A Pretty in Pink Dinner

In honor of Valentine's Day, all the foods I made for this meal are pink.  In addition, they are all delicious.  :)
Doug and I prefer to stay in on Valentine's Day since the restaurants are usually really crowded and have a different menu for the holiday.  So, why not try it?  Stay in and cook your Valentine a pink meal!
Drink...

Strawberry Sweethearts Cocoa
*recipe adapted from: babble.com
This is perfect for a chilly valentine's evening!  It's very, very sweet, so I would serve it after dinner with dessert.  
I changed several things in the recipe because of the ingredients I had/could find in the grocery store.  Even with the changes it turned out delicious!  
It reminded me of a chocolate covered strawberry and was warm and creamy.  A great alternative to regular hot chocolate!
Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pint strawberry ice cream *[I didn't want to buy a huge carton of ice cream because then I'd eat it all :) So, I used strawberry milk instead.  It worked well!]
• 4 cups water (I didn't add any water since I used milk instead of ice cream)
• Whipped cream
• 1 cup Mini chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles *[I used heart sprinkles instead]

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, melt the chocolate chips and dip the top of four mugs into the chocolate. Set aside, allowing chocolate to harden. 
2. In a medium pot, whisk together the butter, sugar, and ice cream *(or milk) over medium high heat until melted.  
3. Whisk in the water *(I omitted water since I used milk), one cup at a time until your favorite texture/flavor is achieved.  Heat just until steaming.  
4. Pour into chocolate-rimmed mugs.  Garnish with a dollop of whipping cream and a sprinkling of chocolate (or heart) sprinkles.  Serve with the yummy cookies below!

Dinner...

Salmon With An Herb Caper Sauce
*recipe from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook
Pretty much the only pink thing I could think of for an entree was salmon.  I am not the biggest salmon fan, but as far as salmon goes, this was a great recipe.  The sauce is delicious!  I wanted to serve beets as a side dish for the color, but I never got around to buying them.  Oh well, maybe you'll get some for your salmon :)
Ingredients:

• 2 lemons
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 tbs parsley, minced
• 2 tbs tarragon, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (1 1/2 to 2 pound) skinless salmon fillet
• 2 tbs capers
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs honey
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut one lemon into 8-10 slices.  Cut the other lemon into wedges and set aside.
2. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer on the bottom of a 12 inch skillet.
3. Scatter 2 tbs of the shallots over the lemons.  Add the wine and water.
4. Cut the salmon filet into four equal pieces.  Place the filet in the pan skinned side down on top of the lemon slices.  
5. Set the pan over high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the sides of the filets are opaque but the center is still translucent (11-16 minutes).
7. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the salmon and lemon slices to a paper towel lined plate.  Tent loosely with foil.
8. Return the pan to high heat and simmer until the cooking liquid is slightly thickened and reduced to 2 tbs (4-5 min).
9. Meanwhile, combine the remaining shallots, herbs, capers, olive oil, and honey in a medium bowl.  
10. Strain the remaining cooking liquid through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the herb-caper mixture.  Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper.
11. Season the salmon with salt and pepper.  Lift the salmon off the lemon slices and place on a plate or platter.  
12. Spoon the vinaigrette over the top and serve with lemon wedges.

Dessert...

Almond Cookies Topped with Raspberries and Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
*recipe from Dwell on Joy
Ingredients:
(makes 3-4 dozen cookies) 
for the almond cookies:

• 1 package of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
• 1/2 cup crushed slivered almonds
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract

for the brown sugar cream cheese frosting:

• 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 - 8oz packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (8tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• red food coloring if you'd like to tint it blush like me   
• 1 container of raspberries, rinsed and patted dry

 Directions: 

1. In a stand mixer, make the sugar cookies according to package directions. Add the crushed almonds and almond extract to the dough and stir until combined. Using flour first to dust your surface, roll the dough out to about 3/4 inch thick.
2. Using a small circle cookie cutter (about 2 inches) dipped in flour, cut out circles. Roll out remaining dough and cut out circles until the dough is used up. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes or until just starting to brown. Cool on pan 2 minutes and then, using a spatula, place on a baking rack to cool completely.
3. While you are baking the cookies, it's time to make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl until fluffy. Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat until the frosting is smooth and light. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the frosting at the end if you'd like to make yours blush like mine :) Chill the bowl in the fridge to thicken the frosting, or until the cookies are cooled completely.
4. When the cookies are cool and the frosting is chilled, it's time to assemble your treats! Rinse and pat dry your raspberries and have them handy. Place your frosting into a Ziploc bag and seal it. Clip the corner off of one side of the bottom, and pipe the frosting onto the cookies. Gently smoosh the raspberry into the frosting for the finishing touch!

Chrismas is Coming...

One of the best parts of the holidays is all the delicious food.  With Christmas quickly approaching, I decided to make a post inspired by the flavors of the holidays.
Drink...

Eggnog Martini
*recipe from Single Minded Women
In theory, this drink should be good.  However, it was not the best.  After drinking it, Doug said, "I think I need to drink something else to get that taste out of my mouth."  That's never a good thing.  However, I would try making this drink again, because I think many of the things that made it bad were my fault.  
For one, the vodka was too strong (and I didn't have vanilla vodka so I used regular.  I think vanilla would be better), so I would put in much less, or maybe even none at all.  Secondly, in the midst of my recent health kick, I decided to buy light eggnog.  I do not recommend buying light eggnog.  It's one of those things that you just get regular, or don't get any at all.  If you change those couple things, I think it could be a good drink.
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 oz eggnog
• 1 oz vanilla vodka
• 3/4 oz amaretto
• ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except nutmeg in a shaker over ice.
2. Shake, strain, and pour into a martini glass.
3. Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.

Dinner...

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
*recipe from: AidaMollenkamp
Sage is an herb whose flavor always reminds me of holidays.  It has such a warm, delicious taste which goes perfectly with the soft pillows of sweet potato gnocchi.  I cheated and bought frozen gnocchi, but I'll give the recipe for homemade just in case you're feeling ambitious.  
Ingredients: 

For the gnocchi:

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (yams), halved lengthwise
• 1/2 pound Russet potatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 to 15 fresh sage leaves
• 2 shallots, quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Freshly shaved parmesan, for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

Directions: 

For the gnocchi:

*Tip - Gnocchi can be made through this step up to 1 month ahead. To store, place on a flat surface and freeze until frozen through. Transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen up to 1 month before using.   

1.  Heat an oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil, season with a few good pinches of salt and a few cranks of pepper, place on a rimmed baking sheet, cut-side down, and roast until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 

2.  Scoop flesh out of skins then pass flesh through a potato ricer (or mash with back of a fork) and stir in cheese, egg, honey, and sat. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms. Taste and add additional salt, as needed. You’ve added flour when you touch the back of the dough and it is damp but not sticking to you hand. 

3.  Turn dough out onto floured surface and shape into a square. Divide into 16 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into a rope (about 1/2 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. However, don’t add too much additional flour as too much will make for heavy gnocchi. Cut each rope into 1/2 -inch pieces. Stop here or, as desired, use your thumb, roll each piece down over tines of a fork to indent. 

4.  Bring large pot of heavily salted water to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, simmer gnocchi until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Reserve 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water and drain the rest.

* Tip - The gnocchi can be made 4 hours ahead — let stand at room temperature then dip in simmering water until heated through.

For the sauce:

This is enough sauce for half of the gnocchi. If you want to cook off all the gnocchi, go ahead and double the recipe.

1. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it foams, add sage and cook until crisp and fragrant. Remove sage to a plate and return frying pan to stove. Add shallot and, watching it carefully and stirring often, allow the milk solids begin to brown and the butter becomes fragrant and nutty. Scrape along the bottom to prevent the solids from sticking and burning.
2. When the butter is brown, immediately remove from heat, and carefully stir in the vinegar (it may sting your eyes). Stir in pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, return to heat, and cook until just coated in the sauce. Add a lot of freshly ground black pepper, taste for seasoning and finish with additional pasta water, salt, black pepper, the crisp sage, and freshly shaved parmesan.

Dessert...

Pistachio Cranberry Cookies
*recipe from: The Girl Who Ate Everything
I love pistachios.  Pistachio nuts, pistachio ice cream, pistachio pudding, and now pistachio cookies can be added to my list of favorites.  As a bonus, these cookies use a mix as a base, so they are super easy to make.  The combination of the light green color cookie dough (they look greener in real life than they do in my photo) and the red cranberries make them look extra Chistmasy.  
Ingredients:

• 1 (1 lb 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
• 1 box (4 serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated.
3. Add pistachios and cranberries and mix well.
4. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and slightly flatten with fingertips.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The only way you can ruin these cookies is to overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won’t be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes. Trust me.
6. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

 

Spring Supper

Spring is here in NYC and we have been trying to take advantage of all the opportunities to be outdoors.  This is a light, delicious Spring dinner - enjoy it indoors or out!
Drink...

Moscato Spritzer 

*recipe from Make It, Bake It, Create It
This is a refreshing Spring drink.  Because it is so sweet, I think it would be perfect for a brunch, a luncheon, or a bridal/baby shower.  
Ingredients:

• Moscato wine
• Diet Sprite (I used Diet 7up)
• Frozen whole raspberries

Directions:

1. Put a handful of frozen raspberries in the bottom of a wine glass.
2. Combine equal parts of wine and Sprite (I would suggest using a little less Sprite, since the wine is already really sweet).  
3. Stir and sip!

Dinner...

Pasta Primavera

*recipe adapted from Mama Grubs Grub
In case you didn't know, Primavera means Spring.  So, this is Spring pasta!  The original recipe uses different veggies than I used (I made it with asparagus, bell peppers, green beans, onion, and tomatoes).  The great thing about this pasta is that you can pretty much put any vegetables into it.  Use whatever you have leftover or whatever is your favorite.
Plus, you can enjoy this dinner while working toward your Summer swimsuit body because it's only 250 calories per serving.  I looked up other recipes and they were higher calories.  You wouldn't know it from tasting this pasta though - it's delicious! (I thought maybe the addition of a little garlic would be good, but I love garlic in everything)
Ingredients: 

All my veggies

• Linguine (I used whole wheat Rotini)
• 2 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper 
• 1 cup chopped organic carrots 
• Asparagus  
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1 organic small red bell pepper,julienned  
• 1 cup sliced organic mushrooms 
• 1 cup organic vegetable broth (I used chicken broth) 
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1/4 cup organic half and half



The colors in this pasta are beautiful!

• 1/4 cup Parmesan

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according the package.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. 
3. Add the onion and saute for 3 mins or until soft. Add the black pepper.
4. Add the carrot and asparagus to the pan and saute to coat with seasonings. add the water,cover and allow the veggies to steam for 4 mins or until carrots begin to soften.
5. Add the red bell pepper and mushrooms and stir. 
6. Add the broth to the pan. 
7. Whisk the cornstarch into the half and half, and add to the pan. 
8. Cook for 4 mins or until the sauce thickens up toss in the pasta stir to coat.
9. Add the Parmesan cheese to the mix and toss well.

Dessert...

Bird Nest Treats

*recipe adapted from The Curvy Carrot

 These were so easy to make and really cute.  Plus they tasted great.  They are perfect for Spring and would be really great for Easter too.  They include Cadbury Mini Eggs, my other favorite Spring candy (last week I mentioned the other one - Cadbury Cream Eggs).  I took the peanut butter out of the recipe because Doug doesn't like peanut butter (I know, I think the same thing...how could you not like peanut butter???).  They were still great, but would be even better with the peanut butter!
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, for greasing the muffin pan (I just sprayed the pan with Pam and it worked well)
• 6 ounces (1/2 bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 ounces (1/2 bag) of butterscotch chips
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 ounces (1/2 of a large bag) of chow mein noodles
• 36 mini Cadbury Mini eggs

Directions:

My nests in the muffin tin

1. Generously grease the wells of a muffin pan with the butter (this will help later when you are taking out the chilled nests).  Or, spray it with Pam like me!
2. In a large microwave-proof bowl, heat the chocolate and butterscotch chips in 30 second intervals until thoroughly melted, stirring after each increment.**It only took me two 30-second intervals.
3. Once melted, add the peanut butter to the chocolate/butterscotch mixture, mixing well until smooth and completely combined.
4. Carefully add the chow mein noodles, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until completely coated.
5. Using a large spoon, mold the mixture into the wells of your muffin tin, indenting the tops slightly with the back of the spoon.
6. Chill the nests until hardened, about 1 hour or so.
7. Once chilled, gently remove the nests from the muffin tin.***I used a butter knife as a lever to pop them out-this seemed to work.
8. Place three eggs (or colored jelly beans!) on the tops of each nest.  (I actually put the eggs in the nest while the chocolate was still melted.  That way, when it hardened, the eggs didn't fall out.)

A Very Merry Dinner!

The holidays are my favorite time of year, and there is nothing I love more than Christmas!  My family does not eat a traditional Christmas dinner (we usually have beef tenderloin, potatoes, and vegetables).  But, for the blog I wanted to try to make a typical Christmas dinner.  I did a little research and found that a lot of people eat turkey and stuffing for Christmas (which seems strange to me because we just had that meal at Thanksgiving)!  I am too intimidated to cook meat with bones in it (especially since I don't have the right cooking materials for that), so I decided to modify the dinner slightly.  I thought maybe they would have some kind of boneless turkey breast roast, but I couldn't find that (maybe it doesn't exist, but I think it should), so I decided to go with a pork tenderloin.  I used the same spices and herbs that I would have used on turkey and it turned out great (even though it probably would have tasted slightly better on turkey).

Drink...

Christmas Cocoa

This is a delicious holiday drink!  I would love to snuggle up by the Christmas tree with this!
Ingredients:
(serves 1)

• 8 oz hot chocolate
• 2 oz Baileys Irish cream (I used the original Baileys, but the one with mint in it would be extra good here!)
• whipped cream
• crushed peppermint candy

Directions:

1. Prepare the hot chocolate. 
2. Add Baileys.
3. Top with whipped cream and crushed peppermints.

Dinner...

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Holiday Stuffing

I was very impressed with myself after making this meal because it involved cooking a lot of things I have never made before.  It was pretty easy and it turned out soooo good!
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Perfect Gravy
*recipe adapted from Disney Family

Like I said earlier, this would probably be slightly better on turkey, but it was still super good on pork and very easy.
Ingredients:
(serves 2-3)

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• grated zest from one orange
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• gravy
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Drippings from pork
• 1/8 cup flour, whisked into 1/2 cup of chicken stock until smooth
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Mix salt with herbs and zest and rub liberally on the pork tenderloin.
2. Place pork in a large Ziplock bag or wrap in foil. Refrigerate for 24 hours.  ( I only refrigerated mine for about 5 hours and it was still great).
3. Remove pork from fridge and let sit at room temp for at least a half hour before roasting.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
5. Rub entire surface of the pork with softened butter, and place on a rack in a roasting pan.  Put it on the lower oven rack. 
6. Roast for about 35-45 minutes. 
7. Remove pork to a carving board, and cover with foil and allow to rest for up to 30 minutes. 
8. Make gravy: 
1. Place roasting pan over two burners on the stove. There should still be some brown bits clinging to the pan.
2. Turn heat to medium, then pour in wine, scraping up all those brown bits. 
3. Add flour/stock mixture and stir constantly until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Add more turkey stock to thin gravy as necessary, turn burners to low, and continue to stir occasionally until you are ready to pour into a serving vessel.
4. Taste for seasonings. You probably won't need to add salt, but a good pinch of pepper will be necessary.
9. Carve pork and serve immediately.  

Holiday Stuffing*recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

I love stuffing and I think this was one of the best I have ever had!  I really wanted to use roasted chestnuts in it, but they were ridiculously expensive, so I went with chopped walnuts instead.  Next time I will try the chestnuts to make it even more Christmas-like!
Ingredients:
(serves 4-5)

• 2 1/2 cups cubed white bread
• 1/2 pound ground turkey sausage (I used Trader Joe's smoked Chardonnay Apple Chicken Sausage and it was perfect!)
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried sage
• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or chestnuts)
• 1/4 cup dried parsley
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a casserole dish.
3. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the  sage, rosemary, walnuts, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
4. Pour sausage mixture over bread. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, and parsley. Drizzle with chicken stock (you may not need all the stock.  Just enough to make the bread moist but not soaked) and melted butter, and mix lightly. 
5. Cover with aluminum foil and back for 40 minutes.
6. Uncover the stuffing and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Dessert...

Candy Cane Cookies

*recipe from Kraft
These are the perfect end to a Christmas dinner!
Ingredients:
(makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies)

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened 
• 3/4 cup  butter, softened  
• 1 cup sugar  
• 2 tsp.  vanilla  
• 2-1/2 cups flour  
• 1/2 tsp.  baking soda  
• 4 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted  
• 1 pkg. White Chocolate Chips, melted  
• 12 hard peppermint candies, crushed

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat first 4 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Blend in melted chocolate. (Dough will be stiff.) 
3. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 52 balls; roll each into 3-inch-long rope. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets, bending top of each slightly to resemble candy cane. 
4. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until puffed and set; cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. 
5. Melt white chocolate; drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Let stand until chocolate is firm.