Fettuccine Alfredo for Two

 Sometimes something simple and comforting is all one needs for supper. Tonight was one of those nights. A meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less (this took slightly less) is aces in my book no matter what it is, but when it is this soothing and delicious it certainly bears sharing. Mixed greens lightly tossed with vinaigrette and a glass of chilled white wine was all the accompaniment needed.

Bon Appetit!

Fettuccine Alfredo for Two

1⁄4 cup butter

2 tablespoons cream cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt

Black pepper

1⁄3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Few grating of fresh nutmeg

6 ounces fettuccine, prepared as directed

In a medium saucepan over low heat melt butter. When butter is melted, add cream cheese, stirring until combined. Add heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan and nutmeg. Toss with cooked and drained fettuccine noodles. Serve immediately.

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday

What We Accomplished Wednesday

Making Apple Pie Spice

It's apple season (as Wednesday’s post will attest)!  What a great time of the year for long walks in the country soaking up all of the beautiful fall color, and trips to the farm to pick your own apples for scrumptious fall baking.

The first thing you’re going to need in order to make use of the wonderful apple recipes that are cropping up (if you'll pardon the pun) is apple pie spice.  As with pumpkin pie spice, there is no need to buy it, just create your own blend from the spices that you already have on your shelf.   The photo above provides the proportions, the written recipe is below.  This makes about 3 tablespoons.  You can double it, triple it, or even cut it in half, depending upon your projected use.  You can also put a heaping tablespoon into a pan of water, along with apple peelings, and a few cloves, and simmer it on the stove to give your home a wonderful fall scent.

Apple Pie Spice

(Makes about 3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Stir together and store in an airtight jar.

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday

On the Menu Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Tutorial Tips & Tidbits

St. Louis-Style Cream of Broccoli Soup

A big broccoli score at the Farmer's Market had me searching for as many broccoli recipes as I could find.  An avid vegetable lover, I can eat broccoli any old way, even raw.  My family, however, does not share my zeal and consequently considers well-disguised broccoli as the best broccoli. So, years ago, in an effort to keep all of us happy, I created this soup recipe, calling it St. Louis-style because of the addition of St. Louis's own Provel cheese.  It, like the Velveeta this soup also contains, is a processed cheese, so not the apex of healthfulness, but boy, is it good.  Quick and easy to make, this soup is a crowd pleaser.  I like to think the goodness of the broccoli offsets the decadence of the cheese.  I served mine in cups with slices of the zucchini corn bread that I made yesterday on the side.

St. Louis-Style Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 large head fresh broccoli, separated into florettes
1 cup water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup half and half
1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup Provel cheese, grated
2 teaspoons chicken soup base (I use L.B. Jamieson) 1/2 cup flour  
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (more or less to taste)

In a large saucepan, cook broccoli with bouillon in one cup of water until tender.  Do not drain.  In a small bowl, mix together milk, cubed Velveeta, Provel, flour, and half and half.  Add to cooked broccoli.  Heat until thickened, stirring constantly (about 3-5  minutes).  Remove half of soup from pan and blend with upright blender, immersion blender, or food processor until smooth.  Pour back into the pan, stir in nutmeg, heat through and serve.


This post is linked to:

Real Food Wednesdays
No Whine Wednesdays
What's on Your Plate
Cast Party Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday

Baked Egg Custard with Gruyere and Chives for Two

I love brunch, and because I love brunch, I also love brunch recipes, and really love brunch recipes that can be both made ahead, and scaled down to two so we can enjoy them on no other occasion than that I just wanted something special for breakfast.  This tasty little custard fills the bill quite nicely, goes together in a hurry, and will seem as if you labored all morning.  With nothing more needed than a little blender that can go easily into the dishwasher, clean-up is also a breeze.  The next time I make these, and I will, I'll add a little more of the grated Gruyere on top for a better presentation and just a tad more cheese.

Baked Egg Custard with Gruyere and Chives for Two

1/2 cup coarsely grated Gruyere
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon instant minced onion
3/8 cups whole milk
1 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. 

Butter 2 6-oz. ramekins into which you will place 1/4 cup grated Gruyere and 1 tablespoon of chives in each. 

In a mini blender (if you have one, regular blender, if not) place eggs, minced onion, milk, cream cheese, and nutmeg along with a few gratings of freshly ground paper and a pinch of salt. 

Blend thoroughly.

Pour egg mixture over Gruyere and chives, and bake until puffed, set, and golden, about 22 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Have a great weekend!

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Six-Layer Quiche

There is nothing easier to make for a quick meal than a quiche.  All you really need are cream and eggs, the rest is up to you.  I strongly suggest a heavy dosing of Gruyere cheese as nothing makes a quiche taste more rich and delicious than Gruyere; a few scrapings of fresh nutmeg can give it that little something extra that will have your guests raving.  After that the choice is up to you.  I'll often make quiche when I want to clean out the vegetable bin in the refrigerator, those last couple of mushrooms, the bunch of scallions beginning to sag, the half pepper, even the remnants of last night's roast chicken, all contribute to a delicious tasting quiche.  Depending upon the ingredients it can be hearty or light, and it's well suited to any time of the day  -- brunch, lunch, or dinner.  It can be prepared up to a day ahead and baked when you need it making it the perfect choice for your busiest of days. How's that for versatile?

Here's one of my favorite recipes both for simplicity and taste.

SIX-LAYER QUICHE

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup each:

Chopped green pepper

Chopped scallions

Sliced mushrooms

Diced ham

Bacon, diced

3 eggs

2 cups half 'n half

2 tablespoons flour

Grating of fresh nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Let crust come to room temperature.  Unroll and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" deep dish pie plate.  (If you don't have a deep dish pie plate, it's perfectly acceptable to use a deep dish frozen pie shell.) Saute peppers, onions, mushrooms, ham, and bacon together in a medium saute pan until done; drain.  Place in bottom of unbaked pie shell and top with cheese.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs.  Whisk in half 'n half and nutmeg.  Add flour to mixture and mix until smooth.  Pour on top of ingredients in pie shell.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 25 more minutes.  Let stand for ten minutes before slicing.

 

Serves 6

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

I have been enormously intrigued by the glut of donut recipes, cookbooks, and other accoutrements that have appeared on the market of late.  All of these new products take me back to my youth when, on the occasional Saturday morning, my mother would make us homemade donuts.  They were a lot of work as I recall.  First she had to make the dough, then painstakingly cut out the donuts and holes, heat up the deep fryer, fry them to a golden brown, and then drain them on stacks of paper towels, all while my nose was as close to the operation as I dared.  But boy, were they good.  Still, all of that just seems like too much work when a Krispy Kreme is a mere two miles away.  So when my cousin offered to loan me her donut pan (thanks, Kel!) I jumped at the chance.  This morning I took it for a spin.  I am sold!  In less than an hour I had a dozen hot, fresh, delicious donuts stacked on a plate.  No cutting, thanks to this clever pan, and no deep frying!  I didn't have a recipe for donuts, so flipped through my files and adapted a cakey muffin recipe.  I can't tell you how delicious these were.  When my husband got home from breakfast with his cronies he asked where I'd gotten the donuts.  He couldn't believe that I'd made them while he was gone.  Yep!

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

 1/3 cup Crisco shortening (not butter flavored)

½ cup sugar

1 extra large egg

1-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup whole milk (do not use 2%)

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Cream shortening, sugar, and egg together in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to the shortening mixture.  Fill greased donut pan wells half full and bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  (I used a teaspoon to fill the wells, spreading it evenly all of the way around, because I'd run out of pastry bags, but this dough is thick enough to pipe beautifully, so that would be my suggestion.)


While donuts are baking, stir together remaining ½ cup sugar with the cinnamon, to blend.  Melt butter in a wide, microwave-safe bowl.  Remove donuts from pan to wire rack, then immediately dip them one-by-one, first into the melted butter, then into the cinnamon and sugar mixture, coating well.  Place back on the wire rack to cool thoroughly.

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Malted Pecan Waffles

Heart-shaped malted pecan waffles and café au lait.

With St. Valentine's Day just a few days ahead, it's time to start thinking about a loving way in which to start your day.   Nothing says romance first thing in the morning, like a delicious hot breakfast. (Okay, nothing REALLY says romance like an extra few hours of sleep, but I digress... )   In this case, thanks to my heart-shaped waffle iron (a gift from the mister before we were married, how's that for romantic!), a plate of malted pecan waffles.

Now I realize that not everyone (few in fact) have heart-shaped waffle irons, so consider making square waffles and cutting them out with a large (3" to 4") heart-shaped cookie cutter.  That failing, make the square waffles and top them with heart-shaped butter pats, that are actually purchasable (much to my surprise) at some food markets.  That failing, if you plan ahead you can make your own heart-shaped butter pats using candy molds available at hobby and craft stores (e.g. Michael's - take your coupon!) by simply allowing butter to soften, pressing it into the molds (a rubber spatula works well for this), and chilling in the fridge until you need them.

Equally romantic are waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries, or if you really want to go for broke, sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top of the strawberries and whipped cream.  You're limited only by your imagination.

Here is a waffle recipe I particularly enjoy, but if you're under a time constraint use the recipe on the Bisquick box, adding a teaspoon of vanilla, a tablespoon of sugar and gratings of  either nutmeg or lemon zest.  It gives the waffles a taste that doesn't scream "out of the box," and will leave your diner with the special impression that you spent more time on them than you did.

Malted Pecan Waffles

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla malted milk powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat waffle iron. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, malted milk powder and baking soda. In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and milk. Add milk mixture, butter, oil, and pecans to flour; stirring gently to combine. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks have formed; fold into batter.  Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Keep warm in oven while remaining waffles cook.

Have a romantic day!


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at The Little Round Table

Applesauce Spice Muffins

One nice thing about being stuck inside during snowy weather is that I have time to make muffins for breakfast in the morning.  These are particular favorites because they can be mixed by hand, so no dragging out the mixer, and the recipe only makes six, so I'm not overwhelmed with more muffins than we can possibly eat, and end up having to freeze the majority of them.  The fragrance that comes out of the kitchen when they are baking will make you weak at the knees.  This combination of spices scents the house so beautifully that you'll wish in came in candle form.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

5-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Topping:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan.  In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg and brown sugar until thoroughly combined, then slowly add butter, whisking until mixture is creamy. Stir in applesauce, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Stir in nuts.  Using an ice cream scoop, fill the six cavities in your jumbo muffin pan equally with the mixture.  Stir together topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of muffins. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly before removing muffins from pan, and then cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

This is linked to Real Food Wednesdays.