Katie's Kitchen

Ham and Cheese Pie

2010-03-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

*The single gal I am, I just made a small pie for myself*

*Oh, and my pie is quite pale 'cause my oven is dumb...only bottom heat...well, the bottom is real crispy though...*
The cast of characters

12 sheets phyllo dough (14 inches x 9 inches)
1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham
1 cup (4 ounces) cubed or shredded swiss cheese
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
a tad ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
some white wine to taste

Directions

1. Spritz one sheet of phyllo dough with butter-flavored spray. Place in a 9-in. pie plate coated with cooking spray; allow one end of dough to overhang edge of plate by 3-4 in. (Until ready to use, keep phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent drying out.) Repeat with remaining phyllo, overlapping the sheets (staggering the points around the plate) and spritzing with butter-flavored spray between each layer.

2. Combine ham, cheese and onions (I actually added some fresh mushrooms as well), and then spoon them into crust.

3. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic and wine. And pour over ham mixture.

4. Fold edges of dough over filling toward center of pie plate. Spritz edges with butter-flavored spray.

Cover edge of crust with foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 10-20 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

5. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

This can be made ahead really great!

*I cut mine too early, its not really stiff yet*

For more great recipes visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesday.

Coconut Poached Chicken

2010-02-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

Looky what I got in the mail the other day!!

Of course I had to try it right away! This is the recipe I choose to be the first one:

What you'll need:
2 cans unsweetend coconut milk (be sure to only use the unsweetend one, not cream of coconut or the one used for making cocktails)
2 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken breast (I used a boneless one; I am just lazy like that)
1 piece (about 1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 scallion, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Coarse salt
1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Serves 4

How-To
Combine coconut milk, chicken, ginger, garlic, scallion and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart saucepan.
Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium; simmer until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, 15 to 18 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a platter.

Raise heat to medium-high.
Cook until poaching liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 4 mins.
Strain liquid through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl (discard solids); stir in fish sauce and lime juice.

Remove the chicken meat from the bone in one piece, then slice across the grain into 1-inch-thick pieces.
Divide among four plates; drizzle with some sauce, and serve the rest alongside for dripping.
I served it with rice and salad.

I am linking this up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday. Make sure to go visit those sites for more great recipes!

Happy

2010-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

First I wanna shout out a big Thank You to Geri at Heart N Soul Cooking for giving me this Happiness Award! Make sure to visit her blog she has some really nice things cooking over there!

Second I wanted to let you know that i decided on a cake for tomorrows brunch at school:

This is a Peach-Marzipan-Tarte. I thought it sounded quite yummy (and i had some leftover marzipan from christmas). I never had this before so I don't now if it is any good (and I can't try it since I don't want to take a cake where there is a slice already missing).

Just in case it does taste somewhat good there might be a pretty good chance that I'll share the recipe with y'all!

Any ideas?

2010-01-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

We are having something like a brunch in school on thursday. I volunteered to bake a cake. But now I don't have a clue which one to make. I need to be able to transport it easily (without messing it up), it should not take too much time in preparation and since I am the 'mom' of the class it needs to be good and imressive :) Any suggestions?

Punsch Cookies

2009-12-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here comes another cookie recipe!! Are you tired of them yet? ha!

I am linking this up to Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday. Make sure to go check out all the other great blogs linked up over there!

Ingedients

For the dough:
250g Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
75g Sugar
1 teaspoon ground orange zest
2 Eggs
100g Butter
50g ground almonds
For the filling:
3 tablespoons Rum or rum flavoring
100ml Red Wine
1 teaspoon ground orange zest50g semi-sweet cohocolate
125g ladyfingers (I usually use some of the baked cookies that don't look that good)
some red current jam (or some other flavor)
Topping:
65g powdered sugar
ca. 2 tablespoons milk
(sorry all the measurements are metric but I am too busy lately to convert them into US)

How To
For the dough sift flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add sugar, orange zest, eggs, butter and almonds. Whisk with the dough hook on high.
Knead thoroughly until smooth. If the dough is too sticky wrap in cellophane in set in fridge for a while.
On floured counter roll dough out thinnly and cut out cookies using some fun christmas cookie cutters (now thats the fun part. ha!) Make sure you have at least 2 cookies of each kind since you need to put 2 together at the end! Put cookies on sheet and bake for ca. 10 minutes at 200°C.
For the filling crumble the ladyfingers (or some cookies).
Heat rum, red wine, orange zest and chocolate until the chocolate is melted. Pour over ladyfinger crumbs, stir well and let cool.
Spread some jam on one side of the cooled off cookies. Then spread some of the filling on the cookies and put 2 cookies together.
Mix the powdered sugar with as much milk (I use milk here 'cause that way the frosting looks whiter) until its a thick but spreadable mass. Spread over cookie tops. Heat some of the currant jam and drizzle a couple drops on the still wet sugar frosting. Using a toothpick blend the jam into the sugar until you have a marble looking top!

Berlin Bread

2009-12-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

Look who made its way into the oven (and out again of course:-):

There is actually a history to this popular recipe - it was created during WWII. Because ingredients were scarce or restricted at the time, the recipe produces a leaner dough than you would encounter in more plentiful times. But this makes the treat more healthful, certainly an added attraction. It is also worth noting that this recipe does not really produce a bread, but more of a bar cookie (it’s also unclear if it’s really from Berlin!).

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

½ nutmeg, finely grated

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3 tablespoons cocoa

1-1/4 cups whole unpeeled hazelnuts (increase nuts if desired)

1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour

How To:

Beat eggs with brown sugar until foamy. Combine remaining ingredients and add to egg-sugar mixture. Spread dough into a large, greased baking pan with 1" sides.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 325° F.
When done, the top is a light gold, don’t let the bread get too brown. Cut into pieces while still warm.
Bake well in advance to improve it's flavour, as it will keep for a few weeks. Wrap in foil or store in an airtight container and keep in a cool place.

2009-12-06T06:39:00.001-08:00

Will they ever get finished?

...Stay tuned

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon Truffles

2009-11-24T12:40:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

For Truffles
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
ground cinnamon (take as much as desired. I love cinnamon for christmas so I use A LOT)

For coating
Powdered Sugar
Cinnamon

How To:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
Take off the oven and add chopped up chocolate immediately.
Stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Let cool off a couple minutes. Then add the butter and cinnamon stirring until smooth.
Cover and place in the refrigarator until the truffle mixture is firm (This might take a couple hours or overnight).
For the coating mix ca. 2 tbls. powdered sugar with ca. 1 tsp cinnamon and place on a plate.
Remove the truffle mixture from fridge.
With hands form small bite-sized balls out of chocolate mix.
Roll the truffles in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray.
Cover and place in fridge until firm again. Truffles can be kept in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple months.
Bring to room temperature before serving.

Chinese Cabbage Salad

2009-11-10T03:43:00.001-08:00

I totally forgot about this recipe. So I post it on here to remind myself to do it again some time soon!

Ingredients

1 small head cabbage
6 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. browned sesame seeds
1/4 c. browned almonds, slivered
1/4 c. vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. oil
1 pkg Ramen noodles, browned and crumbled

Directions

Spread the ramens seasoning over almonds, sesame seeds and noodles.
Brown noodles, almonds and sesame seeds in oven carefully as seeds burn easily.
Mix/ shake together vinegar, sugar, oil and soy sauce in a jar.
One hour before serving, chop cabbage and green onions into thin strips.
Pour dressing over cabbage and onions. Set in fridge.
Before serving top with seeds, almonds and noodles; toss slightly.

This salad can be prepared ahead of time.

Go check out Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday for more delicous recipes!

Carrot-Coconut-Ginger Soup

2009-10-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

* I forgot to take a pic of the soup with shrimp...Here I put some balsamic vinegar cream over it.

Actually I was planning on making a pumpkin soup, but they didn't have one (they didn't have a pumpkin??) when I ran errands so I decided to use carrots instead. Guess what? It wasn't to bad, ha!

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
2 cloves Garilc, Peeled, Minced
2 Tablespoons Curry
3 whole Shallots, Peeled And Diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Peeled, Grated
¼ teaspoons Turmeric
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
10 whole Large Carrots, Peeled And Grated
1-½ cup Chicken Or Vegetable Stock
1 can Low-fat Coconut Milk
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 pinch(es) Cayenne Pepper
1 pinch(es) Salt
1 pinch(es) Pepper
1 cup Fresh Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
2 Tablespoons Coconut, Flakes

Directions

In a small zip bag, combine the teaspoon of olive oil, cayenne, salt and pepper, shrimp and coconut and toss to coat. Let marinade in fridge for about an hour.
*I find it really convient to marinade all kind of things in zipper bags. You can kind of massage the marinade into the shrimp/meat/fish.

Heat the oil and saute the garlic and curry powder until it becomes fragrant, then add the shallots and continue to saute. Add the ginger, turmeric, cumin, and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add the grated carrots, combining all the spices, garlic and shallots. Add the stock and coconut milk*, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Leave uncovered at a simmer for 30 minutes to let the flavors build. Turn off heat and let set for a few minutes, then use either an immersion blender or ladle soup into blender in small batches (remember to vent the lid so the hot soup doesn’t blow up!) to blend until creamy smooth.

Return blended cream soup back to pot on low heat. Check seasonings and adjust curry if you prefer it a tad spicier.

Spread the marinaded shrimps on a sheet and bake for 5 minutes, checking to make sure they aren’t cooking too quickly. As a final step, put under the broiler and toast the coconut for a few seconds.

Pour ladles of soup into a bowl, top with a few of the shrimp, and enjoy.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2009-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

I made these delicious cupcakes last weekend...they were gone after 2 day only! The batter was amazingly fluffy and peanut butter frosting...well what do you expect. ha!

Ingredients (Makes 18)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter, peanut butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients (sour cream and vanilla) in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
Beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with a mixer on medium speed. Add salt, then peanut butter, then vanilla. Whisk cream until soft peaks form, and then fold into peanut butter mixture. Spread on cakes immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)
You can top the cupcakes with some jam if desired.

Thanks goes to the wonderful Martha for this great recipe!

Tortellini with Spinach-Gorgonzola

2009-10-17T06:54:00.002-07:00

I really like this recipe because its something different than the spaghetti with tomato-sauce. And it is just as fast!

Ingedients

1 Pck. Cheese filled Tortellini
6 ounces Gorgonzola Cheese
1 Pck Chopped Frozen Spinach (thawed)
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

How To

1. Cook Tortellini
2. Cook Spinach on low heat until melted
3. Cut Cheese in crumbs and add to spinach. Let simmer on low heat until the cheese is melted.
4. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
* Be careful with the salt, gorgonzola is naturally salty!
5. Put sauce over Tortellini and enjoy!

Baked Apple Tiramisu

2009-10-17T06:54:00.001-07:00

I really LOVE this dessert especially in fall or winter.

Ingedients:

1 pound Apples
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Amaretto Liquor
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
½ pounds Mascarpone
7 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Amaretto Liquor (or as much as you desire :)
2-⅔ ounces Amaretti (italian almond macaroons)
Sugar If Desired

How To:

For the apples:
1. Peel and core the apples and cut in slices.
2 Cook the apples and the butter until they’re still firm. Season with amaretto liquor and cinnamon.
Set aside an let cool.

For the mascarpone cream:
1.Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks.
2. Add amaretto and maybe a tad of sugar (be careful the amaretto and the amaretti cookies are quite sweet and the apples should be too:) to the mascarpone cheese, whip.
3. Fold in the whipped cream.

For layering:
1. Crumble amaretti.
2. Layer mascarpone cream, apples and amaretti in a bowl. Finish with cream.
3. Sprinke some cocoa, cinnamon or brittle on top.
3. Cover and cool in fridge for an hour. (I usually don't cool it. I like it better room temperatured, 'cause the cream is more smooth that way)

Hope y'all will like it, have a great weekend.

Plum Cake

2009-10-17T06:53:00.001-07:00

This is my most favorite cake! Every year I can't wait for the plums to be ripe!

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 1/2 pck. dry yeast
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk, lukewarm
1/3 cup butter, unsalted and melted, lukewarm
1 pinch salt

3 1/3 lbs Damson plums (you can use any other kind not too juicy but rather slightly tart plums)

This is calculated for a baking tray of 11 3/4 x 15 inches.

How-To:
1. Melt butter and heat milk. Set both aside until lukewarm.

2. Mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a bowl.

3. Pour in milk and butter.

4. Using your mixer with the dough hooks, beat the dough until it comes together in a soft and wobbly mass. If its too dry you might need to add a bit more milk. Though it should not stick to the side of the bowl anymore either. The kneading might take a while :) Though you can use your bread maker for this part too.

5. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place until doubled in volume. This might take up to an hour.

6. Meanwhile prepare the plums. Cut lengthwise and pit them. Cut the still connected plum halves once again lengthwise, but do not cut through. You should have a depitted plum that you can easily flatten.

7. Remove dough from bowl and knead once or twice until soft again. Roll out on baking pan using a floured rolling pin. The dough should not be too thick since it will rise again while baking. Along the sides of the baking tray form a border with yeast dough.

8. Place plums in an upright manner trying to squeeze in as many as possible and press slightly into dough. Let rise again for 15 min.

9. Preheat oven to 425F or 220C°

10. Bake the plum cake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 min.

11. Meanwhile mix sugar and ground cinnamon for topping.

12. Remove plum cake from oven and sprinkle with the sugar-cinnamon mixture. This has to be done while the cake is still hot and will cause the plums to release theire juices. Don't worry about the dough getting soggy- thats the best part of it :)

13. Cut in pieces and serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

*Note: The yeast dough takes quite a while in preperation compared to other doughs, but trust me its worth the wait.
*Note: Yeast dough sometimes doesn't turn out the way its supposed to. When the yeast is kinda old or wasn't stored the right way, the dough won't rise as much as its supposed to. So you might not have enough dough for the whole tray- well then just use a smaller one :)

Fruity Cheese Salad

2009-10-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

I think this is a perfekt dish for a BBQ or a picnic, its just so summery! Don't be fooled by all the sweet fruits in it, its not supposed to be a dessert:)
So here it goes:

Ingedients:
1 pound gouda cheese, cubed
1 (15 ounce) can pineappels tidbits, drained
1 (8 ounce) can madarine oranges, drained
2 cups seedless grapes, halved
2-3 bananas, sliced
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softend
1/3 cup mayo
salt, pepper, oil and vinegar
*please note: I just made those measurements up:) I usually just put as much of all of these in the bowl until it tastes good!

How To:
1. Mix the cream cheese, mayo, salt and pepper, and oil and vinegar until smooth.
2. Cut the gouda cheese and all of the fruits into bite-size pieces. Add to the dressing and stir. You might want to add the bananas only short before serving so they don't get brown and squishy.
3. Season with more salt and pepper and vinegar until desired taste. Please note: Even though there are a lot of sweet fruits in there this salad is not a fruit salad:) It is supposed to be spicy. So don't be short on salt and pepper!

Even though the combination of those ingredients might sound strange at first: it is really GOOD! Hope you'll enjoy it!

Snowballs

2009-10-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Cream of Coconut (you can mix the coconut cream with heavy cream if you like)
1 Tbls unsalted butter
8 oz white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 Cup flaked coconut

Directions:

heat Cream of Coconut in a saucepan, bring to a simmer.
add butter, stir until melted.
add chocolate, stir until melted and smooth.
remove from heat and pour into a shallow bowl.
cool, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm.
roll mixture into 2 inch balls, roll in coconuts.
chill until ready to serve.

Hope you'll like it