Posts Tagged ‘recipe’
Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies for Christmas
Nestle Toll House Cookies
I’ve been making Nestle® Toll House® Cookies for Christmas for 35 years. I’m almost 42, so you do the math. We always sprinkled colored sugar on top. There is no way I know how to improve on the Toll House recipe, except perhaps to add an extra dash of the vanilla extract. And of course, the quality of the chips matters. You can step up to Ghirardelli, or dare I say, Sharffen Berger, but when it comes down to it, Nestlé Semi Sweet Baking Chips really do the trick, and I bought a HUGE bag of them at Costco at the beginning of December, so we’re sticking to the old favorite.
What’s your favorite Christmas Cookie?
Nestlé Toll House Cookies
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
- PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
- COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
- BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Ready for Bake Sale
Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
I baked these for the church bake sale and they were tender and rich. At first, I thought the dough was difficult to handle, but once I got it chilled enough, it was much easier to cut the shapes and transfer them to the baking sheet.
If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand, you can substitute baking powder. Baking powder is simply two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda. It won’t be perfect, but you could use 1 tsp of baking powder instead of the baking soda and cream of tartar requirement.
- 1 stick butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extra
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
- Sprinkles or caster sugar
- In the bowl of a standup mixer, beat the butter, oil, and two sugars until well blended and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and mix it in. Form the dough into a large ball. It will be quite soft. You may need to add additional flour, but don’t overdo it. Just chill it for an hour first and then check it.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Divide the dough into 2 large balls. On a floured board, roll out the dough until it is about ⅛” thick. Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and transfer them, using a spatula to help, to a non-stick cookie sheet. Scatter sprinkles on top. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before carefully transferring them to rack for further cooling.
Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
The most popular post on this blog, hands down, is My Ultimate Pumpkin Bread post, and one of my personal favorites is my Zucchini Bread post, so now that it’s October, I thought, why not do a mashup? The spices for pumpkin and zucchini bread are so similar, it seems like a marriage made in heaven. And, I’ve been getting a lot of zucchini in my weekly produce box from Full Circle lately.
This version came out perfectly moist. Make sure you squeeze the excess water out of your shredded zucchini. Just press between paper towels before adding to the mixture. I used this kind of grater to prepare the zucchini:
Play with the sugar to meet your tastes. I’ve tried it with 2 cups and it’s perfect for folks who don’t like their quick breads too sweet. I prefer it with 2 1/2 or even 3 cups of sugar.
This recipe makes 2 loaves!
Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
- 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1½ cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
- 1 15 oz can of pureed pure pumpkin
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and spray 2 9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl (including the sugar).
- In the bowl of a large standup mixer, cream the butter. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated. Add the milk and beat until mixed. Add the pumpkin and zucchini and mix on medium until blended.
- Take bowl away from standup mixer. Add bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until all is moistened. Do not overmix.
- Bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until top is golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Hazelnut Pumpkin Bars
Hazelnut Pumpkin Bars
It’s the 4th anniversary of StreamingGourmet today! Celebrate by watching some classic pumpkin and Halloween videos in StreamingGourmet’s video collections.
It’s time for another pumpkin blogging binge at StreamingGourmet. You see, I’m a little pumpkin obsessed and even more, Halloween obsessed, so this won’t be the first time I publish a slew of pumpkin recipes in October. There’s always something new to try with pumpkin, so check back often over the next few weeks for pumpkin recipes that are sweet, savory and everything in between.
This time, I’m starting with pumpkin bars. There is a pumpkin bar recipe that has truly made the internet rounds, usually with pecans. I’ve done some tweaking here to make these my own, including swapping in hazelnuts for pecans. You might also like them with a dolup of whipped cream on top or perhaps with a serving of ice cream. The trick to getting these right is to make sure you give the bars time to set before sprinkling the nut mixture on top. Otherwise, the nuts will just sink to the bottom.
In this recipe, you’ll need to chop hazelnuts. I found my little mini-prep Cuisinart to be a champ. Click through to find it on Amazon:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 (15 oz.) cans Pure Pumpkin
- 2 (12 oz.) cans Evaporated Milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup hazelnuts, chopped
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Combine flour, oats, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- In the bowl of a standup mixer, beat together the granulated sugar, pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs and spices. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes until frothy. Pour over crust.
- Bake for 25 minutes. While the bars are baking, toast the hazelnuts in a dry sauté pan over medium heat until they start to turn dark brown. Toss them around to ensure they are toasted on all sides. Chop hazelnuts in a small food processor. Combine chopped hazelnuts and brown sugar in small bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle hazelnut topping over filling. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
Hazelnut Pumpkin Bars
Spicy Red Lentil Burger with Cilantro
Spicy Red Lentil Burger with Cilantro
So today I thought I might make another lentil salad, but I accidentally overcooked the red lentils. Chango presto, it’s lentil burger time. My hubby had just requested a bean burger not made with soy, so voila. Here’s my opportunity.
I wanted to make something with real flavor punch that would sing several notes, not just one. So instead of using Curry Powder or even a store-bought Garam Masala, I introduced Indian flavors by incorporating turmeric and fenugreek. Indian isn’t the only note playing here. With cumin and coriander, there’s a little Southwest happening and with the Cayenne pepper, the burger hits the tongue HOT. The fresh cilantro cools and sweetens. Try it today! Super healthy. Totally vegan. No flavor compromise.
Spicy Red Lentil Burgers
- ½ cup dry lentils
- 1½ cups water
- 1 small red onion
- 8-10 mini carrots, chopped in a mini food processor
- ½ cup raw almonds chopped in a mini food processor
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground fenugreek
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped finely
- 2 tsp salt
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 buns
- To prepare the lentils, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, reduce heat and cover partially. Simmer for about 15 minutes, which will overcook the lentils. Remove from heat and set aside uncovered.
- In a separate saute pan, heat a Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add shredded carrots and garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently.
- Add chopped almonds, cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, and fenugreek and continue to saute for a minute or two more while these flavors meld. Then remove from heat.
- In a medium large mixing bowl, combine the lentils, onion mixture, cilantro, and salt. Stir to combine well. Shape into 4 patties.
- In a large skillet over medium flame, heat the olive oil. Add patties and sautee until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Serve immediately. These can be stored and cooked later.
California Strawberry Salad
California Strawberry Salad - Photo courtesy of the CA Strawberry Commission
Last week the California Strawberry Commission hosted an event for bloggers and food writers in San Francisco. Cheryl Sternman Rule was on hand discussing her amazing book, Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables
For more great strawberry recipes, check out the recipe collection at the CA Strawberry Commission website.
California Strawberry Salad - Photo courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission
- 2 cups snap peas, cleaned
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 1 pint strawberries, washed and sliced
- 4 oz baby greens
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting
- 1 Tbsp agave nectar
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1⁄2 cup goat cheese
- 1⁄2 cup toasted walnuts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Blanch the snap peas in salted boiling water for 30 seconds. Refresh in ice water immediately after cooking to lock in the bright green color and to keep from overcooking.
- Lay out the fennel on a sheet pan. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast snap peas at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 45 minutes.
- Arrange strawberries, baby greens, blanched snap peas and roasted fennel in a large salad bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the agave nectar and balsamic vinegar with the olive oil to create the vinaigrette. Whisk until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide on four plates and drizzle vinaigrette over the salad. Top the salad with equal parts goat cheese and walnuts.
California Strawberry Salad - Photo courtesy of the CA Strawberry Commission
Chicken Breasts in Vermouth
Chicken Breasts in Vermouth
The book, Chicken and Other Poultry
I’ve adapted the recipe a bit here to account for all of the changes we’ve seen over the last 20 years. For example, when the book was published in 1986, boneless, skinless chicken breasts were not available at the grocery store, so they go to the trouble of telling you to split, bone and skin the breasts. I’ve boosted the flavorings a bit, by increasing the onions and mushrooms, but the the essence of the recipe is the same: a vermouth reduction serves as the foundation for a classic mushroom cream sauce.
If you like Jamie Oliver’s Chicken and Leek Stroganoff, you’ll love this dish too. Orange replaces lemon in this dish for the citrus burst that lightens the cream sauce. It’s a nice little surprise.
This dish is easy and fast. Make it for dinner tonight!
Chicken Breasts in Vermouth
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- ¾ cup dry vermouth
- ½ pint sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp grated orange rind
- Wedges from leftover orange for garnish
- 4 Tbsp flat, Italian parsley, chopped
- Preheat oven to 200˚F.
- In a medium sautée pan over medium flame, heat oil with garlic, being careful not to scorch the garlic. Sauté breast halves in the oil until browned on both sides (about 7 minutes per side for thick breasts)
- Remove breasts to an ovenproof serving dish, keeping as much of the oil in the sautée pan as possible. Keep breasts warm in the oven while you prepare the cream sauce.
- If necessary, add another dab of olive oil and heat through. Then add the shallot and sautée until softened and turning golden brown. Add the vermouth and deglaze the pan, scraping brown pits from the side of the pan. simmer until reduced by about half. Add mushrooms and quickly heat through. Pour in cream and increase the flame to high. Bring to a boil and allow to thicken. Reduce the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- To add the egg yolk, beat it in a small bowl and stir in a few tablespoons of the hot sauce. Pour this mixture into the pan and stir to combine completely and thicken. Keep the heat low so that the egg doesn’t curdle.
- Add the orange rind and simmer to heat through and release essential oils.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle parsley over the sauce, garnish with orange slices and serve. I like to serve it with jasmine rice, to have something to soak up all that yummy sauce.
Plum Clafoutis and a CSA Box Giveaway
Plum Clafoutis
A few weeks ago, a company called Full Circle reached out and offered me the opportunity to experience their CSA box delivery program free of charge for a brief period of time. They recently expanded into the Bay Area from Washington State and Idaho, and they wanted to give bloggers like me a chance to sample their new service. There was no requirement to review or purchase the product, but it is such a great service, I am happy to write about it here. In this week’s box, there were Santa Rosa Plums. I knew it was time to make Plum Clafoutis. More about that later. First, let me tell you about Full Circle Farms and invite you to enter a drawing to win one free farm box delivery from them! Details below.
Full Circle delivers a weekly box of local & organic fruits and veggies right to your doorstep. You can pick items from their artisan grocery list too – dairy, breads, pastas, grass-fed meats, coffee, jams and more. They started as an organic farm 15 years ago in North Bend, WA. Now, they’re CSA program has grown to serve thousands in the Northwest, Alaska and most recently, the Bay Area. They work with a bunch of the best organic and family farms on the West Coast. When I check my front step on Wednesdays, it feels like Christmas morning.
Santa Rosa Plums
If you’d like to have fresh, organic produce delivered to your doorstep too, enter “STREAMINGGOURMET’S 1 FREE FARM BOX FROM FULL CIRCLE GIVEAWAY” Entries could include: a TWEET, a FB share, a PIN, a Google+, or a BLOG POST. All entries must link back to this post. LEAVE A COMMENT at the bottom detailing your entries and you will be entered into the drawing. The DEADLINE is Sunday, August 12 at midnight PDT. To win, you must reside within one of Full Circle’s Delivery Areas.
If you are the winner, you will be contacted by email, and given a coupon code to enter during the registration process on the Full Circle website. We will also announce the winner on FB and Twitter. You will be under no obligation to purchase any items from Full Circle. (Credit card required at signup. Membership required through online registration, automatic renewal unless cancelled.) So starting sharing and comment below to enter! The more ways you share, the better your chances of winning.
And when you get your box, if plums are still in season, you just might want to make this classic French dessert, Plum Clafoutis. It’s like a custardy cake. Or is it a cakey custard? I like mine particularly eggy, so this one is more like a cakey custard. For extra oomph, you could do what Julia Child would do and soak your plums in cognac first, or I like the idea of soaking them in Cointreau, a French liqueur with orange overtones. I didn’t have any Cointreau on hand, so I went without and it still tasted great. Make sure you eat the clafoutis soon after it leaves the oven. Because it has certain soufflée qualities, it’s just not the same the next day.
- 6-8 Santa Rosa plums (or any variety of plum or stone fruit)
- 1 Tbsp of sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp butter
- 5 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 1½ cups milk (I used 2%)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- Powdered sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 9×12 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Place the plums in the pan with the skin side down. Sprinkle with the sugar and dot with a little butter on each one.
- In a stand-up mixer, beat the eggs for about 2 minutes until they start to get stiff. Add the sugar and beat until sugar is nearly dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the sifted flour and whisk to combine. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter over the plums. Bake in the oven for about an hour. The batter will puff up and then start to brown. When it is golden brown on top, it’s done.
- After the clafoutis has cooled a bit, dust it with the powdered sugar and serve. Clafoutis is best eaten right out of the oven! Serve with vanilla ice cream for a extra punch.
More great clafoutis recipes from around the web:
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Julia Child’s Plum Clafouti |
Cherry-Almond Clafoutis |
Cherry Clafouti |
| Gratinee Blog | Use Real Butter Blog | Simply Recipes Blog |
Cilantro-Lime Halibut
Cilantro Lime Halibut
I’ll be honest. I’m on a diet. And it’s food like this that keeps me feeling positive. Full of flavor, but lean as all get out, this is the kind of food that keeps me “on track.”
Normally, I’d load up this sauce with butter, and you should feel free to do that, but I’m going for “light” here, so I’ve stuck with chicken stock, white wine and lime juice as the basis for this sauce. I’ve also got a secret ingredient. A new infused oil available at Mollie Stones. It’s Nona Luisa’s Blood Orange infused Olive Oil. I added just a tad of it to the pan at the beginning and it helped get this dish off the ground right from the start.
I’m serving this over a bed of greens, but you could just as easily serve it over a Quinoa and Millet Pilaf or with a Cucumber and Avocado Ceviche piled on top. It would be great with this Fiesta Black Bean Salad too. For today, lettuce with a little blood-orange olive oil vinaigrette did just fine.
- 2 (1/2 lb) Northern Halibut Filets
- 2 tsp Mollie Stone’s Blood Orange Olive Oil (or regular olive oil)
- Dusting of garlic-pepper
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- Juice of one lime
- 2 green onions, chopped from the white part halfway up the green part
- Another slug of Blood Orange Olive Oil
- A bunch of fresh cilantro
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Coat the filets with garlic pepper on the flesh side. When pan is heated, add filet flesh side down to pan to sear that side. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds. Then flip filets over with tongs.
- Add white wine to pan and cover to steam. After about 2 minutes, much of the wine will have evaporated. Add the chicken stock gradually. Allow the filets to steam for another couple of minutes. Then add the lime juice. When bubbling and both filets are opaque all the way through, add the green onions to the pan and swirl in the sauce for a moment.
- Remove filets to beds of lettuce. Add a tsp of the Blood Orange Olive, swirl the green onions in the sauce one more time and then pour equal parts over the fish.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Cherry Cobbler
Cherry Cobbler
May 17 is National Cherry Cobbler Day! I decided to make an easy cherry cobbler with more than a hint of cinnamon. I prefer the real “biscuity” kind of topping on cobbler, rather than a streusel, or sugar crusted type topping. Using the Stonewall Kitchen Cherry Pie Filling saves one from having to pit the cherries and cook them just right. My easy cobbler recipe takes about 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook. Done and done!
- 4 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 29 oz Jar of Cherry Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Add pie filling to a 9 x 12 casserole dish. While preparing the batter, put the dish in the oven for about 10 minutes so that the fruit has a chance to warm up.
- Meanwhile, in a standup mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and mix in the mixer until a crumbly dough starts to form. Don’t over mix.
- Add the milk and stir with a spoon until mixture is a smooth batter. Again be careful not to overmix it.
- Remove casserole dish from the oven and spread batter over the top, trying to reach all of the corners.
- Bake at 425˚F for 15-20 minutes or until biscuit topping is golden brown. The cinnamon in the mixture will make it appear more brown than a normal biscuit.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or just on its own. Best when served warm.
