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Making a dessert for a crowd is often assumed to be time-consuming, difficult, and just something that adds more stress and complication to planning a meal. It does not have to be that way, and this simple dessert proves it. It can also be healthy, exotic, and impressive. In addition to being a crowd-pleaser, this dish is also great when made for one. You likely already have the ingredients in your fridge/pantry – you just never thought of combining them before. It doesn’t have to be dessert, either…it would even be a nice breakfast or mid-afternoon snack. Can you tell that I love versatility when it comes to food?
Greek Yogurt with Red Wine Infused Dates, Toasted Walnuts, and Honey
Serves 1, but can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 packet Stevia sweetener
- 1 tablespoon walnuts
- 1 cup red wine
- 5 dried, pitted dates (can substitute any dried fruit you like)
- 1 teaspoon honey
Put the red wine and dried dates in a small saucepan. Simmer on medium-low until the dates are soft.
In the meantime, toast the walnuts in a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Stir the Stevia packet into the Greek yogurt. Drain the dates from the red wine, and add to the yogurt. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts on top, and drizzle with the 1 teaspoon of honey. And that’s all she wrote!
On a bit of a side note, I discovered something recently which I’d like to share. It’s pretty appropriate here, this being a blog I’m writing in. It’s a valuable piece of advice, no matter who you are and what you’re going through. Whenever you have thoughts running around in your head and you want them to stop, write them down. It’s the only way to get them out of your head and place them somewhere else, where they belong. It makes the internal become external. There’s a reason why diaries are some of the oldest written records in existence and so commonplace among the human experience. Try it sometime, even if you don’t particularly enjoy writing. The way you will feel afterwards makes it all worth it.
~Elena
I find it very fun to turn a dish that’s normally savory into something sweet. You’d be surprised how easily and often this can be done, and how deliciously exotic the results are. I basically did that here with chips and salsa. Another thing you’d be surprised by: how easy it is to make your own homemade baked chips. They have few ingredients, minimal preparation, and easy cleanup. Plus, the salsa doesn’t require any heavy-duty slicing and dicing that you’d normally need a food processor for. The possibilities are endless, too – you can mix up what carbs you use (tortillas, pita, naan, etc.), the spices, and the fruit you use in the salsa.
This is a great snack or even light lunch for one, and it would also make a crowd-pleasing appetizer for a party or get-together. In the summer, it really hits the spot. However, I’m making this in February because California is lucky enough to already have amazing strawberries at good prices on the shelves this time of year (I got mine for $1.50 a pint), and kiwis are readily available at good quality year-round. If this isn’t quite the case where you live, frozen berries would work, or you could just hold off until summer. I’ve also come up with a clever, cute name (if I must say so myself) for eating healthy chips and dip: skinny dipping. You’re welcome :)
Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Chips with Strawberry Kiwi Salsa
Chips:
- 2 whole-wheat tortillas
- 1 teaspoon flavor-neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
- Pinch of salt
Salsa:
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 medium kiwi
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles
To make the chips, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the tortillas in half, then into quarters, and then into eighths. In a medium bowl, toss them around with the oil, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Lay them out on a baking sheet lined with tin foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (there’s the easy cleanup part!). Bake for 7 minutes on each side or until crispy, and let them cool.
For the salsa, slice the strawberries and put them in a small saucepan. Peel the kiwi, cut it in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise again, and slice them up. Place in the pan along with the strawberries. Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Simmer on medium-low heat until it reaches your desired thickness. It depends on how you normally like your salsa: either loose and with plenty of juice, or chunky with less juice. Here’s how mine came out:
Let cool. Once it’s cooled, stir in the blue cheese crumbles.
Happy skinny dipping!
~Elena
Oxymoron, much? Of course, quesadillas aren’t Greek, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be made Greek-style. How to do this? Pita bread instead of tortillas, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, spinach, oregano, and a tzatziki sauce for dipping in lieu of sour cream. Tzatziki sauce is traditionally made with plain Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and a fresh herb such as dill or mint. I decided to mix it up a tiny bit and use lime juice instead of lemon, to add a little bit of zestiness. Oh, and about Greek yogurt – in case you haven’t heard, it’s very good for you, and I often like to substitute it for sour cream in recipes (the plain, non-sweetened kind of course). It has that same tang and zip to it, and I find it very refreshing.
Refreshing? In January? Well, it may as well be the middle of summer here in LA – it reached 79 degrees today – so it was only appropriate.
Greek Quesadilla with Lime Tzatziki Sauce
Quesadilla:
- 1 whole wheat pita pocket
- 1/3 cup reduced fat feta cheese
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- 6 Kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Lime Tzatziki Sauce:
- 3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, strained (Fage Total 0% comes already strained)
- 1/4 cup seedless cucumber (often called hothouse or English cucumber), peeled and grated
- 1 garlic clove
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped (dried could work too – use a half teaspoon instead, dried herbs are stronger)
- Salt and pepper
This will make a lot of dip, so you’ll have some leftover. It’s a great dip for raw veggies, and could even be used as a creamy salad dressing or a marinade.
First, prepare the filling. Thaw and drain the spinach by microwaving it in a bowl with a little bit of water, covered with a plate (like this), for 2 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water with a towel. Add the spinach into a small bowl, and mix it with the feta, chopped Kalamata olives, and oregano.
Next, you’ll need to cut open the pita pocket so that it functions like a tortilla would in a quesadilla. Do this by carefully running a knife through the edge of it all the way around, like so:
And you’ll end up with these guys.
Place one of the pita rounds on a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, and spread the filling on top of it. Place the other pita round on top, and let cook until the bottom pita round is crispy. Flip it over to the other side using a large spatula, and crisp the other pita round. Cut it into fourths after it’s done.
For the sauce, stir together the yogurt, grated cucumber, lime juice, and chopped dill. For the garlic, grate the clove, and on a cutting board, sprinkle some salt over it and crush it with the edge of a butcher’s knife.
This is a technique that takes the edge off of raw garlic, and it changes its texture so that it’s more like a paste. Stir it into the sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste, and it’s ready to be dipped into.
This quesadilla may be going through somewhat of an identity crisis, but don’t worry – it’ll probably be devoured before that’s ever solved.
Every once in a while (okay, more like very often), I get the urge to bake something. Anything. Even if I only have the ingredients to make something plain and simple, like chocolate chip cookies or cocoa brownies, I’ll do it just to get my baking fix. There’s just something so pleasing and comforting about it, and I often use it to de-stress. Not just the baked goods themselves, but the entire process of making them.
So, to fulfill my most recent yearning to bake something, I made blondies. Not just any blondies, but health-ified ones – whole wheat, almost fat-free, banana chocolate chip blondies.
Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Blondies
Adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego‘s recipe for Basic One-Bowl Blondies – a super easy go-to recipe.
Makes 16 blondies, 120 calories each
- 7 tablespoons (1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 medium banana, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8×8 inch baking dish. Hint for greasing the dish: if you’re skeptical about those cooking sprays designed for baking, don’t be! I’ve use them several times, and they work quite well and are very convenient.
Add the applesauce into a medium bowl, then stir in the brown sugar. Try to get rid of as many lumps as you can. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips and sliced banana, and pour into the baking dish, using a spatula to level off the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
The applesauce replaces the butter in this recipe, making these virtually fat free (with the exception of the egg) and reducing the calorie count significantly. Plus, whole wheat flour has more nutrients and fiber than white. I can tell you that I make these swaps all the time in baking recipes, and can never tell the difference. Even when I have others try them, they can’t tell either – once I tell them the swaps I made, they’re always surprised.
Happy healthy baking!
As I wrote in this post, Italian food may be intimidating to some, but really it’s all about simplicity, few ingredients, but big flavor. This recipe definitely embodies that philosophy. It has eight simple ingredients (two of which I added for some extra flair), takes about 15-20 minutes to make, uses only two pans, and still manages to be delectable. It’s also genius if you ask me – who says pasta has to be boiled in water? Why not…gee, I don’t know, red wine anyone? Sure, why not. The Italians call it spaghetti ubriachi, or “drunken spaghetti”, an appropriate and adorable name.
Drunken Spaghetti (Red Wine Spaghetti) with Olives, Capers, and Shaved Parmesan
- 3 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (could use white pasta of course – cooking time will vary though, see instructions)
- 1 cup red wine (preferably something inexpensive but drinkable – I used a cheap Zin)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 olives (any kind you like, I used Kalamata), halved
- 1 tablespoon capers
- Parmesan cheese
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes (6 minutes if you’re using white pasta – whole wheat takes longer). Drain the pasta and set it aside. Pour the red wine into the same pot, bring it to a boil, and add the drained pasta. Cook the pasta in the red wine until it absorbs most of it, about 4 minutes (2 if using white pasta). Drain the pasta again when it’s done, getting rid of any excess wine. In the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a medium pan, and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté the garlic until it’s just browned. Stir in the pasta, and add the olives and capers. Garnish with shaved parmesan.
Enjoy it with whatever wine you used, and maybe you’ll end up drunker than your pasta is!
;)
Pear? On a sandwich? And RAW kale?! I’ve always loved food and cooking, but I admit, I haven’t always been as “adventurous” with it as the tagline above indicates. Now, I’ll try just about anything, and that includes mixing sweet and savory, and eating raw kale which I’ve always feared would be too bitter for my taste. Well, turns out it’s not, and it actually adds a delicious flavor element to this sandwich.
I also read a really good article the other day titled 20 New Year’s Resolutions For 20-Somethings. I particularly liked #13:
Try that food you think you don’t like but have never actually tried, unless it’s brussels sprouts. They really don’t need any more attention.
While I completely disagree with what’s said there about Brussels sprouts, I thought about whether this resolution applies to me, and if so, which food does it concern? I immediately thought of raw kale. While I adore sauteed kale, I always thought eating it raw was a little extreme for me, even being the health nut I often am. I thought of raw kale as something you just force down your throat while you’re doing some crazy cleanse or super strict nutritional regimen. But really, I had never actually tried it myself. This also happens to be a personal pet peeve of mine – dissing a food and saying you don’t like it or wouldn’t like it, without ever actually trying it. So I decided to stop the hypocrisy once and for all.
Turkey, Pear, and Raw Kale Sandwich
- 2 slices whole wheat bread
- Sliced turkey breast
- 1 pear (whatever your favorite kind is, I used a Bosc pear), cut into slices
- 1 leaf of raw kale
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 wedge of Laughing Cow blue cheese
- Balsamic vinegar
Spread one slice of bread with the Dijon mustard, and the other with the Laughing Cow cheese wedge. On the slice with the mustard, brush on some balsamic vinegar using a pastry brush if you have one. Otherwise, just drip it onto the bread, being careful not to pour too much out at once. Place some pear slices on the piece of bread with the cheese (save the rest of the pear for snacking later, or have it on the side), and the kale leaf on the piece with the mustard. Add the turkey, and assemble the sandwich.
I love the flavor and texture complexities going on in this sandwich: there’s the sweetness of the pear, the creaminess of the cheese spread, the acidity of the balsamic, the tangy flavor from the Dijon, the bitterness and crunch from the kale, and the savoriness of the turkey.
Will you make #13 one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2012? I hope you do – I’m sure glad I did.
Aside from this discovery, I have great news! I am extremely proud to announce that Willow at Will Cook for Friends has chosen my blog, along with 4 other food blogs, for the Liebster Blog Award! Here’s how the award works:
‘Liebster’ is a German word meaning “dearest” or “favorite”, and the award is given by bloggers to bloggers (more specifically, to new bloggers who have less than 200 followers) to give recognition and spread the love. As a recipient, it is my duty to:
A. Thank those who nominated me and link back to them.
B. List five other blogs to receive the Liebster, and let them know they’ve been awarded by commenting on said blogs, and
C. Proudly copy/paste the Award on my blog.
I’d like to thank Will Cook for Friends for flattering me with this award. I love the award’s concept of passing the award along after receiving it. I think it’s a great way to spread the word about newer, smaller food blogs and build up their confidence about how their blog is being received by other food bloggers. Now, in no particular order, here are the 5 food blogs I have chosen:
- My Kitchen and I – Renee is an “Ordinary average single woman living in the middle of nowhere special having global culinary adventures in an unremarkable kitchen and a tiny cracker box house.” I can certainly relate to this, as I also cook for myself in my tiny apartment kitchen. It can still be enjoyable, as Renee shows on her blog. I also love the historical background she adds to her posts and her seeming interest in the ancient culinary arts – she links to a book by Apicius, an ancient Roman who wrote the first ever cookbook.
- Tweatery – This blog is extremely new and only has three posts so far, but I just LOVE the concept! A lot of people love to tweet what they are cooking or eating and read other tweets of the same nature, so why not dedicate a food blog to this practice? I look forward to what is to come on this blog.
- Lemon Savory – Abby’s blog focuses on mostly healthy foods, but with splurges thrown in here and there. This makes for a very well-rounded blog – you get the best of both worlds. Her writing style is also very simple, clear, and easy to follow with great tips, techniques, and step-by-step photo instructions.
- Soup Night and Other Delights – A great niche blog with healthy recipes and an emphasis on soup. In particular, the soup is for “soup night” which the blogger regularly spends with her grown children – a cute idea and an example of how food brings people together. I also dig the magazine-style layout of the blog, as well as the other layouts that the reader can choose from. Very convenient and innovative!
- Good Table Matters – Had to make a shoutout to a blog that emphasizes the value of cooking with real, local food. She even includes a page dedicated to local producers from the LA area, helping them gain the business they truly deserve. Also, like Lemon Savory, she’s not afraid to include decadent recipes.
When you want a healthy sweet treat or dessert, fresh fruit is the way to go. However, that can be difficult when it’s dead in the middle of winter. Luckily, you can always rely on apples, which are pretty much in season and readily available year-round. I actually came up with this dessert when I was living in the dorms at UCLA. My only cooking tool was a microwave, which I would often make oatmeal in. Subsequently, I kept around some staple items I love to put in oatmeal: apples, dried fruit, nuts, spices, and sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. One night I experimented by basically combining all these items and seeing if I could make a “baked” apple in the microwave, and it worked! From then on it was my go-to for an easy, quick fruit dessert whenever I was craving something sweet. I also realized later on that it’s extremely versatile, and I came up with several potential variations which I’ll share below.
Microwave “Baked” Apple, plus variations
- 1 baking apple, such as Granny Smith or Fuji
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon*
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)*
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
*For the cinnamon and nutmeg, you could substitute a teaspoon of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice if you have it.
First, slice up the apple. If you have a melon baller, use this method: with a large knife, slice the apple in half right down the middle, then scoop out the core on each half using a melon baller. A grapefruit spoon would also work.
Then, cut out the stem and inedible parts with the top tip of the knife.
Cut each half into wedges, and the apple is ready. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using), brown sugar, vanilla, and raisins.
Cover the bowl with an upside-down plate, like so:
This allows the apple to steam, creating the “baked” effect. Microwave for 3 minutes, then remove it using a towel or oven glove (watch out, the bowl and plate will be HOT). Add the walnuts, drizzle the maple syrup on top, and tell your sweet tooth to wait a minute while it cools down before you enjoy it.
Can you just smell the cinnamon?
And that warm apple pie smell?
I sure can. Now for those variations I mentioned:
- Use different nuts besides walnuts, such as almonds or pecans
- Add a tablespoon of chocolate chips instead of raisins
- Substitute dried cranberries for the raisins
- Drizzle honey or agave nectar on top instead of maple syrup, or if you really want to treat yourself, some store-bought caramel or butterscotch sauce
- Use orange juice instead of lemon juice
- Substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract
- Add a teaspoon of peanut butter or Nutella
Let your culinary imagination run wild, and I’m sure you’ll dream up many more!
…Say that five times fast! It sounds complicated, but if you keep a good stash of ingredients from the Asian food aisle in your pantry, this dish is a no-brainer. That, and a little help from the grocery store. When I know I have a busy week ahead of me, I love making a huge portion of something that I can keep in my fridge and pick at throughout the week. This particular dish is perfect for those kinds of weeks. It’s also good either hot or cold, which makes it even more convenient. It does have a lot of ingredients, but most of them require minimal or no chopping and preparation. And, as you can probably tell by the title, it’s full of multi-dimensional, complex flavor.
Shrimp, Noodle, and Veggie Stir-Fry with Spicy Peanut Soy Sesame Sauce
Makes A LOT of servings. You can buy pre-shredded cabbage and carrots, which I highly recommend – much less time and mess.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 3 oz. soba noodles (a bundle about 1 inch in diameter)
- 15 pieces of peeled, de-veined frozen shrimp
- 1 1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1/4 head green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 bell pepper (any color you like, I used green)
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, or snow peas
- 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1 bundle green onions
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, or rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – use less if you don’t want it very spicy
Get a pot of water boiling for the soba noodles. When it starts boiling, add the noodles and cook for 6-8 minutes, then drain and set aside. Add the vegetable or canola oil to a large, high-sided pan, or a wok if you have one, on medium-high heat. I suggest you put a cutting board right next to the pan, so you can easily “chop-and-drop” your veggies into the pan (hate to use a Rachael Ray-ism, but I just did). Gather up all of the ingredients except the ones for the sauce. First, add the shrimp and cook them until they’re pink and translucent. This happens very fast, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the shredded purple cabbage, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, sugar snap peas, and edamame, and toss around in the pan with the shrimp. Chop up the celery, cutting it on the diagonal, and cut the bell pepper up into strips. Add them into the pan. Cut the 1/4 cabbage head into long, medium-width strips, and add to the pan. Cut the green onions right over the pan using scissors (a trick I learned from the fabulous Nigella Lawson). Cook until the green cabbage wilts, and turn off the heat. Lastly, add the cooked soba noodles and toss everything together.
To make the sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients in a small jar or tupperware container, loosen up the peanut butter a little bit with a fork, close the lid securely, and shake it up. Pour the sauce over the stir-fry, toss, get out some chopsticks, and chow down! I like it with a bowl of miso soup, which can be found in individual packages. Just boil 1 cup of water (or microwave it for 2 minutes), and stir in the package ingredients.
Another awesome convenience this recipe offers – when the leftovers aren’t looking like much, stretch them out by adding some chicken broth and make it into a soup. I’m telling you, this dish will keep you from going hungry and scrounging for food all week. Well, unless you love it as much as I do and end up eating it for lunch AND dinner every day until it’s gone…and then make more :)
My favorite kinds of gifts to give are of the edible kind. The thought and effort that goes into it is enough to make anyone grateful and appreciative. I get just as much enjoyment out of making and giving them as others do from receiving them.
So as much as I love baking during this time of year, it’s got to be easy. Otherwise, I won’t enjoy it as much. I love a good challenging recipe every once in a while, but not when you need to make mass quantities of something. No one’s going to judge you if you opt for something easy. Well, unless it’s some Sandra Lee-esque ridiculously-lazy-just-put-some-store-bought-pre-made-ingredients-together-and-call-it-something-cutesy-and-original type of thing. In that case, I judge. Can’t you tell?
A couple of years ago, I made Giada De Laurentis’ Holiday Biscotti. When it comes to baking holiday gifts, I’ve always loved the concept of using ingredients that are of the colors representing whichever holiday it is. You know, black and orange for Halloween, red white and blue for 4th of July, or of course, red white and green for Christmas. I also like for it to represent my family being Italian. So, this recipe is perfect. And it’s as easy as biscotti gets. Especially when you have step-by-step, photo instructions!
Holiday Biscotti
(Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 12 ounces good-quality white chocolate
- Red and green sprinkles
*To zest a lemon, grate the yellow outer skin with a microplane or any fine grater, just until you see white.
The first thing I prefer to do when baking is get all of the ingredients out. That way I’m not running around the kitchen gathering ingredients the whole time. Also get out all of the measuring cups and spoons you’ll need, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure there’s nothing in your oven, so you don’t, ya know, accidentally start a fire in your kitchen or anything like that (which I’ve idiotically come close to doing before).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
Next, place the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer if you have one (otherwise this can be done using a hand mixer). Speaking of sugar…
That above is the little something extra and special that I like to add to these cookies. A little touch of mine to put even more love into them. If you ever use a vanilla bean for a recipe, save the pods and stick them in a jar along with some granulated sugar (that’s what those twig looking things are). It adds a subtle yet noticeable vanilla scent and flavor to your sugar, which will be apparent in whatever you bake with it. I gave these cookies to my co-workers last year, and they were all asking what the special ingredient I added was – without me even mentioning it. I can’t think of it being anything but the vanilla sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed, using the paddle attachment. Do this until the mixture looks like clumpy wet sand, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed (a rubber spatula works best).
Add in the eggs one at a time. Let the first egg get fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the second egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one more time and make sure everything is mixed.
Lower the mixer speed to medium-low, and slowly add in the flour mixture.
Let everything mix together, once again scraping down the sides when needed. The dough will seem a little dry and tough, but that is what you want.
Get all of the dough off of the paddle, and stir in the dried cranberries and pistachios.
Line a large heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. You could also spray it with cooking spray, or use a very cool baking tool called a silpat (about $15 at Walmart or Target). On the baking sheet, form the dough into a 13″ long, 3″ wide log. And here’s an old Italian biscotti-making tip: wet your hands before handling and shaping the dough. It keeps the dough from sticking to your fingers. You can estimate the size of the log – a little bit longer than your forearm, and a little bit wider than your index finger.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes until slightly golden brown. Let it rest for 30 minutes after it’s finished baking.
After it’s rested and cooled, cut it on the diagonal with a serrated knife into pieces 1/2 to 1″ thick.
Melt the white chocolate on a double boiler. This is how a double boiler is set up:
Just fill a small saucepan about 1″ of the way up with water, and bring it up to a simmer. Fill a heat-safe bowl with the white chocolate, and place the bowl on top of the saucepan. Stir the white chocolate until it’s melted and smooth. Immediately move on to the next step before the chocolate starts to harden.
Using a large spoon, smear the melted white chocolate on one end of each cookie, then sprinkle with the red and green sprinkles. This has to be done somewhat quickly so that the white chocolate doesn’t harden and the sprinkles stick.
And they’re done! Happy holiday baking and edible gift-giving!
And remember…the edge pieces are always the chef’s sample :)
Remember how I said that I recently fell in love with kale, even to the point where I find it addicting? It’s true. My dad made a quick run to the store and he asked if I needed anything, so I told him to get me a head of kale. I ended up going with him, and was pleasantly surprised to find this:
Suddenly I was inspired to make a gnocchi dish with the kale and just a few other ingredients. I never thought I’d be able to find whole wheat gnocchi, so I felt compelled to make something with it and blog about it. Gnocchi is great because it cooks fast, and it’s so flavorful on its own that it only needs a light, simple sauce. You could certainly make this with regular white flour gnocchi, as I know whole wheat gnocchi is hard to find. Life is too short to only allow yourself to eat whole wheat pasta. I just opt for it whenever I have the chance, such as with this recipe.
Gnocchi with Kale, Broccoli, Chicken, and Pesto
Makes 4 servings
- 1 14-oz package fresh gnocchi
- Ingredients for sauteed garlicky, vinegary kale
- 1 medium head broccoli
- 1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded (I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken – always good to have on hand)
- 1/4 cup store-bought pesto
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt
Bring a pot of salted water up to a boil for the gnocchi. Cut the head of broccoli up into florets. Once the water is boiling, drop in the gnocchi. If you have a steaming apparatus than can go on top of that same pot, do a little multitasking magic:
That’s the pot for the gnocchi with a steamer on top of it cooking the broccoli. Nice trick for dirtying up fewer dishes and using fewer burners on your stove. A warning, though: Keep the heat on medium. I had mine on high, but the water for the gnocchi started to boil over. Yikes! While the gnocchi and broccoli and cooking (they should take about 5-8 minutes), prepare the garlicky vinegary kale using the recipe from a previous post, linked to in the ingredients list above. Once the gnocchi and broccoli are done, drain the gnocchi and add it to the kale, along with the broccoli and shredded chicken. Make sure the heat on the pan is off. Add the pesto, and toss it around with the gnocchi. And here I go with the rules of thumb again…never cook pesto over an open flame. Italians get very angry when this is done. Just allow the heat of the pasta to warm it up. This is because pesto is mostly basil, and basil tastes bitter when it’s cooked too much. Plate the pasta, and add some grated parmesan cheese over the top.
Here’s a pretty good indication that this dish turned out alright: My mom, who’s normally not a huge fan of kale, absolutely loved it. She took one bite while I wasn’t looking, and told me it was fabulous. I’m a sucker for color, too, so this definitely hit the spot in that respect. It’s got a nice green theme to it. Obviously, my love affair with kale continues, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.
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