Ricotta Vegetables

I made this this week for dinner. I got the idea from a pasta dish on Simply Recipes. I didn't use pasta because I didn't have any, but if you are up for a heavier dinner, I say go for it! I love how the ricotta coated all the vegetables. Simply delish.

Ricotta Vegetables

Adapted from Simply Recipes

1-2 lbs asparagus, cut

1 large zuccini, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 carton cherry tomatoes

15 oz. ricotta cheese

2-4 tablespoons olive oil

Nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute asparagus, zuccini and pepper until tender.

Meanwhile, Combine cheese and olive oil. Add the vegetables, including the tomatoes and mix until coated. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

On top of the fact that my photography skills are A+ (please read with copious amounts of sarcasm), I tried to decorate these blondies with leftover frosting I had from my Sugar Cookie Bars and it was so warm out that it melted and looks like it is just blobbed on top. Don't get me wrong...these were still delicious, but definitely did not have the presentation quality I was going for!

In my state of dorkiness, I was reading about blondies and found some interesting tidbits. I always just thought blondies were a cookie in bar form, but no! They are technically a brownie without the chocolate and should have the same texture and density. Woah! That blew my mind a little. And I am pretty sure these guys were a tride and true blondie recipe as they were fairly dense like a brownie AND used melted butter like a brownie (not that cookies never use melted butter, but every brownie I have ever made has).

I used chocolate and butterscotch chips on these, but I think they would be great with white chocolate or toffee, too. The original poster used chocolate chips and cinnamon chips, which sounds amazing but I can't find cinnamon chips anywhere in the city.

Chocolate Chip Blondies
From Culinary in the Desert

14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips of any kind

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat when melted and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars, followed by the eggs and then vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in the chips.

Scoop the batter into a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Pizza Pizza

Is Little Caesar's Pizza a chain restaurant? I remember a commercial for them when I was little and this little dude with a long nose would always say "pizza, pizza!" Random, I know.

I made some pizza this weekend and it definitely hit the spot! With all the yummy pizza to be found in New York, plus being spoiled by my Stepmom's pizza on the grill when I go home, I don't attempt my own very frequently. I stepped it up (PS: have you seen the movie Step Up? It's fabulous and you should watch it) this weekend and went for it. Yum! I decided on a pineapple, grilled onion and ricotta pizza and made it on my pizza stone in the oven. It wasn't as good as a grilled pizza, but I have never been known to not enjoy a pizza and this bad boy was no exception! (I think I said the word "pizza" about a million times, approximately, in the last paragraph)

Pizza Dough
From Eating, Etc.

1-2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cornmeal

Combine one cup all-purpose flour, one cup whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in food processor. Pulse to mix.

Add warm water and olive oil and press until a ball forms. Add more flour as needed and knead until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover and let rest on a floured surface for about 10 minutes.

Shape into desired shape of pizza and transfer to a pizza stone drizzled with cornmeal.

My Pizza Pizza

Olive oil
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese
One onion, chopped and sauteed
Pineapple chunks
Parmesan cheese
Ricotta cheese
Basil leaves

Place a light layer of olive oil followed by your favorite marinara sauce on to dough. Sprinkle with a layer of shredded mozzarella. Place the chopped onion and pineapple on top of cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan and dot with ricotta. Place basil leaves on top.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Happy 4th of July! (or I guess Happy 3rd of July as I am posting this a day early). I made some sugar cookies and decorated them red, white and blue for the occasion. Actually, I got some new decorating tools and wanted to try them out. Guilty.

These turned out delicious, though. Not as delicious as the recent Snickerdoodle Blondies, but still good. I used a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and they turned out HUGE! And rich, especially with the Magnolia frosting I used. I wanted to shove all of them in my mouth, so I had to send them with Spice to work so others could partake!

Sugar Cookie Bars

from stylishcuisine.com

1 cup unsaled butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir to combine.

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Spread into greased baking sheet (I used a 9 by 13, but the original recipe calls for a 13 by 18).

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely and then frost.

Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream Icing

From Stylishcuisine.com

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat butter until fluffy. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then themilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until icing is thick. You may not need to add all the sugar. Add a few drops of food coloring if you so desire!

Chocolate Caramel Tart

This tart and I had some issues. I think it was me, though, and not the recipe, so I wanted to post it so I can try again.

In theory, it sounds delish! What is better than a buttery crust, caramel and chocolate...together?! Nothing I can think of beats that! The crust was easy enough. I had to make the caramel twice, though! How frustrating. I think I know how to do it, so next time it wont be as disastrous. I left out the peanuts, though, because I didn't want something to get in the way of the delicious caramel consumption. The chocolate layer never came out right, though. I think it was the cream I used. Anyways, I think you should make this and tell me how it turned out for you. And by you, I mean all 4 of my readers =D

Chocolate Carmel Tart
From Annie's Eats

For tart crust:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons very cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks

For caramel:
Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons salted butter

For chocolate ganache:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

To make crust, combine egg yolk, water and vanilla. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and beat for several minutes. Add the egg mixture and beat again until combined. Make into a ball and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap dough and place on a well-floured surface. Roll out evenly to about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a greased tart pan (I used a pie pan), and press into sides, getting rid of any excess dough. Cover with foil and place baking beads on top. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Remove beads and foil and poke holes in dough with a fork. Return to oven and bake 15-20 more minutes. Let cool completely.

To make caramel (and I wish you luck here), bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet and sprinkle in about 3 tablespoons of sugar. When it melts, stir and add in another 3 tablespoons sugar. When that melts, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir in the corn syrup and let boil until it reaches a caramel color. Stir in the butter and then the cream. Lower the temperature and let it boil for 2 minutes. Let caramel cool slightly before placing in the completely cool tart crust.

To make ganache, put chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour half of it over the chocolate. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together. Pour in the remainder of the cream and stir. When ganache is smooth, stir in butter, piece by piece.

When caramel has thickened in crust. Pour the ganache over the top. Place entire tart in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove and let sit at room temperature until serving.