Buttermilk Vanilla Cookies

Mmmmm these cookies are a delicious way to use up some leftover buttermilk!  I had been craving some cookies but also cake; these cookies are right in the middle, so it was quite the nice discovery.  Very easy to make, too.
Original recipe here:
http://jensfavoritecookies.com/2014/04/08/vanilla-buttermilk-cookies/

(yep, forgot to take a plated pic again...)

Ingredients:

--cookies--
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. flour

--icing--
3 T. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Cream butter and sugar together.

3. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

4. Add buttermilk, beat well.

5. Add salt, baking soda, and flour.  Beat until combined and smooth.

6. Drop onto cookie sheet with teaspoons in small balls.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes (I think I went around 13).

8. Remove to rack to cool after 1 minute.

9. To make icing, combine all icing ingredients in mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

10. Ice cookies and allow to set for a few minutes before stacking/placing on top of each other.  I dabbled just a little icing in middle of each and it skated a bit to sides (not too much, just right, but if you use too much, it will drip over sides of cookies, as shown on some).  I didn't have quite enough icing for all the cookies this made (think I was about 9 cookies short).  The cookies are really tasty even without the icing, so I just left some plain--they did not go to waste :)  Enjoy!

Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine (Epicurious/Bon Appétit version)

Yes, I love beef short ribs, not afraid to admit it.  Since they are heavy and fatty, I don't make them all that often (despite what it may look like in the blog lol--some of these are dishes I made as much as a month or two prior, this one included).  I had always wanted to try this one, just never got around to it.  Wish had before, as it is the best one I have tried yet!  The original amounts are a bit more than I needed, so I am listing the reduced amounts I used instead.

Original recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/red-wine-braised-shortribs-367736

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs. beef short ribs, bone-in, in 2-3" chunks
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
2 T. canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. tomato paste
3 c. dry red wine (used cabernet sauvignon, as recipe suggested)
7 springs Italian parsley (flat-leaf)
6 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs oregano
2 small sprigs rosemary
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
3 c. beef stock

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. (You can actually wait a bit before doing this, just be sure to remember!)

2. Season short ribs with salt and pepper.  In a Dutch oven, add the oil over medium-high heat.  Brown ribs on all sides, in two batches.  Place on plate and set aside.  Pour off all but 2 T. of drippings from the pot.

3. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot.  Cook, stirring often, until onions are browned, around 5 minutes.

4. Add flour and tomato paste.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, until mixture is deep red and well-combined.

5. Stir in the wine, then add short ribs and any accumulated juices.  Bring mixture to a boil.

6. Lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.

7. Add all herbs to pot, along with garlic.  Stir in stock.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and transfer to oven.

8. Cook in oven until short ribs are tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  If desired, strain sauce (I did not--think I just fished out the big pieces of herbs).  Served over desired side and enjoy! (I chose medium egg noodles, sans surprise :))

Blanquette de Veau (White Veal Stew)

This. was. amazing. It takes time, not a weeknight meal by any means--so worth it, though.  This is a traditional French dish, one that somehow I had never managed to get around to trying in France until my most recent trip there.  The version I had was one made at home, by a wonderful family I was lucky enough to stay with for a second time in one of my very favorite places in France.  It was made with chicken (blanquette de poulet) and was a bit quicker version; still wonderful nonetheless.  It can be made with other meats as well--this version is with veal, as the title indicates.  I used a recipe from a cookbook that is titled French: Delicious Classic Cuisine Made Easy (by Clements and Wolf-Cohen).  It is a book I bought a long time back at Borders (when that store still existed), and from the discount section, no less.  I modified only a little here and there to this recipe.  Next time, I shall have baguette on hand to mop up the amazing sauce...

Ingredients:

3 lbs. veal shoulder, cut into pieces (the original calls for boneless; I accidentally got bone-in and still used it (with bones) and all went well)
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
3 cups homemade chicken stock
1 medium to large onion (mine was in-between), studded with 2 cloves
4 carrots, sliced, divided
2 small or 1 large leek (I had a rather large one), light green and white parts sliced (dark green parts discarded)
1 garlic clove, halved
bouquet garni (I tied together some thyme, rosemary, Italian parsley, and a fresh bay leaf)
1 T. black peppercorns
5 T. butter, divided
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, quartered if large (mine were)
1/2 lb. pearl onions, outer layer peeled
1 T. superfine sugar (I am betting you could sub regular granulated; I had the superfine, so I used it)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. heavy cream or crème fraîche (I opted for heavy cream, as didn't feel like a trip to special store just for the latter)
pinch of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste (original recipe calls for white pepper, but this is just for appearance)

Instructions:

1. Put the veal in a large pot (preferably a Dutch oven).  Pour the chicken broth and chicken stock over the veal to cover and turn on burner to medium-high heat.  Bring to boil and skim off any foam that surfaces.

2. Add the studded onion, ONE of the sliced carrots, the leek(s), garlic, bouquet garni, and peppercorns.  Lower the heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan/skillet, melt 1 T. of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden on edges.  Transfer to a large bowl.

4. Lower heat slightly (like just above medium; original recipe does not call for lowering and I think it was actually a little too high; next time, I plan to lower at this stage) or remove pan from heat for a minute.  Add another 1 T. of butter to pan, melt, and then add pearl onions.  Sprinkle with the sugar, along with 6 T. of the veal cooking liquid.  Cover and simmer for around 10 minutes, or until onions are tender and liquid has evaporated, shaking pan to toss onions occasionally.  (I think I made it to about 8 minutes before the liquid appeared to be completely gone.)

5. Transfer the onions to the same bowl as the mushrooms.

6. Once the veal mixture is done simmering, use a slotted spoon to transfer only the veal to the same bowl as the mushroom and onions.

7. Strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl.  Discard the vegetables and bouquet garni.  Wash the pot and return it to medium heat.

8. Melt the remaining 3 T. butter.  Sprinkle flour over the butter and whisk together; continue whisking constantly (mixture must NOT brown!) for 1-2 minutes.

9. Slowly whisk in the reserved cooking liquid.  Increase heat slightly and bring to boil.  Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes, until smooth and slightly thickened, stirring occasionally and skimming foam if needed.

10. Add the remaining carrots and cook for 10 more minutes.

11. Whisk the cream into the sauce and simmer for a minute.

12. Return the reserved meat, mushrooms, and onions to the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming as needed and stirring occasionally.

13. Season with pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  If you had bone-in meat, remove bones before serving.  Ladle into bowls and enjoy a bit of heaven :)

Roast Chicken Stuffed with Cheese, Mushrooms, and Spinach

This recipe looks deceptively quick when reading it...then again, I am not a speedy cook, as I like to be sure I'm getting everything correct (this does not play in my favor, as you can imagine lol).  At any rate, this recipe was delicious and I will make it again...with some slight changes: 1. add the ingredients for the stuffing a little of each at a time instead of individually, 2. make when I can leave the windows open and not set off the smoke detectors, and 3. leave out the destroying of a basting brush (note to self: get a new basting brush, preferably silicon or other heat tolerant material...)

Here is a link to the original recipe:
http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/pollo-relleno-chicken-stuffed-with-manchego-mushrooms-and-spinach

(I chose this pic instead of the plated one because this isn't quite so beautiful plated.)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (4 1/2-5 lbs.)
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
4 T. unsalted butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. sliced quesadilla cheese (or provolone), cut into smaller pieces (like 1"x 1")
6 oz. thinly sliced white mushrooms (I actually used slightly more and had trouble fitting them in)
5 oz. fresh spinach, stems removed/cut off

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 450°F (I used 475°F as the original directions called for, but had to turn it down to 450° after 45 minutes because it was just creating too much smoke, and I think 475° is too much anyway.)  Season chicken all over with salt and pepper (I also seasoned cavity.)

2. Combine all the minced garlic and 1 T. of the butter in a small bowl. Slide fingers under the skin of each breast of the chicken to make a pocket.  Divide the garlic mixture among the two pockets and do your best to distribute it evenly in the pockets (this was not easy, in my opinion.)

3. Alternating between the three, stuff the breast pockets with the cheese, mushrooms, and spinach (I stuffed one at a time originally and it made getting the end parts in more difficult).  Once the pockets are filled, stuff remainder into the cavity.

4. At this point, the original recipe calls for trussing the chicken with a trussing needle.  Trussing just means closing up the cavity, basically, so, lacking the fancy needle, I opted to simply use cooking twine and some metal poultry pins that I had on hand.  I also looked up a video on YouTube of how to truss a chicken without a needle; I tried to follow the method shown (it looked so easy, much like so many Pinterest projects lol), but with the major amount of stuffing, it didn't work out quite like the video.  Unsexy as it is, I did manage to get it as closed as I could.  You then place it in a 9"x13" baking dish, with the breast side up, and top with the remaining butter:

5. Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, basting occasionally.  As I did this, I mentioned before that a couple of things happened.  The butter spatters all over, which is what caused my oven to smoke (it's a self-cleaning model) and the smoke detectors to deafen us three times.  After the first time, I lowered the rack from middle to next one down (lower 1/3). After the third time, I decided it could not hurt to tent it with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.  I think it worked well, but the pan still got quite messy.  Despite my effort of needle-free trussing, some of the filling escaped at around the 1 hour mark; I don't think this hurt anything.

6. Carve and serve with desired sides, enjoy!  I chose chips and salsa, thus why my plate is full of chips :)

S'mores Cookies

This is a recipe I made only once before and not again since, as the last time it was quite the messy experience.  Who knew that marshmallow creme would be so sticky haha? Don't get me wrong, the cookies were very delicious and I wanted to do them again (obviously).  Another factor that usually keeps these off my list is the need for ingredients I do not typically keep on hand (marshmallow creme and Hershey's kisses). This time, I was determined to make it go better...and I succeeded!
Link to original recipe:
http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/smore-cookies-please/

The picture shown here is not the full batch--which, for the second time on a Midwest Living cookie recipe now (in my experience), yielded much more than indicated.  This would have made ~71 cookies, but I didn't bake the last 3 as I didn't want to run the oven for just 3 (and there are cookie dough lovers in my house, so... :))  Nearly twice as many as the 42 it seems to think one will get.  And I made them a little large this time, as I was trying out my new cookie scoop--a 1.5 T scoop, which is a little large for these.  So, point here is, be ready for lots or reduce!

Ingredients:

4 c. regular/old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. finely crushed graham crackers (about 1 package when there are 3 in a box; I used Honey Maid brand)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 T. vanilla
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme, scooped out into a 1 GAL size Ziploc-type bag (yes, you need to use that size or you will have the mess problem I talked about!)
~70 Hershey's kisses, unwrapped (make sure you have more, just in case)

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine first 7 ingredients (oats through salt).  Set aside.

2. In mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds.

3. Beat in brown sugar and sugar.

4. Beat in eggs, milk, and vanilla.

5. Add as much of the oat mixture as you can with the mixer, then rest by hand (I was able to get it all in with mixer).

6. Chill batter for at least 1 hour, but not more than 4 (no idea what happens if you go longer, just repeating what the original says.  I went 2 hours this time.)

7. Heat oven to 375°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Scoop/spoon out 1" dough balls and place 2" apart on sheets.

9. Bake for 8-9 minutes; they will still look a little unset in middles.

10. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.  Working quickly, use the back of a spoon to make a small dent in the middle of each (I'm not sure this was really necessary, but did it anyhow).

11. Snip a small corner (about 1/4 inch or slightly larger) off of the Ziploc bag with the marshmallow creme in it.  Pipe a small ball of creme onto middle of each cookie.

12. Press a Hershey's kiss, tip down, into middle of each creme ball.  Return cookies to oven for 2-3 more minutes (if you go too long, the marshmallow creme will begin to harden a bit).

13. Cool on sheet for 1 minute before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.  Get some milk and enjoy!

Pecan Crusted Pork Noisettes

This a great weeknight recipe--comes together fast and is very good.  Not quite as good as the pecan crusted tilapia I posted back in August--just a nice second place in the pecan crusted category :)  I only modified the amount of pork tenderloin; there was only just enough coating for the amount I used, think a whole pound of tenderloin would come up short.  Served with rosemary potatoes (yep, family favorite!)

Link to original recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pecan-crusted-pork-noisettes

Ingredients:

1/3 c. coarsely ground pecans
1/3 c. panko
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. water
1 large egg
3/4 to 7/8 lb pork tenderloin (I didn't weigh, just know it was a little under 1 pound), sliced into 6 and pounded to 1/4" thickness
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 T. butter

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine pecans and panko on a small cookie sheet that has edges (original recipe indicates a jelly roll pan; I found that my smallest sheet worked just fine).  Bake for 5-10 minutes (I think I went just under 6), until pecans looked toasted (not burnt!)

3. Place crumbs in a shallow dish or plate.  Place flour in a shallow dish or plate.  Combine egg and water in a shallow dish or plate.

(Yes, I forgot to get the other two in the frame--you can see them at the edges lol)

4. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper (I actually didn't measure), then dredge in flour.  Follow by dipping in egg mixture, then coat in pecan mixture.

5. Melt half of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add half of pork to pan.  Cook 2 minutes on each side.  Repeat for second half of pork.

6. Place cooked pork on pan used in second step (or another one if you feel like more dishes ;))  Bake for 5 minutes.

(Forgot to get the after baking shot before everyone else took their servings!)

7. Serve with favorite side and enjoy!