Mashed Potato Stuffed Bell Peppers © Jaymi HeimbuchPhotos by Jaymi Heimbuch Growing up, stuffed bell peppers were a staple. But I admit, I am not a big fan of rice (the way my mother makes them). So I am always looking for different ways to stuff a bell pepper, such as with Israeli Couscous. 2 bell peppers3 large baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), cubed1/2 cup of buttermilk3 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon thyme1/2 cup shredded Gouda cheese1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheeseSalt and pepper to taste 1. 2. © Jaymi Heimbuch 3. Since we are baking the mashed potatoes in bell peppers, you might want to use a dash more salt then you normally do. 4. 5. 6. © Jaymi Heimbuch 7. Don't leave them in the oven too long like I did. Visit the Green Wine Guide for more vegetarian recipes and wine pairings.
Chocolate Nutella Cookies Chocolate Nutella Cookies Tomorrow is a big day! It is my 29th birthday and World Nutella Day. I feel very special that they chose my birthday to honor one of my favorite treats…ha! I believe in celebrating birthdays all weekend long, so let’s get this party started! These chocolate cookies might look plain and simple, but I promise they are very special. Celebrate World Nutella Day and bake a batch of Chocolate Nutella Cookies. A few Nutella favorites: Chocolate Nutella Cookies Yield: 3 dozen cookiesCook Time: 10-11 minutes Ingredients:1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup dutch-process cocoa 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract 1/3 cup Nutella 1/3 cup milkDirections:1.
How To Make Perfect Brownies I’ve tried lots of brownie recipes: Boxes, scratch, frosted, plain, nuts, chips, fudge … Each of them has something to like, but depending on my mood I might want a change of pace. Not any more. My wife found this recipe, and it’s perfect. I’m done looking. This is the brownie recipe that I’ll use from now on. Ingredients 1½ cups sugar ¾ cup flour ¾ cup cocoa powder (see note below) 3 eggs ¾ cup butter, melted ½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter) ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see note below) Directions A NOTE ON CHOCOLATE: You’ll notice the list of ingredients is very short. The assembly is about as easy as you can get. Do this by hand, until the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet, and stop. Stir in the chocolate chips. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment. Pour the batter and spread it out. Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes. Very carefully lift the parchment out of the baking dish. Peel the edges and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Like this recipe?
Willow Bird Baking LaSaGnA TiMpAnO I went to see tUnE-yArDs on Monday night with some friends, and as always we wanted to cook a meal that somehow related to the show we were heading to. Sometimes this is hard to do, but other times it seems to come naturally. Finding culinary inspiration in Merrill's lyrics seemed like it would be tough, but my sister knew what she wanted to make without hesitation. "How about something layered, because of all the vocal and instrument layering in the music?" Start by making a lasagna crust. Finally got it together. Now it's easy, just start building the layers! Alfredo sauce with some salami goes first. After 3 alfredo layers, I switched to pesto. A cheese only layer, just for fun. Tomato sauce is last. It's important to press things down as you go. In my opinion, it can't be lasagna without at least a little ricotta! I painted on some alfredo at the end as a glue. All sealed up. After baking. The flip is always a scary moment. Unveiling. A thing of beauty. Cutting is another tense event. Glorious!
Spaghetti and Meatball Pot Pie Remember those meatballs I made for a “special idea” on Friday? Here is that idea, Spaghetti and Meatball Pot Pie. I took the concept and figured if pizza was a good pot pie, then spaghetti and meat balls would be too. This isn't as much a recipe as it is a process. I started by greasing the inside of ramekins (1 cup sized, 3 1/2” in diameter). Next I add in two of the meatballs and sauce. Top that with some vermicelli that had been tossed in the sauce too. Another piece of cheese. For the crust, we made one order of our standard pizza dough and then cut out 3 1/2” circles. I rolled those out a little bigger and then pressed them over the top of the ramekins. Since I wanted the crust to be reminiscent of garlic bread, I made a glaze of butter, roasted garlic, parsley and thyme. I fired up Alexis' Big Green Egg to 450f and set it up in “convection oven” mode with the plate setter legs down. I baked the pot pies on a pizza stone on the plate setter. About 15 minutes in, they started to brown.
Handle the Heat Pizza Braid A pizza braid is very kid-friendly, easy on the wallet and extremely simple to make. My aunt and cousin first introduced me to them and I’ve been hooked ever since. The possibilities are endless of the varieties you could make (check out the Apple Dessert Braid!), but the recipe below is for a very basic hamburger and pepperoni braid. You could make your own dough, but I prefer the shortcut of using Rhodes rise and bake dough. This is one of my favorite shortcuts to make a nice loaf of bread or use in recipes like this one. As I said, this is extremely basic. The dough takes a few hours to rise, so I take it out in the morning and place a towel over it. Yes, yes the dough in that photo has not risen fully. Then you spread out the sauce, lay the meats down, followed by the cheese. Then with a pizza cutter, start cutting about 1 inch thick strips down the whole rectangle. Follow the pictures above. A few minutes before it’s done I brush with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.
A brownie by any other name… Love brownies. Love their shiny, flaky top that shatters into micro-thin shards that shower onto your fingers as you eat. Love their dark, gooey center. Their “chocolate nirvana” flavor. Sometimes can’t deal with the bake, wait to cool, cutting into squares messiness and fuss of brownies. Every time I make these cookies (which, truth be told, is quite often), I think of a former colleague, Ana, who left King Arthur last year in order to be a full-time mom to her 2-year-old twins. The test kitchen bakers loved Ana. Ana still visits occasionally, 2-year-olds in tow. And when she does, she’ll invariably nose out any chocolate, and treat us to her classic reaction: “Perfect! These cookies are basically brownies: flat, round, 2 ½” brownies. First task: Combine the chocolate and butter. Melt in the microwave till softened… …then stir till smooth. Stir the chocolate into eggs and sugar, which you’ve beaten together. Refrigerate the batter for an hour; it’ll stiffen up nicely. Buy vs.
Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites On Fridays, I teach cooking classes to two kids in our neighborhood. They are pretty knowledgeable-so my job is easy:) I think it is fantastic that they want to learn how to cook at such a young age-they are in the 3rd and 4th grade. Since we don’t have any kiddos yet, I am glad I get to work with these kids. We have a great time in the kitchen. On Friday we made homemade soft pretzels,the traditional salty ones and cinnamon and sugar pretzels. For fun, we also made pretzel bites. everyone loved these. Is everyone ready for the big game? Buffalo Hot Wings-these are Josh’s all time favorite. My good friend Gaby, from What’s Gaby Cooking, made Pulled Pork Sliders for the big game. Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites Yield: A lot!
Mini Peanut Butter and Nutella Cheesecakes | Just Everyday Me 28 Dec 2011 One of the perks of being a student (and right now as I’m in the middle of college applications and interviews there don’t seem to be many) is that you get a long Christmas break. This is what I’ve done since Christmas: Stayed in my PJs all day. I got new pajama pants for Christmas (a tradition in my family). Today I am hoping to finish up my second to last college application (maybe both of them! But that’s enough about boring college stuff! I just have to point out the adorable little snowman cupcake wrappers! Peanut Butter/Nutella Mini Cheesecakes Adapted from Snappy Gourmet . Ingredients: 1 cup finely crushed chocolate graham crackers 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted 2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup peanut butter or 1/2 cup nutella or to make half a batch of each, 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup nutella 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs For the Ganache: Note : I had a ton of ganache left over. Directions: