Conversation Heart Cookies

Love is in the air.  With Valentines Day around the corner, you can’t help think about love - whether you are in love or seeking the love of you life.  You may love this holiday or despise it.  Hopefully it is the first.

Hubby and I joke that it is a Hallmark Holiday.  We certainly don’t go overboard by going out to a super expensive dinner.  Hubby always says to me, I have my own personal executive chef at home, so why dine out.  I am always flattered.  I do like to balance eating at home and dining out.  However, for Valentines Day, a delicious dinner at home by the fire is at the top of my list.  We exchange small gifts, a mushy card and simply enjoy each others company for the evening.

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I understand that this holiday can bring on different emotions depending on your personal situation.  Since I am internal optimist, I hope that each of you celebrate in a way that makes you happy.  Whether it is with your loved one, friends or with family, it is a day to enjoy some sweets and good wishes.  If you need some ideas, I did a bit of scouring the internet for ideas and thought I would share:

• Need ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day with your loved one that are both unique and romantic, then check out 100 ideas here.
• Do you want to make your own Valentine's Day gifts, then click here to gain some cleaver and cute ideas.
• Need some new ideas for Valentine's Day - here are 8 great gift ideas for married couples.
• Trying to save money, here are numerous ideas that are inexpensive or free.
• Are you crafty?  If so, here are several cute ideas that you can make this week.
• If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, here is a list of restaurants with Valentine's Day specials
• Though I have not been single for quite sometime, I know there are fabulous single ladies and wanted to share 20 ideas you can choose from to celebrate the holiday
• A couple years I made Jam Filled Heart Cookies and shared 40 ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day and thought I would re-share.

I wanted to make some special cookies for hubby to put a smile on his face and came up with these conversation heart cookies.  I found some edible color markers that made writing on each cookie a breeze.  You can certainly be creative and personal with your little messages.  Happy Valentines Day1

Sugar Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

3 cup flour

1 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1.2 t almond extract

Preheat oven to 375.

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and salt and mix together until incorporated.  Add the almond extract and vanilla extract in the mixture and combine.  Slowly add the flour one cup at a time until all flour is incorporated. 

Take the dough out of the bowl and put onto a cutting board.  Knead together any extra bits.  Divide dough into two balls and flatten into a 1 inch disk.  Wrap each one individually and chill for 30 minutes.

Use a large board and sprinkle with flour.  Unwrap one of the balls and flour lightly the top.  Use a rolling pin to roll out until ¼ inch thick.  Use a 2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter for cookies.  Repeat until all dough is used.

Bake at 375 for 8 to 9 minutes until bottom edges are slightly golden brown.  Remove to cool onto a wire rack. 

Royal Icing

3 t. meringue powder

4 cups powdered sugar

6 T. water

Food paste coloring

Add the meringue powder and sugar to a stand mixer along with the 6 tablespoons of water.  Slowly beat until combined.  Mix for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly fluffy.

Divide evening the number of colors you want to make into small bowls.  Add a touch of the food paste and mix.  Add water (about 1 to 2 teaspoons) to make it more spreadable and it should have a glossy look.

Use a knife to spread evenly all over cookie.  Let dry completely on a wire rack.  Use edible color marker to write on each cookie.

Friday Night Bites | Parmesan and Caramelized Shallot Crackers

Most of you have probably seen or least heard of the movie – “Meet the Parents”.  Last weekend, hubby and I had a “meet the parents” night at our house. Not quite like the actual movie.  Let me explain.  A good friend of ours is single.  He doesn’t have a hard time meeting girls, just meeting the right girl for him.  Over the years, he has brought over various girlfriends to meet us.  Many we have actually become friends with despite their relationship did not move forward.

After several months of dating along with things moving into the next stage is when he will typically bring them over to our house to “meet the parents”.  I am actually flattered that he respects my hubby and me so much, that he wants us to give him the “stamp of approval”. Last weekend, we had the pleasure of meeting his current girlfriend.  We had been hearing about her for a while and now it was the official “unveiling”.

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As you know by now, any reason to entertain, I am there.  And of course, whipping up an appetizer feast is right in my wheel house.  I wanted to make it a special evening along with making both of them feel as comfortable as possible.  I love, love, love making homemade crackers.  I had been on a kick lately by making the Cheddar Jalapeno Crackers all during the holiday season but now it was time to mix it up.

A while ago, my good friend Jean from Lemon and Anchovies posted her recipe for Cheddar, Feta and Caramelized Shallot Crackers.  My mouth salivated when I read her post and drooled over the photos. She had me at the caramelized shallots.  I wanted to put my own spin on her recipe, so I used Grana Padano.  Though it is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, it is less crumbly, milder and has less complex flavor but equally delicious.

I created the handmade cracker to go along side the individual cheese plates that I designed.  On Thursday, I jaunted to the cheese counter at whole foods to select some proven favorites along with a few new selections for the cheese plates.  The accoutrements I paired with each cheese complimented the flavor profiles and added interest to the plate.  To kick it over the top, I designed a “cheese plate guide” for everyone to use to reference the type of cheese and accompaniments.

I know you are dying to know, how did the “parents” like the new girlfriend?  We liked her very much and think they are a wonderful match.  We wish them all the best!

Parmesan and Caramelized Shallot Crackers

8 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature

4.5 Ounces Parmesan Cheese or Grana Padano, grated

2 Shallots, sliced thin

Olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ Cup Flour

1 to 2 teaspoon water

Peel and slice thinly the two shallots.  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium and then add the shallots.  Sauté until caramelized and golden brown, which should be about 10 minutes.  Take off the heat and let cool.

Use a food processor to make the dough.  Add all of the ingredients except the water and pulse until combined.  Add one teaspoon at a time of the water until the dough forms.  You should not need more than two teaspoons of water.  Take the dough out of the processor and form into a ball.  Next roll into a log with a diameter of 2 inches.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the log into roughly 3/8^th inch rounds and lay them on a sheet pan.  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until very lightly browned.  Cool and serve at room temperature.

Adapted from Jean at Lemons and Anchovies

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms

A couple weeks ago I hosted an intimate dinner party at my house for friends.  At first I thought let’s go formal and sit in the dining room, then I changed my mind.  Several weeks ago, our “mini kitchen make over” was complete and why not enjoy the fruits of our labor.  The makeover began with the death of our refrigerator.  The counter depth fridge was replaced with my absolute dream refrigerator – the sub-zero.

To accomplish the installation, we needed to remove a cabinet, build a frame and add a small faux cabinet above.  The end result was a beautiful new refrigerator and with the removal of the cabinet, the kitchen began to appear larger and brighter.  When we purchased our house new eleven years ago, we opted for a Viking cook top with a built in BBQ.  Not until years later, did we realize the hood above was significantly underpowered.  Each time we would barbeque the house would fill with smoke and it became ultimately un-useable.  After doing some investigation, the builder has installed an under-powered motor with the hood.

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Next step in the remodel was to remove another cabinet and add a larger professional hood and a super powerful motor.  Now barbequing doesn’t produce any smoke and hubby can’t even smell what I am cooking. That is one powerful engine. Smile.

The house came with hickory cabinets, which would not have been my first choice, but I have grown to accept them and actually like them now.  We added a mahogany kitchen island with granite top from Crate and Barrel to offset the light cabinets.  The final step in this mini-remodel was to update the bar stools, kitchen table and chairs all in dark mahogany leather for the bar stools and kitchen chairs.  The end result is an updated kitchen that I now LOVE and we did it for relatively low cost versus starting from scratch.

The overall dinner party was a success and it was very rewarding to eat in the newly remodeled space with good friends.  The main dish was this Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms from FoodieCrush who adapted it from Giada DeLaurentis.  I changed it slightly and the overall outcome was pure delicious-ness!

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms

¼ C. Olive oil

2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup water

½ t. Almond extract

1 ½ pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup butter + 1 T. Butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour + 1 T. flour

4 cups whole milk

4-5 good grates of fresh nutmeg

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (use more if needed)

3 – 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Preheat to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, toss with oil, season with salt and pepper and then pour the water into the skillet. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender about 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the almond extract.

Heat another large skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more olive oil if needed. Season with salt. Remove from pan and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat and add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly about 5 minutes. Add in grated nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender and add the basil. Mixture will be hot so place a towel or cloth over top of blender so mixture doesn’t explode. Blend until smooth then return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly butter a 13 X 9 X 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles then 1/3 of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the ricotta cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times, ending with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Cover the baking dish with foil sprayed with Pam or other cooking spray and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for about 15 more minutes or until the top is golden. Remove from oven and let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Friday Night Bites | Fried Mozzarella Balls

If you had to choose from two plates: one with a couple fresh “out of the oven” chocolate chip cookies OR a small basket of hot French fries - what would be your choice?  For me, the choice is simple – the fries!  My palate gravitates towards the savory and fried makes it even better.  I know, it is certainly not good for me, but in moderation, it is one heck of a treat. Smile.

Today was one of those days. I typically eat a healthy breakfast of Greek yogurt with blueberries or a banana and lunch is usually a salad.  Today, I crossed the healthy boundary and went through the McDonald’s drive thru. Yes – I said it – the drive thru. I left my office to drive about 20 minutes down the road to a client’s location for our weekly meeting.  The craving hit me like a ton of bricks – French fries.  I must confess the local McDonalds by one of my offices make the fries simply perfect – hot, light in color and not too salty.

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Tomorrow is another day and it will definitely be a salad day, I promise.  Plus I will be treadmill bound when I get home from work.  Last weekend, I was testing some recipes and came up with the Fried Mozzarella Balls that I am going to share with all of you today.  As you can see, it ties in nicely with my fried theme. 

Several months ago after enjoying a wonderful lunch at AdHoc in Yountville, I always enjoy a stroll through Napa Style to see what “must have” items are lurking.  I am fascinated by the flavored salts and rubs section of the store.  When I spied the truffle salt, that was a “must have” and into the basket it went.  When dreaming up this appetizer, I thought of the truffle salt and how perfect it would be on these bites of fried goodness. 

Next I wanted to create a dipping sauce that was more than your standard marinara sauce. Thus the Red Pepper Sauce was born.  The flavors are simple yet complement the crunch of the coating and the silky cheese center.  I would suggest making this for a small group, since the frying takes a bit of time and they are best right out of the fryer.  However, simply laying the fried balls on a cookie sheet and heating in the oven will produce a great product.  Enjoy these nuggets for your next appetizer night!

Fried Mozzarella Balls

About 2 to 2.5 cups vegetable oil

8 oz. container Small mozzarella balls (bocconcini), patted dry

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

½ cup Flour

Truffle Salt or regular

Heat about 2 inches oil to 360 degrees in a 4 quart heavy saucepan and use a deep fat thermometer to determine the heat of the oil.

While waiting for the oil to heat, take each bocconcini that is patted dry and dip in the flour.  Next roll in the egg and next coat with the panko bread crumbs.  Repeat the egg and panko process.  Transfer to a plate until ready to cook.

Work in small batches by lowering the balls into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 seconds per batch.  Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with truffle salt or regular salt.  Make sure oil is at 360 degrees between batches.

You can make an hour ahead and simply warm in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Note:  You can increase the recipe by simply doubling the recipe

Red Pepper Sauce

½ Cup Pine nuts, toasted

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ t. salt

8 to 10 grinds of pepper

12 oz. Drained jar of roasted red peppers or 3 charred red bell peppers with stems removed

1 t. Sherry vinegar

2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

In a food processor, add the pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper and pulse until combined and fairly smooth.  Next add the roasted red peppers, sherry vinegar and parmesan cheese and pulse until combined and smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your desire.

Chocolate Banana Bread

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  When life gives you ripe bananas, make banana bread.  When you want to kick up banana bread, add chocolate.  Chocolate Banana Bread is both savory and slightly sweet, yet hardy and satisfying – a perfect bite of baked goodness.

I purchase bananas with the intention to eat one each day along with my Greek yogurt which I take to the office each day.  However, there are some weeks where blueberries rule the roost and the lonely banana sits in the basket on the counter wondering why he didn’t go to work with me that morning.  Then the weekend rolls around and 3 or 4 bananas are at the stage of perfection for making banana bread.

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A couple weeks ago that was the scenario.  Growing up my Mom would make her special banana bread every few months and it was always a treat.  Since life a few weeks ago brought me ripe bananas, I wanted to use her recipe but push it up a level by incorporating chocolate.  Sometimes I enjoy breads with nuts but for this one, I opted to leave them out and keep it to a pure chocolate and banana flavored quick bread.

The result was pure chocolate and banana heaven.  No butter required just pure decadence.  A rich, hot cup of coffee accompanied my slice of chocolate banana bread that simply cooled for ten minutes.  A great way to launch the weekend off right!

Chocolate Banana Bread

½ Cup Butter, softened

¾ Cup Sugar

2 t. Baking Powder

¼ t. Baking Soda

¾ t. Salt

2 Eggs

3 Ripe Bananas, mashed

¼ Cup Cocoa Powder

¼ Cup Milk

1 t. Grated Orange Peel
2 Cups Flour

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, milk and bananas and mix well.  Next add the orange peel, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder and mix until combined.  Slowly add the flour until combined.

Use a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and transfer the mixture to it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 to 12 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack.

Friday Night Bites | Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

Hubby and I aren't really sports fans.  We don’t typically sit home on Sundays to watch a football game.  We are probably in the minority when it comes to being sports fans; however last weekend with the San Francisco 49’s in contention for heading to the super bowl; our sports fanatic side came out for a day. Smile. Of course we wanted to see if the Bay Area team would be represented in one of the biggest sports day of the year.  Sorry to all Falcon fans for your loss; however super happy that our local team is heading to New Orleans to give it all they’ve got. Go niners!

We enjoy going to a super bowl party though.  With any super bowl party, the next best thing to watching the game is of course the food.  Now I can always get into the food at a super bowl party along with the socializing factor.  Smile.  Recently while browsing Pinterest, I came across this recipe for Cauliflower Buffalo Wings – it simply fascinated me.  I am not much of a chicken wings person, but the idea of a healthier version without the traditional wing component, was something worth trying.

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Anything with a spicy side and blue cheese is a touchdown with me.  No pun intended - just couldn’t resist.  Smile.  I altered the recipe by using whole wheat flour, more garlic and less hot sauce and making my personal favorite Blue Cheese Recipe.  The result was a fairly healthy - I stress “fairly healthy” appetizer.  I think this would be a great option for all of you who want a tasty and unique appetizer for the upcoming super bowl festivities.

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

1 Head Cauliflower

1 Cup Milk

¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Butter

½ Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

½ Cup Blue Cheese Dressing

Preheat oven to 450 Degrees.

Trim the head of cauliflower into appetizer sized bites and set aside.

In a bowl stir together milk, flour and garlic powder.  Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter and allow the extra batter to drip off.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Spray the tops of the florets with cooking oil.  Bake for 18 minutes. 

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the Frank’s hot sauce and stir.  Toss cooked cauliflower pieces with the sauce.  Put back on cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes in the oven.  Remove and serve with a side of Blue Cheese Dressing.

Adapted from:  An Edible Mosaic

Blue Cheese Dressing

½ C. Maytag Blue Cheese
½ C. English Stilton
1 C. Buttermilk
2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
½ t. Garlic Powder
¼ t. Salt
6 to 8 Grinds of Fresh Pepper

Let both cheeses come to room temperature. In a medium bowl add the room temperature cheese and smash with a spoon until semi smooth with a few chunks. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir together until combined. Transfer to a container with a tight seal and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cognac Crostini with English Peas, Parmesan and Mint | Secret Recipe Club

Happy 2013 and welcome to a new year of Secret Recipe Club!  If by chance you are not familiar with the secret recipe club, let me quickly share the concept with you.  It is a group of approximately 200 food bloggers who love to cook.  I guess that goes almost without sharing. Smile. Wink. Once a month you are paired up with another food blogger in the group and it is a secret who has you until the reveal day.  On reveal day, you can see who had you and what recipe they decided to select and make for the reveal day.  Reveal day is so much fun!  If you want to join in the fun, simply log on to the Secret Recipe Club and learn how.

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This month I was paired with Kate from A Spoonful of Thyme.  You can certainly sense that Kate cooks from her heart as a way to put a smile on her family and friends faces.  Kate’s grandmother had a significant influence on her along with her mother, since they were both wonderful cooks.  I was impressed that 33 years ago she became part of a gourmet group that challenged her to be a better cook and to this day the group is going strong.  It was important for Kate to have her family gather for meals at the table and the more the better.  Kate believes “that there is always ‘thyme’ to cook and sit down as a family for the evening meal.  Cooking is a wonderful way to bring family and friends together to enjoy food and each other.  With a good recipe and ‘a spoonful of thyme' wonderful things can happen.”

After browsing through her extensive recipe collection, many things looked very tasty, but one thing simply intrigued me.  Her Crispy Cognac Crostini was unique and sounded incredible.  I had recently purchased some pre-shelled English Peas from Trader Joe’s and had on my list to make a Crostini appetizer with them.  Saturday night I hosted a dinner party and I decided this would be the perfect occasion to make these for my guests.  With the cognac and garlic on the crostini along with the pea, parmesan and mint – this was a two bite piece of heaven.  The bright green color just drew my guests in and that first bite simply exploded with so much delightful flavor. 

This goes down as one DARN great crostini; especially with the addition of the Cognac Crostini.  If you want to elevate your next crostini, this one will achieve your goal.  My friend last night said to me – “you need to write a crostini cookbook and will this one be in there?”

Cognac Crostini with English Peas, Parmesan and Mint

Makes approximately 24 crostini

Crostini

1 baguette, 24 slices
5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp cognac or vodka
2 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Slice in to 1/2 inch thick pieces and lay out on a baking sheet

In a bowl, combine olive oil, butter, garlic and cognac. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, so that the flavor of the garlic is infused into the oil (the butter should be melted by then). Stir well.

Brush both sides of each baguette slice generously with the flavored oil.

Toast under the broiler for slightly over 1 minute, or when the sides start turning crusty and golden brown. Take the baking sheet from the oven, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.

Topping

1 ½ Cup English Peas or similar

¼ Cup Olive Oil

½ teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese + additional for topping

Mint – chiffonade

Blanc peas in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from water and place into a food processor.  Add the garlic, salt, olive oil and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  Pulse until well combined.  Taste and add additional salt and olive oil if needed.

To assemble, take about a tablespoon of pea mixture and place on top of Crostini and top with a bit of parmesan cheese and a few chiffonade pieces of mint for garnish.