Food Find: Alexia Artisan French Rolls

I recently discovered these French bread rolls and I LOVE them.  I love French bread, but I can never eat an entire loaf before it goes bad.  Well, I take that back...I shouldn't eat an entire loaf by myself before it goes bad!

 

I have been know to say I would choose good bread if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my days...

 

Anyway, I heated up one of these little rolls to go along with my Ricatoni's-esque cheese ravioli.  The outside was perfectly crispy while the inside was still soft after only 12 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

 

I think these rolls will make it into my fridge again!

New Recipe: Boston Cream Cupcakes

My friend, Melissa, celebrated her birthday this week.  We work together and I like to take something for my good friends' birthdays to share with our coworkers.  I asked Melissa what she wanted and her response was "cupcakes".  To be honest, this stressed me out a little since I can make tasty cupcakes, but, as my piping skills leave much to be desired, my cupcakes are never pretty.  I did some Pinterest searching and came up with these yummy cupcakes. (You may have to create a free account to view the recipe online.)

 

 

I think I've only had Boston Cream Pie once in my life--when my family went to Boston right before Christmas during my Senior year of High School.  However, I felt this was pretty safe since what's there not to like about cake, pastry cream and chocolate glaze?

 

This recipe is a little time consuming.  I made the pastry cream the night before.  My big problem was that I only had one muffin tin available.  Apparently my regular-sized muffin tins have grown legs and walked away.  I had to make one batch at a time and since I doubled the recipe, this took quite some time.

 

I hope you'll try these cupcakes.  They were a big hit in my office and I will definitely make them again.  When I have at least two muffin tins of the same size.

 

 

Makes 12 cupcakes

It’s important to bake these cupcakes in a greased and floured muffin tin rather than paper cupcake liners, so the chocolate glaze can run down the sides of the cupcakes.

PASTRY CREAM
1⅓ cups heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces) sugar
Pinch salt
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

CUPCAKES
1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened
3 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup whole milk, room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
⅔ cup heavy cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. FOR THE PASTRY CREAM: Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl, then whisk in the cornstarch until pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

2. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture to temper, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, about 1½ minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, press plastic wrap directly on the surface, and refrigerate until chilled and set, about 2 hours.

3. FOR THE CUPCAKES: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin.

4. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat the butter into the flour mixture, one piece at a time, about 30 seconds. Continue to beat the mixture until it resembles moist crumbs, 1 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the milk and vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, light, and fluffy, 1 to 3 minutes.

5. Using a greased ⅓-cup measure, portion the batter into each muffin cup (about three-quarters full; do not overfill). Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through baking. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. FOR THE GLAZE: Microwave all of the ingredients together, whisking often, until melted and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Let the glaze cool, uncovered, until it is thickened but pourable, about 20 minutes.

7. Cut around the inside edge of the top of each cupcake, removing a cone-shaped piece from each cupcake, and fill with 2 tablespoons of pastry cream. Trim and replace the cupcake top and set each cupcake on a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Pour the glaze over the cupcakes, letting it run down the sides. Refrigerate the cupcakes until the glaze has set, about 10 minutes, before serving.

Back to Work and a Recipe

My nine wonderful work-days on vacation have come to an end. While I have enjoyed the time off, I have missed my friends at work and I'm excited to see them. I'm working tomorrow while Mom and Dad take care of a few things in Nashville then we'll all go home for the weekend. My car is in Florence, so I definitely want to go get it!!

While we were at the condo I made chicken and rice soup and it turned out pretty well. I didn't use any measurements, but since Dad liked it to much, I wanted to try to write down a recipe. I was trying to make something like the soup served at Demo's. I made it thicker and creamier than their soup which I remember as being thinner and "brothier".

These are guesses of measurements, but it's the best I can do.

3/4 stick butter
1 cup flour
3 cups rice
2 bottles Swanson's chicken stock
4 cups milk
1 rotisserie chicken, diced
3 packages Italian dressing mix
2 tbs. cayenne pepper
2 tbs. black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt

I started off making a roux to thicken the liquids in the soup. After that finished, I added about half of the milk and allowed that to thicken. Then I added one bottle of stock and continued to heat until almost boiling. I used a Crock-Pot for this soup (limited pots and pans at the condo), so I pre-heated it and then added the thickened liquid and then the rice to the pot. I then added the skinless, diced chicken and the spices. I then added the remaining stock and enough milk to get the soup to the right consistency. This cooked on high for about two hours and then was ready to serve.

My Dad loved the soup (I added the extra pepper for him--he likes spicy food). He said he thought he liked it better than my homemade pizza. He loves the pizza so much that we had that on Christmas Day since it was just for the three of us. To make a long story short, if it's his favorite meal, that's saying something since he will happily eat anything I make and has suggested I open a restaurant! :)

New Recipe: Sugar Cookie Bars

I needed a quick and easy recipe for a sweet coworker's birthday last Wednesday and guess where I turned?  That's right, my good friend, Pinterest!  It's pretty obvious that I like to cook (and eat) since nearly half of my total pins are food-related.

I decided to make these sugar cookie bars from High Heels and Grills.  I love how I keep finding new food blogs to follow from pins I like on Pinterest!  There are tons of interesting recipes on this blog and I can't wait to try something else soon!

Ingredients:


Cookies:

2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour is fine)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Several drops of food coloring (optional)

Directions:

COOKIES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. I sifted my dry ingredients.  Just something I always do when baking.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. (The longer you beat it, the fluffier your cookies will be.)  


Add egg and combine well.

Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended.

Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Gently press the batter into the greased baking dish and spread out with hands. (If you butter your hands, this will help with the stickiness.)

Bake 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden.

Set aside to cool completely.

FROSTING: In a medium bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and half and half until light and fluffy.

Stir in vanilla and salt, combine well.

Add food coloring until desired color.

Frost your cooled cookie bars evenly.

Cut into squares and serve.


These cookies are VERY good!  The cookie turns out to be almost like a shortbread cookie.  Since shortbread is one of my favorites, this was a definite plus!

I made one recipe for work last Wednesday and there were none left at the end of the day.  I liked them so much (and I had sour cream and half and half left), so I made another recipe on Saturday for my family.  I think it would be fun to use different colors and maybe add sprinkles for different holidays or occasions!

I'll definitely make these cookies again!

New Recipe - Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, my good friend Molly came to town for a work event.  Lucky for me, I got to have dinner with her after she got into town!  Her birthday was the week before, so I decided I needed to bake a little something to help welcome in 26!  I needed something quick, easy and easily transportable since she would be taking whatever I made back to Memphis with her.  After a quick trip to What Megan's Making, I decided I would make these Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I decided to double the recipe in order to have enough to take to work on Monday and to give to Molly on Monday night.  All in all, a double batch yielded about four dozen cookies when made as the recipe suggested (a scant quarter-cup of dough per cookie).

Mom came to take care of me Wednesday night (I had a clumsy moment involving my foot and my pizza stone.) and she ate my leftover cookies and baked the last bit of leftover dough.  She took the last few cookies home and "ever so kindly" allowed my Dad to try them just because he wasn't feeling well.  Usually, he complains that he doesn't get more than a taste of anything I make.  He has since said that he prefers these cookies to the famous cookies at the DoubleTree.  I think that's quite a compliment since they are my very favorite cookies!

Also, I didn't think that it would be necessary to make a ball of dough, split it in half and then reattach the halves, but after baking these cookies were so pretty!  I think it's worth the extra step to have pretty cookies!

The recipe is below for anyone who doesn't want to click through the links!


Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from What Megan's Making


Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp (10 5/8 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 oz) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
~1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I prefer chocolate chunks!)
Directions:

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chunks to taste.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. This will give the cookies a bakery-like appearance. Place the the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden, yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15-18 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets to retain their chewy texture.

Recipes and a New Cooking Blog

As I promised, here are the recipes for the super yummy pizza I made over Labor Day weekend.  I made four thin-crust pizzas with one dough recipe and it was more than enough to feed five adults when served with a side salad.  Keep in mind that both of these recipes are made using a food processor--quite possibly the best kitchen appliance ever!

For the pizza dough, I used this recipe from my earlier post.  This time, thanks to some good advice, I used bread flour only instead of bread flour and all-purpose flour like the first time I made this dough.  I think the crust was crisper and it was simpler to just use one type of flour when I was busy making this dough after 9 o'clock at night!

I also made homemade sauce from a blog I was recently told about called, What Megan's Making.  This is now one of my favorite cooking blogs and it's so much fun  to see what good food Megan's been making!  This sauce is so good and comes together in 30 seconds or less!  I don't think I'll ever buy store bought pizza sauce again!

I topped two pizzas with store bought shredded mozzarella and pepperoni (the Publix deli has the best pepperoni, by the way) while the other two had mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, red bell peppers and tons of olives (A treat for my Dad--I think he'd eat an olive pizza if I'd allow it!).

I also made pie crust again the week before Labor Day.  Practice makes perfect, right?  I made another chicken pot pie to thank my Dad for working on my car, a few homemade pop tarts that weren't the best (needed more filling) and then used the last crust to make a chocolate fudge pie to take to Mom over Labor Day weekend.  I think my impromptu pie crimping lesson before choir practice really paid off since these pies looked much better this time!  I hate to say something bad about a Martha Stewart recipe, but my "surrogate aunt's" recipe is so much easier to roll out and work with!  I really do think part of the difference was using shortening vs. butter (in the MS recipe).  I didn't ask for permission to share that recipe with anyone and, since it originally came from her MIL, I better not share it for now.

Daddy said he was disappointed Chef Katie didn't come home for the weekend, so I must be doing something right!  I was a little to busy cleaning the kitchen to get it all dirty again making dinner on Saturday.  I'll have to come up with something else to impress him with before my next trip to Florence!

Comfort Food

I was under the weather all weekend and I'm still feeling a bit puny.  I should have forced the doctor to give me a shot instead of pills.  I know, I know...who asks for a shot?

Anyway, I haven't been really hungry since I really can't taste anything.  Sunday afternoon, I decided I was in the mood for some comfort food.  What I had in mind was a recipe I have been making for years that I got from Mama's best friend, Vickey.  She made these butter rolls when I was little that I swear are like crack.  It's physically impossible to eat just one.  Even better, it's just three simple ingredients.

2 sticks butter (I use REAL butter and I always bake with salted butter unless the recipe calls for salt)
1 cup sour cream (the rolls might be fine with low-fat, but with two sticks of butter, why bother?)
2 cups self-rising flour

Combine very soft butter with the sour cream and flour and mix until well incorporated.  Scoop into either regular or mini-muffin tins.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.  I made full-size rolls and they took between 25-30 minutes to cook.

I didn't eat any when they finished cooking last night, but they made a great breakfast this morning.  I'll probably make something for dinner tonight that works with these (or maybe I'll just eat half of the pan as my dinner!)

I had planned to snap a picture this morning, but I was running late (thanks Benadryl and Sudafed for making it impossible to wake up) and left the house without a picture.  Anyway, any picture I took would not have done justice to just how good these rolls are.  Trust me, all the fat and calories are 100% worth it when you bite in to one of these!

New Recipe - Follow-Up

I just wanted to follow-up the post yesterday about the pan-roasted chicken thighs.  I have to say, they are better than any fried chicken I have ever had!  No breading required to make it leaps and bounds better than KFC.  I followed the directions carefully and the chicken turned out perfect in just the amount of time the recipe called for.

I think this chicken would be good with a variety of rubs rather than just the salt and pepper.  I'm definitely planning on experimenting in the future with this one.

I have to admit, this was my first experience with cooking chicken thighs and since I rarely cook with bone-in meat, I was a bit nervous about getting the chicken done, but not tough.  Not to worry, there was no rubber chicken at my house last night!

My only complaint was not due to the recipe, but chef's error.  I knew my old standard iron skillet was not level and I turned the pan frequently (as the recipe stated) to ensure even cooking while on the stove top.  However, I did not account for this when in the oven.  I found that some of my chicken thighs were still in the oil while others were directly on the skillet.  Next time, I'll rotate the skillet while in the oven as well.  The skin of the chicken was not burnt, but some pieces were a bit more crispy than others.

I think this will go into my rotation since it's simple and (relatively) quick.  Also, if you are trying to be more economical, my grocery store was selling chicken thighs for half of the price of chicken breasts.  I say buy the chicken thighs and enjoy the added flavor of dark meat.  Mom's always said I'm going to turn in to Suze Orman (without a few of her more well known characteristics), so maybe I will be the Suze Orman of grocery shopping?

New Recipe Blog

I may be totally behind the times, but I recently discovered a new cooking blog, Dinner: A Love Story, while blog hopping on Monday night.  Since then, I've tried a new potato recipe and I am planning on trying the Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs linked from Bon Appetit.

Doesn't that look completely sinful?

I really want this cookbook...maybe someone will get it for my birthday...August 6...*hint, hint*.

If this new recipe turns out, I'll share my tips.  I'm also looking forward to this recipe.  Maybe for later this week? 

I've got a busy weekend planned with a Batchelorette party for one of my coworkers, but I still want to make time to bake some of "Aunt" Revonda's sinfully yummy caramel brownies for my new neighbors moving in on Saturday.  I bought all of the ingredients that I didn't have on hand last night, so all I have to do is whip them up and stick them in the oven! 

I don't know if I have posted about this or not, but I decided I have two cooking-related goals for this summer: making my Grandmother's famous yeast rolls and learning to make my own pie crust.  Maybe one day I'll finally break down and try yeast rolls again after three failures.  I would give just about anything for an entire pan of hot, buttered rolls to myself.  The pie crust is something I just don't know if I can tackle on my own.  Mother doesn't like to cook, so I can't learn from her, but I do have a dear friend who has promised to teach me.  If anyone out there has tips on the best pie crust or what to do when your yeast rolls won't rise, send me your tips. 

New Recipe - Vanilla Scones

One of my very favorite things to do is bake.  Since I have an abundance of free time now that busy season is over and I get home before 11PM, I decided to make a treat to take to work and to bring home to Florence this weekend.

I saw the Pioneer Woman make these scones when I was catching up on DVR'd programs earlier this week.  They looked yummy and since I have a new obsession with drinking hot tea, I thought they would be good to try.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that, in all my baking over the years, I'd never used a whole vanilla bean until yesterday.  To be honest, I never thought Wal-Mart would carry them.  I'm still not sure if they do or not, but since I shop at Kroger and Publix now, it's no longer a problem.

I really like these scones and will definitely make them again.  They are sweet, but not too sweet.  Someone at work asked if they were cookies, but the texture is more like a biscuit than a cookie.  I got rave reviews from my coworkers and was even asked for the recipe.  Definitely a go-to treat to bring to any breakfast or brunch occasion!

The only thing I would do differently is make more scones per recipe.  I think on TV, she made 24 scones from one batch of dough, but I either rolled mine out thinner or they just look smaller on TV.  I think I made about 36 (the first 24) were too big for my tastes.  I think when I make this again I will try to make 36 from the start.  There was nothing petite about the first batch out of the oven!

Overall, this is still two thumbs up!

Vanilla Scones - The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients


SCONES
■3 cups All-purpose Flour
■2/3 cups Sugar
■5 teaspoons Baking Powder
■1/4 teaspoon Salt
■2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
■1 whole Large Egg
■3/4 cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)
■2 whole Vanilla Beans

GLAZE
■5 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
■1/2 cup Whole Milk, More If Needed For Thinning
■1 whole Vanilla Bean
■Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla "caviar" inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Real Food

I've gotten some strange looks at work when I say I eat "real food" on the nights I don't work. What I mean by this is I cook the entire meal from scratch without anything premade or prepackaged.

Tonight, I made mashed potatoes as part of my made-from-scratch meal. When I was little, we only had mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve. Now that my meals are are all up to me, I could eat my weight in mashed potatoes. Tonight, I seriously contemplated making a meal out of loaded mashed potatoes!

Now I'm so full of carbs that I'm soon going to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep and head upstairs.

New Recipe - Caramel Brownies

This recipe is from a dear family friend. They are quick and easy and I have already made them twice and I've only had the receipe for about 10 days!

I think baking should be easy for all Accountants since we are all so detail-oriented, but I learn more and more each day that this is just not the case. However, I didn't completely follow the recipe for this one. First, I used a glass Pyrex, so I lowered the temperature to 325 degrees which also affected the cooking time. Then I decided it was silly to not use the entire can of sweetened condensed milk so I added the small leftover amount to the caramel sauce. I didn't measure out the chocolate chips at all--just added what looked right. This is one of those receipes that is definitely not an exact science!

Caramel Brownies

1 box German Chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
60 caramels
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt caramels and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk. Make sure to stir constantly or the sugar will burn and stick to the pot. Not good for the brownies or cleanup.

Mix German Chocolate cake mix, butter and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk until fully incorporated.

Take 1/2 of the cake mixture and pat in the bottom of a 9x13" greased and floured cake pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Take the remaining cake mixture and sprinkle on top of the caramel. Really, it's more like crumble over the top. This worried me the first time, but I promise it turned out fine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

These brownies are VERY gooey! I had trouble neatly cutting them even once fully cooled overnight. The second time I made them, I was a bit more rushed and tried to remove them from the pan after about an hour--not good. Trust me and wait at least two hours to take them out of the pan unless you don't mind a slightly molten pile of deliciousness for your dessert. If you are serving them to guests, resist the temptation and wait. They will be even better after the anticipation has had time to build.

That's all for today. Busy season is killing me, but I have to remember that we only have 55 days to go...geez, that sounds bad now that I think about it.

New Recipe

I received the 2011 Southern Living Cookbook as a Christmas gift from my Uncle Mark this past year. I often get in a habit of making the same recipes over and over again so I decided to try something new tonight. I really enjoy taking the time to make a meal from scratch on the weekends since time trumps taste during the week as a CPA during busy season.

One of the first recipes I found during a quick peak in the cookbook was for a Kentucky Hot Brown. I had eaten this once before and enjoyed it, so I decided it would make a yummy Sunday night dinner.

I altered the recipe a bit--most notably cutting it in half. I wanted to make sure I had enough sauce, but I could have cut the recipe even further and still had more than enough sauce. I'm going to put the remainder in the refrigerator in hopes that it might reheat well if I get to come home early enough this week. I also added nutmeg to the sauce. I remembered that the original sauce I tasted had just a hint of nutmeg in it.

If you have the Souther Living Cookbook, the recipe can be found on page 109.

Kentucky Hot Brown (serves four)

4 thick white bread slices
3/4 lb. sliced roasted turkey
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 plum tomatoes, sliced (I omitted these)
8 bacon slices, cooked

Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until toasted.

Arrange bread slices in 4 lightly greated broiler safe individual baking dishes. Top bread with turkey slices. Pour hot Mornay Sauce over turkey. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Broil 6 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned; remove from oven. Top sandwiches with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.

Mornay Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper (I'll add more next time)

Melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

I don't know how to embed a link with my iPad (always my excuse, huh?), but I will paste it below.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kentucky-hot-browns-50400000112163/

This was a great recipe--very yummy and extremely filling. After just one sandwich I'm bursting at the seams!!

Nutella Cupcakes

Yesterday, I was in a baking mood after I got home from work.  I decided to pick a recipe I’d found on Pinterest for Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes.  The recipe is simple and luckily uses staple ingredients, so I had everything on hand.

Self-frosting Nutella Cupcakes
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Tilt them in the pan to help them cool. Makes a dozen cupcakes.

My cupcakes looked almost exactly like this picture.  The cupcake batter is very thick…almost as thick as a cookie dough.  Definitely not pourable.  I put a heaping spoonful in each muffin cup.  I put a dollop of Nutella in each muffin cup and swirled the batter and Nutella with a toothpick.  The only thing I would change is to more thoroughly mix the Nutella into the batter.  The top of each cupcake was nice and marbleized, but I didn’t get the Nutella down to the bottom of the cupcake.  Even though parts of the cupcakes weren’t chocolately, the cake itself is very like a pound cake, so it tastes good even without the Nutella.  I think I might add some orange extract to the batter next time…I’ve always heard that orange and chocolate go well together and I know orange extract is a good addition to Grams’ pound cake.

I took a few cupcakes to work to share with some of my sweet friends.  I know that guys will eat practically anything that’s cooked for them, so I thought they would be good guinea pigs for this new-to-me recipe.  They’re also having a crazy week with a big deadline on Tuesday and another tomorrow, so I thought they deserved a treat.  Cooking is much more fun when you have someone to cook for!!