Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mustard-Thyme Sauce

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Mustard-Thyme Sauce

I have spent uncountable hours of my life cooking chicken. Chicken with and chicken without. Chicken whole and chicken parts. Chicken roasted, broiled, grilled, sautéed, fried, sauced, souped, and brothed. (new word here.) Am I bored with chicken, you ask? No, in spite of umpteen ways of cooking chicken, I am not bored with it, and hope you are not either. I like to compare chicken to someone who is a “universal blood donor”, having something for everyone. (Sorry about the example, but I’m a medical person.) Everyone probably has a favorite dish that uses chicken in one form or another.

So, if all of the numerous chicken recipes already on this blog have left you feeling bleh, maybe, just maybe, this is the one that will compel you to march into your kitchen and start cooking. I particularly like this one because of the sauce. I’ve grown very fond of mustard sauces and paired with thyme, this is very good. It also makes enough to spoon over the chicken and rice, noodles or potatoes that you may serve with it. In my opinion, chicken with sauce is always better than chicken without.

When I am using my oven to prepare an entree like this, I like to also make a side dish that will be oven cooked as well. The side dish I made was roasted red skin potatoes with green beans, since they cook at the same oven temperature as the chicken and for a similar length of time. Turns out they were a good accompaniment to the chicken. While all that was roasting in the oven I was able to make a salad to complete the meal.

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH MUSTARD-THYME SAUCE

Yield: Serves 4

Sauce ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 bone-in chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 cup no-salt added chicken broth, divided
4 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F. Lightly grease an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan and place in the prepared baking dish.

Bake at 425*F for 16 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165*. Remove chicken from dish and reserve the drippings.

3. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter; swirl to coat. Add onion and thyme; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Sauté onions with thyme.

Combine 3 tablespoons chicken broth with the flour in a small bowl. Add flour mixture, remaining broth and reserved drippings to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, and add mustard, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring with a whisk. Serve sauce with chicken.

To make the Roasted Potatoes with Green Beans: Wash and quarter 4-5 red skin potatoes, and place in a shallow baking dish.

Red-skin potatoes, quartered.

Add in about 10 oz. fresh green beans and 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves. Drizzle over the top 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat well. Bake at 425*F for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring once. Pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife to test for doneness. Serve with chicken, spooning the sauce over all.

Roast potatoes with green beans.

SOURCE: Cooking Light

Cheese Ravioli with Zucchini

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Quick Meals and tagged with cheese ravioli, food, meatless meal, quick meal, recipe, red pepper, vegetarian, zucchini April 22, 2014

Cheese Ravioli with Zucchini (and peppers)

Often my cravings dictate what I cook more than what’s available in the produce department of the supermarket. However today’s meal is not one of them. At the market this week bell peppers in all colors were specially priced, there was a load of zucchini, medium sized and tender and in the frozen foods section cheese ravioli in all shapes and sizes were being featured. All that spoke to me, no, shouted at me, ” hey, don’t you think we belong together?” Embarrassed by all that shouting, I quietly gathered them up and put them into my grocery cart, while thoughts of ~~sugarplums~~, casseroles, danced in my head.

Somewhere in the farthest corner of my brain I remembered seeing a recipe that used cheese ravioli and zucchini together. At the time I thought it seemed rather bland, but after I searched it out, and thought about how I could tweak it, I used it as a basis for this version that turned out to be rather fabulous. Mr. D. said he thinks he likes it better than vegetable lasagna. The ravioli and vegetables are surrounded by a creamy, not-too-thick cheese sauce, giving the whole lots of flavor. This was so satisfying, all it needed for completion was a green salad. This is definitely a make-again meal.

A bonus to this meal is that it takes very little time to prepare making it a good week night meal, and its meatless too!

CHEESE RAVIOLI WITH ZUCCHINI

Yield: Servings, 4

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 package ( 9-ounces) cheese ravioli
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium red pepper, cut into strips
1 medium zucchini, julienned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

1. Cook the ravioli as its package directs.

2. Combine cream and chicken broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet, sauté the onion until translucent. Add the pepper strips and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, salt and garlic powder. Cook 1 – 2 minutes until tender.

Sautéing the vegetables.

4. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, basil and parsley to the cream sauce. Drain the ravioli and add to the cream sauce. Add the skillet vegetables. Toss to coat.

Veggies and cream sauce mixed together.

5. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top before serving.

Ready for serving. Makes a colorful presentation.

This is so good. 🙂

SOURCE: I made major modifications to a recipe from Taste of Home.

Skinny Chocolate Strawberry Frappé

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Beverages, Snacks and tagged with beverages, breakfast, clean eating, fruit, gluten-free, recipe, snacks, vegan, vegetarian April 21, 2014

Skinny Chocolate Covered Strawberry Frappé

Has anybody besides me come to the realization that it’s time to get serious about shedding some pounds and inches in order to fit into the summer wardrobe. I mean really serious. 😦 I thought I would begin with this beverage which is delicious, but low in calories, fat and carbs. The end of this post will give you the specifics on that. You will be amazed.

This yummy, frappuccino is really rich and flavorful. It’s a copycat of the McDonald’s one with a fraction of the cost and calories of the original. Full of real fruit and chocolate, this is one drink you won’t want to miss! It reminds me of chocolate covered strawberries.

Before making it I decided to research the original Strawberry Frappé to find out what it was made of. Before too long, I learned that this beverage had earned many negative reviews. Two things became glaringly apparent : the strawberry flavor tasted completely artificial; and chunks of chocolate clogged the straw, making it impossible to drink.

Ahaa! I knew I could do better than that. So, I pulled my trusty blender out and started measuring out ingredients. Mr. D. was at home and he was willing to be my official “taste tester”. I have to admit my first go at it left something to be desired…it was very unsweet with a prominent chocolate flavor. I remedied that by adding more strawberries, and more sweetener. My choice, and what I had on hand, was agave syrup. I added about 2 Tablespoons to each drink, and this was adequate for us.

You can whip up this ridiculously easy recipe with only 5 ingredients: dark, strong coffee, milk, cocoa powder, strawberries, and some sweetener. You probably have all of these in your pantry -and fridge- already!

I strongly recommend using frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones. Fresh strawberries, with their juice, will add too much liquid to the frappuccino. Frozen strawberries are generally picked at their peak of ripeness and flash frozen which preserves their bright fruity taste. In addition to flavor, the frozen strawberries also act as ice and help thicken the drink without watering down the taste.

To fix the second problem of chocolate chunks clogging the straw, I opted to use cocoa powder instead of pieces of chocolate. It still adds a whole lot of chocolate flavor, but as a fine powder, it won’t plug up the straw. Cocoa powder also has a greatly reduced number of calories and fat without sacrificing any flavor.

SKINNY CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY FRAPPÉ

Yield: Makes about 16 ounces. Enough for 1 hugh drink or 2 smaller ones.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup double-strength coffee, chilled
1/2 cup skim milk (Any kind of milk will do, I used almond milk.)
1 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
1/2 cup ice cubes
sweetener to taste (agave, honey, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Add only the coffee, milk, and cocoa powder to your blender container to begin. You want to thoroughly mix those together before adding the frozen ingredients, so the cocoa gets uniformly mixed in, avoiding any little pockets of cocoa powder.

2. Pour in the frozen strawberries and ice, and any sweetener desired, and blend till smooth. Pour into a large glass and serve with a straw. YUM!

Here’s the hugh payoff—-when compared with McDonald’s, my version contains 621 fewer calories, 26.6 fewer grams fat, 89.9 fewer grams of carbs, and 89.8 fewer grams of sugar.

I am also going to keep this recipe in mind when hot weather arrives, and make it to pour into my popsicle molds. I think this is going to be a delicious summertime cool-down treat.

Banana Chip Muffins

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch, Muffins & Scones and tagged with banana, breakfast, brunch, chocolate chips, coconut, muffins, snack, vegetarian April 18, 2014

Banana Chip Muffins

It’s hard to know when would be the best time to eat these wonderful muffins. Certainly, for breakfast, but they make a mighty fine dessert or snack as well. I tested out this recipe last weekend because I plan to make them for an Easter Bake sale. Muffins are always great with coffee on Easter morning, when you know there will be a big meal sometime later in the day.

When I was a teenager our youth group always got up really early to attend an Easter sunrise service. At that hour of the morning, it was quite chilly outside, so when the service was over we always went to someone’s house or back to church for hot chocolate and whatever other goodies were provided. Moving and beautiful as the service was, I always looked forward to the refreshments that followed. These muffins are the essential accessory to a hot beverage, and would be perfect served at an early morning function, or maybe an early meeting at the office.

Muffin and a hot beverage.

These are sturdy muffins chock full of flaked coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts if you care to add them. The tropical taste of the coconut blends beautifully with the banana flavor and develops the batter along the way; the inclusion of chocolate chips is a necessity for those individuals who require chocolate in every bite of muffin.

What makes the texture of these banana muffins somewhat cake-like and soft is the process by which the batter is assembled: the butter and brown sugar are creamed together until fluffy and smooth. This builds the batter’s creamy quality and prepares the mixture for the addition of the whole eggs. Once the eggs are added, the flavoring extract and the mashed bananas are incorporated, followed by the final mix-in of the dry ingredients and enough buttermilk to moisten the whole. The batter is now ready to accept the shredded coconut, mini chips and nuts.

Spooned into lined muffin cups and baked, the batter bakes up into plump muffins that have lovely rounded tops. When you break open a warm muffin, you’ll find a tender, moist, “crumb” holding chocolate chips and coconut, all wrapped by the taste of banana. Sigh!!

Can anything make them better? Yes, butter!!

BANANA CHIP MUFFINS

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white whole wheat and 1 cup regular flour.)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( I used mini chips.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375*F. Line 12 muffin cups (3-ounce size) with paper liners, or grease lightly.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the brown sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs to incorporate, add in the banana and vanilla. The mixture may look curdled. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, continuing to mix just to combine.

4. Reserve 2 tablespoons chocolate chips. Add the rest of the chips, the coconut, and nuts, (if using) to the batter and stir in to distribute evenly.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with the reserved chocolate chips. Bake 25 – 30 minutes until a toothpick into the center of one muffin comes out clean.

6. Remove the muffin tin to a wire rack. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the cups and finish cooling on the rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature.

Happy Easter! 🙂

SOURCE: Chocolatier Magazine

Nutella Cream Puffs

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Desserts and tagged with cream puffs, dessert, food, Nutella, recipe, whipped cream April 17, 2014

Nutella Cream Puffs

Today I thought I would dazzle you with these decadent cream puffs. Really, who can be good all the time? I just couldn’t help myself when I found this recipe. They are so delicious! It just wouldn’t be fair to make them and not share them with all of you. I think these would make the perfect dessert for Easter dinner.

Creamy Nutella filling with a rich chocolate glaze.

Cream puffs are not a dessert that I make on a regular basis; more likely for special occasions. I’d almost forgotten how much I love baking choux–the way it magically puffs in the oven, creating a secret hiding place for a rich filling. The pastry itself is very simple and the Nutella whipped cream couldn’t be easier. You can substitute any cream filling or pudding if you would like. This is one of those desserts that looks like you spent hours making it and is super complicated, but instead is incredibly easy. This is a dessert that can be made over two days, though it doesn’t need to take that long. The first day I like to leisurely make the paté choux, and the next day I’ll make the filling and frosting.

The puffs, though easy to make, do need ample time in the oven to puff up. Give them the full time allotted and don’t open the oven door until they are fragrantly eggy and golden.

NUTELLA CREAM PUFFS

Yield: 12 to 14 puffs

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. salt (only if using unsalted butter)
1 cup flour
4 eggs

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup Nutella

For the chocolate drizzle:

3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil or shortening

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*F. Bring the water, salt and butter to boil over medium high heat, and stir occasionally. At the boil, remove from heat and sift in flour, stirring until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool a little. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each one, until the mixture is smooth and satiny.

2. Drop scoops of dough ( or pipe rounds for smooth even puffs) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the puffs are golden and puffed up. Puffs are done when they are hollow inside. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Baked puffs, nicely browned.

3. While puffs are cooling, whip the cream using a stand mixer or hand mixer. When the cream forms soft peaks beat in the powdered sugar until combined. Add the Nutella and beat until light and fluffy. Cut cooled puffs in half horizontally and fill with whipped cream.

4. To make the drizzle, add the chocolate chips and coconut oil (or shortening) to a microwave safe bowl. Heat at 50% power for one minute and stir. Continue heating for thirty second intervals at 50% power until melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate into a ziploc bag or piping bag and cut a small piece off the corner of the bag. Drizzle over the filled cream puffs. Store cream puffs in the refrigerator.

SOURCE: Chocolatier Magazine

Toffee Almond Shortbread Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with almonds, butter, recipe, shortbread cookies, toffee April 16, 2014

Toffee Almond Shortbread

Shortbread is a traditional teatime cookie, native to Scotland, but loved by everyone. You know when you have a fine one because they snap crisply, the butter flavor is intense, and they melt in your mouth. There’s no need for any extra ingredients, the bare minimum is what these cookies are all about, letting you experience that wonderful butter flavor.

Ordinarily I don’t add anything to a shortbread cookie, but this recipe calls for finely diced toasted almonds, and toffee bits that have been crushed sightly. The toffee is not readily apparent when the cookie is baked, but it does intensify the butter flavor, and the almonds just add a little texture to an otherwise smooth dough. To finish them off I sprinkled the tops with multicolored pink-green sanding sugar.

By using a cookie cutter that is no more than 2-inches, you will get about 30 cookies. My square cutter is 1 1/2-inches and I got 37 cookies. They are small bites, just right for a light finish to a meal, to put on a dessert table, or to go with a cup of tea or coffee.

TOFFEE ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 cup, (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds
2 tablespoons toffee pieces, slightly crushed I used Heath Toffee Bits.
pink and green coarse decorating sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325*F. Baking sheets may be lined with parchment paper, or use un-greased.

2. Combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs, and starts to cling together.

3. Stir in the almonds and toffee bits.

4. Bring the mixture together into a ball ( with your hands is best), and gently knead until smooth.

5. Turn out onto a floured surface, roll out to about 1/4-inch thick. Using your cookie cutter, stamp out as many as are possible. Gather the trimmings, roll out again, and press out more cookies. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness, cut with cookie cutters.

Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.

6. Put the shortbread on the prepared baking sheets, sprinkle with decorating sugar, and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until bottoms are starting to brown and the edges are firm. Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Intensely butter flavored, they melt in your mouth.

SOURCE: Better Homes and Gardens

Oven-Fried Tilapia with Warm Spinach Salad

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals and tagged with Fish, Lenten meal, Low calorie, low fat, oven-fried, recipe, spinach salad, tilapia April 15, 2014

Oven Fried Tilapia

Fish of some sort is on the menu at least once a week around here, sometimes more often than that. During the Lenten period especially, fish and seafood is attractively priced at the supermarket, so that is another reason why we have it more often. One fish that we particularly like and is very easy to cook is tilapia. It is mild flavored and can be enhanced by a variety of sauces or cooking methods.

This recipe is called oven fried, although there is no frying involved. I think the meaning is that it will appear to be fried and have a nice crisp, crusty coating on it. This is achieved by using panko crumbs and toasting them before dredging the tilapia with the seasoned crumbs. The fish is tender and flaky inside the crust.

I usually serve this fish with rice or noodles and a salad. This time, however, I served it with my potato-fennel hash and a warm spinach salad that I think goes very well with this dish. Nutritionally speaking this is a very low fat, potentially low carbohydrate (depending what you serve with it), and low calorie meal.

Potato-fennel hash.

Warm Spinach Salad

OVEN-FRIED TILAPIA

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tilapia fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place panko and next four ingredients (through pepper) in a large skillet; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.

3. Place panko mixture in a shallow dish. Combine 2 Tbsp. water and egg in a shallow dish. Place flour in another shallow dish.

4. Season fish fillets by sprinkling with the salt. Dredge fish in flour; dip in egg mixture, then place fish in panko mixture, turning to coat.

5. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Bake at 400*F for 15 minutes or until it flakes easily and is done. Serve with lemon wedges.

WARM SPINACH SALAD

6 cups baby spinach
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Place the spinach leaves in a large bowl.

2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the minced garlic and grape tomatoes; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly . Add the cider vinegar, honey, black pepper and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Sauté tomatoes in oil and seasonings.

3. Pour vinegar mixture over spinach and toss to coat. Serve while warm.

SOURCE: Cook Yourself Thin

How to Make Potatoes Anna

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Side Dish, Vegetables and tagged with food, Potatoes Anna, recipe, russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetarian April 14, 2014

Potatoes Anna

I wonder who Anna was. Her name has become associated with this potato dish that, I think, most of us assume is something quite fancy. Well think again, it may look fancy when served, but it’s not fancy to make. Do you love thinly sliced potatoes cooked till brown and crispy? Well that’s what this dish is all about. You can make it with all one kind of potato or use a variety of potatoes. In the version that I made recently I used a white baking potato (russet) and a large sweet potato to provide some color contrast, and increase the nutritional value of the dish. You could also use Yukon Gold potatoes, or red-skin potatoes.

In my experience with making this dish, it is best to peel the potatoes so you get nice crispy, browned edges, but of course you can certainly leave the potatoes unpeeled if that is your preference.

The key to the success of this dish is to cut the potatoes in even slices. One tool that I like to use is a mandoline slicer. It makes quick work of cutting vegetables into thin even slices. I find it easier to clean and use than my large processor for slicing jobs like this.

Using a mandoline slicer gives you even slices.

Since this post is a “how to” tutorial I am going to give tips on making Potatoes Anna first, followed by the recipe itself.

1. Once the potatoes have been sliced, begin the layering. Use a heavy, oven-proof skillet. I like to use my wrought-iron frying pan for this job as it distributes heat evenly and the bottom layer gets nice and brown. If you don’t have a wrought-iron pan any oven-proof pan will do.

2. Choose the prettiest slices for your first layer of potatoes, as those will be on top when you invert the potato cake. Layer in a spiral fashion.

Arrange in a circular pattern in a heavy skillet.

3. Brush with melted butter. As you assemble alternating layers of white potatoes and sweet potatoes, brush each with melted butter for added richness.

Brush each layer with butter and season well.

4. Season generously. Root vegetables can take a lot of salt, so don’t be stingy. Add salt and pepper to each layer so every forkful is evenly seasoned.

5. Add the final layers. You should have 4 to 5 layers when you’re done. Plenty of butter and a non-stick pan make the result very easy to turn out onto a serving plate.**

Hot and crispy, just out of the oven.

**Unfortunately I didn’t take my own advice. When I made this dish I made a smaller amount for 2-3 servings, and instead of using a smaller skillet, I used the 10″ one, so I had fewer layers of potatoes. When I tried to turn it out onto a serving plate it broke, so my photos do not do justice to how attractive the finished dish really is. But, it tasted wonderful just the same.

Not enough layers to cut it into wedges, but delicious just the same!!

YUKON GOLD AND SWEET POTATOES ANNA

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 – 4 medium, peeled Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
2 medium, peeled sweet potatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425*F. Cut potatoes and sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch thick slices with a handheld slicer or sharp knife keeping potato varieties separate.

Melt butter and slice potatoes evenly.

2. Brush an ovenproof 10-inch non-stick skillet with butter. Starting in center of pan, arrange about 20 slices of white potato slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern, covering the whole bottom surface. Brush with butter and season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Make another layer with sweet potato slices; brush with butter and season. Repeat, alternating white and sweet potato layers. Drizzle any remaining butter on top of potatoes.

4. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until butter vigorously bubbles in pan, about 4 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil and continue to bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven. Run a small rubber spatula around edges of potatoes to loosen. Carefully invert onto a plate and cut into wedges to serve.

Potatoes Anna

SOURCE: Martha Stewart.com

Macaroon Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with coconut, cookies, dessert, macaroons, Passover, recipe April 11, 2014

Chocolate Pistachio Macaroons

During my time in college I roomed with a gal who was Jewish. We became close friends and continued rooming together throughout our four years. This resulted in many visits to her home, and time spent with her parents and sisters. As a result I felt that I became one of the family, learning about Jewish Holidays and food traditions. I have participated in the Seder meal for Passover and become acquainted with the traditional foods that are eaten during this time and the need for unleavened breads and baked goods.

One of the popular desserts served at this meal is macaroon cookies. I have a strong affinity for these cookies, and I always stop to admire them whenever I pass a Jewish Deli or bakery. Jewish baking has tremendous significance, and the ingredients and shapes are directly tied to specific holidays when they are prepared. For Passover, observant Jews eat unleavened foods to commemorate their ancestors’ hurried departure from Egypt. These macaroons are flourless and get their texture from egg whites, making them the ideal cookie for the holiday.

The basic macaroon, while certainly enjoyable without anything added, can be “dressed up” with additions and minor changes to its shape. What I’ve included here are several ways to embellish these sweet, delectable cookies if you should choose to do so. They are very easy to make, and I’m sure you will enjoy them with or without the extras. The cookies pictured in my photos are the chocolate pistachio variety.

COCONUT MACAROONS

Yield: Makes about 30 macaroons

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (14-ounce) package shredded, sweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325*F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites till foamy, add the sugar, salt and vanilla mixing well. Fold in the coconut.

2. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the coconut mixture about 1-inch apart onto the baking sheet. Using your fingers (dampened) to form into pyramids.

Use your fingers to form into pyramid shapes.

Bake until golden brown around the edges, 20 – 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Golden brown around the edges when fully baked.

Variations:

1. Chocolate Pistachio: Substitute 1/4 tsp. almond extract for the vanilla and stir in 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries before adding the coconut. Bake as directed and cool. Melt some semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Dip the tops of the macaroons into the chocolate, sprinkle with chopped pistachios and chill until set.

Dipping the tops into melted chocolate and sprinkling with pistachios.

2. Cocoa-Cinnamon: Whisk 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest into the egg white mixture before adding the coconut.

3. Run-Raisin: Stir 1/4 cup dark rum and 1/3 cup raisins into the egg white mixture before adding the coconut.

4. Raspberry Thumbprints: Scoop the macaroon mixture onto the baking sheet; bake 10 minutes. Make an indentation in each cookie using the back of a teaspoon, or a cork; fill with 1/4 tsp. raspberry jam, then continue baking until golden brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes more.

SOURCE: FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE

Black Bottom Coconut Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with Bar cookies, Brownies, coconut, dessert, food, recipe April 10, 2014

Black Bottom Coconut Bars

The name of these bars sounds like a dance right out of the “roaring 20’s”. But, no, we are going to bake and eat them. Oh, Yum!

Coconut and chocolate is a flavor combination I particularly love, and recently I’ve had a craving for coconut. It’s been so bad that I over-bought coconut; would you believe in my pantry there are three bags of shredded, two bags of flakes, and a container of “chips”. Not to mention a large package of “bite-size” Mounds bars!! What was I thinking?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that when a craving strikes the best thing to do is give in to it. So I baked these bars. A friend’s birthday was my reason for baking, but at the same time I reasoned, I could have 1-2 bars to “taste”, and hopefully that would be the end to my craving. We’ll just see how that works out…..

These bars are moist chewy brownies on the bottom, with a wonderfully, gooey, coconut-y mixture on top, and that layer is topped with more coconut that I toasted and sprinkled over all. Let me tell you, it’s a good thing I gave most of these away or I could have eaten them all myself. They are incredibly good. I’m thinking they would make a perfect dessert for Easter. 😀

If you like brownies and you like coconut, you really need to try these seriously addictive bars.

BLACK BOTTOM COCONUT BARS

Yield: 16 – 24 bars

Ingredients:

For the brownie layer:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the coconut layer:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut, reserve 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang. Spray bottom and sides of paper lining.

2. Toast the reserved 1/2 cup coconut by spreading on a baking sheet and baking for about 5 – 7 minutes. Watch carefully that it doesn’t get too dark. Stir twice during baking time. Remove and set aside for later.

3. Make brownie layer: using a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave. Whisk in sugar and salt. Whisk in egg, then cocoa powder and flour. Mix until smooth. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes. The sides should be starting to pull away from the pan. Don’t over bake. Set aside while you make the topping.

5. Make coconut layer: Whisk eggs with sugar and coconut extract.

Mix in flour and coconut. Drop mounds of topping onto chocolate base. Spread and press into base with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

6. Bake 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely in pan. Then remove from pan using the overhang. Peel back paper or foil, and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for 3 -4 days.

Don’t wait. Go. Now. Make these bars.

SOURCE: Adapted from Martha Stewart

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