Spicy Cheese Straws

These cheese straws are such a hit! I have made them for parties and gifts several times in the past few months and people tend to really like them. Tonight, I am including them in the appetizers for the Super Bowl!

Ingredients
1 block of cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup of butter (salted)
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grate cheese and allow to get to room temperature (i set it out overnight)
3. Set out butter with cheese

4. Mix cheese and butter until smooth in stand mixer
5. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients

6. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter/cheese mixture
7. Form dough into a ball and use a pastry piping tool to pipe it into long sticks (you can also use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and then slice it with a pizza cutter)
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes
9. Cool completely and store in airtight container

Kristin

Classic Macaron Recipe

Ok, I have tried a ton of different macaron recipes and this is the one where I have had the most success. It is a classic one without any additional flavors. I haven't tried to jazz it up yet but when I do I will update with what works.

Macarons

Ingredients
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg whites at room temperature (I set them out on the counter for 3 hours)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (I did two teaspoons because I make my own and it is not as strong)

Directions
1. In a large bowl mix together almond flour and confectioners sugar
2. Sift flour and sugar mixture through a fine mesh strainer
3. Take remaining clumps and run through a food processor to break them up and then sift again and discard any remaining clumps.
4. Mix egg whites in stand mixer on medium speed for two minutes (time this so you do not over or undermix)
5. Add in white sugar and mix on high speed for two minutes (time this so you do not over or undermix)
6. Add in vanilla and mix on high speed for thirty seconds (time this so you do not over or undermix)
7. Fold in flour and sugar mixture until no powder is visible and mixture is a little shiny  (this took about three minutes for me)
** the mixture should not be running but should slowly collapse when you fold it **
8. Put into piping bag and pipe into circles on lined baking sheet (I used silicone baking mats but I have also done this before with parchment paper)
9. Once macarons are in place, tap the baking sheet on the counter several times (and somewhat forcefully) to remove any air pockets
10. Macarons need to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to set up and should have a film on top before they are ready to go into the oven

11. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
12. Cook baking sheets (one at a time) for 5 minutes. Then, turn and cook for 4-5 minutes
** If they start to golden at all they are burned and will not have the desired texture on the inside **
13. Cool sheet before 5 minutes before lifting off macarons (do not try to move them before this and do not pick up with a spatula)
14. Place on cooling rack and add center filling
** I made my macarons two days in advance and added the filling the day before **
*** Store in an airtight container ***

Filling Option #1 - Vanilla

Ingredients 
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (i used 1 tablespoon because my extract is homemade and not as strong)


Directions
1. Soften butter to room temperature
2. Beat butter in stand mixer on medium speed for two minutes
3. Add confectioners sugar in 1/4 cup increments to butter and beat on medium speed. Scrape down the sides after each addition
4. Mix in heavy cream
5. Mix in vanilla extract

There is another really good filling recipe from Sur La Table that is a chocolate espresso ganache recipe but I haven't made it with these macarons yet. Once I do, if it is good, I will post it.

Kristin

Orange Chicken and Jasmine Rice and green beans

This recipe is one of my favorites both because it is delicious and because it is really easy to make. It tastes just like a restaurant and there isn't a ton of mess in the kitchen for cleanup :-).

Ingredients
1 cup Jasmine rice
2 chicken breasts
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 orange juice from ~3 fresh squeezed oranges
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 green onions (green portion chopped for garnish)
1/2 pound green beans

Directions
1. Put jasmine rice into a pot with 2 cups of water and cook according to package directions
2. cook green beans in boiling water for three minutes and set aside
3. Roughly cut your chicken breasts into chunks that are bite-sized
4. Mix egg whites and cornstarch in large bowl for about 1 minute and add the chicken pieces to soak for 10-15 minutes

5. Heat a skillet of oil on medium-high for about 8 minutes. It should not be boiling but hot so that it sizzles when you drop in water
6. Mix orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, ginger powder and cornstarch into bowl

7. When oil is ready, add the chicken in small batches and cook for 4-6 minutes (until outside of chicken is golden and chicken is cooked through)

8. Dry chicken on paper-towel
9. Add cooked chicken to bowl of sauce
10. Spoon chicken and sauce over rice topped with green beans and garnish with green onions

Kristin

Herbs de Province Homemade Bread

This recipe is amazing if you have a bread machine! It is so easy. You can also make it without the bread machine but I find it a lot quicker and less hands-on for me.

Ingredients
1 cup of water
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons herbs de province seasoning
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
1. In bread machine add water and oil first
2. Mix flour, white sugar, salt and herbs de province in bowl and add on top of liquids in bread machine
3. Make a tiny well on top of dry ingredients and add yeast
4. Set bread machine to 1.5 pounds


If you don't have herbs de province you can also mix your own spices (sage, savory, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano)

Thanks!
Kristin

Homemade Potato Fries

Today I had some leftover potatoes that I wanted to use up so I made some homemade potato fries for lunch. This was really easy and quick to do! Plus, they tasted like ones that you would get in a restaurant. So, I will definitely make them again.

Ingredients
4 potatoes
a bowl of cold water
seasoned salt
5 cups of oil

Directions
1. Peel and slice potatoes (I used my KitchenAid spiralizer tool for this but I have also done it by hand)

2. Soak potatoes in cold water and refrigerate for thirty minutes
3. Heat 5 cups of oil in skillet over medium-high heat (it should sizzle when you add a potato to test)
4. cook potato fries in batches so they have plenty of space (each batch is 5-6 minutes)

5. Remove from oil and put on paper-towel-lined plate and season with seasoned salt


Enjoy!
Kristin

Hot Toddy Recipe

This week I have had a sore throat so I have been making hot toddies (because they help and are delicious)! I think this is the best recipe by far:

Ingredients
1 shot of Jameson Whiskey
3 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup water (boiling)
1 cinnamon stick

Directions
1. Heat water in microwave for 1 minute
2. mix whiskey, honey and lemon juice together in glass
3. Add water and stir
4. Garnish with cinnamon stick

Enjoy!
Kristin

Egg Roll in a Bowl

I really love egg rolls but wanted to go for a *slightly* healthier option (basically, I just omitted the fried shell). So, I tried just creating the contents of the egg roll and putting it over rice and not doing the crispy wrapper. I think it turned out really well! Also, it was extremely easy to make so I will probably put this into the regular rotation.

Ingredients

Rice
1 cup jasmine rice
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Meat
1 pound hamburger meat (i did 93% lean)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 bag shredded cabbage and carrots (the coleslaw premix bag)

Sauce
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon ginger
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Garnish
3 green onions

Directions
1. Cook rice according to instructions and mix in ginger
2. Pour sesame oil into skillet over medium-high heat
3. Add in hamburger meat, ground ginger, and garlic salt and mix until meat is browned

4. Add in cabbage and carrots and stir for 5 minutes
5. While cabbage and carrots cook, mix sauce ingredients together in small bowl
6. Add sauce to meat mixture and cook for 5 additional minutes.
7. Spoon meat mixture over rice and add green onions for garnish

Let me know what you think and if anything else should be added to the recipe!

Thanks,
Kristin