Cake and Ice Cream...Yum!

 

There are an awful lot of cake recipes on our blog! Especially since our blog has only been up and running for 7 months!

But I promise you, each and every one of these cake recipes are worth it!

As for ice cream, isn't it the perfect compliment to cake?

I got this fantastic cake recipe from a co-worker. She would make it to celebrate everyone's birthday in the office. It was too hard to resist (I'm sure it added to my pregnancy weight gain!). It is honestly the best carrot cake I have ever had. My husband's favorite kind of cake is carrot cake, so this was a natural for his birthday celebration. Before I found this recipe, I tried a number of different carrot cakes (store-bought and homemade) to find just the right one. I just wasn't pleased. They were either too spice-cakey or too crumbly. This carrot cake is moist and hard to resist.

As for the ice cream, I dreamed up this recipe myself (one of my pregnant food craving dreams!). I had been craving the flavor of hazelnut. In order to satiate my craving, I got some hazelnut coffee creamer to flavor my glasses of milk and later, I got some chocolate hazelnut spread as well. I think the combination of milk, hazelnut coffee creamer, and chocolate hazelnut spread just sort of evolved into an ice cream recipe during my REM cycle!

While I would never pair these two recipes to serve together (the ice cream and cake are too rich to go together and the flavors don't match), I find that it is fitting to pair them together here since I craved the carrot cake during my first pregnancy and I dreamed up the ice cream during my second pregnancy!

Oh, and I must apologize for the pictures. Each time, we had already dug in and it only occurred to me afterward that I needed to take a picture. So, the pictures are definite afterthoughts and they don't do these recipes the justice they deserve. They really are awful pictures. Sorry! (Notice how the carrot cake is placed on one of my son's baby plates because I was pressed for time and besides paper plates, it was the only thing I had nearby!)

Above: You can simply frost the layers and let the frosting overhang a little, or...

Above: You can frost the whole thing and bask in the wonderful cream cheese frosting/carrot cake combination. It's up to you!

10/21/10 Amendment: In order to class up this blog post (because my pictures were so lousy and Laurie's are so fantastic), I am adding one of my sister's posts from her personal blog with two of her ice cream recipes. These fantastic recipes came straight from her own brain!


Heather's Carrot Pineapple Cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup salad oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
carrots, roughly sliced or chopped (enough to make 1 cup shredded)
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice (or half cup, if preferred)

Frosting:

1 package cream cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together first six ingredients (flour through salt).

Blend together next 4 ingredients (salad oil through shredded carrots) in a blender.

Combine dry and wet ingredients. Then add crushed pineapple with juice.

Pour batter into 3 greased baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For the frosting, whip together the final four ingredients (cream cheese through vanilla) and frost on top of cooled cake.

Source: My wonderful former co-worker, Heather Bowen.

Notes: I like a lot of frosting, so I would suggest doubling the frosting recipe. Also, I highly suggest using three cake pans instead of two. It is necessary for the consistency of the cake. If you do try to use two cake pans, you might have to cook the cake a little longer. Check the cake using the toothpick method to ensure that it is cooked completely, otherwise it might be too crumbly.




Hazelnut Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes 4 quarts

Ingredients:

8 cups heavy cream (see note below)
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
4 cups hazelnut flavored coffee creamer
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups toasted, chopped hazelnuts
1 container chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together cream, sugar, salt, and coffee creamer. Refrigerate until you are able to add the cooled nuts. Toast hazelnuts and allow to cool. Stir cooled hazelnuts into the cream mixture. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

You will want to swirl the chocolate hazelnut spread into the ice cream mixture before you ripen it in your freezer. The best way to do this is to spoon a layer of the ice cream into a freezer safe container and swirl a layer of chocolate hazelnut spread on top. Top with another layer of ice cream followed by another layer of chocolate hazelnut spread. Repeat until all of the ice cream and chocolate hazelnut spread has been combined. Be careful not to leave large clumps of chocolate hazelnut spread. You will want the swirls to be fine. When the spread freezes, it freezes very hard and if you have large swirls or clumps within the ice cream, it makes scooping the ice cream very difficult.

Allow ice cream to fully ripen in the freezer before serving (at least 2 hours). Store in an airtight, freezer safe container.

Source: The crazy craving dreams of a pregnant woman...me!

Notes: If you want to lighten this recipe and make it a little less rich, you can use 4 cups of heavy cream and 4 cups of half and half. I've tried it both ways. It is still great with the half and half. It is just a little lighter, not quite as rich, and a little less creamy.

Also, I must repeat that it is so important not to create large or thick pieces/swirls of chocolate hazelnut spread. It is so much tastier and easier to serve if you have fine, string-like swirls. The first time I made this, the swirls were very fine and I thought I would try it again with twice as much chocolate hazelnut spread and in much thicker swirls. The problem with this is that the chocolate hazelnut spread hardens as soon as it makes contact with the cold ice cream (it's kind of like the chocolate shells you can get on your soft serve ice cream cone). The result was that I had thick and impenetrable layers of chocolate hazelnut spread and I practically had to use a knife to serve the ice cream! The dainty, fine layers of chocolate hazelnut spread are far preferable for this recipe. If you want more chocolate hazelnut spread, I would suggest drizzling some more on top of your ice cream just prior to serving.

Garden + Ice Cream Maker = True Love

My roommates gave me an ice cream maker for my wedding and ever since then I have been making ice cream non-stop. I lay in bed thinking of new ideas for flavor combinations and I get so excited! The first kind I made was using the fresh mint in our back yard and it was delicious! Mint is of course one of my favorite things. After the mint, I decided to be more creative and I was inspired by my favorite ice cream shop, Jeni's (They always have very creative, gourmet and absolutely delicious flavors). So I made Cucumber Coconut Sorbet and Butternut Squash Ice Cream with Caramel & Candied Pecans. And they were both a success! hooray!!!

Cucumber Coconut Sorbet

I love how cool and refreshing cucumber is. People don't give cucumber enough opportunities as a dessert flavor, but I'm telling you this one is delish! It's light and tasty, with a smooth texture. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers
1 tablespoon honey
1 can light coconut milk
Juice from 1 lime
3/4 cup simple syrup, (recipe below)

Directions:

Blend the cucumbers and honey together in a blender or food processor until the cucumber is almost pureed, but still has some chunks. Refrigerate for 6-24 hours. The honey will draw out the moisture in the cucumbers. Then blend again until smooth, and pour into a fine strainer, pushing out juices and discarding pulp & peel.

Combine the juices with a can of coconut milk, the lime juice, and the simple syrup

Freeze in Ice cream maker for 20-30 minutes or until thick and creamy. YUM!!!

Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand until cool, 30 minutes.

Butternut Squash Ice Cream

The squash has a richer flavor and is more decadent with the caramel and pecans. We had friends over for dinner last night and they were shocked that the secret ingredient was squash. It tastes a little like pumpkin pie, only more mild.

Ingredients:

One medium-sized butternut squash
1 tsp. vanilla
One recipe of your favorite vanilla ice cream
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2-4 tbsp. brown sugar
One recipe of your favorite candied pecans (or toast pecans in a pan on the stove top while adding enough brown sugar to evenly coat the nuts, remove from heat and cool completely)

Directions:

Start by peeling and cubing one medium sized butternut squash. Boil for 5-10 minutes with a little vanilla in the water.

Using your favorite basic vanilla ice cream recipe, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.

Add a cup of the cream mixture in a blender with the butternut squash and puree until smooth. Pour into fine strainer to remove pulp. I would probably strain this twice. I only did it once and the texture was a little too grainy. Mix with remaining ice cream mixture.

Then pour into ice cream machine! and freeze!

Yummy yummy yummy.

Next up, I'm thinking Basil Lime.... I love my garden!

Hey a Pregnant Mormon can have a Mojito too!

Okay....So its not a Mojito that you drink...and it doesn't have any alcohol in it...but it combines the citrusy/mint flavors that a Mojito has (or so I've been told!) I found this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine back in February. The recipe originally calls for chicken, which we made previously and it was delicious, and this time I thought I'd try it with some Tilapia, and it was equally tasty! I love the combination of grapefruit/lime/mint/cilantro. It is very refreshing, flavorful and satisfying. Not to mention this is a very healthy meal. Maybe you can eat this the day after you cook the Chalupa's!

Here is the Original Recipe for the Chicken Mojito's. All I did was substitute fish, and I broiled it, because Tilapia is kind of a pain to grill. You could grill up a nice Halibut and it would be even more delicious! But like I said, I have made this with chicken and it was yum yum too.

Citrusy Mojito Fish or Chicken

1. 1 red grapefruit
2. 1 lime
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
5. 2 tablespoons chopped mint
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (Or white fish such as tilapia, halibut, orange roughy...)
8. 2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Using a sharp knife, peel the grapefruit and lime, removing all of the bitter pith. Cut in between the membranes and release the sections onto a work surface. Squeeze the membranes over a medium bowl to extract the juices. Stir in half each of the olive oil, cilantro and mint and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat. *If you opt to broil fish, simply heat broil, and cook for about 5 min until fish is fork tender. Do not overcook.
2. Grill the chicken thighs over moderately high heat, turning them occasionally, until they are lightly charred outside and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the grapefruit and lime sections and transfer to a bowl. Add the red onion and the remaining olive oil, cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken thighs with the citrus salsa.

Happy Cinco de Octobre!

Who says you can only celebrate the tastiness of Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo? In my opinion, Italian and Mexican food are the easiest to replicate at home. Foods like Thai and Indian are often better/easier at restaurants because of the sheer number of ingredients and the time involved that it takes to create such feasts. However, Mexican food can be just as yummy and comforting at home as at a restaurant.

Now, as the two previous blog posts mentioned, we are now entering soup weather. So, I am including a recipe for white chicken chili (pictured above). I'm including the original recipe (which I found to be a little too bland for my tastes) as well as my adapted recipe (which is much more flavorful, and therefore satisfying). I'm also including a recipe for chicken chalupas (basically, enchiladas) that my family got from our next door neighbor. They aren't low-fat or low-calorie, by any means, but my oh my, they are tasty! I apologize that I don't have a picture of the chalupas. I made them for a family dinner and they got gobbled up before I could get a snapshot.

White Chili (Original Recipe)

This dish uses hot pepper sauce made from jalapenos; it's milder than the red hot pepper varieties. Stirring frequently toward the end of cooking time prevents the bean-thickened broth from sticking to the bottom and scorching.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
5 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (about 1)
Lime wedges (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth mixture; cool.

Add cornmeal and beans to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk; simmer 15 minutes. Mash about 1/4 cup beans against side of pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to pan; simmer 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Top each serving with yogurt; sprinkle with green onions. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup chili, 4 teaspoons yogurt, and 1 teaspoon green onions)

Nutrition information: 198 calories, 4.1 g fat, 1.6 mg iron, 56 mg cholesterol, 63 mg calcium, 14.3 g carbohydrate, 456 mg sodium, 24.8 g protein, 3 g fiber.

Source: Cooking Light, September 2008

  
White Chili (My Version)

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (ribbed and seeded, if you prefer less heat)
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (about 3 cans)
5-10 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce, to taste (such as Tabasco)
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced
5 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal (heaping tablespoons, if you want to make the chili even thicker)
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
2-4 tablespoons lime juice (fresh or bottled), to your taste
3 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans--2 cans rinsed and drained, 1 can blended in a blender, undrained
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt or fat-free or low fat sour cream
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (about 1), optional
Lime wedges, optional
Cilantro, chopped, optional
Favorite shredded cheese, optional

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add salt, cumin, chili powder, and minced jalapeno and stir just until fragrant (30 seconds to one minute). Add broth, hot pepper sauce and diced chicken to the pan. Bring to a low boil and continue until chicken is cooked through (about 15-20 minutes).

Reduce heat to low and add cornmeal, diced green chiles, lime juice, and beans (whole and blended) to broth mixture, stirring well. Simmer for 15 minutes (or until the cornmeal has thickened the chili and the beans are heated through).

Top each serving with the toppings of your choice (yogurt or sour cream, green onions, cilantro, lime wedges, cheese, etc.)

Notes: Obviously, my recipe makes a lot more soup (I like to have a lot of leftovers). Also, my version isn't as low calorie with the addition of more chicken and beans. Additionally, there is no reason to cook the chicken and then pull it out, cut it, and then return it to the chili. Adding diced uncooked chicken to the broth and allowing it to cook that way, adds more flavor and cuts out unnecessary steps. This version is much, much more flavorful. I love it and I hope you will too.


Carol Todd's Chicken Chalupas

Ingredients:

1 dozen flour tortillas
1/2 cup chicken broth (liquid from poaching the chicken breasts)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 green onions, chopped
1 pint sour cream
1 lb grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 lb grated Cheddar cheese
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (poached in water--reserve water)
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilis
1 small can sliced black olives

Directions:

Allow tortillas to come to room temperature so they will roll more easily.

Boil chicken breasts, and set aside 1/2 cup broth. Cool, de-bone, and cube chicken.

In separate bowl, mix together: soup, green chiles, green onions, sour cream, olives, and Monterey Jack cheese ONLY. Take 2 cups of this mixture and add to cubed chicken for filling.

Put generous portion in each tortilla dn roll up. Set in greased pan (9x13). After tortillas are filled, add the reserved broth to soup mixture without chicken and stir together, then pour over filled and rolled tortillas. Sprinkle grated Cheddar cheese over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Notes: This recipe calls for A LOT of cheese. That's one of the things that makes it so scrumptious. You probably shouldn't have this main dish more than once or twice a year as a result! I haven't done this and I'll have to try it, but I think if half the cheese was used (1/2 pound of Monterey Jack and 1/2 pound of Cheddar), low-fat sour cream, and 98% fat free cream of chicken soup were used instead, it would still be yummy, but it would cut down on the calories and fat significantly. Also, if you have picky eaters, you can omit the green onions and olives in the filling and instead serve them on the top for those who do like them. Finally, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in chicken breasts and it still tasted great! Oh, and this is also a freezer friendly dish. Rather than cooking it, freeze it in an aluminum or freezer friendly casserole dish and cover it with aluminum foil (don't forget to label and date it!). When you are ready to cook it, either defrost it in the fridge overnight or place it frozen in the preheated oven (still covered with foil) and bake for 40-50 minutes. Then, remove the foil and continue to cook for an additional 25-35 minutes, or until the chalupas are hot and bubbly and the cheese is nicely browned. Adjust the cooking times accordingly depending on whether you cook it from frozen or defrosted.

No Soup For You!

Why no soup for you? Because that leaves more for me! First off let me apologize. This is my worst food photo of all time. I have an excuse. It slipped my mind to take a picture until my hubby (Who didn't get home to eat his dinner until close to 9) was about to dig in! Stop! I need a picture! so I hurried and snapped this out of focus, poorly orchestrated image. Now that is a good husband who will wait to dig in after a long day to indulge his silly wife.

Anyway, as I mentioned before...I LOVE soup. Once September hits, its one soup a week at our house. They are cheap and satisfying and always leave leftovers. So this week the soup in the spotlight is a lovely hearty butternut squash beauty. I actually love having squash in my garden primarily because they make such lovely soup. We have 2 squash soup recipes that we love in our house. The first, which is the one pictured is a more rich and savory. It comes from Jamie Oliver, one of my favorite celeb chefs. The second soup, is a sweet & spicy curry with coconut milk which I absolutely adore. I have made it several times for guest and they always rave about it! Both soups are equally delicious.

Jamie's Superb Squash Soup as found on his site here
the only modification I made is that I have never used the sage leaves. I am sure they would be delicious, but I don't have them in my garden and don't really fancy the idea of spending a few dollars on a garnish. One day I'll try them. I have made the croutons and they are yummy!

• olive oil
• 16 fresh sage leaves
2 red onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
• ½–1 fresh red chilli, to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2kg butternut squash, onion squash, or musque de Provence, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 2 litres good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• extra virgin olive oil

for the croutons
• extra virgin olive oil
16 slices of ciabatta bread
• a block of Parmesan cheese, for grating
Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of lugs of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with kitchen paper – you’ll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you’ll be left with a beautifully flavoured oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chilli and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around half an hour.

While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ciabatta slices, pat it in and press some grated Parmesan on to each side. Place in a non-stick pan without any oil and fry until golden on both sides.

When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with a hand blender or pour it into a liquidizer and pulse until you have a smooth purée (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it’s perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls, placing 2 croutons on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Red Curry & Coconut Squash Soup
I found this recipe on a local foodie blog, Restaurant Widow.

One medium butternut squash about 2 lbs

2 tbsp butter or good olive oil

2 tbsp garlic

2 tbsp fresh ginger

salt

1 14 ounce can lite coconut milk

14 ounces chicken stock (or vegetable stock, if you'd like to keep things vegetarian)

1/2 tbsp - 1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste, depending on how you like your heat level. I'd start with less, because you can always add more but you can't take away!

1/4 cup brown sugar

Cut the squash and scoop out the seeds. Place it in a steaming basket and steam for about 20-25 minutes, or until very soft. You could also bake the squash if you prefer. Be sure the water doesn't boil out! Allow to cool until you can handle the squash, and then scoop out the flesh. Mash lightly with a fork and set aside.

Have the coconut milk can open and nearby.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium/medium-low heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic/ginger puree and cook for a few minutes, just until the butter begins to brown very slightly - be careful, because this can lead to burning very quickly. Everything should smell sweet and nutty. As soon as this happens, add the coconut milk. Fill the empty coconut milk can with chicken stock, and add that to the pot. Add the curry paste, the brown sugar, the fish sauce, and a nice big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and allow to reduce slightly, maybe 5 minutes or so, then add the squash. Turn the heat off and puree the soup with a stick blender. Taste and adjust seasonings. If desired, you can garnish the soup with a little bit of coconut creme, which is a different product from coconut milk, and is very sweet - it makes a nice foil for the spiciness of the soup.

Summer may be ending, but soup season has just begun!

*Amendment as of 10/5/10 I forgot to mention that I did not strain my soup, as the recipe calls. I prefer chuncky tomato goodness in my soup. Hence the thick texture shown in my photo. I used my stick blender to blend to the desired consistency*

Eureka! I've found it! The perfect tomato soup recipe!!! This has been quite the process, and I have gone through many a recipe in this quest. I think the problem was many of the soups would end up tasting too much like tomato sauce, or canned tomatoes. This recipe uses roasted tomatoes, which really gives a nice rich flavor to this soup. Its the perfect time to make it because garden tomatoes are at their prime, and my garden has an abundance. So this soup was basically free to make, I had all the ingredients on hand! I think next week I'll make another batch and freeze it. Try it with some delicious homemade bread bowls and a lovely tossed salad for a light and healthy dinner .

I actually found this recipe by doing a google search. Here is the link and the recipe. It is from the Zupa's blog, which I didn't even know they had. I'll have to keep checking it out. The only modification I did was adding less cream, oh and I used my stick blender, which is one of my very favorite kitchen tools! If you make a lot of soups, which I do, It is a must have item.

Roasted Tomato Soup

• 4 lb tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 6-8 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced [use only 1/2 tsp if you used dried]
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced [use only 1 tsp if using dried basil]
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (That's a lot of cream! I only used 2 tablespoons, just to give it a little bit of a creamy texture, but it would be just as tasty without the cream, but if you are feeling indulgent go ahead!)

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.

Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan on a rack. Peel garlic.
Cook onion, oregano, basil, and sugar in butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force through a sieve into cleaned pot, discarding solids. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.
Divide soup among 8 bowls.

Homemade Bread Bowls
this comes from allrecipes.com
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

-->1 cup warm milk ( 110 degrees)

1/2 c shortening

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 t salt

6 c all purpose flour

cornmeal

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, shortening, sugar, eggs, salt & 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover & let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

2. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. divide into eight pieces; shape each into a ball. Grease 2 baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place 4 balls 3 inches apart on each prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

3. Cut a thin slice off the top and scoop out bread. Serve with soup or chili.

The Penne is Mightier than the Sword

I think if I could, I would eat pasta almost every night...minimum at least once a week. My favorite is probably spaghetti, but I love all kinds of pasta...including, of course, penne.

Oh, and I must apologize that we have done such a lousy job of posting on this blog lately. My sister and I are both pregnant (just out of the first trimester now) and food DID NOT sound good to either of us during that time. As for my mom (who also posts on this blog), she has no excuse!

The first recipe (pictured above) is a pasta favorite that my mom found. It is my youngest sister's absolute favorite pasta. It is also a quick and easy weeknight recipe. Plus, each serving is only 7 Weight Watcher's Points.

The second recipe is one of my pasta favorites that I found last year. It is a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe.

I just think pasta hits the spot. Pair these recipes with a nice side salad and some crusty garlic bread or breadsticks and you're set!

Penne with Sausage and Roasted Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked penne or other tubed-shaped pasta
6 ounces 50% less fat pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)
1 1/4 cups bottled spaghetti sauce (such as Classico with mushrooms and ripe olives...see note below)
1/2 cup diced bottled roasted red bell peppers
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

While pasta cooks, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until brown; stir to crumble. Drain sausage.

Add spaghetti sauce and bell peppers to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and salt. Cover and let stand 3 minutes. Serve over pasta. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup pasta and 1/2 cup sauce)

Nutrition information: 329 calories, 45.5 g carbohydrates, 9.5 g fat, 3.1 g fiber, 15 g protein, 30 mg cholesterol, 694 mg sodium, 62 mg calcium, 3.1 mg iron.

Notes: I believe that my mom usually uses Prego pasta sauce (just the basic sauce with no vegetables added in). The sweetness of the Prego sauce pairs nicely with the sausage and peppers. Also, as with many pasta dishes, this one is freezer friendly. Freeze the pasta sauce separately (don't forget to label the contents and date them!). When you are ready to use it, simply defrost it overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or over the stove top. New note: My mom identified the Prego pasta sauce in her comments. She uses Prego's Three Cheese pasta sauce. Also, if you keep some frozen sausage around in your freezer, this makes a great pantry recipe. You can have everything on hand and ready to go if you need a dinner idea to throw together quickly!




Tomato and Olive Penne

The cherry tomatoes cook just long enough to bring out their juice, which blends with the garlic-flavored olive oil to make one of the best-tasting pasta sauces. If you're cooking for children who don't like black olives, toss the olives in for the adults after you've served the kids.

If you pit your own olives, the easiest way is to lay a wide chef's knife over it and smack the blade with your fist or the palm of your hand. The olive should split open, and the pit will pop right out.

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper
1 pound penne, or other short pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2/3 pound (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.

Add penne, olives, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.

Notes: I add more olives than the recipe calls for (really, is 1/4 cup enough? Not for me!). In addition to that, I ALWAYS buy pitted olives. They cost a little more, but to me, the extra cost is worth it because it saves me a lot of time. Also, I add salt and pepper to taste. I end up adding a little more than the recipe calls for. But this is a tasty and super easy meal. Yum!

All Wrapped Up in a Nice Little Package

Parchment paper is a handy dandy little cooking tool. It keeps things nice and tidy (not as many dishes to clean up), and it creates some juicy, tender meat and flavorful vegetables.

My sister already posted some chicken packet recipes, but here are a few recipes I found.

The first is a South Beach recipe that I discovered thanks to my in-laws' love of all things South Beach. It is flavored with orange and tarragon. This recipe represents the first time I actually tasted tarragon...and I love it!

The second is a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe that incorporates some pretty strong flavors (jalapeno, cilantro, and ginger) to create a very flavorful, but not overpowering chicken. I found the jalapeno and ginger too strong to eat, myself. But my husband loved it. I would, personally, have increased the mango quite a bit. It was really tasty, but I felt that there wasn't nearly enough of it.

If you want a light dinner, the packets alone are enough for dinner. However, if you want to flesh it out a little more, some rice pilaf and a little side salad would be just the right touch.

I hope you like them!



Chicken en Papillote

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 scallions, chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced diagonally
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2" pieces
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (see notes below)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees (425 degrees if you use foil instead of parchment paper). Cut four 2-foot lengths of parchment paper or foil. Fold each in half to make a 1 foot square. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place a breast slightly below the middle of each square of paper.

In a small bowl, combine the scallions, carrot, zucchini, tarragon, and orange zest. Spoon 1/4 of the vegetable mixture over each chicken breast.

Fold the parchment or foil over the chicken and crimp the edges together tightly. Bake for 20 minutes on a baking sheet.

To serve, cut an X in the top of each packet with scissors and tear to open.

Serves 4

Nutrition information: 144 calories, 27 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fats, 86 mg sodium, 65 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber.

Source: South Beach Diet cookbook

Notes: First of all, I doubled the recipe. I increased the vegetables quite a bit. I used 3 regular sized zucchini, and about 8 regular sized carrots. I cut both the carrots and zucchini into matchstick shapes by cutting them lengthwise in half, and lengthwise into sticks. I added salt and pepper to taste to the vegetable mixture rather than salting and peppering the chicken. I felt that 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest wasn't quite enough, so I added the zest of one large orange (it was either a heaping 1/2 teaspoon or a full teaspoon of orange zest). I also added the juice of the zested orange. Also, I didn't follow the instructions above for how to fold the parchment paper or foil. I used the twist method found in the recipe below.



Chicken with Mango and Ginger

Ingredients:

1 large mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4 inch wedges (see notes)
8 chicken cutlets (about 1 3/4 pounds total) or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch), peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 medium jalapeno, thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mango wedges in center of four 18-inch-long pieces of parchment. Top with chicken, ginger, cilantro, and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle each with 2 teaspoons oil. Fold parchment into a "twist" or "envelope" shape (page 85).

Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until packets are puffed up and chicken is cooked through, 18-20 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition information: 297 calories, 11.5 g fat, 37.1 g protein, 9.7 g carb, 1.1 g fiber.

Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

Notes: Again, I would double or even triple the amount of mango used for this recipe. It wouldn't make the chicken too sweet. The other ingredients are flavorful enough to keep that from happening. It would just create a more abundant side-dish of mango. Yum!