The 5 Minute Doughnut

Five minutes. That's all it took. Pinky swear. Five minutes to make these delicious doughnuts. All you need is a tube of refrigerated Pillsbury Italian Bread Dough and about 1/4 cup of granulated sugar - maybe less.

1. Just take out the dough and chop them up into 2 inch cubes with a pizza cutter.
2. Heat up some oil (about 1 cup) - in a medium sauce pan. Once the oil is heated, lower the heat and drop in the cut up dough. Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown (make sure that your heat is not too high otherwise you will burn them).
3. Place the fried dough on a piece of paper towel to soak up the extra oil. Then put them in a large bowl, toss in the sugar to coat and you're done! Instant doughnuts!

I didn't get to take a picture because we forgot about it but these doughnuts are also yummy with fruit preserves on top. I use these from Bonne Maman.

While I made the doughnuts, my three monkeys were busy monkeying around. Until Wendy the pup started peppering them with kisses.

Yum. Yum. Yum. These didn't last long. They aren't the best thing for breakfast. But they were fast, easy, and delicious. As you can see, the kids devoured them.

Try it - you won't be disappointed!
Enjoy!

Sunday Dinner - week 8

Better late than never! Labor Day weekend was tough! Several BBQ's and one power outage later, my poor Sunday Dinner feature fell to the bottom of my long list of to do's. But here it is. The best burger patty you will ever create. I changed it slightly from the original recipe because of my love for goat cheese.

Goat Cheese Infused Burger Patty

3 pounds ground beef chuck

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

Coarse salt and coarse ground pepper

1 package of crumbled goat cheese

8 rolls or buns (I use Martin's potato rolls)

1 package baby spinach

2 beefsteak tomatoes sliced into 8 slices

1. Heat grill to medium high. In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef, worcestershire sauce, egg, 1 tbsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper and egg. Mix well. Form into 8 equal size mounds.

2. Make a small well in the center of the beef patty. Place a small amount of goat cheese in the well. Wrap the beef around the cheese and pinch to seal.

4. Cook on grill on one side until grill marks are visible. Turn and cook the other side until grill marks show and the meat is slightly pink in the middle.

5. Serve on the roll or bun with the spinach and tomatoes.

Enjoy your Sunday Dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 7

(image courtesy of Williams Sonoma)

Brown Butter Risotto with Lobster

I love, love, love risotto. You can make it with different kinds of ingredients. As a side dish with asparagus or mushrooms. Or as a complete meal such as this one that I am trying out. I just found this recipe on food network. It looks a lot less complicated than a lot of risotto recipes that I've found. I once tried one from a Williams Sonoma cookbook and the ingredients list was two pages long!

The only thing different I am going to do is add 1 cup of lump crab meat and 1/2 cup chopped roasted asparagus for extra texture. If you do this option, do this on step #10 and stir in with the risotto before you garnish with the lobster.

1 pound frozen lobster tails thawed (about two tails)

4 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock

4 tbsp. butter, room temperature

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup brandy

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the lobster tails and let boil for 8-10 minutes until the tail curls and meat turns white. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 15 minutes. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. In medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and keep hot over low heat.

3. In a large saucepan, melt 3 tbsp. of butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam and turn brown (about 1 - 1/2 minutes).

4. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.

6. Add the brandy and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated (about 3 minutes)

7. Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir until almost completely absorbed (about two minutes). Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at at time stirring constantly and allowing each adding to absorb before adding the next.

8. Cook until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite (about 20 minutes)

9. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, the remaining butter, 2 tbsp. chives . Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Transfer to large bowl and arrange the lobster meat on top of the risotto and garnish with remaining chives.

If you end up trying this recipe, let me know how it works for you! Enjoy your Sunday Dinner!

Crazy for Pound Cake!!!

Did I ever mention that I am absolutely bonkers over pound cake? Not the ones that are fluffy and light as a feather but the ones that actually weigh 5 pounds in the bread pan. I know, this ain't no diet food but it is scrumpt-dillie-umptious!!! Yum, yum, yum! So imagine my excitement when I came across this blog and she had a yumma-rific recipe for one. Mixed with fresh blueberries and strawberries. And cream cheese. And 6 eggs. No kidding. This is the real deal, everybody! So here is the recipe - along with my usual tweaking (and don't worry - it still calls for 6 eggs).

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Fresh Berries

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

6 eggs (room temperature)

1 cup whole milk (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups hulled and diced fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

3 tbsp. flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside

3. Using a mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar for about 6 minutes

4. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated

5. Add vanilla and milk

6. Add flour mixture a little at a time until well combined

7. Toss the berries in a bowl with the flour until well coated. Fold the berries in the batter with a spatula or wooden spoon

Pour into two greased 9x5 loaf pan

Bake for about 60 minutes until the top is golden brown

Oh, and there's more. Completely optional but if you want to go all the way, you have to make this for the cake. Come on, it's only a few more extra calories. I promise that it's tasty!

Cream Cheese Icing

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2 tbsp. butter room temperature

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 tbsp. milk room temperature

Cream butter and cream cheese in the mixer. Add sugar and milk. Drizzle or spread over the pound cake (make sure that the pound cake has cooled down). ENJOY!!!

Sunday Dinner - week 6

(image courtesy of food network)

Summer = BBQ. We LOVE to host barbecue dinners. We usually serve not just your typical hotdogs and burgers but we also do some other grilled meat dish on the side. Here is one of my favorites. It is REALLY easy to do. Just marinate and grill. The asparagus just gets tossed in the oven and the couscous cooks in about 5 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Roasted Asparagus and Couscous

Chicken marinade:

1 1/2 - 2 pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 tbsp. Montreal chicken seasoning

sprinkling of salt and pepper

Toss all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. Grill until each side is done.

(image courtesy of food network)

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch (at least a pound) fresh asparagus

good olive oil

kosher salt for sprinkling

freshly ground pepper

coarse ground garlic powder for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Rinse and dry asparagus and place on baking sheet

3. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated

4. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle generously with the salt, pepper and garlic powder

5. Bake for about 25 minutes until the asparagus is tender and crispy

(image courtesy of food network)

Couscous: I buy the boxed kind from Near East and usually get the one with Pine Nuts. You can buy whatever flavor you want and just follow the cooking directions on the package.

Enjoy your Sunday dinner!

Choco-Toffee Chip Cookies in a (Mason) Jar

My kids have been in summer camp for 8 weeks. The whole summer. And they love their camp counselors. All TWELVE of them. So what to give TWELVE camp counselors at the end of summer camp? Hair clips or headbands for a 19 year old? Nah. Cookies!!! I've been playing around with some recipes and I found this one from the book Baked. After some minor tweaking, I ended up with some fantastic Choco-Toffee Chip miniature cookies. Skylar was very eager to help out. I was also inspired by Julie's post a few months back and have been waiting for the perfect time to do a similar project. Well here it is. The Choco-Toffee Chip Cookies in a Jar.

Choco-Toffee Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter (softened or room temperature)

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips (I used Hershey's semi-sweet)

1 cup Toffee Chips (I used Heath Toffee Bits)

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer (with the paddle attachment) beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creawmy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla.

4. Add half of the flour mixture until well incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture.

5. Fold in the chocolate chip and the toffee chips with a spatula or wooden spoon

6. Store batter in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (if you want larger cookies, set the oven to 375 degrees)

8. Line cookie trays with parchment paper.

9. Using your hands, shape batter into 1 inch round balls and place on cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart.

10. Bake for about 5-8 minutes until the side of the cookie starts to turn a golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes (the cookies will continue to cook so do not wait until the cookie is a dark brown before you take them out).

Setting up the Mason Jars

Fill each mason jar with cookies until full

I tied a 1 inch wide grosgrain ribbon around the jar and tied a bow on the top. Secure the sides with tape so the bow doesn't slide off.

I made name tags and taped them in front of the cookie jar

Homemade cookies. From scratch. With loving little hands. For less than $2 each. Could it get any better?

Sunday Dinner - week 5

Image courtesy of Food Network

Okay folks. This is my all time favorite dish. It looks intimidating because of all the ingredients but really, the roux and all the prep work are the hardest parts. For those of you who are not familiar with gumbos, you can check out this site.

The cooking time for gumbo is around 4 hours. This doesn't include the prep time that you need to chop up the vegetables. So if you're serving it for dinner, it's best to start early.

The roux is the most important part of the gumbo. It's very important that it's cooked properly and with care. If you burn it, you need to start over. Really. You don't want a gumbo with burnt roux. The rustic rub are your spices. The recipe will call for a big batch. You only have to make it once and it will last many, many, gumbo dinners. Just store it in an airtight container. Ready to make some? This is a recipe from Emeril Lagasse that I've tweaked over and over until I was happy with the results. I've tried to stay true to his original - but I think mine is better :). Here is my version:

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with Langostine Tails

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 1/2 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers

1 pound smoked sausage such as andouille or kielbasa (cut in 1/2 inch slices)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne

3 bay leaves

6 cups water

1 pound boneless chicken breast cut into chunks

1 pound langostine or crawfish tails* (or substitute with shrimp)

1 bag frozen okra

3 tbsp. rustic rub (recipe will follow)

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped green onions

* You can buy the langostine or crawfish tails at your local Trader Joes in the frozen seafood section

1. Over medium heat, combine oil and flour in a large soup pot. Stir constantly and continuously for about 25-30 minutes until the roux turns into a caramel color.

2. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers until wilted (about 5 minutes)

3. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Stir for 3 minutes.

4. Add the water and stir until the roux and the water are well combined

5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let cook uncovered for 1 hour. Add two tbsp. of the rustic rub. Stir occasionally.

6. Season the chicken with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for 2 hours.

7. Add the okra. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

8. Add the langostine tails, parsley, and green onions and simmer for another 5- 10 minutes or until langostine tails are cooked.

9. Add more rustic rub if you want more kick or salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in deep bowls over white rice.

Rustic Rub

8 tbsp. paprika

3 tbsp. cayenne

5 tbsp. freshly ground pepper

6 tbsp. garlic powder

3 tbsp. onion powder

6 tbsp. salt

2 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 1/2 tbsp. dried thyme

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy your Sunday dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 4

(photo courtesy of foodtv.com)

Parker's Beef Stew (recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa)

I love this stew. A friend of mine served it for dinner one night and it was delicious! You can find the recipe for it here. Remember that you have to marinate the beef the night before so plan ahead. The recipe may seem complex but it's really not. Just follow the directions carefully. My friend also served this dish with acorn squash and popovers - the recipes are provided below.

Acorn Squash

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut squash in half and clean out the seeds. Cut again so they are in quarters.

3. Place them in a pyrex dish filled with a little water.

4. Cover the dish in foil and bake for 45 minutes.

5. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Popovers

(photo courtesy of foodtv.com)

1 1/2 tbsp. melted butter

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 extra large eggs at ROOM TEMPERATURE

1 1/2 cups whole milk at ROOM TEMPERATURE

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Generously grease popover pan with melted butter or spray

3. Place the pan in the oven for 2 minutes to preheat

4. Whisk together flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter until smooth (the batter will be thin)

5. Take the preheated popover pans out of the oven and fill it half full

6. Bake for EXACTLY 30 minutes and DO NOT PEEK.

Three secrets for a perfect popover: make sure the popover pan is HOT before you fill it, fill each section of the popover pan no more than half full, and please, no peeking in the oven. You will be rewarded with yummy and perfect popovers!

Enjoy your Sunday dinner!

Cranberry. Orange. Scones.

Need I say more? I LOVE scones! Not just for breakfast but for any time of the day. So I found this recipe from my friend Mary's blog and the ONLY thing I did different is that I added 1/4 cup of dried cranberries (Craisins). Cranberries and orange are two of my favorite combos. Yum. Try it. It's really simple and if you make the dough the night before, just put it in your refrigerator (do not freeze it) and it's ready for breakfast tomorrow. And I know that it's tempting to make the glaze with boxed orange juice but I made it freshly squeezed and it is heaven!

Sunday Dinner - week 2

I know that it's not quite Sunday yet but I just made this delicious soup and boy was I happy with the way it turned out. If you are a big soup and corn fan, you will LOVE this! I altered this recipe ever so slightly but the result is amazing!

Sweet Corn Soup with Italian Cheeses

5-6 ears of corn with kernels cut off the cobs

1 cup diced bacon (uncooked)

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup shredded italian cheese mix

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

1. In soup pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer and let cool on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.

2. In same pot with the bacon fat, saute onions until soft and transparent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.

3. Add corn kernels and cook until kernels are softened.

4. Add 7 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes on medium-low heat.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

6. Add in half of the cooked bacon

6. In small batches, puree the corn mixture then return to pot.

7. Add in the cream and cheeses.

8. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

9. Garnish with more bacon bits and cheese when serving.

*it makes a big batch of soup so freeze some in freezer safe zip-lock bags

Sunday Dinner - week 1

I decided to set aside a special day for some yummy dinner recipes. Sundays are my favorite. When I was little, we used to go to my Lolo's (grandfather in Filipino) house for Sunday dinners. So here it is. The first Sunday Dinner recipe lineup. Williams Sonoma has a similar baked recipe here and they used rigatoni instead of bowtie. This recipe below is my version.

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Carrots

Medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 pound sweet italian sausage with casing removed

1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup light cream or 1/3 bar of cream cheese

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 stalk broccoli rabe or broccolini, diced

2 large pieces of carrots, diced

1 box bowtie pasta

1. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil

2. Crumble sausage and add to saute mix

3. When sausage is cooked (brown), add can of tomatoes. Mash tomatoes gently.

4. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

5. Cook pasta according to directions

6. Add light cream or cream cheese to the sausage/tomato mixture

7. Add sugar for a little sweetness.

8. Add the carrots. Simmer for 10 minutes.

9. Add the broccoli rabe. Simmer for another 10 or until broccoli is cooked.

10. Serve over the pasta while pasta is hot. Mix in the parmesan cheese until the pasta is coated all over.

Want some dessert? I just found this yummy recipe from Mary's Blog, Milky Milk. This is her photo and her recipe but I am DEFINITELY trying it out.

Today is MONKEY BREAD Thursday.

I know that Monkey Bread is an old favorite. A mix between buttery biscuits and cinnamon buns. Perfect pairing with coffee, tea, and milk. Yummy - yum. Heck, I think it even makes a good breakfast! But today was the first time we made it at home. Skylar, who is a big fan of cooking, helped me make it. I didn't catch a pic of her rolling the dough (darn it!) but her and her brother were happy with the result. Here is the super-easy recipe that you can make with your own monkey helpers.

MONKEY BREAD

4 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 stick butter

1 can biscuits (I use Pillsbury Grands)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Melt the first three ingredients and boil for 2 minutes. Split each biscuit in half and roll in the last two ingredients. Place side by side in a 9x9 pan. Pour boiled mixture over it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Optional: Sprinkle biscuit layers with nuts, raisins, craisins or coconut shavings.

Going...going...gone!!! Deacon had the green bowl and Skylar had the blue bowl - that was her second helping!