One Dozen Eggs

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red and Yellow Peppers and Goat Cheese –Finally a new blog post!!!

So I really don’t want to even look and see when the last time I posted a recipe was. I am very, very ashamed. I really have no excuse besides being totally rushed off of my feet all the time and totally uninspired come dinner time. Usually it’s just a meal thrown together and always an old stand by. Something tried and true (and already blogged more than likely).
I happened to see this recipe though the other day and printed it out immediately. So glad I did! It is really a delicious and simple meal.

Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red and Yellow Peppers and Goat Cheese – From The New York Times
When making this easy pasta, be sure to cut the sweet bell peppers into very small dice; that way, they’ll lodge in the hollows of the orecchiette, along with the chard and goat cheese.
Ingredients:
3/4 pound Swiss chard (1 bunch), stemmed and washed in two changes of water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 red/yellow bell peppers , cut in small dice
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram (I had just thrown my dry marjoram out so I used 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning)
3/4 pound orecchiette
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
Directions:
1. Begin heating a large pot of water while you stem and wash the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard. Blanch the chard leaves for one to two minutes until tender. Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer the chard to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine. Keep the pot of water at a simmer.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the bell peppers and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until tender, five to eight minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste, and stir for half a minute. Then stir in the chopped chard and the marjoram. Stir together for a few seconds, then turn the heat to very low.
3. Bring the water in the pasta pot back to a boil, and add the orecchiette. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the chard and peppers. Stir in the goat cheese. Drain the pasta, transfer to the pan and toss with the chard, pepper and goat cheese mixture. Serve hot.
Yield: Serves four.
***Loved this pasta. The only thing I will do differently next time is to skip the blanching of the swiss chard. I think it will just be fine steamed in with the peppers and garlic. Also won’t loose all the nutrients in the pasta water.
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Friday, February 11, 2011

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

I wanted a Tuscan Bean Soup. Google that. Go ahead. I bet you come up with about 500 soup recipes. I was baffled so I sat on the floor with my ever increasing collection of cookbooks surrounding me and began my quest the old fashioned way…
Thank you Ellie Kreiger for your cookbook The Food You Crave

Tuscan Vegetable Soup (adapted from Ellie Kreiger’s The Food You Crave)

Ingredients

2 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Directions

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.
Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.
**This was a quick and delicious week night meal I had some whole wheat macaroni left over in the fridge that I also threw in the pot. A quick and versatile meal? You know I’ll be making this again and again…

Monday, February 7, 2011

Clementine and Peach Muffins

I love those tiny little orange balls of perfection. I usually grab 3 at a time when I sit down to eat them because definitely one is not enough so it was only natural that I would want to make muffins using them right?
This recipe was good but it needed some modifying so I made them again with much better results. The first try was dry. Really, really dry. The second try was just right!

Clementine and Peach Muffin Recipe (Adapted from About.com)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup peach flavored yogurt
1 egg
1 tablespoon clementine zest
2 tablespoon clementine juice (or orange juice)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 clementines, peeled and chopped
Raw sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Whisk together the butter, yogurt, egg, zest, juice and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until the flour mixture is moistened. Fold the chopped clementines into the batter.
Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups, sprinkle with raw sugar, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

So it’s been a while

I know, I know…I’ve been a very, very bad blogger but honestly I was totally immersed in a 3 month long project that I loved dearly and took up the majority of the very limited free time that I have. But the project has been completed and the torch has been passed so “I’M BAAAAAAAAACKKKKK!”
I’ve missed my twitter friends, my Facebook friends and most importantly I’ve missed my blog. So I am back nice and fresh with a recipe that is perfect for this up coming weekend (there is some sort of game or something going on right?) or really any time you get a craving for some chicken wings that will knock your socks off!!!

They are fast and easy but take a little bit of pre planning for the marinating time but other than that they are perfect for a busy weeknight meal…Thanks @aggieskitchen for a great recipe!
Ranch Chicken Wings (from Aggie’s Kitchen, with slight seasoning changes)
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken wings
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dry lemon pepper seasoning salt
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tsp dry dill seasoning (Or look for a seasoning called “It’s A Dilly” which has it all)
Dry Ranch Dressing Packet
Fresh Ground Pepper
Combine oil, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic and dill seasoning in bowl. Pour over chicken wings and let marinate for 4-6 hours.
Place wings in an oven pan covered w/foil and sprinkle liberally with Dry Ranch Dressing packet and fresh ground pepper….cook 425 degree for about 35-40 minutes. You may want to broil them for a few minutes to brown them right up…But watch them closely! Serve with Ranch dressing and cut celery.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Cookies We Love: Galletas con Chochitos (Mexican Butter Cookies with Sprinkles)

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

Special thanks to Courtney of Coco Cooks for organizing us again this year!

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

This year's challenge will feature a minimum of four types of cookies, spread out over four weeks ~ all chosen from Saveur's Smart Cookies: Favorite Holiday Treats From Around the World feature. As in years past, each of us will choose our cookies at random, independently from one another. We may post the same cookies on the same weeks, or we may all post something different. In any case, it will be fun to see everyone's take on the same set of recipes. I know I'm looking forward to it!

Who's involved in this completely fabulous baking group? Here's a complete list:

Be sure to visit each of these blogs weekly and see what the other baking bloggers are up to!

My very late cookies for this week are…

Galletas con Chochitos (Mexican Butter Cookies with Sprinkles)

These are so cute and we all loved them!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter,
   softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract, preferably
   Mexican
3 egg yolks
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Multicolored sprinkles, for
   decorating

Directions:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a mixer, beat together sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add yolks one at a time; beat. Add dry ingredients; mix. Roll dough into a 12"-long cylinder. Cut cylinder into 3 pieces; roll each into a 12"-long cylinder. Cut each cylinder into twelve 1"-long pieces. Roll each into a ball; transfer to a lined baking sheet. Flatten each into a small disk; using your finger, poke a hole in center of each disk. Chill for 1 hour. Heat oven to 300°. Brush each ring with egg white; dip into sprinkles to coat. Return to baking sheets; bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

MAKES 3 DOZEN

Monday, December 6, 2010

Cookies We Love: Caramel Crumb Bars

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

Special thanks to Courtney of Coco Cooks for organizing us again this year!

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

Who's involved in this completely fabulous baking group? Here's a complete list:

Be sure to visit each of these blogs weekly and see what the other baking bloggers are up to!

For my first and very late cookie I decided to make the quickest one I could find. Lucky for me it was fast and delicious too…

Caramel Crumb Bars

In New Zealand, these shortbread bars are actually baked throughout the year, but the sheer extravagance of their double-layered topping,rich caramel and a crumbly butter streusel,makes them a perfect holiday treat.

This recipe uses butter. Lots and lots of rich delicious butter and did I mention they are fast to make?

More to come…