Dinosaur Eggs (for Easter)

Happy Easter!  We made these super-cool eggs last night.  I misread the directions on these; the colored vein-y lines are supposed to be very dark and pronounced.  I thought you were just supposed to lightly crack eggs and dye as usual, then refrigerate overnight.  Well, you are supposed to lightly crack the eggs, and then LEAVE them in the liquid dye overnight.  To see how they should have looked, go over to Our Best Bites.  They look amazing.  Oh well, this just gives us an excuse to do it again next year and do it right next time (then maybe update this post with new photos!)

The kids LOVED making these and even my one-year-old helped gently crack the eggs.  They also loved peeling them and seeing the designs.  The ones pictured here are the darkest ones; some of them were so faint there was hardly any color.  But that's all because we did it wrong! 

These made fun deviled eggs.  :)

Dinosaur Eggs
from Our Best Bites

hard-boiled eggs (brown eggs are fine for this!)
egg dye (can use this method using food coloring)

1.  Get a cup for each egg.  We like the little Ikea cups.  I'm not sure if Dixie cups would work, because they have to be left full of liquid overnight.  Either way, I'd put the cups into a 9x13 pan (if they all fit).  We do a dozen eggs.

2.  Gently crack each egg shell all over without breaking pieces off.  You can tap on the counter and then squeeze, or whatever way works for you.  Do not peel; just crack the shell all over.

3.  Fill the cups with dye according to package directions.  Submerge an egg in each cup, and place in a 9x13 pan.  Then, refrigerate the eggs in their cups of dye overnight.  In the morning, rinse each egg off and peel.  You should have a very cool design on each hard-boiled egg. 

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Double Chocolate (Sweetened Condensed Milk) Cookies

I made these almost two months ago.... lol!  I have a ton of stuff backed up to put on here.  These were very good, very easy, and disappeared extremely fast.  I brought them to a get-together and gave the rest to my kids and their friends.  I only had one!  Poor me.  You'll have to get out your kitchen scale for this.  I think a European can of sweetened condensed milk (397g) is the same size as an American one.  For the white chocolate, I had a bar of European chocolate on hand and just chopped that up.  (Over here, Milka is a good brand, as well as the Continente store brand).  I loved these and would make them again!

PS:  These are egg-free.

Double Chocolate (Sweetened Condensed Milk) Cookies
adapted from Technicolor Kitchen

200g good quality dark or milk chocolate (I used milk choc Rittersport)
50g unsalted butter
397g can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225g all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
100g white chocolate chips or chunks

1.  Break up the chocolate and gently melt it along with the butter in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Stir in the condensed milk and vanilla, remove from the heat and cool completely. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt and chopped white chocolate and chill the mixture until firm enough to handle, but not too long- try 15-25 min.

2.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place leveled tablespoons of the mixture 5cm (2in) apart onto prepared sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes – the cookies should still look soft and will glisten. Don't overbake them. Cool on the sheets over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies with a metal spatula and cool on the rack.

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Coconut Oil Granola

On Pinterest lately, I've seen a few recipes for granola using coconut oil instead of canola or some other kind of oil.  I have coconut oil on hand and don't use it enough, so I figured I'd take my regular granola recipe and just swap out the regular oil for coconut.  The recipe already contains coconut, so it was perfect.  I had to melt the coconut oil first in the microwave, and it did not lend a strong coconut flavor to the granola.  I would have been fine either way, but this way, my picky kids ate it without protest.  :) 

Almond Maple Coconut Oil Granola
adapted from here and Allrecipes.com

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds or walnuts
2/3 cup raw whole almonds
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup pepitas, optional (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 (14 ounce) package flaked coconut
1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons cup warm water
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease 1 large cookie sheets (I use a 9x13 pan) with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, wheat germ, flax, pepitas, coconut, and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut oil, water and salt. Pour the liquid over the oat and nut mixture, and stir until evenly coated. Spread out on the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally (every 15-25 min) until evenly toasted. Cool, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Steak on the Rock at Home

We enjoy getting Steak on the Rock at a local restaurant here.  (Second pic down on that post.)  We bought the "rock" and the wooden board, etc from that restaurant to be able to make it ourselves, at home.  We've had this stuff for quite a while and finally got around to trying it out over a month ago.  I stuck those slabs of volcanic rock (at least that's what I think they are) in our cold oven and then turned it on as high as it could go for about 30 minutes before we went and quickly seared the steaks on the grill.  After removing the rock from the oven, you place the steak on it right away and it continues to cook to perfection. 

We made three different flavored mayos to dip the steak into.  In the restaurant, they serve fries and salad on the side, but we made steamed broccoli and Parmesan Orzo.  You can make any kind of flavored mayo you want.  Some ideas:  Basil Garlic, Hot Curry, Garlic Lemon, Mustard Smoked Paprika, Lemon Mustard, etc.

Steak on the Rock at Home
adapted from a local restaurant

For each person:
1 steak (note: we used rib-eye steaks)
3-5 Tablespoons flavored mayo (ideas below)

1.  Place the rock (just the rock, not the wooden part) into your cold oven.  Then, heat the oven to the highest it will go for at least 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pre-heat your outdoor grill.  When the grill is hot, quickly sear each steak for about 1 minute or less on each side; just to make grill marks; not to cook through.  (Note:  If you do not have a grill, just try this recipe and skip that step; it will most likely still work fine; just won't have those grill marks or that grill flavor.)

2.  Have the hot rocks ready and immediately place hot steaks onto hot rocks.  Bring to the table.  Steaks will continue to cook and sizzle.  Watch out for hot sizzling steak grease.  :)  Steak will be red or pink inside at first; the longer it sits on the rock, the more done it will become.  If desired, add red onion slices to cook on the rock with the steak juices; they taste amazing. 

3.  Serve with desired sides and flavored mayos.  It's best to make the mayo dips ahead of time and let chill until ready to use.  Ideas: Basil Garlic (Mayo + Fresh Chopped Basil + Fresh Minced Garlic).  Hot Curry (Mayo + Hot Curry Powder).  Garlic Lemon (Mayo + Fresh Minced Garlic + Fresh Lemon Zest).  Mustard Smoked Paprika (Mayo + Fave Mustard + Smoked Paprika).  Lemon Mustard (Mayo + Fresh Lemon Zest + Fave Mustard).  Be creative and make up your own flavors!

(To clean rock:  Do not use soap or detergent.  Just scrub really well and run under very warm water.  Allow to dry.  Same with the wooden tray.  The meat grease will "season" it with each use.)

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Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, Take Two

I first made a Cookies & Cream recipe back in 2009.  I just made it up using stuff I had on hand, and while it was pretty good, it wasn't really creamy enough.  This time around, I just changed one ingredient to make it a lot more creamy. 

My fam loved this, of course..... it's ice cream.  But, I was inspired to make it after going to one of our favorite new places on the island.  They make their own ice cream and the cookies and cream is soooooo good.  BTW, I have the older version of this ice cream maker.... LOVE it and use it all the time, ever since I bought it back in 2008.

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
adapted from this recipe

2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 double-stuffed Oreos, coarsley chopped (or regular Oreos)

1.  In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until hot (not boiling). Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until light in color. (I use my Kitchenaid for this). Add about a cup of the hot milk to the egg yolks, whisking well the whole time. Whisk until incorporated, and then add the whole mixture back to the pot of hot milk. Stir well, over medium-low heat, until mixture thickens slightly, reaches at least 160 degrees F, and lightly coats the back of a wooden spoon.

2.  Place a fine-meshed sieve over a clean bowl. Pour the milk mixture through the sieve, into the bowl. Add two creams and vanilla extract, stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, freeze in your ice-cream maker. When the ice cream comes out of the machine, stir in the chopped Oreos, and freeze in the freezer for a few hours, or overnight (in a freezer-safe container). 
Note:  If you just eat this soft-serve and do not freeze, the Oreos will not get all soft and yummy in the ice cream.  I prefer this, and most ice creams, after sitting in the freezer for at least a few hours.

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Marinated Manchego Cheese (Spanish Tapas)

We had this marinated cheese along with some other dishes for our tapas night last week.  This dish was very easy to make and we loved it.  My white wine vinegar was growing a mother and it really grossed me out, although the vinegar is supposedly fine.  So, instead, I used a honey wine vinegar my sister send me last year.  The slight sweetness really complemented the cheese in this dish. 

My kids all love Manchego but I knew some of them wouldn't be excited about the marinated version, so I left some plain for them.  My daughter really, really loved this though, and hogged the last of it.  :)

Marinated Manchego Cheese
from Spanish by Pepita Aris

5oz Manchego or other firm cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar (or honey wine vinegar)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 garlic clove, sliced
fresh thyme or tarragon sprigs
fresh flat leaf parsley or tarragon sprigs, to garnish (optional)

1.  Cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces, removing any hard rind.  Place in a small bowl.  Combine the oil, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic, thyme or tarragon and pour over the cheese.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 3 days.

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Spanish Tapas- Marinated Olives

These olives were delicious and sooooo flavorful.  Last week we had yet another Spanish Tapas night, with Pimientos de Padron, Spanish Tortilla, Spanish bread, Marinated Manchego cheese (recipe coming later), and fresh fruit.  Tapas nights are always popular with my family.  (Although some of the kids opted for plain olives rather than these deliciously garlicky ones.) 

Marinated Olives
adapted from Spanish by Pepita Aris

1/2 tsp/2.5 ml coriander seeds
1/2 tsp/2.5 ml fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp/5 ml chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp/10 ml chopped fresh parsley
1 TBSP/ 15 ml Spanish sherry vinegar (can sub. balsamic)
2 TBSP/30 ml olive oil
2/3 cup/4 oz/115g black olives*, drained & rinsed
2/3 cup/4 oz/115g green olives*, drained & rinsed

1.  Crush the coriander and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle.  Work in the garlic, then add the rosemary, parsley, vinegar, and olive oil.  Put the olives in a small bowl and pour the marinade over them.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 1 week. 
*Whole olives (not pitted ones) usually have a better flavor.

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Lucky Mint Cheesecake

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We just got back from a wonderful marriage retreat, but I made this before we left so we could come home to it and celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  :)  This is a recipe I made a handful of times when we were first married because it was so easy, yet so good.  Back then I made it even easier by using a purchased Oreo crust, but I can't get one here, so I just made one using 20 crushed Oreos and 1/4 cup melted butter.  I took it from this recipe. 

(There are 3 pies on the blog recently, lol; I usually never make pies!  But there was Pi day and now this Pie-cheesecake thing for St. Patrick's.)  The whole family loved this, even all of my picky ones.  Although one of them said "This tastes like toothpaste!" upon first bite, he did continue to eat it, so maybe he likes that.  (Just FYI- it does not really taste like toothpaste!) 

There is the Oreo crust layer, then a fudge chocolate layer, and finally the mint cheesecake layer.  The flavors are so good together and perfect for St. Patrick's Day!  For dinner we had Broccoli-Cheese Soup with green Kiwi Smoothies. 

Lucky Mint Cheesecake
adapted from Eagle Brand

1/2 cup (3 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 prepared Oreo crumb pie crust (store bought or homemade, below)

1 (8 oz.) plus 1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (11 oz. total)

1/2 teaspoon mint extract 

Several drops green food coloring

1 large egg

Crust:
20 Oreos
4 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs (food processor is good). Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Cheesecake: 
1.  Heat oven to 350°F.  Melt chocolate chips with 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk in small saucepan.  Stir in vanilla.  Spread on bottom of pie crust.

2.  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in remaining sweetened condensed milk, mint extract and green food coloring.  Add egg; beat on low speed just until combined.  Place pie crust on baking sheet; place on oven rack.  Carefully pour mint mixture over chocolate layer in pie crust.

3.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is nearly set.  Cool.  Chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

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Pi Day 2013!

Happy Pi Day!!  We celebrated with our usual pizza (pizza pie) and I made this new pie... a variation of this Peanut Butter Pie, using Dulce de Leche instead.  I wanted it to taste like our fave Pasteleria's Dulce de Leche tart that I like to order there sometimes.  It tasted very, very good.  I think since I did not do the gelatin, it was a little schlumpy and not very firm.  I didn't want to use Cool Whip, so I whipped my own cream and didn't bother stabilizing it.  Most of the fam loved this!

Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Pie
adapted from here

Crust:
4 oz. Graham Crackers or Maria Cookies
1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar or regular sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, melted

1. Crush the crackers/cookies until they’re fine crumbs (food processor is good for this).  Pour melted butter and sugar over the top and stir with a fork to combine (or continue processing).  Press into pie pan and chill until filling is ready.

Filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Dulce de Leche
1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese
1/4 cups powdered sugar

1.  Using a stand mixer if available, whip heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  In another bowl (or the same one; but remove the whipped cream first), whip the Dulce de Leche, cream cheese, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until smooth. 

2.  Carefully fold the whipped cream into the Dulce de Leche mixture, using a rubber spatula.  Try to not deflate the whipped cream.  Pour into the cookie pie crust; refrigerate until ready to eat.  Serve with extra Dulce de Leche on top, if desired.

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Chocolate Ice Cream with Mint Oreos

This could be your St. Patrick's Day Dessert!  :)  This is just a super easy chocolate ice cream base with chopped Mint Oreos stirred in.  There is no eggs or cooking involved in the chocolate ice cream; just whisking ingredients together.  Actually, the cocoa powder would not incoroporate, so I got out my immersion blender and used that- perfect.  This chocolate ice cream recipe is from my friend over at Buen Provecho. 

I would definitely make this again, but cut the cocoa powder down to 1/2 cup; 3/4 cup was just too rich and chocolatey for me.  (I don't even like any storebought chocolate ice cream.) 

PS:  Tomorrow is Pi Day; how will you celebrate?  ;)

Chocolate Ice Cream with Mint Oreos

adapted from Buen Provecho

3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted (use only 1/2 cup for lighter choc. flavor)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

15-20 Mint Oreos, coarsley chopped

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars and salt.  Add the milk and, using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat to combine until the cocoa, sugars and salt are dissolved.  If not mixing well, use an immersion blender.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. 

2.  Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.  Remove from the machine into a freezer-safe container and fold in chopped Oreos as you do so.  Place in the freezer for a few hours.

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Blueberry Crumb Pie

Pi Day is only a few days away!  Here's a Pi Day pie idea for you.  I've had this recipe ready to post for months, and then it had been so long, I figured I might as well wait until closer to Pi Day to bring it to you.  This was actually one of our Thanksgiving 2012 pies!!  It's been sitting around that whole time waiting for me to post on here, poor thing.  (I mean the photos... pie is long gone!)

I chose to make this particular pie recipe, back then, instead of a regular two-crust pie, because I had already made Sweet Potato Pie.  That pie only called for a single crust, and my recipe makes two crusts.  I already had an extra crust ready to go, and I didn't want to make more crust because making pie crust is the devil.  Just kidding (kind of).  (Although, I do use the easiest recipe ever.)

Anyway, so this Blueberry pie uses a crust topping instead of a top crust- it was so easy and fun to make this!  And it tasted great, too.  I might do all my blueberry pies this way from now on.

Blueberry Crumb Pie
adapted from Martha Stewart

1 unbaked single-crust pie crust
5 cups blueberries (2, 12oz bags of frozen blueberries are the perfect amount)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Crumb Topping:

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons light-brown sugar

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

6 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 5 cups blueberries with 3/4 granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pour into pie shell; sprinkle with Crumb Topping (directions below).

2.  Place on foil-lined baking sheet in lower third of oven; reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake until fruit bubbles and crust browns, about one hour.  If topping begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Let cool 6 hours.

3.  Crumb Topping:  Combine all ingredients for topping except butter.  Cut in butter using a pastry cutter until large clumps form. 

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Creamy Garlic Pasta

This pasta was delicious, quick, easy and flavorful!  The whole family devoured it and wanted more, even my pickiest.  For that reason, I wish I could make it all the time, but I try not to use heavy cream too often in cooking.  (Homemade ice cream is a different matter!)  This dish is similar to an Alfredo sauce, but the pasta is boiled in chicken broth, which I think is genius- it adds so much flavor and makes the cream go a lot further.  I used 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese instead of the full cup, and it was still so good. 

It was hard for me to get a good pic of this because right when I went to take this photo, our landlord came over and was fixing our dining room light, which was awkward because the dining room is where I take my photos.  I don't like people outside of fam seeing me take food pics in my home because I take like 40, lol. 

**I've updated the instructions to let this dish sit about 10 minutes after cooking and before serving, or it might look like a soup. The pasta needs time to absorb the liquid. I always start this before I make everything else so it has time to sit while everything else cooks.**

PS:  A friend of mine tried this recipe using milk instead of cream, and said it still turned out very well for her.  I made this a few days ago, and doubled the recipe.  I used half cream and half 1% milk, and it was still awesome; couldn't even tell the difference.  Next time, I will do all milk (I think I'll add a touch less of it than 3/4 cup.)  I'll come back and update again when I do.

Creamy Garlic Pasta
adapted from The Cheese Pusher

2 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
salt, to taste (I didn't add any because of other salty ingredients)
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
2/3 cup-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream (can use part milk)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1.  In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt (optional), pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil.

2.  Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate.  Do not drain.  Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the Parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Let sit about 10 minutes for the pasta to absorb the liquid. Stir again before serving. 

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Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

These things were sooo good!  They are an overnight recipe, but I made these on a Saturday and we just ate them same-day, instead of doing the overnight thing.  I would like to try out the overnight method next time, maybe for a Saturday breakfast. 

The original recipe called for a ton of butter, and I cut that down by quite a bit with good results.  I cut the butter in the dough by a little- I used 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup; and I cut the filling butter by a lot- I used 1/4 cup instead of 1 whole cup.  One cup of butter is two sticks- and that is an excessive amount!  I got so busy with the butter that it didn't even occur to me to cut down the sugar in the icing, and I should have; it was a bit too sweet.  However, that did not stop any of us from inhaling these.  :)  I did use 1/3 cup in the dough instead of 1/2 cup. 

Caramel Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Mom on Time Out

For rolls:

4 1/2 tsp OR 2 packages of active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm milk

3 eggs

2 teaspoons + 1/3 cup sugar, divided

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat pastry)

1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional

1/4 cup butter, melted

Caramel Icing:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar (try reducing to 2/3 or 1/2 cup)

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1.  For the rolls:  Mix together 2 tsp sugar, warm milk, and yeast in a mixer bowl. Let stand for five minutes.  Beat in eggs, sugar, and salt until well combined.  Add 1 cup of flour and continue mixing until smooth.  Pour in the melted butter and mix well.  Continue adding the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, kneading until dough is smooth and elastic.  Move the dough to a greased bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

2.  Meanwhile, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Chop the pecans (if using) and melt the 1/4 cup butter.

3.  Once dough has risen, lightly flour a large cutting board or Silpat baking mat. Punch down down and roll out to approximately 12 x 16 inches.  Spread on the melted butter and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Next sprinkle on the pecans, if using.   Starting on a long side, roll up the dough up into a cylinder and pinch the edge to close. Cut the cylinder in half and then cut each half into five rolls for a total of ten rolls.  (I always do this with thread or unwaxed dental floss- take a long piece, put it under the rolled up cylinder, and bring the two ends together to cut the roll.)

4.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and place rolls in the dish, leaving a little room around each roll to allow for rising. Let the rolls rise for another hour or so.  If baking now, preheat oven to 375 degrees during last 15 minutes of rising time.  Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown in color.  If browning too quickly, cover with foil.  Proceed with step 6 for the icing.

5.  If preparing for tomorrow, cover rolls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.Next morning:  remove from refrigerator and let rolls come to room temperature in a warm area.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown in color.

6.  While rolls are baking, prepare the caramel icing:  Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir until combined. Continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Whisk in the powdered sugar until nice and smooth.

7.  Remove rolls from oven and pour on icing immediately. Let cool slightly and serve.


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Smothered Pork Chops

We've enjoyed this Food Network recipe twice in the last few weeks.  All of my kids like these pork chops, which is unusual, and the adults quite like them too.  I love the gravy, which is just chicken broth and buttermilk thickened with flour.  The breaded pork and rich gravy combo remind me of hearty German food, like these Schnitzels.  We enjoyed this dish with slow cooker mashed potatoes, but I'm sure they would be just as delicious with Spaetzel- homemade German noodles. 

The first time, I used bone-in pork chops, like the recipe states.  The second time, I used boneless.  We all prefer boneless; I'm not sure of any benefits of using the bone-in ones, except maybe they are cheaper.  The pictures are of the bone-in pork chops. 

Smothered Pork Chops
adapted from Food Network

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne (or Aleppo chili powder, smoked paprika, etc)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3-4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in or boneless

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup buttermilk

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

1.  Place the flour in a shallow platter or bowl and mix in the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; whisk with a fork to distribute evenly.  Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then press them into the seasoned flour on both sides; shaking off the excess.

2.  Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.  (May need to add more oil during cooking.) 

3.  Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour (1-2 tabelspoons) to the pan drippings.  If no oil is left, add a bit more first.  Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in while whisking.  Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly, stirring often. 

4.  Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce.  Buttermilk may curdle and separate; may whisk in more seasoned flour to thicken gravy.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the pork is cooked through.  (Mine took way longer than this; test with a meat thermometer!  If too much liquid evaporates, add more chicken broth if needed and thicken again with flour.)  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.  Wonderful with mashed potatoes! 

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Gelato

In our pantry, we had some Dark-Chocolate Flavored Peanut Butter that nobody was using.  I was tired of seeing it there, so I put an end to its unfulfilled life by making ice cream with it.  The ice cream was very, very good.  I took the base recipe for Giada's Nutella Gelato and just subbed my Dark Choc PB for the Nutella.  I have used the same recipe for just peanut butter, and that is divine as well.  The word Gelato here refers to the fact that this ice cream contains more whole milk than heavy cream.  Because of the Peanut Butter though, this is still rich and creamy.  I know that to make "real" gelato, the freezing process is different than what I'm doing here at home (just using my ice cream maker) but I'm calling it Gelato anyway.  :) 

We topped servings with Trader Joe's Mini Peanut Butter cups sent to us from my sister; they were so good!  This was a wonderful combo.  I've been in an ice-cream making mood for some reason lately; last week I made homemade Cookies and Cream and today, Chocolate.  Somebody stop me!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Gelato
adapted from Giada and other recipes

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup smooth chocolate peanut butter

1. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. (A Kitchenaid is handy for this- I set mine near the stove). Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 to 7 minutes. (160-170 degrees F on a candy or meat thermometer).

3. Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate peanut buter until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. Transer into a freezer-safe container, and freeze until hardened.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **