Monthly Archives: February 2012

The Best Bread Pudding — Truly!

Posted on February 29, 2012 | 2 Comments

Walking Through the Bible in One Year –
Bringing the Story to Life
Week 5 reading plan per day:
Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday (Exodus 33-35) Tuesday (Ex. 36-38)
Wednesday (Ex. 39-40) Thursday (Leviticus 1-4)
Friday (Leviticus 5-7) Saturday (Leviticus 8-10)
Sunday (Leviticus 11-13)

My husband loves bread pudding. We have eaten bread pudding in restaurants from coast to coast and across the seas. Sometimes the pudding was heavy and bland, sometimes sickly sweet, a few have been dry and tasteless. I have made a few recipes though the years, but nothing ever really connected … until now. I am not nearly as fond of it as my husband is … until I adapted a recipe by Paula Deen. I did have to cut the sugar a bit and I added cinnamon raisin bread to the bread mix, which I think made a huge difference!
Instead of using brandy in the sauce I used Frangelico (hazelnut flavored liqueur. It is what I had on hand and turned out to be a perfect flavor, light and slightly nutty.
Instead of pouring the sauce all over the baked pudding (like Paula does) I served mine individually with warmed sauce dripping all around!
And to top it off I served this dessert for company. And I kid you not, when I announced “Bread Pudding” for dessert my friend said, “I LOVE bread pudding, I am a bread pudding connoisseur.”

A connoisseur, as in expert; especially : one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge, one who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties.

Oh my gosh — of all the desserts I could make why in the world did I choose bread pudding??? As it turns out, this is a fabulous dessert, a keeper recipe and an over-the-top end to any dinner party!
Not-to-mention, I am now a bread pudding connoisseur

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!

The Best Bread Pudding

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Serves	8-10
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Website	Adapted From Paula Deen

Adapted from Paula Deen's famous Best Bread Pudding with less sugar than her recipe. Still "the best"! The addition of cinnamon raisin bread puts this recipe right over the top!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
5 large Beaten Eggs
2 cups Milk
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
6 cups Cubed Italian Bread (Allow to stale overnight, if possible)
1 cup Cinnamon Raisin Bread (Allow to sale overnight, if possible)

Topping

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Pecans, chopped

Sauce

1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Egg, beaten
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Frangelico, Brandy or favorite liquor

Directions

1	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" x 13" x 2" pan.
2	Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl. Add vanilla. Pour over the cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.
3	In another bowl, mix and crumble together topping ingredients, brown sugar, butter, and pecans.
4	Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven to a cooling rack.
5	For the sauce: Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the Frangelico (brandy, or your choice of liqueur). Pour over bread pudding. Serve warm or cold.

Note

(1) Original recipe calls for Brandy, I use Frangelico, but I think a Grand Marnier would be awesome too!

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Posted in Dessert

Tagged Bread pudding, Dessert, frangelico

Chipotle Sweet Potato Skillet Biscuits

Posted on February 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

Walking Through the Bible in One Year –
Bringing the Story to Life
Week 5 reading plan per day
click on the link and it will open up that day’s scripture reading
Monday (Exodus 33-35) Tuesday (Ex. 36-38)
Wednesday (Ex. 39-40) Thursday (Leviticus 1-4)
Friday (Leviticus 5-7) Saturday (Leviticus 8-10)
Sunday (Leviticus 11-13)

I am so excited! Tomorrow my cousin Jill and her husband Jeff are stopping by for a visit! I haven’t seen her for about 10 years … oh where does the time go? When she was 12 and I was 18 she was “a little kid.” But when we are both 50-something, well, those years just melt away
I am having so much fun menu planning, cooking and baking. Hopefully we will get a picture or two I can share. Do you remember a week or two ago when I shared this great picture for Chipotle Sweet Potato Skillet Biscuits? Well, Meagan at Scarletta Bakes was kind enough to share the recipe and I have made them twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly.
My culinary consultants were crazy about the results! But me, not so much. The biscuits are drop biscuits and slightly heavier than I am use to (can you say sweet potato?) I was expecting CHIPOTLE flavor and what I got was a very subtle, savory slightly smokey, chipotle. All of that made my two consultants fill up with compliments.

But for me, I wanted more flavor, fluffier, higher, softer …

So, after we ate the first batch I set out to make a second batch. I liked them better, my culinary consultants were just glad I made them again! So, I am posting both recipes — you decide.
The second batch I used less sweet potato, added chipotle chili pepper seasoning, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and I rolled and cut them instead of dropping them.
Either way, they make an awesome display on the table and hot out of the oven they won’t last long. Slathering with butter was the crowning touch.

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!

Catherine’s Chipotle Cheddar Biscuits

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Serves 8

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 12 minutes

Total time 27 minutes

Smokey, slightly spiced chipotle chilies blend with sharp cheddar cheese for an awesome savory biscuit.

Ingredients

2 cups Self-Rising Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/3 cup Shortening (Crisco or Coconut Oil)

1 cup Buttermilk (Use 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk, as needed)

1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

4 Chipotle Chilies

1 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Pepper

Directions

1
In a small bowl combine chilies and buttermilk. Set aside for one hour.

2 When buttermilk is infused with chipotle chilie flavor, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" round baking pan, or baking sheet.

3
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and chipotle chili pepper.

4
Cut in shortening, add cheddar cheese, mix lightly and turn out onto floured board. Using a biscuit cutter, cut biscuits and place in prepared baking pan.

5
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until biscuits are lightly browned and dry to touch.

6
Slather with butter and enjoy!

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Chipotle Sweet Potato Skillet Biscuits

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Serves 8-10

Prep time 1 hour

Cook time 17 minutes

Total time 1 hour, 17 minutes

Website Adapted From Scarletta Bakes

A savory biscuits, dense and chewy infused with chipotle chilies smokey flavor.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Unsalted butter, chilled, cubed

3 cups All-purpose Flour

3 1/4 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Sweet Potato puree (See recipe steps)

2 cups Buttermilk

4 Chipotle Chilies

Melted Butter For Brushing Tops

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 475 degree F. Grease a 10" cast iron skillet and set aside.

2
Place buttermilk in a medium bowl and submerge chilies. Set aside to soak for 1 hour.

3
Peel the sweet potato(s) and cut into several small pieces. Place into a pot of boiling water and boil until fork-tender, approximately 20 minutes. Drain cooked potato pieces and mash with a fork. Set aside to cool.

4 Place the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse-process just to blend. Don't proceed to the next step of adding butter until you have your chipotle-infused buttermilk and the sweet potato puree ready.

5
To finish the buttermilk, simply remove and discard the chilies. Once the sweet potato puree and infused buttermilk are ready, add the butter to the flour mixture and process until a coarse meal forms. Remove the meal to a large bowl. Fold in the sweet potato puree and then pour in the buttermilk. Work the dough gently until all the ingredients are incorporated.

6
Once a uniform dough has formed, pinch off small balls and place them in a ring around the edge of the prepared pan. Place two final biscuits in the center. The edges of the biscuits can be touching the pan. Place the entire pan in the oven and bake for 17 minutes. Remove, brush generously with melted butter and bake for an additional 2 minutes.

7
Cool slightly or serve immediately.

Note

(1) One large sweet potato yields approximately one cup puree.
(2) Buttermilk can be infused with chipotle chilies longer than one hour, if you prefer.

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Posted in Bread and Rolls

Tagged biscuits, cheese biscuits, chipotle

My Favorite Chicken Piccata

Posted on February 26, 2012 | 1 Comment

Walking Through the Bible in One Year –
Bringing the Story to Life
Week 5 reading plan per day:
Monday (Exodus 33-35) Tuesday (Ex. 36-38)
Wednesday (Ex. 39-40) Thursday (Leviticus 1-4)
Friday (Leviticus 5-7) Saturday (Leviticus 8-10)
Sunday (Leviticus 11-13)

This year I am reading the Bible from beginning to end. Even though I started the middle of January you can start any time you like. Each day’s reading is posted on this page and under the WORD POWER tab on this blog you will find a reading for each day. Each reading takes 15 minutes or less. I would love to have you come read with me!

I don’t know why for the life of me I don’t make Chicken Piccata more often. I guess I just don’t think about it. Whenever I see it on a menu when we are eating out, I think, “I should make that.” This time I thought it and did it and I am so happy with the results. Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian dish that combines healthy chicken breast with the tartness of lemon (yum) and the saltiness of capers (double yum!) Slicing and then flattening the breasts into fast cooking cutlets virtually eliminates the chances of serving undercooked chicken while ensuring you don’t overcook it. Through the years I have had a tendency to cook chicken to death. Sure didn’t want to make anyone sick, so I would cook, and cook, and cook some more. Thank heavens those days are gone since I have learned you don’t have to cook it to leather-stage to be safe.
Start out by filleting the breast and then cut in half. I put the chicken in a Ziploc bag to pound it out. I know you can just place it between plastic wrap on the top and bottom but I tend to still sling chicken around the kitchen so the bag works best for me. Throw away the bag – do not reuse!
After cooking up some onion and garlic, the chicken goes in the pan for about 3 minutes on each side. The chicken comes out and all the good flavors like sherry (or white wine), chicken broth, capers, and lemon juice goes in. Then the chicken goes back in for a little more cook time.
And truly, within 30 minutes of your start time you are here.
This simple, tangy sauce is just heavenly! The chicken will be moist, tender, and full of flavor! Bon Appetite’!

On an unrelated note — my mother did read the blog post for Creamy Tomato Basil Soup and as you can tell, I lived to cook (and blog) again! Whew, that was close.

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!

Chicken Piccata

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Serves 4

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 15 minutes

Total time 25 minutes

From book Adapted from Taste of Home Cookbook

Chicken Piccata is a classic Italian dish that combines deliciously thin sliced chicken breasts with the tartness of lemon and the saltiness of capers. Divine all the way around. And the best part - fast and easy!

Ingredients

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets (filet and half)

1 large Sweet onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup All-purpose Flour

2 tablespoons Butter

1/2 cup Dry Sherry (See Note)

2 Lemons (See Note)

2 tablespoons Capers

1 cup Chicken Broth

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

Kosher Salt to taste

Directions

1 Squeese the juice out of one of the lemons and set juice aside. From the other lemon, slice four very thin slices from the center (widest part), and set those aside too. If using lemon juice from concentrate, use approx. 1/4 cup

2
Filet each chicken breast and then cut in half giving you 4 pieces of chicken. Using a ziploc bag (or a couple pieces of plastic wrap) place the chicken breast filets in the plastic. Using a meat mallet, rolling pin, or similar object, flatten the chicken breast between the layers of plastic until they are about 1/4 inch thick. (If you have a particularly thick chicken breast you can slice in half first to give you two thin pieces.)

3
Heat a heavy-bottomed saute' pan over medium-high heat for a minute, then add the olive oil and heat for another 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and saute' until the onion is slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove the onion and garlic from the pan and set them aside.

4
Add the butter to the pan and let it heat until it turns foamy. In a shallow baking dish or plate, combine the flour and salt. Dredge both sides of the chicken breast filets in the flour mixture, shake off any excess flour and add them, one at a time to the hot pan. Cook 3 minutes per side or until they are nicely browned. Remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate, covered with foil, while you make the sauce.

5
Add the chicken broth, sherry, lemon juice and capers to the pan and scrape off any flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Then return the onion-garlic mixture to the pan and heat it through. Return the chicken to the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower it to a simmer and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by about 1/3. Add the chopped parsley just at the end of cooking.

6
With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken breasts and place them. Adjust the seasoning on the sauce with kosher salt and lemon juice. Sauce the chicken breasts generously, and top each portion with a lemon slice. Serve immediately.

Note

(1) Any dry white wine, such as vermouth, chablis, or chardonnay, may be substituted for the sherry.

(2) Lemon juice from concentrate may be used in place of fresh lemons. One lemon equals about 1/4 cup juice. Just season to taste.

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Posted in Chicken, Main Dish

Tagged capers, Chicken, chicken piccata, lemon sauce, main dish

Weekend Round Up February 24

Posted on February 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Walking Through the Bible in One Year –
Bringing the Story to Life
Week 4 reading plan per day:
Monday (Exodus 13-15) Tuesday (Ex. 16-18)
Wednesday (Ex. 19-21) Thursday (Exodus 22-24)
Friday (Ex. 25-27) Saturday (Ex. 28-29)
Sunday (Ex. 30-32)

End of the week, almost the end of the month! Wow! Honestly, where does the time go? Pray. Cook. Blog. Yep, that’s where a bunch of my time goes! However, today I was a guest teacher at a home school co-op. Every Friday about 200 home schooled children meet for a variety of classes in a nearby town. This semester, my friend Kathy is teaching a cooking class for 15 boys and girls 2nd through 5th grade. Today was my second time to guest teach — and it is a blast! Second through fifth graders are a great age to have in the kitchen. They are still so sweet and enthusiastic to learn! My first recipe to share with them came from the ladies at Our Best Bites. The class and I made Sweet and Savory Tortilla Snowflakes. The kids absolutely loved cutting AND eating their snowflakes! Today we went another direction and made Pimento Cheese Sandwiches! Although pimento cheese spread is typically thought to be a “southern thing” only a couple of these Tennessee kids had even heard of pimento cheese! Pimento cheese sandwiches may not be as popular as they once where, but they are still the #1 sought after food each year in Augusta, Georgia at the Master’s Golf Tournament Here is a quick snap shot of one of the tables after 3 batches of cheese spread had been made and nearly all of it devoured. (Heads were cut off to protect the innocent — or perhaps the photographer didn’t know what she was doing!)

We also discovered that their teacher, Kathy, having grown up in Chicago, had never, ever even tasted a pimento cheese sandwich. Well, she has now and the whole class cheered her own as she took her first bite! What a fun time we had! The biggest surprise … pimento cheese is absolutely delicious on cinnamon raisin bread. Try it, you’ll like it!

It seems that I missed National Banana Bread Day on February 23. Who knew? Lucky for me (and you) The Kitchenarian didn’t miss it. Doesn’t this look like wonderful banana bread? I think … I can smell the wonderful fragrance. Yum.The other awesome picture and recipe I came across this week is from Scarletta Bakes. In honor of Fat Tuesday Meagan made Banana & Bourbon Fritters. Still honoring the banana but in the way I would love to eat them the most: doughnuts!
From my own recipe box this week you will find a little bit of everything. Starting the week out with this fabulous Tomato Basil Soup made creamy with none other than TOFU! And just in case you are wondering, my mother has forgiven me for putting tofu in her soup (and not telling her.) However, I suspect she is going to be an eagle-eye in the kitchen from here on out!

This was a Tuesdays With Dorie week and even though the Chocolate Truffle Tartlets are a distant memory, we still have the pictures to look at! My oh my these were decadent. Nearly 400 bakers from all around the world made these very same tartlets and posted the adventure on their respective blogs on Tuesday. You can check out some of the other’s posts at TWD. The book Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan is fast becoming one of my favorite cookbooks, and I have only just begun baking my way through it.

I finished out this week with a vegetarian rice casserole that is an absolute favorite of ours. This is one of those keeper recipes that you just pull out from time to time to accompany fish, chicken, beef — what have you!

I am really excited about the recipes I have to share with you next week. I hope you will find time to stop back by. In the meantime, for those of you who are walking through the Bible with me this year … read on!