tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-322460452024-03-14T01:27:39.346-04:00In A Tiny KitchenRecipes and ideas for small-space cookingchacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-28461074540931651352012-04-29T18:42:00.001-04:002012-04-30T10:09:47.146-04:00Chocolate Butterscotch Granola BarsI have a deep, abiding love for granola bars. Back in my school days, you could usually find a chocolate chip or S'mores granola bar in my bag for snack time, and even now, there's a big bowl of packaged bars on the kitchen counter.<br />
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However, I'd never made my very own from-scratch granola bars until today. I had it in my head that they were really time-consuming and messy, which is completely wrong. No, this was one of the easiest things I've ever made. 20 minutes of active work, one mixing bowl, a saucepan for the honey mixture, and an 8" baking dish for the finished bars. That's it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6979714660/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bar by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bar" height="375px" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6979714660_9b24a5206e.jpg" title="" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Inspiration came from these <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/130434/nonuttin-chewy-chocolate-chip-granola-bars" target="_blank">Nonuttin' Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars</a> at Whole Living. It's a very basic, very simple recipe, which means tons of room to customize. I added butterscotch chips and a hint of vanilla to mine.<br />
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Start out with a mix of quick-cooking oats and Rice Krispies.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7125809415/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Granola Bars - dry mixture by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Granola Bars - dry mixture" height="375px" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8019/7125809415_5585084259.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Get a small saucepan and combine some brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6979720290/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Granola bars - honey mixture by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Granola bars - honey mixture" height="375px" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/6979720290_daf2b7e171.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Bring to a boil and dissolve the brown sugar.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6979719556/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Granola Bars - honey mixture by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Granola Bars - honey mixture" height="375px" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/6979719556_0f0f548ca6.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6979718862/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Granola bars - mixed together by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Granola bars - mixed together" height="375px" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6979718862_7e70f2e1f9.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Press the granola into a parchment-lined baking dish.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6979718060/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Granola bars - pressed in pan by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Granola bars - pressed in pan" height="375px" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/6979718060_66059b23e4.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7125805397/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Granola bars - topped by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Granola bars - topped" height="375px" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7125805397_5893ee897a.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Let the bars cool, cut into 16 bars or squares, and EAT.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7125802403/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bar by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bar" height="375px" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/7125802403_a99c06e124.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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Now, I'm pretty sure I cut these before they were fully cooled, because they fell apart a little bit. And I have to futz with the recipe just a tad, because they are really, really sweet for my taste. The honey and the brown sugar give these a flavor unlike anything I've ever had in a packaged granola bar. The sweetness is bright and fresh and natural, with that unmistakable crunchy-chewy texture from the oats and cereal, and then the chocolate and butterscotch chips... Sixteen of these beauties for less than the cost of one box of six store-bought ones? I like those numbers.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6979715390/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bar by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bar" height="375px" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6979715390_187ddfc85c.jpg" width="500px" /></a></div>
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<h4>
Chocolate Butterscotch Granola Bars</h4>
Adapted from Whole Living<br />
Makes 16 bars<br />
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Ingredients: <br />
Nonstick cooking spray<br />
1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oatmeal<br />
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1 1/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal<br />
1/3 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup vegetable oil<br />
1/3 cup honey</div>
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1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract </div>
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1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips <br />
1/4 cup butterscotch baking chips<br />
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Directions<br />
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Prep an 8" square baking dish. Line the dish with two criss-crossing pieces of parchment paper (leave an overhang so you can pull your finished bars out of the dish easily), and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set your prepped dish aside.<br />
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Place oatmeal and rice cereal in a large bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.<br />
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In a medium saucepan, mix together brown sugar, oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Heat, stirring, over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour over the oatmeal mixture; stir until oatmeal mixture is fully coated and everything is well-combined.<br />
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Pour oatmeal mixture into prepared baking dish. Let cool until it is cool to the touch, then press the mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle with chocolate and butterscotch chips, and lightly press the chips into the granola mixture (not too hard, as the heat from the granola will make the chips a bit melty). Let the granola cool to room temperature and cut into 16 portions (either 1" by 4" bars, or 2" squares). The finished bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week, and frozen up to six months.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nutrition facts for 1 bar: Calories 140; Calories from Fat 50; Total Fat 6.0 g (9 %); Saturated Fat 1.8 g (9 %); Trans Fat 0 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g; Monounsaturated Fat 2 g; Cholesterol 0 mg (0 %); Sodium 20 mg (1 %); Potassium 5 mg (0 %); Total Carbohydrate 21 g (7 %); Dietary Fiber < 1 g (3 %); Sugars 14 g; Other Carbs 2 g; Protein 1.6 g (3 %)</span>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-41497328693659274462009-10-08T16:39:00.003-04:002009-10-08T16:59:28.853-04:00Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3977355997/" title="White Chocolate Chip Pretzel bars by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3977355997_6989ff371b.jpg" alt="White Chocolate Chip Pretzel bars" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />This <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-pretzel-bars">bar cookie recipe</a> came from the August 2009 issue of Food and Wine magazine. I actually ended up making two batches, one for friends and one to take with me to work on Monday. Despite needing almost twice the recommended baking time, they were easy and fast to put together. I used white chocolate chips instead of semisweet or bittersweet, and omitted the sprinkles (I didn't think they needed sprinkles), but followed the recipe otherwise.<br /><br />The cookies are loaded with brown sugar and butter, and are studded with chips and salty pretzel bits... it's a great combination, with that salty-sweet pairing that's so popular. They went over great!<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-pretzel-bars">Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars</a> from <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/">Food and Wine</a>, August 2009<br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />I used two mixing bowls: one smaller bowl for the dry ingredients, and a larger one for the wet ingredients. No kneading, no rolling, no cookie cuttering... great for limited counter space!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-35166195490151049012009-06-14T09:25:00.001-04:002009-06-14T10:26:18.063-04:00Armenian "Barbary" Bread<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3622400235/" title="Armenian "Barbary" Bread by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3622400235_8b460fe45e.jpg" alt="Armenian "Barbary" Bread" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This lovely flatbread comes from Nick Malgieri's <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756639719?ie=UTF8&tag=chachaknits-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0756639719">The Modern Baker</a>. This book incorporates shortcuts into the recipes, for the "modern" baker who may not have time for a bread recipe that requires 3 rises and 12 hours. The book jacket states that the aim was for most of the recipes to have under an hour of prep time. If you're someone who loves baking but has trouble fitting it into your schedule, this is a cookbook you may want to take a look at. Breads, cakes, sweet and savory pies, quick breads... there's a very nice selection here.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3623219616/" title="Armenian "Barbary" Bread by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3334/3623219616_5a2cae7258.jpg" alt="Armenian "Barbary" Bread" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This came together very easily. A 4-to-1 mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, plus a couple of teaspoons of salt make up the dry ingredients. Another bowl gets the yeast and warm water, along with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Slowly add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture, give a quick knead, and set aside to rise for 1-2 hours. Divide the dough in 2, shape into long ovals, let it rise for another hour, and then bake for 20 minutes.<br /><br />The finished bread has a wonderful flavor from the whole wheat flour and the olive oil. The whole wheat flavor isn't overpowering, but adds a nice subtle heartiness to it. We had this with beef stew, and the bread stood up to it nicely.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3623219588/" title="Armenian "Barbary" Bread by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3304/3623219588_704259b30c.jpg" alt="Armenian "Barbary" Bread" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />-----<br /><br />Recipe: Armenian "Barbary" Bread from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Modern Baker</span> by Nick Malgieri<br /><br />Space needed: Moderate<br />A couple of bowls and enough counter space to be able to work the dough for a few minutes. The shaped loaves rise on the baking sheets for an hour, so you also need room to stash the sheet during the rising time. I was able to fit both of my loaves on one baking sheet, so I needed less room for that.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5<br />$3.15 as written for two loaves. The two loaves should serve 7-8 people, so one serving runs about $0.40 to $0.45. The yeast price I have here is for the 3-pack of envelopes; bulk yeast is less expensive, but only worthwhile if you do a lot of baking.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Recipe amounts: AP Flour - $1.00; Whole wheat flour - $0.25; Yeast - $1.25; Olive oil - $0.65</span>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-77582760750816718002009-06-04T11:28:00.002-04:002009-06-04T13:28:12.022-04:00Turkey Meatball and Farfalle SoupLunch on Tuesday:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3588732051/" title="Turkey Meatball Soup by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3315/3588732051_a4ff973cd9.jpg" alt="Turkey Meatball Soup" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I adapted this from the <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-meatball-and-orzo-soup">Chicken Meatball and Orzo Soup</a> from the April 2009 issue of Food & Wine. It was in a feature called "<a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/5-almost-instant-soups">5 (Almost) Instant Soups</a>", and they weren't kidding. From start to finish, this took me 20 minutes. It's light and fresh, a perfect soup for early summer.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3589539632/" title="Turkey Meatball Soup by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/3589539632_77af2d8e82.jpg" alt="Turkey Meatball Soup" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />This didn't look like something that would reheat particularly well, so I decided to just make enough for lunch. I used one link of sweet turkey sausage and made 3/4" meatballs from it. I browned the meatballs in a bit of olive oil in my saucepan I was using, then added 1 can of low-sodium chicken broth (no removing the meatballs and then adding them back in). Once it came to a boil, I added 1/2 cup of mini-farfalle pasta. Any small pasta would work for this: shells, orzo, even spaghetti broken into smaller pieces. I set the timer for 2 minutes less than the pasta cooking time, and when it went off, added a handful of chopped spinach. It cooked for another couple of minutes to let the spinach wilt, and then, DONE!<br /><br />A nice light lunch in no time!<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-meatball-and-orzo-soup">Chicken Meatball and Orzo Soup from Food & Wine</a>, April 2009<br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />A plate for the meatballs. For my single-serving version, I just formed the meatballs and dropped them directly in the pan; no plate needed.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5 ($4.10/serving)<br />$16.35 for the full recipe as written, but almost half of that is the chicken sausage. Maybe chicken sausage is cheaper elsewhere in the country, but the packs I looked at here were pricey. I subbed in less-expensive turkey sausage and, had I made the full 4 serving recipe, would have saved $3.50 overall. I also used store brand low-sodium chicken broth instead of brand name, which also saved me some money.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Recipe amounts: Chicken sausage - $7.50; Chicken broth - $4.50; Orzo - $0.75; Garlic - $0.10; Spinach: $3.50</span>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-77288389411288580882009-05-30T15:31:00.001-04:002009-05-30T17:06:04.695-04:00Brown Butter Blueberry TartI posted my results from a food terms quiz on Facebook a few days ago, and one of my friends responded with "Cook me a pie!"<br /><br />Just to spite him, he's not getting a pie. He's getting a tart. TAKE THAT.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3578865059/" title="Brown Butter Blueberry Tart by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2480/3578865059_bf1f4e521d.jpg" alt="Brown Butter Blueberry Tart" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />This is going to my gaming group this evening: my adaptation of the <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brown-Butter-Raspberry-Tart-353425">Brown Butter Raspberry Tart</a> from Bon Appétit's June 2009 issue. I switched blueberries in for the raspberries, and left out the berries completely in one quarter, using white chocolate chips as the "filling" instead. In case there's anyone who dislikes berries. Which, yes, is probable.<br /><br />Tarts like this, where the crust is pressed into the pan, are perfect for smaller kitchens. No rolling out the crust! And like all recipes that call for a tart pan, I made this in a springform cake pan. Same removable bottom principle, but the springform is able to multitask a bit better. The tradeoff: it means that my tarts don't have a lovely fluted edge. I haven't had anyone complain yet.<br /><br />What a great, simple way to let a batch of berries shine!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3578804055/" title="Brown Butter Blueberry Tart by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3578804055_16312c1aa7.jpg" alt="Brown Butter Blueberry Tart" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brown-Butter-Raspberry-Tart-353425">Brown Butter Raspberry Tart</a> from Bon Appétit, June 2009<br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />A couple of bowls (you could probably get away with one and just reuse the bowl you made the crust in to also make the filling), a saucepan, and a tart pan/other baking pan. I needed very little counter space for this.<br /><br />Cost: Under $10<br />For the recipe as written, you'd be looking at about $9.00 for the whole thing. Most of that comes from the berries. Substituting a less expensive berry or finding a deal at a farmers' market would be an easy way to lower the price. Mine using blueberries came out to $5.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Recipe amounts: Butter - $1.25; Sugar - $0.25; Vanilla - $0.80; Flour - $0.30; Eggs - $0.30; Raspberries - $6.00</span>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-59308696121335676192009-04-22T08:06:00.002-04:002009-04-22T11:53:41.997-04:00Dutch Baby with Lemon SugarApril's issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet </span>had a lovely article featuring 5 different dessert recipes made with lemon and eggs. I was faced with the dilemma: which to make first?<br /><br />The winner ended up being the <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dutch-Baby-with-Lemon-Sugar-352279">Dutch Baby with Lemon Sugar</a>. This is basically one huge popover that ends up being shaped like a bowl. Popovers are my weakness, so I'm not sure it was a fair contest for the other recipes.<br /><br />Anything you would put on pancakes or waffles would work as a Dutch baby topping: fruits, powdered sugar, syrup. The <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet </span>recipe uses lemon sugar, made by combining lemon zest with the sugar. I added the zest to the batter instead, and finished it off with a dusting of powdered sugar.<br /><br />I followed the advice of several reviews and cut the butter back by half. They weren't kidding. Two tablespoons is more than enough butter to generously coat the pan.<br /><br />Piping hot in the oven. Puffy!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3461226306/" title="Dutch Baby pancake by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/3461226306_a82deefcfd.jpg" alt="Dutch Baby pancake" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /></div><br />The center puff falls almost immediately once it's out of the oven.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3460411051/" title="Dutch Baby pancake by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3460411051_3be2af363e.jpg" alt="Dutch Baby pancake" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /></div><br />The crater, still dotted with melted butter from baking.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3460411083/" title="Dutch Baby pancake by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3460411083_387e254747.jpg" alt="Dutch Baby pancake" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /></div><br />Perfectly browned risen sides.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3460411123/" title="Dutch Baby pancake by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3628/3460411123_7c737b0044.jpg" alt="Dutch Baby pancake" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /></div><br />Time for dessert! Or breakfast! Or brunch!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3460411165/" title="Dutch Baby pancake by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3542/3460411165_6d25a5b833.jpg" alt="Dutch Baby pancake" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /></div><br />I managed not to eat the entire thing in one night, refrigerated my leftovers wrapped in foil, and then reheated the foil-wrapped package in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes for breakfast.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dutch-Baby-with-Lemon-Sugar-352279">Dutch Baby with Lemon Sugar</a> from <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet </span>magazine, April 2009<br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />One bowl and an oven-safe skillet. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, this would work fine in an 8" or 9" baking dish or cake pan. Baking time might need to be adjusted for a different size pan.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5<br />My total came out to $2.52 for the whole dish. This makes 4-6 servings (depending on serving size), so you'd be looking at anywhere between $0.42 and $0.63 per serving.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Recipe amounts: Sugar - $0.15; Lemon - $0.67; Eggs - $0.45; Milk - $0.30 ; Flour - $0.15; Vanilla - $0.20 ; Cinnamon - $0.05; Nutmeg - $0.05 ; Butter - $0.50</span>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-65441104131792194672009-03-29T12:52:00.003-04:002009-03-29T14:14:59.146-04:00Lemon Pepper Pasta with CapersTo make up for the gravy fries from the last post, let me point you in the direction of a lovely pasta in a light lemony cream sauce: <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/pasta/quick-and-easy-recipe-lemon-pepper-pasta-with-capers--032186">Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers</a> from The Kitchn. And yes, I mean that. Each serving has a grand total of 1 tablespoon of cream in it, and you can easily nudge that already-pretty-low number down, or even use half-and-half instead.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3390302311/" title="Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3603/3390302311_f0b59b5653.jpg" alt="Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />We have Trader Joe's here, so I made sure to pick up a package of the Lemon Pepper Pappardelle the last time I was there. The girl who rang up my purchases told me she'd tried it with tomato sauce and that it just hadn't worked, but she didn't know what sauce to use instead.<br /><br />This one is a nice simple option. Turns out you don't need a lot of cream for a convincing cream sauce; this one calls for 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) total, and I used even less than that. I added between 2 and 3 tablespoons of cream to mine and it was plenty. I also cut back on the capers and added what looked like a "good amount".<br /><br />There's a lot of room to play around here. Toss in some veggies, add some chicken (or shrimp or shellfish, if you're someone who can do that without breaking into hives... which I'm not), use regular pasta and add the juice from the lemon to the sauce, etc.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3391114510/" title="Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3391114510_f786feaa59.jpg" alt="Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />-----<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/pasta/quick-and-easy-recipe-lemon-pepper-pasta-with-capers--032186">Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers</a> from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/">The Kitchn</a> at Apartment Therapy<br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />Two pans (one for pasta, one for sauce), and enough counter space to chop up the garlic.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5 per serving<br />Actually, under $2 per serving. $1.79 to be exact, $7.15 for the full 4-serving recipe, going by what I paid for the ingredients here in Maryland.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Recipe amounts: Pasta - $2.00; Garlic - $0.10; Lemon - $0.50; Butter - $0.10; Olive oil - $0.15; Chicken broth - $0.40; Cream - $0.40; Capers - $3.50) = $7.15</span>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-33722733541052518112009-03-26T19:44:00.004-04:002009-03-26T23:55:15.154-04:00Gravy Cheese Oven Fries with Roasted GarlicToday was a yucky, rainy, gray day here in MD.<br /><br />I wanted warm, carb-filled, unhealthy comfort food. The PERFECT excuse to make the <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/03/eat-for-eight-bucks-gravy-cheese-oven-fries-recipe.html">Gravy Cheese Oven Fries with Roasted Garlic</a> that <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/">Serious Eats</a> posted a few weeks ago.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3388821692/" title="Gravy Cheese Oven Fries with Roasted Garlic by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3388821692_94d31dfe82.jpg" alt="Gravy Cheese Oven Fries with Roasted Garlic" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Oh, mama.<br /><br />I feel bad even posting this, but it was so ridiculously easy and SO GOOD. A nice time-saver and space-saver is to use frozen steak fries. That's what I did, so I omitted the olive oil used on the potatoes. I ignored the cooking instruction on the package and followed the recipe: 40 minutes at 400 degrees, turning once. The fries and garlic were done at the same time, ready for the super-simple gravy. Cook flour and butter together for a quick roux, add beef broth, stir like crazy for a minute to get rid of the lumps, then let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.<br /><br />The roasted garlic is such a great addition to this. The sweet, slightly caramelized flavor sets off all those savory ingredients very nicely.<br /><br />I am ready for a happy carb nap now. :)<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/03/eat-for-eight-bucks-gravy-cheese-oven-fries-recipe.html">Eat for Eight Bucks: Gravy Cheese Oven Fries with Roasted Garlic</a> from <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/">Serious Eats</a><br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />Space to cut up the fries and slice the top off of the garlic, a saucepan for the gravy, and a baking sheet for the fries and garlic. If you use frozen fries, you barely need any counter space at all.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5 per serving<br />This depends heavily on the cost of the cheese. Serious Eats used a Gruyère that was $15.80 per pound, and even theirs came in at $8.02 for 2 servings. I used some Trader Joe's shredded Mexican four-cheese blend that I had on hand, which was something like $4 per pound.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-37885637828009592462009-03-02T18:57:00.003-05:002009-03-02T20:14:36.501-05:00Scottish BapsSlashfood posted a recipe a couple of weeks ago for <a href="http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/13/simply-wonderful-scottish-baps/">Scottish Baps</a>, a flour-dusted yeast roll. It probably won't surprise anyone to hear that I bookmarked the page.<br /><br />I made these today for a snow day project. The recipe is easy to follow and very accessible. Nothing fussy; I would recommend these to someone as a "first yeast baking project" in a heartbeat. The only possible headscratcher is "caster sugar" in the ingredients. If you don't have caster sugar (a.k.a. superfine sugar), you can substitute regular table sugar.<br /><br />This dough came together nicely... so nicely that I didn't even have to knead it on a flat surface. I kneaded this in the same bowl that I mixed it in. After about 5 minutes of kneading, I left it to rise for an hour. Then some shaping, and the rolls started to take form:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3324481396/" title="Baps before baking by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3345/3324481396_a439c349c1.jpg" alt="Baps before baking" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />A sprinkling of flour gives them a nice dusty look when they're done.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3324481750/" title="Baps - done! by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3519/3324481750_c51997dbb8.jpg" alt="Baps - done!" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The finished rolls are light and soft and airy... apparently, one traditional use is to make a sandwich with fried bacon, butter, and a brown sauce. Curse you, my sadly baconless refrigerator!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3324481790/" title="Scottish Bap by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3324481790_8991762f46.jpg" alt="Scottish Bap" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Space needed: Minimal<br />For mine, I used one mixing bowl, one cookie sheet, and a measuring cup. I heated the milk and proofed the yeast in the measuring cup, then melted the butter in it as well.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5<br />Total cost for the recipe is about $2.50 for 12 rolls.<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/13/simply-wonderful-scottish-baps/">Simply Wonderful Scottish Baps</a> from <a href="http://www.slashfood.com/">Slashfood.com</a>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-68286419444622722502009-02-26T17:05:00.004-05:002009-02-26T17:58:17.462-05:00Monte CubanoThis is the cover recipe on the March issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Gourmet</span>: the <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Monte-Cubano-351851">Monte Cubano</a> sandwich. Take a Cuban sandwich, and instead of pressing it, dip it in egg and fry it like a Monte Cristo.<br /><br />Flippin' geniuses, those people.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3311830539/" title="Monte Cubano sandwich by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3416/3311830539_c3a9a6d588.jpg" alt="Monte Cubano sandwich" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />In a (futile) attempt to make it a wee bit healthier, I used wheat bread and left out the mayo. The "dipping in egg and frying in butter" probably negated a lot of that.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3311830573/" title="Monte Cubano sandwich by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3311830573_d6ca5fa711.jpg" alt="Monte Cubano sandwich" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The wheat bread probably wasn't firm enough for this, but I was able to de-soggify it with a 15-minute trip to a hot oven.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3312659548/" title="Monte Cubano sandwich by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/3312659548_b008991a93.jpg" alt="Monte Cubano sandwich" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Space needed: Minimal.<br />One plate to build the sandwich, one bowl for the egg, and a frying pan on the stovetop.<br /><br />Cost: Under $5.<br />The ingredients for one recipe-specific sandwich come out to about $3.50 (to be exact, $3.46 according to prices here in the DC/Baltimore area). I ended up only needing one slice of cheese for full sandwich coverage, so mine came in at $2.86. That was with Boar's Head meats and Alpine Lace swiss; store brand deli products would have easily knocked this down to less than $2.50.<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Monte-Cubano-351851">Monte Cubano</a> from <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/">Gourmet magazine</a>, March 2009chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-3158114999431743252009-01-11T16:26:00.004-05:002010-12-01T18:12:36.258-05:00Buttermilk Quick BreadI decided today to break the baking lull that's been going on around here. And in honor of health-conscious New Year's resolutions, and the fact that I had buttermilk that I wanted to use up (I'll leave it to you to figure out which one figured in more heavily), I give you the figure-friendly <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1867554">Buttermilk Quick Bread</a> from <a href="http://www.cookinglight.com/">Cooking Light's</a> January 2009 issue.<br /><br />Let me tell you, I love baking but I don't always have the best luck with quick breads. I was <span style="font-style: italic;">thrilled</span> to open the oven to find this gorgeously browned loaf waiting.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3188535645/" title="Buttermilk Quick Bread by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/3188535645_52ec437451.jpg" alt="Buttermilk Quick Bread" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />After a long 10 minutes, I cut into it, hoping that the exterior wasn't just taunting me. I feared finding an undercooked mess, or a dried-out crumbly loaf, or a brick...<br /><br />Instead, I got this:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3189379592/" title="Buttermilk Quick Bread by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/3189379592_3f1b552526.jpg" alt="Buttermilk Quick Bread" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Lovely, moist bread. There's a nice sweetness to it from the sugar, and the buttermilk really shines here. The sweet/savory aspect reminded me a bit of cornbread.<br /><br />Big points for easiness. Mix ingredients; bake. In the interests of saving myself a tiny bit of clean up, I melted the butter in the loaf pan in the oven while it was preheating. This gave me the melted butter and the greased pan in one step, and I didn't have to get out another bowl for butter melting purposes. Score!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3189379806/" title="Buttermilk Quick Bread by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/3189379806_4fab3f3f49.jpg" alt="Buttermilk Quick Bread" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Cooking Light's nutritional info says that this has 137 calories and 4.6g of fat in a slice. You'd never guess from eating it. Yum.<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1867554">Buttermilk Quick Bread</a> from <a href="http://www.cookinglight.com/">Cooking Light</a> magazine, January 2009chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-341770961536119012008-12-14T18:13:00.005-05:002009-04-23T03:12:58.014-04:00Maple Leaf CookiesFor once, I had my annual cookie swap contribution picked out in advance. And I'm talking a couple of <span style="font-style: italic;">months</span> in advance.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3108930988/" title="Maple Cookies by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/3108930988_79c0315ff3.jpg" alt="Maple Cookies" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Martha got me good, with a recipe for <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/maple-leaf-cookies">Maple Leaf Cookies</a> as the "cookie of the month" in the November Martha Stewart Living. It's a basic sugar cookie, but with brown sugar and maple syrup added to give it a slightly deeper flavor. I am a complete sucker for maple, so I copied this cookie recipe as soon as I saw it.<br /><br />I got 6 dozen out of this recipe, despite rolling the dough thinner than the recipe calls for AND using smaller cookie cutters than the recommended 3.5" maple leaf. Martha says you'll get "about 8 dozen".<br /><br />The cookies as they come out the oven are not very sweet at all, and you could easily stop there and have some nice tea-or-coffee biscuits. The final step of brushing with maple syrup and sprinkling sugar on top adds a nice amount of sweetness to them. The maple flavor is there, but pretty subtle.<br /><br />I didn't bother with the repeated dough freezes called for in the recipe. I almost always roll out cookie dough between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, which lets me get away with a stickier dough. Any time it felt like the dough was getting too warm, it went into the refrigerator for 10 minutes.<br /><br />I used regular granulated sugar for the final step, instead of sanding sugar. They still came out sparkly and sugary:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3108098485/" title="Maple Cookies by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/3108098485_cb601fc454.jpg" alt="Maple Cookies" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Now I just have to keep myself from sampling any more. I've gone through the leftovers already, so all that's left are the packages for my coworkers. :)<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/maple-leaf-cookies">Maple Leaf Cookies</a> from <span style="font-style: italic;">Martha Stewart Living</span>, November 2008chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-58292714199807006952008-11-06T17:12:00.005-05:002008-11-06T17:43:41.830-05:00Chicken and Celery Pot StickersMy first time making my own pot stickers rather than just heating up a bag of <a href="http://heateatreview.com/2006/12/02/trader-joes-chicken-gyoza-potstickers/">Trader Joe's frozen ones</a>. The Trader Joe's chicken gyoza are darn tasty, but I may never go back.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3008284549/" title="Homemade potstickers by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/3008284549_3b45808bb6.jpg" alt="Homemade potstickers" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />These were obscenely easy to make, and perfect for a small kitchen. I didn't even need to get out a cutting board. A food processor, a plate to hold the filled pot stickers before cooking them, and a frying pan with a lid. That's it. Filling these felt like a school art project; I had 2 dozen made in no time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3008284821/" title="Homemade potstickers by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/3008284821_be5ceda48c.jpg" alt="Homemade potstickers" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The recipe is not only easy, it's also fairly inexpensive to make. The filling is ground chicken, a couple of ribs of celery, a couple of garlic cloves, some salt, pepper, and soy sauce. A quarter pound of meat gave me 24 pot stickers with filling to spare.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3008285187/" title="Homemade potstickers by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/3008285187_d8c15ce838.jpg" alt="Homemade potstickers" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The results were fabulous. A crispy, crunchy browned side, a chewier steamed side, a nice hit of garlicky chicken filling, and a basic soy-and-vinegar dipping sauce... what's not to love?<br /><br />Want the recipe? <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/11/chicken-and-celery-potstickers">Chicken and Celery Pot Stickers</a> from Gourmet.comchacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-79729377535430840812008-06-29T20:40:00.004-04:002008-06-30T00:31:24.073-04:00Pepperoni pastaThis was easy, fast, and incredibly good. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2623144846/" title="Pepperoni pasta by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2623144846_87aedba50e.jpg" alt="Pepperoni pasta" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />I came across this <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cavatappi-with-pepperoni">Cavatappi with Pepperoni</a> recipe in foodandwine.com's "Quick Pasta" slideshow. Pasta, tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and a very respectable amount of pepperoni to give it a bit of heat. I followed the recipe pretty closely. However, instead of dumping all the grease from the pepperoni, I kept a bit of it in the pan and used that to sauté the onion and pepper. I also used a couple of 8 oz cans of plain no-salt-added tomato sauce instead of the whole tomatoes in the recipe.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2622319797/" title="Pepperoni pasta by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2622319797_6c5640901b.jpg" alt="Pepperoni pasta" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This was filling, but not heavy. Nice mild heat from the pepperoni, balanced by the sweet onions and peppers. It was done in under half an hour, not much cleanup... gotta love that.<br /><br />Two thumbs up!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-14890362772823472792008-06-06T20:29:00.004-04:002008-06-06T21:54:46.199-04:00Lime and Basil Pasta Salad<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2556660843/" title="Lime and Basil Pasta Salad by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2556660843_ff88aee9e0.jpg" alt="Lime and Basil Pasta Salad" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />We've had a couple of hot, humid days here, and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a summery pasta salad. It was inspired by <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ORZO-WITH-GRILLED-SHRIMP-SUMMER-VEGETABLES-AND-PESTO-VINAIGRETTE-242498">Orzo with Grilled Shrimp, Summer Vegetables, and Pesto Vinaigrette</a> by Sara Foster. Lovely recipe, except for two main ingredients that I can't eat: shrimp and pesto (which usually has nuts in it). This has the same underlying idea as the original: pasta, grilled summer vegetables, lime vinaigrette, fresh basil. Light, refreshing, and perfect for a warm night.<br /><br />I have a countertop grill, so there was no chance that the green beans would fall through the grate. For a regular grill, you could wrap the green beans up in foil and grill them in a packet.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2556659891/" title="Grilled vegetables by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3152/2556659891_f2e89fecec.jpg" alt="Grilled vegetables" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Lime and Basil Pasta Salad<br />serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as a side<br /><br />8 ounces orzo or other small pasta<br />Juice of one lime<br />4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil<br />2 tablespoons red wine vinegar<br />1 clove garlic, minced<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered<br />1/4 to 1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed<br />1 pound cooked chicken, cut into 1" cubes<br />1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves<br /><br />Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.<br /><br />In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.<br /><br />Heat grill to medium-high heat. Brush the grill with olive oil, then grill pepper until softened and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remove pepper to cool. Grill green beans until they develop grill marks, about 5 minutes (they should still have a nice crunch to them). Remove green beans to cool.<br /><br />Once cooled, chop green beans into 1" pieces and chop bell pepper into bite-size pieces or smaller. Add cooked chicken, green beans, and bell pepper to bowl with pasta. Add lime vinaigrette and sliced basil; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.<br /><br />Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-57478924110895586432008-05-09T20:49:00.003-04:002008-05-09T21:02:40.419-04:00Fusilli Carbonara<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2478800295/" title="Carbonara with leeks by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2478800295_138f79943d.jpg" alt="Carbonara with leeks" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Pasta + bacon + egg + leeks + 15 minutes = happy me.<br /><br />And really, can you blame me for that? A bowl of hearty, filling comfort food (did I mention the bacon and eggs?) in about as much time as it takes to cook a pot of pasta. I even splurged a bit and got some Niman Ranch uncured applewood smoked bacon for this... out of this world. The leeks add a mild sweet onion flavor that complements the saltiness of the bacon very well.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2479612718/" title="Carbonara with leeks by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2105/2479612718_1d556a879f.jpg" alt="Carbonara with leeks" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241878">Orrechiette Carbonara</a> (Bon Appétit, April 2008)chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-73147078317535475152008-05-08T17:38:00.004-04:002008-05-08T18:12:32.599-04:00Grilled cheese with onion jam, Emmentaler, and escarole<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2476277721/" title="Grilled cheese with onion jam, Emmentaler, and escarole by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2476277721_c55ebca775.jpg" alt="Grilled cheese with onion jam, Emmentaler, and escarole" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Got this recipe out of February's issue of Gourmet, and I have to say, it's a nice way to make grilled cheese into something a bit out of the ordinary.<br /><br />I didn't see <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=4869">Taleggio</a> cheese at Fresh Market, so I got a little brick of French <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=2417">Emmentaler </a>instead. It doesn't have as strong of a flavor as the Taleggio would have had, so I tried to go light on the onion jam so the cheese wouldn't be completely overpowered. Of course, I'm addicted to the jam anyway, so there could have been no cheese at all and I probably still would have been happy (<a href="http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/prdsell.aspx?L0=SpecialtyFoods&L1=Preserves&L2=Jams&L3=RoastedGarlicOnionJam">Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Garlic Onion Jam</a>, for those who are curious). The sweetness of the jam, the nuttiness of the cheese, the bitterness from the escarole, the slight tang from the sourdough bread... everything balanced well.<br /><br />Recipe: <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241531">Grilled Cheese with Onion Jam, Taleggio, and Escarole</a> (Gourmet magazine, February 2008)chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-86622092124619454692008-03-11T16:44:00.000-04:002008-03-11T16:41:43.788-04:00"Irish" meatloaf with holiday potatoes<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2327568604/" title=""Irish" meatloaf and holiday potatoes by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/2327568604_5842106449.jpg" alt=""Irish" meatloaf and holiday potatoes" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />I collect meatloaf recipes, ideally ones with an off-the-wall ingredient or something unexpected. When I came across <a href="http://www.thefreshmarket.com/recipes/recipes_details_review.aspx?RecipeID=110">this cheddar meatloaf recipe</a> on The Fresh Market website, I was drawn to the use of quick-cooking oats as a binder, instead of the standard breadcrumbs. And as I was making it, it occurred to me that there were two very "Irish" ingredients in it: oats and cheddar. I didn't bother with mini-meatloaves, as you can see. Nor did I "finely chop" the onion, because I like larger chunks of onion. It ended up moist but not greasy, and held together pretty well even though I cut into it the second it came out of the oven. This is one of those "nobody would guess the secret ingredient" recipes; it certainly doesn't taste like oatmeal.<br /><br />And since it's meatloaf, there's a law that it has to be served with mashed potatoes... another thing that people associate with Ireland. These here aren't normal mashed potatoes. They are the single most unhealthy potato preparation I've ever made; as you can imagine, they are also absolutely delicious. I guess in the interests of eating healthy, one could use low-fat cream cheese and leave out the butter. For special occasions, though, <a href="http://www.thefreshmarket.com/recipes/recipes_details_review.aspx?RecipeID=241">these potatoes</a> (also from Fresh Market) should get the full shebang. I left the skins on mine, since these were just for me and I like potato skins.<br /><br />In keeping with the theme, you could certainly bring color into it and have a green vegetable or salad on the side. For me, this was one of those meat-and-potatoes moments where I just wanted comfort food and didn't want to fuss with anything else for the sake of a "complete" meal. Broccoli would be nice, maybe roasted alongside the meatloaf and potatoes (bonus: both dishes cook for the same time at the same oven temperature).<br /><br />Recipes:<br /><a href="http://www.thefreshmarket.com/recipes/recipes_details_review.aspx?RecipeID=110">Lil Cheddar Meatloaves</a> (<a href="http://www.thefreshmarket.com/index.html">The Fresh Market</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.thefreshmarket.com/recipes/recipes_details_review.aspx?RecipeID=241">Holiday Potatoes</a> (<a href="http://www.thefreshmarket.com/index.html">The Fresh Market</a>)chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-5965787708870063892008-01-06T17:47:00.000-05:002008-01-06T17:48:00.856-05:00Onion soupI'd been looking for something lighter to kick off the new year with. And as I sat there this morning paging through a Donna Hay cookbook, I realized: I don't *want* lighter. It's winter. I'm supposed to be having rich, slow-cooked, filling stuff, not salads. I realized this when I came to a full page picture of French onion soup and nearly started drooling.<br /><br />And really, all it is is onions and broth... it's rich, but it's not wholly unhealthy, so I don't feel quite as bad about having this as my first "real" post of 2008. I started with the Donna Hay recipe, and then incorporated ideas from a couple of other onion soup recipes (the bourbon and red pepper flakes are all me, however). This would easily serve 4 as a starter, and 2-3 as a main course.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2172570197/" title="Onion soup by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2288/2172570197_edcedb3e2b.jpg" alt="Onion soup" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Onion soup<br /><br />1 large red onion<br />2-3 small yellow onions<br />1 tbsp butter<br />1 tbsp olive oil<br />2 tbsp fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried ground thyme<br />1 bay leaf<br />2 tbsp all-purpose flour<br />1/4 cup bourbon<br />1 tbsp Dijon mustard<br />1/2 cup water<br />about 4 cups beef broth (2 cans is fine, use the low-sodium option)<br />1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)<br /><br />Cheese toast:<br />1 slice of bread for each serving<br />Butter at room temperature<br />Shredded cheese<br /><br />Thinly slice the onions. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring every couple of minutes, until onions are golden, 15-20 minutes (for darker onions, simply continue cooking at this point until they're the desired shade of brown). Remove and discard the bay leaf.<br /><br />Add the flour and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the bourbon and cook for 1 minute to remove most of the alcohol. Add the mustard, water, broth, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a slow boil and allow to cook, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30-45 minutes.<br /><br />When the soup is almost done, assemble the cheese toasts. Preheat broiler. Butter one side of each bread slice, top with desired amount of shredded cheese (I go light on the cheese because this is a filling soup). Place the toasts in the broiler and cook until the cheese has melted and browned, about 5-7 minutes.<br /><br />Ladle soup into serving bowls and top each bowl with a cheese toast.<br /><br />*If you're without bourbon, you can substitute brandy, wine, sherry, or just leave out the alcohol entirely.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2173360108/" title="Onion soup by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2289/2173360108_41d22921e0.jpg" alt="Onion soup" height="375" width="500" /></a>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-39638301634273603492007-12-05T11:37:00.000-05:002007-12-05T11:39:24.717-05:00Homemade Thin MintsIf you work with me, and you're doing the cookie swap, this is what you're getting from me: <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html">Heidi Swanson's</a> <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001370.html">All-Natural and Homemade Thin Mints</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2089302562/" title="All-Natural and Homemade Thin Mints by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2089302562_b80823f87f.jpg" alt="All-Natural and Homemade Thin Mints" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />I've been looking for an excuse to make these since she posted the recipe back in 2006. I don't bake sweet stuff for myself very often, and we have so many birthdays at work that I almost feel guilty bringing in sweets on other days. I forgot about the recipe when I was doing <a href="http://inatinykitchen.blogspot.com/2006/12/holiday-cookies.html">last year's swap</a>, but I remembered this year!<br /><br />The nice thing about online recipes is that they frequently have a place where people can leave comments. You can tell pretty quickly which comments can be ignored ("I changed most of the ingredients and it didn't turn out right, so this is a bad recipe" is always a favorite) and which ones should be taken to heart. On this recipe, there were several comments about the dough being crumbly and difficult to work with, as well as comments saying that dipping the cookies in the melted chocolate leaves a chocolate layer that's too thick.<br /><br />Crumbly, persnickety dough. That means that using cookie cutters is going to be a HUGE pain, so I changed the baking method just a bit. The recipe says to roll out the dough to 1/8" thick, cut out shapes, and bake for 10 minutes. Instead, I rolled it out closer to 1/4" thick and used a knife to cut the dough into 1.5" squares. I put them in the oven for 10 minutes per baking sheet, and due to the high butter content, they spread out nicely into 2" slightly rounded squares. I made three batches of the dough so I'd have plenty, and had a nice assembly line going for the mixing. I made one batch, put it in the freezer to chill, used the same bowl for a second batch (no cleaning the bowl necessary, since it's all going to be the same dough anyway), put that batch in the freezer, made the third batch, put that in the freezer, and took out batch #1 to roll out.<br /><br />Mixing, rolling, and baking took about 2 hours from start to finish: not bad for 9 dozen cookies.<br />The full batch of cookies cooled overnight, and this morning, I did stage 2: chocolate coating. Instead of dunking each cookie in melted chocolate (which, according to many comments, left far too much chocolate on the cookies), I spread a thin layer of the chocolate on the cookies. It worked well, and had the added benefit of being messy fun. Doing this also allowed me to coat all of my cookies with one 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips instead of 3 lbs of chocolate--a smidge healthier is always a good thing, and the extra chocolate won't be missed. I got about 4 dozen cookies per batch of dough, and since I only made 9 dozen, I have the leftover dough in the freezer awaiting a chocolate craving attack. :)<br /><br />The mint flavor in the chocolate is very subtle, and I would definitely add more of the peppermint extract on any future batches. This isn't just because I used less chocolate, because even the chocolate by itself doesn't have that strong mint flavor that the GS Thin Mints have.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2088512839/" title="All-Natural and Homemade Thin Mints by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2393/2088512839_1c9f53389d.jpg" alt="All-Natural and Homemade Thin Mints" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Playing around with chocolate wasn't a bad way to spend the first snowy morning of the winter!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-76686655192954157842007-11-23T18:44:00.000-05:002007-11-23T18:56:25.994-05:00Cranberry Eggnog TartAs the baker in the family, I'm always responsible for bringing bread/rolls and dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't have much trouble figuring out the rolls -- the "butter dipped rolls" from the Bread Bible. This dough took forever to rise, so there's a possibility that I need to freshen up my yeast supply. The finished rolls were very dense and buttery... I was reminded a lot of crescent rolls, both in flavor and texture.<br /><br />A dessert choice took a little while to hit me. Most "traditional" Thanksgiving desserts are things that at least one person in my family won't eat or (in my case) is allergic to. I've relied on cakes for the last few years, since they transport well. For whatever reason, I couldn't find a cake recipe that I really wanted to make this year.<br /><br />I turned to Epicurious, like I usually do when I'm in any kind of food quandary. They had picture slideshows of Thanksgiving recipes, including one of "Thanksgiving Pies and Tarts". Most of the recipes fell into the "Only one person would actually eat that" category or the "That has nuts and would make me puffy and unpleasant" category. And then I saw the <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231017">Cranberry Eggnog Tart</a>. Cookie crust on the bottom, thin layer of cranberry jam, cheesecake layer flavored like eggnog, and another layer of jam on top. The crust and the cheesecake are done in the food processor, and the jam is a basic stovetop cranberry sauce put through a strainer. Easy prep, don't need to use every bowl in the kitchen to make it... perfect.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2057590163/" title="Cranberry Eggnog Tart, pre-cranberry by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2355/2057590163_e7c19b0ee4.jpg" alt="Cranberry Eggnog Tart, pre-cranberry" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />My lone problem was that the cranberry "jam" never became anything thicker than a syrup. Maybe my cranberries weren't ripe enough, maybe I didn't force enough of the solids through the strainer; regardless, it would have been impossible to use it for layers in the tart. However, it was a lovely consistency for a dessert sauce, so... problem solved.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/2057590263/" title="Cranberry Eggnog Tart by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2057590263_fd6b0c5d45.jpg" alt="Cranberry Eggnog Tart" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This was my first time making a cheesecake, and I really liked the "no water bath" aspect of it; it's thin enough that you don't need to bother. It also seems like getting a store-bought jam (cranberry or otherwise) would work nicely in place of the from-scratch cranberry jam. Heck, maybe even a thin layer of lemon curd spread over the top.<br /><br />This will probably be a strong contender for next year's Thanksgiving dessert as well.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-42940474081773577582007-10-28T21:38:00.000-04:002007-10-28T21:54:18.924-04:00Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot PieI know, I know, I just had a pot pie post fairly recently. I'm a pot pie fiend. Something about 3, possibly 4 food groups all smooshed together in one dish really appeals to me.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1795352349/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/1795352349_38cb14353e.jpg" alt="Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot Pie" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This particular one came up as the Epicurious featured recipe of the day a couple of weeks ago: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102378">Chicken and Fall Vegetable Pot Pie</a>. Fresh Market had everything I needed except turnip greens, so I decided to substitute some baby spinach instead. Got three huge and absolutely gorgeous chicken breasts back at the butcher counter, and while I waited for my turn, I had some entertainment from the kids at the "make a creepy halloween cupcake" table. Cupcakes, frosting, and every kind of gummy creepy-crawly imaginable... The kids there were having a grand time.<br /><br />Anyway, there's a reason that this has a 95% "would make it again" rate, with a 4-fork rating... it's really good. With the wine, leeks, and shallots in the sauce, and the departure from the normal "peas, carrots, onions" vegetable mix, this is a slightly more sophisticated version of a pot pie. It's very filling, full of lean protein, vegetables, and greens, with the only "unhealthy stuff" being the butter and shortening in the crust, and the heavy cream in the filling. I like to think the "good for you" cancels out the "not so good for you" in dishes like this.<br /><br />This was a nice way to officially welcome fall to our corner of Maryland.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-32099420689268522952007-10-16T09:37:00.000-04:002007-10-16T09:47:51.104-04:00Sweet Spelt Sourdough BreadOh no, she's breaking out the whole grains...<br /><br />I promised healthier after my eggs and cheese and butter extravaganza in the previous post, so here's the Sweet Spelt Sourdough Bread from <span style="font-style: italic;">King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking</span>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1588287636/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2051/1588287636_20dc57e4d4.jpg" alt="Spelt Sourdough Bread" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Spelt is a new grain for me. The natural store that I shop at carries it, and I got a 1 lb bag on a whim a couple of months ago. I haven't found tons of recipes using spelt, as it's only recently started gaining popularity. This sourdough recipe not only provided a way to use some of the spelt that I'd bought, but also gave me an excuse to poke my starter and see if it was still going strong after several months hibernating in the refrigerator (answer: Yes. Sweet Fancy Moses, yes. It'll probably outlive me.).<br /><br />The recipe calls for an all-spelt levain. Bakers have a whole bunch of terms that mean "starter".. levain is one of them. It's kind of an intermediate step between your permanent starter and the finished dough. Basically, take a little bit of your starter, feed it, and that's your levain. This recipe actually calls for you to begin with a spelt starter... my starter is good ol' AP flour and bread flour, and I absolutely wasn't going to convert the whole thing to spelt just for the 2 tablespoons that are used to make the levain. I used two tablespoons of my existing starter, fed it with the amounts of spelt and water specified, and set it on my warm oven to ferment. ("Room temperature" for bread tends to be warmer than my room temperature here. Any time I see that something needs to rise at room temperature, I turn on the oven as low as possible and set the rising container on top.)<br /><br />Now, here's where my fun really started. The basic sourdough recipe that I've made in the past calls for the levain to expand for up to 16 hours... my yeast does this in 4 hours. Using the (faulty) assumption that I would also have a faster rise with this one, I started its 12-hour rise at 5:30 pm on Friday. I figured, even if it took half the time called for, I'd still be able to make the dough around 11:30, nap during rise times, and take fresh baked bread in to work with me Saturday morning.<br /><br />Of course, this time it took the full 12 hours to rise. I stashed it in the fridge so it wouldn't continue to expand so quickly while I was at work and then out Saturday evening. I got the levain out on Sunday morning, let it come up to room temperature, and then made my dough. This dough was hard as a rock. It sucked up all the liquid and still left about half a cup of dry flour on the bottom of the bowl. I added enough water to make a very wet and loose dough with the flour that hadn't been absorbed, and folded that into the rest of the dough. Slowly, it started to loosen up to a point where I could actually knead it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1587399057/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/1587399057_d0b2ffd7d2.jpg" alt="Spelt Sourdough Bread" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />From there, all that was left was to let it rise, shape it, slash it, and stick it in the oven. The recipe calls for one 8" x 4" loaf pan... the one size I don't have. I split my dough into one 7" x 3" and two mini-loaf pans, baked the two mini-loaves for 30 minutes each and the larger one for 40 minutes. After all the various things that had gone wonky with this bread, I wasn't expecting much, so I was very pleasantly surprised to pull out 3 nice, risen, crusty loaves of bread.<br /><br />The flavor of this is completely unlike any bread I've ever had, and one mini-loaf was entirely gone within two hours. The most surprising thing to me was that, while it smells like regular ol' whole wheat bread, there's none of the bitterness that you sometimes get with whole wheat flour. The finished bread is slightly sweet, slightly tangy (from the natural starter), with a dense crumb that's not overly chewy. Great toasting bread.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1587399539/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2129/1587399539_352b381ceb.jpg" alt="Spelt Sourdough Bread" height="375" width="500" /></a>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-88527425878547217092007-10-11T19:44:00.000-04:002007-10-11T19:44:14.298-04:00Turkey Cream Puff PieThis is one that's been in the (virtual) recipe box for a while, just waiting for the first cooler day of the fall. It does not involve dessert cream puffs in any way; I think it acquired that name because the crust is a choux pastry, like what you use to make cream puffs... but it should probably be "turkey cheese puff pie" or "turkey gougere pie".<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1547013536/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/1547013536_b04ca90ae7.jpg" alt="Turkey Cream Puff Pie" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Making <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=1924">choux pastry</a> is one of those times when you feel like something magic is happening in front of you. Every time I make a batch, I can't believe what happens. You dump the flour into your butter/liquid mixture and think, "Oh, this will never smooth out, I'm going to have a lumpy mess." Lo and behold, it smoothes out and all the lumps disappear. You add your eggs one at a time, and it looks like there's no way the dough will absorb each additional egg... and then you look and the egg you just added is gone. And all of this comes before you even bake it, which causes your sticky, buttery paste to rise and puff and turn a gorgeous golden brown.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1547014006/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/1547014006_3b3ad6dea5.jpg" alt="Turkey Cream Puff Pie" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />I've made choux pastry a bunch of times, mostly for gougeres. The idea of using it as a savory pie crust, however, came from Gourmet magazine (<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/232982">recipe available on Epicurious</a>). I subbed in my usual veggie combo of carrots, corn, peas, and broccoli, and also added a couple of tablespoons of sherry to my filling.<br /><br />The smell of this baking is out of this world, by the way--my whole apartment is filled with the aroma of butter and cheese. The finished pie is pretty darn delicious. There's absolutely no confusing the choux pastry with a typical pie crust. It's dense and eggy and moist, with pockets of Swiss cheese throughout.<br /><br />Something healthy next time, I promise.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32246045.post-59071917051410898002007-09-16T23:33:00.000-04:002007-10-11T18:51:21.628-04:00Meat Loaf Club SandwichOrdinarily, sandwiches don't make it to the blog, because my sandwiches tend to be kind of boring. "Take something, put it in bread". This one, however, seemed interesting. It's a meatloaf sandwich that doesn't require one to make a meatloaf first. Ok, I had to have a go at that.<br /><br />This comes from Food & Wine (<a href="http://foodandwine.com/recipes/meat-loaf-club-sandwiches">found here</a> on their website). You make a seasoned meat mixture, spread it out on a sandwich, and press it on either a grill or skillet. Instant meatloaf in a sandwich.<br /><br />Mine had no tomatoes and no rosemary, and I put mustard directly on the top layer instead of having it on the side. Two thumbs up. They're garlicky, bacon-y, with moist meat, crunchy toasted bread, and a little kick from the chipotle. It's a little more work than a typical deli meat sandwich, but well worth it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/1394154429/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1201/1394154429_012eff25cb.jpg" alt="Meatloaf Club Sandwich" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Note to self: next time, make fries. This needed fries. :Dchacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com2