High Altitude Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://utah.todaysmama.com/2013/05/10/favorite-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Perfect Pound Cake

I'm re-posting this because it somehow disappeared from this blog.  Anybody know how this could happen?

Annie made this and I think she said Curtis said it was the best thing he'd ever eaten.  I used this as a base for strawberry shortcake, but I think it is so good it should be appreciated on its own.  The berries just swamped the tastebuds.

BTW, this is from the C & H Sugar bag:

2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups butter (4 sticks), softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (I omit this and use more of vanilla and lemon extracts)
8 eggs at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans and dust with flour.  (I made this in a 10 inch tube pan and it worked well.)

In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, cream cheese, and extracts until fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat into sugar mixture until smooth.  Spread batter in loaf pan.  Cut through batter several times with knife to break large air bubbles.  Bake 65 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow cake to rest for 15 minutes, then carefully using a butter knife, release cakes from the sides of the pans.  Remove from pans and cool right side up on rack.

Cool completely, slice; store any remaining cake in plastic wrap.

Yield 2 loaves

Optional:  Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries.  (Their idea.)

Chicken & Rice Skillet Casserole

From the Food Network

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 scallions, sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (skin removed)
1 cup medium-grain white rice
1 plum tomato, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup diced dill havarti cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)



Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and about three-quarters of the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, chicken, rice, tomato, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; stir to combine.

Whisk the chicken broth and sour cream in a bowl, pour into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir in half each of the havarti and parmesan. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, transfer to the oven and bake until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Turn on the broiler. Uncover the skillet and sprinkle with the remaining havarti and parmesan, then broil until golden, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved scallions.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-rice-casserole-recipe.html#communityReviews?oc=linkback

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad

3/4 cup red rice (I could only find a red rice/brown rice blend at Whole Foods, so I used that)
salt and pepper
3/4 cup preached quinoa (you can find this at Costco)
3 T lime juice (I had lemon, so that's what I used.  Only fresh.)
2 oranges (cut up the way I do them)
1 small shallot, minced  (mine were bitter)
1 T minced fresh cilantro plus 1 cup leaves (I HATE cilantro, so I used flat leaf parsley)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup evoo
6 oz. pitted dates, chopped (1 cup)

1.  Bring 4 qts. water to boil in large pot over high heat.  Add rice and 1 T salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 min.  (Because of the altitude here, I cooked a bit longer.)  Add quinoa to pot and continue to cook until grains are tender, 12 to 14 min.  (I think I cooked the rice 5 min. longer and added the quinoa and cooked about 15 min more.  You want everything softened but not mushy, so watch this carefully.)  Drain rice-quinoa mixture, spread onto rimmed  baking sheet, and drizzle with 2 T lime (or lemon) juice.  Let rice cool completely, about 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, cut away peel and pith from oranges.  Holding fruit over bowl, use paring knife to slice between membranes to release segments.  Cut segments in half cross-wise.  If needed, squeeze orange memo rates to equal 2 T juice in bowl.  (I didn't do this.  I cut up my oranges the way I always do.  They were juicy so I didn't worry about squeezing out any juice.  Use your own judgment.)

3.  Whisk 2 T orange juice, remaining 1 T lime juice, shallot, minced cilantro (parsley), and pepper flakes in large bowl.  Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add rice-quinoa mixture, dates, orange segments, and remaining 1 cup cilantro (parsley) leaves and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve at room temperature.

Bulgur Salad with Grapes and Feta

1 1/2 cups medium-grind bulgur, rinsed (I could only find coarse grind)
1 cup water
5 T fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup evoo
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
6 oz. seedless red grapes, quartered (whoops, I halved them.  Quartered would be better.)
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
2 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1.  Combine bulgur, water, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt in bowl.  Cover and let sit at room temperature until grains are softened, about 1 1/2 hours.

2.  Whisk oil, remaining 1 T lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, and 1/4 tsp salt together in large bowl.  Add soaked bulgur, grapes, 1/3 cup almonds, 1/3 cup feta, scallions, and mint and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with remaining almonds and feta before serving.  Serve at room temperature.

My favorite panini

Good sliced bread (like french or sourdough or pugliese or ciabatta)

Butter

Apricot preserves

Chopped walnuts

Thinly sliced gruyere

Arugula

Butter the outsides of two slices of bread.

Spread apricot preserves on the insides.

Scatter maybe a tablespoon of walnuts on one slice over the preserves.

Cover that with some arugula leaves (a small handful).

Cover all that with a slice or two of gruyere, and put the other slice of bread on top.

Grill in a George Foreman or panini press until golden brown.

Simple and heavenly.

Fusilli with Ricotta and Spinach (from Cooks Illustrated)

11 oz. whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used all of a 15 oz container)
3 T evoo
salt and pepper
1 pound fusilli (I used gemelli because that was what was in the pantry)
1 pound baby spinach, chopped coarse (I took the tails off)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (I used combo of Parm and asiago)

1.  Whisk 1 cup ricotta, 1 T oil, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/8 tsp salt in medium bowl until smooth; set aside.

2.  Boil pasta according to package directions with 1T salt.  Cook til al dente.  Reserve 1 cup cooking water.  Stir spinach into pot with pasta and cook until wilted, about a minute.  Drain pasta and spinach and return them to pot.

3.  While pasta cooks, heat remaining 2 T oil, garlic, nutmeg, and cayenne in saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in remaining 1/3 cup ricotta, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 3/4 tsp salt until smooth.

4.  Add ricotta-cream mixture and Parmesan and toss to combine.  Let pasta rest, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and coats pasta, 2 to 4 minutes, adjusting consistency with reserved cooking water as needed.  Transfer pasta to serving platter, dot evenly with reserved ricotta mixture, and serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.


Notes:  I adjusted the sauce upwards to coincide with increased amount of ricotta.  I always take the stems off of fresh spinach because I don't like them in a dish, generally.  Although the recipe doesn't say to do that.  I do it while watching Netflix, otherwise it would be too tedious.

I didn't find I needed to add any cooking water.  See how you like it.

After you've added the ricotta and cream to the sauce, it cools it off, thus cooling off the pasta to below eating temperature.  I may make sure the sauce is hot next time.  However, the ricotta mixture you dollop on top of the finished dish also cools it off.  I was taking this to Kathryn's family and told her to serve individual portions on plates and then microwave them.  I may try finishing the dish and putting it in a moderate oven for a little while.  This is chancy, however.  You'll see what I mean when you make this.  Let me know how you serve it hot.  Try this.  It's not expensive and is delicious.

Chicken Tikka Masala

1-2 lbs trimmed chicken breasts
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp curry
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 Tbsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Dump everything except the garam masala and the cilantro into the crock pot.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. As the liquid releases from the chicken, open the crock pot and make sure the breasts are submerged in the liquid while it cooks. If it seems too dry as it's cooking, add another can of coconut milk or some chicken stock.

When the chicken is cooked through, take it out and shred with two forks. Put chicken back in the crock pot and stir it in the gravy. Add the garam masala and salt to taste. Lower the crock pot to warm until you're ready to eat.

Serve with naan and a green salad or oven roasted veggies.

Leftovers freeze well.

Chole Palak (Chickpeas w/ Spinach)

2 cans of garbanzo beans

6 cups finely chopped spinach 

1 can (15 oz) tomatoes (or fresh, if they're in season)

1" piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small can of green chiles (or 2 fresh)

Olive oil

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 Tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes or dash of cayenne to taste

1 tsp salt, adjust to taste

1 tsp garam masala

1. Blend together the tomatoes, green chiles, and ginger into a puree.

2. Coat bottom of pot with oil and put over medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away, the oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crack, add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, and pepper flakes/cayenne. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 15-20 minutes, letting some moisture evaporate and reducing the volume of the tomatoes. 

3. Add spinach & salt, cook until spinach is wilted and heated through. (Note: I actually buy bags of fresh spinach from Costco and then stick them directly in my freezer. Once frozen, I crush the bag to "chop" up the spinach. Then I just put in a few cups of spinach from the freezer into the pot, until it looks about the ratio that I want.)

4. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pot. Add some water if necessary to get the gravy to the consistency to your liking. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

5. Add the garam masala and adjust the salt. (It's important to stir the garam masala in after you're done cooking, because otherwise the extended cooking breaks down the flavor of the garam masala and you can't taste it.)

Can be served with roti, naan, or any other bread. It also is good over plain rice.

(Note: I usually 1.5 times the recipe. Because I like leftovers.)