TWD: Chocolate Whiskey Cake

Let's face it, I'm a fan of pretty much anything chocolate. So when I heard we were making a chocolate cake this week for Tuesdays with Dorie, I was pretty excited. Until I read over the ingredients and saw... alcohol. And prunes. Prunes? Really?


Well, who am I to argue with the great Dorie Greenspan's tastebuds? If she says prunes will be good in a chocolate cake, then I'll take her word for it. The picture in the cookbook sure looked great, and I couldn't spot a single prune in the cake in that picture. So I put my faith in Ms. Greenspan and went for it.

She instructed us to cut the prunes into "bits" so I chopped them up, a little unsure how big "bits" are. I think I left them too big, but more on that later. I heated them on the stove with water, then threw in some scotch whiskey (substituted for the Armagnac that she suggests), stood back, and set it ablaze. The flames weren't anything like what I expected. They lasted about 2 seconds - not even long enough to get a picture.


My husband later saw the bottle of scotch whiskey sitting out on the counter and said, "You used this stuff? This is the cheapest, nastiest whiskey ever and it's been in the cupboard for about 10 years." Information I could have used about 20 minutes earlier. Well, all I could hope for was that it got better with age.

Next came the ground nuts. The recipe calls for pecans, but allows for a walnut substitution, which I took. I discovered that I had an abundance of walnuts in the cupboard, and just had to grind them myself. It took me a while to get them perfect. Right about the time I finished, it occurred to me that it would have been faster and a heck of a lot easier to throw them into the food processor. Why does my brain work so slow?


Then I whisked the nuts together with flour and salt and set it aside.


Seven whole, wonderful ounces of bittersweet chocolate are coarsely chopped. Ghirardelli - the absolute best (it was on sale... ssshhhh...).


The chocolate is melted with butter. Have I ever mentioned my love for melted chocolate? I could eat it with a spoon.


I wasn't a big fan of the next step. Egg yolks and sugar were to be whisked together for about 2 minutes in order to make them thick and pale. This mixture was already thick to begin with, I didn't need to whisk them for 2 minutes to make it thick. And oh my goodness, my arm hurt after whisking for 2 minutes. It would be a stretch to imagine Miss Dorie Greenspan doing this step. I wonder if she has a whisk-er to do the hard work for her. Hmmm... is that a job I can post on Craigslist?


Then the prunes, the nut mixture, and the melted chocolate are mixed together. And you fold in the egg whites, and pour it all into your springform pan.


Bake for about 28 minutes or until the batter is still wet, but not too wet. Don't you love it when the directions are vague? Fortunately, I think I got it just right.


After it cools, you spread on the rich chocolate frosting made up of bittersweet chocolate, butter and confectioners' sugar. Dorie said it would be a self spreader, and would run down the sides. But mine was rather thick and I had to spread it myself. It was really delicious.


The end result was an absolutely gorgeous chocolate cake. And it was to die for. I couldn't taste the alcohol at all, which was great for me. I could, however, taste the prunes. I think if I had chopped them finer they would have blended a little better. But there was just something about those big chunks of prunes that was a turnoff. I ate a few and picked a few out. I think next time I'd figure out a way to make the cake without the prunes.


And it was sooooo good with ice cream. I literally ate over half of this cake. I made it on Friday and it got finished on Monday. It was just my husband and I eating it... and I'm sure I had more of it than he did. I reeeally don't want to step on a scale anytime soon.


Many thanks to Lyb of And Then I Do The Dishes for making this week's selection. Very fitting selection Lyb, considering the outrageous number of dishes I dirtied while making this cake.

I Joined Twitter!

I'm crazy... huh? I keep hearing it's the up and coming networking site. And I also keep hearing about people who are completely addicted to it. So I figured, what the heck? Might as well try it and see if it's fun.

So check me out on Twitter and help me learn how to use it. Pretty please.

And of course don't forget about my facebook page, where I post weekly menus! All of this technology is making my head hurt... I think I need a nap. Do I need to "twitter" that? Or tweet that? Or whatever you call it?

Orange Chicken

I think everyone will agree with me when I say easy and quick weeknight meals are the absolute best. So when I find one that also tastes really good, I hold onto it for dear life and make it until we're all sick of it. And that's what I plan to do with this (sorry honey).

This dish comes together really easily, and it's one of those recipes that you have to do very little prep-work for. Just toss the cubed chicken in a flour mixture, then transfer to the pan to brown them up a tad. Next you combine the sauce ingredients and pour them into the pan. Then walk away for 25 minutes and get something else done. I love that because, trust me, there's always a LOT to be done in my house.

One note on the optional mandarin oranges. I used them to give it an extra pretty touch. But I think going forward I'll leave them out. It gave an overpowering orange flavor to the dish. Once I picked them out, it was perfect. Though if you're an orange lover, leave them in! They make the dish very sophisticated looking.


Orange Chicken
(adapted from This Week For Dinner)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter

For Sauce:
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. vinegar
2 cup orange juice
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. dried basil
1 small can mandarin oranges (optional)

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a plastic baggie. Shake chicken pieces well to coat. Lightly brown on both sides in butter in skillet over medium heat.

2. Combine sauce ingredients and add to skillet. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until tender. Remove cover and allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.

3. Stir in mandarin oranges, if using. Serve with rice.

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is the Caramel Crunch Bars, a fabulous layered bar cookie with lots of chocolate and a toffee topping. I read the recipe thinking, "this will be great! I love caramel!" But after eating it, I thought, "these are great! I love toffee!" I didn't really taste the caramel, just lots of toffee.

Mine were a bit crunchy, which had me questioning if I overcooked them a bit. But after I've read that other's were also crunchy, I happily determined that it wasn't my error - it's just how they are.

They came together quite nicely for me. The dough was yummy, of course, with the instant espresso powder and the chopped bittersweet chocolate mixed in.


Getting the dough to spread into the 13x9" pan was a little tricky. My fingers came in handy!


The bottom layer was baked until bubbly and golden. I kind of wanted to take a taste right then and there. But I refrained. I can occasionally be patient.


The bottom layer is then sprinkled with chocolate. I chose to use milk chocolate chips that were hiding out in my cupboard. Then it went back in the oven for just a couple of minutes to soften up the chocolate.


Then the chocolate is spread. There's nothing quite like melted chocolate. Yum.


The final step - sprinkling on bits of chopped toffee and pressing them down lightly into the chocolate. I used a little more toffee than called for. And a little more chocolate than called for in the step above this one. And then I wonder why my hips look the way they do.


The bars cut nicely for me and looked so perfect. I consumed several and then packed up the rest and sent them to work with my husband. They were a hit - big surprise.



The selection this week was made by Whitney of What's Left on the Table. Check out her blog for the recipe. And check back next week for a cake that involves setting something on fire. I'm putting the fire station on speed dial.

Sunday's Super Tip - Getting Your Dough to Rise

I don't know about all of you, but I think working with yeast is tricky. It's something I'm still pretty new to, but I like to think I'm getting better at it.

Yeast recipes always state that the dough needs to sit in a nice, warm spot in order to rise. Well, that's often pretty hard to find in my house. We're one of those families who keep our house on the cool side. You're likely to find me walking around in pants and a sweatshirt... and still cold.

So here's someplace warm in your house that you've probably never thought of... your dishwasher! Sounds weird, huh? Well, it works! But please do me a favor and make sure it's clean (and empty) before you try this. Just turn your dishwasher to the heated dry cycle. Let it get nice and warm inside, then turn it completely off. Stick in your bowl of dough and let it rise. It'll work perfectly for you.

Naan

Well, since you can't have any sort of Indian food without Naan (at least according to my husband), I found myself making it last week. I was thisclose to going to the store to look for it, but I had to do the pep talk again and convince myself to at least try it. Thankfully, that handy Best International Recipe cookbook I found at the library had a great section on Naan with detailed instructions.

Have you ever just wanted to keep something you checked out from the library and hope they don't notice? Well, that's how I feel about this cookbook. It's a huge, hardcover book that has $35 printed on the inside flap. A bit pricey for a cookbook, but maybe I could put it on a birthday list. Until then, I'll keep renewing it until I max out the limit. Hopefully no one else in my county wants this book. If so, too bad-so sad, it's gonna be at my house for a while.

But back to this fabulous Naan. If you haven't ever had the pleasure of trying it, think pita bread, only more yummy. Naan is soft, but chewy, and is great for tearing into small sections and dipping it into stews or using it to soak up sauces (like the masala sauce). Or, you can just eat it plain, because it's reeeally good.

You start with a great dough comprised of a combination of flours. The recipe says to use bread flour, though I substituted all-purpose and it was fine. To that, you add a bit of whole wheat flour to give it that slight wheaty flavor. And what's really unique about this is the addition of the plain yogurt. The ingredients are all mixed together in a stand mixer and the dough rises for about 45 minutes. After it's risen, it can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days - a great make-ahead tip.


The dough is then cut into eight pieces and shaped into balls.


Then roll each piece into a small circle. This is the slightly hard part, unless you're really good with the rolling pin.


Here they are being cooked on the stovetop - incredibly easy. As you can see, mine weren't perfect circles. I was going for a rustic look.


Once cooked, transfer them to a wire rack to cool, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with some salt. Wow. Yum.



Indian-Style Flatbread (Naan)
(from Cook's Illustrated's Best International Recipe)

2 and 1/2 cups (13 and 3/4 ozs.) bread flour, plus extra as needed
1/4 cup (1 and 3/8 ozs.) whole wheat flour, sifted before measuring to remove coarse flakes of bran
1 package (about 2 and 1/4 tsp.) instant or rapid rise yeast
2 tsp. sugar
Salt
1 cup water, at room temperature
1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for the bowl
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Combine the flours, yeast, sugar, and 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt in the bowl of a standing mixer and mix with the paddle attachment until blended, about 15 seconds. Add the water, yogurt, and olive oil and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 30 seconds.

2. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed until smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes, adding additional bread flour in 1 Tbsp. increments, allowing 20 seconds between each addition, as needed for the dough to clear the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and lightly knead by hand for 1 minute.

3. Shape the dough into a large ball, transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a draft-free spot until the dough has doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (At this point, the dough can be lightly punched down, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

4. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, cut into 8 equal portions, and roll each portion into a round ball. Set the balls aside on the counter (or a baking sheet), cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, lay on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 6-inch circle using a rolling pin (if the dough is sticky, sprinkle very lightly with flour). If using the sesame seeds, brush the tops of the dough rounds lightly with water, sprinkle each with 1 tsp. seeds, and gently roll over with a rolling pin once or twice so the seeds adhere to the dough. Set the rounds aside on the floured counter (or a floured baking sheet) and cover with greased plastic wrap.

6. Heat a heavy 12-inch skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until hot, 5 minutes. (If using a lighter pan, heat for only 2 to 3 minutes.) Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, lift the dough and gently stretch about 1 inch larger, and lay it in the skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface of the dough, about 30 seconds. Flip the bread and continute to cook until the bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Flip the bread over again and cook until the bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

7. Transfer the bread to a wire rack, brush lightly with butter, season with salt, and let cool for about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds. Wrap the breads loosely in a clean kitchen towel and serve immediately. (The bread can be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 300-degree oven until warm, about 15 minutes.)

Makes 8 rounds.

Chicken Tikka Masala

A few years ago if anyone said the words "Chicken Tikka Masala" to me, I'd have been clueless. But now I know it all too well. My husband somehow formed a slight obsession with this dish. He worked with a few guys who introduced him to Indian food by taking him to an authentic Indian restaurant frequently for lunch. To say he liked it is an understatement. We eventually moved away from that town, and my husband really misses that restaurant. I never did make it there to try it for myself, having assumed that I wouldn't like it.

Shortly after we moved to North Carolina, I got coerced into joining some friends out to dinner for my very first taste of Indian. They assured me that Chicken Tikka Masala was the tamest dish, and the perfect thing for a newbie to try. So try it, I did! And I can't deny, it was quite good.

My husband has been begging me to make this dish for him since that day. I've always just kind of looked at him like he was crazy. Me? Make Indian food? I wouldn't even know where to start. Luckily, I came across an International recipe book at our local library and figured I'd give it a try. It didn't sound too hard. And it really wasn't.

The cookbook gave an entire background on all of the testing they'd done on this recipe to get it just right. It won me over. It surely had to be good. And I can do it! I can do it. I can do it. I think I said it enough that I convinced myself. And I'll be darned, I actually did it, and it was surprisingly good!

The masala sauce is a rich, creamy tomato sauce. Garlic, onion, and chiles are sauteed and combined with crushed tomatoes. The mixture is simmered for 15 minutes before adding heavy cream and a bit of sugar. But often what is thought to "make" the sauce are the spices - particularly Garam Masala, a blend of pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander, found in a lot of Indian recipes. The spice can be found in most major grocery stores and is essential to the sauce, so don't skip it.


The chicken is so incredibly tender and moist. In an effort to keep this an all-season dish, it's broiled to perfection in a wonderful yogurt marinade. To say this chicken is flavorful wouldn't do it justice. It's out of this world.


The end result is a perfect Chicken Tikka Masala. I'm not sure I'm quite confident enough to serve this to my friends who are Indian and are total experts at cooking everything Indian, but I think that's just because I'm too hard on myself. If I did have the guts to cook it for them, I have a hunch they'd like it. I think it closely rivals what I had at the restaurant where I first tried it. Needless to say, now my hubby wants me to cook this again and again and again. Thankfully it's good!



Chicken Tikka Masala
(from Cook's Illustrated's Best International Recipe)

Chicken
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5 to 6 ozs. each)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp.)

Masala Sauce
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp.)
2 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, chile minced
1 Tbsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1. For the chicken: Combine the salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with the spice mixture, pressing gently so the mixture adheres. Place the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic; set aside.

2. For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook until softened and light golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, chile, garam masala, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and return to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm. (The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken.)

3. While the sauce simmers, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position (about 6 inches from the heating element) and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the sheet. Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture (the chicken should be coated with a thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on the wire rack. Discard the excess yogurt mixture. Broil the chicken until the thickest parts register 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and the exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into the warm sauce (do not simmer the chicken in the sauce). Stir in the cilantro, season with salt to taste, and serve with rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

Some of you observant folks may have spotted the Naan in the photos with the chicken tikka masala. The recipe for that will be posted next. Stay tuned!

TWD: Devil's Food White Out Cake

At last, the cake that adorns the cover of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours. This cake is absolutely gorgeous and I've been dying to make it. So you can imagine my excitement when Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater chose the Devil's Food White Out Cake for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection. For those new to my blog, Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a baking group. Each week, someone picks a recipe from Dorie's cookbook and everyone bakes it. Then on Tuesdays, everyone posts pictures and descriptions of how the recipe turned out. If you'd like to try this cake yourself, the recipe is posted on Stephanie's blog.

Making this cake went pretty smoothly. I planned to follow the recipe precisely, but didn't have two 8-inch cake pans, so I decided to put all of the batter into the one cake pan that I did have. I left it in the oven a little longer and it worked nicely for me. My top did end up having a few cracks and a slight dome. But fortunately it sliced nicely and I used the top of the cake to crumble and decorate the outside with.


The frosting came together nicely for me. It's the hardest I've worked for frosting, but it was yummy. I loved the marshmallow-y taste it had. I assembled it into three layers and it looked pretty just like this.


Next the sides were frosted and the reserved top layer of the cake was crumbled. Doing this also allowed me to take a few bites of the cake and it was incredibly moist and chocolate-ey.

Sprinkling the crumbs onto the cake proved to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated. The top was easy, but the sides were tricky. When I pressed the crumbs into the sides of the cake, I kept getting frosting on my fingers and getting myself a mess. And let's face it, mine just wasn't looking as pretty as the one on the cover of the book. I had to remind myself that I'm not an expert and no one would care.


For those in the group (who have the cookbook), you can see that my layers of frosting are not as high and luxurious-looking as Dorie's. I mean, how did she do that? My cake just kind of smushed down the frosting, especially when it was sliced.



I brought the cake with me this weekend. I went out of town for a surprise birthday party and knew it would get eaten by everyone. Unfortunately, I made the cake on Friday and it didn't actually get enjoyed until Sunday. So it sat in the fridge for two days. I found it to be a little dry when I finally had a slice. But I'm pretty sure that's to be blamed on the 48 hours that it sat before it was eaten. It was a really great looking cake and I received a ton of compliments. When it was finally sliced into, it was gone within a few hours. So I think it was enjoyed!

Thanks Stephanie for a great pick!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Take a look at these beauties... and try not to drool on your keyboard. Don't they look heavenly?



Just reading their name alone made me want to try these cheesecake bars. They start with a graham cracker crust - with chocolate chips mixed in, of course. Would you expect anything else?


The crust is pressed firmly into a square 9-inch pan, and slightly up the sides.


Then you (happily) move onto the chocolate chip cookie dough. You know, you could just make this and sprinkle it over some ice cream. Or heck, just eat it right out of the bowl. You know you want to.


Then comes the luxurious cream cheese filling spread over the crust. Repeat what I said above. Eat this right out of the bowl.


Next, if you haven't eaten all of the cookie dough, drop it by rounded teasponfuls onto the cream cheese layer. Press it down gently.


Bake until set and golden brown.


And your stomach will be growling by now. Be sure to let it cool... I know it's tempting, but you'll burn your mouth.


This next part is totally required optional. Drizzle melted chocolate over the bars to finish them off. Mmmm... now go make these please. You'll thank me.



Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
(recipe from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook)

For the crust:
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

For the cookie dough:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

For the cheesecake filling:
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

2. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

3. Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping (optional):
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. butter

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Add about 1 tsp. of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.

2. Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.

3. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove from pan. Cut into bars and serve.


On a totally unrelated note, Love At First Bite now has its own page on Facebook. I'm patting myself on the back for entering the 21st century! Please, please, please check it out and become a fan (who me? beg?). I'll be posting weekly menu plans to the page that will be super helpful in planning your dinners each week. So check me out and leave me some love!

Enchilada Dip

I first made this enchilada dip several years back for a Superbowl party. And I believe the original recipe came from a TV show. It's quite an unusual dip, and one that I would have been a little leary of if it hadn't been for the persuasion of the people cooking it on TV. Sometimes I fall for their Mmmm...'s and Yuuummm's just too darn easily. And fortunately, every now and then, that quality of mine pays off.


This dip is really very good! The ingredients include crushed Doritos, enchilada sauce, onion, chili (yes - a can of chili), cheese, and tomato sauce. A little odd... but it all comes together nicely.



Once baked, it's taken out of the oven and spread with sour cream, sprinkled with more Dorito pieces, and topped off with freshly grated Cheddar cheese. Stick it back in the oven for five minutes to let it all melt.


It's great served with tortilla chips. Or, if you're a real big fan of Doritos and don't think there's enough in the dip, you can take that option as well. We promise not to judge you.



Enchilada Dip

1 large 13 oz. bag Doritos
2 Tbsp. onion, grated
10 oz. can chili with beans
10-15 oz. can enchilada sauce
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 and 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Topping ingredients:
2 cups Doritos, crushed
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 and 1/4 cups sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Crumble 6 cups Doritos into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, the chili, the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, and 1 and 1/2 cups of the Cheddar cheese to the crumbled Doritos. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Place mixture into an 8.5 x 11-inch oven proof casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven. Spread the sour cream over the top of the casserole with a large spoon or a rubber spatula. Top with remaining 2 cups Doritos. Then sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes and serve warm.

Classic Beef Stew

Spring will be here before we know it, but for now most of the nation is experiencing freezing temperatures (I said most. I'd rather not think about all the lucky people out in 80 degree California). Since I'm on the east coast, I'm still taking advantage of the cold weather and making plenty of soups for dinner. There are so many recipes out there for exotic, fancy foods. But sometimes you just want something familiar. Something classic.


Beef stew is a staple in a lot of homes, including mine. It's budget friendly and super easy to make. The recipe I use is cooked in the oven, but you can also use a crockpot. My nights tend to get hectic. I always have a big plan to make dinner and sometimes it just doesn't turn out that way. The baby's crying, the dog's eating something she shouldn't, the house is a mess, I'm tired, everyone's hungry, etc. What I'm trying to say is, I love my crock pot. Throw all of this into the crock pot in the morning, turn it on low, and fuhggedaboutit!

I've been making this recipe since I got my Betty Crocker cookbook when my hubby and I were married. I think it was only the second cookbook I had ever owned. I don't use it all that often, but when I'm looking for the basics, it's where I turn. Every time I need to hard boil eggs, I pull the book out to find out the cooking time. Every time I'm roasting meat, I pull it out to find out at what temperature the meat is done. Basics like that. Someday I'll commit all that to memory, but in the meantime, I count on Betty. She's reliable like that.


Beef Stew
(from the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into eighths
1 package (8 ozs.) baby-cut carrots
1 can (14.5 ozs.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 ozs.) condensed beef broth
1 can (8 ozs.) tomato sauce
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
12 new potatoes (1.5 pounds), cut into fourths
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 5 ozs.)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix all ingredients except potatoes and mushrooms in ovenproof 4-quart Dutch oven. Cover and bake 2 hours, stirring once.

3. Stir in potatoes and mushrooms. Cover and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Slow cooker directions: Chop onion (1/2 cup). Omit tomato sauce. Increase flour to 1/2 cup. Mix all ingredients except beef in slow cooker. Add beef (do not stir). Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir well.

Makes 8 servings.

TWD: World Peace Cookies

Finally... the cookies that I've been hearing about and reading about everywhere since I joined the Tuesdays with Dorie group. World Peace Cookies!

But here's my little secret - I made these MONTHS ago because I just had to try them. I was even smart enough to take pictures, just in case I didn't want to make them again when the time came that they were chosen for this group.

Well, I absolutely loved these cookies - no surprise there. I didn't make them over again this week, though I would have if I'd had time. My hubby enjoyed these too, and we gave some away to friends who'd just had a baby. They raved about them as well. It's no wonder these cookies are famous!

They were much easier to make than I had anticipated. I really wish I had something insightful to say about them, but I'm having one of those days where I'm totally stressed. I'm lucky enough to actually get these posted today, instead of Wednesday! My son is currently sitting on the floor next to me ripping the newspaper into shreds. What possesses kids to do these things? And my couch cushions are soaked with milk from a leaky sippy cup. Can you guess what I'm about to go do? We should seriously own stock in Resolve. I can tell it's gonna be one of those days. I wish I had one of these to eat right now...


If you'd like to make these delicious cookies yourself, the recipe is on Jessica's blog over at Cookbookhabit. Thanks for finally choosing these, Jessica!!