Category Archives: Cook

by | November 13, 2009 · 8:00 am

Pumpkin Turkey Calzone

For our last installment of pumpkin week, I decided to aim for a recipe that is a bit more savory and indeed, nice and filling. Adding pumpkin to a close friend of pizza, the calzone, adds an extra splash of flavor on an otherwise classic dish.

Let me just start by saying, I thought that this recipe was going to be an epic fail when I started making the dough. However, it turned out hearty and delicious. My experience gave me a few pointers to pass along to you to make this much easier and less of a mess.

pumpkin turkey calzone

To make pumpkin pizza dough ingredients:
1/2 C. barely warm water
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
3 1/2 C. bread flour
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for bowl
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix water, honey and yeast in small bowl. Set aside. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add all ingredients, including yeast mixture and knead for several minutes. Flour a clean surface and knead the dough by hand for a few more minutes. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, toss in the dough, turning to coat and cover the bowl in plastic wrap. Let dough rise for about an hour.

Turkey filling ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well (or 2 fresh diced tomatoes)
1 green pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
black ground pepper and salt to taste
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
egg wash (one egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water)
garlic salt to taste

In large saute pan, brown ground turkey. Add green pepper, cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add diced tomatoes and spices. Let mixture cool, until no longer steaming.

pumpkin turkey calzone fillingTo make the calzone:

Either half or quarter the dough – depending on the amount of calzones you would like to make. Place on a well floured surface and roll out the dough. Transfer circle to baking sheet (***important as filling it on my board and transferring it afterward was not an easy task). Place turkey mixture on half the dough, top with large handful of mozzarella cheese, covering the filling. Fold dough over to form semi-circle. Press edges together with fork. Brush top of dough with egg wash. Sprinkle with garlic salt.

Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with homemade pizza sauce (see recipe below) or store-bought pizza sauce.

In medium sauce pan over medium high heat, add the following ingredients. Stir until heated through.

  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

pumpkin turkey calzone baked

Enjoy!

stef

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by | November 11, 2009 · 7:43 am

Browned Butter and Sage Pumpkin Bread

I was so excited to see that pumpkin was our ingredient to use this week. I love cooking with pumpkin because it is so versatile. I have found that using canned pumpkin is just as tasty as steaming and pureeing fresh pumpkin, and it’s a real time saver.

Bread

Quick Breads are a staple in my house because they can be make quickly and eaten at any time of the day. I found this recipe from Martha Stewart and was instantly intrigued by the use of fresh sage in this pumpkin quick bread. The result is a delicious sweet bread that has a savory and nutty undertone.

Browned Butter and Sage Pumpkin Bread

6 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
1 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 cup solid packed pumpkin (from can)
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350. Grease 8 mini loaf pans (2  1/2-by-4-inch each) or 1 large loaf pan (9×5) with butter and dust it with flour.

bread collageMelt butter on stove top on medium low heat. Add fresh chopped sage and cook till butter turns golden brown, about 5-8 minutes. Let cool slightly.  Feel free to strain the sage from the butter at this point if you prefer to have just a hint of the fresh sage or leave it in, like I did, to have bits of sage throughout the bread.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin, eggs, sugar and the browned butter with sage. Once smooth and well mixed, add flour mixture gradually until incorporated.

Divide evenly among mini loaf pans or pour into one large loaf pan. Smooth top and bake for about 30 minutes for mini loaf pans or 50 minutes for one large pan.

Let cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Garnish with  fresh sage leaves.

Enjoy!

anne

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by | November 9, 2009 · 9:17 am

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple-Bourbon Frosting

It’s reader’s choice week again on HAP and this time you picked a Thanksgiving classic: pumpkin! Since pumpkin pie recipes are on the back of nearly every can of pumpkin, we’ll be serving up some variations on the popular ingredient.

For my Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple-Bourbon Frosting, I started with Martha Stewart‘s pumpkin cupcakes, amped up the spices a little and then whipped some fall flavors into my favorite cream cheese frosting.  Although I don’t actually like drinking bourbon, the hint of flavor it adds gives the frosting great depth and pairs nicely with the spicy cake.

pumpkin cupcake recipe with cream cheese frosting

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1+ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/3 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 C brown sugar
1 C sugar
2 sticks butter, melted
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, beating one at a time. Working in thirds, add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and beat well. Beat in pumpkin.

Spoon batter into lined cupcake tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 min for standard size cupcakes or 28-30 min for Texas sized cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.

MAPLE-BOURBON FROSTING:
1 stick butter, softened
1 8oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese
3-4 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp good bourbon, such as Maker’s Mark
1/4 C real maple syrup OR 1/2 tsp maple extract
*optional melted chocolate for fleur de lis

Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Beat in one cup of powdered sugar. Add bourbon and maple syrup and beat well. Beat in remaining powdered sugar. If frosting is not thick enough to your liking, beat in 1/4 C flour or additional sugar to thicken.

NOTE: I used maple syrup but didn’t get quite as much maple flavor as I wanted. If you can find maple extract I would try using that instead to get a stronger maple flavor.

chocolate drizzle fleur de lisCHOCOLATE
FLEUR de LIS:
Microwave 2/3 C chocolate chips in a small Ziploc bag for 1 minute. Spread parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet. Clip off a tiny bit of  the bottom corner of the bag and  pipe chocolate into shapes on the parchment. Freeze for 2-3 hours.

katie

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by | November 6, 2009 · 8:59 am

Amish Friendship Bread

Nothing says friendship like cinnamon sweet bread. While I cannot find anything in my Internet research truly validating the fact that this recipe was indeed started by the Amish, it is fun and delicious nonetheless.

Amish bread1

The bread recipe is a type of sourdough bread, made in a ten-day cycle, originally started through the old fashioned chain letter. To make this recipe, one must get a starter bag, which I was lucky enough to come across from my friend, Corinne. However, I was able to dig up the recipe to create a starter bag. I haven’t tried this myself, so don’t send blame this direction if it doesn’t work.

Starter Bag:

  • 1 package of active dry yeast
  • ¼ C. of warm water
  • 1 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 C. white sugar
  • 1 C. milk

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. In large plastic, glass or ceramic bowl (NOT METAL!), combine flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in milk and yeast mixture. Transfer to one-gallon plastic bag.

Once you make your starter, or even better, receive one from a friend, its time to start the 10-day process. Please note that once you receive a starter in its first day, you can freeze the bag and use it when you want.

amish bread 2

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe:

  • Day 1 – receive the starter and do nothing
  • Day 2 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 3 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 4 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 5 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 6 – Add to the bag 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk. Mush the bag.
  • Day 7 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 8 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 9 – Mush the bag.
  • Day 10 – Follow these instructions:

Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups milk and stir. Measure one cup batter into four 1-gallon Ziploc bags and give to friends along with a copy of the recipe. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add to the remaining batter:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 C. oil
(or 1/2 C. oil, 1/2 C. applesause)
  • 1 C. sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 C. milk
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 C. flour
  • 1 large box instant vanilla pudding
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Grease 2 large loaf pans. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2-cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with 1/2 of this mixture. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top. Bake 1 hour. Cool the bread until it loosens evenly from the pan (about 10 minutes). Serve warm or cold.

amish bread 3

This recipe makes cinnamon sweet bread, however, a mess of other recipes exist using the same starter bag. With my next starter, I plan to make banana nut bread substituting the vanilla pudding for banana cream and adding 2 mushed bananas and walnuts. I also plan to add chocolate chips in the future. For more variations on this recipe, click here and scroll to the bottom.

All the HAP girls have starter bags, so contact us on our contact page if you are in the Milwaukee area and want to try this for yourself!

stef

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by | November 4, 2009 · 9:03 am

The Dirty Dozen {Buying Organic}

According to the USDA, organic food is food that is“produced without using most conventional pesticides; synthetic fertilizers; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.” Essentially, organic foods are minimally processed foods that don’t contain much else other than the food itself.   Sounds like something I want to feed my family.

Ideally, I would love to purchase mostly organic food, especially produce. However when you look at the price difference between organic and non organic, it is clear that the average households simply cannot afford to buy 100% organic.

organic-choice-lg

Thankfully I have come across this list produced by Environmental Working Group called the Dirty Dozen. It is  a list of the top 12 foods that have the most pesticide contamination. Essentially, if you are going to buy some food organic, be sure to pick the produce on this list because it tends to have the highest pesticide content.

The fruits and vegetables on the Dirty Dozen list are:

Peaches                    Cherries
Apples                       Kale
Bell peppers            Lettuce
Celery                        Grapes
Nectarines               Carrots
Strawberries           Pears

The EWG also produces a list called the Clean 15, highlighting fruits and vegetables that have the least amount of pesticide exposure. So, if you are going to purchase the foods below, no need to spend the extra and get organic. The foods that made the Clean 15 are:

Onion                    Asparagus          Papaya
Avocado              Sweet Peas         Watermelon
Sweet corn          Kiwi                      Broccoli
Pineapple            Cabbage              Tomato
Mango                  Eggplant              Sweet Potato

istock_photo_of_applesAlthough it will be hard to eliminate pesticides and other unwanted chemicals from our diets entirely, studies have shown that following the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 produce lists can lower your pesticide exposure by 80%! That is a small change that can make a big difference…and won’t break the bank.

Read more about Organic food and how to reduce your risk at the Environmental Working Groups Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.

anne

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by | November 2, 2009 · 10:05 am

Haute Destination: New Orleans

They don’t call New Orleans the Big Easy for nothing.  On my first trip to one of America’s best culinary destinations, I quickly found that it couldn’t be easier to eat your way through this city. For anyone that’s a fan of bold, spicy foods, interesting cocktails and top-caliber restaurants, New Orleans is a trip to put on your list.  Here’s a quick look:
New Orleans Cafe du Monde beignets

New Orleans French Quarter is where all the magic (and maybe a little voodoo) happens.  The only way  to start your day there is with Cafe du Monde‘s fluffy, sugar coated beignets and a tall cafe au lait.

New Orleans Acme Oyster House and Seafood Gumbo

Seafood is everywhere, but no place does oysters like Acme Oyster House.  Their savory seafood gumbo and hush puppies were equally tasty.

Mother's Restaurant New Orleans and Po'Boy Sandwich

Our friend Val, a New Orleans native, insisted that we hit up Mother’s Restaurant in the business district.  While the ambiance is nothing fancy, one bite of Mother’s overflowing shrimp po’boy with a healthy dose of Louisiana hot sauce and you understand why this place is a legend.  In the corner, Bill sips a mint julep at Oak Alley Plantation.

We also sampled delicious BBQ shrimp and buttery grits at Marigny Brasserie, duck spring rolls and pecan pie at Mr B’s Bistro and of course the classic hurricane at Pat O’Briens.

After coming home (and hitting the gym!) I pulled out my jambalaya recipe to get one last taste of New Orleans.  This jambalaya is an easy and nearly one-pot dish for anyone craving some Creole flavors at home.

New Orleans Style Jambalaya
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2  onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1 C white rice
2 1/2 C low sodium chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks  (cajun seasoned work great)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
3 andouille or smoked sausages, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
thyme
1/2 tsp cajun spice, pepper
salt, cayenne pepper to taste

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, saute onions, green pepper, celery and butter until vegetables are softened. In a separate saute pan, begin cooking chicken and sausage. As vegetables soften, add tomatoes, rice, broth and garlic.  Season with spices, adding cayenne to taste. Simmer on medium low while meat cooks.

When meats are almost cooked, add shrimp and cook through. Incorporate meats into the stockpot and stir well.  Taste and add extra seasoning needed. Simmer until rice is cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

jambalaya

PS:  In the Milwaukee area?  We’re hosting a HAP Launch Party at The Home Market and you’re invited!  Check out the link for details and if you’re coming or have questions, feel free to post a comment on our Contact page! Hope to see you there!

katie

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by | October 30, 2009 · 8:52 am

Chipotle Sloppy Joe with Simple Slaw

My husband is somewhat of an anomaly and does not particularly like your regular old lunch lady sloppy joe sandwich. So I decided to switch it up a little and create this Chipotle Sloppy Joe with Simple Slaw from Cooking Light.

Sloppyjoe

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 small presliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
  • 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 1  pound  lean ground sirloin
  • 1 prechopped green bell pepper
  • 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
  • 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
  • 1  (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • Whole wheat hamburger buns

 1. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cover and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. Remove 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can; set aside. Remove 1 chipotle chile from can; chop and set aside. Reserve remaining chiles and adobo sauce for another use.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain excess fat if necessary. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in chopped chipotle chile, adobo sauce, tomato paste, and next 3 ingredients (through tomato sauce); cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun, and top evenly with onions and top half of bun.

This meal tastes great with pickles and a simple slaw. To make the slaw, combine 1/3 cup light or olive-oil mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar or the Splenda equivalent, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add 3 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw, tossing well to combine.

sloppyjoe2

This dish received two thumbs up and the leftovers were even taken to work the next day for lunch!

***TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE FOR THE NOVEMBER 3-WAY INGREDIENT! (10/30) Vote Today!!!***

stef

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by | October 28, 2009 · 6:47 am

Quick Pasta Carbonara

I love quick and easy recipes and this pasta dish from Kraft has become one of my staple weeknight meals. Although it has very few ingredients, it is quite rich and satisfying and can be made in a snap!

Plus, it’s got bacon in it. Everything is better with bacon.

pasta carbonara close small

Pasta Carbonara

½ lb. fettuccine noodles
4 slices bacon
4 oz. Cream Cheese, cubed
½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
¾ cup milk
1 cup frozen or canned peas
½ tsp. garlic powder

Cook noodles as directed.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the drippings in skillet. That is usually about what is left in the pan after cooking 4 strips of bacon.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bacon drippings. Go ahead and just dump them all in there. No need to add one at a time and stir until combined. This is a quick and easy pasta dish, remember? And I promise it will turn out just as good.

Cook the mixture on low heat until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended and heated through, stirring occasionally. While that mixture heats up, chop the bacon.

Drain the pasta and place it in large bowl. Add cream cheese sauce and the bacon then mix it all together. I usually save some bacon to sprinkle on top.

Mmmmm, so easy and so good.

anne

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by | October 26, 2009 · 8:34 am

The Perfect Mojito

After spending the weekend eating fabulous Creole foods in New Orleans (which I’ll be talking about next Monday!), I came back to a sunny and warm Wisconsin afternoon. Since it was probably one of the last we’ll see for awhile, it just begged for one of my favorite guilty pleasures:  Mojitos.

Delightfully refreshing, tart and boozy, mojitos are a traditional Cuban cocktail that make a great pairing for any spicy, Latin meal or just a warm, Indian summer evening. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that they’re often a specialty drink at restaurants…you can easily make this mojito recipe at home.

mojito

Mojito
2 oz white rum
3/4 of a lime
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
ice (crushed is nice but cubes work too)
handful fresh mint leaves
splash of lemon-lime soda

For the perfect mojito, make each cocktail in its own glass or make two using a cocktail shaker.

mojitomuddler

Combine mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a pint glass or cocktail shaker. Slice lime into quarters and fully squeeze two quarters over the mint and sugar.

Use a muddler to muddle together the ingredients until mint leaves are broken up and sugar is dissolved.

mojitoprep1

Add ice and squeezed lime slices to the glass. Pour in rum and splash of soda. Shake or stir well. Squeeze another lime quarter over the top and add remains to glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

katie

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by | October 23, 2009 · 6:45 am

Apricot Jalapeno Pulled Pork

It is not easy to have a tasty and nutritious dinner on the table every night.  We are all busy and don’t always have the time on weeknights, or weekends. to make the kind of meals that we would like to eat.

One thing that I do religiously that helps me prepare quick and delicious meals is make large portions of staples on the weekends ,when I tend to have a little extra time, and freeze them.  That way, I can just pull out the frozen meal, reheat it and make some easy sides.

This Apricot Jalapeno Pulled Pork recipe from Real Simple is the perfect thing to make and freeze into portions.

apricot pork

Apricot Jalapeno pulled pork

2 – 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork loin roast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves

2 jalapenos, sliced into rings and seeded

Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Take 2 large sheets of aluminum foil and lay them one directly on top of the other.  Be sure to place one directly on the other and do not off-set them at all.  This will prevent juices from leaking out all over your oven.

Place your pork in the center of the foil and season it with the salt, pepper and ground cumin.  Then, spoon the jam over the pork and coat all sides.  Finally, scatter the sliced jalapeno’s around the meat.

Fold the double layer of foil around the pork and crimp the edges to ensure it is sealed tightly.  Place it in a glass baking dish and roast until fork tender, about 4 hours.  While it is roasting, keep in eye out for juices that always seem to find a way to escape.  No matter how carefully I wrap my pork, some always seem to get out.  If this happens, the juices that come out can begin to burn.  It won’t ruin your meat, but it may char a little on your pan, so just be sure you keep an eye out for that.

When the pork reaches an internal temp of  160 degrees, carefully unwrap it.  You will want to reserve the juices in a separate bowl.  Then, discard the foil and using 2 forks, shred the pork.  Transfer to a bowl and put the cooking juices and jalapenos over the pork.

At this point, I usually divide it up into 3 or 4 portions, depending on how much it made.  One portion I will keep to make pulled pork tacos, and the rest I will divide up into freezer safe bags and freeze for later use.  I try to use up anything I freeze within a month.

To make the tacos, I serve the Apricot Jalapeno Pulled Pork on warm flour tortillas, with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

pork up close

I am going to spend the next couple weeks using up this delicious pork in a variety of different recipes.  I will be sure to share those recipes with you as well!

anne

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