Pinch-n-Dash

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Panini

pinchndash — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:48:13 +0000

Now that I have this jar of pesto in my refrigerator, buy the way it’s pretty good, I’ve been trying to come up with different recipes than just pesto on pasta. Just as I was grabbing for a cookbook, hubby got out the panini maker and “viola“, a panini with pesto. Who doesn’t love a caprese salad with tomato, mozzarella and basil??? So why not make a panini out of the same ingredients…well sort of. Instead of fresh basil, I substituted the pesto and instead of fresh mozzarella, I substituted with some shredded mozzarella that I had in the refrigerator. What resulted was a very easy and yummy panini

Ingredients:
Fresh bread (such as: french bread, sourdough, or your favorite panini bread)
Pesto
Tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese

Turn on your panini maker so it can heat up.

Slice bread and spread pesto on one or both slices. I ended up putting pesto on both slices.

Top halves with shredded cheese and sliced tomatoes.

Place sandwich in panini maker, no need to butter outside pieces

Close lid and let the majic begin By the way, we love our panini maker, it has become one of our most used wedding gifts!

Once cheese is melted, your panini is done.

Slice sandwich and enjoy

Pesto

pinchndash — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:02:52 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I love pesto. Growing up, it seemed like the only time we would have pesto is when we would visit my Grandma out in CA. It was truly one of the meals that we always requested, along with her pasties, chocolate chip cookies, and rocky road . But seriously her pesto on simple pasta was one of those good “comfort foods” that will forever be tied to Grandma. Last summer I had basil growing out of every pot imaginable and hubby was getting a little impatient wondering what I was going to do with all this basil. Well I decided to make pesto. Now there is nothing difficult about it, but it does take a lot of fresh basil. Good thing I had a ton, but now with winter here, it’s obviously not the easiest time to come across bunches of this fragrant and tasty herb. But not to worry….have you ever noticed how Costco has everything? I don’t know about you, but there is something about walking into that huge warehouse and wondering “What will I find today that I didn’t know I needed, but now I know I can’t live without?” My sister had been telling me about their pesto and like me, we know what Grandma’s tasted like and if my sister said this is good, then I am willing to give it a shot.

Tonight I think I am going to recreate the simple pesto on pasta dinner that Grandma used to make. Will let you know how it compares tomorrow. Ooh… I’m hungry now, if only my workday would go a little quicker! Until then….
xoxo

Peppermint Bark

pinchndash — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:19:25 +0000

Ok, I know what you’re thinking…”the holidays are almost over, what’s with the holiday baking?”. I know, I know…but I sometimes tend to procrastinate and hubby was saying to me when are we going to start baking. So on Christmas Eve we started baking, and really why are certain recipes only for the holidays? A couple years ago after buying the “ever addicting” but expensive peppermint bark, I thought to myself, seriously how hard could it be to make that? So after a trip to Michael’s to pick up the necessary 3 ingredients, I was on my way. Every year my sister waits patiently for the peppermint bark to arrive. Luckily for me, she and her family came to California for Christmas, or we would have had to do some quick overnight shipping.

1 bag of Wilton Dark Cocoa Candy Melts
1 bag of Wilton White Candy Melts
Candy canes

Pour dark cocoa candy into double boiler.

Stir over high heat until melted.

Pour melted chocolate on to parchment lined 9×13 dish. By lining the dish, it is easier to remove later.

Spread chocolate evenly in dish and then refrigerate until hard.

While chocolate is cooling, grab your candy canes and place in ziplic plastic bag.

Now grab the closest hammer, meat tenderized, or frying pan and work out all of your holiday stress by smashing those candy canes. Just make sure the ziploc bag is closed otherwise there will be pieces of red and white candy all over your kitchen.

Once the candy canes are broken up into the desired size set aside.

When chocolate has cooled and firm, melt white chocolate in double boiler.

Stir white chocolate over high heat until melted.

Pour melted white chocolate over cooled dark chocolate.

Quickly and carefully spread hot white chocolate over cooled dark cocoa. Be careful because dark cocoa will start to melt and mix with the white chocolate.

Open the ziploc bag and sprinkle candy canes on top of warm chocolate. Refrigerate until hard.

Hubby couldn’t wait for me to grab my camera, so unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the next step, but once cooled remove peppermint bark from pan and place on chopping board. Carefully break into desired pieces.

Place bark in candy bags or tins. Makes the perfect addition to any holiday cookie tray. Enjoy
xoxo

For those of you who’ve had their fill of peppermint, I came across this great recipe for Grasshopper Chocolate Bark on Pinterest

Got Maple on My Mind

pinchndash — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:28:39 +0000

I’ve got a problem, I can’t seem to get maple off my mind. Ever since I’ve been eating maple butter on my toast and had real maple syrup on my pancakes this morning, I’m craving anything maple. If you are anything like me, you’ll know what I mean. I’ve come across a few recipes that I am going to have to try. So grab your maple syrup and let’s get baking.
xoxo

Ultimate Maple Snickerdoodles

photo by Lina

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup maple sugar
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup of white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and maple syrup. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until just mixed. In a small dish, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup white sugar and the maple sugar. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies will be crackly on top and look wet in the middle. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

recipe taken from allrecipes.com

Maple Pecan Shortbread Squares

photo by footballgrl16

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter

1 egg
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine the flour and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a mixer. Mix in the softened butter until a dough has formed. Press into an ungreased 8×8-inch baking dish, and prick with a fork.
Bake the shortbread in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. While the shortbread is baking, beat the egg in a mixing bowl along with 1/3 cup brown sugar, maple syrup, and pecans. Pour the pecan mixture over the hot crust, and return to the oven. Continue baking until firmed, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and immediately run a knife around the edges to prevent sticking. Cool completely, then cut into 1-inch squares to serve.

recipe taken from allrecipes.com

Christmas Maple Fudge

photo by Roxanne J.R.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon maple flavored extract
1 teaspoon butter
Directions

In a large glass bowl, stir together the white sugar, brown sugar, cream and maple extract. Place in the microwave, and cook for 11 minutes on full power, or until a candy thermometer registers 234 – 240 degrees F (112 – 115 degrees C). Do not microwave the thermometer.
While the fudge is cooking, fill the sink with 2 to 3 inches of cold water, and add a few ice cubes if you like. When the fudge has cooked, place the bowl into the cold water, being careful not to get any water into the mix. Stir in the butter, and continue stirring until the mixture is thick enough to wrap around the spoon. Pour into a buttered 8 inch square dish, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cut into small squares, and store in the refrigerator.

recipe taken from allrecipes.com

Vermont Maple Syrup

pinchndash — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:24:45 +0000

What a long day at work! I was so tired when I got home tonight, so it was a great surprise to see that my husband had ordered a package from Cold Hollow Cider Mill and it was waiting for us on our front porch. When my husband and I went back East a couple years ago to visit his family, we went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center, VT where they have many wonderful, tasty, and specialty products. Between the fresh apple cider, by the way you can see them pressing any day of the week, warm cider donuts, maple syrup, maple candy…I could go on and on but now I’m craving anything maple. I can’t wait to have some maple butter on my toast tomorrow morning. Never mind tomorrow morning, I’m grabbing some bread for the toaster right now. If you are ever in Vermont, you definitely need to visit Cold Hollow Cider Mill. It’s true that nothing is better than genuine Vermont maple syrup. I’m looking forward to pancakes this weekend, but right now my toast is ready.

Green and Red Lentil Enchiladas

pinchndash — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:55:41 +0000

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were shopping at Whole Foods Market when I started observing all the bulk food items they had for sale. I’ve been looking for a way to incorporate more “real foods” into our diet without all the added preservatives. I decided to buy a few bulk items to keep on hand in order to make our transition a little easier. One of the items I purchased was red lentils. I don’t know why I picked this, but I felt that I would be able to find a recipe without a problem. One of my newly acquired cookbooks is Peas and Thank You. Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love. Although my husband and I are not vegan, we do enjoy eating meatless meals. After a long day at work, and an even longer drive home I was wondering if I really wanted to tackle this new recipe tonight or save it for the weekend. Well, I ended up deciding to make these enchiladas and we are both sure glad that I did. Not only did it not take very long, it was also very good. In fact my husband kept telling me how much he really enjoyed it, which is always a good sign. In our house, when trying new recipes, I ask my husband if it (the recipe) is a “do over”. Before we finished our dinner, my husband was already telling me, “this is a definite do over”. With enchiladas left , dinner is sure going to be easy tomorrow night.

Green and Red Lentil Enchiladas

1 30-ounce can of prepared green enchilada sauce, divided
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
¼ cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
8-10 corn tortillas
2 cups non-dairy or organic cheese (I used regular cheese)
14 ounce can sliced olives, drained ( I did not use due to my husband’s aversion to olives)

Trimmings: Organic sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded lettuce, diced fresh tomatoes and or salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bring one-third of enchilada sauce and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, onion and jalapeno, if using, and cook approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Liquid should be absorbed completely and lentils should be tender

Stir in chopped cilantro and set aside.

Meanwhile, wrap 8 to 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for approximately 30 to 45 seconds to soften.

Pour one-third of the green enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Put several spoonfuls of the lentil mixture into each tortilla and roll, placing the tortilla seamside down in the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Pour remaining green enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas.

Top with cheese and sliced olives (if using)

Bake enchiladas for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted

Pass trimmings at table.

Adapted from: Peas and Thank You. Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love.

Gooey Butter Cake

pinchndash — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:59:36 +0000

We are so lucky to have our nephew from Arizona visiting us this summer. When I asked him what foods he would like me to make while he was here, he asked if we could make Gooey Butter Cake. With both of us originally from St. Louis, we always enjoy eating those foods which are hometown favorites. The story behind this cake originally dates back to the 1930s when a St. Louis baker accidently reversed the proportions of flour and sugar while trying to make a regular cake. What developed was this cake which consists of wonderfully sweet, buttery goodness. On eating that first bite of cake, it immediately brought me back to all of those fond memories of growing up in St. Louis.

1 box yellow cake mix ( I used Duncan Hines butter recipe)
1 stick of butter
¾-1 box powdered sugar (reserve approx. 1/4C powdered sugar to sprinkle over top)
3 eggs
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cake mix, 1 egg and melted butter

Pat into bottom of ungreased 9×13-inch glass baking dish.

Mix powdered sugar, 2 eggs, cream cheese and vanilla.

Stir until well mixed.

Pour over the top of the cake mixture, making sure that the cream cheese mixture gets to the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes or until edges brown.

Sprinkle with remaining powdered sugar and cool.

Adapted from: A Taste of the Hill by St. Ambrose Parish

Sugar on Snow

pinchndash — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:12:31 +0000

I cannot believe how much snow we have gotten this year! Over 2-3 days, we got about 28” of the white stuff, and we are in California! It can almost be overwhelming because we knew another storm was coming in a few more days, but there’s got to be something good about it right? My husband always talks about when he was growing up in Vermont, which obviously gets their share of snow, they would occasionally make sugar on snow. The most important part is to make sure you get the freshest, whitest snow. Hold onto your sweet tooth

Snow
Pure Maple syrup

Heat maple syrup to 225 degrees Celsius

When syrup reaches 225 degrees Celsius, drizzle over clean snow

Immediately lift with a fork and enjoy your maple candy or “sugar on snow”.

Penne with Crisp Prosciutto, Zucchini and Corn

pinchndash — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:58:23 +0000

Have you ever looked at a picture on a magazine cover and your mouth starts watering? Well I have, and this recipe was the one that did it. I made this for dinner Sunday night, and let me tell you, my husband raved about it. As I was making dinner, after I had cooked the prosciutto, my husband decided to do a “taste test”. His response….”Wow, this is really good, I think I like it better than bacon.” What??? For those of you who know my husband, you know that he LOVES his bacon, and now he is saying that he likes something more than that… that settles it, I knew I was on to something with this recipe

Kosher salt
5 Tbsp olive oil
8 thin slices prosciutto (about 4 oz.), cut into strips
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
2 small zucchini (about 3/4 lb.), trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1 1/2-in pieces
2 ears sweet corn, shucked, kernels sliced off (about 1 cup), or 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 lb. penne
2 teas sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
Freshly grated black pepper

Slice prosciutto into thin strips

Slice onion thinly

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, put 2 Tbsp. of the oil and the prosciutto in a large (12-inch) skillet, set it over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the prosciutto browns in places and becomes crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer the prosciutto to a large plate lined with paper towels.

Add 1 Tbsp. oil and the onion to the skillet, sprinkle with 1/2 teas salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens completely and turns light brown, about 6 minutes; if the onion starts to stick or burn, add 1 or 2 Tbsp. water to the skillet. Add the zucchini and corn, sprinkle with 1/4 teas salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the zucchini becomes tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in half of the Pecorino and all of the mint.

Add the penne to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta. Add the pasta, the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, the vinegar, and 1 teas black pepper to the skillet with the zucchini and corn mixture. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute so the pasta mixes with the vegetables. Add the reserved pasta water and stir.

Serve sprinkled with the prosciutto and the remaining Pecorino.

Recipe adapted from: Fine Cooking, Weeknight Dinner

Beef Stroganoff

pinchndash — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:21:43 +0000

Ok here we are at the beginning of another New Year. How exciting to start over and reclaim all of those resolutions that fell by the wayside this last year. I don’t know about you, but I was sure ready for 2011. I thought I would start off the New Year by using one of our new Christmas gifts, a pressure cooker. Now working fulltime and being away from home for 12 hours a day, I was excited to get something to help me make good dinners a little quicker. Last year, I made beef stroganoff in our slow cooker, which was excellent, but it took a long time, so I was excited to see how this recipe turned out. So as part of our gift, we also got a pressure cooker cookbook with this beef stroganoff recipe in it. I love cookbooks! Last night after I got home from work, my husband and I used our pressure cooker to make the stroganoff, and it was really good. We bought the meat already sliced in strips from the butcher, so all we had to do it cut them into bite-sized pieces. This helped cut down of some of the time, and in about 30-35 minutes we had a very tasty dinner.

1 1/2 lb beef bottom round
salt
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
2 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature)
1 lb cooked egg noodles
sweet paprika

Slice the beef into strips about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. Season them lightly all over with salt. In the pressure cooker pot brown the beef in 2 Tbsp of the oil in batches, turning with tongs as necessary; transfer each batch to a plate as it is cooked.

After removing last batch, add the shallot and the remaining 1 Tbsp oil and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they release most of their liquid and soften, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the sherry and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and tomato paste, stirring until blended. Return the beef to the pot. If using an electric pressure cooker, switch off the browning function.

Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes. Quick-release the steam. When the pressure valve drops, remove the lid, tilting it away from your face to allow residual steam to escape. Let the stroganoff stand for about 5 minutes to settle the flavors. Whisk the sour cream with a fork until smooth, then stir it into the pot. Divide the egg noodles among warm shallow bowls, spoon the stroganoff over the top, sprinkle with paprika, and serve.

Recipe adapted from: The Pressure Cooker Cookbook