Caprese Grilled Chicken

May 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

One of the things I look forward to most in the summer is having family and friends over and grilling on the back deck. The weather is warm, there is lots of good conversation and of course, lots of good food! This past weekend Suzy and Steve came over and we made a delicious dinner – this Caprese Grilled Chicken and a Lemon Couscous Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes (it’ll be my next post!). It was a perfect Saturday evening in my mind!

This chicken was light, fresh and full of summer flavors! Once the chicken was grilled, I spread a homemade pesto on it, layered some tomatoes and topped it all with mozzarella cheese. We closed the lid of the BBQ to let the cheese melt and voila! A healthy, delicious dish!

Caprese Grilled Chicken
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Makes 8 chicken cutlets (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
Pesto:
1 cup basil
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally (or 8 chicken breast cutlets)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Pesto: In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the olive oil in a slow drizzle while pulsing, then add the pine nuts and pulse to desired consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to put on the chicken. You can store the extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze for later use (although we didn’t have much left)

2. Chicken: Wash and pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Slice breasts in half horizontally and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over medium heat on both sides until just cooked through. Lower heat and then spread 1-2 teaspoons of pesto on one side of the chicken, top with 1-2 tomato slices and mozzarella cheese and then close the lid of the grill to let the cheese melt. Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

May 2, 2013 by Mackenzie

My college church group had a pie bake-off last week at our end-of-semester party. I made this strawberry rhubarb pie and took 2nd place (to a delicious blackberry pie!)!

There were two strawberry rhubarb pies at our party, mine more on the sweet side and the other on the tart side. The other recipe was from Smitten Kitchen if you’re looking for a tart pie but I loved the sweet taste of this one! It still had a tart flavor from the rhubarb but was less significant – it was a perfect combination!

I also got a lot of compliments on the crust! I used a recipe from a New York Times bake-off and adapted it slightly. It was perfectly flakey and buttery and delicious!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Makes one pie
Crust adapted from The New York Times and pie recipe from Food Network

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/8 teaspoon table salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

Pie:
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh red rhubarb
2 1/2 cups washed, de-stemmed and halved strawberries (big strawberries can be in thirds)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
1 egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Turbinado sugar

Directions:
1. Prepare crust: In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized bits form. Add 3-6 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until dough begins to come together in a ball. Separate the dough into two balls, one with 2/3 of the dough and the other with 1/3 of the dough. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour or up to three days.

2. Roll out large disk for the bottom crust. Transfer to pie plate. Chill in refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

3. Filling: In a large bowl, mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca (dry), flour, zest, juice, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour into chilled crust. Dot the cubes of butter on top of the filling. Roll out top layer and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. (Or make a lattice or use biscuit cutters to make a circle design). Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Make a foil collar so prevent the edges from burning. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then decrease temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Honey Almond Caramel Crunch Topped Cake with Custard Cream Filling

April 30, 2013 by Mackenzie

Libby’s birthday was last weekend and we made this cake to celebrate! IT WAS AMAZING. One of the best cakes I have ever had in my life. Hands down.

The cake itself is simple – not too sweet and slightly dense. The pastry cream filling in the middle adds a touch of sweetness and pairs perfectly with the cake. The honey almond caramel crunch topping however, is a whole other story. This is what makes the cake.

You make caramel, but it is sweetened with honey so it has a wonderfully, unique flavor. Then you mix almonds into it and you get honey caramel coated almonds – amazing by themselves! Add this to the top of your cake and you’ve got the best cake you’ll ever have.

A couple of things to be aware of: the milk, eggs and butter for the cake need to be at room temperature – so be sure you get those out early. Also, there is a total of an hour and a half of rising time for the cake. Be sure to account for that!

Honey Almond Caramel Crunch Topped Cake with Custard Cream Filling
Makes one 9×9, single layer cake (although you slice the one layer in half for the filling)
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (one 1 1/4 oz package) – not active dry!
3/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Topping:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
Two pinches of sea salt

Filling:
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Two pinches of sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

Directions:
1. Set out the milk, eggs and butter for the cake in advance so they are at room temperature when you are ready to make the cake.

2. First, make the cake batter: Combine all of the cake ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, stirring until combined, then for an additional two minutes. Scrape down the sides, cover with a towel and let rise for one hour.

3. After an hour, butter a 9-inch cake pan. Stir the batter to deflate it slightly and then pour it into the prepared pan. You may have to really shake the pan to get the batter to cover the whole thing. Cover again with a towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.

4. During the second rise, make the honey almond caramel topping: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter, sugar, honey, cream and salt until the butter is melted. Bring to a simmer and let it boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture will become a shade darker. Remove from heat and stir in the almonds. It’s no longer going to be liquidy, it’s going to be all almonds 🙂 Set aside to cool slightly, until the second rise of the cake is completed.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the cake has finished its second rise, scoop out the almond topping and spread it evenly over the top of the cake. (Save yourself a little bit to snack on too!) Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes, until the almonds are slightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for ten minutes before removing it from the pan. Run a knife around the edges before you remove it and then invert it onto another cooling rack or plate. The almonds won’t fall off when you invert it, so don’t worry. Let cool completely.

6. While the cake is cooling, make the custard filling: Warm the milk in a medium saucepan and then pour into a bowl or cup (ideally with a spout). Set aside. In a new saucepan, or the previous one cleaned and dried, whisk the yolks and sugar vigorously for one minute – off the heat. Whisk in flour and salt. Drizzle in the warm milk, a spoonful at a time, whisking constantly. Once you’ve added half the milk, add the rest in a steady drizzle. Return the saucepan to the stove and cook on medium-high heat until it bubbles. Reduce to a simmer for one to two minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract. Let the custard cool completely.

7. When the custard and cake are both cool, you can assemble the cake. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake in half and place the bottom half on a serving platter. Spread the pastry cream on top of the bottom layer and then place the top half back onto the cake. Serve and enjoy!

Banana Walnut Muffins

April 27, 2013 by Mackenzie

Classes are over so let the cooking and baking begin!

I made these for breakfast yesterday and boy were they good! The recipe is from Fine Cooking’s “Breakfast and Brunch” special magazine. There are so many good recipes inside so get ready to see a lot more!

These muffins were especially good because they were BIG. Not your puny little muffins that you have to eat three of to feel full – but those big, wide-topped muffins that you see in a bakery window and just have to have… Plus, bananas and walnuts are such a satisfying combination, then you top it with a cinnamon glaze? Sheesh, I’m sold!

Banana Walnut Muffins
Makes 12-16 muffins
Recipe from Fine Cooking’s “Breakfast and Brunch” magazine

Ingredients:

Muffins:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup skim milk, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced bananas
3/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Melt the butter and get it cooling. Set out the milk, sour cream and eggs so it can get to room temperature. (Do this way ahead of time! Its the key to the recipe!) Toast the walnut pieces.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F and line your muffin tins with muffin baking cups. I also sprayed the muffin tin so the muffin tops would be easy to get off. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, milk, sour cream, eggs and egg yolk until well-combined.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just moistened. Gently fold in the banana pieces, walnut pieces and vanilla. Do not overmix – leave the batter a little lumpy.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, mounding the batter 3/4 inch higher than the rim of the cups. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes on a wire rack.
5. When cool, whisk the powdered sugar and cinnamon with 4 tablespoons of water (or however much you need for the right consistency). Pop the muffins out of the tin and place on a rack with foil underneath. Pour the glaze onto the tops of the muffins, using a pastry brush to spread it. Let the glaze dry for 15 minutes and then enjoy!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

April 25, 2013 by Mackenzie

What says “spring” better than lemon and raspberry? These muffins are moist and light – a perfect treat on a sunny spring morning!

This recipe easily halves (which we did so we wouldn’t be eating muffins for days!) or multiplies so it would be great for a Mother’s Day breakfast!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Makes 18 muffins
Recipe from lovegrowswild

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/4 cups raspberries
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, mix the beaten eggs, buttermilk, oil, and lemon zest. Fold in the raspberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.
2. When the muffins are cool, whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze, adding more lemon juice if needed. Drizzle over the muffins and use a pastry brush to make sure all the edges are coated. Let harden for 5 minutes.

Zucchini Sunflower Bread

April 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

I told you I was on a bread-making kick… This is the last one for now 🙂

I love the Zucchini Sunflower bread from Kayak’s coffee shop and have been determined to recreate it. I had several different recipes, all of which differed just a bit! Before we left on the golf spring break trip, I had a couple of days with no roomies – so I created my own “America’s Test Kitchen.” I made a small loaf of each of the three recipes and one came out far superior!

I remade a full-size loaf last weekend and it was just as good as I remembered it! So here you go – the best Zucchini Sunflower bread!

Zucchini Sunflower Bread
Recipe from a cut out of an unknown cookbook (c/o Gramma Mary)
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar (weird I know but trust me!)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup grated zucchini
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.

2. Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Take out two tablespoons of beaten egg and discard (because the original recipe made two loaves and its a little hard to divide three eggs!). Add sugar and beat well. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini and orange.

3. Stir together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon). Stir into egg mixture and add the walnuts and sunflower seeds.

4. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before taking out of pan.

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