What Did Wimpy Say To Popeye?

I'll gladly repay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.
Burgers. Burgers made from our house recipe served on, of course, homemade burger rolls. Yes, I know you can get hamburger rolls for $1 a bag. It's the baking thing. It's knowing every ingredient that was used. It's about making the buns the perfect size for your burgers. It's about Chris saying that the burgers and the rolls were delicious.
Our burger recipe -
Ground Beef, Rye Bread soaked in milk, Worcestershire Sauce, Horseradish Sauce, Salt and Pepper.

The roll recipe is from King Arthur Flour. Simple to make!!!!

Click here for the Beautiful Buns Recipe.

A King Arthur Sort Of Day

I just felt like baking today. I went to the King Arthur Flour site and had fun!

Buttery Hot Dog Buns. Click Here For Recipe.

 

 Beautiful Burger Buns. Click Here For Recipe.

 English Muffin Toasting Bread. Click Here For Recipe.

Saturday Afternoon Baking - Toffee Shortbread

Someone was looking for cookies last night. Today I made a new recipe. Literally! Toffee Shortbread. I love shortbread cookies. Shortbread is a blank canvas waiting for whatever flavors you want to add to it. I had some toffee chips in the pantry. I found a couple of recipes to use as guides. This is what I came up with. And damn they are good!

Toffee Shortbread

Ingredients-
½ cup butter softened
⅓ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup toffee candy crumbs

Method-
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Add Toffee candy crumbs. Combine. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten into a 1” disk. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until about ¼“ thick.

Cut out in desired shapes. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. 

White Bean and Roasted Chicken Salad, and Pane Bianco

We had Roast Chicken last night so tonight we had Chicken Salad. This recipe is from Cooking Light. 369 calories per serving! And it was simple to make.

Ingredients-
Salad:
2 cups coarsely chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cup sliced fresh basil
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method-
To prepare salad, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently to combine.
To prepare dressing combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, tossing gently to coat.

And if you are only consuming 369 calories per serving than there is room for bread! I made the Pane Bianco recipe again from the King Arthur Flour site. This time, I added olives. Nice choice. The salty taste from the olives was a nice addition.

Baked Frittata with Zucchini, and Pane Bianco

Tonight we had a perfect summer dinner. Tonight's recipe came from Memorie di Angelina. I love this blog. A lot of the recipe remind me of what my Mom and Aunts use to cook. This recipe was delicious and light. I, of course, omitted the garlic. And my basil plant is a little empty looking so I opted for dried basil and the oregano just seemed like it should be added.

Baked Frittata with Zucchini-

Ingredients-
4-6 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced into rounds
6-8 eggs
100g (3-1/2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Method-
In a skillet large enough to contain all the zucchini rounds in one layer, heat the olive oil. Add the zucchini.

Fry the zucchini until lightly golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels or a cooling rack and allow the excess oil to drain off.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs and grated cheese together. Add the fried zucchini rounds and basil leaves then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Take a non-stick pie plate or baking sheet with edges at least inch tall (I used a 9x11 cake pan), grease the bottom with a bit of olive oil, then add all of the egg mixture, making sure that the zucchini rounds are evenly distributed.

Carefully transfer the baking dish to a hot oven (400˙F), taking care not to spill the egg and zucchini mixture, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through and lightly browned on top. If the eggs are cooked but the top is not brown enough to your liking, you can run them under a broiler for a minute or two.

And there was the bread. King Arthur Flour is doing a bake-a-long. Yes, I am in! This weeks challenge was Pane Bianco. What an amazing bread this was! The texture of the dough after it rose was just so workable. I filled the bread with roasted cherry tomatoes,  shredded mozzarella, Parmigiano cheese, dried basil, and oregano.

 

I could have put more tomatoes in but the flavor was perfect. We made half of the loaf disappear quickly! Looking forward to the next baking challenge. Can you tell I am going through The Great British Bake Off withdrawal...

Baked Frittata with Zucchini, and Pane Bianco

Tonight we had a perfect summer dinner. Tonight's recipe came from Memorie di Angelina. I love this blog. A lot of the recipe remind me of what my Mom and Aunts use to cook. This recipe was delicious and light. I, of course, omitted the garlic. And my basil plant is a little empty looking so I opted for dried basil and the oregano just seemed like it should be added.

Baked Frittata with Zucchini-

Ingredients-
4-6 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced into rounds
6-8 eggs
100g (3-1/2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese or more to taste
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Method-
In a skillet large enough to contain all the zucchini rounds in one layer, heat the olive oil. Add the zucchini.

Fry the zucchini until lightly golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels or a cooling rack and allow the excess oil to drain off.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs and grated cheese together. Add the fried zucchini rounds and basil leaves then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Take a non-stick pie plate or baking sheet with edges at least inch tall (I used a 9x11 cake pan), grease the bottom with a bit of olive oil, then add all of the egg mixture, making sure that the zucchini rounds are evenly distributed.

Carefully transfer the baking dish to a hot oven (400˙F), taking care not to spill the egg and zucchini mixture, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through and lightly browned on top. If the eggs are cooked but the top is not brown enough to your liking, you can run them under a broiler for a minute or two.

And there was the bread. King Arthur Flour is doing a bake-a-long. Yes, I am in! This weeks challenge was Pane Bianco. What an amazing bread this was! The texture of the dough after it rose was just so workable. I filled the bread with roasted cherry tomatoes,  shredded mozzarella, Parmigiano cheese, dried basil, and oregano.

 

I could have put more tomatoes in but the flavor was perfect. We made half of the loaf disappear quickly! Looking forward to the next baking challenge. Can you tell I am going through The Great British Bake Off withdrawal...

Heart-Shaped Food

Happy Valentines Day! We started the day with Fresh Apple and Cinnamon Scones with Pecans. Here is the recipe to which I added 1/2 cup of chopped Pecans. And yes they are heart-shaped.

I love pizza on Sunday nights. Childhood memories and all that. I do need to work on my pizza dough heart shaping technique but the flavors were oh so good. For Chris I made onion and bacon. For myself, I had some roasted broccoli and some cooked broccoli rabe in the freezer. Both of these pizzas were delicious!

Those Chicken Cutlets & Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach

This seems to be becoming our Sunday dinner. I love this recipe. There was some discussion because  I had posted on the our weekly menu print out that we were having Chicken Parmesan tonight. This does have Parmesan Cheese in the recipe. But I could add some sauce next time

For a side I found a recipe on Pinterest using Butternut Squash. Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach. I was positive I had Orzo in the pantry. Well, I was wrong. I used Tubettini and Pastine. This was really good. Any pasta would work.

And that bread I made yesterday. Roasted Apple Bread. The absolute best bread! Toasted with butter. Wow. Then for lunch I made a grilled cheese with Dijon Mustard and Cheese!!! The recipe was from the King Arthur Flour web site. The house smelled so good while it was baking.  This will be a week of excellent breakfasts!

Roasted Flat Iron Steak with Olive Oil-Herb Rub and Much More!

 

We had this last week but I had made it with a Flank Steak. It was good but the Flat Iron Steak was much better. 

The original recipe is from Cooking Light. All I did was omit the garlic, surprise,  and changed the type of steak.

Ingredients-
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flat iron steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

Method-
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over steak. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Add wine and broth; cook 1 minute. Spread herb mixture over steak; place pan in oven. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with pan sauce.

The side dish was amazing! A Bon Appetit recipe, Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash. I have a few Butternut Squash cluttering the counter from my sister's garden, so I had to find a recipe or two. This one will be my go-to side dish this fall. We both liked it and I have enough leftovers for a couple of lunches!

My version of Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash.

Ingredients-
Herb oil-
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Hash-
2 large golden beets
1 bunch Swiss Chard, trimmed and chopped
1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 pound garnet yams or other yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
herb oil

Method-
Herb oil-
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and re-whisk before using.

Hash-
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring medium saucepan of salted water to boil. Add Swiss Chard and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain well. Set aside. Scrub beets; place in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour half of herb oil over beets; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each beet in foil and roast beets until tender when pierced with small sharp knife, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let beets stand until cool enough to handle. Peel beets; cut into 1/2-inch pieces and reserve. DO AHEAD Swiss Chard and beets can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Combine squash, potatoes, and yams in large bowl. Add remaining herb oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture evenly on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until vegetables are tender when pierced with knife and lightly browned around edges, stirring and turning vegetables occasionally, about 50 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Stir beets and beet greens into roasted vegetables; dot with butter cubes and continue to roast just until beets are heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer vegetable mixture to large bowl and serve.

And wait there is more...

Roasted Apple and Pecan Bread. Tomorrow's breakfast. More about it in tomorrow's post.

Fettuccine with Roasted Vegetables and Chorizo

Remember those Roasted Vegetables from last night? Well the photo only showed what was put on the table last night. I had a whole other tray of roasted vegetables. I was planning ahead. Tonight I sauteed up some Chorizo sausage in a little olive oil. Added some white wine. Let that simmer for a couple of minutes and added the chopped up vegetables, already seasoned when they were roasting. I added the cooked Fettuccine with some of the pasta water. Oh this was very good!

Now you may be saying to yourself, "She did not bake bread this weekend!" Well no I did not but I woke up this morning and wanted scones. Apple Scones to be exact. I found this recipe at the King Arthur Flour website. I added 1/2 cup on Old Fashion Rolled Oats the the recipe. These are absolutely delicious scones!

Ingredients -

Scones -

2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice or ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter
3/4 cup chopped fresh apple, in 1/2" pieces (about half a medium apple); leave the skin on, if you like
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened preferred
Topping-
3 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method -

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spice.

Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
Stir in the chopped apple and cinnamon chips.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.
Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don't have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.
Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Gently pat and round each half into a 5" to 5 1/2" circle about 3/4" thick.
To make the topping: Stir together the coarse sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with the topping.
Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.
Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges.
between them, at their outer edges.
For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake the scones for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they're golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the say through; the edge shouldn't look wet or unbaked.
Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they're completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.