Belgian Waffles

I'm going to my Mother's house for Christmas breakfast.  We wanted to make Belgian waffles using a waffle maker she gave me for Christmas a few years back.  I know that true, official Belgian waffle batter contains yeast and whipped egg whites, so this recipe fit the bill and it received high ratings on Allrecipes.com.  I will be making the batter the night before not only to make my morning easier, but it should make for a better batter using it the next day.

Belgian Waffles

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
3 egg yolks
2 3/4 cups warm milk (110 degrees F)
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 egg whites

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the warm milk and the melted butter. Stir in the yeast mixture, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk alternately with the flour, ending with the flour. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks; fold into the batter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat the waffle iron. Brush with oil and spoon about 1/2 cup (or as recommended by manufacturer) onto center of iron. Close the lid and bake until it stops steaming and the waffle is golden brown. Serve immediately or keep warm in 200 degree oven.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Belgian-Waffles/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

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Crash Hot Potatoes

I recently fell in love with The Pioneer Woman.  Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) fell in love with a cowboy and uprooted herself to his ranch in the middle of nowhere.  Ree has a website, blog, and most recenly a cookbook (which I own).  Her cooking style is meat and potatoes, but she also has a ton of other recipes that you might not expect to find on a ranch or cowboys eating.  Here is the latest Pioneer Woman recipe that I am trying.

Crash Hot Potatoes

12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste
 
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.


On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.



http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

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Oven-Baked Coconut Shrimp

I've been making this "lighter" version of coconut shrimp for many years.  I found the recipe in Cooking Light magazine.  It really is delicious and definately can cure a craving for coconut shrimp, without the deep-frying and heavy batter.

Oven-Baked Coconut Shrimp
Serves 4

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large egg whites
1 cup coconut flakes
nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a shallow dish mix together the cornstarch, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer at medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes.

Place coconut in a seperate bowl.

Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Working one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, dip it into egg whites and dredge it in coconut, pressing gently with your fingers to adhere the coconut to the shrimp.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining shrimp.

Lightly coat the shrimp with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the shrimp are done, turning them after 10 minutes.

Mix together the marmalade, mustard and honey.  Serve on the side for dipping.

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Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

While flipping through the channels I stopped at QVC where they were demonstrating Junior's Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake.  It looked delicous and so festive for Christmas.  The cost for the 8" cheesecake was $32.16 plus $10.47 shipping.  Being someone who loves to bake, I would much rather be inspired to make my own Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake than to purchase a cheesecake.  This doesn't always mean that it will cost less to make it myself, not including the time to make it and worse the cleaning up of my kitchen.  So I did a search online and I found an official recipe for Juniors Plain Cheesecake.  I then made my own strawberry puree to swirl into the plain cheesecake.  The final cost of ingredients for making this myself was around $12.


Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
9-inch cheesecake; serves 12-16

For Sponge Cake Layer:
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 extra-large eggs, separated
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 drops pure lemon extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For Cream Cheese Filling:
4 (8-ounce) packages regular cream cheese, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 extra-large large eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
 
For Strawberry Swirl:
10 ounces frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
 
Prepare the strawberry swirl - In a blender, puree the strawberries with their juice.  Pour into a medium saucepan; add cornstarch.  Warm over medium heat until thickened.  Remove from burner and set aside to cool.
 
Prepare the sponge cake layer - Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a 9-inch springform pan. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes. Then, with the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of the sugar and continue beating until thick light-yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until no more white flecks appear. Then blend in the butter.
In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stiff peaks but not be dry).

Stir about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites -- don't worry if a few white specks remain.

Gently spoon the batter into the pan. Bake the cake just until the center of the cake springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes (watch carefully). Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling. Do not remove the cake from the pan.

Prepare the cream cheese filling - Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining 1 1/3 cups of the sugar, then beat in the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter well after adding each one. Blend in the heavy cream. At this point mix the filling only until completely blended (just like they do at Junior's). Be careful not to over mix the batter.
Gently spoon the cheese filling on top of the baked sponge cake layer. Place the cooled strawberry puree in dallops ontop of the cheesecake filling.  Using a knife, gently swirl the strawberry puree into a swirled pattern. 

Place the springform pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1-inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hour. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove the sides of the springform pan. Slide the cake off the bottom of the pan onto a serving plate. Or if you wish, simply leave the cake on the removable bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. If any cake is left over, cover it with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

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Mexican Wedding Cookies

My Grandmother called me today and said that she was going to try making Walnut Balls.  I know these round cookies that are covered in powdered sugar as Mexican Wedding Cookies.  The call from my Grandmother inspired me to find a recipe and make them myself.  Instead of going online and doing a search or visiting one of my favorite cooking websites, I decided to visit my cookbook library.  The main requirement in my search was that I needed all of the ingredients already in my pantry.  I decided on the Nutball recipe from Rosie's Bakery All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed, No-Holds-Barred Baking Book.  Now if that title doesn't grab you, I can't help you!  I've made a few of Rosie's recipes and when I saw she had what I was looking for it was easy to decide to try her recipe.  The original recipe called for walnuts, but I had a bag of chopped pecans and decided the pecans would work out just fine.

Nutballs
Yields 2 dozen cookies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or leave them ungreased.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.  Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the flour and mix on low speed until it is blended in, about 45 seconds.  Scrape the bowl once or twice during mixing.

Add the nuts and mix until well blended, about 10 seconds.

Measure out generously rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them into balls with your hands.  Place these balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake the cookies until they just begin to turn golden, about 30 minutes.  To test for doneness, remove one cookie from the sheet and cut it in half.  There should be no doughy strip in the center.

Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar while they are still hot, then cool on the cookie sheets.  Serve them when they have cooled.

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Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon and Onions

The Pioneer Woman has done it again!  Here is yet another great recipe that the Pioneer Woman refers to as Fancy Macaroni.  I feel the need to note that I haven't found the one best macaroni and cheese recipe yet.  And to make matters worse, nobody can seem to agree on what makes the best macaroni and cheese.  Should it be baked?  Spicy?  Crumbs on top?  Which types of cheese?  So, I have a few different recipes in my file to suit whichever mood strikes me.  This is the latest and it is fantastic!

4 cups Macaroni
8 Tablespoons Butter
2 whole Medium Onions, Cut In Half And Sliced Thin
10 slices Regular Bacon
1 Tablespoon Bacon Grease (reserved From Bacon Slices)
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Or 2% Milk
½ cups Half & Half
2 whole Egg Yolks, Beaten
Salt & Pepper (to Taste)
½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese
½ cups Grated Fontina Cheese
½ cups Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
4 ounces, weight Chevre (soft Goat Cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni for half the time of the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until slightly, but not overly, crispy. Drain on a paper towel. Reserve grease.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and saute onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and soft. Set aside.

In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour in milk and half & half, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt & pepper to taste. (Do not undersalt!)

Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks, stirring constantly. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.

Add cheeses and stir until melted. Add onions and bacon and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed. Add cooked macaroni and stir to coat.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot. Serve with red meat or a green salad.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/print-recipe/36851/#sizeFP

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Sesame-Orange Shrimp

I found this recipe in Eating Well magazine.  It seems like whenever you want to eat "healthier" you have to give up foods that use words like crispy or batter.  These shrimp are coated in a batter and are cooked quickly in a skillet.  They get a nice, crispy coating and are tossed with a sweet and tangy sauce.  It definately feels like I'm "cheating" when I have these shrimp.  I like to serve it over brown basmati rice.

Sesame-Orange Shrimp

3 tablespoons sesame seeds (white, black or a mix)
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (21-25 per pound)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Whisk sesame seeds, egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the shrimp and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the rest of the shrimp.

Add orange juice, sherry, soy sauce and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced by half, 4 to 6 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately, with scallion sprinkled on top.

5 Weight Watchers points (doesn't include rice)
232 Calories; 10 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 168 mg Cholesterol; 12 g Carbohydrates; 21 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 488 mg Sodium; 327 mg Potassium

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sesame_orange_shrimp.html

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Scalloped Potatoes

Nothing can ruin a potato dish more than biting into an under-cooked potato.  One of the problems with making a potato casserole is you never know if the potatoes are cooked through until you are sitting at the dinner table.  This recipe solves that problem!  The potato slices are simmered in cream and are fully cooked before you assemble the casserole.  We have Emeril Lagasse to thank for this wonderful scalloped potato recipe.

Scalloped Potatoes
Serves 6

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with the butter and set aside.

Place the cream in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the salt and the pepper, and stir well. Add the potatoes, adding more cream if necessary to completely cover the potatoes. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are barely fork tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat.

With a large spoon, transfer 1/3 of the potatoes with some of the cream to the prepared dish, forming an even layer on the bottom. Top with 1/3 of the cheese, and continue layering the potatoes and cheese, ending with cheese on top. Place on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/scalloped-potatoes-recipe/index.html

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