Tag Archives: Recipe

Hard Cider White Chicken Chili

17 Feb

Do you ever start cooking, but you don’t really have a plan? I knew I wanted to make chili, but not much beyond that. I started with onions and chicken simmering in olive oil, added some Angry Orchard hard cider and a jar of salsa verde, threw in pinto beans and let it simmer. I’m really happy with how it turned out. The sweetness of the cider pairs nicely with the tangy salsa. This recipe is a winner. We served it with loaded baked potatoes, and more hard cider, of course.

chiliIngredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (chopped roughly in 2-3 inch pieces)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup hard cider

2 cans of pinto beans (total of 16 ounces)

1 jar of salsa verde (8-10 ounces)

2 cups of water

Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for a garnish

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat olive oil. Add onion and chicken. Simmer about 3 minutes and add hard cider. Simmer another 5 minutes until chicken cooked thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

Top chili with shredded cheese and sour cream. We served it with baked potatoes loaded with more cheese, sour cream, and bacon.

I will make this again, and next time I’m tempted to put bacon in the soup. Yes, that will take this great chili over the top.

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Simple Stacked Sugar Cookies for Valentine’s Day

28 Jan

cookiesv12

I secretly have a thing for Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s because my husband proposed to me on Valentine’s Day. In fact, that’s probably it. It could explain why I love baking heart-shaped desserts.

Today was definitely a baking day. I made cheeseburger pie, a spinach quiche, and these Valentine’s Day sugar cookies. Digging around in the pantry, I found a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and decided to whip up some cookies for my daughters. These are really easy because they look pretty and you don’t have to mess with icing.

To make these, you’ll need a sugar cookie mix, 1/3 cup of butter, 1 tablespoon of flour, 1 egg, red food coloring, and heart-shaped fondant or cookie cutters.

Valentine's Day Stacked Sugar Cookie Tutorial

Valentine’s Day Stacked Sugar Cookie Tutorial

Follow the sugar cookie mix directions. (Or, if you want to be healthier, you can try this whole wheat flour sugar cookie recipe.) Split the dough in half and place in two separate bowls. In one bowl, add several drops of red food coloring (use your best judgement–I lost count of the number of drops) and mix well. Roll out both colors of sugar cookie dough out on a pastry mat or clean surface. (Don’t forget to lightly coat the rolling pin with flour.) Use the cookie cutters to cut several different sizes of hearts and stack them however you please. I tried several variations. My favorite are the plain sugar cookies with a medium-size red heart stacked on top. Bake according to the directions, but you might want to add 1 more minute because the stacked cookies are a little thicker.

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I love the way these look. We didn’t miss the icing or sprinkles at all. You know, there’s something special about a simple sugar cookie.

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Happy (early) Valentine’s Day!

~Amy

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Patriotic Fruit and Yogurt Cups

4 Jul

4th of July Breakfast

Here’s an easy, healthy breakfast to celebrate 4th of July.

Watermelon Blueberry Yogurt Cups

Red, White, and Blue Breakfast – vanilla yogurt, watermelon star, blueberries

Wishing you a fantastic red-white-blue day filled with fun, family, friends, and food.

~Amy

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Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs with Caprese Salad

3 Jul
Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs

Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs

A weekend trip to our local farmer’s market yielded a basket of fresh produce. For $21 I brought home a shopping bag full of artisan lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, green beans, wax beans, basil, zucchini, and cauliflower. Tonight I turned the fresh basil, summer squash, and zucchini into a lemony, zesty summer dinner.

I realize chicken kabobs and Caprese salad are nothing new under the sun, especially in the realm of creative cookery. But I love this simple summer meal. Here is my recipe for lemon pepper chicken kabobs.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs Recipe

Ingredients

Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup lemon juice)

1 tablespoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups sliced summer squash

2 cups sliced zucchini

1 onion chopped in big chunks

Directions

Preheat a grill.

Mix freshly squeezed lemon juice, pepper, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl. Cut chicken breasts into large 2-3 inch chunks. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix together. The chicken and vegetables should be well coated with the lemon pepper sauce.

Thread the ingredients onto skewers. Grill the skewers on a 400 degree grill for about 5 to 7 minutes each side.

Remove from grill and slide the chicken and vegetables off the skewers.

Serve kabobs over rice. Serves 6.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs with Caprese Salad

Summer on a Plate: Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs with Caprese Salad

This is a meal by itself, but I had fresh basil so I added a Caprese salad with crusty french bread. I’ve seen elaborate Caprese salad recipes, so my version might seem too simple. Even though it’s basic, it is zingy, light, and full of flavor.

Simple Caprese Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1 loaf french bread (sliced and warmed on grill)

3 Roma tomatoes (sliced)

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced)

1 bunch sweet basil

Directions

Layer Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves on top of warm bread slices. Serves 6

Simple Caprese Salad

Simple Caprese Salad: Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Roma Tomatoes

If you’re pressed for time, you can speed up the recipes by prepping as much as possible the night before. Pre-chop the vegetables and chicken; keep separate or assemble on skewers. You can mix the lemon pepper sauce ahead of time, but do not add it to the chicken until 15 minutes before cooking. The lemon marinade is very acidic and will actually start to “cook” the chicken if left on too long.

One last thought before I go. I typically have trouble storing fresh basil. But thanks to the Half Assed Kitchen (great blog name, no?) I finally have the perfect way to keep fresh basil from wilting–store the stems in a jar of water at room temperature and cover loosely with a plastic bag.

Happy summer eating!

~Amy

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Chocolate Raspberry Tart

18 Jun

I grew up in Colorado (among other places) and I collected several cookbooks from the Junior League of Denver. My favorite cookbook is Colorado Collage. I believe it’s still in print, so look for it online and snap up a copy. You can find this recipe, Chocolate Raspberry Tart, in the cookbook on page 350, but I tweak it a bit. I use the crust recipe from my other favorite dessert recipe, Almond Tart, on page 348. I don’t like to roll out and chill pie crust, so this crust recipe is actually fairly simple.

I love this dessert because it is delicious, not overly complicated, and perfect for a special occasion. But buckle up, because you’re going to need 2 sticks of butter and a special tart pan with a removable bottom. It’s worth it!

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

(inspired by Colorado Collage cookbook)

Crust:

1 cup flour

1 T sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 T vanilla

1 1/2 tsp water

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup half and half

Topping:

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 cup fresh raspberries, rinse and pat dry

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You’ll need a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Lightly grease the pan. (I use cooking spray). In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Mix or pulse until it is crumbly. In a separate small bowl, combine the vanilla and water. Slowly add this vanilla mixture to the flour mixture while the processor is running. Process the dough until it forms a ball.  [Note: you can make the crust without a food processor, but I find it takes significantly longer.]

Press the dough into the tart pan. Pat the crust until it covers the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes. It will be light brown. Cool the crust on a rack and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat. When melted, add the sugar, eggs, yolk, and vanilla. Stir until smooth, remove from heat, and stir in the half and half. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake for 25 minutes until set. Cool on a rack.

In a small saucepan, melt the raspberry jam over low heat. Carefully spoon half the melted jam over the tart. Decorate with the fresh raspberries and drizzle the remaining jam over the fruit.

You can serve the tart at room temperature or chilled.

Let me know if you make it. It really is divine, but with two sticks of butter, chocolate, and fresh raspberries it has to be amazing. Enjoy!

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Swedish Wishing Cookies

18 Dec
Swedish wishing cookies with icing

Swedish Wishing Cookies

My friend, Gladys, gave me a recipe for Swedish wishing cookies several years ago. Gladys knows a thing or two about cookies. Gladys and her husband owned two bakeries in the area in the 1930s through 1960 something. She will be 104 in January and she’s still living in the South Minneapolis home where she raised her family.

Why did it take me 5 years to try her recipe? I don’t really know. Oh, except that the past few years I’ve been knee-deep in child wrangling and have not had endless hours to devote to making cookies from scratch.

I finally tried her recipe, and I’m glad I did. It’s like a cross between a sugar cookie and gingerbread. It took me all day to make these cookies–the recipe makes 100 cookies–and it was so worth it.

The story behind Swedish wishing cookies is very sweet. Once baked and cooled, place your finger in the center of the cookie to break it. If it breaks into three pieces, make a wish, eat all three pieces without saying a word, and your wish will come true.

Swedish Wishing Cookies

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

2 T molasses

3 T water

1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

For icing

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 T skim milk

Directions

  • In a medium bowl, stir dry ingredients–flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
  • Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter until soft. Keep mixer running and add sugar and mix on low-speed until fluffy. Add egg, molasses, and lemon peel. Once mixed add water one tablespoon at a time until dough forms a ball. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutters. Star cookie cutters work especially well for this recipe. Place cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Cool.
  • Mix icing ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until it is desired consistency. Pipe lacy designs on the cooled cookies. I used a round #3 tip and a pastry bag to pipe the designs.

I love these cookies. They are spicy, fragrant, and crisp. My daughters loved trying to break the cookies into three pieces and keep quiet to earn their wish. Make your holiday special, think of Gladys, and make Swedish wishing cookies.

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Drunken Chocolate Almond Bars

10 Aug

The incomparable Stephanie Meyer, aka Fresh Tart Steph, opened up her home on a glorious summer evening for the much anticipated Minnesota Food Bloggers’ Big Bar Bake Off Bash.  I get misty-eyed over food, but the baking competition struck a chord in my romance with food and parties. Amateur and professional food bloggers, foodies, and the people who love them gathered to feast on pork belly, spicy slaw, kabobs, Habanero pepper infused Fulton Beer, Kitchak Cellars‘ wine, divine chocolate truffles from Kate In The Kitchen, and seventeen(!) varieties of bars.  If you have to ask, “What’s a bar?” you are not from Minnesota. 

The lovely Kelli Abrahamian won with her apricot bar – rosemary shortbread crust, poached apricots soaked in rum and a toasted almond crumble.  Everyone enjoyed sampling the bars and marveling at the creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and my sweet tooth was in heaven.

This is my entry – Drunken Chocolate Almond Bars.  Many thanks to Amy P. for sharing her photo!

Photo Credit: Amy P. from Green Your Plate blog

Photo credit Amy P from Green Your Plate blog

Drunken Chocolate Almond Bars

Ingredients

 Crust:

2 cups flour

2 T sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 T vanilla

3 tsp water

 

Topping:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream

2 T Grand Marnier liqueur

1 tsp almond extract

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups sliced almonds

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees and grease 9×13 pan with cooking spray.  Combine flour, salt, sugar, and butter in food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Mix the vanilla and water in a small bowl and gradually add to dough by pulsing. **NOTE: Do not keep processor running while adding liquid or you will end up with a gooey mixture and have to add another cup of flour just to get it back to what it should be. Sigh** Process in pulses until dough comes together in a ball. Press mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and reduce oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked crust, wait until slightly melted and then spread gently over crust to make a smooth chocolate layer. 

In medium bowl use a fork to mix cream, sugar, Grand Marnier, almond extract and salt. Beat until thickened and add sliced almonds. Pour over chocolaty crust.  Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly before cutting.

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Cake Wreck Salvaged Into Cake Balls

5 Jul

Our 4th of July was a comedy of errors and this cake falling apart was the icing on the cake. Some days just don’t go according to plan. So, when life gives you lemons, I say pass up the lemonade and make cake pops!

Cake Balls

Let me back up. I planned to make a double layer lemon cake with strawberry filling, cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries on top.

I made the batter.

Strawberry Lemon Cake Ingredients

The lemon cakes were perfect – spongy and fragrant. I added the strawberry filling.

Lemon Cake with Strawberry Filling

I carefully added the second layer.

Double Layer Lemon Cake with Strawberry Filling

I started to frost my beautiful creation.

Frosting a Double Layer Lemon Cake

And then, like a road buckling in a heat wave, my cake failed.

Cake Wreck

Cake Wreck

CAKE FAIL!

I laughed. Seriously? To get this far and have a huge wreck of a cake? Tragicomedy.

I know where I went wrong. I didn’t let the cakes cool completely, plus the house was 78 degrees. The warm cake couldn’t handle the design and crumbled. I am so impatient! Next time I will pop the cakes in the freezer to cool down before frosting.

I stared at my cake wreck and wondered if I could salvage any part of it. I remembered my friend Amanda, the amazing i am baker, telling me about cake balls. It sounded crazy to me. Who would bake a cake, frost it, and then mush it altogether? But, my cake wreck stared at me gloating. I decided to turn my lemon cake into lemon cake balls.

I found these directions for cake balls online, mushed the cake wreck into a bowl and chilled the “batter” for a few minutes. I tried to use an ice cream scoop to make the balls, but my scoop was worthless. I ended up rolling the balls by hand. I plopped them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, stuck a pretzel stick in each and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Assembling Cake Balls

Then, I melted white chocolate squares in a bowl, took the chilled cake balls out of the freezer, and dipped each cake ball in the melted chocolate.

Making Cake Balls

Don’t forget to add the sprinkles right away because the coating hardens pretty quickly. I put the completed cake balls back in the freezer because they started to get too warm.

Between the rolling, chilling, coating and sprinkling, it took over an hour to make a dozen cake balls. My husband finally came in and suggested I call it a day because I was missing out on the fun outside. They were cute and yummy, but so dang time-consuming. Cake balls are like mini sugar bombs. They were so sweet it was like mainlining sugar.  If I attempt cake balls again I’ll do a couple of things differently.

Crazy Cake Balls

1. I’ll opt for a less sweet cake and try a semi-sweet or dark chocolate coating

2. I’ll skip the pretzel step because as the cake ball warmed up the pretzel stick started to fall off. I think it’s easier to coat the cake ball without the stick.

3. Invite friends over. These babies are fussy and require so many steps. If I had a helper or two, making these might actually be fun instead of a big ol’ drag.

Cake Balls aka Sugar Bombs

Let me know if you make cake balls and have any good tips for me.

PS: If you managed to read the whole post without *snorting* childishly at all the ball and stick references, you are way more mature than me.

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Patriotic Pancakes – Red, White and Blueberries

5 Jul
Want to see the festive 4th of July pancakes I made?

Red, White and Blueberry Pancakes

The batter is standard Bisquick mix with added touches of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pancake Batter

I divided the batter into three bowls and added food coloring.

Red, White and Blue Batter

 I added the blueberries to the “white” pancakes when I flipped them on the griddle. They got a little runny and too purple, so next time I’ll keep the pancakes plain and pour the blueberries on the cooked stack of pancakes.

4th of July Pancake Fixins'

My daughters loved the red and blue pancakes, but truthfully, as an adult I feel like I’m eating Play-Doh.

Red and Blue Pancakes On the Griddle

There’s nothing that amazes my daughters more than a huge stack of pancakes and a fancy flourish of whipped cream. They were delicious and fun to eat.

4th of July Pancakes Stack

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Making Whoopie Pies!

4 Jun

We had a fun Memorial Day Weekend filled with amazing food. Our Memorial Day menu:

- Grilled steak seasoned with coarse salt and pepper

- Grilled pork loin marinated in molasses and chili powder

- Steamed broccoli

- Deviled eggs with bacon

- Bread

and ta da! Whoopie pies for dessert!

I had so much fun making these. I need practice because this bunch looks a little like Cookie Monster. I was aiming for a festive white and blue Memorial Day theme. The cookies bypassed elegant and headed straight for silly. At least they are delicious!

Step 1: Duncan Hines Fudgy Brownie Supreme Mix – Follow directions on bottom of box for cream sandwich cookies. Make the batter according to the directions using 2 eggs instead of 3.  Drop batter by spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

Cooling fudgy brownie cookies

Step 2: Cool and frost “cookies” with your choice of frosting. I used vanilla frosting, but I think you could go buck wild with flavors.  Next time I think I’ll choose strawberry frosting, or maybe mocha…

Frosted sandwich cookies

Step 3: Roll sides of frosted sandwich cookies in sprinkles for a fun touch.

Sprinkles for whoopie pies

Viva la whoopie pies!

Whoopie Pies!

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