Weeknight Gourmet

Entries tagged as ‘Cooking’

Celebrating Tim’s birthday with Holy Cow Cake!

March 11, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Yesterday was Tim’s birthday!

To celebrate, I made a cake that I brought into the office.  This was no ordinary cake — it was Holy Cow Cake (as coined by the Cake Mix Doctor).  This is not the cake to bake if you are looking for something elegant or pretty.  It’s an ooey gooey messy cake.  But it feeds a crowd and is packed with all sorts of sweet goodness!

Here is an overview of the cake:

1) Bake a basic devil’s food cake from a mix.

2) Poke holes in the warm cake after it comes out of the oven.   A drinking straw will do the trick.

3) Pour a caramel sauce – sweetened condensed milk combination over the cake.

4) Sprinkle 2 crushed Butterfingers candy bars over caramel combo.

5) Make frosting with Cool Whip and Cream Cheese.  Spread over cake.

6) Sprinkle 2 more crushed Butterfingers over the cake and refrigerate.

Make sure to buy the right size Cool Whip container.  That was my only issue.  I had to add some confectioners sugar to the frosting to make a bit sweeter.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the Holy Cow Cake!  There is some leftover and I intend to have another piece as a Friday afternoon treat!

Holy Cow Cake
The Cake Mix Doctor

Cake

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower
3 large eggs

Topping

1 jar (8 ounces) caramel topping
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), crushed
1 container (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 38 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Immediately poke holes in the top of the cake with a drinking straw or chopstick.

4. Prepare the topping. Place the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon this mixture over the warm cake so that it can seep down into the holes. Measure out half of the crushed candy bars and sprinkle the pieces over the cake.

5. Place the whipped topping and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and combined, 1 minute. Spread the mixture over the top of the candy. Sprinkle the remaining candy pieces on top.

6. Place the pan, uncovered, in the refrigerator to chill the cake for about 20 minutes before cutting it into squares and serving.

Store this cake, covered in waxed paper, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Categories: Cake · Dessert
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Baked Pasta with Spinach, Ricotta and Proscuitto

March 8, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Here is another recipe courtesy of my new iPhone app.  After a long week, it was a super easy meal to prepare on a Sunday night.

I would suggest a few changes to the recipe to amp up the flavor.  In addition to the 1/2 cup of parmesan sprinkled on top of the dish, I added 1/2 cup of parmesan to the ricotta – pasta – spinach mixture.  Also, be sure to season the mixture with plenty of salt and pepper.  I used about 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of regular black pepper.  Lastly, make sure to squeeze all the water out of the frozen spinach; otherwise, you’ll end up with too much liquid in the dish.

Next time I might consider a mixture of proscuitto and some hot sopressata.

Tim and I have plenty leftover so dinner one night this week is set!

Baked Gemelli with Spinach, Ricotta, and Prosciutto
Everyday Food

* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 pound gemelli pasta
* 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
* 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
* 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
* 2 cups whole milk
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta; cook until almost al dente.

Meanwhile, squeeze spinach to remove moisture. Drain pasta, and return to pot. Add spinach, half of the prosciutto, ricotta, milk, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well to combine.

Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, top with remaining prosciutto and Parmesan. Bake until golden and crispy, 30 to 40 minutes.

Categories: Pasta
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What My Waffle Maker Means to Me…by Jessica Ogilvie

March 7, 2010 · 4 Comments

I have a deep sentimental attachment to my waffle maker.  I am sure that raises some questions.  Do I eat waffles often?  Was it given to me but a very special person?  Did I win the waffle maker in a waffle making or waffle eating contest?

I eat waffles twice a year at most.  While I received the waffle maker as a bridal shower gift back in May 2004, it was given to me by one of my mom’s friends.  In other words, not someone I am particularly close to.  And, lastly, I have never entered any type of waffle contest.

You may not believe this but the waffle maker represents a really wonderful phase of my life — when Tim and I started to build a life together.

In October 2002 — when we were boyfriend and girlfriend of almost three years — Tim and I bought our land in the Berkshires.  The 2.67 acres our house sits on represents the first big decision we made together and a clear indication that we planned to share our life going forward.  Neither Tim nor I had ties to the Berkshires, so the location in and of itself marked that we were comfortable charting our own course together, independently of our families and friends.

Ground was broken on our house  just before our wedding in the summer of 2004 and we moved into the house 5 years ago last weekend!  On Friday, February 25, 2005, we drove out from Boston — where we were living at the time — with an air mattress and some other necessities — and started the wonderful process of decorating, landscaping, and making this place our own.

So, where does the waffle maker come in?  Well, when we first moved in, while the stove had been delivered it was not set up to properly convert the propane to gas.  So, all we had to cook with was a microwave, small outdoor charcoal grill, and, you guessed it, a waffle maker!  Our house is in a somewhat remote area so takeout wasn’t an option.  We ate a lot of waffles during those early weekends at our house.  Even though we didn’t even have a kitchen table to sit at, those early breakfasts will always be among my favorite meals at our house.

Five years later, we have bought the adjacent land giving us 17 acres of wooded beauty, planted countess bushes, flowers, trees, and other plants, refinished furniture, put on an addition, built a greenhouse, and decorated and filled every room and closet (to the point, I think I need to purge to make room for the baby).  We have a wonderful place Tim and I both love coming to, where we can truly unwind and do the things we love to do outside of New York City.  Tim is an avid gardener and likes to drive around in his 1952 Ford truck; I love to cook in my more spacious kitchen; and, we both love to hike and swim with the Berkshires’ biggest fan, Angus.

While Tim and I have since made decisions much bigger than the house — starting a business together and having a baby to name two small ones — the house was one of our first big wins as “Team O”.  Even after we sell the house down the road, I will always cherish and be proud of 67 Cherokee Road.

In honor of 5 years in our house, I made waffles for us this morning.  They were delicious and brought back some great memories!

If you are interested in bringing this wondrous waffle maker into your home, you can buy it at Williams-Sonoma.  One of its best features is that it makes chirping noise when the waffles are cooked to your desired doneness.  I typically take a shortcut when it comes to making waffles and use a mix.  Some of my favorites are below.  These tend to be pricier mixes but since I only make waffles a couple times a year now, I figured it was worth the splurge.

Golden Malted Pancake & Waffle Mix

Stonewall Kitchen Farmhouse Pancake and Waffle Mix (the blueberry is also quite good!)

(By the way, this happens to be my 250th post!)

Categories: Breakfast
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Dinner Courtesy of an iPhone app: Pepper Steak with Squash and Mushrooms

March 7, 2010 · 2 Comments

Tim and I had a very long week moving our AdBuyer.com offices from shared office space in Tribeca to our very own space in the Flatiron.  We were planning to drive up to the Berkshires Friday night but were too tired so we drove up Saturday morning.  On our way up we decided to stop at Trader Joe’s in Danbury.  We made the decision to stop about 200 yards before the exit so I had to come up with dinner menus for Saturday and Sunday in about 3 minutes.  I had just installed the new Martha Stewart Everyday Food iPhone app on my phone so I decided to give it a whirl!

Everyday Food’s recipes typically don’t have too many ingredients which was ideal — my shopping wouldn’t take too long and, hopefully, I’d be able to find everything I needed at Trader Joe’s.

This Pepper Steak recipe — an au poivre-style dish, not an Asian pepper steak — was yesterday’s daily recipe.  I thought Tim would really like it and Trader Joe’s typically has prepped butternut squash so I thought the recipe would be quick and easy in terms of prep time.  I used a tri tip roast that Trader Joe’s had and followed the cooking instructions on the package.  I cooked it longer and at a lower temperature (425 degrees) than the recipe below.   The veggies still roasted beautifully.

It was a very tasty one-pot, low prep dinner!

Pepper Steak with Sqaush and Mushrooms
Everyday Food

  • 1 package whole button mushrooms, (10 ounces)
  • 1 small butternut squash, (about 1 3/4 pounds), halved, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges (along with core)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Coarse salt
  • 1 top round or London broil steak, (1 1/2 pounds, about 1 1/4 inches thick)
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black peppercorns

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In an 11-by-15- by-2 3/4-inch roasting pan, combine mushrooms, squash, and onion. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Arrange vegetables around sides of pan; place steak in center of pan.

In a small bowl, stir together mustard and peppercorns. Coat steak with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Spread mustard-pepper mixture over top of steak; press down to adhere.

Roast, turning and stirring vegetables once, until steak is lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in one side of steak registers 130 degrees to 135 degrees for medium-rare, 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer steak to a cutting board to rest; tent loosely with aluminum foil. Spread vegetables in an even layer, return to oven, and continue roasting until lightly browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Cut the steak into 1/4-inch thick slices, and serve with vegetables.

Categories: Beef · One-pot meal
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Semi-Homemade Dinner: Mediterranean Beef Patties

March 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Here is a very quick and easy Mediterranean-flavored dinner.

The actual “cooking” takes only a few minutes to prepare and cook the patties and chop some of the toppings for the pitas.  I seasoned the beef patties with an Italian seasoning blend I had as well as salt and pepper.  The mini patties cooked up quickly on my grill pan.

I warmed the pita in the oven and topped with store-bought hummus, the beef patties, chopped parsley and onion, crumbled feta, and some olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Tim and I both enjoyed this tasty but super easy meal at the end of a long Monday!


Mediterranean Beef Patties
Real Simple

  1. Shape 1 pound ground beef into 16 patties. Season with salt, pepper, and 1½ teaspoons dried oregano. Brown over medium heat, 2 minutes per side for medium.
  2. Top 4 pocketless pitas with hummus, the patties, flat-leaf parsley, and sliced red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

Categories: Beef · One-pot meal
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Comfort Food Classic: Bolognese Sauce

February 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Since I am still on a quest for the perfect bolognese sauce, I decided this recipe from the March Bon Appetit was a good use for the last of the ground beef from the steer.

This recipe is from a “back country” menu, so it calls for antelope sausage and venison.  I didn’t have easy access to either so I substituted spicy Italian sausage for the antelope sausage and ground veal for the venison.  The only other changes I made were to halve the recipe and to use a bit more tomato paste than the directions called for.

I bought fresh fettuccine — the store didn’t have fresh pappardelle — to serve with the sauce and I prepared a simple green salad as a side.

The hearty sauce was delicious and rustic!  The four different meats — beef, sausage, bacon, and veal — provided wonderful flavor.  And, there is plenty left over for another meal this week.  I bet the sauce will taste even better when we have it later this week.  This just might become my go-to bolognese recipe.

Homemade Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce
Bon Appetit

  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped celery
  • 3/4 cup chopped carrot
  • 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
  • 1 1/2 pounds antelope sausages or spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
  • 3/4 pound ground venison or ground beef (15% fat)
  • 3/4 pound bacon, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup tomato paste (about 7 1/2 ounces)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for passing
  • 2.5 – 3 lbs fresh pappardelle

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients. Sauté until vegetables are soft but not brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Add beef, sausage, venison, and bacon. Increase heat to high. Cook until meat is brown, breaking into small pieces with back of spoon, about 15 minutes.

Stir in milk, wine, and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until sauce is thick, flavors blend, and juices are reduced, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Rewarm over low heat.

Cook pasta in very large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes if cooking immediately or 5 to 6 minutes if previously chilled. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add warm Bolognese and 1 cup cheese. Toss over medium heat until heated through, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Serve, passing additional cheese.

Categories: Beef · Pasta · Pork
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Comfort Food Classic: Mac & Cheese

February 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I had never made homemade macaroni and cheese until last night.  For my first attempt, I turned to my go-to gal Ina Garten.  Her recipes have never led me wrong and are always delicious.  This mac and cheese recipe is no exception.  It turned out perfectly — so creamy and delicious.

I made a couple of minor changes — I used the 4 cups of gruyere as suggested but instead of 2 cups of extra sharp cheddar, I used 1 cup of extra sharp cheddar and 1 cup of sharp cheddar.  Instead of fresh breadcrumbs, I used panko.  You probably only need 3/4 cup of panko — not 1.5 cups.  I also mixed some grated parmesan into the panko.  I enjoyed the crunch of the breadcrumbs and the flavor they imparted to the tomatoes on top of the dish.  Lastly, I used small shells instead of elbows or cavatappi because I had a full box in the cabinet and they are roughly the same size as elbows.

I served the mac and cheese with a simple green salad.  Overall, this was comfort food at its best!  Tim and I can’t wait to have the leftovers!


Mac and Cheese
Barefoot Contessa

  • Kosher salt
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
  • 1 quart milk
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Categories: Pasta · Vegetarian entree
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Kitchen Cabinet Coffee Cake

February 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I decided we deserved a nice breakfast treat on this snowy weekend.  Coffee cake came to mind, but all the recipes I looked at would have required me to go to the store to pick up an ingredient or two.  I really didn’t want to get out my pajamas quite yet so I pulled together this recipe based on a quick perusal of 10 or so different coffee cake recipes and the ingredients I had on hand.

Many of the recipes I looked at called for blueberries.  We didn’t have any fresh or frozen blueberries in the house but did have some very nice blueberry jam.  I decided I would swirl the jam through the batter for a nice marbled effect and blueberry taste.

I also didn’t have whole milk but learned a good substitute.  Pour 1.5 tablespoons of heavy cream into a 1 cup measuring cup and fill the remainder with skim milk.

The cake was amazing!  Great light texture, with nice blueberry taste from the jam, and a delicious crumb topping.  This will be a great go-to recipe when we entertain in the Berkshires.

Tim jokingly asked who the other 11 people coming over for breakfast were, but I have a feeling the cake won’t last long!

Kitchen Cabinet Coffee Cake

•    2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
•    3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•    1/2 cup walnuts chopped
•    1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
•    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•    2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1 cup sugar
•    2 large eggs
•    1 cup whole milk
•    1/2 cup blueberry jam (at room temperature)

Combine 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter (cut into pieces), walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Mix until moist and crumbly. Set topping aside.

Preheat oven to 357°F. Butter and flour 13×9x2-inch baking pan.

Sift remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1/2 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Mix dry ingredients into batter alternately with milk in 3 additions each.

Transfer cake batter to prepared baking pan. Swirl the blueberry jam into the batter using a knife.  Sprinkle topping evenly over batter.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool cake slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Categories: Breakfast · Brunch · Cake
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Q. What do I do with an eye of round roast? A. Roast Beef with Dijon-Caper Sauce

February 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I can’t believe how few pieces of beef we have left!   Last weekend I cooked our eye of round roast.  Like many of the cuts we had, I had to do a little research to figure out what to do with it.

I found this recipe on epicurious.com and it looked easy yet flavorful.  The roast cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the mustard-caper sauce.  My only big mistake, and piece of advice to anyone who cooks this cut of beef, is to slice the beef very thinly.  I made the slices much too thick.  I am not good at carving meat — I think I need to take a carving class!

I served the beef with an easy version of potato au gratin.  A delicious Sunday night meal.

Roast Beef with Dijon-Caper Sauce
Bon Appetit

Roast Beef:

  • 1 3-pound eye of round beef roast, trimmed of excess fat and sinew
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-salt beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons drained capers

For roast beef:
Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix thyme, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Heat oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 130°F, about 40 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; let rest.

For sauce:
Place skillet with juices over medium-high heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; bring to boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, whisking often, about 6 minutes. Whisk in mustard and capers. Season sauce with pepper.

Cut beef crosswise into very thin slices. Transfer beef to platter. Serve with sauce.

Test-kitchen tip:
Eye of round is not the most tender cut of beef. For the best flavor and texture, be sure to slice it very thinly.

Categories: Beef
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Easy Potato Gratin

February 25, 2010 · 1 Comment

Here is a quick and easy version of potatoes au gratin.  I don’t cook potatoes very often but I thought this was a perfect side dish for our roast.  The potatoes had lots of flavor and creaminess from the Gruyere and was so quick and easy to assemble.


Easy Potato Gratin

  • 1 pound baby new potatoes
  • 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the baby new potatoes with skins on into a large saucepan of cold, salted water, place the saucepan onto a medium heat and bring the potatoes to boil. Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until a knife can easily be inserted, but potatoes are not falling apart.

Drain potatoes and place them back into the pan. Using a fork roughly mash up leaving nice big potato chunks. Mix in the grated cheese, heavy cream, butter and black pepper.

Spoon potato mixture into 4 gratin dishes or ramekins and bake for 20 minutes until top is golden.

Categories: Side dishes - vegetables
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