Doughnut Muffins

This is another cop-out post... it's the weekend which simply means that I let you see other sites that I get inspiration and recipes from. THIS recipe, French Breakfast Puffs, is delectable. And a heart attack. In fact, I told Mac when they were all done that they were basically a heart attack and he said, "Well, in that case I'll have two! I'll have TWO heart attacks!" Heh... I hope not literally.I have renamed them doughnut muffins, because...

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Bowtie pasta and Brussels sprouts

No pictures for this... I'm lazy apparently, and forgetful. But, this is deeericious!! Rachael Ray throws the occasional healthy, yummy dish. This, would be one. And because I'm lazy and forgetful, I will simply direct you to her website to find this tasty dinner!A couple of changes we made:- Added italian-herbed baked chicken. Super easy, just brush some chicken breasts or tenders with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and italian herb seasoning, and bake, covered with foil for about 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.- Replaced honey-roasted...

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Molten Chocolate Cake

Oh. my. goodness. amazing. rich. decadent. heavenly. perfect. won a chuckling "oh, oh, oh" from Dad, king of chocolate lovers. Okay, enough said.... here ya go:6 oz. semi sweet chocolate2 oz. bittersweet chocolate3/4 c. unsalted butter3 egg yolks3 whole eggs3/4 c. sugar3/4 c. all purpose flourButter 6 six-ounce ceramic ramekins and dust with flour. In a bowl over a double-boiler, melt the butter and chocolate, set aside and let cool. In a mixing...

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Roast Lemon Chicken

Ah, the main course. Did you know that whole chickens are ridiculously cheap?? It was $7.04 for two 4 lb. chickens. AWESOME. And, in case you don't know, that made about 10 servings of chicken. I'm very happy with whole chickens at the moment. :) This recipe came yet again from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. I wish you could just use my book because it has great photos of the prepping process... oh well, you'll have to just try and follow my...

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Skillet-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots

Don't let the mention of brussels sprouts turn you away - they're so much better than the negative fame they've received! Especially when you toss them with some good seasoning and BACON. yum. This was served as the side to the main course. The recipe is from my beloved cookbook, America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. The only thing I found was the cook time was a bit too long, but I think I like my vegetables a little on the crunchy side anyways.Ingredients:4...

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Grapefruit-mint sorbet

I'm not going to lie, this was a bit different... only because our taste buds are not trained to have a sorbet that is not sweet. I got the idea and recipe from finedinings.com to have a sorbet before the main course as a palate cleanser... I thought it was very elegant and sophisticated, and we had a great time trying it out. We were concerned that it didn't make very much, but you really don't need (or want) more than a few bites.Ingredients:1/2...

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Baked Potato Soup

I chose this particular soup for our formal dinner night because I wanted a heavier soup that I could cook in the crock pot. This is the recipe that I came up with after adapting it from cdkitchen.com. It was a big hit - probably my favorite part of the dinner (except the molten chocolate cake, of course)! 4-6 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes1 onion, chopped1 quart chicken broth3 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup butter2 1/2...

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Rosemary Whole-Wheat Bread

This is a bread machine recipe. Super easy, and I can't exactly claim that it's entirely home made since I basically throw all the ingredients in the machine and let it do it's thing!For a 2 lb. loaf:1 1/2 cups warm water (80-90 degrees)4 Tbs. olive oil, extra virgin1 1/2 tsp. salt4 c. whole-wheat bread flour (or 2 cups whole wheat, 2 cups white bread flour)3 tsp. dried rosemary2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast2 tsp. vital wheat glutenPut all the ingredients...

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Mesclun Greens with Asparagus and Lemon Vinaigrette

The inspiration for this salad came from a website I found called finedinings.com - check it out if you want. I forgot to take a pretty picture of this salad with the asparagus stacked up like lincoln logs around the salad... oh well. My dad said it looked ready to start a fire. For six servings:48 asparagus logs12-18 oz. package of mesclun greens1 recipe lemon vinaigrette (see below)Cut the asparagus into 4-inch pieces. Steam until tender (but...

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Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail with Horseradish Cocktail Sauce from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook2 tsp fresh lemon juice2 bay leaves1 tsp salt1 tsp black peppercorns1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning1 lb. extra-large shrimp peeled and deveined 1 c. Horseradish Cocktail Sauce:Bring the lemon juice, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, Old Bay, and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the shrimp. Cover and steep off...

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Fine Dining...

On Saturday, we hosted a formal dinner in honor of Grama's 78th birthday. It was the whole deal - 8 courses, each plated right before serving. It was a lot of time and hard work, but worth every dirty dish! :) The following posts include all the course recipes:- Shrimp cocktail- Rosemary whole-wheat bread- Mixed greens with asparagus and lemon vinaigrette- Baked potato soup- Grapefruit-mint sorbet- Roasted Lemon Chicken on brown rice- Skillet-braised...

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