Last post today. I swear. I just wanted to post this cute picture of Scrappy kissing Snoopy.
And then there is this one of them checking out one of the future garden sites in my yard. I bet they can’t wait to start stealing the vegetables.
Be sure to check out Sweetnicks roundup later tonight!
Alright. I decided to do something really nice for my stepson today, since it’s just he, Will and I. Daddy had to work. So I devised a quick recipe to use up the last of my strawberries and take advantage of the load of chocolate I mentioned.
So what I came up with was a peanut butter, strawberry, chocolate wrap. And it’s so good, in fact, that I am going to use it for Sweetnick’s ARF/5-a-Day on Tuesday. Chocolate is rich in antioxidants, as are strawberries.
Unfortunately, the stepson proceeded to inform me that he doesn’t like chocolate. But hey, more for me!
Peanut butter, strawberry, chocolate wrap
serves one
I had company over Saturday night and wanted to make a really yummy dessert. Because I had loaded up on chocolate at Trader Joe’s, it had to include that too. And since I just got a great cookbook, Home Cooking Baking & Dessert published by Parragon Publishing, I wanted it to come from there. Of course, I am unable EVER to completely follow a dessert, so this is my take on the recipe.
I cannot find this book online at all at any bookseller, here or abroad. I got it at Border’s this week so go figure. It was on the bargain racks. Totally worth picking up, if you can find a copy though.
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a stove over medium heat, combine the chocolate and the water and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let cool while performing the next step.
Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat with a wire whisk until mixture is pale and foamy, about 10 minutes. Beat in chocolate a little at a time until well combined. Sift the flour and cocoa together and fold into mixture.
Pour chocolate mixture into the lined jelly roll pan and smooth out. Slide into oven and cook for 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and turn cake onto a fresh sheet of parchment sprinkled with confectioners sugar. Peel away the old parchment and then roll the roulade up with the fresh parchment. Place the roll on a wire rack and let cool.
In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream and confectioners sugar. Mix until mix holds shape (like whipped cream).
Unroll the cooled roulade and scatter the sliced strawberries all over. Cover evenly with cream mixture and roll back up (without the parchment).
In a sauce pan, combine the white chocolate and water and stir until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.Place the rolled roulade on a serving platter and sift confectioners sugar over. Place the strawberries in a line down the top center and drizzle with white chocolate.
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My thyme wasn’t thyme at all.
But good things can come from mishaps. And a quick run to the kitchen assured my mussel lobster chowder a little taste of dried thyme in addition to the ah-hem, rosemary, that I had already added.
I knew something was up when the recipe wanted me to chop the “thyme” and I just couldn’t figure out how to chop needles like that.
The good news is that the chowder was a hit. And the rosemary on the foccacia I made was also a hit. So really, all’s well that ends well. In the photo you’ll notice that I made several varieties of this, but here is the recipe for just one.
Herby Cheese Mini Foccacia
serves 6-8
Adapted from Home Cooking Baking & Desserts
Topping
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzerella cheese
olive oil
sea salt
Sift the flour, salt and yeast together into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and water and knead into a dough until just together.
Transfer dough to an electric mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook and knead on low for 8 minutes. A smooth ball should be formed.
Transfer dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Once risen, punch dough for 1-2 minutes. Divide into four balls.
Brush a cookie sheet with olive oil, place four balls on sheet and press round to form rounds. Use your fingers to push down onto dough, creating a dimpled appearance.
In a small bowl, combine cheeses and herbs. Sprinkle evenly on four rounds. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Salt to taste.
Cover with kitchen towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove towel and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Move foccacia to a wire cooling rack and let cool. Cut into pieces and serve.
It’s been a quiet week here at Cucina Bella.
So what have I been up to? I’ve been planning my vegetable garden with the help of my little angel, Will. In the photo above, he was checking out all the seeds we have to plant. I took the photo as an accompaniment for the column I wrote this week.
What column, you ask? Well, when I am not busy blogging here, I am a freelance writer. The primary publication I work with is the New Haven Register, and I alternate with another reporter writing a biweekly column called “View from 94 Main St”. This week’s was about gardening.
In any case, this is a weekend preview so here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming this weekend:
Also, don’t forget about Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn’s Kitchen and Weekend Dog Blogging at Sweetnicks, which are both on Sunday.
Oh! and the next Sugar High Friday has been announced. Be sure to check it out, and the resulting creations. April’s theme is liquor.
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This is a really delicious dinner that I created the other night. I originally made it for Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays but forgot to post it. So here it is today.
See also Greek Chicken Salad Sandwiches.
Greek Portobello Chicken
serves 4
1 recipe Greek Marinade (see below)
1 lb chicken
2 portobello caps, sliced
1 1/2 cups baby spinach (packed in)
Place marinade and chicken in a large bowl and let sit for 1-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large casserole, place portobello slices, followed by spinach and feta. Top with chicken and pour marinade over everything.
Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes until juices are bubbling around outside of the casserole.
Remove lid and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Notes: Serve with wild rice and a salad for a balanced meal. If desired, a little salt can be added to the recipe.
Greek Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Combine all ingredients in bowl and whisk together until well combined.
If desired, fresh herbs can be substituted at a ratio of 1 tsp dried : 1 tbsp fresh.
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It’s the weekend and that means time for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Kalyn’s Kitchen.
Curly parsley is characterized by it’s curly leaves. It has a mild peppery flavor, and can be eaten raw as a breath freshener. It has less flavor than the Italian variety of parsley, though. Curly parsley makes a pretty garnish and can also be used in cooking.
I used it to make a Pinwheel Bake today. It’s a light dish, with cheddar, portabella mushrooms, green beans and pasta. Very yummy.
See also Mushroom, Wax Beans and Cheddar Pasta Bake.
Pinwheel Bake
serves 4
2 1/4 cup cooked pinwheel (fiori) pasta
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium portabella cap, diced
10-15 green beans, ends removed and cut in half
1 clove garlic crushed
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup broth (variety of your choice)
2 tbsp curly parsley
In small frying pan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.
Stir in garlic, portabella and green beans and saute, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
Combine pasta and veggies in a medium casserole. Stir in cheese and broth until well combined. Stir in parsley.
Cook for 20 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven.
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So yesterday was that day. The day that we Americans pay homage to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, by eating corned beef and cabbage and drinking beer. I skipped the beer for a second year though (last year I was pregnant). I just didn’t feel like it.
In any case, my mother made the dinner. But I couldn’t just let the meal go by without a Cucina Bella creation so I hunted around and found a super easy recipe for an Irish tea cake on Allrecipes. I’ve never had a tea cake before, to my knowledge so this was a leap of faith for me.
As it turns out, it was a FANTASTIC leap of faith – the tea cake was crusty on the outside and moist and soft on the inside. My sister and mother both had seconds. Yay!
I definitely suggest trying this great cake sometime.
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More Delicious Cake Recipes:
Deep Dark Chocolate Cake in a Jar
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting
noneOh wow.
Cate from Sweetnicks had a roundup this weekend of recipes that use cinnamon. Among those recipes was one by Michele of Chef Michele’s Adventures for cinnamon rolls. Well, these cinnamon rolls are out of this world. When I saw the recipe yesterday, I thought, “Ooh, I’ll try that.”
This morning, I got up and did it. In all, they took me about 3 hours to make. It was worth every minute.
You definitely have to go check these out and make some. Yum.
Or, you could try my Extra Easy Vanilla Bean Glazed Cinnamon Rolls. They’re really good too.
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It’s the second International Tuesday, and I tapped into my Thai cookbook for a yummy soup recipe. It looked good in the book, and even better in my bowl.
To be fair, I did make some modifications from the original recipe as a result of need. I’ll be posting the recipe on the morrow and will not the alterations then…In any case, I love how this tasted – sweet but really quite spicy. And I like spice.
