece of grilled chicken on top. I substituted almonds for the pine nuts so I wouldn't go into anaphylaxis shock.


Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) package linguine
1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (I used almonds)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
2 Tablespoons thin fresh basil strips

Directions:
Prepare linguine according to package directions.

Drain tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons oil. Cut tomatoes into thin strips.

Heat pine nuts in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 5 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove nuts from skillet.

Increase heat to medium, and saute garlic in 2 tablespoons reserved oil and olive oil in skillet 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, and remove from heat.

Toss together tomato mixture, hot cooked pasta, feta cheese, and basil in a large bowl. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Source: Southern Living