Shortcut gnocchi

Yum, yum, yum, and easy too. Here is the recipe. These came together in just a few minutes. I’d suggest using a stand mixer instead of a food processor. Or mine just has a leak.

They did take a bit of practice to get the rolling right. I have never made gnocchi before, but they ended up all right! I made them in batches, and had one child asking for more. I thought this made way more than 2 or 3 servings. I ended up flash freezing a third of them.

Next time, I will try browning them in a bit of butter after they are boiled. I think it would add flavor and texture. But they are also good just boiled with a really good sauce.

Speaking of, I served them with some leftover tomato sauce with butter and onions.

That is our very favorite sauce, and I can only suggest you make it immediately.

More pics:

Taco salad

I did cook tonight. Nothing fancy, just tacos/taco salad. It had to be quick, so I could get to the shelter for my volunteer shift. But the homemade taco seasoning was very tasty, especially with the addition of some tomato paste with the ground turkey! No pics, because I just didn’t think of it. I also forgot to chop up the cilantro, so maybe not my best night!

I wonder what I’ll make tomorrow? I’d like to try the gnocchi recipe I found on Pinterest. I love gnocchi – I don’t know if the girl will like it. I *know* the boy won’t even try it.

Yogurt-marinated chicken with ginger and garlic

Here is the recipe. I did change a few things. I didn’t have time to marinate for several hours, just about one and a half. It still worked, although I’m certain it would have been even better with more time. I also roasted it, since even with the freakishly warm weather we’re having this year, I didn’t want to fire up the grill. I roasted it at 450 for 30 minutes in a baking dish lined with foil and covered the pan with foil, then cooked it uncovered for about 5. I like chicken to have some color, so I broiled it for a few minutes also because although it was cooked through, it didn’t look all that pretty until it was broiled. Be sure it gets up to at least 165 on a thermometer, rather than depending on the time alone.

I also made some roasted potatoes that are a little different. I don’t know where she got the technique, but my mom taught me how to make these several (*ahem*) decades ago. Cut a few potatoes into bite size pieces. Skin on or peeled – your call. Boil in salted water until just fork tender. Drain and place on a sheet pan, which has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with a little kosher or sea salt. Broil for a few minutes, watching closely to be sure they don’t burn up. I like them with some pretty good color, though. I don’t time them, I just watch them. Maybe 5-6 minutes. I usually leave the skin on and place them on the pan skin side down so that the flesh is closest to the heat. The outside of the potatoes gets crispy and crunchy and puffy, and the interior is soft. So, so good. Serve with plenty of butter or margarine.

Carmelitas

The recipe is here. The only change I made was to add some salt to the caramel. Because sweet things need a bit of salt, and also because salted caramel is the best thing in the world.

I didn’t measure it, I just added a couple of heavy pinches of salt. Maybe a teaspoon or so.

I also doubled the recipe, since I’m taking it to work, and an 8 x 8 pan didn’t sound like enough. Melting the caramels took a while, as did unwrapping all 64 of them!

It’s cooling now, so I guess we’ll find out in the morning how it turned out. My coworkers are lucky.

More pics.

Homemade Pizza

And far better than most restaurants!

I used this recipe for the crust.

I split it into four individual pizza crusts, and everyone made their own pizza, choosing from spinach, onions, turkey pepperoni, turkey sausage, and of course lots and lots of mozzarella cheese. Next time, I’ll make them smaller, maybe into 6 portions. Very, very good. We all liked it better than most pizza places!

I also made some pepperoni roll ups, which were quite tasty. I think next time I’ll smear some sauce in there, maybe add garlic and oregano or basil. It could be because turkey pepperoni is a little more mild, but I would punch up the flavor a little. Those could make a meal, with a salad on the side.

Mark also made some delicious brownies, since my boy asked for some.

More pics:

A few recommended recipes

Mostly because I didn’t take any pictures of our versions, tonight you get links.

Why didn’t I take pics? Too busy stuffing my face.

This recipe for Bourbon Street Chicken turned up on Pinterest, and it was easy and delicious. I cut back on the red pepper flakes, because the girl child doesn’t like food that’s too spicy. I used about 1/4 teaspoon, instead of 3/4 t. I think it would have been better with a little more heat, so next time I’ll try 1/2 t.

Mark made these Cheesy Potato Cups, and they were sooo good. I realize that the recipe is members only. I’d suggest buying this issue or subscribing to the magazine. Yummy, simple recipes.

I also made some lima beans, one of my girl’s favorite veggies. I was fixing things she would like because she’s recovering from strep and hadn’t eaten a real meal in days!

Lastly, I decided to make a little sweet treat for the kids. We don’t usually have dessert, but every once in a while it’s nice. I was going to go with a simple chocolate snack cake, and then I remembered these individual microwave chocolate cakes. Quick to put together, rich flavor, couldn’t be easier. Pretty large for one person though – next time I would just make one for them to split. We all had a bit, and I have the entire second one left over. Since they were so rich, none of us could possibly finish a whole one!

Potato Soup and Pepper Cheese Bread

First, you have to understand that today is the first real winter weather we’ve had this winter. And my girl child (a.k.a. Drama Queen, a.k.a. Elder Child, a.k.a. L) is sick. This situation called for soup.

One of L’s favorites is my potato soup, which I’ve adapted from how my mom always made it. Warning – I don’t much measure when I’m cooking, as opposed to baking. So most of the recipe is to taste, and it varies a bit each time I make it.

So before I get to that, how about a real recipe? The Southern Lady Cooks posted a recipe on Facebook this morning for Peppery Cheese Bread. Perfect to go with potato soup!!

I did adapt it a little, mostly because I had some shredded mozzarella I needed to use up. So I had about half a cup of mozz, and half a cup of cheddar. I like it. I added a touch extra salt, since I had cut down on the cheddar. This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! Go make it! While the bread was baking and cooling, I fixed the potato soup.

My mom taught me how to make this when I was a kid. I started cooking with Mom when I was about 7 or 8. Those of you who know me IRL and think I’m a good cook? My Momma taught me everything I know, and encouraged me to be in the kitchen. Grateful forever for that!!

So, potato soup. One of my favorites to make in the winter, and it’s quick to make even for a weeknight. I like stews and thick broths more than my mom. So where hers is more brothy (is that a word?), mine is heartier.

I start by cutting up an onion, a few stalks of celery, and a few carrots. I’m not especially precise with the knife work for this (it’s rustic!), and I’m ok with that. Add 5-6 potatoes, cut into cubes. I leave the skins on, because I like them. You’re free to peel. I also minced a few cloves of garlic and threw that in. Cover with water or chicken/vegetable stock. Today I used water, and added a few tablespoons of chicken soup base. You can use plain water, but I’m a fan of adding more flavor wherever I can. Soup base can be pretty salty, so I only added a dash of seasoned salt and a good bit of pepper and celery seed. Today I had some fresh thyme left over from something else, so I put a few of those in. And a bay leaf, because why not? Sometimes I use fines herbs, tarragon, rosemary, ground thyme. Whatever I’m in the mood for, really.

Bring to a boil and simmer on medium low until the potatoes and carrots test done. Usually this is about 20 – 25 minutes for me. Then remove the bay leaf, thyme stems (if you used fresh). Because I like thicker broths/stews, I usually add some instant potato flakes at the end, stir it well, and let it simmer for a few more minutes. I don’t measure, but I added a half cup or so. It gives the broth a lot more body. My mom always added a half stick of margarine, if not a whole stick. I don’t love margarine – I much prefer real butter, but I’ve found that it is fine to cut that down to a tablespoon or two. Use your own judgement, or follow the recommendations of your cardiologist! Then I take it off the heat and add a splash of dairy – maybe 1/4 cup. It might be milk. It might be half and half. It might be heavy cream. Whatever floats your boat.

Slice that yummy bread, and ladle some of the soup into a bowl, and you have a hearty dinner perfect for a snowy night! And all done in less than an hour.

More pictures!

A day off to bake

See, it all started this morning. I decided I just didn’t feel like going to work today. I wanted to relax and bake instead.

At first, I was planning to make chocolate chip cookies, Sam’s favorite cookie, and my very favorite CC cookie recipe. Easy, quick, and delicious. Since the chocolate flavor is really predominant, I tend to use the good chocolate, not just store brand chocolate chips. My kids prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, so i use a 62%. I’m telling you, you just canNOT go wrong with a Smitten Kitchen recipe. I got a new Scharffen Berger order from an Amazon sale yesterday, and I wanted to try out the new variety of chocolate. Win win all around!

Then Lauren asked if I would make oatmeal raisin instead. She said that I always make chocolate chip cookies. I beg to differ, but that’s what she asked for, so I figured I’d just make both!

I also only baked a few of them today. The rest of the formed dough was flash frozen on parchment-lined sheet pans. Once they were frozen, I put them in freezer bags, and wrote the contents and baking instructions on the bags. That way, I can just bake them a few at a time when the kids want a little something sweet. They can be baked from frozen, just adding a few extra minutes to the baking time. But I prefer to let them thaw a bit on the sheet pan before cooking – maybe 10-15 minutes. It seems to work better for me that way.

Then I remembered I had told my boss I’d probably bring in some cookies tomorrow, since he was kind enough to let me take off today. But these were for my kids, so I didn’t want to bake them and take them all in to work. Hmmm. It needed some thought.

After a bit, I remembered the leftover raspberry buttercream in the freezer, and I just love chocolate and raspberry together. Whoopie pies!!

I don’t really have a recipe to link to for the whoopie pies. It’s a box of cake mix (any flavor), a stick of melted butter, and two eggs. Mix thoroughly and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. I’ve made red velvet cookies and filled them with a cream cheese filling, so this was similar.

How about some pictures? A picture is worth a thousand words, they say.

Oatmeal raisin dough:

Chocolate chip dough (I like big hunks of chocolate!):

Chocolate cookies for whoopie pies:

Oatmeal raisin cookies:

Chocolate chip cookies:

And at the very top are the completed chocolate raspberry whoopie pies. So how did it all turn out? Lauren LOVED the oatmeal raisin cookies, but Sam didn’t love the new type of chocolate. Probably because it tasted very slightly different than he’s had before. The Boy is a creature of habit, he is.

Cornbread taco bake

Recipe and some suggestions for improvement will be posted tomorrow. Assuming I remember what I did. This wasn’t a huge hit, but it’s got potential to become one.

Or maybe I won’t update. The best part was this yummy taco seasoning anyway.

French macarons

I followed this recipe, because Bravetart makes fantastic macarons. I used her recipe for the swiss buttercream as well. Delish!!

I pieced together several techniques for the flavors I wanted. I ended up with cinnamon with chai buttercream, and chocolate with peanut butter buttercream. For the first batch of macarons, I added about a teaspoon of cinnamon at the last mixing step before folding in the dry ingredients. Then I reduced some liquid chai concentrate that I had on hand, and whipped that in with some of the plain buttercream.

For the chocolate, I followed the instructions to mix in some cocoa and espresso powder. Next time I will cut the amount of espresso powder in half – it’s a little too much coffee flavor for my taste. And then I mixed in some smooth peanut butter with some of the plain buttercream, until it tasted right to me.

Bonus! The buttercream made a ton, so I packaged it up in 5 ounce amounts and froze it. So I’m stocked for buttercream for the foreseeable future. I even had enough of the chai and peanut butter frostings to save. Maybe I’ll make a chocolate snack cake and frost it with the PB buttercream. Or a gingerbread cake with the chai? Lots of options!

I don’t know why the chocolate ones cracked so much. But they’re still tasty!!