All That Leftover Candy!!!

Have leftover Halloween candy calling your name?  I like to keep a reasonable amount for the kids to enjoy, and then, take the remaining chocolate bars and make cookies with them.  Simply put the chocolate candy bars (all of them...Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Mounds, Whoppers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) in the freezer.  When they are frozen, remove the wrappers and either chop them up or pulse them all together in a food processor.  Then make the cookie recipe below and use the chopped candy bars as a substitute for the chocolate chips.  You can ball and freeze the dough and then just bake as you need them.  A DELICIOUS way to use up those small size bars!

For the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe, click here!

Peppermint Patty Cake

My eldest daughter turned double digits this October.  I can't understand where the time has gone.  Her favorite food is the Homemade Peppermint Patties that I make, usually around Christmas time.  (Click here to see our "stocked" recipe!)  I decided to take the Peppermint Patty filling and use it as the filling in her layered chocolate cake.  One recipe of the filling was just about perfect to layer into a 9" cake.  It was DELICIOUS! 

I always try to sift in the powdered sugar into any recipe I am making.  It always turns out better without lumps!

After the cream cheese, sugar, and peppermint extract are mixed well, I sprayed a 9" pan with Pam and pressed in the mixture to match the shape of the cake.

I layered the mixture onto the bottom layer of cake and then trimmed off the edges.

I topped it with the other 9" layer of cake and frosted the whole thing with a boiled chocolate frosting.  YUM!

It was all about the peace signs and zebra print this year.  The zebra print came courtesy of Wilton's Sugar Sheets.  Super easy to use, tasty, and really cute.  Happy Birthday Lexie!

Toasted Nuts

Using toasted nuts in recipes makes a tremendous difference.  By cooking the nuts, their natural oils are released and the flavor is increased dramatically.  Don’t be intimidated by the process.  There are several ways to do it, and the only really crucial part is that you keep an eye on them, because they can go from perfect to burnt in a blink of an eye.

STOVE TOP:  Heat nuts in a dry fry pan over medium until they are golden brown.

OVEN:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a parchment paper covered jelly roll pan, heat nuts for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

The best indicator of the nuts being done is by smell.  Once you start to catch a whiff of that toasted deliciousness, they are just about done!  Enjoy!

Know thy Knife!

Over the last 5 years, much of my own increased confidence in the kitchen has come, undoubtedly,  from the implemented strategies of The Stocked Kitchen.  I have also realized, however, that my knife skills are much more on point, most likely from the sheer enormity of recent cooking, but also, from sneaking peeks at every good cook around me.  The reason I think that these knife skills have actually improved my cooking ability, is because of the time savings it has provided.  Chopping, dicing, and mincing can be a daunting task, if you don't have proper and speedy techniques. I stumbled across the web series below on proper knife techniques.  I have embedded the video on the professional knife grip.  This alone has helped me to have better control and safety in the kitchen.  "Perfect practice makes perfect."

My other suggestion is that out of all of the tools in your kitchen, good knives make a big difference.  And, although counter-intuitive, sharp knives are much safer.  (If sharpening your own knives seems scary, go to your local butcher and ask them to do it.)  Eric Ripert will have a different standard of knives than us mere mortals, however, there are a few qualities that a good knife collection should have.  First off, you only REALLY need three different knives for cooking.  Although those enormous blocks of knives on your counter can look incredibly impressive (and threatening) these three are the knives you can cook just about everything you want to with.  In all of these knives, a high carbon stainless steel is good quality, takes a sharp edge, and has the benefit of stain resistance.

Chef's Knife:  The big one.  I like this knife to be BIG, non-serrated, and without wooden handles.  This wooden handle bit is personal preference, although some jalapeno juice recently soaked into a wooden handled knife of mine (unbenounced to me), and although the knife had been washed, days later my poor hands were ablaze!  This knife is the one I really run to for most things, so look at it as an investment.

Paring Knife:  The little one.  This is what I use for peeling, cutting, and cleaning fruits and vegetables. In fact it is good for any use that the Chefs Knife makes you feel like a sword wielder.

Serrated Bread Knife:  This one I use the least, but when you need it, you need it.  This is for, obviously, cutting bread, but also for making multi-layer cakes and cutting through very soft tomatoes.

So get your band-aids and butterflies ready (remember that New-Skin burns like a mother) and get to it!



Here is the link to the rest of the knife skill lessons.  (I haven't reviewed them all as of yet, but the first few seemed very encouraging.)  Enjoy you beautiful people!
XOXO,
Sarah

Eggs Benedict for a crowd!

I love Eggs Benedict for brunch, however the egg poaching for a crowd can seem overwhelming.  Try this great tip for "poaching" eggs in a muffin tin in your oven!  Then see below for our delicious Hollandaise Sauce recipe!

I tried this tip from carolinaheartstrings.com today, testing it before my brunch tomorrow, and it worked great.  I liked the eggs at about 8 minutes in the oven.  Also, I used a slotted spoon to get the eggs out so that the water could run off.  Be gentle though, so the bottom doesn't stay in the pan!  

MUFFIN TIN POACHED EGGS

BY ALESSA, ON MARCH 5TH, 2012

Here’s a way to have poached eggs come out perfectly and it is ideal for when you have several to feed.  When I saw this idea I knew I wanted to do it for one of our March egg postings.

Since everyone has a muffin tin no special equipment is required!  Simply grease as many spots as eggs that you plan to cook and heat the oven to 400 degrees.  While the oven is preheating boil a small pot of water.  When the oven is ready put 2 tablespoons of boiling water into each muffin spot and crack one egg per spot into the tin.

Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on how firm you like your eggs and then remove each gently by sliding a flexible plastic spatula around the edge and lifting out.  Let water run off for a minute before putting onto your final serving plate.

I served with English muffins and breakfast sausage.  You could also serve some cheese or additional fillings for build-your-own Egg M*Muffins.

Enjoy!

Top with our...

"Stocked" Hollandaise Sauce!

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter

1. Place egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt in a blender or food processor.  Blend at top speed for 2 minutes.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming.
3. With blender or food processor running, pour the hot butter in a thin stream into the egg yolk mixture.  By the time 2/3 of the butter is in the blender, the sauce will be thick.
4. Drizzle over poached eggs and serve.

Click here to print recipe

My New Favorite Kitchen Gadget!

So a dumbbell is probably not what you were guessing, but I used it last night to make paninis with great success.  This should work on a grill but I used a stove top griddle with a grill side, like the one below.

This pan is currently on sale at Kohl's for $47.49.  (Get out that 30% coupon! :) )

I used Pam on the griddle and then placed two sandwiches on the pan.  I used dry bread (not buttered) and had filled the sandwich with cold cuts, cheese, and roasted red peppers.  I then topped the sandwiches with a jelly roll pan and placed the dumbbell on top of the jelly roll pan. (The weight I used was 10 lbs.)  If the weight has a plastic coating, you may want to lay a pot holder between the jelly roll pan and the dumbbell.  The sandwiches cook quickly (2-3 minutes a side) at medium heat.  You want to see dark golden brown grill marks on the bread.  Make sure to flip half way through.  Voila!  You have a panini press made out of items that you have lots of other uses for.  You can even work on your biceps while you are cooking! :)  

Make Ahead Tip: There is nothing like a straight off the "press" panini, however, I am obsessed with making meals ahead these days.  Grill up the paninis and refrigerate.  When you are ready to eat, heat in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Un-Recipes

Don't forget all of these Un-Recipe Recipes that you can do with the ingredients on The Stocked Kitchen grocery list!

• Baked Potatoes
• Buttered Noodles
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Grilled Chicken Breast
• Crudite
• Chips and Salsa
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Apples and Peanut Butter

The beauty of using "real" food!

Christmas Cookies

We started a Christmas tradition last year where we had another family over for cookie decorating.  I baked all the sugar cookies and made the sugar cookie icing, (see our Cut-Out Cookie recipe and the Sugar Cookie Icing recipe).  I transferred the icing to small separate bowls and added food coloring to create a rainbow of options and laid out tons of different sprinkles.  I added to the table little craft paint brushes that I had run through the dishwasher, covered the table with a plastic tablecloth, and gave the little ones the go ahead.  The kids LOVED it, felt like artists, and at the end we had a contained mess and dozens of creatively frosted cookies.  We are doing it again this weekend and my kids are counting down the days.  Besides the sprinkles, which are completely optional anyway, the entire evening, including the Cheesy Chicken Chili that I had waiting for everyone in a crock pot, was made from ingredients I already had.  Merry Merry Stocked Christmas!!!

Vacation Recipe

We are staying in a small cottage on Lake Michigan for the week. Heaven! It doesn't have a full kitchen, but we've been making delicious sun-kissed meals! We brought with us an electric griddle, so we've had no problem making scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes for breakfast. Also, buying multi-function ingredients is the key. We bought buns instead of bread and that we have topped with some burgers from the grill, PB&Js and cold-cuts that with some of the extra bacon become club sandwiches. Also, Tortilla Chips and the super easy taco dip we posted last week is a perfect late afternoon snack. The cheese and salsa from that recipe can be mixed with the eggs in the morning too for a south of the border scramble. Lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots can be combined to either top sandwiches, make a side salad, or just have some crudite. Getting the most out of your grocery shopping doesn't mean sacrificing fun and yummy vacation food. Find ways to multi-task your purchases and you will stay within budget and totally enjoy your vacation meals.
xoxo, Sarah

EXTRA BUNS!

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer!  I don't know about you, but after the hamburgers and hot dogs are gone, we always seem to have extra buns laying around.  Freeze them and use them up in our garlic toast, croutons, or breakfast bake recipes.  It all goes back to just "use what you have!"

PIZZA SAUCES YOU MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF!

 Next time you are looking for a way to change up pizza night, try the

Alfredo Sauce with spinach, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and parmesan
Pink Alfredo Sauce with shrimp, crab, mozzarella, and parmesan
Pesto Sauce with chicken, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and feta cheese
Olive Puree with mozzarella
Enchilada Sauce with taco meat, green pepper, tomatoes, black olives, and cheddar cheese

 This is a great way to use up leftovers of these sauces too!

Quesadillia Fillings - Make use of leftover cooked meats, shrimp, chicken, and/or veggies you may have. If you don't have any veggies on hand just go ahead and use salsa instead. Throw in some cheese and follow the instructions below. That's how easy quesadillas are.

1)  Sprinkle filling ingredients over tortillas. Place another tortilla over top.
2)  Place uncooked Quesadillas in a dry fry pan over medium heat.  Place a dinner plate on top the the Quesadillas to flatten them while cooking.  Make sure the plate is heat resistant.
3)  Cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.  Flip the Quesadillas onto the plate and slide uncooked side facedown back into fry pan and replace plate on top.  Cook second side for 3 mintues or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
4)  Remove from the fry pan, cut cooked Quesadilla into eight pie shaped pieces.  Serve with Sour Cream and Salsa.

Running out of kids snack ideas and tired of spending all that money on the prepackaged ones? Try these "Stocked" options for a fun and healthy twist!

Peanuts, Raisins, and Chocolate Chips
Apple Slices with Homemade Caramel Sauce
Peanut Butter and Jelly Tortilla Roll-Ups
Carrot Sticks and Ranch Dressing
Cream Cheese and Jelly Crackers