Grilled Cheese with Honeycrisp Apple

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my favourite comfort foods. It's the perfect antidote to a cold and rainy day. I saw Martha Stewart on Oprah the other day and she said the "next big thing" is going to be the grilled cheese bar at parties, so I thought I would step up my grilled cheese from the regular white bread with a Kraft single, so something a little more grown up. 


The apple in this made it a perfect complement to the cream of cauliflower soup I made last week.


Ingredients

• 2 slices of rye bread
• 2 tbsp butter
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese (I cut it from a brick, so use your judgement on how much cheese this is!)
• 6 thin slices from a honeycrisp apple

Directions

• Slather one side of each piece of bread with butter
• Lay the bottom layer down in a frying pan on low heat, butter side down
• Place half the cheese down on the bread in a single layer
• Top with a layer of apple
• Top with the remaining cheese and then the second piece of bread with the butter side up
• Cook on medium-low for about five minutes
• Flip and cook on the second side for about 3 minutes

** I found it easiest to flip the sandwich with tongs, which helped keep the sandwich together

Bacon Rollups

Appetizers, in my experience, tend to be cold because the cook is always using the oven for the dinner. But when I get an opportunity to use the oven for an appetizer, I make these bacon rollups that my dad has been making for years. 


Ok, they're pretty bland looking (though they're better if you bake them seam-side down as I indicate in the recipe), and have no illusions about the health content of these little guys -- bacon and cream cheese?! -- but they explode like little bites of heaven in your mouth. I know it's everything in moderation, but I could eat the entire plate of these. Don't judge until you've tried them.


Ingredients

• 6 slices of bacon, diced
• 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
• 1 onion chopped
• 5 oz. cream cheese
• 15 slices sandwich bread
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions

• In a skillet, cook bacon
• Add mushrooms and onion for 5-8 minutes
• Stir in cream cheese until melted
• Trim crusts from sandwich bread and flatten slices with a rolling pin
• Spread 2 tsp of bacon mixture on each slice
• Roll each piece like a jelly roll and secure with a toothpick
• Place seam-side down on a baking sheet
• Cover and chill for at least an hour
• Brush with melted butter
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until brown
• Remove toothpicks, cut in half and serve

Mixed Berry Muffins

It's berry season here in Ontario and I had an absolute abundance of berries on hand when I decided to make these. I laughed when I looked at these half way through cooking because the recipe told me "these muffins hide a sweet surprise" -- but the surprise of the berries were bursting all over my muffin tin. I actually think they looked better than if they were just a plain looking muffin. 

I will note that the "muffin" was pretty dense though -- more like a shortcake or even a scone. These would work really well as a summer dessert too -- add some fresh whipped cream and some extra berries on the plate and you're done!

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 2 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used blackberries, strawberries and raspberries)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest

For the muffins:

• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup  butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Combine all the filling ingredients in a small saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes until the berries give some of their juices. Set aside.
• For the muffins, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the butter, milk and egg in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• In a 12 tin muffin pan, use half the batter and spoon into each cup. Then spoon a layer of the filling and the add the remaining batter.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

Recipe from 500 Cupcakes

Zucchini and Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm having a cooking love affair with zucchini. It's such a lovely ingredient to cook with and because of it's high moisture content, everything I make with it is so moist and delicious.

Zucchini muffins seemed weird to me, but I was happy to add chocolate chips to it (as per the recipe!). As this recipe was from www.allrecipes.com, lots of people suggested that this was a great way to feed vegetables to children. Truthfully, I don't agree. In a dozen muffins, there was one large zucchini, which nets out to hardly one serving. Either way, I really enjoyed these and they certainly didn't last long in our house!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

• In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• In a separate bowl, combine the egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.
• Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined.
• Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
• Pour into greased muffin tins.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Dear Ina Garten, 


Oh how you've inspired me. Every delicious dish I have made from the pages of your beautiful cookbooks have turned out perfect and your lemon loaf was no exception. You have certainly helped build confidence in this rookie cook and I look forward to many more wonderful dishes.


Lindsay

Our puppy Cooper, turned five last week, so I made this Lemon Yogurt Cake to celebrate. Well, T and I celebrated and Cooper just watched us enjoy it, but we were all ok with it.

This lemon loaf was moist and light. The only change I made was omitting the glaze that went on top, because, well, it just didn't need more sugar. I just opted for some icing sugar to finish it off. And you don't need a reason to celebrate to make this one. Making it to Tuesday is enough!Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup yogurt (I used vanilla, but plain would be fine)
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into one bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.
• Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 
• With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a cake tester placed in the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, cooke the 1/3 lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup of sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
• When the cake is done, pour the sugar and lemon mixture over top, letting it soak in. 
• Cool for about an hour before removing from the pan. 

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home

Roasted Garlic

I love garlic. Ever since we discovered jarred garlic (minced and packed in oil), we put in pretty much everything. Making veggies? Add some garlic. An omelette? Add garlic. Risotto? Where's the garlic? 


Lately I've been cooking with fresh garlic and it is significantly better than the jarred garlic (which, after awhile, seemed kind of gelatinous in my fridge). With this new discovery, I've been looking for more ways to enjoy garlic and roasting it was just the thing.


Roasted garlic is very different than fresh garlic. It's mild and flavourful and you can eat it plain. I probably ate three heads of garlic when it came out of the oven -- it was just that good. And simple!! It's super easy to make and very impressive.


How can you use roasted garlic, you ask?

• on garlic bread
• in mashed potatoes
• in mayonnaise 
• with goat cheese as a spread

Ingredients

• garlic heads (do five or six at a time, trust me)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Peel away the excess skin on the garlic, but leave the skin on the cloves in tact.
• With a sharp knife, cut off the pointy end of the garlic so the tips of all the cloves are exposed.
• Place garlic heads on tin foil and drizzle with olive oil (don't be shy on the olive oil) and use your fingers to make sure all cloves are well coated. Season with salt and pepper.
• Create a package with the tin foil and put in over for 45 minutes or until garlic is soft when pressed.
• Let garlic cool and then either peel away skin with a fork or turn upside and squeeze out garlic into a bowl.
• Enjoy as is, or combine with your favourite recipe for a fresh new flavour.

** Tip: An easy way to freeze roasted garlic is in individual ice cube trays. Mash cloves first and then spoon into trays and freeze.

Big, Soft Pretzels

I made pretzels. Those big, soft ones you get in the mall that are slathered in butter and sea salt. And? They. Were. Delicious. 


This recipe does make a lot -- 12 full size pretzels -- which are really best once you first make them, so unless you're making them for a crowd, you might want to halve the recipe. But this is really a keeper and a nice treat for at-home enjoyment.




Ingredients

• 4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt for topping
• 1/4 cup melted butter for brushing

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy -- about 10 minutes
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. Knead the dough until smooth -- about 7 - 8 minutes. 
3. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl and coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. 
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large pot, dissolve baking soda in hot water and dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution for about 45 seconds and place onto greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, or until browned.
7. Brush melted butter on top and enjoy!

Recipe originally from www.allrecipes.com

Download the printable recipe for Big, Soft Pretzels

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

This recipe came from one of my favourite sites to scout recipes: www.allrecipes.com. On this site, someone will post a recipe and then other bakers and cooks can rate the recipe and write in what they liked about it -- or didn't like about it -- and often what recommendations they had for it. I like this site in particular because I enjoy other new chefs commenting on recipes and appreciate the feedback they offer.

This blueberry muffin recipe had 3,750 comments and received 4.5 out of 5 stars. And let me tell you, that many people certainly weren't wrong! This recipe is oustanding, ridiculously easy and full of ingredients I already had on hand (huge bonus). Plus, the crumble topping was a nice treat!

One of the things in particular I noticed when mixing this was how thick the batter was. It was unlike anything I had ever made before -- really dense and more cake-like than muffin. It bakes up really well and I wouldn't call the muffins light and fluffy, but they have a nice substance to them. Don't be shy on the blueberries either!

The original recipe said this made eight muffins, but I stretched it to 10 (in a regular muffin tin) so I had room on top to add the crumble mixture.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.



Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.


To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.




Print recipe for To Die for Blueberry Muffins

Muffin Frittatas

This is the new Egg McMuffin. 

These met all the criteria for a weekday breakfast:

• easy to prepare (even better to make the night before and just microwave in the a.m.)
• healthy -- loaded with veggies and protein
• good for on-the-go

I made this frittata mixture and simply put them in (note: well greased) muffin tins. You could add any combination of veggies that you like and any kind of cheese to dress them up -- or down -- as you like. 

Next time I'm going to experiment with a strata recipe, which I think will make these a little denser (the difference, as far as I can tell, is that in a strata there is bread). These would also be great as mini-muffins as a nice brunch appetizer. Stay tuned for more variations of this one!

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (if you use skim, mix some 5 or 10% cream with it so it's not too runny)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup zucchini, diced
• 1/2 cup yellow pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper until blended.

Add cheese and veggies, mix well.

Ladle into well greased muffin cups. About 1/4 cup each -- makes 10 to 12.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just set.

Cook on rack for about 5 minutes, but as soon as they come out of the oven, run a paring knife around the edges (this will not only help get them out, it will make clean up a breeze).

Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Print recipe for Muffin Frittatas

Orange Cranberry Muffins

These muffins were extremely moist and the batter was even really not like any other muffin batter that I've made before. The orange muffin on its own would have been really good, but I decided to add some craisins (cranberry raisins). For T, this put the sweetness scale over the top, but I really enjoyed them. So much in fact, that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.

Either way, I'd definitely make these orange muffins again but instead of the craisins, I would maybe add some walnuts or raisins instead, just to try something different.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp taking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup craisins (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, soak oats in warm orange juice for 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and mix in oat mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, blend flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg. Stir into batter.
4. Stir in vanilla and craisins.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans (greased or with paper liners). This batter will be really liquidy, but the muffins will be soft and moist!
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Recipe adapted from www.allrecipes.com