Chocolate Bread Pudding

Pin It I was always a bit leery of bread pudding.  It just didn't sound appetizing to me.  My friend, Megan, convinced me to try it while we were out for a girls' night.  It was phenomenal!  I would describe it as a warm, moist cake drenched in caramel sauce.  What's not to like.  I realized that I had been missing out on a culinary gem for years.  So when I stumbled across a recipe for chocolate bread pudding I knew I had to try it.  This bread pudding turns out so moist that an additional sauce is not required.  The melted chocolate acts as the sauce.

Chocolate Bread Pudding (makes 2 individual servings, can easily be doubled to fit your crowd)
adapted from www.skinnytaste.com

4 Hawaiian rolls, crusts removed, cubed
2/3 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
 2 T sugar
1 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz. chopped chocolate bar (I used milk chocolate, but any variety will work)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place cubed bread on baking sheet.  Bake 5-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Combine milk, egg, sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Toss in bread cubes until coated with milk mixture.
3. Spray 2 small ramekins with cooking spray.  Fill each ramekin half way with bread mixture.  Sprinkle with half of chocolate pieces.  Cover with remaining bread mixture.  Top with chopped chocolate.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.
6. Place ramekins in an 8 inch baking dish.  Add 1 inch of hot water to the dish.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until set.  Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped topping.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Asiago Garlic Croutons

Pin It

I absolutely love Panera Bread's Creamy Tomato Soup woth Asiago Croutons.  It is one of my favorite fall flavors.  However, my budget and my waistline don't allow me to have this delicious dish as much as I would like.  I stumbled across a tomato soup recipe at Smitten Kitchen and it inspired me to add some cream and oregano to recreate my beloved soup.  It's not exact, but pretty darn close and a lot healthier too!

Creamy Tomato Soup
3 pounds plum or roma tomatoes
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I like mine spicy, adjust to your taste)
1/2 cup fat free half and half (regular half and half works too)
2 cups chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice tomatoes in half and arrange on a foil covered sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
3. Wrap garlic in foil and place on pan with tomatoes.
4. Roast tomatoes for approximately 1 hour or until tender and starting to brown and shrink.  Cool slightly.
5. Unwrap garlic pounch and squeeze garlic into a food processor with tomatoes.  Pulse until it forms a chunky puree.
6. Pour puree into a large pot.  Add oregano, red pepper, half and half and chicken stock.  Simmer for 25 minutes or more.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Asiago Garlic Croutons
2 cups cubed asiago cheese ciabatta bread (I found mine at my local store, any type of french bread would do though)
2 T roated garlic oil (I use Wildtree brand)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place bread on a foil lined cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
4. Bake 15 minutes, turing occassionally, or until golden brown.

Sunset Dinner for Two

Pin It

A winery near my house hosts Sunset Dinners.  When my husband and I were first dating we went to one and had an amazing meal.  A few months later I surprised him by recreating the meal at home.  He was quite impressed (and to be honest I impressed myself).  This is one of those meals that looks fancy, but is quite simple.  One the menu tonight: Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Wine Sauce, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Sauteed Green Beans.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Wine Sauce
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 T minced garlic
salt and pepper
white wine (any variety that you like to drink)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Place tenderloin in the center of the dish.
3. Liberally sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic over the top of the pork.
4. Pour white wine in dish until it covers the bottom.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 1 hour or until cooked through (time will vary depending on size of tenderloin)

Blackberry Wine Sauce
 1/4 cup blackberry jam (seedless works best)
3 T wine (same kind used for roasting pork)

1. Add jam and wine to a small sauce pan over medium heat
2. Whisk vigorously until jam breaks up and there are no large globs.
3. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
4. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.
5. Serve immediately over pork.
**The original recipe called for blackberry wine which makes a sweeter sauce.  Any wine can be substituted.**

Oven Roasted Potatoes
1 pound Teeny Tiny Potatoes (or Fingerling Potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces)
olive oil cooking spray
2 T seasoning of your choice
    *I like Mrs. Dash Original, Italian Seasoning, or Rosemary and Garlic.*

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Generously spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Add potatoes and spray with cooking spray.
3. Toss with seasonings.
4. Bake 35-40 minutes, turning halfway through,  or until potatoes are tender and golden.

***I have found that cooking spray is easier to work with than olive oil because it evenly distributes.  You could use olive oil in a mister if you have one, or just straight olive oil if you prefer.***

Sauteed Green Beans
1/2 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 T finely chopped garlic
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 T butter
salt and pepper

1. In a large skillet add green beans and enough water to coat the bottom of  the pan.
2. Bring water to a boil and cook beans for 5 minutes (they will still be crunchy)
3. Drain water and add butter, garlic, onions, beans and red pepper flakes to the pan. 
4. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until garlic and onions are tender.

Cheater's Creme Brulee

Pin It So my husband absolutely LOVES creme brulee.  He scans every restaurant dessert menu and tries as many as he can.  He appreciates straight forward, no added flavors, colors or decorations creme brulee.  I have made traditional versions, but I am horrified by the amount of calories and fat present in that tiny dish.  I can't enjoy a dessert if I know that the only ingredients are heavy cream, eggs and sugar.  So I decided to come up with a less fattening version.  I consider it cheating because there is no cooking or skill involved.  However, I have managed to trick my husband into thinking these were the real thing more than once.  To get the full effect you will need a pastry torch.  I found mine in a creme brulee kit at my local Target store.

Cheater's Creme Brulee
1 box vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
4 T white sugar

1. Whisk milk into pudding mix until smooth.
2. Divide evenly between 4 ramekins.
3. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, until set.
4. Just before serving sprinkle 1 T of sugar evenly over the top of each ramekin.
5. Use a pastry torch to brown the sugar.
6. Allow to cool so a crispy sugar crust forms.
7. Enjoy.

Lobster Pot Pie

Pin It Comfort food at it's finest.  Juicy lobster and crisp veggies in a creamy sauce covered by a perfectly flaky crust.  Great for cold fall evenings.  Delicious with a glass of white wine.  This recipe makes 2 large potpies.  You could easily make 4 small servings or put it all in an 8 X 8 baking dish for a family style meal.

Lobster Potpie
Adapted from Cosmopolitan Magazine
1 T butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 c frozen corn
1/2 c frozen peas
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb cooked lobster meat (I cheated and used imitation lobster meat and it was very delicious)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large skillet heat butter until melted.  Add onions and carrots and cook until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add corn and peas, cook for 2 minutes until thawed.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute (to eliminate the raw flour flavor).  Slowly add milk and chicken broth, stirring constantly until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add lobster and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spray inside and top of outside of ovenproof bowls with cooking spray.  Spoon mixture into 2 bowls or ramekins.  Flatten the puff pastry sheet.  Cut squares large enough to cover the tops of the bowls.  It is ok if it overlaps down the sides a bit since you sprayed with cooking spray.  Press down the edges to seal it to the bowl.  Cut a small slit in the top to vent the steam.  Using a pastry brush, cover the entire top with the beaten egg.  This will give it a nice brown color when baked. 

Place the potpies on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Pin It I love soup on cold, rainy days.  I find it so comforting and I love the delicious smell that takes over your house.  It's a great way to spend a lazy day inside.  If you like stuffed peppers you will love this easy soup.  I actually like the soup better because you don't have to fight with the pepper skin when you are eating it and all of the flavors are blended together perfectly.  Makes great leftovers for lunch for several days (if it lasts that long at your house).

Stuffed Pepper Soup
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 bell peppers, diced (any color, I used red, yellow and green this time)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can beef broth
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 c brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, brown ground beef.  Drain and set aside.
2. Add onions and peppers to the pot and let them brown/cook for about 10 minutes, until tender.  Stirring occassionally.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar and beef broth.  Bring to a boil.
4. Add cooked rice and ground beef.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Can simmer all day if you want.
5. Serve with warm rolls to soak up the juices and enjoy :)

Fool Proof Shrimp Boil

Pin It My friends and I have a dinner club once a month.  Last month the host made a down home shrimp boil in her tiny apartment kitchen.  I had always shied away from this East Coast staple because of the amount of food it makes and the multitude of ingredients I was convinced I would need.  However, after our delicious meal at dinner club, I was inspired to make a mini shrimp boil at my house.  This version serves 4, but could easily be halved or doubled to fit your crowd.  (I would recommend making more than you need because the leftovers are quite delicious).  I call this recipe fool proof because you only need 1 large pot and you keep adding ingredients to the pot at different times.  I don't think the outcome would be any different if you accidentally added an ingredient at the wrong time or if you overcooked the whole meal.  It would still taste wonderful.  You would have to try really hard to mess this one up!
I cannot take full responsibility for this recipe.  It is adapted from the original Old Bay Shrimp Boil.

Fool Proof Shrimp Boil
1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning
2 onions, chopped into wedges
1 tsp salt
1 can of beer
4 medium sized red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 2 inch sections
2 ears of corn, broke in half
1 lb shrimp with shells

1. In a large stock pot, bring 2 quarts of water, beer, salt and Old Bay to a boil.
2. Add onions and potatoes and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add corn and cook for 7 minutes.
5. Add shrimp and cook until pink (about 5 mintues).
6l Remove from heat and spoon into bowls.  I like to serve mine with a little of the cooking liquid and a sprinkle of Old Bay.  Also delicious with a slice of warm cornbread.

I stored my leftovers in the fridge with the container about half way filled with cooking liquid so the leftovers would not dry out when reheated.  It was just as delicious for lunch as it was the night before.