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National Jelly Doughnut Day

8 Jun

I once made myself ill by eating one too many Krispy Creme doughnuts. They happened to be jelly filled. Since then (about 3 years ago) I have tried to stay away from the deliciousness that is a jelly filled doughnut. I obviously have no control and cannot be trusted to not consume a month and a halves worth of sugar in one sitting. So in order to feel less guilty about enjoying jelly doughnut day, I made a semi healthier (there is still a lot of butter and sugar involved so I really cannot claim any healthy benefits from these) never the less, they are not fried and they are smaller than regular jelly filled donuts. Therefore, I declare they can be eaten without any too much guilt.

Makes 12-14 Mini Muffins
Adapted from Dianne

Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 -8 teaspoons of Jelly or preserves, I used raspberry
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease the mini muffin tin. Do not shy on the greasing, the jelly makes for some sticky removal!
Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup margarine, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk. In a separate bowl sift together the baking powder and flour (you can get the same effect by whisking the flour and baking powder together) This will make sure they combine nicely and remove and lumps form the flour, later ensuring you do not over mix the batter! Add the flour mixture to the sugar and milk mixture and stir until just combined. Place a little less than a tablespoon of batter into the muffin cup, then make a little well in the center (I used my finger, but the back of half a teaspoon works too), place another tablespoon of batter over the jelly.
Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
While muffins are baking, melt the additional 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, brush each muffin with melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Try to stop yourself from eating these right out of the sugar! Be careful the jelly is hot!

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National Hazelnut Cake Day

1 Jun

I like big bundts and I cannot lie….

Especially banana and nutella bundts. Nutella is a delicious hazelnut spread that is a serious peanut butter competitor. The smooth mix of hazelnuts, milk and a hint of coco powder is a PERFECT match for a sweet banana….I’ll give you a moment. YUM. I have been in love with the nutella and banana flavor combination since my visit to Paris and experiencing the infamous nutella and banana crepes made by a lovely Italian man in his street cart. I guess they are only infamous to my mom and sister… and to my dad because he paid for us to eat multiple crepes per day while silently shaking his head at our indulgence!

This cake takes no time to throw together, but let me warn you it takes even less time to accidentally have 4 slices…. for breakfast.

Ingredients
Recipe adapted from Baking and Books

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature if possible)
  • About 4 medium roasted bananas
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut milk*
  • 2 cups nutella (separated)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half

*If you do not have coconut milk on hand, do not worry! Regular milk can be substituted, just make sure you add an additional 1/2  cup sugar!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place the bananas, un-peeled, onto a cookie sheet lined with foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. This will roast the bananas enhancing their delicious flavor! I checked my bananas and turned them over halfway through the baking time. While the bananas are roasting, make sure to really grease your bundt pan! I use the butter wrappers from the room temperature butter I am about to use in the cake batter! Rub those wrappers all around inside the bunt pan, this will ensure your bundt comes out in one beautiful piece!

Once the bananas are black and soft to the touch remove them from the oven. I used kitchen scissors to carefully (because I am impatient and they were still very hot) to slit open the bananas so I could scoop out their insides into a measuring cup! If you are more patient and can wait until they have cooled further, you can cut one tip of the banana and squeeze the roasted banana into a measuring cup (like toothpaste). You will need about 1 1/2-2 cups roasted banana.

Next, combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Then, in a stand mixer on high-speed (or with a hand mixer) cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Reduce the speed to low, and add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and banana (make sure the banana is not piping hot, you do not want to cook the eggs) and mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture, stir until jut combined, then add the coconut milk mix until incorporated and add the remainder of the flour stirring until just combined.

Put one cup of nutella in a bowl and stir to soften, it will be easier to spoon over the batter if you have warmed it a bit. Pour half of the banana batter into the bunt pan. Then, use a spoon to put dollops of the nutella batter in the center f the banana batter (this will get melty and bake into the banana cake batter, so no need for it to look pretty at this point). After you have spooned the nutella over the batter add the remaining banana cake batter and cover the nutella. Place in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Check the bundt halfway through cooking time to ensure the top is not getting too brown, if it is place a piece of foil over the cake!

While the cake is cooling (you have to let it rest in the pan 10 minutes before attempting to take it out) prepare the nutella ganache! Place 1 cup of nutella in a sauce pan on low and whisk in 1/2 cup of heavy cream (or half and half). Once the nutella and cream combine and have a “pourable” consistency, it is ready. Carefully take the bunt out of the pan (I turn mine upside down on a cake platter). Slowly pour the ganache on top of the bundt, trying not to lick up any of the ganache you “accidentally” spill on a spoon… I poured 3/4 of the mixture on the bundt and saved the rest for people to spoon over their individual slices! (it works best if you are patient enough for the bundt to cool off before adding the ganache, but will work just fine if you cannot wait!) Enjoy!

This is what happens when you are left alone with this cake….

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National Wine Day

25 May

What a wonderful National Holiday! Toasting to one of the FAVORITES of the ladies here at the triple dish! We all met in Kingsville Tx, and became the best of friends after weekly wine nights where we would spend hours chatting, laughing and getting to know one another!

Wine is not only great for drinking, it makes a flavorful addition to many dishes! Plus, you can pour a little in your dish, pour a little in your mouth… ;)

Here are some of my favorites!

A blog we each read daily, How Sweet It Is, makes a delicious Caramelized Chicken with Mushroom Sauce and grilled Bread. This meal is a perfect weeknight dinner for you and a special someone! Recipe here!

Image from http://www.howsweeteats.com

The food blogging Idol, The Pioneer Woman also cooks frequently with wine… this is one of my favorites!

Penne a la Betsy, perfect to serve when you have people over! Find the recipe here!

Photo from http://thepioneerwoman.com

Summer Sangria from Cooking Light (I do use the “light” to justify having a few glasses of this… plus it has fruit so it has to be good for you…right!?) Get the recipe here!

Image from http://myrecipes.com

I Do not want to leave out red wine! I normally drink red wine before I have a chance to cook with it! This Chicken and Red wine dish looks fantastic (and easy!)

Image from http://allrecipes.com

I propose a toast to all of our fabulous readers! Thanks for all of your comments and visits! We are so glad you stopped by and hope you enjoy this National Wine day with a big glass of wine!

Cheers!

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National Cheese Souffle Day

18 May

This was my first time making a souffle but I can safely say it will not be my last! I did not know what to expect, but what came out was a light CHEESY dish reminicent of a fluffy quiche!

GRUYERE AND PARMESAN CHEESE,  definitely great cheese combination. Gruyere is similar to swiss, but with a much milder flavor. I made it as a side dish to serve with steak and sauteed green beens! It was a hit! The process may seem cumbersome, but it goes quickly and easily if you prep all of the ingredients before hand. It makes all the difference not to be running around looking for the white wine. Have everything measured out and ready to go before you start (ensure you pour yourself a little glass of vino too!)

I followed the exact recipe from Bon Appetit. Since this was my first try, I wanted to make sure I followed the instructions to a T! (ok maybe not to a T, I added parmesan to the top of my souffle before baking and you can substitute Swiss for the Gruyere if you are in a pinch!) Enjoy!

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National Eat What You Want Day

11 May

Baked Brie.  It’s what I want, and what I chose to eat on this lovely “eat what you want” day.

Baked brie and I have a history. I ate it in my single days as a dinner on toasted french bread, and i often substitute it for a meal when my husband is away!

When we lived in Kingsville and my husband was spending the weekened away at a tailhook convention, I made  a little Walmart trip (it was legitimately one of the only stores in town) to prepare for my Saturday evening. I picked up three True Blood books (once you start reading about that Sookie Stackhouse it will be hard to stop- think an adult version of Twilight), some puff pastry dough and a roll of brie. The strange cashier, who was one of the most awkward teens I had seen in while, braces, acne, star wars stickers on his badge… need I say more,  took one look at my items and declared loudly:

Walmart dude: “WOAH that is one giant roll of cheese. You are not going to eat all of that by yourself, are you?!”

Me: “Um well, ya, maybe… yes.”

Walmart dude: “So you are buying this giant roll of cheese for yourself and reading these crazy vampire books? I feel like I am in some sort of movie”.

My inner monologue begins: “WHAT you feel like you are in a movie? I feel like I am on candid camera! Is this a test of being nice and friendly to weird  and awkward strangers? You are grilling me over cheese and books! Granted, the books have names like Dead as a Doornail, Dead After Dark… maybe he thinks I am in a cheese vampire cult?  Thank goodness I did not by any feminine products or a bra! Can you imagine the questions then?”

Anyway, I managed to be friendly and chuckle at my giant cheese eating habit and I proudly walked out of that Walmart, promptly went home and ate that whole roll of cheese, without any shame.

Back to the recipe…This is a SIMPLE, delicious appetizer, heavy snack or dessert.  It is also perfect to bring to a meeting or afternoon tea (who am I kidding, who has an afternoon tea?).  This goes fabulously with wine and fruit!

Preheat your oven to 350°.

I cheated and used a package of crescent rolls instead of puff pastry dough, which can be found in the frozen pie section of your grocery store. Either work just fine!! I laid the crescent rolls on a flat surface in the shape of a rectangle and pinched the seams together.

Then, cut your brie in half and pile each half high with whatever you please! I used about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and some slivered almonds (place the toppings on the “sticky side” not the waxy side). This is also excellent with jams, jellies and dried fruit!

Put the halves of your brie back together and place it in the middle of your puff pastry. Fold the pastry dough around the brie, making sure to pinch together any holes. Melt 1/2 tbs of butter and brush over the pastry dough (you can also use an egg white for this, but who doesn’t like a little extra butter with their baked cheese?). Bake for 15 minutes un covered then  cover the cheese with aluminum foil so the top doesn’t get too brown and bake for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice up some fruit (I love this with apples) and get ready to chow down share this with someone you love.

We did not like this at all, clearly seen in the photo below… I think I might need to make it again to perfect it… ;)

What will you be eating on this National Eat What You Want Day!?

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National Candied Orange Peel Day

4 May

I have every national food holiday from now until 2012 written out on a calendar in order for me to have time to plan for things I consider weird like national turkey neck day and candied orange peel day. I can safely say I have never just eaten a plain candied orange peel, until now!  So, I was excited about trying it and putting my own spin on it! I chopped the candied peel up and used it to make  a cranberry orange short bread cookies. The dough tasted fabulous, the cookies even tasted good. However, this is how they looked out of the oven…

Completely Flat (and blurry ;) )

Crumbly cookie, kitchen strike number 1. Over anchovied homemade caesar dressing, kitchen strike number 2. Unfortunately, the homemade pasta sauce (I will add that it took 2 hours, not that I am bitter about it…) was strike number 3.

To make myself feel better I ate some of the cookie crumbs on top of vanilla ice cream and had an extra-large glass of wine (wanted to ensure I kept my attitude “glass half REALLY full)!

Here are some great ideas to use candied orange peels! Hopefully you have better luck than I did :)

These chocolate dipped cookies by use real butter look DELICIOUS!

Marry Christmas Muffins  by Weekend Bakery I think fresh cranberry and candied orange peel combo can be eaten any time of year :)

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National Prime Rib Day

27 Apr

I am 100% a lover of beef. The mere thought of giving it up makes be crave a filet mignon (beef wrapped in bacon? Yes please). However, not all beef is created equal.  I have noticed the USDA meat ratings before, but it was not until this past Christmas when I tried to find Prime Rib, did I realize the differences between the grades of beef. I soon learned that prime rib is not necessarily “prime” according to the USDA standards. Prime rib is actually another name for a standing rib roast. This cut of meat is from the rib (specifically ribs 2-7) section of a cow (makes sense since it is called a rib roast!)

Image from Wikipedia

The USDA grading is based on the amount of marbling in the meat and the estimated age of the animal when it is processed (processed really means slaughtered but slaughtered sounds creepy).

According to Wikipedia, “Most beef offered for sale in supermarkets is graded US Choice or Select. US Prime beef is sold to hotels and upscale restaurants.”

Here is their breakdown of the USDA Grading Types:

  • U.S. Prime – Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. Currently, about 2.9% of carcasses grade as Prime.
  • U.S. Choice – High quality, widely available in food service industry and retail markets. Choice carcasses are 53.7% of the fed cattle total. The difference between Choice and Prime is largely due to the fat content in the beef. Prime typically has a higher fat content (more and well distributed intramuscular “marbling”) than Choice.
  • U.S. Select (formerly Good) – lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality, but is less juicy and tender due to leanness.
  • U.S. Standard – Lower quality, yet economical, lacking marbling.
  • U.S. Commercial – Low quality, lacking tenderness, produced from older animals.
We purchased a “US Choice” prime rib for our christmas dinner and were VERY pleased! This cut of meat is delicious, very juicy and needs little more than some light seasoning and roasting time to become an impressive and enjoyable meal.
Here are some winning recipes for Prime Rib:
Garlic Prime Rib- 896 reviews and rated 5 out of 5 stars!
Don’t know what do with the leftovers? Try the Foodinista’s Prime Rib Stoganoff!
You can also make beef stock from the leftover bones!

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National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day

20 Apr

Today is pineapple upside down cake day! We rarely finish a cake in my house (I am lying, I usually finish the cake)… so to avoid eating a whole cake by myself, I made pineapple upside down cupcakes!

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (plus more for the muffin tins)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks (plus more for lining the muffin tins)
  • 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.
  • Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture then the coconut milk to cream cheese mixture, finishing by adding the remaining flour mixture. Mix until flour is just combined. Then, Gently fold in pineapple and coconut.
  • Coat muffin tin with cooking spray, add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar to each muffin cups then place a layer of pineapple over the brown sugar. Spoon batter evenly into muffin tin. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

Try not to eat 5 when they come out of the oven…

UPDATE: re-heating these with some of the leftover coconut milk poured on top? = SO GOOD! (they remind me of a pineapple shake from Sonic)

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National Peach Cobbler Day

13 Apr

This,  ladies and gentlemen, was my fist peach cobbler and it was fabulous. I do admit, it is hard to screw up a mixture of fruit, sugar and biscuits . :) Never the less, I believe you should run to the store and get some peaches to celebrate this tasty day! Also, while making it and/or buying the peaches, if you don’t mind strange looks in the grocery store, you can sing this little peachy song…  “Movin’ to the country gunna eat a lot of peaches…”

This recipe was easy, the hardest step? Rolling out the dough for the biscuits, it was a bit sticky!

Ingredients
Recipe adapted from “The Joy of Cooking” Cookbook

Filling:
6 cups of rip peaches, pitted and sliced (about 3lbs of peaches)
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon grated lime zest

Cobbler Dough:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter
3/4 cup Milk
2 tablespoons melted butter (to brush over biscuit dough)
2-4 teaspoons of sugar (Ii use raw sugar because I like the crunch!)

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 375 Combine 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon grated lime zest and toss with peaches in a large bowl. Spread the peach mixture evenly into a glass baking dish (baking dish should be about 2 quarts and 2 inches deep). Now combine 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt in a alarge bowl and whisk together. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender, two knives or use your hands like I did. Real women get dirty in the kitchen ( I just made that up). Keep mixing until the butter chunks are the size of small peas. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add 3/4 cup of milk. Stir the dough just until it is combined and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough on a floured surface ( I had to use quiet a bit of flour here) and knead 8-10 times and roll out with a floured rolling-pin, until the dough is 1/4-1/2 inch thick. You can cut the dough into circle, squares, wedges, whatever your heart desires! I used a small drinking glass to cut out my circles. Place the dough cutouts on top of the peach mixture. Then, lightly brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the top is golden brown and the peach mixture appears to be bubbly and thick, 45-50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving!

If I had my little way, I’d eat peaches everyday!

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National Caramel Popcorn Day

6 Apr

Popcorn, I have missed you…

Our microwave was damaged in the move to Cali.  Accompanying this incident were my damaged dreams to eat lots of buttery-coated popcorn while watching our Redbox movies.  Life without a microwave is definitely a life with which to get adjusted.  I tried making popcorn on the stove, which I know is the tried and true method, but I never seemed to get to the couch without making a huge mess on the stove and finding popcorn kernels in weird places for days following.

So, all I wanted for my 26th birthday was a popcorn popper and thankfully, it arrived just in time for National Caramel Popcorn Day.  I am now looking forward to many a night with real buttered popcorn and fun variations such as this one!

I used this recipe from allrecipes.com.  It called for 5 quarts of popcorn.  My popper makes 4 quarts at a time (1/2 cup unpopped kernels), so I used the whole recipe amount anyway!  I live on the edge.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
  3. Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

I followed the recipe exactly.  It’s really easy.  Be sure to not boil the caramel longer than 4 minutes as to not burn it.

I did use two bowls to coat the popcorn.  I put about a quart in a bowl at a time and spooned the yummy caramel onto the popcorn and stirred.  I then put that batch onto a parchment lined pan and continued with the rest.  This method worked well so that all the popcorn was evenly coated and it also helped with the messiness factor.  Bake the popcorn for an hour and stir every 15 minutes.

It is only slightly time consuming but very simple and I had all the ingredients in my pantry.  Enjoy with your favorite movie!

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