Baked Macaroni Casserole with Three Cheeses

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with casserole, dinner, food, Gouda, Gruyére, macaroni and cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, recipe October 11, 2013

Ahhhh, Baked macaroni and cheese!!! One of the nice things about the return of cool weather is that we can indulge in some of our favorite casseroles. The one casserole dish that stands out above all others at my house is Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Mr. D. goes nuts-o for it!

Baked cavatappi with three cheeses

This is another of those dishes that everyone probably has a favorite recipe for, or they just make it without a recipe. That’s usually what I do. But back in 2006, (Yup, way back then), I came across this recipe that incorporates three different cheeses into the mix, and the resulting cheesiness is outstanding. The other thing I like about it is using a different shape pasta. Most everyone I know uses elbows, and there’s nothing wrong with elbows, I love them, too. But, ya know? Sometimes I just need a change!

So cavatappi is what is called for in this recipe, or any other interesting pasta that excites you. But be different, don’t use elbows. When choosing a pasta shape, think about what will hold all that cheese sauce best– something with curves or openings for the cheese to cling to. Along with the mac and cheese, I like to serve ham, and a green vegetable. The evening I made this I had sautéd beet greens, but spinach or broccoli would also be good with it. Omit the meat and serve with just a vegetable or a big salad and it becomes a great meatless meal.

Mr. D. said this meal was so special that it felt like a Birthday dinner. I told him I was practicing for his birthday! 😀

This recipe is one I prepare when I want to splurge a little and serve something rich and decadent, because of the quantity and quality of cheese used. You can certainly substitute different cheeses if you wish, but choose those that have good melting abilities.

CAVATAPPI CASSEROLE WITH THREE CHEESES

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound cavatappi or other short, spiral shaped pasta
Squiggily pasta and three cheeses become a super mac and cheese dinner.
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
8 ounces Gruyére cheese, grated ( 2 cups)
6 ounces Gouda cheese, shredded ( 1 1/2 cups)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, ( 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish, or similar size casserole, or 6 – 8 individual ramekins, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350*F.

2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook whisking constantly, 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly. 5 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Whisk in salt, black pepper and if desired red pepper. Remove from heat, and add 1 cup Gruyére, whisking until smooth. Add Gouda and Parmesan, and whisk until smooth.

Add cheese sauce to cooked pasta.

3. Add sauce to pasta and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared dish or ramekins, top with remaining 1 cup Gruyére, and bake at 350*F for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Doesn’t that look good?

SOURCE: Country Living

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, Lightened Up

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Muffins & Scones and tagged with breakfast, copycat, cream cheese, fall, food, muffins, pumpkin, recipe, Starbucks October 10, 2013

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.

With the chill that’s been in the air the last few days now, I’m finally getting a desire to eat some of the foods and flavors that we typically associate with fall. Enjoying a pumpkin latte at Starbucks is pretty high up there on my list of favorite things to do and I have been know to also order a pumpkin spice cream cheese muffin to go with it. Nothing like a little pumpkin overload. 😀

Now, I know that those muffins contain a whopping number of calories, fat and sugar, but they are so delicious. As an occasional treat they are OK, but I would like to enjoy them more frequently in a healthier version. As luck would have it, I recently came across a recipe on-line for a copycat of the pumpkin muffins, and so with that as a basis, I set out to lighten it up, and see if I could still retain the luscious taste of the original muffin.

In my opinion these are pretty close to the original. If not an exact duplicate, they are close enough to be equally enjoyable, and a whole lot healthier. My makeover included replacing the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat, replacing much of the oil with applesauce, reducing the sugar, and using low-fat cream cheese for the filling. In addition, I made a crumb topping that includes oats for extra texture and a little more fiber. These muffins have been a hit with everyone who has had them, and I feel much better about sharing them, knowing that they are not such calorie bombs!.

The on-line recipe makes a total of 24 muffins, which is way too many for me and Mr. D., so I cut it in half and made only 12 muffins. The full recipe is presented here for those of you who like to make larger quantities, but can easily be halved if you want to. The muffins freeze very well, and rewarm nicely in the microwave. In fact, they are more spicy and intensely flavorful when warm.

LIGHTER PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. honey

For the muffins:

Five spices plus cocoa and molasses make them intensely flavorful.

3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

For the topping: *

4 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour
7 Tbsp. old fashioned rolled oats
3 Tbsp. turbinado (coarse) sugar or brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Make the filling: combine the cream cheese and honey in a small bowl. Beat with an electric beater until smooth. Scrape onto a piece of wax paper, and shape into a long roll (log), not any wider than a muffin cup. Place into the freezer to chill while you mix up the batter and fill the pans.

Make filling, roll into a log and chill it.

2. Make the muffins: Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients ( flour through baking soda).

In another bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, oil and applesauce. Blend well. Add to dry ingredients, and stir just until incorporated.

3. Make the topping: combine all ingredients except butter in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is course and crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Have the topping all made and ready.

4. Assemble muffins: fill each muffin cup with a small amount of batter ( 1 – 2 Tablespoons) just to cover bottom of the liner.

A little batter in the bottom of each cup.

Remove filling from freezer and cut into 24 slices. Place one slice of filling in each muffin cup.

Put a slice of filling into each cup.

Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing it on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.

Cover with remaining batter.

Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each muffin.

Sprinkle on topping.

5. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted near the center should test clean. (Avoid the cream cheese filling.) Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Imagine biting into one of these!

This will be extremely difficult to do, but the filling gets very hot, so please resist temptation. 😀

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, unbelievably delicious.

* Topping is completely optional. These muffins are great with or without the topping. Chopped walnuts or pecans could be mixed into the topping, or sprinkled on top in place of the topping.

P. S. I wish I had made 24, because now they are all gone and I just have to make more.

SOURCE: Heavily adapted from Food.com

Apple Slab Pie

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Pies, Pastry and tagged with Apple pie, dessert, food, pastry, Perfect Pastry Blend, recipe, slab pie October 9, 2013

Apple Slab Pie

This recipe is about as American is mother’s apple pie. Because it IS apple pie, only in a non-traditional form. You don’t need a pie dish to make this pie, just a baking sheet.

You can make this with Perfect Pastry Blend, for pastry that will be tender and flaky, or use regular all-purpose flour and your own favorite pie crust recipe. The slab shape offers each serving some extra crust for those who are especially fond of the crust, and the apple filling is thick and nicely cinnamon flavored. I used local Paula Red apples, but I don’t know how wide-spread their availability is, so use whatever kind of good pie-apple is coming on the market where you live.

I made this pie for a special dinner when we were entertaining friends, and since I don’t have a tray or platter large enough to hold it I placed it on a hugh cutting board, and brought it to the table that way. It was kind of fun for my guests to see the whole pie, and watch me slice and serve it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup drizzled over all. There were only a few crumbs left on the plates so I know everyone enjoyed it.

APPLE SLAB PIE

Yield: 8 – 10 servings

Ingredients—

Pastry:

2 cups King Arthur Perfect Pastry Blend, or all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup ( 1 stick, 8 Tbsp.) cold unsalted butter
6 – 8 Tbsp. ice water

Filling:

1 1/2 pounds (about 6 ) baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. Apple Pie spice, or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 Tbsp. Pie Filling Enhancer or cornstarch ( I use Instant Clear-Gel from King Arthur Flour.)
pinch salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water (egg wash)

1. To make pastry: Combine the flour and salt. Work in the butter, with fingers or a pastry cutter,

then sprinkle in the water, mixing until cohesive. Form pastry into two rectangles, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Form two rectangles, wrap and chill.

2. Preheat the oven to425*F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.

3. To make the filling: Mix together all the ingredients except the egg.

4. Roll one piece of pastry into a 17″ x 7″ rectangle, trimming the edges. Roll the second piece into a 16″ x 6″ rectangle, also trimming the edges.

5. Place the smaller rectangle on the pan and brush with egg wash.

Bottom layer of pastry, brushed with egg wash.

Spread the apple filling over the pastry, leaving 3/4 “- wide bare edges. Center the other piece of pastry over the apples and press down, crimping the edges to seal. Brush with egg wash and cut several vents.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375*F and bake for 12 to 14 minutes longer, until golden.

SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish, Quick Meals and tagged with dinner entree, food, quick meal, recipe, salsa, Shrimp October 8, 2013

Shrimp tacos with corn and avocado salsa.

Continuing with my meal solutions for an extremely busy week, this is another meal that goes together quickly, can be made in parts, and supplies a lot of good quality nutrients —–

Tacos made with shrimp and a tasty corn and avocado salsa make a light and easy meal. The shrimp are sautéed with garlic, cumin and coriander, and the salsa, made with corn, chopped tomato, red onion, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, avocado and lime, provides the perfect combination of flavors to compliment the shrimp. Fresh corn is preferred, but frozen corn will work in a pinch. You can also make your own taco corn tortillas, as described in the recipe notes, or use “store bought” ones.

SHRIMP TACOS WITH CORN AND AVOCADO SALSA

Yield: Makes 8 tacos, ( 4 – 6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
8 taco shells ( or 6-inch corn tortillas–see notes, below)
1/2 cup queso fresco, or finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese

For the Salsa:

2 ears sweet corn, kernels removed, about 1 cup
1 large, ripe tomato, seeded and chopped, about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 medium avocado, peeled and cut into small cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Place the shrimp in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander and Old Bay Seasoning. Set aside.

2. Combine the corn, tomato, red onion, jalapeño, lime juice and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the avocado, taste and season again. Set aside. This can be made in advance and refrigerated until meal time.

Note: If your corn is very fresh and tender, you can use the kernels raw. If not, place them in a shallow dish, cover and microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. If using frozen corn, be sure to thaw and blot away any excess moisture with a paper towel before adding to the salsa.

3. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until pink and opaque, about 2 minutes.

To serve, spoon a portion of the corn salsa into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with shrimp and a sprinkling of cheese.

How to Make Your Own Taco Shells

Preheat the oven to 375*F. Lightly brush or spray both sides of the 6-inch tortillas with vegetable oil. Turn a 12 cup muffin pan upside down, fold the tortillas in half and position them between the muffin cups to support the sides in a taco shape. Bake until crisp, 8 – 10 minutes.

SOURCE: MyGourmetConnection.com

Italian Sausage, Orecchetti, and Broccoli Rabe

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Main Dish and tagged with broccoli rabe, dinner, food, Italian sausage, one-dish meal, recipe October 7, 2013

Italian Sausage, Oreccietti, and Broccoli Rabe.

Last week was crazy busy. All of a sudden it seems everything cranked up leaving me wishing for the quiet days of a month ago when all I had to do was sit outside and read, sip iced tea, and dream of meal plans and menus. Well, it was almost like that!

Anyway, I feel like I’m in over my head with a mother-in-law just in the hospital for surgery, trying to keep Dad well fed, two birthdays, back to back, each requiring a cake, and a husband out several evenings a week and needing an early dinner. Plus keeping up with my dance lessons and classes. Whew!

I’m not handling this with the ease and grace you’ve come to expect of me. Quit laughing. I mean it. I can be graceful sometimes. OK, fine. I’m handling it with a glass of wine in my hand and complaining loudly.

But once in a while I do plan ahead, and this dish is one of my fall-back-on meals for such times. It makes a fairly large quantity, enough to freeze a portion for another time, or enough to share, which is what I did, so I could send a nourishing meal to Dad. It doesn’t take very long to make, and you know you’re eating a filling and healthy meal. It also reheats well in the microwave, for when people are coming and going and need to eat at different times.

All the ingredients getting cozy together to make a great meal.

All the ingredients getting cozy together make a great meal.

SAUSAGE, ORCCHIETTE, AND BROCCOLI RABE

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients

1 ( 16 oz. ) package orcchiette pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound bulk or link Italian sausage ( if using link sausage, remove casings)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed of tough stems, (substitute broccoli if you must)
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the Italian sausage until crumbly and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Sausage crumbled and brown, add in minced garlic.

3. Stir in the garlic, and continue cooking until the sausage begins to brown, about 5 minutes more. Pour off the excess grease, then pour in the chicken broth and red pepper flakes.

Chicken broth added–no pepper flakes for us.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the broccoli rabe, and cover. Cook until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 4 minutes.

Broccoli rabe added.

4. When the broccoli rabe is done, stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the meat sauce has thickened. Toss with the pasta and serve with more cheese to grate at the table.

The light broth, butter and cheese sauce makes a nice change.

Served with tomato salad. Pretty plate!

SOURCE: Allrecipes.com

Harvest Pumpkin Scones

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Muffins & Scones and tagged with breakfast, brunch, crystallized ginger, food, pumpkin, recipe, scones, snack, spices October 4, 2013

Harvest Pumpkin Scones

I do love pumpkin!!! So I’m wondering why it is that I seem to bake with it only in the fall. I know fall, October and pumpkins just go together, but pumpkin is available- the canned variety–all year long. Are you like that, too? I think it might be that pumpkin’s bright splash of color matches the vivid colors of autumn around the country. And as the landscape turns drab, pumpkin is still there giving us a lift.

Right now I have about six recipes lined up that include pumpkin, so if they turn out well, I think you’ll be seeing the results of my baking in the coming weeks.

This recipe is one of the first I tried. Mainly for two reasons: 1) I haven’t made scones in quite a while and these sounded really good to me, and 2) the recipe needs only part of a can of pumpkin, so I can make something else with the remainder. A sort of two-for-one deal. I try to match up recipes that each use only part of a can, so no pumpkin goes to waste. Otherwise I freeze the part I didn’t use for a later date.

This recipe did not let me down in the least. I knew that my expectations were met when they came out of the oven, a deep-gold color and with an aroma of all the spices they contain. Besides the cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg, I included some crystallized ginger and cinnamon chips to take their flavor over the top. These are way-good. :D. Make them soon and see if you don’t agree.

HARVEST PUMPKIN SCONES

Yield: 12 scones

Ingredients:

Whole allspice

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice**
1/2 cup cold butter
1 to 2 cups minced crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips, or chocolate chips
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
Ground fresh allspice
coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping

** I use whole allspice and grind it fresh as needed. The flavor is so much stronger and better than when you purchase the already ground variety.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

2. Work in the butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers, just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

Some larger pieces of butter are ok.

3. Stir in the ginger and/or chips, if you’re using them.

Mix in crystallized ginger and cinnamon chips.

4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and eggs till smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

Mix together the eggs and pumpkin.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment; or, if no parchment paper on hand, use the baking sheet without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.

6. Scrape the cough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5 – 6 inch circle, about 3/4’s-inch thick.

Divide dough into two 6-inch circles.

7. Brush each circle with a little milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Brush with a little milk or cream.

Coarse sugar (left), cinnamon sugar (right).

8. Using a knife or bench knife that you’ve run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.

Cut each circle into 6 wedges.

9. Carefully separate the wedges from each other just a little, with about 1/2″ space between them, at their outer edges.

10. For best texture and highest rise place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425*F

11. Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Isn’t that a beautiful rise?

12. Remove from the oven and serve warm. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat briefly in the microwave, if desired.

A beautiful golden color.

P. S. If you’re making your own pumpkin puree from a fresh roasted pumpkin be aware that fresh pumpkin has a lot more liquid in it than canned, and should be drained throughly. You may use a colander, lined with coffee filters, or several layers of cheesecloth.

SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

There’s What in the Cake?

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes, Desserts and tagged with cake, dessert, food, recipe, spice cake, spices, Tomato Soup October 3, 2013

Bettcha can’t guess what’s in this cake! A secret ingredient that provides that extra moisture. Hint: Theme Thursday? Tomatoes?

A moist and flavorful spice cake.

Some of you may have guessed it by now, but maybe some of you have never heard of this recipe for Tomato Soup Cake that dates back quite a few years. It was popular when my Mom and Dad were young, and my mother used to make it when I was growing up. She got the recipe from my Dad’s mother. She made it about once a year, since it was my favorite cake and I always wanted it for my birthday. I loved it with walnuts and raisins in it and lots of cream cheese frosting.

The recipe got lost after a while, and when my children were young I wanted to make it for them, but couldn’t find the recipe. I was thrilled to find it on a web site called Heritage Recipes. We had a family birthday get-together last weekend, and I made this cake. The flavor and spiciness are just as I remember. It was like meeting an old friend again. If you are somewhat put off by using tomato soup in a cake, I promise you will never know its there. It just tastes like a wonderful spice cake. You must try it.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake

After having written the above introduction to this recipe I found another version of it using a spice cake mix, tomato soup, eggs and water. So that is the one I actually made since it was quick, but I am including both recipes here because I really want to save the original so it doesn’t get lost again. You can take your pick about which one to make, the quick version was also very moist and intensely spice flavored.

TOMATO SOUP SPICE CAKE

Yield:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ( 10.75 ounce ) can tomato soup, undiluted
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch cake pan.

2. Cream the shortening with the sugar using an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir baking soda into the tomato soup and add to shortening/sugar mixture.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Beat to blend well.

4. Stir in raisins and nuts.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350*F for 45-50 minutes, testing with a cake tester or toothpick for doneness.

5. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Quick Version:

1 ( 18.25 oz.) box Spice Cake Mix
1 ( 10.75 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup water
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly grease 2 8″ or 9″-round cake pans, or a 13 X 9″ cake pan.

Mix cake mix, soup, water and eggs as per package directions.

Mix all 4 ingredients together at medium speed.

Pour into prepared pan(s), and—-

Bake for 30 -35 minutes till it tests done with a toothpick.

Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

SOURCES: Heritage Recipes, and CampbellSoup.com

Crab Cake Sliders

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Sandwichs and tagged with bacon, Crab cake, food, Old Bay seasoning, recipe, sandwich, seafood October 2, 2013

Crab Cakes with BLT topping. Oh, Yum!

I was feeling a little “Crabby” today, which is to say that I was in the mood for some crab cakes. I love crab cakes, but most times when I’ve had them they contained chopped green or red peppers. In my opinion, the strong flavor of the pepper overwhelms the delicate flavor of the crabmeat, and so I’m disappointed. Whenever I’ve tried to make crab cakes at home I’ve had difficulty in getting them to hold a “patty” shape , while dipping in crumbs and frying them. Any that I’ve attempted fall apart before I’m finished with them.

So, OK, I gave up on making my own crab cakes. UNTIL I found this recipe for Crab Cake Sliders. While the idea of small sliders didn’t appeal to me, as in ” oh no, even smaller crab cakes to try to keep together”, there were aspects of this recipe that intrigued me and made me think that these just might be possible. First, I liked the combination of seasonings that go into them, secondly, some of the buns are broken up and used as a binder with the crabmeat, and lastly, there’s no peppers and no breading involved. These are formed, set to chill in the refrigerator for some time, then broiled. Finely they are enhanced by the addition of BACON, lettuce and sliced tomato. A BLT on a crab cake—whoever thought this up is at genius level. I wish I could take the credit, but sadly it goes to someone at Food Network Magazine.

Because I wanted to serve these as a main meal, I decided to form the crabmeat mixture into patties sized to fit onto regular sandwich rolls. I used my 1/2 cup measure to portion out the crabmeat onto the baking sheet, then flattened them slightly with a fork. This technique gave me 5 patties, with a tiny bit left over to nibble on. 😀 I will definitely keep this recipe readily at hand for when I’m entertaining and want to make sliders. The crab cakes held together better than any others that I’ve made, and the whole sandwich was filling and delicious. As good as I imagined they would be.

CRAB CAKE SLIDERS

Yield: Makes 15 sliders

Ingredients:

18 mini potato buns
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
All the ingredients.
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
1 large egg
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 green onion, sliced, green part only
kosher salt
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked through**
10 strips bacon
finely grated lemon zest
freshly ground black pepper
Sliced tomato and lettuce leaves, for topping

** I Use canned crab meat that I found in the seafood dept. of my supermarket. It was large pieces of lump crabmeat with no tendons or shell to pick over. A pound of readily usable crabmeat–a bargain in my estimate.

1. Prepare the crab cakes: Tear 3 buns (or similar amount of bread) into small pieces to make about 3/4 cup; put into a medium bowl. Whisk 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, the melted butter, egg, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, green onion, and salt in another small bowl.

Mayonnaise and seasonings mixture.

Add the mayonnaise mixture to the bun pieces and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, then gently fold in the crabmeat.

2. Brush a baking sheet with some melted butter. Tightly pack the crab mixture into 15 small patties and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Arrange the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden and slightly crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate, reserving about 1 Tablespoon of the drippings. Break each piece of bacon into thirds; set aside. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise, the lemon zest, and the reserved bacon drippings in a bowl; season with salt an pepper.

4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the remaining 15 buns cut side up on a baking sheet; Brush with butter and broil until golden. Transfer the crab cakes to the broiler and cook, rotating the pan as needed, until golden and warmed through, about 6 minutes.

5. Spread the cut sides of the buns with some of the lemon mayonnaise. Serve the crab cakes on the buns with tomatoes, lettuce and bacon. SIGH!

Good beyond words. 😀

I served these with my homemade refrigerator dill pickles and a green salad. Fantastic meal!

SOURCE: Food Network Magazine, June 2013

Chocolate Plum Cake

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Cakes and tagged with cake, chocolate, dessert, food, recipe. plums, stone fruits October 1, 2013

Chocolate Plum Cake

The last day of summer has come and gone and we are now officially into the fall season. However stone fruits are still widely available at the farm stands in my area and in the supermarkets. All these fruits reach their peak of ripeness in the summer sun, and they are delicious and appealing when you cook with them. They lend themselves to every kind of preparation: poaching, sautéing, roasting, grilling, and baking. So you can work them into your early fall dessert recipes.

In this recipe for Chocolate Plum Cake you can interchange the fruits, and perhaps use nectarines instead of plums. I decided to make it with plums because I have always enjoyed chocolate with wine; port wine or other dessert wine goes best with chocolate. Since purple plums have a sweet, wine-like flavor they pair beautifully with chocolate in this moist, single-layer cake. Another stone fruit that would work well here is the pluot–a cross between apricots and plums. They are now sold in many supermarkets in the summer.

I loved making the batter for this cake. There is only 1/4 cup flour (whole wheat) in it. The rest of the dry ingredients consist of ground almond flour, with baking powder and a little salt. This makes the texture of the cake very fine and a little crumbly. Almond is not noticeable in the taste, instead you’re bombarded with dense chocolate. The recipe calls for chocolate that is at least 64% cocoa, but I had a bar that was 70% cocoa, so I used that. With baking, the plums become tender and retain their juiciness. Oh, boy, this is good!

Tender and moist cake, juicy plums.

CHOCOLATE PLUM CAKE

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 stick softened butter, divided (7 Tablespoons plus 1 Tablespoon.)
Beautiful black plums and chocolate. Yum-yum!!
4 black or purple plums
1 Tablespoon, plus 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup almond meal**
1/4 cup buckwheat or whole-wheat flour##
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3.5 ounces dark chocolate ( around 64% cocoa content), melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
Garnish: confectioners’ sugar

** Almond meal – also called almond flour–is sold in the health-food aisle of many supermarkets. The brand I used is by Bob’s Red Mill. You can substitute other nut meals, or make your own by pulsing blanched almonds in a food processor until finely ground but not yet nut butter.

## Substitute a gluten-free baking mix for the flour and this can be a gluten-free dessert.

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Butter a 9 – inch round cake pan; then line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a frying pan, melt 1 Tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the plums, cut side down, and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. Cook 2 minutes and flip onto the other side. Continue to cook 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Sauté the plums in butter and sugar.

3. In the bowl of your mixer beat the remaining 7 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup sugar until pale in color. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go. Stir in the melted chocolate and then the heavy cream.

Mix melted chocolate and cream into the batter.

4. Add the dry ingredients, and stir until the batter is smooth.

Almond flour as oart of the dry ingredients.

Almond flour as part of the dry ingredients.

Pour into the prepared pan and arrange the sautéed plums on top, cut side up.

Pour into a round baking pan.

Arrange plums on top.

Drizzle any pan juices over the plums.

5. Bake until the blade of a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool 5 minutes before removing it from the pan, Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Each wedge gets a half plum.

SOURCE: slightly modified from Yankee Magazine

Kale and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Sandwichs and tagged with caramelized onions, dinner, food recipe, grilled cheese, kale, Meatless Monday, sandwich, vegetarian September 30, 2013

Kale and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese.

If you’re tired of the same old, same old for Meatless Mondays, this sandwich with its unusual combination of vegetables and cheese might just perk up your menu. I served it with a hearty tomato soup, (read about it here.) last week when I wanted to have a meatless meal.

I had seen this sandwich recipe and earmarked it as one I wanted to try because of the inclusion of kale, with caramelized onions and two kinds of cheese. I’ve only recently grown to like kale and I wasn’t sure I would like it in a sandwich, but surprisingly it did not announce itself too strongly. The most prominent flavors were the onions and cheese, but the kale is quietly in the background, and you know you’re eating something healthy. We thoroughly enjoyed this sandwich and it was a good compliment to the tomato soup.

The two cheeses I used were Parmesan and smoked provolone. The recipe calls for raclette, but it may not be widely available so a good substitute is Gruyère, or any cheese with good melting properties, like provolone.

KALE AND CARAMELIZED ONION GRILLED CHEESE

Yield: Serves 4 ( 4 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

4 medium sized kale leaves, stems removed
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large or 2 medium red onions, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
8 slices multi-grain bread
cooking spray
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided ( about 1/4 cup)
3.5 oz. shredded raclette cheese ( about 7/8 cup) or other shredded or sliced cheese

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil; add kale. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until kale is bright green. Drain; Pat leaves dry with paper towel.

Dry kale after blanching.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, pepper, and salt. Cool 10 minutes or until onion is tender and browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, tossing to coat.

Brown onions in a little oil.

3. Heat a non-stick skillet or panini pan over medium heat. Lightly coat 1 side of each bread slice with cooking spray. Working with 2 slices at a time, arrange bread in pan, sprayed side down. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmesan on each slice.

First layer of cheese is grated Parmesan.

Top with 1 kale leaf, one-fourth of onion mixture,

Layer on the kale and onions.

and about 1/4 cup shredded cheese, (or 1-2 slices of cheese).

Top with second type of cheese.

Top with another slice of bread, sprayed side up.

4. Toast sandwiches until browned and cheeses are melted, turning over once. Repeat with remaining bread slices and remaining filling ingredients.

Toast till browned and cheeses are melted.

Melty, gooey cheese, savory onions, and kale on multi-grain bread. YUM!

SOURCE: COOKING LIGHT Magazine

Delicious on a Dollar

Devoted to the preparation of healthy & economical foods that taste fabulous!

Baked Macaroni Casserole with Three Cheeses

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, Lightened Up

Apple Slab Pie

Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa

Italian Sausage, Orecchetti, and Broccoli Rabe

Harvest Pumpkin Scones

There’s What in the Cake?

Crab Cake Sliders

Chocolate Plum Cake

Kale and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this: