Annie’s Eats

Today was a very happy day for me because my best friend Amanda and her new husband Travis moved to Indy. I’m so happy they are closer to us now so we can see each other more often. Ben and I helped them move in, and I thought it would be nice to bring a little goody basket for them since, having moved several times myself, I know stocking the fridge usually isn’t high on the list of priorities when you first get to a new place. I made a few different things to put in the basket including these muffins.

I’ve been making these blueberry muffins for quite some time now. This recipe is from Allrecipes and I must say, it is fabulous. It is best with fresh blueberries (I think that is always the case) but is still very tasty in the winter when only frozen are available. The only change I typically make is that I halve the amount of streusel topping. The original recipe makes more than twice what you actually need to top the muffins. The recipe below is with my changes.

Blueberry Muffins
yield: 8 muffins

Ingredients:
1 ½ c. flour
¾ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
~1/3 c. milk
1 cup blueberries (or more)

streusel topping:
¼ c. sugar
2 T. and 2 t. flour
2 T. butter, cubed
¾ t. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease or line 8 muffin wells with muffin liners.

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Pour into lined muffin cups; fill to the top.

To make streusel topping, combine listed ingredients and mix well with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

It is really only recently that Ben and I have come to appreciate how great soup is. It is definitely a comfort food, and can be a meal in itself or a great accompaniment to a sandwich or other entree. Because of this newfound appreciation, I have been trying to find more soup recipes and this one is definitely a keeper.

This recipe is from Cooking Light, so it is very healthy. I don’t have any specific changes that I make other than to leave off the extra cheese for topping because I don’t find it necessary. This is the second time I have made this soup and I really like how quick and simple it is. We had this with yeast rolls on the side, and it was a great meal.

Baked Potato & Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 (14.5 oz) cans low sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about 1.25 lbs)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 ¼ cups 2% reduced fat milk
1 (8 oz) block 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (optional)
chopped green onions for topping (optional)
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Directions:
Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and onion in a Dutch oven (or large saucepan). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk & 8 oz. of freshly shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top each serving of soup with shredded cheese and green onions as desired.

**It is recommended to use fresh shredded cheese for creaminess and even melting.

I can finally say I am the very proud owner of a KitchenAid Mixer. I’ve always wondered, is it really worth the cost? Now I can officially say, absolutely! I broke in my shiny red mixer by making my first ever cheesecake, and it made the whole process a breeze. I’ve had my eye on this recipe from Williams Sonoma for quite a while, but I just couldn’t bring myself to make a cheesecake unless there would be several other people to help eat it, otherwise I would eat far too much by myself.

Overall things went very well for my first cheesecake and first time using a spring-form pan. My only issue turned out to be with the caramel glaze for the top. I made it in a saucepan that has never lent itself well to carmelizing sugar, and didn’t remember that until I watched as my sauce became a sugary mess. I salvaged what I could and it tasted great anyway, although the presentation left something to be desired (speaking of which, excuse the blurry pic). Next time I will remember to use my other saucepan. Also, the recipe says to bake for an hour and 15 to an hour and 30 minutes. Next time I will probably go a little closer to the hour and a half because I felt like the very center was not quite as firm as I like cheesecake to be. Despite these minor glitches, I chalk this up to be a definite cheesecake success, and I think my guests would agree.

Cappuccino Cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the crust:
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Large pinch of salt

For the cheesecake:
1 1/2 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 lb. sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 Tbs. instant espresso powder

For the glaze:
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)

Cocoa powder for dusting

Directions:
To make the crust, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, rice flour, cocoa powder and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Roll out the dough into a 9-inch round. Pat the dough into the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

Preheat an oven to 300°F.

Bake the crust for 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

To make the cheesecake, have a pot of hot water ready. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream and espresso powder and mix until smooth.

Spread the batter evenly over the crust. Place the springform pan in a large roasting or baking pan, then place on the oven rack. Carefully fill the roasting pan halfway with hot water. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. To test for doneness, gently shake the pan; the cheesecake should be set from the center to the edges but not dry.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until chilled throughout, about 1 hour.

To make the glaze, in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, butter and cream. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and transfer to a large serving plate. Cut with a hot, dry knife. Drizzle slices with the caramel glaze and dust with cocoa powder. Serves 8 to 10.

I made these pork chops for the first time a couple of months ago and have been dying to make them ever since. Of course, all of that time I have been wondering, were they really as good as I imagined, or was I just very tipsy from drinking the wine I was using to cook? Hehe…it turns out, they really are that good and the wine is just an added bonus. This is a nice recipe for entertaining since you can let the meat marinate most of the day and you only need to be occupied with the actual cooking for about 10 minutes. This recipe is from Williams Sonoma. The only change I have made is to top the chops with slivered garlic rather than cutting them and putting the slivers inside. That is just not worth the effort.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Herbs
Ingredients:
4 bone-in pork rib chops, each about 8 oz. and 1 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, 2 cut into slivers and 2 chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Arrange in a single layer in a non-reactive dish.

In a food processor, combine the wine, olive oil, sugar, the 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper and process to blend. With the motor running, drop the chopped garlic cloves, the sage and rosemary through the feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pour the wine mixture over the chops. Top with slivers of garlic. Cover and marinate, turning at least once, for 30 minutes to 1 hour (or more).

Preheat a broiler according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or prepare a medium fire in a grill.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade. Season the chops with salt and pepper and arrange on the broiler pan or on the grill. Broil or grill, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium, or until done to your liking.

Oooooooooohhh my gosh, this is an amazingly delicious recipe. I have read many many raves about orzo on the cooking message board I frequent, but this is the first time I have gotten around to trying it. This recipe was posted by one of the girls on the cooking board, and I am really glad this was the first orzo I tried. I don’t have much to say about it except MAKE IT! The original recipe called for Swiss cheese, but I’m not a fan of Swiss so I decided to try the Six Cheese Italian blend of shredded cheese and it was perfect. I think this would be great with most cheeses, so just choose whatever suits your fancy.

Sautéed Mushroom Orzo with Cheese
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked Orzo pasta
3 Tbs. cold butter
2 cups Italian Six Cheese blend shredded cheese (or cheese of choice)
5-6 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbs. butter or olive oil

Directions:
Cook Orzo according to package directions.

In the food processor combine cheese, 3 tbs. cold butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter or olive oil and sauté mushrooms until tender.

Drain pasta, add to mushrooms and stir. Gently stir in the cheese mixture. Stir until cheese has melted. Serve.

Victory!!! Ben is not a picky eater by any means, and he does not complain about many foods, but he just hates green beans (particularly from a can). I decided to take a chance with this recipe for fresh green beans and see if I could get a positive reaction from him, and thankfully I did. I was not sure if I would like this either because I am generally not a fan of nuts, but the almonds are great in this dish. This is another Williams Sonoma recipe. The only change I made was to halve it because the original dimensions were for 2 lbs. of beans. Who needs that many beans?

Green Beans with Almonds
Ingredients:
Coarse salt, to taste
1 lb. slender green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Fill a large pot three-fourths full of lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. (The beans can be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance, covered tightly and refrigerated until ready to use.)

In a large fry pan over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring continuously, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the beans. Sauté, stirring continuously, until heated through and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley and almonds. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately. Serves 4-5.

Yesterday my in-laws, brother- and sister-in-law and my adorable 5-month-old baby niece all came over for dinner at the end of a very long wedding weekend. I took this as a great opportunity to try out several new recipes without Ben and I having to eat it all. This will be a big series of blog updates so I can write about each recipe individually and do them all justice.

I started the evening out with a small appetizer. I knew no one would be overly hungry, so I opted for something simple and on the lighter side with Giada’s white bean dip. The recipe includes pita chips to go along with the dip, but unfortunately both grocery stores that I went to were out of pita flat bread (yet had plenty of pita pockets). We decided to just serve it with blue tortilla chips, and it was a great combination. This was a really good and ultra easy appetizer. It would be a great option if you were pressed for time. The original recipe is below, including the pita chips. I’m definitely going to try those next time provided that I find the ingredients I need.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until toasted and golden in color.

Ben and I are huge fans of Italian food, so I am always happy to try a new pasta recipe. I have had one lasagna recipe for about five years that has been my old stand-by. It is a wonderful recipe, and I will never replace it…but that doesn’t mean I can’t try new kinds of lasagna. I found this while browsing recipes on Williams Sonoma and thought it sounded like something different that we would enjoy. I was right! This is a really delicious lasagna, and something a bit out of the ordinary. The only (kind of) bad thing is that it is HUGE! We will be eating this for days and days, but I’m not complaining.

The original recipe calls for Williams Sonoma Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce - riiight. I just looked through the pasta sauces at Kroger until I found one with roasted red peppers. I’m sure most stores have something close to this, or you could make your own. As usual, I used turkey sausage instead of regular sausage to cut down on fat and calories. This recipe has enough without the sausage. It doesn’t need any more! Finally, the original recipe says to use 1 lb. of lasagna noodles. I cooked the whole pound and then only ended up using 16 of them because I only use four noodles per layer in my lasagna.

Mushroom, Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna
Ingredients:
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb. mild turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 jars (each 26 oz.) roasted red pepper pasta sauce
16 lasagna noodles, cooked until just tender
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a colander set over a bowl and let drain, then transfer the sausage to a clean bowl.

Add the mushrooms to the sauté pan, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage, add the parsley and stir to combine.

Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.

To start the layering process, cover the sauce with one-fourth of the lasagna noodles in a single layer. Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Spread 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta mixture. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the mozzarella. Sprinkle one-third of the sausage mixture over the sauce. Repeat the layering twice, finishing with a layer of sauce. Then top with a final layer of noodles and 1 cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the lasagna is golden and bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 12.

In an effort to continue my non-cereal breakfasts, I made these muffins last night for my (very early) mornings this week. I had one this morning, and they are delicious! This is a really wonderful recipe from Joy of Baking, a website I have only recently discovered. It looks like an amazing new resource for baked goods, so I’m sure there will be many more recipes from there showing up on my blog

The only change I made with this recipe was to use vanilla yogurt rather than plain because that is what I had on hand. I only made a half batch since I am the only one eating them, and the recipe halves very easily. The recipe with original dimensions is below.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest of one lemon
1 cup vanilla yogurt (do not use non-fat)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, poppy seeds, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest, yogurt and vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture until just moistened. Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and glazing.

Glaze: If glazing, while muffins are baking stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. The mixture should be runny. Once the muffins are removed from the oven, wait five minutes and then drizzle the glaze over the muffins with a spoon.

Hooray! Another successful addition to our grilling repertoire. We are are really starting to depart from just hamburgers and hot dogs. This was a very easy and tasty dinner. I served these kabobs with corn on the cob, but I think they would also go wonderfully with a cilantro-lime rice on the side.

This is another one from Williams Sonoma. I hardly made any changes at all, except to reduce the amount of marinade for brushing onto the vegetables. The amount in the original recipe seemed like way too much so I made less, and it was still way more than we needed. The recipe with my new adjustments is below. WS recommends grilling these on a cedar plank, but I had neither time nor desire to mess with that, and they tasted great as they were.

Garlic-Lemon Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients:
3 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 large red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the 3 Tbs. olive oil, the lemon zest, garlic, parsley, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Prepare a medium fire in a grill. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover for at least 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup olive oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Thread the onion and bell pepper onto the skewers, alternating the pieces and dividing them equally. Remove the chicken from the marinade; discard the marinade. Thread the chicken onto separate skewers, taking care not to pack the pieces too tightly.

Lay the skewers on the grill. Brush the vegetables with the olive oil-lemon juice mixture. Close the lid and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout and the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, 8 to 12 minutes. (The vegetables take much less time than the chicken to cook, so put these on the grill when the chicken is close to being done.) Transfer the skewers to a warmed platter and serve immediately. Serves 2.