Christmas Cookies 2011

Every year I'd like to think that I'm thought of for my baking skills. One of my favorite things to do is bake up a bunch of cookies to share with friends and family. For my closest girlfriends who live all over the country, I usually send them a tin full of cookies along with their card. Since I'm not married and don't have kids, no one is going to pay attention to my card...except for when there's a big ass tin of cookies to go with it! Here's what I'm making this year...

Finnish Christmas Cookies

Cornflake Christmas Wreaths

Orange Chocolate Cookies

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I've been dating my boyfriend for almost a year now, and do you know how many times he's cooked for me? I can count it on 1 hand...3. While he's got the ideal set up with having me wanting to cook most of the time, the few times he puts in the planning and effort to cook for me, it always turns out amazing. This was his latest creation taken from Bethenny Frankel's website. He had some help from his female co-workers.

The bad memories I have of my family's recipe can now be replaced by this one! No more pasty rice filling!


Bethenny's Website & Recipe

6-8 Bell peppers (I prefer anything but green)
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 C. quinoa
1/2 large onion (about 1 cup)
2 C. jarred tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. tabasco or Frank's Red Hot
2 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 C. feta cheese crumbles
2-3 Tbsp. pine nuts

First cook the quinoa per the directions. Set aside. In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium heat. While the meat is cooking, prep the peppers by slicing of the tops and bottoms. Chop these discarded parts of the pepper up and add to the ground turkey along with the onion. Stir in the tomato sauce, garlic salt, Tobasco, worcestershire, salt, pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Remove from heat and stir in half of the cheese and all the pine nuts. Place the peppers in a deep baking dish - I used a 9x13" glass pan. Fill the peppers with the turkey mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes (or until bubbly) at 350 degrees.

Minneapolis/St. Paul Restaurant Week

Yay! Fixed price menus galore this week only! The Twin Cities celebrates it's expansive culinary offerings with special menus all week long. Check out Minneapolis St. Paul Mag's site listing all the participating restaurants and their menus. Pick lunch or dinner with prices ranging from $10-$30. This is such a great way to try new things...now which restaurant to choose...

http://www.mspmag.com/promotions/wherewe'llbe/RestaurantWeekFall11/RW_Fall2011.asp

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Well looky here - it's Fall! While looking for a way to use up an opened can of pumpkin puree, I stumbled upon this recipe from PumpkinRecipes.org. I accidentally made this healthier by omitting the melted butter and they still tasted great (go figure, I realized it was still in the microwave an hour later!).

1-1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. milk
1/2 C. pumpkin puree
1 egg
3/4 C. chocolate chunks
1/3 C. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees or 375 degrees if using dark non-stick pans. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another medium sized bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, and egg. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Barely stir together, then add in chocolate chunks. Try to not over stir the batter and allow for visible pockets of flour. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Top with chopped nuts. Bake 15-18 minutes until slightly golden.

Food Truck Review - St. Paul Food Truck Wednesday

Every Wednesday is known as Food Truck day in downtown St. Paul. Along the riverfront of Kellogg and Wabasha St. you'll find the trucks lined up for lunch. If you're even more perceptive and do a little more walking, you'll probably find some other trucks in the area.

This last week when I was on vacation, I had one thing on my agenda, and that was to visit St. Paul. I did my best to try as many places as I could, but my stomach was only so big. I even ended up giving some of it away. It was hot, but lots of fun. Too bad I can't make it out there more often.

Here's a listing of the trucks that were out when I visited:
The Chef Shack
128 Mobile Cafe
GastroTruck
Fork in the Road
Magic Bus Cafe
Vellee Deli
Potter's Pasties



The first stop was the Chef Shack. I'd been hearing about this soft-shell crab sandwich all summer long, so I had my fingers crossed that it would be available. But unfortunately it wasn't on the menu and their sweet potato taco caught my eye instead. Based on what I was in the mood for this day, this was my favorite of the day.

The second stop was the Gastro Truck. Something about the marlin sliders sounded unique and delicious. This dish was by far the longest one I've had to wait for before, and sadly, these sliders were my least favorite of the day. The fish was overcooked and chewy and there was way too much bun that dried everything out even more. I'll have to give them another try some other day.

Lastly, and reluctantly, I had to make it to Potter's Pasties. Ever since my family traveled to Michigan one summer and discovered this delicacy, they've had a soft spot in my heart. So when I saw a food truck in MN of all places offered them, I was all about it. But how could I do this when my stomach was miserably full and my body a bit sticky from the 90+ degree heat. Well, I figured I'd take it home and hope to eat it later in the day. When I went up to the counter I was torn between trying the traditional beef pasty or the special pork, apple, and bacon pasty. The guy on the truck had a fun attitude and offered to flip a coin for me. Traditional it was. 

Well, I have to admit I gave the pasty away. There was no room in my belly. But I did try a few bites and it was delicious. So glad I stopped and excited to go back for the pork one next!

 Here are pictures of the other trucks!

One of my favorite Bakeries

At first the name Puppy Dog Tails doesn't sound so bad. But when it refers to food, it can leave a weird impression. Don't ask me why this name stuck, but Puppy Dog Tails are to die for, and can be found at one of Minneapolis' local bakeries, Isles Bun and Coffee. I also tried the nasty looking carmel pecan roll pictured on their homepage during my last visit. Boy did I feel happy, satisfied, and sick afterwards. A welcomed roller coaster of feelings.

Chocolate Orange Pudding

Don't be intimidated. This is one of the easiest dessert recipes ever! You can do it! All you need is a few simple ingredients and you'll be all set to impress.

3 C. 2% milk
1/3 C. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. orange extract

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the milk, the cornstarch, and the salt. Whisk together until smooth. This is the thickening agent that will be used later. Now in a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups of milk, the chocolate chips, cocoa, and sugar. Stir this over medium-high heat until the chocolate melts and the mixture begins to barely bubble. Once you've reached this stage, pour in the cornstarch mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and continuously whisk for the next 3-4 minutes. You'll start to feel the change in consistency pretty quickly, so you may need to remove from the heat earlier. Once thickened, remove from the heat, continuing to whisk so that it helps being the cool-down process. Whisk in the extract. You may wish to strain this to remove any clumps, but that's optional. Pour into serving cups (usually 4 servings), cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to cool. The plastic wrap is key if you don't want to create a thick skin on the pudding - make sure the plastic covers the surface.

One of my new favorite ingredients - high quality cocoa powder from Penzy's

I used parchment to cover - let's just say plastic wrap is the way to go. This didn't work out to well from keeping the skin from forming. But I ate it anyways!

Fajitas!

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 or 3, split/butterflied)
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper
2-3 large poblano peppers
1 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeded
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
3 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks (optional)
tortillas
salsa
Monterey jack cheese, shredded
cilantro

Mix the chili powder, coriander, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with the dry mixture and set aside.

Over high heat, place the poblano peppers, red pepper, onion, and carrots on the grill. Let these begin to char, rotating every 5 minutes until tender -- approximately 15 minutes total. Remove from the grill. Place poblano peppers in a paper bag and allow to cool 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the poblanos from the bag and carefully remove the skins. Then remove the stem and seeds. Slice into strips along with the red pepper and onion. Wrap the poblanos, red pepper, onion, and carrots in tinfoil. Set aside so you can begin cooking the chicken.

Over medium-high heat, place the chicken breasts on the grill, and cook roughly 5 minutes on each side until no longer pink. Remove from the grill and allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve sliced chicken with the grill vegetables on a tortilla and top with salsa, cheese, and cilantro.

New York City!

Drinks at our hotel bar - the W

I've been working on this post for some time now -- there's so much to share about my trip to New York, that it's intimidated me for months. But I've come to the realization that this blog is about food, so rather than share the sightseeing details along withe the food, I'm going to get straight to business!

So why New York? Well, it was to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday. Funny it took this long get there being the foodie that I am. I'm so glad we went, and I'm thirsting to go back for more. New York is a food lover's haven!

My initial thoughts about this trip were that it was going to be about sightseeing - after all, New York is where everything started. But quickly I realized that New York is not just about history; it's about entertainment, culture, and food!!! We of course acted like true tourists by visiting the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ground Zero, Broadway, etc., but I was sure to do my homework and search out some great restaurants and dives. Here's the rundown of what we ate. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The GOOD.

Colicchio & Sons

I mean the GOOD. Have you heard of Tom Colicchio? Have you heard of Top Chef? He's the main judge on the Bravo show (the bald guy). He know's his stuff. My very favorite part of the trip was our dining experience at his restaurant - Colicchio & Sons. This was our big night out, and so we enjoyed the Prix Fixe menu for $78. The food, the ambiance, and the service were all worth it.

This was a little taster. I can't remember what they call these - "amuse bouche" or something. But this was a delicious soup.

Here's the ambiance of the main dining room. The cherry blossoms were amazingly beautiful.

First Courses: 

Slow-cooked farm egg, early Spring peas and Parmesean

Greenmarket greens, fine herbs and sherry vinaigrette

Peekytoe crab fondue with spring pea soup and ham

Second Courses:

Carolina soft-shell crab with ramps and pancetta

Butter-poached halibut, spring onion, macadamia nut and fava bean ravioli

Main Courses:

I can't remember this one...

Braised short rib, charred onion angnolotti and celery root

Roasted and braised Berkshire pork, morels fiddlehead ferns and rhubarb

Desserts:

Doughnuts with sorbets

Tangerine and almond bread pudding - out of this world!

Bonus: Madelines

Banana chocolate-chip muffin

The GOOD cont'd

Ayza Chocolate Bar

This little neighborhood restaurant was tiny - if it weren't for the outside seating, there'd probably only be about 10 tables. As you can imagine, this restaurant focuses on chocolate and wine, but they have a few appetizers to go along with the adventure.

Crispy baby shrimp dumplings

White truffle pizza - knocked my socks off!

Jaques Torres chocolate sampling: passion fruit, pistachio, cappuccino, and another I can't recall. A bit overrated in our opinion.

My pick: Italian Bomba Tartufo

Chocolate ice cream, chocolate shell, raspberries, etc. Num!

Warm chocolate molten cake. You can't go wrong with this. Ever.

The BAD/OK

Almond pastry from a shop off of broadway - it was definitely a marzipan based dessert and not breakfast!

Cheese pizza from a place called Ray's - but we're still not sure if it was the famous Ray's that we read about

An everything bagel from a side street shop off Broadway. Eh. Not so good. Makes me wonder what the rating was on the door.

Lindy's famous cheesecake (we were dumb tourists - good cheesecake, but not the best, and way overpriced)

Red Velvet Cake - also from Lindy's

Chocolate Cannoli from a side street market

The UGLY

Have you seen the show Restaurant Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey? This place should have been on it. The fact that the restaurant was nearly empty should have given it away, but they also had terrible service (we got an attitude from the server when we all just had water), and the food was bland. We were so happy that we didn't get sick. The side of meatballs we ordered almost made us vomit.

Gnocchi - was this on special because it was the oldest?

Penne a la vodka - was the better of the two dishes, but still nothing to write home about. Olive Garden's rendition would have been night and day compared to this.