Toddler Trail Mix

The other day my baby wanted a snack and I decided to give him some yogurt-covered cranberries that we had on hand that nobody seemed to be eating.  Well, he LOVED them, so then I decided to try some leftover dried blueberries that again, nobody seemed to be eating.  He loved them too.  I added some pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) to the mix, and he also loved those.  The last thing I added was sesame stick bits.  I got everything from Nuts.com; we order stuff from them often.  Baking supplies, snacks, nuts, dried fruit, etc.  We regularly get pepitas, shelled pistachios, sesame sticks, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, almond flour, etc.  I've gotten specialty items like pistachio paste for a special brownie recipe, and they have pectin for jam making too.  (I haven't tried it yet, though.)  

This mixture is a lot more filling and healthy than traditional toddler snack foods (goldfish crackers, etc.)  I'm not saying he never has the other stuff, because he does sometimes, but he definitely prefers this mix or something similar.  He's actually not a huge fan of the goldfish.  Anyway, I keep this mix in a portable container and keep it in the car for when we're out and about or out to lunch or something.  I'll give links for each ingredient below, in the recipe.  You can probably find similar items at a store with bulk foods.  I like that there's no trans-fats in the Nuts.com ones, though.  Whole Foods would be good.  You can add anything you want to Toddler Trail Mix!  Just make sure it's something your toddler likes, is safe (not a chocking hazard), will keep a while, and is won't crumble when combined with other other ingredients.  I left out dry cereal for this reason.

Toddler Trail Mix

by What a Dish!

Note: Measurements are approximate

1/2 cup small sesame stick bits

1/2 cup dried blueberries

1/2 cup yogurt-covered cranberries

1/2 cup pepitas (we use roasted & salted)

1.  Combine ingredients in an airtight container.  (Try different cominations of your toddler's favorite things!  Or introduce new foods this way.)

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Pistachio Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache

I had an itch to make some macarons again and went with pistachio and white chocolate, which is a flavor I've been wanting to make for a few months now.  The shell is supposed to be bright green, but they browned to an olive color in the oven.  That's why I made the ganache with a hint of green; to give some color to these guys.  I wanted to have a bright green shell and white filling; I thought that would look nice together.  Oh well- I am still experimenting with macarons; I've turned the oven lower, but they still seem to brown too much no matter what.  

For the pistachios, I just used regular, shelled, salted pistachios that my husband keeps on hand for eating.  The shelled ones may be hard to find- I think Trader Joe's used to have them, but we order ours online from Nuts.com.  They are expensive, but delicious and worth it!  They ground up just fine in my food processor.  

I've never been able to get a ganache solid enough for macarons- no matter how long it is in the fridge, it's leaky and too liquidy.  So now, I always whip it.  Whipping ganache turns it into an airy, more solid, spreadable and pipe-able confection.  Macarons are supposed to sit up on their sides (pictured above) without the filling leaking.  

Note:  You'll need a kitchen scale to make macarons, and to measure everything very precisely.  

Pistachio Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache

adapted from Annie's Eats

For the macarons:
225 gm confectioners' sugar
60 gm almond flour/meal
65 gm pistachios
3 egg whites (about 100 gm), aged (left out of fridge, covered) 1 day at room temperature
25 gm granulated sugar
Green powdered food coloring (optional)

For the ganache:
8 oz. good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)

1.  To make the cookies, combine the confectioners' sugar, almond meal, and pistachios in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until the nuts are very finely ground and the mixture is well blended.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy.  Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks.  Mix in the powdered green food coloring, if using.  (Start with only a little bit at a time.  Remember, you can always add more but you can't take it away.)  Add the ground nut/sugar mixture to the mixing bowl and gently fold in to the egg whites using a wide spatula.  The mixture should remain shiny and flow easily.

2.  Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip.  Pipe rounds (approximately 1 inch in diameter) onto baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats OR parchment paper.  Let rest for 60 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 315˚ F.  When they are finished resting, bake for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool completely before carefully removing from the baking sheets.

3.  To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan, just to boiling.  Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.  Allow to sit for 3 minutes.  Using a whisk in small circular motions, combine the cream and chocolate until a thick ganache forms.  Whisk in the butter until well incorporated and smooth.  Stir in the almond extract, if using.  Let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until firm enough for piping.  (Speed the process up by chilling in the refrigerator or freezer, whisking every 10 minutes or so.)  If desired, thicken the ganache by whisking in a stand mixture or with a hand mixer.

4.  To assemble the cookies, match up the cookie shells by size.  Pipe a dollop of ganache onto the flat surface of one cookie of each pair.  Top with the other cookie and sandwich together, pressing gently to push the ganache to the edges of the cookies.

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Bug Mountain Cake

My son had another birthday today and I made him this Bug Mountain Cake.  I modeled it after the Dino Birthday cake, of yore.  Actually, the idea in the first place, originally from the Family Fun website (called something weird now) was a Bug Mountain.  

He loved it and so did his friends.  Check out the Dino Mountain post (linked above) for directions (and a cake recipe link, frosting recipe, and how to make the "dirt").  For the bugs, we just used sugar bugs I bought online.  They are totally edible!  

Tortilla Cheese Crisps

This dish is so easy, it's hardly a "recipe".  I've been making a version of this since I was a teenager, when I accidentally discovered it.  I was trying to just melt cheese on a tortilla in the oven so I could roll it up and eat it that way.  I left it in too long and it got all crunchy, crispy, and delicious.  It turns out these are a real thing, though!  Check out this link for Arizona Cheese Crisps.  After deciding to put this on the blog, I googled these and found many variations, some using butter, green chilies, or corn tortillas.  My version is very simple- take your favorite flour tortillas, layer on favorite shredded cheese, and bake for a few minutes in a very hot oven until it gets crispy.

I made these to go with for dinner for my kids a few weeks ago because I had tortillas and cheese to use up.  I think I made them to go with soup- I can't remember.  I was thinking they might not like them because they've been food-weird lately.  Well, they were all excited to try them and LOVED them.  Now they ask for them.  I think it's because I cut it like a pizza- seriously.  Who knows the mayhem that may have happened had I left it in a whole circle shape.  

Tortilla Cheese Crisps 

by What a Dish!

favorite flour tortillas

favorite cheese, shredded (I like cheddar, or Colby-jack)

salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole, for serving, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a large baking sheet or pizza pan, lay out tortillas flat.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake in the hot oven until the edges turn brown and tortilla is crispy, about 5-10 minutes.  Let cool for one minute and then cut into wedges, if desired, and serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.  

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Baked Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans (One-Dish Meal)

A cooking friend made this not too long ago, and I was intrigued at the idea of such an easy one-dish meal.  I made it right away, but couldn't get a good picture because of it being too dark outside.  My fam really enjoyed this, even if the kids didn't like the green beans... they loved the chicken and most liked the potatoes. My husband and I (along with our baby) ate all the green beans and it was fine, because they are really good.  (Those are flat green beans, BTW, the kind I can usually get here.)  Anyway, I made this again recently and tried to get some better pics.  The fam still enjoyed it, and I didn't even need to look at the recipe to make it- is' so easy.

The recipe is just potatoes, green beans, and chicken, with a little butter on top, and a packet of dry Italian dressing mix.  If you don't want to use the mix, I'd just sprinkle with my favorite seasoned salt (or even salt-free, if you want) and a mix of dried herbs, like basil, oregano and parsley.  The first time I made this, I used salted butter and it was a little too salty because of the seasoning packet.  I used unsalted butter next time and it was great.  

Baked Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans

adapted from Domestic Creativity

4-6 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups green beans, cut into even pieces
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 package dry Italian dressing mix

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.  Fill half of the pan with green beans.  Fill the other half of the pan with the potatoes.  Cover the vegetables with the chicken breasts.

2.  Cut butter into small pieces (like 1/2 tablespoon) and layer over the green beans, potatoes and chicken.  Sprinkle Italian dressing over the entire pan. Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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Homemade Ice Cream Without a Machine (Three Recipes)

Ever since making this Two-Ingredient Dulce de Leche ice cream, I've been intrigued about making ice cream recipes without an ice cream machine.  (I do own and love an ice cream machine, but it's so quick and easy not using one sometimes.)  To make these types of ice cream, you whip 2 cups of whipping cream and add one can of sweetened condensed milk.  I think the sweetened condensed milk is somehow the secret to making this ice cream.  So with the basic recipe of two cups whipped cream, one can sweetened condensed milk, you can add pretty much anything to this and come up with your own flavors.  I did two of my "own", and got the third recipe from another blog.

First up, I made Toffee Ice Cream, pictured above.  Next, I will post the recipe for Cookies and Cream using this method (middle pic), and finally, Nutella & PB Chip ice cream (last pic).  Enjoy!  Come up with your own flavors.  It's really fun.

Toffee Ice Cream

by What a Dish!

makes quite a lot- maybe 10 servings

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evap. milk)

1 bag (about 8 oz.) toffee baking pieces

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

1.  Whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.  I used my stand mixer and it's very quick and easy.  With mixer on low, slowly add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and pinch salt.  Fold in the toffee bits gently with a rubber spatula.  Transfer to a large freezer-safe container and freeze for 6-8 hours before serving.  (Or until ice cream is hard enough; this took a really long time with this recipe for some reason.)

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

by What a Dish!

makes a lot- maybe 10 servings or more

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evap. milk)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

15-20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

1.  Whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.  I used my stand mixer and it's very quick and easy.  With mixer on low, slowly add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.  Fold in the chopped Oreos gently with a rubber spatula.  Transfer to a large freezer-safe container and freeze for 6-8 hours before serving.  

Nutella & Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream

adapted from Kevin & Amanda

makes quite a lot- maybe 10 servings or more

2 cups heavy cream

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evap. milk)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup Nutella

1 cup peanut butter chips

1.  Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks (I like to use my stand mixer).  Whisk sweetened condensed milk, butter, and Nutella in another large bowl.  Stir in peanut butter chips.  Fold in whipped cream.  Pour into a 2-quart freezer-safe container and cover.  Freeze 6-8 hours or until firm.  

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Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

Here's a great salad to have for dinner in the spring or summer.  The chicken is very flavorful and really makes this salad.  We also really enjoyed the Chili Croutons and Avocado Dressing.  I used pickled jalapenos instead of fresh for this.  The recipe calls for mozzarella cheese, but I would use feta or a Mexican cheese next time for more flavor.  Also, the recipe calls for a ton of beans & corn.  We only used a fraction of what was called for, so I'll reflect that below.  I also added the juice of one lime, and some fresh cilantro to the dressing.  PS:  The recipe looks huge, but most of it is spices, and a lot repeat.  I had most of the stuff on hand... don't be scared.  

Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Dressing

adapted from Cooking for Keeps

2-3 servings

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (about 2 medium chicken breasts)

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-2 romaine hearts, chopped

2-3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno slices

1/2 cup feta or similar Mexican cheese

1 large tomato, diced

3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed (add more if desired)

1/4 cup black beans (add more if desired)

Avocado Dressing (recipe below)

Chili Croutons (recipe below)

Buttermilk Avocado Dressing:

1 1/2 cups diced avocado (or 1 large avocado or 2 small ones)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (to taste- I only used 1 cup)

2 tablespoons mayo

one lime, juiced

2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

pinch black pepper

Chili Croutons: (I doulbed these for us to snack on; did not double the salt)

2 1/2 cups cubed day old bread

1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower, grapeseed or canola oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1.  In a small bowl, combine chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, and salt.  Sprinkle chicken evenly on both sides with seasoning.  Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium-high with a little oil.  Cook chicken until cooked through and slightly blackened, about five minutes per side.  Let sit for a few minutes, and then cut into strips.  (I bet this would also be delicious grilled.)

2.  Pile lettue onto serving platter.  Sprinkle jalapeno, cheese, tomato, cilantro, corn, and black beans over.  Top with sliced chicken, then drizzle with dressing and top with Chili croutons.

3.  Avocado Dressing:  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth and creamy.  Add more buttermilk if dressing is too thick.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

4.  Chili Croutons:  In a medium bowl, toss bread with oil, salt, garlic powder, and chili powder.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes until crisp and lightly brown, turning once.    

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

Mini Pizza "Sliders"

This is an idea I saw on Pinterest.  They are tiny little pizzas, or "Pizza Sliders".  I used our Pizza Hut pizza dough recipe and just cut out circles with a 4-inch round cookie cutter.  So, that's how big the pizzas are- about 4 inches.  Only about 2 pieces of pepperoni fit on each one.  The kids LOVED these!!!  I think the recipe made about 24 mini pizzas.  They are fun, but I don't love cutting out dough with cookie cutters, so I think this will be just a once-in-a-while thing.  

Mini Pizza "Sliders"

from a few ideas on Pinterest

favorite pizza dough

pizza sauce

mozzarella cheese

toppings like pepperoni, olives, veggies, etc.

1.  Make pizza dough and let rise one hour.  Preheat over to 450 F.  Roll out to about 1/4-1/2 inch, and cut out circles using a 4-inch cookie cutter.  Place on baking sheets or inside cast-iron skillets.  Place sauce and toppings on pizzas.  Bake in the preheated oven for 8-15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  

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Mother's Day 2013

My husband planned a special Mother's Day meal for me and made it, all by himself, including shopping for ingredients.  (He does not cook often but often stresses that he CAN cook, lol!)  My daughter planned a Mother's Day cake and made it with the help of my husband.  It was an awesome day with great food!!  The drink above is a Virgin Belgian Orange Blossom.  It was very good and the kids loved it too.

In the pic above is the Cashew Chicken and Parmesan-Roasted Asparagus that was the main dish.  He also made both white and forbidden black rice to go with it.  It was all very good, went very well together, and it was the first time we've tried the black rice, although I bought it a while ago.  Here is the recipe for the Cashew Chicken.  

Above is the special Mother's Day cake my daughter and husband made.  I made this back in 2007 and blogged about it a few years ago.  My daughter looked up a chocolate frosting recipe on my blog and used this cream cheese one.  

Later in the day, we snacked on chips with Pico de Gallo my husband had made earlier.  It was definitely a day filled with deliciousness.  Happy late Mother's Day to everyone!

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Vanilla Orange Almond Cookies

I LOVED these cookies.  LOVED.  They were so good- chewy and soft, wonderful flavors all combining together (vanilla, almond, orange); texture of Pignoli Cookies or Spanish Panellets.  I love cookies made with almond paste or almond meal.  These cookies are also gluten-free and butter-free!  I brought some almond paste back with me on my last trip to Germany.  If you can't find it in a store, you can buy it online (I think Nuts.com has some) or make it at home (bottom of post).  

You're supposed to make a three-fingered imprint on these cookies, but they were too small to fit all my fingers up in there, and my fingers aren't huge or anything!  I used my smallest cookie scoop, which is about a Tablespoon, so maybe they were supposed to be bigger.  I liked the small size, though.  Anyway, I just used two fingers for the design.  

When making cookies like this, sometimes the batter can be too wet if using all the eggs.  So, I always start out adding about half and see how the texture is.  It should be like cookie dough; not really spreading at all.  If it's too dry, add more of the egg.  If it's too wet, add some almond meal/flour.  I don't remember if I ended up using all the egg whites in this recipe; I don't think I needed them all.  Make sure to beat them well so they don't all gelatinous-ly plop into the bowl at once.  

Vanilla Orange Almond Cookies

adapted from Joy the Baker

18-21 cookies

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons fresh orange zest

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

10 ounces almond paste

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

powdered sugar

1.  Place two racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In a small bowl, mix together granulated sugar, orange zest, and scraped vanilla seeds.  Use your fingers to works the zest and vanilla into the sugar, creating a fragrant, moist sugar.

3.  Place sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Add the almond paste and salt.  Beat on medium speed creating a crumbly sugar and almond mixture.

4.  While almond mixture is combining in the mixer, place two egg whites in a small bowl.  Whisk  with a fork until loose and frothy.  (This will help in pouring the egg whites into the mixer.  If the eggs are unbeaten, they’ll just plop into the mixing bowl and not pour in.)

5.  With the mixer on medium speed, gradually pour the egg whites in to the crumbly almond and sugar mixture.  Do not pour all of the egg whites in at first; it might make it too loose.  You want a thick dough that is like cookie dough, not loose.  Beat until a smooth paste is formed.  Add the almond extract and beat to combine.

6.  Spoon or scoop batter by the heaping tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet.  I used my smallest cookie scoop and it was perfect.  Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.  Using the tips of two or three of your fingers, make indentations in each cookie.

7.  Bake cookies for 15 to 25 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned on top.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan.  Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.  

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

Pretzel Bites with Dipping Sauces

We enjoyed these pretzel bites a while ago, as dinner one Friday night.  I made two dipping sauces to go with them; a honey mustard, and a simple warm cheese sauce.  There's an option in the original recipe for a sweet version with a chocolate dipping sauce, but I decided not to make that one.  

This recipe uses the same easy-to-work-with dough as these pretzel sliders.  I love making pretzel products using that recipe.  :)

To get that distinct pretzel color and flavor, a boil in a baking-soda is required before baking.  It's not really hard at all and really makes a difference.  Just watch your pot; the mixture really likes to bubble up.  My pretzels aren't shiny like the original bloggers'; it's because I usually skip the egg wash on breads.  So, as soon as they came out of the boiling water, I salted them, so it would stick to the still-wet dough.

Pretzel Bites with Dipping Sauces

adapted from Annie's Eats

12-16 servings

Basic pretzel dough:

1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

2¼ tsp. yeast

22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl

To finish:
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water (for egg wash- optional)
Pretzel (or kosher) salt

1.  To make the basic pretzel dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast.  Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about an hour, or until doubled in bulk.

2.  Preheat the oven to 450° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate it.  Divide it up into approximately 6 equal portions.  Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough out into a long rope about 1-inch in diameter.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the row into small segments, no longer than 1-inch each.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  

3.  Place the pretzel bites into the boiling water in batches so that they aren't overcrowded.  Boil each batch for about 30 seconds, stirring once or twice to submerge all surfaces in the water.  Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and spread out on the prepared baking sheets.  (If skipping the egg wash, salt the pretzels as they come out of the boiling water.)  Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 9-11 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with sauces. (Recipes below.)

Cheese Sauce

adapted from Annie's Eats

3/4 cup 2% or whole milk

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3/4 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese (medium or sharp)

1.  To make a cheese sauce, combine the  milk with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisk frequently.  Bring the mixture to a simmer.  Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer about 1 minute until slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat, whisk in the cheddar cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Reheat as needed.

Honey-Mustard Sauce

adapted from Allrecipes, via here

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (I like spicy brown of Dijon for this)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator.  (Make this ahead of time.)

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German Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen is a traditional Christmas treat in Germany.  I know it's May, but in January, we visited Germany and picked up the ingredients to make these.  I didn't want to wait until Christmas, because the main ingredients are ground nuts.  I didn't want them to go stale.  Plus, our book club had just finished reading the Book Thief, a book set in WWII Germany.  I thought it would be fun to take some German food to the meeting.  I know the average German citizen didn't have access to sugar and other foods during WWII, but I had the ingredients on hand to make these, so make them I did.  :) 

These cookies are so good!  This is the same recipe pictured at the bottom of this post: we visited my parents in January 2011 and my mom had these ready for us when we got there.  They were my first taste of fresh (non-store bought) Lebkuchen.  The difference is amazing- these are soft & chewy, with the same amazing spicy flavor I was used to with store bought.  

I had to do a few things differently.  First, there seemed to be a powdered sugar shortage on the island last week (I have since found some).  So, I frosted all of these with chocolate instead doing half with a white powdered sugar glaze, like the recipe states.  The other thing was that I didn't have the round Lebkuchen baking paper wafers, so I just lightly greased parchment paper to bake them on and they were fine.  I also added ginger & cinnamon to the recipe.  You will need a kitchen scale for this recipe.

With the leftover melted chocolate, I dipped dried fruit (apricots, pineapple) that we get from Nuts.com.  (Last pic on bottom of post.)  This chocolate + oil combo melts so smooth and glossy; I loved working with it.  This is the same cookbook I got these Amerikaners from last year.  

German Lebkuchen

adapted from German Baking Today (pg. 244)

40 baking wafers (optional; these are hard to find outside of Germany)

Dough:

2 medium eggs

200 g/7 oz (1 scant cup) brown sugar

3 drops vanilla extract in 1 Tablespoon sugar (or 1 TBS vanilla sugar)

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

2-3 drops rum essence

1-2 drops lemon essence

125 g/4.5 oz ground almonds (almond meal/flour)

1 pinch baking powder

about 100 g/3.5 oz ground hazelnuts (may need a bit more)

100 g/3.5 oz candied orange or lemon peel, finely chopped

For white icing:

150 g/5 oz (1 scant cup) powdered sugar

2-4 teaspoons hot water

For the chocolate coating:

75 g/3 oz plain chocolate (not chocolate chips-either milk or dark will work)

1 teaspoon oil (canola, soybean, sunflower, etc.)

1.  Preheat the oven to 140 C (280 F).  If using baking wafers, lay them out on baking sheets.  If not, line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.

2.  To make the dough, whisk the eggs using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until foamy.  Add the brown sugar and vanilla sugar and mix everything together for two minutes.  Then stir in spices, rum & lemon essence.  Add the almonds and baking powder, mixing quickly.  Then, add as many hazelnuts as needed for a mixture that is thick but not too thick.  You don't want the cookies to spread or be runny at all.  I had to add an extra 25g or more of hazelnuts.  Mix in the canied orange or lemon peel.

3.  If using baking wafers, place an appropriate amount of dough on each one and spread in a dome shape using a butter knife dipped in water.  If using parchment paper instead, place level tablespoons of dough on the parchment paper.  I used my smallest cookie scoop; it's exactly one tablespoon.  I was able to fit a lot of Lebkucken on each baking sheet.  Spread each ball of dough out in a dome shape using a butter knife dipped in water.  

4.  Bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes, or until they just begin to turn light golden brown at the edges.  (The book states 25 minutes, but this would be way too long in my oven.  Start checking at 10-12 minutes.)

5.  Frost half of the cookies with white icing; the rest with chocolate icing.  Frost with the white icing immediately after they are taken out of the oven and placed on a wire rack to cool.  Frost with the chocolate icing after the rest are cooled completely.  

6.  To make the white icing: sift the powdered sugar and add enough water to make a thick icing.  (Frost half of the cookies while still hot.)

7.  To make chocolate icing:  coarsely chop the chocolate.  Set a small heat-proof bowl over a saucepan with 1/2 inch water over low heat.  Add the chocolate and oil.  Melt together and stir until completely smooth.  Coat the remaining Lebkuchen with chocolate and leave to set.  If chocolate is not setting, place in refrigerator. (Note:  Since I was out of powdered sugar, I just doubled the chocolate mixture to coat all of the Lebkucken.  I had extra chocolate, so I coated dried pineapple and apricots with it.)

Chocolate-dipped dried apricots & pineapple with leftover chocolate.

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

Pork Carnitas (for Cinco de Mayo!)

Recipes for Carnitas are all over the internet recently.  They are very popular and it's easy to see why.  They are delicious!  When I made this recipe from Domestic Creativity's blog, I didn't have everything on hand to make the Avocado Salsa she made with hers, so I didn't, but I'm sure that would have taken this to a whole new level.  I really want to make that sometime soon.  We just topped ours with sour cream and cilantro.

Pork Carnitas

adapted from Domestic Creativity

3-4 pounds boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tb fresh lime juice
2 C water
1 medium orange, juiced,  and keep the spent halves

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.   Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven or oven-safe stock pot (with lid), including the spent orange halves and juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.   Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.  Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.

2.  Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan sprayed with cooking spray. Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid. Place pot over medium high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.

3.  While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces. Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently pour it over the pork pieces on the baking sheet and lightly toss, trying not to break up pork further.  Taste and add additional salt and pepper.

4.  Make sure the pork is in a single layer on the baking sheet. Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Don't overcook or meat will dry out!  Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.  (My oven is in code or something and I have no idea how to turn on the broiler.  So I just heated it as hot as it would go for this last step.)

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

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

These cookies were soft, chewy, and the perfect combo of chocolate and peanut butter flavors.  We really enjoyed these here.  They're supposed to be flattened before baking, but I forgot to, so I used the bottom of a juice glass to flatten them as soon as they came out of the oven, and it was perfect that way; the cookies didn't stick like raw dough would have. 

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting
adapted from Cooking Classy
makes about 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

9 Tbsp butter, softened (1 stick + 1 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp sour cream

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 Recipe Peanut Butter Frosting, recipe follows

Chocolate Nonpareils (optional)

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 - 4 Tbsp milk

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter and sour cream until light and fluffy; about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated (dough will be thick).

2.  Scoop dough out 2 tablespoons at a time (using cookie scoop).  Place balls onto greased cookie sheets and evenly flatten to about 1/2 inch thick using your hands (OR you can flatten lightly after baking, which is what I did). Bake in preheated oven 8 - 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Frost with Peanut Butter Frosting and top with Chocolate Nonpareil Sprinkles if desired.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1.  In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, whip together peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and milk (begin with 3 Tbsp then add 1 additional Tbsp milk later if desired), and blend until smooth and fluffy.  If frosting is crumbling or not coming together, add more milk and mix until it does.  (Some reviewers on the original recipe said the frosting was too thick, like cookie dough, but that problem is easily remedied by adding more liquid (milk) and mixing more.  I had no problems, BTW.)

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