Cooking with Candi

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Posted on February 21, 2013 | 1 comment

I did it again, I bought the large box of blueberries (not even in season) and said I am going to bake something with these. So before said blueberries go bad I better find a recipe and go with it. I combined a few recipes that I had , kept my fingers crossed, made a mess in the kitchen , used too much butter, and here it goes. Sometimes I just don’t feel like using electric mixer even though I seemed to use a lot of different mixing bowls for this one. I had seen another recipe for a blueberry crumble but it called for shortening, so I substituted butter. It’s a lot of butter I know, but how much can be in one piece? My plan is to eat a little of this and freeze the rest for when my family comes out next month. As I was cutting it up to freeze I managed to eat way more than I should have, these were really beautiful and delicious. Just the right amount of sweet. I let them sit in fridge overnight, and they were way easier to cut into right out of the fridge. They are now nestled in to the freezer, except for the few pieces I left out to eat. I would keep unused and unfrozen pieces in the fridge, take out and bring to room temp. when you’re ready to eat them. You can also heat up in microwave if you prefer them warm. Either way, once you taste this buttery fruity combo you’ll be hooked.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks cold unsalted butter I cut it up into small diced pieces. I sliced stick in half, and then cut up into smaller pieces which would be easier to blend in.

1 egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 cup of lemon juice and zest of one whole lemon ( I did use a large lemon)

4 cups fresh blueberries

9 x 13 inch pan , I used a glass Pyrex and it was perfect

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and Spray 9 x 13 pan. I used Pam Baking Spray, there is enough butter in this already.

In a medium size bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Using a fork or pastry cutter blend in the cold butter pieces and egg. Then with clean hands I played with the dough a bit and got a crumbly texture going. I took half the dough and patted it down gently into pan with my hands. I made as clean an edge as I could, but I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix into the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble with your clean hands the remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until top is slightly browned. I baked for 50 minutes , then checked on them. I baked for another 5 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. I actually cooled in refrigerator over night, and cut up the next day.

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Posted in Baked Goods, dessert

Tagged blueberry crumb bars

Salmon and Cherry Tomatoes

Posted on February 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

I found this recipe in Ina Garten’s new cookbook, “Foolproof”. It’s super tasty and not difficult at all. I own a cast iron skillet so I used that for the salmon. I suppose if you don’t have one you can just use any skillet as long as it’s oven proof. The pairing of the balsamic vinegar with the tomatoes and fresh basil over the salmon was delicious. I highly recommend this if you love salmon and don’t mind the 2 pan thing. Since I don’t grill that much in the wintertime in CO this was a perfect alternative. The salt and pepper and little olive oil gave the fish a very nice crust. Make sure you have a metal spatula to lift fish up and turn over in pan. I love my cast iron skillet, and they are super affordable and make a real difference. Lodge brand is the one I use. I roasted potatoes as a side dish.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion, Vidalia is always good

2 teaspoons minced garlic, ( 2 cloves)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon cuut up fresh basil leaves

1 ( 2 pound) salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces ( have your seafood person do this)

* this recipe is for 4 people , I made it for the 2 of us and just cut in 1/2.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onion and saute over the medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. You’ll want onion to be soft but not browned, stir occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, a scant teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. ( You can adjust the salt to less if you like) . Cook tomatoes over medium -low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the tomatoes thicken slightly. Off the heat, stir in the balsamic and basil.

Salmon:

I layed fillets out on paper towels, brushed all sides with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I then placed skin side up in the cast iron pan which I pre – heated for about 5 minutes. Cook the fish for about 4 minutes, don’t move them . Turn the salmon skin side down with a metal spatula . Transfer the pan to the oven for about 6 minutes. Remove the fish , make sure it’s cooked through, and place on a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil, allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. It will continue to cook for a bit after you remove it from pan.

Reheat the tomato mixture, season to taste, and serve along the salmon. You can serve at room temperature, hot or warm.

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Posted in salmon, seafood

Tagged Fresh tomatoes and Salmon, Salmon and Cherry Tomatoes, Salmon with Fresh tomatoes

Posted on February 17, 2013 | 1 comment

This really is the easiest chicken dinner ever. Joel loves it, and I try to keep ingredients in the house , just buy chicken and make. Prep to table in 1/2 hour! only 20 minutes for cooking. This is one of Joel’s favorites. I made it the other night with an arugula salad and roasted cauliflower. Enjoy!

Cooking with Candi

Seriously, I don’t even like to own up to this recipe. It is one of Joel’s favorites and anyone who ever eats it always wants to know how to make it…but the recipe is a little embarrassing! All that being said, I am going to share it because it needs to be done. I have to own it and I do. I’ve been making this chicken dish for years and hopefully when you make it, everyone will love it and you won’t have to admit how super easy it is and how there are hardly any ingredients at all. Enjoy! I owe you all this one. It is the perfect meal when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare, marinate, shop , etc.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. thin chicken filets (approx. 4)

6 oz can French’s french fried onion rings

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp flour

DIRECTIONS:

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Peanut Butter Cookies with Oats and Chocolate Chips

Posted on February 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

How can anything with these ingredients be bad? I suppose you have to love Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chips and the way that rolled oats makes almost any cookie taste better. I actually froze these and ate them right out of the freezer, and they tasted awesome. They of course taste delicious at room temperature, but I made so many and the bag is right there on the door of the freezer that I couldn’t resist. Bit into it frozen and it was so good with a hot cup of tea! Awesome snacking going on here. If you’re so inclined go for this recipe, there are a lot of ingredients but if you’re a cookie baker this one’s worth trying.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3/4 cup chunky peanut butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 eggs ( always room temperature )

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups. quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips ( I used chips)

1 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

*now this recipe yields one hell of a lot of cookies so feel free to cut recipe in half. I made full recipe which is why I have so many in my freezer. Why not make whole recipe? then you have cookies in your freezer for whenever you may want them. They do defrost super quickly.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat sheets.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, until well combined. Set aside.

In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3- 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each egg. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down the side of the bowl.

On low-speed or using a wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture , beating until just combined (don’t overbeat) gradually stir in oats. By hand, fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Using a cookie scoop or spoons, drop tablespoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for between 12- 15 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden.

I removed cookies to wire cooling rack to cool completely. As I continued to bake other sheets of cookies.

*makes betweenn 4 – 5 dozen cookies, depending on size of cookies you make. They freeze very well .

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Posted in cookies, dessert

Tagged peanut butter cookies, Peanut Butter with chips and oats

Posted on February 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

Dessert for Valentines Day ❤❤❤

Cooking with Candi

cooking with candi 241 This is a delicious easy to make Chocolate Fudgy Brownie. Perfect for Valentines Day , as it is such a Chocolatey Holiday. I have always had a rather large sweet tooth and Valentines Day always meant candy, chocolate, dessert of one kind or another and it was always up there with my other favorite , Halloween for pretty much the same reasons. How can you not like a holiday that has so much sweetness? Make this brownie anytime and top with ice cream and chocolate sauce for an incredibly killer dessert. I personally cut them up into small pieces and don’t feel as guilty when I eat them. I came in today from being out all day and saw them on the cake stand and because I had cut them up so small, I indulged in two pieces and it just hit the spot!!! Make no mistake these are the real deal, and I…

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Sexy and Sassy Shrimp for Valentines Day – Fra Diavolo

Posted on February 14, 2013 | 3 comments

OK it’s Valentines Day and that’s the reason for the sexy, and the reason it’s sassy is because this shrimp packs some heat known as Fra Diavolo sauce. What a perfect meal for Valentines Day and it’s red!!! this was so delicious and light. I highly recommend it and it really was an easy dish to make. I would say it’s downright easy to make. This 1 lb. of shrimp should feed 4. I made it with Bucatini pasta, which is a thick ropey spaghetti, you can use whatever type of spaghetti you prefer or none at all. I would say that this whole dish start to finish took 1/2 hour. That’s so perfect. Buy your shrimp peeled and deveined which will save you time. Happy Valentines Day!

*don’t leave out the fresh herbs, they kick it up a notch

Ingredients:

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon of kosher salt , plus more as needed

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 (14 oz. can) diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

1 cup dry white wine

3 garlic cloves , chopped

1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, I didn’t think this was too spicy , you’ll have to adjust to your own taste buds. I actually thought 1 teaspoon was pretty mild, next time I will add more, but we like it spicy.

3 tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley leaves

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

In a medium bowl toss the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for a few minutes, toss around a bit and continue cooking until shrimp is just cooked through. ( you’ll want it pink and slightly curled up)

Remove shrimp to a bowl, set aside.

In the same skillet add 1 – 2 teaspoons of olive oil and add onions and saute until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken up, about 15 minutes. If sauce sits for a while it may loose some of its liquid , you can just add a little bit of water at a time to get sauce where you’d like it, but just a little at a time. When you’re ready to serve, add the shrimp back into simmering sauce with any juices that they may have accumulated, toss to coat the shrimp, and cook for about 3 minutes . You can cut into a shrimp to make sure it’s cooked , it should be opaque not translucent. Stir in the parsley and basil. Taste for salt, and serve.

*prepare pasta according to directions and serve shrimp and sauce right on top.

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Posted in seafood

Tagged Sexy and Sassy Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Shrimp, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Shrimp in a Hot Sauce

Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans

Posted on February 9, 2013 | 3 comments

This is a wonderful and very simple meal and perfect for the upcoming Holidays or any time of the year. By very simple, I mean the ingredients are as simple as the preparation. I cooked this whole recipe up in a 1/2 hour–very little prep and you’ll look like a chef! So great. This is my kind of recipe. The original recipe comes from Michael Chiarello and I highly recommend it.
The beans are a perfectly healthy alternative to pasta.

Ingredients:

*this is for 4 servings

3 cups canned Cannellini white beans

1/4 cup plus tablespoons olive oil

app. 16 large shrimp ( this would be 4 per person, so adjust depending on size of shrimp) cleaned and deveined — I sometimes like to leave the tail on the shrimp –as you can see but it is totally up to you.

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper depending on how spicy you want it

1 cup diced tomato from a can is fine. in the summer I would use fresh tomatoes

1 cup whole basil leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Kosher Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

*you can use some extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

* sprinkle of fresh chopped italian parsley if you like as well

Directions:

Drain the beans over a bowl and reserve the liquid. Put the white beans in a large skillet with just enough of their liquid to moisten them. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and bring the beans to a low simmer. Keep them warm while you prepare the shrimp. Lay out the shrimp on some paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook , tossing frequently for a few minutes till shrimp turns pink , curls up and is cooked. ( don’t overcook) Remove the shrimp to a bowl with tongs. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until the garlic browns a little bit. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and basil and stir briefly, the add the lemon juice. Season with a little more Salt and Pepper. Cook for another minute or so, and then stir in the shrimp. Toss well and cook briefly to reheat the shrimp and make sure it’s fully cooked.

We placed beans on a large platter with shrimp over them. Drizzle with a little of the best olive oil you have on hand. Sprinkle with parsley if you’d like. Serve warm. You can also just serve shrimp with beans on the side. We thought it made a lovely presentation on the platter.

* leftovers were amazing

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Posted in seafood

Tagged Shrimp with White Beans, Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans, White Beans and Shrimp

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Posted on February 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

All of a sudden I am very very into cauliflower. I think what happened was I started roasting it for dinner and had left over roasted cauliflower because you know Joel wasn’t eating it. I decided to do something with the leftover cauliflower and I made this delicious Roasted Cauliflower Soup, which lo and behold Joel ate! and enjoyed! It’s really pretty easy , and rather tasty. It comes up a light brown color because the cauliflower is roasted first. I did put a little pancetta on top to entice Joel but you can absolutely leave it out , it’s totally not necessary . You can top it with sliced toasted almonds as well if you’d like and a little flat leaf parsley, just to add color.

Ingredients:

1 large head of caulflower , broken up into florets

4 teaspoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided in 1/2

3/4 cup chopped yellow onion, about 1/2 of a large onion

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 cups Chicken Stock, you can keep it vegetarian and use Vegetable Stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup half and half or 1/2 cup milk , you need a little cream here

* 2 ounces pancetta chopped , this is optional , I had it so I added it , totally unnecessary

* couple of tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted for garnish

* flat leaf parsley , chopped up for garnish as well, I skipped this because I didn’t have any on hand

Directions:

Roasted Cauliflower:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cauliflower in a large bowl, drizzle with 4 teaspoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to coat the cauliflower. Arrange in a single layer on a jelly roll pan ( cookie sheet with rim) that’s been sprayed with Pam. Bake cauliflower at 450 degrees for app. 40 minutes or until tender and browned, stirring once after first 1/2 hour. By the way this is how I serve my cauliflower with dinner most of the time. It’s wonderful.

Heat a large Dutch oven ( Le Creuset) over medium heat. Coat pan with Pam first. If you’re going to cook pancetta , cook it now. Cook until crisp and remove it, drain it on paper towels and save till later. Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in pan, I also put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in at this time. Add onion and garlic saute for app. 5 minutes till softened and onion is translucent, stir occasionally. Add cauliflower, stock and 1 cup of water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in half and half . I then took out my immersion blender stick and blended it all together, at this point add in other 1 1/2 teaspoon butter. If you don’t have an immersion stick and don’t feel like buying one use your blender in batches. Blend until smooth. I sprinkled with chopped cooked pancetta, use whatever you like or nothing at all. A nice crusty bread is very nice served alongside this soup. This soup is great served for lunch or dinner with a beautiful salad.

*serves 4 people nicely

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Posted in soup

Tagged Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Cauliflower Soup, Soup with roasted cauliflower

Classic Soffritto with Spicy Italian Sausage in Tomato Sauce

Posted on February 6, 2013 | 2 comments

Soffritto is a mixture of seasonings and finely chopped vegetables, such as onions, garlic, celery and carrots that is sautéed in olive oil and used as a base for many Italian dishes. I added a little red pepper flakes and oregano. This soffritto takes an average sauce to a perfect sauce. I first learned how to use it many years ago on a trip to Italy. Plus what an awesome way to get Joel to eat some vegetables!

We came home from a beautiful ski day up on The Highlands out here in Aspen, Colorado. Very much in the mood for pasta. I had a pound of italian spicy sausage on hand and all of the other ingredients for this delicious sauce. A short tubular pasta is always best for this sauce, Rigatoni and Penne work really well. I happen to have a box of Tortiglioni noodles which work really well.

Ingredients:

Soffritto:

4 garlic cloves , whole

1 medium onion , cut into quarters

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1 ” pieces

1 celery stalk, cut into 1 ” pieces

1 tsp. dry oregano

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ( now you all know by now how much I love the heat, if you’re not a fan omit it)

Directions for Soffritto:

Pulse onion, carrot, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes in a food processor until finely chopped. ( see photo) Set aside.

Sauce:

ingredients:

1 28 oz. can or box of pureed tomatoes, if you don’t have pureed you can just throw whole ones into food processor along with its juice and puree it yourself.

1 lb. hot or sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste , tubes of Tomato Paste work so well in cases like this

1 lb. Pasta Noodles of your choice

Finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano for garnish

Directions:

In the food processor pulse onion, carrot , celery, garlic , oregano and red pepper flakes until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat, add sausage and cook, breaking up sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon , transfer to a plate.

Increase heat to medium-high , add reserved vegetable mixture to same pan that you cooked sausage in. Taste and season for salt, cook stirring often until vegetables are golden, about 10 minutes.

Stir tomato paste and 1 cup of water in a small bowl, I used measuring cup and small whisk, add to pot with vegetables. Cook , scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Add reserved sausage, and tomato puree and 1 more cup of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, you may need to add more water if sauce gets too thick. Cook on simmer for about 2 hours. Taste for salt.

* you can make sauce 3 days ahead , let cool. Cover and chill , or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat on stove top on low flame.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, follow package directions for al dente. Drain and reserve 2 cups of pasta cooking water.

I make more sauce than I need for the 2 of us, so added sauce to pasta in a separate bowl, adding pasta water as I needed it. I froze the remainder.

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Posted in Sauce

Tagged Classic Soffritto in Sauce with Sausage, Soffritto, Soffritto in Sauce

Seven Layer Dip

Posted on February 2, 2013 | 1 comment

This is a super easy and beautiful dish to entertain with. It’s great in a glass bowl where you can see all of the layers. I prefer to make this without meat but if you would like make one of the layers ground beef or ground turkey. Just drain the meat before adding and make sure that the meat has cooled before adding all the other ingredients. Feel free to play around with ingredients, whatever works for you. This recipe is best served at room temperature, I’ll usually make it earlier in the day and take it out of refrigerator an hour or so before serving. Another thing I would suggest is to go to a local Mexican restaurant that you like and buy your refried beans, guacamole and salsa there. It’s usually the best. Sometimes I will make my own guacamole etc. If you’d like to you can double down on all the ingredients. This will probably serve 12 as an appetizer.

Sadly, my pictures won’t be posted till tomorrow because I won’t be making it till then. It’s just such a fun , good recipe that I wanted to get it out to you.

Ingredients:

16 oz. refried beans

1 package taco seasoning

1 cup sour cream, I used light not fat-free

1 cup guacamole

1 cup salsa

1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

4 ounces black sliced or chopped olives

1 cup chopped tomatoes

*if adding meat use app. 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or turkey and make sure it is drained and cooled down before adding it to dip.

Directions:

Layer in this order

1. refried beans mixed with 1 package of taco seasoning – I remove 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning for the sour cream, if you don’t it’s no biggie I just do it to give the sour cream a little punch

2. 1 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning

3. 1 cup guacamole

4. 1 cup salsa

5. 1 cup Mexican cheese

7. 1 cup chopped tomatoes

*if using meat just heat up a little bit of olive oil in pan and cook meat and drain meat after cooking. You’ll want to cool meat down completely before adding to dip.

* if you like cilantro you can sprinkle on top or sliced green onions are a nice touch

*lime wedges are a nice touch as well

Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and remove about an hour before serving. Serve with chips for dipping and have a spoon handy to help serve it.

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Posted in appetizers

Tagged Mexican 7 layer dip, Seven Layer Dip, Seven Layer Mexican Dip

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Salmon:

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INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. thin chicken filets (approx. 4)

6 oz can French’s french fried onion rings

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp flour

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