Peanut Butter Dip

I have a serious addiction to peanut butter. Of course, it couldn't be the healthy peanut butter; no, I love that processed, sugary, creamy goodness of Skippy or Jif peanut butter.

In the past, I have been known to take a spoon to the peanut butter and demolish half a jar in one sitting. With the high fat content in peanut butter, this was a horrible habit that needed to stop. I know it's the "good fat," but when you eat as much as I like to, it negates the goodness.

This recipe has allowed me to reintroduce peanut butter into my diet in a healthier way. Eaten with apples, I have found it to be a quick and easy snack for those days when I get home from work late at night and need a fast meal before bed. 

Ingredients:

3 T fat-free plain Greek yogurt

3 T peanut butter

1 t cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until uniform. This makes enough dip to eat one sliced apple. For larger amounts, just keep the yogurt-to-peanut butter ratio at 50/50 and add cinnamon to taste. The addition of fat-free Greek yogurt adds protein and volume, tricking your brain into thinking you are pigging out on peanut butter when you're actually eating something somewhat healthy.

Pretty!

The original recipe called for more yogurt and added honey as a sweetener, but I found the peanut butter flavor that I love so much was lost in that version. See the link below if you are interested in the sweeter version.

References:

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food/galleries/photo/-/8858091/low-calorie-treats-for-the-sweet-tooth/8858093/

Somewhat-Healthier Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake

It's been a few weeks since my last post - I've still been cooking and baking, I just haven't had time to post the recipes. I had an awful migraine this week, which often means I get to eat whatever I want in an attempt to kill the headache. That resulted in this masterpiece dessert that I found on Pinterest and just had to eat immediately. I adjusted the recipe a little, making it healthier by eliminating the chocolate frosting and using fat-free Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

*Drool*

Ingredients:


1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ t baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ t salt
½ stick (4 T) unsalted butter (salted is OK if that’s all you have)
3 oz. creamy peanut butter (a little less than ½ cup)
½ cup tightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
¼ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup hot water
½ t vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.


Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. I like to stir flour mixtures with a wire whisk or a fork to avoid the bad taste of chunks of baking soda in your baked goods.


In a separate bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Fun tip - if you are out of brown sugar (or if it’s solidified beyond saving like mine was), mix ½ cup white sugar plus 1 ½ tablespoons molasses in a food processor for an easy substitute.

Homemade brown sugar

Add egg and egg yolk and mix for a minute or two. Add half of flour mixture and mix until combined, scraping sides as you mix. Add yogurt and mix at medium-high speed for two minutes. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Continue to scrape sides eventually to include all ingredients. Add hot water and vanilla extract, beating on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.


Abandon the mixer at this point, and mix in the chocolate chips using a large spoon or spatula. The original recipe only called for a ½ cup of chocolate chips, but who doesn’t want more chocolate? I used miniature chocolate chips because I had some left over from my last batch of biscotti.

Grease a 9x9 pan. I used coconut oil to grease the pan for a little extra flavor. Spread batter into pan using a spatula. Bake for at least 30 minutes, until center appears baked through. A knife inserted in the center won't help you know if it's done because the melted chocolate chips stick to the knife no matter what. Let cool for a few minutes in pan. Cut into 9 pieces and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top.

*Note: After making this recipe once, I recommend baking it in a 13x9 pan for a shorter time - maybe 20-25 minutes. In a 9x9 pan, the center was too thick and not completely baked while the edges were starting to burn.

Yum!

References:
http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2006/10/01/life-can-be-cruel/ 

Cheddar & Garlic Biscuits

A few weeks ago, I took a break from creativity for the night and made some very cheesy cheddar biscuits out of a box. I ate one biscuit with my dinner, and left them sitting out on the counter when I went to bed that night. When I woke, the biscuits were gone... and my boyfriend had all sorts of creative excuses for how they disappeared, finally admitting that they were so good that he couldn't help but eat them all.

Unfortunately, that yummy biscuit mix was kind of expensive, so I set out to find a recipe so I could make them from scratch. After much research, I finally settled on this recipe that I found on Pinterest. James agrees they taste just as delicious as the ones that came from a box, and they barely cost me anything to make.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. I plan on freezing half of it to ensure there are some left when I wake up tomorrow.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t salt

5 T butter, cold

1 cup buttermilk*

1 1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (or more, if you like!)

*The original recipe advises that if you don't have buttermilk, mix one cup milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar and let sit for ten minutes before using. I did this, and my biscuits turned out fine.

Butter topping:

2 T butter, melted

1/4 t dried parsley

3/4 t garlic powder

Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix dry ingredients (first 4 ingredients) well in a large bowl. Add cold butter and cut into dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no large chunks of butter are visible.

Mix in grated cheese. Add buttermilk and stir minimally; over-mixing will effect the final texture of the biscuits. Using your hands and a soup spoon, drop golf-ball sized chunks of dough onto a non-stick baking sheet, again handling the dough minimally.

Bake biscuits at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. While the biscuits are baking, mix the butter topping so it is ready when the biscuits come out of the oven. Remove biscuits from tray to a cooling rack and immediately brush with melted butter and spice mixture. These biscuits taste great still warm from the oven. Makes 18 biscuits.

Source: http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2010/09/cheddar-and-herb-biscuits.html 

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

I ate the most amazing sandwich the other night at one of my favorite restaurants, Melt. Melt has three locations around the Cleveland area, and everything on the menu is amazing. This month they are bringing back the best sandwiches of 2011 for one week each.

This week is the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Melt, which is the ultimate BLT. The sandwich includes "hickory smoked bacon, applewood smoked bacon, black-pepper crusted slab bacon, and sweet candied bacon," all topped with a bacon cream cheese, bacon-infused mayonnaise (made at the restaurant), cheddar, romaine lettuce, and tomato." 

I think the candied bacon really makes the sandwich, giving the sandwich that wonderful taste of when you accidentally get maple syrup on your bacon at breakfast. I absolutely loved this sandwich, and ended up eating the whole thing instead of boxing half up for later like I usually do. The explosion of flavors was totally worth the stomachache I had later from overeating.


The sandwich is, as usual, served with a side of awesome fries and some not-as-awesome spicy cole slaw, which I always forget to cancel so it doesn't go to waste. Also, the specialty sandwiches tend be paired with a special cocktail, so of course I had to try the Kevin Bacon Vanilla Alexander. The drink is described as "Bulleit bourbon infused with bacon, Godiva white chocolate liqueur, cream and real vanilla, shaken with ice and topped with real whipped cream and crisp bacon bits."

The drink was... interesting, to say the least. It tasted good at first, but the bourbon aftertaste didn't seem to fit with the other flavors. It tasted like Bailey's Irish Cream mixed with whiskey and bacon. I found it tasted better when I abandoned the straws and drank straight from the glass, getting bacon bits in every sip. I'm not sure I would ever order this drink again, but I have to give props to Melt for actually creating a drinkable bacon-flavored cocktail. I have attempted this feat in the past, and it ended VERY poorly.


The meal was altogether a success, topped with the end-of-meal revelation that there is a Melt rewards program! I signed up for the card, which will earn me $20 of free Melt for every $250 I spend. I was SO excited to learn about this program. Not that I needed another excuse to go to Melt.


References:
http://meltbarandgrilled.com/

Mushroom Risotto

This is one of my favorite recipes, adapted from my Italian grandmother's tomato risotto because I LOVE mushrooms.

4T salted butter
2T olive oil
10oz portabella mushrooms (1 package baby bellas)*
3.5 oz oyster mushrooms (you can leave these out if you want to save money)
Juice from 1/2 a small lemon
1/2 white onion, diced
2T parsley
4T pesto (see note below)
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine**
4-6 cups chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese
Pre-cooked chopped or shredded chicken can be added at the very end.


*Please remember to wash your mushrooms, as they are often grown in manure.
**I prefer pinot grigio, but really any wine, red or white, will do. Red wine makes for ugly, gray rice though.


First, put the broth in a saucepan on low heat on a back burner of the stove to make sure it is warm by the time you need it. Don't let it boil.

Slice portabellas into thin slices lengthwise. Cut up oyster mushrooms as little as possible, sparing their pretty shape. Melt 2T salted butter in pan - use a skillet if you are planning on cooking in the slow cooker, or a large saucepan if planning on cooking your risotto using the traditional method. While butter is melting, toss mushrooms in a bowl with juice from half of a small lemon, being very careful to avoid accidentally adding lemon seeds. Sauté mushrooms in butter until soft, brown, and releasing their juices. Remove mushrooms and juices to a separate bowl, and toss with parsley and pesto.


At this point I'll let you in on an secret: I'm awful at making pesto, and I find it to be a time-consuming hassle for something that never tastes right anyhow. I tried for years, and I have given up. It doesn't help that I can't seem to keep indoor plants alive, so my attempts to grow basil at home have also failed miserably. So here's my secret: I use Knorr pesto packets in a lot of my recipes.

My ancestors are rolling over in their graves

I'm highly ashamed of this, but it tastes so much better than any pesto I've ever made, and it's cheaper than ready-made pesto in a jar. If you decide to take my easy way out, just dump in the whole pesto packet at this point. Set the bowl of mushrooms and spices aside for now.


In the same pan (don't bother washing it), melt 2T butter with 2T olive oil. Sauté onions until clear and soft, but not brown. Add rice and stir until coated. Add mushroom mixture and stir. Add wine and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.

At this point, it's time to officially decide if you are going to be lazy or traditional. If you're feeling lazy, dump the contents of the skillet into your slow-cooker, add 4 to 4 1/2 cups broth all at once, put the slow cooker on high and go relax on the couch for the next 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until all the liquid has absorbed (peek at it after one hour to make sure it doesn't burn).


For the traditional cooking method, keep the broth on low heat on the stove in a separate pan throughout cooking. Add broth to rice mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup of broth. I use a large ladle for this part, adding one ladleful at a time. Stir continuously, being careful not to pause for more than a few seconds or it will burn. Continue this until the rice is at your preferred consistency. Depending on the day, it can take more or less than 6 cups of broth. I always buy extra just in case.


When done cooking, stir in cheese while still hot. Many recipes also say to stir in 2T of butter at the end, but I find it just adds unnecessary calories. Today, I added about 2 cups of shredded Cornish game hen that I had frozen from Christmas dinner leftovers. Add salt and pepper to taste.