Used to be old-school.

 Let me put on some satin gloves and make some tea. Perhaps these cookies are driving me to buy hundreds worth of feather cocktail hats! I’m obsessed at the moment.

Somehow thumbprint cookies seem perfect for old ladies and crumpets. Where are the chocolate chips? Hellooo…I have a huge Costco-size bag of chocolate chips screaming to be used.  I recall making them once (and only once) in middle school and found them quite boring.

Drab. Blah. Dismissed.

Forward to 2010 (yes, I’m rounding) and my taste of food has grown (my weight has too, we won’t go there) –let’s give this recipe a makeover and some flair. Roll the cookie dough in coconut or chopped nuts. Obsessed with nutella? Roll the dough in chopped almonds or hazelnuts and fill the centers with nutella – Ferrero Rocher, cookie-style!

 Note: I made these into 2-inch cookies but found that the 1-inch cookie, as specified in the recipe, truly make the cutest cookies. Of course, fill with your favorite jam or preserves if you don’t fancy nutella…what?

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces), room temperature
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)
• 3/4 cup of your favorite jam or nutella
• Parchment paper

 Directions

1 Cream the butter and sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes.

2 Separate the eggs. Add the yolks and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. If using nuts place the egg whites in a shallow dish on the side and whisk them until bubbly and frothy (the egg whites will be used to keep the nuts on the cookies).

3 Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350F.

4 Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. If using nuts, dip the balls into the egg whites then roll them into the nuts until covered. Place the balls on parchment lined cookie sheets.

5 Press down with your thumb to make a small well in the center of the cookie. Do not press too hard or the cookie will fall apart. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of nutella or jam

6 Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

These cupcakes remind me of the first snow days of Winter. The fireplace, the smell of apple cider brewing in the kitchen, snow covering the trees….oh wait, I live in California. Come to think of it, the only snow days I recall I was stuck inside an office with no windows and working towards a deadline.

 Thankfully the taste of these cupcakes matches my imaginary ideals of Winter. Unlike most coconut desserts that taste more like vanilla cake topped with shredded coconut, you can taste the coconut in the cupcake and the frosting.  These cupcakes have a denser crumb that are a lovely accompliment with coffee after a holiday dinner!

 Ingredients

 Cupcake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup of canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 cup of sweetened desiccated coconut

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 3/4-1 cup of powdered sugar
• Coconut, shredded
• Cinnamon (optional)
• Pumpkin pie spice (optional)

 Makes 20 cupcakes

Directions

For Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar to butter and beat until light and fluffy again, scraping down the sides halfway through to ensure even mixing.

2.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds each to ensure mixing. Be sure to scrape down the sides after each egg to ensure even mixing.

3. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in one bowl. In another add 1 cup of a well shaken can of coconut milk and a teaspoon of vanilla. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture, then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Continue alternating with the wet and dry mixtures, ending with the dry. Stop mixing once just as the ingredients become incorporated; do not overbeat.

4. Fold in the coconut. Scoop into cupcake papers about one half to three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating the pan after the first 15 to ensure even baking. Be sure to check with a toothpick to see if the cupcakes are done. If the toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean, then they’re ready. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For frosting

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scraped down the sides and bottom.

2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, taste as you go adding more sugar until you have reached the desired sweetness.

3.  Spread onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle on a bit of extra shredded coconut, cinnamon, and or pumpkin pie spice on top  for garnish.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

The Go Green Panini

I found this odd, but delightfully unique and tasty panini while searching for a local bakery back in my home town. The pesto is a complex blend of cilantro, pine nuts, pistachios, and parmesan cheese. I hate to admit it, but this is a panini where you won’t miss your meat…although I’d imagine adding grilled chicken breast would be quite tasty too!

Use remaining pesto in pastas or as a spread in sandwiches!

Picture update

Ingredients

Cilantro Pesto (recipe follows)
Sourdough bread, sliced
2 ripe avocados
1 tablespoon canned (or in a jar) Jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated

Cilantro Pesto

2 bunches fresh cilantro, washed and stems removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup salted and roasted pistachios (can use pecans or walnuts in place of pine nuts or pistachios, or both).
½ teaspoon California or New Mexico chili powder, or cayenne pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

To assemble sandwiches: Spread both sides of bread with cilantro pesto. Mash avocados and mix with diced jalapeno peppers. (Use Ortega chiles if you can’t stand the heat!) Spread avocado mixture on one half of each sandwich. Placed sliced green peppers on top. Finish with grated pepper jack and top with second slice of bread. Grill in melted butter or George Foreman grill, or if you prefer, olive oil in frying pan until cheese melts and bread is golden brown.

Somewhere in a land far, far away, the gingerbread man and jack-o-lantern battled for the spot of “best holiday ingredient.”  Weeks passed and neither side would surrender.  A truce was called and alliances were formed. In commemoration of the battle, the pumpkin gingerbread was created and enjoyed across the lands by peasants and kings alike.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. For loaves, lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. For cupcakes, line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder, ginger, allspice cinnamon, and cloves.  Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean. For loaves, about 1 hour 15 minutes (check at one hour though!) and for cupcakes, about 30 minutes, check at 25 minutes though.

Summer is here and beach body frenzy has struck everyone one but me.

My motivation lies elsewhere and I am caught between a new found love of Bryer’s triple chocolate ice cream blended with milk and few shots of espresso or chocolate covered bananas adorned with coconut, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts.

In true Tiffanie fashion, both were made and eaten. Completely sinful….and deliriously happy.

Note: use a deep bowl when dipping the banana sections. They are trickier to dip than strawberries because of their curve!

Ingredients:

 - 3 almost ripe bananas, sliced into thirds or fourths
- 2 cups of chocolate chips
- Popsicle sticks

Garnish

- Coconut flakes, minced
- Macademia nuts, chopped
- White chocolate, chopped
- Or whatever you like!

Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper

2. Mix together garnish ingredients in a bowl

3. Melt chocolate in a double boiler

4. Pierce banana with popsicle sticks and dip the banana into the chocolate. Let excess chocolate fall back into bowl and dip the banana pop into the garnish.

5. Place the finished banana pop on the cookie sheet and repeat for all remaining bananas.

6. Place in freezer for 1 hour and enjoy!

This is one of the few recipes that I like to remake as my “to cook” list continues to grow and grow. The list grows at an average rate of 3 recipes per week with the cooking execution rate of 1 a week (sometimes even less, sadly. )

I really need to get out of the “what are the stats?” mode.  I actually prefer to make these than the traditional form of baklava because they are bite-size and…cute. Yes, food can be cute!

Ingredients

1/3  cups sugar + 2 tbs sugar
3/4 cups water
1/3 cup honey
1 cinnamon sticks
4 2×1/2-inch strips orange peel
1 teaspoons rose water

1 /2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1.5 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

12-15 fresh phyllo pastry sheets. Thaw phyllo dough in fridge overnight!

Directions

Syrup preparation: Stir 1 /3 cup sugar, water, honey, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; bring to boil. Remove from heat. Mix in rose water. Chill until cold.

Filling preparation: Mix walnuts, ground cinnamon, allspice, and 2 tbs of sugar in medium bowl.

Phyllo dough preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush mini-muffin pan with some melted butter.
• Place the first sheet of phyllo dough on a flat surface. Brush with butter and place another sheet of phyllo dough on top. Repeat the process until you have layered 6-7 sheets of phyllo dough.
• Cut the phyllo dough into 3 inch x 3 inch squares. Gently press each square into the muffin pan so the edges protude in an even fashion. Repeat for all muffin holders.
• Bake in oven for 6-7 minutes (or until golden brown) and cool for a few minutes. Do not remove from the pan.
• Spoon walnut mixture into each phyllo cup and then drizzle about a spoonful of the syrup over each phyllo cup.
• Patience is key when making baklava. Give the baklava a few hours to rest (I can only seem to wait half a day) before enjoying!

No, this is not a pizza with triple cheese and piled high with pepperoni.

 I admit I had pizza 4 times consecutively this week…and that I have not weighed myself afterwards.  I don’t know what made me want to make pizza for the fourth time (the calling of random cured meats from the grocery store?)…but I am so glad I did because the results were utterly drool-worthy.

 And it only takes 12 minutes to bake.

 Ingredients

• 1 Boboli© pizza crust, thin crust
• 1 packet of Boboli© pizza sauce
• 1/3 cup Linguica sausage, pre-cooked and sliced thin into 1/8 slices.
• 1/3 cup Salami, pre-sliced, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/3 Capacolla, hot , pre-sliced, and cut into bite-size pieces. Minimal  marbling.
• 3-4 bella mushrooms, sliced, and torn into halves or thirds.
• 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp fresh oregano
• 4-5 large basil leaves
• 2 cups Monterey jack cheese, grated.

Note: the meat should be gently packed into the cup. Vary the amount and proportions of the meat based on your preferences. Just make sure not to pile on too much otherwise the pizza will sink!

 Directions

• Preheat over to 450 F
• Wrap the linguica sausage in a few paper towels and microwave for 40-50 seconds. Remove from microwave and press gently to extract any additional oil (this step prevents the pizza from getting too greasy)
• Spread pizza sauce over the crust and evenly distribute the cheese.
• Evenly distribute the meats, mushrooms, oregano and fennel seeds.
• Bake directly on the oven rack for 12 minutes.
• While pizza bakes, layer the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them into a tight funnel. Slice the basil into thin strips.
• Garnish pizza with basil and serve.

A new found obsession with beets.

 My encounters with the beet are few and far in between.  Besides confusing them as being big radishes, my thought was always, “what is that dark purple thing at the salad bar with the weird lines? That can not look good. Can we get please get through from the salad line so I can get my chile-cheese baked potato?”

 …and just a few weeks ago, a strange curiosity took over and I tried the beet.

 And I liked it.

 And I liked the freshly roasted beet even more.

 Ingredients

• 2 large beets (3 inches in diameter) – trimmed, scrubbed, and washed
• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs course ground sea salt
• ¼ cup of fresh feta cheese
• 2-3 handfuls of salad mix (leafy greens, minimal to no lettuce)
• 1/2 English cucumber, sliced
• 10 mini-tomatoes, sliced horizontally
• A small handful of toasted walnuts (optional)

 Salad Dressing

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

 Directions

• Preheat oven to 450F and cover a rimmed baking pan with foil.
• Scrub beets and cut off the end and tops of the beets (leave about 2 inches of the stem from the top of the beet). Cut the beet into 4 equal wedges.
• Place beets in baking pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Seal with pan with another layer of foil and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove cover after 50 minutes and roast for another 30 minutes. To check for doneness, you should be easily able to stick a knife or fork through the beet.
• While the beets cook, prepare the salad dressing. Place all ingredients of the salad dressing in a container with a lid and shake well (normally I use a mason jar but I found empty plastic water bottles work just as well).
• Slice the beets (the skins of beets are edible but if you prefer it without the skin, it should come off fairly easily after being roasted)
• In a large bowl, assemble the salad ingredients and beets. Drizzle with salad dressing (note: please do not use all the salad dressing, use based on your preferences) and enjoy!

Recipe revisit – because it’s just that good.

No cheese on an Italian dish? My thighs can’t be more grateful (I’m pleasantly ignoring the presence of sausage)

This recipe has a mouth-drooling combination of crispy-skinned chicken, spicy sausage, bell peppers, and hot cherry peppers. Needless to say, it’s spicy…however the spiciness is rounded off with well with the subtle sweetness of the chicken and vegetables.

If you can’t find hot cherry peppers, use picked banana peppers.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
8 ounces sweet or spicy Italian sausage , casings removed
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves , trimmed of excess fat and skin and cut crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces
Table salt and ground black pepper 
1 medium onion , halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 large red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
3-5 pickled hot cherry peppers , stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (about 1/4 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar 
1/3cup white wine vinegar plus 2 additional tablespoons
3/4cup low-sodium chicken broth plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon cornstarch 
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves  
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves  

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, stirring to break sausage into 1/2-inch pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer sausage to plate lined with paper towels. Remove skillet from heat; pour off fat into small bowl and reserve; wipe out skillet with paper towels.

2. Return skillet to medium-high heat and heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil until smoking. Pat chicken dry and liberally season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate. Remove skillet from heat and pour off fat into bowl with sausage fat; wipe out skillet with paper towels.

3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and heat 1 tablespoon reserved fat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cherry peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sugar, 1/3 cup vinegar, and 3/4 cup broth; bring mixture to boil, scraping up browned bits from pan bottom.

4. Add sausage and chicken (with any accumulated juices) to skillet, arranging chicken pieces in single layer, skin side up, on top of peppers and onion. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes, removing smaller pieces sooner if necessary. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, thyme, and remaining tablespoon broth in small bowl.

5. Carefully remove skillet from oven (handle will be very hot) and transfer chicken, skin side up, to platter or individual serving plates. Place skillet over medium-high heat and stir in cornstarch mixture. Simmer sauce mixture until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, taste sauce and add up to 2 tablespoons vinegar. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around chicken, being careful not to pour it directly over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Nothing is quite as satisfying as combing through acres of strawberry fields knowing that you can pick strawberries to your heart’s content (or until the bucket is full). Then there’s always the satisfying part of eating strawberries off the vine while no one is looking…or maybe they don’t even care.

If you’re down in Southern Orange County or Northern San Diego, go visit the Carlsbad Strawberry fields off of Polamar Airport Road. Spend a few hours perusing for the perfect-shaped strawberries, or if you’re me, look for the mutated-genetic-defect looking ones.

Here’s my attempt at recreating Nation’s Strawberry Pie since I’m not in the Bay Area. There’s something to be said on how they stack those strawberries…I will have to study the art of stacking strawberries when I go back home!

Recipe titled Fresh Strawberry Pie under the Dessert category.