it’s not Olive Garden… it’s better

Times are tough. It’s all over the media. Everybody’s talking about it. Most of us are finding ourselves tightening our belts, reigning in our “discretionary” spending, staying in on a Saturday night when, before, we might have just gone out.

But… sometimes that’s not all bad. A little dinner, a bottle of wine, and a movie on DVD… and it’s date night – but more casual and without the big expense.  And, if you pick up a quick and easy recipe like this one (which I’ve had bookmarked for a couple of months from Culinary Adventures of a New Wife), you don’t even have to spend much time in the kitchen.

This is a filling recipe that’s as impressive as it is tasty. The gnocchi plays the role of the ultimate comfort food while the tomatoes, spinach, and cannellini beans balance things out into a fairly responsible dish. So, whether you’re feeling a little decadent or a little healthy… this dish will work for you and your grocery budget. So go ahead… indulge and enjoy something that’s every bit as good as any restaurant meal… at a fraction of the cost!

Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans
(Adapted from Eating Well &  Culinary Adventures of a New Wife)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 16 oz package of gnocchi
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 16 oz package fresh baby spinach
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 – 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (depending on your desired spice level)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
salt to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add gnocchi and pan fry for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil. Saute garlic about 2 minutes. Add water and cook another few minutes until garlic is soft. Add spinach and cook until spinach starts to wilt.

Add tomatoes, beans, red pepper, pepper, and bring to a simmer. Stir in gnocchi and add cheese. Salt to taste. Heat until cheese melts.

I like Pi… errr… PIE.

I am by no means a math geek. But geometry? That was the worst. Let’s just say that, once upon a time a long (long!) time ago… I got more than my fair share of homework “help” from a math-minded friend who happened to have geometry a period or two before me. It was not my proudest moment.

These days, I find there are better applications for geometry in my life. Enter Pi Day. March 14… 3/14… 3.14… aka π… 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510… and a reason to make pie! I love math!

In honor of Pi Day, I decided to make a mini version of a Pioneer Woman classic… the Delicious! Chocolate Pie. It so happened that I had one of her Perfect Pie Crusts still in the freezer from the holidays, so I was able to make short work of this little project.

Short work… big, tasty results. It was all we could do to stay away from these little beauties. They were far to easy to just snag off the plate… no need for cutting a slice or grabbing a fork and a plate… it turns out portable pie is a very dangerous thing.

I had a little leftover filling, which I put into a couple of wine glasses… we found this application to be just a little too sweet for our liking and thought the crust really did a nice job of balancing out a bit of the richness. That’s not to say that we didn’t eat it anyway, though!

Now, be warned. This recipe does contain raw eggs. Therefore it’s important to use very fresh eggs that have no cracks and which have been properly refrigerated. It’s not recommended that people who are of an advanced age, who are under four, who are pregnant, or who have a compromised immune system partake of this recipe.  Use your best judgment here and don’t eat anything that you consider to be unsafe.

Delicious! Chocolate Pie
(recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman)
2 sticks regular butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs*
1 baked pie shell

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then mix in cooled melted chocolate. Add vanilla and mix. Turn the mixer to medium speed, then add in the four eggs, one at a time, mixing for 4 to 6 minutes after the addition of each egg. Scrape sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into the cooled pie shell and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Garnish with lightly sweetened, freshly whipped cream.

TO MAKE MINI PIES: Press pie dough into muffin tins and pre-bake as usual. Carefully remove from tin and fill, refrigerate and garnish as directed above.

*use only fresh eggs with no cracks in the shell. this recipe not recommended for individuals of an advanced age, under the age of four, those who are pregnant or who may have a compromised immune system.

oh! fruit!

Have you checked out Oh! Nuts yet? Go ahead… click on the link… I’ll wait.

. . . . . . .

Done? Okay, good. Pretty impressive selection, huh? Hey, did you notice the bulk dried fruits? More than twenty varieties ranging from guava to pears to pineapple. Oh, the possibilities! You already know by now that the kind folks at Oh! Nuts sent me four bags of product to try out. First there were the macadamia nuts… then the pistachios… and now… now we’re on to dried red sour cherries.

At first, I was thinking granola. And I may still whip up a batch with what’s left of the bag… provided it lasts that long. But I had a craving for a dark chocolate chip cookie the other day and decided that these beautiful cherries would go perfectly with the dark chocolate. And that’s how chewy dark chocolate-cherry cookies were born.

The cherries are big and plump and perfectly chewy. Just begging for a chocolate chip cookie to wrap itself around it! I had to oblige.

The resulting cookies were chewy and sweet with little explosions of sour cherry goodness. A wonderful twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie, yet still totally easy to whip up when the mood strikes. And, in our house, the mood strikes often!

Chewy Dark Chocolate-Cherry Cookies
(adapted from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups dark chocolate chips (I use 60% bittersweet)
1 cup dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or line two baking sheets with parchment or silpats.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugars, corn syrup and vinegar. Once combined, beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and mix in the almond extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix in the flour until just combined and then add in the chocolate chips and cherries.

Drop by tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until cookies are just set; centers may still look a bit underdone. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for about five minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Saint Patty’s Day is on its way!

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming, people! Do yourself a favor and steer clear of the green beer. Instead, impress your friends with chocolate and beer! That’s right. Chocolate. And beer. Trust me on this one. They’ll love you for it.

Don’t be afraid of this recipe. I’m not a stout beer drinker (much to my husband’s disappointment), but I’m a huge fan of these cupcakes. The addition of the beer to a chocolate cupcake adds just a touch of interest without being overbearing.

The added bonus here is that any stout lovers in your house (or in your circle of friends) get to drink the leftovers! It’s a cupcake AND a party!

And the cream cheese frosting? The perfect compliment to the dark, rich cake.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness or other stout beer, room temperature
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream (light works fine)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine Guinness, melted butter, vanilla, eggs, sour cream, cocoa and sugars. Mix on low speed until combined. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until combined, stopping once to scrape down the bowl.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill 2/3 full with batter.

Bake for 10-13 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes in the tin, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Makes 24 regular-sized cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream (milk works, too)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Mix in cream and vanilla. Incorporate powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth. If necessary, adjust consistency by adding either more cream (to thin it out) or powdered sugar (to make it thicker).