At Least There Was Good Food....

In the wake of last night's depressing outcome, the one thing I will be focusing on is the delicious food Nick and I spent the day preparing.  One of the fun reasons to have some friends over for the Super Bowl is the excuse to prepare some dishes you probably would not otherwise prepare!  So, for the past two weeks I was trolling the internet looking for some inspiration dishes and came up with the following (forgive my Instagram obsession)...

First up was a Cheesey Pepperoni Pull Apart Bread that I adapted from Jen's Cheesey Mushroom Bread, as I have a friend who is not a mushroom fan.  This recipe was easy to pull together and very satisfying to put on the table with the "ooo's" and "ahh's" it received.  With its adaptability to almost anything this will quickly become a go-to appetizer.

Cheesey Pepperoni Pull Apart Bread

Next up was Megan's Buffalo Chicken Stromboli, adapted to add a lot more heat!  I doubled the amount of Frank's Red Hot and allowed the shredded chicken to sit in all of the sauce not taken up during the sauteing to make sure all the chicken was sufficiently ready to burn tongues!  If that were not enough, I picked up this great buffalo Cheddar at Whole Foods that even had bits of jalapenos added to it!  Needless to say the Stromboli had plenty of bite - good thing we had friends over who love spice as much as Nick and I do.

Buffalo Chicken Stromboli

Nick whipped up some Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats that I had seen floating around on Pinterest, however, I am not sure the extra cake batter made enough of a difference.  Maybe the sprinkles would have made the difference.

I decided to also go ahead and make Joanne Chang's Milky Way Tart from her Flour Cookbook.  I will do a more detailed post on this later, but lets put it this way (spoiler alert!) - the tart was everyone's favorite dish.

Milky Way Tart

I can't say there was much to celebrate at the end of the night for us Pats fans, but at least the food was good and good company....

Chocolate, Salted Caramel and Chocolate Coconut Caramel Pretzel Bark

At work, I am in a very small department - only about 7 people - so at the holidays we don't hold a big office party.  Instead, we started doing a cookie swap, which is a good way to indulge for the holidays and also put together a fun gift for all of the security guards and parking attendants and all of the others in our building to help make things easier.  However, this year the cookie swap was on the Wednesday of a very busy week, so I was at a bit of a loss when trying to decide what to make.  I refused to buy something pre-made but it almost came to that!

Instead, I remembered a recipe I spotted on Pinterest that was for a pretzel bark, which required very little cooking, so at 9:00pm on Tuesday night I started to put this recipe together and was "done" by 9:20.

To get started, I put together my ingredients to make sure I had everything I needed - it was too late to get started only to be missing something important!

The Ingredients

The Necessities (adapted from Legume Loyalist) - I doubled this recipe, but the amounts below are for a single baking pan

• 1 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• bag of mini pretzels
• 12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12-oz bag of milk chocolate chips 
• sea salt
• coconut

This recipe involved making caramel and since my first caramel attempt was a bit rough, I was eager to try caramel again.  This was a bit of a different way to make caramel so I took the tips from the comments in my other post, especially from Megan - she always has some great tips!

I began the caramel by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Melting Butter

Meanwhile, I spread the bag of mini pretzels onto a baking sheet that I had lined with tin foil.  I tried to keep it only one layer deep and tuck them into the corners.

Pretzels

Once the butter was fully melted I added the sugar.  You can use light brown sugar as the original recipe suggests, but I love the deeper taste of the dark brown sugar, so that is what I keep on hand in our kitchen.

Adding the sugar

I stirred the mixture regularly, allowing the sugar to fully dissolve.  Once completely smooth, I allowed the mixture to reach an almost boil, but then turned down the heat and let the mixture simmer.  I continued to stir it every 30 seconds and just waited to see how long it would take to come together, really hoping it would not take a full 30 minutes like last time!  Instead, this caramel came together a lot faster, in about 5 minutes.

Simmering Caramel

I then poured the caramel over the pretzels, attempting to do it as evenly as possible - a bit tough, but somehow it worked!  I just poured a little at a time trying to evenly move the pot back and fourth across the pan.  I put the baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 7 minutes.

Covered in caramel

While the pretzels were in the oven, I filled a heat proof bowl with the two different kinds of chocolate chips and placed it over a saucepan with some boiling water, making sure the water was not touching the bottom of the bowl.  I continued to stir the the chips until they were fully melted - probably about 3-5 minutes.

"Double Boiler"

Melted Chocolate

When the caramel was done I took it out of the oven.  It seemed to cook up nicely.

Cooked Caramel

I then poured the melted chocolate over the pretzels.  For this batch I sprinkled some salt over the top and popped the whole sheet pan into the fridge to cool overnight.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I made a second sheet pan and for this one I stirred some coconut into the chocolate mixture and poured it over the pretzels baked in caramel.  I topped this sheet off with a bit more coconut for a little flair.  I also placed this completed pan in the fridge to cool overnight.

Mixing in the coconut

Ready for the fridge

While the recipe did not take much time at night, I still had a bit of work to do in the morning before the gym and work.  I pulled each of the pans out of the fridge and broke the bark up into pieces and put them into a tin to bring to work.

I must say, pulling this bark off of the tin foil was not as easy as I thought.  I spent a considerable amount of time peeling off the tin foil.  This was worse on the salted caramel than the coconut, but I think its because the caramel cooked a bit longer with the coconut sheet pan, so really go the full 7 minutes.

Salted Caramel Pieces

Chocolate Coconut Pieces

The pretzel bark was a hit at work - nice to have something a bit different than chocolate chip cookies.  That, and they were one of the only things not bought from a store!  I would make both of these again, since they are super easy with a lot of pay off.  If I were to make the salted caramel bark again, I would add some salt to the caramel as it would give it a better/stronger salty flavor to contrast more with the sweet.

On-My-Own Lamb Dish At Home!

I am someone who loves lamb.  When I go out to eat, if there is lamb on the menu I will probably end up ordering it.  Lamb is a dish my mom cooked a bit when I growing up, and to this day it remains one of my requests for special occasion holiday dinners.  While I do not have much experience cooking lamb, I did make some lamb meatballs, but then got some help from the Tri Lamb Group when they gave me a kit to make lamb pizza.  Eventually I had to take off the training wheels and just go for it, or else I would never get out of using basic ground lamb (not that there's anything wrong with ground lamb!).

Dinner is Ready!

So, off I went to Whole Foods, where I bit the bullet and bought some lamb.  I meant to buy a rack of lamb with 6 chops, but ended up asked for 6 lamb chops instead and did not realize what I had done until I arrived home - whoops!

6 Lamb Chops

The lamb chops were a nice size and had some fat around the outside, but I just left it on there because I was worried about drying out the chops and figured the fat would help my cause.  That, and we could just cut it off after it was cooked!

I decided to keep things clean and easy this time around.  I prepared them right on a baking sheet on which  I spread some olive oil.  I first sprinkled both sides of the chops with salt and pepper.  I then minced up a couple (~4) garlic cloves and chopped up fresh rosemary.  I poked some holes into the meat and smushed in the minced garlic and then spread the remainder on top.  Following the garlic, I pressed on the rosemary.

Chop with garlic and rosemary

The final step was taking some nice whole grain mustard and smearing it across the top of the chops.  I popped the prepared chops in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Smeared mustard

While the lamb was cooking I prepared some simple boxed cous cous and asparagus to accompany the lamb.

Fresh Veggies

I decided to just saute the asparagus in some olive oil on the stove.  I really just stirred it up a few times and added some salt and garlic to give the asparagus some zip.  I had a ton in the pan so it took probably about 10 minutes to cook, but still it had some crispness to it.

Cooking asparagus

When I took the lamb out of the oven it was nice and browned and felt like a good medium rare.  I don't like well cooked meat in general, but really cannot stand over cooked lamb!

Lambs done!

I tried to get a bit fancy with the plating.  I piled a large spoonful of the cous cous onto the plate and then placed 3 chops on the cous cous.  I placed a sprig of rosemary between the lamb chops for a little decoration.  Finally, I placed a bundle of asparagus next to the meat and the plate was ready to go.  Not to shabby!

Finished Plate!

I was rather impressed with how this meal turned out!  The lamb was well cooked and very tasty.  The meat was nice and tender - I was happy I left the fat on.  Really, there was very little to trim off when the chops were on the plate.  The cous cous and asparagus were nice accompaniments and did not overpower the lamb.  With a nice start under my belt I am ready to test the waters a bit more.

Do you cook with lamb - what is your favorite way to prepare it?

Bacon Bourbon Brownies - Perfect Football Snack

Recently I had seen these bacon bourbon brownies floating around the internet.  It being the AFC Championship Game this weekend, I figured it was the perfect time to put these to the test.  Really, how else could you make a brownie better for football viewing?

Bacon Bourbon Brownie

Jen from Beantown Baker had some great recommendations when she attempted this recipe so I decided to take some of her suggestions and see what happened.  I wanted to take my go-to brownie recipe and adapt it to the fun football (read - manly) additions.  I would recommend that you take your favorite recipe and do the same, it's such an easy adaptation.

The Ingredients

To get going I cooked up about 10 pieces of bacon in a non-stick pan and set it aside in some paper towels for later, allowing it to crisp up.  I also made sure I held onto all the leftover bacon grease to use in the brownie batter.

Cooking Bacon

Between not blogging a recipe for awhile and the game starting earlier than I expected, I was a bad blogger and did not grab too many "step-by-step photos." I started off by combining the sugar and half of the called-for vegetable oil, and rather than adding a 1/2 cup of water, I added a half cup of Jim Beam!  This was much more than the recommended amount but I thought "go big or go home" - it all cooks off, right?!.

Sugar, Bourbon, and Some Oil....

I went ahead and added the remaining ingredients called for in the recipe I was using, and instead of adding the other half of the veggie oil I added about a third of a cup of bacon grease (literally poured out of the pan).  I didn't say these would be healthy!  Once fully mixed and all the flour clumps were gone I poured the batter into a greased, 9 x 13 inch pan.  At this point the bacon was cool and crispy so I chopped it up nicely, scattered it over the top of the brownie batter and placed the pan in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Ready for the oven

Extreme Close-up

Right before these finished cooking a lovely brownie smell started to take over and it was amazing!  The brownies were finished right at about 15 minutes - crisp around the edges with a good crackle on the top.  As this is a fairly fudgy recipe, I like to let them cool and set a bit before cutting in.

Cooling....

The thin and fudgy brownies were the perfect way to set up these added ingredients.  There was a definite bourbon flavor, and while not a strong bacon flavor, I got a nice salty crunch in each bite.  The typical sweetness of this dessert was cut nicely, making it the perfect beer companion.  To get a stronger bacon flavor you probably could mix some of the crispy bits into the batter.  You could also get a little heavy (or heavier) handed with the bourbon to really change the flavor up some more.

Bacon Bourbon Brownies

Regardless, these are a great treat to enjoy with a beer in hand to watch a football game - February 5th perhaps?!?  Go Patriots!!!!

Honey Yeast Rolls

I took my roll of being in charge of bread very seriously for Thanksgiving!  In addition to the hazelnut and cranberry bread for pre-dinner, I wanted to do something from scratch for the main meal.  I thought about making the no knead bread because it always comes out well, but I wanted to try something different and something that would feed a few more people!  Thanksgiving dinner cries out for loads of bread for dipping in gravy.  I consulted a few bloggers for a reliable recipe and decided that honey yeast dinner rolls from Beantown Baker were the best way to go.

Dinner Rolls!

The recipe as stated (and below) makes 12 rolls, but I wanted there to be plenty of rolls and doubled the recipe.

The Ingredients

The Necessities...(recipe from Beantown Baker)

• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 cup warm tap water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 cups bread flour (everyone I spoke to said I should use King Arthur Flour)
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon honey

To begin, I broke out the Kitchen Aid stand mixer and stirred the yeast and warm water with the paddle attachment.  I then added the egg, honey, oil, and mixed it up well.

Wet Ingredients

Once combined, I slowly added three cups of the bread flour and mixed it up until it was a nice and sticky mess.  I added the last cup of flour when the mixer was moving along nice and slowly.

Sticky Dough

Once the flour was fully incorporated into the dough, I changed out the paddle mixer for the dough hook.  I allowed the dough to mix away for about 10 minutes with the dough hook until it was nice and smooth - if you pull on the dough you want it to be elastic.

With the Dough Hook

Once the dough was ready I formed it into a ball and placed it into a mixing bowl with some oil in the bottom and proceeded to spin the ball of dough around in the oil so it was completely covered.

Oily Dough

I covered the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest for a bit over 2 hours.  I then kneaded the dough on the floured countertop for about 30 seconds, covered the dough up again with a damp cloth and let it sit for another 10 minutes.

Kneading the Dough

After the ten minutes had past, I punch the dough (fun!)...

Punched Dough

and then pulled the dough apart into 12 even sized pieces.

Dough Balls

I attempted the shape each of the dough balls into round balls and placed it in a greased baking dish.  As you can see, I did not really do a good job of ball forming.

Almost ready for the oven...

After the dough was put in the baking dish I let it all sit covered up by the damp cloth for another 20 minutes.  In the last 5 minutes, I combined the melted butter and the honey and brushed it over the tops.  Finally, the rolls were ready for the oven!  I put the baking dish in the 400 degree oven for about 13 minutes until the tops were nice and golden.

Golden Brown Rolls

I actually cooked these the day before Thanksgiving and once the rolls were completely cooled I covered the dish in saran wrap so it would be ready to go the next morning to be transported to the North Shore.

Delicious!

These rolls were DELICIOUS and a big hit!  23 rolls were completely gone after Thanksgiving dinner - I say 23 rolls because, of course, Nick and I had to taste one to make sure it was good enough to serve the next day (quality control is very important in our eyes)!  These rolls were light and tasty.  The honey flavor was the perfect addition to these rolls and dressed them up a bit.

As my first dinner roll attempt I was completely satisfied, and they were not too difficult to put together (although I obviously struggled making a nice round roll!).  I would totally recommend these for just about any dinner.

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Hazelnut/Pecan and Cranberry Bread

This Thanksgiving was pretty low key for us - only 8 gathered around the table.  While my brother did not make it up for the holiday (paying his dues so he gets Christmas through New Year's off), we were joined by my cousin and her family from Minnesota!  They unfortunately cannot make it to the wedding, but generously offered to come out to Boston for a visit - I mean, they had to meet Nick!  With only 8, my mom had the majority of dinner under control, but still wanting to contribute something to the meal I volunteered myself for the breads.  I figured the possibilities were endless!

Cranberry Hazelnut and Pecan Bread

I remembered a bread recipe that sounded delicious I had seen somewhere with hazelnuts and cranberries.  Knowing we had a bunch of frozen cranberries from our CSA and a bunch of hazelnuts on hand, I was on a mission to find the recipe.  Luckily Nick came to the rescue and did a quick online search and found the recipe on Real Simple's website.

The Ingredients

The Necessities...(adapted from Real Simple)

• 1 cup 
• hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups cranberries

To begin, I spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet.  Only at this point did I realize I did not in fact have the cup on hand that I thought I had.  So off to the store I went.  However, it turns out there was a run on hazelnuts and neither Savenor's nor the Charles Street Market had any left, and since there's no true substitute for hazelnuts, I decided to buy some pecans to add to the bread instead.  To prepare the nuts, I let them roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Once fragrant, I then removed the skins from the nuts (a little harder than I thought!) and coarsely chopped them up.

Meanwhile, I combined the dry ingredients and set aside for later.  In a separate bowl, I whisked together the melted butter, eggs, vanilla and milk.

Wet Ingredients

Once all whisked together, I slowly added the dry ingredients into the wet.

Adding the dry...

All Combined

At this point the batter was all ready, so I folded in the cranberries, which had thawed out nicely...

Cranberries...

as well as the chopped hazelnut and pecan combination.

get folding...

I gently combined all the ingredients so the cranberries and the nuts were evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Finished Batter

I then poured the batter into a greased bread pan and put it in a 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes until the toothpick came out clean.  To sweeten it up a bit I sprinkled the top with some white sugar, which created a great crust to the bread.

Ready for the Oven

This bread was really easy to put together (once I had the nuts!) and was something I could do ahead of time.  I merely wrapped it up tightly in Saran wrap after it completely cooled.  We sliced and served this bread during appetizers and it provided the perfect transition from breakfast treats into the Thanksgiving feast we were looking forward to!  The combination of the crunch of the nuts and the tartness of the cranberries was delicious and offset the sweetness of the bread perfectly.

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