Eggplant Cannelloni

I made this for dinner for some lovely ladies a few weeks ago (I'm a little behind posting--I've been so busy, what with all the vegging on the couch and such). I stretched it to serve three, but really would be best for just two. Clearly I have a fixation with all things goat cheese, so found this to be delicious.

The only time-consuming part was making the sauce, so if you're in a hurry you could probably just use some pre-made stuff and it would still be pretty tasty.



Ingredients

-1 tablespoon olive oil
-4 large shallots, sliced
-4 cloves garlic
-1 jar (12 oz) roasted red peppers, drained
-1 can diced tomato
-Juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
-2 medium eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
-Olive oil cooking spray
-4 oz goat cheese
-4 oz ricotta cheese
-about 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions
-Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
-Cook shallots and garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Reduce heat. Cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
-Add peppers, tomatoes & juice; bring to a boil. Lower heat; simmer until peppers are soft, about 5 minutes. Cool.
-Puree in a blender. Pour into a 9" x 13" baking dish.
-Coat eggplants with cooking spray and broil on a baking sheet until golden on both sides, about 15 minutes.
-Heat oven to 400°F. Mash both cheeses and basil in a bowl.
-Place 1 tablespoon of filling at the end of each eggplant slice; roll up & secure with toothpick. Lay seam side down in dish.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes.

Modified from epicurious.com

Mom's Turkey Zucchini Soup

If I were a character in the movie Waitress (which was actually awful, but I liked the way she named her pies according to her life situation), I'd call this Single Livin' Soup. Now that it's just me in the house, I've been making big pots of soup on Monday nights. That way, I have enough leftover to bring for lunch for the next three days. It gets a little tedious, but the convenience factor makes up for it, and who doesn't love warm, hearty soup in cold weather?



Mom's Turkey Zucchini Soup

Ingredients

-1 lb ground turkey
-1/2 bag frozen corn
-1 small can diced green chili peppers
-1 can black beans (optional, and I did not add them this time so they're not in the photo)
-1 can chicken stock
-2 yellow squashes (because they're usually small), chopped
-1 large zucchini, chopped
-1 tablespoon cumin
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 tablespoon pepper
-1 tablespoon oregano
-1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

-Brown the ground turkey and drain any juices. Add spices and green chili peppers. Add beans and cook for 10 minutes.
-Add chicken stock, corn, squash and zucchini and cook for about 30 minutes or until squash is soft and cooked through.

Source: My mom

Mascarpone Cupcakes

For some reason, nothing makes me happier than making cupcakes. If I could just bake cupcakes all day, life would be complete.

These cupcakes are tops. The mascarpone cheese made them incredibly moist (shudder... I hate that word) and spongy. I tried to make the strawberry glaze, but it came out tasting a little strange -- I blame the strawberries and not my culinary efforts. I was short on time so busted over to Kroger for some store-bought icing but I'm sure these would be even better with something homemade.

Mascarpone Cupcakes



Ingredients

- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (1 cup), softened
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup water

For the Aforementioned Failed Strawberry Glaze
- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake tins with paper liners.

- In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy.
- Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Run to the grocery store for backup icing in case the glaze doesn't work out.

Source
Giada De Laurentis

Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Cups

These are super tasty, insanely easy to make, and look fancy -- the perfect party food. I could eat like 12 myself, but slap some goat cheese on anything and I'm in.



Ingredients

-30 pre-made mini phyllo cups (I can find packs of 15 in the frozen section at Kroger)
-8 oz goat cheese, preferably w/ herbs
-5 oz diced sun-dried tomatoes

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Thoroughly mix goat cheese and tomatoes, then fill each pre-made phyllo cup to the top with the mixture.
- Bake 10 - 15 minutes.

Margarita Cupcakes

I made these for a bachelorette party last weekend and they were the best ever. I ended up putting too much food coloring in the icing so they're a liiiiiiiiittle St Patrick's Day-ish, but otherwise they were very festive and abosolutely delicious.



Ingredients:

Cupcakes
- 9 oz. margarita mix
- 3 oz. tequila
- ¾ oz. grand marnier or other orange liqueur (I was able to find a tiny bottle of grand marnier so as not to buy a large amount, but you could probably omit this ingredient and it wouldn't make a huge difference)
- 1 box white cake mix
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp. lime zest

Lime Butter Cream Frosting
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. lime juice (I used more like 6 tbsp. to make it extra limey. Okay, maybe it was 8.)
- green food coloring

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Directions

Cupcakes
- Mix together the margarita mix, tequila and Grand Marnier in a large glass or spouted bowl. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of this for the cupcake batter and drink the rest as a treat while you are baking (I did not do this but by all means, bottoms up!)
- Add the margarita mixture (1 ¼ cups), cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and lime zest. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes (the batter will still be a bit lumpy).
- Spoon the batter into a prepared cupcake tin and fill cups 2/3 to ¾ full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the frosting.

Frosting
- Add all ingredients and mix on low until combined. Turn the speed to medium-high until the icing is light and fluffy. Use water to thin the frosting if necessary. (I didn't need to do this b/c I upped the lime juice amount)
- Add the icing to a pastry bag or use a spatula/knife to frost the cupcakes (I just used a knife).

To Decorate
- Sprinkle with clear sugar cake sprinkles for the "the salt." Be sure to do this immediately after frosting each individual cupcake to ensure the sprinkles stay on.
- Zest a little lime peel for "the garnish. "
(As you can see from the photo, I neglected to fancy up my cupcakes with sprinkles and lime zest, but I thought I'd include this step in case anyone else is so inclined. I'm sure they'd look way more fun that way).

Source: Little Ms. Foodie

Tomato Basil Quiche

My mom always used to serve breakfast-type items for supper -- Belgian waffles, Swedish pancakes (Oo, how ethnic) -- when we were growing up, so I could eat breakfast for dinner every night of the week if I had my druthers.



Modified from Liz's Cooking Blog

Ingredients:

2 medium or 1 large tomato, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1 small onion, thinly sliced
5 leaves of fresh basil, torn if large
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk (I used skim to keep it on the lighter side)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a small bowl, toss the cheese with the garlic. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture evenly on the bottom of the pie shell. Arrange the onion on top of the cheese. Arrange the tomato in a single layer on top of the onion. Distribute the basil on top of the tomato and in the crevices between the rounds. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture on top.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly. Add the milk and pepper and beat well. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pie shell.

Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until the quiche is browned to your liking.

Let the quiche cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini bread is delicious enough, but adding chocolate to it? Yum. I upped the chip content in these to make them even more dessert-like.


As usual, my photo doesn't really do these justice

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Time: 30 min. prep; 30 minutes (50-60 min. for bread)
Yields: 24 muffins (or 2 loaves of bread)

Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup olive or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional: I omitted these)
- 1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (I used chocolate only--seems like otherwise there'd be too much going on, and since I'm a supertaster I enjoy simpler fare)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Or, grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans (grease liberally).
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.
- Bake muffins for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Loaves take a little longer -- about 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Source: Little Ms Foodie / Smitten Kitchen

Choc Chip Cookie Casserole

I took this casserole/these bars to a labor day fireworks party this weekend, and it/they was/were great for nibbling in between Rock Band songs.

Recipe via Sherri's blog.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. Flour
1 t. soda
3/4 t. salt
1 c. oil
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:

Combine dry ingredients. Set aside.

In bowl mix together oil and sugars. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients. Mix in 3/4 c. of chocolate chips.

Spread into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. chips on top.

Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Peanut Butter Cookies

My peanut-butter-loving younger brother had a birthday last week, and he's blessed with an unBrookelike speedy metabolism, so I sent him a batch of cookies in the mail. These were good, but more on the crunchy side than the chewy side, so the "don't overbake" warning is important. Making the criss-cross mark on each cookie was really the most fun part.



Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
via Baking and Books

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Position the rack in the top and bottom third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter with the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that everything is combined evenly.

Scoop dough by the rounded tablespoonful and roll into balls. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets, and press down slightly. Using a fork dipped in flour, press down on the cookies first one way and then the other to form an “X” pattern, creating the cross hatch effect. (The cookies should now measure approximately 2 inches in diameter.) Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Overbaking will cause these chewy cookies to become crunchy, so try to avoid it.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies w/ Lemon Glaze

I marketed these as simply "lemon cookies" to my coworkers so as not to turn them off with my elitist baking, and they were gone in a jiff. The spouse and some friends give them two thumbs up as well.



(From Giada's recipe)

Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (I used baking soda and they still turned out great)
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 1 heaping tablespoon for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 11-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours before serving (or, you can eat them right away like we did).

Molasses Spice Cookies

I've been having trouble sleeping lately and instead of dorking around on the internet I've been channeling my late-night energy into tastier endeavors.

These took about an hour from start to finish and were a big hit around the office (or my coworkers gummed them down out of the goodness of their hearts).



Molasses Spice Cookies
from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. lower-protien unbleached all-purpose flour (like Gold Medal or Pilsbury)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c. granulated sugar, plus 1/2 c. for rolling
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses

Directions:
-Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees.-Line large baking sheet with parchment.
-In medium bowl whisk flour, baking soda, spices, pepper and salt.
-Either by hand or with electric mixer, beat the butter with brown sugar and 1/3 c. granulated sugar at medium high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 min.)
-Reduce speed to medium low and add yolk and vanilla, increase speed and beat until incorporated (about 20 seconds).
-Reduce speed and add molasses beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping the bottom and sides once with rubber spatula.
-Reduce speed to lowest setting and add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, scraping the bowl once.
-Give the dough a final stir by hand to ensure no flour pockets at bottom. (dough will be soft).
-Place 1/2 c. sugar in shallow bowl for rolling. Fill small bowl with cold tap water.
-Dip hands in water and roll heaping Tbsp. of dough into scant ball.
-Drop ball in sugar and roll to coat. -Set on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
-Bake about 11 min. (cookies will "crack", edges are puffy and inside of cracks look raw). Do not overbake.
-Cool on baking sheet ofor 5 mins. and trasfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.-serve when cooled to room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Apple Oatmeal Cookies

(note to self: figure out how to take clearer pictures)

I'm a very poor cook. I can slap together decent casserole-type dishes that require minimal skill, but other than that it's usually a wash. I'm a decent baker, though--probably because I'm good at following directions but have no chef's instinct. This recipe is an interesting twist on an old favorite and yields deliciousness.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. rolled oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 small dash of freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 large apple, peeled and diced, about 1 c.

Directions:

-Adjust oven racks to upper & lower -middle positions & heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (lacking parchment paper, I used foil and it worked fine).

-Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.

-With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined.

-Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.

-Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips and apple.

-Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. (Or, just eyeball the dough and plop some on the cookie sheet with reckless abandon)

-Top dough ball with extra chocolate chips.

-Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy, about 12-15 minutes.-Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.