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Butterscotch Cookies

This recipe comes from that country cookbook that my mom gave to me when I moved out on my own. Like a lot of recipes I’ve modified it somewhat, added a little something something. It’s a nice and easy shortbread style cookie that is super easy to make. Enjoy!

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Butterscotch Cookies

  • 3 1/2 cups sifted flour
  • 1 Tsp salt
  • 1 Tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 2 Tbsp warm water
  • 1 Tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup butterscotch or toffee chips

Directions

Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.

Cream the shortening and butter with the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, water and vanilla, mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add the chips and mix.

Share the dough into rolls 2″ in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, overnight is best but for at least 2 hours.

Cut into 1/2″ slices with plenty of room between each cookie and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

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Cheesey Bread

This bread recipe is a little different from most as it has nuts in it. The ground nuts add an additional depth to the bread without making it too nutty. And it pairs well with the cheese, especially if you use cheddar.  I like to use a combination of Beecher’s Flagship and Tillamook Cheddar. Enjoy!

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Cheese Bread

  • 1/3 cup ground almonds
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • pinch of sugar
  • 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 Tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 6 cups bread flour
  • 3 cups shredded cheese
  • Sea salt

Directions

Toast the ground almonds, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool.

In a stand mixer, I like to use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment, add the water with the yeast and pinch of sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the oil, salt, toasted almonds, and 2 cups of flour. Beat hard for about 2 minutes until smooth. Add half of the shredded cheese and beat hard again. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides. Switch to the dough hook and beat hard for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide into half. Roll out to a long rectangle, about 12″ or the size of a bread pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and roll up. Stretch the ends over and tuck under the loaf. Let raise for another 10 to 15 minutes, covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Heat an oven to 375 degrees. Use a serrated knife to gently score the tops, sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

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Blackberry Habanero Margarita

One of my favorite pizza places in Seattle, Stellar Pizza, has a blackberry Habanero margarita on their drink menu. I love it! A slow burn with the sweet flavor of blackberry and the tart lime, delicious! But I got tired of having to go there all the time just to have one (or two or even three), so I decided to make my own version. I think it’s pretty close, I skip their step of muddling the lime and just use fresh lime juice. Enjoy!

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Blackberry-Habanero Simple Syrup

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups blackberries
  • 2 or more Habanero pepper, chopped*

Directions

In a medium pan combine all of the ingredients, use a masher to crush the blackberries. Bring to a simmer and cook for an hour. Strain out the blackberries and put the juice back in to a pan and continue to simmer until reduced and slightly thick, about another 30 minutes. Cool.

*OK the spice level here is very iffy. You never know how hot or not the peppers are going to be. So I usually buy 3 or 4 and as it’s simmering, a good 30 to 45 minutes in, I’ll taste it to see how hot it is. If it hasn’t got that hot bite to it I’ll add another pepper and add 20 minutes to the simmering time. If it’s still not hot enough, and this has only happened to me once, I’ll add the 4th pepper and again add another 20 minutes. BE VERY CAREFUL CHOPPING THESE, YOU SHOULD USE RUBBER GLOVES!

Blackberry Habanero Margarita

  • 4 oz of good tequila, I use a silver or blanco
  • 3 oz of fresh lime juice, fresh really makes a difference
  • 2 oz of blackberry-habanero simple syrup
  • 1 oz triple sec

Directions

In a cocktail shaker full of ice add all of the ingredients and shake. Pour into a pint glass, salted rim or not, and add a lime wedge (optional).

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Chicken Parmesan

I absolutely LOVE Italian food, it is probably my favorite cuisine. Don’t be put off by this recipe, it’s actually pretty quick to make (I think). If you can, I absolutely recommend using REAL bufalo mozzarella. I’ve been lucky enough to find it, once in a while, at Costco (I posted a picture to my Instagram – opie.seattle). There is NO comparison between this and US mozzarella. Seriously! If you are in a pinch you can use jarred marinara sauce, I do all the time. But I highly recommend 1) find one that does not have sugar (harder than you think) and 2) modify it! I add garlic, a little more italian spice and definitely crushed red chili flakes. Enjoy!

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Chicken Parmesan

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (try to use the real thing)
  • Mozzarella (how much depends on you)
  • 1 cup (or so) penne pasta
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

Make the pasta sauce, recipe below, first.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (good time to heat up some good bread while you’re at it).

In an oven proof wide pan, I like my Le Creuset Round Braiser, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Whisk the egg in a shallow pan or bowl. Put the flour in another shallow pan or bowl. Put the bread crumbs and parmesan in yet another shallow pan or bowl.

Take the chicken breasts, put them in a zip lock so they can’t get away, and pound the out so they are thin and even. Lightly salt and pepper them. Dip them 1st in the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumbs. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Remove from the pan, add the marinara, and put them on top of it. Put the mozzarella on top of the breasts and cook in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese starts to melt and ooze over the breasts.

Meanwhile heat a large pot of water over high heat with a couple of tablespoons of salt. Cook the penne until done, firm to the bite and not mushy.

When the chicken is done, plate it and then combine the sauce with the pasta and serve as well.

Easy Marinara Sauce

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced (the amount depends on how much garlic you like)
  • 28 oz can whole pealed tomatoes, crushed (or you can use tomato sauce if you don’t like your marinara “chunky”)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes (less it you don’t like heat)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a heavy bottom pot, I like my Le Creuset Round French Oven, heat the oil to medium and saute the garlic until fragrant (don’t burn it!). Dump the can of whole tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands (or not if you’re using tomato sauce). Dump them into the pot with the garlic, add the spices and bring to a simmer. The longer you simmer the better the flavor but this can be done in as little as 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Tuscan Olive Bread

I love this bread with a nice dipping sauce made from good olive oil, garlic, italian herbs and balsamic vinegar. It’s pretty easy to make, but like most bread recipes it takes time, so plan ahead. Enjoy!

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Tuscan Olive Bread

  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
  • 4 cups bread flour, sifted
  • 1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
  • 2 pinches of sugar
  • 1 cup kalamata olives, rough chopped

Directions

Stir the yeast into the warm water with a pinch of sugar until it’s dissolved. Add 1 cup of flour in a stand mixer, I like my KitchenAid 6-Qt. Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, with a whisk attachment and beat at medium-high for 1 minute until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 1 hour.

Switch to a paddle attachment and beat in the olives, salt, and another pinch of sugar. Start adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time, beating at medium-high. Continue until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, using as little flour as possible. It’s almost impossible to over kneed the bread but very easy to under kneed it. Shape it into a ball.

Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and cover, placing in a warm spot. Let rise until doubled, somewhere between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.

Gently flatten and form back into a ball. Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. let rest for 20 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. If you have a bread or pizza stone, put that on the bottom of the oven and place the rack in the lowest position. Using a serrated knife, score the top of the loaf; tic tac or cross pattern. Bake for 60 minutes on the lowest rack.

Note that my loaf in the picture looks small because I decided to split my dough and make 2 smaller loaves.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

I was in Vancouver, BC, Canada several years ago and went to a highly recommended restaurant. On their dessert menu they had sticky toffee pudding, which they were known for. Not having had it before I decided I had to give it a try. It was one of the most amazing desserts I’ve ever had, absolutely delicious! However there is no where in Seattle, that I’ve found, that has it on their menu. So I contacted the restuarant in Vancouver and asked them for their recipe and they were kind enough to share it. Upon making their recipe I discovered that the finished product was nowhere near what they served (not saying they did this deliberately but whatever). So I spend several months research various recipes and came up with this one, which I think is just as good as the original dish I had in Vancouver oh so many years ago. Enjoy!

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 8 oz chopped dates*
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 oz scotch
  • 6 oz butter, at room temp
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 4 eggs, at room temp
  • 2 tsp baking soda

Direction

Sift together the flour, spices and salt.

Microwave (or heat on the stove) the water until hot, add the espresso powder and scotch. Pour over the dates and let set for 10 minutes until really soft. Puree them in a blender until smooth.

Using a stand mixer, I like my KitchenAid 6-Qt. Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.

Add 1/2 the flour mixture at low speed and beat until just incorporated.

Add the baking soda to the date mixture and pour into the batter, mixing at low speed until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until barely incorporated. You don’t want to over mix it.

Spray two 9 inch cake pans with non-stick spray. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until a tooth-pick comes out clean.

Take a scewer and poke a ton of holes in each cake. Pour the butterscotch sauce (recipe below) on each cake giving them both a thin layer. Don’t worry, it’ll soak into the cake. This is what makes it super moist. You want to do this while they’re still hot out of the oven.

Once they’ve cooled use a sharp paring knife to gently loosen them from the sides of the pan, flip over onto a plate. They should come right out. Serve topped with more butterscotch sauce.

Butterscotch Sauce

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 ounces Scotch whiskey
  • A pinch of sea salt

Directions

In a large pan over medium heat bring butter, sugars and corn syrup to a boil. Let them boil for about 4 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t burn or boil over. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream and Scotch – it will hiss and steam like crazy! This is why you’re using a large pot. Whisk in the pinch of sea salt and let it cool.

The scotch you use here can really make a difference. Try to use a good quality one. The more peat flavor the better in my experience.

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French Bread

There’s nothing like fresh bread right out of the oven. But be warned, making bread takes time! I like to make this with pasta, turning it into garlic bread or use I a loaf with my previously published olive tapenade recipe. Enjoy!

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French Bread

  • 5 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 to 115 degrees)
  • 8 cups sifted bread flour
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tbsp cold water
  • Pinch of sugar

Directions

Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the water until it’s dissolved. Using a stand mixer, I like my KitchenAid 6-Qt. Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, add 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat thoroughly. Add salt and butter. Beat in the flour 1/2 cup at a time until it starts to pull away from the sides. Switch to a dough hook and beat for another 5 minutes until the dough is stiff.

Turn out into a lightly greased large bowl, I used non-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rise again for another hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and roll out into a rectangle about 15″ x 12″. Starting along the long side, roll up tightly. Gently pull the dough over the ends and tuck them underneath the loaf. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Use a serrated knife to cut 1/8″ deep slits 1/2″ apart.

Beat together the egg white and water, brush the tops and sides with it.

Put the sheet in a warm spot. Take some tall heavy glasses, such as pint glasses, and put one at each corner of the pan. Take a thin towel, soak it in hot water, wring it out, and drap it over the glasses so it covers the loaves but doesn’t touch them. Let rise until doubled, between 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a shallow pan and fill it with hot water and put it on the lowest rack. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Brush with the egg/water again and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Quick & Easy Appetizer

It being the holiday season, I’m invited to a lot of events/parties. While I love to cook, I don’t always have the time (too bad I have a day job). So, this is one of my all time favorite, go to recipes for a quick appetizer. Who doesn’t like olive tapenade? And I almost always have olives on hand. WARNING! I LOVE garlic! so if you’re not as big a fan as me you’ll want to put less in. Enjoy!

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Olive Tapenade

  • 1 bulb of garlic (told you I like garlic)
  • 2 cups kalamata olives
  • 2 heaping teaspoons capers
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

I like to use my Cuisinart Mini Food Processor for this but you could use a regular food processor or blender. Combine the garlic, olives, caper and lemon juice. Add about a tbsp of olive oil and blend. Continue to add olive oil until smooth. You don’t want too much or it’ll be runny but too little and it won’t be smooth. You’ll know, I trust you. Taste. Add a pinch of pepper and salt, if needed. The olive and capers are pretty salty.

It’s better if you can let it set for a couple of hours as the flavors really start to blend and bloom.

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Butternut Squash Soup

You know I really love a recipe that is short and simple, just a few ingredients and you’re good to go. This is one of those, super simple to make and doesn’t take a lot of time. Well except for the roasting part. This is a savory soup as opposed to one on the sweet side, the crushed red chili gives it a subtle kick. The longer you let it cook the better the flavor. So you can make it quickly and eat it right away, make it in advance, or make it in a slow cooker. Again I love to use my Instant Pot 6 Qt .  It can also be made vegetarian if you use vegetable stock instead of chicken. Enjoy!

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Butternut Squash Soup

  • 1 medium size butternut squash
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • olive oil

Directions

Cut the squash in half and seed it. Rub the cut side with olive oil and lightly salt it. Place it on a cookie sheet, cut side up and roast at 400 degrees until tender (about an hour). Cool.

Scoop out the cooked squash using a spoon and place in a blender with the chick stock. Puree until smooth. Place the puree in a pot and add the half & half, chili flakes, onion and garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat on medium until hot, about 20 minutes.

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Beef Stroganoff

Growing up my mom would make beef stroganoff frequently. Of course her version can out of a packet we got at the grocery store. I’ve based this recipe on several different ones, none of which use a packet. There are two ways of making this. I love using my Anova Sous Vide , so the recipe below follows that method. If you don’t have one then slice your steak raw, coat it in a little flower and briefly fry it in a couple of tbsp of oil; about 2 minutes per side. Remove it and then follow the recipe below. Enjoy!

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Beef Stroganoff

  • 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
  • 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 10 oz steak (I use New York, size is just a suggestion)
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cognac
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 2 cup egg noodles

Directions

Cook the steak using your Anova Sous Vide  set to 130 degrees for an hour.

In a deep skillet or braiser, I like using my Le Creuset Casserole, melt the butter with the olive oil. On medium high saute the mushrooms until they start to soften. Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to high and add the cognac, cook until it’s mostly gone*. Turn the heat down to medium and add the sour cream. Stir until it softens; add the cream, beef broth, and Worcestershire. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

In the mean time, bring a pot of water to boil with about 3 tbsp of salt. Cook the egg noodles for about 5 minutes or until soft.

Heat a skillet on high heat until hot with 1 tbsp of oil.  Brown the steak, about 2 minutes per side. Slice thinly and add to the sauce. Serve over the noodles.

*careful with the cognac as it can, and sometimes does, catch on fire. Keep the pot lid at hand. If it catches on fire put the lid on to put it out.