Macaroon Madness - 3 times a charm :)

I have a sweet tooth for great desserts made with love and BUTTER!   :)   

Julia Child would love me for that line!

When I was in NYC visiting my best-mate, I had my first taste of macaroons and was in love!  I mean I adore cupcakes, but macaroons are right up there on the list for me now.  I searched high and low for recipes.  I was worried that it would be too difficult to achieve greatness and searched east and west for the items I would need.

 Now believe it or not, I searched the entire town for a flour sifter, you know like your grandmother or mother used to have....NO WHERE!  I was so mad, I called by best-mate to complain about it...well that and the fact that I don't yet own my dream KitchenAid mixer that would make my entire cooking life so much easier.....oh well, one day.  Until then, I am mixing everything by hand, or so I thought.  And I ended up buying a fine mesh strainer from the local WalMart to use as my sifter....somebody tell me where to buy a real sifter!!

Here is the recipe I have been using, which was found on pinterest:

Easy Macaroon Recipe

In a large bowl sift 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 cup of almond flour (found at my local grocery, health foods section)  Lightly mix the two together and set aside.

In another bowl, separate 2 eggs leaving only the whites in the bowl.  I used my lovely Egg Separator to make this job a little easier for me.   Now the trick is that if you plan to "color" your macaroons to use a gel coloring and add to the egg whites prior to beating them.

cold eggs gave me better "peaks"

 For the first batch of macaroons, I beat my eggs by hand....NEVER AGAIN!!  The second batch I borrowed a friend's hand mixer and by the 3rd batch I had bought my own hand mixer :)


Beat your eggs to soft peaks, then add 1/4 cup granulated sugar a little at a time while continuing to beat the eggs to stiff peaks.  Ideally you should be able to tip the bowl upside down when you are done and nothing will move :)  I finally got there on the 3rd try!!

Slowly fold the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into your beaten eggs.  It should slowly become dense and sticky.

For the first and second attempts I used my Easy Accent Decorator with the widest tip to pipe my batter onto the cookie sheet.

For round 1, I used just a cookie sheet.  For rounds 2 and 3 I used parchment paper on my cookie sheets....this seemed to work much better!  No sticking to the pan and the cookies cool faster because you can pull the paper from the cookie sheet right away.

Once the macaroons are on your baking pan (with parchment paper if you have it)....drop the pan on your counter 2-3 times to flatten and get the air bubbles out of the dough.   Bake at 325 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Now to make your filling:  I used just a simple buttercream recipe like the one on the recipe, only I added a splash of vanilla extract to mine for flavor because that is what my mom and grandmother have always done :)

Again, I did this by hand for the first batch (which was used for the 1st and 2nd round of macaroons) and then with my electric hand mixer for the 3rd batch.

When you macaroons are completely cooled....don't rush this or your delicate buttercream will run all over the place ! ( I know from experience - what a sweet mess I made ) .... pipe your icing on the flat bottom half of one macaroon and top with another macaroon giving a slight twist to keep the icing bonded to both.  I used a small sandwich bag and snipped the corner to use as a piping bag...so easy! 

BATCH 1 - handbeat with no parchment paper

BATCH 2 - electric mixer beat with parchment paper

 Now on the 3rd batch I used the Medium Scoop,

 to try and get the nice even and rounded look of macaroons I have seen.

My friend and teammate, Paige was my assistant for batches 2 & 3 :)

BATCH 3 - electric mixer beaten, parchment paper, scoop for correct sizing.

All sweet things are best shared with friends!

I have so enjoyed this experience!!!  Macaroons aren't as hard to make as I once thought and now I have a routine in making them.  And they are really easy to get rid of...image that :)   The next batches we will be playing with flavors and chocolate: Raspberry with chocolate ganache filling....stay tuned!

~Happy Husband Approved~
~Ginger Princess Approved~
~Midwest Maidens Roller Derby Team Approved~

White Lightning Chicken Chili ( white bean ) and Artisan Bread

Ok...I have been so busy making Macaroons (recipe to come) and prepping for events I am cooking for that I have run sorely behind.

I apologize but promise the newest recipes are winners!

White Lightning Chicken Chili


Recently a friend made white bean chicken chili for a potluck and I was inspired to try making my own.  Luckily The Pampered Chef had a great recipe to start with.   I prepared the chili in the morning and placed in a slow cooker for the day to serve for supper.  If you are making to eat right away, the RockCrok Dutch Oven would be an excellent choice :)

I started by making my chicken in the Deep Covered Baker .... As I have said, this is my "go to" way of preparing chicken now.  A little olive oil in the bottom, 2 chicken breasts brushed with a little more oil, cover and cook 5 minutes on each side! 

Once the chicken was done, I chopped in my electric food processor quick. 

 I wanted nice hearty chunks of chicken.

Next I sliced 1 jalapeno and 1 onion and placed in a saute pan to cook.

While my vegetables were cooking, I drained 1 can of Great Northern beans and placed in a bowl.  I opened and drained 2 more cans of great northern beans and placed in a bowl to the side.

To my bowl with 1 can of beans, I used my Garlic Press to place 6 cloves of garlic in the bowl.  I then mashed the beans and garlic together.

At this point I added the chicken broth, vegetables and mashed beans to my slow cooker with the chicken and mixed well. I added 1/2 a package of taco seasoning and the juice of one lime and mixed together again.

  I allowed it to cook on high for 2 hours and then low for 4 hours. 

 I stirred it all occasionally and checked flavor.

About an hour before serving I mixed a little cornstarch and water together and added to the soup to thicken.

Now during the hours that my soup was in the slow cooker, I was also making my first loaf of no knead artisan bread :)

No Knead Bread

I started by placing 3 cups of whole wheat bread flour, my yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl.  I also added some Parmesan Garlic Dipping Seasoning to the mixture for some added pizazz!  I mixed together and then added my 1 1/2 cups water and 3 Tbsp. oil.  The dough is slightly sticky.

I lightly oiled the bottom of my clean (it had previously made chicken) Deep Dish Baker.  I placed my ball of dough directly in the Deep Dish Baker and covered in Plastic Wrap.  I allowed it to rise about 4 hours.

I sprinkled a little flour over the top and cut decorative lines into the top of the bread.   Bake at 450 degrees covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.

The finished products, chili topped with shredded cheese and a splash of salsa.

This was not my husbands favorite meal, but I thought it was pretty tasty and hearty.  I had friends who gladly took all the leftovers off our hands :)

I don't feel my bread was the best and next time will plan ahead so I have more "rising" time before baking, but for my first ever attempt at making bread, it was pretty delicious...just needs to be prettied up a bit!

Hummus in under 2 minutes!

As I look for great protein alternatives, I decided it was time to learn how to make homemade hummus.

I found some amazing ideas on Pinterest, but decided to go simple for round 1.

I again used my electric food processor.

In the food processor I combined:

1 drained can of garbonzo beans
3 gloves garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

BLEND!

Then I stirred in some chipotle seasoning for an extra kick!

Scoop into a bowl and serve with chips.  Make Pita Chips or spread on sandwiches.

For supper last night we enjoyed Flax seed and Blue Corn tortillas with the hummus spread on it.  We then topped with greek seasoned (Pampered Chef seasoning) ground turkey, feta cheese, spinach and avocado......it was amazing!

2 wraps were under 500 calories and this was once again ~Happy Husband Approved~

Here are my ingredients, I have more than I used...just wasn't sure how it was going to go :)

Final wrap

Buffalo Chicken Baked Ring

So as I planned the meals for this week, I picked 3  recipes to try that would also stay within my 400-600 calorie supper meal guidelines. I also wanted items that were "soul foods" in our house.

The first recipe is  Buffalo Chicken Ring which I found while skimming Pinterest.

This recipe serves about 6 people and is about 500 calories per serving.

I started with by placing 2 chicken breasts in my Deep Cover Baker.  I lightly coated the chicken with olive oil and sprinkled about 1/4 package of Hidden Valley Ranch mix over the top.  I then placed the covered dish in my microwave for 5 minutes, flipped the chicken and cooked another 5 minutes until fully cooked.

While the chicken was cooking.  I mixed my ranch dip.  I added the remaining mix to 1 - 8oz package of fat free cream cheese and stirred until fully incorporated.

I then set this mixture aside and prepped my baking pan. 

 I continue to wish I had a Large Pizza Stone, but used a baking sheet at this time.

This is 2 cans of reduced fat crescent rolls.

When my chicken was fully cooked ( the deep covered baker makes the most moist chicken ever!) I cut into chunks and used my electric food processor for the first time in my life : ) This was fantasic!

Once my chicken was finely chopped, I combined with my ranch mixture.  You may notice that I am not adding the celery that the original recipe calls for, I truly dislike celery so this was my option of change.

Add your desired amount of Frank's RedHot...I like it spicy. I used about 3/4 cup.

I added about 1/4 cup of shredded fiesta style cheese to the mixture as well.

Now to scoop the buffalo chicken mixture into your ring.

again, I added 1/4 cup of shredded cheese to the top of the ring.

When you wrap your ring, lift the crescent up and then angle to one side, continue in the same direction with all crescents all the way around.  

I pinched the dough together in the center of the ring and any holes around the edges.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cut into 6 pieces and serve :)  This is most definitely ~HAPPY HUSBAND APPROVED~ he was grinning ear to ear with this one!  Because I made this to our adult taste, it was not served to the Ginger Princess.

This recipe took about a total of 35 minutes, start to finish.

Next time I may make with a blue cheese seasoning instead of ranch.

Turkey & Black Bean Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers

Hot diggity!  I am really enjoying trying new and healthy recipes.  I found this one on Pinterest, but I will be using it again and again with variations through out the summer.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/212232201164142853/

Leads to this website:  http://clefoodgoddess.com/texmex-stuffed-peppers/

Now for what I did.

Preheat your oven for 375 degrees.

I cooked up my ground turkey with some garlic.  Once browned I added my reduced sodium taco seasoning. ( I am going to try to make my own taco seasoning this summer)  Then 1 can of drained black beans.

I washed my peppers, cut the tops off and scraped the seeds out of them.  I then filled the peppers with my taco mixture.  I used my Pampered Chef Muffin Tin for baking as this allowed my peppers to stand up nicely.  I sprinkled with some shredded cheese and baked for 20 minutes.

The recipe took less than 30 mintues in total and 2 stuffed peppers is under 500 calories :)

Short, Sweet, Simple and to the point!  Enjoy the great spring weather we are finally having.  We will see what I cook up next week :)

Mini Veggie/Turkey Meatloaf Cupcakes and Cauliflower Mash

This recipe isn't a recipe....it is a hodge podge of what I wanted to make combined with my leftovers from a potluck.  For the potluck I had made the Cucumber Lime Dip and some Fresh Salsa. 

For supper I wanted to make cute little mini meatloaf, so this is what I did.

In a mixing bowl I combined:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 1/2 cups Oats
1/3 cup fresh salsa
1/3 cup Cucumber lime dip
1 chopped onion

I then rolled into balls and filled my Muffin Tin

I baked at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  I topped with a special secret recipe sauce, but you are welcome to top as desired.

For the Cauliflower Mash, I started with one head of cauliflower.  I washed it and cut into florets.  I then placed in a pot of water and boiled for about 15 minutes and drained. I wish I had the Large Micro Cooker, as this would have completely simplified the process.

After draining the cauliflower, I mashed with the Mix N' Masher.    I added just a dash of milk and some chipotle seasoning and 1 clove of garlic to taste.

This meal was under 500 calories. It is ~Happy Husband and Ginger Princess Approved~ though my husband still says he prefers mashed potatoes and gravy :)  At least he is honest and open minded enough to keep trying all my recipes!

Chicken with Maple-Mustard Glaze and steamed greens

 This week I started my first Isagenix 30 day cleanse and fat burning cycle.  As part of this "system" I am blending meal replacement shakes with fruits for breakfast and lunch and enjoying a 400-600 calorie meal with my family for supper.

Last night was the first night and I hadn't thought very far ahead, but knew I wanted a little zing with my supper.   I found this glaze recipe on the Pampered Chef site and decided to give it a try, as I had the ingredients on hand.

Chicken with Maple-Mustard Glaze


I started by making 2 chicken breasts in our  Deep Covered Baker 

Brushing just a bit of olive oil over my chicken and sprinkling with  Chipotle Rub  , then the covered baker was placed in the microwave for 5 minutes.  The chicken is then flipped and placed in microwave for remaining 5 minutes.  Please check to make sure your chicken in no longer pink in the thickest areas before serving.

We had purchased a bag of fresh spinach and kale from the store.  I wilted this over a medium heat in a covered pan with just a touch of olive oil.  Once wilted, I add a little chicken dripping from my deep dish baker, the syrup, mustard and vinegar.  A bit of salt and pepper to taste and it was complete.

I didn't have my camera on hand, but I plated the glazed greens and places the sliced chicken on top for presentation.  The maple-mustard glaze was a nice compliment to the chipotle heat :)

~Happy Husband Approved~ and healthy!

This is a very easy, delicious and healthy recipe for the upcoming summer months. 

 I will be cooking this for a group this weekend

 and had a wonderful friend come over for my trial run. 

20 minutes tops, I spent most of the time plating to perfection :) 

Crunchy Mediterranean Wedge Salad

 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil 

 2 tbsp (30 mL) Greek Rub 

2 small vine-ripened tomatoes 

 1/4 seedless cucumber 

1/2 small red onion 

2 heads iceberg lettuce 

 4 oz (125 g) feta cheese 

Sliced kalamata olives and Crunchy Pita Strips (optional)

 Dressing 

2-3 lemons 

1/3 cup (75 mL) canola oil 

1 tbsp (15 mL) Greek Rub 

 3/4 tsp (4 mL) sugar

 

Directions 

1. Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with rub. Arrange chicken in Small Ridged Baker; cover with Parchment Paper.  * I used my deep covered baker without parchment paper.

2. Microwave chicken on HIGH 5-6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF (74ºC). Set aside to cool. 

 

 3. Slice tomatoes with Simple Slicer on #3 setting. Slice cucumber on #2 setting and slice onion on #1 setting. Cut vegetable slices into quarters.

 

 4. Remove outer leaves of each head of lettuce. (Do not core heads of lettuce.) Using Chef’s Knife, cut each head of lettuce lengthwise into three 1½-inch-thick (4-cm) slices; arrange slices on Large Bamboo Platter. 

5. For dressing, juice lemons using Juicer to measure 1/3 cup (75 mL). Process juice, oil, rub and sugar in Manual Food Processor until blended. 

6. Remove chicken from baker to clean Cutting Board. Cut chicken crosswise into ½-in. (1-cm) slices with Santoku Knife. 

7. To assemble salad, place chicken and veggies on top of lettuce wedge, crumble feta with Easy Release Cheese Crumbler. Drizzle with dressing and serve.  *I added sweet potato chips as garnish instead of crunchy pita strips

Mine doesn't look too bad compared to the recipe photo :)

Marinara Chicken - Making my first homemade tomato sauce

I have the great advantage in life of having parents who have a magnificent garden!  I am able to get fresh tomatoes, squash, melons, corn and a variety of other goods just by visiting for the weekend.  My mom makes lots of fresh salsa and tomato sauces, but I have never done it myself.  After a late night of watching PBS cooking shows with a friend and seeing a chef make a cherry tomato sauce, I knew I could do this my own way and really enjoy it :)

WARNING THIS IS A BLEND OF INGREDIENTS TO MY PERSONAL TASTE 

 - NOT AN ACTUAL RECIPE.

The Ginger Princess wanted to cook with me tonight :)

First I seared some cut chicken breast in a little olive oil
and Garlic Parmesan herb blend.  

When complete, the chicken was placed in a dish to the side.

To the chicken juices, I added 3 cloves on fresh pressed garlic.   I placed about 5 fresh frozen tomatoes that I had thawed out for the sauce and used my simple slicer to prepare my onions.  

I also added some fresh frozen, previously prepped multicolor bell peppers.  I cooked on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I then added basil paste, oregano, a little salt, roasted red pepper flakes 

and some white wine.

 (Chateau St. Michelle - Harvest Select Sweet Riesling)

When the sauce was just about the right consistency - I use a spoon and like to see about 1/2 of what I scoop up continue sticking to the spoon when pouring back into the pan. - I reintroduced the chicken to the sauce.  I made a quick box of garden salad pasta for a little more color and served with the chicken marinara sauce.

Perfecto!

This was so easy.  I believe it took me only 30 minutes to cook the entire meal and it was most definitely Happy Husband Approved!