Thumbprint Butter Cookies

A new year has come and I so has a new blog post! It feels like I haven’t put up anything new in forever but here it is: Thumbprint Butter Cookies.

I didn’t grow up eating holiday cookies during the winter (unless you count those butter cookies in the round blue tins that you can buy from the store) so I wanted to try baking some of my own this year.  These cookies are kind of like the Knott’s shortbread jelly cookies but better because well, they’re homemade by me.  No, I’m not that full of it but really, they are good cookies.  The thumbprinting and jelly-filling part of making these cookies can get a bit tedious but think of it as a small price to pay for what you’ll end up with! 

Butter Cookies (recipe found on epicurious)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.  In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy using an electric mixer.  Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined well.  Add in the flour mixture little by little.  Beat the mixture until it just forms a dough.

Divide the dough into two and form six inch disks.  Wrap each with plastic wrap and let them chill in the fridge for about an hour or so. 

Preparing the cookies to bake

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Take out one of the disks of dough and your choice of jam (I used strawberry).  Make balls of dough using a teaspoon and arrange on a baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other.  Now use your thumb to make little wells in each cookie.  (If you do this step when the dough’s too cold you’ll find that the edges will have cracks.  I personally don’t mind this but those of you who want more aesthetically pleasing cookies should wait for the dough to warm up a bit before making thumbprints).  Take ¼ teaspoon and scoop jam into each thumbprint/well.  Pop them into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until barely golden around the edges.  Let them cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

Potato Croquette Benedict with Smoky Pepper Sauce

Potato Croquette Benedict with Smoky Pepper Sauce

I love eggs benedict but this is most certainly not the poached-egg-and-Canadian-bacon-on-top-of-an-English-muffin-with-Hollandaise-sauce version. This is something I put together using leftovers from my fridge and it turned out surprisingly well. Slices of toasted French bread serve as the base and are topped with slices of creamy avocado, a crispy potato croquette, a smoky pepper sauce, and a poached egg. There’s a nice balance of textures from the creaminess of the avocado and egg paired with the crunchy from the toast and croquette.

Croquettes are mashed potatoes shaped into patties, covered with breadcrumbs and usually fried but I baked mine. You can get them crunchy like you would from frying by mixing a little oil into the breadcrumbs and spraying the tops with cooking spray before putting them in the oven. Also, the smoky pepper sauce was left over from having pork chops for dinner one night and the recipe can be found on foodnetwork.com by Giada.

Breakfast Potato Croquettes

Yields 5-6 small croquettes

2 small potatoes, mashed

3 small sausage links, chopped finely

¼ small onion, chopped finely

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

~1 cup breadcrumbs

Pepper

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1. Over medium heat cook the chopped sausage until they turn slightly brown. Remove the sausage and add onions to the same pan. Cook until soft and translucent. Season with pepper.

2. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

3. In a small bowl combine mashed potatoes, sausage, onion, and parmesan cheese.

4. Beat the egg with 2 tablespoons water. Pour about 1/3 of the mixture into the mashed potatoes and mix well.

5. Measure out 1/3 cup of the mashed potatoes for each croquette. Use your hands to shape each one into round disks, kind of like patties.

6. Drizzle about 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil over breadcrumbs in a shallow dish or pie pan. Gently pat and coat each one with breadcrumbs. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. (For extra color on your croquettes try spraying cooking spray on top of each one)

Potato Croquette Benedict with Smoky Pepper Sauce

Serves 2

4 Breakfast Potato Croquettes

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vinegar (for poaching the eggs)

4 slices French bread

½ avocado

1 cup smoky pepper sauce, or substitute with tomato sauce

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Begin by poaching the eggs.

-Line a large dish with paper towels or napkins and set aside for the finished eggs.

-Bring water to a simmer in a medium pot and add 1 tablespoon vinegar.

-Crack one egg into a small bowl and be careful not to break the yolk.

-Then create a “vortex” by using a wooden spoon to swirl the water and carefully pour the egg in.

-Use the wooden spoon to keep the whites together. Fish the egg out after about 2 ½ minutes and set to drain on the dish lined with paper towels.

-Repeat with the three other eggs.

2. Toast slices of French bread until golden brown. Put slices of avocado on each piece of bread.

3. Place a potato croquette on each slice of bread, followed by the pepper sauce and then a poached egg. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Pea Soup

If you have a bag of frozen peas sitting in your freezer and want to use it for something this soup is the way to go.  It’s a no-frills kind of soup that’s even easier than the roasted tomato soup I made about a week ago.  I was a bit wary about using frozen peas but they’re actually often sweeter and more nutritious than fresh peas since they’re picked in season and frozen at the height of their freshness.  Accompany the soup with a sandwich and to change it up, you can add a splash of cream to the soup for a smoother, velvety texture.      

Yields about 4 servings

1 lb. frozen peas

About 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or enough to cover the peas

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper

1. In a medium pot heat peas and chicken broth.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

2. In small batches blend the peas and chicken broth together until smooth.

3. Return blended mixture into pot over medium heat and add oregano, garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper. 

4. Heat the soup and stir occasionally, until it thickens.

Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese Sandwich

This is my version of a caprese sandwich using sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.  I love the tangy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes and paired with the creamy fresh mozzarella, the flavors balance out nicely.  They’re super simple to make yet so delectable.     

*The sandwiches in the picture above are open faced but the recipe is for regular sandwiches.   

Serves 2

8 slices of French bread (makes 2 small sandwiches for each person)

4 slices of fresh mozzarella

5-8 basil leaves (about 2 leaves per sandwich, depending on their sizes)

½ to ¾ cup sliced sun-dried tomato

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

2. Brush balsamic vinaigrette on all slices of bread.  Assemble sandwiches, placing basil first, then mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes last.  

Roasted Tomato Soup

Nothing hits the spot like a bowl of steaming hot soup on a chilly day.  This roasted tomato soup from 101 Cookbooks does just that but I’ll have it even when it’s not cold out – it’s that good, although my love for tomato-based products probably has something to do with it too.  While roasting the veggies might take some time, making the soup itself is simple and fast.  All you need is an oven and a blender and you’re good to go. 

Have it alone or try dipping with a Panini like the Wuz and I did when we made it for the first time.  I’d imagine adding cannelli beans, kale, and orechiette topped with grated parmesan would make a decent light meal too.

3 large tomatoes

2 small onions

1 red bell pepper

½ green bell pepper

5 unpeeled cloves of garlic

2 to 3 cups vegetable broth

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Chopped parsley, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with wax paper for the vegetables.

2. Quarter the tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers.  Place on the baking sheet with unpeeled cloves of garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 to 40 minutes (you’ll know they’re ready when the tomatoes have wilted down and the garlic is soft enough to squeeze out).

3.  In small batches place roasted veggies in a blender and pour in some broth.  Blend well and pour into a pot.  Repeat with remaining veggies and broth. You can use water if you’re short on broth. 

4.  Heat soup in pot and season if needed.  Add parsley before serving.

Spinach Fettuccine with Salmon, Basil, and Lemon

This is perfect pasta for lunch that I’ve adapted from Giada’s recipe I found on Foodnetwork.com.  The combination of lemon juice, zest, basil, tomato, and avocado makes a super fresh and light dish that won’t weigh you down the rest of the day.

1 lb. spinach fettuccine, cooked and tossed with olive oil

~1/2 lb. salmon

1 large tomato, diced

1 large avocado, diced and mixed with a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation and browning

1 lemon, juiced

The zest of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch basil, cut chiffonade style*

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

*To chiffonade the basil roll up some leaves and cut into thin strips.  This might sound and look fancy but is easy do to!

1. Salt and pepper the uncooked salmon.  In a pan over medium heat cook the salmon with olive oil.  Use a lid to cover the pan for faster cooking.  Break the salmon up into bit size pieces in the pan, removing skin if any.

2. In a large bowl toss fettuccine, salmon, tomato, avocado, remaining lemon juice, zest, garlic, and basil.  Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and more if needed.  Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Kale

These mashed potatoes are perfect with the Country Style Ribs my boyfriend Yohan made.  I found this recipe from 101 Cookbooks and absolutely loved it but the only changes I made were adding in the roasted garlic and cheese.  Think of fluffy potatoes (yes, with no butter!) infused with roasted garlic, mozzarella cheese, and bits of sautéed kale.  I had always thought of kale as tough, unappetizing greens used as a garnish but this is quite the contrary.  Not only does it taste good when prepared properly but it is also high in calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta carotene.      

5 to 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

3 lbs potatoes

½+ cup milk

½ cup mozzarella, shredded

1 bunch kale, large stems cut and discarded

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Place garlic cloves inside a foil packet and roast for about 30 minutes.  The garlic will have a paste-like consistency when they’re done and you should be able to squeeze them out. 

2. Peel potatoes and cut into cubes.  Boil potatoes in a pot until fork tender.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the kale and sauté over medium heat until it wilts.  Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place cooked potatoes and roasted garlic in a medium bowl.  Pour in some milk and start mashing with a fork.  Continue adding milk and mash until potatoes are fluffy.

5. Mix in shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper.

6. Fold in sautéed kale (note: stirring too much can turn the potatoes slightly green).