Guest Blog on Weekly Bite!

Wow!  One of my favorite blogs is http://weeklybite.com/.  I just love it.  The photos are always scrumptious and the recipes look delish.  When the blog owner Estella asked for guest bloggers while she took a break house hunting, I jumped at the chance.  Go to weekly bite to check out my recipe for Pesto Rolls (http://weeklybite.com/homemade-pesto-rolls/). You won't be sorry!  They are absolutely wonderful.

When I made them, I made one pan of Pesto Rolls and one pan of Cinnamon Rolls.  Happy cooking!

Pesto Tomato Soup

I am enjoying lunch today.  This weekend was a bit hectic.  I was supposed to get home close to midnight on Friday.  After everything was over in Pittsburgh, we rushed to the airport.  Upon arrival, we found that our flight to Chicago had been cancelled and we didn't get to come home until the next day.  I was one of the lucky three that got to leave early Saturday morning to arrive home that afternoon.  The rest of our party didn't get to arrive home until late Saturday evening.  We made the best of it!  What else can you do?

The first leg of our early Saturday morning flight took us on a 5-1/2 hour trip to San Fransisco.  While in San Fran, we enjoyed lunch and I picked up a loaf of Sourdough from Boulin.  Yummy.  What goes perfectly with Sourdough bread?  Pesto Tomato Soup!  I enjoyed a huge bowl last night and am currently slurping down another warm steamy helping.  There's enough for dinner tonight after Zumba, too.  Perhaps with a Grilled Sourdough and Cheese sandwich.

Here's the recipe for the soup.  Hope you like it as much as I do!

Pesto Tomato Soup

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 (14.5 oz. can) no salt added diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz. can) low sodium chicken broth
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce with basil, oregano and garlic
salt and pepper to taste
half and half (optional)
Pesto (optional)

1.  Melt butter in the bottom of a saucepan.  Add onions and cook on medium low heat until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

2.  Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

3.  Remove from heat and blend with a hand blender until (mostly) smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

The soup will be pretty creamy already, but sometimes I like to stir in a few Tbsp of half and half (I use fat free) to add some silky texture.  I also like to up the flavor a bit by adding a spoonful or two of Pesto Sauce.  I like to make my own, but this time of year, fresh basil is hard to find.  I used the Classico sauce from work. :)

Classico Enchiladas Verdes

There was a recipe contest at work.  Lots of people entered wonderful recipes.  My recipe focused on something that would be quick and easy to put together but still had LOADS of flavor.  Thus, Classico Enchiladas Verdes was born.  The Classico Alfredo Sauce lends a creamy tang to the sauce.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

Enchiladas Verdes with Classico Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients


1 Rotisserie chicken, deboned and meat shredded (about 1 lb meat)

1 (14.5 oz) can canelli beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup sour cream

2 (4 oz.) cans chopped green chiles

1 jar (15 oz.)Classico Alfredo Sauce, divided

1 (28 oz.) can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar, divided

10 (6”) corn tortillas



Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine chicken, beans, green chiles, sour cream, and half of the alfredo sauce. Mix well.

2.       In a separate bowl, combine the green chile sauce and the remaining alfredo sauce.  Blend well.

3.  In a greased 9”x13” pan, ladle ½ cup of the creamy green chile sauce and spread to distribute evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Rip 3 corn tortillas into strips and place over the sauce, trying to completely cover the pan with one layer of tortilla.  Spoon ½ of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and spread with the back of a spoon into an even layer.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese.  Drizzle with another ½ cup of creamy green chile sauce.  Repeat layers.

4.   For the final layer, Rip the remaining 4 corn tortillas into strips and arrange in a singe layer.  Pour the remaining creamy green chile sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese.

 

 
5.  Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is slightly crisped at the edges.
 

 
6.  Let cool 10 minutes, then slice and serve.  Garnishes may include sour cream, limes, cilantro, salsa, etc.
 

Taco Meat ala Chef Suzie

This is a recipe I learned from the Chef that taught our culinary classes in Arkansas.  Chef Suzie is great!  She's been just about everywhere and done just about everything.  You can't help but be instantly smitten when you meet her!

Here is Suzie's Recipe for taco meat.  She serves them in her bar at Nibbles Cafe in Fayetteville, AR.  If you're ever in the neighborhood, you should stop by.  The food can't be beat!

Beef Taco Meat ala Chef Suzie
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp cayenne (less if sensitive to spicy things, more if you dare)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 Tbsp Beef Base (I use 'better than bouillon")
2 cups water
2-3 corn tortillas, shredded
2 lbs lean ground beef

1.  Brown ground beef in a large dutch oven.  Drain well.  Measure out seasonings (except beef base) and stir well to combine.

2.  Return beef to pot with seasonings, beef base and water.

3.  Stir in shredded corn tortillas and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until tortillas dissolve and mixture thickens, about 30 minutes.

4.  Serve in your favorite taco shell with your favorite taco toppings!

Gingersnap Cookies

Due to an unfortunate accident with the frozen cookie dough, we didn't get to taste these cookies.  Dr. Marcy assured us this is an excellent recipe so I'm posting it anyway!  Just be sure to pack the dough into a METAL loaf pan (not a glass one) and DON'T set the pan in the door of the freezer.

Gingersnap Cookies
www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000868gingersnap_cookies.php

8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 large eggs or 2 small eggs
1/3 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1.  Cream butter until soft.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, and beat until well incorporated and smooth.  Add molasses and beat until well mixed.

2.  Sift dry ingredients; add to the molasses mixture, 1/3 at a time.  Mix only until the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

3.  Line a 9" x 5" METAL loaf pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs out over the pan.  Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.  Pack it tightly and try to make the top as level as possible.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

4.  Unwrap and remove dough from the pan.  Slice the brick into thin slices, no more than 1/8" thick.  Place on a parchment lined sheetpan at least 1" apart.  Bake at 350°F until the edges turn dark brown, about 12 minutes.

For softer cookies, bake a bit less.  For crunchier cookies, bake a bit longer.

You don't have to make the whole brick at once-- just freeze the remaining dough and slice when you're ready to bake!

French Bread (Baguettes)

Unfortunately, I didn't even think about taking photos the first day of class.  I was just too excited to remember that I have a camera on my cell phone!  The first day was mainly focused on Bread. I will be posting each bread recipe separately as some take longer than others.  Plus, it will be easier to find later!

The first recipe is from On Cooking (page 980), the culinary textbook used as a reference by the Research Chefs Association.  We halved the recipe in class and made 3 beautiful baguettes.  The dough may be used to make baguettes, rolls, or french bread.  We used a baguette pan to bake our loaves, but they may also be baked free form.  The pans are fairly inexpensive and can be found online for around $20.  This is what a baguette pan looks like:

The French Bread Pan looks similar, but has wider valleys to accommodate the larger bread loaf (only 2 per pan instead of 3).  If you don't have one of these pans, you can use a floured kitchen towel on a sheet pan to help maintain shape and prevent the dough from spreading out while rising.  See the YouTube Video at the bottom of the post that details how to shape a Baguette for an illustration of this technique.

The trick to this bread is baking in a moist oven.  Fill an 8"x8" pan with boiling water and place it in the bottom of the oven while baking the bread.  This will help your crust to develop that wonderful crunchy texture found on artisan breads.  You could also open the door to the oven and mist the floor and sides of the oven with a spray bottle every 5 minutes or so-- but who has time for that?!  I don't want to be glued to my oven door. :-)

French Bread
1 quart (32 oz.) warm water (about 110°F)
1 oz. active dry yeast
3 lbs. 12 oz. Bread Flour
1 oz. salt

1.  Combine water and yeast in the mixing bowl of a large capacity stand mixer.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed with dough hook until all the flour is incorporated.

2.  Increase speed of mixer to medium low and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

3.  Let the dough rise until doubled.  Punch down, divide, shape and slash as desired*.  Let rise again until doubled.  Preheat oven to 400°F.

4.  Place pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven to generate steam while the dough cooks.

5.  Bake at 400°F until the crust is well developed and golden brown and the bread is baked through, approximately 12 minutes for rolls and 30 minutes for small loaves.  Larger loaves will take a bit longer-- up to 45 minutes.

*Shaping dough: one recipe of dough may be used for: 4 loaves french bread, 6 loaves baguettes, several rolls (pinch off dough into golf-ball sized balls and place on a greased sheet pan).  Use a very sharp blade when slashing the dough. 

There are several YouTube videos on shaping Baguettes.  This one was a good one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NEvO2ok-NU&feature=related

Hope you enjoy that fresh baked bread smell!

Cream Scones with Devonshire Cream and Fresh Strawberry Jam

This is the first installment of the Arkansas Cooking Class recipes!  You are sure to LOVE these light, flaky scones. 

The Cream Scones recipe is from On Cooking, page 956.  This is the Culinary Textbook that the Research Chefs Association uses as its reference.  The recipes I've tried from the book have been wonderful-- but get ready to do some math.  Some of those recipes are written for a crowd!

The Devonshire Cream recipe was one the chef found on a website, but I'm not sure which one.  The Strawberry Jam was something we just threw together in class.  The amounts in that recipe are estimated based on my memory-- let's hope I remembered correctly.

You'll notice that the ingredients listed in the baking recipes are all weights-- not cups and teaspoons.  We did this for a reason.  Flour can weigh more or less depending on how humid it is.  Weighing the flour gives you a more accurate measure than using cups.  Also, I'm sure everyone has heard that baking is a science.  Well, IT IS!!  Every baking recipe is a careful balance of chemical leaveners, acids, bases, enzymes, salts, etc.  Mess with one part of the equation and the whole thing will go out the window-- literally!  Leave out the salt in a bread dough and it will rise too fast and taste bland.  Out the window to the birds with that one! 

Ok.  That's enough ranting.  On to the recipes.

Cream Scones
1 lb. all purpose flour
1-1/2 oz. white sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
2 Lg egg yolks (save the whites for later)
11 fl oz. half and half

1.  Sift the dry ingredients together, making sure they are blended well. 
2.  Cut in the butter using a pastry blender (U-shaped with 3 or four blades and a handle).  The mixture should look mealy.  Be sure not to over mix. 
3.  Whisk the half and half with the egg yolks.  Add to the mealy mixture and combine just until the dough begins to hold together.
4.  Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Cut into triangles.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the tops with half and half.
5.  Bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes.
6.  Brush the tops with butter while hot.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Devonshire Cream (aka Clotted Cream)
4 oz. mascarpone cheese (Italian cream-style cheese)
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp powdered sugar or caster sugar

1.  Place all ingredients in a stand mixer with the whip attachment.  Whip until well blended and the consistency of spreadable cream cheese. 
2.  Store covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Fresh Strawberry Jam
1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup sugar (approximate-- may need to add more depending on how sweet your strawberries are)
1-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 envelope fruit glaze

1.  Place strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pot over medium heat.  Cook until fruit is soft and the mixture is syrupy, about 20 minutes.  Mash lightly with a potato masher until it is the desired consistency.
2.  Prepare glaze according to package directions.  Cool slightly, then blend with strawberry mixture.
3.  Store covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!!