How can I put this?

I am so blushing-ly suprised and grateful for all the wonderful foodies who have given me the "You Made My Day" award. : ) I can't even begin to count how many times I've visited their blogs and thought to my self "WOW". So thank you Renea, Chelley, Erin, Bakingblonde, and Lauren for making my day : )

I'd like to extend this "You Make My Day" award to the following foodies: Melissa, Tara, Kayte, Elizabeth, Melissa, thebrowneyedchef, and Katie.

I also want to thank Baking blonde and Cara for the Excellent award! Both girls have two of best blogs ever. Bakingblonde with her delicious looking cookies, cupcakes and more. And Cara with her healthy concoctions with that have so many unique and interesting ingredient combinations.

I would like to pass this to Bridget, Beth, and Erin. Every time I visit their blogs I end up with great ideas, and drool over their pictures.

Curried Turkey with Vegetables and Almonds

After a lovely Thanksgiving dinner yesterday at my mom's house there was quite a bit of turkey leftover. Knowing I absolutely love turkey, she bagged about 2 lbs. of it for me to take home.

Why, you ask, were we celebrating Thanksgiving in March? Well, my bday was March 2nd and because I celebrated in Nola that weekend, my family ended up celebrating it last night.

Still confused?

Whenever one of her children has a bday she makes them a birthday meal and invites family and friends over to celebrate. Whatever we want she'll make. My yearly request is to have TG dinner with all the fixen's. I love turkey and don't get to eat it that often (besides having it in a sandwich) so I figured this is one way to get the delicious roasted bird on a day that isn't realated to the pilgrims and the Mayflower.

I was going to have chicken tonight, but decided that using the turkey was a more economical choice since it probably won't be as good tomorrow. Chad was in the mood for curry so I decided to make it into a curry dish. I added some frozen veggies that I had on had and toasted up some almonds to throw in as well. Very quick and simple meal, but with a ton of flavor.

Curried Turkey with Vegetables and Almonds

1 lb. cooked turkey (or chicken)

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 onion diced

3 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbs. of each: curry powder, gharam masala, chili powder

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1-2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup. plain lowfat yogurt

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

1 cup frozen veggies of your choice (I had a pea, carrot, green bean and corn blend)

Heat butter in a large skillet over med. high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and transluscent. Add garlic and cook a minute longer. Add bay leaves, ginger and spices and lemon juice. Stir to combine cooking for about a minute. Add the tomato sauce, yogurt and half and half stirring to combine. Add turkey and simmer about 15 minutes over low heat. Add toasted almonds and veggies and cook 5 minutes more. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh parsley.

Bite Sized Cheesecakes and BlakeMakes.

I recently have encountered a new foodie site, Blake Makes. Blake is from Nola, so I knew I'd like his site immediately. The best thing about BlakeMakes is that he gives away free goodies. Like his very own PBDDL. If you have ever visited, then you know that that acronym stands for Peanut Butter Dulce De Leche and it is TO DIE FOR.

I've been a fan of dulce de leche my whole life, and combining it with peanut butter is pure genius.

Tonight I decided to highlight his product by making bite sized cheese cakes, a recipe I found on Pinch My Salt. I only received a mini jar of the stuff so I had to make it stretch. The cheesecakes were delicious by themselves, but with the PBDDL, they were even better.

Thank you Blake, I can't wait to receive more of your goodies!

Bite Sized Cheese Cakes

(From Pinch My Salt)

1 eight oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/4 C. sugar

Crust:

1 C. graham cracker crumbs

2 T. brown sugar

1/3 stick melted butter

Topping: Canned cherry pie filling ( I used the PBDDL)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter with a fork until well combined.
Divide crumb mixture evenly between the 12 cups of your mini-cheesecake pan. Using your fingers (if you don’t have long nails!) press crumbs firmly onto the bottom and partially up the sides of each cup; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, blend softened cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar together in a medium bowl.
Spoon cream cheese mixture into each cup (they will only be half filled).
Bake for 14 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven.
Remove from oven and place on rack to cool for 20 minutes then carefully remove cheesecakes from pan and let cool completely.

**Note- it says to use a mini cheesecake pan, but I used a mini muffin pan instead and found it worked just fine.***

Coconut Blondies with Toffee and Chocolate

This is my entry for the "Eat to the Beat" event that Elly of Elly says Opa! is hosting. I'm a couple of days late because I was out of town, but I asked if I could be a little late on my post and she said she could squeeze me in.

I browsed a ton of songs that had food mentioned in the lyrics but I just wasn't satisfied with any of them. Then today my friend Jen reminded of a song by Widespread Panic, which I never would have remembered on my own since I am not a huge fan. But after listening to the song a couple of times it really grew on me.

So now I needed a recipe with coconut. I wasn't about to make a pie, and I didn't want a savory dish since I had already planned tonight's dinner. I went to epicurious and typed in "coconut" and this lovely blondie recipe came up.

I modified it slightly by adding some toffee, and because I didn't have any brown sugar I used white sugar and about a Tbs. of maple syrup. I know the normal substitution for brown sugar involves molasses, but I just didn't have any on hand. Didn't matter though, these babies are good. No, good isn't the proper adjective to describe these. Let me say instead that they are fabulously delicious. Oh, and let me add that I thought a little chocolate ganache drizzle would be a nice addition, so I made some. : )

I like coconuts

You can break them open

They smell like ladies lying in the sunI like coconuts

You can break them open

They smell like ladies lying in the sun

And if I had my wayI'd give a coconut to everyone.....

Lyrics by Widespread Panic

Coconut Blondies with Toffee and Chocolate

(Epicurious)

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar (I used white sugar and a 1 1/2 Tbs. maple syrup)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder (I used regular baking powder)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips ( I used 1 cup)

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled

**I added about one cup toffee chips**

In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the brown sugar, beating the mixture until it is light and fluffy, add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the vanilla. In a small bowl whisk together the salt, the baking powder, and the flour, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat the batter until it is just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and the coconut, spread the batter evenly in a buttered and floured 13- by 9-inch baking pan, and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and crumbs adhere to a tester. Let the mixture cool completely in the pan on a rack and cut it into squares.

Bean and Pasta Soup

I made this soup last week solely for the fact that I needed lunch the next day. I toyed with the idea of whether or not I was going to leave the white beans whole, or puree them. I decided to puree one can of the beans and leave the other 2 whole. This is one of those soups where you just add ingredients as you go. I checked what was in the pantry and fridge and just threw it all in. Turned out great and now I have some extra portions in the freezer that I can bring to work the next time I have nothing to bring.

Bean and Pasta Soup

2 cans cannelini beans

1 can garbanzo beans

9 cups chicken stock

4-6 strips of bacon diced

2 tsp. olive oil

1-2 cups penne (or what ever pasta you may have on hand)

2 srpigs fresh thyme

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 bay leaves

1 onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 carrots sliced

2 celery stalks sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high until crispy. Remove from pot and and drain all but 2 Tbs. of fat. Add onion, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, celery and carrots. Saute until onions are soft. Add garlic and saute a few minutes longer. Add stock and one can of the cannellini beans. Let cook for 20 minutes and blend with an immersion blender, or transfer 1/2 the soup to a blender. Add the rest of the beans and penne and cook for 15 minutes longer.

My First Daring Bakers Challenge

What is a daring baker?

She/he is a person who loves anything having to do with flour, butter, sugar, yeast (or rice flour, tofu and agave for some of us! hee!) and the opportunity to better their baking skills

This is the most recent description that I have read about the DaringBakers.

After months and months of drooling over the pictures of many daring bakers blogs, I decided that it was time to join in on the fun. So I requested to be a member, and the next month I was given the challenge (recipe).

When I got the recipe, I was wondering what I got myself into. Julia Child? French Bread? I copied and pasted the recipe into a word document, and it was 14 pages long. I gasped. But, I was determined to make an attempt. I set aside President's Day to make the bread since I didn't have to work. And I was glad I did. I started at 11am and it was finished (but not ready to eat) at 9:00pm.

I have to say, the recipe was not at all difficult, and the 14 pages were more explicatory than anything else. The rising time, is what took the longest, but preparing the dough was fairly simple.

I would like to thank Breadchick of The Sour Dough and Sara of I like to Cook for giving me the opportunity to brag about making my first french bread. : )

I am so proud to have completed my first challenge, and I am even more proud to be a part of this wonderful group of foodies.

You can check out the other DBer's blogs with this month's challenge Here.

And Because the recipe is pretty long, here is a link to it .

Yellow Rice with Sofrito and White Beans

To go along with the pork I decided to make a sofrito rice. I found a recipe on epicurious that looked great, but of course with some tweaking, I think I made it better. I wanted that same southwest-y flavor that complimented the pork. So I added a couple more ingredients, and basically added more of what was called for. It was the perfect compliment to the pork, and I see this being something I make again soon.

Yellow Rice with Sofrito and White beans

(Gourmet Magazine, December,1995)

For sofrito

1 tablespoon minced onion I used one medium onion finely diced

1 tablespoon minced red or green bell pepper I used one whole poblano pepper finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander sprigs I omitted but added ground coriander

1 small garlic clove, minced I used 3 large

2 teaspoons olive oil Upped to one TBS.
1/4 teaspoon turmeric upped to 2 Tsp.

3/4 cup long-grain rice Used 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups water I used 3 1/4 cups Chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt I used 2 Tsp.

My Additions

I also added 1/4 cup white wine

2 tsp. cumin

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. ground pepper

1 can great northern beans drained and rinsed.

Make sofrito:

In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan cook onion, bell pepper, coriander, and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add turmeric (and cumin) and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in rice, and salt and pepper and stir until rice is toasted about 2 minutes. Add wine and let cook a couple more minutes. Add stock and let come to a boil uncovered, without stirring, until surface of rice is covered with steam holes and grains on top appear dry, 5 to 8 minutes. Add beans at this point and Reduce heat to as low as possible and cook rice, tightly covered, 15 minutes more. Remove pan from heat and let rice stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Spicy Rubbed Roasted Pork Loin

Oh man did I have a time thinking of how I wanted to cook this roast. I bought it on sale, and I was determined to prepare it this evening. I browsed probably a million recipes, and nothing really stood out to me. So once again, I started to throw things together. One thing I did do is brine the pork one day ahead of so it would lock in the flavors, and ensure a moist and tender roast. I think I was in the mood for something south of the border, or southwestern, because all the spices I used were of that family of flavor. I will probably add a little more of the seasoning and let sit for about an hour in the fridge the next time I make this. Or I may make a sauce out of the drippings. But tonight, I was just too hungry to do all that. It came out perfect, and moist like I had hoped. I think I will be brining all my pork roasts in the future.

Brine:

1 gallon cold water

1 cup boiling water

1 cup kosher salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbs. peppercorns

2 sprigs each of fresh rosemary and sage

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the boiling water and add to cold water. Add rosemary and sage. Let water cool completely before adding pork. Add pork and put in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to use, rinse and pat dry.

Rub for pork

1 Tbs. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 garlic cloves

1 Tbs. spicy mustard (dijon will work)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 sprig rosemary leaves removed

2 sprigs thyme leaves removed

2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in food processor and pulse until smooth. Score pork with a sharp knife in a few places and spread rub all over pork. Let sit for about a half hour until pork comes to room temperature.

1 onion quartered

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup chicken stock

preheat oven to 325 degrees

Heat a large oven safe skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil. Sear pork on each side until well browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add onion, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Cover and cook about an hour or until internal temperature reads 140. Take out of oven and remove from pan. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve

Brownie Delicious

In the mood to bake, I asked my very resourceful nesties to point me in the direction of a Great brownie recipe. I got quite a few replies, a couple of them being Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies. I was ready to make them until I saw it called for instant coffee, which I didn't have on hand. So I went with my second choice that Bridget recommended on this blog, but it would have been my first if I would have seen them in the blog before I went surfing for Ina's recipe. Omg, these pics had me drooling!

So I was all set to make them, but realized I didn't have any unsweetened chocolate on hand. After doing some research, I found that you can substitute semi sweet as long as you cut back 1 Tbs. granulated sugar per 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate.

Everything was going great I melted the chocolate, combined all my ingredients, went outside for a few to see the eclipse, came back in and spread the mixture in the pan. I kept thinking to myself, that the batter was a lacking viscosity but spread it in the pan anyway. I even dotted the top with the toasted walnuts. Then I saw it. The BUTTER. I left out the butter. How in the world I did that is beyond me. But it happened. So I went outside to look at the eclipse again to think about what I would do.

I came back in, used the spatula to scrape the batter off the foil and back into the mixing bowl. I nuked the butter until melted, and then folded it in the batter. What a difference, the batter was now like the brownie batter I've seen before.

You know, I would have never known the difference. I'm so glad I didn't give up on them. These brownies were fantastic. Chewy, light crust on the top, and just perfect with some butter pecan on the side.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pecans or walnuts (4 ounces), chopped medium (optional)
1 1/4 cups plain cake flour (5 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped fine
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into six 1-inch pieces
2 1/4 cups sugar (15 3/4 ounces)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13- by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to 12-inch width; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

4. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost--simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts (if using) evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)