Entries Tagged as 'martha stewart'

Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo

January 27th, 2011 · No Comments

I made this easy dinner and loved it. The prep time is so quick, and then you just throw it in the oven for 40 minutes. It has chicken broth and chicken cubes, but could easily made vegetarian, if you prefer that.

Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo
From: Martha Stewart Food
Serves 6

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound orzo
2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. In a 3-quart baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Squares

January 12th, 2011 · 2 Comments

I used Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Squares as a basis for this dessert I made. On Martha’s site, she makes an elaborate basket-weave textured chocolate on the top. I just did like a melted chocolate splash technique that I made up! And I used two different chocolates. And I put it in a round glass pan and cut it in wedges.

You know, the dessert was good, but very rich. I don’t think that my shortbread was done all the way through. It was good, but not a favorite. I thought I’d post the recipe for anyone who wants to try their hand at it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Squares
From: MarthaStewart.com

The milk-chocolate topping of these cookies looks like the result of masterful piping, but it’s actually a cinch to make using a mold. Beneath the chocolate hides a layer of peanut butter on top of brown-sugar shortbread, all of them adding up to a treat that’s creamy and crumbly and rich throughout. Makes about 36 squares.

Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
12 ounces milk chocolate, melted
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Coat a 9 1/2-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides, and coat parchment with spray.

Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Press dough evenly into pan. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake shortbread until golden brown and firm in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Let shortbread cool in pan on a wire rack.

Place a basket-weave mat, trimmed to fit pan, on a rimmed baking sheet, and spread melted chocolate evenly on mat. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.

Use parchment to unmold shortbread from pan, and trim edges to create a square. Spread peanut butter evenly on shortbread. Carefully center chocolate, mat side up, on top of peanut butter, and gently peel off mat. Cut shortbread into 1 1/2-inch squares. Shortbread will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

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Working in New York

January 9th, 2011 · 1 Comment

Last week I was working in New York again. It was long, long hours, but I did manage one night to meet up with Jeannette, Tien and Jessica for dinner. Jess had suggested maybe going to Hill Country Barbecue for dinner. Tien said that there was a spot across the street they opened called Hill Country Chicken that specialized in fried chicken and he’s been wanting to try it. I’ve been trying to eat better this new year for the wedding, so in the end we did a 360 and decided to check out Takahachi for sushi dinner. It was good and reasonably priced and didn’t make me feel bad about what I ate. But then…..

I’d told Tien earlier that I’d always wanted to go to a Momofuku restaurant. I actually mention in a 2008 blog post that I always wanted to go there. So Tien took us to the Momofuku Milk Bar for dessert. I didn’t feel bad, though. We ordered and split several things and everything was so delicious, it was so worth it.

Jess ordered old fashioned donut soft serve and it tasted exactly like a donut. Jeannette got a cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookie and horchata soft serve. Tien got a salty pistachio “fancy” milkshake which was spiked liberally with butterscotch schnapps and was delicious. Tien also got this:

Cereal milk? I didn’t get it. Then I took a sip. Wow. It tastes EXACTLY how your milk tastes after you eat your cereal out of it. Crazy.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to get. It seemed like the thing to do was to get the “crack pie,” so that’s what I did. OMG. Crack. It’s so rich and sweet.. and totally addictive… like crack (or so I hear).

This crack pie is amazing. I’m kind of obsessed now. Thanks, Tien! I have located the recipe for crack pie and I vow to make it as soon as I can (after the wedding). Oh, and I just found this clip of Andersoon Cooper going on and on about how he loves crack pie. “I sent it to my mom,” he said. “My mom’s now addicted to crack — pie. And uh, yeah, seriously, my teeth are going to fall out. It’s like doing crack. After a while of doing it your teeth will fall out.” FYI, Anderson Cooper’s mom is Gloria Vanderbilt.

Ah. And watch this… when Martha Stewart visits the Milk Bar and the pastry chef there, Christina Tosi, makes crack pie with Momofuku chef/owner David Chang.

Zowie! And now I just found out you can order Milk Bar’s cookies and pies online. This is no good. Don’t do crack kids, even if it’s just a crack pie. Moral of the story.

Anyway….. what else?

I mostly just worked and worked. The Bloomberg office is at 59th and Lexington and on this trip I stayed at the Renaissance New York Hotel 57 on 57th and Lexington. It was nice and close and they had these cute mirrors in the elevators.

Small rooms, but clean and modern. Pretty bathrooms. I liked it.

I ate probably half or more of my meals at Picnic on 57th. Everything at Picnic is good and it is close to the hotel, close to the office. I didn’t have to think about where to go. One of my coworkers goes here every single day and orders the same salad. While the salads at Picnic are great, I got a few, they also have really good sandwiches, soups and sushi. And my favorite yogurt for breakfast, too!

And on Thursday… LGA waiting for the plane to take off. It was such a long week. I just stared at this thing for like 20 minutes.

Finally. Sky Mall. I saw these shoes. In the ad they are described as having a “slick speed of life logo,” but all I could think is that the logo looks like sperm.

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Cookies on a Stick

January 5th, 2011 · 4 Comments

Around Halloween I decided to make cookies on a stick and decorate them with holiday sprinkles, fall-colored M&Ms and Reese’s Pieces. I made a chocolate version of the cookie and a sugar cookie version.

We took half of the cookies to our friend’s Halloween party, where they were quickly eaten. What’s more fun than to eat a cookie on a stick at a party? I heard one person say that they really liked the chocolate cookies better than the sugar cookies, so I thought if I make these again I should only do chocolate. But then a while later someone came up and told me they really liked the sugar cookie version. I guess different people have different tastes and both were well-liked.

I took the other half of the cookies to Wisconsin for my family to eat while they were helping me address my wedding invitations. You can see that Steph and Jess liked them:

And me too!

Lollipop Cookies
From: Martha Stewart

Bring out the sweet side of Halloween with these colorful sugar cookies, a real treat for your favorite little tricksters. Kids will be happy to help out with this playful recipe — invite them to roll the balls of dough in colorful sugar. Makes 24.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Colored sanding sugar or sprinkles (preferably black and orange)
24 wooden ice-pop sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture; mix just until combined (do not overmix).

If using two colors of sanding sugar, place each in a separate shallow dish (or combine them in one). Roll dough into balls, using 1 1/2 tablespoons for each. Roll in sanding sugar, pressing lightly to coat completely. Insert a wooden stick in center of each ball; place on baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart, with wooden sticks lying horizontally. Lightly press down on each ball with the bottom of a glass to flatten slightly.

Bake until edges are golden and crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Spot Cookies
From: Martha Stewart

Makes about 4 dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups black and orange mini candy-coated chocolates

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl.

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup candies.

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press remaining 1/4 cup candies into tops of cookies.

Bake cookies, switching positions of sheets about halfway through, until just firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.

P.S. I got this apron as a gift from Jill on the day that I baked these cookies. Awesome coincidence. It’s so pretty and worked out great!

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2010 Cookie Party Recipes

December 20th, 2010 · 1 Comment

1st Place
DIRTY BALLS
by Amanda

Finely crush 1 pack oreo cookies – do not leave chunks, do not use double stuff.

8oz cream cheese softened.

Mix oreo cookies and cream cheese with mixer until well combined.

Roll into balls and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Melt white dipping chocolate and dip balls in the chocolate.

Allow to dry on wax paper

Refrigerating balls make it easier to dip in chocolate.

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2nd Place
RED VELVET COOKIES
by Amanda

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red food color
1 egg
3/4 to 1 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food color and egg until soft dough forms.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Frost cooled cookies with frosting. Sprinkle with nuts. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

From: Betty Crocker.

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3rd Place (tie)
OREO PUDDING BARS
by Jen

35 OREO Cookies
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cold milk
1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
3-1/4 cups cold milk
make it

PROCESS cookies in food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to medium bowl; mix in butter. Press onto bottom of 13×9-inch dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

WHISK cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl until blended. Stir in 1-1/4 cups COOL WHIP; spread over crust.

BEAT pudding mixes and 3-1/4 cups milk with whisk 2 min.; pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened; cover with remaining COOL WHIP. Refrigerate 4 hours.

From: kraftrecipes.com.

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3rd Place (tie)
ROLO COOKIES
by Loden

2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 c. chopped nuts (your choice)
60 Rolo candies
4 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and soda; blend well. In large bowl, beat sugars and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Slowly add flour mixture; blend well.

Stir in 1/2 cup nuts. For each cookie with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around caramel candy, covering completely. In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup nuts and 4 tablespoons sugar. Press one side of each ball into pecan mixture.

Place, nut side up, on ungreased sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from sheets. 60 cookies.

From: cooks.com.

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MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
by Stephanie

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

From: Betty Crocker.

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CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO SNOWCAPS
by Rachelle

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
Confectioners’ sugar, for coating

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Pour confectioners’ sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.

Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes 18

From: Martha Stewart

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REINDEER POOP
by Rachelle

1 jar (16oz) dry roasted unsalted peanuts
1 jar (16oz) dry roasted salted peanuts
1 pkg. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bar (4 oz.) German Chocolate-broken into pieces
3 #s or 2 planks White Bark-broken into pieces

Put ingredients into a 4 or 5 quart crock pot in the order listed. Cover and cook for 3 hours on low. Do not remove the lid during this time.

Turn of and cool slightly. Then stir to mix thoroughly and drop by teaspoonfuls on waxed paper. Let cool thoroughly. Approximately 170 pieces.

NOTE: At about the 2 hour mark I smelled burning. When I opened the slow cooker the peanuts were burning and the chocolate was scorched to the sides of the pot. I tried to scoop out the burned stuff and get the rest on waxed paper as soon as I could. I also used too large of a scoop so my pieces were big. If I’d used the smaller scoop, they’d have been more bite-sized.

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CHRISTMAS STAINED GLASS COOKIES
by Mary (Mom)

1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 stick of butter
10 1/2 oz. pkg. colored mini marshmallows
1 c. chopped nuts
7 oz. pkg. coconut

Melt the chocolate chips and butter, stirring often. Cool to room temperature. Add nuts and marshmallows. Fold and mix together. Divide in half.

Sprinkle coconut on waxed paper. Form the mixture into a log and roll in coconut. Wrap waxed paper and refrigerate several hours.

Slice into cookies and enjoy.

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CHINESE NEW YEAR COOKIES
by Anne

1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (6 oz.) pkg. butterscotch chips
1 (3 oz.) can chow mein noodles
1 c. salted peanuts, chopped

Melt the chips in a double boiler. Mix in noodles and nuts. Drop by teaspoon on waxed paper. Yield: 36.

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CLASSIC SPRITZ COOKIES
by Katie

1 1/2 c. butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly cream butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; beat well. Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough. Do not chill.

Put dough into cookie press and press cookies onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove cookies from sheet; cool on rack.

Makes 7-8 dozen cookies.

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HOLIDAY BARK
by Jessica G.

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
7 ounces salted cocktail peanuts (1 1/2 cups)

Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts. Remove from heat.

Melt bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally.
Stir in peanuts. Spread on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spreading peanuts in a single layer.

Drop spoonfuls of white chocolate on top, and swirl chocolates with a skewer. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Break bark into large pieces. Bark will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 1/4 pounds

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5-LAYER BARS
by Kristin

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butterscotch morsels (I used only chocolate chip since I didn’t have butterscotch)
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted (I drizzled a bit more butter than the recipe called for)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. (I sometimes just melt the butter in the 9×13 pan in the oven while it preheats.) Press into bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ingredients of mix over crumb mixture. (I usually do chips, then nuts, then coconut). Pour sweetened condensed milk over the layers. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into bars.

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JACK-N-GINGER COOKIES
by Jill

1 14.5 oz. box gingerbread cake & cookie mix (I could not find a gingerbread mix so I made my own gingerbread mix based on a recipe from allrecipes.com)
1/4 cup Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7
2 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix gingerbread mix with 1/4 cup Jack and melted butter. Roll out a small amount of dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured board. Cut out cookies with shaped cookie cutter(s); arrange one inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 2 1/2 T Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7

In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 2 to 2 1/2 T of Jack to a spreading consistency. Frost cookies as desired.

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