not the least bit stinky

i love sesame noodles. you know, the noodles you get when you have sushi. my hubby calls them stinky noodles. well, i love my stinky noodles so i make them whenever he's at work. unfortunately, i don't always have sesame paste, so i substitute peanut butter. even better! they're quick and filling and yummy and not the least bit stinky.

peanut butter noodles 

1/3 pack of linguine

1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter

1/4 of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of honey

2-3 tablespoons of rice vinegar

optional- small squirt of sriracha sauce for spice and heat

optional- crushed peanuts

combine everything in a medium bowl and stir until smooth. taste- it should be salty, sweet, savory, and slightly spicy, if you use the sriracha sauce.

boil noodles according the instructions on package. once finished, remove from water and put directly into the peanut butter sauce. the liquid from the noodles will help to thin the sauce. toss until all the noodles are coated with sauce. sprinkle over with crushed peanuts.

i could eat this all day.

until next time- maggie

how easy is that?

sometimes i really want a chocolate chip cookie, but i don't want the hassle of having to stay in the kitchen- my cookies only bake for 7- 9 minutes. enter the chocolate chip blondie. it's a cross between a brownie and a really big chocolate chip cookie. i adapted my recipe from the fabulous ina garten- the barefoot contessa- and i've had a love affair with this every since. nothing will replace my love of chocolate chip cookies, but this is a seriously scrumptious replacement.

as always, i made some changes from the original recipe. not much- just little personal tweaks for my taste palette. for this blondie, i added some reese's pieces because i've been on a peanut butter kick.

chocolate chip blondies

adapted from the barefoot contessa

1 cup room temperature unsalted butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 1/2 cups semi- sweet chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 350⁰F. if using a convection oven, lower the temperature by 25 degrees. grease and flour a 9" x 13" x 2" baking pan. 

sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. set aside.

in a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add in the eggs, one at a time and mix well after each egg. mix in vanilla and beat until dough is creamy and smooth

add in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips. mix slowly until there are no more flour streaks. 

spread the dough into the pan and smooth top. bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. a toothpick will not come out clean! remove from oven and leave the blondie in the pan to cool. dip a paring knife into warm water before cutting.

in the words of the incomparable ina garten- "how easy is that?"

until next post- maggie

deceptively easy

i love foods that look complicated but are deceptively easy to make. this tomato goat cheese tart with caramelized balsamic onions is one of those recipes. the hardest part is deciding how much goat cheese you want to use- i use a lot because goat cheese makes everything better. i adapted my version from ina garten's tomato and goat cheese tart by omitting the wine, parmesan cheese, thyme, and garlic cloves, and adding balsamic vinegar, leaving the puff pastry as a rectangle and not scoring the edge, and using plain goat cheese instead. okay, so her recipe was an influence.

oh, this tart is so tasty, especially right out of the oven when the cheese is still warm and soft. now i want more.

maggie's tomato and goat cheese tart

1 rectangle of puff pastry, at room temperature

1 medium red onion, sliced into thin half moons

2 large vine- ripened tomatoes, sliced into rounds

8-10 fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade

1/2 cup of goat cheese- i always end up using more because i love goat cheese

1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

3- 4 tablespoons of water

salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

preheat oven to 400⁰F. if using a convection oven, lower the temperature to 375⁰F. 

in a saute pan,  add the onions to cold olive oil and saute over medium heat. season with salt, pepper, garlic powder. saute until onions are caramelized, then add the vinegar, water, and brown sugar. simmer for about 5 minutes. taste for flavor balance- there should be acid from the vinegar, but tempered by the sugar and water to not overwhelm the onion flavor. re- season if needed. simmer for about 5 more minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

place puff pastry dough onto a nonstick baking sheet or baking sheet with silicone mat. spread onions over the pastry, leaving an edge about 1/2" wide. place tomatoes over the onions and sprinkle goat cheese over everything. 

bake for 20- 25 minutes, until the pastry edges are a light golden brown and the cheese is lightly toasted. remove from oven and sprinkle basil leaves over the tart. 

serve warm and swoon with each bite over the combination of warm cheese, caramelized onions, and fragrant basil.

until next post- maggie

no longer a mere breakfast dish

 i love breakfast food. sour dough french toast, sausages, bacon, eggs over easy, toast are just beginning of my list of favorite breakfast foods. i'll often serve breakfast for dinner and the kids love days when we do this. my absolute favorite breakfast recipe is this potato bacon omelette.

i first learned how to make this dish from laura calder and her show "french food at home," which is, unfortunately off the air. deliciously browned potatoes, gooey melted cheese, tender bits of egg, topped with crispy bacon...oh my family just loves this omelette. unlike a typical omelette that is folded over, this one stays as a whole circle, making it the perfect base for other toppings- fresh tomatoes, avocadoes, chives, sour cream- this omelette is no longer a mere breakfast dish. it's a hearty meal.

potato bacon omelette

6-8 strips of bacon, cut into thin slices

1 baking potato- diced

1 cup of shredded cheese- harvarti is my fav, but you can use your favorite shredded cheese

4 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and ground black pepper

optional- minced chived or green onions, diced ham or shredded chicken

beat the eggs together with salt and ground black pepper and set aside. shred the cheese.

using kitchen shears, cut bacon into small strips. cook in a nonstick pan, over medium heat, until bacon is crispy. place onto a paper- towel lined plate and set aside.

while the bacon is cooking and with the skin on, dice up a baking potato.

 cook in the bacon grease, seasoned with salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder, over medium low heat, until the potatoes are nicely browned on all sides. if you're using minced chives or green onions or meat, add them now.

pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes and spread the egg evenly around the pan. turn the burner to low heat and cover. cook until the eggs are set around the edges, but still jiggly in the middle.

once the edges are set and the middle is still slightly wet, add the cheese and bacon. the cheese will melt into the egg and keep the bacon on. cover the pan, turn the burner to medium and cook until the cheese is melted.

once the cheese is melted, slide the omelette off the pan and onto plate. served with favorite toppings. we had it with julienned tomatoes and sliced avocadoes. yum!

doesn't that look mouth- wateringly delicious? there was none left.

until next post- maggie

rush job

last night i really wanted pie. i have no idea why, but i needed pie. so i scrounged around in my deep freeze and found a whole lot of frozen berries. berry pie it was! i made the crust using this recipe, omitting the dried rosemary and adding in nutmeg and sugar to the pie dough. it was a rush job, so i didn't use frozen butter, just cold, refrigerated butter and i didn't leave the dough in the fridge for nearly long enough. it didn't look so pretty when i rolled out the crust, but boy, did it taste good. lesson here? a rush job pie may not look pretty, but it sure does taste yummy!

sorry for the horrid lighting- my pie craving hit very late last night!

mixed berry pie

for the crust- 

this recipe- omit dried rosemary and add-

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp granulated sugar

make pie dough according recipe. divide into two discs, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least half and hour.

for the filling-

4 cups of any combination of frozen berries- thawed and drained of excess water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

4 tablespoons all purpose flour- to thicken the berry juice

combine berries into a large mixing bowl. sprinkle over with sugar, salt, cinnamon, and flour. set aside and wait for dough.

to assemble-

preheat oven to 400⁰F.

before rolling out the pie dough, let dough come to room temperature. lightly flour surface and roll out bottom pie crust. press into pie pan. pour fruit filling into bottom crust. roll out top crust and lay over the fruit. leaving an edge about one inch away from the edge of the pie pan, cut off the excess dough. roll edges together to from the crust. 

beat an egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. bake for 30-45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

see? not so pretty. very yummy though!

enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream.

craving very much satisfied!

until next post- maggie

lazy me

sometimes i'm lazy. really lazy, where all i want to do is stay in bed and read. those are the days where dinner is all about the oven. i love the oven. i put ingredients in, they cook and make the house smell molto delizioso, and then dinner is ready and i haven't spent much effort, other than prep work and clean up. today was one of those lazy days... so i made a pesto- marinara roasted chicken with linguine and cherry tomatoes. perfect for lazy me.

this dish is insanely easy, but still full of flavor. earlier in the week, i made a huge batch of marinara sauce, so this was just a matter of what to do with it. i had some pesto lying around, so i combined the two into a heavenly sauce. then it was just a matter of roasting the chicken and cooking the pasta.

pesto- marinara roast chicken 

with linguine and cherry tomatoes

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3- 4 cups marinara sauce- recipe here

1/4 cup pesto- fresh or store bought

salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pack of linguine or any pasta you prefer

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes- sliced into halves- i use my kitchen shears

1/4- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

preheat the oven to 400⁰F.

combine marinara and pesto in an 8x8 square oven safe casserole dish.  

in a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil and place into pan. brown all side of the chicken and put into the dish with the sauce. 

bake for 20- 30 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. once the chicken is done, remove from the oven and cover with tin foil until you're ready to eat. then cut chicken into slices.  

boil pasta according to instructions on package. drain and place into casserole dish. sprinkle and toss noodles with parmesan cheese.

serve with the chicken and pesto- marinara sauce.

see? easy peasy. tutti e va bene!

until next post- maggie