Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Beef Tacos and Steak Tacos

Last night we made tacos. We had some large soft tortillas (10"), so we split those up into quarters and heated them on the grill. We also used some hard shells and we made two different kinds of tacos, steak tacos and regular, ground beef tacos. This was a super easy dinner which was really good!
Yum!

Cheese

Lettuce

Avocado and Lime

Taco beef

Steak and Grilled Onions

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
6 tablespoons taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 lb steak
1 onion. sliced into semi-circles
1 cup chopped lettuce
1 cup shredded cheese
1 avocado, sliced
2 limes, sliced into quarters
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cilantro
12 hard or soft taco shells
sour cream
salsa

Directions:

1. Heat up grill
2. Pound steak. Rub steak with chili, garlic, paprika, cilantro, salt and pepper
3. Brown ground beef. After it is browned, add in taco seasoning and water, stir and cook until it thickens
4. Grill steak and onion for about 4 minutes per side. Slice up the steak into strips.
5. Assemble tacos with meat and desired toppings.    

What we liked:

Quick and easy!

What we didn't like:

Nothing!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was really into pepperoni and his cheese stick last night. 

Next time:

No changes!

Strawberry Pancakes

This is the most reasonable amount of pancakes we have ever made. 1 cup of flour, makes about 8 pancakes, which, we still had about 3 left over but that's a lot more reasonable than a large leftover amount. The pancakes turned out fluffy, yummy and went perfect with whipped cream!

Here's the original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/84892/strawberry-vanilla-pancakes/

Served!

On the griddle!

Pancake Batter


Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Whipped Cream
Maple Syrup 

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Pour in the milk, oil, egg and vanilla, and mix until well blended.
3. Stir in the strawberries.
4. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, and coat with butter or cooking spray. Pour batter into desired size of pancakes. Flip with a spatula when bubbles appear in the center. Cook until golden brown on the other side.

What we liked:

Soo good! And the most reasonable amount we have ever made!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He preferred a bean burrito instead 

Next time:

No changes needed!

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Slow Cooker Beef Lettuce Wraps with Quick Pickles

It's summer time and it's hot here in New Mexico. These lettuce wraps are a great light meal, especially wonderful while eating outside! We loved that most of the work is done early in the morning and at the end of the day a delicious meal is cooked. The white miso did not add as much flavor as we expected it to, in fact, it was hard to taste it at all in the meat. The soy marinade is always tasty on meat though. The sesame oil frying at the end allowed the meat to get crispy and the sesame seeds added a nice touch to the dish. The pickles were just crunchy and went very well with the wraps.

The original recipe calls for Bibb lettuce, but we haven't been able to find that lettuce here yet, so we just use whatever we can find. We find the buttercrunch lettuce works well for these!

Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-lettuce-wraps-quick-pickles

Lettuce Wrap

Arranged on a plate

Another close up

Colorful carrots 
Cucumbers marinating

meat, ready for letucce wraps! 
the sauce

just out of the slow cooker

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1/2 cup unsalted beef stock
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
11 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
1 tablespoon white miso (soybean paste)
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
3/4 cup julienne-cut carrot
1 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
16 lettuce leaves
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Coat bottom and sides of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Layer onion slices in bottom of slow cooker; top with garlic.

2. Heat canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chuck roast to pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Place beef on top of onions and garlic; pour any drippings from pan over top.

3. Combine stock, soy sauce, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and next 4 ingredients (through red pepper) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour mixture over beef and onions in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

4. Place cucumber and carrot in 2 shallow bowls 15 minutes before meat is done. Combine remaining 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; divide vinegar mixture evenly between cucumbers and carrots. Let stand until ready to serve; drain well.

5. Transfer beef from slow cooker to a large platter; shred with 2 forks. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; add shredded beef to pan, pressing into an even layer. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, without stirring. Turn off heat. Sprinkle evenly with salt and 1/4 cup cooking liquid from slow cooker; toss to coat. Discard remaining cooking liquid, onions, and garlic. Divide beef and pickles among lettuce leaves; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

What we liked:

Very good, relatively easy and light!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great

What Kaspian thought about it:

He ate mac and cheese...

Next time:

No change. Definitely going on the make it again list though!

Cherry Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

These turned out really great, chewy, soft and delicious! This recipe makes a lot! We added some nuts to this recipe because, well, nuts are just fun and delicious in cookies!

Here's the original recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/1130494/chewy-chocolate-chunk-cherry-cookies


Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (2 1/2 cups)
8 ounces dried cherries (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup pecans or other nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then flour mixture. Beat in chocolate and cherries. Add in nuts. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
3. Drop cookie dough with a tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; let cool completely.

What we liked:

Chewy - yummy - delicious! And tons are made, so plenty to share!

What we didn't like:

Nothing! 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He really liked the plain chocolate chip ones we made more... it takes him a while to work up to new tastes. 

Next time:

No changes!

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Green Tea (Matcha) Chocolate Chip Merengues

This is a quick, easy and cookie recipe which is soo good, and with just two egg whites tons of cookies are made. We made some with chocolate chips and others without, but the ones with the chocolate chips are superior. Cooking on these baking mats allowed for even cooking and fast cleanup.




Ingredients:

2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 250 F
2. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form
3. Slowly add in sugar, then when all sugar is incorporated add in the matcha powder
4. Using an icing bag with a large star opening, pipe onto a baking sheet. Optional - pipe over a chocolate chip. 

What we liked:

Quick, easy and yummy!

What we didn't like:

nothing

What Kaspian thought about it:

he doesn't like merengue

Next time:

make all of them with chocolate

Irish Chicken and Dumplings

Will definitely make this again!
This recipe is kind of like a liquid pot pie, just missing the corn. This chicken and dumplings makes really thick good soup. A variation for less "buscuit-y" and more "noodl-y" dumplings, would be to use a different dumpling dough. The original recipe definitely needed more spices and less dough, so we accounted for that when making it. This is quite time consuming to make, but well worth it. This makes a lot we had plenty of leftovers. We used yellow and orange carrots, so the yellow carrots kind of blend in with the soup, but you can still see how colorful this chicken and dumplings ends up being. The peas definitely add some very good flavor to this soup.

Here's the original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/11843/irish-chicken-and-dumplings/

Plated! (Bowl-ed?)

Ready to eat! 

Before biscuit dough addition

Ingredients:

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
3 cups water
1 cup chopped celery
2 onions, sliced into semi-circles
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
5 carrots, sliced
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas
4 potatoes, cubed
1 cup baking mix (1 cup flour, half stick of butter, chopped, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspon soda)
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. In large, heavy pot, combine soup, water, chicken, celery, onion, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat about 1 1/2 hours.
2. Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook another 30 minutes.
3. Remove chicken from pot, shred it, and return to pot. Add peas and cook only 5 minutes longer.
4. Add dumplings. To make dumplings: Mix baking mix and milk until a soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto BOILING stew. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

What we liked:

The flavors! This soup would be perfect for cold evenings!

What we didn't like:

We used a cast iron pan and the bottom got a little bit burned, not sure how to avoid this as the soup cooked on low/simmering for most of the time.

What Kaspian thought about it:

He wasn't into it.. he wanted an "extra special Kaspian" dinner of oatmeal. Astrid, however, thought the peas were glorious and delicious. The carrots were also her favorite and we were not putting them in front of her fast enough. 

Next time:

No change. 

Monday, June 20, 2016

Spicy Thai Red Curry Beef

This recipe was sooo good! Definitely better than some Thai food we have had at restaurants. We added some snap peas to the mix to add it a little extra crunch. The sauce was perfectly creamy and delicious with just the right amount of spice.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-thai-red-curry-beef

Served with steamed rice

In the pan

Cooking!

Ingredients:

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
4 teaspoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced red bell pepper
1 cup sliced onion
12 ounces beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups hot cooked rice
4 lime wedges

Directions:

1. Spoon coconut cream (thick layer at top of can) into a large skillet; stir in curry paste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add remaining coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, and red pepper; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper and onion; reduce heat to medium, and simmer 4 minutes. Add beef; cook 3 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove pan from heat; stir in basil, lime juice, and salt. Serve beef mixture with rice and lime wedges.

What we liked:

Very delicious and flavorful!

What we didn't like:

Nothing!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He's not too into asian food yet...

Next time:

No changes, great recipe!

Blueberry Banana Walnut Bread

We had some blueberries...and bananas...and walnuts, so we found this recipe. It didn't have walnuts, but we added then because walnuts are always awesome in banana bread!
It turned out very good and sweet. The only thing that might be worth changing is keeping it in the oven a little bit less.
Here's the original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/blueberry-banana-bread-recipe.html


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed to yield about 3/4 cup of mashed banana
1 cup (about 4 ounces) fresh blueberries
1 cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until blended. Stir in the bananas and blueberries.
5. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
7. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour.
8. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

What we liked:

Very yummy! Good variation on a banana bread, with a simple addition of blueberries!

What we didn't like:

Cooked a little too long

What Kaspian thought about it:

There were too many other good things to eat to distract him :) 

Next time:

Cook for less time

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Lamb and Veggie Skewers with Pita Bread and Grilled Radishes

Tonight was delicious lamb and veggie skewers in a lemon juice and herb marinade. We also made pita bread - our first attempt ever! It turned out quite good and actually puffy - very strange to see in a bread! It was a little more bread-y, maybe flour-y tasting than other pita breads we have bought before. It also wasn't as puffy as others... perhaps let the circles rise more next time or try a different recipe. Overall, this dinner could have really used some tzatziki sauce - that would have really added that perfect finish it needed.
We went to our park on Sunday, it is a half a block away, and they were having a grower's market, so we bought some fresh zucchini and radishes. The farmer said we should try grilling radishes, and so we did. They turned out sooo good. Grilling the radishes made them taste completely different. We have never eaten radishes in any other way than raw.

Here's the original Lamb recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marinated-grilled-lamb-kabobs-recipe.html

Pita Recipe: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016071-homemade-pita-bread

Plated

Grilled Radishes

Veggies - onions, zucchini and bell peppers

Grilled Lamb

Veggies on the grill!

Lamb on the Grill

All together!

Cooked Pita Bread

om nom nom  - trial pita piece

Pita dough balls

Rolled out Pitas 
Pitas rising in the oven

Ingredients:

Lamb and Marinade and Skewers:
1/2 boneless leg of lamb (about 2 pounds) cut into cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 large white onion, cut into large skewer-able pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 bell pepper - cut into skewer-able pieces
2 small zucchini - cut into thick skewer-able rounds

Radish:
1 bunch radishes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Pita Bread:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
2 3/4 all-purposed flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Skewers:
1. Combine all ingredients except bell pepper and zucchini in a ziplock bag and set in the refrigerator. Let marinade for at least 4 hours.
2. Pre-heat grill to medium high
3. Skewer on wood or metal skewers meat and veggies. We suggest doing the meat and veggies separately as it allows for more even cooking on both.
4. Grill for 3-4 minutes a side. (12-15 mins total)

Grilled Radish:
1. Cut the ends off of radishes. Cut radishes in half.
2. Put into a foil "boat" and pour olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Grill for 12-15 minutes

Pita bread:
1. Combine 1 cup lukewarm water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add the 1/2 cup of flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
2. Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
3. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes.
4. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
6. Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat disc with rolling pin. Roll until about 1/4 thick, dusting with flour if necessary.
7. Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 3 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles.
8. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

What we liked:

Very good! The pita was great, It was fun to try the radishes and the meat was delicious. 

What we didn't like:

Missing a sauce!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He LOVED the pita bread. He even helped make it by rolling out the dough. He wanted to put it into the oven too, but the oven was too hot!

Next time:

Make sure to make a sauce!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Eggplant Parmigiana with Farfalle

Tonight we made eggplant parmigiana with farfalle. This was one of the best recipes we have made yet. The cheese was sooo good. The sauce was delicious. Both of the children loved farfalle pasta and both of us had seconds!
The original recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/eggplant-parmigiana-recipe.html

We didn't have all the exact ingredients, so we improvised/modified a little. We also only had one eggplant since we knew Astrid and Kaspian wouldn't want any. Even with that, we only ate half of what we made.
This recipe does take a little bit of preparation ahead of time with letting the eggplant stand for an hour, but overall it's relatively fast and goes quickly once the preparation actually starts.
We made the sauce, then fried the eggplant and assembled the whole thing.

Plated

Farfalle

Eggplant Parmesean 
Going in the oven!


Ingredients:

The Sauce:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion sliced into medium long slices
1 tablespoon garlic
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 (14oz can) fire roasted tomatoes
5 roma tomatoes (med-large size) cut into cubes
1 can of tomato paste
1/2 - 1 cup water

The Eggplant:
1 medium eggplant cut into circles
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon whole milk
1.5 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying, as needed, about 1 1/2 cups
about 3/4  pounds mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Pasta:
1 16 oz package of pasta - we used farfalle.  

Directions:

Tomato sauce:
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and the canned and fresh tomatoes. Add in the tomato paste and 1/2 to 1 cup water. Cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time. Taste for seasoning, the tomatoes should be fairly broken down and the flavors coming together. Cook for another few minutes if the tomatoes still taste like they need a little more time to break down. Set aside to cool.
Eggplant:
1. Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on a strainer over the sink. Sprinkle with salt on both sides of each slice and allow it to sit for about 1 hour. Salting it draws out the liquid and bitter flavor. After an hour, rinse with cold water and dry them thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
2. Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper.
4. In a third bowl pour the breadcrumbs.
5. Dip each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess.
6. Then, dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant.
7 Arrange them in single layers on a plate.
8. In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about 1/2-inch in the bottom. Heat the oil on high heat.
9. Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of the eggplant to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath so the eggplant can drain as the others cook.
Assemble:
1.. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spoon about 1/2 of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Top with a layer of the fried eggplant. Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with about 1/2 of the Parmesan  cheese. Spoon sauce and repeat the layering. End with the remaining mozzarella. 
3. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. 

What we liked:

It was delicious! The cheese was excellent. It was probably one of the best things we made yet. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was awesome. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He loved the farfalle and opted for some shredded mixed cheese on top of it. He was not brave enough to try the parmigiana.
Astrid also loved the farfalle, managing to tear it up..even with her lack of teeth. 

Next time:

Use basil! It would have really added to it. Nick says mushrooms could go well with it but Alona says "no fungi!!! Yuck!"

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Borsh

Borsch is a traditional Russian soup made with beets which gives it it's red/purple color. This soup allows you time to chop up the next ingredient to go in while the previous ones are cooking in the pot.



Ingredients:

2 lbs beef, cubed
3 beets with greens
4 medium carrots
4 medium potatoes
4 medium potatoes
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons vinegar
sour cream for serving
4-6 tablespoons oil
12 oz pearl onions
1 red bell pepper

Directions:

1. Shred carrots and beets on large grater
2. Heat up a large dutch oven, add oil. Add in the carrots and beets, salt, pepper and vinegar, and saute until reduced about by half.
3. Add in pearl onions (can substitute chopped regular onion), let cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add in cubed beef - cook while stirring until beef is browned.
5. Add in cubed tomato and bell pepper.
6. Cube potatoes and add those in as well.
7. Pour in beef stock or water to cover.
8. Chop up and add the beet greens.
9. Cover and cook for about 1 hour or until potatoes and meat are cooked through.
10. Serve with a dollop of sour cream

What we liked:

Good and very flavorful. We used golden yukon potatoes - they are SOOO good. Astrid loved them too. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was really into the blueberries this evening. 

Next time:

No changes. 

Baked donuts

We tried to make donuts...It turned out...interestingly. They are not fluffy yummy dunkin donut donuts. They are more like cake donuts. It was an interesting first try. Next time- Definitely go with a yeast recipe that needs rising.

Here is the original recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/baked-doughnuts-three-ways-recipe


Ingredients:

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups flour
1 cup milk

Chocolate glaze: 
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans.
2. In the stand mixer bowl, beat together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth.
3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.
4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.
5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4" shy of the rim. Make sure to not overfill! These will rise a lot in the oven.
7. Bake the doughnuts for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 to 7 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.

Make the glaze by combining the chocolate glaze ingredients in a double broiler and melting everything together. Pour over donuts. 

What we liked:

They were donuts!...kinda

What we didn't like:

Not fluffy, too dense, nutmeg is weird. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He Loves donuts. Doesn't matter what kind. He was jumping around our kitchen counter waiting for them to come out of the oven.

Next time:

Try a yeast donut recipe. 

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Lamb Skewers with couscous

Last night we made lamb skewers with couscous. The marinade was perfect. The lamb turned out very soft and delicious and fairly quick to make.

For the couscous, we just made it according to instructions and added some lemon pepper and parsley at the end.

The only thing we wish we would have done is make the home-made pitas, but we forgot..and by the time we remembered it was too late! The dough needs to rise for a couple of hours - but next time!!!

Here's the original recipe for the lamb. We modified it a bit:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/herbed-lamb-kabobs

Plated!

On the grill

Ready to grill!

Ingredients:

1 cup canola oil
1 large onion cut to large skewer-able pieces
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds boneless lamb - fat cut out and chopped into skewer-able cubes

Directions:

1. In a medium/large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Pour into a gallon ziplock bag and add lamb. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
2. On eight metal skewers, alternately thread lamb and marinated onion pieces.
3. Grill over medium-hot heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness

What we liked:

Easy, and delicious! Meat on skewers always tastes so good! The marinated grilled onions were also excellent. These skewers turned out better than any of the greek restaurants in Albuquerque. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He picked a left over burger dinner instead. 

Next time:

Make the pitas! :)