Cardamom Snaps (with video link)

Need a quick and easy cookie for the holidays? And something a bit different (in a good way)? Try these! They are very yummy, makes about 3 1/2 dozen :D

Link to my YouTube of preparation: https://youtu.be/dtAEAf4rhMc

Original recipe credit: https://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/cardamom-snaps/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

for the dough--

3/4 c. Butter-flavored Crisco (or regular shortening)

1 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 T. cardamom

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

270g (2 1/4 c.) all-purpose flour

for coating the dough balls--

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cardamom

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Place the shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.

3. Add the brown sugar, baking soda, cardamom, and cinnamon. Mix on medium until well combined and fluffy.

4. Add the molasses and egg. Mix on medium until well combined.

5. On low speed, mix in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer, then finish the rest by hand with a wooden spoon. (I had about a half cup left to do by hand.)

6. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cardamom to make the coating. Form dough into 1" balls and roll them in the mixture until coated all over.

7. Place coated dough balls on baking sheet, 2" apart (no need to line with parchment, these come off sheet very easily).

8. Bake for 10 min. Upon removing from oven, you may transfer them to wire rack immediately (I waited just one minute). Let cool, and enjoy!

Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies (with video link)

As I said in my video for this entry, I've decided to challenge myself to make a goodie a day until Christmas. I'm going to be sharing these, as we cannot possibly eat this much ourselves lol! Anyway, today, for the first entry, I was inspired by these morsels I found during a recent trip to Aldi: hot cocoa and marshmallow morsels. (They are available elsewhere, too.) And this is the recipe on the bag. It's very yummy, 10/10 :) highly recommend you try these!

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/TXTbSwTcXT8

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

160g (1 1/3 c.) all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. powdered cocoa (baking type, not hot chocolate mix type)

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened/room temp

1 c. sugar

1 large egg

1/2 T. vanilla extract

1 pkg. (9 oz) hot cocoa & marshmallow morsels

~ 1 c. powdered sugar (I didn't measure; this is just for coating the dough balls)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat/cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.

5. Gradually mix in the reserved flour mixture.

6. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the morsels by hand.

7. Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Form the dough into Tablespoon-sized balls, then roll them to coat in the powdered sugar. Place on a baking sheet, spacing 2" apart.

8. Bake for 10-12 min, until edges are done and centers are just set. Upon removing from the oven, let them cool for 2 min. on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Skirt Steak Saltimbocca

Oh very yum, 10/10 for sure on this one! Such an easy dinner to make and so good, make it tonight!

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/fwS9DKrJqjQ

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/skirt-steak-saltimboca-7484078

Recipe below contains my modifications.

**pardon my dust, work in progress, will have done soon!**

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. skirt steak

3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper, divided

12 fresh sage leaves, divided

4 thin slices prosciutto

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium, unpeeled garlic cloves

1/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 c. Sauvignon Blanc

2 T. cold unsalted butter

• 
  

• 1. Cut steak crosswise into 4 (3-ounce) pieces; lightly pound each piece between 2 pieces of plastic wrap using a meat mallet or rolling pin until each piece is about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper evenly over steaks. Place 2 sage leaves on each steak. Wrap 1 piece of prosciutto around each steak, pressing to adhere. (Prosciutto should cover the sage leaves.)

  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic cloves and remaining 4 sage leaves; cook, stirring often, until garlic is lightly browned and sage is crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; remove garlic peels, and set garlic cloves and sage aside. Pour half of oil in skillet into a heatproof bowl, and set aside; reserve remaining half of oil in skillet.

  3. Reheat oil in skillet over medium-high. Add 2 steak pieces, and cook, undisturbed, until prosciutto is browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip steaks, and cook until prosciutto is crispy and steaks are cooked to desired degree of doneness, about 2 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer  to a plate, and let rest. Discard oil in skillet. Add reserved oil to skillet, and repeat cooking process with remaining 2 steaks. Transfer to plate with reserved steaks. Do not wipe skillet clean.

  4. Add broth and wine to skillet, and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet using a wooden spoon, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk in butter until emulsified and creamy, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve steaks immediately with sauce, and garnish with reserved crispy sage and garlic cloves.

Tilapia with White Wine Cream Sauce

10+...so tasty, easy, and quick!! Serve with desired side (I went with Rice-A-Roni long grain & wild rice).

Link to original recipe: https://diethood.com/skillet-tilapia-with-creamy-lemon-sauce/

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

3 (or 4) skinless tilapia filets

salt and pepper, to taste

chopped fresh curly parsley, to garnish

for the cream sauce--

2 T. butter, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

1/4 c. heavy cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter. Season tilapia with salt & pepper.

2. Once heated/melted, add the tilapia to the skillet. Cook 3 minutes per side. Transfer filets to plate and set aside.

3. Add 1 T. of butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for 15-30 sec.

4. Slowly whisk in the white wine and cook until reduced by about a third (around 3-5 min).

5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add remaining 1 T. of butter, plus the heavy cream and whisk to melt/combine.

6. Whisk in the lemon juice, plus salt and pepper (to taste), and chopped parsley.

7. Return the tilapia to the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Turn filets to coat and let reheat in the sauce for 1-2 min.

8. Serve tilapia with sauce and enjoy!

Thai Pan-Grilled Skirt Steak

MMM. This is incredibly tasty and super easy! 10+/10 for sure. Served with boiled Basmati rice. 

Link to original recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-grilled-skirt-steak

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. toasted sesame oil

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 T. finely chopped fresh ginger

2 1/2 T. S&B brand crunchy garlic with chili oil (umami topping) --found at Meijer

2 T. salted cocktail peanuts (I will chop these next time I make this, though they were fine whole)

1 T. light brown sugar (packed)

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 lb. skirt steak (can be up to 2 lb; I just didn't have nor need that much)

1/4 c. chicken stock

pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, crunchy garlic paste/topping, peanuts, brown sugar, and lime juice. Add the skirt steak and move around to coat in the marinade. Position the steak so it is as covered as possible, then cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.

2. Set steak/marinade mixture out 30 minutes prior to cooking (to come up in temperature). Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat (or light an outdoor grill instead). Pull steak from marinade, let excess drip off, then place in grill pan. Cook 3 minutes per side, then place on a plate to rest for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Add the chicken stock, season with pepper, and heat over medium heat until reaches simmer/boil. Modify heat as needed to maintain low simmer for 3-5 minutes (I am not sure exactly how long I went).

4. Slice steak across grain, serve with cooked marinade sauce and enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Happy National Vanilla Cupcake day! In honor of this lovely day, I decided to try a recipe to make these from scratch. These turned out great! The texture is perfect, and I love that it only makes a dozen. And it's a very easy recipe. Note that you will need to set out 2 of the ingredients about an hour ahead of when you want to start, as they need to be room temperature (the eggs and milk).

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

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/golden-cupcakes

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

135g (1 1/8 c.) all-purpose flour

2 T. cornstarch

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

3/4 c. sugar *(in video, I subbed 2 T. of this with vanilla sugar instead of using vanilla extract)

1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 c. (4 T.) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 c. canola oil

1/2 c. milk, room temperature (I used 2%, but think I will go with whole next time)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 12 cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld electric mixer on medium high speed to combine the sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. You will need to mix for 3 minutes.

4. Add the butter and oil. Mix until combined and well incorporated, being sure to scrape the bowl as needed.

5. Add the dry mixture and milk one-third of each at a time, mixing well after each addition.

6. Scoop/pour batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each liner/cup to around 2/3 full.

7. Bake for 20-23 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. (I went 21 min; next time, will stop at 20 or possibly before, as a few of the edges were a bit brown on a couple of the cupcakes this time).

8. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove and transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling. Top with your favorite frosting (and sprinkles, if you like them like I do :)) and enjoy!

Basil Cream Parmesan Pasta with Pine Nut Topping

Need to use up some basil? Or just love basil? And delicious pasta? Here is the recipe for you! I came up with this by reading a couple of recipes and combining ideas from each. Enjoy! 

note: amounts are in metric because one of the recipes used for inspiration was on a French website and I decided to 

Ingredients:

200 g (dry weight) short pasta, such as mezzi rigatoni or penne

reserved pasta cooking water

200 mL heavy cream

10-15 g fresh basil leaves (no stems), chopped

50 mL Chardonnay (I used Barefoot brand)

50 mL chicken broth

pinch of ground nutmeg

pinch of salt (plus some for salting the pasta cooking water)

60 g finely shredded Parmesan Reggiano, plus more for topping

a small handful of pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. When draining, reserve a small amount of the pasta cooking water (around 1/4 c).

2. Mix the chopped basil leaves into the cream, then pour into a large saucepan. Stir in the Chardonnay and chicken broth, then heat over medium heat until simmer is reached, stirring occasionally. Once simmer is reached, lower heat to maintain a low simmer.

3. Stir in the nutmeg, pinch of salt, and Parmesan. Continue to barely simmer while pasta finishes cooking.

4. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the pine nuts until reaches a breadcrumb-like texture (if you go too long, you'll have paste, so pay attention :)) 

5. Once pasta has finished and has been drained, add a small amount of its cooking water to the cream sauce. Stir to combine and simmer for about a minute.

6. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the cooked pasta until well coated. Serve topped with a sprinkling of the ground pine nuts and some additional finely shredded Parmesan. Adjust salt level if needed. Enjoy!