Posted on by Opie

S’more Sandwich Cookies

Ok the s’more cookie recipe that I’ve been working on has gotten under my skin. The first try was pretty good but the graham cookies were a little dry. So I have it another go and it turned out pretty good. Recently I was talking to a co-worker about cookies and she gave me a great idea for a new twist on this cookie. So instead of putting chocolate ON the graham cookie and then the marshmallow I decided to make a chocolate cookie and sandwich marshmallow fluff in-between. And to add another twist, I made the fluff bourbon flavored. I think they turned out pretty good. Enjoy!

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Graham cookie

  • 2 cups graham or whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 Tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 Tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes
  • 2 1/4 oz molasses
  • 1 1/2 oz milk
  • 1/2 Tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a food processor combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse a couple of times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until it starts to look like cornmeal. Add the molasses, mild and vanilla and process until the dough starts to form a ball, about a minute.

Poor out onto a board and shape into a long rectangle about 2″ x 2″. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour, longer is better.

Once chilled, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the log into 1/4″ squares and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25 minutes.

Chocolate Shortbread cookie

  • 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (or grated chocolate)

Directions

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and brown sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and beat for another 1-2 minutes.

Whisk the flours together in a medium bowl with the cocoa and espresso. Add to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

Dump the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a long log about 2” wide & high. Refrigerate for at least an hour, longer is better.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut the cookie log into about ¼” slices and space evenly on the cookie sheet. They do not spread much, only a little so leave about 1/2 inch between. Bake for 25 minutes.

Bourbon Marshmallow Fluff

  • 1 package Knox unflavored gelatin
  • 1/2 cup bourbon + 1 Tbsp
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 Tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large egg whites

Directions

In a stand mixer sprinkle the gelatin into the 1/2 cup cold water.

In a heavy pot combine the sugar, 1/2 cup bourbon, syrup and salt. Heat over low heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. continue to boil until the mixture comes to 240 degrees. A candy thermometer really comes in handy here. Once it hits 240 remove it from the heat and slowly and carefully pout into the gelatin mixture. Using the whisk attachment beat hard for about 10 minutes. It’ll start to double in bulk and become white and fluffy. Meanwhile beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the tbsp of bourbon until stiff again. Add to the sugar/gelatin mixture and stir to combine. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Assemble the cookie

This is pretty easy. Take a tablespoon of marshmallow fluff and sandwich it between a graham cookie and a chocolate cookie.

 

 

Posted on by Opie · 1 Comment

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

This recipe is based on one from the Barefoot Contessa. I don’t remember what inspired me to bump it up a notch by adding lavender but I’m so glad I did. It really makes a good cookie a great cookie.

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Lavender Shortbread Cookie

  • 3 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 Tsp real vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 Tsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp lavender
  • 10 to 12 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped

Directions

In a stand mixer, I like my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and combine until mixed.

In a medium bowl shift together the flour, lavender and salt. Slowly mix in with the butter/sugar mixture until it just comes together. Dump onto a slightly floured board and shape into a long rectangle, about 2″ x 2″. Wrap and plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, longer is better.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cookie log into slices about 1/4″ and place on the sheet with about 1/2″ between them, they don’t spread much. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Cool.

Put the chocolate in a microwave proof bowl. Nuke for 15 seconds at a time, pausing about a minute in between, and stirring after the 3rd nuke. This will slowly temper the chocolate. Once it’s melted and smooth, use a small spatula to cover 1/2 the cookie. Allow to set, about 30 minutes.

Posted on by Opie

Basil Pesto

I don’t think most people realize how easy it is to make your own pesto. I have, and absolutely love, my AeroGarden Ultra (LED) . Now it’s not perfect for everything but for herbs and such it’s amazing. And I found a great company that has fantastic seeds; organic, non-gmo and heirlom. I recommend their seeds. But I definitely buy the basil on a regular basis. I love the flavor of basil but you can make pesto using arugula, spinach and walnut instead of pine nuts. Enjoy!

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Salmon with Basil Pesto

  • 2 cups fresh basil, packed
  • 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil*
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 Tsp black pepper
  • 1 filet of salmon

Directions:

In a food processor combine the basil, 1/2 cup pine nutes and garlic. Pulse to combine. With the processor on low speed, slowly add the olive oil until smooth. *You may need a little more than 1/2 a cup.

Once it’s smooth add the cheese, salt and pepper and combine until smooth again.

Poach the salmon (about 5 minutes), or if you’re like me and have a Anova Sous Vide, cook at 115 degrees for 45 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven on the broiler setting. Spread the basil pesto on the top of the salmon and sprinkle with 1/4 cup (or so) of pine nuts. Toast in the broiler oven until the pine nuts are brown and the pesto is bubbly.

Posted on by Opie

Rosemary Balsamic Steak

One of the best gifts I’ve received over the years was a series of Italian cooking classes. You know, the kind where you get together with a bunch of people to make stuff over plenty of wine. So much fun, especially when the instructor is excellent. One of the recipes I took away from those classes was for this steak. No idea if what I do is the same or not, I think I probably upped the spice. I know when we made it in the class there was no crushed red chili flakes, oh well. The longer you let this marinate the better it tastes. And like a lot of Italian recipes, it’s super simple and easy. Enjoy!

Rosemary Balsamic Steak

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 good olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tsp red chili flakes
  • 4-5 rosemary sprigs, roughly chopped.

Directions

Place all of the ingredients into a ziplock bag and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, longer is better. Cook the steak to your desired doneness. I like to use my Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker, that way it always turns out at a perfect medium.

Posted on by Opie

Nutella Caramel Cookies

So what’s a guy to do on a snow day? Why make cookies of course! I’ve modified this recipe only slightly from the original and it’s oh so delicious! I like to use caramels from Trader Joe’s, Fleur De Sel Caramels. I love the sea salt and they’re “harder” than most caramels. This makes them better for melting in the oven. Enjoy!

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Nutella Caramel Cookies

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, I like dutch processed
  • 1 Tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 1/3 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tsp vanilla
  • 36-40 caramels, frozen

Directions

If you are using the Trader Joe’s caramel unwrap them, cut them in half, and freeze. Any other types, you basically want caramels that are about 1/4″ square.

Shift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a stand mixer, I like to use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, using the paddle attachment; beat the sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add it the eggs and beat until combines. Add the nutella, melted chocolate and vanilla.

For the chocolate, microwave in a glass bowl for 30 seconds at a time; stirring after each nuking. This will temper the chocolate and it’ll melt nice and smoothly.

Now on low-speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon to scoop out a nice ball of dough. Press the frozen caramel into the center and roll into a ball. Make sure you put plenty of distance between the dough balls on the cookie sheet as they spread when baked. Put the sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 12-24 minutes, until the tops of the cookies start to crack.

Posted on by Opie

Whiskey Pork Chops

This recipe started out as a cooking light recipe and then I totally ruined it. Oh well. Keep in mind when I make this I almost always use boneless pork cutlets. If you choose to make bone in chops you’ll need to adjust the cooking time as they take longer to cook due to the bone. This is excellent with mashed potatos, the sauce is like gravy. Enjoy!

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Whiskey Pork Chops

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 Tsp ground sage
  • 1/4 Tsp black pepper
  • 4 chops
  • 2 Tsp vegetable oil
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium shallot, diced
  • 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup whiskey

Directions

In a medium bowl combines the sour cream, beef broth, flour, salt, sage and pepper. Whisk together until smooth.

In a skillet, I like to use my Le Creuset Round Braiser, heat the vegetable oil on high. Once hot brown the chops, about 3 minutes per side*, until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter. Once melted add the mushroom, shallot and garlic. Brown for about 4 minutes until the mushrooms start to soften.

At this point you’ll want to be careful, whiskey is HIGHLY flammable. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the whiskey. Deglaze the skillet, get all those good brown bits off the bottom. Keep stirring until the whiskey has almost evaporated and the sauce has started to thicken. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the sour cream mixture. Put the chops back in and spoon sauce over them. Cover and allow to simmer, about 20 minutes for boneless chops.

*The browning, like the overall cooking, will vary depending on your chop. I like boneless thin cut chops, they don’t take as much time. If you make thicker, including bone-in chops, they’ll take longer.

Posted on by Opie

S’more Cookies

Everyone loves s’more I think. My sister posted a recipe to Facebook for s’more cookies but they were a combination of chocolate chip cookies, ground up graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. I wasn’t keen on the chocolate chip cookie part. The dough for chocolate chip cookies is very distinct and I didn’t think would really taste like true s’mores. So I decided to cobble together this recipe to see if I couldn’t come up with something more to my liking. Now I do have recipes for homemade marshmallow, one of which I’ve already posted. But for this, because I’m using plain marshmallow I just went with store bought. I just made sure to by good quality ones. For the chocolate part, use the type you like best; dark, semi-sweet, etc. I’d say enjoy but I’ll wait to see how they turn out first and will post either an update or a comment.

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Graham Cracker Cookies

  • 2 cups graham or whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 Tsp baking powder*
  • 1/2 Tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes and chilled
  • 2 1/4 oz molasses
  • 1 1/2 oz whole milk
  • 1 Tsp real vanilla extract

Directions

In a food processor, I like my Cuisinart Food Processor, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add in the chilled butter and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the molasses, milk and vanilla. Process until the dough forms a ball, about a minute.

Form the dough into a log roughly 1 1/2 inches. I press it flat on all 4 sides. Chill for at least 30 minutes, longer if you can.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into 1/4″ slices, poke the tops with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, the edges should turn brown. OK browner than the dough was when you started. Leave on the cookie sheet and allow to cool.

*OK I just learned that there are 2 types of baking powder. It’s recommended to get aluminum-free if possible. Who knew?

S’mores part

  • 12 oz good chocolate, chopped or chips
  • 1 package mini marshmallows

Directions

Pre-heat your oven on the broiler setting and put the rack in the middle.

Microwave the chocolate in a small bowl in 15 seconds intervels, stirring each time, until melted and smooth.

With a spatula smear the top of a cookie and place the mini-marshmallows on top. The chocolate will act as a glue. Do one and a time and nuke the chocolate if it starts to get stiff for another 15 seconds. When they’re all done pop them in the oven and WATCH THEM. It takes less than a minute for them to brown.

Posted on by Opie · 1 Comment

Shepherd’s Pie

This is a nice comfort food recipe that I like to make, especially in the winter. It’s even better because it freezes really well. You can use all sorts of meat; ground hamburger, lamb, but I prefer a good country sausage. It adds more flavor to the dish. Enjoy!

Sheppard’s Pie

  • 1 lbs ground meat
  • 1 carrot, diced (about the size of peas)
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 cup green beans, diced about 1/4″
  • 1 1/4 cup beef stock
  • 1 lbs potatoes diced and peeled
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
  • Paprika
  • olive oil

Directions

In a large pot, I like to use my Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven, brown the ground meat and onion.

In another large stock pot cook the potatoes in water with a Tbsp of Kosher salt until tender. Drain and mash with the milk and cheddar cheese.

Once the meat is browned add the carrot, peas, and green beans with 1 cup of the beef stock. Simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Whisk together the flour and remaining stock (I just use a jar and shake it well). Add into the meat and simmer for another 5 minutes or so, it should start to thicken.

Dish the meat into ramekins about 2/3rds full. Smooth the potatoes on top making sure to completely cover and seal the meat mixture in. Drizzle some olive oil on top and lightly sprinkle with the paprika. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.