Basic Marinara

A few weeks ago, I checked out this Pinterest website that I was hearing so much about.  I was a bit confused by it at first, but I think I've caught on pretty quickly.  =)  I like that there is such a variety of things on there to look at, all in one place.  I came across a pin for make ahead meals.  I LOVE make ahead meals, so I checked it out.  I found this recipe for marinara in the bunch.  I could barely wait to try it!  I was able to make it over the weekend.  It smelled delicious while it was cooking!  I was able to get five two-cup servings and two one-cup servings in freezer bags. 

Basic Marinara

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chopped yellow onion (about 3 medium)

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 teaspoons salt 
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
3 (28-ounce) cans no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 7 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

To store in the freezer: Ladle room-temperature or chilled sauce into plastic containers or zip-top plastic bags. Seal and freeze for up to four months. Consider freezing the sauce in one-cup increments (two servings' worth). That way, you can pull out exactly as much as you want for future meals. 

Yield - 12 cups

Hat Tip - My Recipes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I'm still alive!  =)  Since Christmas, things have been a bit hectic here, but in a good way.  We had our first trip to Paris and London.  It was amazing!  The food (especially the pastries) were delicious!  At least once a week I ask Sweetie "When can we go back to Paris?".  I haven't gotten a clear answer yet, but I will be persistent. 

Last weekend, I made these cupcakes for dessert with some of our neighbors.  Unfortunately, the pictures I took didn't turn out and then all the cupcakes were gone.  Sweetie really liked these, so I decided I would make them again this weekend with the hopes of getting a better picture.

These cupcakes are delicious!  They have a very velvety texture with creamy, luscious frosting.  I enjoyed piping the frosting on these cupcakes, so I'm pretty sure I will be making more cupcakes so I can pipe frosting.  =)

I made a red velvet layer cake last year for Valentine's Day.  It was delicious as well, but these cupcakes are so darn cute and tasty! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes -

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting -

4 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a standard muffin/cup pan with liners.

On medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Turn the mixer to high speed and add the egg.  Scrape down the bowl and beat until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and red food coloring to make a thick paste.  (It will take a few minutes.)  Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined.  You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

Reduce mixer speed to and slowly add half of the buttermilk.  Add half of the flour and mix until combined.  Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining buttermilk and flour.  Beat on high until smooth.

Again, reduce the mixer speed to slow and add the salt, baking soda, and vinegar.  Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting -

Using the whisk attachment, whip the butter and cream cheese on high for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary.  Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until all is incorporated.  Add the vanilla and mix to combine.  Increase the speed to medium-high and whip for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.

Yield - 12 cupcakes

Hat Tip - Brown Eyed Baker

M & M Cookies - Christmas Style

M & M cookies are Sweetie's favorite cookie, so of course, I just had to make these for him.  =)  I made them this fall with the fall colored M & M's but didn't have a chance to take a picture of them.  So, here we are with Christmas colored M & M's.  I just love how you can make the same cookie recipe but they look different with different colored M & M's.  For me, it's the little things in life.  =)  Luckily, the cookies taste delicious every time regardless of the M & M color.

I love to make the cookie dough, portion the cookies out on a cookie sheet, freeze, and store in a ziploc bag (in the freezer).  It is a super convenient way to have warm cookies available at anytime in about 15 minutes flat!

I'm pretty sure this will be my last post of 2011.  ( I didn't get as many posts in as I had hoped for.)  I think my new year's resolution should be to make my blog bigger and better in 2012!  It sounds doable and achievable!

Merry Christmas!

M & M Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup M & M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly.  Add flour, baking soda, and salt to creamed mixture.  Blend well.  Add 3/4 cup M & M candies.

Portion out some dough using a cookie scoop.  Using your hands, roll into a small ball and place on a cookie sheet.  Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.  (13-15 minutes if taken straight from the freezer).

Yield - 3 Dozen

Hat Tip - Beantown Baker

Roasted Olives

Do you like olives?  I don't. Well I thought I didn't until I tried these roasted olives at Williams Sonoma.  A friend and I went to a class/dinner at Williams Sonoma, we had the olives as an appetizer.  My friend and I both thought we didn't like olives, until I was brave and ate one.  I told her they don't taste like olives, you should try one.  She said you are right.  They are delicious!  Roasting the olives enhances the brininess of the olives, then with the addition of rosemary, orange zest, and pepper flakes it is a dangerously, delicious combination. 

Roasted Olives

3 cups assorted black and green olives
2 rosemary sprigs, cut in half
Zest of 1 orange, cut into long, thin strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine olives, rosemary, orange zest, olive oil, chili flakes and salt, toss to coat.  Transfer the olive mixture to a small tapas pan and bake until the olives are warmed through, about 10 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4

Hat Tip - Williams-Sonoma

Chocolate Peanut Sweeties

This recipe was emailed to me one day from Cooking.com.  The name caught my eye, so I clicked on the link.  They were very cute and sweet.  I decided to make them for our recent holiday party.  They were a hit!  I didn't run out because the recipe is supposed to make five dozen sweeties, but I got four dozen, which is a lot for about 15 people to eat with all the other food we had.  Anyway, I shared some with my co-workers and friends.  They loved them!!  I've been asked just about everyday "when can I get the recipe for those peanut butter balls?"  I had to put a rush on this post, so everyone could have the recipe.  =)

The sweeties are very similar to a buckeye with the addition of a pretzel.  They were super easy to make and there wasn't any cooking involved.  The recipe has to be done in stages, so it takes a bit of time for them to chill, but it is worth the wait.  It's also a very kid friendly recipe.  I enlisted the help of my nephew when it was time to dip them in chocolate.  He was a great helper! 

Chocolate Peanut Sweeties

1 cup peanut butter*
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
5 dozen miniature pretzel twists
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth.  Beat in confectioners' sugar until combined.

Shape into 1-inch balls; press one on each pretzel.  Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets.  Refrigerate until peanut butter mixture is firm, about 1 hour.

In a microwave-safe bowl or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and oil.

Dip the peanut butter ball into the chocolate.  Return to baking sheet, pretzel side down.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Store in the refrigerator. 

*Reduced-fat or generic-brand peanut butter is not recommended for use in this recipe.

Yield - 5 dozen

Hat Tip - Cooking.com

Coconut-Cardamom Macaroons

Holiday baking is on!

We had a holiday party over the weekend and I made quiet a few things for the party.  Coconut-Cardamom Macaroons is the first of several recipes that I will be sharing.  I wish I could share all the the things I made for the party but a few of them disappeared before the end of the night, which is a good thing until you need a picture to go with a recipe for a blog.  =)  These macaroons disappeared also but I was able to snap a picture of them before the party.  I chose to make these for two reasons.  One, they could be made ahead (I love make ahead stuff), and two, they were very easy to make.  Just a few ingredients into a bowl and then bake.  Awesome!

Like I said, they were a huge hit!  I love when my baked goods are a hit.  =)  I was able to eat one of the macaroons right after I baked them.  They were tasty!

Coconut-Cardamom Macaroons

2 large egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place egg whites in a medium bowl; lightly beat with a whisk.  Add sugar, vanilla, salt, and cardamom; stir well with a whisk until foamy.  Add coconut; toss well to combine.  Loosely pack coconut mixture into a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon.  Turn out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spoon remaining coconut mixture by tablespoonfuls onto prepared pan to form 20 mounds.  Bake at 325 degrees for 23 minutes or until golden all over.  Cool on pan 3 minutes; cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield - 20 macaroons

The macaroons can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Hat Tip - Cooking Light December 2011, page 108

Buttermilk Banana Muffins

Well, I've done it again.  Life has gotten in the way of my blog.  No excuses, I'm back and ready for holiday baking.  For now, on to the muffins.

Last week, I bought some bananas with good intentions of eating them.  My best laid plans again didn't work out for me.  So, I decided to make banana bread.  I started looking online for a recipe and came across this recipe from two peas & their pod.  I was really excited to make banana bread with buttermilk.  I don't drink buttermilk, but I like to make things with it.  The smell of buttermilk reminds me of my grandmother and aunt's buttermilk biscuits.  They were so delicious!  Anyway, back to the muffins.  They are yummy and easy to make!  The original recipe was for banana bread, but mentioned muffins, so I went that route.  It was a good choice.  =)

Buttermilk Banana Muffins

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (I used 3)
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Grease and flour a muffin pan (or whatever size pan you like).  A 9 x 5 loaf pan would work well, too.  Set pan aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla extract, mix until well combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Mix until well combined.  Divide batter into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let muffins cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from the pan, cool completely on wire rack. 

Yield - 12 muffins

Hat Tip - two peas & their pod