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This is my new favorite dessert. I have never had a better cream cheese brownie in my entire life. I especially love them cold. Straight from the freezer is best, although they’re delicious at room temperature as well. One of my sons informed me that this is the best dessert I have ever made. I might just have to agree with him.
These brownies come together in no time at all. You need a couple of bowls because you mix the chocolate and cream cheese layers separately. Once mixed, you layer them in the pan, swirl the top and voila! you’re ready to throw them into the oven. At the 50 minute mark, remove them from the oven. You don’t want them to overcook.
Cream Cheese Brownies
Recipe from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup (salted) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends two inches beyond the sides of the pan. (This creates handles you can use to remove the brownies later. You only need the foil to extend on two sides, not all four.) Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir them while they’re melting so they don’t burn. Set the pan aside to cool.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and 1/4 cup of the sugar until they are smooth. Beat in one egg and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla until they are combined. Set it aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar until they are combined. Beat in the remaining 3 eggs, one at a time. Beat in the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Mix in the melted chocolate. On low speed, beat in the flour and salt until the are just combined.
Scrape all but 1 cup of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chocolate mixture. Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Pull a table knife through the layers of batter with a light lifting motion in a zigzag pattern to create a marbleized look.
Bake for 50 minutes.
Set the pan on a wire rack and cool the brownies in the pan. When the brownies are completely cool, remove them using the aluminum foil handles.
Cut the brownies into squares. (You can refrigerate them first for ease of cutting. Wetting your knife also helps give you a clean cut.)
Yield: 16 brownies
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Ok, I’m a little embarrassed to say that these chicken fingers are deep fried, but let me tell you, they are the best chicken fingers I have ever eaten, never-mind made. The seasoning on the chicken is amazing and they’re nice and crunchy. They’re also delicious hot or cold and surprisingly not greasy. Now if they were only baked…
The recipe comes from a Chinese restaurant in Winnipeg, Canada called Mitzi’s. They’re known for these chicken fingers. I understand that people come from far and wide to eat them.
So I must admit that I have never deep fried anything before, but to be honest, it’s easier than pan-frying. It doesn’t make nearly the mess that pan-frying does. I kept a thermometer in the oil to make sure that the temperature remained at 325, and the chicken didn’t splatter or spit at all when I put it into the oil. I thought deep-frying was going to make a big mess, but it really didn’t. Deep frying is also fast. I heated the oil in a dutch oven on the stove and I was able to put 5 or 6 chicken fingers into the oil at once. At 3 minutes, they were cooked perfectly.
I’m dreaming of the chicken fingers as I write this. They were that good. I might actually make another batch tomorrow.
Mitzi’s Chicken Fingers
Recipe from Saveur.com
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3″-long-by-1″-wide strips
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 cup flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups finely ground fresh breadcrumbs or panko
Canola oil, for frying
In a medium bowl, toss together chicken, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and mustard; set aside. Place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow dishes; set aside. Pour oil to a depth of 2″ into a 6-qt. Dutch oven; heat over medium-high heat until deep-fry thermometer reads 325°. Working in batches, coat chicken in flour, shake off excess, and dip in eggs; coat in breadcrumbs. Fry chicken until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with dipping sauce.
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
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My sister Gail posted a link on Facebook a couple of days ago that talked about things that you should never buy again because you should be making them at home. Granola was one of them. I’ve been wanting to try to make granola for a while now, but I didn’t get around to trying it until last week when my sister posted the article. Granola is so easy to make, making it is much less expensive than buying it, and you can play with the ingredients to suit your taste. I really enjoyed the recipe that I used below. I modified it slightly from the original.
Here’s a trick for recipes that call for honey. When you need to measure honey and then add it to a recipe, I recommend that you spray your measuring spoon/pan with nonstick spray (like Pam) first. The honey will then slide right off.
One of my sons and I eat a bowl of yogurt in the morning with this granola mixed in. It’s a filling and delicious breakfast.
I found this granola to be on the sweet side – delicious, but sweet. Next time I’ll use a little less brown sugar. I’ll definitely make it again though.
Cinnamon Vanilla Granola
Recipe adapted from CoffeeandTeaWarehouse.com
2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup (packaged) sliced almonds
scant 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, whole wheat flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Warm the oil and honey in a small saucepan. Whisk in vanilla. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon, then finish mixing by hand.
Spread granola on a large (12- by 17-inch) jelly-roll pan. Toast the granola 35 to 40 minutes, removing from the oven to stir every 10 minutes. Transfer granola to a rack and cool completely. Store the granola in a well-sealed container.
Yield: 4 to 5 servings
Two years ago: Moroccan Carrot Dip
Three years ago: Swedish Meatballs
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I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now. Filling and delicious, it’s pure comfort food that’s great to serve on a chilly evening. We’re finally having some chilly nights here in NYC. We’ve had quite a mild winter so far.
This is a great weeknight meal, although it takes a little bit of time to prepare with all of the different steps. It’s well worth it though. The dumplings are delicious. They’re very similar to a cream biscuit recipe that I use. I found that this dish is best eaten immediately after it is prepared. It’s still delicious the next day, the dumplings just don’t look as pretty.
Chicken and Dumplings
Recipe from CooksCountry.com
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
For the stew: Bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a Dutch oven over high heat. Add the chicken and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Transfer broth to large bowl.
Return empty Dutch oven to medium-high heat and melt butter. Add carrots, onion, and salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Stir in sherry, scraping up browned bits. Stir in reserved broth, cream, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until stew thickens, about 20 minutes.
For the dumplings: Stir flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Stir in cream until incorporated (dough will be very thick and shaggy).
To finish: Discard bay leaves and return stew to rapid simmer. Shred reserved chicken and add to stew along with any accumulated juices, peas, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Using 2 large soup spoons or small ice cream scoop, drop golf ball-sized dumplings onto stew about 1/4 inch apart (you should have 16 to 18 dumplings). Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve.
Yield: 6 servings
One year ago: Caribbean Succotash
Two years ago: All American Chili
Three years ago: Chewy Chocolate Cookies
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I have been making this spinach salad for years – longer than I’ve been married actually. I have no idea where I found the recipe. I’m so happy to finally be posting it. I made it last night as a light dinner and we gobbled it up. Not the boys, of course. That said, they did each try a part of the salad and none of them liked the taste of the dressing. I keep telling them that their palates have to be exposed to new tastes in order for them to start to like new things. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall.
I always seem to get motivated to try new things in January, so I’m trying a new strategy for feeding the boys. I’m going to put some healthy food on the table and I’m going to let them serve themselves and if they choose to eat, great. If they choose not to eat, no worries. I’m going to act like I just don’t care. There won’t be any snacks after dinner if they get hungry, so from what I’ve read, they’ll learn to eat and to try new things. I’m skeptical, but nothing else seems to be working, so I figure it’s worth a shot. I’ll let you know how we do.
Back to the spinach salad. It’s great for a light lunch or dinner and it comes together in no time. If you really want to cut down on the prep time, buy a rotisserie chicken. You can use any kind of apples that you like in the recipe. Last night I used Honey Crisp – my favorite apples. I would be happy eating this several times a week all year long.
Spinach Salad with Chicken and Apples
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
8 oz. baby spinach
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons minced chives
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
several grinds of black pepper
Place the spinach, chicken, apples and pecans in a large bowl. Put the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to combine. Pour half of the dressing on the salad. Toss. Add additional dressing if desired.
Yield: 2 servings as a main course for dinner
One year ago: Chicken Stew
Two years ago: Creamed Green Cabbage
Three years ago: Chicken Tikka Masala
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These are the best banana muffins I have ever eaten. Really. I don’t know if it was that fact that I had incredibly overripe bananas, or the fact that I substituted mascarpone cheese for the sour cream called for in the original recipe, but whatever it was, these muffins were incredibly delicious. My boys wished I had made some more. This is now my go-to banana muffin recipe. After these muffins cool a bit, I recommend covering them tightly to ensure that they retain their moisture. They’re excellent warm from the oven and when they’re still moist. I made mine one evening, and covered them tightly and they were amazing in the morning – still incredibly moist.
If you’re not a fan of chocolate in your muffins, I think these would be equally as good with chopped pecans in lieu of the chocolate chips.
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3/4 – 1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for topping, optional
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line the muffin cups with paper liners. Mix the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter and the sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix everything well. Mix in the bananas and mascarpone. Fold in the flour mixture then the chocolate chips.
Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin cups. Use all of the batter to fill the 12 muffin cups. They may look too full, but they won’t spill over. Sprinkle them with the turbinado sugar. Bake them for 20 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The muffins should be golden brown.
Yield: 12 muffins
One year ago: Roasted Vegetable Frittata
Two years ago: Cinnamon Sugar-Dipped Blueberry Muffins
Three years ago: Tomato Orange Soup
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I got a wonderful cookbook for Christmas. It’s the Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King. It’s right up my alley because I LOVE to bake. One recipe looks better than the next.
The other morning, I made a batch of ginger scones for the boys. Most of the boys liked them. One didn’t like the color. He swore the scones were dark because I was trying to sneak something healthy into them, so I’m not even sure if he tried one. His loss.
The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup chopped, crystallized ginger, which I didn’t have on hand, so I omitted it. The scones were great without it. With a little butter they’re wonderful.
Ginger Scones
Recipe adapted from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (for topping)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Alternatively you can grease the cookie sheet.
Using a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves and salt.
Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Mix the half-and-half, egg and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add it to the flour mixture and process until the ingredients are just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out until it is 1″ thick. Cut them into your desired shape. I use a round kitchen drinking glass that’s about 2″ in diameter.
Place the scones 2″ apart on the cookie sheet. Brush them with an egg wash made by beating one egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle the scones with turbinado sugar to give them a little crunch.
Bake them for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges. Serve warm.
Yield: ~ a dozen 2-inch scones
One year ago: Cherry Banana Muffins with White Chocolate Chips
Two years ago: Jacques’ Chocolate Mudslide Cookies
Three years ago: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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This rice pilaf is delicious! Very different, but incredibly good. I can’t wait to make this again. The texture and flavors are wonderful – I loved the crunch of the pine nuts and the pomegranate seeds, and the little squirt of sweet/tart pomegranate juice when you bite into them. The chewy barley is a nice addition also.
When recipes call for pomegranate seeds, I have been buying them already prepared – a nice little container of seeds. The only problem is that they’re very expensive that way. I was always afraid to try to seed my own pomegranate because I heard that it was difficult and incredibly messy because the seeds are very juicy and the juice stains. Well, it’s not that difficult. I found that it took a few minutes to get all of the seeds out, but it wasn’t that hard at all. I recommend wearing latex gloves if you have them to prevent the juice from staining your hands.
Here’s how I did it. I did it in the sink with running water and a strainer to catch the seeds. I cut the crown off the pomegranate. I then scored the pomegranate by cutting through the skin as if I were cutting it in quarters. in four places, then I pulled the pieces apart. Then with my hands, I pulled each of the seeds out and let them drop into the strainer. Some of the white pith will drop into the strainer as well. Once I had all of the seeds out, I dumped the seeds into a bowl of cold water. This caused the seeds to drop to the bottom and any extraneous white stuff to float to the top. I removed this and was left with a beautiful bowl of seeds. There are plenty of sites on the internet that go through these steps with beautiful pictures, so if you’ve never done it before, I recommend checking out one of those sites. Just google “how to seed a pomegranate” and you’ll find plenty of links including YouTube videos.
I highly recommend trying this rice pilaf. During pomegranate season, this is going to be one of my go-to side dishes. The recipe says to serve it hot. I ate it for left-overs for a couple of days right out of the refrigerator and I though it was great! If you do want to serve the leftovers warm, heat it in a 350 degree oven until it’s warm.
Barley & Wild Rice Pilaf with Pomegranate Seeds
Recipe from EatingWell.com
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/2 cup pearl barley
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup pomegranate seeds, (1 large fruit; see Tip)
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened. Add wild rice and barley; stir for a few seconds. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the wild rice and barley are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
Add pomegranate seeds, lemon zest, parsley and the toasted pine nuts to the pilaf; fluff with a fork. Serve hot.
Yield: ~6 servings
One year ago: Crab Meat Gratin
Two years ago: Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup
Three years ago: Lima Bean Soup with Parmesan Bacon Crisp
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I think I’ve mentioned that I have one son who firmly refuses to eat fruits and vegetables, with the exception of kale chips because the texture is similar to that of potato chips. Anyway, one of my goals this year is to try to get more vegetables into the boys. My overarching goal is to get them to expand the very limited repertoire of things that they’re willing to eat, but I’d like to focus on fruits and vegetables specifically.
I read recently that if you are asking your kids to try something new each day, it’s best to get it over with early in the day if possible. By the time dinner rolls around, everyone’s tired and less likely to be amenable to trying something new. Earlier this week, I let the boys off the hook and told them that they didn’t have to try something new at dinner if they tried this smoothie for breakfast. They all tried it willingly and three out of four actually liked it. The fourth didn’t like it because of its texture He felt the tiny seeds from either the strawberries or the blueberries, and they turned him off. At least he tried it. I actually got him to try some yesterday as well. He still didn’t like it, but he tried it again. I guess that’s a bit of progress.
The thing I like about smoothies is that you can experiment with them and throw in any kind of fruit that you have hanging around. I thought this particular combination was very tasty!
Pomegranate Berry Smoothie
1 cup of pomegranate juice
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup of ice cubes
honey to taste
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Yield: 2 servings
One year ago: Smoked Tuna Dip
Two years ago: Classic Dinner Rolls
Three years ago: Malted Milk Ball Cookies
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I made these for a Christmas party this year. I loved the red cranberries and green pistachios that peeked out of the cookies. Very festive. Once again, the photo does not do the biscotti justice. We snapped a picture of them right before we packed them up for the party. No time for proper lighting or staging, but I wanted to document the cookies so I have the recipe on hand for next Christmas.
My husband loved these, but he found them to be quite sweet with the drizzled white chocolate. He thinks that next time, I can easily skip the chocolate and still have a delicious cookie. I melted Ghirardelli white chocolate bars for the drizzle, and found the melted chocolate to be a bit thick. Next time I’ll add a bit of canola oil to it to thin it out.
I liked using salted pistachios because I love things that are both sweet and salty. All in all, a delicious and very festive cookie.
Holiday Biscotti
Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis at foodnetwork.com
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a large, heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 30 -40 minutes. Cool for ~20 minutes.
Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the biscotti. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.
The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.
Yield: ~24 cookies
One year ago: Individual Beef Wellingtons with Mushroom, Spinach and Blue Cheese Filling
Two years ago: No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars
Three years ago: Spritz Cookies
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