Double Chocolate M&M's Bars -- in France!

Yes, that's right, I am still in France, and decided to attempt more baking.  Last week, I did a little shopping and got a super cute metric measuring glass that I hoped would help me.  Indeed it did--much better to get some version of accuracy rather than last time with the 'yeah that looks about right' method lol.  I still have to rely on that method for teaspoons and such, but I think I get those decently close.  Anyhow, I decided to go with bar cookies, as they are more forgiving and quick to make than regular cookies (and I don't have any cookie sheets, so that's kind of an issue, too...)  These are a winner for sure--will be making again once I get back to the states to determine official rating (for now, I'm going with a 9).  Enjoy!

Link to original recipe: http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2016/04/04/double-chocolate-mm-cookie-bars-recipe/

Ingredients:  (note: original recipe amount listed first, metric equivalent I tried to use after--not on a scale, but measured in a glass with line indications for each type of item being measured)

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted (113 g)
1/4 c. sugar (55 g)
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar (165 g)
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (210 g, type 55 flour)
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (25 g)
1 tsp. baking soda (note: this ingredient (bicarbonate de soude) is found by the salt in the French supermarkets)
1 T. cornstarch
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used about 60 g of a dark chocolate bar (like the Lindt ones available in US stores), broken into pieces, because no, I'm not paying 4x as much for choc. chips!)
1/2 c. regular milk-chocolate M&M's (no measure on glass for this one, so I just guessed)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Line a 13" x 9" baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.  (I did not have parchment, so I just buttered a non-stick pan instead.  I also did not have 13x9, used a round pan that is about 11" in diameter).

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cornstarch) and set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and both sugars, continuing for about 2 minutes to ensure that they are well combined.  (yes, in the pic, that is a beater for a mixer, don't have a whisk here lol)

5. Add vanilla and egg, whisk until smooth.

6. Stir in dry ingredients, about a third at a time, along with chocolate chips.  Stir until dough is uniformly consistent.

7. Spread/press dough into prepared pan.  Sprinkle M&M's over top, then press them gently to nestle slightly in dough.

8. Bake for 18-20 min, or until dough appears dry on top (was 21 min for mine).

9. Cool in pan for 10 min, then transfer to plate/serving dish to cool completely.

10. Cut, serve, enjoy!

Buttermilk and herb fried chicken

Another entry that I started back in February.  This was quite tasty, a very good fried chicken recipe indeed.  I cannot recall now how exactly it compares to the other recipes I've tried for fried chicken, so I'll have to make it again and report back!

Link to original recipe:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/buttermilk-and-herb-fried-chicken.html

Ingredients:

1 qt. buttermilk
1/3 c. plus 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 T. red hot-pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
around 3 lbs. chicken drumsticks (or other bone-in pieces)
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
canola oil for frying

Instructions:

1. In a large, nonreactive bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, 1/3 c. salt, hot sauce, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary.

2. Add the chicken drumsticks to the buttermilk mixture, submerging them completely.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 8 hours.

3. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. In a shallow bowl (or pie dish), whisk together flour, baking powder, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper.  Remove chicken from the buttermilk mixture and dip each piece in flour mixture to coat.

5. In a large, heavy fry pan (preferably cast iron--which I used) over medium-high heat, add oil to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat until very hot but not smoking.  Add chicken pieces, being sure not to crowd, and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer pieces to prepared rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until instant-read thermometer registers 160°F when inserted in thickest part of the chicken piece.

6. Drain chicken pieces on a paper towel, then serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs

This post was started clear back in February--that really was quite a time ago!
I was really excited about trying this recipe due to its simplicity and being a 'fix it and forget it' one--easy peasy, right?  Indeed it is and I would make it again--with some tweaks.  Hands down, the meatballs are perfectly amazing.  The sauce, however, is lackluster; I believe it needs, at the least, some sugar.  Not sure why it didn't occur to me to that there wasn't any in it/that I should add some.  Nearly every red pasta sauce from scratch contains it; pretty sure it's the missing key to this one.  This is not to say that it was all bad by any means; my husband and I both enjoyed it just fine.  When I get around to attempting it again, I'll be sure to post an update.  For now...

link to original recipe:
http://www.laurengreutman.com/slow-cooker-spaghetti-and-meatballs/

Ingredients:

2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes
1 lb. ground beef (80/20)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced, divided (I minced them)
2 T. dried basil, divided
2 T. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 egg

Instructions:

1. Combine crushed tomatoes, 2 cloves of the garlic, 1 T. of the basil, and 1/4 tsp. of the black pepper in a slow cooker.  

2. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, using your hands to thoroughly mix the meat with everything.

3. Form meatball mixture into golf sized balls.

4. Add meatballs to slow cooker gently, pressing down slightly to submerge in sauce (I submerged mine after taking pic, obviously).

5. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours (I cannot recall which I tried for sure, but I am fairly certain it was low for 8).

6. When ready to serve, prepare desired pasta according to package directions and top with sauce.  Enjoy!

Filipino Chicken Adobo Bites

And again, I'm trying to finish off posts I started but for various reasons did not get around to completing.  This one is also from last month (August), which now seems like a long time ago for some reason (probably the distance thing :)).  Anyhow, the original recipe is for threading this chicken onto skewers--which I would have done, if it were part of the cooking process.  It's not, though--it's apparently just for serving.  Since it was just me and my husband that were going to have this, I opted to just serve it as is, in bite-sized pieces, over a bed of rice.  It was good, but quite salty, despite using low-sodium soy sauce.  The original amounts in the recipe are for serving 16-20 (!), so I reduced to just 1/3 of that, giving us some leftovers.

Link to original: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/filipino-chicken-adobo-skewers

Ingredients:

1 lb 6 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 1/3 c. water
1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used press)
1/3" peeled fresh garlic, sliced thinly
1 small/half bay leaf
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. light brown sugar (I think it could have used more)
1/4 c. unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 T. canola oil

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine chicken thighs with water, soy sauce, garlic, giner, bay leaves, peppercorns, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Add vinegar and simmer for additional 10 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to a plate.  Strain the liquid into a heatproof bowl, then return it to saucepan, discarding the solids.

4. Boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is syrupy, around 25-30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

6. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat until shimmering.  Add chicken and cook until browned and crisp on outside, around 3 min.

7. Add sauce to skillet, stir to combine, remove from heat, and serve as desired (I went with basmati rice).  Enjoy!

Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake

And now to finish a few entries I started prior to my departure to France!  Just before leaving, I made this because I wanted to leave my hubby with a treat he'd enjoy munching on while I was away.  He loves pecans, I had buttermilk to use up--it worked out well lol.  In all seriousness, I will make this one again for sure--it is really, really delicious and not overwhelming like some cakes can be.

Link to original recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/farmhouse-buttermilk-cake-recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 c. unsalted butter
2 c. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3 c. all-purpose flour

6 T. melted butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. milk (I used skim)
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 to 1 c. diced pecans (I believe I used 1 c.)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease a 9" x 13" cake pan.

2. Beat butter and brown sugar until smooth/creamy.

3. Add eggs, beat until smooth.

4. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract.

5. Add the baking soda, salt, and flour to the wet ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and transfer to oven.

7. Bake for 35 min.  Towards the end of baking time, prepare the topping.

8. In a medium sized bowl, stir together butter and sugar.

9. Add milk, salt, and pecans, stirring until combined.  The mixture will be thick but pourable.

10. Pour topping over the cake and return to oven for additional 10 min.

11. Remove cake from oven.  Note: the topping will still be runny in the middle--this is ok!  You'll need to wait for it to set for a few minutes before trying to cut/eat.  (I waited until the next day just to be sure that it was fully set.  Next time, I will bake the cake just a couple minutes longer, as the very center was a little too moist for my preference.)

12. Cut into pieces and enjoy!

Brownies from scratch...in France

Hello all...or shall I say bonjour?! That's right, I'm in beautiful, wonderful France, staying here for a few weeks to help out my friend with some babysitting.  We (my son and I) are lucky enough to have a kitchen to use, so you know I would end up cooking at least a few things here, right?  Only thing is, baking here is a bit different.  I hadn't realized just how different until last year when I was here and wanted to make an American-style cookie bar for my friend.  When I went to buy ingredients, I found all that I needed except one: brown sugar.  I'd already read about the different flours and stuff like that, had converted the recipe to metric, but had not counted on not finding this ingredient, one so common in the states.  Anyhow, long story short, the cookie bars turned out great and I decided next time I'd bring some brown sugar along with me.
My friend's birthday was a few days ago and I wanted to make her a treat as a present.  I don't have any cookie sheets in this kitchen, so a cake or bar cookie would have to be it.  Brownies, yes, I thought, I bet I could do that!  At home in the states, I will admit I do not make brownies from scratch, as I find the Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate mix ones are fantastic (and super fast/easy), so this was slightly new territory.  I found ingredients that would work, but forgot one thing: there are no measuring cups nor scale in this kitchen.  Oops.  I don't have a car and don't really want to buy a scale just for a couple of uses here, so I went MacGyver: used a drinking glass that looked to me like it was approximately 1 cup.  And guess what?  The brownies turned out pretty good :) When I return to the states, I plan to try the recipe again and compare.

Link to original recipe:  https://sugarspunrun.com/brownies-from-scratch/

Ingredients (that I used in France):

175g (12 T.) unsalted butter, cut in small chunks
100g bar of dark chocolate (70% cacao)
*1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
*3/4 c. granulated sugar (sucre en poudre)
*3/4 c. (packed) light brown sugar (from the states)
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1 c. flour (type 55)
100g bar of dark chocolate, broken into "chips" (chocolate chips are quite pricey here, so this is the better option :))

(*=approximation, no idea if accurately measured here)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 175°C (350°F) and prepare a baking dish/pan--either line with parchment or grease sides and bottom (I did the latter).  It's supposed be a 9"x9" or 13"x9", but all I have here is an oval dish of unknown measurements (it looked about the right size :))

2. Combine butter and 100g of dark chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl (mine wasn't so large, as again, I'm limited on equipment here).

3. Microwave at 700W for 30 seconds.  Stir, then microwave for 15-20 seconds and stir again, repeating process until a smooth melted mixture is obtained.

4. Stir in cocoa powder.

5. Stir in sugars until completely combined.

6. Stir in vanilla extract.

7. Sprinkle salt over batter and stir to combine.

8. Add flour, stirring until completely combined.

9. Stir in chocolate "chips". (yep, I had to change bowls)

10. Spread into prepared baking dish and transfer to oven.

11. Bake until brownies jiggle only slightly in middle when you gently move dish back and forth.  For the dish I used here, this was 24 minutes.

12. Cool, cut up, and enjoy!

Stuffed Shells with Italian Sausage

Oh. my. goodness.  This is soooo very yummy! The original recipe was huge, easily enough for 8-10 people.  We did not need anywhere near that, so I halved it.  The amounts shown below are what I used.  Enjoy!

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/-ufdsPv1t5I

as of 16 July 2023, this link does not work; if/when the recipe is re-posted to their site, I will update it

Link to original recipe:  http://www.johnsonville.com/recipe/shells-with-italian-sausage-and-ricotta-stuffing.html

Ingredients:

jumbo pasta shells *I used pasta armando basket-shaped shells, which were amazing (purchased at Meijer)--took 12 of them for this recipe
1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil (I think I actually used much less than this, see below in step 4)

2 links hot Italian sausage (used Johnsonville brand), casings removed
1 jar Prego Three Cheese pasta sauce
1 large egg
7.5 oz. ricotta (I used part-skim)
2 1/2 c. shredded Italian cheese blend (I used some Lucerne 6 cheese and Kraft 5 cheese, as I had some on hand), divided
2 T. fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 T. dried--I opted for fresh, as my mom had given me some from her garden!)
1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

2. In a 10 in. skillet, cook the sausage on medium heat, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks, until it is 'done'.  Set aside to cool.

3. Heat oven to 350°F.

4. Rub/coat sides and bottom of an 8" x 8" x 2" glass baking dish with olive oil (*I believe I used a paper towel and just rubbed all over for this, meaning I did not use all that much.)

5. Pour half of pasta sauce into baking dish and spread evenly over bottom.  Set aside.

6. In a large bowl, beat the egg.  Mix in the ricotta, 2 c. of the cheese blend, basil, ground pepper, and the cooked sausage.

7. Fill each shell with sausage-cheese mixture and then place each in the sauce in the baking dish.  Once all shells are filled and placed, top with remaining sauce, followed by remaining cheese blend.

8. Cover dish, bake for 40 min.

9. Uncover dish and bake for additional 5 min.

10. After removing from oven, let stand for 5 min.  Serve and enjoy!!