Flourless Extra-Fudgy Brownies

For my sister's birthday a couple weeks ago I got her a cookbook called Flourless: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-free Desserts. This afternoon I made the first recipe from it, and so far I am very impressed - the Double Chocolate Brownies are probably my favorite brownies I've ever had, much less baked myself. For me, a perfect brownie = crisp on the outside + moist on the inside + lots of chocolate flavor. These ones fit the bill.

Double Chocolate Brownies
From Flourless: Recipes for Naturally Gluten-free Desserts by Nicole Spiridakis

5 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Baked Chicken Tenders

Even though it's definitely not a big, dramatic story, one of my family's most-mentioned vacation memories is from our first trip to Prince Edward Island, when my sister and I were both in elementary school.

My dad found out about a lobster supper going on at a nearby church, so we all went for dinner one night. He was all excited about it because he liked to hang out with locals and generally stick to "off the beaten path" experiences on our trips. When we got there and saw the menu, the only options were a big lobster supper, with lobsters fresh from the local fishermen, and dino-shaped chicken nuggets.. and my sister and I both opted for the nuggets.

Fortunately we went to the eastern coast of Canada almost every summer, and I had many more opportunities for great lobster suppers! Pretty much ever since that trip, I would always go for the lobster given the choice, especially when they're caught right by where I'm staying, no matter how dinosaur-shaped the other option might be.

(Another related vacation story from around the same age: the time when we were at a diner and I ordered a BLT without the bacon or lettuce...)

That said, I also love chicken tenders (although not nuggets so much anymore) and get cravings for them every once a while! This recipe is a good quick one when a craving comes around.

Baked Chicken Tenders
Adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

6-7 chicken tenderloins or about 3 breasts cut into 1" strips
salt & pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko (+ 1/2 cup if necessary)

Honey mustard sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Favorite Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes don't require a recipe, but I wanted to post them because it's my favorite winter side dish. My favorite way to prepare it is with equal parts butter and olive oil along with salt and pepper, fresh herbs and heads of garlic. I've used pretty much every variety in the store, including fingerlings and sweet potatoes. 

I like to mix them up so some are facing down and some are facing up so they end up different levels of crispiness. I bake them for at least 30 minutes at 400, sometimes more. I either roast them in a cast iron skillet or a foil-lined dish. 

Even if you're not usually a garlic person, you should try roasted garlic if you haven't already!

Cornflake Marshmallow Cookies

I could write a post complaining about the winter, but instead I will brighten your day with this cookie. It is amazing. Like OMG good. For vday, we spent the day in NYC for the day eating and vintage shopping of course. I got this cookie and looking back I should have gotten the cereal milk ice cream. Next time! My homemade version is not as perfect as the one from the bakery, but it comes close especially since we get to eat it right out of the oven. For all you Pittsburghers, there's a Milk bar in Toronto! So like a 4.5 hour drive instead of 7 hours! There's also a Milk cookbook (which this recipe is from) if you want to never leave your house which I fully support. This past snow storm, we played in the snow. Rex could drag Kelly in a sled because the snow was so frozen. Now that is ridiculous. 

There's 2 separate parts- the cornflake crunch and the actual cookie dough. There will be extra cornflake crunch to snack on as you bake the cookies.

Momofuku Milk Bar Cornflake Cookies

Cornflake Crunch:

5 cups cornflakes

• 1/2 cup milk powder (I used nonfat- found in any grocery store, full fat can be found at Mexican or Asian food stores)
• 3 tablespoons sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter. Crush the cornflakes with your hands in a large freezer bag (or just in a bowl) to 1/4 of the cereal's original size. Toss the cornflakes with salt, sugar, and dry milk in a medium mixing bowl. Then add the butter and mix to incorporate. Spread an even layer on the parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes. The cornflakes should be lightly golden brown and smell amazing. You only need 3/4 of this recipe for the cookies!

Let cornflakes cool completely. While they're cooling, make the cookie dough. 

Hot & Sour Soup

I am very much in agreement with Michelle - I've been making soup almost every day this week. This one is Martha Stewart's hot & sour soup - I was actually really sure I had already posted this because I've been making it since college, but it looks like I haven't. Usually I do include the tofu, but this time I didn't have any, and it was way too cold to go out and get some.

HOT & SOUR SOUP
From Martha Stewart

3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 cups fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (I usually use button but the original recipe calls for shiitake)
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup tofu, cubed
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
4 green onions, thinly sliced

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

While winter seems never ending at least we can all feel ok about never leaving our houses. That means Netflix, homemade cookies, and so much soup. Also puppy snuggles. Rex is the best foot warmer. I've made tortilla soup twice so far and everyone has loved it. I went on a wild search for hominy and found 2 types at Wegman's- white and golden. I went with golden for the recipe. I also bought some dried hominy which I cooked with dried black beans for the second time I made tortilla soup. I found this recipe on Cookie+Kate!

• 1 dried ancho pepper, chopped with seeds if you want more spice
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño (if you want even more spice)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 14-ounce can hominy, rinsed
• 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed

In some ghee or coconut oil, sauté the onion for about 5 minutes. Add pepper and cook for a couple more minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then throw in the spices including the ancho pepper for a couple seconds. Add the broth, tomatoes, and paste. Bring mixture up to a boil and simmer for 1/2 an hour. Add in the beans and hominy. Simmer for 15 more minutes on low heat. Then if you can wait, let sit overnight for the flavors to meld and serve hot the next day! 

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese

Cilantro

Avocado

Tortilla chips (obvii)

Double Bean Burgers

These bean burgers, a combo of white beans and black beans, are way better than I thought they were going to be. The recipe (surprise surprise) is from How Sweet It Is, and she recommends making an avocado basil sauce. I had some mint, so I made it with mint instead, which is like the avocado crema I sometimes have with empanadas.

So far I've had the burgers as a burger with crema and lettuce and alone with the crema, diced jalapenos and pomegranate seeds.

Double Bean Burgers

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can white/cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4 cloves garlic

1 shallot, diced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup panko

3 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, mash the black beans and white beans. They don't have to be completely mashed like refried beans, just mushed up. Add the garlic, shallot, paprika, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. The white beans will mash up more than the black ones. In a little bowl, whisk the egg with the panko and olive oil. Combine the beans with the egg mixture and separate it into six patties. Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and cook the patties until heated through and browned on both sides.

2 Salads: Lime/Shrimp/Avocado & Blood Orange/Sweet Potato/Kale

I am just about ready to kidnap Michelle & baby and fly to Ecuador and stay in airbnb places and Alandaluz, a beach ecoresort. (Michelle, look.) Brittany, you can change your flight back from Mexico and come join us. I just think that I shouldn't have to be around snow right now. See:

Instead, I will make bright, pretty salads.

Lime/Shrimp/Avocado Salad

Adapted from Skinny Taste

1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled & deveined, rough chopped (I sautéed mine in olive oil)

1 avocado, cubed

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

2 limes, juiced

salt & pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Toss the onion, lime juice, olive oil and salt & pepper in a small bowl. Let that sit for about five minutes to mellow out the onion. Combine with pepper, jalapeno, avocado and shrimp. Add pomegranate seeds if they're laying around from something you made yesterday. Serve.

Note: You can add cilantro if you want. I like cilantro, and I bought some for this salad but it smelled really bad when I opened it so I tossed it. It's so good without the cilantro that I won't use it when I make this again.

Blood Orange/Sweet Potato/Kale

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 sweet potato, rough chopped

1 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

6 cups salad greens (I used chopped dino kale)

2 blood oranges, chopped or sliced sideways

1/4 cup pomegranate arils

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

2 blood oranges, juiced

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Roast the sweet potato in the oven at 400 in the maple syrup, oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Roast for about 20 minutes or until a little soft. Let cool.

Mix the greens with the sweet potatoes, orange pieces, pomegranate arils and feta cheese. Combine the orange juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour in the olive oil while whisking. Pour as much as you want to use into the greens and save the rest in the fridge for other salads. Serve.

Chicken & Dumplings

I've been meaning to make something like this for a long time, and then I was looking through How Sweet It Is and saw this and added it to my list for the week. Tonight I actually make two recipes from that blog - the "Creamy Chicken & Dumpling" and the very very pretty "Winter Chopped Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Blood Orange Vinaigrette". They both really hit the spot - it was a very nice winter dinner that didn't take very long to put together.

The moral of the story is that every time I look at How Sweet It Is I want to make EVERYTHING - way more than any other blog. And she's from Pittsburgh, so I think she should be our spirit animal. From now on our blog can just rehash her recipes with a 6 month lag, where we re-make her recipes and post them with way worse pictures. Plus dogs.

CREAMY CHICKEN & BISCUITS

Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 5 medium thighs)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup sliced or diced carrots
1/3 cup sliced or diced celery
(for the three above ingredients, you could get a pre-diced mirepoix) 
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
5 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

Nutella Hot Chocolate Plus Maple Sweetened Marshmallows

I think we can all agree that snow is what makes winter so magical. I love being at my family's home and playing in the snow with my sisters (Yes, we still do that!). On snow days, we would go sledding with my parents at the best hills in our area. My dad would pack a thermos of hot chocolate and always have treats for us in his pockets. This past Saturday, there was about a foot or so of snow when we woke up! Magic! We spent the day shoveling (aka snowball fights while my dad actually shoveled) and sledding. We tested out a new hill at a nearby park and brought Rex. He pulled Kelly around in a sled and chased us as we sped down the hill. It was perfect. Puppies + snow = happiness. After sledding, we played cranium and drank this hot chocolate.

At a local coffee shop near my apartment, you can find Nutella lattes and hot chocolate. So so dreamy but easy to make! My favorite milk to do this with is almond milk. I've tried coconut, cashew, and whole. 

Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies

Seeing as how there is a blizzard outside, baking cookies is definitely necessary. These are nice and crunchy. It's safe to say they're actually healthy. They balance out the decadent hot chocolate I'm about to blog next! The recipe is from Bob's Red Mill's site. 

3 cups Almond Meal (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

2 eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (best invention ever) or silpat liner (which I gifted to myself). 

Mix dry ingredients in small mixing bowl with wire whisk.

Whisk together coconut oil and maple syrup in a medium sized mixing bowl. Then add the eggs and mix. Finally add the vanilla extract. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk until incorporated. Add the chocolate chips. 

Place rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Press the cookie down with palm of your hand if you want them a little flatter. If not, they'll retain their shape. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. 

These are best eaten right away (like all cookies) but will still be good for 2 days.

Green Tea Cake

The first time I made this cake was in high school. Surprisingly, a lot of my staples come from my high school baking days. I suppose running 5+ miles a day all year round made me want to bake year round too. Anyways, when my friends and I made this cake, one of the girls accidentally baked the teaspoon into the cake. While it was baking, we looked for it to no avail. Then while slicing our dessert, my knife hit something solid. Kind of like king cake, right? Anyways, it was pretty hilarious as we all figured out where the teaspoon ended up. The cake tasted, just fine by the way! It still continues to be my mom's favorite. I made this green tea cake to celebrate her birthday right after Christmas. We also got her a spa day, chocolates, and cleaned the house since she is one amazing momma. The recipe is from All Recipes.

Cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 cup matcha powder latte mix (I use trader joe's)

1 cup white sugar 

1 cup vegetable oil 

3 eggs 

1 cup plain yogurt 

1 vanilla bean

Gluten Free Cornmeal Waffles

These waffles are even better than the last cornmeal ones that I posted. The best part is that they are so light since they are gluten free. I tried this recipe with standard flour and it wasn't as good so I wouldn't substitute here. I also doubled the recipe which I found on the Yellow Table. The author went to Grove city for college so she lived in Pittsburgh (!!!) for a bit.

I made these for my family and once again for a New Year's brunch with my high school friends. I made Laura's maple bacon scones as an extra treat. We had mimosas, doughnuts, meats, and giant eagle brand buffalo chicken chips. The chips were a bonus on the guys' run to geagle. During brunch at Lacey's, Rex went crazy with her pups (she has 2!!) in between snatching some bacon and sausage from the table. I mean, how could you resist that face? The blur in the corner is Khaleesi, Lauren's puppy!

1 1/2 cups medium grind cornmeal

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar 

2 cups buttermilk

4 eggs

4 tablespoons melted butter

Cook according to waffle iron instructions. This makes enough to serve 5-6 people. 

So the version above does really well with sweet toppings. Maple syrup, honey, and butter. You could also make them like my last batch of waffles and add 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, and 1 bunch chopped green onions. These are good with salsa and eggs. 

Brown Butter Chai Spiced Snickerdoodles

At this point, I've made a couple batches of chai snickerdoodles that just didn't have enough chai spice in them. This recipe will change that! It has spices in the dough and also in the sugar coating. That makes all the difference. The recipe is from Will Cook for Friends from the great cookie exchange for bloggers. I vote we do this next year among ourselves through the mail. Also browned butter makes the cookie even better. I've made a gluten free version with gf all purpose flour mix that turned out well.

I've also been making my own chai concentrate lately! I'll be posting that soon. As you can tell, I love chai as much as I love pumpkin flavored baked goods.

When baking these you want to bake them just until they are barely set! The inside of the crackles will look bubbly and but not too gooey. Use the first tray of cookies to gauge how long you want to bake the rest of the cookies for. Remember they will continue to bake and set after taking them out of the oven. If you take these steps, your cookies will be chewy yet crispy and awesome.

By the way, happy New Year's Eve! We're on the turnpike towards Pittsburgh! I do not miss this drive but at least this year we're not all afflicted with food poisoning :)

1 cup + 4 tbsp unsalted butter 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or gf mix

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt 

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. finely ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Gooey Butter Cookies

My sister's boyfriend's family makes a ton of cookies for Christmas. This year she got to take part in the tradition and brought back a tin of cookies. I ate pretty much all of them and these ones stood out to me the most. I knew just from the taste that cream cheese was in the recipe, but otherwise I had never had any cookie like it. After pestering my sister (and her bf) for days, we finally tracked down the recipe. It originated from Lottie + Doof. If you've ever had gooey butter cake before, you'll know what to expect but in cookie form. Nevertheless, these are amazing and should definitely be a staple from now on at my family's table!

Gooey Butter Cookies

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 pound cream cheese

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 vanilla bean, scraped 

3 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Confectioner’s sugar for rolling and dusting

First make sure everything is at room temperature. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar with a wooden spoon. Then add the eggs, vanilla seeds, and extract until combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. The dough will be pretty light. Then cover bowl tightly and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Since it's cold outside, I just set the dough on our picnic table for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Fill a shallow bowl with about 1 cup powdered sugar. Form slightly heaping tablespoon size balls, roll between your hands, and roll in a bowl of powdered sugar. Place on prepared baking trays 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes and take out before any browning occurs. I let them bake until at least one of the cookies was very very lightly golden on the edges. 

Let cool on the baking sheets until the cookies reach room temperature. They will be very soft even when cooled. Store and serve cold since they are delicate. Another blog suggested adding an extra egg yolk for more stability in the dough. 

The site says the cookies will last for a week in the fridge. I stored them in a cake dome layered with extra powdered sugar.

Cornmeal Jalapeño Waffles

It would make sense to blog some cookies since I have been baking hundreds of them. Those will probably be posted tomorrow since we're busy spending time with friends and family! I've been making brown butter nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies (find the recipe on Ambitious Kitchen's blog- they are as amazing as they sound). Instead of posting a cookie recipe, I'm going to share something savory that is perfect for brunch. It's the perfect follow- up post to Laura's. I've been meaning to make these cornbread waffles for ages ever since I found them on Warm Vanilla Sugar's site. I added some Jalapeños and cheddar cheese to make the waffles even better. I made these for breakfast the day my sister came home from California!

This is how I make my waffle:

This is Tiffy's waffle:

And they were too spicy for Kelly so she didn't get any :(

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal 

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2/3 cup melted unsalted butter

4 large eggs

2 1/2 cup buttermilk

4 tbsp chopped green onions

2 jalapeños, seeded and diced

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Toppings:

Salsa

Fried eggs

Shredded cheese

Soft butter and honey