Category Archives: Cook

by | September 7, 2012 · 7:25 am

Edamame Hummus

I love the grainy, nutty taste of hummus. It is one of my favorite snacks. But my husband, not so much. I don’t know why, but I continually try to make him like hummus, experimenting with different flavors. For my last girls night, I made this edamame hummus as an appetizer. It is Mediterranean with an East Asian flare. I love it and it was well received by my guests. My husband liked it more than regular hummus…a big improvement!

Edamame Hummus
1 steamer bag frozen edamame, cooked according to directions (I used Archer Farms 12 oz bag)
2 TBSP tahini
3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
water (if needed)

Place steamed edamame in food processor. Blend until smooth. Add garlic and tahini and slowly add olive oil as you process. Add lemon juice and red pepper. If the mixture looks too thick, add a little extra olive oil or drizzle a little water into the mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with cut up peppers, carrots, pita chips or my strange favorite, pretzels! This makes a great appetizer or you can spread it on a turkey sandwich on pita or tortilla for a nice portable lunch!

Food Network is heading back to school and pulling up a chair to a lunchbox communal table. Here are some great options from some great bloggers for little kids (and big ones too!) for brown bagging to school or work.

Tidy Mom: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter Cookies
Made by Michelle: Almond Butter and Banana Sandwiches
Chez Us: Healthy Tuna Salad
And Love It Too: Healthy Lunchbox 2012: The Ultimate Collection
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Back to School Roasted Chicken Legs
Bacon and Souffle: Gruyere Grilled Cheese With Apple Salad
Zaika Zabardast: Fresh Corn Cakes With Black Bean Salad Tossed in Cumin Vinaigrette

Adult options:
This Girl Can Eat: Cashew-Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Spicy-Korean “Ramen” Noodle Soup
Feed Me Phoebe: Deviled Egg Salad Sandwiches
Creative Culinary: Margarita Watermelon
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Swiss Chard Turnovers With Parmesan and Pistachios

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by | August 30, 2012 · 8:18 am

Mini Rustic Apple Pies and Bake Sale Wrap-Up

A big thank you to everyone who came out last week to support Team IZ and the Children’s Tumor Foundation! The bake sale was a huge success thanks to all of you. We made over 100 bags, jars and wrappers of treats and sold out of all but about 15 of them. In total we raised $230 towards Team IZ. I’m grateful for and humbled by all of the support.

Some of the recipes of the bake sale will show up in future blog posts, but I wanted to send links to some of the other goodies, so you can make them at home!

Cake Batter Puppy Chow
Lemonade Chex Mix (I doubled the chocolate and butter mixture)
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

The item that flew off the table the quickest was the mini rustic hot apple pies. Now maybe it’s because of our name, or because one customer told me, “There are two things you can’t resist. Warm chocolate chip cookies and fresh apple pie.” Regardless, these pies were a hit and fun to make. The mini pies are great for a bake sale, or for a fun, different presentation for a dinner party.

Mini Rustic Apple Pies
Makes 8 pies

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, cold
1 C ice water (don’t use it all)

The key to making a good pie crust is keeping everything cold! So don’t attempt this in a hot kitchen on a 90 degree. Prior to making the dough, I put my metal bowl, knife and cutting board in the refrigerator to start it out right. Keep your butter in the fridge until the last minute.

Add ice to a cup of water and set aside.

Start by mixing flour, sugar and salt. Cut your butter into small, 1/2 inch pieces. Try not to touch the butter to make sure it doesn’t melt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter into the flour mixture. Scoop and mix as you go, until the butter crumbly and to the size of a tiny pea.

Remove ice cubes from water. Begin to drizzle about 1/2 C of water into the mixture and mix with a rubber spatula. Continue to drizzle water, about 1/4 C more, until the dough begins to stick together. Gently work with hands to mold the dough. Split the dough into two disks and refrigerate for 2 or more hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the mini pie pan.

When dough is chilled, flour up a board or flat surface, be generous so the dough doesn’t stick. Using a rolling pin, Gently press and roll upwards continually. Rolling dough takes some time, don’t beat it up. Move in a clockwise position until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Using a large cookie cutter or pie cutter (my mini pie pan came with one), cut out circles. Place the dough into the pie pans, molding them to the shape. Add apple filling and top with another circle of crust, pressing the top dough with the bottom dough. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake pies in oven for 35-45 minutes. Rotate halfway through. Pies should be golden brown. Allow to cool a bit before removing from pan.

Apple Filling
10 apples, cored and sliced
1 C sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger

Mix apples together with sugar and spices until combined.

Thank you again for your support! If you missed the sale and would like to donate to Team IZ, please click here.

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by | August 27, 2012 · 7:45 am

Earl Grey Creme Tea Cookies

I recently helped host a bridal shower for a dear friend at Anaba Tea Room, a local tea room/restaurant plus home and garden boutique. Considering the location, we continued a “tea in the garden” theme throughout the shower including these delicate tea cookies that I made as shower favors.

Using a Martha Stewart recipe that I’d been wanting to try for awhile, I incorporated my favorite black tea, Earl Grey Creme, which has an amazing aroma and subtle vanilla undertones. The results were spot on for an elegant afternoon event.

Earl Grey Creme Tea Cookies
1 C butter
2 C flour
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 Tbsp finely ground Earl Grey Creme black tea leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder to grind tea leaves into a fine powder.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and ground tea with a whisk to fluff. In a separate large bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in dry mixture, taking care to scrap dough from the sides of the bowl, until all dry ingredients have been incorporated but mixture is still solid and not beaten to the point of crumbling.

Divide dough into two balls and set on two pieces of parchment paper.  Roll dough into a long tubular shape using the parchment paper. Reposition dough tube on the parchment, rolling it tightly and tucking the ends under. Freeze dough for 30-45 minutes.

Remove dough from freezer and unwrap from parchment, placing parchment on a baking sheet. Slice dough into 1/4″ slices and place on cookie sheet. If cookies are slightly misshapen you can let the cookies sit for 10-15 minutes so that dough thaws enough for you to gently reshape the cookies.

Bake for 13 minutes.

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by | August 24, 2012 · 1:15 pm

Pecan Crusted Chicken

One of my favorite simple chicken recipes is Pecan Crusted Chicken.  The chicken is dipped in a honey mustard mixture and breaded with panco bread crumbs and chopped pecans.  It has the most amazing crunch and a sweet and tangy flavor.  I have made it with chicken breasts and chicken fingers, but especially love it as chicken fingers.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

3 chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1/2 inch thick
1 cup honey
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups panco bread crumbs
1 cup finely ground pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a shallow bowl, mix together the honey, mustard and olive oil.  In another shallow bowl, mix the panco breadcrumbs and pecans.

Dip the chicken into the honey mustard mixture and then into the panco breadcrumb mixture.  Be sure to coat all sides of the chicken.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.  For chicken strips, bake about 25-30 minutes.

Simple, easy and delicious!

Adapted from Fix, Freeze, Feast.

 

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by | August 20, 2012 · 8:00 am

Watermelon & Feta Salad

While the weather starts getting a bit cooler (who knows if it will last!) I like soaking in the last tastes of summer before I bust out the apples and pumpkins. While I love watermelon, I find it hard for our family to eat a whole watermelon before it goes soggy. I recently decided to mix it up and make a salad out of it as a side dish to our salmon burgers.

Watermelon & Feta Salad
Quarter watermelon, cubed
10-12 mint leaves, sliced
Low-fat crumbled feta cheese
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add watermelon and mint to a large bowl. Stir until mint is mixed throughout.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar and honey. Slowly add and whisk olive oil to emulsify. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

Gently pour the mixture over the watermelon, adding a little bit at a time. Depending on your bowl, you may not use all of it. Sprinkle the crumbled feta on top and gently stir. Serve immediately to keep the mint and cheese fresh.

Food Network’s Summer Fest link up! Here are more amazing melon recipes!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Watermelon-Mint Freeze
What’s Gaby Cooking: Melon and Prosciutto Salad
Cooking With Elise: Quinoa Crunch With Melons, Blueberries and Yogurt
Cooking Channel: Five Things to Make With Watermelon
Healthy Eats: Melon Refreshers
Ingredients, Inc.: Melon-Arugula Salad
Daily*Dishin: Honeydew Melon Salad With Genoa Salami and Mozzarella Fresca
Made by Michelle: Cantaloupe Popsicles 
Chez Us: Cantaloupe Lime Agua Fresca 
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mixed Melon Smoothie
Virtually Homemade: Melon-Mint Popsicles
Thursday Night Dinner: Cantaloupe With Figs, Basil and Kalamata Olives
Zaika Zabardast: Cantaloupe Soup With Cardamom Infused Cherry Syrup
Sweet Life Bake: Paletas de Melon
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Melons
FN Dish: There’s More to Melon

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by | August 15, 2012 · 7:52 am

Haute Apple Pie Bake Sale

You’ve virtually seen our treats for almost three years. Now it is time to taste them first hand at the very first Haute Apple Pie bake sale! On Wednesday, August 22nd, come to the Hartung Park Farmer’s Market in Wauwatosa (at the corner of the Menomonee River Parkway and Keefe) to purchase some delicious HAP goodies for a good cause.

Six months ago, I’d never heard the word Neurofibromatosis. It has now become a regular word in our families vocabulary as our sweet four year old niece Izzy was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) this spring. NF2 is a very rare disease, affecting less than 4,000 (only 400 children) in the U.S. It a genetic defect that stops cell growth in the nerve cells, which later develop into multiple, benign tumors throughout the body, called schwanommas. Almost 100% percent of patients with NF2 become deaf and may also experience issues with vision and blindness as well as facial and limb paralysis.

On September 15, Team IZ will be walking in the Children’s Tumor Foundation NF Walk at Havenwoods State Forest. It is a two mile walk to raise funds and awareness of NF1, NF2 and schwanommatosis. Family and friends are pulling together to help raise the greatly needed funds for this devastating disease. This is where you come in! The ladies and I will be selling some treats at the Farmer’s Market, with all of the proceeds going to the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

So if you are looking for some muffins, cookies and other baked treats or to help a cause so very near and dear to our hearts, please come down. You can also peruse the fresh produce from some local farmers and if you are lucky, get some delicious grub from the Asian food truck that usually parks nearby!

If you are unable to make the market and would like to donate to Team IZ, please click here.

If you are interested in walking in the Children’s Tumor Foundation NF Walk, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you next week at the market!

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by | August 7, 2012 · 2:24 pm

Corn and Tomato Side Dish

I love the early weeks of August when you can get fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob everywhere you look.  These are two of my favorite summer treats and I decided to combine them to make this quick and easy summer side dish.  The best part is this can be served hot or cold which makes it great to bring to a BBQ because it can be left outside for a little while without worrying that it will spoil due to mayo or other ingredients.

Corn and Tomato Side Dish

5 ears of corn, cooked and corn removed from the cob
1-2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the cooked corn and tomatoes in a serving dish.  Add the juice of 1 lime and mix to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Could that be any easier?  I just love how it tastes like summer!

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by | July 31, 2012 · 9:03 pm

Smoked Salmon & Egg Baguettes

Ok so I promise this will be my last salmon post for a little while but when the gettin’ is good it’s just too hard to not experiment. My brother-in-law spent an afternoon smoking some of his fresh catch and passed a little our way so I put it together with some equally bold flavors and texture for a super fast and hearty weeknight meal. I especially love the way the gooey egg yolk binds it all together.


Smoked Salmon Baguettes
1/3 C cream cheese
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 bunch asparagus
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 Tbsp butter
2 C smoked salmon
4 eggs, cooked sunny side up
1 large baguette or loaf of french bread, cut into 4 large chunks
cracked black pepper
Kosher salt

In a small bowl, use a spoon to mix together the cream cheese, dill and garlic powder until well blended. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan on medium and place asparagus on the pan. Lightly coat with olive oil just enough to not burn. Cook asparagus for about 4-6 minutes depending on thickness, turning with a tongs until each side is slightly seared and asparagus becomes tender. Season lightly with salt.

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium. Once pan is hot, crack eggs and cook sunny side up (or over easy if you prefer) for approximately 4 minutes. Egg whites should be opaque and the yolk should be just beginning to cook.

While eggs and asparagus are cooking, slice the baguettes and spread the inside generously with cream cheese mixture. Top with several piece of salmon. Once asparagus and eggs are cooked, place asparagus,then the egg on top of the salmon. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt.

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by | July 27, 2012 · 7:45 am

Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts

One of my favorite places to dine in the Milwaukee area is Parkside 23, a great farm to table restaurant with fresh, local ingredients and unique flavors. Twice I’ve eaten their roasted beet salad and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I have never been a beet person and usually think they taste like the ground they came from, but this salad changed my mind. I love the addition of the golden beets, which are not quite as earthy and the apple cider vinaigrette boosts the flavor. I just picked apart the salad and kept the idea in my head and attempted to make it at home. And with good results! The critics actually preferred this salad to the original.

Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
1 lb red beets
1 lb golden beets
2 oz goat cheese
1 C walnuts
2 TBSP brown sugar
4 TBSP pure maple syrup, divided
1 C spring greens
3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
1 TBSP dijon mustard
1 TBSP honey
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash beets. Trim greens and tips off of beets. Individually wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Roast in oven for 45 minutes to one hour. Check every 20 minutes, timing may vary depending on beet size.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Add walnuts. Mix in 3 TBSP maple syrup and brown sugar. Stir often, allowing syrup to thicken. Heat for 8-10 minutes. Spray rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove nuts from heat and place on tray. Add to oven. Bake for 8 minutes – moving nuts around with a spatula every 2 minutes to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from oven.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add vinegar. Slowly add olive oil, whisking quickly to emulsify the liquid. Continue to whisk and add honey, maple syrup, dijon mustard and salt. Set aside.

When the beets are completed. Unwrap and set aside to cool enough to handle. Peel the beets using either a sharp knife or just peel within your fingers. The roasting should make this easy. Dice the beets and add to a mixing bowl. After the beets are fully cooled, drizzle a tablespoon or two of dressing into the beets. Add walnuts and mix. Crumble goat cheese and gently stir. Spoon into ramekin. Add spring greens around the outside.

This salad serves 4-6 people as a side dish.

I hope you enjoy it as much as me! Or at least go to Parkside 23 and try the original version.

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by | July 24, 2012 · 8:50 am

Campfire Cones

We were invited to Stef’s house for a BBQ last weekend and she asked that I bring a dessert.  It was roughly 105 degrees out, so turning on my oven was not an option.  I had come across the idea for campfire cones on pinterest, and decided to give it a try.  They were quick and easy to make and were a huge hit!  Adults and kids were drooling over these rich and gooey treats.


Campfire Cones
Ice Cream Cones
Mini Marshmallows
Mini Chocolate Chips
Nutella
Chopped Nuts
Peanut Butter Chips

tin foil

Start with a cone and fill with marshmallows and other treats.  Cover with foil and place on inderect heat on a grill or campfire for about 5-10 minutes or until all of the contents are melted.

Unwrap and enjoy!

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