Bleu Cheese Steak with Croutons

While watching Food Network at the gym one day (and yes, I am fully aware of the irony behind that statement), I watched Bobby Flay grill a steak with bleu cheese on top. Bleu cheese is not my favorite of the cheeses (no one can replace you in my heart, goat cheese!), but my husband really enjoys it. So, I decided to give the idea a go. I actually used a recipe from allrecipes.com, since it received higher ratings: topped with bleu cheese and homemade croutons, this recipe is a perfect meal for date night--or a weekday dinner that will take your steak to a whole new level!

You will need:
2 (6 ounce) beef tenderloin filets, 1 1/2 inches thick
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 slices white bread, crusts removed and cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

First, set your steaks on your broiler pan and turn on your broiler. Broil about 6 inches from the broiler for 5-8 minutes per side, or until desired level of doneness is achieved.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine butter and bleu cheese. Set aside.

Saute bread cubes in olive oil until lightly browned. Set aside.

Finally, when steaks are cooked, remove from the oven. Top them with the bleu cheese butter and place back under the broiler for a minute or two, until the cheese melts. Before serving, top with croutons and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. The steak will be incredibly moist and flavorful!

Serve with mashed potatoes (or, since the cheese makes this a slightly heavier main course, a salad). Enjoy!

Candy Cane Martinis

Let me preface this by saying that you really should not make this into a martini. We found this listed as a martini, and it tastes delicious...almost like a drinkable, girl scout thin mint cookie. However, it is also nothing but alcohol, and does not lend itself to longevity in drinking (some of our Christmas party guests discovered this the hard way). It would make for a perfect shot, however!

You will need:
1/2 oz Peppermint Schnapps
1/2 oz Creme de CaCao
1/2 oz vodka
Ice

Optional garnishes: crushed peppermints or mini candy canes for glass rim)

If making these into martinis, first prepare your glasses by dipping the rims of the glasses into water and then crushed peppermint dust. Pour all other ingredients except for garnishes into martini shaker.  Shake and pour into desired glass (really--shot glasses here, people!). Garnish with mini candy canes if desired and serve.

Enjoy responsibly, and happy holidays!

Red Velvet Mini-Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I was never terribly familiar with red velvet cake. I've always been a straight-up chocolate cake girl, and my family never really made it for me to compare the two. But we were hosting a Christmas party, and what better combination of colors for Christmas than a red base--and green Christmas tree-looking frosting??? (Idea for Christmas tree frosting from Pinterest; recipe for cupcakes from allrecipes). The result was amazing--this was easily the best frosting recipe I have ever tasted, and the cupcakes themselves were so flavorful and chocolate-y that I am looking for additional ways to make red velvet cake in the future. Do yourself (though maybe not your waistline) a favor, and give these a try!

You will need (for 30 cupcakes or 60 mini cupcakes):

For cupcakes:

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups flour (the latter amount will make a denser cake)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 (1 ounce) bottle McCormick® Red Food Color
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

For vanilla cream cheese frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 (16 ounce) box confectioners' sugar

*If desired: green food coloring and sprinkles

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Add in your eggs one at a time. Next, mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring, and vanilla. Finally, fold in flour mixture, making sure that batter is well-combined, but not over-mixed. Spoon into greased or lined cupcake pans so that each cup is 2/3 full.

For cupcakes, bake 20-25 minutes. For mini-cupcakes, bake 12-15 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or when the cakes spring back when touched.

Allow cupcakes to cool and make your frosting. First, cream together butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add sour cream and vanilla. Finally, add the confectioners' sugar in batches (this will keep you from spraying sugar all over your kitchen!). If you want to make Christmas tree frosting, add about a 1/2 oz of green food coloring to the frosting and finish mixing.

To decorate, use a piping bag or ziploc bag with the tip cut off to create a tree-shaped mound of frosting on top of each cupcake. Top with round sprinkles and a star-sprinkle on top for a delicious Christmas dessert!

As you can see, these mini cupcakes make a great addition to any holiday spread--I know I had more than a couple at our party. So give them a try, and I hope that you and your guests enjoy them. Happy holidays!

Peppermint Bark

One of the first things I watch for around the holidays is Ghiradelli's peppermint bark squares. Maybe it's because they are seasonal and limited, a la McRib, or maybe it's because they are minty chocolate goodness; either way, my younger sister and I usually have some on hand during our Black Friday outings. So this year, I decided to see if I could make my own. Turns out, it's not that hard--and it's far cheaper and chocolate-ier than Ghiradelli.

You will need:

12 oz. dark chocolate (I used Dove--it's the only dark chocolate I really love)

12 oz. white chocolate (I used Baker's--it melts easiest)

24 hard peppermint candies

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. In a glass bowl, microwave your dark chocolate in 15-30 second intervals, stirring in between each microwaving to prevent burning. When completely melted, pour onto parchment paper. Using a spatula, make sure that the melted chocolate covers the entire bottom of the pan evenly. Place in the refrigerator to harden for 10-20 minutes.

In the mean time, unwrap your peppermint candies and place in a ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin to break the candies, hitting and rolling until you have mostly peppermint dust and a sprinkling of larger peppermint pieces in the bag. Alternately, you could place the candies in a food processor. I just hate the dishes and like the arm workout of the rolling pin.

Microwave your white chocolate in the same way that you microwaved the dark, then fold in the peppermint dust and pieces until well-mixed (note: you can also strain out the large pieces and sprinkle those on top at the end if you would like the peppermint bark to look even prettier; the inside of my stomach, however, is not as discriminating). 

Finally, pour the peppermint-y white chocolate over the top of the refrigerated dark chocolate layer. Be sure to work quickly and carefully to spread the white chocolate layer over the dark chocolate layer, as the heat of the melted white chocolate will start to melt the refrigerated dark chocolate layer below. 

Place back in the refrigerator to harden for another 30-60 minutes and remove from parchment paper. (Note: you probably shouldn't eat the giant piece of peppermint bark--but I liked knowing that I could).

Break into pieces and enjoy!

Deep Dish Pizza

Having grown up in the Chicago burbs, there is nothing better than a deep dish pizza. My husband and I are partial to Giordano's and my sister-in-law loves Lou Malnati's. Whatever your preference, there's no beating that first bite into cheesy, saucy, doughy goodness. I made my own version, using my pizza dough recipe from my Pizza Margharita recipe and an awesome sauce recipe. It wasn't as good as Giordano's (not sure any pizza really could be), but it was still extremely tasty, so try this recipe and get a taste of Chicago today!

You will need:
For the dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 teaspoons of oregano

cornmeal, for sprinkling

For the sauce:

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Toppings:

8 oz. mozzarella cheese

4 oz. parmesan cheese

Pepperoni, sausage, or veggies of your choosing

First, make dough according to Pizza Margharita pizza recipe (see here).

Make your sauce by combining and simmering all ingredients in a small sauce pan for 20-30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld.

Finally, sprinkle cornmeal into a deep dish pizza pan (I used a spring form cheesecake dish) and roll out your pizza dough into the pan, pressing the dough an inch and a half up the sides of the dish and pressing firmly into the bottom. Prick the dough with a fork to prevent dough from bubbling.

Layer the following on top of the dough:

-Mozzarella cheese and 3 oz. of the parmesan cheese

-Meat/veggie toppings

-Sauce

-Sprinkle last oz. of parmesan cheese on top

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

This is a bit late for the season, but this butternut squash soup recipe would be a perfect beginning to a Thanksgiving Day meal. It tastes like warm pumpkin pie in soup form--and having never had squash before, I was definitely pleased! Recipe found here.

You will need:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme (pull leaves off twiggy part)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt & pepper to taste

First, peel, de-seed, and chop your squash. This was probably the most challenging step of the process--those things are hard to chop! Totally worth it, however. Set squash aside.

Next, chop your onion and garlic. Heat oil in a large skillet and saute the onion, garlic, and thyme until soft and fragrant (5 minutes or so). Add in the squash and continue to saute for another minute. Transfer skillet contents to a large sauce or stock pan.

In sauce pan, add the vegetable stock to the onion/garlic/thyme/squash. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until squash is soft. Add in remaining spices and simmer for a few minutes more.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a regular blender) and blend until smooth. Serve warm.

Now, the picture shows a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, as the original recipe called for. I found the parmesan cheese to be too overpowering for the sweetness of the soup, however. A sprinkling of a milder cheese, some croutons, or a dusting of paprika would have been yummy, however! Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

About seven years ago, I made a mashed potato recipe that used garlic and red potatoes with the skins left on. This past year, my mom and sister asked me to make it again. Even though I hadn't made it in seven years. And I didn't have the recipe. Oh, boy.

Luckily, the internet is a magical place, and I found a new recipe that utilized both required elements AND had a special twist: Romano cheese. I was a bit worried that my family wouldn't like the cheese--in fact, my sister tasted it right away--but it added such a depth of flavor to the potatoes, they didn't even need gravy! This will be my new go-to mashed potato recipe.

You will need:
5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
1.5 sticks of butter, room temperature
5 ounces Romano cheese, grated
2-1/2 teaspoons salt (plus an extra pinch)
2-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Head of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3-4 tablespoons of milk

First, while the original recipe didn't call for this, I decided to roast the garlic because raw garlic can have a strong flavor; roasted garlic is a more mellow and sophisticated flavor. To roast garlic is actually really easy, too. Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees, cut off the heads of your garlic cloves, and remove all the extra layers of skin surrounding the cloves (just be sure to leave enough of the skin to hold the cloves together). Drizzle with olive oil, cover with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 30-35 minutes. Break down of process here. Garlic will be soft and look carmelized when done! See here:

Mmmm...soft and yummy. While the garlic cools, put your potato water on to boil and quarter your potatoes. When the water is ready to go, add the potatoes and boil until soft. Make sure you set your butter out to soften by now--I always forget to do so, and it makes it so much easier to work with the butter when it is already soft. Grate the Romano cheese.

When the potatoes are ready, drain and place in a large bowl. Add butter and use a potato mashed to mash the potatoes and integrate the butter into the potatoes (apparently, you should always add the butter before the milk so the two can better bond--the things one learns while reading!). Add in cheese, salt (all of it except for the extra pinch) and oregano and mix well.

And now the fun part--the garlic. I saw this on both Rachel Ray and Giada DeLaurentiis's shows: carefully remove the cloves of garlic from the skin. Roughly chop the cloves and sprinkle with the pinch of salt. Then, using the wide, flat part of your knife, drag your knife across the garlic, smearing it into your cutting board and making a paste. Doing this ensures that everyone gets the taste of garlic in their potatoes without biting into a hunk of garlic. Add garlic paste to potatoes.

Finally, if potatoes are too thick, add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Serve warm and enjoy at your next holiday dinner!