Paccheri Pasta with Braised Chicken and Saffron Cream

So we LOVED this recipe. It makes like 4-6 servings and my sister, Dustin and I finished it off in one night. Oh my gosh I can't put this recipe into words it is so good. You just have to make it to see what I mean. It's amazing.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds chicken thighs with skin and bones
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped white onions
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
• 2 cups dry white wine (I used Kenwood white wine)
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 2 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 1 pound paccheri (giant rigatoni) or regular rigatoni
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 
  

• Ingredient Info

  Paccheri is available at markethallfoods.com. (I couldn't find this in stores here so this site was great.)
  
  

Preparation:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, to skillet and cook until golden, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add onions and garlic to drippings in skillet; sauté until onions are slightly softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Add wine and saffron to skillet; bring to boil. Continue to boil until liquid is thickened and reduced by less than half, about 8 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth to skillet. Return chicken to skillet; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer gently until chicken is very tender (adjust heat to prevent boiling and turn chicken over after 30 minutes), about 1 hour total. Transfer chicken to plate and cool.
• Reserve skillet with juices. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Tear chicken meat into bite-size pieces; place in medium bowl and reserve.
• Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return to pot.
• Meanwhile, spoon off fat from juices in skillet; discard fat. Add cream to juices in skillet and boil until sauce is reduced to 2 1/2 cups and is thick enough to coat spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then chicken pieces. Stir over medium heat until heated through, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin sauce as needed and adding more lemon juice by teaspoonfuls, if desired, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken mixture to pasta in pot and toss to coat. Stir in basil. Transfer pasta to plates.

Baby spinach salad with pomegranate dressing

So if you like simple fat free salads that aren't overpowered with fatty dressing than this recipe is for you. I LOVE pomegranates and drinking straight POM juice every morning for a boost of antioxidants. And I like healthy lettuce like baby spinach and arugula so I thought it would be fun to make a spinach salad with pomegranate dressing.

ingredients:
3/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, cut lengthwise into thin wedges
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 6-oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted*

directions:

1. In small saucepan bring pomegranate juice to boiling; boil gently, uncovered, 5 to 8 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. Add onions, remaining oil, dried oregano (if using), pepper, and salt to skillet; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is just tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in reduced pomegranate juice and vinegar; bring to boiling. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in fresh oregano (if using). Gradually add spinach, tossing just until spinach is wilted and combined.

3. Serve in large shallow dish. Top with pomegranate seeds, and nuts. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

This goes really well with chicken tenderloins if you wanna add some meat to your salad. :)

*Test Kitchen Tip: To toast nuts, spread slivered almonds in single layer in shallow baking pan. Bake in 350 degree F* oven 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, watching carefully and stirring once or twice to prevent burning. Toast nuts up to 1 day before using.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes

So I am trying to improve my baking skills because the most baking I do is usually just my chocolate chip cookies. But these cupcakes were awesome! I love the frosting and I feel really cool having made them completely from scratch.

FOR THE FILLING:
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream
FOR THE CUPCAKE BATTER:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

FOR THE FROSTING:
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

Line 12 standard muffin cups with liners and set aside.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a medium bowl with a hand-held mixer or by hand, beat together cream cheese, peanut butter, honey, confectioners' sugar and heavy cream until smooth. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE CUPCAKE BATTER:
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Lightly whisk and set aside.

With a mixer set on low, beat butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. On medium speed, beat in brown sugar until light and lump free. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla until blended. Add flour mixture in two portions, alternating with buttermilk in one addition until smooth and just blended.

Fill each muffin cup one-third full of batter. Drop a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese and peanut butter mixture into center of each cupcake, gently nudging it into batter. Continue to fill each cup with more batter until each is nearly full.

Bake in center of preheated 350 degree F oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip, about 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
With a mixer on medium-low speed beat together butter, cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. On the lowest speed, add confectioners' sugar alternately with the cream and beat until smooth. Liberally spread frosting onto each cupcake.

Orange Blossom Cheesecake with Raspberry and Pomegranate Sauce

Cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert in the world and I have made some good cheesecake recipes before but I lost them so that is partially why I am making this blog. So I can keep track of good ones. This cheesecake is great for fall because of the orange taste and warm flavors.

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 whole graham crackers)
• 1 1/4 cups walnuts (about 5 ounces)
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

FILLING

• 5 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoons orange-flower water (I couldn't find this so I just combined fresh squeezed orange and water.)
• 5 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks

SAUCE

• 4 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 12-ounce bags frozen unsweetened raspberries (unthawed)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey

• *A flavoring extract; available at some supermarkets, liquor stores, and Middle Eastern markets.

Preparation

FOR CRUST:

• Wrap foil around outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Butter pan. Blend first 5 ingredients in processor until nuts are ground. Using on/off turns, blend in butter until crumbs are moist. Press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan.

FOR FILLING:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Using electric mixer, blend first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Blend in eggs and yolks 1 at a time. Pour into crust.
• Bake cheesecake until slightly puffed and beginning to brown in spots, about 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F and continue baking until gently set in center (edges may crack), about 1 hour. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated.

FOR SAUCE:

• Bring juice to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 35 minutes. Mix in raspberries and sugar. Simmer until reduced to 3 cups, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Mix in honey; bring to simmer. Cool slightly. Cover; chill until cold. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead; keep refrigerated.
• Release pan sides. Cut cheesecake into wedges and transfer to plates. Spoon sauce over cheesecake; serve.

Spice-rubbed pork tenderloins

So I have made lots of sides and good recipes that go well with the turkey or big meat at family holiday dinners, but this time I wanted to make my own so that I could be confident when I am cooking the favorite part of meal. From my little taste testers that came over to help me determine if this was a good recipe, they said it is excellent!

The only thing I would do next time is on the first instruction on the recipe it says to sprinkle salt on the tenderloins... I think I sprinkled a little too much. So I recommend putting a tiny sprinkle over the meat because you will be putting a lot more on later... Unless you absolutely LOVE salt.

The fragrant spice rub is good on chicken and spareribs as well. Make extra and store in an airtight container for up to a few weeks--it's like money in the bank. Prep and Cook Time: about 40 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating time. Notes: Cooked pork is best when still a bit rosy and juicy. (Trichinosis in pigs is nearly nonexistent in the United States now, but if you are concerned about it, cook the pork till well done--155° instead of 140°. Its temperature will rise another 10° as it rests after cooking.) Reserve some in the fridge for replenishing the buffet (reheat in a 200° oven).

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 3 pork tenderloins (1 lb. each)
• Coarse salt for sprinkling on tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons star anise (about 8 pods crushed with the back of a heavy saucepan)
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• About 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Good-quality balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Preparation

1. Liberally season tenderloins with salt. Coarsely grind star anise, coriander, and fennel using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Add five-spice powder, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and salt; pound or whirl to combine. Rub spice mixture on pork until thickly coated on all sides (save remaining mixture for another use). Let pork sit at least 1 hour (at cool room temperature, covered) or up to 1 day (covered and chilled).

2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a 10- to 12-in. heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tenderloins and brown well on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes, drizzling in additional olive oil as needed. Meat is done when it registers 140° on a meat thermometer (cut to test--it should be cooked but still rosy). If meat is not done, cover pan, lower heat to medium, and cook until thermometer registers 140° (cut to test), up to 10 minutes more.

3. Remove tenderloins from pan, cover with foil, and let rest at least 10 minutes. Cook remaining tenderloin the same way, but brown it over medium heat and check temperature after 10 minutes. Slice meat into 3/4-in. rounds and drizzle with vinegar.

Oven-roasted fall vegetables

This medley of roasted root vegetables features yellow onions, potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips, butternut squash, garlic, and sweet potatoes.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut into quarters (leave root end intact)
• 3 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-in.-thick slices
• 3 medium turnips (1 1/2 lbs.), peeled and cut into eighths
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3-in. lengths (cut thickest pieces in half lengthwise)
• 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-in. lengths (cut thickest pieces into halves or quarters lengthwise)
• 2 medium butternut squashes, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 3- by 1-in. pieces
• 10 to 20 garlic cloves, loose papery outer skins removed, inner skins left on
• 2 medium orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3- by 1-in. pieces
• About 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 7 sprigs rosemary (3 in. each)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Put all vegetables (including garlic) except sweet potatoes into a very large bowl (or two large ones); put sweet potatoes in a separate bowl. Drizzle bowls generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss gently with your hands to coat; then spread half of mixed vegetables on two large baking sheets. Break up 3 rosemary sprigs and sprinkle over vegetables.

2. Roast vegetables 15 minutes. Stir gently with a metal spatula if they are sticking. Add half of the sweet potatoes to pans. Continue roasting, stirring vegetables every 15 minutes if necessary and changing positions of pans to ensure even browning, until vegetables are browned and tender, 40 minutes to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven and set aside. Repeat with remaining half of mixed vegetables, sweet potatoes, and 2 1/2 rosemary sprigs.

3. Pour vegetables onto a serving platter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with remaining sprig of rosemary and serve warm or at room temperature.

Bay shrimp on Belgian endive

So a lot of people, like my husband, are not a huge fan of shrimp. But I love it. So I try to make it appeal to both Dustin and myself. The stuffed piquillo peppers with shrimp recipe I have on here, Dustin loves, because the shrimp are chopped up and the sauce helps the dish to taste "not so fishy" as he says. So with this recipe I tried chopping the shrimp, lessening the amount of salt and cutting the aioli sauce in half so it is not so strong.

This is not a recipe you eat a lot of. It is a more "fancy" (as Dustin says) appetizer and is simply made for one or two bites. I served a lot of this kind of recipe when I catered in northern California at wine tastings and I loved it.

This is an adaptation of the venerable San Francisco dish called crab Louis. Prep Time: 30 minutes. Notes: Leftover aioli keeps, refrigerated, for 3 days and is delicious on sandwiches.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings (serving size: 2 to 3 leaves)

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 pound cooked bay shrimp, rinsed and drained
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 3 to 4 large heads red or green Belgian endive, or a combination
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Whirl egg, 1/2 tsp. salt, garlic, and mustard in a food processor until smooth. Add oil, drop by drop at first and then in a slow stream once mixture has begun to emulsify. Whirl until mixture is thick, then add red pepper flakes and lemon juice and pulse to combine. Chill aioli, covered with plastic wrap.

2. Mix shrimp with parsley, thyme, and salt to taste. Add just enough aioli to bind the shrimp (5 to 6 tbsp.); save leftover aioli for another use (see Notes).

3. Cut bases off endive and separate leaves (save small ones for salad). Arrange leaves on a platter and top each with a tablespoon of shrimp mixture and a grind of pepper. Serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Prosciutto

This recipe is heavenly. I promise you that you will love this recipe. If you don't like butternut squash you will like this soup. I like butternut squash (especially oven roasted) but for my sister who is super picky she doesn't like butternut squash and loved this. In this recipe, the caramelized pears add a sweet note to this classic butternut squash soup.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (or bacon)
• 5 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 4 red Anjou pears, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jars (each 2 lb.) butternut squash puree (from Williams Sonoma. I don't know what it would taste like with a regular puree)
• 4 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup half-and-half

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Arrange the prosciutto slices in a single layer on 2 baking sheets and bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the prosciutto cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add enough pear slices to form a single layer and cook, turning once, until caramelized on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Repeat to cook the remaining pears.

In the same pot over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 Tbs. butter. Add the celery and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the butternut squash puree, the 4 cups broth, thyme, half of the pears, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the half-and-half. Add more broth if needed to reach the desired consistency. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the prosciutto and remaining pear slices. Serve immediately. Serves 12.

Variation: If you cannot find prosciutto, use 8 oz. bacon, cooked until crispy and coarsely chopped.

My first Homemade Dinner Rolls

So I love buying the simple quick fix dinner rolls at the store but its time for the laziness to stop. Haha. So these are my first homemade dinner rolls and I love how they turned out. I especially like how they look. It makes it great when eating with soup because you can peel apart one of the 3 tops and dip them.

ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
6 Tbsp. butter (room temperature)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 to 4-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (not unbleached)
2 tsp. kosher salt
Melted butter
Softened butter

directions:

1. Heat the milk to 120 degrees F to 130 degrees F; add the butter and set aside to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add cooled milk, eggs, and sugar to dissolved yeast and stir to blend. With a wooden spoon stir in 2 cups of the flour and the salt; stir until smooth. Add 2 cups of remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and only slightly sticky. (Only if needed, after 3 minutes of stirring and dough is overly wet, stir in 1 tablespoon flour at a time.

2. Cover the surface of the dough with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Cover the top of the bowl with a second piece of plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled (1 to 2 hours). (I highly recommend letting it rise for 2 hours at least. It makes it fluffier)

3. Lightly butter 24 muffin cups. Gently press the dough to deflate. With lightly buttered hands pinch off generous 1-inch pieces of dough. Fold the dough over, turning and tucking the edges to form a ball. Pinch the seam together to seal. Dip in melted butter and arrange three dough balls in each muffin cup. Let rise until fully doubled (about 1 hour).

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 15 minutes or until well-browned. If needed, to prevent overbrowning, cover rolls with foil during last few minutes of baking. Remove from oven. Brush with softened butter. Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Remove rolls immediately from cups to a wire cooling rack. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving. Makes 24 dinner rolls.

6. * For extra-light rolls, let the dough rise a second time (1 to 2 hours) before shaping.

Makes 24 rolls

Prep: 50 minutes

Rise: 2-3 hours

Bake: 15 minutes