White Chocolate-Macadamia Snowballs with a Dough Shortcut!

"Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today!  That way, at least you'll get one thing done."

~Little Truths

Oh my gosh...I LOVED these!  This is one of the easiest, excellent cookies you will ever have.  They take two minutes to mix together and they were fantastic.  You can thank my mother for the recipe. 

My mother has always had great magazine subscriptions.  Ever since leaving home, one of the first things I do when on a visit is plop on her couch and start pouring through her magazines...many of them filled with recipes.  The golf ones get tossed aside.

This is what golf does to my brain

So last week on a visit, as per the usual routine, I took a look at her Taste of Home and a few recipes jumped out and bit me.   This was one of them.  They start with a log of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough.  A few changes and they were all that I imagined. 

 The original recipe called for the dough to be wrapped around a Hersey's White Chocolate Bliss candy.  That was a problem.  They have a "meltaway" center and I don't go for things with gooey centers.  You couldn't pay me to eat a Cadbury egg, for instance.  

A little substitution of white chocolate chips and they came out great.  Instead of icing the cookies as the recipe dictated, I dipped them in melted white chocolate chips before dipping them in the coconut.  I wanted the cookies to remain crisp on the outside and sometimes icing softens them.

For such a great result, these were amazingly easy.  They look pretty and most important...they tasted GREAT!  We were gobbling them up all night.  Good enough to give as gifts.  In fact, I left some without the topping because Mom doesn't like coconut and I want to give her some.  

She loves white chocolate.   Thanks, Mom!  

White Chocolate Macadamia Snowballs

Inspired by a Taste of Home recipe

Makes 18 2-inch cookies  

One 16 ounce log of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1 cup white chocolate chips, divided (half for cookies, half for frosting)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Let dough sit at room temperature for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Slice open log of dough and empty into a large bowl.  With an electric mixer, beat in 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Beat in chopped nuts and 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips.  Dough may look crumbly.  With your hands, gather it together a little, but don't overwork it.

Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on the parchment lined cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.

Melt remaining 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a small pot of simmering water.

Pour 1/2 cup coconut into a small shallow bowl.  Spread tops of cookies with a little white chocolate and then press tops into loose coconut.  Let set for 10 minutes.

Gratin of Leeks and Lentils

"Better to eat vegetables and fear no creditors, than to eat duck and hide from them."

~Hebrew Proverb

No matter how funky a dish sounds, if it comes recommended highly enough, it's worth a try.  This is one of those recipes.  Lentils and leeks...huh?   But the dish, conceived at the Old Mill restaurant at the Temple Bar in Dublin, has gotten such raving accolades that it piqued my interest.  The fact that I had a half a bag of lentils left over from the soup I made last week was just the little nudge I needed to give it a try.

The original recipe was posted on Too Many Chefs, by Barrett Bus of Chicago nearly 8 years ago.  It's remarkably tasty with great texture.  A wonderful and interesting vegetarian meal or a nice side dish for fish, pork or veal.  We loved it, and I can't wait for an excuse to make it for guests!

Gratin of Leeks and Lentils

dinner for two, or side dish for 4-6

Adapted from a recipe by The Old Mill Restaurant at the Temple Bar in Dublin

1/2 cup dry lentils

2 cups water

3 leeks, trimmed and rinsed

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

For sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 cup chicken broth (Barret's version uses clam juice; original uses broth from poaching mussels)

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup heavy cream

Place lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until tender, but not mushy.

Meanwhile, cut leeks into 1-inch bands, then cut bands in half so you can separate the layers and wash them thoroughly.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.  Add leeks and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until leeks become limp.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat.

Check lentils.  If they are tender, drain and add to the leeks and mix well.  If not, let them cook a few more minutes until they soften.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare sauce:  In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter.  Add 1 tablespoon flour, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes, stirring continuously.  Whisk in wine, chicken broth and cream, then reduce heat to simmer and thicken sauce, stirring continuously.

Butter a small, shallow baking or gratin dish.  Add lentil and leek mixture.  Pour sauce over.  Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with  Parmesan cheese, return to oven and bake 10 minutes more until bubbly and golden.

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Snack Cake

"Marmalade in the morning has the same effect on taste buds as that a cold shower has on the body."

~Noel Coward (1899-1973)

You can thank the Mister for this post.  Even though the cake came out delicious, the pic didn't, so I was going to skip it.  Trying to snap the shot before the sun set was behind the decision to cut the cake while it was still warm, leading to a messy cut and a sloppy shot.  

But then a funny thing happened.  Scott had a piece after dinner and went on and on about how good it was.  This led to quickly dismissed professions of guilt before diving into a second and almost a third piece, all the while proclaiming it's merits. 

"It's friggin delicious!" 

"It reminds me of pineapple-upside down cake, with the chewy topping and moist cake." 

"The cross-hatched icing is perfect and the tang of the berries makes it."

"What is that crunch?  Is that white chocolate? OMG."

"You gotta blog it...it's that good."  

Okay, so he talked me into it.  Here's how it came about.  Despite the fact that I had cranberry muffins on the brain, I was looking for recipes to use some of the orange marmalade I made back in March. I came across this recipe for white chocolate orange cake on About.com and decided to throw cranberries in it.  

There you have it.  And since you were nice enough to stop by, I'll give you this little bonus gem.  A great little appetizer that takes seconds to put together.  Might be nice at Thanksgiving, 'eh?

Marmalade-Almond Baked Brie.  Slice the rind off one flat of an 8-ounce round of brie.  Place in small baking dish.  Top with 1/3 cup of orange marmalade and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of sliced almonds.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Serve with crackers. 

My Sister-in-Law, Joy Murphy, made this last Easter

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Snack Cake

1 large navel orange

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon orange zest

Glaze:

1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons butter

Icing:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

orange juice

orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13x9 inch pan.  

Using a microplane, remove zest from the orange and set aside.  Juice the orange and set aside, reserving for use in the recipe.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.  Beat in 1/4 cup of the juice (if there's any left, reserve it for icing) and buttermilk.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Add 1/2 the orange zest (save the rest for icing) and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour into prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle white chocolate chips and then cranberries evenly over the batter.  Tap pan gently on the counter once or twice to settle them in a little.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cake tests done in center.

Glaze:

While cake is baking, melt orange marmalade and butter together, either on stove or in microwave.  Stir to combine.  Brush glaze over the top of the warm cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Let cake cool to room temperature before adding the icing.

Icing:

Combine confectioner's sugar with cream cheese, remaining orange zest and about 1 teaspoon of orange juice until smooth.  Add a little more orange juice or milk if too stiff.  Scrape into a zip-top bag.  Cut a small corner from the bottom of the bag and squeeze glaze over the cooled cake in a zig-zag pattern one way and then back the opposite way to form a cross-hatch pattern.

Sausage and Lentil Soup with a Vegetarian Option

"Lentils are friendly-the Miss Congeniality of the bean world."

~Laurie Colwin

Here's one for The Mister.  It's his favorite, and the belated cool weather here in New England was calling for something warm and hearty.  This is a basic and fun soup to throw together that makes a thoroughly satisfying meal, requiring only some good bread to mop up juices.  It is easily adaptable to vegetarian palates as well.  Simply substitute vegetable broth for the beef and chicken broth, add two teaspoons of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes for a flavor boost, and substitute cubed roasted root vegetables or butternut squash for the sausage.  The addition of some chopped fresh spinach half an hour before serving is great too.

Since we get at least two meals out of this, on the second night I add some cooked mini egg bows (or other tiny soup pasta) to the reheated soup for variety.  It really is delicious.  Everyone loves it, even those who are not enthusiastic about soup.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Serves 6-8

1 pound hot Italian sausage (or cubed root vegetables or butternut squash)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion

1 shallot

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

16 ounces dry lentils, any variety

3 14.5 ounce cans chicken broth

1 14.5 ounce can beef broth

4 cups water

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning - or a blend of parsley, oregano, basil and thyme to equal 1 teaspoon dry or 1 tablespoon fresh

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup dry small egg bows (cook before adding) - optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Poke each sausage a few times with a fork.  Place in baking pan and bake for 30 minutes (if you are making the vegetarian version, toss cubed root vegetables or butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake 25 minutes).  Set aside.  

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add shallot, onion, celery and carrot.  Cook until onion softens.  Add garlic and cook about 2 more minutes, being careful not to let garlic brown.  Stir in lentils, broths, tomatoes, water, sliced sausages and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for at least an hour, until lentils are tender.  At this point, the soup is ready, but can tolerate simmering a couple more hours if that would be convenient, or hanging out in a crock pot on low for a few hours.  A half hour before serving, add the chopped spinach if you are using it (or roasted root vegetables for vegetarian version), and ten minutes before serving, add the cooked pasta.

Serve with some good crusty bread and Parmesan cheese.

Brown Butter, Ginger, and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

"If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it?"

~Stephen Wright

I'm a sucker for coffee cake.  So when the November Bon Appetit arrived in the mail two days ago, I did not get past page 56, where this recipe resided.  It was a "must make" find.  This is unlike me.  Usually the recipes I see in magazines sit around for months or years until I stumble across them again.  The really, really good ones get ripped out of the magazine and placed in a file folder in the kitchen.  Those are the short-list ones that I might actually get to before I forget about them.  

In this case, the recipe pushed all the right buttons.  It's COFFEE-CAKE, with brown butter, actually done on purpose, haha.....and toasted almonds, my favorite.  There is wheat flour in it (fits my new whole grain kick), and I had all the ingredients on hand, including a large bag of crystallized ginger that I need to use up before it becomes petrified ginger (if you have a recipe for that, let me know).

I ran into a couple minor problems with this cake.  First, the batter was a bit loose, so the filling sank and the topping started to get swallowed up by the batter as it baked.  Half an hour before it was done I sprinkled a little more chopped nuts and sugar on it, so it would still look good.  Next time, I'll omit the half cup of milk so that the batter is a bit thicker.  Second, it called for a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom.  I only have a 9-inch one, so I used it and crossed my fingers.  The batter filled it right up so I put a cookie sheet under to catch any spillover, which by the way, baked into cookie/muffin-top-like things that the Mister ate the minute he walked into the house after work and said "OMG, this is so friggin good, I could chew the (burnt) stuff off the pan."

The problems were not insurmountable and the resulting cake was really delicious and different, reminding me of salted caramel with a kick of ginger.  It's a keeper.

Brown Butter, Ginger, and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

from Nov '11 issue of Bon Appetit

Brown Butter

2 cups plus 2 T unsalted butter [I used salted  butter and liked the result]

Topping

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sour cream  

1/2 cup milk [next time I will omit this]

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped [I used roasted almonds]


Special equipment: A 10" tube pan with removable bottom.


Brown Butter:  Simmer 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned bits form, 6-8 minutes.  Pour into a 2-cup measuring cup.  If needed, add more butter to measure 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons.


Topping:  Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir in 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons brown butter (reserve remaining butter for cake); stir until moist clumps form.  Stir in ginger.  Set aside.


Cake:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter pan generously.  In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour and next 7 ingredients together.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup browned butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and thick, 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions.  Beat in sour cream, milk, and vanilla.  Stir in flour just to blend.


Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan; smooth top.  Scatter 1 cup of topping over.  Spoon remaining batter in dollops over; smooth.  Add almonds to remaining topping.  Sprinkle evenly over batter in pan.


Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around pan to release cake. Remove side pans; let cool completely.

Multigrain Bread

Alte brot is nicht hart.  Keine brot, das is hart.

Translated: "Old bread is not hard.  No bread.  That is hard."

Old German Proverb

I started this blog to share recipes I'm excited about and I am very excited about this one!  When the invite arrived to participate in a "Handmade Loaves" blog event, I knew this was the one to share.

The idea to develop a multigrain bread recipe was spawned when my favorite loaf went up to $5.99 at the market. Initial investigation revealed that trying to buy all the grains separately could really add up.  For a home cook like me, it made more sense to pick up a good hot cereal mix that contains all the elements.  Not instant, and no sugar or additives. There were many out there, all different combinations, but I settled for Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Hot Cereal mix.  You can pick one with a combination that you like.

I also add this to my granola now too!

It contains whole grain oats, wheat bran, flaxseed meal, oat bran and wheat germ.  Now, if you have these things in your pantry, feel free to make and use your own mix.  To my local friends, I found this at Ocean State Job Lot, but they have it at the Natural Food Store in Niantic, too.  Right before the kneading stage, I added roasted unsalted sunflower seeds, but you could add wheat berries, sesame seeds or even raisins if you wanted.

If you've never made bread before, this may not be the recipe to start with.  Not that it's difficult, just that whole grain breads are less forgiving then their white counterparts.  There are a couple steps that can't be skipped.  Trust me, my first attempt resulted in two inedible bricks that I had to toss.  When you put a loaf of white bread in the oven, it continues to rise, but a whole grain loaf stays put, so you have to let it rise completely before you bake it.  

Also, after the grains and liquids are combined, they need to sit for 20 minutes to thoroughly absorb the moisture, otherwise you risk adding too much flour, resulting in a dry, crumbly loaf.  Lastly, it takes a lot more effort to develop the gluten in whole grain dough, so I found it needs a full 15 minute vigorous knead.  I'm a proponent of hand kneading, but for this bread I used my electric mixer with the dough hook attachments.  If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, that would be the easiest.  You can hand knead it, but it may not rise as high.  I also drew elements from two of my favorite bread recipes, challah and my Grandma's rolls, to add richness and flavor that was lacking.

The effort is worth it.  The bread turned out delicious and was great straight up, toasted or for sandwiches; a delicious, just slightly sweet and nutty flavor with a soft texture.  Audrey said it was better than our store-bought favorite.  I will now be making it weekly.  One loaf to eat, one to freeze for later.  Bread baking is really satisfying.  One of my son's house-mates has taken to it, and once in a while turns out some artisan bread that Curt says they literally could cry with joy while they eat it.  You really can't ask for more than that!  I hope I can convince you to give it a try!

Multigrain Bread
A recipe by The Irish Mother


1 1/4 cup mixed grain hot cereal mix
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 cups bread flour (plus another 1 or 2 cups for kneading)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 packets fast-rise instant yeast (2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 egg white
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Measure cereal mix into a large bowl (or bowl for stand mixer).  Pour boiling water over, then let it sit about 15 mins.  Add evaporated milk, honey, molasses, butter, salt and vital wheat gluten.  Touch mixture.  If it is very warm, but not hot (not over 115 degrees), add yeast.  If it's too hot, wait a few minutes and do the touch test again.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes to proof the yeast.  It should begin to bubble in a few minutes.  In the meantime, in a medium bowl, stir together 4 cups bread flour and 1 1/2 cups wheat flour.


By hand, stir 2 cups of the flour mixture into the wet yeast mixture.  At this point, attach dough hooks to your mixer and start adding flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough starts to separate from the sides of the bowl and forms a rough dough.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.  This is important; it allows the dough to absorb moisture.

Using your mixer with dough hook(s), start kneading dough, adding the sunflower seeds (or wheatberries, sesame seeds, or raisins).   Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour mixture (or extra bread flour) if it looks ragged, or is sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Knead like this 10 minutes.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead five minutes more.

Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a large bowl.  Place dough in bowl, turning to coat with oil.  Cover bowl and place in a warm, draft-free room.  Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.  


Grease 2 loaf pans.  Cut dough in half and shape into loaves.  If you've never done this before, you pat it into a rectangle and then roll up, tucking ends under.  Lightly beat egg white with a fork.  Using your fingers, rub egg white on loaves.  Sprinkle oats onto a clean cutting board.  Roll loaves in oats.  Place seam side down in the pans.  Cover pans with a damp tea towel.

Let rise until double in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.  

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then remove from pans onto cooling racks.  Cool completely before slicing (if you can wait that long!)  This bread freezes well. 

Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna

"When the lasagna content in my blood gets low, I get mean."

~Garfield

I'm always thrilled to meet someone who loves to cook.  I get all excited to talk cooking, share tips and swap recipes and ideas, so when I met Curt's future Mother-in-Law and she presented me with a cookbook she made from this blog and shared that she had one of her own (which I promptly purchased,) I knew I did not just meet a new family member, but a friend as well. 

She sent me this recipe a few weeks ago.  It was really scrumptious and we all loved it.  I was delighted to have another meatless dinner I could serve to the resident vegetarian, without leaving the  carnivores wanting.  

Have you ever had hot artichoke cheese dip?  It reminded me a little of that.  Rich and cheesy, yet elegant, with layers of earthy, meaty mushrooms, for substance.  I loved the addition of dry white vermouth to the filling, it elevated the whole dish.  Since there are only 3 of us these days, I cut the recipe in half and made it in a casserole dish.  

The recipe calls for the no-boil noodles, but since I had the old fashioned ones on hand, I par-cooked them and used them instead.  Will definitely add this one to the rotation for those times I need a lasagna fix.  Thanks Deb!

nom nom nom

Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna

8 servings

from Deb Hilmer, by way of Epicurious

Filling:

2 Tablespoons butter

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves

2 8-ounce packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, coarsely chopped

1 cup dry vermouth

Bechamel Sauce

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 1/2 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 7 1/2 ounces)

ground nutmeg

1 9-ounce package oven-ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles

1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

For filling:

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and garlic; saute until mushrooms release juices and begin to brown, about 7 minutes.  Add artichokes and vermouth.  Cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

For bechamel sauce:

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add flour; stir 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens and lightly coats spoon, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups Parmesan.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.

Spread 2/3 cup bechamel sauce over bottom of 13x9x2 inch baking dish.  Top with enough noodles to cover bottom of dish.  Spread 1/4 of artichoke mixture over.  Spoon 2/3 cup bechamel sauce over.  Top bechamel with 1/4 of the mozzarella.

Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan.  Top with enough noodles to cover.  Repeat layering 3 more times, finishing with a layer of noodles, then remaining bechamel.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover with foil and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake lasagna covered with foil 1 hour (or 1 hour 15 minutes, if chilled).  Remove foil.  Increase temperature to 450 degrees.  Bake lasagna until golden on top, about 10 minutes longer.