Baked Brie Bites

This is a pretty simple recipe that I adapted from here.

Baked Brie Bites
Makes 18

Ingredients

• 1 pkg puff pastry sheets
• 8oz brie
• 1C preserves/jam (appx)

Instructions

Thaw puff pastry according to directions.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut each puff pastry sheet into 9 squares.  (Pillsbury is folded into thirds, so that makes it pretty easy.)  Grease muffin/cupcake pans.  Place pastry squares over muffin cups, and poke in slightly.  Cut brie into evenly sized chunks (include the crust) and place one piece in the center of each pastry.  Top with about 1tsp of preserves.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until pastry is golden on edges (do not overbake).

I have made this recipe twice now, using a homemade caramel apple jam (tastes more like apple pie filling).  Both times, it was a hit!  They disappeared quickly, and everyone could barely wait until it was cool enough to eat.  Even people who said they weren't fans of brie thought it was good.  A few tips I have found after making this twice now: use the puff pastry when it is still cool, make sure to grease the muffin tins, bites are easier to remove from pan after cooling slightly but still warm.

(Note: looking back at the original recipe now, I see that it was for 24 bites; the puff pastry sheets were cut into 12 pieces each.  Either way would work just fine.)

The Verdict

Definitely a new favorite!  This one gets added to my "recipe book" and I am looking forward to trying it again and again with different flavored preserves.  Maybe cranberry next time?

Classic Stromboli

This is another recipe from Publix, but it is not available online so I only have the recipe card.

Classic Stromboli

Makes 2 Strombolis (4 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough (I used the fresh dough found in the Publix Bakery)
• 1/4 C flour (or less, for dusting surface)
• 1/2 C ricotta, divided
• 12 slices pepperoni, divided (I used more)
• 1 C cooked sausage crumbles, divided (I used Jimmy Dean Italian sausage)
• 1 C shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
• 1/4 C fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• Pizza sauce for dipping

Prep

• Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand 1 hour (up to 1.5 hours).  (Do not remove from bag until after stand time is complete.)
• Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease baking sheet.
• Chop basil

Instructions

1. Divide dough in half; turn each half of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into approximately 6x12-inch rectangles.
2. Spread 1/4 C ricotta cheese over each half of dough, leaving a border; top with pepperoni, sausage, shredded cheese, and basil.  Starting on the long side, roll dough tightly around filling; pinch edges to seal and place seam side down on baking sheet.
3. Bake 18-20 minutes or until browned and thoroughly heated.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Slice Stromboli; serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Another option:

Roll pizza dough into approximately 12-inch circles.  Spread cheese and toppings on one half of each, and fold empty half over top, sealing edges.

I tried making it each way.  One was just a circle folded in half, the other was rolled (but I realize now that I messed up and rolled it in the wrong direction).  I left the basil out, because I forgot to get fresh basil while I was at the store.

A note on the pizza sauce: we have tried several different sauces on our homemade pizzas, and we have found some good, and some bad.  Trader Joe's makes a pretty good pizza sauce, found in the refrigerated section.  Prego is also pretty good.  This time around, we tried "La Famiglia DelGrosso" pizza sauce, and thought it was good as well.  Classico was too chunky for my liking.  The one I would really avoid is Ragu...it just tastes too fake, has no real texture, and doesn't have good flavor.

Not bad.  It didn't wow me, though.  Personally, I think I could use more cheese. (Who can argue with more cheese?!) In my opinion, the cheese should ooze out of a Stromboli when you cut into it, and this just didn't ooze.  I would at least double the ricotta in the recipe.  Tony suggested using a spicier sausage.  I used Italian flavor, but I agree: spicy sausage might work better.  I think it could have used some more flavor in general, and leaving out the basil was a mistake.  I would probably add some Italian seasonings (oregano, garlic, pepper?)  into the ricotta cheese, and spread that blend onto the Stromboli. 

The Verdict

In the end, it wasn't bad, but I would add more cheese and seasonings if I made it again.  It would be worth another try.

Thirsty Thursday - Dirty Monkey

I might start doing an occasional feature where I share drink recipes.  Now I'm not going to go mixing up new alcoholic beverages mid-week on a regular basis, as that may have unwanted side effects (working hungover is not fun).  I will, however, share some good ones that I have in my repertoire already, some of which are my own creation.  I might even expand the selection to homemade smoothies and juices.  We'll see where this goes.

A co-worker of mine recently came back from a cruise and told us her drink of choice while down there was something called a "Dirty Monkey".  From her description (frozen, brown, and yellow) I deduced that it must be some sort of chocolate-banana based drink (makes sense, right?). Yes, I just used the word "deduced".  I just finished watching season 3 of Sherlock, and now I can't wait for the next season!  But I digress...I looked for a "dirty monkey" recipe online, but every recipe I found was a little different, so I decided to take the idea and make my own.

Dirty Monkey

Makes 2 servings

• 1 banana
• 2 shots of rum (I used spiced rum)
• 1 shot of kahlua (coffee liqueur)
• 1 shot of Coco Real (a squeezable bottle of coconut cream that I was recently introduced to)
• 2 cups of ice (approximately, use your judgement here)
• Hershey's syrup

Mix all ingredients except chocolate syrup in a blender; blend well, until smooth.  Squirt chocolate syrup around the inside of the glasses you are going to serve in.  Pour blended mixture into glasses.  Serve with a straw, and garnish as desired.

It looks...dirty

Not bad!  The chocolate and banana flavors were prominent, with a hint of coconut, and coffee to cut the sweetness a little.  The alcohol was not very noticeable, but I did feel it by the time I finished the drink. The recipe could easily be adjusted a bit to use some different types of rum, maybe even some chocolate liqueur, and there are many options for garnishing if you're not lazy like me.

The Verdict

This one is a keeper!  (Although there are other frozen drinks I would prefer over this one.)  Maybe next time I will try it with some coconut rum.  Mmmm!

Cream Cheese Pancakes

I know it's a little late, but I would like to share what we made for dinner on Mardis Gras!  I wanted something besides the usual plain pancakes, so I dug up this recipe from Southern Living.

Cream Cheese Pancakes
Makes: about 12 (4-inch) pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 C self-rising flour (or 2 C all-purpose flour, with 1 T baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt)
• 2 T sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 to 2 C milk
• 3oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 T butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
2. Combine egg, cream cheese, butter or margarine, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 C of milk in a small bowl, stirring well.
3. Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened (you don't want to over mix your batter).  Add more milk if needed.
4. Pour 1/4 C batter for each  pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle.  Cook pancake until tops are bubbly; flip and cook the other side.
5. Serve with your favorite toppings and sides.

These pancakes were tasty!  They somehow seemed a little denser/thicker/creamier than my usual pancakes, but the difference was subtle.  I really didn't taste the cream cheese, until I hit a little lump of it, and then I would get a little burst of flavor.  But when I made the pancakes, the cream cheese wasn't as soft as it should have been, so it was lumpy in the batter instead of being creamy.

The Verdict
Good, but the difference between these and the usual plain pancakes was negligible.  I might give this recipe another shot, making sure I get the cream cheese softened enough to blend well.  Otherwise, it's not worth the extra effort to make these from scratch; I would rather use my homemade pancake mix that's ready to go.

Creamy Citrus Salad

I made this along with the Pepper Shrimp Saute. Again, sorry for the lack of pictures in this post.

The original recipe was from Publix, and came with the Pepper Shrimp Saute recipe.  However, I really only used it is a general guideline and I ended up making a bunch of modifications using ingredients I had on hand...so I'm just going to post my version here.

....On to the good part! 

Creamy Citrus Salad

Ingredients
1 can mandarin oranges
2 grapefruits
1 tablespoon honey
1 individual size cup of vanilla Greek yogurt
2ish handfuls mini marshmallows

Instructions

Drain most of the liquid from oranges and put in a medium bowl.  Scoop out grapefruit and add to oranges.  Add honey, and stir.  Let chill in the fridge until ready to serve.  Just before serving, stir in Greek yogurt and marshmallows.

The Verdict

I messed it up when I made it.  I left in a good bit of the juice from the oranges, and added a little juice from the grapefruits.  It was WAY too liquidy!   I ended up eating it out of a cup with a spoon.  My marshmallows were also a little...not fresh...so I let the marshmallows soak a bit to soften up.  But even with those problems, it was still delicious!  It was so cool, and fresh, and sweet (but not too sweet), with a bit of sour flavor from the grapefruit, and little bursts of sweetness when you bite into a marshmallow.  Publix did the right thing by pairing it with the Pepper Shrimp Saute...the cool flavor from the citrus salad was perfect for eating after a spicy meal.

It would have been much better if it was actually creamy (instead of liquidy), but this was so good, I would definitely make it again!

Pepper Shrimp Saute

I know it's been a little while since my last post.  Things have been pretty busy around the house, but at least I'm getting stuff done!  I probably need to make a short list of what I want to try cooking next, because I've just been too lazy or too busy to pick something out of the hundreds of recipes I want to try.  This recipe was an easy decision, though.  I was at Publix doing some grocery shopping, and they had this recipe featured for taste-testing.  I'm normally not a big fan of shrimp, but I gave it a try and loved it!  About a week later, I tried making it at home.  The full recipe can be found on the Publix website (printer friendly version in link).

(Sorry for the absence of pictures in this post.  I could have sworn I took a picture, but I can't find it.  Maybe I forgot to take one before scarfing it down?)

Pepper Shrimp Saute

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large orange (or yellow) bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 2 pouches boil-in-bag white rice
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 cup chipotle cooking sauce
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 12 oz large peeled/deveined shrimp, tails removed
• 1/3 cup sliced, stuffed green olives

Instructions

1. Chop onion, peppers, and cilantro.
2. Prepare rice following stovetop instructions on package.
3. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pan, then add onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños; cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown.
4. Reduce heat on pan to medium-low. Add roasted peppers and cooking sauce to onion mixture; cook and stir 2 minutes.
5. Stir in broth and shrimp; simmer 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and opaque and liquid has reduced by about one-third.
6. Remove pan from heat; stir in olives and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve.

I made a few minor modifications when I made this recipe:

• Used some chopped bell peppers that I already had in my freezer (having some ready in the freezer comes in handy a lot!)
• Made rice from scratch instead of using the "boil-in-bag" rice
• Used concentrated chicken broth (comes in little tubs), reconstituted with water (I find it takes up a lot less room in my pantry)
• Used jarred jalapeño slices instead of fresh (it's a staple in our house)
• I also left out the olives...because ick

Cooking with raw shrimp was definitely new for me.  I probably cooked them a little longer than was necessary, but I really didn't want them to be undercooked!  I was a big fan of the chipotle cooking sauce.  It was a little on the pricey side for flavoring, but it really packs a ton of flavor!  It gave the dish the perfect amount of kick.  Also, it wasn't bad leftover (if a little water is added when reheating), but the shrimp does get dry/overcooked when reheating, so it is best to avoid making so much that there is food left over.

The Verdict
Loved it!  Even the hubby liked it.  I am definitely saving this recipe to make again!

See my next post for a Creamy Citrus Salad that goes really well with this recipe...

Bourbon Cheesecake

When the hubby offered to make a cheesecake for me for Valentine's Day, I was definitely excited!  Cheesecake is one of my favorite things.  Ever.  Seriously.  My first thought was to make a dutch apple streusel cheesecake recipe I had been eying for a while, but I stumbled across this recipe for bourbon cheesecake and it sounded really good.  It has a shortbread crust, bourbon in the cheesecake, and it's topped with a bourbon chocolate ganache...AND the recipe is for two small cheesecakes!  I actually bought a set of mini springform pans a while back ($4 for a set of 4 at Ross!), so this was the perfect excuse to try them out.  (Of course, I knew that the hubby offering to make cheesecake for me would require my help, and probably turn into me making it with his help.  I wasn't wrong.)

Original recipe is from Sugar Dish Me.

Bourbon Cheesecake with Boozy Chocolate for Two
Makes: 2 mini cheesecakes (using Wilton's 4-in diameter mini springform pans)

Ingredients

• For the Crust:
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• For the Cheesecake:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream (or half & half)
• 1 tablespoon straight bourbon whiskey
• For the Boozy Chocolate:
• 4 ounces hot fudge (the ice cream topping)
• 2 teaspoons bourbon (more to taste)

Instructions

1.  To make the crust, preheat the oven to 400. In a medium bowl combine the ¼ cup butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and ½ cup flour until a smooth ball of dough forms. You may have to use your fingers to press it all together.
2.  Divide the dough in half and press it across the bottom and halfway up the sides of the 2 mini cheesecake pans. Gently prick the dough across the bottom of the pan with a fork several times. Bake for only 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350.
4.  In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy and smooth.
5.  Add the egg and beat for about 1½ minutes. Add the vanilla, cream, and bourbon. Beat until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two par-baked crusts.
6.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 275 (I like to open the oven door for just a minute to help the temperature drop) and bake for 15 more minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecakes cool IN the oven.
7.  When they have cooled to room temperature, remove and refrigerate. (If you are in a hurry, you can take them out when it is cool enough to grab by hand — the pans will still feel warm) The cheesecakes will need to chill for at least an hour (from room temperature)

Baked and cooled

8.  While the cheesecakes chill, and just before you are ready to serve,heat the hot fudge in a small saucepan over medium high heat. When it is smooth and warm (a pourable consistency), stir in the bourbon. Drizzle the chocolate over each cheesecake and serve.

With chocolate topping

The Verdict

For a cheesecake, this was really pretty simple to make.  The only thing I would change about the recipe is to cut back on the chocolate topping; it makes probably at least twice as much as needed.  (GASP!  Recommending LESS chocolate!  I know, right?)  Some cheesecakes turn out too "cakey", and some too runny...the consistency of this cheesecake was just about perfect!  Nice and creamy, but firm. The shortbread crust is a nice touch, and I thought it went well with the bourbon flavor, but it does make it a bit richer than your typical graham-cracker crust.  The bourbon wasn't overpowering in the cake itself; it added a little bit of tang, but wasn't too strong.  Where you really taste the bourbon is in the chocolate "ganache" topping (but again, not overpowering).  I think you could easily substitute another flavor (for example, irish cream) for the bourbon if you wanted to change it up a little.  This recipe is definitely getting saved for future use!  I will probably try experimenting with some other flavors, but keep the base recipe the same. 

P.S.  If you're wondering if you can get tispy from bourbon cheesecake, the answer is no.  You can get tipsy, however, from a meal that consists of vodka sauce, bourbon cheesecake, Angry Orchard, and wine.  :-)