Oatmeal Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies

I actually made these a few weeks ago but was too busy to blog about them at the time.  They are wonderful--yes, 10 out 10 for these, too.  They are slightly crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and just sweet enough to keep you coming back for more and more (they did not last long at my house!)

Link to original recipe: http://sweetasacookie.com/oatmeal-cinnamon-nutmeg-cookies/

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. quick oats

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

4. Mix in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until incorporated.

5. Mix in the flour and quick oats until just combined.

6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart.

7. Bake for 10-12 min or until beginning to lightly brown.

8. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and let cool a few minutes on baking sheet.

9. Transfer off of baking sheet and cool on wire rack.  Store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

(forgot to get a pic after they had been taken off of sheet, oops!)

Chicken and Artichoke Fricassée with Morel Mushrooms

Mmmmm.  This was quite a bit of work, but very, very yummy and worth it.  That is, if you love morels, which I do. A lot.  Yep, this is another 10 out of 10--hoping I can keep this trend going!  Baby artichokes are not easy to come by, it seems, though.  I found them at Mariano's (grocery store), in case anyone reading is near one of those.

Link to original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-and-artichoke-fricassee-with-morel-mushrooms-237905

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lemons
9 baby artichokes
6 c. water
2 T. all-purpose flour, plus additional for dredging
2 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
4 chicken thighs (bone-in/skin-on)
4 chicken drumsticks
4 oz. fresh (or 1 oz. dried and reconstituted) morel mushrooms
2 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 T. fresh thyme, chopped, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. low-salt chicken broth
1/4 c. crème fraîche

Instructions:

1. Fill a large bowl with water and squeeze the juice from 1 lemon into water, then add the lemon halves.

2. Tear the outer leaves from each artichoke until only pale green leaves remain (this will be quite a few leaves).  Cut off the top part so that no spiky leaf points remain (around 3/4" from top) and cut off bottom stem.

3. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise.  Rub cut edges with the half lemon and then place in the lemon water.

4. Add the 6 c. water to a large saucepan, along with the flour, salt, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil--and make sure you watch the pan or it will boil over (yes, this happened to me!).  Add the artichoke halves and cook for 5 minutes (I reduced the heat just slightly so that it would not boil over again).  Drain.

5. Melt butter with oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour before placing in skillet.

6. Cook chicken until golden brown, around 4 minutes per side (I am sure I went longer than this, not sure how much longer, though).  Transfer chicken to plate.

7. Add mushrooms, carrots, and shallots to the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften--about 4 minutes.

8. Add 1 T. of the thyme along with the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

9. Add wine and bring to boil, then add broth and artichokes and bring back to boil.

10. Return chicken to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  (*note: about halfway through this, I added a splash of the water I used to reconstitute the morels.)

11. Uncover, turn chicken, re-cover, and simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes longer.

12. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a platter, leaving sauce in skillet.  Whisk in crème fraîche and remaining thyme, bring to boil.  Season with salt and pepper.

13. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.  Enjoy!

Sesame Teriyaki Shrimp

Mmm...I think this may be the first recipe I've blogged with shrimp in it.  I am not big on seafood, as is likely obvious by now, but this was quite delicious indeed.  I give it 9 out of 10, as the sauce is superb, yet I think it would go even better with chicken.  If I can remember to do so, I'll add to this entry when I get around to making it that way :)

Link to original recipe: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a52047/sesame-teriyaki-shrimp-recipe/

Ingredients:

1. c water
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. honey
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 T. sesame oil
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 T. cornstarch dissolved in 3 T cold water
2 lb. medium white shrimp, peeled and deveined

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, add water, soy sauce, honey, garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and ginger.  Over medium-high heat, whisk together and stir occasionally until comes to a boil.

2. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and whisk into boiling sauce.  Reduce heat to medium-low and stir until thickened.

3. Add shrimp and cook until pink/cooked through.  Serve over rice (or other desired side) and enjoy!

Orange Madeleines (with video link for Christmas Tree version)

Mmm mmm mmm :) Happy to report and share another success: found a great and easy recipe for a French classic: les madeleines. These cute little cakes can be flavored in different ways--most typical are lemon, orange, and rose water.  I prefer the citrus ones, personally, thus this recipe was just what I'd been after.  I give this a 10 of 10--I even forgot to dust them with powdered sugar before serving and they've been disappearing rapidly from my kitchen :)

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/kn4V6f1ksVo

Link to original recipe: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/orange-madeleines/7e438a94-05c0-4c88-a999-c4725e1c0b43

Ingredients:

1 egg, separated
1/2 c. sugar, separated
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. milk (I used skim, but I think you could use any variety)
2 T. canola oil
1 T. Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur (or you could sub OJ if desired))
1/2 T. baking powder
1/2 T. orange zest
1/4 tsp. salt
powdered sugar for dusting, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  Grease and flour 3-inch madeleine molds (mine were just shy of this measurement and worked fine; if you don't have these, you would use mini-muffin tins or cupcake pans--just be sure to adjust the baking time).

2. In  small mixing bowl, beat egg white until foamy with mixer on high speed.

3. Beat in 4 T. of the sugar, 1 T. at a time.  Continue beating until stiff and glossy, then set aside.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg yolk, remaining sugar, and all other remaining ingredients (except powdered sugar for dusting) with mixer on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.

5. Fold egg white meringue into egg yolk batter.

6. Fill molds 3/4 full (original recipe said 2/3, but I think mine were closer to 3/4).  Tap pan firmly on counter to remove air bubbles.

7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light brown (mine were about 10 1/2 min. per batch).

8. Cool slightly before removing from pan to cool on wire rack.  *note: you may want to line rack with parchment or wax paper, as these tend to get a little stuck to the rack as they cool.

9. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.  Enjoy!

Porcini Crusted Lamb Chops

I wanted to celebrate my return to having time for all things kitchen with a fabulous recipe and, boy, did I ever hit the nail on the head!  This is another 10 out of 10 all the way!!  Mind you, it is pricey--but this can be controlled for if you are a Costco member (where I got my lamb chops, already Frenched!) and you order porcini mushrooms in bulk on Amazon (it is worth it if you like them :))  Aside from the price tag, these are super easy and not terribly time-consuming.  I only modified the recipe slightly--primary difference is that I omitted the mint.  I know a lot of people like mint with lamb, but it's very not my thing (nor my husband's).  I found the sauce amazing and perfect without the mint, honestly.  One more note: I was making this for just me and my husband, which meant I used less chops than the original indicated (1.5 lbs. versus 2.5).  The amounts listed below are for half of the original recipe.

Link to original recipe: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/porcini-crusted-lamb-chops.html

Ingredients:

Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
1 rack of lamb, Frenched (mine was 1.5 lbs, was smallest I could find there)
1 1/2 T. ground dried porcini mushrooms (I used my spice grinder for this, but you can also purchase powdered porcini/same thing)
3/4 c. fresh bread crumbs
1/6 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
7 T. olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. fresh Italian parsley leaves, loosely packed
1/6 c. fresh rosemary leaves

Instructions:

1. Season rack of lamb with salt and pepper.  Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ground porcini, bread crumbs, Parmesan, and chopped parsley.  Set aside until lamb has reached 1 hour at room temperature.

3. Heat oven to 375°F.

4. Drizzle 1 T. of the olive oil over the rack of lamb, rubbing it evenly to coat all of the meat.

5. Coat the oiled rack of lamb with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

6. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat.  When the pan is nice and hot, lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray, then add the rack of lamb.

7. Sear the lamb on each side for 2 minutes, then transfer to oven.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes for medium-rare, registering at 130°F (I went 25 and it was exactly medium-rare).

9. Transfer to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the remaining 6 T. olive oil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper (to taste; I actually forgot to add these and didn't even notice!), parsley leaves, and rosemary leaves.  Blend until well combined and smooth.

11. Carve rack into individual chops and drizzle with sauce.  Serve with desired side(s) and enjoy!  (I made Near East Parmesan couscous--went perfectly with it!)

Mushroom & Coppa Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Yay, finally the craziness of last month of school is nearly over (I have been teaching a class this school year) and I can get back to cooking and blogging!  And this recipe, oh, it is so worthy of being my first one of this month--it's a 10 out of 10 for sure.  The problem with finding such amazing recipes is that I want to repeat them, yet I also want to keep cooking new stuff to blog...glad summer will bring more chances to be able to do both!

Updated on 7 Feb 2022.

Link to my YouTube of preparation for this recipe: https://youtu.be/yYsbsaFkJs0

I didn't modify this recipe much--just a couple of method changes (not entirely intentional, I might add lol) and slight ingredient changes.  Link to original recipe:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/mushroom-and-coppa-stuffed-pork-tenderloin

Ingredients:

10 oz. mushrooms, such as cremini, trimmed (I used regular white button)
2 T. unsalted butter
1 T. finely chopped fresh garlic
Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed (1 to 1 1/4 lb.)
3 oz. thinly sliced coppa (I used regular/not 'hot' variety)
3/4 c. finely shredded/grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 c. fresh breadcrumbs
2 T. olive oil, plus additional as needed

for the sauce--

1 tsp. minced shallot
1 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1/2 c. dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 1/2 c. homemade chicken stock
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
1 T. fresh basil, chopped

Instructions:

1. Chop the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped and set aside (you could by hand, just would take a while).

2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 30 sec.

3. Add mushrooms and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook until the mushrooms are no longer giving off any liquid, stirring frequently (around 5-10 min.--think it took mine around 7).

4. Stir in the basil, transfer to a heat proof plate or bowl, and refrigerate for at least 15 min.

5. Meanwhile, butterfly the tenderloin lengthwise (be sure not to cut all the way through to opposite side!)  Open the tenderloin like a book, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap, and pound to an even thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 in.

6. With the tenderloin cut side up, cover it using the coppa, overlapping pieces slightly as needed so that the whole surface is covered.

7. Spread the mushroom mixture over the coppa, leaving a 1/2 in. border all around.

8. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.

9. Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs.

10. As best you can, starting from a long side, roll the tenderloin and tie with butcher string/kitchen twine around every 2 in.  Lightly season outside with salt and pepper.

11. In a heavy-duty skillet (I used cast iron) large enough to hold the tenderloin, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add tenderloin and brown well on all sides, around 7-10 min.

12. Lower heat to medium and cook, turning occasionally so that all sides cook evenly, until pork registers at least 130°F on an instant-read thermometer (around 15-17 min).

12. Transfer to a cutting board and leave juices in pan.  Tent tenderloin loosely with foil and let rest while preparing the sauce.

13. For the sauce: pour off any excess fat from skillet, leaving just a little behind (around 1 T.).  Return skillet to stove over medium heat and add shallot.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 sec.

14. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 sec.

15. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping to remove browned bits from pan, until wine has nearly all evaporated (around 6-7 min.)

16. Add chicken stock and increase heat to medium-high.  Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has reduced by around 2/3 (around 8 to 10 min.)

17. Reduce heat to medium-low and add butter and basil, cooking and stirring until just combined.

18. Add tenderloin back to pan and turn to coat in sauce.  Remove from heat and serve with sauce and desired side (I chose Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice).  Enjoy!

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