Topo Chico

If you haven't ever had sparkling mineral water, do it. Do it now!
It's plain old water with a little tiny bit of carbonation. For me, it satisfies that part of my brain that likes soda, without all the sugar and coloring and flavoring and stuff that makes soda bad for you.
Here's a bit of a warning though: it's not sweet at all. I know since I said it was plain old water with carbonation that kind of implies that it's not sweet, but seriously, your brain will want to tell you it should be sweet. If you can get past that, it's deeelicious.
I'm addicted.
That is all.

Knock off Treats!

So, I love my pre-packaged goodies as much as the next guy. But what I love more than my cheap, partially-hydrogenated, sugary treats is being able to make them at home with *somewhat* wholesome ingredients. The following recipes are by no means healthy, but they are made with regular sugar, regular butter and regular chocolate. They are NOT shelf stable(not just because they get eaten too quickly to find out) and they are NOT cheaper than buying them at the store. But they are delicious and worth the time and effort.
This first treat, Salted Nut-Roll Bars, are the epitome of sweet and salty. They are chewy and a little bit gooey in all the right ways. I always think of these bars when I'm feeling snacky but can't quite nail down what I'm craving. They are incredibly easy.

Salted Nut-Roll Bars
Crust:
1 lb. peanut butter sandwich cookies (if I was on the Food Network I couldn't just say Nutter Butters, but no one's watching here..)
1/2 C butter, melted

Topping:
2 C peanut butter chips
2/3 C light corn syrup (as a side note, I always look for this in the baking aisle and every damn time it's by the maple syrup. I think that's weird.)
4 T butter
1 t vanilla
2 C mini marshmallows
2 C dry roast peanuts
2 C Rice Krispies

Heat your oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan.
Dump Nutter Butters in the food processor or blender. Once you have fine crumbs, add that stick of melted butter and turn your machine of choice back on until it kinda clumps together. Press it into the pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Put peanut butter chips, corn syrup, vanilla and the other butter into a saucepan and melt it down until it's smooth. You'll want to stir it often and stick around, it should only take about five minutes.
Spread half of this mixture over the crumb crust you've pulled out of the oven, sprinkle the marshmallows over it, and put it back in the oven for two minutes or so. You just want the marshmallows to get a little puffy up. Don't let them brown or they'll be tough and crunchy!
Toss the peanuts, cereal and remaining peanut mixture together and spoon it over the marshmallow topped crust. Spread it a little with a spatula. It doesn't need to (and will not) look perfect. It's not going to be a uniform looking bar.
Let the bars cool, then dig in! You may need to coat your knife with non-stick spray before cutting in.. Unless you like to live dangerously and lick stuff off your knives. I don't recommend that though....

The second knock off treat I loooove is the Samoa cookie. Now, don't go replacing your girl scouts with this one. This is only to get you by between cookie sales. It's tough to go an entire year without girl scout cookies!
These can be made two ways: you can make them in a sheet like a bar cookie, or individually cut out every little circle and cut another tiny little hole in each of those. I personally don't care what they look like, as long as they taste similar. So here's the bar version (much easier!)

Samoas (or caramel delites)
Cookie:
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C butter, room temp
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 C flour
1/4 t salt

Topping:
3 C shredded coconut
12-oz caramels
1/4 t salt
3 T milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate-chocolate chips work!

Turn your oven on to 350.
Spread the coconut out onto a cookie sheet and bake five minutes at a time until it's toasty brown. Mine only took 10 minutes.
Cream the butter and the sugar until light in color and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, until just incorporated. Then add the salt and flour a little at a time until it's all blended in. The dough will still be crumby, that's ok. Press it into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake it for 20-25 minutes.
Make your topping by microwaving your caramels and milk and salt until smooth. Dump the toasted coconut in and stir until combined.
After your crust has cooled, spread the coconut caramel mix over it. Make sure you've timed it so the caramel stuff has just come out of the microwave, and is still hot. It's going to be a pain in the ass to spread if it's cool. Even if the cookie crust is hot. It just won't work. Trust me.
After you've assembled it all and it's cooled, melt down your chocolate and drizzle it over the top. If you want chocolately bottoms (like the real deal), dip the bottoms in chocolate after you've cut them all up.
Enjoy!
And if you know any girl scouts.... tell them sorry!

Agnolotti with artichoke sauce

It's been too long. I don't want to talk about it.
Here's an awesome recipe we made for dinner tonight. I didn't substitute or omit ANYTHING, so here it is in it's purest form, straight from the Food Network Magazine. I definitely recommend getting a subscription, if you don't already have one. Although, that may cut my readership down considerably.....
Agnolotti are moon shaped stuffed pasta, so if you can't find any, regular cheese ravioli will do just fine!
This sauce has a bit of half and half in it, but it's not heavy at all. The lemon zest and juice give it a fresh, bright flavor that works well with the artichoke hearts tartness.

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 C half and half
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/8 t red pepper flakes
salt
1 C frozen peas
1 t lemon zest
2 t fresh lemon juice
1 lb refrigerated cheese agnolotti
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the artichokes, half and half, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/4 t salt in a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and zest.
Meanwhile, cook the agnolotti according to the package directions. Reserve about a half cup of the pasta water, then drain and add the pasta to the artichoke sauce. Add the parmesan and gently stir until the agnolotti are coated. If the sauce seems to thick, add a little pasta water until it reaches desired consistency.

For those who care, this dish has 22g of protein! I'm keeping track of my protein intake, so I always like to know how much is in what I eat.

Andrea's Famous Tortilla Soup

There are no words for this soup. Seriously. I have been on a quest lately to find tasty tortilla soup, and have encountered nothing but disappointment. The soups either already have actual meat in them(I'm ok with chicken stock or boullion) or are disgusting. I had one that was basically a chicken stock with carrots(!), celery, cilantro and melted cheese. It was.. terrible. I've had this recipe in my collection for quite some time, but hadn't ever made it. I gave it a whirl this weekend and was blown away. I have never been so full and satisfied by a soup. I'm really not doing it justice here... It's amazing!

Tortilla Soup
1 C rice
2 T chicken boullion granules
2 tsp lemonade powder (with sugar)
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cilantro (you can used dried, but I use fresh and add it last with all the other fixins)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C dried chopped onion
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
10 C water
Diced cooked chicken (OPTIONAL! who wants chicken anyway? psh.)

Dump everything in a big pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken, if using, and cook five minutes more. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips.

Soooo good!

Lemon Meringue Pie

I've always been intimidated by meringue, and pies in general, but this one was so easy. Almost too easy. Easy enough that I thought I was doing something wrong. But it's not a lie, (it's a pie... ha ha ha... sorry) it is in fact that easy.

This comes courtesy of my Merm's mail order "McCall's Cooking School" cards. I was laughing to myself at how old and funny the pictures in the recipe looked, until I saw the date was 1991. I was six, and I remember that year quite well. Not so funny anymore. Good thing the pie is tasty enough to take away the bitterness of the being 25 :)

Lemon Meringue Pie

One store bought pie crust
Lemon Filling:
1/4 C cornstarch
3 T flour
1 3/4 C sugar
1/4 t salt
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 C lemon juice
1 T lemon zest
1 T butter

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 C sugar

If you bought the roll out pie crust, then... roll it out. Onto a pie plate. Fold the edge of the crust under and pinch rim decoratively with thumb and finger. If you bought the frozen kind, just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Prick the pie crust with a fork and pop it in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 450. Let it cool. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.

For the lemon filling, combine cornstarch, flour, 1 3/4 cups sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually add 2 C water and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for one minute until shiny and translucent.
Stir some of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Then stir the eggs back into the saucepan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, lemon peel and butter. Pour into pie shell.

To make the meringue beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add sugar, 2 T at a time, beating after each addition. Once all the sugar is added, beat on high until stiff peaks form. Spread it over the lemon filling in the crust, sealing the edges. Swirl the meringue around so it looks pretty and decorative. Bake 7-9 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown on the highest points. Let it cool for at least 2 hours and when you serve it, cut it with a wet knife!

Now, wasn't that easy??

Pumpkin Time!

I'm so excited that it's fall! I know some of you may already be experiencing fall-type conditions, but here in Austin, it's still in the 80s. I think tomorrow it's supposed to hit 90! So while it may not feel like fall with flip flops and A/C, I'm making room for it anyway. Here are two recipes that call for pumpkin; one is an old favorite that I just can't get enough of, and the second is something new we tried this weekend. Both were absolutely amazing.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe comes from a cookbook titled "Cookin' with the Crazy Lady" that my Auntie Carol gave me and Evan for a wedding gift. I halved it and still got 4 dozen cookies from it, but here I have included the recipe in it's entirety. These are hardly cookies. If you've had them before you know they're more like tiny, moist, tender cakes dotted with smooth and melty chocolate chips.

1 C butter or shortening
3 C sugar
3 eggs
3 C pumpkin
4 1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
2 t salt
2 t baking soda
2 t vanilla
2 t cinnamon
2 t nutmeg
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter/shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and pumpkin. Stir in remaining ingredients and drop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Pumpkin Waffles
This recipe comes courtesy of October's issue of the Food Network Magazine. They ask you to slice, scrape, roast and puree your own pumpkin, but we were starving and decided to spend that time doing something more.... worthwhile. Here is the modified recipe, including sweet whipped cream to dollop over the hot waffles.

Waffles:
1 1/2 C pumpkin
2 1/4 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
2 t pumpkin pie spice (if, like me, you don't have this, check below for a quick way to make your own)
1/2 C brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
1/4 C plain Greek yogurt (put regular yogurt in a damp paper towel and let the liquid strain out)
1 C milk
4 T melted butter

Pumpkin Pie Spice(makes 1 t):
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
1/8 t nutmeg
1/8 t cloves

Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. You'll be adding the wet ingredients to it later, so make sure it's big enough to hold it all. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a separate bowl, then add the pumpkin, yogurt and milk. Then mix in melted butter. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture in two batches, stirring until just combined. Beat the egg whites until stiff and GENTLY fold into batter. Pour into a pre-heated waffle iron (greased if it's not non-stick). Keep waffles warm on a cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven until you're ready to eat them. Waffles may take longer than you're used to, they'll be super soft if you try to pull them out early. They really aren't as crispy-on-the-outside-soft-in-the-middle as regular waffles are. But they are SO good. And how many times a year can you have pumpkin waffles??

Curried Salmon Cakes and Spicy Ginger Chutney

Yesterday was our 2nd anniversary! I can't believe how fast it's gone! We decided to stay home and cook together to celebrate, and it was amazing. We had a perfect evening enjoying each others company and this delicious food! We also had egg rolls with these two dishes, but those came from the freezer (shhh!). Some things are worth the time, and some are not!


Curried Salmon Cakes with Mango Salad
1 lb skinless salmon fillet, halved crosswise
2 t curry powder
s&p
8 T store bought tartar sauce
1/4 C saltine or ritz cracker crumbs, plus a bit for sprinkling
2 T grated, peeled ginger
1 bunch scallions finely chopped
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 red bell, seeded and diced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 mango peeled and diced
juice of 1 lime
vegetable or canola oil for frying

Put the salmon, 1 T water, 1 1/2 t curry powder, s&p in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2-3 min, or until fish is opaque. Flake with a fork and let it cool slightly, you don't want the egg to cook when you put it in.

Add 1 T tartar, cracker meal, ginger, half the scallions and the egg. Form into 4 patties and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Whisk 7 T tartar and 1/2 t curry powder(I like to dump some extra in, I LOVE curry powder) and set aside. Take 1 T of the curried tartar and combine with bell pepper, mango, celery, remaining scallions, lime juice and s&p to taste.

Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of salmon patties with cracker crumb and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve topped with mango salad and tartar sauce on the side.

I substituted the celery for carrots because Evan doesn't like celery, and it tasted just as good. The mango salad makes this dish, so don't leave it out thinking it'll be the same. You need it!



Spicy Ginger Chutney
3 T vegetable oil
3 T rice vinegar
1.5 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 t grated fresh ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 t sugar
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 scallions thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all. You can serve it room temperature over hot brown rice, or refrigerate and serve cold over Udon noodles or the like.

And yes, we did have dessert, but it was weird and not very... blog worthy. So I'm not including it!