Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Balls

One of the best part of these is that they are easy and quick to make, as well they do not really generate a lot of mess. While they are not persae time consuming to make their our a few steps in which there are long time intervals between steps, but for the most part the time duration is fairly flexible and you can just forget about for it a while, and return to it when it is convenient for you. The first step is the only part where the time sort of matters.

So basically what you do is first combine crushed pretzels with peanut butter and freeze for about 30 minibus (here you don’t want to leave them too long, because you don’t want them to become so frozen you cannot work with them). After that you shape them in balls and freeze them for at least an hour. Then you melt chocolate and roll the balls in the chocolate (now this part can get a little messy) then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

An easy, fun snack. As far as taste goes, well peanut butter and chocolate is a classic combo that most of us know and enjoy, and of course pretzels give it an added crunch and that salt and sweet combo. Of course there are also many ways this can be adapted. You could do just straight peanut butter and/or you could replace the pretzels with whatever crunchy salty snack you prefer.

Chinese Sesame Cookies

Ok it has been a while but things are crazy as always. But today I bring you Chinese Sesame cookies. As a lover of sesame seed I was quite intrigued by these. I will say they reminded me a lot of the traditional peanut butter cookies (the three ingredient ones) at least in the making process and texture and consistency. They are kind of dense and crumbly like the peanut butter cookies. But do not think they are doing to taste like peanut butter cookies.

One of the things I did like about these was the ease and simplicity of making them, they can be whipped up pretty quickly and do not take long to bake. Now be warned these cookies take a fair amount of sesame seed, a little over a cup, so do not make the same mistake I first made before I double checked the recipe and think you can just pick up the sesame seeds from the spice section in your grocery store. The spice bottle size will not be a sufficient amount of sesame. I ended up just ordering a bulk amount from Amazon,

I also made a small adaption to the recipe which called for coconut. I personally cannot abide the taste of coconut so I simply omitted it. The recipe also calls for peanut oil (which I am a fan of. I am great lover of just about anything peanut) but for those who cannot eat peanut you can use an alternative oil. If you wanted to bring out the sesame flavor even more you could use a sesame oil. I also really like sunflower oil, I think it has a subtle nutty, earthy taste. But be creative, think of what flavor profile you want to go for and use whatever you think will work best for you. In a pinch you can also always use canola or vegetable oil, just know that such will not bring any additional flavor so the cookies might be sligthly blander.

Now the most important part, the taste. As stated above I am a big fan of sesame so I really enjoyed the cookied. They do have a very sesame flavor. Now fair warning they are not particularly sweet. So do not expect a more traditional sweet type cookie. For those who favor coconut the addition of coconut to the cookie would probably enhance its sweetness. You could probably also add a bit of honey as well if you really wanted to make a sweeter cookie.

But needless to say these are good cookies for those of you who actually are not big on really sweet desserts. For those who want a bit of something that isn’t quite savory, but do not really like a lot of sweetness. They also make really good coffee/tea cookies.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Stromboli

A while back I did a Cordon bleu pizza, well tonight I did the stromboli version. Now before I get too far into things I am going to take the time to address a question which I have often seen popped up and have been asked.

What is the difference between a calzone and a stromboli.

A Calzon is pretty straight forward. Essentially it is a pizza folded in half. You would make a calzone however you would make a pizza. Thus for me the key ingredients of a calzone is pizza dough, some kind of sauce, and cheese. These days a pizza can be a million different things, but those are the the crucial ingredients that I think make a pizza a pizza.

A stromboli on the other hand is a sandwich which is rolled (like a cinnamon roll) and baked. Thus you would make a stromboli the way you would a sandwich. Some people do use pizza dough for their stromboli but you can use the bread dough of your choice. As well the sauce is optional. Some stromboli’s use a sauce or condiment, others are just basically meat, cheese, and or veggies.

As a refresher, the essence of a Cordon bleu is a combination of chicken, ham and cheese.

For my stromboli I chose to use my pizza dough recipe and then staked sliced chicken deli meat, deli ham, and sliced swiss ( swiss the the traditional cheese for cordon bleu but you can swap that for the cheese of your choice). Then I just rolled it up, and through it in the oven.

Needless to say it turned out great, and it is a relatively quick and easy meal to through together.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

Next up on the list was a Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza which I made last night for dinner. Now I gather most of us understand the basics of how to make a pizza so I don’t have to go into a lot of discussion about the actual making of the dish. I will just touch up on a couple of adaptations I made.

To start with for anyone who might not be familiar with what chicken cordon bleu is (it is actually one of my favorite dishes) it is generally breaded chicken stuffed with ham and cheese.

The pizza version originally specified using bacon, Canadian bacon, rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, ranch dressing, smoked provolone, and mozzarella.

The prize of bacon at least in my neck of the woods is fairly outrageous, so I decided I did not need to double up on the pig, as well the Canadian bacon was pretty steep too, so I just went with a ham steak and diced the portion I needed for the pizza.

For chicken, a while back my grocery store had a good deal on a 5 pound bag of chicken tenders, so since I still had some of those in the freezer, that is what I used for the chicken.

And when I was shopping I honestly just completely forgot about the provolone cheese so I just used mozzarella.

Needless to say there are lost of different ways you can play with the combos of the ingredients, for whatever fits your tastes and budget.

For ranch I used peppercorn ranch because it is one of my favorite ranch dressings.

The end result I will say was very enjoyable.

Indonesian Noodles

While this is a dish that has a lot of components to it, it is actually relatively simple to make once all the prep work is down (mostly it is just a lot of chopping). I made a few adaptations to it based on personal preference and what I had on hand.

They tell you to use spaghetti or egg noodle. Now I understand the easy availability of spaghetti. It is a staple in many pantries, and I get it as a good budget friendly option, but while I do not consider myself a complete purist, I do not like using spaghetti as a stand in for noodles in an Asian dish. So for this one I went with Thai stir fry noodles.

They also tell you to use chicken, but as it happened I had a portion of left over pork loin already on hand so I used that instead.

Some of the ingredients in the dish might be difficult to find depending upon where you live. There are alternatives which may be more readily available.

In addition to the above mentioned it calls for:

Bok choy (I happen to love Bok choy but if you cannot find it, you can replace it with they cabbage of your choice.)

Bean sprouts (Another favorite of mine)

Leek (Ok this as another adaptation I made. I do not care for leeks so I used green onion instead)

Ketjap manis (also known as Sweet Soy, I had to go to the Asian market that is down the street from where we live for this one. If you cannot find it in your grocery store and do not have any good Asian markets near you, you can order it from Amazon if you are really dedicated. Or you can use regular soy sauce with either sugar or honey mixed in to give it that sweet savory balance)

Sambel oelek (This is a chili paste. You should be able to find it in the Asian section of your grocery store but it you cannot, its primary purpose is to bring the heat. You can simply leave it out, particularly if you are not partial to spicy. But it you want the heat and cannot find it, you can use a good dose of red pepper flake or another Asian hot sauce like Siracha)

Ginger (You can use ground or fresh. I have a tentative relationship with ginger so I prefer ground)

Black Pepper

Garlic

and 1/2 cup of the broth flavor of your choice (you can do this with water and bullion)

So it sounds like a lot, but basically you are just making a stir-fry.

Get out your wok (if you have one, otherwise a large skillet or pot)

First throw in your meat, then add your veggies, then stir in your sauce and seasonings and let it simmer.

Cook your pasta/noodle of choice as usual in a pot of boiling water, and then just sirt into your stir-fry.

Verdict: It was quite tasty. It had a nice mix of sweet and heat, with a little savory umami. And as said before once you have all the ingredients it is pretty easy to throw together.

Tomato Gratin Chicken

Last night for dinner I made a dish called Tomato Gratin Chicken. First I will say that it really is a relatively easy dish to make. All you need to start with is some chicken (boneless skinless is the best choice for this but as far as cut/type honestly I just get what is cheapest at the time. ) Some canned tomatoes, wine of some sort (the recipe used white, I did not have any one hand so I just used cooking sherry), onion and garlic and thyme and some parmesan cheese.

You start by browning the chicken in a skillet than remove chicken and sauté the onions and garlic, add the wine to deglaze, let wine reduce, than add tomatoes, ( your choice is you want to drain them or not, all depends on how thick or saucy you want it to be) simmer for a bit then put the chicken back in, coat the chicken with the tomato mixture, top with cheese and finish in oven.

I choose to serve this with a cauliflower gnocchi. I love my pasta, but I am working on cultivating a healthier diet, so I am trying to reduce the amount of carbs I consume and I have found I do actually like the cauliflower alternative to a lot of starch products.

As far as the chicken and tomato sauce goes, the taste was really quite fantastic. (The gnocchi was good to but it was not an actual part of the recipe) and it really is a versatile dish as far as what you decide to serve it with. It would be great with pasta, rice, or just some veggies on the side.

French Bread with Pesto Sauce

I know it has been a while, but things got really hectic and busy, and I did not have the time/energy to continue to track my food adventures. But things have settled down again for now, so I am going to try and get back into it.

A bit of a recap for anyone new, this whole idea started with the fact that I came to realize that I had a large collection of recipes I saved on Pintrest, because when I first saw them I thought, oh that looks good, but than many of them I never got around to actually making.

So now I am going through my Pintrest to try at least once each of the of the recipes I have saved.

Today I am kicking things off with an easy one. One of the things that is great about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is.

The gist for the original is a loaf of french bread, the pesto of your choice (be it store bought or home made) a jar of fire-roasted red peppers, and mozzarella cheese.

You slice open the french bread down the middle so you have a top half and bottom half (like a hot dog bun) spread the pesto on both the bottom half and top half of the bread, and on the bottom half add your peppers, and cover with cheese, than put the top over the bottom half, wrap in foil and back for about 20 mins.

The one addition I personally made to this was adding some slices of salami.

Making it the way the recipe specified to make it, as someone who loves pesto, I would say that I actually found the pesto a bit overwhelming. If I make it again I personally will reduce the amount of pesto. I also felt it could have used more cheese, though it is difficult trying to pile that cheese up on top of the slice of bread without it falling everywhere.

But other than that, it is an easy, fast, tasty snack.

Saving the Impossible Cake Mistake

I made myself a cake, took it out of the oven, it looked pretty and perfect and I did the typical tests for doneness and everything indicated that it was cooked through, so I turned off the oven, set it aside and let it cool. After it cooled sufficiently removed it from the pan, it came out beautifully, and than looking down at it, (it was a bundt cake) I saw through the center ring the middle of the cake was uncooked batter.

Now I know what everyone says. You cannot put a cake back in the oven and rebake it, not after it has been left sitting out and has timed to cool. There is nothing you can do at this point to save the cake. But I was looking at my cake, and thinking of all the resources that went into it, both in the physical ingredients, and the time and effort it took to make. While it was not the most complicated cake to make there was some tedium involved in the process.

I was torn, I really could not bring myself to throw this cake away and I did not think at that moment I had the energy to remake it, but I had been anticipating this cake all day.

Well I thought to myself, the cake is already unediable it is not like I can really make it any worse than it is, screw what the world tells me, I am going to try and save it.

I know one of the biggest problems people say with trying to rebake an already cooled cake is that the parts that are already cooked through will dry out.

So I brushed the cake with water using a basting brush, and wrapped it in foil was a way to try and preserve moisture than I put the cake in on a low heat, and baked it for a while long and slow, as a way to sort of steam cook it, to prevent drying out. For the second half of the cooking I uncovered the cake, and turned up the heat, to help recrisp the edges, so the cake would not be too soggy from the steaming.

When the uncooked portion appeared to have finally cooked through I took it out of the oven, and let it cool.

I will add because I did not specify before, that as I mentioned it was a bundt cake, and of course when I discovered it was undone I had already removed it from the bundt pan. For the reheating, because the outer edge of the cake was done and firm enough to hold the cakes shape I placed the cake on a baking sheet and cooked it that way.

Now back to the final result, when I did cut into the cake and try it I have to say that it really was a perfectly good cake. The outer layer of the cake might have been a touch on the crispy side, and the in side was not as super moist as it would have been if it came out right the first time through, but at the same time it retained enough moisture to be pleasant to eat. And needless to say the flavor the cake was spot on phenomenal. If anyone is curious as to the kind of cake, it was a lemon poppyseed.

So if you are just baking for yourself and your family, and you are not worried about absolute perfection, you can, if you are careful save a cake that comes out undone even if you let it set out before you discover the mistake. The cake might have a few flaws but it should still come out perfectly edible.

Cooking Challenge: Crescent Roll Party

It has been awhile but these days I certainly have enough time to bake and experiment with new recipes. For this episode I have made two crescent roll based recipes. One savory and one sweet. I will start with the savory.

Easy Samosas: To start with I have to say how much I love samosas so I was quite eager to give this one a try. For those who may not know a samosa is a fried or baked pastry filled with yummy goodness. There are variations but traditionally they tend to have potato, peas and onions and sometimes lentils. The recipe I was using was a basic peas, potato and onion plus seasoning. Of course you can add and modify it to your tastes.  I turned mine into a breakfast version by throwing in some scrambled eggs. If you are using potato is should be precooked or you can use canned potato. Basically you throw your ingredients together mix with seasonings and add spoonfuls to your crescent rolls wrap them up and make sure they are sealed and than bake. They came out quite tasty though the wrapping proved more challenging than I would have thought.

Apples Dumplings: The desert dish was quite simple to make though it sounds out it turned out very tasty. Slice two apples into wedges. Peeling is optional a matter of personal preference. I never bother to peel mine when baking. Wrap the crescent around the apple and place in baking dish. When all are done make up a butter and sugar mixture and crumble over the top and than for the odd part pour 3/4 cup of Mountain Dew over it. For those like myself who may not be a great fan of Mountain Dew, trust it really does work. The Mountain Dew does not create a strong overwhelming taste, but there is just a hint of it that really plays well with the sugar and flavor of the apple.

P.S. I forgot to mention that both recipes call for two tins of the crescent rolls.

Cooking Challenge Day 8

Fresh Veggie French Bread Pizza: Ok I admit I love just about anything that relates to pizza in anyway so I was quite looking forward to this one. Yes, Pizza is its own special food group. I picked up a French Begat and thought this would make a great lunch or afternoon snack. Then I had a series of days in which I was never home for lunchtime and would end up grabbing something while I was out and get home for dinner. I didn’t want the Begat to go bad (because letting a loaf of bread go bad is blasphemy)  and I still did want to make the pizzas. So I adapted the recipe to fit my schedule and made it a breakfast pizza by topping it off with eggs and ham. It was quite tasty and also helped solve my breakfast dilemma. As some of you may know because I have touched on it before. My usual idea of breakfast is to eat a bread like substance (bagel, toast, muffin etc..) or maybe a bowl of cereal. But my partner likes to have an actual meal for breakfast and I get stuck trying to figure out different things to serve for breakfast sine I am not a huge fan breakfast as a whole. So I was able to make my pizzas and had an idea for what to make for breakfast.

Apple Crisp Tarts: These are addictive, just like eating little mini bites of apples pie and great for anyone who does like the idea of apple pie but perhaps lacks the time or patience to actually make a pie. (I admit though I love to bake I hate making pie dough). With the holidays coming up they are also great either if you need to make desert for a crowed or you need some sort of Hours d’Oeurves like desert.  If you do happen to enjoy making your own pie dough than you can use home made or you can use store bought pie dough (just not the pie crust that comes already in the “> pie plate). You roll your pie dough out cut 2 inch circles and drop them into a muffin pan, than you make up a mixture of diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and corn starch, and let it simmer for about . Add spoonfuls of the apple filling to your muffin tins and top with a crumble topping than bake for about 20 minutes.