Braciole

I have been working on a braciole recipe for quite a few years.  It began with a party we were having for my dad's 50th birthday a few years back.  His birthday is in December and we were going to be away for Christmas so my mom decided to have a big 50th birthday/early Christmas dinner with our extended family.  We decided to make it Italian themed but wanted to do something different, not just the same old lasagna, sausage and peppers, etc.  So I came up with the idea of making braciole.  I scoured the internet and looked at a bunch of different recipes and found them so varied that I just decided to put what I like into mine and not follow a recipe.  We had a couple of people over for dinner on Sunday and I knew I wanted to cook something that I could just leave in the pot and not have to worry about it.  So I made a big pot of sauce and braciole.  It was so good.  There are still leftovers that I am savoring.

Braciole
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients:
1 flank steak, approximately 1.5 - 2 lbs, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
Salt
Black pepper
5 oz. fresh spinach
Olive oil
1 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Kitchen Twine
3 quarts of your favorite tomato sauce

Directions
In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute spinach with olive oil, nutmeg and red pepper flakes.  Meanwhile, season pounded flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper.  Place on a hard, flat surface.  Put spinach on top of flank steak, leaving a 1 inch border free of spinach on all sides.  Layer bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese on top of spinach.  Roll flank steak up using kitchen twine to hold it together.  Heat 1tbsp. olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat.  Sear rolled flank steak on all sides, about 2 minutes each side.

Place seared flank steak in a large dutch oven with the tomato sauce.  Cook on low, stirring occasionally for at least 3 hours, preferable 4-5 hours.  Remove braciole from sauce and place on a cutting board.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Cut off kitchen twine and slice into thin slices (I find an electric knife works best for this).  Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce the braciole was cooked in.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream

I love ice cream.  Always have and probably always will.  For my birthday in December my parents bought me the ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer.  I never knew how much I actually loved ice cream until I made it at home.  There is just something about ice cream you make yourself.  You control the ingredients, you know exactly what goes into it, there are no preservatives involved.  It is wonderful!  I have only used it a few times but now that summer is in full swing I am sure I will be using it more.  Along with the ice cream maker I also received a fabulous ice cream cookbook by David Lebovitz called The Perfect Scoop.  All of the ice cream flavors that I have made so far have come out of this book and all of them were wonderful.

In order to make David's concept on Sunday, we needed some ice cream to go with the blondie.  I decided to do a nice and rich chocolate ice cream and throw some peanut butter chips in.  It made the perfect blondie sundae.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream
From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream, divided
3 tbsp. dutch-process cocoa powder
5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder.  Warm over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve the cocoa.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly.  Remove the pan from the heat, mix in the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.  Stir in the remaining 1 cup of cream.  Transfer the mixture to a medium-large mixing bowl.  Set a fine mesh sieve over the top.

In the same saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and salt and warm the mixture over medium-high heat.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  When the milk mixture is warm, gradually whisk into the egg yolks, beating constantly.  Return the egg-milk mixture tot he bottom of the pan with a spatula, until the mixture is slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat, pour through the mesh sieve into the chocolate-cream mixture and stir to blend.  Stir in the vanilla extract.

Place the ice cream mixture over an ice bath and stir to cool.  Refrigerate until well chilled.  Stir to mix.  Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Fold in the peanut butter chips at the end of the ice cream maker's cycle.  Store in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Chicken Fried Rice

Joe loves Asian food of all types.  I think if he could he would have some type of Asian food every day.  Before we met, I would have Chinese take out occasionally but didn't really try anything beyond that.  Now he has me eating Thai, Japanese, even sushi (only the cooked or veggie kind though).  We have come a long way.  I have also learned to make Asian inspired meals more at home.  I had boneless chicken breasts in the refrigerator that were supposed to be used for dinner on Saturday night but we wound up going out instead so on Sunday afternoon I made up a big pan of chicken fried rice for lunch and then for lunches for the rest of the week.  I have been playing with this recipe for a few months and I think I finally have it where I like it.  I am very excited for lunch this week!


Chicken Fried Rice
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients:
3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger, divided
3 cups rice, cooked and cooled completely
Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and diced carrots
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks in juice (not in syrup), drained, 1/2 juice reserved
3 large eggs (optional)

Directions:
Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder.  In a very large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tsp. grated ginger and saute for 30 seconds.  Add chicken and cook 5 minutes.  Add onion and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.  Add rice, remaining 1 tsp. ginger and an additional tablespoon of vegetable oil.  Cook, stirring constantly until the rice is a little crispy and ginger is incorporated, 3-5 minutes.  Add peas and carrots, soy sauce, teriyaki and pineapple juice.  Stir until incorporated.  Taste and add additional soy sauce as necessary.  Rice should be well coated in sauce but not too wet.

Move the rice to the side of the skillet to make a space to scramble the eggs or if you prefer, scramble the eggs in a separate pan and add to the rice.  Stir in the pineapple chunks and serve.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Blondies

Last night was the season premiere of True Blood on HBO.  My brother David and I love both the books that this show is loosely based on and the show itself.  Unfortunately David, he doesn't have HBO.  So last summer he started coming over on Sunday nights to watch the show and we started to take turns making a snack to munch on while watching the current episode.  We started calling it Sunday Snack and it got to be really fun thinking up something to do that week.  We do both sweet and savory snacks.  Last night was the first Sunday Snack of the season and we decided to do a sweet snack.  David came up with the idea of a blondie sundae and we ran with that.  So I made chocolate ice cream with peanut butter chips (recipe to come later this week) with my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment and went on the hunt for a blondie recipe that I liked.  I found one on Ghiradelli's website that I could alter just slightly to add peanut butter chips too since I had some left over from the ice cream.  We then whipped up some cream.  Melted some caramels in heavy cream and broke out the sprinkles.  Great start to this summer's Sunday Snacks!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Blondies
Adapted from Ghirardelli

Ingredients:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
8 ounces white chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square or round (I used round) baking pan.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate and microwave in 30 second increments until melted, stirring after each 30 seconds until smooth.  In a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the eggs until foamy.  With the mixer running, add the sugar in a slow, steady stream.  Add the vanilla.  Add the melted chocolate and butter in a thin stream.  Then add the flour and salt mixing until well combined.  Fold in the chocolate and peanut butter chips by hand.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center.  Let the blondies cool for at least 10 minutes.  Cut and serve warm or at room temperature.

Puerto Rican-Style Marinated Pork Chops

 I am a Food and Wine magazine subscriber.  I love getting it every month and looking at the recipes and reading about new techniques, restaurants and chefs.  Their What to Cook Next segment of the July 2011 issue is dedicated to marinades with bold flavors.  That is right up our alley for summer.  We love to marinate meat and grill it.  One of the first things Joe and I went out and bought after we purchased our home two years ago was a grill.  We had virtually no furniture in the house but we had to make sure we had a grill.  After nearly 10 years of apartment living we missed being able to have grilled food whenever we wanted.  That grill has gotten quite a workout since!  The Puerto Rican-Style Marinade caught my eye earlier this week.  This marinade is inspired by lechon, a slow-roasted Puerto Rican pork dish.  I had double cut pork chops in the freezer and going along with my theme of using only ingredients we had in house, I had all of the ingredients needed to make this marinade in my pantry.  Plus it had a quick marinating time so it was perfect for a weeknight meal.  I served the pork chops with beans and rice and it was very good.  I only marinated the chops for about 30 minutes as the recipe suggested but next time I will let them sit a little bit longer since they were double cut but the flavor was great.

Puerto Rican-Style Marinated Pork Chops
From Food & Wine Magazine

For the marinade:
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. ancho chile powder
3/4 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a mini food processor, process the ingredients into a paste.  Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

For the pork chops
2 double cut boneless pork chops
1 recipe marinade

Rub the marinade onto 2 double cut boneless pork chops and let stand for 45 minutes or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  Light the grill.  Scrape off the marinade, brush with oil and grill over medium-high heat, turning once or twice, until cooked, about 25 minutes.

Serve with rice and seasoned black beans.

Kitchen Sink Pasta

I am making a valiant effort this week to cook dinner only using the ingredients we currently have at home.  Every few weeks or so I try to do this to make sure I use up anything that is around that may go bad soon or is just taking up space and hasn't been used in awhile.  I almost always create a pasta dish of some kind during these weeks because it is a great way to combine a bunch of items that need to be used into a very tasty dinner with plenty left over for lunch!  Below is my recipe for what I created last night but you could use any mix of protein and vegetables that you had on hand and create your own version.  I love to eat it cold the next day for lunch.


Kitchen Sink Pasta
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" chunks
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small vidalia onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Handful fresh basil and flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb medium shell pasta

Directions:
In a large stockpot, bring water and 2 tsp. salt to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Add chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown.  Add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes more until onion is soft.  Add in pepper and tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.  Stir in chicken broth, corn and peas and cook until warm, 2-3 minutes more.  Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.  Add drained pasta, chopped fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Mix well, adding some of the pasta liquid if the pasta is too dry.  Serve immediately, garnishing with more Parmesan cheese.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars

I wanted to make a dessert for my dad for father's day.  I called him and asked him what he would like.  He said he wasn't picky and he didn't like anything with coconut or key lime pie.  Thanks for narrowing it down Dad!  I decided to do a bar type of dessert since it was for a barbecue setting and I knew I didn't want to make brownies.  I set about searching my favorite blog haunts and came across two possibilities.  A raspberry strudel bar or an Oreo cheesecake bar.  I couldn't decide so I asked Joe which he would like and his vote was Oreo cheesecake so that is what I went with.  I found the recipe at Annie's Eats.  Her recipe was for an 8x8 sized pan so I adapted it slightly for the 9x13 pan that I would be using.  They were very easy and straight forward to make especially since I have both a food processor and stand mixer.  The recipe is very versatile and could be changed to use other mix ingredients as well.  Definitely a recipe that I will be playing with in the future.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the crust:
32 Oreo cookies
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
24 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
20 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with foil.  To make crust, place the Oreos in the bowl of a food processor.  Process, pulsing, until the cookies are finely ground.  Add in the melted butter and pulse until the cookie crumbs are moistened.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.  Press the crumbs into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside and prepare the filling while maintaining the oven temperature.

To make the filling, add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the sugar until well combined.  Blend in the sour cream, vanilla and salt.  Beat in the eggs and egg yolks on medium-high speed until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Stir in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust, smoothing the top with a spatula.  Bake for about 42 minutes until the cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 1 hour to room temperature.  Cover the pan and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

To cut the bars, pull the cake from the pan by lifting the foil up out of the pan.  Place on a cutting board.  Peel away the foil and slice into bars.  Clean the knife blade between each slice to keep the edges neat.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Chive Risotto Cakes

Yesterday was Father's Day and traditionally in our family that means barbecue.  We usually get together with family have some burgers, hot dogs and brats on the grill with some great side dishes and sit on my parent's deck and just hang out.  I love it.  This year we decided to take the idea of a barbecue to new levels for my dad.  Grilling was still involved but this year it was filet mignon wrapped in bacon with goat cheese and balsamic syrup (which my mother cooked perfectly, thanks Mom!), a great corn salad with a balsamic and lime vinaigrette, nectarine and avocado salad/salsa and Chive Risotto Cakes from Ina Garten's "Back to Basics" Cookbook.  We adapted the recipe slightly as we were making it since we had to make more than the recipe called for and we adjusted the seasoning after cooking a test cake.  They were so good.  Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  I will definitely be making these again.  Just make sure you leave a good amount of time in your schedule to do them as the mixture does need to cool for about 2 hours.

Chive Risotto Cakes
Adapted from Ina Garten's Recipe in "Back to Basics"

Ingredients

Kosher Salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
2/3 cup greek yogurt
3 large eggs
4 tbsp. minced fresh chives (this is the amount we used but I may use even more next time)
2 cups grated fontina cheese
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs
Good olive oil


Directions
Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat and add 3/4 tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.  The grains of rice will be quite soft.  Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, the pepper and garlic powder in a medium bowl.  Add the cooled rice and mix well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish.  Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4 inch) ice cream scoop or a large spoon.  Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick.  Place 4 to 6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat.  Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned.  Place on a sheet pan lines with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes.  Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried.  Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot.

Note:  After coating the cakes in panko our cakes were still really soft so instead of cooking them right away we put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and threw them in the freezer for about 40 minutes.  They were nice and firm and and ready to fry when we took them out.

Caramel Brownies

When it comes to desserts, chocolate isn't usually my first choice.  If there is some apple related or carrot cake on the menu I usually head towards those options first.  The only exception to this is if the chocolate on the menu is combined with caramel.  Caramel in all of its oooy gooey goodness is like liquid gold.  Pour caramel over anything and it will taste good, at least in my book.  When I saw these brownies, I knew I had to try them.  They just looked so good and full of caramel!  A co-worker's birthday was coming up and she loves chocolate so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try this recipe out.  They were very easy to make and were so good that I am glad I had to bring them into work for her birthday.  Otherwise, Joe and I would have probably eaten them all ourselves.

Caramel Brownies
From Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups pecan, coarsely chopped (optional, I omitted)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the caramel filling:
14 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil well with butter or cooking spray.  Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth.  (Alternatively, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted.)  Remove the bowl from the heat.  Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated.  Stir in the four and salt just until combined.  Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, maintaining the oven temperature, and let cool for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the chopped pecans (if using) to a medium skilled over medium heat.  Toast, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and set aside.  To make the caramel filling, combine the caramel candies and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Heat, stirring frequently, until melted ans smooth.  Stir in half of the pecans.  Immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer.  Pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer, taking care to pour and spread it evenly otherwise it will be difficult to spread evenly over the caramel layer.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining pecans on top of the final brownie layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cook completely before slicing and serving.  (To speed cooling, chill int he freezer for at least 30 minutes.)

Lift the browning from the pan using the edges of the foil.  Remove the foil and cut the brownies into individual squares.  Store in an airtight container.

BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza

I was racking my brain all day yesterday about what to make for dinner.  I had boneless chicken breasts that were defrosted at home and I wanted to try something different.  I also had about 6 slices of bacon and a quarter of a huge vidalia onion left that needed to be used up before they went bad and 3/4 of a bag of reduced fat colby jack cheese.  What can I make with all of these ingredients.  My first thought was a bacon and cheese stuffed chicken breast with sauteed onion in wine sauce.  Good option but I tend to make stuffed chicken breast somewhat often and really wanted something a little easier and faster.  Then all of a sudden, BBQ chicken pizza popped into my head.  I could run to the store on my way home and pick up a ball of dough (I usually prefer to make my own but in a pinch the prepackaged dough from the store really works) and I had plenty of BBQ sauce in the house.  I could serve it with a nice salad and it would be a great dinner.  Meanwhile we started watching Inception last night and the salad never got made but the pizza turned out great and I will definitely be making it again.

Joe is becoming quite the home bartender and made some great drinks to go with it so all in all it was a great night!

BBQ Chicken & Bacon Pizza
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

2 small boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 medium vidalia onion, thinly sliced
6 slices bacon cut into pieces (I find that my kitchen shears work best for cutting uncooked bacon)
1/3 cup BBQ sauce (we only use Sweet Baby Rays in my house and I highly recommend it)
1 ball pizza dough, at room temperature (I used whole wheat)
2 cups reduced fat colby jack cheese
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Direction:

In a medium skillet over medium high heat cook the bacon pieces until crispy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.  Save 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings and discard the rest.  Cook sliced onions in reserved bacon drippings until soft and brown, 7-10 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on plate with bacon

In a separate skillet, heat olive oil.  Season chicken strips with salt and pepper and cook in olive oil, about 10 minutes, turning once.  Remove from pan and let cool slightly.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite size pieces.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Put a small amount of flour on your hands and begin working the dough into a circular shape, about 12" in diameter, working from the middle out, pulling the dough evenly.  If the dough starts to get sticky, add a little more flour to your hands.  Place dough circle on a pizza stone.  Place BBQ sauce on pizza dough spreading it out with the back of a ladle, leaving a half inch sauce free around the edges.  Spread about half of the cheese over the BBQ sauce.  Sprinkle chicken, bacon and onions on top of cheese.  Top with remaining half of the cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Let stand for 3-5 minutes before serving. Cut into slices and top each slice with a slice of avocado if desired.

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red velvet is Joe's favorite cake flavor.  Carrot cake runs a close second but 9 times out of 10 when given the choice, he will choose red velvet cake over all others.  I, on the other hand, have never really been a big fan.  It is not that I don't like it, just that there are so many choices out there that I like better.  This recipe for red velvet cake made me like them a lot more than I used to.  In the past all of the red velvet cakes I have had have been dry and not really infused with a lot of flavor.  This one was so moist and tasty that I even had a couple mini cupcakes!  I made these along with mini carrot cupcakes for Joe and I to take to work and share.  They went over so well at his office that one of his coworkers asked me to make her daughter's birthday cake.  Shows it is a pretty good recipe, I guess!  The cupcake recipe I got from Brown Eyed Baker and the only way I modified it was to change the cooking time to account for mini versus regular sized cupcakes.  The cream cheese frosting recipe is one that I have been making for a long time and have cultivated over time.  I will say that I prefer my icing to still have the tang of cream cheese pretty evident in it.  If you like your cream cheese icing a little sweeter, just add more powdered sugar, easy as that!

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes
From Brown Eyed Baker

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp. red food coloring (I used the gel instead since that is what I had at home and just added a little bit of water)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup + 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. distilled white vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two mini muffin pans with liners (24 mini cupcakes)

On medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Turn the mixer to high and add the egg.  Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste.  Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined.  You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk.  Add half of the flour and mix until combined.  Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining buttermilk and flour.  Beat on high until smooth.

Again, reduce mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar.  Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 14-15 minutes, or until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pans and place on a cooling rack to completely cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese, at room temperature
2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like your frosting)

Directions:
In a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium high speed cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy with no lumps, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments, scraping down the bowl as necessary.  Once you have the desired sweetness, increase mixer speed to high and beat on high for 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

I love risotto.  All kinds of risotto.  Before I found this recipe I never thought of making risotto with tomatoes.  I always used some sort of broth (chicken, veggie, etc.) and added seafood or chicken and vegetables to it.  This risotto recipe was so good that I made it twice in 10 days.  I couldn't get enough of it.  I think Joe had three bowls of it the first time I made it.

A friend of mine told me about a food search engine called Foodily and I love it.  The first time I used it I found this recipe.  I had sausage defrosting at home and I didn't want to have pasta or sandwiches with it.  I turned to Foodily for some ideas.  It was the dead of winter and the perfect time for a thick risotto with sausage so when I saw this recipe pop up, I knew it was the one.  This is really a warm, hearty, stick to your ribs comfort food meal.  My favorite type!  It is almost 90 degrees here today so this isn't something that I will be making again for at least a few months but I am definitely looking forward to making it again.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto
From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed (I used sweet)
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tbsp. butter

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water.  Bring just to a simmer, keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add wine, cook, stirring until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes.  Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a tome,waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat.  Stir in spinach, Parmesan and butter; season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.