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Archive for September, 2011

Plum Coffeecake Muffins

Posted in Breakfast, Muffins, Scones, and other Pastries, tagged , , , on September 22, 2011 | 7 Comments »

Plum Coffeecake Muffins

Fresh plums are an ingredient that I would have never thought to bake into a muffin, so when I saw this recipe I was immediately intrigued. My plums were perfectly ripe and sweet, and tasted amazing on their own. After baking inside of these muffins, however, the plums became even sweeter and more delicious. To make these muffins, you fill the muffin cups halfway with batter, sprinkle on the chopped plums, and then add the remaining batter on top. A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar completes these coffeecake muffins.

These muffins are best served warm from the oven, but are also delicious the next day stored at room temperature or defrosted and warmed from the freezer. Plum Coffeecake Muffins would be wonderful to serve to company for brunch or afternoon tea. Your guests will enjoy discovering the sweet plum surprise in the center of each muffin.

One year ago:  Peaches n’ Cream Muffins

Plum Coffeecake Muffins

Printable Recipe

You can substitute an equal amount of chopped peaches, nectarines, or berries for the plums, if you like.

Makes 10-12 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 ripe red plums (about 1 pound), pitted and cut into small chunks

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.
  2. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
  4. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and milk. Whisk in the melted butter. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Dividing evenly, fill each of the cups halfway with batter.
  5. Distribute the plum pieces evenly among the cups, scattering them over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter on top, dividing evenly. Sprinkle tops with the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  6. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the muffins are puffed and golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on the wire rack. Serve warm.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

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Orzo with Sausage, White Beans, and Spinach

Posted in Main Dish, Pasta, Sausage, tagged , , , , on September 19, 2011 | 31 Comments »

Orzo with Sausage, White Beans, and Spinach

Have you heard of The Secret Recipe Club? Each month, participating bloggers are assigned another blog from the group. You choose a recipe from your assigned blog to make and post about. Until reveal day, you have to keep secret which blog you’re assigned. It’s a great way to find a new blog and try a new recipe. This month I was assigned the blog Mostly Food and Crafts, which has some great easy recipes and fun crafts too.

After reading quite a few recipes, I chose to make Mostly Food and Crafts’ White Bean and Sausage Saute. I love cooking with chicken sausage, and the combination of sausage, white beans, spinach, and tomatoes sounded delicious. I served my sausage and bean mixture on top of some cooked orzo, and we enjoyed a healthy and tasty meal.

One year ago:  Dark Chocolate Truffle Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Orzo with Sausage, White Beans, and Spinach

Printable Recipe

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 Italian sausages (I used sweet Italian chicken sausages)
  • 8 oz. orzo pasta
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place sausages in a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 40 minutes, turning once halfway through baking time. Set aside to cool for a few minutes and then slice into 1/4-inch thick round slices.
  2. Cook orzo according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add sliced sausage to skillet along with broth and tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the beans and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Gently stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
  4. Serve sausage and bean mixture over the cooked orzo.

Recipe adapted from Mostly Food and Crafts

To see other great recipes from Secret Recipe Club members, follow the links below!


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Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce

Posted in Chicken, Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Dish, tagged , , , , on September 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce

One of my favorite, easy ways to prepare chicken is in a skillet with a simple pan sauce. One of my tried and true skillet chicken recipes is Chicken with Provençal Sauce, and this Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce is now a new favorite.

The chicken is cooked in an herb butter and then removed from the skillet. To the same skillet, you add the tomatoes and cook them until they burst. The tomato pan sauce is finished with a little more herb butter and then served with the chicken. I served my chicken over polenta with fresh corn.

Even when cherry tomatoes are no longer in season, I will make this chicken with the oregano butter because on it’s own it has great flavor. Besides, such a simple preparation process is hard to beat.

One year ago:  Caramel Sauce

Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce

Printable Recipe

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
  • 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 cups mixed cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (for garnish)

Directions:

  1. Mash butter, garlic, oregano or marjoram, and paprika in a small bowl to blend. Season oregano butter to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt half the oregano butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, cover, and cook until no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Tent chicken with foil to keep warm.
  3. Increase heat to medium-high. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Crush tomatoes slightly to release juices; stir 1 minute. Add remaining oregano butter to skillet to finish sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon tomato sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley.

Recipe from Bon Appetit, July 2011

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Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones

Posted in Breakfast, Muffins, Scones, and other Pastries, tagged , , , , on September 13, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones

These scones are more like dessert than breakfast, but I have no problem with that. While I can sometimes convince myself that muffins are a (sort of) healthy breakfast, I know that scones are not. That doesn’t stop me from baking them or enjoying them, though!

I actually used frozen sweet cherries to make these scones, but next time I’ll be sure to wait until fresh sour cherries are available. The tartness from the sour cherries would have nicely balanced the sweetness from the chocolate. If sour cherries are not available, you could try other fresh fruits in place of the cherries, or even dried apricots or dried tart cherries.

One year ago:  Lemon Muffins

Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones

Printable Recipe

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1/2 tsp. almond extract
  • 1/2 cup plus 2-3 tbsp. heavy cream, plus more for brushing on top
  • 1 1/4 cup sour cherries, pitted and halved
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place flours, sugar, salt, and baking powder in bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add in cold butter pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Pour almond extract and 1/2 cup heavy cream on top and pulse 3-4 times in three second bursts or until dough starts to come together. Add 2-3 tbsp. more cream if needed to help dough come together.
  3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to a 12 x 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds and then thirds again in the opposite direction to form a square. Freeze the dough square for 5 minutes. Remove dough from freezer and roll out into a 12 x 12-inch square. Scatter the chopped chocolate and cherries over the dough and then gently press them into the dough. Carefully roll up, as you would cinnamon rolls. Press the roll into a 4-inch wide rectangle. Cut into 4 rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally to form two triangles. (Alternatively, after turning the dough out onto the floured surface you can gently knead in the chocolate and cherries. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes and then use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangular log. Then cut the log into 8 triangles.)
  4. Place scones on prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tops and bottom edge start to turn golden. Cool scones on a rack.

Recipe adapted from Bakers Royale

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Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas

Posted in Chicken, Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Dish, Mexican, Quesadillas, tagged , , , on September 7, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas

I originally made this recipe over a year ago, and intended to put it on the blog right away. Well, I lost the recipe for a while, then found it, got busy, and here we are a year later. Once I actually found the recipe again I went back to my computer files and looked up the photos I had taken of these quesadillas last July. Those pictures (which I think I actually liked at the time) are so atrocious there was no way I could put them on my blog now. It’s hard to believe how far I’ve come with my food photography in the past year, and though my photos are so much better now, I still have a lot to learn.

Since we enjoyed these Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas so much, I had to make them again (and take a new photo ;) ). This quick, easy meal is a keeper, and I hope you’ll find time to make it before peaches go out of season.

One year ago: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas

Printable Recipe

Makes 4 servings

*Note: If you’re serving the quesadillas to kids, try replacing the spicy pepper jack cheese with Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or fontina.

Ingredients:

For the yogurt dipping sauce:

  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt

For the quesadillas:

  • 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Pepper Jack cheese
  • 1 cup chopped skinless, boneless cooked chicken breast (either leftover or from a rotisserie chicken)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced peeled firm ripe peaches
  • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Combine honey and lime juice in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir Greek yogurt into honey mixture; cover and chill until ready to serve.
  2. Place tortillas flat on a work surface. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons cheese over half of each tortilla; top each tortilla with 1/4 cup chicken, 1/4 cup peaches, and 1 teaspoon cilantro. Fold tortillas in half.
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are crisp and lightly browned. Remove quesadillas from pan; set aside, and keep warm. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into wedges. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010

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Grilled Potatoes in Foil Packets

Posted in Side Dishes, tagged , , on September 5, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Grilled Potatoes in Foil Packets

With just a few weeks of grilling weather left, I need to share with you this recipe that we’ve been making all summer. Cooking potatoes in foil packets on the grill couldn’t be easier, and the results are delicious. I especially appreciate how the insides of the potatoes become tender without the outsides getting overly crisp, as sometimes happens when I try to cook them in a skillet on the stove top. You can customize the seasonings for the potatoes however you like. My favorite flavor additions are shallots and rosemary. Enjoy!

Grilled Potatoes in Foil Packets

Printable Recipe

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 8 small red or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small cubes
  • Onions or shallots, diced
  • Bell pepper, diced (optional)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Other seasonings of choice (I like to use dried rosemary; oregano or Italian seasoning would also be good)
  • Cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Place the cubed potatoes and onions/shallots (and bell pepper, if using) in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice.
  2. Tear off 8 sheets of foil into sizes that are big enough to hold and wrap around 1/4 of the potatoes. Place two sheets of foil on top of each other to make a double layer, so that you have 4 groups. Spray the tops of the foil with cooking spray, then layer 1/4 of the potatoes in the middle of each double-layer foil sheet. Fold the foil up over the potatoes and twist the edges to seal.
  3. Cook on the grill over direct medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Be very careful when opening the packets, as the steam will be very hot.

Recipe slightly adapted from Pennies on a Platter.

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Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Posted in Breakfast, Pancakes, Waffles, & Cereals, tagged , , on September 1, 2011 | 10 Comments »

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

I have been searching for the best blueberry pancake recipe for a while now, and I am so excited to say that I have finally found my favorite. With each new recipe I hoped that it would be the one that I could post on the blog, but something was always not quite good enough. Until this recipe. And, as an extra bonus, it’s also the healthiest out of the bunch.

Whole wheat flour, not too much sugar or butter, and juicy blueberries all contribute to the healthfulness of these pancakes. Please don’t worry about the whole wheat flour in these pancakes; if I hadn’t mixed up the batter myself I never would have known it was there.

The pancakes cook up light and fluffy, and the juicy blueberries add a little pop of flavor to each bite. This recipe calls for a unique method of adding the blueberries to the pancakes. Instead of mixing them into the batter, you place a few on top of each pancake after ladling the batter onto the skillet. This prevents the blueberries from breaking up into the batter and also makes sure that each pancake gets its fair share of blueberries. :)

I hope you’ll try making some of these Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes for your next lazy weekend breakfast!

One year ago:  Zucchini and Chicken Salad

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Printable Recipe

Makes 8-12, depending on size

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups buttermilk, plus about 1/4 cup milk to thin the batter
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • about 1/2 cup blueberries, plus extra for serving

Directions:

  1. Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  2. In another bowl, stir the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter together.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently (it’s fine if the batter stays a little lumpy). Gently mix in enough milk to thin batter to desired consistency.
  4. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray. Ladle a little batter onto the griddle, then sprinkle with a few berries. Let cook for a few minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook an additional minute or two. Repeat with remaining batter and berries. Serve with additional fresh berries.

Recipe adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen

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