Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark

This recipe is all over the place right now (I found it on Soulemama via Orangette via Epicurious via it's original source: Bon Appetite) so it must be good. Or I must be hungry. Or maybe both. I'll let you know after I make it.

As recommended, in little jars with festive fabric lids this would make the perfect gift for neighbors, teachers, people you want to impress, people who you've offended, people who think you're a bad cook, the list goes on and on.

(Check out Soulemama or Orangette to see pics of this deliciousness.)

Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark

yield: Makes 36 pieces

Packed in jars that are decorated with red ribbon and candy canes, this sweet makes a festive gift. To crush the peppermints coarsely, tap the wrapped candies firmly with the bottom edge of any unopened 15- to 16-ounce can.

• 17 ounces good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Baker's), finely chopped
• 30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)
• 7 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons whipping cream
• 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12 x 9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.

Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Chill in airtight container.) Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Read more here.

My husband is still talking about this soup. Super hearty, inexpensive and healthy.

Winter Vegetable Soup

Gourmet | December 2010

by Lillian Chou

yield: Makes 4 servings

active time: 20 min

total time: 50 min

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 pound sweet potato, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch)
• 1/2 pound Yukon Gold or boiling potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch)
• 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

PREPARATION

Cook onion with bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add sweet potato, Yukon Golds, broth, water, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Purée 1 cup soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Bring to a simmer, then stir in peas and dill and cook until peas are heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe taken from here.

Granola Bars

I'm really not a fan of slaving all day to make everything from scratch, but this recipe is actually a lot tastier than store bought granola bars, and is easily adapted to make them how you like them. You can add basically anything in, cook longer to make them crunchier, and make the size and thickness you like. But the best part is that they are easy, easy.

Next time I make them, I will probably try to reduce the amount of oil to make them more healthy.

Playgroup Granola Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ (I used 1/4 C flax seed meal and 1/4 C bran meal)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35(you may need less time-don't overbake) minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Nutrition Facts if cut into 24 bars: Calories: 161 | Total Fat: 5.5g | Cholesterol: 9mg

French Bread ala Moi

My brother in-law's gf brought this french bread to our soup party last Sunday. I cannot believe that it's homemade. I really didn't know it was possible to bake such good french bread without a proper, industrial bakery oven-thing...you know what I mean. So thank you, Charla!

French Bread ala Moi

2 ½ cups very warm water

2T sugar

1 T salt

2 T cooking oil

6 cups flour

2 pkg dry yeast (2 T)

Into a large warm mixing bowl, pour in warm water then stir in sugar, salt, oil, half the flour and then the yeast. Beat vigorously 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until all dry ingredients are completely mixed in. Leave spoon right in the heavy batter.

All the dough to rest 10 minutes, then stir down. Repeat this until the dough has been stirred down five times.

Turn the dough onto a floured board. Knead only enough to coat the dough with flour so it can be handled. Divide into two parts. Roll each part into a rectangle shape about 9 x 12 and then roll up like a jelly roll – rolling from the long side. Pinch edge of loaf to seal the dough. Arrange lengthwise on a large cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for two loaves. Cover lightly and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

With a very sharp knife, cut three slashes at an angle on the top and then brush entire surface with a slightly beaten whole egg.

Bake immediately at 400 F for 25 – 30 minutes or until brown. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks.

Blue-Potato Soup

One more potato soup recipe. For now. Used blue/purple potatoes from my garden.

Recipe taken from the New York Times. Link here.

Blue-Potato Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1-1/2 pounds blue potatoes, peeled and quartered

6 cups good chicken or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 cup milk or light cream

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

salt to taste

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, stock and bay leaf and heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

2. In batches, carefully puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. (Do not overblend or potatoes will get gluey.) Place in a clean saucepan and stir in the milk or cream. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Yield: About 9 cups.

Note: To serve cold, chill the soup for at least 2 hours before adding the milk or cream.

Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup

Recipe from Ina Garten via the Food Network. Link here. Seriously the best tomato soup I've ever had. No jokes.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basilleaves, for garnish
• 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Croutons, for garnish

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, andsimmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My friend, Heather, made this for dinner when I was at her house almost a year ago. I've been meaning to post it ever since then because it's just a really basic, delicious soup. My daughter will eat bowl after bowl. Below it I have one other egg noodle recipe that is a lighter option (but maybe not quite as wickedly yummy).


Here is the recipe for the chicken noodle soup. I just get like 12ish cups of water boiling and add carrots, onions and celery. Then I add chicken bouillon, usually a whole 3.75 oz, but the water, amount of veggies and bouillon is just totally to taste. After the veggies have boiled to softness, I add cooked chicken pieces and noodles. Here is the recipe for those:


2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. salt


Mix ingredients together, add more flour if sticky. Roll out on floured surface about 1/4 inch or whatever thickness you like and cut them to desired length and width. Drop them in soup for 12- 15 min. So easy.

Egg Noodle Option 2 (from The New Best Recipe):

Makes about 1 pound

2 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten

1. Pulse the flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade to distribute and aerate it evenly. Add the eggs; process until the dough forms a rough ball, about 30 seconds. If the dough resembles small pebbles, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time; if the dough sticks to the side of the workbowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough forms a rough ball. (I actually do all of this by hand without a food processor like you do to make pie crust.)
2. Turn the dough ball and small bits out onto a dry work surface; knead until the dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours to relax. (The pasta dough can also be wrapped well in plastic wrap and kept refrigerated up to 1 day before rolling out.)
3. Roll out the dough (or use a pasta machine, if you have one, which...who does?) into a thin layer and cut into thin strips. I use a pastry cutter or pizza cutter.

What am I making right now?

Curried Acorn Squash

Slice acorn squash into rings. Oil and salt, put into oven at 350 degrees.

In a pan add butter, let it heat up, add chopped onions.

Slice apples, add them into pan.

add a pinch of salt, some curry powder, all spice and cinnamon.

In a separate pan toast some cashews and then add them to onions and apples.

Once the squash is soft put the apple onion curry concoction into the middle of the squash rings and stick back into the oven.

Take out when you feel the flavors have blended.

*maybe even add raisins?

ENJOY!

Classic Potato Soup

When I want to find the OG (original gangster, if you will) of a common dish I always go straight to the OG cookbook, Joy of Cooking. So although I posted a potato-leek soup recipe from The Art of Simple Food last winter, I'm posting another one. I love soup so there's no telling how many more potato soup recipes I'll post. I like to have several good variations of a recipe because then if I'm missing a few ingredients for one, I can probably use another.

Anyways, this recipe is super simple (I made biscuits to go with it) and it was so nice to make hours before. By the time dinner came, I felt like someone else had made it for me. That's a good feeling.

Potato Soup

Makes about 5 cups

Pare and slice:

2 medium-sized potatoes (I use red potatoes)

Chop:

2 medium-sized onions

4 ribs celery

Saute these ingredients in:

1-1/2 tablespoons butter

Add:

Boiling water to cover

1/2 teaspoon salt

(1/2 bay leaf)

Boil the vegetables until the potatoes are tender, or pressure-cook them 3 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Put them through a ricer or blender. Beat into them:

2 tablespoons butter

Thin the soup to the desired consistency with:

Light cream

Add if required:

Salt and paprika

A dash Worcestershire sauce

Serve with :

Chopped parsley, chives or watercress

1 cup sliced frankfurters or chopped cooked shrimp or diced ham

Pumpkin Bars

PUMPKIN BARS

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1 cup oil

2 cups pumpkin

4 eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 lb powdered sugar

1 Tbs vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease & flour a large sheet pan (15x10 pan). Combine all bar ingredients and mix at low speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.

For the frosting, cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; mix on low until sugar is combined and then mix on high until fluffy.

Spread Frosting over cooled bars and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Butts

This pumpkin bread is foolproof. I can say this because not only did I not add nutmeg (I didn't have any so I added MORE CLOVES woo) but I added 2 cups of chocolate chips instead of dirty pecans and then I put the pans in the oven that was preheated but I accidentally turned it off and the bread sat in an oven cooling down from 350 for twenty minutes before I realised what happened and then I baked them at 350 for another 30 minutes. Total disaster yet somehow the bread survived and was delicious.
Good story.

Moving on:

Ultimate Pumpkin Bread from Yields 2 Medium Loaves

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, really soft, half melted really
3 large eggs
1 16 oz can of pure pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and spray two medium loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, dump in the sugar. Take the butter and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, so that it is half melted. Dump it into the sugar. Add the eggs. Cream these three ingredients together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and combine well.

4. In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch.

5. Pour half of the batter into a one of the prepared pans. Fold the pecans into the remaining batter and then pour it into the other prepared pan. Bake side-by-side for about one hour or until an inserted knife comes out clean the top is golden.

Spinach Lasagna

I've decided that The New Best Recipe cookbook (it's from the editors of Cook's Illustrated so you know it's fancy) does Italian just right. I made this over the weekend for some family and I've been eating leftovers for lunch since then.

I don't think this recipe could get better (although I do have notes throughout it without slight changes I made that made it faster and cheaper). So even though this is going to take me an hour to type up, I feel I owe it to this noble recipe.

Spinach Lasagna

The New Best Recipe 2004

Serves 6 to 8

SPINACH

1 tablespoon salt

2 (10-ounce) bags curly-spinach, stemmed and rinsed

BECHAMEL

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large shallots; minced (about 1 cup)

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (generous 1 tablespoon)

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3-1/2 cups whole milk

2 bay leaves

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (1/2 cup)

CHEESES AND PASTA

8 ounces whole-milk cottage cheese

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 no-boil lasagna noodles from 1 box

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (1 cup)

8 ounces Italian fontina cheese, shredded (2 cups) (*Heading of recipe says that you can substitute whole-milk mozzarella cheese for fontina which I did and the flavor was still amazing.)

1. FOR THE SPINACH: Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over high heat; add the salt and spinach, stirring until the spinach is just wilted, about 5 seconds. Using a skimmer or fine-mesh strainer, transfer the spinach to the ice water and let stand until completely cool, about 1 minute, then drain the spinach and transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel rightly around the spinach to form a ball and wring until dry. Chop the spinach medium and set aside. (*I just used two bags frozen chopped spinach and boiled on stove and wrung dry.)

2. FOR THE BECHAMEL: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming; add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1-1/2 minutes; do not brown. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the bay leaves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Whisk in the Parmesan and discard the bay leaves. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface, and set aside. (*I didn't have shallots on hand or bay leaves, and I only used a dash of nutmeg as this book seems to be a little nutmeg-happy at times.)

3. FOR THE CHEESE, PASTA, AND ASSEMBLY: Blend the cottage cheese, egg, and salt in a food processor or blender until very smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Adjust an oven rack tot he middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the noodles in a 13 by 9-inch broiler-safe baking dish and cover with hot water; let soak 5 minutes, agitating the noodles occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove the noodles form the water and place in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel. (*I used regular lasagna noodles and boiled as directed on the package.) Wipe the baking dish dry and coat with the butter.

Use a rubber spatula to spread 1/2 cup of the becahmel over the bottom of the baking dish; position 3 noodles on the top of the sauce. Stir the spinach into the remaining bechamel in the bowl, mixing well to break up the clumps of spinach (you should have about 4 cups spinach-bechamel mixture). Spread 1 cup of the spinach mixture evenly over the noodles, sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan, and top with 3 more noodles. Spread 1 cup spinach mixture evenly over the noodles, sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the fontina (or mozzarella) and top with 3 more noodles. Spread 1 cup spinach mixture evenly over the noodles, followed by the cottage cheese mixture. Finish with the remaining 3 noodles, the remaining 1 cup spinach mixture, and the remaining 1 cup fontina.

Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes, then remove the foil. Remove the lasagna and adjust the oven rack to the uppermost position (about 6 inches from the heating element) and heat the broiler. Broil the lasagna until the cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.