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Cinnamon sugar biscotti

March 24, 2012 by Hannah

cinnamon sugar biscotti

She had never made it without trying (unsuccessfully) to substitute several healthier ingredients like applesauce (she doesn’t recommend it…). I had never even attempted it. But that afternoon, Kelsey Beth and I set out to make cinnamon sugar biscotti.

(If you think biscotti is that brittle stuff that’s hard to chew, you’ve never had good biscotti.)

I used a recipe from one of my all-time favorite food blogs, Annie’s Eats.

Ingredients

It actually uses ingredients you probably already have on hand! (I love recipes like that… the cheapo in me sings for joy a little bit.)

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 Tbs butter (at room temperature)
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For the topping:
  • 2 Tbs sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten (or…. and I didn’t think of this until afterward… but you can just save the unused egg white from the main recipe and just use that instead of using a whole other egg.)

The recipe actually calls for a lot more sugar and cinnamon in the topping, but it also means you’ll have way more cinnamon sugar left over than you know what to do with. Even my adapted version will probably leave you with excess, but at least it’s a little better.

Directions

As we were making them, we were a little doubtful of how they would turn out, since they started out so oddly shaped and small. We were pleasantly surprised, however, when they puffed up perfectly and sliced into neat little fingers of biscotti.

  1. Preheat the oven to 325° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together (in a separate bowl from the flour mixture) on medium-high speed (we used a handheld electric mixer) about 3-4 minutes or until fluffy.
  4. Blend the egg and egg yolk into the butter mixture, and then add the vanilla.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to low, and mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
  6. Break the dough in half, and shape each half into a log about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. It will probably fall apart while you shape it, but just be gentle and try it again. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Place each log on the baking sheet about 3-4 inches apart.
  7. Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Brush the top of each log with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar topping.
  8. Bake 40-45 minutes (halfway through baking, rotate the baking sheet so the back part is moved to the front). Remove the logs from the oven and let them cool just enough to handle. Slice at an angle to achieve about 10-12 slices per log (Yes, it is possible. No, unfortunately I did not get a picture of this part.).
  9. Replace the biscotti on the baking sheet, cut side down, and generously sprinkle on more of the cinnamon sugar topping. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes. (Though I think we ended up doing it closer 20 minutes… This worked for us, but don’t overcook it! It may still seem a little soft when you check it, but once you take it out, it should harden up.)

I had only eaten biscotti a few times in my life. It just wasn’t a food I normally thought of. This recipe may have just changed all that. We dipped it in hot chocolate, but it was wonderful by itself too; it wasn’t dry or flavorless at all. Our husbands arrived just as we took the biscotti out of the oven (perfect timing, huh?), so they got to try it too.

We split the leftover biscotti and sent Kelsey Beth & co. home with a bag of it. The next day, we found out that both parties (us and them) had both ended up completely finishing the biscotti that very night.

cinnamon biscotti on a plate

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Mom’s seasoned basmati rice

March 13, 2012 by Hannah

seasoned basmati rice

This rice actually has a pretty good flavor all by itself, but it’s perfect with the curried lentils.

Ingredients

You can make any amount you want, but if you’re making it to go with the curried lentils, this will make the right amount.

  • 2 cups basmati rice (if you don’t have basmati, you can use whatever rice you have on hand)
  • 2 Tbs butter
  • a handful of chopped onion (or a few sprinkles of onion powder if you ran out of onion after the curried lentils…)
  • some garlic (minced, garlic powder, whatever you have. I used 2 cloves and mashed them through my garlic press.)
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon chicken base or dehydrated chicken stock base (this adds some extra flavor, but if you don’t have any, don’t worry about it)
  • 2 tsp curry powder (see my note on curry powder)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • just a little less than 4 cups water

Directions

You can start making this as soon as you turn the curried lentils down to simmer, and they will finish around the same time.

  1. Rinse and drain the rice.
  2. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic on medium heat until tender.
  3. Add the rice and sauté until well mixed. Add the chicken base and seasonings and sauté for another couple of minutes.
  4. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for the amount of time listed on the rice package directions (typically it will be around 20 minutes).

That’s it!

curried lentils and basmati rice

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Mom’s Curried Lentils

March 12, 2012 by Hannah

Curried lentils with rice

Most of you know my stance on leftovers. I am not a fan. I will eat leftovers once, maybe twice, before I am totally sick of them and have to move on. Even then, I almost never eat leftovers again for dinner; I usually bring them to work for lunch.

Tonight, I had leftover curried lentils. It was a wonderful experience. I would do it again.

My mom knows what to do with a bag of lentils. They’re really cheap, super healthy and much quicker to cook than regular beans. Plus, they don’t require soaking! She fed our family of 6 many batches of lentils over the years. I asked her for her “recipe” a while back, and she laughed. (You wonder where I get my “little bit of this, little bit of that” cooking tendencies… now you know.) But because she’s my mother and she loves me, she pulled together some semblance of a recipe. It’s not much to look at, but this is just one of her delicious lentil concoctions.

Ingredients

My mom makes it a little different every time based on what’s in her pantry. If she had to scramble to actually come up with a “recipe,” then it’s probably ok if you have to mix and match or even omit a few ingredients.

  • olive oil
  • 1/2 an onion, chopped
  • minced garlic (fresh, dried, whatever. I used 3 cloves of fresh garlic and mashed them through my garlic press.)
  • 2 tsp (or 1-2 Tbs, which is closer to what I normally do) curry powder, divided (or a mixture of cumin, chili, coriander, turmeric and paprika. But it’s way easier to just keep a container of “curry powder” on hand. By the way, my mom’s recipe says “some curry powder.” I didn’t measure when I made it last night. I had to really stretch to come up with an actual number. I DID THIS FOR YOU.)
  • bag of lentils (sorted and rinsed)
  • a few potatoes chopped into chunks (red or Yukon Gold are my favorite. Or you could be like me and notice you have no potatoes and just toss in a few handfuls of frozen hash browns instead.)
  • 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon chicken base, or 1 cube of that dried chicken stock stuff
  • 1 – 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • a few shakes of pepper
  • enough water to cover everything by an inch
  • 2 handfuls of raisins (golden raisins are best, but regular raisins are fine too)

One thing I love about this recipe is that all the ingredients are items that most people typically have on hand already. Which is why I made it last night after coming home from vacation to a fridge with no milk, no eggs, no fresh veggies…

Directions

This is actually pretty quick and incredibly easy!

  1. Sauté the olive oil, onion, garlic and about 1/2 tsp of the curry seasonings in a large pot until tender and fragrant (a few minutes).
  2. Add everything else except the raisins and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer about 30-50 minutes (or until lentils and potatoes are tender). Stir occasionally and check to make sure there is enough water. Just taste the lentils every now and then after the 30-minute mark to see if they are mushy yet.
  3. Toss in the raisins once the lentils are tender and cook 5 more minutesto soften the raisins. Add more seasoning if needed.

It’s great by itself, but it’s fantastic over seasoned basmati rice. This meal has a really great, mild flavor, even if you’re not typically a fan of Indian-type food.

Pot of curried lentils

Curried lentils with basmati

Posted in Easy meals, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments »

Sriracha cilantro deviled eggs

February 11, 2012 by Hannah

sriracha cilantro deviled eggs

Stephen and I recently rediscovered deviled eggs. They’re so easy and delicious, yet they rarely occur to me when thinking of what we could eat. Regular deviled eggs are superb, but I stumbled across this recipe and had to try it. We both loved them! Stephen still prefers regular deviled eggs over these, but I thought these were some of the best deviled eggs I had ever eaten.

Ingredients

I almost kinda followed the recipe on this one. Mostly.

  • 6 hard-boiled eggs
  • 2 Tbs mayo
  • 1 Tbs sriracha hot sauce (You can use more or less depending on how spicy you like your food. This recipe isn’t very spicy at all, so if you want more kick, feel free to add more.)
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 Tbs sweet relish
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • A good handful (about 2 Tbs) finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

That feels almost ridiculous, using a long list of specific, measured ingredients for deviled eggs. Not to worry – next time I made deviled eggs, I just squirted a bunch of stuff in there, mixed it all up and called it good.

Directions

I mean, it’s deviled eggs… that’s pretty basic, but here are the “directions”:

  1. Cut each egg in half lengthwise and remove the yolk to a bowl. Place the whites on a plate with the holes facing up.
  2. Mash the yolks in a bowl with all the rest of the ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Spoon the filling back into the whites and serve.

deviled egg closeup

Posted in Recipes | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments »

Pregnancy week 27

February 9, 2012 by Hannah

Being pregnant is like going on a diet with specific things you can’t eat for a really long time… except instead of getting thinner, you get FATTER. Basically what I’m trying to say is, as soon as I have this baby, I’m getting some raw sushi, raw oysters, and tons of moldy cheese like gorgonzola and bleu cheese. And maybe a big pile of lunch meat to top it all off.

The last time I posted about pregnancy was on week 17. Oops. At least now I actually have a legitimate belly bump to show for it!

I’m breathing down the neck of the third trimester, and that’s just weird to think about. We still haven’t picked a name for him (it’s a boy, in case you missed it). Here’s the same quiz I did at 17 weeks to see what has changed:

How far along?  27 weeks, day 2
Total weight gain/loss?  More than last time I did this quiz, I’ll say that…
Maternity clothes?  Yes, finally. Most of my shirts are too short now, and my regular jeans are long past the fitting point.
Stretch marks? Not yet!
Sleep?  I’ve never had a problem sleeping. It’s getting to bed that’s the issue…
Best moment last week? He poked some body part up and kept it there for a while. I actually got to feel the hard spot on my belly for a few seconds before he moved again.
Movement? Lots, especially while I’m sitting at my desk at work.
Food cravings?  Unfortunately I haven’t had any legitimate cravings yet. Stephen wishes I would have some weird craving just for the comedic value, and I’m sad to say I’ve let him down thus far.
Gender? Boy!
Labor signs? Nope
What I miss: Regular exercise! Oh, and raw seafood and moldy cheese…
What I am looking forward to: Hitting the 3rd Trimester mark next week

I’ve been really bad about remembering to take pictures. There’s pretty much a huge gap between approximately the 14-week mark and the 25-week mark that remains an undocumented cavern of picturelessness. Oh well. This is somewhere between 25 and 26 weeks:

Pregnancy week 25-26

Week 27:

Pregnancy week 27

I’m feeling quite large and unwieldy, and I can’t imagine getting ANY bigger. I know all you ladies who have had children are laughing at me right now, but I feel like a whale. But I know my stomach is going to get a whole lot bigger before that baby ever comes out of it, so I’m sure I’ll look back at this post and wonder how I ever thought I was already huge. We shall see.

Posted in Everything else, Kids | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

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