chocolate-chip biscotti

Last summer, for a friend's wedding, I baked over 200 biscotti, all because I happened to mention to that friend's mother a great recipe I'd found, months before the July ceremony. The bride's mother had flipped when she heard me mention the Italian cookie, and she begged me to make some for the wedding favors, which were personalized coffee bags with individually wrapped biscotti.

I made three kinds: double-chocolate, lemon pistachio, and chocolate anise. What I made today was a variation of the last one--I left out the anise (many people dislike it) and, because of availability issues, used salted, not unsalted, butter, compensating by neglecting the additional salt completely; and I combined bittersweet and semisweet chips to get the full cup. Here's the original recipe, though, taken from Giada De Laurentiis' Family Dinners.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
(1 tsp. ground anise seed)
2 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350degrees. Line a large, heavy baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter and anise seed in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Form the dough into one long 3-inch-wide log. Transfer it to the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Place the log onto a cutting board. Using a serrated knite, cut the log into diagonal 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool completely.

crostini

The Greek chicken marinade I love was on this weekend's menu. After we'd had pitas and salad with it twice and after we'd begun sopping up the remains onto bread like a dipping sauce, we had another idea: paint the marinade onto sliced bread.

Mom had bought eight long hoagie loaves at Sam's Club a few days ago--for the grand total of $2.86, I believe, so I took half of one loaf, sliced it into 1/2 inch chunks, and set them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Then I coated each with the marinade, using a pastry brush.

Following a crostini baking tip from a cookbook, I put the breads in a 375degree oven for 9 minutes. The result was crusty, crunchy, flavorful crostini that we all loved. I think they'd be great as appetizers, with salads, or with pastas. Easy, cheap, and tasty!

Greek chicken

When I visited Shelley this summer, we picked out and followed a recipe together. She was four months' pregnant, I believe, and we learned halfway into the recipe that the red wine vinegar's alcohol content (which is tiny, don't worry!) was too much for little Preston. So, after all our work, she didn't get to try it then. Shell, here's your second chance!

I've honestly lost count of how many times I've made this chicken. I first tried the recipe in August 2005, just after receiving Rachael Ray's second 30-minute meals cookbook from a friend of mine. Ray's version varies slightly from the one I now use. It's one of those easy fixes that everyone seems to like, and you can count on it turning out delicious every time. The tang of the lemon and the punch of the garlic linger in my mouth, and the layers of flavor really pop! It's a family favorite: today I made the marinade by request, as we're having company in a few days.

Basically this is a marinade that goes on chopped chicken and on a salad. The main ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano.

Here's what you do:
1. Gather ingredients.
1 lemon, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup EVOO, 2 tablespoons oregano, and 4 cloves garlic.

2. Combine.
Put the zest and juice of the lemon into a bowl. Whisk in EVOO. Then add oregano and garlic and whisk again.

It's that simple. If you want to use it right away, pour half of the marinade over the chicken (about 1.5 pounds of meat is good) and save the rest for a nice romaine salad---I like to add sliced red onion. Then you just grill up the sauce-covered chicken and transfer them to a platter. Heat up some pitas, mix your salad, and you're set.

What I did today was mix up the marinade only. I covered it and put it in the fridge, along with a ziplock baggie of red onions. When we're ready, we'll be minutes away from dinner. Delish!

Orange Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

cashew chicken

(recipe from Rachel Ray, www.rachaelrayshow.com)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 1/4 cups chicken stock, divided
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice (we used brown)
salt and pepper
1 16-oz bag of broccoli florets
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; 6 to 8 ounces ea., cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 5-oz can sliced water chestnuts
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews (couldn't find unsalted; regular worked great)


Preparation:

To a sauce pot over medium heat, add 1 turn of veg oil. (about a tablespoon). Once hot, add jasmine rice, a little salt and pepper, and stir to coat in the oil. Add 2 3/4 cups chicken stock, bring up to a bubble then place a lid on the pot and turn heat down to medium. Cook according to package directions, about 18 minutes.

As the stock for the rice is coming up to a simmer, blanch the broccoli. Place a medium skillet filled with one inch of water over high heat with a tight fitting lid. Bring up to a boil, add some salt and broccoli florets then cover and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the broccoli and reserve.

As the broccoli starts working, start the chicken. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of vegetable oil, about 2 tablespoons. When the oil ripples, add the chicken, spreading it out in an even layer. Let it completly brown up on one side, you will have to resist the urge to stir it for about 2-3 minutes. Give the skillet a shake, stir, and continue to cook and brown the chicken for 5 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet to a plate and reserve. Return the skillet to the heat, add 1 more turn of the pan of veg. oil, about a tablespoon. Once oil ripples, add onion, garlic, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, ground coriander and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the orange juice and hoisin sauce. Add the mixture to the skillet with the veggies along with the sliced water chestnuts and the reserved chicken. Stir to combine and add in the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and the blanched broccoli florets. Cook the veggies and chicken together for about 2 minutes, or until everything is nicely coated and cooked through. Add the cashews and the cilantro or parsley and remove from heat.

Removed the lid from the rice pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve orange cashew with a spoonful of rice on top of each portion.

Yields 4 servings.

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

sparkling strawberry

Delicious! We finished it in two days. :)

here is the recipe.

A Summer Salad

I found this recipe in several places online, so it must be pretty common. Tried it last night and it was delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• Fresh salad greens ( romaine, spinach, spring salad, etc)
• Pint of fresh strawberries, halved
• Pecans pieces, as much as you like

Mix salad greens and halved strawberries in large salad bowl. Top with pecans and Poppy Seed Dressing.

double chocolate biscotti

(Recipe taken from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook--made them last week; delicious!)

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsps. baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white baking pieces
1/2 cup large semisweet chocolate pieces or regular chocolate pieces

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Beat until combined, craping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in white baking pieces and chocolate pieces.

2. Shape dough into two 9-inch-long rolls. Place rolls on prepared cookie sheet; flatten slightly until about 2 inches wide.

3. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a woodon toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 hour. (If desired, wrap cooled rolls in plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature.)

4. Use a serrated knife to cut each roll diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 8 minutes.

Turn slices over and bake for 7-9 minutes more or until dry and crisp (do not overbake!). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Dessert Bars

I cannot take credit for this one; I found it on this blog. I tried out the recipe a few weeks ago, and the bars were easy, delicious, and completely eaten within a few days. (Warning: they're hard to stop eating!)

Here's the link: The Bars

Vanilla Cake

(This recipe was taken from Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, who is now the editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine.)

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an angel food cake or bundt cake pan.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, and add this to the butter mixture, mixing well. Add the sour cream and mix well; then mix in the vanilla (the batter will be thick.)
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then turn the cake out of thepan, and leave it on the rack until cool.

Notes: I just tried this for the first time today, and it's delicious (even though I forgot to add baking powder; whoops!) :)