Fun with bacon!

I'm hosting a cookie swap today, so while I'm waiting for everyone to arrive I thought I'd post the recipe I made. I've been wanting to play with bacon in a dessert for some time now, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity!


Everything's ready to go, so we'll see how everyone likes them!



Maple Toffee Oatmeal Cookies w/Bacon
adapted from Baking Bites
Yield ~24


1c white whole wheat flour (or WW pastry or AP flour)
1/2t cinnamon
1/2t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1/4t salt
1 stick butter (I use Smart Balance 50/50 Omega sticks)
1/3c brown sugar (not packed)
1/3c maple syrup
1 egg
1c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2c toffee bits
1/2c diced brown-sugar bacon (~5 slices, depending on the variety)

Preheat oven to 375.

Line baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up) and place a cooling rack on top of the foil. Place 5-6 strips of bacon on the rack. Sprinkle with 1-2T brown sugar and bake until bacon is crispy. Cool, then dice. You'll want ~1/2c for the cookies.

In a small bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients (flour through salt).

Cream together butter and sugar. When light and fluffy, add maple syrup and egg, then continue beating until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Then add in oats, toffee and bacon and mix well.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookies onto cookie sheet a few inches apart. Bake 8-12min, depending on the size (1T size cookies will take ~10min, larger cookies will take longer. Cool on a wire rack.

GIVEAWAY: JULIA CHILD MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING

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Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream With Chocolate Sauce

I received an ice cream makerfor Christmas this year, and I knew I wasn't going to set it on my shelf and wait until summer to use it. You might think I was crazy, making ice cream in the middle of winter, but when you get a brand new (and might I mention red and adorable) ice cream maker,not much is going to stop you from using it, especially not a little cold weather that remains outside while you stay toasty and warm inside, curled up with your just-made ice cream drizzled with warm chocolate sauce.

I had seen a recipe in the August issue of Gourmet that I hadn't been able to get out of my head since then. It was for perfect no-cook strawberry ice cream made with only strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and heavy cream. It looked so creamy and luscious, and I liked that it didn't involve making any sort of custard first. It sounded like the perfect first ice cream choice.

Perfect No-Cook Strawberry Ice Cream (adapted from Gourmet, August 2009)

My steps below vary from the original recipe as I combined instructions that came with my ice cream maker with the recipe's instructions. If you have the same ice cream maker, my version below will work for you. If not, you may need to chill the mixture for a while, as instructed by the Gourmet recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb strawberries, hulled, halved if large
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream

Preparation

Make sure to put your ice cream maker bowl in the freezer ahead of time so it is completely frozen when you start this recipe. If you have the space in your freezer, it's best to just store the bowl(s) in there (like I do now) so you can make ice cream on a whim.

Coarsely mash strawberries with sugar, lemon juice, and salt using a potato masher in a large bowl. Let stand, stirring and mashing occasionally, 10 minutes.

Transfer half of strawberry mixture to a blender and purée with cream until smooth. Return strawberry cream to bowl with remaining strawberries, and combine.

Pour mixture in ice cream maker, and run for 25 to 30 minutes or until you have ice cream! (Follow manufacturer's directions if you have a different ice cream maker).  

Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up further. The ice cream will last for one week, if you can manage to keep it around that long!

How good does this look?

I found the chocolate sauce recipe in Rose's Heavenly Cakes.She calls it Chocolate Snowball Hot Fudge Sauce. It's a mixture of unsweetened chocolate, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract, and it is just "heavenly." It's the kind of chocolate sauce that firms up slightly and gets just a little tacky as it mingles with the cold ice cream. I don't think I'll ever buy hot fudge in a jar at the store again. This sauce is way to easy to make and way too good.

And clearly the combination of chocolate and strawberry was just fabulous. Who doesn't love chocolate-covered strawberries? The ice cream tastes like real strawberries, not strawberry flavor, and it's just incredibly smooth, creamy, and fresh. It's so much better than anything you could buy at the store. I think I have a new obsession. I've already looked up recipes for vanilla bean, butter pecan, chocolate mint, and brown sugar ice creams. And I haven't even started researching sorbets yet!

Do you have an ice cream maker? What's your favorite ice cream you've made in it so far? If you don't have an ice cream maker, what's your favorite ice cream or what would you want to make if you had one?

LASOON JHINGA

After all of the party food we've been pigging out on all through November and December, both my husband and I have been craving a simpler, lighter and fresher fare. The nice thing about following food blogs is that meals are almost effortlessly planned for you. It doesn't often occur to me to search for recipes anymore, I just read until I find an inspiring recipe, think about  whether I have the ingredients on hand, and see if I can accomplish the recipe by dinner.  I've learned so much about different cuisines and cooking techniques by using this approach, and with so many great recipes to try I typically do not repeat a recipe within a month.

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CREPE-MAKING WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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Do you NuVal?

Lauren, Biz, and Juliana were right, cornstarch actually thins if it's overworked.

Tina recently started working with NuVal, and I was excited to check it out in Price Chopper when I went home. NuVal evaluations the nutritional value of foods based on a range of criteria, including protein, fiber, fats, sodium, sugar, cholesterol, glycemic load, energy density, vitamins and minerals. Based on these factors, it assigns a score on a scale of 1-100, the higher the score, the better nutritional value of the product.


I really like their score, how it takes into account so many valuable bits of information, rather than a label of "reduced fat" or "low carb" to give the illusion of being automatically better for you. It does not take into account toxins (as could be found in certain seafood), nor does it take into account organic ingredients. Overall I agree with this omission, just because something is organic does not necessarily mean that it is better for you. It leaves the decision of organic up to the consumer, whose responsibility it is to educate themselves on the choices they make. The one thing I found surprising that artificial ingredients did not affect the NuVal score, and in many cases, actually increases it.

To see it up close and personal, I went to the store with my camera and started snapping! I know fresh fruits and veggies score high on the NuVal scale, so I focused on things that might be more revealing: cereal, crackers, chips, yogurt and granola bars. Here are a few things I learned...

Not all brands are created equal.
Arrowhead Mills Amaranth Flakes 91
Health Valley Amaranth Flakes 31

Peanut Butter Puffins (24) aren't any better than my childhood favorite, Lucky Charms (23).

You shouldn't always choose pretzels over chips.
Terra Chips 34
Garden of Eatin Blue Corn Chips 40
Soy Crisps ~30
Snyders Mini Pretzels 10 (!! Snaps score a 20, why? I didn't look closely at the ingredients)
Snyders Honey Wheat Pretzels 25

Chocolate can be better than dried fruit.
Fig Newmans 9
Newmans Chocolate O's 14

Different varieties of the same product can vary widely.
Shredded Wheat 91
Lightly Frosted or Honey Nut Shredded Wheat ~30
Stoneyfield Fat Free Plain Yogurt 89
Stoneyfield Fat Free French Vanilla 42
Tropicana Ruby Red 39
Tropicana Ruby Red + Calcium + Vit D 82
Light N Fit Raspberry White Chocolate Yogurt 81
Light N Fit Blackberry Yogurt 47

Salsa isn't always good for you.
Frontera Habanero Salsa 8 (!! I'm guessing salt, maybe sugar too)
Amy's Black Bean & Corn Salsa 35

When it comes to cereals, some of the highest scores came from Arrowhead Mills Amaranth Flakes (91), Alpen No Sugar Added Muesli Cereal (87) and Shredded Wheat (91). Keep in mind that not every product had a NuVal score. I was interested to see how Kashi stacked up, but they weren't labelled in my store. Fiber One Original, All Bran, and Special K Protein Plus scored between 50-60, as do rolled oats. I was surprised to see how much higher other grains scored - Oat bran (66), 5 Grain cereal (93), Muesli (87) and 10 Grain cereal (91).

Crackers as a whole score lower on the NuVal scale, but the ones I found at the top were All Bran crackers (35) and Wasa Fiber crackers (39). Kashi TLC, Triscuits, Wheat Thins, Whole Grain Goldfish and Special K crackers all fell in the high 20s. Wheatables serves as a cautionary tale to not trust a name, scoring a 4!

Phew, monster post! Sorry if it's a little overwhelming, but I had fun looking at the scores (although I generally do like to take my time in grocery stores!). I think that NuVal scores are an easy way to start thinking about what you're buying. Of course there's always making your own crackers, chips and cookies, but sometimes you need convenience :) Now it's up to the stores to highlight the scores for consumers, and to keep adding scores to all of their products!

To find out other stores that feature NuVal scores, click here. Has anyone else seen these in their supermarket?? Check out Tina's blog for some ideas on how to "trade up" (increase the nutritional value) some of your meals!

Filet Mignon Giambotta

Nanny didn't get to really experience my cooking, it's sad since she inspired me a lot. Unfortunately as she got older her taste buds changed immensely. Foods that she used to love she wouldn't even look at anymore. She would still eat pasta though, it was the one thing she never gave up on. I can remember experimenting with different veggies and she would lean over the stove and look into the pan and ask what I was making. I didn't really know but she would say "Oh, it's giambotta" and she would nod in approval. I didn't realize what that meant at the time. Now that I've learned so much more about food, I understand that Giambotta is just a combination of different veggies or meats and veggies just kind of thrown together. I guess it's what I would call a one pot pantry meal. Meals like this really taste amazing and remind me most of my grandmother. I guess that's why when years ago I saw Lidia Bastianich make a recipe like the one I'm going to share with you today, I never stopped thinking about it. When I went through all my Lidia cookbooks I found the recipe and guess what she called it....Seared Filet Mignon with Braised Chunky Vegetables...Filetto di Bue con GIAMBOTTA de Verdure. So I guess my grandmother would approve!

This recipe is loosely based off of what I remembered Lidia make that day. I didn't follow all her ingredients or measurements but I was absolutely inspired by her and by of course, Nanny.  My recipe is a little rough because I was just winging it and I'm a little nervous about posting Lidia's recipe since it's not available online at all.  If you want Lidia's recipe just email me through the link at the top of the page and I will send it to you. 


Filet Mignon Giambotta

Inspired by Lidia Bastianich (recipe is not available online but can be found in her cookbook Lidia's Italian American Kitchen)

Ingredients:

About 1 pound of filet mignon steaks, sliced into 1/4 inch slices (or cut into chunks)
Approx 1/2 pound (a little over) of baby potatoes (I used a mixed bag from trader joes)
1 large onion, cut into large pieces
6 cloves garlic, smashed with side of a knife
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 handful of sliced frozen peppers or 1 red bell pepper cut into large pieces
1/2 pound string beans
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
worcestershire sauce
Teriyaki sauce
extra virgin olive oil and canola oil

Directions:

1.  Trim string beans and slice potatoes in half (or the larger once in thirds) so they are all approximately the same size.  Par boil potatoes and string beans together until potatoes are just tender.  Do not over cook them because they will continue to cook them in the pan (but you don't want the outside to cook faster than the inside so do not skip this step). Drain well.  Seperate string beans from potatoes.

2.  Add sliced beef to a bowl and add a little balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce and chopped garlic.  Just enough to marinate the meat but not enough to cover.  Toss to coat all of the beef and let it rest in the marinade on the counter.  (You should never put cold meat in a hot pan or it will be tough.)

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil (the EVOO gives flavor but will smoke faster than canola oil so mixing the oil prevents that from happening) just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add potatoes and 3 cloves of cracked garlic to the pan.  Make sure the potatoes are cut side down so they get nice and brown. Season with salt and pepper. Once the potatoes have a nice brown color turn the potatoes and let them cook for a few minutes add half of the onion.  Stir the potatoes and onion (or just shake the pan) to make sure each side of the potatoes get a chance to touch the bottom of the pan. Season the other side with salt and pepper.  Once onions are beginning to soften and potatoes are fully cooked, transfer to a bowl and set aside.


3.  In the same pan add the rest of the onion, 2 cloves of the cracked garlic, string beans and peppers.  If the pan is dry add a little more oil.  Toss everything together until onions start to soften but not mushy. Everything  should soften but still have a crunch to it (think chinese vegetables). Season with salt and pepper. Add olives.  When veggies are cooked add them to the bowl with the potatoes. 

4.  Remove the meat from the marinade and add them to the same pan you've been using.  Sear for just a couple of minutes per side (depending on how thick or think your pieces are) until browned on the outside and still pink in the middle.  Once meat is cooked add all the veggies back to the pan with the meat and toss together.  Add a splash of  balsamic vinegar, toss again to coat with vinegar.  (You shouldn't need to add any salt to the meat because the marinade has plenty of salt.)


Printable Recipe for Filet Mignon Giambotta