.cooking and other news.

Here are some of my latest experiments with baking...

They are based on these recipes:

Doughnuts

Pretzels This is a vegan recipe...I did not make them vegan and they turned out well.

Also, I've delayed in revealing another blog that I've been working on but I think that things have been going well so far, I'm going to let whoever reads this blog know about it...

Its a blog that I've titled RunningTowardTheFinishLine and its about documenting my journey in fitness and keeping healthy.  Lately I've been just keeping my workout diary on there but in the near future, I'm going to be posting more healthy eating tips and recipes as well as workout ideas and products finds and reviews.  The blog is kind of hard for me to share in a way because this is a very personal area of my life (not sure why).  I think perhaps its because I'm afraid of judgment in this area of my life...but I think I'm at the point now where I'm confident and secure enough to share. Anyway, if you're at all interested, please feel free to check it out and let me know if there are any questions or ideas you want me to explore!   Here's the link to the blog:  http://runningtowardthefinishline.blogspot.com/

Recipe Reviews: Roated Shrimp and Orzo

Photo taken from Food Network website

I had this salad at my friends' Beth and Lauren's house when they hosted a ladies brunch a few weeks ago. I'm not a huge seafood person but I about died out of delight for this salad. It has shrimp, chunky feta, loads of fresh herbs and a light summery dressing. Ina Garten from the Food Network authored this recipe and it is truly delicious.


MY THOUGHTS: There's very fresh ingredients in this recipe and its interesting that it is served at room temperature (neither hot or cold). You can make it ahead and just set it out until you are ready to eat. I made this salad for dinner as the main dish, but it good for a large crowd too. It makes WAY too much for a family of four. I could have served 6 adults with this and several more if it were a side. I would lighten the salt suggested as well. Phil and I both thought it was too salty. When I had it at my friends' home, it wasn't salty at all. I'll have to ask her if she used less or not. Oh, and make sure to not over cook your orzo. I think I over did it a bit and it was a little mushy.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

MAKE AGAIN: Yes, with the few modifications as noted above and cut the recipe in half if its a small crowd. :)

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Ingredients

nocoupons

• Kosher salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
• 1 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 1/2 cup small-diced red onion
• 3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Recipe Reviews: Blueberry Muffins

photo from www.thepioneerwoman.com

I love bluberry muffins but I don't like blueberry muffins from a mix. Usually the blueberries are so tiny and hard you hardly get a taste of them. When I saw this recipe I knew I had a winner. The recipe is again from The Pioneer Woman.

MY THOUGHTS: Simple. They are made with yogurt and whole fresh blueberries. Between the two, you get a moist mouthful bursting of blueberry flavor. Nothing dry about these muffins. The recipe doesn't specify how many they make so I made mine extra large and I got a dozen out of the recipe. Make sure to grease your pans (I found some Pam w/flour, for baking, spray and I tried it out with these and it works like magic and so much easier than greasing and flouring your pans the normal way). I used non-fat yogurt instead of regular and they still tasted great. I used the large sanding sugar which adds nice texture to each bite and makes them look a little more fancy. I froze these as well and popped them in the microwave for 30 seconds and they were good as new. The recipe comes with a yogurt sauce which I didn't try but sounds good too. Make sure to head over to the recipe site and there are step-by-step pictures to follow along with if you need them.

DIFFICULTY: EASY

MAKE AGAIN: For sure.

Enjoy!

RECIPE TAKEN FROM: THE PIONEER WOMAN WEBSITE (www.thepioneerwoman.com)

The Awesome-est Blueberry Muffins

3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt (throw in extra if you want) **I used nonfat**
2 cups fresh blueberries
Vanilla Extract
Softened Butter, for muffin tins **or Pam w/flour spray**
Turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, cap-ful of vanilla, egg, and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10.

Add blueberries, reserving 1/2 cup, to mixture and stir 3 times.

Add mixture to well-buttered muffin pans. Sprinkle remaining berries on top and press down lightly. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over top. (Brown sugar can be used instead.)

Bake 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Yogurt-Blueberry Sauce:

In small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (if using fresh, add 2 tsp water) and 1 tsp sugar. Cook until berries pop and liquid begins to thicken. Dump in heaping 1/4 cup plain yogurt and stir to combine. Drizzle on muffins.

Recipe Review: Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

(photo and recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com)

If you or your kids love the petite vanilla scones from Starbucks, you are going to go bonkers for this little gem of a recipe I found from none other than The Pioneer Woman. They are easy, delightful and the perfect (less expensive) swap for the real-deal at Starbucks!

MY THOUGHTS: This recipe really came together nicely and was easy to follow. I ended up getting my vanilla beans at World Market because their spices are so much more inexpensive than the grocery store. So, for two vanilla beans it only cost $2.99 versus the nearly $8 at the local grocery store! I also swapped the whole milk and cream for a lower-fat 1%. I still thought they tasted great.

I've made two batches so far. With the first, I was in a hurry, so I didn't let the bean and milk mixture sit as suggested and I could definitely tell the difference when making the second batch and I took my time. The vanilla flavor was much more noticeable.

Also, I didn't have unsalted butter on hand, only salted, so I just left out the salt called for in the recipe. No problems there.

These freeze wonderfully.

DIFFICULTY: Easy

MAKE-AGAIN: Yum. And, I already have. :)

Below is the recipe directly from The Pioneer Woman's website.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• SCONES
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• ⅔ cups Sugar
• 5 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
• 1 whole Large Egg
• ¾ cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
• 2 whole Vanilla Beans
• GLAZE
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
• ½ cups Whole Milk
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean
• Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Recipe Review/RE-DO: Chicken Pot Pie

This is a classic recipe from good ol' Betty Crocker's cookbook however, I've made a few changes to lighten it up and add some extra something to it. :) The traditional recipe uses peas/carrots mix only, more butter and more pie dough...

A few side notes: This is really easy to make...you can easily double/triple the recipe, assemble and freeze for baking later. I usually just take it out of the freezer, unwrap it, change the oven temp from 425 to 375-400 and bake as usual. It does take longer but turns out exactly the same as if you made it that day. I've also used left over rotisserie chicken and it turns out well too.

3/4 pkg of Trader Joe's organic foursome veggie mix (frozen)
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk (1%)
2 1/2 to 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie (pre-bought if desired)...I usually only use enough dough for one pie crust to cut fat and calories...I don't miss it. I just add all ingredients in dish then top with dough...but either way its great.


1. Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to separate; drain.

2. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and peas and carrots; remove from heat.

3. Heat oven to 425°.

4. Make pastry. Roll two-thirds of the pastry into 13-inch square. Ease into ungreased square pan, 9 ¥ 9 ¥ 2 inches. Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined pan.

5. Roll remaining pastry into 11-inch square. Cut out designs with 1-inch cookie cutter. Place square over chicken mixture. Arrange cutouts on pastry. Turn edges of pastry under and flute.

6. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Reviews: Homemade Bagels

This recipe and picture are from Baking Bites.


I've have long wanted to make my own bagels. I LOVE bagels and would eat them everyday if I could. When we moved one of the "treats" I missed the most was Noah's bagels. Now, there are a few bagel places near town, but nothing near the quality and experience of Noah's and they all seem to be quite the drive.

Recently I've been trying out my luck with baking with yeast and after successfully making pizza dough from scratch several times, I've figured I'd give myself permission to try something new in the yeast department. Enter bagels - can you think of anything more delightful than fresh homemade bagels and a cup of coffee or tea? Not me!! :)

So, I set out to find a recipe...here's the bagel recipe I chose: Homemade Bagels by Baking Bites.

MY THOUGHTS: I was a little nervous, but this recipe was really easy to follow and actually rather effortless. My bagels didn't look quite like her picture but close enough and I was pleased that they even resembled bagels. The smell was amazing. My house smelled like a bakery. My kids loved them and even my husband who doesn't really like bagels liked them!

An added bonus is that you can actually know what's going into your bagels and what you're serving your family. No preservatives, people, so I would suggest keeping them in the fridge or freezing them until you're able to eat them. This recipe makes a dozen bagels. I keep them in the fridge and then slice and toast when we're ready to eat...yummy.

My only complaint and thing that I would change is they are a bit salty for me. I think next time I will reduce the amount of salt to 1/2 T instead of 1T as suggested in the recipe. Phil didn't think they were salty, so maybe I'm just being sensitive...who knows.

DIFFICULTY: EASY-MEDIUM (a lot of steps and some of them unusual...like the boiling part)

MAKE AGAIN: Yes. Next time I will lower amount of salt, and even try adding something in them like blueberries or sub in some whole wheat flour. I even think that these would freeze well.

Recipe Review: Chicken Parmigiana

This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a simple, yummy, warm and cozy kind of meal without fried breaded chicken. You do everything in one skillet and its fabulous. I have made some modifications to the recipe based on what I have around the house. I never have any wine around, which the recipe calls for, so I substituted balsamic vinegar in its place and it turned out fabulous...I've made it several times and its a winner with everyone. Ree, over at The Pioneer Woman, gives step-by-step instructions and pictures to follow, so I won't even bother explaining anything...5/5 stars.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

MAKE AGAIN: Yes, and I have over and over.

Recipe Review: Asian Noodle Salad

This recipe and photo is from The Pioneer Woman.

MY THOUGHTS: I was looking for a salad that the whole family would like and I think I found it. The Pioneer Woman amazes me with her creativity. If you've never checked out her site, you should. Its full of fun stories, great recipes and fun photos of her ranch in OK. Anyway, back to the recipe, this salad uses tons of fresh veggies and is super easy to pull together. The salad tastes professional and it delish. Phil approved too! :) This asian noodle salad is yummy and cool and crisp. I can imagine that in the summer, this will be in our regular dinner rotation! There were a few ingredients that I couldn't find and I added sliced grilled chicken for some protein. We all loved it.

DIFFICULTY: Easy.

MAKE AGAIN: YES!

Recipe Review: Herbed Cheese Pizza

This recipe is from the Sept. 2009 Cooking Light magazine.


MY THOUGHT: This recipe is amazing. It tastes like a pizza made straight out of a wood oven. The ingredients are simple. This is actually really easy to make. My husband traditionally doesn't like pizza crust that much, but he really likes this dough. It does take some time, so unless you make the dough ahead of time, plan on it taking the afternoon to make the dough. However, it makes 8 servings which is 8 little personal pizzas. Last time I froze the left over pizzas and heated them up later and they held up really well and totally worth all the effort. One of the ingredients is for kasseri cheese which I couldn't find anywhere. So, I just substituted mozzarella. If you're family likes pizza this is definitely worth the effort. Even the online ratings at myrecipes.com got five stars and an outstanding title! I too give it 5/5 stars!

DIFFICULTY: Moderate. Not really hard, just time consuming with making the dough.

MAKE AGAIN: Heck yes! In the words of Rachel Ray, "Yum-O". :)

Recipe Review: Bacon Mac

This recipe is from Cooking Light's Sept. 2009 issue.

MY THOUGHTS: Deep down I always have really wanted to like homemade mac-n-cheese. This recipe, even though interesting still leaves me wanting something else. I love the texture and the consistency (a bit crisp and not so saucy) yet I don't like the combination of the sharp cheddar and hot sauce. The bacon and green onions along with the penne makes for a yummy mixture. Perhaps without the hot sauce and with a different cheese, this might make it... I give it 2/5 stars.

DIFFICULTY: Easy. The recipe was easy to follow and nothing really through me for a loop.

MAKE IT AGAIN: If you like traditional mac-n-cheese, then yes. If you like Kraft box style, then no. :)

Recipe Review: Quick Meat Loaf

This recipe is from the Sept 2009 Cooking Light issue.


MY THOUGHTS: This recipe is DELISH! Yum is all I can say. Even my husband and kids like this recipe. I've made it several times and each time it leaves me wanting more.

Meatloaf can often times be greasy and dry leaving you with nothing more than an upset tummy and unhappy kids. This recipe is fairly healthy and really easy. I love that you form it with your hands on a baking sheet making clean-up easy as pie. The recipe calls for crushed red pepper so if you have little ones and they don't like spicy food, you may want to leave it out. I personally like it best without the crushed red pepper. The magazine suggests serving this with steamed broccoli and smashed potatoes which I happen to agree with...I give this 5/5 stars!

DIFFICULTY: Easy! Couldn't be easier. Super easy to follow directions and simple ingredients!

MAKE AGAIN: Yes, yes, yes!