Retirement Cookie

My Dad finally retired recently from his own biz. That's misleading- he will be finishing up things for awhile, but we celebrated with him close to his "official" retirement date- which was also his birthday. That weekend we also celebrated Easter and my nephew Daniel's birthday. Busy party!

Anyway, I decided to make Dad a giant chocolate chip cookie since it's his favorite. There was also going to be an ice cream cake so I wasn't worried about getting everything else written on there, ha ha. :)

I wanted to get some appropriate decoration on there- his biz logo is a palm tree. I decided to do 2 since there would need to be a hammock to metaphorically represent rest. Even doing that little bit of frosting with piping bags was hard on my hands- I don't know how the pros do it. Kudos to you.

That's how much counter space I have. Seriously.

Things I learned:
• Make a regular batch of cookie dough
(maybe don't use entire batch- freeze up a good 1/4 or 1/3. I ended up having to cook for 10+ minutes longer and it spilled over the edge a bit. Be sure to put down tin foil or another pan to catch spill over)
• Roll out on pizza pan or sheet pan
• 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or longer if need be-look for browning edges)
• Let set for 5-10 minutes after baking

Sweet Mexi-Hash

So I had use up 1/2 lb of leftover ground turkey before it went bad. I had some sweet potatoes I bought on a whim. A few cans of black beans---is there something here? Google it up, yo. Yes. There is something here- lasagna, burritos, casseroles. Something can be done. And it will be done. Here's the recipe I decided to go with since I was hungry and ready to eat sooner than later. (i.e. I made it up)

steamin' hot!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small onion
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• chili powder - 1/4-1/2 tsp
• cayenne powder- 1/4-1/2 tsp
• coriander- 1/4 tsp
• cumin- 1/4 tsp
• salt to taste
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
• 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can diced chilies
• 1/4 cup cilantro

MAKE IT UP

1. Cook up onion with ground turkey in pan until meat is browned
2. Meanwhile, put sweet potato cubes in covered dish and microwave for 5 minutes. Test for fork tenderness and cook in 2 minute intervals until just right. 
3. Once meat is browned, add beans, tomatoes and chilies. Throw in sweet potatoes once cooked. Add cilantro at end, just to warm up.
4. Serve with rice.

Birthday Bonanza

Celebrating a birthday means making favorite food for the birthday boy or girl. For me, that meant making German chocolate cake, my mom's recipe, and key lime pie, my own recipe/something I found years ago online. To top it all off, I made little ribbon flags on skewers that I shoved into the cake at the last possible moment like you would candles. Blowing on those does not have the same effect as blowing out flaming candles and it left me feeling a little lackluster---until I got to pass out the flags with pieces of cake. Wee!

I should have you know that I did get carried away with the flags. I couldn't stop myself. It looked better on the table- more of a centerpiece- take a look.

I'll go ahead and share the key lime pie recipe. It's pretty short and sweet.

Key Lime Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

• Go out and buy a graham cracker crust from the store. Don't be a snob.

Pie:

• 4 large or extra large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (12 key limes or 2-3 regular limes)
• 2 teaspoons grated lime peel, green portion only
• whipped cream for garnish

MAKE IT UP

1. Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow, but don't over mix. 
2. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. One the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended (just a few seconds). 
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and back at 350 for 12 minutes to set the yolks and kill any salmonella in the eggs.

SERVES
8

Mexi Mac and Cheese

I tried out some spicy mac and cheese. I'm dating a guy who can't handle a meal without meat, so we had some simple pork chops on the side, grilled or fried up with some seasoning salt. I can't remember now. I'm playing catch-up with the blog, so there's a chance the meat in the pic was chicken or steak in disguise. I wouldn't know for sure. The pasta, however, has a recipe with notes, so that-I know about. And here it is.

(Also- I wanted to include a photo of the pasta as it came out of the colander- it looked like a brain. And I think that's pretty great.) 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 poblano peppers or 2 ancho chilies (not sure what I ended up with)
• Salt
• 1 pound bow-tie pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups milk
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I added this- the peppers I got weren't super hot)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 1/2 cups grated Mexican cheese blend
• 1 firm avocado, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 small vine-ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 4 scallions, green and white parts, chopped (I forgot these)

MAKING IT

1. Heat the broiler to high and blacken the poblanos on all sides, 12-15 minutes. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover tight with plastic wrap or place in a paper sack; cool for 10 minutes, then peel, seed and chop. (This worked- I'll vouch for it)
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add salt and the pasta and cook al dente.
3. Heat a saucepot over medium heat; add the olive oil, onions, and garlic and cook until tender, 6-7 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and when it melts, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and milk and bring to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, the cumin, and the coriander and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight pattern until the cheese melts.
4. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and the chopped poblano peppers. Toss the avocado with the lime juice. Serve the mac-n-cheese in shallow bowls and top with the tomatoes, avocados and scallions.

SERVES
8 as side, man. Recipe said 4, but gee whiz.

Fruity Trio of DELIGHT!

I put together three fruits, a teaspoon of sugar and found myself in pure ecstasy. Wha?! Yeah. That's right. It was pretty darn good. 1. bananas, 2. blackberries, 3. kiwi. Try it for yourself. (Also try the chocolate almond croissants at Le Quartier. Delish! That's the pastry in the background, BTW.)

Chicken Paprika

Here's a recipe that I tried recently from a recent issue of "Everyday" magazine. It turned out pretty well, but I thought it was a little lacking in flavor punch. I suggest adding more salt and maybe some cayenne. I served it with rice on the side. Hurray! (I got a rice cooker for Xmas, so it's kind of a big deal to make some rice). I think I added a little chicken broth, pepper and paprika to make it meld a bit. Recipe below. 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced across the grain 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley 
• cayenne pepper to taste (1/2 tsp to start)

 Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, 1 tablespoon sherry, the garlic, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in 2 teaspoons oil.
2. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth and the remaining 1 tablespoon sherry. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch until dissolved.
3. Heat a 14-inch, flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes upon contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken mixture, spread in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 1 minute. Using a metal spatula, stir-fry until the chicken begins to brown, about 1 minute; transfer to a plate.
4. Lower the heat to medium and swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and bell pepper; season with salt and stir-fry until softened, about 1 minute. Add the paprika, return the chicken and any juices to the wok, increase the heat to high and stir-fry until just combined. Swirl in the broth mixture and stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, parsley and cayenne.

Pies of the Past

I know when to cheat when it comes to cooking. Get the pre-made pie crust. It's so basic, that making it yourself doesn't add much. Just brush on melted butter and sprinkle on chunky sugar and maybe some cinnamon—spend your time decorating rather than rolling and kneading. Examples of what I mean: