Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookies

When I was in elementary school, Valentine's Day was always really fun. I remember making heart-shaped mailboxes out of red paper with my classmates and taping them to our desks. Everyone would bring in those little valentines to give to the whole class. In middle school, it got a little awkward. People could send candy grams or fake roses to classmates but could pick and choose who to send them to. My friends and I always sent them to each other, that way we never had to worry about whether any boys had taken notice of us. I even randomly sent valentines to my friends a few years back. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing something sweet to brighten someone's day. That's part of why I think upgrading from paper valentines or silk roses to heart-shaped sugar cookies is the perfect way to spread the love this year.

Whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, I'll bet you can't deny a love for cookies, especially ones as cute as these. Sugar cookies aren't my favorite -- I'd rather have something chewy, gooey, and chocolatey -- but they are the best cookies for decorating.

I used a recipe for Simple Sugar Cookies from The Craft of Baking and made regular and chocolate dough.

Then I went with a number of different decorating ideas. I sifted through all my containers of sprinkles and colored sugars to find the ones that would be suitable for Valentine's Day, and I made royal icing and a simple glaze. My counter did not look so pretty! (Does your counter ever get like this?)

 

I decorated some cookies just by brushing them with egg white and then sprinkling colored sugar all over them prior to baking them.
 

 
I decorated others by brushing them with a simple glaze (1 cup confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract). I coated a few cookies with the plain white glaze and used sprinkles to add a splash of color.
 

 
I then added a few drops of pink food coloring and brushed the colored glaze on some other cookies.

 
I made royal icing by beating 1 egg white with 1 cup of confectioners' sugar and adding a few drops of pink food coloring.
 

 
Using a small paper cone that I crafted from parchment paper, I piped lines, dots, and letters on some cookies, outlined others, and completely frosted others.
 

 
I had so much fun playing with the different combinations, seeing what colors worked well together, and working on my piping skills. And even though I say I'm not a huge fan of sugar cookies, I enjoyed these cookies much more than most other cutout sugar cookies I've had.
 

Are you planning to make any heart cookies for Valentine's Day? What's your favorite way to decorate sugar cookies?

LESSONS FROM DAY 1 IN PARIS

Eight inches shorter than me, half my dress size and brimming with a fire pistol temper, she is my cousin from Paris. When my mom suggested that I stay with my cousin on my first days in the city, I had no idea what I was getting into. Maly is the feisty pint-sized version of me, who took charge of guiding me through France's largest city. Don't let that sweet photo of her fool you, she is a feisty one!

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Super Bowl Party Food

Are you gearing up for the big day? I know I am. However, not in the way you think. I never liked football when I was a kid, but I've gotten more into it recently because my boyfriend really enjoys it and watches practically every game. I even think I have some understanding of what a down is now. I also finally learned that a touchdown is 6 points, not 7. And if I ever decide to have kids, I don't think Plaxico or D'Brickashaw will be on my baby name list -- though they are my favorite football player names to say.

My earliest memories of the Super Bowl involve tacos. I always knew Super Bowl Sunday as the day my parents would have some friends over and set up a taco bar. There'd be all the taco fixings you could imagine as well as a spectacular Tex-Mex dip that I still make for parties (and I won't say the bowl hasn't been licked clean on occasion). While chowing down on great Mexican food, maybe, just maybe, I realized there was some big football game on the TV too. So for me, like most things, the Super Bowl is always about the food first!

I thought I'd compile some things I've made that would be great additions to your Super Bowl Sunday.

Bacon-stuffed cheeseburgers

BBQ chicken wings

Beef fajitas

Chicken nuggets

Chicken quesadillas

Couscous and veggie-stuffed peppers

Fried mozzarella balls

Hummus

Pork kebabs

Potstickers

Prosciutto, Mozzarella, And Roasted Pepper Pinwheels

Swedish meatballs

Soft pretzels

Tomato-artichoke bruschetta with feta

And since no party is complete without dessert...

Blondies with walnuts and chocolate chips

Brown butter toffee blondies

Caramel-pecan bars

Mini lemon cheesecake squares with raspberries

Mini peanut butter cookie cupcakes with chocolate chips

Peanut butter brownies

S'more squares

I'm not actually having a Super Bowl party this year, so it will just be the two of us. That isn't going to stop me from cooking though. We're planning to snack on nachos and then have pulled pork sandwiches. I might even make these pulled pork sliders that Gaby posted recently.

However you celebrate, I hope you have a fun day!

Heart-Shaped Pan Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Jill at Jillicious Discoveries, Patti A, Cinnamon-Girl, damagsmonkey,  Alicia, Joan, Terri, Kate, lchromik, and Sara! You've each won a heart-shaped pan! Please email me your mailing address (megan {dot} chromik @ gmail {dot} com).

I can't wait to see what each of you makes in your new pan!

Thanks to everyone who commented and entered the giveaway.

(I used the Random Integer Generator to select winners.)

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Thank you to Lucky Leaf for making this giveaway possible! And remember, Lucky Leaf is hosting a Better Homes and Gardens Recipe Contest - The Lucky Leaf Blue Ribbon Recipe Challenge. You could win $1,000 and more than $50 in Lucky Leaf products by submitting your original recipe using at least one full can of Lucky Leaf Pie Filling. For more details and your chance to win, please stop by Lucky Leaf's contest page.

Chicken Angelo

Hi everyone! I want to welcome to all my new readers.  It's so nice when new people stop by and of course my regular readers too! It's so nice to know that there's someone out there that reads this.  If there's anything that you're looking for that I haven't posted yet, feel free to reach out to me through email or through the comments section and if there isn't anything I would still love it if you said, Hi! :-)

Remember the North End Cookbook that I told you all about recently?  I decided to try another recipe from it on Sunday.  I changed it a lot but the flavors are still the same.  The original recipe feeds 12 people and uses two cut up chickens.  I wanted to use boneless and skinless chicken and so I needed to adjust a few things.  The original recipe called for 12 tomatoes and I rather wait for them to be in season before I waste money on so many tomatoes out of season that will be high priced and low flavor.  I used diced tomatoes as a substitution and it worked very well.  I kept true to the recipe in the way I built the flavors in a similar way she did.

Chicken Angelo

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
3 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter (I only used about 6 Tbsp throughout the recipe)
1 8oz. can artichoke hearts in water
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced or quartered
7-8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, sliced
2 shallots, diced
1- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp. dried basil
pinch dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
1 lb. pasta (such as penne, cellentani, rigatoni, etc.)
Romano cheese, for sprinkling

Directions:

1.  Slice chicken and sausage into large bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

2.  Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet.  Brown chicken and sausage in two batches (make sure to mix up the sausage and chicken in each batch so the chicken gets flavored by the sausage).  Add more oil/butter as necessary.  Remove from pan and place into a baking dish. Do not wipe out skillet.

3.  In same skillet, melt another tablespoon of butter.  Reduce heat a bit and add sliced onions and half of the garlic to the pan.  Saute gently and allow to cook until soft.    Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and parsley.  Toss lightly.  Let cook for about 10 -15 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices.  Pour sauce over the chicken in the pan.  Sprinkle with wine. Toss lightly.  Return pan to heat.

4.  While sauce is cooking, prepare mushrooms.  In same skillet melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and remainder of garlic.  Cook until mushrooms brown and soften and garlic is soft but not burnt.  If garlic is browing too quickly, turn heat down to medium low.  When cooked, remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and add to pan with chicken.  Drain artichoke hearts and reserve some of the liquid.  Add artichokes and chopped olives to baking pan. 

5.  Again in the same skillet add 1 more tablespoon of butter to remaining butter and oil in the pan.  When melted add flour and stir with a wooden spoon.  Slowly add chicken broth to the pan (a little at a time to prevent lumps) while stirring.  Allow to thicken.  You will want a thin paste, if it's too thick, thin it out with a little bit of the water from the artichoke hearts.  When you have reached the desired consistency add to chicken.  Toss lightly. 

6.  Bake in at 350 for 15-20 minutes to be sure that chicken is cooked through and all flavors merge.  As long as your chicken wasn't cut up too small, the chicken will not dry out.  There is plenty of liquid in the pan. 

7.  While chicken is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta.  Add pasta to the baking pan and toss together.  You can serve it right from there or transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve with crusty bread for dipping. 

This meal is hearty and filling.  Feel free to add in any veggies that you like, zucchini and eggplant would be a great addition.

Click here for a printable recipe of Chicken Angelo.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream And Brownie Sundaes

I know it probably sounds a little boring with all the options out there, but when I got my ice cream maker, I really wanted to make vanilla ice cream. This was because I had also gotten a copy of The Craft of Baking: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventing Your Own, and the vanilla ice cream recipe in there looked fabulous. On top of that, my aunt had given me a nice bottle of vanilla extract and a Madagascar vanilla bean as part of my Christmas present, and I really wanted to use them in something where their flavor would be noticeable, not just in the background like in a cake or cookie recipe.

So despite how bland and boring vanilla ice cream might seem, I set out to make it. And in making my own, I came to realize that there is nothing bland and boring about vanilla. Just look at all those vanilla bean seeds running rampant in that creamy vanilla mixture! This ice cream has incredible, intense flavor.

To gear up for my vanilla ice cream making, I started the day by making a giant egg white omelet for breakfast for my boyfriend and me. The ice cream recipe calls for 9 egg yolks! I had to use up all the whites somehow, and I didn't feel like making meringues or doing any other baking.

Most ice cream making takes a little advance planning -- unlike the strawberry ice cream I made last month. It starts with a custard made from sugar; milk; cream; egg yolks; salt; and, in this case, vanilla beans and extract. The custard, which is cooked on the stove, has to be refrigerated 8 hours or overnight. I whipped up the custard, stored it in the fridge overnight, and then poured it in the ice cream machine the next night. If you start the day before you want to have ice cream, you'll be all set.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (adapted from The Craft of Baking)
For the original recipe, which includes notes about which vanilla beans to use and how to reuse your vanilla beans, get The Craft of Baking.

Ingredients

9 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 vanilla beans (I used Madagascar), split lenthwise, seeds scraped, seeds and beans reserved
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Whisk egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar in large heatproof bowl.

In a large sauce pan, whisk remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla beans, and vanilla bean seeds. Bring to a full boil and then immediately remove from heat.

Gradually whisk one-third of the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Then pour the egg yolk mixture into the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Add vanilla extract and salt, and whisk until combined.

Pour custard into a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Next pour mixture through a strainer set over a large bowl.

Pour custard into ice cream maker, following manufacturer's directions.

Transfer ice cream to a bowl.

Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream to prevent freezer burn and ice crystals. Cover the container and freeze until firm.

Then... make brownie sundaes!

You'll need some gooey hot fudge -- I'm still hooked on the recipe I found in Rose's Heavenly Cakes -- some whipped cream -- I always make my own with whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla -- and your favorite brownies -- I go with rich, fudgy ones with lots of Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate. Also, some mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, or nuts wouldn't hurt a bit.

And if you need a dessert idea for Valentine's Day, it's pretty easy to deck out your brownie sundaes for the occasion.

Once you've got your sundae assembled, dig right in! I don't know what it is about brownie sundaes, but they just seem to hit the spot every time. Something about a slightly warm, just-baked brownie, with vanilla ice cream puddling on top of it and chocolate sauce draping it is incredibly mood altering and uplifting, not to mention absolutely delicious!

And now for a question... Does anyone know why recipes for homemade ice cream all seem to say the ice cream will last 5 days to 1 week? I know it doesn't have preservatives like store-bought ice cream, but we keep all sorts of stuff in the freezer for longer than a week. What would make homemade ice cream any different? (I don't know the answer; I'm just curious.)

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Don't forget I have a fabulous giveaway going on! Go leave a comment on my Sweetheart Cherry Cake post by 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, February 3, and you could win your very own heart-shaped pan!