So this recipe has been in my family forever. I've only made them once myself (as I leave it to my dad to make them for me when I'm home - I'm spoiled like that). While they are likely HORRIBLE for your waistline (okay, not likely), your mouth will thank you!
Oysters Phillippe
Makes approx 18 oysters
(There are no measurements for these first ingredients because you are simply sprinkling them over the oysters)
Lemon Juice
Worcestershire Sauce
Butter (okay, so you can't really sprinkle this. Use about 1/8 t per oyster)
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese
Bread Crumbs
** Use washed oyster shells or decorative shells that can be put in the oven. When using decorative shells, spray lightly with cooking spray for easy clean up. Put rock salt on the bottom of a baking dish to keep shells from tipping over**
1. Preheat broiler in oven. Place one raw oyster in each shell. Sprinkle with lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, butter, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.
2. Broil oysters until they curl. Remove from broiler and top with a heaping teaspoon of Phillippe's Dressing (see below). Sprinkle with bread crumbs and broil again until lightly brown and bubbly.
Phillippe's Dressing
8 oz cream cheese
4 oz bleu cheese
3/4 c mayonnaise (the original recipe calls for 1 c + 2 T of mayo, but start with 3/4 c and add more, a couple Tbsp at a time, if needed)
1 1/2 t worcestershire sauce
1. Mix all ingredients for dressing together with a hand mixer and leave lumpy.
ENJOY!!! These things are AMAZING! They're nice and creamy and very rich. They make great appetizers too!
Nutrition Info per oyster (approx): Calories: 180, Fat: 15g, Carbs: 5g, Fiber: 0g, Protein: 7g
Blueberry Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is absolutely amazing. My boyfriend sent me the recipe (from allrecipes.com). He wanted me to make it and send it to him in Iraq. Being the great girlfriend I am, I obliged. I put it in a plastic container with a piece of bread (that's the trick to keeping baked goods moist when you ship them) and off it went. He loved it (but even if he didn't, it would be totally his fault since he's the one who sent me the recipe - haha). The moistness is from the addition of sour cream, which I like to add to cupcakes too. So, without further ado...
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Serves 12 people
1 c butter
2 c white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 c light sour cream
1 t vanilla extract
1 5/8 c all-purpose flour (that would be 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp)
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c raw turbinado sugar or brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 T powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy (this will take a few minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg. Then blend in the sour cream and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients a little at a time (about a 1/4 c) until just blended. Fold in blueberries (gently, you don't want to pop them because then you will end up with purple/blue batter).
4. Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl combine the raw/brown sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle half the mixture over the batter in the pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Use a knife, or the like, to "swirl" the cinnamon sugar into the cake.
5. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, invert onto a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar.
Nutrition Info Per Serving (if you REALLY must know. I would personally divert my eyes from this): Calories: 428, Fat: 18g, Carbs: 68g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 5g
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Serves 12 people
1 c butter
2 c white sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 c light sour cream
1 t vanilla extract
1 5/8 c all-purpose flour (that would be 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp)
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c raw turbinado sugar or brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 T powdered sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy (this will take a few minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each egg. Then blend in the sour cream and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients a little at a time (about a 1/4 c) until just blended. Fold in blueberries (gently, you don't want to pop them because then you will end up with purple/blue batter).
4. Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl combine the raw/brown sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle half the mixture over the batter in the pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Use a knife, or the like, to "swirl" the cinnamon sugar into the cake.
5. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once cool, invert onto a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar.
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| Shame on me, I forgot to take a pic, so this is courtesy of http://moon-pie.blogspot.com/ |
Nutrition Info Per Serving (if you REALLY must know. I would personally divert my eyes from this): Calories: 428, Fat: 18g, Carbs: 68g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 5g
Mediterranean Style Couscous
| Monday, May 30, 2011 |
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comments
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Labels:
artichokes,
chickpeas,
couscous,
Mediterranean,
sun dried tomatoes
Okay, so I promised my friend Courtney a recipe because her daughter will NOT eat meat anymore. This is really easy to make and is absolutely meat free. While its a good main course, you could serve it alongside chicken as well...for all you meat eaters.
Mediterranean Style Couscous
Serves 4 people
One package of Near East garlic and olive oil couscous
1/4 c sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can Garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Cook the couscous according to package directions (super easy - it involves water with olive oil & the seasoning packet, bringing it to a boil, then adding the couscous, covering, and taking it off the stove. The couscous is ready in like 5 minutes)
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds (just to heat them through) and add them to the couscous. Done.
You could add a little feta too if you wanted...or a bit of spinach.
Nutrition Info Per Serving: Calories: 358, Fat: 7g, Carbs: 57g, Fiber: 11g, Protein: 15g
FUN FACTS: Couscous is one of the healthiest grain-based products. It has a really low glycemic load and has a superior vitamin profile to pasta, containing twice as much riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate, and containing four times as much thiamine and pantothenic acid.
In terms of protein, couscous has 3.6 g for every 100 calories, equivalent to pasta, and well above the 2.6 g for every 100 calories of white rice. Furthermore, couscous contains a 1% fat-to-calorie ratio, compared to 3% for white rice, 5% for pasta, and 11.3% for rice pilaf.
You'll also get a good dose of protein from the garbanzo beans.
Mediterranean Style Couscous
Serves 4 people
One package of Near East garlic and olive oil couscous
1/4 c sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can Garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Cook the couscous according to package directions (super easy - it involves water with olive oil & the seasoning packet, bringing it to a boil, then adding the couscous, covering, and taking it off the stove. The couscous is ready in like 5 minutes)
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds (just to heat them through) and add them to the couscous. Done.
You could add a little feta too if you wanted...or a bit of spinach.
FUN FACTS: Couscous is one of the healthiest grain-based products. It has a really low glycemic load and has a superior vitamin profile to pasta, containing twice as much riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate, and containing four times as much thiamine and pantothenic acid.
In terms of protein, couscous has 3.6 g for every 100 calories, equivalent to pasta, and well above the 2.6 g for every 100 calories of white rice. Furthermore, couscous contains a 1% fat-to-calorie ratio, compared to 3% for white rice, 5% for pasta, and 11.3% for rice pilaf.
You'll also get a good dose of protein from the garbanzo beans.
Crock Pot 13 Bean Chili
Sorry for the looooonnngggg delay in writing. I'm a horrible person, I know...I had a lot going on in my life recently, but I do apologize. ANYWAY - I've been on a "diet" as of late...and I use the quotes cause it's more like a lifestyle change...and have been trying to find or make up tasty recipes that are low in calories. I recently made some delicious 13 bean chili that was SUPER easy to make. It all started because I wanted to use the 13 bean soup mix I had in my pantry...and this is what it became. All you need is a crock pot and a few ingredients. I had to share it...so without further ado:
13 BEAN CHILI
Serves 20; 1 cup servings
1 (27 oz) package Bob's Red Mill - 13 Bean Soup Mix
1 bunch Green Onions, (7 stalks chopped)
1 (9.8 oz) package Bear Creek Darn Good Chili Mix
1 (12 oz) package Morningstar Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles
1 (14.5 oz) can Organic Diced Tomatoes (do not drain - you need the juice)
1 cup water
Whatever other seasonings you would like. I started with 1 Tbsp cayenne, 4 Tbsp chili powder, and 2 Tbsp garlic powder, plus salt and pepper.
1) Throw the 13 Bean Soup Mix in a crock pot and cover with water. Add green onion and seasonings. Cook on low for 10 hours.
2) At the 8.5 hour point (when I got home from work), I added the rest of the ingredients and let it finish cooking. Taste and season accordingly.
See? Easy. You could also let it cook the full 10 hours and then put the rest of the ingredients in there. After you throw in the chili mix, it only needs about 45 additional minutes to cook.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Calories: 156; Fat: 1g; Carbs: 29g; Protein: 12g
13 BEAN CHILI
Serves 20; 1 cup servings
1 (27 oz) package Bob's Red Mill - 13 Bean Soup Mix
1 bunch Green Onions, (7 stalks chopped)
1 (9.8 oz) package Bear Creek Darn Good Chili Mix
1 (12 oz) package Morningstar Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles
1 (14.5 oz) can Organic Diced Tomatoes (do not drain - you need the juice)
1 cup water
Whatever other seasonings you would like. I started with 1 Tbsp cayenne, 4 Tbsp chili powder, and 2 Tbsp garlic powder, plus salt and pepper.
1) Throw the 13 Bean Soup Mix in a crock pot and cover with water. Add green onion and seasonings. Cook on low for 10 hours.
2) At the 8.5 hour point (when I got home from work), I added the rest of the ingredients and let it finish cooking. Taste and season accordingly.
See? Easy. You could also let it cook the full 10 hours and then put the rest of the ingredients in there. After you throw in the chili mix, it only needs about 45 additional minutes to cook.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Calories: 156; Fat: 1g; Carbs: 29g; Protein: 12g
Valentine's Cupcakes
So...in honor of Valentine's day I made cupcakes (big surprise right?). These weren't fancy or anything, but they ended up being really good. I used a regular boxed white cake mix, divided into thirds, and used red & pink food coloring to dye it (leaving 1/3 white). After I baked them, I cored the center (a cupcake corer is essential to life I think) and added a teaspoon of strawberry preserves. Then I topped them with...get ready for it....meringue! I had never really thought about topping a cupcake with meringue...but it turned out pretty good. It was very gooey at first, but once they stay out for a bit the meringue kinda crusts a little. So you had the slight hardness of the outside of the meringue, which was still soft and fluffy in the center, then the moistness of the cake, and the fruity strawberry preserves.
Meringue is definitely a big pain in the ass to make...especially if you don't have a stand mixer. I would have never attempted it had I not received that Kitchenaid. It took about 15 minutes to get the egg whites and sugar to the consistency I needed (and that's AFTER I dissolved the sugar in the egg whites over a pseudo double broiler). Nope, not doing that with a hand mixer....don't care that much. Anyway....here's the recipe for the meringue. It says it makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes...WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! I decided that I would need to double the recipe since I was frosting 24 cupcakes...and ended up with almost an entire mixer bowl FULL of meringue. I had enough left to make a couple dozen meringue cookies and still had almost 1/4 bowl of meringue left.
WHITE MERINGUE FROSTING
Courtesy of CakeJournal.com
2 3/8 c granulated white sugar
6 egg whites
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
It is best to make this frosting in a metal bowl from a kitchen mixer. But if you don't have one you can make it in a double boiler, using a hand mixer.
1. Place all ingredients in the mixer bowl and whisk until well combined. Fill a saucepan with water about (2-3 cups). The saucepan should be large enough for the mixer bowl to “rest in it” but without touching the bottom of the saucepan.
2. When the water is simmering place the bowl in the sauce pan and whisk the mixture. The mixture must not boil (or you'll have hella sweet scrambled eggs). Whisk until all the sugar is dissolved or you will end up with a grainy looking frosting. Check to see if it has reached a temperature of 160-170° F (to reduce the risk of salmonella). Remove from the saucepan.
3. Place the bowl in the kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment on. Whisk the meringue frosting until stiff peaks forms and has a glossy look. This can take up to 12 -15 minutes or more.
4. When the frosting is ready, you can use it as is or color it with food gel colors. This frosting will crust over time but the center of the frosting swirl will still be thick and fluffy.
Cakes and cupcakes with white meringue frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for two days.
OH - for meringue cookies...I found an awesome "no bake" recipe.
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet (or two) with foil. Pipe cookies onto foil and place in oven...then turn the oven OFF. Let the cookies sit in the oven until it cools. I let them sit over night and they were good by morning.
Meringue is definitely a big pain in the ass to make...especially if you don't have a stand mixer. I would have never attempted it had I not received that Kitchenaid. It took about 15 minutes to get the egg whites and sugar to the consistency I needed (and that's AFTER I dissolved the sugar in the egg whites over a pseudo double broiler). Nope, not doing that with a hand mixer....don't care that much. Anyway....here's the recipe for the meringue. It says it makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes...WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! I decided that I would need to double the recipe since I was frosting 24 cupcakes...and ended up with almost an entire mixer bowl FULL of meringue. I had enough left to make a couple dozen meringue cookies and still had almost 1/4 bowl of meringue left.
WHITE MERINGUE FROSTING
Courtesy of CakeJournal.com
2 3/8 c granulated white sugar
6 egg whites
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
It is best to make this frosting in a metal bowl from a kitchen mixer. But if you don't have one you can make it in a double boiler, using a hand mixer.
1. Place all ingredients in the mixer bowl and whisk until well combined. Fill a saucepan with water about (2-3 cups). The saucepan should be large enough for the mixer bowl to “rest in it” but without touching the bottom of the saucepan.
2. When the water is simmering place the bowl in the sauce pan and whisk the mixture. The mixture must not boil (or you'll have hella sweet scrambled eggs). Whisk until all the sugar is dissolved or you will end up with a grainy looking frosting. Check to see if it has reached a temperature of 160-170° F (to reduce the risk of salmonella). Remove from the saucepan.
3. Place the bowl in the kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment on. Whisk the meringue frosting until stiff peaks forms and has a glossy look. This can take up to 12 -15 minutes or more.
4. When the frosting is ready, you can use it as is or color it with food gel colors. This frosting will crust over time but the center of the frosting swirl will still be thick and fluffy.
Cakes and cupcakes with white meringue frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for two days.
 |
| The gooeiness was short lived |
OH - for meringue cookies...I found an awesome "no bake" recipe.
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet (or two) with foil. Pipe cookies onto foil and place in oven...then turn the oven OFF. Let the cookies sit in the oven until it cools. I let them sit over night and they were good by morning.
Happy Valentine's Day to me...
So this Valentines Day my oh so wonderful bf surprised me with a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer!!!
I've been wanting one of these things forever...but even more so recently with all the cupcakery (is that even a word?) I've been doing. I got it on Friday and have been itching to use it, BUT I only tend to bake on Sundays. This is because I don't actually eat anything I bake. Hahaha....I take it all to work. I like the baking part, but not the fatness that tends to come with eating what you make. Really, as my bf has pointed out many times, it's all part of my diabolical plan to make everyone around me fat. Haha...but ya know, they enjoy it. I've already been told my food needs to come with a diabetes warning label...yet people still mow through it like they haven't seen baked goods in years. Co-workers have even gotten upset when they come down to my office and all the cupcakes are gone. It reminds me of Woody Harrelson in Zombieland looking for the ever elusive twinkies. No lie.
But I digress...since there isn't going to be any baking in my kitchen until tomorrow, yet I can't wait any longer to use this damn mixer...I decided to make whipped cream. I've never made whipped cream from scratch before. I always thought it would be a pain in the ass. Alas, it was SO super simple with this mixer. It took less than 5 minutes and I only needed 2 ingredients. I'm sure most people know how to make whipped cream, but I know I was unsure of the ratio of cream to sugar...so I'm gonna go ahead and post this "recipe" anyway.
Whipped Cream
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3 T sugar
1) Pour the cream into the mixing bowl and stick it in the fridge for a few minutes (to make sure both the bowl and the liquid are chilled). Once chilled, place bowl back on the mixer and use the wire whisk attachment. Start on a lower setting and slowly work up to a medium/high setting. Once soft peaks start to form, add sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Done.
See how easy? And it's mighty tasty...
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| Yeah...it's like that |
I've been wanting one of these things forever...but even more so recently with all the cupcakery (is that even a word?) I've been doing. I got it on Friday and have been itching to use it, BUT I only tend to bake on Sundays. This is because I don't actually eat anything I bake. Hahaha....I take it all to work. I like the baking part, but not the fatness that tends to come with eating what you make. Really, as my bf has pointed out many times, it's all part of my diabolical plan to make everyone around me fat. Haha...but ya know, they enjoy it. I've already been told my food needs to come with a diabetes warning label...yet people still mow through it like they haven't seen baked goods in years. Co-workers have even gotten upset when they come down to my office and all the cupcakes are gone. It reminds me of Woody Harrelson in Zombieland looking for the ever elusive twinkies. No lie.
But I digress...since there isn't going to be any baking in my kitchen until tomorrow, yet I can't wait any longer to use this damn mixer...I decided to make whipped cream. I've never made whipped cream from scratch before. I always thought it would be a pain in the ass. Alas, it was SO super simple with this mixer. It took less than 5 minutes and I only needed 2 ingredients. I'm sure most people know how to make whipped cream, but I know I was unsure of the ratio of cream to sugar...so I'm gonna go ahead and post this "recipe" anyway.
Whipped Cream
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3 T sugar
1) Pour the cream into the mixing bowl and stick it in the fridge for a few minutes (to make sure both the bowl and the liquid are chilled). Once chilled, place bowl back on the mixer and use the wire whisk attachment. Start on a lower setting and slowly work up to a medium/high setting. Once soft peaks start to form, add sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Done.
See how easy? And it's mighty tasty...
Electric Cupcakes
So you can call these whatever you like...I've seen them called inside out cupcakes, rainbow cupcakes, fireworks cupcakes, etc...I called these Electric because...well...the colors were. They are really simple to make, but look AMAZING! I suggest using a white paper liner so you can see the cupcake's colors through it. That's my plan for next time.
ELECTRIC CUPCAKES
1 vanilla box cake mix (I used Duncan Hines French Vanilla)
1 c sour cream
1/3 c oil
1/2 c milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
2 eggs
Food coloring of your choice (I suggest gel coloring. I used Duff Electric Gel colors - hence the name)
Small bowl of water
1) Preheat oven to 325° or 350° depending on your box directions. Prepare box cake mix with all ingredients except food coloring and water. Once the mix is blended well, separate the batter into however many colors you plan on using (I used 4 colors, so I separated the batter into 4 bowls) - NOTE: This is going to be a thick batter.
2) Drop in food coloring until you reach desired color (do this with all bowls - duh)
This is the only tricky part...finding out how much of each color batter you need to fill the cupcake pan. What I did was experiment with the first cupcake. I tested out how much of each batter I would need to fill the cup 2/3 - 3/4 full. For four colors I needed a little over 2 t of each color batter.
NOTE: Another good trick is to use water see how many teaspoons or tablespoons it takes to fill your liner. Then use that measurement for your batter.
3) Using a measuring spoon, scoop desired color batter and using a WET finger (that's what the bowl of water is for) slide the batter into the cupcake liner. Using the same wet finger, spread the batter to the edges of the liner. Repeat with all other colors.
4) Bake until done. Mine took about 18-20 minutes. Let them sit in the pan about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
THEY ARE AMAZING!
Nutrition content based on cake portion only - NO frosting. I used the LIVESTRONG recipe calculator.
Idea courtesy of Our Best Bites
ELECTRIC CUPCAKES
1 vanilla box cake mix (I used Duncan Hines French Vanilla)
1 c sour cream
1/3 c oil
1/2 c milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)
2 eggs
Food coloring of your choice (I suggest gel coloring. I used Duff Electric Gel colors - hence the name)
Small bowl of water
1) Preheat oven to 325° or 350° depending on your box directions. Prepare box cake mix with all ingredients except food coloring and water. Once the mix is blended well, separate the batter into however many colors you plan on using (I used 4 colors, so I separated the batter into 4 bowls) - NOTE: This is going to be a thick batter.
2) Drop in food coloring until you reach desired color (do this with all bowls - duh)
This is the only tricky part...finding out how much of each color batter you need to fill the cupcake pan. What I did was experiment with the first cupcake. I tested out how much of each batter I would need to fill the cup 2/3 - 3/4 full. For four colors I needed a little over 2 t of each color batter.
NOTE: Another good trick is to use water see how many teaspoons or tablespoons it takes to fill your liner. Then use that measurement for your batter.
3) Using a measuring spoon, scoop desired color batter and using a WET finger (that's what the bowl of water is for) slide the batter into the cupcake liner. Using the same wet finger, spread the batter to the edges of the liner. Repeat with all other colors.
4) Bake until done. Mine took about 18-20 minutes. Let them sit in the pan about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
THEY ARE AMAZING!
Nutrition content based on cake portion only - NO frosting. I used the LIVESTRONG recipe calculator.
Idea courtesy of Our Best Bites
