Thin Mints

This is what happens when you make girl scout cookies at home and they're happily frozen:

This is what happens when you make girl scout cookies at home and forget to turn the mixer speed down:

Oh, heavenly happiness.  I adapted this recipe from 101Cookbooks... it's really quite simple, just a little time consuming so give it some patience and attention and they'll be great.  We enjoy them straight out of the freezer served with Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream!

Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)

Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (We used 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
peppermint extract, to taste (I think we ended up with 1/2 tsp)

Preheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.

Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.

Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Rollout and bake: Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, remember how thin Thin Mints are? That's how thin you need your dough, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (this time I used one with a fluted edge, I've done hearts and other shapes in the past). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack if you've got one.

Make the peppermint coating:
While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready. I use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate (a metal pan over a saucepan of gently simmering water), but I know many people who swear by melting chocolate in the microwave. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. If you think the chocolate needs a bit more peppermint kick, add more extract a drop or two at a time - but don't go overboard.

Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the aforementioned prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer, and I prefer them straight out of the freezer anyways ;)

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Quinoa Salad

Picture of this is coming soon...

I recently discovered quinoa and have been trying to figure out what exactly I'm supposed to do with it... this recipe was amazing!  It goes perfectly at a potluck or with a barbecue.

Ingredients:
2 c. uncooked quinoa - cooked according to package instructions
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
6 oz. feta cheese
3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. olive oil
black pepper

Directions:
While quinoa is cooking, put asparagus in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water.  Cook until tender but still firm, about 2-5 minutes.  Drain and immediately submerge in ice water and drain again.
Toss the asparagus, tomatoes, and feta with quinoa.  Add the olive oil and vinegar and season with pepper and toss to incorporate.

One night I stir-fried it to re-heat and threw in some diced ham as well.  It was delicious!

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Apple-Banana Muffins

Yummy! I adapted this recipe from Passionate Homemaking.  We ate them for breakfast in the morning and then threw some frosting on to turn them into cupcakes for dessert that evening!

Ingredients:
*1/3 c. butter, melted and cooled
*1/3 c. applesauce
1 c. brown sugar
*2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. yogurt
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. ripe bananas
2 apples, peeled, cored and grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together dry ingredients in small bowl.  In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, and eggs.  Beat in vanilla and yogurt.  Add dry ingredients to wet and stir just until combined.  Fold in apples and bananas.  Fill greased/floured or lined muffin tins with batter and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes:
* You can use all butter or all applesauce if you want... Next time I will use 2/3 cup applesauce and omit the butter.
* I didn't use eggs... I used flaxseed binder and I highly recommend it!

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Black Bean Soup

I forgot to take a picture of this before it was gobbled up, but it's definitely worth a try!  It was passed on to me from a magazine and I adapted the recipe so I could make it in the slow cooker.  If you would like the original recipe just let me know!

Ingredients:

4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 c. minced shallots
1 c. minced onion
2 t. ground cumin
4 t. chili powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
3 c. beef broth
4 oz. Canadian bacon, diced (about 5 slices)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Set aside 2 cups of the black beans.  Puree the remaining beans and tomatoes in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Pour mixture into a 4.5-quart crock pot or larger.  Add in reserved beans, squash, onions, shallots, garlic, and broth, but don't stir.  Heat the canadian bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Add to the crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours.  Add in the spices, stirring and adding more broth if it is too thick.  Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, and/or sour cream.

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Some New Favorite Things

This weekend we went to Seattle to spend some time with friends.  We didn't go to any hole-in-the-wall or fancy restaurants, but that's okay... instead, I left with a few more kitchen items to add to my arsenal!

1.  Cast-iron Skillet.

10 3/4", seasoned skillet made by Lodge Cookware for $19.95. I am very, VERY happy with this purchase from Sur La Table.  This store was incredible... I wanted to buy everything in it.  But we settled for this much-needed addition to my cookware.  Be looking for recipes that involve the use of my new baby!

2.  Soup Socks

The lovely Mrs. Wade introduced me to this concept.  I walked into her house Friday night welcomed by the homey aroma of chicken stock simmering.  Let's say I was more than enamored when I saw all the flavor makings in a neat little "sock" that can simply be picked up and thrown in the compost when the stock is done.  No more straining!  Also purchased from Sur La table, a pack of 3 for $2.95.

3. Silicone-Coated Whisk

Again, I had a heightened sense of envy when I saw this utensil in Mrs. Wade's kitchen!  Silicone-coated whisk from Crate & Barrel so that I can actually stir things are intended in my non-stick cookware without scratching the coating!  Thank you, Mrs. Wade for the someday-we'll-be-mother's day present. :)

4. Breakfast Bowl and Saucers

My favorite new kitchen, also courtesy of Mrs. Wade.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Mish! Two of these over-sized mugs and saucers in the reddish color are very happy in my cupboard and will be even more cheery with breakfast food in them!  

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Slack

This is an apology blog.  I promise to post new recipes by next Wednesday!  For now, go visit out some of my favorite links listed on the right-hand column...

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