Pork Chops with Dijon Cream Sauce

Aubrey and I ordered pizza the night before last, so I wanted to make something light and healthy last night. I really like this recipe because it's delicious (Aubrey had 2 pieces), easy to clean up, and quick. It took me about 20-25 minutes from start to finish.
The Dijon sauce on the pork was really good and creamy without the added fat. I served this with steamed broccoli and red potatoes.
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Cooking Spray
1/3 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup fat-free half-and-half or fat-free evaporated milk

Directions:
Trim fat from chops. Sprinkle both sides of chops evenly with salt and pepper. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chops to skillet, and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned (I cooked much longer). Remove chops from skilled, and keep warm.
Add broth to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits. Combine mustard and half-and-half; add to skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes or until sauce is thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over chops.
Yield 4 servings

Nutritional Content per serving: 201 calories; 9g fat; 23.5g protein; 2.7g carbohydrate; 0.1g fiber; 68mg cholesterol; 567mg sodium

Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

Yeah, try to say that 5 times really fast.
My brother's birthday is coming up, and I wanted to make him a surprise. He loves peanut butter with chocolate, and I think he'll really like these. They are absolutely delicious (I had to try a couple to make sure they weren't poisonous... at least that's what I told myself).
Source: Baking Blonde's Weblog

Ingredients:
Brownie
3/4 cup butter, very soft (not melted but softer than room temp)
1 cup sugar
1 TBS vanilla extract
2 large eggs1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
1 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake filling
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cups creamy PB
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
6 Reese’s peanut butter cups (regular size) cut into 6 pieces each

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8″ square pan with foil and lightly coat with PAM cooking spray. In a microwave safe bowl melt the two baking chocolate squares in 30 second intervals stirring after each interval until smooth and melted after stirring. Do not scorch! Remove from microwave and allow to come to room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, Beat together butter and sugar until combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix to combine. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and whisk together. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Do not over-mix.
In separate mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, peanut butter sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add egg and beat until just combined.

Spread about 2/3 of chocolate brownie batter into prepared pan. Evenly drop 1/2 of cheesecake batter in dollops over brownie batter. Run a knife through both mixtures to slightly swirl.
Dollop remaining brownie batter and cheesecake batter over swirled mixture. Run knife through the brownie and cheesecake dollops (not all the way through the already swirled layer) to create a swirled pattern.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center has a few crumbs stuck to it.
After about 30-40 minutes of baking (with about 5-7 minutes of baking time left, you just need to eyeball it) gently place cut up Reese’s cups over top of almost fully baked brownies. Finish baking until a toothpick inserted in the center has a few crumbs stuck to it. The Reese’s PB cups will melt but hold their shape slightly. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting and serving.

Chocolate Valentino (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. They have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan. This cake is a flourless chocolate cake and definitely the best chocolate cake I've ever had. It's really moist and fluffy. I paired my chocolate cake with White Chocolate Ice Cream and Lean Chocolate Sauce from my favorite ice cream cookbook "The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovits.
The ice cream was really good, but if you don't like white chocolate, you obviously won't like it. I loved the Lean Chocolate Sauce. I think it will be my "go to" recipe for chocolate sauce. Lebovits calls it "lean" because it's not made with the heavy whipping cream that many are made of.


Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
16 ounces of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

Directions:
1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.


White Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.
Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer over the white chocolate. Stir until the white chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir in the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.


Lean Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:
Whisk the water, cocoa powder, and corn syrup together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate pieces, stirring until melted and smooth. Serve warm.

Storage:
This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Rewarm it gently in a microwave or by stirring in a saucepan over very low heat.

Honey Yeast Rolls

I whipped up these honey yeast rolls this afternoon so we could have them for supper tonight. If you've worked with yeast dough before, you know that the smell is enough to make you want to eat a whole loaf of bread right then. Unfortunately the wait is a long one because the dough has to rise, but it's SO worth the wait. These were so good. I painted a little more of the honey-butter mixture on the rolls after they came out of the oven to give it an extra "wow" factor.
Source adapted from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients:
2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 cup warm water (105°-115° F)
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp honey

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. With the mixer on low speed, add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix until it is incorporated into the dough. Switch to the dough hook, and continue kneading on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Punch the dough down and divide into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place into a round, lightly greased baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush lightly over the tops of the rolls. Bake at 400° for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cauliflower Soup

I have to admit that when I first saw this soup on Annie's blog, I was thinking .... "How can that be good?" But something inside me really wanted to try it, and I sure am glad I did. It's broth-y and creamy at the same time. I did change up the recipe a bit to lessen the calories, and I took Annie's advice and paired it with the honey yeast rolls.

Ingredients:
7 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 1/2 to 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup fat free half-and-half
2 bay leaves
2-4 tsp. salt, to taste
1 cup light sour cream

Directions:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir them around for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to brown. Add in the carrots and celery, stir, and cook for about 1 minute. Add in the cauliflower and the fresh parsley and stir. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Pour in the chicken broth, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Pour the whole milk into a separate bowl. Add the flour to the bowl and whisk together. As soon as the butter is melted, pour in the milk/flour mixture and whisk to combine. The mixture should thicken into a white sauce. Once thickened, whisk in the half-and-half. Then pour the whole mixture into the simmering soup. Add bay leaves to the pot, as well as the salt. Let the mixture simmer 15-20 minutes.
Just before serving, remove the soup from the heat. Mix in sour cream and stir until completely incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

King Cake

Mobile, AL is actually where Mardi Gras originated. I'm not from Mobile, but I'm living here not, and I'm getting used to the Mardi Gras scene. Last weekend was my 4th year going to the ball, and it's Aubrey's 3rd year being in the Inca Crew. He actually got to ride on the float this year and throw out beads, moon pies, etc.
I wanted to make a king cake last Mardi Gras, but time wouldn't allow.... So I made time to make one this year. I found a recipe for a cream cheese filled king cake from Emeril, and I am very pleased with it. It was actually a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. This makes a great breakfast or dessert.

Ingredients:
2 packages dry active yeast
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 egg yolks
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Vegetable oil
8 ounces cream cheese
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons milk
Purple, green and gold sugar sprinkles
Plastic baby toy

Directions:
Combine the yeast, sugar, butter, and egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk. With the mixer on low speed, beat the mixture for about 4 minutes to dissolve the yeast. If the yeast mixture doesn't begin to foam after a few minutes, it means it's not active and will have to be replaced.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Add this mixture to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed until it lightly comes together, then increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball, and climbs slightly up the dough hook. Remove the dough from the bowl. Coat the dough with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, set in a warm, draft-free place, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining powdered sugar, lemon juice and milk. Mix well and set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out 30 inches long and 6 inches in diameter. Spread the cream cheese filling across the center of the dough. Bring the two long edges together and seal all sides completely. Using your hands shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet, seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring. Place a well-greased 2 pound coffee can or shortening can in the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking. Press the plastic baby toy into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm, draft free place. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350-degrees. With a sharp knife, make several slits around the top of the ring. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. After baking remove the coffee can immediately. Allow the cake to cool. Drizzle the cake with the sugar glaze. Sprinkle the cake with sprinkles, alternating colors. Cut the cake into individual pieces and serve.

If you want to know more about the history of the king cake, go here. It's really interesting.... something I just learned.

Moon Pie Cake

My MIL saw a moon pie cake at the grocery store, and I thought it would be cute to make for this Mardi Gras season. Chocolate moon pies are my second favorite Mardi Gras treats.... second to the king cake. I searched for a graham cracker cake recipe, and I used marshmallow cream for the filling and ganache for the topping. The cake was amazing, but the marshmallow cream oozed out even in the fridge. I'll probably make this recipe again, but I'll turn it into cupcakes or mini moon pies and do the filling right before serving.
Please excuse my elementary piping. It looks like "Noon Pie."

Graham Cracker Cake

Ingredients:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (I used 24 squares)
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
Stir together the cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. Alternately add crumb mixture and milk, beating after each addition.
Divide the batter between the pans. Bake 25 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool in pans 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely before filling and/or frosting as desired.

Ganache

Ingredients:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heat proof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.

Cake Assembly

Ingredients:
2 round Graham Cracker Cakes, cooled
1 jar Marshmallow Cream
1 recipe Ganache
White Icing (I used Wilton's icing in a tube)

Directions:
Spread the jar of Marshmallow Cream on top of one cake. Place the other cake on top. Pour the ganache over the cake in the following way:

To Cover a Torte or Cake (joyofbaking.com):
Note: If covering a cake that is to be refrigerated, make sure the cake is cold before covering with the ganache. This will ensure that the ganache does not dull when stored in the refrigerator.
Brush any loose crumbs from the cake and place cake on a wire rack. Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the ganache drips it will end up on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier. Using a cake spatula, cover the sides and top of the cake with about 2 tablespoons ganache. This is called a crumb coat and seals in any cake crumbs so that your cake will have a smooth finish. Refrigerate cake for 5 minutes to set the crumb coat. If you have any air bubbles or crumbs in your ganache, pour through a strainer. To cover cake, pour the remaining ganache into the center of the cake. Working quickly, spread with a spatula, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating of ganache.
I didn't cover the sides with the ganache.... I just let it drip down so the marshmallow cream could be seen.

With the white icing, write "Moon Pie" on the top of the cake. Keep in the fridge.

If you want to read about the history of Moon Pies, check out this site.
If you want to read about the history of Moon Pies and Mardi Gras, check out this site.

Cream of Pimiento Soup

I made this soup a few nights ago when Aubrey had to work the night shift. I saved it for then because I knew this wouldn't be something he'd be jumping up and down for. He doesn't enjoy eating pimientos like I do.
I used the fat free half and half to cut down on some calories, and it worked just fine. This is a very rich soup and would pair great with a nice salad.

Recipe from Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimiento, undrained
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14 and 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1 and 1/2 cups half-and-half (I used fat free)
2 teaspoons grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Garnish: sour cream

Directions:
Place pimiento in container of an electric blender; cover and process until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Set aside.
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add broth and half-and-half to saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly (15 to 20 minutes).
Stir in pimiento, onion, salt, and hot sauce; cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until heated. Garnish, if desired.
Yield: 3 and 1/2 cups.

Creamy Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Whenever I think of poppy seed chicken, I think of my friend Alison. We call her the "hostess with the mostess" because she loves to entertain. A bunch of us girls used to have Bible study once a week at her house, and I always loved when she fixed her poppy seed chicken. This isn't her recipe, but it sure does come close to her chicken. This recipe came from the Southern Living Easy Weeknight Favorites cookbook. Aubrey and I both enjoyed it. This is a good meal to serve a large group of people. You could easily double the recipe. This one serves 4.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can light Cream of Chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (I used light)
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1 and 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers (I used 1 sleeve)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the first 4 ingredients; spoon into a lightly greased 11 x 7 x 1.5 inch baking dish (I used a 8 x 8 inch). Combine crushed crackers and butter. Sprinkle over chicken mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

My note: If you plan to freeze this, leave off the crushed crackers and melted butter until it has thawed (right before sticking it in the oven).

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

I found this recipe on the Food Network website. It's one of Giada's recipes (yes, we're on a first name basis), so I was excited to try it. I really loved the flavor, but it's not a hearty soup, or should I say "manly" soup. It's more of a "girly" soup.... maybe for a lunch with a small salad.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 sage leaf
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper. Keep warm, and serve into individual soup bowls.