Gentlemen Prefer Blondies

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Supermarket"

(A collection of recipes based on Musical titles)

For Easter, I decided to make a dessert since I gave up desserts for Lent and I was craving something sweet and bad for me.  I also needed something relatively fast and easy since I had limited cooking time.  I thought Applebee's Blondie Brownies would fit well with my musical theme, and searched the internet for a close comparison.  It's been a very long time since I had the Applebee's version, but I think this recipe was close enough.  I love white chocolate, so it's a winner in my book.  The maple glaze was delicious, although the recipe made WAY, WAY more sauce than what was needed.

Recipe #2:  "Gentlemen Prefer Blondies"

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondies"
 

Ingredients: 

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cup butter

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

Sauce:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon maple extract 

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add nuts.  Set aside.

Melt butter.  Add brown sugar, stirring until well mixed.  Add egg and vanilla and stir.  Gradually combine with flour mixture, and stir in white chocolate chips.

Pour into two 9" square baking pans and bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

To make sauce, combine syrup and butter and cook over low heat until butter is melted.  Stir in brown sugar until dissolved and remove from heat.  Beat in cream cheese and maple extract until smooth.  Heat again in microwave if necessary.  Serve over blondies with a scoop of ice cream if desired.

The Music Manicotti

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Supermarket"

(A collection of recipes based on Musical titles)

Here it is.... the first installation of my new recipe series.   This cheese-and-spinach-stuffed manicotti was quite good, especially for a reduced-calorie dinner. I'm not a huge fan of cottage cheese, but I didn't notice it in this recipe.  It was extremely easy to make, and it was worth waiting the hour for it to bake.  Yum.

Recipe #1:  The Music Manicotti

"The Music Manicotti"
Adapted from "Easy Meatless Manicotti" from Cooking Light Magazine

Yield: 7 servings (2 manicotti/serving)

328 calories/2 manicotti 

Ingredients:

2 cups (8 oz) shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (16 oz) carton fat-free cottage cheese

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (8 oz) package manicotti (14 shells)

1 (26 oz) jar fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce

1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

cooking spray

1 cup water

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine 1&1/2 cups mozzarella, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Spoon about 3 tablespoons cheese mixture into each uncooked manicotti.  Pour half of the tomato-basil pasta sauce into a 13x9" baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer over sauce and top with the remaining sauce.  Pour 1 cup water into dish.  Sprinkle some chopped basil and the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella evenly over sauce.  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375º for 1 hour or until shells are tender.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Caramelized Onion & Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage Pizza with Brie

Okay, so this isn't one of my "musical" themed recipes that will be coming up soon, but I was craving pizza and this recipe looked really interesting, so I decided to make it.  I never would have thought to put apples on my pizza.  And instead of a sauce, it had caramelized onions as the base.  I used fresh thyme which really brought excellent flavor to it.  I didn't slice the apple as thin as the recipe wanted, but I personally like chunks of apples.  I didn't think I'd like the Brie cheese, but I did.  The pizza was good.... different, but good.   I think it was actually meant to be an appetizer, but whatever.  I love appetizers as meals. 

Caramelized Onion & Apple

Chicken Sausage Pizza with Brie

Makes: 2 servings

280 calories/serving (3 slices per serving)

Ingredients:
 3 small links of Sweet Apple fully cooked Chicken Sausage, sliced thin on the diagonal
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 apple, sliced thin (or diced)
1 tandoori-style naan
6-7 thin slices Brie cheese

Directions:
 In a large skillet coated with olive oil, cover and sweat onions over medium-high heat.  Stir periodically so that the onions don't stick and burn on the bottom of the pan.  After 15-20 minutes, remove cover and add the fresh thyme and white wine.  Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes until the onions are well caramelized and have cooked down by about 1/2 in volume.

Top the naan with the caramelized onions, then the apples and chicken sausage.  Finish with slices of brie cheese.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 375º for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly hot.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Slice the naan using a pizza wheel into 6 slices.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Supermarket

NOW COOKING...

From the crazy mind of Anne ...

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Supermarket"

*** A collection of recipes based on Musical titles ***

#1: "The Music Manicotti"
#2: "Gentlemen Prefer Blondies"
#3: "The Chicken a la King and I" 

And coming soon....

"My Fair Ladyfingers"
"Spamalot" 
"Annie Get Your Gumbo"
"Okrahoma!"
"The Cheese Whizard of Oz"
"The Gingerbread Man of La Mancha"
"Spring Roll Awakening"
"Anything Goes with _____"
"South Pacific"

...and more!!

*********************************

"Food Glorious Food"

selection from the musical Oliver!

Food, glorious food!
Hot sausage and mustard!
While we're in the mood --
Cold jelly and custard!
Pease pudding and saveloys!
What next is the question?
Rich gentlemen have it, boys --
In-di-gestion!

Food, glorious food!
We're anxious to try it.
Three banquets a day --
Our favourite diet!

Just picture a great big steak --
Fried, roasted or stewed.
Oh, food,
Wonderful food,
Marvellous food,
Glorious food.

Chicken Asian Noodle Salad with a Ginger Dressing

4 Healthy Salads:
1. Tenderloin Salad with Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing
2. Orange-Cranberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed-Yogurt Dressing
3. Pan-Seared Salmon and Asparagus Salad with Peach-Basil Dressing
4.Chicken Asian Noodle Salad with a Ginger Dressing

This is the 4th salad we made at the cooking class.  I didn't care for the ginger dressing.  I think we added way too much ginger root for my taste and I'm just not a fan of soy sauce in general.  I took this salad "to go" and that's the less attractive photo you see here.  I forgot to take a picture after plating it at home.

Chicken Asian Noodle Salad with a Ginger Dressing

Anne's Salad Ingredients:
Chicken breast, cooked
Asian noodles
Spring lettuce mix
tomatoes, sliced
red peppers, sliced thinly
sprouts
carrots, shaved into small sticks
crispy noodle ?  i have no idea what we used on top

Asian Ginger Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a bowl or food processor, combine all dressing ingredients and mix well.

The Asian Ginger Dressing is pictured in the middle....

Pan-Seared Salmon and Asparagus Salad with a Peach-Basil Dressing

4 Healthy Salads:
1. Tenderloin Salad with Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing
2. Orange-Cranberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed-Yogurt Dressing
3. Pan-Seared Salmon and Asparagus Salad with Peach-Basil Dressing
4.Chicken Asian Noodle Salad with a Ginger Dressing

This was the 3rd healthy salad recipe we made at the cooking class.  The Peach-Basil Dressing was really interesting and something different than I've ever had before... and it turned out to be absolutely delicious!  And I got to use the hand-held emulsifier which was fun.  Now that I got one of those nifty gadgets for Christmas, I can make this at home.  :)

Pan-Seared Salmon and Asparagus Salad 

with a Peach-Basil Dressing

Anne's Salad Ingredients:
Salmon filets
fresh spinach leaves
asparagus spears
tomatoes, sliced
cucumber, sliced
sprouts

Peach-Basil Dressing:
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fresh Basil leaves
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the asparagus spears in oil until crisp-tender.   Sear the salmon filets in oil in the skillet until it reaches desired doneness.

To make the dressing, process all ingredients in a blender until smooth, or use a hand-held emulsifier.

The Peach-Basil Dressing is on the far right below.    Really yummy.

Orange-Cranberry Chicken Salad with Yogurt-Poppyseed Dressing

4 Healthy Salads:
1. Tenderloin Salad with Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing
2. Orange-Cranberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed-Yogurt Dressing
3. Pan-Seared Salmon and Asparagus Salad with Peach-Basil Dressing
4.Chicken Asian Noodle Salad with a Ginger Dressing

Here is the 2nd salad I made at the chef's class I recently attended with some friends.   As before, be wary of the dressing recipe because we took random liberty with the measurements.   This was my favorite salad of the four we made, probably due to my sweet tooth.  I just loved the dressing.

Orange-Cranberry Chicken Salad 

with Yogurt-Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients:
Chicken breast, cooked
Fresh spinach leaves
Mandarin/clementine orange sections
Dried cranberries
Cucumber, sliced
Pecan halves

Yogurt-Poppyseed Dressing:
With a wire whisk, mix all ingredients: 
1 cup yogurt
1/8 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Tenderloin Salad with a Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing

4 Healthy Salads:
1. Tenderloin Salad with Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing
2. Orange-Cranberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed-Yogurt Dressing
3. Pan-Seared Salmon and Asparagus Salad with Peach-Basil Dressing
4.Chicken Asian Noodle Salad with a Ginger Dressing
 
I was lucky enough to be invited to a cooking class with some friends, and the chef showed us how to make 4 different healthy salads and dressings.  I had an absolute blast at the class!  I had mixed thoughts about whether or not to post the recipes because I wasn't sure if it was shareable information. But it was all very simple and anyone could google search similar versions of the dressing recipes.  We really didn't follow the instructions very well anyway because we didn't have any measuring spoons or cups at this class.  We approximated everything and did everything to taste.  I have no idea how accurate the measurements really are.  So I decided it should be okay to post.   But be wary of the recipes.

Here is my first creation.   When I tasted the dressing by itself, I wasn't impressed at all.... but I was happily surprised when I tasted it on the actual salad.  It was magically transformed into a very delicious dressing!!  I really enjoyed this salad.  Yum!

Tenderloin Salad w/ Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:
Tenderloin, cooked on stovetop to desired doneness
Spinach/Spring Mix
Blue Cheese, crumbled
Red Potato, cooked, seasoned, and cut into small pieces
Avocado, sliced
Red Onion, julienne cut

Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing:
1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped or crushed
1 sprig fresh garlic
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the rosemary, garlic, and vinegar.  Add the oil in a slow stream, mixing well with a wire whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

The 4 salad dressings we made-- The Rosemary-Balsamic Dressing is on the far right.

Mis en place

Anne chows down... a delicious, healthy, and filling lunch!

Jeremy's Green & Gold Superbowl Recipes

***Guest Blog!***  

For this year's Superbowl Party, I took the easy road and merely made Sloppy Joes and put out some fruit, veggies, cookies, and chips and salsa.  But Jeremy actually made some Green and Gold recipes for our little party, so I'm posting on his behalf.


GREEN & GOLD 7-LAYER FINGER JELLO

Adapted from http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/02/valentines-5-layer-finger-jello.html

Ingredients:
4 packages (3 ounce each) Jello (2 lemon, 2 lime)
6 packets Knox unflavored gelatin
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Mix 1 package flavored Jello with 1 package of unflavored gelatin. Add 1 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Cool to room temp and pour into 9 x 13 glass pan. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes (and make sure your refrigerator is level!)

Add 2 cups boiling water to 2 packets of unflavored gelatin.  Mix in the can of sweetened condensed milk. Cool to room temperature and pour 1 cup of milk mixture over first layer of Jello. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.   Repeat above steps for remaining Jello and milk layers.  Then refrigerate 2 hours and cut into squares.

Notes:
Sugar free Jello was used... I doubt anyone can taste the difference.  Make sure the liquid Jello has cooled (about 10 minutes) before you pour it on top of an existing layer... but you can't wait too long or it starts to set up at room temperature.


 TOUCHDOWN TACO DIP

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/taco-dip-i/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container nonfat sour cream
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1/2 (4 ounces) bag shredded lettuce
1 cup shredded cheese
1 large chopped tomato
1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 small can (2.25 ounce) black olives, drained (optional)
1/4 cup taco sauce (optional)

Directions:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread this mixture in an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. If desired, spread mixture with a layer of taco sauce. Top the mixture with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, bell pepper and black olives.

Notes:
Left off the peppers and olives due to the preferences of guests.  If it was me eating the whole batch of dip I definitely would have thrown them on there... maybe some onion too.  Taco sauce (Ortega hot) was only placed on half of the dish.


 PACKER PUDDING PIE

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker pie crust
2 packages (3.4 oz each) lemon instant Jello pudding mix
2 3/4 cup milk
1 container (8 ounce) whipped topping, thawed
Green food coloring

Directions:
Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk for 2 minutes.  Pour into pie crust and level.  Place in refrigerator 3 hours or until set.  Add green food coloring to whipped topping and stir lightly.  Spoon topping onto pie.

GO PACK GO!  GO PACK GO!

Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla

Some people asked what I was making for the big Packers-Bears playoff game today.   I figured I should do something cheeeeesy to support the Pack.   But I also needed my lunch to be somewhat healthy and not break the calorie bank.    I received a Quesadilla maker for Christmas and I've been wanting to try out, and this was the perfect opportunity...

Anne's Game Day Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla

 

Ingredients:

2 whole wheat 10" tortillas
1 grilled chicken breast, cooked and cut in pieces
~1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
~1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
~1/2 cup red onion, chopped
~1/2 cup tomato, chopped
~1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
~1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
lime juice
ground cumin
ground black pepper
chili powder

Directions:

Mix all the veggies and bacon in a bowl.  Toss with herbs and lime juice.
Spread half the shredded cheese on a tortilla.  Top with chicken and veggie mixture.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over the veggies and top with the other tortilla.  Press down to flatten and place on preheated quesadilla maker.  Cook for ~4 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned.  Cut into 6 wedges to serve.  Enjoy!