Vanilla Extract

You are going to kick yourself when you find out how easy it is to make vanilla extract.  I gave some to my family and friends as Christmas gifts and they all loved it. 

I order my vanilla beans off of Amazon in bulk so I always have some on hand. I use them all the time and they last for a while so I'm not desperately trying to use them up. 

You can find these cute little jars at places like Michaels or AC Moore crafts stores, Marshall's or TJMaxx, or I found these at World Market.  They are perfect for gift giving because the are not huge so they will easily fit in someone's spice cabinet but they are just big enough that they will have plenty of vanilla for much of the year. 

Take a sharp knife and cut a vanilla bean from top to bottom.

There are lots of seeds inside, leave them in there.

Clean your bottles. Depending on the size of your bottles you might need to cut the beans in half.

Insert 6 cut pieces (3 whole beans) into the bottle.

Fill the jar to the top with vodka. Leave a little bit of space at the top, about 1/4 of an inch is fine but I don't really think it matters.

Now wrap it up and give it as a gift.  They need to sit for about 3 months before using. Shake every so often, about once a month.

I hope you can make your own vanilla extract soon, it smells SO good!

Vanilla Beans
Vodka
Bottles

Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Isn't it too bad that these days we can't trust what's written on a package from the grocery store.  I don't know if they're hiding ingredients or even what some of those ingredients are.  You almost need a dictionary just to buy something these days.  I find it's easiest to just make certain things myself.  At least I know what's in it. :)

My daughter has been asking for some cheese crackers so I finally had to break down and make some. I was really surprised how easy this recipe was. The longest part of the whole thing was actually cutting out all the tiny little rectangles and putting them onto the cookie sheet. 

You make the dough, cut it in half and refrigerate it for about an hour, then take some out and roll it very thin. Cut shapes and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 

Bake until golden brown and crispy. 

Don't forget to poke some holes in the tops, otherwise they'll puff up like little balloons. 

I loved the flavor of these crackers.  The sharp cheddar is really noticeable.  If you click on the link below you'll see how Joy the Baker made some chili cheese crackers for the adults.  Actually kids would probably enjoy them also, just not my kid.

Sharp Cheddar Cheese Crackers

Recipe from Joy the Baker

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper, I used white pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp cold water

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the butter and cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer and incorporate well. The mix will be very soft at this point but that's OK.
2. Add the salt and pepper and slowly add the flour. The mixture will look try now, like sand.
3. Add the water one Tbsp at a time until the dough comes together and pulls away from the bowl. Add up to 1 tsp more water if needed but you want the dough to be moist not wet.
4. Break the dough in half and put each half in a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap.
5. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes but 1 hour is best.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
7. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
8. Work with one dough disk at a time. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough very thin, about 1/8 of an inch.
9. Cut the cracker shapes and put them onto your prepared cookie sheet. Poke a hole in the top of each cracker to prevent too much puffing.
10. Bake for 13-15 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown.
11. Let the crackers sit on the cookie sheet until they cool before removing them to an airtight container.
12. **See the original post from Joy the Baker for some other seasoning options**

Baked Old-Fashioned Donuts

I know, I know.  Not exactly healthy right? Well my husband and I have one day a week that we have whatever we want and this recipe is an example of that. Besides, they're baked so they aren't nearly as bad as the fried kind. :)

My weakness is donuts, well I have a lot of weaknesses when it comes to sugar but lets just focus on the donuts for now shall we? For Christmas my husband bought me some of those nifty donut pans and I have to say, it was one of my favorite gifts.  I love cake donuts but will eventually work toward yeast donuts and will report back to you. Obviously.

This recipe has several different options but I went with good old fashioned powdered variety...

Plain

And I threw some chocolate chips in some for my daughter.

I have to say, these were right on.  Moist and caky but not crumbly.  Perfect amount of nutmeg (too much nutmeg is a bad thing in my world) and they baked up nice and fluffy!

Definitely a keeper!  I love these donuts.

Baked Old-Fashioned Donuts

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. preheat the oven to 425º.
2. Lightly spray two donut pans with non-stick spray.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the butter, oil and sugars and mix until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs and incorporate well.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. Add the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla and mix.
7. Add the flour and the milk alternately until combined. If you are using the chocolate chips add them now.
8. Fill the pans to the rim and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan before flipping them onto cooling racks.
10. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container.
11. **for two other flavor options check the King Arthur Flour link I've provided above**

Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are ready to take on the week. We just have to make it through this Monday and it's all down hill from there.

This weekend was pretty uneventful around here.  Oh, my water heater went kaput so we had to replace it.  That was pretty eventful, especially when I realized we didn't have any hot water.  Good times. Yesterday was bright and sunny and beautiful so we played outside most of the day, that's pretty much it.

My husband and I have been trying to learn to like tofu.  I gotta tell you that it's been hard but we keep trying. These spicy tofu lettuce wraps were pretty darn good.  I think that might be the key to tofu, soak it simmer it or cover it up with ton's of other flavors. These lettuce wraps did actually make me feel like I was eating a yummy Asian wrap that I love so much.  They were very spicy though so unless your kids like spice they probably wouldn't like this one.

I'm learning a lot about tofu and it's full of protein so it really does make a nice meat replacement. I know some people who might not want to give up their meat and if you're one of those people, you can add chicken and replace the tofu completely or just do half and half.

I will make this again, I've officially added to my rotation.

Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 block (15 oz) Firm Tofu, cut into small cubes
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 cup bell pepper, cut in small dice
• 1 cup onion, red if you have it cut in small dice
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (sriracha if you have it)
• 3 Tbsp Mirin or I used Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 12 whole romaine lettuce, I used bib lettuce.

Cooking Directions

1. Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray.
2. Heat the skillet over medium heat and add the tofu cubes. Cook for about 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally to brown the tofu.
3. When the tofu is browned, add the soy sauce and coat the tofu. Cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Remove the tofu to a bowl. Using the same skillet add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Cook for 10 minutes until the onion is softened.
5. Add the Mirin (or vinegar) and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
6. Add the hoisin and mustard and mix well. Add the tofu back in and coat well with the sauce.
7. Serve in a whole lettuce leafs.

Ina Garten's Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Happy almost weekend everyone! Do you have any big plans? I do, well not really for the whole weekend but tonight is dinner club on my street.  The theme is "soup" and I can't wait because I'm a huge fan of soup.  Today is also wet, cold and gloomy so it's the perfect night for it.  

Last month for the January dinner club I hosted at my house I made these cookies from The Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten uses this dough recipe for several different cookies, and what could be easier for the busy holiday season then a multipurpose dough recipe? Wish I'd thought of that when it was still the holiday's.....

The thing I love about this cookie is that they sort of stay the same texture for several days.  They are a soft, crumbly type cookie.  Not cakey or chewy at all, just moist on the inside but not doughy moist.  It's sort of hard to explain but if you've ever had a shortbread cookie you might get what I'm trying to say.  They are delicious!  Buttery goodness with the added texture of the toasted coconut and the sweet jam. I'm a fan for sure. 

If you're going egg-free just replace this egg wash with some milk or even water.  We're just trying to get the coconut to stick.

Roll around in the coconut and squeeze the ball a bit to make it stick.  You wants lots of coconut here.

Use your thumb to make an imprint in the dough ball.

Fill with your favorite jam, I used apricot.

Beautiful aren't they?

The coconut gets all nice and golden brown in the oven and the cookies don't spread out that much in the oven.  No egg is a plus for those who are allergic (if you skip the egg wash step).  I think you'll want to add these to your cookie rotation as well.  So many possibilities, they are a blank slate waiting for your creativity.  Enjoy!

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• Raspberry or Apricot jam

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until just combined.
3. Add the vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl sift the flour and the salt together.
5. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture until a dough forms. Dump the mixture onto a floured surface, shape into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Use your fingers to shape the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls, if you have a food scale they should be about 1 ounce.
8. Dip the balls in the egg wash and then the coconut.
9. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Use your finger or thumb to push a small indentation into the top of each cookie.
11. Fill the indentation with about 1/4 tsp of jam.
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown.
13. Cool and serve.

Ina Garten's Salmon Cakes

One day a week my husband and I have been trying to eat fish.  I should also mention that 1 day a week we have also designated as "eat whatever you feel like" day.  We start out trying to be healthy and then lose momentum by lunch time.  By dinner it's all over for us and we usually run to the grocery store and get whatever looks good to us. But five days out of the week we're pretty healthy and that is far better than we were in 2012.

Fish is right at the top of everyone's healthy eating list this year, and salmon is one of my favorites.  My husband told me when we got married that he didn't like fish, so, for years I didn't try to get him to eat any.  In fact, I only ate salmon if he was out of town.  I felt like I was smuggling my salmon into the house and I was very careful that there was no salmon smell in the house when he returned. Over the years he's gotten a little healthier and decided one day to give it a try.  I have to say, he was pleasantly surprised. Salmon has a strong fish flavor, so, when we do have it I try to make sure it has a yummy sauce or coating to help give him some additional flavors.

These little salmon cakes came into play recently when I was looking for a new recipe.  Ina Garten had a recipe that looked perfect to me.  I incorporated a little bit of my husband's grandmothers recipe (by adding potatoes) and the finished product was delicious! 

I'm so glad I don't have to hide my salmon anymore.  It's much easier to share it then hide it. :)

Ina Garten's Salmon Cakes

Modified slightly from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh salmon
• good olive oil
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup small diced onion (i used yellow)
• 1 1/2 cup small diced celery
• 2 small potatoes (like the size of a golf ball)
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce (I used Franks)
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp Dijion mustard
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a small oven proof dish lay the salmon skin side down. Brush with olive oil, add salt and paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
3. Remove from the oven and let cool, then refrigerate until chilled.
4. While the fish is cooking, in a large skillet add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter. Add the diced celery, onion, potatoes, capers, parsley, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, and Old Bay seasoning and cook until the vegetables are soft.
5. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
6. Take the chilled salmon and flake it into a bowl, discarding the skin. Mix in the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard and egg.
7. Mix well.
8. Add in the cooked vegetables and seasonings and mix well.
9. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
10. In a large skillet add 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter.
11. Take the salmon mixture and shape into 10 2 1/2 to 3 ounce patties. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and remove to a plate.
12. Keep the plate warm in a 250 degree oven until all the patties are cooked. Serve hot.

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Gruyere Tart

I can't believe I am just getting around to posting this one.  I LOVED this little tart. We used this as an appetizer but they would be good as a snack too.  You could make some up ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator.  If the kids like them they might be a nice little lunch box treat as well.

Caramelizing the onions and mushrooms is key here.  It takes about 20 minutes or so over low heat but it's so worth it.

The Gruyere cheese adds the perfect bite to the onions and mushrooms.  If you're not sure about this cheese it's in the Swiss cheese family.  Definitely worth trying if you've never had it before. A friend of mine tried these and he adamantly does not like vegetables, I think he just tried it to be polite but he ended up really liking it!  Give it a try, I think you'll like it too. 

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Gruyere Tart

Recipe found at Tracey's Culinary Adventures originally from Avec Eric

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small container crimini mushrooms, or button mushrooms - diced
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Lightly flour a surface and place the thawed puff pastry on it. Use your fingers to make sure the crease's are smoothed over and the pastry sheet is free from tears.
2. Use a 3 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut as many holes as possible in the pastry puff sheets.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheets.
5. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. In a large frying pan add the oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the onions and mushrooms are caramelized.
7. Remove the cookie sheets from the refrigerator and top each puff pastry circle with enough onion and mushroom mixture to cover the top of the puffs. Add the shredded Gruyere on top and place in the oven for 13-17 minutes or until the edges of the puff pastry are a nice golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.