Occupying My Time

When you have a 4 hour break between classes on Saturdays, you have to find ways to occupy yourself. I have chosen to start several lists of things I want to try and make when I get back to the states and have access to a real oven and all the ingredients in the world. Some of these I may even try to make here in China! But here's the point: when I get bored, I make lists of awesome recipes from all sorts of websites....and the man who dares to marry me is going to be one lucky ducky as far as being well-fed is concerned. Here are a few of the most awesomest things I have seen....please note that this list is certainly NOT all-inclusive and there are many many many MANY more yummerlicious recipes on my lists, and still waiting to be found!



Peach, Cherry, and Brie Panini with Arugula

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Softened Salted Butter (optional)
• 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread (whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Is Also Great!)
• 2 ounces, weight Brie Cheese, Sliced
• ½ whole Peach, Sliced Thin
• 4 whole Cherries, Pitted And Halved
• ½ cups Arugula

Preparation Instructions

Heat a panini press or a skillet over medium heat.
If you’re using the butter, spread a thin smear on one side of both slices of bread.
On a non-buttered side of one bread slice, layer the brie cheese slices, peach slices, cherry halves, and arugula. Top with the other slice of bread, buttered side facing up.
Place sandwich into the panini press or skillet, topped with a panini weight. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown, flipping halfway through if using a skillet.

Greek Style Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons Arborio Rice (or Other Medium To Short Grain Rice)
• 4 whole Ripe Tomatoes (medium To Large)
• 1 can (398ml Size) Diced Tomatoes, Liquid Only (or 1/2 To 1 Cup Tomato Sauce)
• 1 whole Medium Onion
• 2 ounces, weight Regular Ground Beef
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• ⅓ cups Water, More Or Less
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, Plus More For Cooking Onions And Beef

Preparation Instructions

Measure the rice out into a fine mesh strainer and wash under cool water. Set aside.
Slice the top off each tomato, but leave a little bit of it attached to the side, kind of like a hinge (a little door to your tomato filling!). Carefully scoop out the insides into a bowl. Place the emptied tomatoes into a small baking dish.
Here’s where it gets weird. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and strain out as much tomato juice as possible (do not use any of the chopped tomatoes from the can; save them for some other meal). You can also substitute tomato sauce instead. Add the juice to the fresh tomato insides you just scooped out. You can do it the Greek way and grate the tomato insides on a box grater or you can do it my cheating way and use an immersion blender to blend the chunks up with the tomato juice. Either way works.
Finely mince the onion (just think about where you’re going to be stuffing; you want the pieces to be small enough to fit in there). Again, you can totally box grate it up. I prefer a knife.
Saute the onion with some oil on medium high heat until translucent. Add ground beef and cook until the beef is fully done. If you want these to be less oily, you can strain out the beef fat, but they just won’t taste the same.
Add half of the blended tomato juice mixture to the onion and beef. Add the parsley, rice, salt and pepper and water, more or less depending on how watery the mixture looks. (This is just to help in cooking the rice. If you’re really not sure, add less as you can always add a little more if it reduces before the rice has finished cooking.) Keep this mixture at a low simmer until the rice is done but al dente (not mushy and overcooked) and the mixture has thickened up considerably.
Remove from heat and stuff the rice mixture into each tomato. Be very generous. Pour the remaining tomato juice mixture over the tomatoes and drizzle with the tablespoon of olive oil. Bake at 350ºF for one hour.
To serve, invert the tomato onto a dish with the cut side down.
 

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Peach and Pinot Grigio Puree

Ingredients

• ¾ cups Shelled Pistachios, Not Salted
• ¾ cups Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1 teaspoon Sweet Paprika
• ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 4 whole Chicken Breasts
• 4 whole Peaches
• ½ cups Pinot Grigio
• ¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a food processor, combine pistachios, panko, paprika and salt. Pulse until the texture is that of small crumbs. Pour onto a plate and set aside.
Make an egg wash by beating the egg and water together in a bowl.
Create a “work station” by placing the chicken on a plate next to the egg wash, next to the pistachio coating.
Dip a chicken breast in the egg wash, coating it with egg wash on all sides.
Next, place the chicken breast in the pistachio coating. Firmly press the coating on both sides of the chicken.
Place the coated chicken breast on a cooling (wire) rack that you have placed on top of a baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. By placing the chicken on a cooling rack it will elevate the chicken and allow it to crisp on both sides instead of just the top.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool a couple of minutes before serving.
While the chicken is cooking, pit, peel and roughly slice the peaches.
Place the peaches in a food processor and puree for 2 minutes until ultra smooth.
Pour puree into a sauce pan along with the wine and salt. Whisk to combine. Bring to a slight boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes to cook out the alcohol.
Pour a little puree on a plate and place the chicken on top, or plate the puree on the side as a dip.

Pumpkin scones with berry butter

ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chilled margarine or butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries or dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the 1/2 cup chilled margarine or butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.
2. In another bowl combine egg, pumpkin, and milk. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.
3. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by folding and pressing gently for 10 to 12 strokes or until nearly smooth. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 12 wedges.
4. Place wedges 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. If desired, brush tops with additional milk. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm with Berry Butter. Makes 12 scones.
5. For Berry Butter: In a small bowl combine dried cranberries or dried blueberries and boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain well and finely chop berries. Stir together the 1/2 cup margarine or butter, powdered sugar, and the cranberries or blueberries. Cover and let chill at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to blend. Makes 3/4 cup. 

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

Strawberry Banana Muffins

2 1/4 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced (I used frozen)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray and/or use muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. After mixing, gently fold in the strawberries, making sure to coat them with flour – this helps prevent the berries from sinking while baking (if you are using frozen strawberries, make sure that you’ve thoroughly drained them/gotten rid of as much juice as you can).
3. In another large bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs, butter, bananas, and vanilla until mixed thoroughly. Slowly combine the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stir until just combined – do not over mix the batter or you will have tough muffins.
4. Fill the muffin tray with the batter, place in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST:
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ cups Softened Butter
• ¾ cups Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• ½ whole Batch Of Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (see Below)
• FOR THE CHEESECAKE:
• 12 ounces, weight Softened Cream Cheese
• ½ cups Sugar
• ½ cups Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 whole Egg
• ½ Tablespoons Vanilla
• ½ whole Batch Of Cinnamon Sugar Mixture (see Below)
• FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR MIXTURE:
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

For the cinnamon sugar mixture:
Stir cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar together using a mixer on high until well combined. Stir in egg.
Add in flour mixture until well combined.
Turn out onto a greased 8×8 inch baking dish and smooth the dough into pan with a spoon.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.
Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and poke holes in it with a fork to reduce puffiness. Allow to cool.
For the cheesecake:
Cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Stir in remaining cheesecake ingredients until well combined.
Pour the filling mixture onto the cooled crust and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 35 minutes (also at 350F).
Let cool on counter for about an hour and half (to room temperature). Then place in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
To serve, cut it into 1 inch cubes with a serrated knife, wiping off the knife frequently.
 

Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 banana chips, for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and spray with Pam. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Beat together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops are lightly golden and set. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and allow them to cool completely. Frost with the honey-cinnamon frosting (recipe follows). Makes 12 cupcakes.

Apple Oat Bars with Dulce de Leche

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (NOT instant oats)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3-4 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dulce de leche (you can buy this in the store or you can make your own, recipe can be found here)
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cream together the butter and brown sugar, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. In another bowl, combine 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, the oats, the cinnamon, the salt, and the baking soda. Set 2 cups of this mixture aside and press the remainder into a greased and/or lined 9×13 baking dish.
2. Core, peel, and dice your apples into thin, bite-sized pieces. Toss them with lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Spread the apples over the dough pressed into the dish. Warm up your dulce de leche in the microwave in 30 second intervals, then drizzle it evenly over the apples (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Sprinkle the 2 cups of flour mixture that was previously set aside over the apples and dulce de leche, then press down to be sure that everything sticks together. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and golden.
3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into small bars and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 32-36 bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

IS YOUR MOUTH WATERING?!?!?!?! MINE SURE IS. .....I think I should tell you that my dessert list is 39 pages long. And I'm nowhere near done.
If you're intrigued by something you see and want to find more, you can start with these 2 websites (I even have them bookmarked):
http://tastykitchen.com/
http://crepesofwrath.net/