PB&J Cookies

Everything we like about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a cookie. Genius.  I remember PB&J sandwiches were my favorites in grade school.  I loved how by the time lunch time rolled around, the jelly had soaked into the bread, turning it a nice rosey color. Also, how the sweetness of the jelly was such a nice counterpart to the salty peanut butter.  I doubt I had that kind of culinary insight at eight years old but I do know I loved them.

As an adult it is rare that I have a PB&J sandwich.  A piece of toast in the morning with a smear of peanut butter is an occasional breakfast to get me out the door.  The Husband on the other hand, eats them all the time for dinner.  Am I a bad wife that I allow such a thing and don't see that we have dinner on the table every night after work?  No I am not.  He loves the PB&J.  So these cookies are for The Husband.  Because he never expects that I'll cook for him but is always appreciative when I do! 

P.S.  The Tazo Zen Green Tea is another one of my favorite teas for sipping on leisurely Sunday afternoons.

PB&J Cookies

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Jelly or jam flavor of your liking

Cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Add the egg and beat just until combined. In a separate bowl, add the flour, soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture. Place heaping tablespoonfuls, 2-3 inches apart on baking sheets and lightly press with your thumb. Fill hole with jelly. Bake at 375º for 8-10 minutes. The jelly should set as it cools.  Makes approximately 3 dozen.

Italian Chopped Salad

A friend from work recently asked me to check on her house for a week while she was on vacation.  Not a problem as she lives just 3-4 blocks from me and I drove by her cute yellow cottage before and after work each day she was gone.  Well, that nice lady presented me with the most generous gift for my trouble (which was no trouble at all).  A lovely set of two knives; a serrated utility knife and a cheese knife from Cutco.  They're just so pretty I hardly wanted to break them out of their box. But that I did today as I decided to put the serrated one to good use making this Italian chopped salad.

I love to chop up ingredients. I find it almost meditative. I know. I'm weird.  This salad nearly had me in a trance as you may imagine from the name alone.  Chop. Chop. Chop.  The knife was extremely sharp and I got the ingredients prepped for this delicious salad in no time.  It's a wonderful meal-in-itself salad with some garlic bread on the side for a lunch or a light supper.  Thanks again Patty for the lovely gift!

Italian Chopped Salad

Salad Ingredients

4 romaine hearts, halved and chopped into small dice
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped into small dice
1/2 peeled, seeded, and chopped cucumber
1/2 red onion, chopped into small dice
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped into small dice
8 ounce ball fresh, all natural mozzarella cheese, chopped into small dice
4 ounces (about ¼ pound) Italian dry salami, chopped into small dice
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped fine
Combine the romaine hearts through the parsley in a large bowl and set aside in fridge the vinaigrette is made.

Herbed Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon Italian seasoning
 Pinch ground black pepper
3/4  teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a medium bowl, add all ingredients through sugar, and whisk to combine; next begin slowly adding the oil, whisking until vinaigrette is emulsified.

Pour the vinaigrette over the chopped salad greens and thoroughly toss to coat; check and adjust the salt/pepper, if necessary, and divide the salad equally among 4 plates.

Clean Out The Fridge Quiche

I know I've posted about quiche before, but I had a different take on it today.  Sometimes quiche is such a great thing to make with leftovers.  In the fridge we had some leftover ham, a few green onions, and a small piece of cheddar cheese.  Making a quiche came to mind as a good way to use up these items in a different form other than an omelet, which was my initial thought. 

The pie crust I used this time was so fantastic.  As I have mentioned too many times before, pie crusts and I are not friends.  When I put this quiche together, I think we begrudgingly came to at least a cease fire.  I used a recipe in the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.  Plain and simple. I used butter, though shortening is acceptable.  I just prefer the taste of a butter crust.  After a 15 minute sit in the freezer, it rolled out perfectly.  It made me happy.

Fannie Farmer's Basic Pie Crust
(makes crust for one 9" pie)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening (butter or Crisco) well chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp salt
4-5 Tbsp. ice water

Place flour and salt in food processor and give it a few pulses.  Add butter and pulse 10-15 times until mixture resembles small peas.  Add 3-4 Tbsp. water. Pulse until mixture comes together in a loose ball.  Add more water if needed.  Dump out onto plastic wrap and form into a disc.  Wrap well and place in freezer for 15 min.  Roll out into diameter, approximately 1/2 inch greater than pie dish.  Gently place into pie dish without stretching dough.  Cut off any excess around the edges and crimp as desired.

Quiche Recipe

Please refer to my recipe found here for the basics and add your own combinations of fillings or cheeses.  Be Creative!

Happy Fourth Blogiversary

Four years since I started this Pie-O-My blog on a whim of sorts. Who knew I could stick to something so long? The bigger question I have been asking myself is how much longer will I continue?  I have been considering branching out to explore some other creative part of me lurking deep in the recesses of my being. 

Let's list some creative areas I could consider.
Art:  Can't draw, can't paint. Though I am good at painting windows and trims in our house.
Music: Love the music but I'm not sure where to go with that. I use to play the flute and loved it. Kind of play the piano and I could definitely work on that.
Photography: I have really found this is an area I enjoy immensely.  It's what really got me into the food blog as I had recently purchased a new camera and needed subjects to photograph. Why not food I thought?  Perhaps I need to go out of the kitchen more and explore the world around me with camera in hand.
Writing:  I do have plans to write a novel someday when I'm retired.  One of my brothers and I have discussed a basic premise for an historical novel loosely based on a family event and have considered being co-authors. We'd better start doing our research!  I tried my hand at poetry for a time.  I re-read some of it now and then and I literally cringe. Enough said.

So there you have it.  As I look over this list I'm thinking I'd better stick to this blog for the time being! 

Now, about this cake.  Isn't it the gaudiest looking cake you've ever seen?  Perfect for a kids birthday party or a four year cooking blogiversary.  You can find pictures of these Kit-Kat/M&M cakes all over the Web.  Mine is a boxed cake mix with chocolate frosting. Nothing fancy because honestly,  who cares about the cake when there are Kit-Kats and M&Ms involved?  I wonder how I'm going to cut it though!?!  Thanks for all of your support, my faithful readers.  You know who you are!

Who Knew?

Who knew that making homemade ricotta cheese could be so easy?  15 minutes.  That's it.  I don't know if it's really cost effective or if I'll do it again, but I made cheese today!  As the recipe lists, it takes a milk, cream, Greek yogurt, lemon, and salt. All reasonably priced, but it also requires cheesecloth which at $4.00 for a small piece, is fairly pricey.  I think if I were to make this again, I would experiment with doubled up paper towel.  I've read you can rinse out cheesecloth and use it again. I'm too lazy for that nonsense. Just saying!

The final amount of actual cheese is approximately two cups.  I used a cup of it on a simple pasta dish where the ricotta could shine.  I roasted some medium/small tomatoes with some salt, pepper, and olive oil for about 1 1/2 hours at 275 degrees, creating some slightly wrinkled and caramelized tomato jewels.  Pasta with a few dollops of fresh ricotta cheese, roasted tomatoes, some shreds of fresh basil, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of good olive oil made a divine dinner that reminded me of summer.  I really want summer to be here now.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

1 quart whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium saucepan, add whole milk, heavy cream, Greek yogurt, lemon juice and kosher salt, whisking to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture begins to curdle.

While the mixture is warming up, line a colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Set the lined colander over a tall bowl.

Once the mixture curdles, pour into the colander. Let drain for about 5 minutes for a creamier ricotta. Drain for about 15 minutes for a dry ricotta. Transfer the ricotta to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Shells a' Lasagna

No recipe today. Just an impromptu idea about lasagna in a different form.  Giant pasta shells. Isn't this fun?  It was tasty, easy, and good enough for a company dinner.  I put it together using my favorite lasagna techniques which include mixing pesto, an egg, salt, pepper, and spinach into ricotta cheese for the stuffing.  I also parboiled the shells so they were far easier to stuff than uncooked or overcooked shells.  Put a little sauce (I cheated with the jarred stuff) on the bottom of the pan, layer the noodles, cover with sauce and then top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so and serve.  A salad, some bread, and a light dessert and you have dinner with leftovers if you're lucky.

Shells a'Lasagna

No recipe. See above!

Easter Eggs

Eggs are cheap, cheap, cheap (that's said in a chicken's voice) right now.  Easter brings dozens of eggs to the grocery store and coupons in the paper to buy them so I can't resist purchasing a couple of dozen.  Using all of these eggs for two can be difficult.  Hard boil a few for egg salad sandwiches or deviled eggs, scramble a few for Sunday breakfast, and then what? 

Dessert!!  Custards, creme brulees, or this new favorite, flan.  Flan is a Spanish custard dish and it is very similar to the egg custard I usually make.  The difference is that it is cooked very slowly and in a water bath so it's texture is so smooth and delicate. Quite amazing.  What I love about this particular recipe is that there is no stove top cooking first.  Other custard recipes have required heating the milk first and separating eggs, risking curdling of the hot egg mixture.  This one is easy and quick and the results are spectacular. The most recent April edition Bon Appetit magazine is the source of this recipe and as usual, it's a good one.

FLAN
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Six 4-ounce ramekins
Preheat oven to 325°. Stir 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. water in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is medium-dark amber, 5–6 minutes. Working quickly, divide caramel among ramekins, coating bottoms evenly. Let cool until hard.

Gently whisk remaining 1/3 cup sugar and eggs in a medium bowl. Add cream, half-and-half, and vanilla; gently whisk to combine (do not aerate). Let sit until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium pitcher to eliminate air pockets.

Place ramekins in a roasting pan lined with a kitchen towel; place pan on a large rimmed baking sheet. Divide custard among ramekins. Pour hot water into roasting pan to reach a little more than halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan with foil, crimping to seal. Carefully transfer to oven; cook for 25 minutes. Rotate pan. Cook until custard is set but center still jiggles when dish is nudged, 20–25 minutes longer.

Uncover roasting pan. Let flan cool in pan for 30 minutes. Remove ramekins and let cool completely. Cover with plastic; chill overnight.

Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Unmold flans onto plates.

New Products

This week I purchased a new product called Nutella.  I know it's been around forever in Europe and has become quite a hit here in the U.S. but I have never tried it.  I think it was the thought of hazelnuts that turned me off. Not a fan.  While doing the shopping though, I came across a $1.00 off coupon next to the product that was already on sale for 50 cents off. So for quite a steal, I thought I'd give it a try. 

YUMMY!!  It's ultra-creamy, very chocolaty, with only a hint of nut flavor.  My BFF Patti tells me the go-to method for eating Nutella in her home is straight from the jar, onto a spoon, and into their mouths.  The commercials show happy mommies spreading it lavishly on toast to entice their little ones to eat a healthy breakfast before running off to school.  I question how healthy Nutella on toast is for breakfast, but that's not for me to worry about.  What was for me to worry about was how to use up a jar of this goodness.  Off to the Internet I went and found this delightfully easy 6 ingredient, no mixer involved, cookie recipe I share with you today.   WARNING:  They are extremely sweet and if I were to make them again, I would definitely add 1/2 tsp of salt and perhaps cut the sugar to 1/3 cup.

The other wonderful product I have recently discovered is Twining's Lady Grey tea.  For me it is just about the most perfect cup of tea I have had since I use to sit at my English grandma's dining room table and drink tea poured from her Blue Willow tea pot. Lady Grey tea is a delicate, fragrant variation on the more famous Earl Grey blend. It consists of black tea scented with oil of bergamot, lemon peel and orange peel. Nothing else needed in my opinion; no sugar, no milk.  But a couple of the Nutella cookies certainly went down well with this brew!

Nutella-Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.  (This is a very stiff dough and I ended up using my hands at the end to mix.)  Roll into 1 inch balls, roll in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.  Flatten each ball with the bottom of a smooth glass.  Edges will be jagged.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.  Place on rack to cool.  Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Red Chili Sauce

Here is a fantastic Mexican recipe if you are feeling very ambitious to make the real thing.  As you can see by the recipes below, there are many steps to this dish but it is well worth the effort.  It can be broken down into a number of parts so it doesn't all have to be done on the same day.  The sauce can be made a couple days ahead as can the chicken filling.  On the day the dish is to be served all that is entailed is assembly and baking. I am lucky enough to live in a community where there are a multitude of Hispanic markets so finding the two chiles called for was not a problem. We also are very lucky to be able to get fresh tortillas, flour or corn, made right here in town.  I am sure there are mail order places on the Web where Hispanic chiles and spices can easily be found also.

Ancho Chilies

                                               Guajillo Chiles
This recipe makes about 4 cups of amazingly thick and complex red chili sauce. The leftovers can be frozen in one cup increments and used again.  I think it would be fantastic without the enchilida sauce additions as a marinade on baked chicken, served with some Spanish rice and some sort of vegetable. Yum.  I got this recipe from The Oregonian Newspapers' great food magazine called Mix.  Even if you're not in the Portland area, it's a great read for those interested in food and in Portland, Oregon, which is nationally known now as quite the restaurant and food mecca these days.

Basic Red Chili Sauce

If you like your sauce spicier, save some of the chile seeds and add them to the sauce after it's pureed and strained.  I found that this definitely needed more chile seeds as it is very mild if you take all of them out.

2 medium onions, peeled and cut through equator into 1/2-inch rings
1 head (15-20 cloves) garlic, papery outer skins removed, individual cloves left unpeeled
10 ounces dried ancho chiles
5 ounces guajillo chiles
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
 About 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, plus more to taste
About 1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Adjust the oven rack so that it is 6 inches below the broiling element and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the onion slices (keep them intact in their round slices) and garlic on the foil in a single layer. Broil until the garlic is charred and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic, flip the onions with tongs and broil the onions on the second side until they are tender and lightly charred, 10 minutes more; set aside. When garlic has cooled, peel it.

Put on rubber gloves and break the stems off the tops of the chiles and shake out the seeds (reserve some to add to the sauce later, if you like heat). Using kitchen scissors cut down the length of each chile and open them up flat. Trim and discard any veins on the inside of the chiles.

Turn an exhaust fan on or open a window and place a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles in batches and toast them, pressing down on them with a spatula, until they are lightly blistered and tan spots appear, about 30 seconds per side for the guajillo chiles, 40 seconds per side for the ancho chiles. Do not over-toast the chiles or the sauce will be bitter. Place the toasted chiles in a large bowl and add hot tap water to cover. Place a plate on top of the chiles to keep them submerged and let them soak until softened, 30 minutes.

Drain the chiles and blend them in batches in a blender or food processor with the onions, garlic, broth, oregano and cumin; be patient, you may need to stop several times and move the contents around a bit to make sure the sauce becomes evenly smooth. When the last batch of chiles is done, swish out the blender with 1/4 cup of water to get out any of the chile mixture sticking to the bottom and sides of the blender and add it to the sauce. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids, or use a food mill. Discard the solids (skins and seeds).

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Quickly pour the chile sauce into the pot. (Keep a lid handy; the sauce will sputter and spit as it is added to the pot.) Reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has lost its raw chile flavor, 30 minutes. Add the brown sugar and salt to taste. Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

For the Enchiladas:

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 pounds)
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
 2 cups shredded Asadero or jack cheese (divided)
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 to 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas cut in half

For the Enchilada Sauce:

1 cup Basic Red Chile Sauce
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken breasts and place them in the prepared pan. Bake until the chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer will register 175 degrees), about 30 minutes. Reserve the baking dish to bake the enchiladas. While the chicken is still warm, chop it and combine it with the cream cheese, 1 cup of the grated Asadero or jack cheese, scallions and cilantro in a medium bowl.

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the chile sauce, tomato sauce, chicken broth and cumin. Bring to simmer over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until ready to use. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish used to cook the chicken. Microwave the tortillas until just pliable, about 30 seconds. Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture on one tortilla and roll up tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. Spoon the remaining chile sauce over the top of the enchiladas, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, and bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly, 25 minutes.

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

Can you just imagine how good this bread is going to taste toasted with a smear of butter?  I'm sorry you can't be here to try some with me.  The aroma as this very delicious bread was cooking was truly intoxicating.  I think there is nothing better than the smell of bread baking except perhaps bacon cooking.  Anyone care to debate me on this subject?

This bread turned out to be easier to make than the recipe might lead one to believe.  It has a number of steps, none of which are difficult but it does take some time.  Good things are worth the wait though, right?  This is makes two generous loaves of bread.  I am happy, as always, that I have my heavy duty Kitchenaid mixer to do the kneading for me which makes baking bread a snap.  Give this a try if you're looking for a baking challenge.

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread


Makes 2 loaves

1 cup (6 oz) raisins
1 cup (8 oz) warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup (8 oz) milk, whole, 2%, or skim
1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 - 6 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)

Filling:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons warm water

Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Let the raisins plump for at least 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Pour a cup of water into the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top. Give it a few minutes, then stir to fully dissolve the yeast into the water.

Stir the milk, melted butter, and salt into the water. Add 5 1/2 cups of the flour and stir to form a shaggy dough. Knead in your mixer on low speed with a dough hook or knead by hand for 8-10 minutes to form a smooth, slightly tacky dough. Check the dough halfway through; if it's very sticky, add a little more flour. The dough is ready when it forms a ball without sagging and quickly springs back when poked.

Toss the raisins with a few tablespoons of flour to absorb any residual moisture from when they were plumped. With the mixer on gradually add them to the bowl and continue kneading until they are evenly distributed.

If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto your work surface and pat it into an oval. Sprinkled about half the raisins over the top and fold the dough like a letter. Pat it into an oval again, sprinkle the remaining raisins, and fold it again. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes to distribute the raisins through the dough. (Alternatively, you can reserve the raisins and sprinkle them over the dough along with the cinnamon-sugar.)

Return the dough to the bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and beat together the egg and water in a second bowl.

Divide the dough into two pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out on the counter. It should be slightly less wide than your baking pan and as long as you can make it. The thinner the dough, the more layers of cinnamon swirl you'll end up with. If the dough starts to shrink back on you, let it rest for a few minutes and then try again.

Brush the entire surface of the dough with egg wash, leaving about two inches clear at the top. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Starting at the end closest to you, roll up the dough. When you get to the top, pinch the seam closed. Transfer the loaf to your loaf pan seam-side down. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Let the loaves rise until mounded over the top of the pan and pillowy, 30-40 minutes. Halfway through rising, preheat the oven to 375° F.

Brush the top with some of the remaining egg wash. If desired, sprinkle some of your remaining cinnamon-sugar over the tops of the loaves as well. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Remove the loaves from the pans and allow them to cool completely before slicing. Baked loaves can also be frozen for up to three months.