Fallen Souffle

Hi, This is Evan, Jen’s husband making a guest appareance. I just wanted to post and let everyone know that I moved jen’s blog off of blogspot onto her own domain.

I apologize for the Red X’s where the pictures are supposed to go, but I am still working on fixing that. She should be good from here on out though.

Please update your links and bookmarks to reflect the change to www.fallensouffle.com

and tell others via your blog if you don’t mind.

THanks

Evan

PS Probably my last appareance, I will go back to doing my duty of having to eat all the wonderful, semi-fattening things Jen makes… it’s a tough job but someone has to do it!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I love when I have a Eureka! moment in the kitchen. It happens every once and a while, more so now that I have become more comfortable experimenting with baking recipes. I have been trying to come up with a great cookie recipe for Thanksgiving this year as well as the Virtual Cookie Swap. I wanted to stay away from the gingerbread and chocolate chip so I thought I would do coconut. My Mom loves anything with coconut, as do I…though we are probably the only two in the family that like coconut, so I thought I would try and find a great coconut cookie recipe. I made an Ina Garten recipe last year that was a butter cookie rolled in coconut and dotted with fruit preserves. It was labor intensive and used alot of butter. So I found a recipe in my favorite cookbook, the All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook from 1991 , I know I probably need to update.

The recipe is as follows:

Coconut Cookies
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 stick of butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract (originally called for vanilla)
1 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, milk and extract. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour, until just blended, the mixture will be crumbly. With a wooden spoon stir in coconut.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon, I actually used a small ice cream scoop that was about a tablespoon. With fork, make crosshatch pattern in each cookie, flattening to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake until lightly browned on edges, about 15-17 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Sounds like a pretty simple, basic recipe. Well when I was trying to create the cross hatch marks, the fork was getting all gunked up and I was losing my patience so I just used my thumb to mash them down. After baking two batches, one with cross hatch and one with thumbprints, I then realized that these babies would be awesome with some preserves in the thumbprint I made. So the third batch got a dollop of raspberry preserves. These cookies are great plain, but so much better with the preserves in them. I am going to try apricot preserves next…mmm. I think I found a winner to take to VA!

As a side note, I love using kosher salt in baking. I love getting a nice bite of salt, it mixes so well the sweetness of the sugar and creaminess of the butter…drool!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I have been in a soup mood. Who know’s why- it’s been 75 degrees here for the last two weeks. Though that will soon come to an end as tommorrow it will be a frigid 53 degrees. Nonetheless I have a ton of soup ideas swimming in head and it is high time I finally implement them. I made a chicken soup from a dry mix earlier this week and I was highly disappointed. The veggies were stale, the broth was unseasoned and the noodles were chewy. Yuck! Never again! My craving had not been satisfied so I decided to do it the right way. I bought a rotisserie chicken (my favorite kitchen shortcut!) and took all of the meat off. I have never made real broth but I was not going to cheat myself by using canned broth- I have aleady been disappointed once, I couldn’t do it twice in one week. I cover the chicken bones with cold water and threw in whatever I could find in the fridge; onions, carrots, garlic, celery, cilantro and sun dried tomatoes. I brought it to a boil and let is simmer for a good 3 hours or so. After cooling it, I put it in the fridge for two days. Today I skimmed the fat off the top, reheated it and strained all the bones and veggies. The smell of the broth was heavenly! I may never go back to the canned stuff again!

I added about 2 cups of water to the broth because I reduced the broth so much. I added in a couple of handfuls of chopped carrots and celery and brought to a boil. I threw in a couple cups of eggs noodles and allowed them to cook in the broth. The very last step was to add in the shredded chicken.

I was so proud of myself, homemade broth turned into homemade chicken soup. Campbell’s has got nothing on me!

You must try making your own soup, the flavor is like no other, the nutritional value is so much better and its really quite easy.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Yesterday was a Brownie Sundae day…you know when you are just in that mood and all you want it a nice fudgy brownie supporting some yummy, creamy ice cream and fluffy whipped cream. Who knows why I was in such a mood, just having one of those days where my hormones were out of wack. But this dessert helped my disposition a bit. It’s easy to throw together, requires only one bowl and it’s cheap to make. Taken from one of my new favorite Food TV stars, Dave Leiberman.

Easy Chocolate Brownies
12 tablespoons of melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
(I threw in half a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips just for good measure, could also chop up some candy bars to fold in)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease a 9×13 inch cake pan. Beat butter and sugar together until just blended. Add eggs one at a time, stir in vanilla and water. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients until just blended. Fold in any chocolate additions.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes until the center is set and the edges look crusty. Cool a bit before you dig in

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Ahh! I am so slow, I have had my Blogging by Mail 3 package for almost a week and I have not posted about it yet!

I received a absolutely wonderful package from the hostess herself, Cathy from My Little Kitchen on Monday and the timing could not have been any better seeing as all the drama began on Monday! It definitely lifted my spirits to see a package waiting for me!

I received some wonderful goodies from the Maryland/DC area where Cathy is from including some Bean Soup and a lovely ornament. She also baked me some yummy treats including her Grandmother’s Date Bread (which I must confess I have not tried because I am taking it to my parent’s for Thankgiving so we can all enjoy it!)as well as some Swedish Tea Cookies, her Mother’s recipe. I have all but devoured the cookies and cannot wait to make more! They are my new favorite cookies!

And how could I forget the Scharffen Berger Cacao Nibs which made my Mom absolutely jealous. I have to hide these babies from Evan! I also received some Maple Candies which represent her holiday plans of visiting her brother in Vermont- I am so jealous- I have always wanted to go to Vermont! This all in addition to a magazine of the area as well as her local food section and store flyer made for a spectacular care package!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Cathy for a very thoughtful package, I have thoroughly enjoyed it all!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

So I actually made all of this on Thursday morning. I don’t know what got into me, I started at about 9am and ended around 11:30am, I then realized that I was still in my PJ’s and Evan was going to be home for lunch at noon, so I ran to take a shower so I didn’t look like a total bum.

I made hot pepper jelly for gift giving, a totally southern thing. I was nervous about canning myself because I usually can with Mom, and it is alot easier with an extra pair of hands. I also didn’t have all of the equipment, so I had to improvise. But is all worked out, all of the jars sealed and it even gelled really well! I was super nervous because when it cooled it was still very syrupy, but the next day it thickened just fine. I used 3 green peppers, 2 red peppers and 7 jalepenos. I took the seeds out and chopped them in the food processor. I followed the recipe on the SureGel box which also included a cup of apple cider vinegar, 5 cups of sugar and 4 cups of the chopped peppers. If you want to make this recipe I would totally recommend using SureGel and following their method.

I also made biscotti, I sent this to my Blogging by Mail partner. This recipe is so easy to make and super versatile. This would make a great gift with a small packet of coffee. I used the zest and juice of one orange and half a package of dried cranberries in this batch. But mini chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon almond extract or anise extract would be great too.

Holiday Biscotti
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
flavoring of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. In a medium, beat together oil, eggs, sugar, and liquid flavorings until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture to form a heavy dough. If you are adding nuts, dried fruit or chopped chocolate - fold them in now. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as the cookie sheet. Flatten the roll to about 1/2 inch thickness.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cook slightly. Once cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2 slices, diagonal slices are always pretty. Place the cut side up on the baking sheet and bake for 6-10 minutes on each side. Slices will be lighly toasted.

4. After cooling, you may dip or drizzle with melted chocolate.

I would get so much done if I was this motivated everyday!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

My parents are in town this weekend from Virginia Beach, so that is why I haven’t posted in a while! I promise I haven’t forgotten about the site! I have so many things to post, so look for new things tommorrow (Sunday!)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I am already a bad housewife. I was in a mood today where I just felt sorry for myself and was so uninspired to do anything that I pretty much did nothing all day. I did use my massage and pedicure gift certificate that my Mom gave me for my birthday. That helped me to relax a bit, but I still was not even motivated to put anything in the crockpot. So we had Subway for dinner and I made cake. Cake always puts everyone in a good mood, and this cake takes the cake! It is really easy to put together and the brown sugar adds such a wonderful depth of flavor. And I don’t feel so bad eating it since it has apples in it and I cut the oil in half by using some applesauce (my favorite trick!).

This cake forms a wonderfully sweet, crunchy crust and I could easily eat the whole thing at one sitting- especially a day like today! Though things are looking up, I have some new projects to work on next week which I am excited about and I get to spend the next two days with my Mom who is in town for a conference. Friday is outlet shopping, a girl’s best remedy for the blues. So make this cake if you need a pick me up, or just an easy fall dessert.

Apple Bundt Cake
2 cups or so apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt or tube pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and set aside

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, oil, orange juice, vanilla and eggs. Beat at high speed until smooth. Add to flour mixture. Fold in chopped apples.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

So this recipe worked out a bit better for me, and I had everything in my pantry which makes this a great “fall back” recipe. We usually just used canned sauce when we make pasta dishes…and not even Ragu or Prego, it’s usually the Kroger brand can for 89 cents. But as much Italian food as we eat and as much as we doctor the sauce up, it doesn’t matter much to us.

I have tried to make homemade sauce in the past but Evan usually turns his nose to it. You see he does not like “chunky” sauce. He likes tomato sauce but does not want to see the seeds and skin…go figure. So I usually stick with the canned stuff but this sauce recipe may be worth keeping around. It takes no time to throw together and can be easily doubled to freeze for later use.

It gets 8 out of 10 crockpots from my Chief Taste Tester Evan and that’s only because I snuck in a small can of diced tomatoes…dern it…can’t pass one by him!

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine
1 pound Italian sausage or ground meat (I left this out this time, but will probably add next time)

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute onions and garlic until tender, 2-3 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients (except sausage links) in crockpot and add onion and garlic. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

2. With one hour cooking time remaining, cook and brown sausages in a skillet. When browned, place in sauce and continue to simmer. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve over hot cooked noodles.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

When I was putting this meal together yesterday morning I had high hopes that this would be a great dish. I have honestly never used fresh ginger until yesterday. I absolutely love the smell of it fresh and plan to use it more often now! This was simple to throw together in the morning. I like to use cheap cuts of beef, and often those that are “manager’s special” that are close to their expiration date. That may sound gross, but I promise I don’t get the icky looking ones! And I usually use them
that day.

This dish was ok, tasted like a regular pot roast to me. It was a tad on the salty side, and I used low sodium broth but probably should have used low sodium soy sauce as well. The beef was also dry, but it could be due to the thin pieces of meat I used. Evan munched on it a bit so it couldn’t have been too terribly bad.

When I make it again I will be sure to use all low sodium ingrediants and will probably only cook it for about 5-6 hours.

Crockpot Gingered Beef

1-1/2 lbs. boneless beef round steak, trimmed
4 carrots, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Tbsp. water
9 oz. pkg. frozen sugar snap peas, thawed and drained (I omitted this but will probably add next time)
3 cups hot cooked rice

1. Cut beef into 1″ cubes. Place in crockpot along with carrots, onions and garlic. Combine broth, soy sauce, ginger root and pepper in a small bowl and mix well. Pour over beef and vegetables.

2. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. (I would suggest doing it for maybe 6-8 hours if you have large chunk of beef.)

3. Turn crockpot to high heat setting. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir into crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Stir in snap peas and heat another 5-10 minutes until hot. Serve over cooked rice. 6 servings

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!