This was SO yummy and quite easy. The recipe is from the same episode as Alton Brown’s “Orange Delicious” and has a pretty similar ingredient list.
Flaky Blood Orange Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce
I had been looking forward to trying this for weeks. I usually can read over a recipe and quickly imagine what it will taste like and even whether or not we are likely to enjoy it. From the moment I saw this one, I thought it sounded fantastic. We LOVE Cara Cara oranges and, of course, we love caramel and figured that this dessert would be the perfect pairing of those two things. I had prepared it ahead of time and had it frozen, according to the recipe directions, waiting for the perfect night to bake it.
Frozen tart, before baking.
Well, I guess my recipe instincts were totally off, because this was just AWFUL. Terrible. Inedible, really. I did make some adaptations: I used Cara Cara instead of blood oranges and I realized, after assembly, that I probably didn’t slice the oranges as thinly as I was supposed to, because they didn’t get all shrively-dried looking like the ones in the magazine photo.
Honestly, the tart might not have been too bad on its own (or maybe with some vanilla ice cream), but I pretty liberally drizzled each serving with the salted caramel sauce, rendering it too salty for anyone (except maybe deer in search of a salt lick) to consume. The tart, though, for all the work that it required, really just wasn’t stellar. The best thing about this recipe was the crust/dough, which was flaky and sugar-crusted. The caramel would be good, too, without the salt (or with the quantity vastly reduced.) I might try to make this tart again with berries, because the dough really was delicious, but the recipe, as is? No, just NO.
Buttermilk French Toast
This recipe from November 2008 Gourmet magazine was straight-up fabulous. There’s nothing more to say. It was phenomenal. The preparation instructions are VERY specific and include the exact bread-to-soaking liquid ratio, plus exact soaking times. Preparing this french toast and seeing how crusty-delicious it turned out made me realize that I’ve been over-soaking my french toast in the past. I’ll definitely be using a lighter hand in the future.
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
If you’re from Texas, this is a recipe that you remember eating all your life. It was the sort of thing that you’d eat when you went to visit your grandmother or went to a church potluck. Historically, it was made with some type of cream soup, but there are as many variations of this recipe as there are branches of the Junior League in Texas, but you must always include chicken, tortillas and a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes. I decided to try an updated “fancy pants” version of the recipe (Hubby loves anything cheesy and vaguely spicy, so I was sure it would be a hit, at least with him.) The “fancy” version definitely has more flavor than the original, but it’s still pre-cooked chicken, with soggy tortillas and lots of cheese, so it’s remarkably similar to the original. A bit spicier (too spicy for Girl, in fact.) Both the original and the “fancy pants” recipes can be found here. This casserole isn’t “gourmet” at ALL and certainly isn’t anything to look at, but if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re missing the point.
I did change the recipe around just a tiny bit. I roasted a whole chicken (*directions below) and then cut the meat up from that, instead of frying the chicken pieces in olive oil. Once the chicken was done, I cut the meat up (all but the legs and a little bit of the breast, which I’ll save for another use) and sprinkled it with a little lime juice and ancho chile powder. I skipped the step of pre-heating the tortillas, because I was feeling a little lazy and I had hungry people whining at me.
*Easiest Roast Chicken EVER
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove packet (gizzards and neck and other nasty stuff) from inside the chicken and discard it. Rinse chicken thoroughly, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Take a whole lemon and prick it thoroughly, all over, with a fork. Insert it into the chicken’s…ummm…”cavity.” Gently peel the skin up from the breast, starting at the neck end (don’t remove it, just make a “pocket”.) Remove any extra fat that might be inside the chicken’s cavity. Spread it out in the “pocket” that you’ve created between the skin and the breast. Generously season the chicken, inside and out (and in the “pocket”) with kosher salt and pepper. Feel free to add herbs, too, if you’d like (I usually don’t, depending upon what I’m going to do with the chicken and whether or not I’m planning to use the carcass for stock later.) Rub the chicken’s skin all over with a lightly coating of olive oil. Bake the chicken for about one hour or until a thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees.
Roasted Banana Bars with Browned Butter-Pecan Frosting
This recipe is from January 2009 Cooking Light magazine. These were absolutely delicious. They were a little more labor-intensive than I’m used to for a simple snack cake recipe, but I think that you might be able to skip the banana roasting step, if you’re in a real hurry. I haven’t tested that theory, but the banana flavor didn’t seem much different to me than regular banana bread or other non-roasted recipes. These were VERY good, though. I shared some with someone that is doing some work around our house at the moment and she emailed later that afternoon, insisting that I share the recipe with her. These would be great for any kind of potluck or food “gift” for a teacher, someone that’s had a new baby/illness or when it’s your turn to bring snacks for soccer, girl scouts, etc. Yum.
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles with beans and avocado, topped with a fried egg
Sorry for the over-exposed photo. Click the “Simply Recipes” link all the way down at the bottom of this page for a more picturesque version of chilaquiles.
Chilaquiles
Makes 4 smallish servings or 2 very large ones
8 leftover (stale is actually better!) corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
about 1 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
4 eggs (or 1 egg per person that you’re planning to serve)
butter for frying the eggs
1 avocado, sliced, optional
1 1/2 to 2 cups of leftover red chile enchilada sauce (we LOVE the sauce in this recipe)
1 can beans, optional
(pinto, black or refried – any kind is fine, but these are yummy)
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortillas, in batches if necessary, until browned and crispy. Remove from oil and set aside to drain on paper towels.
Pour the oil out of the skillet. Heat the enchilada sauce over medium heat in the (now empty) skillet until warm.
In a separate skillet, fry the eggs in butter to your desired level of doneness.
While the eggs are cooking, toss in the fried tortilla wedges into the sauce and gently fold until they are lightly coated in sauce.
Portion the chilaquiles out onto serving plates (or bowls) and garnish with cheese and avocado. Place a fried egg (or two, if you’re making two servings) on top of each portion. Serve with beans alongside.
You can adapt this recipe to just about anything that you like. Feel free to incorporate cilantro, sour cream, onions, different kinds of cheese, etc. Chilaquiles are wonderful for breakfast, but are also great anytime of day or as a snack after a late night out.
Here are two other great recipes for chilaquiles variations:
Chilaquiles from Simply Recipes
Chilaquiles from Gourmet Sleuth
Broiled Brown Sugar-Vanilla Bananas atop Ricotta
This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s magazine, but it’s not on her website, so I found a link here.
This was VERY easy and very tasty. All four of us really enjoyed it. I adore Bananas Foster, but Hubby has a serious rum aversion (an instance of over-indulgence in Belize MANY years ago has permanently scarred him), so I’ve never made it for the family. When I saw this recipe, I thought it might be a way to serve the kids cooked bananas without forcing Hubby to endure the rum.
Make sure that you use dishes that are wide enough; mine were a little small, so the bananas didn’t lie as flat and look as pretty as Martha’s did in the original photo, which you can barely see here:
Mine still looked OK, though, and you know what Julia Child said…”It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate, you know someone’s fingers have been all over it.”
Speaking of plates, isn’t this one just the most perfect thing EVER? This came as a set, with the bowls, and is probably meant to serve condiments or snacks, but for a family of four, it can be for ANYTHING. I love Target.
(That’s the ricotta, before I put the bananas in.)
I digress. Use the water specified in the recipe VERY sparingly. I used a bit to much and ended up with a bit of a “sauce”, rather than a crust, but it was still delicious. It also took a few minutes longer to cook in my oven than the recipe directed, so just watch it very carefully as it cooks. Quite yummy and actually fairly healthy.
Menu Planning – 13 days worth
I’ve planned two weeks at a time this time around, because we’ve got Spring Break coming up and we’ve decided to stay in town this year (really – does it make sense to leave this city during the only time of year that it’s actually pretty here? methinks not). I’m going to do lots of cooking (because when I have free time, I’d rather be doing that than anything else in the world) and we will be at home A LOT because I’m also planning on painting a few rooms in the house next week. After spending the day on the ladder, it will be nice to come down and have a good meal.
The reason that we have 13 days here, instead of 14, is that today was actually Day 1 of this little experiment. We had leftovers for dinner tonight, but I made a fabulous dessert (Hey, it’s all about priorities, people!) See the next post for details.
Also, I will round out these menus when I actually serve them. I’ll scramble some eggs and cut up some fruit for breakfast; I’ll add a green veggie at dinner, etc, but I don’t usually figure out exactly what that’s going to be until it’s time to get to work – it depends upon what I have on hand and/or what looks good at the store. I don’t usually plan lunches, because we usually eat leftovers or will have a simple soup, salad or sandwich. With all of the heavy cooking that I’m planning to do, we may not even eat lunches!
So…here goes, if you want to join in:
Disclaimer: It’s entirely possible that I may be too exhausted and sore from painting that I don’t actually get any of this done and we have pizza for 13 days straight. I’m just sayin.
Day 1
Chicken and White Bean Soup with Herb Swirl
Parmesan Toasts
Dessert:Roasted Banana Bars with Browned Butter- Pecan Frosting
Day 2
Breakfast: Buttermilk French Toast
Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw (I’ll probably sub queso freso.)
Cocktail: Micheladas
Dessert: Flaky Blood Orange Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce (finally – yes, it’s been in the freezer this whole time, but it’s tightly wrapped and I’ve checked it – it looks perfect)
Sometime today: prepare kimchi-style cabbage to eat next week (it has to sit in the fridge for a week)
Day 3
Pork Chops Oreganata
Butternut Squash Polenta
Dessert: Chocolate Malted Creme Brulee, originally from the “R.S.V.P.” column in Bon Appetit
Day 4
Breakfast: This will be my Amish Friendship bread “baking day”, so we’ll probably do pancakes for breakfast.
Pepperoni Bread (with assistance from the kids, hopefully. I plan to let them make their own and adapt the fillings as they choose)
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dessert: Orange Sherbet (made with Cara Cara oranges, natch)
Day 5
Breakfast: OK, I’m ashamed to admit this, but I’m going to make…Cap’n Crunch French Toast. I knew when I saw it on the Serious Eats blog recently that I had to try it. I love the idea of breakfast cereal on French toast and it will be the first morning of Spring Break, so…forgive me, please. Actually, I already have the Cap’n Crunch in the house (it was on sale last week) and Hubby has already pulled the box out of the pantry and said “What’s the deal with this?”
Thai Noodle Salad with Sauteed Tofu
Dessert: Lemon Creme Brulee Tart (How in the world did I miss that one during my Lemon Dessert round-up?
Day 6
Breakfast: Orange Rolls (not sure if I’ll use this recipe or this one)
King Ranch Chicken Casserole (I have lots of versions and I’m still trying to figure out which one I’m going to use.)
Salad
Dessert: Ginger-Squash Cake with White Chocolate Frosting
Day 7
Summer Rolls (I have lots of versions of these, too, and will probably let the kids help make them and stuff them with whatever they like.)
Wok-fried edamame with garlic and chiles
Dessert: Lemon Ginger Cake with Pistachios
Day 8
Panuchos Yucatecos con Chorizo
salad, some version of Mexican rice
$100 pecan cookies (click on “related stories” to see the recipe…I’ll just apologize to my conservative friends now for this story…you know I love you!)
Day 9
Pan-fried Salmon with Mango-Cucumber Salsa
salad or green veggie
Dessert: Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee
Day 10
Chicken and Dumplings (some version – still deciding which one)
Espresso-Blackberry Macarons (I haven’t made these in a million years!)
Day 11
Korean Beef (still choosing between several recipes) and Kimchi-Style Cabbage (prepared previous week)
Day 12
Breakfast: The Greatest Waffle Recipe Ever (how could I not try that?)
I’m planning to watch the movie “The Big Night” on this night, hopefully to celebrate a successful (and completed!) painting job.
Italian Timpano (either this recipe or this one)
Tiramisu Affogato
Day 13
Breakfast: Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls
Banh Mi sandwiches (either this recipe or this one)
To my Catholic friends and family: feel free to sub out the vegetarian entrees (Thai noodle salad and summer rolls) to use on Fridays.
Amish Friendship Snack Cake
A friend recently gave me some Amish Friendship Bread starter*. I had some a long time ago, but it got tossed in one of our many moves. I was excited about the possibility of getting some sourdough going again, but I didn’t care for the cloyingly sweet recipe version that calls for instant pudding mix (ewww!) and decided to look for alternatives.
I adapted a less-sweet, lower-fat version that I found online into this tasty snack. It has a nice, yeasty, cinnamon-y flavor, without being too sweet. It would be nice for breakfast, too
Amish Friendship Snack Cake
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon or (cinnamon spice blend)
1 cup Amish Friendship starter
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp McCormick Vanilla Butter & Nut extract)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 13 X 9 inch baking pan (or spray with nonstick spray.)
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a smaller mixing bowl, stir together the starter, applesauce, oil, eggs and vanilla.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The cake will just barely be beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top of the cake will be firm and evenly browned.
Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting into pieces for serving.
Great after-school snack with some fruit and a glass of milk!
*If you’re not familiar with Amish Friendship Bread starter, it’s a version of sourdough (to be honest, I’m not sure what, if anything, distinguishes it from “regular” sourdough.) The sourdough can be used to make a variety of baked goods and is ready to use every 10 days. The sourdough starter needs to be “fed” during the 10 day period prior to use (my version recommends that this be done on Day 6) by stirring in a mixture of sugar, flour and milk. Each time that you use the starter, it will grow and multiply, providing extra starter that you can pass along to your friends (with, in my experience, mixed receptions.)
Amish Friendship Bread (Sourdough) Pancakes
This is a GREAT Amish Friendship Bread recipe because it actually uses *2* cups of your starter (most recipes only use 1 cup), meaning that you have less leftover starter to find “homes” for at the end of your 10-day cycle. Yummy recipe AND your friends won’t run when you see them coming at you with a Ziploc bag full of a suspicious-looking substance and a sheaf of instructions detailing daily (!) babysitting instructions. Ummm….by the way, if you live in Austin and would like some starter, let me know. I would be THRILLED to share some with you!
The pancakes themselves are cakey and delicious; they smell like doughnuts as they’re cooking (because of the yeast), though they are definitely NOT overly sweet.
Amish Friendship Pancakes
Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Combine in a smaller bowl:
2 Tbsp oil
2 cups Amish Friendship starter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
(or McCormick’s Vanilla Butter & Nut extract, if you can find it)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Spice blend
Add ingredients of the smaller bowl to the ingredients of the larger bowl and whisk very gently just until blended (it’s OK if it’s still a little lumpy). Spoon batter onto a greased, preheated griddle and cook until large bubbles have completely covered the surface, then turn them over and cook until the other side is evenly browned and the pancakes are not doughy in the middle.
I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to drop the batter onto the griddle. Made that way, this recipe will make 16 – 18 pancakes. You can add more milk to thin the batter a little if you like your pancakes thinner, but we tend to like them on the thick and fluffy side.
