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Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

October 3, 2012 by 13 Comments

Why did the chicken cross the road? I’ll get to that in a moment.

One thing I absolutely, positively adore about living in Western New York is that I can honestly say I live in the birthplace of the hot wing. If you order ‘wings’ in a nearby restaurant or bar, you’re going to receive that hot, spicy, zippy, deep-fried, buttery tip-of-a-chicken’s-wing that is known the rest of the nation over as Buffalo Wings or hot wings. If you order Buffalo wings here, they’re going to know you’re not a local.

You know the story of how the ubiquitous bar food came to be, right? A hungry Buffalonian and his college buddies piled into the Anchor Bar where his mom was working. They begged for something -ANYTHING- to eat. (Right here is where the story gets me in the heart. I know how boys eat. I feel this story deeply.) Mrs. Bellissimo (the mom in question) threw a bunch of wings into the fry-o-later and tossed them with a special sauce, served them to the hungry boys, and a legend was born. There are other versions of the story, but they too all center around Mrs. Bellissimo and her restaurant. In short, Mrs. Bellissimo is widely acknowledged to be single-handedly responsible for one of the best-loved snack foods in North America. God love her, ’cause chickens fear her very name.

I’m going to go ahead and assume you’ve had real, proper wings before now; you’ve had that magical combination of vinegar based hot sauce and butter tossed on deep-fried chicken wings. Am I right? So you know how a wing is supposed to taste; buttery, spicy, zingy, chickeny, and altogether addictive.

This hot dip is everything that a good wing dunked in blue cheese or Ranch dressing is, but in dip form. You start with a generous portion of cooked, cubed chicken mixed into a concoction of cream cheese, Ranch dressing, and hot sauce and bake it until it’s bubbly and steaming hot. Your brain will scream “WINGS” when you scoop a cracker or celery stick into this dip.

You’re not going to be screaming from the heat. In wing parlance, you’ve got mild, medium and hot, in most cases. This dip is a medium. It’s not going to make your head leap from your neck and run away yelping unless you’re the wussiest of  all wussy eaters. If you are, and you still want to try the dip on for size, reduce the hot sauce but don’t you omit it…. then it would just be creamy chicken dip and that would be sad. Just sad.

…And now for the blue cheese issue, because I know some of you have one. If (sigh) you don’t like blue cheese (sigh again), yes, you can substitute mozzarella or Monterey Jack, but it will not pack that true wing punch. Wings are almost always served with a side of blue cheese dressing (Ranch if you ask for it) and some celery sticks.

Speaking of celery sticks, they would make an admirable conveyance for dip-to-mouth if you have them handy. I, however, did not. This is mainly due to the fact that my children have lately taken a serious fancy to ants-on-a-log for breakfast, lunch and dinner and had cleaned out my crisper drawer of all available celery whilst I was whipping up this dip for them at their request. *Shaking fists toward children.*

Ah well. Lack of celery sticks notwithstanding, this is mega-satisfying and fun. Crackers, tortilla chips, corn chips or breadsticks are all fantastic when dunked into, dolloped with or otherwise spread with Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip.

I guarantee this as man/boy friendly food, given that my man/boys ate up a batch in about ten minutes flat. I can also personally guarantee this as chick food, so long as your fellow chicks like wings as much as I do. Chicks and Wings. For a multitude of reasons, don’t ever let anyone tell you they don’t go together.

So why did that chicken cross the road? To get the heck out of Buffalo!

Buh-KAWK!

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Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Bubbly, cheesy, spicy, and full of chicken, Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip is a snacker's dream. Welcome at parties, on game day, or just for a fun hot snack, this dip is everything you love about Buffalo wings minus the bone.

Instructions for preparing this with a slow-cooker are also included.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce brick of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dry Ranch dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce, preferably Frank's Red Hot or Sriracha
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (or grated mozzarella or Monterey Jack if you dislike blue.)
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely minced or pressed
  • 2 cups of cooked finely chopped or shredded chicken

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add the softened cream cheese to mixing bowl. Use a fork to break up the cream cheese and smoosh in the milk, mayonnaise and ranch dressing. Switch to a sturdy spoon to continue smashing it and mixing it until smooth. Mix in the hot sauce next, whisking to combine until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients until evenly combined.

Scrape the mixture into a casserole dish or oven safe bowl and bake* for 20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

*This mixture can also be prepared in a slow-cooker on low (2-3 hours) and kept warm for a couple hours afterward.

Serve hot with crackers, corn or tortilla chips, celery sticks, or bread sticks.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/10/03/hot-buffalo-chicken-dip/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 26, 2012 by 17 Comments

There is nothing like a warm cookie on a cold day. While my husband and I play our annual game of “just how long can we wait to fire up the wood stove”, the days are getting cooler and the nights are colder yet.

We try to eek as many days wood stove-free as we possibly can out of each year and steadfastly refuse to start a fire at least –AT LEAST- until fall has officially started. It’s ridiculous. It’s petty. It’s stupid… we march around in so many layers that we look like the baby brother in ‘A Christmas Story’. We wear gloves in the house. I bake like it’s my job. In a way, I suppose it actually is, considering how many mouths we feed.

Baked potato lunches are had for no reason other than I want to warm the darned place up a bit. Bread is baked for anyone who looks like they might have ever been hungry just because.  The boys check on the progress of whatever is in the oven even more than they usually do because, well, they want to warm up as much as I do. No soufflés this time of year, no sireebob. The oven door is opened too many times for something as delicate as that.

But cookies… Cookies get the most play of everything. Cookies are the almost instant gratification of the baking world. You whip the dough together and then you wait about twelve minutes. Sure, you probably oughta wait at least until they cool down enough not to take the skin off of the roof of your mouth, but let’s not kid each other. I bite into a cookie as soon as it holds together long enough for me to get it to my maw from the pan.

Since we’ve already established my bonafide obsession with all things pumpkin, you probably shouldn’t be surprised that one of my favourite cookies at this, the very cookie-est time of year, is a pumpkin one. It’s not just any pumpkin cookie, though. Oh no. It’s a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. Hallelujah! It’s everything wonderful all at once.

I have to confess, I roast the pumpkins to make the pumpkin puree for these bad boys. I do it for two reasons (one of which I’m sure you’ve already sussed out.)

  1. While the pumpkins are roasting, the house is warming. Heck yes.
  2. I like homemade pumpkin puree better. I just plain do.

Now, if you don’t have access to sugar pumpkins or don’t feel like roasting your own or aren’t as dogged and stubborn as I am and have a plenty warm house, by all means, use canned pumpkin puree. And I like my cookies made with white whole wheat flour (King Arthur, thankyouverymuch), but you’re more than welcome to substitute all-purpose flour in equal amounts if that doesn’t float your boat. Just think, though… pumpkin, whole wheat, oats and chocolate? That’s practically a health tonic. Right? RIGHT?!?

I’m partial to using Nestlé TollHouse SemiSweet Morsels here. Honestly, who doesn’t get excited when they see that yellow bag of sweet goodness? You know it’s going to be good when you see that! Pumpkin and chocolate were meant to be together. Truly.

One more thing, and then I’ll leave you to cookie baking; if you have kids at home, please get them involved in baking these.  Taciturn teenagers (and I am NOT saying mine is one),

Look! A Jedi is making cookies in my kitchen!

silly sweet eight year olds,

Pssst. He’s wearing a pumpkin coloured shirt. We are all obsessed.

and every age in-between and above and below love having a hand in making cookies. If they balk, go all Little Red Hen on them and inform them that they have to make ‘em to eat ‘em. I guarantee they’ll enjoy it once they get started. And when they get to eat the fruits (or the cookies, rather) of their labours, they’ll be so proud.

What I especially love about these cookies is that they have a little bit of an identity crisis. Like me. Hello, I’m the girl who equally loves Downton Abbey, Dr. Who, Tommy Boy, The Godfather, Babette’s Feast, Punk, Gospel Music, Bluegrass, and Classical.  I can’t make up my mind! The cookies almost act like little hand held cakes. But then they’re like oatmeal cookies. And then they’re ever so slightly pumpkin-y. But no! They’re a chocolate chip cookie. Oh geez. Whatever. They’re just wonderful!

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Indulge in this taste of the season -Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Cookies- all you want; they're made with real pumpkin and oats. You'd never know how healthy they were to taste them!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat (or all purpose) flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup chilled butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin (or butternut or acorn squash) puree
  • 1 3/4 cups rolled or quick oats
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, preferably semi-sweet

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two butterknives, cut in the butter until it the butter is pea-sized or smaller.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin or squash puree and the egg until smooth. Add that into the dry ingredients along with the oats and chocolate chips until the mixture is evenly combined and there are no dry pockets.

Scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet by rounded tablespoons (or with a cookie scoop/disher.) Bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies are set and lightly browned around the edges. These cookies will not flatten as they bake.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/26/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

 
All opinions are -as always- my own.

This post is sponsored by Nestlé®
Toll House® Morsels, the perfect special ingredient for all of
your family’s favorite treats!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) and a Giveaway! | Make Ahead Mondays

August 27, 2012 by 127 Comments

 

Giveaway details below the recipe!

I got my dog fixed on my birthday.

It’s a glamorous life. Try not to be too jealous.

Because Frijole is a rescue dog (although some folks would argue that his inclusion in the dog category is in doubt considering he’s half daschund half chihuahua), we were invited to bring him to a free spay and neuter clinic about two hours from home. “Free” is one of my favourite words, so I grabbed the leash, the understandably unexcited dog, a cup of tea and set out at six in the morning on a Sunday to drop my pup off for ye olde snip-snip.

After depositing the dog (and a surprise attack of tears when leaving my sweet wittle puppykins in the arms of those strangers) I drove into town a little further and found the Holy Grail, Nirvana, Kismet, Shangrila…

I found Barnes and Noble in Elmira, New York.

Since it was my birthday, I gave myself permission to go a little wacky in the bookstore. Aside from living in a library, this is my idea of the ultimate in fun. I felt like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. I walked in, twirled around with my arms in the air, and sang (in my head.)

I walked up aisles. I walked down them. I tucked into ill-lit corners with piles of books by authors of whom I’d never heard. I sniffed new books.* I scoured the clearance and mark-down books. When I tell you I spent hours, I mean it.

When all was said and done, I carried my teetering stack of books to the register. While the clerk was scanning, scanning, scanning, I glanced at the time and realized I still had a couple of hours to go before I could pick up my now frijole-less Frijole. A glance to my right showed the semi-ubiquitous Barnes and Noble Starbucks, so I paid and scooted over there to spend a little air-conditioned time admiring my new acquisitions.

*Please tell me someone else loves the smell of books…

There are a couple of impulse buy food words that get me every time; citrus, lemon, lime, orange, berry and hibiscus. Lo and behold, Starbucks had a little something called a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher. I was all over that like my kids on chips. I ordered one at the counter and they asked, “Can we make that a venti?” I am not a Starbucks veteran, so I had NO IDEA what that meant, but I wanted to be agreeable, so I said yes. Heck. It was my birthday.

I watched while she mixed up my refresher, took it back to the table, took a sip and did what any self-respecting blogger does when she likes something. I posted a picture on instagram. Then? Then I did what any self-respecting member of my family would do. I vowed to learn to make it myself because at that point, I had learned what venti meant. It meant EXPENSIVE.

With the justification, “It’s for research!” singing in my head, I ordered a second venti Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher while tucking an information card in my pocket and asking the poor gal what went into the drink. She said “Green Coffee Extract, this hibiscus mix stuff, dried berries, water and ice”. All that was left was for me to slurp my drink, call my sister to tell her how she needed to try one, pick up my drugged and tender puppy and drive home for my annual birthday fried chicken extravaganza.

Being cheap (and living a couple hours from the nearest Starbucks) is a marvelous recipe development motivator. I ordered green coffee beans from Amazon.com, busted out my stash of dried hibiscus flowers and freeze dried berries and set myself to experimentation.

I opted to make my green coffee extract using cold extraction. This sounds far more difficult than it actually is. In short, grind unroasted coffee beans, cover with water, let it set in the refrigerator overnight then strain it. Ta da! Yes. It truly is that simple. I make a quart at a time, so I can have this whenever cravings strike.

While researching green coffee beans, I found out that green coffee is currently the golden child of the diet scene. Evidently, taking green coffee extract (in any form) jacks up your metabolism so that -all other things remaining the same- you metabolize your food more completely and therefore lose weight. Who knew?

Because cold brewing/extraction is a gentler process, I used my beloved new Krups coffee grinder/spice mill from BigKitchen to break the beans up just a bit. I didn’t need to obliterate them like you would for a regular cuppa joe, just break them open a little. Can we talk about why I love this grinder for just a moment? My husband is the coffee drinker in the house. I’m a tea drinker. For years, our coffee grinder has been ‘his’. I borrowed it once -just once!- to grind some spices and we both ended up unhappy with the results. My cumin tasted like coffee and his coffee tasted like cumin. The rest of my spice and herb grinding took place in the pestle and mortar. Sigh. This new grinder is mine, MINE I TELL YA, and it will never have a roasted coffee bean in it as long as it lives. The green coffee beans don’t count because they don’t have that strong flavour, aroma, etc… that you find in roasted beans. Additionally, green coffee contains about one-fifth of the caffeine of its roasted counterpart. This probably accounts for why I can drink it without having to be scraped from the ceiling.

So why do all this? Hibiscus and berries are bright and fresh and naturally vibrant pink and full of vitamins and minerals. Green coffee is a metabolism booster and makes you feel energetic without feeling strung out. Put them together with ice and water and you have a truly refreshing drink.

If you have a Starbucks lover in your life, a jar each of the hibiscus syrup and green coffee extract in a basket with a couple bags of the freeze-dried berries would make a wonderful gift!

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Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) | Make Ahead Monday

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) | Make Ahead Monday

Zingy hibiscus and sweet freeze dried berries get shake-shake-shaken into homemade green coffee extract (yes you CAN do that at home!) and ice creating a fabulous knock-off of the Starbucks Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers at a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients

    For the Green Coffee Extract:
  • 1 quart cold water
  • 1/4 pound green (unroasted) coffee beans
    • For the Hibiscus Simple Syrup:
  • 1 cup, lightly packed, dried hibiscus flowers
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
    • To Make a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone:
  • 2 cups of ice cubes
  • 1 tablespoon green coffee extract
  • 1-4 tablespoons hibiscus simple syrup (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons freeze-dried berries
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

To Make the Green Tea Extract:

Add the beans to a scrupulously clean spice or coffee grinder, pulse the grinder about 10 times just to break up the beans a little. Empty the beans into a half-gallon glass canning jar or another similarly sized container with a tight fitting lid. Pour the cold water over the beans, fix the lid in place and shake a couple of times to make sure it is all good and distributed. Stash in the refrigerator overnight to extract.

After it has soaked for at least 8 hours, line a fine-mesh sieve with a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth positioned over a pitcher. Shake the green coffee and water mixture one more time and pour it through the lined sieve. Transfer the strained liquid to a jar (it should fit into a quart jar) and store in the refrigerator for up to a month, using as desired.

To Make the Hibiscus Simple Syrup:

Add hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, turn off the heat and add a lid to the pan. Let it steep for at least 20 minutes, but not more than 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a canning jar or pitcher. Store in the refrigerator in a tightly lidded jar or other stain-proof container. Hibiscus syrup WILL stain!

To Make a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone:

Add 2 cups of ice to a quart canning jar. Pour the green coffee extract and hibiscus syrup over the ice, add the freeze-dried berries and pour the water over everything else. Fix the lid tightly in place and shake vigorously for about 25 seconds. Pour into a pretty glass and sip. Heck, gulp if you want to gulp! This is good stuff and it's good for you!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/27/very-berry-hibiscus-refresher-clone-starbucks-knockoff-and-a-giveaway-make-ahead-monday/

Now let’s talk goodies, shall we? The folks at BigKitchen -the same ones who provided my best beloved grinder- are offering to give away another one just like mine to one of you folks.

 

Big cheer for BigKitchen! This is a work horse of a grinder. These are the details about this gorgeous piece of kit according to BigKitchen:

  • Minces fresh herbs and dried spices and grinds coffee beans from
    coarse to fine in seconds
  • Sharp stainless steel blades quickly chop for easy preparation of your
    favorite dishes
  • Pulse action button lets you determine the degree of fineness
  • Brushed stainless steel finish
  • Safety lock lid
  • 140W
  • Retails at: $29.99

I concur with all of that, but I’d add that it’s just plain gorgeous. It is super sleek and I do love stainless steel appliances. They are out of stock (sad trombone!) currently, but they do have one in stock for the winner of this giveaway and they’ll be back for the rest of the world very soon, indeed (happy cry from the crowd!) So how do you win?

For 1 Entry:

You need to scoot on over to BigKitchen and look around. For one entry, tell me here in the comments what you would be most likely to buy from BigKitchen.

For Additional Entries (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so we can have a truly random drawing!):

Like Foodie With Family on facebook, then come back here and say so.

Like BigKitchen on facebook then come back here and say so.

Follow Foodie With Family on Twitter and, well, you know, come back here and say so.

Follow BigKitchen on Twitter and… you know!

My word! That’s 5 different ways to win my favourite grinder. Make yourself a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher and start entering today! The giveaway will close on Thursday, August 30th with a winner to be announced on Friday.

BigKitchen was kind enough to send me a Krups grinder and offer one to give away, but all opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with Starbucks in any way.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Beverages, Component Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Greek Salsa

August 24, 2012 by 11 Comments

The little germ of an idea was flitting around in my brain since the first eighty degree day we had this year… I wanted to do a Greek salsa. I knew I wanted it to have lemon juice, feta cheese and kalamata olives. Not just any kalamata olives, mind you, I wanted garlic stuffed kalamata olives.

I have a thing for garlic stuffed kalamata olives. And by a thing, I mean a full-fledged dependency. If these things weren’t $7.99 a pound, I’d slurp them up all day every day and have water retention so severe my ankles would be the same size as my hips which are NOT tiny. Phew.

Sigh.

There is added insurance against my overdosing on the olives in that the closest place to buy them is a forty five minute drive in either direction. I shop at the place about once every month and drive to the store with eager anticipation. I scoop as much into the little container as I can while still being able to fix the lid in place, ask the clerk to double bag it and tie the top because that luscious marinating oil has a tendency to leak. Okay. I also have her double bag it and tie the top because it keeps me from eating them all before I get home.

Once home, I cram the bagged container into the back of the fridge in a vain attempt to hide them from myself and everyone else because I am not the only one here obsessed with the little gems.

I then sit and plot the ways that I’m going to eek them out. The idea for the Greek salsa was near the top of the list for months, but kept getting pushed back when someone or another discovered my hiding spot and made the olives disappear in a feeding frenzy. Alright. It was me. I can’t help myself.

I told you I love those things.

The last time I went to the store, they had BIG containers. It was a happy, happy day. I was able to fill the big container with enough to snack on AND use in recipes.

We snacked, we put them on pizzas (our second favourite thing to do with them after snacking), we finally made this salsa. It was worth the wait.

This is happy food, friends. Fresh, crunchy, flavourful, and filling without being heavy, this Greek inspired salsa is full of cucumbers, fire roasted peppers, red onions, garlic stuffed kalamata olives, crumbled feta, lemon and chopped parsley. I dipped it up with pita chips and I served it as a salad alongside grilled fish. It made me want to yell Opa! and smash plates*. I made batch after batch of this salsa until the olives ran out. It was so good.

*At least it made me want to smash the plates I have that I don’t like. I’ve been gunning to get rid of that Correlle for years.

Here’s the beauty of the recipe, though. While it is most wonderfully suited to summer, it can be made year ’round. I imagine this will fill in some mid-winter cravings for fresh food for me. It’s just that kind of dish.

I know those garlic stuffed kalamatas can be hard to find, so if you can’t lay your hands on them, simply use pitted kalamatas and add a large clove of garlic, peeled and minced, to the recipe.

OPA!!

 

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Greek Salsa

Greek Salsa

This is happy food, friends. Fresh, crunchy, flavourful, and filling without being heavy, this Greek inspired salsa is full of cucumbers, fire roasted peppers, red onions, garlic stuffed kalamata olives, crumbled feta, lemon and chopped parsley. Dip with pita chips or serve as a salad alongside grilled meat or fish. Opa!

I know those garlic stuffed kalamatas can be hard to find, so if you can't lay your hands on them, simply use an equal amount of pitted kalamatas and add a large clove of garlic, peeled and minced, to the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 seedless cucumber, also known as an English cucumber, diced finely
  • 1 jarred fire roasted red pepper (or a freshly roasted pepper, peeled and seeded), diced finely
  • 1-inch thick slice from a red onion, minced finely
  • 1/2 cup garlic stuffed kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup feta crumbles
  • 1/4 cup, packed, flat leaf or curly parsley leaves
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced or pressed
  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

Finely mince the parsley leaves and add to a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate, tightly covered, or serve immediately with pita chips or alongside grilled chicken or fish.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/24/greek-salsa/

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Appetizers & Snacks, Condiments, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Snacks, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Brownie Cake with Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting

August 21, 2012 by 18 Comments

Salty sweet. Salty sweet. Salty sweet. Salty sweet. Salty sweet.

Despite the prevalence of desserts here on Foodie With Family, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I think that is why I’m so picky about my desserts. When I DO want a sweet, I don’t want just any sweet. I want the best.

Oh, hi. I’m high maintenance on desserts. There are certain things that are almost guaranteed to make me happy: dark chocolate, Nutella, and peanut butter or any combination thereof.

During a rare attack of my sweet tooth last week, I turned to one of the fastest ways to satisfy; I made brownies. They weren’t just any brownies, though, oh no. They were THE brownies. The fail-safe, fool-proof, can’t-mess-’em-up brownies I’ve been making for years. I’ll tell you know, they’re cakey. I kind of think of them as brownie cake rather than br-ow-nies. Brownies are, to me, just this side of fudge. And I don’t know what possessed me, but this brownie cake that I’ve made so many times and left plain? I had to go and frost it. Simply had to do it. I was compelled.

Into the stand mixer went butter, Nutella and peanut butter. Because, well, I don’t know. Because I could? Whatever the reason was, I’m awfully glad I did it because I ended up with the fluffiest, Nutella-y-est, peanut buttery-est frosting ever to get licked from the bowl. I grabbed ye olde offset spatula and put an entire batch of the frosting on the big brownie.

Then thought to myself, “EGADS. That is going to be sweet. SALT! I’m going to put salt on it.” A little shower of Maldon sea salt flakes later, I sat down in front of the cutting board and cut off a corner of the now frosted and salted brownie cake to take a bite.

Have you ever had salt with your chocolate? Do you know what it does to you? There is a scientific reason behind why it is do dadburned good. Salt makes your taste buds wake up and take notice of what it rides in on. When you put salt on chocolate, the chocolate tastes more chocolatey. You know that’s a good thing.

I do have one little bit of warning, though. Don’t make this when you’re going to be home alone. Just don’t. Not that I ate too much of this by myself… But hey, if you’re in the neighborhood, maybe you could roll me out to my pilates mat?

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Brownie Cake with Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting

Brownie Cake with Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting

This fool-proof, fail-safe, crowd-pleasing, deep-chocolate brownie cake is topped with fluffy Nutella and peanut butter frosting and then sprinkled with Maldon Sea Salt flakes.

Ingredients

    For the Brownie Cake:
  • 4 ounces (4, 1oz squares) unsweetened baker's chocolate, chopped
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces or 16 tablespoons) butter
  • 2 cups raw sugar (can substitute granulated white sugar if necessary)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces by weight) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • For the Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting:
  • 1 stick (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Nutella
  • 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar
  • 2-4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • For Serving:
  • Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Instructions

To Make the Brownie Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Unwrap and add the 2 sticks of butter and the chopped chocolate to a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over very low heat and stir until the butter is melted and the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a batter blade (or a mixing bowl in which you can use an electric hand mixer.) Add the sugar and mix on medium until combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, quickly whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add it to the mixer all at once and mix on low just until combined and there are no more dry pockets. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter two or three times to even it out.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or just until the center is set. Do not overbake! Remove the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool completely in the pan.

Use the foil to help you transfer the brownie cake from the pan to a cutting board. Carefully pull the foil from under the brownie cake.

To Make the Nutella Peanut Butter Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, blend the softened butter, Nutella, and peanut butter on high until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and start and stop the blender a couple of times to prevent a POOF of powdered sugar from flying into the air. Once you're sure you're in the clear, turn the mixer to high and blend until it is even. Pour 2 of the tablespoons of milk or cream and the vanilla extract while the mixer is running. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on high again until smooth and fluffy, adding some of the additional milk if necessary.

Frost the cooled brownie cake. Cut into squares and sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt Flakes -grinding them between your fingers over the frosting- just before serving.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/21/brownie-cake-with-nutella-peanut-butter-frosting/

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Cakes, Chocolate, Comfort Food, Desserts, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Refrigerator Pickled Salad (Bread and Butter Style) | Make Ahead Mondays

August 13, 2012 by 13 Comments

 

I have this friend, Meseidy, who has a fabulous blog; The Noshery. Meseidy can do it all. She is a chef, a decorator, a great conversationalist and an extremely talented folder of sheets.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP66IMO_fJ0[/youtube]

I am not kidding you when I tell you that I never successfully folded a fitted sheet before Meseidy taught me to do it. It’s not my mom’s or dad’s fault… They can fold like a pro. I seem to have some double recessive incompetent-at-housekeeping-tasks gene. Ah well, better late than never, eh?

I did mention she’s a chef, right? She’s not just a chef. Girl can COOK, people. I’ve had the privilege of having her cook for me a few times and every single time I’m wowed by the food. She made these almond crisps with boozy cherries and vanilla ice cream when we were all out at The Pioneer Woman’s. Oh heavens, I could eat my weight in that.

But that is NOT what I’m talking about today. I may be dreaming about it, but I’m not talking about it. Today, I want to tell you about her Refrigerated Pickled Salad. The second she posted it, I knew it would be made. And soon.

It is best described as a bread and butter pickle salad. Crazy sounding? Maybe, but think about it. You have oodles of thinly sliced cucumbers, multi-coloured bell peppers, red onion, and garlic marinating in a sweet and sour brine of vinegar, sugar, water, and -in my case- crushed red pepper flakes. How inviting does this look?

Let me tell you, this is not to be missed.

I messed with the recipe just a wee bit (on accident, but more on that in a moment and liked the results so much that I did it again. On purpose. The first time I prepared the pickles, I doubled it. What can I say, I was confident that she wouldn’t steer me wrong. When I doubled the recipe, I doubled everything BUT the ice. Whoopsie. I stuck my finger in the brine to see if it was too punchy with the extra vinegar and loved it so much, I left it that way.

Per instructions, we let the pickles happily soak in that delicious brine for THREE. WHOLE. DAYS. When I say we, I mean my sister, her husband, my dad and stepmom, my uncle and aunt, The Evil Genius, the kids and me. After three days, all bets were off. We had the pickles on carnitas tacos, grilled white hots, cottage cheese, and with cream cheese in tortilla wraps. We stuck our fingers in the jars and snacked on them all by themselves. This was the jar when we started.

Within five days, that gallon jar was empty. Oy. We are clearly a pickle dependent family. They were so good, though! Sweet and sour like a classic bread and butter pickle, but with lovely thin strips of pickled vegetables and a little kick of spice, they were simply wonderful. Being the waste-not-want-not sort of gal that I am, I re-used the flavourful brine from the first batch for my second batch. I sliced my veggies and tossed them in the mixing bowl like before, but then poured the leftover brine in and stirred to distribute the mustard seeds. I then used tongs to transfer the veggies to the jar and poured the brine back in over everything. Hubba hubba.

Batch two is well on its way to disappearing as quickly as the first did. Thank you mille fois, Meseidy… or should I say gracias?

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Refrigerator Pickled Salad (Bread and Butter Style)

Refrigerator Pickled Salad (Bread and Butter Style)

Sweet and sour like a classic bread and butter pickle, but with lovely thin strips of pickled vegetables and a little kick of spice, these are simply wonderful. Bonus: no canning required and they're ready to eat in 3 days!

Serve this simple pickled salad with grilled meats, on sandwiches, on tacos, with cream cheese in tortilla wraps, over cottage cheese for an afternoon pick-me-up, or just on their own.

Recipe very gently adapted from and used with the permission of the wonderful Meseidy of The Noshery.

Ingredients

  • 2 seedless English cucumbers (also known as English Cucumbers)
  • 1 large red onion
  • 2 pounds baby multi-colour sweet bell peppers (or the equivalent poundage of red, yellow and orange bell peppers.)
  • 8 large (or 10 medium) cloves of garlic
  • 3 cups cider vinegar
  • 1 1/3 cups raw or granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup ice cubes
  • 2 ounces (1/3 cup by volume) whole yellow mustard seeds

Instructions

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved, remove the pan from the burner and set aside to cool while you prepare your vegetables.

Cut the English cucumbers into three pieces each, then cut each piece in half. Thinly slice each of those halves. Transfer the sliced cucumbers to a large mixing bowl.

Cut the blossom and stem end off of the red onion, peel it and cut in half. Slice each of those halves paper thin. Add the onions to the cucumbers in the mixing bowl.

Remove the stem and seeds from the bell peppers and thinly slice them lengthwise and transfer to the mixing bowl.

Peel and slice the garlic cloves as thinly as possible. Add those into the mixing bowl along with the mustard seeds and toss to distribute everything evenly. Pack into a glass gallon jar (or into 3-4 glass quart jars.)

Add the ice cubes to the partially cooled brine, stir until the ice is melted, then pour the brine over the vegetables in the jar(s). Tightly lid the jars and store in the refrigerator for at least 3 days before eating. Lasts for at least a month when refrigerated.

*Notes:

You can reuse the brine for a second batch of pickled salad by pouring the leftover brine over a freshly sliced batch of veggies in the mixing bowl, toss to distribute the mustard seeds, then use tongs to transfer the veggies to clean jars and pour the remaining brine over them. Again, refrigerate for 3 days before eating.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/13/refrigerator-pickled-salad-bread-and-butter-style/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Component Foods, Condiments, Gluten Free, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Make Ahead Mondays, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Seasoned Snack Crackers (Amish Recipe) and a Giveaway | Make Ahead Mondays

July 30, 2012 by 123 Comments

When we moved into Amish country a few years ago, one of the things that surprised me the most was how, well, normal the Amish folks were that I met. I’m not sure what exactly I expected, but I think I fancied there’d be a little olde English* thrown around here and there; maybe thees and thous? I certainly didn’t expect to go to the farmer’s market and see a middle-aged Amish woman laughing raucously at her bake stand while holding a slice of pizza in one hand and a 20 ounce Pepsi in the other.

*Just in case any of you out there think the same thing I did, I assure you they don’t speak with thees and thous and thys and whatnot. In fact, it’s kind of ironic that I thought that since they refer to anyone who is not Amish as English.

Another big surprise for me -because apparently I build up images of various groups of people in my head- was the fact that they used store bought ingredients or items in cooking. I had visions of everything being from scratch. Granted, they do make more from scratch than your average “English” person, but they’re not opposed to taking something from the store and transforming it into something wonderful.

My friends, Ada and Anna, have been telling me for months about the seasoned snack crackers they make all the time. They promised that they were good for snacking, yes, but they also loved to break them up over salads and serve with soups or chilis. Every time they told me about it, though, they had just finished eating a batch and didn’t even have crumbs left in a bowl for me to sample. (They whip up those dishes quickly, people.) Each time they’d tell me about the crackers, I’d slink home sans sample. It finally occurred to all of us that they could just jot down the recipe. It only took a moment for them to write it down and as they handed me the card they assured me it was a simple process with four ingredients.

I had everything in the pantry that was needed -saltines, cheddar cheese powder (hence, the bright orange colour), sour cream and onion powder, and canola or vegetable oil- so I set straight to work. Twenty minutes later, I pulled two half-sheet pans from the oven full of appealing snack crackers.  The crackers were crispy and fragrant and it took little to no time before the kids smelled something that pulled them into the kitchen.  My kids have nearly perfected the art of the quick grab from a hot pan and little hands were grabbing hot crackers and tossing them to and fro in an attempt to cool them more quickly.

There was chattering, there was giggling, there were the first tentative nibbles and then? Then there was only the sound of crunching.  When there was a part in the wave of children attacking the pans, my husband and I dove in for a try. Those crackers were like giant Goldfish crackers or Cheese-Its/Cheese Nips. They were GOOD. My kids soon branched into putting paper thin slices of ham on the crackers. In very short order, they were el gone-o and many little voices were asking for more.

Since that day, we’ve made these on average of once a week, leaving a small bowl out for snacking and tucking the rest away for using the way Ada and Anna recommended; as croutons, snacks or accompaniments to soup or chili. There’s nothing quite like these for dunking in tomato soup or five-alarm chili.

Now, let’s get to the giveaway, shall we? I know that the cheddar cheese powder and sour cream powder may be hard for folks to find locally, so I’m giving away a generously sized bag of each (from my friend Ada’s store) to two different readers. Two winners! YAY! Unfortunately, this can only be open to my readers in the continental United States due to issues regarding shipping food across borders and such. What do you do to qualify for the giveaway? Here are the different ways to enter. Be sure to leave a comment for each one you do!

  • Leave a comment about your favourite quick snack food or a way you’ve been surprised by someone (or a group of someones) before. (1 entry)
  • Like Foodie With Family on facebook. (1 entry)
  • Follow Foodie With Family on Twitter (1 entry)
  • Kiss someone you love and tell me about it here. What can I say? I’m feeling romantic. My baby brother is getting married Sunday. (1 entry)

I’ll tally all of the entries and have one of my visiting family members pick a number at random to choose the winner by this Friday, August 3rd. Winners will be announced here! Good luck folks! The cheddar powder and the sour cream and onion powder are both spec-tac-u-lar on popcorn, just in case you needed another reason to want it.

One final thing before we get to the recipe. If you, like me, are not the patient type and you want to make these right away, I have two links below so you can purchase the powders through my BFF, Amazon.com. (These are affiliate links, and should you choose to purchase after clicking them, I do receive a small commission from Amazon. I just thought you should know.)
Sour Cream & Onion, 1 lb. package

Cheddar Cheese Powder, 1 lb.

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Seasoned Snack Crackers (Amish Recipe) and a Simple Giveaway | Make Ahead Mondays

Seasoned Snack Crackers (Amish Recipe) and a Simple Giveaway | Make Ahead Mondays

Simple saltines get a 10 minute makeover turning them into giant cheese crackers reminiscent of Goldfish, Cheese Nips and Cheez-Its turning the boring soda cracker into the perfect snack or accompaniment to chili and soup. Use as a salad topper, too!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound box of saltines (I recommend using low- or no-salt ones as the powders are generally salty enough.)
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1/4 cup sour cream and onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°F. Lay out two rimmed half-sheet pans.

Open all of the sleeves of saltines and put them into a large mixing bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the oil, sour cream and onion powder, and cheddar cheese powder until smooth. Drizzle over the crackers and toss with your hands to coat evenly.

Divide the crackers between the two sheet pans and use your hands to gently spread them out into as thin a layer as possible. Put the two pans in the oven and bake, stirring two or three times, for 20 minutes, or until the crackers feel mostly dry to the touch.

Remove the trays from the oven and let the crackers cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. These are good for about two weeks after being made when stored correctly. If they start to lose their crunch, return them to a 250°F oven for about 5 minutes.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/30/seasoned-snack-crackers-amish-recipe-and-a-giveaway-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Component Foods, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Nutmeg Banana Chips

March 23, 2012 by 10 Comments

Back in October of last year, we made the sixteen hour drive through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and way up north into the tippy top of the lower peninsula of Michigan over The Big Mac and into the Upper Peninsula to see my dad and stepmom. We stocked up for the road trip with the usual suspects: pretzels, sandwiches, water, apples, bananas and whatnot. We ate most of what we had packed on the trip north, but were three days into the visit before we realized we had forgotten a bunch of bananas under the seat in the van. They looked, at that point, like they were fit only for banana bread, so I brought them into the house and asked Val whether she’d like to use them. Val said, “Oh no! Those are perfect for banana chips!” She sat down, sliced them, put them on dehydrator trays and within minutes the machine’s fan was whirring and the house smelled divine.

While the bananas were doing what they had to do, Val offered me a handful of the banana chips she had already made. They were crisp and intense and sweet and totally different than the banana chips I’d had before. All the other ones were greasy* and had a weird after taste. These were caramel brown and clean tasting.

*This is because the vast majority of banana chips (dried or otherwise) that are commercially available are fried, and often in palm oil. Hooooooboy. That previously healthy sounding snack doesn’t sound so healthy now!

Val told me, “Get the reduced price bananas that are intended for banana bread and use those. That way the bananas are already very sweet. When you dry those they’re just that much more flavourful.” So, in the name of quality control, we ate our way through their stash of banana chips for the rest of the visit. Dad and I ate banana chips with apple chips, banana chips with pear chips, triple decker banana/apple/pear chip ‘sandwiches’, and smeared banana and apple chips with peanut butter. We ate a lot.

On the drive home, Dad called me and said, “I just had an idea. What if you sprinkled a little nutmeg over the banana slices as they were dehydrating? Then they would be like eggnog chips.” Ohmygoodness, that was a good idea.

The day after we got home, I was eager to put the idea to the test. I sliced about seven pounds of bananas as thinly as I could without making them fall apart, laid them out on trays and grated a little fresh nutmeg -just a smidge- over the top of all of them. A little over twenty four hours later, we sampled our first banana chips- dead crisp and sweet with full banana flavour -almost like vanilla- and a hint of nutmeg. It didn’t scream eggnog, but it was so good. Now, I know we have a lot of people eating here (okay, we have a Viking horde) but nothing prepared me for the speed with which my guys ate an entire dehydrator’s worth of banana chips. It took them two days. TWO DAYS. Two days to eat seven pounds-worth of bananas dried into chips.

In the months that have passed between October and now, I have made close to fifteen batches of nutmeg banana chips and watched them disappear by the handful into my husband, children and their friends.  They’re so good that a couple of my kids’ friends’ families have purchased dehydrators to keep their kids in nutmeg banana chips. If the fact that they’ll go to a jar of banana chips to sate their hunger before hitting a bag of Fritos isn’t enough to keep me making batch after batch, then this is; even the two vehement anti-fruit two-some loves nutmeg banana chips. I’m going to keep making these until no one wants them anymore, which doesn’t appear to be anytime soon judging by the current rate of consumption.

I have it down to a science and can fill a dehydrator with banana slices in about thirty minutes. And while we like ours thin and crispy, there is a little play you can do with it. Do you want a finished banana chip that’s slightly chewier? Just start with thicker slices! Mess around with it and figure out which way you like them best.

And then have a little more fun. Try them by the handful, on peanut butter sandwiches, in trail mix, or one chip at a time smeared with a little Nutella. Let me know what your favourite way is to eat them. I can’t wait to hear!

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Nutmeg Banana Chips

Nutmeg Banana Chips

When overripe bananas are dried with a little nutmeg grated over the top, they become a sweet, healthy, crispy treat. My kids and their friends go crazy over these. I'm sure yours will, too!

Ingredients

  • a bunch of slightly overripe bananas- just about at the banana bread stage. It takes between 7 and 9 pounds to fill my 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator.
  • fresh nutmeg

Instructions

Peel the bananas and slice them into 1/16- to 1/4-inch thick slices. The thinner you slice them, the crispier the final result will be. Grate a little fresh nutmeg over the tops- a little goes a long way. Dehydrate at 135°F for 24 hours or until they are a caramel brown colour and are completely dry. Transfer the dried chips to a large bowl and let them sit exposed until completely cool. Store the chips in glass jars with tight fitting lids or zipper top resealable bags. These will store in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Good luck stretching them out that long!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/23/nutmeg-banana-chips/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Camping Food, Comfort Food, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Instructional, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,
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