This [...]]]> I’ve been very behind on the blogging as of late.  I’m posting this Barefoot Bloggers post a full week late. This month we have two cookie recipes which isn’t ideal especially since I’m on a big macaron making kick. Needless to say I’m eating a lot of cookies this month.

This pick comes courtesy of Leslie at Lethally Delicious.

If you’ve read this blog before you know that I have an aversion to raisins, so I immediately scrapped those and replaced them with dried cranberries.  Then I remembered that I had hazelnuts on hand from my first attempt at making french macarons, so I used those instead of pecans.

I have a hard time making cookies.  They never look the way cookies should look…. I’m not sure what it is.  This time I was surprised when they actually turned out cookie-like.   Very soft and chewy, nicely shaped etc.  A total victory.  The cranberry-hazelnut combination was really great and different — it gave the cookies an upscale quality for sure.

Once again another great Barefoot Contessa recipe.

RAISIN PECAN OATMEAL COOKIES

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

(Recipe via FoodNetwork.com)

All I have to say is HOLY GEEZ!  This sandwich [...]]]> This week’s Barefoot Bloggers challenge comes courtesy of Karen of Shortbread. I was pretty indifferent when I saw the pick: Caesar Club Sandwich. I mean I love Caesar salads, but chicken? No bueno. And sandwiches can go either way.

All I have to say is HOLY GEEZ!  This sandwich is AMAZING.  Seriously.  I’m pretty sure I could eat these every week.

I bought a fresh ciabatta from ACE Bakery as the base for my sandwich which was a great idea.  The making of the sandwich wasn’t time consuming but I had SO many things to wash up after.  There wasn’t enough room in my kitchen for all the cutting boards, sheet pans and equipment that I used.  But that’s okay, the results were worth it.

I loved that this was a twist on a traditional club sandwich.  I loved the Caesar dressing.  I loved the pancetta.  I loved the parmesan. I loved the dressing!  I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes because I’m not the biggest fan of them to begin with and they were more expensive than I was willing to pay.  I didn’t miss them one bit.  The sandwich was kind of like the best Caesar salad you ever had on bread.

I don’t have any deep musings on this recipe other than to say that Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa made another hit.

CAESAR CLUB SANDWICH
Ingredients

* 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
* Good olive oil
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
* 1 large garlic clove, chopped
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
* 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
* 1 large ciabatta bread
* 2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
* 12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
* 2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

(Recipe via Food Network)

It’s my turn!!

Yes, after patiently waiting it was finally my turn to choose one of this month’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of pressure! You have to choose something the group hasn’t cooked before. You want something that a lot of people will be [...]]]>

It’s my turn!!

Yes, after patiently waiting it was finally my turn to choose one of this month’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of pressure! You have to choose something the group hasn’t cooked before. You want something that a lot of people will be inclined to make. You want something YOU want to make. You want something seasonally appropriate. The list goes on and on.

I settled on Ina Garten/ Barefoot Contessa’s Individual Meat Loaves because frankly, I’d been craving meat loaf.  I was a bit disappointed in myself that I didn’t chose something vegetarian friendly but I figured at least people that eat poultry could be happy by subbing out the beef for turkey.  Plus, with spring around the corner this would be one of the last chances to make a heavier meal such as this.

While making this recipe it occurred to me that I don’t really make meat loaf.  I wasn’t even too sure how to make one so it’s hard for me to comment on what’s different about this recipe.  I suspect frying the onions ahead of time might be different and that the addition of chicken broth might be an Ina-ism.  The recipe is super easy and can have a complete dinner on the table in about an hour.  I made the meatloaf, roasted green beans and made mashed potatoes in just over an hour.  Not bad for a Thursday night (yes, I ended up having to make the recipe the day of… long story).

The results were great.  The meat loaves were really moist and flavourful.  Ina suggests mixing the meat loaves with a fork and not to compact the meat too much.  This definitely contributed to a moister meat loaf.  I also love the fact that these were individual meat loaves… such a great idea!  I even followed Ina’s advice and put ketchup on top.  I’m typically offended by this suggestion but I didn’t mind this time around.

Hopefully others that made this recipe enjoyed it and be sure to visit Barefoot Bloggers to see how others did with this recipe.

Individual Meat Loaves
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon good olive oil
* 3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
* 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
* 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don’t mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.

(Recipe via Food Network)

Okay, for this week’s Barefoot Bloggers I’m cheating a bit.  When  I saw that this week’s pick was for Ina’s Baked Shrimp Scampi I was a bit disappointed. I make this ALL THE TIME. Seriously at least once or twice a month.  The recipe is great the way it [...]]]>

Okay, for this week’s Barefoot Bloggers I’m cheating a bit.  When  I saw that this week’s pick was for Ina’s Baked Shrimp Scampi I was a bit disappointed. I make this ALL THE TIME. Seriously at least once or twice a month.  The recipe is great the way it is so I never make any changes except for cooking it in individual dishes.

Check out this post to read about my first time making this recipe.
Can’t wait for the next round of Barefoot Blogger picks!

This week’s Barefoot Bloggers pick comes from Todd of A Cooking Dad. When I saw that his pick involved chicken I wasn’t thrilled because chicken is definitely not my fave.  But when I looked at the ingredient list I realized it could be pretty alright.  This is a 5-ingredient [...]]]>

This week’s Barefoot Bloggers pick comes from Todd of A Cooking Dad. When I saw that his pick involved chicken I wasn’t thrilled because chicken is definitely not my fave.  But when I looked at the ingredient list I realized it could be pretty alright.  This is a 5-ingredient recipe and uses ingredients that many people would just have on hand.  As it turns out this is a perfect weeknight recipe because you throw the marinade together and let the chicken marinate overnight.  Then you just pop the pan where the chicken is marinating into the oven and cook.  Super simple.

The results were pretty delicious.  I used chicken legs instead of a whole cut up chicken for convenience.  Next time I’d like to try chicken wings.  The chicken cooks to a sweet, spicy and sticky mess.  So much flavour but none of the flavours overpower each other.  You can totally distinguish the four ingredients in the marinade from one another.

While I do question how “Indonesian” this “Indonesian Ginger Chicken” is, it doesn’t even matter because Ina Garten/ Barefoot Contessa has come up with another quick and delicious meal good enough to serve to company.

Check out Barefoot Bloggers to see how everyone else’s dish turned out.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

Ingredients

* 1 cup honey
* 3/4 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
* 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
* 2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

(Recipe from 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

This week’s Barefoot Bloggers pick comes courtesy of Peggy at Pantry Revisited. I’m a fan of croissants and I love bread pudding so this seemed like a great pick.

This is a quick and easy recipe.  Some might see this as dessert, but for me it just screamed breakfast!  I mean, [...]]]>

This week’s Barefoot Bloggers pick comes courtesy of Peggy at Pantry Revisited. I’m a fan of croissants and I love bread pudding so this seemed like a great pick.

This is a quick and easy recipe.  Some might see this as dessert, but for me it just screamed breakfast!  I mean, it’s kind of like French toast, right?  I made a few changes to this recipe right off the bat.  First of all I cannot STAND raisins.  Ever since I was little they reminded me of little cockroaches.  To this day roaches freak me out.  True story.  I thought about subbing in dried cranberries but decided to pass.  There also seemed to be a TON of sugar so I reduced it by about 1/4 cup … give or take.

The results were pretty good.  The top of the pudding was a bit crunchy, not in a bad way but I thought the liquid would have really seeped through.  The inside was a gooey, buttery delight.  It was totally creamy and delicious.  I did find it a tad sweet but I’m a bit sensitive to sweetness.

I think this recipe could easily be jazzed up to make it different each time.  Use different dried fruit, maybe even some stewed apples could be lovely.  Nuts would also make a fine addition.  You could also experiment with different spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves etc.

The photo above is of the final gooey mess.  Do not it was fully cooked at this point but super gooey.  Yum!

Croissant Bread Pudding
Ingredients

3 extra-large whole eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 croissants, preferably stale, sliced horizontally
1 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the custard mixture aside. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants, then add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.

Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1-inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn’t touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved)

I got inspired by [...]]]> First of all Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!  Such interesting timing for this installment of Barefoot Bloggers! This week’s pick comes from Lisa at LIme in the Coconut (who has a great blog!).  I’m always up for cooking a big hunk of meat in wine and tomatoes!

I got inspired by this recipe and decided to go down to St. Lawrence Market for their weekly Farmer’s Market to pick up the veggies for this recipe.  Something about farm fresh goods just sounded right here.  I got the sweetest, most delicious carrots pretty much ever!

You have to be pretty committed to this recipe to make it.  There’s a lot of chopping involved, a lot of alcohol goes into this and there’s about 3 hours of cooking time!  Yes, commitment is needed indeed.  But the smells of while this is cooking make it all worth it.  My apartment just smelled like warm, beefy, alcoholy goodness.  Or like heaven as I like to call it.

I followed this recipe for the most part.  I used a sirloin roast because frankly it was on sale and a lot cheaper than the chuck roast, sue me.  The meat turned out pretty moist and was super easy to slice.  I probably would have liked the additional fat that is in the chuck roast but you can’t win them all.

My first thought was to serve this over mashed potatoes but then I remembered reading somewhere that this would go great with polenta.  Such a good call.  The polenta really absorbed the flavour and was a great compliment to the roast.

I totally loved this recipe.  Do note that this makes a TON of sauce.  There’s likely no way around this as the roast needs to be covered in liquid while cooking.  Ina suggests using the sauce over pasta, mine ended up in the trash but the pasta tip might be worth trying.

COMPANY POT ROAST

Ingredients

• 1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour
• Good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
• 2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
• 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 branches fresh thyme
• 2 branches fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

(Recipe found at FoodTV.com)

Another month, another Barefoot Bloggers recipe!  I was totally pumped when I saw the recipe for Creme Brulee.  I LOVE that stuff!  So much in fact that YEARS ago I ordered a kitchen blowtorch for the sole purpose of making  creme brulee.  Truth be told the contraption has probably been used 2 or [...]]]>

Another month, another Barefoot Bloggers recipe!  I was totally pumped when I saw the recipe for Creme Brulee.  I LOVE that stuff!  So much in fact that YEARS ago I ordered a kitchen blowtorch for the sole purpose of making  creme brulee.  Truth be told the contraption has probably been used 2 or 3 times at MOST. Creme brulee tends to be one of those things that I eat while out, particularly when I’m out with my friend Jaime who is a big of the CB.

This recipe comes from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa (of course! This is Barefoot Bloggers).  Like most recipes it is super simple.  The fun part though is that I learned that my hand mixer was broken as I went to make this.  But alas people were making creme brulee before there were hand mixers so I used my whisk to make this happen.  I also did the extra step of straining the mixture before filing the ramekins.  Straining ensures that there are no lumps and makes the whole thing extra creamy and silky.

Oh, and it was!

Creamy, custardy goodness.  I didn’t follow the recipe exactly since I omitted the orange liquer but I don’t usually like orange flavoured things so no love lost there.

With this recipe you end up with 4 egg whites with no home.  I was on David Lebovitz’ site and came across this post that gives ideas (and recipes!) for using leftover egg whites… brilliant!  Let’s just say look out for a post on homemade marshmallows sometime soon.

Enjoy!

Creme Brulee

Ingredients

• 1 extra-large egg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it’s very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

(From Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten)